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Healthy Lunchbox 2012: Janet from The Taste Space-Steam, Bake, Boil, Shake

August 16, 2012 By 5 Comments

Janet from The Taste Space- Steam, Bake, Boil, Shake  is a regular contributor to my monthly challenge, otherwise known as Ingredient Challenge Monday and since I try every recipe entered into the challenge, I am very familiar with how delicious her recipes are.

Imagine my excitement when Janet volunteered to join in on this year’s Healthy Lunchbox series!

As always, her recipe does not disappoint. 

Beautiful, simple and easy to transport…this is a salad fit for a queen (or king).

xo

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First of all, let me say I am not envious that Sunny needs to make 7 lunches to go every.single.day. I can barely put together my own lunch sometimes, but have figured out a few tricks to make portable, tasty lunch eats. I am so excited that Sunny invited me to join her for this year’s Health Lunch Box Series.

I am no stranger to Mason jars, as they line my pantry filled with beans, grains and dried fruit. I have also converted my morning chocolate protein oatmeal to single-servings pre-portioned into smaller Mason jars.  I add a bit of water, throw the oatmeal in the microwave for 2 minutes, top with my toppings of the day and off I go.

In the morning, while rushing out to the gym, I might have 30-45 minutes where I munch on some fruit, drink some tea (if I am lucky) and gather my breakfast and lunch for the road.

Sometimes I have all the right intentions for eating salads, but come morning, the last thing I want to do is rinse and spin my greens and chop some veggies.

My newest solution? Spend some time to make a bunch of salads to go. This is where the taller Mason jars work really well: you can add your dressing to the bottom, place your favourite veggies on the bottom, where they can marinate until you munch through your salad. You want enough veggies so that your layer of greens do not mix with the dressing. After that, though, you can pack in your greens. Next, top with more delicate ingredients that you want to spare early dressing intervention: nuts, seeds, dried fruit, etc. This is also where I will put my beans and cooked grains, because I don’t like it when they absorb too much dressing. Once lunch arrives, I turn the jar upside down and shake away! A long fork helps to eat through the monster salad.

I used to bring my salad greens, dressing and toppings all separately to work, but this is much more simple. Just grab and go!

I have made this a few times already and the salads have still been great after 3 days after I made them.. and I hear they are still good after 5 days, too.

I have included a basic salad recipe below, but do not hesitate to use it as a template to create your own portable Salad in a Jar. I am now on a mission to try even more dressings, since this is an easy and healthy lunch. The dressing below is really nice, too, with a perfect blend of lemon, ginger and a hint of sweet paprika. Please share with me your own favourite salad dressing.

Here are a few of my other favourite salads:

Strawberry, Avocado and Mint Salad with a Chocolate Balsamic Vinaigrette

Strawberry and Roasted Chickpea Salad with a Cinnamon Vinaigrette

Blackberry, Avocado and Walnut Salad with a Ginger Lime Vinaigrette

Asparagus Pecan Quinoa Salad with a Maple-Mustard Dressing

Quinoa and Chickpea Salad with a Balsamic-Tahini Dressing

Roasted Beet, Orange and Brown Rice Salad with an Orange Sesame Vinaigrette

Pomegranate-Lime Asparagus Quinoa Salad

Moroccan Barley and Pea Shoot Salad with an Orange-Cinnamon Dressing

Black Bean, Apricot and Spinach Salad with a Mango-Ginger Dressing

Mexican Chopped Salad with a Creamy Tomato Dressing

 

 

                       

 

Salad in a Jar (with a Topaz Dragon Ginger Dressing)
Adapted from Healthy Happy Life

1.5 tbsp Topaz Dragon Ginger Dressing (see below)
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (or veggies of choice)
1/2 head red lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (or greens of choice)
1/4 cup cooked adzuki beans (or beans/grains of choice)
(other toppings – chopped nuts, seeds, dried fruit, etc)

1. Layer your salad with the dressing on the bottom, then the cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce and finally the beans.

2. Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Then shake well and eat with a long fork!

Serves 1.

Topaz Dragon Ginger Dressing
Adapted from Rawesomely Vegan!

2 tbsp water
2 tsp agave, or your choice of sweetener
1 tsp lemon zest (I used 1 lemon)
1 tsp minced ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion granules
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground black pepper, to to taste (I used less)
1/4 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp flax oil (or oil of choice)

1. Add all ingredients together and mix well. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge and mix well prior to serving.

Makes 1/2 cup.

 

Filed Under: Healthy Lunchbox, Other, Raw, Vegan Tagged With: , ,

Healthy Lunchbox 2012: Peachy Coconut Streusel Muffins

August 15, 2012 By 17 Comments

When most people think of muffins, they think high-carb, grain-filled, low-nutritional value item.

The last thing I want to feed my children is anything that meets that type of description.

