Smashed Red Potatoes! GF, Vegan & BED!

Tags

asparagus, Body Ecology Diet, broccoli, Candida, carrots, gluten free, potatoes, roasted vegetables, vegan, Wisconsin

Well, another week has come to an end. Summer is rapidly approaching! Are you ready?!?!

sunset through the trees:)

Tonight, we had a real treat for dinner….Smashed Red Skin Potatoes!!

what a plate!

Not mashed potatoes, but SMASHed potatoes! They are delicious — crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside!

crunchy, golden outside!

Red Skinned Potatoes are the ONLY potato allowed on the Body Ecology Diet. Red skinned potatoes have less sugar than their other potato cousins, and therefore, do not feed Candida yeast ((they eat sugar!)). Cincinnati did not carry organic RSPs ANYWHERE!! Not even Whole Foods!! You can imagine my bliss when I found organic red skinned potatoes in the Northwoods of Wisconsin — population 646! Go figure!

crisp-tender asparagus!

With them, I served roasted veggies and baked cod. A wonderful, gourmet quality meal!

gluten free, vegan, and body ecology diet friendly!

Here’s what you need for the Smashed Potatoes: (serves 3)

9 organic red skinned potatoes
olive oil spray
salt, pepper
1/2 tsp each of dried basil and oregano

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water (enough to cover the potatoes) to a boil. Add your potatoes. Cook, boiling for about 25 minutes, until fork tender. Drain, let cool, and dry. Take a paper towel and fold it into a palm-sized square. Place one potato on the board and with your paper towel protecting your palm ((they’re still a little hot)) smash your potato with the heel of your hand. Transfer with a spatula to an olive-oil-sprayed baking sheet. Spray them with olive oil spray and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and your herbs. Bake for 40 minutes, flipping half way through. Delish!

Next, the Roasted Veggies. Here’s what you need:

6 stalks of asparagus
3 large carrots, chopped into “baby carrot” sized pieces
1/2 stalk of broccoli, cut into florets
9 cloves of garlic — still in their shells

Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with olive oil. When your veggies are cut and completely dry, spread them out evenly on the tray and mist with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 40-45 minutes, flipping half way through. Mmmm mmm mmm!

dollop of Roasted Garlic Butter! mmmm!

Roasted Garlic Butter

9 Roasted Garlic Cloves

When the garlic cloves come out of the oven and are cool enough to handle, take the cloves out of the skins. In a bowl, sprinkle them with salt, and mash with a fork until you get a buttery consistency. Serve immediately while warm. YUMMMMM!!

roasted veggies are so delicious!

This meal was delicious! The smashed red skinned potatoes were faaaabulous! By baking them after they’re smashed, they form this gorgeous, golden-brown crust that is wonderfully crunchy on the outside! Then, you hit the creamy, tender center. They are just perfect! I added a dollop of the Roasted Garlic Butter on top of the potatoes and it was SO good! When garlic is roasted, it becomes almost sweet! It is out of this world — you almost can’t describe the warm consistency and flavor — you just gotta try it!

sweet roasted carrots!

Finally, the roasted veggies were delicious as always. Roasting is my favorite preparation method because the natural sweetness in the veg is released, creating this warm and cozy flavor! And Lobsta Bakes‘ wild, ocean-caught baked cod was succulent as always! :)

fabulous colors!

What are you looking forward to this week?

This week I’m looking forward to more time on the lake, breathing in fresh air, and practicing being truly present.

Until Tomorrow…Happy Tummies!! :)

This recipe is featured in Melt in your Mouth, SF Sun, Meatless Mon & Monday Mania!

GF Vegan Pesto Potato Bliss!

Tags

asparagus, Body Ecology Diet, Candida, carrots, gluten free, pesto, potatoes, radishes, roasted vegetables, Ulcerative Colitis, vegan, Wisconsin

Tonight’s dinner was bliss-inducing. That may sound like an extreme overstatement, but  since I’ve been on the Body Ecology Diet to heal my Candida and Ulcerative Colitis flare, I haven’t been able to eat potatoes! The Body Ecology Diet is an Anti-Candida diet, which starves the body of sugar (the Candida yeast’s food). Therefore, you can’t eat ANY sugar, or foods that break down into sugar — which includes potatoes.

fabulous Vegan Pesto Potatoes!

However, the BED does allow Red Skinned Potatoes ONLY. This is because they are lower in sugar than all other potatoes, and therefore don’t feed the yeast! In Cincinnati, we were not able to find Organic Red Skin Potatoes ANYWHERE! However, up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, at their little organic grocery, they carry them!! When I found them, you would have thought I won the lottery. I gushed to the woman at the checkout — I must have sounded crazy! — They’re potatoes!! Haha…Good thing I don’t take myself too seriously.

brilliant colors!

