Tag Archives: gluten-free

Baked Zucchini Sticks

Zucchini is in season and what a better way to prepare it than roll it in some almond meal, seasoning and parmesan cheese. Serve hot and crispy with your favorite marinara sauce.

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Ingredients

2 egg whites, beaten
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 medium sliced zucchini – sliced into 3 x 1/2″ sticks
Marinara sauce for serving (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place egg whites in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, oregano and garlic powder in a resealable plastic bag; shake well.
Working with a few at a time, dip zucchini sticks in egg whites to cover. Place in the plastic bag and gently shake to cover with breadcrumb mixture. Place breaded zucchini in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking oil. Repeat with remaining zucchini sticks.
Bake until golden and crispy, 20 to 25 minutes, flipping halfway through baking. Serve hot with ketchup or marinara sauce.

Modified from the original from PCC Natural Markets.

dit-elle-Esther

Asparagus Pistachio Pesto

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It’s asparagus season and we are seeing a lot of beautiful crisp fresh green stalks in stores locally. If you love asparagus, lemon, garlic, olive oil and pistachios, you will LOVE this! It is totally, amazingly, delicious. This recipe directs you to blanch the asparagus quickly and then process into pesto. Perfect spring or summer appetizer or side! Enjoy! 🙂

asparagus pistachio pesto (2) asparagus pistachio pesto (1)

Ingredients

1 lb asparagus, tough ends removed
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup pistachios
1 lemon, juiced (2 to 3 Tbsps, I used Champagne Vinegar)
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
3/4 cup olive oil

Directions

Blanch or steam asparagus until al dente and still a bold green
Refresh in cool water
Cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces
In food processor, pulse garlic, pistachios, lemon juice, salt and pepper a few times, then add asparagus
Pulse the processor to make sure mixture is not over mixed, while gradually adding olive oil
Process until desired consistency

Thanks PCC Natural Markets!

dit-elle-Esther

Ginger, Chicken Sausage, Spaghetti Squash, Egg Muffins | Paleo, Whole30

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I have always loved the taste of ginger, but have been even more inspired to add it into things after reading Esther’s post on the health benefits of it. I mainly just loved the taste haha.

I had made another variation of these muffins a few months ago (with spinach!), and have kept meaning to make them again. They are a little time consuming, but it’s SO worth it to have these ready to eat in the morning! OR…for a snack 🙂 Blog Whole 30 Paleo Ginger Spaghetti Squash Chicken Sausage Egg Muffins-1

What you need… (12 Muffins)

5 Large Eggs
2 cups spaghetti squash, cooked with water squeezed out.
6 precooked chicken sausages, chopped into bite size pieces (I used these)
1 Teaspoon ginger
1/2 Teaspoon crushed garlic
1 medium onion, diced
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (or fat of choice)
Salt and Pepper to taste

What to do…

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Squeeze out all the moisture from the spaghetti squash with a paper towel and evenly distribute into lined muffin tins (This is my 2nd time making these and I spent almost as much time scrubbing the tins both times, even though I greased them!!). I had Maya push a paper towel into them to get even more moisture out. She thought it was fun, and it helped pack them in there!
Bake for 10 minutes til the spaghetti squash gets slightly browned at the edges.
While that is baking…In a large frying pan, heat up your oil (or fat of choice) with the ginger and garlic, and cook diced onions until soft. I let Maya stir these up. 🙂
While these are cooking you can dice up your chicken sausage. Once the onions are soft, add in the chicken sausage for a few minutes to warm them up and release the juices.
After the spaghetti squash has cooked, reduce your heat to 350.
Evenly distribute the onion/chicken sausage on top of the spaghetti squash in the muffin tins.
Whisk all the eggs, and add salt and pepper to taste. Maya loves whisking eggs, and it was an easy way for her to help!
Pour over the sausage and onion mixture until you can see the egg. Not quite covering the sausage.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until the eggs are all the way cooked through.
Store in an air tight container, and eat through out the week!