The great thing about grain-free cooking is that a majority of flours (nut, seed and coconut) are naturally high in fabulous fiber, protein and nutrients.  Therefore, most anything I make is going to be nutritionally dense, very filling and will provide my family with enough energy to make it through the next meal.

These muffins are no exception.

Mildly sweet and easy to transport, my children love to find goodies like this in their lunchbox.

While not an everyday food, something as nutritional as this is good enough for the main course, delicious enough for a dessert.

Because the skins turn black when they are baked, you may wish to peel yours before dicing.  My children don’t seem to notice the color variation, and keeping the peel means keeping the nutrients… so we ‘suffer’ through the color variance and enjoy every tasty morsel.

 

Print
Peachy Coconut Streusel Muffins

Ingredients

  • 8 large eggs
  • ¼ c Palm Nectar, Honey or Agave
  • ¼ c Whole Fat Canned Coconut Milk
  • 2 Tbs Vanilla Extract
  • 1 c Coconut Flour (4 oz)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp grain-free baking powder (I use Kelly's recipe and sub arrowroot for the potato starch)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 c Fresh Peaches, diced (about 2 peaches)
    • Streusel
  • ¼ c Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
  • 2 Tbs Pumpkin or Sunflower Seeds
  • 1 ½ Tbs Coconut Oil
  • 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350f. Line or grease 12 muffin tins, set aside.
  2. In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, palm nectar (or sweetener of choice), coconut milk and vanilla extract. Set aside.
  3. In large bowl, blend together coconut flour, baking soda, grain-free baking powder and salt.
  4. Slowly mix in wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
  5. Fold in peaches.
  6. Scoop batter by ¼ c into each tin.
  7. Make streusel by grinding shredded coconut, pumpkin or sunflower seeds and cinnamon in coffee grinder until seeds are almost flour like. Add in coconut oil and mix with a fork until mix resembles large cookie crumbs.
  8. Sprinkle an even amount of streusel onto each muffin.
  9. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until firm.
  10. Makes 12 muffins.
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My contribution to this week’s FoodNetwork Summer Fest and the Healthy Lunchbox Series, I hope these Peachy Coconut Streusel Muffins bring as many smiles to your home as they do mine.

xoxo

Be certain to visit all of the perfectly peachy recipes entered in to this week’s Summer Fest!

Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Peach Blackberry Arugula Salad

Cooking With Elise: Streusel Topped Peach Muffins With Peach Butter

Heather Christo Cooks: Peach Coconut Pancakes

Ingredients, Inc: Easy Peach Pie

From My Corner of Saratoga: Grilled Peaches With Caramel-Ginger Sauce and Pound Cake

Dishin & Dishes: Peach Lacquered Chicken Salad

Big Girls Small Kitchen: Easy Peach Limeade

Napa Farmhouse 1885: Fresh Peach and Coconut Cake

Daily*Dishin: Caramelized Grilled Peaches

Delicious Lean: Smokey Peach Chipotle Grilled Chicken

Thursday Night Dinner: Peach Shortbread

Sweet Life Bake: Jicama Tortilla Salad With Peach Dressing

I Am Baker: Cilantro Peach Salsa

Zaika Zabardast: Donut Peach Quesadilla

Daydreamer Desserts: White Peach Margaritas

Cooking Channel: 4 Savory Uses for Peaches

Healthy Eats: What to do With Overripe Peaches

FN Dish: Peaches Move to the Big Kids’ Table

Filed Under: Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten Free, Healthy Lunchbox, Main Courses, Paleo, Recipes, Side Dishes, Sugar Free, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Healthy Lunchbox 2012: Dawn Allen from Cuter than Gluten

August 14, 2012 By 11 Comments

Today on Healthy Lunchbox 2012, Dawn Allen from Cuter than Gluten. 

Dawn is, what I consider to be, a gluten-free/dairy-free bento box expert.  I knew when she joined this year’s Healthy Lunchbox series that we were in for a treat! I love her cookie-cut fruits and veggies, the recipe below is a great alternative to more traditional grain-filled breads and who doesn’t love waffles? 

After you read her post below, be sure to visit Cuter than Gluten and learn more about Dawn’s soon to be released cookbook: Culinary Creativity: Let your restrictions set you free. For more great ideas, you can also follow Dawn on facebook.

Thank you Dawn! xoxo

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Thank you Sunny for inviting me to talk about lunches for kids.

 

 

When I was in second grade in rural West Virginia, the lunch my (hippie) mom packed for me got a lot of strange looks. She often packed her thick homemade bread in repurposed bread bags (to reuse/recycle). My vegetarian lunch was always full of carrot sticks and red peppers—not common fare at the lunch table. Now I am proud of my mom for packing healthy lunches. Back then I liked my lunch but I didn’t like all of the attention it drew. Everyone else was eating bologna on white bread with potato chips. I pleaded with her to purchase sandwich bags.

