Velvet Vegetable Soup & a Birthday Bash! GF, V, BED, SCD!

Tags

artichokes, Body Ecology Diet, broccoli, carrots, gluten free, grain free, SCD, soup, Specific Carbohydrate Diet, vegan

What a fun evening! While we were up in Wisconsin, my mom and I both celebrated our birthdays! Since it was just the two of us (my dad was in Scotland), the family wanted to celebrate “for real” when we got home!

So tonight, both of my brothers and their wives came over and had a nice birthday dinner! It was so fun. They brought ingredients and cooked up a feast! There’s truly nothing better than enjoying the company of loved ones while dining on delicious dishes:)

the mushrooms add the perfect chewy bite!

When family is together, there will always be:
*lots of laughter
*potential pranks
*recalling embarrassing moments
*soulful jazz piano music (my brother is truly amazing – self-taught!)
*brie cheese and a baguette (I miss both terribly)
*and scotch

catchin’ some sun:)

Speaking of pranks, our family is a bunch of pranksters:) Consider it…a welcome to the family. For instance: the first time my brother’s wife came to visit while they were dating, we saran-wrapped her bed in the guest room! “Welcome! We’re glad you’re here!” haha All in good fun of course:) Luckily no pranks were pulled tonight!

So tonight for dinner, I had two goals. I wanted to make something for myself, so my sister-in-law wouldn’t have to worry about SCD-Legal ingredients. And, I wanted to make something that I could make ahead of time and then just heat up right before dinner so she could have free range of the kitchen.

What does that mean? It means SOUP! :)  Delicious soup to be exact.

Velvet Vegetable Soup!

I had a TON of veggies in the fridge from my grocery haul yesterday, so I simply combined a little of this, and a little of that and created a bomb-diggity vegetable soup!

And it’s Gluten Free, Vegan, Body Ecology Diet and Specific Carb Diet friendly!

mmm mmm mmm!

Here’s what you need: serves 2-3

1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 medium carrot (1/2 cup chopped)
1 celery stalk, diced
1 cup frozen artichoke hearts
1 stalk of broccoli, broken into florets (1 3/4 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper
3 cups vegetable stock

3 shiitake mushrooms, sliced (garnish)
1 green onion, sliced (garnish)

In a dutch oven, saute your onions and carrots in 1 tsp EVOO, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Let them soften for about 3 minutes. Then, add your celery and let it cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in your broccoli, artichokes and garlic and let them cook for about 4 minutes. Add in your liquid, scraping the bottom to get all the “flavor bits” off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 25 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, saute your mushrooms in a small frying pan. I just spritzed them with olive-oil and sautéed them for about 2 minutes.

Take the soup off the heat, and then carefully puree with a stick blender. If you don’t have a stick blender, you can use a regular blender, just be sure to do it carefully in batches since it is a hot liquid! Reseason with salt, and serve garnished with mushrooms and green onions!

wonderful texture and delicate flavor!

This soup was so comforting. Call me Plain Jane, but I just love a good bowl of soup. Feeling the warmth travel through your body is just so soothing. The flavor was so delicate with the broccoli and artichokes. There was just a subtle hint of spice from the chili powder, but nothing overpowering or overwhelming….juuuust right:)

what a dish!

The color wasn’t anything to write home about, but the texture sure was! It was SO silky and creamy — velvety! It was hard to believe that there wasn’t any cream or butter in it because it tasted so rich! And the chewy mushrooms provided just the perfect texture contrast with the silky pureed soup.

What are some of your favorite family get-togethers? Christmas? Thanksgiving? Fourth of July? Impromptu dinners?

See ya tomorrow!

Artichoke & Mushroom “Noodle” Soup! GF, V, BED, SCD!

Tags

artichokes, Body Ecology Diet, cauliflower, gluten free, grain free, mushrooms, SCD, soup, Specific Carbohydrate Diet, vegan

What a day, what a day!

Artichoke & Mushroom “Noodle” Soup!

Today was a comfort food type of day — you see, my car “broke down” today. It didn’t die, but the oil light came on, and I had to pull off and change the oil.

Except I didn’t know how to do it.

I had to be “rescued.” Lets just say, I know now :P

earthy artichokes! yum!

So, needless to say, I wanted a “hug in a bowl” tonight — and that’s just what I got!

so silky and luxurious!

I made a delicious Artichoke and Mushroom “Noodle” Soup! Creamy and silky, with chewy mushroom noodles! It was exactly what I needed:)

Gluten Free, Vegan, Body Ecology Diet, Specific Carb Diet!

And it’s Gluten Free, Vegan, Body Ecology Diet and Specific Carb Diet friendly!

