Soba Noodle Salad

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living.

The cast of characters:



Dressing:

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tsp grated ginger
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp garlic chili sauce
1 tsp sucanat
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp grape seed oil

1. In a container with a tight fitting lid, add all ingredients and shake well to combine.

Salad:

12 oz soba noodles, cooked per package directions and cooled
1 mango, peeled and julienned
1 small red pepper, julienned
1/2 cup snap peas, sliced vertically
2 carrots, sliced then julienned
3 green peppers, sliced thin on a bias
1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
prepared dressing (may not need all of it)

1. Place chilled soba noodles in a large serving bowl.

2. Add vegetables and herbs. Toss to combine.

3. Shake dressing again and drizzle 1/2 over top of salad and toss well. Add more dressing to suit your tastes.

Variations:

- Add some cooked, diced chicken or shrimp. Use this sauce to marinade the chicken or try the marinade from my Vietnamese Salad recipe.
- Add fresh, chopped cilantro.
- Kick it up a notch by adding finely sliced fresh Thai chilies.
- Serve the noodles warm and lightly stir fry the vegetables (peppers, carrots & peas) then toss.
- Use rice vermicelli noodles instead of Soba noodles.

Cookies & Ice Cream

Last year, 10cent posted about a Dairy Free & Soy Free ice cream, made from coconut milk. The product had instant appeal to me since I'm trying to reduce my dairy intake and I have a strong disdain for most things soy based (aside from natural soy beans). Coconut milk ice cream seemed too good to be true.

I was at Whole Foods yesterday and finally located the coveted coconut milk ice cream. Made by Turtle Mountain, in my neck of the woods it is called "So Delicious" instead of "Purely Decadent" for some reason. This luscious treat contains SIX ingredients (Michael Pollan would be pleased) and is sweetened with Agave syrup which is perfect for the diabetic ice cream loving contingent of my family. The texture is so light and creamy, almost like soft serve. I hate hard ice cream so this is absolutely divine. Mint Chip is my favourite!

For an extra special treat, I topped my ice cream with a little gluten free chocolate chip cookie, made by KinniKinnick Foods. Made with pea starch, the Montanas Chocolate Chip Cookies are the BEST gluten free cookies I have ever tasted. The taste and texture is very similar to Dad's Chocolate Chip Cookies and for gluten free, that is a pretty good comparison. Unfortunately these are not "health food" cookies, so one or two every once in a while does a craving just fine.

Quejos Brazilian Cheesebuns

A few years ago, while at Granville Island Market, I picked up a couple bags of Quejos Cheesebuns. Back then, I didn't know what it meant to be "gluten free", I just knew that these buns were very, very good.

While at Whole Foods recently, I found Quejos again. Still wheat, gluten and yeast free and now a line of dairy free cheesebuns, made with soy, and another line made with coconut milk; Made in Vancouver, Quejos have come a long way, baby.

Spinach and Onion is my favourite but the Jalapeno ones are good too. I have mine with breakfast, as a snack, or use them to make a sandwich. Toasted then slathered with a bit of butter, they are chewy and doughy and just darn good. closer to "real" bread than any gluten free product I have encountered and they don't weigh the same as a brick! Bonus!

It's a weekday, but I'm having a "weekend" breakfast of champions... two poached eggs, one turkey sausage, a big old fruit salad and a Quejos. Yum yum!

Sauteed Mushrooms & Beet Greens

I picked up some beets at the market, complete with the greens attached. While I admit, I normally am one to let things go to waste, today it was not in the cards. The beets were put to use, root, green and all. Unfortunately I don't have a picture because I ate the goods a little too quickly. :)

greens from a bunch of beets (I used 6-8 leaves)
1/4 red onion, sliced thin
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
couple tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat.

2. Add onions and saute for a minute until starting to turn translucent. Add mushrooms and saute another couple minutes until just starting to brown.

3. Tear the leaves into 2-3 inch pieces. Toss greens into saute pan.

4. Add balsamic vinegar and stir until greens start to wilt.

5. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Cornmeal Crusted Chicken Schnitzel

This recipe is adapted from Canadian Living. It's tough craving chicken strips while trying to avoid wheat and gluten... Until I found Glutino Gluten Free Bread Crumbs. Hallelujah! Then I read the ingredients: Milled corn, evaporated cane sugar and sea salt. What? I just paid how much for jazzed up corn meal?! If you don't have or can't find gluten free breadcrumbs, corn meal and a pinch of sea salt works just the same.