Fast forward 30 years and now I am the alternative mom packing the different lunches …

A few years ago, when my daughter started preschool, I discovered the Japanese tradition of decorative bento lunches for kids. It looked like tons of fun to do little art projects made of food. It also seemed like a great way to send my daughter to school with gluten- and dairy-free lunches without drawing attention to her special diet. It worked, all of the attention goes to the cute boxes and fun food themes, and no one notices she doesn’t have food coloring or sugar in her lunch. (Best of all she doesn’t notice!) And as a bonus there is no waste, so in the tradition of my mother, I don’t need to purchase sandwich bags!

Getting started with bento is easier than you might think. I will share some of the basics here and you can always visit my website to see more bento lunches or check out my book which offers more details on how to create the lunches.

1)      Start with a container that will contain enough food to fill up your child. This might take a bit of experimenting. You don’t need a special bento box (although they are fun); you can just use food storage containers. Stainless steel bento boxes are available too.

2)      Be sure to use nutrient dense food (no potato chips or space consuming sweets and snacks).

3)      Try to provide some balance nutritionally. (Of course we all go about nutrition from our unique perspectives. The great thing about bento is that it works for gluten-free, paleo, raw, vegan, etc.)

4)      Make it fancy, keep it fun, and stop before it feels like a burden.

5)      Save aside foods as you prepare dinner for the next day’s lunch. I generally don’t make lunches that require additional cooking (to save time in the mornings).

6)      Pack lots of raw fruits and vegetables. They add color, nutrients, and require very little preparation.

7)      Cookie cutters, food picks, small sauce containers, and other fun accessories can make a simple lunch a little bit fancy.

8)      Kids like to help, and that can be a great, fun project. And sometimes it is quicker and easier to do it yourself. We take it day by day.

 

I thought it would be fun to take a pile of ingredients from my refrigerator and show you three different ideas of how to make cute bento lunches. I didn’t plan these designs in advance and I just used what I had on hand. Sometimes I plan my fancier bento lunches but I wanted to show you how this can be a fun simple project that can be done any day. The simplest took about 3 minutes and the most complicated took less than 15 minutes. I don’t really time the work and my kids interrupt a lot … so who really knows how long it takes? In each bento the lunch is centered on leftover Grain-Free Waffles prepared as almond butter and jelly sandwiches.

For this abstract bento I simply cut the sandwich to fit the box. I made “turkey maki”; rolled up nori paper, turkey, red and yellow peppers with mustard to hold the roll closed. I filled in the remaining spaces with sugar snap peas, watermelon, kiwi, and a peach musical note (I used a cookie cutter).

This building block box actually has a second level but I was just making a small breakfast bento for my daughter so I didn’t need the extra food. This bento couldn’t be easier. I simply cut the sandwich and fruits into blocks and stuffed them in. If I were making a lunch I would be sure to get some vegetables in there.

I wanted to show you what a more elaborate bento can be like, but typically kids are happy with just one cute element, so you could easily do a simple salad on one side to accompany the face.

For the face, I used the bento box to cut the sandwich to size (like a cookie cutter). Then I made a small slit for the mouth and inserted a ham tongue and a red pepper lip. (Vegetarians could use a thinly sliced beet.) Then I simply added a few other facial features and the top of the box held everything in place on the way to school.

I used a cookie cutter to make the watermelon dancer and rolled peppers in ham. The rest is filled with raw vegetables. It is doubtful that my daughter will eat the greens, but I persist in offering them just in case she gets curious.

I hope you give bento a try, and remember to keep it simple and fun!

Grain-Free Waffle Recipe

Dry Ingredients
2 tablespoons coconut flour
½ cup almond meal/flour, packed
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup full fat canned coconut milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl.

Whisk together the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Sift the dry ingredients into the large bowl with the wet ingredients (sifting really helps here). Whisk to combine thoroughly.

Cook in your waffle maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If your waffle maker has settings; I recommend using low browning.

Yields 4 standard waffles or 2 Belgian waffles

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Healthy Lunchbox 2012: Phoebe Lapine from Feed Me Phoebe

August 13, 2012 By 2 Comments

Today on Healthy Lunchbox 2012, I am thrilled to have Phoebe Lapine who has shared a gorgeous and very grown-up lunch salad with us today

 I am blessed to know Phoebe through the FoodNetwork Summer Fest series and am always impressed with her brilliantly healthy recipes.  Be sure to visit Phoebe’s beautiful sites which include: Feed Me Phoebe and Phoebe Lapine, where you will not only learn more about this amazingly talented New Yorker, you’ll also find many more of her recipes and striking images! You can also follow Phoebe on twitter and facebook.

 Thank you, Phoebe!

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The summer after I graduated from college, I traveled around Israel for two weeks. I saw many sites, I learned many things, and I ate my weight in falafel. Now, fried balls of ground chickpeas are decidedly not the healthiest of lunches. But there were plenty of other options that were.

 

On days when we weren’t wandering the open air markets and grabbing a quick pita pocket, we’d sit down to a more formal lunch. The table would be littered with small bowls of various salads – the classic Israeli version of cucumber, tomato and lemon, and others that included healthier interpretations of chickpeas. I love this type of grazing, and I heart any dish that forms its personality from fresh lemon juice, herbs, and little else.

When I’m looking for a healthy lunch I often think back to Israel and these salads, all of which keep very well in the fridge and don’t require a last minute doctoring of dressing. This particular version is a hybrid of that classic Israeli salad, and the chickpea dishes I came to know and love. To give it a little more body, I set it on a bed of mustard greens, which stand up to the lemon juice a lot better than everyday lettuce, which tends to wilt by lunchtime in a Tupperware container.

I’m not going to lie: I would still happily eat a pocket of fried falafel over a salad any day (I have a gluten-free baked version here). But this bowl of greens is so healthy, filling and delicious, it puts my cravings at bay. At least, until I’m forced to walk by the halal cart on my corner.

 

Eat up!

 

Xo

Phoebe

 

Israeli Chickpea Salad with Mustard Greens

Makes 4 side servings

 

Ingredients

2 cups cooked chickpeas (rinsed and drained, if from a can)

1 cup diced seedless cucumber, skin removed

4 purple or regular scallions, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 bunch mustard greens (about 8 leaves)

¼ cup roughly chopped parsley leaves

 

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the chickpeas, cucumber, scallions, garlic, lemon juice and zest, cumin, paprika, and salt. You can make the salad up to this point and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days.

 

2. Stack the mustard green leaves with the largest at the bottom, smallest at the top. Trim away the stem and discard. Roll the leaves width-wise into a cigar. Turn the roll over so that the opening is touching the cutting board. Thinly slice the cigar – the result will be beautiful ribbons of mustard greens.

 

3. When you are about ready to eat, fold in the mustard greens and parsley with the chickpea mixture. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and lemon juice as needed. Serve at room temperature.

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Healthy Lunchbox 2012

August 10, 2012 By 4 Comments

Welcome to Healthy Lunchbox 2012!

One year ago, I had an idea…

Every year the struggle to fill my children’s lunchboxes with healthy foods they will enjoy seems to become a little more complicated.

To keep things interesting, I asked some of my favorite bloggers for some help.

Thus, the Healthy Lunchbox Series was born.

Last year was the first year all five of my children were full-time students.

This year, with a new dedication to healthy eating, my husband joins the list of lunches that must be packed.

And if you weren’t certain, I too work full-time and bring my lunch to school as well.

That’s a whopping seven lunches every day, and sometimes I run out of ideas!  

To help with this, I once again sought help from a number of fabulous bloggers and am happy to announce that over the next 31 days, dozens of fabulous bloggers will be sharing their secrets to a healthy lunchbox with you!

What makes a healthy lunchbox?

Well, that depends on who you ask.

The government will tell you that a healthy lunchbox should reflect the new MyPlate plan.

I don’t know about you, but I trust the government with my health about as much as I can throw them, collectively.

My pyramid looks a little more like this one from Mark Sisson:

We love to bring sandwich rolls containing uncured meats, tuna, lots of veggies and healthy fats. Hard Boiled eggs, planned-overs and slices of salami make for easy to eat and carry lunches, too.

There is always a side of vegetables and often a side of fresh fruit, although for variety I love to throw in things like these Perfectly Sweet Fruit Roll-Ups.

Most importantly, a healthy lunch is a simple lunch.

These are the lunches I packed for my week away from home.

Planned overs with Shirley’s Bacon Chicken, Farmer’s Market Plums and Cucumbers.

 

Hard boiled eggs, carrots, cucumbers, grape tomatoes and Roasted Red Pepper Paleo Hummus

 

Dixie Chik Bok Choy Tuna Rolls (sans dip), cucumber and grapes from the farmer’s market.

 

Uncured turkey rolls with Melissa Joulwan’s Olive Oil Mayonnaise vegetables, cucumbers and cherries.

 

Columbus Salami, avocado dipped in lemon juice, carrots and cucumbers.

 

The cucumbers serve a double purpose…not only are they refreshing and nutritional, eating cucumber slices after your lunch can help refresh your breath without the need to rely on a chemically-packed piece of gum.

Once I learned this trick, cucumbers became my new best friend. :)

I cannot wait to share all of the amazing lunches my friends have been sending my way.

Be it school or work, I know you’ll find lots of new ideas and tasty ways to be proud of the lunches you are sending every day.

xoxo

Filed Under: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Healthy Lunchbox, Main Courses, Other, Paleo, Sugar Free, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger: Shirley from Gluten-Free Easily

August 3, 2012 By 7 Comments

Have you met my friend Shirley Braden?

Shirley is the author and creative mind behind Gluten Free Easily , a website dedicated to making gluten free living, well, easy. More than that though, Shirley is a mentor, advocate, leader and recipe developer.

As a blogger in the gluten-free world, I don’t know where I would be without the support and guidance Shirley gives.

Not a month goes by where I don’t benefit from words of wisdom from this dear friend, so imagine what joy I felt when I was able to adopt Shirley for this month’s Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger event.

Of course, that is certainly one of the perks of hosting this event…first dibs on your favorite bloggers. ;)

Having tried a number of Shirley’s recipes, I was anxious to make a recipe or two from her site that we had yet to enjoy.

The problem is one of the recipes I really, really, REALLY wanted to try had one ingredient that required me to do a bit of recipe writing on my end.

You see, these Brazilian Un-Cheese Rolls/Biscuits are made with hummus.

As you know, hummus is made with beans.

Beans are legumes.

My family and I are not currently eating legumes.

To compensate for this, I first had to perfect a paleo-safe red pepper hummus.  And I did. Finally.

And you know what?

Not only was it worth developing a recipe to make these biscuits paleo-friendly…I now have a fantastic veggie dip that is out of this world.

Win-win!

The hummus recipe will be coming your way next Wednesday. I promise. But as for these crunchy on the outside soft on the inside just like gluten-filled yeast biscuits without the gluten or the yeast, the recipe can be found here.

No doubt you’ll love these as much as we do.

To make these grain-free, I simply used my homemade grain-free baking powder which is modeled after Kelly, The Spunky Coconut’s grain-free baking powder, simply replacing the potato starch with arrowroot powder.  This recipe works perfectly every time.

My family loved these biscuits and look forward to making them for mini sandwiches throughout the school year!

Before I had a chance to select a second recipe from Shirley’s archive, she had to go and post this bacon chicken recipe.

 

I mean, what’s not to love?  Caramelized onions, garlic and red pepper with chicken that has been sautéed in rich bacon drippings before being baked into one delicious dish.

Yes, please!

While we made these without the optional ingredient, I am anxious to give the Majestic Garlic Spread a try as I am certain this will make this chicken even more heavenly.

Served with a simple side of sautéed summer squash, this meal got the thumbs-up from everyone at my table.

With five kids and a picky husband, that is no small feat.

Brazilian Biscuits and Bacon Chicken.

A delicious adoption, indeed.

xoxo

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Roasted Garlic, Basil and Tomato Paleo Tart

August 1, 2012 By 20 Comments

This week on FoodNetwork Summer Fest, food and garden bloggers are joining up to share their favorite tomato recipes.

I don’t know about the other Summer Fest bloggers, but for me this was no easy task.  You see, tomatoes are a staple in our home.

Quartered tomatoes are the perfect side with our morning breakfast.

Marinara sauce is one of the greatest inventions ever.

Ever.

Tomato based chili is on our menu at least once a month.

Have you ever had tuna, mayonnaise, fresh dill and tomato chunks together?

Because you should. It’s not only easy, it’s super delicious.

Then there are green tomatoes, which are a southern staple.  We love to coat them in an almond flour mix and ‘fry’ them in the oven.

In fact, when we were given the challenge to bring forth our favorite tomato recipes, I was certain that is what I would share. But that would require green tomatoes and unfortunately my garden hasn’t been producing tomatoes (it’s too hot and they are rebelling), my tomato vendor hasn’t had them nor did any of the local grocery stores…

So instead, today I am pleased to share this Roasted Garlic, Basil and Tomato Paleo Tart with you.

You see, my husband and I just finished his first and my second Whole30, a clean-eating plan created by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig from Whole9Life.  If you have been to my page before, you have heard me talk about this program… if not, you can learn more about it through any number of my Whole30 related posts.

Even with the drastic changes this plan called for (at least in regard to my husband’s eating habits), we have found renewed energy and a commitment to stay as close to this way of eating as possible while allowing for the occasional treat.

This recipe is made with Whole30 approved ingredients, but because it is officially a ‘paleocized’ recipe I’m not certain Dallas would approve of this for the Whole30 plan itself.

That being said, served with a side of grass fed beef meatballs, this made for a perfect day 31 meal.

My children’s only complaint?

That there wasn’t more to go around.

;) No worries.

Don’t let the long list of instructions frighten you, this dish is actually very simple and goes together easily.

