Sweet Potato Vermicelli, Black Beans, and Cilantro

I threw this dish together with what I had in the fridge.   I would have added avocados, if I had them.   It turned out really good, although many of you will want to add a little bit of hot sauce.   Here is what I did, in the order that I did it. 

• I chopped up a yellow onion and fried it in my cast iron frying pan with some olive oil. 
• I opened a can of black beans, and drained and rinsed the beans.
• When the onions were translucent, and starting to brown, I added the beans and about two tablespoons of lime juice.   I left them to fry at a medium high heat until all the liquid had evaporated. 
• I cut a zucchini into half medallions and dumped it on top of the bean mixture, and then added some salt on top of the zucchini.  I didn't stir it, I just turned the heat down to low, put a lid on, and left the zucchini to steam. 
• I soaked and then spun, an entire bunch of cilantro in a salad spinner.   I find cilantro often has a lot of grit on it.   Then, I roughly chopped it up.  I also sliced up an entire bunch of green onions.  
• I brought a large pot of water to boil, and then gently pushed about half the package of the noodles below to surface of the water to boil for six minutes.  I find these noodles at Independent, but you can find lots of varieties of bean or starch vermicelli like this at other stores.   Don't make the mistake I've made in the past and push the noodles in too aggressively, they'll splash boiling water back up at your face!   Once they were done, I drained them and added about a teaspoon of cumin powder and about four tablespoons of tamari sauce.   
• Last but not least, I mixed everything together in a big bowl.  I broke up the noodles a bit, so they'd mix better with the veggies.  

Burrito! 

For those of you who have been eating gluten-free for a while, you will remember the absolute travesty that was the Daiya gluten and dairy-free pizza.   It was, quite literally, inedible.    Well, Daiya got their act together, and now their pizza is the best on the food sensitivity market (in my opinion) AND this burrito is shockingly good.  You can get it at Independent.   This is a nice way to have a substantial breakfast on a busy morning (like the first business day of the New Year).   Happy New Year everyone!   

Filipino Beef Kare Kare

When it's a pandemic, and you live in the Near North, you have to make your own ethnic dishes!

I used this recipe, with the following variations.

Ingredients:

• ​one package of beef stewing cubes from Dalew Farms [I am told this recipe is really meant to be made with Oxtail, which tastes much better]
• one cup of Soda Water from my Soda Stream
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• one eggplant, cut into elongated slices
• one package of fresh okra from Freshco, tops and bottoms sliced off
• one medium bag of baby bok choy, ripped apart and rinsed
• three tablespoons peanut butter 
• five teaspoons of minced garlic
• one medium yellow onion, chopped 
• two tablespoons gluten free Tamari sauce (I intend to use fish sauce next time, but this was the best alternative to the traditional shrimp paste used in this recipe)
• a mix of one half tablespoon ground turmeric to 1.5 tablespoons ground paprika [This is to replace the colour from the Annatto seeds, which I don't have access to]
• two teaspoons of Sambal Oelek
• salt to taste
• olive oil

Directions:

• Rinse the beef, and then soak in the soda water until it is time to cook it
• Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil on Sauté function in your Instant Pot.  Add the black pepper and two teaspoons of the garlic. 
• Once the garlic is sautéed, drain and add the beef and fry for a couple of minutes, until the beef has changed colour.
• Add two cups of water and cook on 'Manual' for 50 minutes (on my Intant Pot this is the basic pressure cooker setting.  If you don't have an Instant Pot, you can pressure cook or slow cook the beef to make it soft.)
• Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a wok.   Add one teaspoon of the garlic.  Add the eggplant and okra and stir fry on high heat until about halfway done.   Then add the bok choy and finish frying until just tender.   Remove the veggies from the pan.
• Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok.  Add the onion, two teaspoons of the garlic, and the ground spice mixture.   Sauté a few minutes, until garlic is no longer raw. 
• Add the peanut butter, the tamari sauce, the Sambal Oelek, and the beef broth (I used all the broth, but you can use less if you want the sauce to be thicker).    Cook until sauce bubbles. 
• Then, add the meat and vegetables and cook until warmed through. 
• Crushed peanuts would have been nice on top of this dish, but I didn't have any.  

 ​
When you make a special Filipino dish you HAVE to eat it with freshly made white rice.  It's a rule.   Ask a Filipino person, they'll tell you ;)   

I cannot sing the praises of Dalew Farms enough.  They're local, they're nice, they're humane, and the meat is delicious!    The also put a lot of work into Click Fork, which is a local online farmers' market worth taking a look at.   

Butternut Squash Soup and Savory 'Cheddar' Biscuits

This lunch is a great example of making food with substitutions and variations.   I made this lunch at the home of one of the people in my social bubble who didn't have all the the tools and ingredients I'm used to having on hand.    It was absolutely delicious, even if the biscuits were flat!  Who cares, really, if they taste good?  