Here’s what you need: (serves 1 w/ enough for lunch the next day) :)

1 heaping cup of frozen artichokes, chopped
3/4 cup cauliflower florets
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups veg stock
salt and pepper
5 shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin
green onions, chopped (garnish)

In a medium-sized sauce pan, saute your onion in 1 tsp EVOO with salt and pepper. Let them soften for about 3 minutes, and then add your cauliflower. Let it cook for about 3 minutes, and then stir in your artichokes and garlic. Let them cook for about 4 minutes, and then add your stock. Let it come to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer, and cover for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, and with a stick blender, blend until smooth and creamy. If you don’t have a stick blender, you can also do this in a regular blender. Just be sure to do it carefully in small batches — it’s hot!! Adjust seasoning to taste – I added about 1/2 – 3/4 tsp of salt.

While your soup is simmering, saute your mushrooms in 1 tsp of EVOO for about 3 minutes, until they start to brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

Serve your soup garnished with mushrooms and green onions. YUM!

delicious!

This soup was literally a “hug in a bowl.” It’s flavor was so comforting — delicate and earthy. You could really taste the artichokes! Just wonderful!

yum!

And the texture was brilliant! The soup was so creamy and luxurious! The addition of the cauliflower gave it a silky and rich quality — superb! It was hard to believe there wasn’t any cream in it! It was so fabulous!

chewy mushrooms!

Finally, the mushrooms were just like noodles! They were chewy and almost slurpy! They were the perfect texture contrast to the smooth soup.

a hug in a bowl!

What did you think of the Opening Ceremony!?

I’m currently watching it right now! :) I love the music!

See ya tomorrow!

National *belated* Chocolate Chip Day!

Tags

artichokes, Body Ecology Diet, chocolate, eggs, GF cookies, gluten free, kale, Maker's Diet, quinoa, soup, vegan

I learned something very important today. Something that made me quite sad — I MISSED NATIONAL CHOCOLATE CHIP DAY!! It was YESTERDAY!……*tear*

Well — not that it matters much for me, as the Body Ecology Diet strictly prohibits sugar in ANY form (fruit, grains, sweet/starchy veggies, soy, alcohol, etc. — this is to starve Candida yeast that eat sugar). But, I was disappointed I didn’t share any chocolate chip recipes with you!

So I thought I’d make up for it today, and post my best Chocolate Recipes! They are all gluten-free and dairy-free, and some are vegan.

Besides — we’re just having leftover Super-Charged Kale, Artichoke & Quinoa Soup for dinner tonight :)

gluten-free, vegan, AND Body Ecology friendly!

But now…onto the CHOCOLATE!

Drumroll Please!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Rice Pudding! (GF, Vegan, MD)

Chocolate GF Crepes! (GF, MD)

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (GF, MD)

Chocolate French Macaroons! (GF, MD)

Chocolate and Peanut Meringues! (GF, MD)

Chocolate Chewy Crispers! (GF, MD)

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Filled French Macaroons (GF, MD)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Krispie Bar! (GF, MD)

Monster Cookies! (GF, MD)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread! (GF, Vegan, MD)

Now that your taste buds have been tempted…go eat some chocolate! :)

Happy Tummies!

Super-Charged Kale, Artichoke & Quinoa Soup!

Tags

ahi tuna, artichokes, Body Ecology Diet, gluten free, kale, quinoa, soup, vegan

Ever have one of those days where its time to cook dinner, and you open your fridge only to find that you’re out of … everything?

Yeah, that’s how today was. Good thing I always have certain Pantry Staples on hand!

don’t judge a book by its cover — this soup ROCKED!

So here’s what I had to work with:

In the Fridge: Kale, Celery, 1/2 onion

In the Pantry: Veg Stock, Quinoa, Garlic

I scratched my head for about 3 minutes. Mind you, I have a dad who won’t touch Kale with a 12 foot pole. So I had to disguise it — in form AND flavor. Enter: a delicious, creamy soup.

Scrumptious Dinner!

And let me preface this by saying that my dad was *raving* about this soup and said it was amazing!

Here’s what you need for the Super-Charged Kale, Artichoke and Quinoa Soup:

3/4 bunch of Kale, de-stemmed and diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup frozen artichokes, thawed
4-5 garlic cloves
4 green onions, sliced — whites & light green separated from the dark (for garnish)
3/4 bunch of celery, diced
3 cups veg stock
1 cup water
3/4 cup quinoa cooked in 1 1/2 cups veg stock
juice of 1/2 a lemon
dried oregano and basil – about 1 tsp each
salt and pepper

In your dutch oven, saute your onions in 2-3 tsp EVOO with salt, pepper, oregano and basil. Allow them to soften for about 4 minutes. Then, add in your celery and let it cook until it begins to soften – about 5 minutes. Then, stir in your garlic and let it cook for about 2 minutes. Next, add your artichokes, veg stock and water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, add kale and stir so it all gets “in the pool.” Then, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the kale is tender. Once tender, add your lemon juice. Then, with a submersion blender (aka stick blender), puree the soup so it becomes smooth and creamy. (You can also do this with a regular blender, but do it carefully and in batches!) Once it’s pureed, stir in your cooked quinoa. Finally, stir in some final salt to taste — I added about 1+ tsp. Serve garnished with the dark green parts of the green onions.

gorgeously seared Ahi Tuna!

