Veggie Vodka Sauce Over Zucchini "Noodles"

Prior to our dairy-free/organic days I would stock up on Classico’s Vodka Sauce—a tasty red sauce with a good dose of cream, cheese and a hint of vodka. This sauce reminds me a lot of it—but WITH added vegetables and without the dairy. Serve it over your favorite gluten-free pasta, zucchini “noodles” (here’s how to make them) or a mix of both. In the photo above, the noodles to the left were made with a veggie peeler and those to the right with the spiralizer.

Sauté the following in a large pot:

1 tablespoon OLIVE OIL
1 CARROT roughly chopped
1 medium ONION roughly chopped
1 small ZUCCHINI sliced

Transfer vegetables to high-powered blender along with:

2 cups organic MUIR GLEN ITALIAN HERB PASTA SAUCE (or your favorite)
1 teaspoon organic BEEF BOUILLON base (Better than Bouillon)

Blend until smooth and return to pot. Simmer 15 minutes and serve.

NOTES: For a more authentic vodka sauce add 2-3 tablespoons of vodka prior to simmering.

MODIFIED DIET CONSIDERATIONS: Tomatoes are a nightshade vegetable/fruit (what IS the verdict on that one anyway?) and one that can cause inflammation. If you are sensitive to nightshades and/or are trying to reduce inflammation, this probably is not a recipe for you. Anti-Candida Dieters omit the vodka. Vegan's omit the bouillon.



Tried & True Award :: Kelly's Brownie Recipe

A mom who has been a great inspiration to me is Kelly Brozyna at www.thespunkycoconut.com. I hope to take her to lunch one day and thank her. Anyway, if you have not already done so, buy her book The Spunky Coconut Cookbook and start following her blog.

There are many food bloggers out there pouring their hearts into serving up recipes that are nutritionally rich, satisfying and delicious! I have decided to salute them with a "Tried & True Award." And so, my first award goes to Kelly. Modified diet or not, everyone needs a good brownie recipe in their back pocket. Kelly's suited us to a tee. No gluten, no dairy, no egg and no grain. You'll find her recipe here.

TEXTURE: Moist and chewy

APPEARANCE: Just like "regular" brownies!

TASTE: Rich and satisfying

After I baked a batch of these brownies, like the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, I needed some ice cream to go with it. So I used another of Kelly's recipes, her Coconut & Raw Cacao Pudding. As she suggested, I put the chilled concoction in my ice cream maker. What came out was a rich and creamy chocolate ice cream. Yum!

Zuppa di Italiano

It's still soup weather up in these parts. And, I think it extends on into June. Anyway, this is a real easy one to whip up (30 minutes or less). The flavor of the Italian sausage really dictates the overall flavor of the soup so pick a quality, well-seasoned sausage.

Remove casing, crumble and brown in large pot:

1 pound organic MILD ITALIAN SAUSAGE (pork or chicken)

Remove and reserve sausage. Add to pot and sauté for a couple of minutes:

1 tablespoon OLIVE OIL
1 large ONION chopped
2 cups ZUCCHINI peeled and chopped
3 cloves GARLIC smashed

Transfer onion, zucchini, and garlic mixture to blender and add:

2 cups organic CHICKEN BROTH (I use organic Better than Bouillon)

Puree until smooth and return to pot along with:

3 (additional) cups of organic CHICKEN BROTH

Simmer 15 minutes. Then add:

1 can or 1-1/2 cups cooked CANNELLINI BEANS (or other white bean)
Browned sausage

Simmer 10 minutes. Then right before serving add:

1/4 to 1/2 bunch CURLY KALE washed and chopped
SEA SALT, BLACK PEPPER and/or RED PEPPER FLAKES to taste

NOTES:  In this and coming posts you’ll note that I often puree the vegetables in my soups. This is simply because it’s a sure-fire way to get my kids to eat them! Noses would turn up at chunks of onion and zucchini (oddly enough, asparagus is tolerated). As for the sausage, use spicy Italian if you want more heat. Again, we have toddlers, so we’ll stick with medium.