And why do I insist on organic red skin potatoes? Well, they are one of the “Dirty Dozen” — the produce with the with highest amount of pesticide contamination. I’m trying to keep my body clear of all chemicals while I’m trying to heal from my Ulcerative Colitis flare. I don’t want anything else to get in the way of healing! This means, purified water, organic make up, deodorant, lotions, chemical free sun screen — you name it. And of course, organic food!

what a plate!

So tonight, I made Vegan Pesto Potatoes with Roasted Spring Veggies and Baked Cod. DELICIOUS!! It was a gorgeous, colorful, and nutritious meal!

crunchy outside and pillowy inside!

Here’s what you need for the Pesto Red Skin Potatoes:

6 red skinned potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces.
1 batch of pesto

Pesto:
1 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
2 garlic cloves, chopped
juice of half a lemon
1 tsp – 1 Tbsp EVOO
2-3 Tbsp water
salt to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut your potatoes into bite-sized pieces, and soak them in ice water for about 10 minutes. (This releases a lot of their starchiness). Then, dry them really well. Then, place them in a single layer on an olive-oil-sprayed baking sheet. Spray them with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake for about 45 minutes, flipping half way through. Meanwhile, make your pesto:

Whirl your pesto ingredients in the food processor until you get your gorgeous, emerald, creamy pesto!

After the potatoes come out of the oven, sprinkle them with salt, and let them cool for about 5 minutes. Once they’re cooled slightly, toss with your fabulous pesto! Delicious!

roasted veggies are my favorite!!

Next, the roasted veggies: (for one)

3 spears of asparagus, cut in half
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
3 radishes

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with olive oil. When your veggies are cut and completely dry, spread them out evenly on the tray and mist with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 40 minutes, flipping half way through. Mmmm mmm mmm!

Finally, I served this with Lobsta Bakes‘ wild, ocean-caught cod! This is so delicious! I baked it at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes with 1 tsp EVOO, salt, pepper, lemon zest and juice. YUM! I am aware that fish is not vegan. :) But, right now, I’m eating wild, ocean-caught fish and pastured, farm-fresh eggs while I’m healing from my Ulcerative Colitis flare because my body needs more protein to rebuild and heal.

bright, fresh, emerald pesto!

This meal was so fabulous! The Pesto Potatoes absolutely stole the showl! They’re gluten-free, vegan, Body Ecology Diet friendly, and DELICIOUS! By roasting the potatoes, they became wonderfully crunchy on the outside, and light and pillowy on the inside! And they were coated in this rich, luxurious pesto! Bright, fresh, and garlicy pesto! Outstanding!

A great way to end a beautiful Sunday on the lake!

magnificent day in may:)

And finally, if you need a dish to bring to your BBQ or potluck tomorrow, be sure to check out my Memorial Day Recipe Round Up!!

Happy Tummies!!

Springtime on a Plate!

Tags

asparagus, Body Ecology Diet, millet, radishes, roasted vegetables, zucchini

Just a quick post tonight, as it is such a gorgeous Spring evening!

what colors!

Spring is wonderful for its cool, pleasant evenings, and also for the amazing fresh vegetables! Tender asparagus, spicy radishes, and cooling zucchini are all springtime stars! And they were center-stage in tonight’s dinner as well!

Springtime on a plate!

Tonight, I made roasted spring veggies with broiled flounder and a mushroom millet pilaf! So delicious!

First the veggies. Here’s what you need:

1 zucchini, sliced in 1/2 in rounds and then cut in half
1 bunch of asparagus, woody ends trimmed
1/2 red onion, cut in chunks
radishes, whole
garlic cloves, whole, in skins

Preheat oven to 375. Line 2 baking sheets with tin foil and spray with olive oil. When your veggies are cut and completely dry, spread them out evenly on the trays and mist with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 40-45 minutes, flipping half way through. Mmmm mmm mmm!

so delicious!

Next, with these show-stopping veggies, I served broiled flounder. Lobsta Bakes‘ wild, ocean-caught flounder is so sweet and delicious! Lobsta Bakes is so amazing because it’s the only place in Cincinnati where you can find wild, ocean-caught, antibiotic-free, fresh-never-frozen fish flown in from Maine every morning! I am so grateful for their amazing store! I broiled the flounder in 1 tsp EVOO, salt, pepper, lemon zest and juice, and fresh dill. YUM!

Gorgeous flounder and asparagus!

Finally, the millet pilaf. I cooked this gluten-free, Body Ecology Diet friendly, pseudo-grain in vegetable stock. While it was cooking, I quickly sautéed onion, garlic, and mushrooms, and then added them in to the cooked millet. Delish.

