Pomegranate Dijon Sauce
Ingredients
1 tablesppon hemp oil (or coconut oil)
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 cloves garlic minced
½ cup pomegranate juice
1 cup vegetable stock
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon cold Earth Balance buttery spread (or butter)
2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds for garnish (optional)
Salt
Black pepper
Directions
Heat oil in skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until shallots start to soften. Add the pomegranate juice and stock and turn the heat up to high. Simmer until the sauce is reduced by half and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat and whisk in the mustard and Earth Balance buttery spread. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve sauce over chicken or steaks.
Meringue Sandwiches with Berry Smash
Ingredients
1/2 pint fresh raspberries (or frozen)
1 pint Green Tea Coconut Bliss Dairy free “Ice Cream” (or your favorite flavor sorbet or ice cream)
4 plain (vanilla) store-bought meringue cookies
1 tsp Agave nectar (optional)
A few fresh mint leaves (optional)
Directions
Mash the berries in a bowl with a potato masher or fork. Let stand for 5 minutes. If the berries aren’t sweet enough for your liking add agave nectar.
Place one meringue on plate. Scoop Green Tea Coconut Bliss (sorbet or ice cream) onto meringue. Top with another meringue. Pour the berry mash on top.
Enjoy!
Shrimp Pesto with Kale
Ingredients
1 box of gluten free pasta (I used 1/2 spaghetti and 1/2 corkscrew quinoa noodles)
1 lb. of cooked shrimp
1 cup of Pesto (click here for my Fresh Basil Pesto recipe)
1/2 bag of kale
1 cup water
2 Tbsp of coconut oil
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)
Directions
Cook pasta al dente according to package directions. When cooked scoop out of water (reserving some water to thin sauce) into colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Put aside.
Put coconut oil in large skill over medium heat. Add water and kale. Cover and cook about 15 minutes. Put kale in bowl and set aside.
Drain water from skillet, add last Tbsp of coconut oil. Add shrimp to heat through. Add pesto and mix.
Add noodles back into pan and mix well.
Add Kale.
Toss all of the ingredients together mixing well. If you think that the sauce is to thick you can add some of the pasta water and mix.
Plate and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and parmesan cheese.
Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe
This recipe for fresh basil pesto takes about 10 minutes prep time and yields 1 cup.
Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves
juice from 1/2 lemon (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Special equipment needed: A food processor (Check Amazon.com’s sales on Cuisinart food processors)
Directions
1. Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. Add the garlic and lemon juice, pulse a few times more.
2. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.
Homemade Hash Browns with Quail Eggs, Basil and Goat Cheese
These homemade Hash Browns with Quail Eggs, Basil and Goat Cheese make a tasty Sunday brunch or just an anytime meal.
This recipe serves 4 but could be easily amended to serve as many as you want.
Ingredients
8 medium potatoes (this allows for 2 potatoes per person)
1 large onion
4 Tbsp, divided
4 quail eggs
4-8 leaves of basil
goat cheese
salt and pepper
Directions
Place potatoes and onion in VitaMix. Cover with water. Put on #5 for 5 seconds. Don’t blend any longer or it will be mush. Drain water and rinse well.
Put 2 Tbsp of olive oil in pan and heat. Put potato/onion mixture in pan and cover. Add some salt (or seasoned salt, or whatever seasoning you like), and leave them alone! Let the potatoes cook for about 5 minutes. Scrambled hashbrowns aren’t nearly as tasty as scrambled eggs. They get mushy.
Flip the potatoes over and cook for another 5 or so minutes.
In separate pan, put remaining 2 Tbsp of oil. Crack quail eggs and put in hot pan. These only take about one minute to cook.
To serve, place hash browns on plate. Top with a quail egg, basil and goat cheese.
Shrimp and Avocado Boats
Shrimp and Avocado Boats
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
4 Avocados
12-16 Medium Shrimp, Cooked
1 Medium Tomato, diced
Cilantro, chopped
1 lime
Directions
Cut avocados in half. Then cut each half cross-wise (try not to cut the skin because you will be using those later). Take a spoon and scoop out avocado and place in bowl. Set aside skins for later use.
Cut shrimp into bite size pieces and place in bowl. Add tomato and cilantro to bowl. Add the juice of one lime. Use fork to lightly mix ingredients together.
Place shrimp/avocado mixture back into avocado skins and serve.
Greek Guacamole
Ingredients
1 ripe avocado
6-8 Greek olives, pitted and diced
1 small to medium tomato, diced
1/4 feta cheese
Directions
Cut avocado in to cross-sections. Use a spoon to scoop out and place in bowl.