SPECIAL DIET CONSIDERATIONS: If your diet allows night shade vegetables, potatoes make a great addition to this soup. Slice one scrubbed potato in 1/8" thick disks and add to pot along with the pureed vegetables and additional broth.



Saturday Pancakes | GFCF and Egg-free

Bless his heart. I think the modifications we made to our son's diet kind of threw my husband for a loop. It used to be that weekends were his to cook breakfast—and he really enjoyed it—but when you remove eggs, gluten and dairy it becomes quite challenging. So, needless to say it made my weekend to find my husband in the kitchen flipping picture-perfect pancakes last Saturday morning. My first thought was “those have got to have egg in them.” Nope. They were gluten-, dairy- and egg-free AND delicious. They rocked! Here is his recipe.

Saturday Pancakes

Gluten-Free | Casein-Free | Citrus-Free | Corn-Free | Dairy-Free | Egg-Free | Fish-Free | Peanut-Free | Rice-Free | Shellfish-Free | Soy-Free | Tree Nut Free | Wheat-Free | Sesame-Free | GFCF | Vegetarian | Easily Vegan

In blender, blend on medium for 30 seconds:

1-1/2 tablespoons CHIA SEED MEAL or 2 tablespoons FLAX MEAL
6 tablespoons WATER

Add to blender in this order:

2 tablespoons light OLIVE OIL
1/4 cup liquified HONEY
1 tablespoon gluten-free VANILLA EXTRACT
3/4 cup WATER
1-1/2 cups BOB’S RED MILL ALL-PURPOSE GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR
1/2 teaspoon SEA SALT
1/2 teaspoon BAKING SODA

Blend at medium speed until combined. Pour batter onto heated 275-300˚F griddle. Flip pancakes when bubbles appear and begin popping on surface. Serve immediately.

Note: Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour is noted to be "manufactured in a facility that also uses tree nuts and soy." If this is not acceptable or you would like to make your own, try Lexie's version of this mix.

Bison Sliders with Honey Caramelized Onions

We live in Wyoming, where the buffalo roam, and the deer and the antelope play. It’s always thrilling to see a herd of bison. If you are driving from Denver to Cheyenne, keep your eyes peeled for the Terry Bison Ranch herds at the state line. We’ve tried bison from a couple of different sources and have found that the flavor DOES vary. The brand that Kroger stores carry has been quite gamey. The ground bison sold at Terry Bison Ranch and SAMS Club are our favorites—slightly sweet and tangy. Check out the Terry Bison Ranch link above to see how buffalo compares to other meats. By scientific analysis it appears that bison is one of the healthiest meats available. One serving of bison meat provides 34% of the daily recommended amounts of protein, 32% of zinc, 33% of iron, 10% of niacin, 20% of phosphorus, 14% of vitamin B6 and 42% of the antioxidant selenium. Bison meat is also non-allergenic, making it easier to digest by people with a red meat intolerance. And, the best part, bison are raised as naturally as possible. No growth hormones and no steroids.

Many restaurants are serving up sliders (basically mini hamburgers). Son #1 loves them so I set out to create a version that son #2 could eat. Here is the recipe for the burgers and caramelized onions. For the rolls, see my next entry or click here.

BISON BURGERS:

Mix in medium bowl (I use my hands):

1 pound ground BISON or organic ground beef
1 teaspoon SEA SALT (or to taste)
1 teaspoon ONION POWDER
1/2 teaspoon ground BLACK PEPPER
1/2 teaspoon GARLIC POWDER

Shape into 4” round and 1/2” thick burgers and grill or fry with a little oil over medium heat.

CARAMELIZED ONIONS:

For the adults, top sliders with caramelized onions. I used the recipe at Reluctant Gourmet as it calls for honey rather than sugar. For a little heat I added a pinch of cayenne pepper.

MODIFIED DIET CONSIDERATIONS: The photo above shows a slider with cheese. Yes, that is real cheese and should be omitted if your diet doesn’t allow casein. My husband says cheese equals happiness so we do stock it for him. After all, what woman doesn’t want a happy husband?