*Update* Changed Blog Location

I’ve continued this blog over at http://cindalouskitchenblues.blogspot.com
Sorry for the inconvenience and hope you find the recipes helpful!

Mediterranean Grilled Eggplant

1-2 lb. fresh eggplant, sliced into 1-2″ pieces
olive oil non-stick spray

Seasonings: (to taste)
- cayenne pepper
- oregano
- garlic powder
- sea salt and pepper

Slice eggplant, place on grill and season. Grill until tender, about 5-7 minutes.

Quick & Healthy Rosemary Chicken Grill

Grilled Rosemary Chicken

1 lb. defrosted or fresh boneless skinless chicken
5-6 sprigs fresh rosemary
sea salt and pepper to taste

Seasonings:
- 4 T. cayenne pepper
- red chili flakes
- garlic powder
- gluten free Mediterranean seasoning
- oregano

Marinade:
- 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 T. Bragg’s liquid aminos
- 2 T. balsamic vinegar

Marinate chicken for half hour in the refrigerator. When ready, toss chicken on grill, season, and cook about 5 minutes for tenders or until chicken juices run clear.

Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits (Vegan)

I had an odd craving for my childhood love of Hardee’s cinnamon raisin biscuits- you know, those awful greasy gluten, dairy and sugar filled hunks of death (= a child’s delight)? Well, I was inspired at 5:30 am this morning (hence the “sunrise”) to make them this time around myself as gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and no sugar added/ low glycemic. They were delicious and virtually impossible to stop eating!

Sunrise Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits

2/3 c. organic almond milk/buttermilk
1 T apple cider vinegar
1/3 c. organic smart balance vegan margerine, melted
1/2 t sea salt
3 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
2 c. flour consisting of:
- 1/2 c. buckwheat flour
- 1 c. brown rice flour
- 1/2 c. garbanzo flour
1/2 c. raisins
3 T cinnamon

Optional: coconut, brown sugar (did not use brown sugar here; I did use coconut in about half of the recipe for variety)

Mix dry ingredients together. Melt smart balance margarine in microwave and let cool; add almond milk, vinegar, and margarine to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add raisins and cinnamon and mix (it was easier to mix them by hand at this point and shape the biscuits in my palm).I did not roll out the dough and cut biscuits, but rather chose the lazy way of hand-patting little rolls and dropping them onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool and enjoy! They make a fantastic companion to coffee, especially at 6 am!

Options of use of leftover biscuits:

Top biscuit with fresh ground flax, cinnamon, and serve with fresh fruit of your choice- I used banana and fresh peach here. It works great as a breakfast, dessert, or side. I ate it with a lactose free peach and whey smoothie for breakfast.

Horseradish Beets

Horsey Beets

1 can non salt beets (drained)
3 T fresh ground/minced horseradish
1 T red wine vinegar
2 T organic apple cider vinegar
1 t sea salt

Mix. Marinate in fridge overnight or longer for a nice horseradish kick!

Garlic Hummus

Easy and Healthy Garlic Hummus

1 25 oz. can organic garbanzo beans
3 T sesame seeds
4 cloves garlic
1 sundried tomato (chopped)
2 T olive oil
1 T water
1 t. sea salt
Seasoning:
- Oregano
Garnish:
- Olives
- Peppers

Open and drain beans; add all ingredients to Vitamix or other blender and process until creamy (1-2 minutes). Serve cold with fresh raw veggies, salad, or a sandwich (or just eat with a spoon like me!)

Quick Salmon Stir Fry

This is not really a true stir fry, but Asian-style salmon on a bed of brown rice (or shirataki noodles) served with oriental brussel sprouts. Hey, it is quick, healthy, and yummy- what else can a hungry gluten and dairy free girl ask for (besides less than 108 degree heat which means I can’t turn on the oven… err)?

Asian Salmon Stir Fry with Oriental Brussel Sprouts

1 can wild caught salmon, mashed up
1 can bamboo shoots
1/2 c. shredded green cabbage
Optional: 1/2 c. red cabbage,
1 jalapeno, sliced with seeds
1/2 lb. frozen (or fresh) brussel sprouts
1/2″ slice fresh ginger, grated
4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped fine
lime juice, squeezed on top
sea salt and pepper to taste
sprinkle unhulled sesame seeds
Garnish:
- fresh sliced mango or mandarin orange
- sliced white onion
- 1/4 c. organic coconut milk (drizzle on top)
- sliced red onion
Sides:
- brown rice or shirataki noodles

Spicy Peanut Sauce:
4 T. crunchy organic peanut butter
2 T. Bragg’s liquid aminos
2 T. San-J low sodium wheat free tamari
1 T. red chili pepper
1 dash garlic powder
Optional: Thai spicy red chili sauce (local asian market)
1 jalapeno and seeds
1 T. honey or agave nectar

Mash up salmon and spices; mix in bamboo shoots and green cabbage. Start cooking the brown rice or parboiling shirataki noodles (2-3 minutes for noodles). Steam brussel sprouts until done (5-7 minutes or until fork tender and still bright green- do not overcook or they’ll become mushy).