Take a fork and mash avocado to the consistency you desire. Add diced olives and tomato. Add feta cheese. Take fork and mix well.
Serving suggestions
This dip is fabulous on chips. We’ve been putting it on the Olive flavor chips from Food Should Taste Good that I bought at Whole Foods Market, but you also buy them on-line at Food Should Taste Good website.
It would also be great on a baguette. I have yet to find a Gluten Free baguette so I just put some tapioca bread on a pizza stone, put it into a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Cut off the crusts to make it look pretty. Put a nice dollop of the Greek Guacamole on top and serve on a fancy plate. Everyone will think you worked for hours in the kitchen.
White Chocolate Lemon Basil Smoothie
I’ve been wanting to make Mia’s Domain’s White Chocolate Basil & Lemon cookies since I saw it on her Facebook Wall. So while I was at the store today, I bought some white chocolate. It figured it was a start since I forgot to bring the ingredients list.
I just kept thinking about that white chocolate sitting down in kitchen when it dawned on me that I have basil and lemon curd. All of a sudden, I’m thinking White Chocolate Basil and Lemon smoothie. Oh my goodness, now I really can’t wait to make the cookies. The smoothie is absolutely divine.
Here’s what I did (just in case you want to make it for yourself):
1 cup ice
3-4 Basil leaves
2 tsp of lemon juice
1 tbsp of lemon curd
3 tbsp of plain Greek yogurt
white chocolate, melted (I used 3 squares of my bar, but I’m thinking next time maybe a few more…it’s a personal thing)
6 oz of Hazelnut Milk
Put in blender and mix. Pure heaven.
Spaghetti Squash Tacos
It’s Meatless Monday so I’m always looking for new recipes to try. My friend told me about these Spaghetti Squash Tacos from Allrecipes.com so I decided to check it out. I’ve made a few modifications to the recipe that they had.
Ingredients
1 large spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (optional)
1 pinch salt, to taste
1 cup shredded cheese (optional)
1 tomato, diced (optional)
1 avocado, diced (optional)
12 crisp taco shells
For Taco Seasoning
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
Preheat an oven to 375 degrees. Place the two halves of the squash with the cut sides facing down into a baking dish. Bake the squash until tender about 40 minutes.
Strip the squash from the rind with a fork into short strands and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook the onion and jalapeno pepper in the hot oil until the onion is browned and soft, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the squash and 1/2 of taco seasoning mixture from above (store rest in a sealed container); cook and stir the mixture for 5 minutes more. Season with salt.
Stuff into taco shells to serve. Top with cheese, tomatoes and avocado.
Baby Bok Choy Noodle Bowl
I have never cooked with bok choy and, to be honest, if I hadn’t kept seeing recipes for green smoothies in it, I may never have cooked with it.
As I said I got the baby bok choy to try it in a green smoothie, but today is Meatless Monday so I decided straight to Google to research what I should make with it.
I already had sesame oil, coconut oil, ginger, garlic and rice vinegar on hand so the idea to make a noodle bowl was a definite possibility. The recipe I found called for mushrooms which I didn’t have on hand. So I decided to improvise with the veggies and this the Baby Bok Choy Noodle Bowl recipe I came up with.
The recipe is pretty easy and quick to put together. Next time I make it I may add some heat to it — maybe a jalapeno pepper.
Baby Bok Choy Noodle Bowl
serves 2-4
4-6 bunches of baby bok choy
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 sprigs green onion, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup coconut oil, divided
2 tbsp sesame oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
thumb sized nub of ginger, grated
1 lemon + 2 limes
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 package Gluten Free quinoa noodles
Sea salt
Pepper
Directions
First, cook the noodles. Bring a large pot of water to boil with a bit of oil to keep noodles from sticking. You want to noodles to be al dente so keep a close watch and remove from heat. Drain and then rinse immediately. Toss with a tablespoon or so of sesame oil and set aside while you prepare the veggies.
Cut the bottoms off of the baby bok choy and put leaves in a bowl of cool water to let the dirt fall to the bottom. Bring a heavy pan (or wok, if you have one) to heat with 2-3 tbsps of coconut oil, 1 tbsp of sesame oil, and the garlic and ginger. Simmer to brown the garlic then add the damp bok choy leaves, carrots, onions and celery to braise in the oil for about 5 minutes.
Add the juice of one lemon and vinegar. Add the dried and cooled noodles back into pan and toss until coated and warmed. Assemble the bowl. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, a bit of lime juice, and the (optional) fresh green onion.
