Fresh Tomato Soup

May 27, 2014May 31, 2014Leave a comment

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Fresh Tomato Soup

1 onion
2 carrots
2 ribs of celery
4 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp coconut oil (or butter)
5 organic tomatoes
2 cups organic chicken broth
28 oz can organic tomatoes (796ml)
14 oz can coconut milk (398ml)
1 tbsp fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste

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Chop up onion, carrots, celery, garlic. Cook in coconut oil over medium heat until soft.

Chop up tomatoes and add to the pot along with the rest of the ingredients.

Bring to a boil and turn down to medium heat. Leave the soup on medium for approx. 20 minutes to boil off some of the excess water.

Place soup in a blender and puree. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

tomato3 Proof that the kids loved it!

Moroccan-Style Meatballs

May 20, 2014May 20, 2014Leave a comment

This meal came together very quickly and it was so good that I’ll be making it again very soon. It was a hit with our 3 year old but the 18 month old won’t eat meat, and apparently is rebelling against carrots now too…

We served it with quinoa, but it can be a stand on its own dish served with a side salad.

meatballs

Moroccan-Style Meatballs adapted from here.

Serves 4-6

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1/3 cup grated onion
1 egg
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chili
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp dried ginger
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands. Form meatballs slightly larger than golf balls, place onto a plate and set aside.

Stew

2 tbsp coconut oil (or butter)
3 onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
2 cups beef broth
28oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup organic raisins
3 medium carrots, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

In a large oven-safe pot, cook onions in coconut oil over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 10-15 minutes.

Add cinnamon, turmeric, and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add broth, tomatoes, raisins, and carrots, and bring to a boil.

Carefully press meatballs into the stew mixture until covered, sprinkle with cilantro, and cover the pot.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Kid Friendly: Almond Crusted Fish Sticks

May 18, 2014May 16, 2014Leave a comment

This is one meal that my kids actually eat! If you loved fish sticks as a child, then you will love these. They are a gazillion times more delicious than that frozen crap I grew up on, and are also gluten-free! If you don’t like garlic than you can just leave it out. You can also add some dried parsley if you’re feeling fancy 😉 I just didn’t have any to use tonight!

I don’t recommend tilapia because they are bottom feeders. You’re better off with halibut or cod.

fishsticks

Almond Crusted Fish Sticks

1 lb cod or halibut
1.5 cups blanched almond flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil for frying

Cut fish up into 1 inch x 3 inch pieces, or as close as possible to the same thickness. Place almond flour, salt, and garlic powder in a bowl, and the 2 beaten eggs in a separate bowl.

You will want to fry the fish in 2 separate batches to avoid crowding the pan. Heat a large pan with 1/4 cup of butter or coconut oil. Dip each piece of fish in egg, then the almond flour mixture, and place in the pan. Fry until browned on both sides – 3-4 minutes per side. I always cut into a piece to be sure they’re done.

While the first batch is cooking, you can prepare the second batch and place them on a plate, ready to take the plunge into the next 1/4 cup of butter/oil.

These are delicious plain, served with ketchup or with home made tartar sauce, recipe below:

Homemade Tartar Sauce

1/2 cup mayo
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp or more tartar sauce (to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix and enjoy! Hey, I never said it was a healthy home made tartar sauce.

Vegetable Cauliflower Rice

March 23, 20141 Comment

Bye-bye white rice. Hello healthy vegetables that taste like take-out. Well, not even, because take-out tastes horrible when you’re used to eating clean. This is delicious!

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Vegetable Cauliflower Rice

1 head cauliflower
1 onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 cup peas
2 eggs
1 tbsp coconut aminos
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp coconut oil

Cut cauliflower into medium sized pieces and place in a food processor in 2 separate batches. Pulse until cauliflower resembles rice and set aside.

Heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and peas and cook for another 2 minutes. Then add cauliflower, stirring occasionally for another 4-5 minutes.

Make a hole in the center of the mixture and add the eggs. Break the yolks and let the eggs set a bit before stirring. Cook until eggs are set.

Add sesame oil and coconut aminos and stir to combine. Add more to taste.

