My friend Amy introduced me to Donna Hay--an Australian chef who has a beautiful magazine (and website) full of scrumptious looking recipes. You can read more about her at http://www.donnahay.com/.
I found and tried the following recipe which I have modified for my dietary needs. It was fantastic! Roasting the garlic, sweet potato and turkey together really enhanced the flavors of each ingredient and made this a very delicious dish. Again, the best part of this was the technique--this is a great recipe to modify to suit your tastes.
roast sweet potato, garlic and chicken (turkey) fettuccine
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped (I used 2--the more the better)
1 head garlic, cloves separated
1 chicken breast fillet, trimmed (I used turkey cutlets)
sea salt and cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ozs fettuccine (or your pasta of choice)
1 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves (I used fresh basil the second time--wonderful)
olive oil, extra, to serve
red wine or balsamic vinegar, to serve (I eliminated)
Preheat oven to 350F. Place the sweet potato, garlic, chicken, salt, pepper and olive oil in a baking dish and toss to combine. Roast for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and sweet potato is tender. Set aside to cool slightly. Peel the garlic and mash with the back of a fork. Shred the chicken.
Cook the pasta in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 10–12 minutes or until al dente. Drain and return to pan. Add the sweet potato, garlic, chicken and parsley and toss to combine. Drizzle with vinegar to serve. Serves 2.
Cathy's note:
The second time I made this, I roasted some zuchinni with the sweet potato as well and it was great. I will probably add onions next time as well. Have fun!
Monday, February 15, 2010
New and Improved
After a visit with my applied kinesiologist/chiropractor this past weekend, I am happy to announce that I can eat tomatoes! At the expense of corn, coffee, and pretty much all sugar.
But just think...tomatoes! It opens up a ton options for me including some Indian food, Italian food, and some Mexican dishes. I'm pleased. And to celebrate, I made myself some bolognese over rice pasta which was fantastic! I will say though, I still think I need to moderate so am not going to eat tomatoes every day and am hoping I only have to be off corn for a few weeks and not months....
But just think...tomatoes! It opens up a ton options for me including some Indian food, Italian food, and some Mexican dishes. I'm pleased. And to celebrate, I made myself some bolognese over rice pasta which was fantastic! I will say though, I still think I need to moderate so am not going to eat tomatoes every day and am hoping I only have to be off corn for a few weeks and not months....
Thursday, February 11, 2010
A Trip Across the Pond
Well, sorry I've been a little silent. I desperately didn't want this blog to be something that died like a new years resolution to go to the gym every day or something like that. Instead, I have a good excuse--I had to take a business trip.
My normal routine for business trips is to hole up in my room and eat a lot of room service 'treats' as well as go off my diet because it's just not possible to eat healthy. This time, it was different. Because I'm in the midst of this three month detox, I decided to remain fairly strict on my diet and look for allergy free options while traveling. The biggest challenge--I was traveling to London.
Before I left, I stopped at the Flying Apron (http://www.flyingapron.net/) for some treats which were helpful for the long flight. On the airplane, I had requested a gluten free meal which consisted of some chicken, rice and peas of which I could eat the rice and peas. Good thing I had snacks.....
I won't bore you with all the details of my adventure but suffice it to say that I ate a lot of fruit having stopped first thing at a Marks and Spencer. I also was able to find a Whole Foods Market (where I incidentally bought a snazzy Whole Foods London bag for myself and my dear friend Amy) which was a lifesaver in terms of finding yummy gluten free vegan treats which I could eat. It was fun to discover things we don't have in the US like thin rice cakes with a layer of dark chocolate. Inspiration for a treat I'll try to make here at home....
For those of you looking for restaurants in London friendly to those with allergies, I had good success with the following:
VitaOrganic (http://www.vitaorganic.co.uk/)
Mildred's (http://www.mildreds.co.uk/)
They weren't exactly cheap but then again, you get what you pay for (for the most part)...
My normal routine for business trips is to hole up in my room and eat a lot of room service 'treats' as well as go off my diet because it's just not possible to eat healthy. This time, it was different. Because I'm in the midst of this three month detox, I decided to remain fairly strict on my diet and look for allergy free options while traveling. The biggest challenge--I was traveling to London.
Before I left, I stopped at the Flying Apron (http://www.flyingapron.net/) for some treats which were helpful for the long flight. On the airplane, I had requested a gluten free meal which consisted of some chicken, rice and peas of which I could eat the rice and peas. Good thing I had snacks.....
I won't bore you with all the details of my adventure but suffice it to say that I ate a lot of fruit having stopped first thing at a Marks and Spencer. I also was able to find a Whole Foods Market (where I incidentally bought a snazzy Whole Foods London bag for myself and my dear friend Amy) which was a lifesaver in terms of finding yummy gluten free vegan treats which I could eat. It was fun to discover things we don't have in the US like thin rice cakes with a layer of dark chocolate. Inspiration for a treat I'll try to make here at home....
For those of you looking for restaurants in London friendly to those with allergies, I had good success with the following:
VitaOrganic (http://www.vitaorganic.co.uk/)
Mildred's (http://www.mildreds.co.uk/)
They weren't exactly cheap but then again, you get what you pay for (for the most part)...
Monday, January 25, 2010
Beef Stew with Hazelnut Butter and Dates
I am three weeks in and feeling pretty good. I've lost about 8 pounds and my clothes are all fitting better. I have also been working out a lot and trying to drink a ton of water. I'm still craving some foods like pizza; however, I'm trying to keep my recipes as diverse as possible to not get bored/tempted. I'm also planning to have my doctor re-test me on tomatoes when he's here on Valentine's day. I sure miss tomato sauce....
This was a great recipe adapted from a similar recipe I found at http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=522102&adsqs=.
It was terrific after cooking in the crockpot and even better as leftovers the next day!
Beef Stew with Hazelnut Butter and Dates (adapted from Cooking Light)
Ingredients
2/3 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts, toasted
Cooking spray
1 1/2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cubed
2 1/2 cups chopped onion
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (I used cayenne)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (I used turkey broth)
2 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed sweet potato
2 1/2 cups small red potatoes, halved (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 cups baby carrots, peeled (I would add more)
1/2 cup whole pitted dates, chopped
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas
Preparation
Place hazelnuts in a food processor; process until smooth (about 2 1/2 minutes), scraping sides of bowl once.
Heat a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over high heat. Add beef; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add onion and next 5 ingredients (onion through garlic); sauté 7 minutes or until onion is lightly browned.
Add hazelnut butter and broth to pan; stir well, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, dates, and 2 cups water; bring to a boil.
Transfer to crock pot and cook on low for 2-3 hours or until beef is tender and sauce has thickened. Stir in peas; simmer 5 minutes.
Serve with bread and a green salad.
NOTES: The hazelnuts were more like hazelnut meal than butter; looking forward to trying that again. The flavor was excellent in the stew. Because I cooked it in the crockpot, I added some gluten free flour to the stew to help thicken. Next time I would add more carrots and maybe another root vegetable. If you want a more savory stew, lessen the amount of dates and add more garlic.
This was a great recipe adapted from a similar recipe I found at http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=522102&adsqs=.
It was terrific after cooking in the crockpot and even better as leftovers the next day!
Beef Stew with Hazelnut Butter and Dates (adapted from Cooking Light)
Ingredients
2/3 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts, toasted
Cooking spray
1 1/2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cubed
2 1/2 cups chopped onion
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (I used cayenne)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (I used turkey broth)
2 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed sweet potato
2 1/2 cups small red potatoes, halved (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 cups baby carrots, peeled (I would add more)
1/2 cup whole pitted dates, chopped
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas
Preparation
Place hazelnuts in a food processor; process until smooth (about 2 1/2 minutes), scraping sides of bowl once.
Heat a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over high heat. Add beef; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add onion and next 5 ingredients (onion through garlic); sauté 7 minutes or until onion is lightly browned.
Add hazelnut butter and broth to pan; stir well, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, dates, and 2 cups water; bring to a boil.
Transfer to crock pot and cook on low for 2-3 hours or until beef is tender and sauce has thickened. Stir in peas; simmer 5 minutes.
Serve with bread and a green salad.
NOTES: The hazelnuts were more like hazelnut meal than butter; looking forward to trying that again. The flavor was excellent in the stew. Because I cooked it in the crockpot, I added some gluten free flour to the stew to help thicken. Next time I would add more carrots and maybe another root vegetable. If you want a more savory stew, lessen the amount of dates and add more garlic.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Stir-fried Noodles with Eggplant and Basil
In the quest for flavorful recipes which are free of foods that I'm allergic to, I often turn to wheat free Asian dishes. I found this recipe in the January/February 2010 Everyday Food magazine. It's a great basic recipe which could be modified in many ways. It made fantastic leftovers as well. The only problem was that the first evening I ate it, something triggered a food allergy pretty severely. It was either the eggplant, sesame oil or soy sauce (wheat free tamari). I did some research on sesame and it seems that lots of people have allergies to them since they are similar in nature to peanuts. I have since had eggplant--didn't affect me. I also had the dish for leftovers today for lunch and it also didn't affect me. Strange. And now the recipe:
Stir-fried noodles with eggplant and basil
Serves 4 (from Everyday Food)
8 ounces lo mein noodles (I used Trader Joes brown rice spaghetti)
2 Tbsps soy sauce (wheat free tamari)
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp light brown sugar (I used agave)
4 tsps vegetable oil (I used macadamia nut oil-olive would be fine)
1/2 pound Japanese or other small eggplant, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
5 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn, for serving
1. Cook noodles according to package instructions; drain noodles and rinse with cold water. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar and stir until sugar dissolves.
2. Heat a large skillet or wok over high until hot. Add 3 tsps vegetable oil and swirl to coat skillet. Add eggplant and stir until golden on both sides, 4 minutes total. Push eggplant to side of skillet and add 1 tsp oil. Add scallion whites and garlic and stir until fragrant., 30 seconds. Add noodles and soy mixture and toss to combine all ingredients. Serve topped with scallion greens and basil.
Notes: As mentioned, this would be great adding other veggies such as zuchinni or mushrooms as well as chicken or pork (if you're not like me and not allergic to those things)
Stir-fried noodles with eggplant and basil
Serves 4 (from Everyday Food)
8 ounces lo mein noodles (I used Trader Joes brown rice spaghetti)
2 Tbsps soy sauce (wheat free tamari)
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp light brown sugar (I used agave)
4 tsps vegetable oil (I used macadamia nut oil-olive would be fine)
1/2 pound Japanese or other small eggplant, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
5 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn, for serving
1. Cook noodles according to package instructions; drain noodles and rinse with cold water. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar and stir until sugar dissolves.
2. Heat a large skillet or wok over high until hot. Add 3 tsps vegetable oil and swirl to coat skillet. Add eggplant and stir until golden on both sides, 4 minutes total. Push eggplant to side of skillet and add 1 tsp oil. Add scallion whites and garlic and stir until fragrant., 30 seconds. Add noodles and soy mixture and toss to combine all ingredients. Serve topped with scallion greens and basil.
Notes: As mentioned, this would be great adding other veggies such as zuchinni or mushrooms as well as chicken or pork (if you're not like me and not allergic to those things)
Monday, January 18, 2010
Resisting Temptation
I did it!(by the grace of God) I successfully completed wedding weekend not giving in to temptation to have pizza, cake, alfredo sauce, chicken, donuts, piroshkys and other assorted delicacies. Don't worry--these weren't consumed in one sitting by those around me. I'm not saying that it was easy--I got pretty grouchy at times (the old sinful nature coming thru) but I felt good having resisted the temptation. One of the things that helped was to try and make sure I packed enough food so I didn't get too hungry, and also, we made a visit to a very special bakery: The Flying Apron (http://www.flyingapron.net/)
There are only a few things I can actually eat there that don't have aforementioned allergic items; however, I did enjoy a berry scone, berry tea biscuit, and quinoa bread. I decided I'm not allergic to garbanzo bean flour because that actually didn't bother me at all. I did buy a carrot muffin but after one bite realized that it had coconut in it which wreaked havoc with my stomach. Alas...
Even though the treats have been nice, I need to make sure they are in moderation so that I can continue the weight loss. The scone and biscuit were sweetened with evaporated cane juice so I'm definitely feeling the effects of the sugar. Some of the others are sweetened with brown rice syrup and maple syrup which are much better in my opinion (although agave is my favorite). The quinoa bread doesn't have any sweetening although it's pretty dense so I'm not sure I'll be eating much of that at one time anyway...
The adventure continues!
There are only a few things I can actually eat there that don't have aforementioned allergic items; however, I did enjoy a berry scone, berry tea biscuit, and quinoa bread. I decided I'm not allergic to garbanzo bean flour because that actually didn't bother me at all. I did buy a carrot muffin but after one bite realized that it had coconut in it which wreaked havoc with my stomach. Alas...
Even though the treats have been nice, I need to make sure they are in moderation so that I can continue the weight loss. The scone and biscuit were sweetened with evaporated cane juice so I'm definitely feeling the effects of the sugar. Some of the others are sweetened with brown rice syrup and maple syrup which are much better in my opinion (although agave is my favorite). The quinoa bread doesn't have any sweetening although it's pretty dense so I'm not sure I'll be eating much of that at one time anyway...
The adventure continues!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Eating Out
So eating out is a big problem when you are on such a restricted diet. This week is really busy for us with my husband's cousin getting married and having family in town. I'm playing the piano for the wedding and my husband is an usher so that meant rehearsal dinner. We didn't get a chance to eat before the dinner so that meant we went to Tutta Bella Pizzeria (good but ugh!) hungry. They brought out a salad with mozzerela cheese, tomatoes and a wonderful vinagrette and I got even more grumpy. I kept saying that I wasn't going to eat until my husband decided he couldn't wait any longer so talked to the waiter. We were able to order a salad with artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, red onions, carrots, and basil. I used olive oil as a dressing with a squirt of lemon. My husband got to have chicken on his. Needless to say we stopped by Trader Joes on the way home to get some snacks and lunch materials. And, still hungry when I got home, I ate a bowl of cereal. Tonight we're going out to Chinese with the family--at least I can have rice! Will post more on that experience later.
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