Gluten Free Crepes

My son, in general is a good eater. There are times though when he goes through faces and you can't quite please him unless he can indulge himself with bread. I don't like the idea of him eating carbs in excess. I know there are healthy carbs but at the end they turn into sugar and can create an emotional havoc in a person. 

The recipe I developed contains carbs, but the grains I use are also full proteins. Especially quinoa which contains all amino acids and it's considered a full protein. I also like to add a little almond meal for extra protein. The recipe is gluten free because I can't eat gluten and I like crepes a lot. Second, the grains I use have more nutrients than the whole wheat flour and how I mentioned , have a lot of proteins 

Serve with fruits, fruit spreads, ample syrup , honey, cheese etc. My son eats them plain and I like them with crumbled feta cheese.

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 can coconut milk 

2/3 cup quinoa flour 

1/3 cup garbanzo bean flour 

1 cup arrow root 

2 Tbsp. Almond meal 

1 Tsp. raw unfiltered honey (optional) 

2 Tbsp. extra virgin coconut oil 

Beat the eggs in a bowl with a whisk. Add coconut milk . Add flours, arrow root , almond meal, honey and mix well until  you have a homogeneous batter. If it's too thick you can add some more liquid and if you think it's too  runny add a spoon or two quinoa flour. 

In a skillet, melt coconut oil. Once when it melted return to a cup. With a dipper, spread batter evenly on the skillet. After few seconds to a minute flip the crepe and bake on the other site. Repeat the same procedure until there isn't any batter left. 

Lentils Garbanzo Beans Soup

For this soup, as a busy mom, I used organic and BPA free canned lentils and garbanzo beans . Also this last fall I manged to buy tomatoes from the farmers market and canned my own whole tomatoes and tomato puree. Needless to say that I am very proud of myself :))) . The rest of the ingredients are fresh and organic. This soup is vegan and gluten free. You can adjust the amount of the spices to your own preference . We like our food well seasoned and this blend might be a little too strong for you. But also it may not be strong enough . Therefore change the amount according to your taste.

I know that some people won't eat anything without meat . If that's your case , you can cut in small pieces chicken breast and cook it with the rest of the ingredients. This will give an additional flavor to the soup. 

Serve the soup with freshly chopped cilantro . If you don't have fresh you can use dried like I did today. And please don't pay attention at the blue color in the picture. I took this photo in the dark and  my try to modify it in Picasa wasn't very successful . Soup though, still tastes fantastic ! 

Ingredients 

1 can organic lentils 

1/2 can organic garbanzo beans 

1 cup whole canned tomatoes cut in quarters 

1 carrot , sliced 

1 1/2 celery stalk cut in small pieces 

1 small onion chopped finely

1 quart water 

1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

1/2 Tbsp. paprika powder 

2 Tsp. Curry powder 

1/2 Tsp. Ground Coriander 

1/2 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon 

2-3 Bay leaves 

Sea salt 

Cilantro to garnish the soup. 

In a pot combine lentils and garbanzo beans. Add water, carrots , celery, onion, bay leaves and olive oil. Cooking on a medium heat until carrots and celery are cooked but careful not to overcook them. Add tomatoes and cook until some of the water evaporated. Add paprika powder, curry, coriander, cinnamon and salt. Serve with some chopped fresh cilantro. Yields 4 servings. 

Butternut Squash with Maple Syrup , Pecans and Raisins

We rarely ever eat dessert . We don't like sugar so much . The only reason I keep any in my kitchen, is to prepare Kombucha Tea. Last night though I decided to do something with this butternut squash that has been sitting on the counter top for a while. Buddy wasn't very excited about the squash but he ate the topping. My husband liked it so did I ! 

Use pure grade B maple syrup.

Ingredients :

1 butternut squash 

2/3 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup ground pecans (walnuts) 

1/4 cup raisins  

1/4 Tbsp. unsalted butter for each piece

3 cups water

ground cinnamon 

ground coriander

Preheat oven to 400F. Combine maple syrup, pecans and raisins. Set aside. Cut squash in pieces and place in a baking pan . Put butter on each piece, add water and cover with aluminum foil. Cook in oven for 30 min. Uncover and bake until done. Add topping and bake for another 5 min. Sprinkle some cinnamon and coriander. 

Creamy Chicken with Mushrooms

We used to eat out a lot . I liked to be served and someone else to cook for me. Unfortunately my body didn't like it much. I've got even more conscious about food  when our son was born. We still go out for lunch/dinner but just couple of times a month. I really prefer to eat my own food because I know what I put in it(organic and NON-GMO ingredients) . So, for Friday night I decided to prepare restaurant-like meal  for dinner.

Some of you may oppose the idea that this recipe is healthy since it contains heavy cream. I believe it is, as long as it comes from grass fed cows, is unpasteurized (or at least pasteurized on very low heat) and it's organic. The fat in it does not make people obese and does not contain cholesterol . The bad oils are hydrogenated vegetable oils and margarine. The brand I really like is Kolona Supernatural , available at Vitamin Cottage in Colorado. And no, I am not paid by them to advertise their products. I just love the quality of what they offer. 