Plate and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies – “Paleo” version

March 20, 2014July 23, 2014Leave a comment

paleocookies If you like cookies, then you’re going to want to make these as soon as humanly possible. They are the most delicious cookies I have ever tasted, and they’re pretty much as healthy as cookies can get. I’ve been making these about once a week for a very long time.

Adapted from this recipe here.

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a bowl, mix almond flour, salt, and baking soda.

Add melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract and mix well.

Mix in chocolate chips and form cookie dough into balls. Press each ball onto a cookie sheet with your palm. You can either grease the sheet with coconut oil, or use a silpat sheet – my personal favourite.

Cook at 350° for 8 minutes. Let cookies cool on the pan or else they will break!

Makes 18-20 cookies.

Blueberry Almond Bars

March 14, 2014July 12, 20142 Comments

Breakfast is always a struggle in our house. This morning I was inspired to play around with breakfast bars, and this was the delicious conclusion my 3 year old and I came up with. Enjoy!

Blueberry Almond Bars

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup agave
1 cup dried blueberries
1 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup dried coconut
1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp baking soda

Place almond flour, coconut, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl and mix. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Oil an 8 x 8 pan with coconut oil and press the mixture firmly into the base.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Cool in the fridge for at least an hour before cutting to give them time to set.

Allergen Free Baking: The Best Pancakes Ever.

February 20, 2011October 25, 2014Leave a comment

Banana Coconut Gluten-Free Vegan Pancakes

I have had many reasons to go allergen free in the past, but none were as motivating as my current living breathing reason: my newborn son Oscar. I have many food sensitivities that I notice daily unless I eat 100% clean. Even then, I will notice a reaction if I eat too much of something that I am mildly sensitive to such as certain vegetables! I have been eating moderately clean my entire pregnancy, gaining less than 25 lbs, and my eczema disappearing for most of it. However, upon delivery, my hormones are out of whack and so is my body. My eczema is flaring up once again.

Oscar is also developing a rash. I don’t know if it’s eczema yet. I think it’s newborn acne at this point, but in a bid to avoid the occurrence of eczema and allergies I am trying to keep him away from the common culprits: dairy, soy, corn, wheat, excess sugar, etc. as well as giving him a daily probiotic. Unfortunately, when both parents have allergies or asthma, the offspring is nearly 100% likely to have them as well.

And it is because of all of this that these pancakes were born. I swear they are the best pancakes ever, and Yuri agrees! I am not saying that you can eat pancakes every day because they are allergen free, but they are there when you want something special. There is no need to feel guilty about indulging in these, and the best part of it is that these pancakes cause me NO digestive distress!

BEST PANCAKES EVER

Gluten-Free Banana Coconut Pancakes. They’re vegan AND healthy.

Serves 2

1 1/4 cup gluten free flour (see below)
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups almond milk
2 eggs, or use this egg substitute:

1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp ground flax seeds
4 tbsp hot/boiling water

3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 banana, chopped
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup coconut
maple syrup, for serving
banana and coconut for garnish

If using the egg substitute, mix the egg substitute ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside for 10 minutes.

Separately, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

Add the almond milk, egg substitute, and coconut oil to the dry ingredients and mix well.

Add the coconut, cinnamon, and banana.

Cook over medium heat until done, flipping once. Makes 6 pancakes.

*if the batter is too thick, add more almond milk

*Lately we’ve been really loving chocolate chunks in our pancakes – the best ones are by Enjoy Life!

Gluten Free Flour

Gluten free flour making is an intimate thing. There are so many variations out there. This is what I came up through trial and error and it is my favourite gluten free flour yet. I doubt I’ll even try any others. You can use this in any recipe that calls for all purpose flour. Just make up a batch and you’ll have it to use whenever you need it!

Mix together:

250g millet flour (1.5 cups)
150g almond flour (1.5 cups)
150g quinoa flour (1 cup)
150g buckwheat flour (1 cup)
300g tapioca flour (2 cups)

I buy millet, almonds, buckwheat, and quinoa whole and mill them in the coffee grinder. This way they are as fresh as possible. Tapioca and almond flours I buy already milled. Though you can grind almonds in a coffee grinder – they are super fresh! In Canada you can get almond flour from jkgourmet.com which is what I do now that I’ve found them!

The Barefoot (and Pregnant) Contessa

October 17, 2010Leave a comment

With the weather getting colder and my belly getting bigger, there is no better time than the present to get back into the kitchen and refine my cooking skills. I need to get into some sort of groove before this baby comes. I can’t imagine quitting my job just days before this little one’s arrival and then trying to juggle an entire new life all at once! So bring on the cook and un-cook books!

Now that this baby is kicking constantly, it is a constant reminder that I’m going to have my hands full in a few months. I am starting to feel the pressure!

The house is spotless for the first time in a long time, and I’ve been experimenting with new recipes for the past week or so. I’ve made carrot soup, mushroom soup, Moroccan chicken tajine, chicken mango chutney, chili, and a pumpkin/banana pie that we had to throw out so we wouldn’t eat it all! I’ve taken pictures of most of them but I’ve lost the cord that connects my camera to the computer…so sad.

Here’s the latest and greatest that has come out of my kitchen!

Coconut Carrot Soup

2 lb carrots

2 yellow onions

3 cloves garlic

3 tbsp butter

1 tbsp fresh, grated ginger

1/4 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

pinch cayenne

900 ml Vegetable or Chicken Stock (1 container such as PC Blue Menu )

1/2 package Grace, Pure Creamed Coconut (or 1 can coconut milk)

2 tbsp lime juice

honey or maple syrup, to taste (I used about 2 tbsp of honey)

fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Chop up the carrot, onion, and garlic, and place in a medium sized pot with the butter. Cook on medium heat for approximately 10 minutes.

Add the ginger, cumin, curry, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and stir thoroughly for two minutes. Then, add the stock. Heat mixture until boiling and then simmer for 15 minutes, partially covered.

If you’re using creamed coconut, place half of the Grace Pure Creamed Coconut package in a bowl and ladle a cup of soup stock from the pot over top. Mix well. This will only take a minute and you will have some delicious coconut cream to add to your soup!

Add the coconut cream (or coconut milk) to the soup along with the lime juice. Add honey to taste. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes with the lid off. If you use Grace’s coconut cream, be sure to add an extra cup of water or stock to the soup to make up for its lack of moisture.

Remove soup from its heat source and cool slightly before pouring it into a blender and smoothing it out. Once the soup is smooth, you can return it to the pot or serve directly. Garnish with cilantro and serve!

Eggs Florentine with Potato Latkes

August 4, 2010December 11, 2014Leave a comment

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Today I think I really outdid myself. I made the best eggs Florentine I have ever produced. There has been a lot of trial and error over the years and this is the best hands down which is why I have to share it!

I love to make gourmet meals, especially homemade gourmet versions of meals that scare me in restaurants, because you never really know what’s in them! Take Hollandaise sauce for example. In the restaurant I work at, ingredients include MSG and some other pretty nasty stuff.

For example, Knorr brand Hollandaise sauce mix that you can buy at your local grocer lists the following as ingredients:

Modified Food Starch (Corn, Potato), Maltodextrin, Wheat Starch, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, Whey Protein Concentrate (from Milk), Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Lactose (from Milk), Fructose, Salt, Citric Acid, Onion Powder, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Guar Gum, Spices (Including Paprika), Turmeric (for Color), Caramel Color, Natural Flavor, Garlic Powder.

I mean, SERIOUSLY? What the hell is that stuff? Is it even “food?” Guess what the ingredients are in a classic Hollandaise sauce? Water, egg yolks, butter, and lemon juice. Four ingredients, none of them artificial. FOUR natural foods – not EIGHTEEN chemicals!

Eggs Florentine with Potato Latkes (serves 2)

Classic Hollandaise Sauce

2 tbsp water
2 egg yolks
½ cup butter, melted
1 tbsp lemon juice

Place a mixing bowl on top of pot of barely simmering water. Make sure the bowl is not submersed in water. The idea is to “steam cook” the Hollandaise. Place 2 tbsp of water and 2 egg yolks in the bowl. Mix with whisk until mixture becomes thick. Then slowly add the melted butter while stirring constantly. When mixture is combined and thick, slowly add the lemon juice while stirring. Set aside.

Other Ingredients:

2 large handfuls of spinach
1 handful of feta (optional)
Green onion for garnish, diced

You can use a steamer to cook the spinach. Alternatively, put a bit of water in a non-stick frying pan and place a lid over top and steam it that way. Once spinach is cooked, place it on a plate covered with paper towel until ready to use.

Set feta and diced green onion aside until ready to assemble Eggs Florentine.

Potato Latkes

2 medium Yukon gold potatoes
1 medium onion
1 egg
2 tbsp gluten free all purpose flour
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp sea salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 cup coconut oil for frying

Dice the onion and grate the potatoes, placing them into a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients (except oil) and mix well. You may have to add more flour depending on how wet the mixture is.

Separate the mixture into 4 equal portions and heat oil to medium-high. As you get ready to place the potato pancakes in the oil, squeeze out any extra moisture. Make a pancake shape and carefully place them in the pan. Fry until golden brown on both sides, turning as little as possible. Once done, place them on paper towels to drain.

Poached Eggs

4 eggs
2 tbsp white vinegar
Pot with roughly 2 inches of barely boiling water

Poaching eggs is an art. It has taken me a long time to learn to poach the perfect egg, so be patient and don’t worry about perfection at first! I break my eggs, one at a time, into a small bowl and slowly pour them into the boiling water. I find this way easier than breaking an egg so close to boiling water because this way I don’t burn myself! And, the fresher your eggs, the better they poach.

Place your pot on the heat source and add the white vinegar. When the water is just boiling, turn the heat down to medium (or whatever your barely boiling temperature is). Add the eggs, one at a time to the water. Once in, take a wooden spoon and carefully move the egg white over the yolk. Hold for about 10 seconds.

By the time I have my 4 eggs in the water, it is usually time to take the first one out because I like my eggs runny. I think they’re in the water for 3-4 minutes at this point. Using 2 wooden spoons, I take each egg out and place them in one small bowl. This way, they stay warm while you are putting together the rest of the ingredients.

Putting It All Together

Place 2 potato latkes on each plate. Cover with spinach and optional feta. Place one egg on each mound and spoon over Hollandaise sauce. Garnish with green onion. Serve!

Final Notes

This recipe takes some time management skills at first. I generally make the Hollandaise first, and set it aside. I then steam the spinach and make the potato latkes. While the Latkes are frying, I start the poached eggs (using the water used in making the Hollandaise sauce) and set the eggs aside while the potatoes are finishing.

“Eggs Benedict” recipes traditionally use English muffins as a base, but my objective is always to use as many whole food ingredients as I can. Enter the potato. Once you have tried these potato pancakes you will be addicted! Obviously, frying them in oil is a nutritional “no-no” but sometimes you’ve got to take one for the team, right?

Creamy Coconut Cashew Nut Milk and a Creamy Strawberry Shake

July 28, 2008August 25, 2014Leave a comment

Creamy Coconut Cashew Nut Milk

2 cups filtered water
1 cup cashews
2 tbsp coconut butter
4 dates
1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1/4 of a vanilla bean, seeds only)

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. If you don’t have a high speed blender like the vitamix, you can place all ingredients in a blender and let them sit for a couple of hours until the cashews and dates soften.

I HIGHLY recommend investing in a vita-mix. It’s so powerful that it can turn an ipod into dust – I’m sure you can find some interesting videos on youtube. I use my vita-mix at least 4 times a day. You can make nut milks without having to use a strainer, and make the smoothest raw cheesecake you’ve ever tasted.

And since I happened to have fresh strawberries in the fridge – voila! Instant strawberry shake.

Creamy Strawberry Shake

1 batch Creamy Coconut Cashew Nut Milk
1 cup fresh strawberries

Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender until smooth.

The funny thing about strawberries is that when you pick them yourself, their size range from that of a raspberry to…a slightly larger raspberry! They taste so sweet and just downright incredible. When you buy them imported from who knows where, they’re the size of peaches and they taste sour and just gross! If you missed them this time around, don’t miss out on picking your own (or buying, although picking your own can be fun) local berries next season!