My Dad is back as a guest chef.  He made the breakfast and dinner this week, which were both absolutely delicious.  Thanks Dad!  

I've decided to take part in the Field Good Farms CSA program this summer!   I'll be featuring the fruits and vegetables I get each week, along with the meals I prepare with them.   I'm really excited about sharing this with everyone!   Here's a video that shows you some of the farm, and the farmers! http://fieldgoodfarms.ca/media/videos/

Breakfast - Egg Hash

Ingredients
6 mushrooms, sliced
1/4 onion, diced
1 kale leaf, chopped
1 tsp.  Herbs de Provence Spice Mixture
pinch of salt
8 eggs

Cook the vegetables first, and then add the eggs straight from the shells and scramble at a medium heat, stirring as you go.   As you can see, my Dad cooks in a cast iron frying pan, and adds cheese to the section of the pan that won't be served to me. 

Lunch - Fried Vegetables

I fried zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic in my ceramic frying pan with a little bit of grapeseed oil, adding the bruschetta pictured below at the very end.  I topped this dish with hemp seeds.  I honestly can't remember where I picked up this bruschetta mix, but I suspect it might have been Sobey's.  I really like the simple list of ingredients, and it tastes very good!  

Dinner - Eye of Round Steakettes with Fried Onions, Quinoa, and Steamed Vegetables

(Everything below is straight from my Dad)
An Eye of Round roast is inexpensive, has no bone, and little fat.  If you slice it (I do thick slices) when you first arrive home, it can be packed in a plastic bag with waxed paper pieces in between.  A screwdriver may be necessary to separate the pieces before cooking (they don't need to be thawed to commence cooking).

Ingredients
Steakettes
5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 cups of water, salted to taste
1 cup dried quinoa
1 green onion, chopped
2 cm of dried cayenne chili pepper, crumbled (purchased at the Powassan Farmers' Market from New Kolbermoor Farms)
3 heads organic broccoli, cut coarsely
1 tsp 'Mrs. Dash' Lemon Pepper mix (these are not labeled gluten-free, but the company has provided assurances that they are just not produced in a 'gluten-free facility' which prohibits them from adding it to the label)
1 tbsp margarine 
6-8 mushrooms, sliced

Instructions
-Using a little oil, cook the steakettes slowly, adding the garlic and onion when you first turn them.  I put some salt and pepper on them.
-Bring the water to a boil, add quinoa, green onion, and cayenne.  Reduce heat to a simmer.  When the quinoa has absorbed the water (about 20 minutes) add the margarine.  Stir in when melted.
-Using a steamer, layer the broccoli, mushrooms, and spice mixture.  Cook until tender. 

Breakfast - Avocado Toast and Mango

For some reason, the tint turned out quite odd on this picture.   Anyway, Alphonso mangos are in season!!!   If you've never had this type of mango before, it is absolutely delicious!  I bought a box at Freshco for a very reasonable price.   If you've never eaten them before, the pit is very thin, so you can slice lengthwise down either side of the pit, and then segment each side.   I also had sliced avocado on toasted gluten-free bread (made from the Bob's Red Mill mix) 

Lunch - Black Bean Salad

Made with:
-organic baby arugula
-chopped fresh cilantro
-halved organic grape tomatoes
-sliced cucumber
-black beans
-sliced Kalmata olives
-Daiya shredded mozzarella 'cheese'

Dinner - Turkish Lamb Pilaf with Brown Rice, Black Beans, and Asparagus

My latest guest chef is my Dad, a very talented chef!  I'm incredibly lucky to have parents who prepare meals for me that not only meet all my restrictions, but are also delicious!  My parents cook with what my family has taken to calling 'happy meat.'   By this I mean that we strive to eat meat from local, grass-fed animals we hope led a happier life than an animal might experience in a factory farm, along with being a better quality of food.

Ingredients (Meatballs)
2 tbsp vegan margarine (this is a widely available choice) 
1 to 2 kg ground lamb (my Dad used Ontario lamb available at Bay Meats)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (gluten-free)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine
2 eggs
1 tbsp. Garlic Powder 
Heaping tsp. Herbs de Provence Seasoning Mix 
1/3 tsp. Dried Basil 
3/4 tsp. salt
Dash of pepper

Ingredients (Rice) 
2 cups brown Basmati rice
4 1/2 cups water (boiling right before added to rice) 
2 medium yellow onions, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 large tomato, chopped 
3/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1 1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning Mix 
1/2 tsp. turmeric

Instructions (Please note, this recipe makes a lot of meatballs!)
1. Form meatballs with meat, flour, eggs, chopped onion, and spices (golf ball size, or a little larger).
2.  Melt margarine in a Dutch oven kettle or large pot suitable for frying.
3.  Cook meat balls, using spatula to lift, and tongs to turn.
4. Remove meatballs, skim fat as necessary, and brown garlic and remaining onion.
5. Add rice (may include 1/4 cup pine nuts) and cook approximately 5 minutes, stirring steadily.  
6. Add everything else, except tomato, and cook approximately 35 minutes.
7.  Add chopped tomato for last 10 minutes.   Meatballs may be returned to the dish now, or reheated and served on the rice. 
8. Let dish stand for 10-15 minutes.
9. Serve with vegetables (in this case, steamed asparagus). 

Note:  Meatballs can be mashed into a usable consistency with a spoon or your fingers such that they will stay together without eggs or flour, it just takes a bit more work! 

Dessert - Fruit Salad and Double Chocolate Muffins

My parents pick strawberries in season, process them as minimally as possible, freeze them so that they're not touching (either on cookie sheets or in freezer bags laid flat) and then eat them throughout the winter.   These strawberries came from Becker's in Nipissing.

