|
I'm a sucker for cream, but being dairy free has made making creamy sauces and dishes challenging. More specifically, really miss sour cream for things like enchiladas. So I've been experimenting with making a cashew based "sour cream" and I think I've come pretty close! Of course it doesn't taste exactly like sour cream, but it's a good replacement when I've got a hankering.
Organic Ingredients:
Preparation: Pour off all the water from the cashews and place nuts in a food processor. Add all of the remaining ingredients. Puree for 3-4 minutes or until completely smooth and creamy in consistency. Use in any recipe that calls for sour cream. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week.
0 Comments
Right off the bat I should say that this is NOT a Pad Thai recipe, but a salad recipe based on the flavors of Pad Thai. Ribbons of cabbage, carrots, zucchini and cucumber stand in for noodles in this version of the popular Thai dish. I used this recipe to trick my boyfriend into thinking we were having Pad Thai for dinner when I really wanted a salad. Upon giving him his plate he was skeptical but after sampling a bite he devoured the huge bowl full. Additionally, this recipe may seem dauntingly laborious, but it's not and the sauce and vinaigrette can be made ahead of time.  Ingredients:
Almond-Chile Sauce
Tamarind Vinaigrette
Pad Thai Salad
Preparation: For Almond-Chile Sauce Combine all ingredients except water in a blender or processor. Puree until smooth. Thin with water by tablespoonfuls as desired. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. For Tamarind Vinaigrette Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. For "Pad Thai" Salad Combine cabbage, cilantro, and lime juice in a small bowl; toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and let stand for 30 minutes. Combine carrots, zucchini, bean sprouts, cucumber, and basil in a large bowl. Toss with just enough almond-chile sauce to coat lightly. Arrange cabbage mixture on each plate. Top with coconut flakes and mixed vegetables. Drizzle tamarind vinaigrette and more almond-chile sauce over, if desired. Garnish with cilantro sprigs. Adapted from Bon Appetit Sept. 2003 by chef Roxanne Klein This is pretty much all I've eaten this week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner--please, don't judge me. I made this as an appetizer for the ramen recipe below and it ended up stealing the show. I'd been craving Brussels Sprouts and had some leftover bacon, so I started googling "Bacon and Brussels Sprouts recipe" but, as per usual, couldn't find what I was looking for so I ended up using ingredients I thought would blend well together. When I finally decided to make this a real recipe, it was easy because everything is almost equal parts. This recipe doesn't take too long making it really convenient, and everyone I've made it for has gobbled it up, asking for more. Let's just say, I've gone through 6 lbs of Brussels this week... 
Ingredients:
Directions: Make sure you have some non-stick foil. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Cover a cookie sheet with non stick foil and place bacon on foil. Cook until desired done-ness. Remove from oven and place on paper towels to drain grease. Place Brussels on cookie sheet and coat with bacon grease. Place back in the oven and cook for 13-15minutes (temp.'s will vary depending on your oven). While Brussels are cooking, add remaining ingredients in a bowl. Chop the bacon and add it to the marinade. When Brussels are done, add them to the mixture and coat thoroughly with marinade. Serve warm and enjoy!!  I have been craving ramen for a little while and cannot seem to find any quick-cook GF products in the health stores. Then the search for GF ramen noodles began but I could not find anything really close. That being said, the noodles I used (in my humble opinion) fail to really hit the mark in making this dish truly reminiscent of ramen. I'd recommend trying to find a package of GF shiritaki noodles, although I couldn't find any at my usual Denver health stores. Anyway, here's the recipe, it's still delicious!
Ingredients:
Instructions:
 This raw winter salad makes me feel like summer. Beets and carrots are definitely two of my favorite vegetables and not just for taste reasons. Beets belong to the chenopod family. They're extremely high in antioxidants (specifically vitamin C and manganese), anti-inflammatory molecules and they're also known to trigger the Phase 2 cellular detoxification process. That being said, beet fiber and carrot fiber are shown to particularly provide special health benefits to our digestive tract and cardiovascular system. If you're experiencing constipation, a daily serving of beets will make you feel like you want to put a bikini. It can be difficult to imagine how the hardy, crunchy, and often rough-looking exterior of beets and carrots can be transformed into something sweet and light. This salad transcends that perspective, delighting your taste buds and your waistline.