Schnitzel:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp gluten free all purpose flour
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1 egg
1/3 cup gluten free bread crumbs
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped fine

Gravy:
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup chicken stock
splash lemon juice
2 tsp corn starch mixed with a bit of water

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. and lightly grease a baking sheet.

2. Between sheets of waxed paper, using meat mallet, pound chicken to 1/4-inch thickness.

3. In shallow dish, mix together flour, salt, pepper and thyme. In separate shallow dish, whisk egg with 2 tbsp (25 mL) water. In third shallow dish, combine bread crumbs with half of the parsley.

4. Dip chicken into flour mixture to coat both sides. Dip into egg mixture, letting excess drip off. Dip into bread crumb mixture, patting to coat evenly. (Use Michael Smith's tip of using one hand for the wet bath and one hand for the dry bath. Save you from breading yourself.)

5. Place prepared chicken on greased baking sheet and put the sheet into the hot oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until appropriate internal temperature is reached and the crust is crispy and just turning golden brown.

6. While chicken is cooking, saute mushrooms with olive oil in a sauce pan. Cook until golden. Remove from heat and wait until chicken is cooked.

7. Once chicken is cooked through and the crust is crispy and browned, remove from baking sheet onto a plate and cover with foil. If there are any brown bits on the baking sheet, add a tablespoon or two of broth and scrape up the bits with a spatula. Add the drippings to the mushrooms. Add the garlic, remaining broth and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

8. In small bowl combine corn starch a few teaspoons of warm water. Stir into sauce and cook until sauce thickens into a gravy. Season well with salt and pepper.

9. Serve over chicken and garnish with remaining parsley.

I served my Schnitzel with sauteed beet greens and roasted red potatoes!

Kale Chips

This recipe comes from Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Cookbook. Ms. Reno claims this is "the easiest recipe in the book" and I think she is right. My desire to try kale was inspired by Marianne, who has been eating kale chips just about every night lately. I actually ran into Marianne at the produce market today and mentioned that I was going to try kale chips for the first time. She described them as being "not quite like potato chips".

Well, you know what? Marianne was right. When baked until crisp and tossed with olive oil and some seasonings, kale tastes like nature's potato chips. Kale chips are really, REALLY good.

Kale is also VERY GOOD FOR YOU! The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth describes kale as a "nutritional powerhouse". Part of the cabbage family, kale is a powerful antioxidant as well as being packed with calcium, iron, vitamins A, C and K and contains 4g of protein and 3g of fiber (per 2 cup serving). It also has seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli... what is the miracle food now?

If you needed any more reasons to try kale, well, take my word for it - kale tastes good and is quick and easy to prepare. Plus, kale is in season right now!

Kale Chips:

1 bunch of kale, rinsed/dried and trimmed (can be broken into smaller pieces)
1 tbsp good quality EV olive oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp dried oregano
fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat oven to 275 degrees F.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Place kale leaves in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, garlic salt, oregano and pepper.

4. Arrange leaves in a single layer on the baking sheet.

5. Roast leaves in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Keep an eye on the leaves during the last few minutes to ensure they don't char. Remove from oven and cool slightly.

DO NOT over bake your kale!! I over did mine a bit and bit and some pieces tasted slightly bitter from being burnt... but it was still a success.

Roasted Vegetables on Broiled Polenta

While looking for an alternative to the usual starchy side dish of potatoes or rice, I came across Karina's recipe for Roasted Vegetables on Broiled Polenta. It's the kind of recipe I really enjoy - a fridge cleaner. Take whatever veggies you have in the fridge and throw them on a pan. There isn't much to the recipe. No measurement or quantities. Usually I make stir fry's using this method so this roasted vegetable dish is a nice change. Using pre-cooked, store bought polenta is a real time saver too. What is polenta, you ask? It's just boiled cornmeal and it's darn tasty broiled with EVOO.

Serves 2-3

4-5 cups of assorted, chopped vegetables (I used brocoli, carrots, red onion, zucchini, beets and cherry tomatoes.)
4 cloves whole garlic, peeled
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Herb blend of your choice (I used a Vegetable seasoning blend from Epicure)
Salt & fresh ground pepper
Splash of balsamic vinegar
1 roll of pre-cooked polenta
Shaved Parmesan for garnish

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place chopped veggies (including garlic) on a baking sheet. Drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle herb blend, salt and pepper over top. Toss well. Drizzle with a bit of balsamic vinegar.

3. Roast for 30-40 minutes until nearly done.

4. Meanwhile, slice polenta into thin slices and arrange them on a separate baking sheet, drizzled with olive oil. Brush tops of slices with more olive oil. I used a garlic infused olive oil for this part.