This meal was terrific. The roasted spring veggies stole the show! When you roast veggies like that for a long time, they release their sugars and beautifully caramelize. The red onion and the radishes became almost like candy!! The asparagus was so tender and wonderful. And the zucchini when it roasts — oh my Gosh — the flesh becomes SO creamy and melts in your mouth! Buttery and sweet…truly magnificent!

fantastic caramelization of the veggies!

And the colors on the plate were just gorgeous! Pink, lime green, purple, and deep olive-green! It definitely looked like spring on our plates!

Tomorrow’s Friday! Woohoo!

Weekend Recap!

Tags

ahi tuna, artichoke, asparagus, Body Ecology Diet, broccoli, buckwheat, chinese, cucumber, fennel, millet, pesto, red pepper, roasted vegetables, vegan

So last night was great — my sister-in-law was with me for dinner while my parents were out with friends. Girls’ Night! We had a great chat over dinner, and then watched a movie afterwards. So fun!

And best of all — she found a house, made an offer, and bought it yesterday!! We’re so excited!! Congrats A and R!!!

such crunch and bright flavor!

For dinner last night, I served my GF Vegan Cucumber-Fennel-and-Dill salad over Millet, with broiled wild, ocean-caught Flounder from Lobsta Bakes. I think we were both hungry, because we cleaned our plates!!! {{that’s buckwheat in the pictures}}

You can find my recipe here.

light, crisp and refreshing!

This was so delicious. The combination of the fresh cucumber, the sweet-licorice-y fennel, sweet red pepper, lemony dill, and bright-tangy lemon juice was SO refreshing. It seriously rocked!! And it was SO crunchy and juicy. It was light, but just exploding with flavor. Over the nutty millet — priceless. My sister-in-law loved it so much, she wanted the recipe!!

Sometimes, simplicity is genius!

The food was “prime time”, but the best part of the meal was sharing it with my sister-in-law. After all, that’s the best part of cooking — making something delicious to delight the people you love, to show them that you care.

Tonight, my parents have friends from high school staying with us, so it’ll be the 3 of us, my S-I-L, and our 2 guests! So my parents are having a nice Sunday Supper here at the house. Since we didn’t want to force them to eat from the exhaustively restrictive Body Ecology Diet, they will be having one meal — this delicious Chinese Stir Fry with Ahi Tuna , and I’ll be having a different, BED meal. Ahhh, someday *hopefully soon* this tedious BED will be put to rest.

What my parents and their friends will be indulging in---mouth...is...watering

What I can’t eat in the above picture *right now while on the Body Ecology Diet*: brown rice, peas, carrots, edamame, Tamari, ginger, agave, mushrooms, and green peppers. Someday….someday.

asparagus and gorgeously caramelized red onions

Here’s what I had:

my "Incredible Hulk" sized plate! (eyes were bigger than stomach)

This is an UNmarinated, gorgeous piece of Ahi Tuna, with nutty Buckwheat, and beautiful Roasted Vegetables. The green topping is a delicious, oil-free, Artichoke Pesto! It was delicious!

artichoke basil pesto!

I guess I’m used to cooking for 3, because by the time I plated up everything I had cooked…it was an absolute MOUNTAIN of food! I couldn’t finish it all, but that was fine with my dad — he thought it was outrageously delicious!

gorgeous roasted veggies

Here’s the recipe for the pesto:

3/4 cup artichoke hearts, dethawed
1 cup of fresh basil
1 clove of garlic
juice of 1 1/2 lemons
1-2 Tbsp toasted pine nuts
salt
water to consistency

Whirl it up in the food processor. It is great over the ahi tuna, as well as the buckwheat and veggies!

succulent and sweet garlic inside its shell!

For the Roasted Veggies, I roasted asparagus, broccoli, red onions (don’t be scared — these were the best), and garlic (in its skin) in a bit of EVOO, salt and pepper. I roasted them at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, flipping half way through.

ruby red ahi tuna!

My meal was phenomenal. The roasted veggies had such a wonder flavor! The natural sweetness of the veggies come out and they gently caremalize. The red onions become SO sweet and delicious! My dad said they were like CANDY! And the garlic steams in its skin, so when you take it out of the shell, it is like the consistency of butter! I shared with everyone at the table, and had them spread it on their bread. They were blown away.

so many nutrients on one plate!

And the pesto was so bright and refreshing! Its tanginess paired beautifully with the nutty quinoa and the buttery ahi tuna. Great food, great company.

It was wonderful to all be together:)

Until tomorrow!

Rockin’ Roasted Vegetables with Broiled Cod!

