apricot and apple stew over lentils

i honestly was not sure what to call this one... "apricot-date stew, "tagine", "curry," "mix of what i had in the fridge," etc....

anyways, my husband is a big fan of fruit cooked in food. me- not so much. but as marriage serves the purpose of growing, i suppose my taste buds have expanded to include such dishes.

so i made this the other night as a little gift for him but ended up liking it a lot myself as well, and of course- it was simple to make which always makes me happy.

one more thing- i used chicken, but this would be great without it as well. can also add in chickpeas.

so here we are:

Lentils:
1 cup lentils
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper


Stew:

1 onion, sliced
1 lb chicken breast, cubed
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper or chili flakes
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp saffron in 1/8 cup hot water
3 chopped organic carrots
1 apple, sliced and chopped
8 dried apricots, quartered
2-3 dates
1 stalk celery
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/8-1/4 cup water or broth

Lentils:

-Wash and pick over the lentils thoroughly- you don't want any crunchy rocks in your food.
-Cook according to your package (i believe i used 2 cups water for the one cup of lentils, and cooked for approximately 20 minutes). Check to taste that they are done when all of the water has evaporated.
-Mix in salt and pepper when they are cooked.

**To make saffron:
grind your saffron with a mortar and pestle. add boiled water to it and let sit for approx. five minutes.

Stew:

-Saute you onions in the olive oil until golden but not overcooked.
-Add all your spices except for the saffron and stir for a few seconds. Add chicken and cook until halfway done.
-Add chopped carrots, apple, and celery.
-Cook for a few minutes then add your apricots, dates, and prepared saffron.**
-Add water or broth and let simmer on low for approximately 10-15 more minutes depending on if your chicken is cooked and how much water is left in the pan. if too dry, add more liquid. Taste, add more seasoning if needed.
-Serve over the lentils and enjoy!

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gluten, dairy, and soy free pesto pizza with sun dried tomatoes

"but what do you do about pizza?!?!?!!"
-almost everyone.

although i never ate pizza that often, i am definitely a fan of a good quality fresh and tasty slice of pizza. and yes, i do miss it. i had finally come up with a gluten free dairy free pizza that i liked, but it used soy cheese (which i still think is a great cheese if you can eat soy). after i found out i had a soy intolerance as well, that eliminated most alternative cheeses except for this one cheese: Galaxy Nutritional Foods Rice Vegan- Soy and Casein Free Cheese Slices. There are three different types (american, pepper jack, and chedder, but only in slice form). If you are only dairy free, they have a variety of lactose and soy free cheeses. I avoid casein, so i can only have the sf/cf slices. Anyways, they don't melt very well, so they were out for pizza.

so anyways, i'm all for making everything from scratch, as i tend to do, but i'm really finding that i need to buy a few prepared things to not make myself starve and go crazy waiting for food to be ready. so i bought some frozen pizza crusts on a whim the other day at my new favorite grocery store. they are kinnikinnick foods 7" pizza crusts. to me they resemble a greek style gyro bread if you just heat them up, but they make a lovely pizza crust. it's hard to describle, but what i liked most about it was the flour texture on the outside that is like bread made on a well dusted board, similar to regular pizza crust. i think this is due to the sweet rice flour that's added to the dough when rollng it out.

so this is what i did for my simple and super fast and tasty pizza:

1. made some pesto (unfortunately these measurements are all approximate because i was just throwing them all in):
-approx 1.5 cups packed organic basil, 1 cup packed cilantro, 1/4 cup pine nuts, 1/4 cup cashews, 3 Tbsp chopped garlic, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast, 4 Tbsp good tasting olive oil
-throw the ingredients except the olive oil into a food processor and mix. gradually add the olive oil until well blended. taste, adjust flavors to your taste and go!
*i usually make a lot of pesto then store it in a container with extra olive oil on top which can later be used for pasta, eggs, etc.
*the nutritional yeast adds a bit of a cheesy flavor that's a great sub for parmesan

2. lightly oiled the top of the crust with olive oil.

3. spread pesto on top

4. spread toppings on (for my first one i used sun dried tomatoes and all natural cilantro chicken sausage from trader joe's (pictured above). for my second one i used sun dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers (pictured below). i also sprinkled soem crushed red peppers on top.