Print
Roasted Garlic, Basil and Tomato Paleo Tart

Ingredients

    Crust
  • 2c Blanched Almond Flour
  • 1 Tbs Italian Seasoning or Dried Basil
  • ½ tsp Sea Salt
  • 2 Tbs Coconut Oil
  • 1 Tbs Ground Flax Seed (I self-grind)
  • 3-4 Tbs Hot Water
    • Filling
  • 2 heads of Fresh Garlic, roasted (directions below)
  • 3-4 tsp Olive Oil
  • 1 oz fresh Basil, stems removed + some for garnish
  • ¼ tsp Salt
  • ¼ tsp Pepper
  • 2 Tbs Olive Oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400f.
  2. Peel the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut ¼ to ½ inch off the top of the cloves, ensuring each individual clove of garlic is exposed.
  3. Using a muffin tin, place each head into its own section and drizzle a couple of teaspoons of olive oil over each. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cloves are golden and feel soft when pressed. Allow to cool.
  4. Using food processor, make the crust by mixing almond flour, Italian seasoning or dried basil, sea salt, coconut oil and ground flax seed. Slowly add hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture begins to form a ball.
  5. Remove dough from processor and knead slightly, just enough to bring the mix together.
  6. Press dough into tart pan, ensuring even coverage across the bottom of the pan and about ¼ to ½ inch on the sides.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly golden.
  8. Prepare basil by washing, removing stems and drying completely. Prepare tomatoes by thinly slicing.
  9. Once tart crust has been baked, prepare garlic by squeezing cloves out of their skin. Mash garlic with a fork and spread this evenly over the entire crust.
  10. Layer basil leaves evenly over the roated garlic and top with layered tomoato slices.
  11. Sprinkle salt and pepper lightly over the entire tart and drizzle with remaining olive oil to ensure even coverage.
  12. Bake the tart for 30-35 minutes or until tomatoes are tender and tart crust is a deeper golden hue.
  13. Top with fresh basil, slice and serve.
  14. Makes 8 servings.
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I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we have and look forward to seeing the other tantalizing tomato treats this week from all of the Summer Fest bloggers!

 

Cooking With Elise: Fresh Tomato Sauce
Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Tomato Gazpacho Salsa
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Tomato Cobbler Anyone?
Virtually Homemade: Spaghetti With Tomatoes, Prosciutto and Fresh Corn
What’s Gaby Cooking: Chicken Kebabs With Romesco Sauce
Big Girls, Small Kitchen: Salmon Spaghetti With Plum Tomatoes and Avocado
Feed Me Phoebe: Roasted Fresh Tomato Puttanesca Sauce
Chez Us: Easy Tomato Tart
Made By Michelle: Tomato and Pesto Pizza
Ingredients, Inc.: Lighter Fried Green Tomatoes
Delicious Lean: Creamy Light Tuna Salad Stuffed Tomatoes
Daily*Dishin: Spicy Tomato-Tomatillo Chicken Tenders
From My Corner of Saratoga: Tomato Jam
Dishin & Dishes: Tomato Zucchini Frittata
Healthy Eats: The Fresh-for-Once Tomato
Sweet Life Bake: Pico de Gallo
Zaika Zabardast: Grilled Tofu and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Sandwich
Thursday Night Dinner: Tomato and Watermelon Salad
Cooking Channel: How to Prepare Summer Tomatoes
FN Dish: Tomatoes Go Beyond Salads

Filed Under: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Main Courses, Other, Paleo, Recipes, Side Dishes, Sugar Free, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ingredient Challenge Monday Featured Recipe- Strawberry Arugula Salad with Sweet Cilantro Honey Dressing from Heather, The Gluten-Free Cat and ICM Challenge-Ingredient Announcement!

July 8, 2012 By 4 Comments

Months that begin on a Sunday or a Monday seem to mess with me.  Here it is, July 8 and it’s already the second week of the month.

What does that mean?

That means tomorrow is Ingredient-Challenge Monday!

And I almost forgot.

Before I go on and tell you what ingredient we will be playing with this month, I would first like to brag a little about the spectacular recipes we had the opportunity to try last month!

First, these Vegan and Grain Free Strawberry Shortcake Push-Pops are simply amazing.  Even though Danielle was our first entry into the Strawberry Ingredient Challenge, I was pretty certain her recipe would take the cake (pun intended).

And while Danielle did not win our featured recipe spot this month…she was a very close, I almost had to feature two recipes these were so good, winner.

I’m not certain I could select a third recipe to feature.  Maybe it’s because we love strawberries so much, or maybe it’s because all of the recipes were just.that.good. But really, my family enjoyed everything from this Anti-Aging Strawberry Energy Smoothie to this Fresh Strawberry Pie in a Chocolate Crust (oh my!).

But even with several desserts on the list, it was the salads that won us over. (weird but true)

This Asparagus, Strawberry and Basil Salad with Mosto Cotto was very filling and brimming over with summer time flavor.  If you have never tried Mosto Cotto, Janet gives a link where you can purchase your own…as far as balsamic’s go, this is one of my favorites.

I was surprised by the joyous response my children gave when a second strawberry salad graced our table.

I like to include fruits, nuts and all sorts of flavors when I make salad, but there was something about the addition of big, fresh strawberries in each of these salads that made my children smile.