5. When veggies are nearly done, cover with foil and place on bottom rack of oven. Set oven to broil and place polenta into the oven on the higher rack.

6. Broil until polenta is sizzling, just starting to brown on top and crispy around the edges (10-15 minutes).

7. Remove everything from the oven. Arrange a few polenta slices on each plate. Take one of the roasted garlic bulbs and squish it a bit then rub it across the polenta. (Add the rest of the roasted garlic to the veggie mix and eat them whole! Yum!) Top polenta with roasted veggies. Grate some fresh Parmesan over top and drizzle with more balsamic vinegar.

Baked Lemony Greek Rice Pilaf

This recipe is adapted from Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Cookbook. The original recipe is simply rice, broth (or water), salt and lemon juice. I wanted to jazz my rice up a bit to pair with a side of pork tenderloin, which I marinated in Souvlaki seasoning. Add a fresh Greek Salad and dinner is served!

1 cup brown rice
2 1/2 cups water or broth (chicken or vegetable)
Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 tbsp)
1/2 white or yellow onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced (I omitted this)
1/2 tbsp Greek seasoning (If you can't find a blend in the stores, you can make your own. There is a good one here
Pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp lemon zest (reserved)
1/2 tomato, seeded and diced (reserved)
fresh parsley, chopped (reserved)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Add rice to a casserole dish. Pour water and lemon juice over rice. Add vegetables and seasonings. Gently stir to mix everything around.

3. Place in hot oven and bake for 40 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

4. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes. Fold in tomato and lemon zest. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Variations:

- After cooking, fold in some crumbled feta cheese
- Try dried dill weed instead of Greek seasoning

Steamed Vegetables with Beurre Blanc

Beurre Blanc, translated directly to french, means "white butter". In culinary terms, Beurre Blanc is a butter sauce made with a reduction of white wine, shallots and melted butter. Despite being a rich sauce, it is best severed over lighter fare such as vegetables and fish.

This recipe is adapted from Christine Cushing Live.

Ingredients:
1 large shallot, very finely chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

*It is important that your butter is COLD. Room temperature or melted butter will not work.

Directions:

1. Add shallot, wine and vinegar to a small saucepan over high heat. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce mixture to about 2 tbsp. Do not let the sauce over reduce!

2. Remove pan from heat. Start whisking the wine/vinegar mixture. While whisking, add the cold butter a little at a time. Make sure the butter melts slowly into the sauce. If the butter melts too quickly, the sauce will separate. When all the butter is emulsified into the sauce, season with salt and pepper.

3. Serve immediately over assorted steamed vegetables, or fish (I spooned some over a salmon steak as well as my vegetables).

Note: FYI - This sauce does NOT do well as left overs. If you try to re-heat in the microwave, the sauce will separate and you will end up with an oily mess.

Pioneer Woman Beef Stew with Mushrooms

I came across the Pioneer Woman very recently and am absolutely in love with her food blog. Her photos are divine, her recipes delicious and her writing amusing and witty. Hers isn't a health food blog though... Butter rules the roost but it makes things damn tasty.

My absolute favourite of her recipes is Beef Stew with Mushrooms.

I make a few very minor adjustments when I make my version, like omitting the flour and reducing the amount of butter, but other than that, everything is the same.

Make sure you use the beef consomme instead of beef stock... it makes all the difference!

And... Be sure to check out Pioneer Woman's site and the original recipe for beautiful step-by-step photos.

Pioneer Woman Beef Stew with Mushrooms

2 pounds beef stewing meat
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole shallot, minced (or half of one onion)
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces button mushrooms (white or brown) cut in half or quarters if very large
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 can Beef Consomme (about 142 ml, or just over 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup water
Salt And Pepper, to taste
enough egg noodles to serve your guests, cooked and drained
1-2 tbsp corn starch, mixed in a small dish with a bit of water

1. Rinse beef in a colander under water. Place in a single layer between paper towels and pat dry.

2. Melt butter with olive oil over high heat in a dutch oven or other heavy pot. Place beef pieces into pot and sear a minute or two on each side. Remove from pot and set aside.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add shallots to the same pot. Saute for 2 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add mushrooms and saute another couple minutes.

4. Add wine, consomme and 1/2 cup of water. Add a dash of salt and pepper to taste. Bring liquid to a boil.

5. Add the beef back to the pot. Reduce heat to low. Add thyme or rosemary. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30-40 minutes.

6. Add cornstarch mixed with water to the stew and stir occasionally to thicken for another 10 minutes.

7. Serve over cooked egg noodles. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.