5. put in oven at 400 degrees for approximately 10 minutes (check periodically depending on your oven).

kind of silly to even give a recipe, but it was a great assurance that good pizza can be enjoyed even without all of the dairy, gluten, etc... (and quickly!)


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carrot muffins

carrot muffins/cake has of course been done numerous different ways... when coming up with this recipe, i was trying to mix flours and flavor in a way that would give me a lot of protein, fiber, and other vitamins along with the natural sweetness of the carrots. so this recipe can of course have a number of substitutions depending on your taste, and i continue to play around with it depending on my mood. it's a favorite of my niece and nephew, so is definitely kid friendly :)


Carrot Muffins

1/3 cup millet flour
1/3 cup Teff Flour
1/3 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
*1/4-1/3 cup almond meal (if you like a more nutty flavor)
1 tsp xantham gum
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt (i use Celtic Sea Salt)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon (i use saigon cinnamon-fairly strong)
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
*(you can also sub 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice for all of the spices)
1/2 cup-3/4 cup agave nectar -0r- 1/2 cup agave+1/4 cup Sucanat (depending on how sweet you want it)
2 TBSP blackstrap molasses
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
2 eggs (or egg substitution)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup hempmilk, rice milk, or almond milk
1/4 cup water
1 cup grated carrots (i use 2 organic carrots)
*if you like them sweeter you can add pineapple or another juice
*if you like nuts, they would be a great addition as well. i've also added cocoa nibs too.

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease muffin pans
-Whisk the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
-In your mixer bowl, mix your eggs, agave, water, milk, oil, molasses, and vanilla until incorporated.
-Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined.
-Add grated carrots to the batter and stir in by hand. - do not overmix! (i shred mine in the food processor in a matter of seconds) if your batter is too thick, add a little more water.
-Fill your muffin cups about 3/4 full and bake for about 15 minutes. ** the oven in our new place is a bit off with temperature, so i would say bake for 10, check them, and then every five minutes after check again, because each oven time will vary.
-cool on a wire rack

You can eat these as is, or you can also ice them with this wonderful coconut cream frosting made with agave from Elana's Pantry.

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khoresh-e-ghaymeh lapeh (persian split pea stew)

i must say that my original reason for posting this recipe is because it was nice to finally measure the ingredients for this recipe... gheymeh, ghaymeh, however you would like to spell it is a persian stew that is usually served on top of rice. it's a savory and flavorful stew, yet fairly simple in its ingredients. this is based on my mother's recipe, who is quite against measuring anything in the kitchen and is a phenomenal cook, so we'll call this a collaborative effort. i'm hoping to preserve more of her wonderful recipes as time goes on...

anyways, this is also my submission for September's 'Go Ahead Honey It's Gluten Free!' challenge, who's theme this month is "slow food." it's hosted by the lovely naomi of straight into bed cake free and dried. now this 'stew' can be cooked as slow and as long as you want it! i cooked mine for about an hour and a half, but it can be longer or shorter-- the flavors really set in nicely when it's cooked a long time on low, blending the tomato with the rich spices.

the only ingredient in this dish that may be a bit harder to find is dried persian limes (pictured above.) most middle eastern grocery stores should have it though. if not, i'm sure the wonderful internet could supply some :) if you don't have them, plain lime juice can be added, but the flavor is just not as intense. you don't have to eat them when serving the dish, but i love them.


Khoresh-e-Ghaymeh Lapeh (Persian Split Pea Stew)




1 cup yellow split peas
1 lb stew beef, cut into small pieces (mine was about 2 1/4 cup chopped)
3 medium onions, chopped
6 Tbsp oil (olive, grapeseed)
5 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 28 oz can Organic Crushed Tomatoes with Basil (i used Muir Glen)
2 tsp Turmeric
3 tsp Cinnamon (less if you don't like it that strong)
2 tsp Sea Salt
1.5 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Oregano
3 Dried Limes


Note: this recipe uses three pots/pans (trust me, it's worth the dishes). i refer to them as 'small pot' (for the peas) 'stew pot' (for everything) and 'saute pan' (a frying pan with sides and a lid-for cooking the meat).