Tags

asparagus, carrots, gluten free, Maker's Diet, radishes, roasted vegetables, sweet potato, vegan

I love a good storm. Pelting rain, riotous thunder, and a dazzling lightning show. Mind you, I like to *watch* a good storm from the safety of our home, snuggled up in a blanket. But none the less, I was delighted with a good thunderstorm right during dinner. It was like we had surround sound entertainment. And dinner tonight was wonderfully rustic, cozy, and comforting….perfect for Mother Nature’s temper tantrum outside.

yum!

So…Want to know how to make vegetables taste DELICIOUS? — Even RADISHES?? I’ll give you a hint……sloooowly heat them, allowing the veggies to release their natural sugars and caramelize. That’s right!! You roast them!!

 

I’ve roasted some veggies before, but I’ve never let them reach their full roasted glory. This takes some time…about 50 minutes to an hour. But the end product is absolutely magnificent.

Here’s what you need:

bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed
radishes
red onion, in 1 inch chunks
1 sweet potato, in 1/2 inch chunks
5 carrots, in 1/2 inch pieces
9 garlic cloves, peeled, whole
3 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
fresh thyme, minced

beautiful asparagus!

Preheat your oven to 425. Get 2 cookie sheets, cover with tin foil, and spray with olive oil. On one sheet, put your asparagus, garlic, and onions. On the other tray, put the other root veggies. Spread in a single layer and spritz with Olive Oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. On the root veggies, sprinkle your thyme. Put your root veggies in the oven first — about 15 minutes before the asparagus. Cook for about 45-50 minutes, stirring and re-spritzing with Olive Oil after 20-25 minutes. Garnish with toasted pine nuts, and enjoy!

crisp, and light-as-air sweet potato chips!

Also with this amazing medley of roasted veggie goodness, I made my Sweet Potato Crisps. Oh my goodness, these little guys are addicting and SO yummy! Here’s what you do.

2 sweet potatoes — preferably in an even tube shape

Carefully slice your sweet potatoes with a mandolin into very thin slices. Place them in a single layer on an olive-oil-sprayed baking sheet. Spritz well with Olive Oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cumin! Bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, flipping half way through. Season with salt after you take them out. Get ready for your new favorite sweet potato dish!

AMAZING cod:)

Finally, with this veggie powerhouse of a meal, I served broiled cod! YUM! This is our favorite fish from Lobsta Bakes. Wild, ocean-caught, and fresh from that morning — flown in from Maine! It is flakey, buttery, and melts in your mouth! I broiled it with 1 tsp EVOO, salt, pepper, lemon zest and juice. Wow. Delish.

a plate full of nutrition!

This meal was super satisfying. Warm and comforting — like a “bear hug” on a plate! Like I was saying, there’s a certain magic that happens when veggies are allowed to slowly roast in a hot oven.  They release their natural sugars, which causes them to caramelize. — Who knew the humble onion could be sweet and decadent! Roasted veggies taste like an intense version of their flavor, with an underlying sweetness. So completely fantastic. And let me just say…radishes…when you roast them…become a whole different vegetable! Raw, they are spicy with a bit of a bite, but when you roast them, they become sweet, soft, and almost like candy! My dad….our resident veggie hater…loved them!! Score!

check out the beautifully caramelized onion!

And then the Sweet Potato Crisps. Wow. They require a little work, but they are seriously delectable! They are SO light and airy. They are exactly their name – crisp! Some of them have a little chew left on the inside, some are more crunchy, but all are absolutely Heavenly.

talk about a slow-food-movement:)

Finally, this meal was a feast for the eyes as well as the tummy. It was so beautiful, with the vibrant colors! Pink radishes, bright orange carrots, deep forest green asparagus, purple onions, burnt orange sweet potatoes, and snuggly-white toasted pine nuts! Mmm Mmm Good!

Have a great weekend, Happy Tummies! See you tomorrow!

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!

Pesto Pesto Pesto!

Tags

brown rice, gluten free, Maker's Diet, pasta, pesto, roasted vegetables, tomatoes, vegan

Let me just say that this recipe was hands down one of best I’ve made so far. So good that we made it again 2 days later!

Pesto is one of those luxurious sauces that is extremely hard to “veganize” because one of the main ingredients is parmesan cheese, which gives it a creamy and cheesy texture. Well, I experimented and here’s what I found:

1 cup of basil

1/2 cup pine nuts

1-2 garlic cloves (I sautéed them for a few minutes to release their flavor.)

1 T EVOO

juice of 1/2 a lemon

salt and pepper

water until desired consistency

I whirled those up in my food processor and added it to my cooked rice pasta spirals.

Vegan Pesto Please

To go with this deliciousness, I roasted some veggies (2t olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano) in the oven at 400 degrees for 35ish minutes stirring half way through. After these came out of the oven, I reserved several grape tomatoes to incorporate into the pasta, as well as a handful of toasted pine nuts. This deliciousness got 2 thumbs up from my parents. Enjoy!