Here are some behind the scenes video from us making these. I’m totally inept at Snapchat, but we are both having fun with it. Find us at lkahan-ditelle 🙂

ENJOY!! 🙂 dit-elle-Lauren

Bacon Avocado Chipotle Sweet Potato Burger

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Bacon avocado chipotle sauce sweet potato burger with asparagus!? What? Yes! Because all of these flavors are awesome together and this is a fabulous paleo dinner!

When I first went strict gluten free years ago because of a severe allergy (and I avoid most grains and legumes for health reasons) I had no idea how I would “survive without bread”. I loved it and flour and gluten is in “everything”! Well, I’ve learned a lot about gluten free and paleo cooking over the years, was in part inspiration for this blog with Lauren, and this is just one example of how a burger can be totally delicious.. without the bun and with more veggies! Enjoy. 🙂

paleo bacon avocado sweetpotato burger blog (2)

Ingredients

Hamburgers (fried or grilled)
Bacon strips (cooked)
Sweet potato rounds (peel potatoes, slice in 1/2 rounds, bake on oiled baking pan for ~20 minutes
Avocado slices
Chipotle sauce (1/4 cup mayo + 1/2 tsp taco or chipotle spice whisked together and refrigerated until ready to use)
Fresh steamed or grilled asparagus

Directions

Stack items as desired, smother in the chipotle sauce and serve!
Enjoy with a chilled beverage, my favorite is pear or apple cider! 🙂

dit-elle-Esther

Baked Bacon

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Ever felt stumped when trying to make more than a few strips of bacon, perhaps for a big breakfast, brunch or party? I usually microwave bacon, occasionally will fry it, but that works best in small batches and ends up taking a while and sometimes making a mess! Baked bacon to the rescue!

This is a super simple way to cook bacon! You’ll need a large glass dish (9″ x 13″) and you’ll simply lay the strips of bacon side by side – bake it in a hot oven until desired crispiness and then remove, let drain on paper towels and voila!

baked bacon blog

Ingredients

Bacon

Directions

Heat oven to 400*
I recommend using a large dish with sides, e.g. a 9″ x 13″ glass dish
Lay strips of bacon side by side and bake for 20 minutes or until desired crispiness is reached

Serve with.. pretty much anything! 🙂

dit-elle-Esther

Wellness Remedy: Turmeric

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I’ve alluded to the “super powers” of Turmeric on this blog before (see this general Wellness Post) and I recently wrote about Ginger as a wellness remedy (to ward off colds and aid in digestion)! Turmeric and Ginger are actually in the same family and both are known for their medicinal properties, specifically for their anti-inflammatory properties.

You will perhaps know turmeric best from Indian cuisine (it’s a common ingredient in curry, but does not taste or smell anything like curry), Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Asian cuisine. It is used for flavor (warm and slightly spicy) and as a natural color agent – creating a beautiful rich golden color in anything you add it to.

I learned about the medicinal properties of turmeric from an Indian colleague years ago. She would give a tiny pinch of turmeric in milk to her kids to help build a strong immune system. I was intrigued – having two little ones myself. But there’s more! There seems to be a lot of recent research on natural remedies and turmeric has other benefits including: fighting various types of cancer, supporting brain, liver and eye health, used as natural painkiller and anti-depressant, and used for better sleep! Further reading included in links below.

Anyway, I am preparing for some upcoming international travel and also fighting a bit of a spring cold which has been going around. So.. turmeric to the rescue. Icarry the dry powder with me when I travel and drink it in hot water with breakfast.

The only downside I’ve found is that it is very yellow – so brush your teeth or eat some crunchy food (like an apple) after eating turmeric.

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Ingredients

Fresh turmeric, rinsed and peeled
Turmeric powder (found in the spice aisle or bulk section)
Water or milk

Directions

Heat liquid and add desired amount of fresh or dry turmeric (I will use ~1 tsp of dry or 1 Tbsp of fresh in a cup of boiling water)

Paleo Blueberry Coffee Cake

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I made this Blueberry Coffee Cake for our Easter Brunch a few weeks ago and it was a big hit with big and small! This recipe is from Elana’s Pantry

It is not very sweet and the almond flour gives it a rich hearty flavor.