The chocolate muffins are one of the new gluten-free offerings from President's Choice.  

Time for more guest chefs!   This week's (dinner) guest chef, Tobel, has particularly impressed me with his fearlessness in the kitchen.   Even though he had almost no experience dealing with food allergies/intolerance before he started cooking for me, he's undaunted by dealing with all my restrictions.  In fact, I usually don't even know what he's making until I show up for dinner, and it's always delicious.   It's amazing what a sense of adventure and access to the internet can accomplish!

Breakfast - Fried Potatoes with Veggies

This breakfast was pretty simple.  I just fried up some potatoes and red onions, and served them with some alfalfa sprouts and half of an avocado.  

As a side note, I frequently cook my veggies in a very small amount of oil in my  ceramic frying pan until they start to brown, then I add a bit of water and let it reduce until they are cooked through.   I've heard other people comment that their ceramic frying pans start to stick after a bit of use.  This has not been my experience; however I'm very careful about not using metal utensils and just rinsing it thoroughly by hand when I'm done using it.   Also, I rarely turn my burner up past medium, nor do I need to because the pan carries and disperses heat very well (many toxins become more dangerous at higher temperatures).  

The huge appeal of the ceramic frying pan for me is that you can use a ridiculously small quantity of oil when you cook, but I finally decided to research the safety of ceramic-coated cook wear.   This blog nicely summarizes some of the potential problems I discovered http://lavieverte.wordpress.com/2009/04/24/safety-in-cookware-ptfe-vs-nano-ceramic-coatings/.   Additionally, I found an issue with ceramic cook wear that has colour added to it http://www.greenprophet.com/2011/12/ceramic-coated-frying-pan-toxic/  Personally, I plan to work on the assumption that ceramic is safer than teflon, but I'm also going to try to go back to using my cast iron frying pan a bit more frequently.    At the end of the day, I've realized I just need to stop frying foods as frequently as I do.   It's a real weakness of mine. 

Lunch - Tofu and Broccoli

(Tofu) Ingredients
-brown basmati rice
-one block of firm tofu, cut into large squares
-one chunk of ginger about the size of two thumbs, peeled and minced
-half a head of garlic, peeled and minced
-one bunch of green onions, chopped
-two red bell peppers, chopped
-one tsp of hot sauce (this is the one I use)
-1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
-Bragg Liquid Aminos (to taste)
-grapeseed oil
-Club House One Step Seasoning - Roasted Garlic & Peppers

(Tofu) Instructions
-Lightly oil a glass baking dish.  Put in the tofu and sprinkle with the one step seasoning.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes (or until it starts to brown). 
-Put the garlic and ginger in a frying pan with the oil at a medium heat.  Stir occasionally, until they start to brown.  Then, add the peppers and, once they have started to soften up, add everything else (besides the rice and tofu).  Cook for an additional five minutes or so. 
-Put the cooked rice at the bottom of the bowl, put the tofu on top, and pour the contents of the frying pan over top. 

Broccoli - I steamed the broccoli and topped it with raw pumpkin seeds, 'zested' ginger, and Bragg Liquid Aminos.  I just bought this fine grater/zester (pictured below) and I couldn't believe how much flavour the ginger added to this dish!  Sorry, I can't seem to find a good link for the zester to include for everyone, but the plastic attachment will definitely prevent me from 'zesting' my fingers (which is both painful and, technically, a biohazard). 

*Note - save your water when you steam vegetables!  Our bodies become acidic from eating too much meat, sugar, processed foods, etc..... and STRESS!   The water from steamed veggies is very good for reducing acidity, it's just a matter of making it palatable.  

Dinner - Pasta e Fagioli and Asparagus Artichoke Salad

Link for the pasta recipe is here.  The pasta was made with Kitchen Basics Chicken Cooking Stock and Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta Fusilli (both available at Sobey's).    The current packaging for the chicken stock (which for some reason is not shown on their website) comes with a number of guarantees, including that it is gluten and MSG free.   Last but not least, 'cannellini or borlotti' beans = romano beans.  

Link for salad recipe is here.   Tobel used minced fresh garlic in place of the garlic powder, green onions in place of the shallots, and lime juice in place of the lemon juice.   

P.S. This salad was especially delicious! 

Breakfast - My version of Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwiches

Made with soybutter, a banana, and rice cakes.   Soybutter is basically the least healthy alternative to peanut butter, but sometimes I like to splurge on a bottle as a treat.  It really does taste almost exactly the same as peanut butter!

Lunch - Salmon, Avocado, and Quinoa

This dinner was made for me by my Dad, who will be a guest chef soon!  It's baked salmon (with fresh herbs on top), quinoa, Bragg Liquid Aminos, and an avocado.  

Dinner -  Rice and Beans

Ingredients
(Salad)
-container of PC Organics 'Kale, Chard, Spinach Salad Mix', wilted in a frying pan with a little bit of water
-grape tomatoes, halved
-sliced kalmata olives
-roasted red peppers (from a jar), sliced
-dried basil
-salad dressing (made from olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and brown sugar)
(Beans)
-tsp. grapeseed oil
-one red onion, chopped
-2 tsp. gluten free onion soup mix (I used the one from El Peto)
-3/4 cup brown basmati rice
-1 1/2 cups water
-4 cups of black beans (I made mine from scratch, but you can use canned)
-one tsp. cumin
-one tsp. curry powder
-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Instructions
-brown the onion in a saucepan in the oil
-add rice, water, and onion soup mix
-bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered
-add spices and black beans just before the rice is done

As a side note, I have a strange obsession with divided plates.   I recently found the above plate at Canadian Tire and I couldn't resist buying a couple!