In a separate bowl, mix the peanut butter and spices until smooth; add half of the peanut butter sauce to to salmon and mix. Add the other half of the sauce to to the brussel sprouts and gently toss. Heat salmon and sauce mixture either over stovetop at medium heat or in microwave. Serve on top of rice or noodles and garnish with onion and a healthy dose of fresh ginger and drizzle of coconut milk. Sprinkle sesame seeds and add onion slices on top and serve hot.

Serves: 4-6

Simple Shitaki Soup

This is a quick and easy healthy soup which only requires a few ingredients and has the potential to have many more foods added for different spinoffs.

Shitaki Mushroom Soup

2 c. water
1/2 c. gluten free organic free range chicken broth, low sodium (optional; or use vegetable broth for vegan)
1 T. Bragg’s liquid aminos
2 T. San-J wheat free tamari
1/2 c. dehydrated (or fresh) shitaki mushrooms
2 T. sea vegetables or seaweed
Seasoning:
- 2 T. red pepper flakes
- sprinkle garlic powder
- sprinkle hot curry powder

Bring all to boil in large saucepan. Once it has reached boiling, reduce heat to simmer and let mushrooms absorb liquid for at least 20 minutes. Serve hot.

* Seaweed is a great source of iodine which is extremely beneficial for the thyroid. If you add tofu or any unfermented soybean products, remember to add seaweed as well since the iodine helps buffer the nutrient-blocking issue associated with unfermented soy.

Salads of All Sorts

I’ll just start a brief list of different salads and expound on it later:

• General salad: Organic spring mix, sprouts, red onion, carrot slices, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, sea salt

• Classic carrot and raisin salad, made easy with the Saladmaster
• Try the Spicy Asian Peanut Slaw as a twist on carrot and raisin salad

more to come…

Best Choices for gluten free foods and general cooking/health

Best Choices:

1. Brown rice over white rice: cook long grain organic varieties for lowest G.I. and to avoid genetically modified rice strains (GMO)
2. purple or red potatoes over white potatoes
3. fresh kernel corn or frozen corn
• over canned creamed corn
4. bean flours (garbanzo, fava, soy- except soy has many health drawbacks, etc), nuts flours (almond, hazelnut, etc), coconut flour, hemp, ground flax, quinoa (ground or flakes), rice bran, teff, and amaranth
   
• instead of white rice flour, potato flour, or white or yellow cornmeal/flour
5. fresh nuts and seeds
6. high fiber organic beans: black soy beans (low carb, high fiber and protein), black beans, garbanzos
7. lentils over rice or potatoes
8. Good fats: flax (omega 3), hemp (the ideal Omega 6 and Omega 3 balance), olive, avocado, coconut (medium chain saturated fat to boost metabolism and act as antivirual), walnuts (Omega 3), almonds (best for women for Magnesium content), brazil nuts, hazelnuts
• instead of non-organic peanuts (contain carcinogenic mold), cashews (fine nuts, just not as good as walnuts or almonds as far as good fats and minerals), any vegetable oils- the long chain unsaturated fat is now linked to heart disease instead of saturated fats like coconut (see current research and Udo’s book).
9. High Quality Protein: Wild caught Salmon (fresh and canned), tuna (low mercury, low to no salt if possible; limit ordinary “mercury-full” tuna to 2 cans per 50 lbs body weight per week), grass-fed (local if possible) beef, bison, turkey, chicken, tilapia, lamb
• instead of shellfish, bottom feeders (catfish), pork- most traife (non-Kosher) meats. This is since the traife meat has health detriments due to close contact of these animals with humans and the animals’ lifestyle- they tend to carry diseases which are easily transmitted to humans. Swordfish is very high in mercury, so pregnant women should limit canned tuna and swordfish. Farm raised fish is of lower quality since the ponds are overcrowded and the fish feed is of low grade- most fish end up becoming bottom feeding off the sunken decaying feed.
10. Cooking Oil: coconut oil is the only oil which does not break down and become toxic at medium to high temperatures; Raw butter (full fat preferable) for high heat is okay also- see Udo’s book
• Olive oil, flax, and hemp oils for salad dressings, marnides, etc (no high heat or frying).