Organic Ingredients:
Directions:
Serves 6. Adapted from simplyrecipes.com My wonderful Aunt Di gave me a great Christmas present this year: a Shiitake Mushroom Mini Farm!   The mushrooms started to grow within a few days and have continued to grow like crazy; the picture to the left shows them at about a week old, so they'd grown twice as large by the time I cooked with them last night. As I don't cook with mushrooms too often, I had to google recipes. I've also been trying to incorporate more seafood into my diet and thought I should find a recipe to combine the two. I was lucky to find Salmon 'Bulgogi' with Bok Choy and Shiitakes. Bulgogi is a popular Korean dish typically made with beef marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, and other seasonings. To make this a healthier dish I've substituted salmon for beef and replaced the soy sauce with coconut aminos. The following recipe has been adapted from the June 2008 Bon Appetit issue. Salmon 'Bulgogi' Recipe Organic Ingredients:
Directions:
Health Benefits: Bok Choy, a staple in Asian cooking, is actually a type of cabbage and therefor a cruciferous veggie. Cabbage is well known for it's outstanding anti-cancer benefits. It presents a milder flavor with a higher concentration of vitamin A and vitamin C. One cup of bok choy provides more than 100% of the recommended dietary allowance of A, and close to two-thirds the RDA of C, which comes from its concentration of carotenoids such as beta-carotene and polyphenols. It's known for it's anti-inflammatory nutrients, digestive tract and cardiovascular support. Shiitake's are known in Asia as a symbol of longevity because of their health-promoting properties. They've been used medicinally by the Chinese for more than 6,000 years. Studies show they support our cardiovascular and immune system by preventing too much immune cell binding to the lining of the blood vessels. Shiitake's have also proven to exhibit anti-cancer benefits as they've been shown to help block tumor growth, sometimes triggering apoptosis (cell death) in cancer cells. They are known as a good non-animal source of iron, the B vitamins, manganese, phosphorus, and fiber. Read some more fascinating information here. Wild caught salmon is a great source of protein. Much of the focus about salmon is on it's amazing omega-3 benefits, known to improve mood and cognition, decrease numerous cardiovascular problems, eye-related problems, and cancer risk. Salmon is great for supporting our joint cartilage tissue, insulin effectiveness, and control of inflammation in the digestive tract. It is high in vitamin D, vitamin B12, tryptophan, selenium, and phosphorous. It seems almost everyone I know is sick with the flu right now. I've never been an advocate of nasty flu shots as they contain counterintuitive ingredients including mercury, formaldehyde, aluminum and MSG, yet I haven't had the flu in about six years and I touch grimy yoga mats and sweaty cycling bikes five days a week. Even if your diet isn't perfect, there are some really simple ways to reduce your risk of catching the flu. While it's good to start implementing the suggestions from the last link, if you've already got the flu there are some things you can do support your immune system and recover. Below are some potent tools to stimulate the body's own anti-microbial response and rid your body of any nasal congestion, a runny nose, post-nasal drip, cough, sore throat, sinus pressure, chest congestion, and immune deficiency.
 Garlic tea is really just fresh, chopped garlic that's steeped in hot water. Some people add lemon juice and honey, but that's not necessary for you to reap it's benefits. To make garlic tea, peel and roughly chop 3-4 organic cloves, let sit for about 10 minutes. Giving it this times releases the allicin which is the powerful antibacterial and antiviral compound. Add the chopped garlic to a mug and fill it with some hot water. Sip the garlic tea once it becomes cool enough. If you have a mild case of the flu or a cold, this tea should start working quickly. however, if you're particularly down with a bad case of the flu, you should consume this over a period of a few days.
This is so good I ate it with a spoon. My new favorite and oh-so-easy recipe. Since eliminating dairy a few years ago, spinach artichoke dip (a childhood favorite) has become something I crave and on rare occasions buy only to be disappointed. It's never as good as I remember and I always experience uncomfortable belly symptoms after eating it. Today I finally decided to make a vegan version and was so pleased with it I surprised myself. I've never wanted to make this dip myself because, let's face it, artichokes can be intimidating. Thankfully, this recipes takes out the confusion, just don't let making cashew cream (instead of using dairy) scare you away! It's extremely simple and easy so long as you have a blender with a small attachable container or a food processor. If you don't have either of these things I highly recommend you go get one! Cashew Cream Organic Ingredients:
Rinse the cashews in a strainer under water. Place in a bowl with enough water to cover them about an inch. Cover the bowl and soak the cashews for a minimum of two hours but preferably overnight (I soaked them for about 3 hours). Drain the cashews, rinse under cold water and place into a food processor or high-speed blender with one cup filtered water. Process on high for several minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides if neccessary, until you have a very creamy texture. Makes roughly 1 1/2 to 2 cups raw cashew cream. Spinach-Artichoke DipOrganic Ingredients:
  Considering that there is no snow up in the mountains, my motivation to ski is minimal and my drive to cook kicks into gear. Last weekend I made a Last Hoorah Chicken Chorizo Pizza and yesterday I decided to make Pho, or at least a healthier version of Pho, with my remaining cilantro and basil. Below you'll find this fairly simple recipe, which is more of a Vietnamese soup than a traditional Pho. It can be used in addition to Week One Cleanse recipes with optional chili paste, however the chili paste/rice noodles excludes it from being eligible in Week Two Recipes. The chili paste can be included as an after thought, stirring it into the dish prior to serving it and the rice noodles can be omitted and elegantly replaced by just using mung bean sprouts. Enjoy! Organic Ingredients:
