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Borscht Borscht Borscht!

February 2, 2012 in Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Paleo

 

A naturally hearty vegan stew: Borscht!

Those of you whose only experience with borscht is as a cold magenta liquid, perhaps served with a single boiled potato, think again! This version of borscht (there are many variations) hails from Russia & the Ukraine (the former is more the Polish/Yiddish variety), and is more like a hearty stew than a sort of beet-based gazpacho. It’s still very much peasant food, though: immensely nutritious, satisfying, and seasonal. Perfect for snowy winter nights!

It’s also effortlessly vegetarian, and even vegan if you skip the dollop of sour cream at the end, or use a non-dairy version of the sour cream. Bonus: assuming you serve it alongside well-sourced protein, it fits right into the Paleo groove as well (sour cream omitted, and potato optional, depending on where you’re personally at with starchy carbs).

In a nod to our fabulously frugal roots, I recommend that you resourcefully save the beet greens, saute them in a little olive oil, and serve them with a dash of sherry vinegar alongside the steaming bowls of borscht.  Read the rest of this entry →

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Happy 2012, Part Two: And now for something completely different.

January 20, 2012 in Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Paleo

Make it Paleo, from the authors of the Food Lover's Primal Palate

 I loved Donna’s Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions, Foodie Edition! I share many of the same goals, of course – especially #1: MAKE MORE MISTAKES. We definitely all get into that habit of only trying what we know or are at least reasonably certain will work – but stepping outside that comfort zone is where innovation and inspiration really happens.

As far as lifestyle changes go, though, my own approach is taking a different and pretty dramatic turn. I’ve known for a while that I’m better off without gluten – my breastfeeding daughter had a sensitivity to it, and lo, when I changed my own diet so as to meet her needs while nursing, I found that *I* felt better. I noted at the time that I had always done best in terms of weight management with a lower carb approach.

In hindsight, I thought that the drastic reduction of wheat products (and near total elimination during Phase One, save for sneaky culprits like soy sauce here and there) may have had much to do with the results – but lately, I’m becoming more and more inclined to think this wasn’t nearly enough for me to sustain in the long run, especially after a pregnancy where too much weight was gained and still – STILL – has not been completely lost. And the more I learn about nutrition, about gut healing, and about the role of inflammation on our bodies, the more sense a whole new approach makes to me.

So I’m taking the Paleo plunge. Read the rest of this entry →

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Homemade Cranberry Bliss Bars – Made Gluten-Free!

December 7, 2011 in Desserts, Gluten Free

Wait no more. The time of year has come at last. NO, not Thanksgiving or Christmas themselves, but the magical day when Starbucks stores across the land start selling their limited-time-only Cranberry Bliss bars. Starbucks pastries are a mixed bag, in my humble, but this is one of their undeniable runaway hits – also sold by the full tray, if that gives you any indication. Today, in fact, those trays are on special for 50% off as part of the “12 Days of Giving”.

Most of you, as foodies, probably know exactly what I’m talking about, but if you haven’t had one of these, either run right out and pick one up  . . . or keep on reading here and try a homemade version that is also, yes, gluten-free!  Celiacs and other gluten sensitive folk can now partake in the joy, the mmm, the bliss that is Cranberry Bliss. Read the rest of this entry →

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Burgerville’s Pumpkin Smoothie: Recipe Revamped

November 17, 2011 in Desserts, Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Vegan Recipes

Burgerville's Pumpkin Smoothie, even healthier!

One of the most wonderful things about moving to Portland is the local chain called Burgerville, beloved to all. Yes, I’m seriously speaking positively of what is essentially a fast food joint: They have all the treats and trappings of fast food, yet manage to turn many of the negatives about fast food completely inside out. When you throw out your trash, every restaurant has it divided into three bins: Recyclables, Landfill, and Compost. You read that right: COMPOST. They reuse all of their cooking oil as biodiesel. They offer, among many healthy yet seriously delicious choices, three different kinds of veggie burgers. They source their food locally, and they also include a rotating seasonal menu. So every fall, Portland residents look forward to sweet potato fries, salmon sandwiches, and pumpkin shakes and smoothies (all locally sourced, of course).

Those shakes and smoothies, are every bit as delectable as you can imagine. The ice cream shake is like an extra-custardy pumpkin pie in a glass, while the yogurt-based smoothie is a little tangy and a bit lighter overall.  But what about vegans, or those who are intolerant or sensitive to dairy? I thought I’d try making a dairy-free version at home.

And lo, it worked! Read the rest of this entry →

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Breakfast Apple Cobbler Recipe – Dessert for Breakfast? Yes Indeed.

October 21, 2011 in Gluten Free

Oatmeal Cobbler 1865x1865

Oatmeal Apple Cobbler for Breakfast . . . or Dessert!

Baked apples. Cinnamon oatmeal. Toasted walnuts. All of these are delicious on their own. But, together they are a fall flavor festival!

When a friend of mine told me about his baked oatmeal apple breakfast, I couldn’t wait for Saturday to roll around so I could make it. He stirred all the ingredients together, but I decided to separate the apple mixture out and turn it into a cobbler. A breakfast cobbler. Can’t think of a better way to start a fall day – can you?

This does have a small amount of sugar – just enough brown sugar to give the oatmeal a classic homey taste. And, this is a dish that is naturally gluten-free!

Love and comfort in a casserole.

Happy Fall to All!

– posted by Donna

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The Gestalt of the Tomato: Caprese Parfaits

August 20, 2011 in Appetizers, Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Vegetarian Entrees

Caprese Parfaits

For years, like many members of  the last few factory-farmed, shrink-wrapped, additived-and-preservatived generations, I thought I detested fresh tomatoes. Mealy and bland, almost always refrigerated, only acceptable in thoroughly stewed or sauced form. My mom used to nostalgically describe picking tomatoes as a child, out of my grandma’s garden in upstate New York, and eating them like apples. I could hardly imagine anything more revolting at the time.

Now, of course, we’ve all become much more sophisticated, in our current local, sustainable, seasonal collective consciousness. We know that what we really loathed were the out-of season supermarket imposters, mass-produced and shipped thousands of miles to your January attempt at a  salad (probably involving iceberg lettuce, which, I notice, is making an odd sort of comeback; perhaps it’s ironic, the produce equivalent of a hipster’s PBR). A truly fresh tomato, procured in its natural habitat and life cycle, that is a completely different experience.

I can think of no better expression of Tomato, its essence, the thing-in-itself, than the caprese salad. Read the rest of this entry →

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Hedy’s Hummus: Tried and Tried and True

August 11, 2011 in Appetizers, Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Vegan Recipes

Hummus meets hen.


Hummus: So delicious, so open to endless variation, so healthy . . .  SO annoying to photograph. It is beige mush. Blah in color and devoid of shape. It takes a truly gifted food stylist/photographer to really make it look good, aesthetically speaking.

So although the hummus in the picture above looks TERRIBLE, aesthetically speaking, I decided to share this shot because of the honest-to-gods spontaneous chicken photobomb. I was trying my dangdest to get a decent angle and utilize some good natural light, moving around the backyard. I added the dry chickpeas to get some shape and texture in the mix, and, this being a Portland backyard, it has chickens. These happened, also, to be hungry chickens, who thought I was bringing them a fabulous treat. In the above shot, girlfriend is actually pecking at the jar.

On to today’s recipe: This was shared by a friend in a Facebook mom’s group, and I liked her hummus history and recipe testing so much that I decided I just had to share it here, with her permission, as a guest post. Read the rest of this entry →

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Spinach Ricotta Roll – An Easy Elegant Dish from a Secret Recipe Club Challenge

July 18, 2011 in Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Side Dishes, Vegetarian Entrees

Spinach Roll Square

Spinach Ricotta Roll

Some flavor combinations stand the test of time: garlic and onions; lemons and raspberry; peanut butter and chocolate. One of my favorite combos: spinach and ricotta. I was thrilled to find this easy and elegant way to pair spinach and ricotta in a dish that so pretty you could serve it to Martha Stewart for brunch: a savory take on a sponge cake roll.

We have joined the Secret Recipe Club – a once-a-month blog hop over at Amanda’s Cookin – an event with food bloggers supporting each other by sneakily making each others’ recipes. Don’t you just love the secret part?! And that’s how I came across this recipe.

Our assigned blog to cook from this month is cookingrookie.blogspot.com, a lovely blog from a blogger in Vancouver, Canada. We chose a vegetarian recipe with a stunning presentation: Spinach Ricotta Roll. It is low carb and I made it lower in fat than the original recipe by using low fat cream cheese and ricotta. I also added a few sprinkles of nutmeg into the spinach mixture to add some sassiness!

I used to make a pumpkin cream cheese cake roll, and the look of this dish reminds me of that dessert. So pretty on a platter – perfect for a  Meatless Monday feast!

This recipe was so fun to make! It is basically a savory sponge roll with a ricotta filling. The only thing that was a bit challenging was translating the recipe from grams into ounces, so I have added the ounces below.

Thank you, Cooking Rookie, for a fabulous new recipe ~ I’ll definitely make this again!

– posted by Donna

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Caribbean Vacation on a Stick: Jerk Chicken Kebabs with Mango, Pineapple and Peppers

July 7, 2011 in Entrees, Gluten Free

Carribean Kabobs Square

Caribbean Vacation on a Stick - Jerk Chicken Kabobs

“These are the best kebabs I have ever eaten.”

Such is the comment my husband made when he tasted these kebabs. This, coming from a man who LIVES for grilling in the summer, is truly a “noted for the record” remark.

The two things I did to make these a success were: 1) use chicken thigh meat, which holds up better and is moister than breast meat; and 2) have a really flavorful marinade with lime zest and not just juice. (Remember the experiment we did a while back? I am convinced that zest is the key to flavorful marinades!)

I like to cook my kebabs so that all the meat chunks are on skewers together, all the hearty vegetables are together, and all the fruits are together. This way, you can cook the skewers the perfect amount of time for each type of food.

Happy Summer Everyone!

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Watermelon Feta Gazpacho Recipe – a Twist on the Summer Classic Cold Soup for Fun on the Fourth

July 4, 2011 in Appetizers, Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Vegetarian Entrees

Watermelon gazpacho square

Watermelon Feta Gazpacho Recipe

Yes, I missed her gazpacho-eating days.

Anne,  my daughter, co-blogger and culinary muse, grew up in Colorado with a mom who made gazpacho (described here recently) and she downed it by the gallon.

I missed those years after she was placed for adoption. Turns out that I, too, was still a kid and had some growing up to do before I was capable of being the mom she deserved.

Since we reunited in 1999, Anne very graciously welcomed me into her life and we began cooking our way along, making up for lost time all the while chopping, stirring, braising. More importantly for purposes of this blog, we are both adventurous in the kitchen and love taking ordinary foods and tweaking them, making a whole new creation we never thought possible. Kind of like us.

So here, as a tribute to you Anne, is a fresh take on gazpacho made with the winning flavor combo of watermelon and feta. If you would have been in my kitchen with me today, I am certain we would have made this exact dish together. Tasting and laughing as we went.

I had leftover watermelon and thought of making a watermelon feta salad, which I have eaten many times in restaurants. But then I thought of Anne’s recent gazpacho post, and decided to throw caution to the wind and whirl a batch of gazpacho in my food processor.

This will surprise you – I mean, how could something that looks like salsa in a bowl taste sweet and summery and refreshing? Well, it just does.

Happy Fourth Everyone!

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