That being said, this Strawberry Arugula Salad with Sweet Cilantro Honey Dressing is a definite winner!

From the coolness of the cucumber to the delightfully green dressing, there is so much to love about this salad.  For once though, I favored a little less garlic than this recipe called for (I am usually a double or nothing type garlic girl).  For my children, especially, 2 cloves of garlic seemed to do the trick, although 4 cloves not only intensifies the flavor, it adds a bit of unexpected spice that will please most grownups.

Two or four, I am pleased to present you with this month’s Ingredient-Challenge Featured Recipe.

Thanks, Heather! xoxo

Strawberry Arugula Salad with Sweet Cilantro Honey Dressing from Heather, The Gluten-Free Cat

Salad ingredients:

  • 4 c. arugula
  • 1 c. sliced strawberries
  • 1 c. chopped cucumber
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 1 whole strawberry, fan cut

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 1 c. cilantro
  • 1 c. olive oil
  • 2 T. honey (or agave nectar)
  • 4 cloves garlic

Directions:

1.  Place all dressing ingredients in a mini food processor or Vitamix and blend until smooth.

2.  Place arugula in a bowl and layer strawberries and cucumbers on top.

3.  Fan the avocado slices on top of the salad.

4.  Fan cut the whole strawberry and place on top for decoration.

5.  Drizzle entire salad with dressing.

Serves 4-6

 

Now that you have enjoyed Heather’s delightful recipe, are you ready for this month’s challenge??

With so many summertime options, I really had a difficult time narrowing down one ingredient to play with.  I mean really, watermelon would be great, then there is basil, oh and eggplant or maybe zucchini…but no, when I went through the list of options with my family, it was unanimously decided that blueberries need to be our featured ingredient for the month.

So get ready, break out those aprons and prepare to send your most fabulous gluten-free and dairy-free blueberry recipes my way!

I will have my own blueberry recipe with linky posted late tomorrow, July 9th, and I look forward to seeing you then!

xoxo

Filed Under: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Main Courses, Other, Paleo, Raw, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger, Ricki Heller from Diet Dessert and Dogs

June 26, 2012 By 6 Comments

I was so excited when Shannon from Enjoying Gluten-Free Life contacted me to let me know that the sign-up for this month’s Adopt A Gluten-Free Blogger was ready to go because there is one blogger I have been waiting to adopt but always seem to either miss the sign-up date (darn day-job distractions ;) ) or when I do get to sign up, she is already taken.

This month I am honored to adopt Ricki Heller from Diet Dessert and Dogs.

What can I say about Ricki?  Well first, despite our differences (she’s vegan, I’m not), we have sooooo much in common.

Ricki and I are both educators.  She teaches at a University, I teach at a K-12 school.

Ricki and I both have spouses who eat differently than we do.  I’m grain-free, my hubby is not.  Ricki is vegan, her hubby is not.  Regardless, we love them, they love us and we make our dietary differences work.

Ricki has dogs, I have dogs.

And lastly, Ricki and I both love our salad, but still leave plenty of room for dessert (have your cake and love it…diet dessert…yeah, you get the picture).

Because of these similarities, I must admit that I had a very difficult time determining which recipes I wanted to share with you.  I have tried many of Ricki’s recipes and have loved every one of them. Heaven’s knows her Raw Chocolate Fudge-Topped Brownies are reason alone to put Ricki on your follow list!

Of all her recipes, there is one that has truly become a staple in our home.

About a year ago Ricki shared an ‘almost instant’ grain-free breakfast cereal that looked very similar to one of my beloved childhood favorites—cream of wheat.  I remember being so excited about this recipe and so grateful that I had everything on hand to make it that I had whipped up our first bowl within minutes of her post being published.

Since then, this Easy No-Cook, Grain-Free Breakfast Porridge has graced our table at least once a week, every week.  Really. It is that good.

With so many great recipes, I couldn’t stop at just one.  If you have been over to the In My Gluten-Free Kitchen series at Celiacs in the House, in the recent tour of my own Gluten-Free kitchen you may have noticed my ‘fruit counter’ with a big, beautiful watermelon on it.  This time of the year we eat at least 1-2 watermelons a week, so when Ricki shared this Watermelon-Basil Cooler I knew I wanted to try it!

Just fancy enough to be served in a grown up glass, this cooler certainly hit the spot.  If you have never enjoyed the taste of basil and watermelon together, this is a great way to start!

Thanks for hosting this month’s event, Shannon.  And thank you, Ricki, for being you! xoxo

Do you have a blogger you would like to adopt?  There is still time to sign up for June! And Shannon made certain there is an opportunity for all of you to join in, blog or not.  Hurry! Don’t miss your chance.

