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:
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.
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Chicken Dinner
This salad was SO GOOD! It had the following ingredients:
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:
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:
I regularly see my patients benefit from making this change, including:
I have a range of vegetables I find palatable in the morning, including:
This breakfast was made from:
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:
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:
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):
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. Jamaican Sweet Potato Poutine
This is one of the most delicious dishes I have EVER made!! I'm always excited when I see Jamaican Sweet Potatoes in the grocery store, because I really prefer them to regular sweet potatoes. Their flesh is less orange, a bit sweeter, and really yummy. These are easy to spot in the grocery store because they have purple skin. You want to make sure that you buy them when the skin isn't too damaged because when they get old they become inedible. I start by peeling, and cutting up, the sweet potatoes. I roast them in the oven around 375 degrees with a bit of oil. Keep an eye on them, because they will overcook and dry out really quickly. I never thought I liked a mushroom gravy until I tried making one! I buy the big packages of 'imperfect' mushrooms from No Frills. I rinse them, chop them up into small pieces, fry them, and then add some water and tamari sauce (a few tablespoons, at least), and then boil them down some more. Right before it is time to put them on the potato, I thicken them with just a little bit with arrowroot powder (but you can use corn starch too). The cheese is Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds. Black Bean Brownies with Vegan Icing
This is the only way I can keep chocolate in the house! I can't easily dip into a container of cocoa powder when I get a craving. Forgive me for the terrible photograph, some things just don't love the camera. A word of warning, you can make a black bean brownie that will fool someone if you don't tell them, but not with this recipe! These are very good, but they definitely taste 'healthy.' I used this recipe for the brownies, with the following modifications to the ingredients:
I made the icing using this recipe, with the following modification to the ingredients:
I've started making the applesauce for these recipes from scratch. It only takes about five minutes to peel and cut up an apple, put it into a small saucepan with a bit of water, and make your own applesauce. Homemade apple sauce tastes exactly 1000% better than the stuff you get in the grocery store, and it costs less too. Hummus and Garlic Stuffed Olives
I don't know what I did before I had a Vitamix to make hummus AND I don't know what I did before garlic stuffed olives! You can make hummus in something other than a Vitamix, but I find it tastes a lot better coming out of a high-speed blender. I know that's not helpful if you don't have one; however, it is still infinitely cheaper, and better for your health, to make it yourself. The garlic stuffed olives are available from President's Choice or Costco. I make my hummus with a combination of the following ingredients:
* Organic beans taste A LOT better ** If you're like me, and you have autoimmune disease, you may find you digest canned beans much better than home-made ones. My theory for why that is happening is because the canning process reduces some of the problematic ingredients, such as agglutinin. I have experienced IMMEDIATE autoimmune flares from eating beans I had prepared myself, using all the best techniques to render them easy to digest. Want to learn more? click here! Butternut Squash Pasta with Balsamic Glaze
It has occurred to me that perhaps I should sweep my porch before I take these photos. This is a great meal to make during times like this because it is quite fast, and all the ingredients come from your pantry and/or cold storage. The ingredients are:
The instructions are:
That's it, just add all the ingredients together, and you have this delicious dish! |
What I EatI want to give you an idea of how to eat healthfully on a restricted diet, without a lot of work, by showing you how I eat! I eat strictly gluten-free. You'll find A LOT of veggies in this blog! I eat both fish and meat a few times a week (local and/or humane, whenever possible), and dairy when I'm visiting family and friends, or eating out. I hope you find this blog inspiring and interesting!
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