Biscuits:

I used this recipe, with the following variations.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour
• 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum [didn't have it, so I didn't use it]
• 1/4 cup cornstarch (or try potato starch or arrowroot) [I would have preferred to use arrowroot, which I keep in my pantry, but I used cornstarch today]
• 1 tablespoon baking powder [as you can tell from the flat biscuits, this was way too old to work properly!]
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt [sea salt worked just fine]
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into a 1/4-inch dice or grated and chilled [I just used Vegan Becel straight out of the fridge]
• 1 cup buttermilk, chilled [I followed the substitution suggestion in the recipe and combined one tablespoon of white vinegar with one cup of oat milk made with this recipe.  I didn't know that slimy oat milk was a going concern, but apparently I managed to avoid it with a successful Google search.]
• 1/2 cup of Earth Island Shredded Cheddar (non-dairy) cheese
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
• I mixed up the dry stuff in a large bowl, added the margarine, then the liquid, and then the cheese.    I just dumped globs of it onto the parchment paper.  
• Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake until lightly golden brown all over (about 15 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to set briefly before serving

Soup

Soups in a Vitamix are so easy!   I fried two yellow onions until they became translucent, and started to brown.   I dumped some  leftover turkey broth (from the holidays), the onions, roasted butternut squash (peeled, although I recently heard you can eat the skin), a drained can of black eyes peas (for protein, I would have used white beans if I had some), and about a teaspoon of dried ginger.   I then added enough water for the Vitamix to be able to do its thing.    I left it running at high speed long enough for the soup to become hot (less than 10 minutes).   SO GOOD!  

Mashed Rutabaga, Lime Black Beans, and Strawberries From Too Far Away

These fresh strawberries were a delicious treat!  Why do I say the strawberries are from too far away?   Buying strawberries in the winter means that:

• they're often grown in locations that use more pesticides than Canada
• they're often picked before they are ripe 
• they're transported long distances, which means exposure to fossil fuels and other contaminants, decreased nutritional value, and a negative impact on the environment. 

Frozen berries are a better choice, especially if they come from Canada.  

The black beans were drained from a can, and cooked in a cast iron frying pan with about two tablespoons of lime juice and two tablespoons of olive oil, until the liquid was reduced. 

The rutabaga was a leftover from a holiday dinner.  I peeled and roughly chopped the rutabaga, boiled it until it was soft, drained it, and then mashed it with a bit of vegan margarine.  I warmed it in the same frying pan as the beans, once they were done, allowing it to brown slightly.

All in all, this was a delicious breakfast that took less than ten minutes to make, and a welcome break from holiday overindulgence.  

Chicken Dinner

This salad was SO GOOD!  It had the following ingredients:

• Napa cabbage
• Sliced green onion
• Vegan mayonnaise (recipe here)
• Sprouted mung beans and daikon radish (sprouting instructions here)
• Black pepper 
• Salt

I had this salad with roasted chicken and saffron rice.    Here is resource for finding local chicken.  

Sausage and Veggies

First of all, the sausage!   I get my beef from Dalew Farms.    I take part in an annual cow share.   I love the fact that I know my farmers.  I know that they treat their animals very well, AND it tastes good.   They offer a gluten-free honey-mustard sausage, and that is what I ate tonight.   I just can't recommend them enough!   You don't have to buy a whole cow, just click on the link to learn more.   

*they do not pay me, I just think they're great.   

For vegetables, I was cleaning out my fridge the night before my bi-monthly trip to the grocery store.   

Carrots - I cut up the carrots, boiled them, drained the water, and then added one part honey, one part plain yellow mustard, and one part olive oil.   People love this honey mustard sauce, and it is so simple!

Radishes - If you've never tried fried radishes, you really should!  I thought I hated radishes.    Radishes (and carrots) are great because they'll keep in the fridge for weeks. 

Cauliflower - I love 'Cauliflower Buffalo Wings!'   Here is a sample recipe.   I'm often too lazy to follow all the steps, so instead I do the following:

• cut up the cauliflower
• dump it into a Pyrex baking pan
• mix it up with olive oil
• dump two parts gluten-free flour, one part onion powder, and one part garlic powder on it, and then mix it up
• start roasting
• two thirds of the way through the roasting process, I drizzle hot sauce directly on the cauliflower, and then mix it up

It's not as fancy, but it tastes just fine.  

Breakfast Buffet
​(Otherwise known as a chance to use my charming new bowls!)

