Tag Archives: vegetarian

Baked Zucchini Sticks

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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! 🙂

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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

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)

Further reading

Enjoy, stay well, and be happy!

dit-elle-Esther

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.

blueberry almond flour paleo cake blog (2)blueberry almond flour paleo cake blog (1)

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

Carrot Cake with Toasted Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

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Do you LOVE carrot cake? I do too! I love it for breakfast, a power snack, or dessert. And with all the carrot that goes in it, you’re getting at least a serving or two of veggies, right!? 🙂

Because of the oats and sugar I would not call this recipe paleo but it is gluten free, moist and pretty super delicious! Check out my Paleo Carrot Cake here, and if we haven’t convinced you yet, we’re all fans of carrot cake here on this blog. Check out Lauren’s Healthy Gluten Free Carrot Cupcakes and her Carrot Cake Muffins!

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Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup almond meal
  • 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
  • 1 Tbsp coconut flour
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/4 cup melted butter, coconut or other oil
  • 1/2 cup apple sauce
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 1/4 cups grated carrot
  • handful of raisins

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 325
  • Combine the dry ingredients (except sugar) in a food processor (first 5 ingredients)
  • Transfer to a large bowl
  • Combine eggs, oil, sugar, applesauce in food processor and mix until blended
  • Add liquid to flour mixture and stir just until moist
  • Stir in grated carrots and raisins
  • Bake @ 325 for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean
  • Cool on wire rack before frosting

Frosting

  • 1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
  • 1 Tbps butter
  • 1 c powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 c unsweetened flaked coconut
  • Directions: combine cheese and butter and beat until creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth. Spread over cake, sprinkle with coconut. Cover and chill.

Enjoy! 🙂

dit-elle-Esther

Marzipan “Strawberries”

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I made marzipan “strawberries” for Valentine’s Day this year. They are a fun and festive and really a super cute dessert to make any season! The kids made marzipan snakes, but those snakes were eaten faster than I could take a picture! Next time. 🙂

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Create a batch of marzipan by following the instructions here and substitute some beet juice for egg white. It really is that simply, but I realize that may seem a bit ambiguous. Here’s what I did. I cleaned and peeled some beets, put them in a pot of water to boil and when done set beets aside to cool and saved about 1/8 cup of the beet juice. Then when mixing the marzipan I added beet juice a tablespoon at a time to get the desired color pink. If your marzipan gets too runny, add some more almond meal and sugar and then work with the dough to get desired consistency and color. Note that marzipan will firm up overnight as well. So make a batch, wrap it in plastic, and then make your confections when you’re ready to do so! We are going to make marzipan “oranges” (and more snakes!) next, so stay tuned for that. 🙂

The stems are tomato vine stems! And after making these strawberries, dipped them in chocolate. Recipe included in instructions above.

dit-elle-Esther

Papaya Avocado Smoothie

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Here’s my latest smoothie crave. Papaya, avocado, coconut milk, and lime! It was rich, creamy and delicious. The only thing that wasn’t great was the color. As you might know from painting, that’s what you get when you mix red (papaya) with green (avocado)! But who cares right?

Happy Thursday! 🙂


Ingredients

  • 1/2 papaya
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup (or more) water
  • 1 tsp (or more) honey (optional)

Directions

  • Combine ingredients
  • Using a blender or inversion blender mix ingredients adding more water as needed
  • Enjoy!

dit-elle-Esther

Hasty Pudding

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My daughter Ava and I have been reading Little House in the Big Woods and Little House on the Prairie. She LOVES the books, her first real “big girl chapter books” and loves hearing about the stories from that time that seems so long ago. We talk about the Ingalls family, and the Spartan living compared to our life today.  “Can we give Laura some of my toys?” asked Ava. Melt my heart!

In one of the chapters, Ma made Hasty Pudding. There are a bunch of recipes online and I’m sure there are many variations, but in the book they described it as a cornmeal porridge with some maple syrup and butter. So that’s what we made! Super fun kid experience to watch and learn and super yummy! 🙂

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Ingredients

  • Cornmeal
  • Water
  • Butter
  • Maple syrup

Directions

  • Corn meal package should have instructions for quantities and cook times. I usually make a larger batch, about 1 cup cornmeal + half a large pot of water. I realize that’s not very helpful, but it’s one of those things you’ll need to check based on how finely ground your cornmeal is.
  • You can adjust water to make it thicker or thinner
  • Serve with butter and some maple syrup
  • Enjoy! 🙂

dit-elle-Esther

Blackfish Cafe Coleslaw‏

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This coleslaw is not only colorful and beautiful, it is delicious! The fresh ginger, minced fresh garlic and sesame oil make this dressing totally yummy. Add some roasted chicken and mandarin oranges and call it a meal! 🙂

black fish cafe coleslaw blog

Salad:

  • 6 c. Napa cabbage (about one head, thinly sliced). (Used regular cabbage as could not find napa cabbage in season when I made this.)
  • 2 carrots, shredded
  • 1 c. radishes, thinly sliced
  • 1 c. green onions, thinly sliced
  • 4-6 ounces sugar snap pea pods (slice diagonally)  (I substituted green pepper.)
  • 1 c. cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 c. slivered almonds, toasted (single layer at 350 degrees for 5-7 mins; good idea to stir; watch closely, they burn fast)
  • Optional: roast chicken for protein and satsuma or mandarin oranges
Dressing:
  • 3 T sugar (I used 1/2 that)
  • 3 T white wine vinegar
  • 1 T soy sauce
  • 1/2 t. grated fresh ginger
  • 1 clove garlic minced (I used more to taste; maybe triple)
  • 1/4 t. sesame oil
  • dash cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1 c. mayonnaise (or substitute 1/2 c. yogurt)
 Directions
  • Prepare salad
  • Mix salad ingredients
  • Toss and serve and enjoy! 🙂
Serves 6
dit-elle-Esther