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Ingredients

2 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
4 large eggs
1/4 cup shortening or butter
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
Topping: 1/4 cup shortening or butter, 1/4 cup coconut sugar, 1/2 cup almond flour, 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Directions

Oven to 350
Grease 8″ round baking pan
Combine flour, baking soda in bowl
In another bowl, whisk together eggs, shortening, coconut sugar, vanilla
Stir wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined, then stir in the blueberries
Pour batter in pan
To make topping, cream shortening and coconut sugar, stir in almond flour and cinnamon, then sprinkle over cake batter
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out almost clean
Let cake cool in pan for an hour, then serve

dit-elle-Esther

Fruit Platter

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Need a beautiful addition to breakfast, brunch or a garden party? Try this super simple, colorful and lovely, fruit platter. Select fruits and berries that are in season, and arrange to your liking! That’s it! Want fancier? See my Basil Lime Fruit Salad here.

Happy Spring! 🙂

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Ingredients and directions

As mentioned, select fruits and berries that are in season for you
I made this for my Easter Brunch Party and used: pineapple, mango, papaya, raspberries, and kiwi
Clean fruit and then slice or dice to your liking
Arrange on platter
Serve immediately or store covered in refrigerator overnight
Enjoy!

dit-elle-Esther

Papaya and Lime

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Papaya is one of those super foods with all sorts of amazing nutrients in it including antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals and special digestive enzymes. When Papaya is in season I will cut it in half to make a ‘boat’, discard the seeds and eat the papaya straight out of the peel. As previously blogged, t’s the perfect Island Breakfast served with coconut milk. I was serving Papaya for brunch the other day though and wanted an easier way to present it, than a “Papaya boat”. Super simple. Cut in half, discard seeds, peel, and slice. Serve with lime wedges!

Enjoy!

dit-elle-Esther

Thai Chicken, Broccoli, and Peppers with Healthy Noodles

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This is one of those recipes that I repeat A LOT!! In it’s most basic form, I posted it here, but I mix it up all the time with what I add to it. The sauce is just so good!! And SO EASY! Blog Healthy Thai Broccoli Pepper Chicken with Noodles-1
Ingredients

For Sauce

1/2 cup Almond Butter (use Sun Butter for Nut free or any nut butter if you don’t have any dietary restrictions!)
1/2 Cup Coconut Milk (I used Light, but full fat would be amazing too!)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (I cheat and use this)
1 Cup Water

For the rest of the dish…

2-3 bags of Healthy Noodles (or can use any noodle, quinoa, or skip it!)
4-6 Chicken Breasts. Depends on how many people you have and how soupy you want it. I use 6 and grill them on our grill. Less clean up and the flavor is so good!
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 head of Broccoli
1/2 of each of a yellow, red, and orange pepper
1 small onion diced

Directions

Marinate chicken breasts in olive oil, salt, and pepper and cook on BBQ 8-10 minutes each side (depending on size) or cube the chicken breasts and cook in a large pan with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.
While Chicken is cooking outside, chop all your veggies.
Add a couple Tablespoons of olive oil (I add garlic too!) and cook onions til soft (5-8 minutes)
Add in broccoli and peppers and cover to steam cook for 2 minutes. Just THIS is delicious, so you could stop right here 🙂
In a blender, combine 1 cup water with the whatever nut butter you choose, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and ginger. Blend until smooth.
Rinse out the noodles with water (that’s IT!! NO COOKING THEM!!)
Add the sauce and noodles to the pan, stir, and let sit for 2 minutes to soak in all the flavor of the sauce. Again…you could stop here if you wanted to keep it vegetarian. SO yummy!
Once Chicken is cooked, dice and add on top. I added Sriracha to mine for a little kick, and it was SO good!! Enjoy!