As I'm sure most of my patients can tell you, in exhaustive detail, I'm a big fan of centering breakfasts around vegetables and a bit of protein!  Once they give this style of eating a chance, most patients don't want to go back to the way they were eating before.    There are many benefits, including:

• Reduced exposure to foods that cause many people problems (such as dairy, gluten, and eggs)
• Reduced exposure to processed foods (such as toast and prepared breakfast cereals)
• Good appetite control until lunch (imagine not needing to eat a 'second breakfast' at 10:45 AM!)
• Increased vitamins and minerals

I regularly see my patients benefit from making this change, including:

• Reduced need for drugs to control blood sugar
• Weight loss
• Better hormone balance
• Increased energy and vitality 
• Less tummy troubles (*if eating this way gives you more tummy troubles, it would be a good idea to talk to a naturopathic doctor about why that is, and what to do about it)

I have a range of vegetables I find palatable in the morning, including:

• Roasted Brussels Sprouts, sweet potato, rutabaga, squash, zucchini, and onion
• Steamed green beans and squash

I recommend preparing the vegetables in advance.   I don't know about you, but I don't have an extra hour to be cooking in the morning!   I'll often roast my veggies the evening before, while I'm preparing dinner.  It only takes about five minutes to prep them, add some olive oil and seasoning, and throw them in the oven.  

This breakfast was made from:

• Brussels Sprouts I roasted from frozen the evening before (in my cast iron griddle from yesterday's post).  In the morning I just sliced them in half and warmed them in my cast iron frying pan. 
• Baked Beans
• These fun little canned cabbage rolls I found in the international section of one of our local grocery stores.   You'll be far more likely to find canned stuffed grape leaves, which I would consider interchangeable. 

​

Pizza!

I found the MOST AMAZING pizza crust recipe.   I've been buying frozen pizzas as a Friday night treat for months now, but I figured it was time to make one of my own.   This pizza crust takes two minutes to throw together, from start to finish, I'm not even exaggerating.   I worked from this recipe.   

Ingredients:

• 2 cups gluten-free flour (I used this blend, which I bought at Metro, and really like!)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups plain sparkling water
• 2 tablespoons honey or pure maple syrup (I used honey)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:
Mix all the dry ingredients together.  Add the wet ingredients.  I used my Soda Stream to make the sparkling water.   Stir it as little as possible, but until it is thoroughly combined.    Find a pan that has sides, spread a few tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of the pan, and then pour the batter into the pan.   It's really runny, so, if you're like me, you're going to think you've done something wrong - you haven't.   Bake it at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, add your desired toppings, and then bake for another 10 minutes, or so.  

As a side note, I used my cast iron cookie sheet to make this pizza, which I use at least a couple of times a week.   I just checked, and it is actually called a 'griddle' (link here), but I use it like a cookie sheet.  Not only does it make food more delicious, it lasts for decades.  I'm still using my grandmother's cast iron frying pan.   My griddle is well seasoned, but I was still impressed that the pizza didn't stick to it at all.  

This salad dressing is also a favourite recipe of mine.  
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of maple syrup
• 1 tsp dry mustard powder
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 of a yellow onion, chopped
• 1 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp.  poppy seeds 

Add everything but the poppy seeds to a high-powered blender (I just use my Magic Bullet instead of my Vitamix) and blend until smooth.   Then add the poppy seeds.    

Blackened Salmon

This is the dish that made me realize I have the power to recreate most of the things I eat at restaurants!   Before a friend taught me how to make it, it would never have occurred to me to try.   It just seemed so fancy and complicated, turns out it takes five minutes....

Mix together these things (from this recipe):

• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Then, rub the spice mixture into two salmon fillets, so that it doesn't fall off.   Heat some olive oil to a medium-high heat in a good quality frying pan (I used my cast iron pan) and then throw in the fillets.     Cook them about two minutes each side, until the fish flakes (you have to be brave and only flip them once, otherwise they won't blacken).   That's it......FIVE MINUTES!

I used a combination of rice and cauliflower rice to eat with the fish because that was what I was craving.    I know, why have cauliflower rice if you're already eating regular rice?   It really hit the spot, though!  

I made white Basmati rice in my Instant Pot with a generous portion of dehydrated garlic.   I cook it at a ratio of one cup of rice to one and a half cups of water for 8 minutes, and then I leave to sit until the pressure gradually releases.  Once you start making rice this way, you'll never go back.    

I prepared the cauliflower rice according to the Green Giant package instructions.    I've been pleased to see I can make this in my cast iron Dutch Oven without it burning, although you can see a few nicely browned pieces. 

Last but not least, I included some Daikon Radish sprouts that I grew myself.    Sprouting is super easy, and gives you the most nutritious greens you can eat!  We're already seeing shortages of greens at the grocery stores, so it's nice to be able to produce them myself at home in less than a week.    These are the seeds I use.    And, these are the sprouting lids I use, I just screw them on top of large Mason jars.  However, I find the mason jar lids rust with time, so I'm considering switching to a fancier BPA-free plastic version.     Lots of people like more elaborate sprouting devices made from plastic.   So far, I've preferred what I use because it was cheap, and there is no contact with plastic.