With this Super-Charged, Nutrient-Dense soup, I served Seared Ahi Tuna. This was amazing. And I had more, but the slices weren’t “pretty” enough for the picture:) Lobsta Bakes’ wild, ocean-caught Sushi-Grade tuna absolutely melts in your mouth. It is such a beautiful ruby red color, with a succulent, melt-in-your-mouth texture! It is seriously like buttah!

Now that I’m on the Body Ecology diet, I can no longer have sugar or soy sauce (among countless other things). Therefore, I could not marinate the tuna like I usually do. However, to give it a truly spectacular taste, I suggest to marinate it first. This is the marinade I {{used to}} use…….*tear*

Marinade:
2 T Tamari (gluten free soy sauce)
1 T grated fresh ginger
1 BIG garlic clove, grated
1 t fresh lime juice
1 green onion, thinly sliced
small squeeze agave
1 tsp EVOO (or sesame oil if you have it)

I combined these ingredients with the tuna steaks in a gallon ziplock bag.  I made sure they were all coated, and then put the bag (on a plate incase it leaks) in the fridge for about an hour.

Searing your fish: In a super hot, non-stick grill pan sprayed with olive oil spray, sear each side for 1-2 minutes. If you want it less rare, you can cook it longer, but I wouldn’t recommend it!

Gluten Free, Vegan, AND Body Ecology Friendly!

This meal was absolutely delectable! The soup was so luxurious — velvety and creamy! The flavor completely blew me out of the water – it had a deep, satisfying, earthy flavor, but it was complexly sweet from the celery, and beautifully garlicy. The addition of the quinoa provided a nutty flavor, plus a textural *pop* for the soup. It was out of this world! It warmed the belly and soul!

delish!

Until Tomorrow!

The Best Fish You’ve Never Heard Of!

Tags

artichokes, brown rice, gluten free, Maker's Diet, mushrooms, olives, pasta, tomatoes, vegan

Saturday night, and here we are again.  If I wasn’t sick, I’d feel very depressed about that fact. But, what can you do.  Health update: I’m switching back to Asacol tomorrow.  The new form of the drug that I have been trying these past few weeks has been wracking my body with severe and painful side effects, so enough is enough. Ulcerative Colitis is a lot of times “trial and error” when it comes to healing, because everyone’s disease is different and specific to their own body.  I am going to be taking 15 fish oil pills a day…and that’s a highlight! *womp womp*

So any way, tonight at midnight — technically Sunday — we can break our Lenten fast and have a small treat of what we’ve given up.  My mom is all excited about that, but she won’t tell me what she gave up! I guess we’ll wait and see :)

zingy capers, fresh basil, and nutty artichokes! YUM!

Ok, now on to dinner! Earlier this week, I learned that my dad LOVES capers, which are pickled little flower buds that have a bright, briney, zing of flavor that goes wonderfully with fish and pasta. I decided to make him a special pasta treat!

I served a super flavorful artichoke, caper pasta with AMAZING broiled hake fish!

pasta stare down

Let me just take a minute to talk about this fantastic fish. Our friends at Lobsta Bakes recommended that we try Hake. It was the fresh catch of the day (wild, ocean caught) and the owner’s favorite fish! We had to give it a try…and Oh My Gosh. This is 2nd ONLY to Sea Bass! This fish was SO flakey, moist, buttery, meaty–yet–delicate, and reminded us a lot of sea bass! It is a member of the Cod family, and could be called, “poor man’s lobster.”  I broiled it with 1 tsp EVOO, salt, pepper, lemon zest and juice, for about 10 minutes, until flakey….and boy, does it flake!

check out that flaking action!

Ok, next: onto our pasta treat! Here’s what you need:

1/2 onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

8 baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1 cup frozen artichoke hearts, quartered

3 vine ripened tomatoes, de-seeded and diced

dried oregano and basil

1/2 cup white wine

1/4-1/2 cup vegetable stock

fresh basil

10 kalamata olives, sliced

1/3 cup capers, drained and rinsed

reserved pasta water

Here’s your road map: I sautéed my onions in 1 tsp EVOO with salt and pepper. After they soften for about 5 minutes, add your garlic and dried herbs.  After a minute, add your mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes until they brown.  Deglaze with your white wine and let reduce.  Stir in your frozen artichoke hearts and allow them to defrost. (This will only take a minute.)  Then stir in tomatoes and vegetable stock.  Let them warm through, and it is now ready for the pasta! Right before you add in your pasta, stir in the olives, capers, and most (reserve some for garnish) of your basil chiffonade. Add pasta water to help create a silky sauce.

my dad's special pasta :)

This pasta was so yummy. There was a tang that you can only get from those little capers. The mushrooms added an earthy meatiness, the basil offered a burst of freshness, while the artichokes offered depth and a great texture. Paired with the lemony, delicate hake, we were practically licking our plates.