1. First rinse your split peas and set to cook in 4 cups of water over medium heat in your small pot. The cooking time will honestly depend on the type of peas-- it really does make a difference. I think mine cooked in about 15 minutes, but watch it and check after 10, then 5, etc. etc. If they overcook they will turn to mush and will be a sad sight. They should be al dente, or almost soft. Don't add salt, or they won't cook! While they're cooking, skim the foam off and discard.

2. Boil hot water. Wash your dried limes and stab a few holes in them. Pour the hot water over your limes in a bowl and cover to let them soak and soften.

3. Meanwhile, while your peas are cooking, cook your chopped onions in 3 Tbsp of your oil in your large stew pot until golden but not overdone. Remove 1/3 of them and place in your saute pan where you will cook the meat.

4. With the other 2/3 of your onion still in the stew pot, add the can of crushed tomatoes as well as the tomato past to the onions. stir well. add a tsp of turmeric to the sauce. if your tomato sauce is unsalted, add some salt. bring the sauce to boil while you move on to the next step- the meat.

5. For the meat: While your sauce is simmering, heat the saute pan you just put the 1/3 of onions along with the other 3 Tbsp of oil. Add the spices (cinnamon, salt, pepper, oregano, turmeric) and beef. After a minute or two, add the limes (not the water) and cook until the meat is almost thoroughly cooked.

6. Add the meat and split peas to the sauce and stir well. turn the heat down to low and let simmer covered for an hour to two hours. taste periodically to see if you want to add any more salt, pepper, etc... it can get fairly thick depending on a variety of factors. if it's too thick for your taste you can add some water. i sometimes add some of the lime water that the limes were soaking in for some more flavor. While your stew is cooking, make your rice- persians use basmati, i made brown rice, so whatever you like.

enjoy!

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Roasted Butternut Squash with Corn

i blogged a little while ago about a Nando's side dish that I wanted to recreate-- a tasty butternut squash dish. since then i've tried to make it twice, each a little different. it's not exactly the same, but quite good! i use nando's sauces to spice up and add a bit more flavor, but you can also leave them out or sub a few other ingredients (or your own favorite hot sauce). i've added some suggestions for subs in the end. the recipe is quite simple to make and can be a main or side dish.



Roasted Butternut Squash with Corn

1 2 lb. butternut squash, peeled
1 large red onion, chopped (about 1.5 cups)
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic peri-peri sauce
1 tsp wild-herb peri-peri sauce
1 Tbsp sea salt
1.5 cups frozen corn (roasted if you like) or 1 cup fresh
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/4 cup organic dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped organic cilantro

-preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
-chop the butternut into pieces (about 4" x 3" pieces- the smaller they are the faster they will cook) and place inside down on a baking tray. you can lightly toss the pieces in olive oil or coconut oil and a bit of salt before baking if you choose.
-bake the squash until soft (mine took approx. 15 minutes, but check after 10).
-meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a pot and sautee the onion.
-add the corn, hot sauces, salt, and cayenne to the onions and stir for a minute or so. if using fresh corn let it cook for a bit.
-add the cranberries and stir until the corn is heated through.
-chop the squash into cubes and add to the onion mixture. continue to stir the mixture for a few minutes for the flavors to blend. i like there to still be some cubes left, but also a mashed consistency--the more you mix it the more mashed it will become. remove from heat
-add chopped cilantro to taste.

**notes:
- in the picture below, i made this dish with organic bison sausage chopped up and cooked with the onions. you can also add some grilled chicken if you would like more protein in the dish.
-if you don't have the nando's sauces, you can either leave them out, add your own smoky hot sauce, or probably a mixture of vinegar, herbs, garlic, lemon, agave, and some heat
-i've made this with sweet potato as well and added a dash of cinnamon in for some more added flavor

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Pay it Forward

recently i read a post on Elizabeth's blog Under Consideration about a wonderful little project...
"Pay it Forward." i have of course seen the movie, but was intrigued about a blogging version.

anyways, i went ahead and responded to her post and was chosen to also 'pay it forward,' so here we are now! here is the way it works:


I agree to send something fun, cute, and nice to the first 3 blog owners who post a comment on this entry. In turn, those three will post this information and pick 3 people they want to send something to and so on. Unfortunately, due to postage costs, I can only pay it forward within the United States. If you are interested in participating, be one of the first 3 blog owners to leave a comment!

You have to promise that you will then post about this on your blog, link to me, and then send something to the first three people who comment on your blog so that this continues. When the first three have commented I will email you a request for your shipping address and I will send out something that I hope will make you smile!


i was a little hesitant to respond to Elizabeth's post because i didn't know what to send, but i think i've finally come up with something :) her gift arrived a few days ago and definitely made me smile!!

so if there are any readers out there... somewhere... who read this and would like to participate and do a little something nice please comment!

**update-- if you would still like to comment and pay it forward, please do-- i'm going to send the gifts out on a 'rolling' basis based on commenters.

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Green Chard with Wild Rice

i know people often wonder about what to do with the tall green things in the store... those leafy ones, or the ones that have stalks attached. here's a quick and easy recipe i made the other day with green chard that arrived in my organic delivery. we've changed companies btw since we've moved... this is our new one: Door to Door Organics - they serve CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, DC, so a pretty wide range and they have a variety of sizes. i must say i prefer our old company, but they don't deliver to our new place :(

anyways, i'm getting off track! i haven't been feeling that well recently, so i've been making a range of 'quick and easy' meals that i'll be sharing soon. in fact, this one was so easy, i'm kind of ashamed to share it! so this is more of a recipe idea than a recipe. anyways, it tasted great and is great for you...


Chard with Wild Rice

After boiling a serving of wild rice, i sauteed an onion and garlic along with some red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, and peri-peri sauce. i used Galito's Famous Peri-Peri Sauce - Garlic or Nando's Garlic Peri Peri Sauce would be great as well- lots of flavor really quickly. i then added the chopped chard into the pan and cooked for about 8 minutes. i really wouldn't have thought about pairing the two of these, but they went so well together... the slightly nutty taste of the wild rice along with the spice and greens made a great quick meal.

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experiments in the kitchen

so during my extended blog vacation, i tried a number of great recipes from the many food blogs that i read. i now have approximately 50 food blogs that i follow in my google reader, most gluten free. if you want to connect on reader, drop me a note and i'll add you. i keep a mostly low personal profile on my blog due to the nature of my work, but don't mind messaging! :)

anyways, here are a few of my favorite recent recipe experiments (i only have a few pics):


GFCF Zucchini Muffins from GFCF and Not Starving
(I used a mix of millet flour, brown rice flour, and some tapioca flour)

Achiote Beans Recado from Fat Free Vegan
these were definitely a favorite! the flavor was incredibly rich and full. we ate it over tostadas that i made along with various toppings.

GF Chicken Potstickers from Gluten Free Gobsmacked
i really missed eating potstickers so much... we made these twice and they got better the second time once we learned the tricks to making them and added a few of our favorite spices and additions.




Mark Engleberg's Gluten Free Vegan Bread from Aprovechar
a great bread, simple to make.

Crusty Millet Flatbread from Ginger Lemon Girl
this flat bread was also simple to make and tasted great alongside an indian dahl i made. i subbed xantham gum for the chia seeds, and almond meal for the whey powder.

Chocolate-Rose Parfait from The Gluten Free Hippie
it's hard to get a creamy texture like milk for a chocolate mousse, but this recipe does it! believe it or not, this chocolate mousse would actually be considered healthy! :) it was a big hit and super simple to make. i love the touch of rosewater. we chopped up frozen bananas and frozen strawberries to go along with it.

Baked Mac and Cheese- Gluten and Dairy Free from Karina's Kitchen
one of my first gluten free blogs and by far my favorite, i loved this recipe and especially loved The Best Uncheesy Sauce that didn't make me feel like i was eating fake cheese! i made bread crumbs to go along with this, and all in all, wonderful baked pasta goodness.

Vegan Strawberry Banana Muffins from Karina's Kitchen
one more from karina. i loved the colors and flavor of these.




that's it for now... and these are only a few of the ones i tried! Pin It Now!

greens greens the magical.... vegetable?

i've loved greens of all types since i was little... call me a southern girl, but they've been part of my family meals forever. i didn't start cooking them myself until a year or two ago though-- partly because i didn't realize how easy they were to make! i always watched my mom make an intimidatingly big pot of them, overflowing full of mustard greens, kale, spinach, and collards, and watch them cook down for a lonnnngggg time... my dad's favorite way to eat them is with apple cider vinegar, so we would always sprinkle some on top.

now that's great, but after experimenting and reading more about them myself, i realized number one, you don't have to cook them forever. number two, there are so many things you can do with them!! i do still love to mix all the different types of greens together, but sometimes i like them separately as well. i also read something else recently, that you should chop them right before you put them into the pan, because a lot of the nutrients drain out when you cut them.

so here's one fairly simple mix i did recently:


Kale with Cashews and Sun-Dried Tomatoes







1 large bunch of kale, chopped
1 red onion
approx 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup cashew pieces or halves
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1-2 Tbsp sesame seeds (depending on your liking)
salt
a dash or two of red chili flakes (optional)
optional: 1/4 cup chicken broth

Sauté the onion in some oil (flavored olive oil works well here). Add garlic and stir for another minute or so. Add chili flakes here if you're going to use it, or use black pepper. Also add the salt (I'm not sure how much i used, but I used sea salt, and tended to be generous with it and taste and add more depending on the flavor in the end).

Add the chopped kale into the onion/garlic mixture, and sauté for approximately 5-8 minutes. Add the broth if you're using it.

Add in the cashews, tomatoes, and half of the sesame seeds and stir for another few minutes.

Serve hot and sprinkle more sesame seeds over it for garnish.

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stuffed vegetables

i should really be ashamed of myself for having such huge breaks between my posts, but let's just say i've been "busy." between work, sickness, becoming a doctor, finishing work, traveling, moving, and still unpacking, i've been taking a lot of pictures of food but not ever uploading them. so! hopefully i will start to get back into my blog (especially now that i'm unemployed at the moment ;))

here is something i made fairly recently-- stuffed vegetables. in homage to my persian side, i make these once in a while, but everytime it's a bit different. i usually make them vegetarian, but this time i used some nice grass fed organic beef. my recipe is to feed a small army, because i always feel that if i'm going to put that much work into it, i should freeze some of the stuffing for a later meal. i ended up putting away two bowls in the freezer for later, and i'm happy i did so... you can stuff just about anything. in this recipe i stuffed peppers and green apples. you can also do butternut squash (my favorite), zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes, etc...

(as always, this is the basic recipe that i play with, so feel free to up the spices to the combo you're happy with!)






Stuffed Vegetables

2 cups basmati rice
2 cups yellow split peas
3 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 lb organic beef
1 jumbo onion, chopped
2 Tbsp coconut oil
3 Tbsp cumin
3 Tbsp coriander
2 Tbsp saigon cinnamon
2 Tbsp salt+2 Tbsp for rice
1 Tbsp pepper
1 Tbsp hot sauce of your choice (i used Nando's wild herb)
1-2 Tbsp italian seasoning (or your own herb blend)
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro
1 large can of diced tomatoes
4 Tbsp lime juice
1/8 cup flavorful olive oil
(optional: chopped parsley)
vegetables of your choosing

In a small pot cook your rice (i boiled down the rice with 2 Tbsp salt). In another small pot cook the split peas (no salt!). Skim the foam off as it develops on the top. While the rice and peas are cooking, chop your onion and saute in oil. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or two. Add the beef to the onions, along with all of the seasonings. Cook until the beef is done. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cooked rice, peas, and beef. Add the tomatoes, hot sauce, lime juice, olive oil, and cilantro and mix well. Taste and add more seasoning to your liking.

For the vegetables:

If stuffing peppers, cut off the tops and stuff, then replace the top and stick toothpicks in to keep the top in place.

For apples, cut of the top, scoop out the insides with a spoon and stuff. I like to scatter the insides around the cooking vegetables in the pyrex to give some more flavor to everything.

Baking:

Preheat the oven to about 375F when you start stuffing the veggies. Spray olive oil on your pyrex. Arrange the veggies standing up on the pyrex, and add some of the juice from the diced tomatoes as well as the insides of your vegetables around the stuffed ones. You can also add some stuffing around the veggies too. Cover with foil and place in the oven for approximately 30 minutes. Uncover and roast another 10 minutes or so or until they are done. They will be very hot, so sit back and admire before digging in :)

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