What I Eat - Day Forty-Seven

Welcome back to What I Eat!   I'm sorry for not posting last week, cold and flu season has hit this naturopath particularly hard.  

Breakfast - Apple Crisp

I slice enough apples to fill the bottom of a pyrex pie dish, leaving the skins on.  I mix together gluten free oats (approx. 1 1/2 cups), brown rice flour (approx. 1/2 cup), cinnamon (approx. 2 tbsp), oil (approx. 3 tbsp.), and maple syrup (to taste) and push it down on top of the apples.   I bake for approximately 45 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Warning - I really like cinnamon, you might not want to use at much. 

Lunch - Mushroom Risotto

This is not technically a risotto, but it's pretty close (and delicious)!

Ingredients
-two 8 oz. packages of whole mini bella musrooms, finely chopped (they were on sale at the grocery store
-one whole package of organic celery, finely chopped
-one cup of brown rice
-one cooking onion, finely chopped
-two cups of water

Instructions
-I cooked this dish in a stainless steel saucepan.  Cook the mushrooms and onion in as little oil as possible, at a medium heat, until they start to release liquid.  Add the celery, and cook for about five minutes more.  Add the water and rice, bring to a boil, and then simmer until the rice is done. 

Dinner - Pumpkin Curry

I had an amazing pumpkin curry years ago in Rajasthan, India, and I've never been able to forget it.  I'm always excited when fall comes because I can make fresh pumpkin curry, it's one of my favourite things.   I'm not going to lie, though, preparing the pumpkin is hard work. 

Ingredients
-one medium-sized pie pumpkin, skin and seeds removed, cut into chunks
-one can of good-quality coconut milk (sometimes the cheaper ones are quite thin)
-one cup of rice milk (or any other kind of milk you have in your fridge)
-two bell peppers, chopped (I used red and orange)
-hemp hearts
-curry powder, to taste (start with approximately 3 tsp.)
-one inch piece of ginger (skin removed), minced
-one onion, minced

Instructions
-Cook the onion and ginger at a medium low heat in a bit of oil until they start to become translucent.   Add the pumpkin pieces and the curry powder, and cook for about five minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the rest of coconut milk, rice milk, and peppers and bring to a boil.  Do not boil for long, coconut milk doesn't like it!  Reduce heat and simmer until the pumpkin and peppers are soft.   Top with hemp hearts, include tofu in the dish, and/or serve on brown rice. 

Pumpkin Seeds

Don't throw them away!  Put them in a strainer basket and run warm water on them, you'll be able to easily remove the pumpkin flesh with your hands.  Add a bit of oil and salt, spread out in a pyrex baking dish, and bake at about 375 degrees until they just start to brown.   These are absolutely delicious, but I find they don't keep well. 

Snack - A Big Cookie

I picked up this cookie at the Opera Bakery Cafe, which brings in products like this from a place called Wheat Free Delights in Huntsville.  

In case you can't read the ingredients, this cookie was made with quinoa flakes, brown rice flour, quinoa flour, tapioca starch, ground flax, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt, Earth Balance butter, molasses, vanilla, sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, dates, and brown rice syrup.   This is a pretty impressive ingredients list. Except for the fact that the xanthan gum may have been derived from corn, and the Earth Balance butter has flavour derived from corn, this cookie is corn-free.   It is also nut, egg, potato, and gluten free!  This is pretty advanced baking, and it was a very yummy cookie too.