I hope my dad enjoyed his special caper pasta!

Melt to the Floor Sea Bass!

Tags

artichokes, brown rice, gluten free, Maker's Diet, mushrooms, pasta, tomatoes, vegan

First off tonight, I’d like to thank everyone who’s been checking out my blog! I really appreciate it! It’s fun to cook and share healthy, happy, yummy recipes with you:)

For dinner tonight, my mom brought home a SUPER special treat from Lobsta Bakes: Sea Bass! If you haven’t had sea bass before…..that needs to change! haha! But it is an extremely buttery, moist, flakey, melt-in-your-mouth fish. Oh my Gosh….I took a bite and I literally almost melted off my chair! haha….you think I’m kidding.

look at that sea bass! yum!

You can’t wreck Sea Bass either, and you hardly have to do anything to it. I just broiled it with 1 tsp EVOO, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and lemon juice. That’s it! Under the broiler for about 10-15 minutes. MMM!

basil chiffonade..the ultimate accessory :)

With it, I served GF white wine artichoke pasta. I was only cooking for myself tonight (parents at a dinner party). So I sautéed 1/2 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 3 sliced mushrooms, 2 diced small vine tomatoes, a few frozen artichoke hearts, and basil. Towards the end of the cooking time, I stirred in about 1/2 cup white wine and let it evaporate. Mixed it with the cooked pasta and a healthy splash of reserved pasta water and VOILA! Amazing Pasta! My parents tried some and said, “are you serious you just whipped that together?” Good food can be quick and easy!

tulip explosion!

In other news, the tulips were just exploding today. They were so beautiful in the sun, I just had to take a picture. They were practically glowing! The drama of the black, against the yellow, against the magenta created just a breathtaking canvas. I had to share with you:)

What a beautiful bouquet!

Have a great weekend! xoxo

Love at its Purest

Tags

artichokes, brown rice, cashews, gluten free, green juice, Maker's Diet, New York City, pasta, restaurant review, roasted vegetables, Ulcerative Colitis, vegan

Today, I think I’ll reflect on the journey of my flare thus far.

Back in November in NYC, I was in a show.  I was Little Red Riding Hood in “Into The Woods.” During the show, I started an Ulcerative Colitis flare.  Literally by the grace of God I was able to make it through the show from such a debilitated state.

Little Red (sans-cape) with the Wolf

It was hard. I wasn’t eating any solid food, and was living on fresh green juice. During the final weeks of rehearsal, my mom knew how bad my health was getting, so she flew out and stayed with me through the show, as well as several weeks after the show when she moved me into a new apartment with a kitchen.  I had been living in student housing without a kitchen. My room was probably 6 1/2 ft by 12 ft and I’m not even joking. It was TINY, and my mom was on a cot in my room. You had to fold up the cot if you wanted to get into the bathroom or open the door.

New Studio in NYC

So anyways, we moved into an adorable studio apartment, accepted the furniture deliveries, and then flew home because my health was going down hill fast. Because of the new dosage of medicine, I overdosed on Asacol and was having 104 fevers every night, and back, head, neck, jaw and joint pain, as well as your “normal” UC symptoms.

Luckily, when we stopped the extra dose of Asacol, the overdose symptoms *slowly* tapered off. And I am doing a bit better since then.  However, I am going about this the natural way now: drinking chlorophyll, aloe vera, amino acids, probiotics, fish oil, other anti inflamitories as well as other “potions.”

But, while we were in New York, we ate literally every dinner (because I had no kitchen) at this amazing gluten free vegan restaurant in the East Village called Angelica’s Kitchen. We even ate Thanksgiving dinner there. It was such a cozy little place and we got to personally know the wait staff and they became like family.

Dinner at Angelica's Kitchen

But I guess I wanted to take this post to just thank my mom for being with me every step of the way through this flare. And my dad too, researching organic this, and anti-inflamitory that.  I am so blessed to have you both in my life.

Christmas with my mom

And I guess now for a quick recipe: Artichoke Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta.

Artichoke Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

I found this recipe from The Gluten Free Vegan. It was pretty darn good. It wasn’t the pesto, but it was satisfying and very tasty. I served it with roasted veggies and everyone cleaned their plates!

Bon Appetit!