I hope you will all join me for next month’s Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger which will be hosted right here at And Love it, Too!  xoxo

Filed Under: Other Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Chinese Chicken Salad (Paleo, Fruit-Sweetened, Whole30)

June 20, 2012 By 19 Comments

 

This month’s Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten-Free  is perfect for summer.  With digits well into the 100’s here, I’m all for keeping my oven time to a minimum, so having an extra push to play with some of my favorite salad recipes was something I gladly jumped into!

This Chinese Chicken Salad is an updated version of a classic cabbage salad my mom used to make when I was younger.  You may be familiar with the Top Ramen Chicken Salad? Loaded with fried noodles, salt and not-so-good for you ingredients, looking back at this ‘healthy’ meal makes me cringe a little.

That being said, I always enjoyed this salad. In fact, this was one of my pregnant cravings. Every.single.time.

V8, beef jerky and Top Ramen Chinese Chicken salad.  My other cravings varied, but I guarantee you if I was pregnant, I would be wanting one or all of the above at any time nearly every.single.day.

While I am not pregnant, when I received two beautiful heads of Napa Cabbage in a recent order from Bountiful Baskets, I knew I wanted to finally nail down a more ‘me’ friendly version of this salad.

Having recently finished my first Whole30, I am a little obsessed with making anything and everything without sweeteners of any sort.

As you know, I have been using non-refined sugars for more than a year now; but this is different.

While the occasional fruit-juice sweetened item is allowed, part of the Whole30 program includes eliminating all sweeteners, including stevia. Effectively, the Whole30 program is designed to reset your body, your mind, and your taste buds.

The purpose of eliminating all sweeteners goes beyond a mere breaking the sugar cycle ideal, it ensures you taste your food for what it is, tasting your food for what it should be.

And you know what? Beyond being the most difficult part of the program for me (I even found stevia as an included ingredient on my favorite herbal tea, seriously!?) eliminating all sweeteners taught me something…

I don’t need to sweeten my food nearly as often as I thought I did, and when a little sweetness is required, a little fruit juice goes a long way.

So while I may use a bit of honey, maple syrup, palm sugar or stevia when I am not on the Whole30 program, expect to see many, many more recipes without any of the above.

And because of how I felt on the end of my first Whole30, the fact that I was running easier and faster, the fact that my skin was clearer than it has been (probably ever), the fact that I dropped quite a bit of weight (although I don’t know exactly how much because we don’t own a scale! But who cares? My clothes fit better and that matters more in the scheme of things); because of all of this expect to see many more Whole30 type recipes from here on out.

Want to learn more about the Whole30? If you read my review of Well Fed, you may have noted the mention of Melissa and Dallas Hartwig from Whole9.  Whole30 is their brainchild and ultimately what pushed Melissa Joulwan into her own health-centric lifestyle.

The epitome of the paleo lifestyle, a great guideline and a fantastic way to live, the Whole30 program is something everyone can do and something I really feel everyone should do to rest our minds, our bodies and our lives.

In case you were wondering, despite being a paleo-centric lifestyle, Melissa and Dallas have made alternative menu suggestions for followers who are vegan, vegetarian and those suffer from any other food related allergies or autoimmune syndromes.

So yes, you too can do this! ;) It’s worth it, I promise.

Learn more about the Whole30 and buy the Success Guide here; or even better, invest in Dallas and Melissa Hartwig’s new book: It Starts with Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways.  My copy should be here sometime today, after which I will begin my second Whole30 and with this, look forward to even more progress and continued success.

Without further adieu, here is my entry into this month’s Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten-Free

 

Print
Chinese Chicken Salad (Paleo, Fruit-Sweetened, Whole30)

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
  • 2 cloves Garlic, minced
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1 head Napa Cabbage, chopped
  • 5 stalks Celery, sliced
  • 3 Spring Onions, whites and greens, sliced
  • 8 oz Snow Peas
  • 1 c Raw Cashew Pieces
    • Dressing:
  • ¼ c Coconut Aminos
  • ¼ c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • ¼ c Pineapple Juice
  • 1 Tbs Dried Chives
  • 1 Tbs Dried Onions
  • 1 Tbs Dried Parsley Flakes
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Onion Powder

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400f. On parchment lined baking sheet, sprinkle chicken breasts with garlic, salt and pepper. Bake until cooked through and internal temperature reaches 170f. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  2. Prepare dressing by combining coconut aminos, extra virgin olive oil, pineapple juice, chives, onions, parsley, garlic powder and onion powder in a medium Mason jar or shaker mug. Shake until well combined and set aside.
  3. Prepare salad by mixing together cabbage, celery, spring onions, snow peas and cashews. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Toss chicken and dressing in with salad base and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
  4. Make up to 2 days before serving, flavor is absorbed without salad becoming soggy (yay!).
  5. Serves 8.
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This recipe is also being shared with: Allergy Free Wednesdays, The GFE-Virtual Support Group

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Filed Under: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Main Courses, Other, Paleo, Recipes, Sugar Free Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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