Anyway, I don't want to start an argument, whether dairy is good for you or not. You do whatever you think is best for you. Frankly we all are different and if I can tolerate dairy it doesn't mean that you can and it's good for you.  

Ingredients 

4 Chicken breasts*

2 cups heavy cream 

1 small onion chopped finely 

6 oz sliced mushrooms 

5-6 garlic cloves 

Juice of a lemon 

black pepper 

oregano 

Sea salt 

Butter

Marinate chicken for couple of hours (if you have time :) ) in lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper. 

In a skillet melt some butter and saute onions and mushrooms. When almost done , add chicken breasts , heavy cream. Simmer until heavy cream starts to thicken. Add to the liquid garlic, pepper, salt and oregano. Adjust the amount to your own preference. Serve immediately with steamed broccoli or other vegetables if you prefer so. 

* The chicken breasts I used are from grass fed chickens and for that reason smaller than the conventional. You may need to adjust the amount of the heavy cream if your chicken breasts are bigger.   

Kale Chips

Kale chips is a tasty and healthy snack. People might wonder if all nutrients are lost when you bake it. The answer is yes and no :) Kale is very rich on vitamin K, important for heart, blood clotting and bones. Vitamin K does not get affected by the heat. Kale is also rich on beta-carotene (vitamin A) and vitamin C .  These vitamins are susceptible to heat but they can be found in big quantities in Kale so after baking it, there still will be some left. Kale is also rich in Calcium and Iron.
What I like about Kale chips is that it's very easy and fast to prepare. My son loves it which makes it a perfect snack between meals.


Ingredients:

1 Bunch Kale
2-3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea salt (to taste)


Preheat oven to 350F . Tear the leaves into pieces and spread on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle olive oil (make sure its'spread out evenly) and sea salt . Bake for 5-7 min or until crispy but not burned. Voila!

The Healthy A1 Steak Sauce

I really , really like the A1 Steak Sauce. My son likes it too, believe it or not . Unfortunately, some of the ingredients are not welcome in my home like corn syrup. Of course there are more additives and "natural flavors" which in reality aren't. Well I looked at all other real food ingredients listed on the bottle,  did some research on internet and came up with this recipe. It's really close to the original but mine is made out of organic ingredients and does not contain chemicals or GMO . The raisins give this slightly sweet taste , I wonder why the manufacturer has to add corn syrup in addition ???!! Anyway, I like it quite a bit, hope my husband likes it as well. It yields approx. a cup.


Ingredients:

1/2 cup Tomato puree ( or you can use crushed whole tomatoes)
1 cup Raisins
1/2 cup Apple cider vinegar
1/4 Dijon mustard
2 Garlic cloves cut in half
1/2 Tsp. celery seed
1/2 Small onion  cut in chunks
1 Orange
Sea salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan except for the orange and salt. Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice into the sauce pan. Peel the skin and add the orange to the other ingredients. On low heat simmer for 15-20 min. After 20 min blend the sauce in a food processor until smooth. Transfer sauce to a fine mesh strainer and strain this through. Once it's cooled add sea salt.  

Salmon Cakes with Ginger Sauce

Salmon is a fish rich in Omega 3. Omega 3's' are essential fatty acids (EFA) which are very important for  brain development. New studies show that high dosages of Fish oil can relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety.  It also helps lower high blood presure and serves as a natural blood thinner without the side effects of Warfarin. Omega 3 is also recommended for people with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoporosis . Overall, fish is good for you. Just make sure it says wild caught. The farm raised is usually fed with corn and other junk and also treated with antibiotics. And since recently the FDA approved the GMO fish you really won't know whether you are eating salmon or eel . That's why I always look for the "wild caught"statement.
My friend Jeanne Schroeder gave me a  recipe a while ago for Salmon cakes which I had to change quite a bit because of the low grain diet I am following. This recipe is great for people on the GAPS diet since it doesn't contain any grains/gluten. For the sauce you'll need a little mayonnaise. In my last post I offer a way to prepare a healthy mayonnaise. 

Ingredients

For the cakes:

1 lb frozen or fresh salmon
8 green onions finely chopped
3 eggs lightly beaten
3 Tbsp Almond meal
4 Garlic cloves
1 Tsp. Sea Salt
1 Tbsp. Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
2 Bay leaves
Coconut oil 


For the sauce

1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise 
2 Tbsp. freshly peeled and grated ginger
1 Tsp. Sesame oil
1 Tsp. Lemon juice



Cut the fish into big pieces and place it in a pot. Cover with water and add 2 minced garlic cloves and bay leaves. Cook until done. remove from heat and discard the broth (unless you want to make fish soup). Remove skin and in a bowl flake apart the salmon with a fork and pick over for bones. Add eggs, onions and almond meal. Mix well . Chop finely 2 garlic cloves and add to bowl. Add sea salt and lemon juice. Mix well. Shape the mixture into patties.
In a skillet heat some coconut oil over medium heat. Add patties and cook on each side until golden.  Set aside and cover.

In a separate bowl  mix all sauce ingredients. Add some sea salt if necessary.

Serve the cakes with the sauce on the side .