Directions: Marinade chicken in coconut amino's and sesame oil for 30minutes to an hour; saute in a pan until cooked through. Boil noodles in salted water for 3 minutes. Place snow peas and carrots in coriander; drain noodles over them; rinse. Tie a sachet of ginger and cloves in cheesecloth; place in a large pot with broth; boil 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; add chicken, snow peas, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms; simmer 5 minutes. Add lime juice. Season with salt, chili paste, coconut amino's. Ladle into bowls and top with remaining ingredients (mung beans, scallions, cilantro, basil, and mint), adding a lime wedge to the side of the bowl. As the holiday season quickly approaches I'm getting more and more excited to spend the holidays with my family home in Cincinnati. A common question becomes omnipresent around the Coleman household--what should we eat? Having just gotten off the phone with my Mom, I know that most of the evening meals have already been planned. However, she always leaves room for me to make some more health-concious sides. Before I sign off for the holidays and really spend some time preparing for January Rejuvenation, I thought I'd share some healthy menu's that are easy to share with loved ones. Additionally, both of these recipes can be made for my upcoming cleanses! Beet & Orange SaladOrganic Ingredients:
Directions: Fill a large, deep saucepan with 2 inches of cold water. Place a steamer into the sauce and, making sure the water doesn't hit the bottom of the steamer. Arrange beets in one layer in the steamer. Cover tightly and set pot over high heat. As the water begins to boil, reduce the heat and simmer the beets for 45minutes, or until the knife meets slight resistance when inserted into center at the widest point. Transfer the beets to a plate and let cool. Pull off the skin of the beets and cut each crosswise into 6 slices. Grate 2 tsp. zest from the orange and set aside. Cut off the top and bottom of the orange and set it on one of its cut sides. Slice the peel off in strips, letting the knife follow the curve of the fruit. Cut the orange into 8 slices crosswise. On each plate, arrange lettuce, 6 beet slices and 2 orange slices. Sprinkle each with one-fourth of onions. For the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together orange and leon juices, vinegar, salt and pepper until salt dissolves. Whisk in oil and add zest. Spoon over salad and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 90 calories, 4 g total fat (<1 g saturated fat), 14 g carbohydrate, 2 g protein, 3 g dietary fiber, 360 mg sodium. Recipe credit: Dana Jacobi, AICR Health Benefits: Beets are such a unique vegetable and contain a unique source of phytonutrients proven to provide antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, and support in detoxification, specifically during Phase II involving glutathione. Beets belong to the chenpod family (along with chard, spinach and quinoa), which are said to help with specialized nervous system organs like the eye. They are full of folate, manganese, fiber, potassium, vitamin C and tryptophan. Sweet and juicy oranges are known for their high concentration of vitamin C, a water-soluble antioxidant, but they are also high in fiber, folate, vitamin B1, potassium, vitamin A and calcium. Oranges are high in flavanoids, and specifically herperidin which has been shown to lower blood pressure and cholesterol in animal studies. Both of these main ingredients are important for a healthy functioning immune system, good for preventing the common cold and recurrent ear infections. Butternut Squash-Bartlett Pear SoupOrganic Ingredients:
Directions: Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leeks and cook 10 minutes, or until soft, stirring often. Add squash and pears, and saute 5 minutes. Stir in vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add salt as desired. Simmer 20 minutes, or until squash is tender. Remove from heat and stir in coconut milk. Puree soup in batches in blender or food processor--be careful not to fill your blender too high, otherwise it might explode all over your kitchen and give you a nasty burn (I learned this the hard way last week). Blend until smooth and then return soup to saucepan and stir in thyme. Reheat over medium-low heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until warmed through. Serve garnished with pecans if using. Makes 6 servings. Per 1-cup serving: 264 calories, 13 g total fat (5 g saturated fat), 37 g carbohydrate, 3 g protein, 8 g dietary fiber, 138 mg sodium, 15 g sugar. Recipe adapted from Vegetarian Times. Health Benefits: The squash is an important source of carotenoids, specifically alpha-carotene and beta-carotene. While a very starchy vegetable (90% of its calories come from carbohydrate), the starch content of squash is full of polysaccharides shown to be anti-inflammatory, full of antioxidants, as well as proving to be anti-diabetic and show insulin-regulating properties.Squash should be bought organically as well as pears. Unlike other fruits and vegetables which prove to be important in terms of consuming the skin, the flesh of the pear proves to contain three to four times as many phytonutrients. Additionally, the skin of the pear has shown to contain about half of the pears dietary fiber. Pears are full of fiber, vitamin C and vitamin K. they are also a prime source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory support, proving to decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and reduced cancer risk. |
Kate ColemanE-RYT & Master Nutrition Therapist specializing in Food Allergies, Adjunctive Autoimmune Care, and Digestive Disorders. Archives
May 2013
DisclaimerNo information, ingredient or product mentioned on this site is meant to diagnose, treat or replace professional medical advice. Do not use this site to diagnose yourself. The information here is meant to give guidance in diet and lifestyle practices including balanced diet planning, instruction in the development of eating habits, physical exercises, and stress management in order to assist in general well-being.
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed