White Beans and Bacon with Crispy Sage

I'm not a meal planner so when it comes time to make a dinner I usually just look to see what I have and if I don't know what to make I turn to Google.  Last week I googled "white beans and bacon."  A few recipes came up but the one that caught my eye was a medieval recipe with a modern counterpart.  I was on my iPhone so I couldn't see the whole website but later realized it's a blog of recipes based on Game of Thrones books. 

How cool is that?

 

I didn't have all the ingredients handy so I checked my veggie garden

and here is my recipe based on the original. 

(see below for link to the original recipe and the cool blog called In At The Crossroads)

 

 4 cups cooked white beans* 

1 package nitrate free bacon, cut into small pieces

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

4 large kale leaves, tough stems removed and chopped

handful of sage leaves

Cooking oil

 

Cook bacon until crispy, set aside and drain most of bacon fat from pan. 

Reserve remaining bacon fat.

 

Add a tablespoon of oil, I use grapeseed for high heat cooking like this.

Heat oil then carefully add the sage leaves.  Do not leave the pan, once the sage leaves start to turn darker they need to be taken out of the oil, they can burn very quickly.  Set crispy sage on papertowel and lightly salt.  Set aside.

 

Add a bit more oil if needed, then saute onions and kale until soft.  Add garlic and saute for one minute more.  Add beans and bacon and a few tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat (optional, but it adds tons of flavor.)  Mix all in pan just until everything is heated back up.  Add pepper to taste, you shouldn't need any salt, the bacon should add more than enough.

 

Spoon onto plates then top with crispy sage.

 

I served mine with gluten free rolls.

 

Everyone in my family loved this, the kids went back for seconds and no leftovers!

 

 

 

*I always cook my own beans. Besides being much cheaper than canned, I am saving all the sodium and BPA's you get from canned beans.

 

 

 

Original recipe here

A little bit of this and a little bit of that...and summer is starting!

First of all, my Hungarian fold art A is finally done and framed.  I love they way is looks. 

I'm hoping I can start on B soon.  See my process here 

My garden is growing so well!  I am harvesting zucchini, pattypan squash, kale, Hungarian wax peppers, green beans and herbs.  Soon I should have tons of tomatoes, radish and carrots to add to the list.  I've also found a volunteer vine of some sort, I think it's a melon...we will see.

Pattypan

Zucchini

Hungarian Wax Pepper and you can also see the big vine next to it which I think will be some kind of melon...or pumpkin?

I also planted a new rose bed.  This is a neglected area that gets strong afternoon sun, not a lot of water and has poor soil.  Unfortunately it's become our cats toilet more than anything else!  In an attempt to reclaim the area I though thorny rose bushes would do the trick.

  I have mostly hybrid tea roses in my garden so I was excited to plant 3 David Austin roses. They are so much nicer than that stinky patch of dirt.  I amended well with compost and so far the roses (and I) are pretty happy.  The cat is sort of bewildered...

As summer approaches I am gearing up my healthy eating and exercising.  One of my favorite new smoothies is based on a recipe from Harley Pasternak.

1/2 apple, cored

1/2 banana

5 almonds or cashews

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup greek yogurt

Enough milk to fill my blender cup - about 1/2 cup.  Can be any milk or milk substitute.

Blend and enjoy.  It tastes just like apple pie to me. 

Sometimes I also add a handful of spinach.  Just enough to add some greens but not enough to change the flavor.  Usually I can't even taste the spinach.

I've been really into mason jars.  Overnight oatmeal in a mason jar has become my staple breakfast, I don't have a picture but here is my go to recipe:

1/3 cup oats (not quick oats)

1 T chia seeds

1 T maple syrup

1/3 cup greek yogurt

1/2 cup milk

Mix well and seal in a mason jar overnight.  In the morning I add some or all:

1/2 sliced banana

1 teaspoon raw cacao nibs

1 teaspoon chopped pecans

This is just my recipe but you can have fun creating your own.  There are hundreds of variations at your finger tips via Google.

I also chop salads up into large mason jars up to three days ahead and refrigerate.  I add protein like deli ham, hard boiled egg and the dressing when I am ready to eat.  I find it easier to make healthy choices for lunch when these are in the fridge ready to go.

 And last but not least, after months of neglecting my art, it's time to get the creative juices flowing because ICAD's and Summer of Color are starting! 

I loved the ICAD challenge last year.  See the roundup of what I did here.

And this year I am determined to keep up with Summer of Color, too.

Join me! 

Click below for more information:

Lemon Olive Oil Yogurt Cake with Lemon "Cream", Gluten Free and Dairy Free

Lemon Olive Oil Yogurt Cake

It's been ages since I posted a recipe so I'm excited to share this one. My family has been loving this cake so much that I have made it three days in a row! It's that easy and that good!

You would never, ever know this cake is both gluten and dairy free. It is hands down, the most moist and fluffy baked item I have come across since I went gluten free (and if you are familiar with GF baked goods you know this is a big deal!)

Fully loaded

With just a sprinkle of confectioners sugar

Lemon Olive Oil Yogurt Cake

• 1 cup gluten free flour of choice.  I used Bob's Red Mill Biscuit and Baking Mix.  Any flour mix will do, even regular flour or a combination.  I've used corn and coconut flour with good results.
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar OR do what I did and substitute a little SweetLeaf Stevia with the  granulated sugar to cut down on the sugar.
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup plain non dairy yogurt of choice.  I used So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk
• 1/4 extra virgin olive oil
• Zest and juice of 1 medium lemon.  You should end up with about a teaspoon of zest and 2 Tablespoons of juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Mix all and pour into greased 8 inch round cake pan, spread cake batter to edges of pan. Batter will be tick.  Bake in 350 degree oven.  Start testing the cake at 20 minutes, top should be lightly golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.  22 minutes is perfect in my oven.

Makes about 8 slices.  Prepared my way each slice is about 210 calories (without the cream.)  The cream is nice if you are making a fancy dessert but the cake doesn't need it to be delicious.  The first day I made this cake I also made the cream which lasted through the second cake. Refrigerate the cream in between uses. 



Lemon "Cream" from Go Dairy Free. 
See original source here, I've just reprinted for your convenience:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• Juice of medium lemon
• 1 Tablespoon dairy-free margarine

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a small saucepan. Gradually add water and whisk until well blended. Whisk in egg yolks, lemon peel and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thick and bubbly. Boil one minute; remove from heat. Stir in butter. Cool to room temperature, without stirring

Manicotti, one dinner, four ways

One dinner, four ways. 
Yesterday was my turn in the "mealtrain" that has been making sure my friend L and her family are eating well since her surgery.

Since I made manicotti for L almost 10 years ago when her older daughter was born I thought it would be fun to do it again.  Since I was cooking on a weekday, I was hoping to make the same for my own family to save time but herein lies the problem:

L is a vegetarian
My son is allergic to dairy
I am gluten free

After a bit of consideration here is what I did.

 

 

1. For L and her family I made the recipe as listed above.  Sorry about the flash obscuring some words...it says "in a pan heat."  I did add sauteed onions to the mix and a little dried basil...because I can't leave recipes alone.  I substituted half the Parmesan with mozzarella because I like the cheese to be a little more gooey.  I also didn't steam the spinach first, totally unnecessary! (top right in picture)

2. For my husband and daughter I made a second batch in the same way but I used precooked Italian sausage instead of mushrooms.   I cooked the sausage the night before, just squeeze meat out of sausages, discard skin and cook meat like any ground meat. (top left in picture)

3. For myself I made a polenta bake, I crumbled most of a package of polenta (the tube from Trader Joes) in the bottom of an 8X8 baking dish and covered with some spaghetti sauce.  Then I added the ricotta/spinach/Parmesan/mozzarella/sausage mixture prepared in the same way as above.  I topped with more spaghetti sauce and then sprinkled 1/4 cup each shredded mozzarella and Parmesan.  I baked covered at 350 for 45 minutes. (bottom left in picture)

4. For my son, I reserved 4 manicotti.  I used the last bit of polenta, about 1/3 cup and mixed with about the same amount of the cooked Italian sausage.  I added some spaghetti sauce and then about 1/4 cup of non-dairy "cheese."  I use Daiya brand.  I stuffed the 4 manicotti with this mixture and then followed the same instructions as the Manicotti above, some sauce in the pan and more on top of the manicotti. (bottom right in picture)

In the end this did not save ANY time...in fact it was hectic and a bit crazy to make all of these variations but I also found the process of accommodating all these dietary requirements quite amusing.

Everyone enjoyed their meals. 
L specifically mentioned how pleased she was to have mushrooms and spinach in her manicotti. 
My son was thrilled to eat something that normally would be full of allergy inducing cheese and he loved the taste of my concoction. 
My polenta bake as amazing...I didn't miss the pasta at all.  And of course my husband and daughter loved their gooey traditional manicotti.

I don't recommend cooking like this often...but it made me happy to please everyone!

Homemade Marinara Sauce

When faced with a bumper crop of tomatoes why not make your own marinara sauce?  I found this basic recipe, tweaked it a little and it turned out quite easy and delicious.  Keep in mind that this recipe can be easily modified to fit your needs and tastes.  When I was done peeling and seeding I found that I had 7 cups of tomatoes and not the 12 the original recipe calls for so I adjusted all the other ingredients accordingly. 

Ingredients

7 cups peeled and seeded ripe tomatoes

1 large onion, chopped

1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon mixed dried herbs (I used Italian blend)

1/3 cup red wine

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

 

In a large pot heat olive oil.  Add onions and saute over medium heat stirring frequently.  When onions are starting to become translucent and golden brown (about 5 minutes) add garlic and dried herbs and cook for 5 another minutes.

Add red wine (I didn't really add the wine from my glass, I just thought it was funny to photograph it that way!)  Stir well, scraping the herbs, onion and garlic from bottom of pan.  Cook for 2 minutes. 

 

Add tomatoes and bay leaf bring to gentle simmer then lower heat and cook slowly for 2 hours.  Stir frequently.  Add more salt & pepper to taste if needed.

 

When it was done I took out about a cup to freeze and use another day for pizza sauce. 

 

For now I decided to brown some ground beef to make a bolognese sauce to serve over (gluten free corn) spaghetti. So good and so proud of myself. I made this from scratch!

 

And the tomatoes keep coming...



I'm linking this post to Must Try Mondays on My Favorite Finds...because you must try this recipe!  :)

Healthy Banana Blueberry Pancakes (GF & Dairy Free)

I have not posted a recipe in a long time so I'm excited to finally share this one which I made for a 4th of July holiday breakfast today.  I've made variations of this several times but usually for dinner.  We are big fans of BFD (Breakfast For Dinner.)  The first time I made these pancakes I wasn't sure how my kids would react because these are not your usual pancake but they loved them!  Now it's the only pancake recipe I make.  I love the wholesome ingredients and the fact that no sugar is added.  My family just loves the way they taste!

Ingredients

1 cup gluten free flour of choice, I used Arrowhead Mills.  If you are not GF, use whole wheat flour.

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup almond meal (sometimes called almond flour)

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 medium bananas

1 cup milk of choice, I used unsweetened rice milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup applesauce

1 Tablespoon ground flax seed (optional*)

1 Tablespoon chia seeds (optional*)

1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries or mixed berries (I used blueberries today but have also used raspberries  or a mixture of the two.)

* Both the ground flax seed and chia seeds can be omitted or you can double one up and omit the other - i.e. 2 Tablespoons flax, no chia.

 Combine first 5 dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  In another bowl, mash the bananas and then mix in milk, egg, vanilla extract, applesauce, flax & chia seeds.  Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until smooth.  Gently fold in berries.  Warm skillet or griddle and coat liberally with cooking spray or butter, as these pancakes are a bit sticky.  Measure out 1/4 - 1/3 cup of batter and pour onto skillet.  The pancakes will not be round as the batter is rather thick.  You can shape them into nicer rounder shapes with a spoon if you like.  Cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. 

Keep in mind that because of the banana and berries the pancakes will be slightly mushy in the middle.  If you like, put them on a baking sheet in the oven on medium heat for a few minutes to help dry them out.  I usually put the first batch in the oven while I cook the second batch.  This makes about 12 pancakes for me.

Some variations I have tried:

- Use only 1/4 cup almond meal and add 1/4 cup slivered almonds.  Makes them crunchier.

- Mash only one of the bananas.  Slice the second banana and add it when you add the berries.  Can make them mushier.

To makes these vegan, subsititue the egg with 3 additional Tablespoons of ground flaxseeds mixed with a little water.

 

Adapted from a recipe I found in the January 2012 issue of Self Magazine.  If you try my recipe I would love feedback.  Enjoy!!

I am linking up to Market Yourself Monday on Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Carmelized Onion, Ham & Apple Risotto

The other day I looked in the freezer for some dinner inspiration and found some leftover glazed ham from Easter.  I was going for a ham & rice dish inspired by Joy of Cooking's Arroz con Pollo but when I realized that the ham was too sweet I headed another direction.  This recipe is naturally gluten free and diary free.  Omit the ham and it's vegan, too!

 

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
2 cups chopped precooked ham
1/2 cup apple, chopped, peeled & cored
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces dry white wine
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 ounces Arborio rice
1 Tablespoon Earth Balance or other non-dairy butter substitute

Saute onions in olive oil over medium heat for about 2 minutes, add the brown sugar and continue to saute about 5 minutes.  Add ham & apple, saute until apples begin to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add the rice and stir to coat rice.  Add wine and stir while it evaporates.  Add 1 cup broth, stir well and allow to simmer.  Do not allow to dry out, keep adding broth as needed  about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently to keep from sticking., about 18-20 minutes.  Rice should be al dente, not mushy.  Once rice is cooked stir in Earth Balance to create a nice shine.  Let sit 2-5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I was chopping carrots for the salad I served with the risotto I noticed my fingernails were the exact color of the carrots...I had to be careful where I was chopping!!  This is Zoya Professional Lacquer "Arizona."

 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, gluten & dairy free

I've been baking macaroons lately, the problem with making macaroons, not once, but twice is that my husband doesn't love coconut.  The poor guy would come home to find me baking only to realize I had made something he didn't like.  When I saw this recipe using his favorite flavors (peanut butter & chocolate) I knew I had to make them soon!  They turned out so good...maybe even the best cookies I have ever made.

Ingredients

1 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
½ cup sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup chocolate chips (Trader Joe's semi sweet are diary free)
Sugar for rolling

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Using a tablespoon, scoop and roll dough into balls and roll the balls in the sugar.

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and flatten slightly, I did the traditional fork criss-cross but the shape didn't survive the baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until the edges begin to turn a golden brown. Cool completely.  Enjoy!

 

One last note, these cookies are moist and soft but I must admit I slightly over-baked the second batch (just shy of being burned, really) and they were a big hit, too.  The more well-done cookies were drier and crumbly...so if you like a well done cookie, bake for a few minutes longer.

Macaroons, Take 2

I'm in the middle of a macaroons experiment.  I made macaroons last week and they were amazing....ut they were quite sweet and sticky and I wanted to see if I could make a more cookie like macaroon, denser and maybe with a little less sugar.  Here's how it went.

 

 

 

These cookies came out well, they were definitely not as sticky and sweet as that first batch.  These cookies are drier, denser and more filling.  My kids definitely prefered the sweeter ones.  Honestly I hesitated about posting these, not that they are bad...they are just not fabulous like the previous recipe.  I did promise a follow up, though, so here it is.

Ingredients

3 cups unsweetened flaked coconut, I used a small flake

1 cup almond meal

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almon extract

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 cup egg whites

pinch of salt

In a heavy saucepan combine eggs, egg whites, sugar and coconut. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently for 12-15 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in extracts and almond meal. Transfer to a bowl and let it cool in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Using a tablespoon, scoop tightly packed spoonfulls onto baking sheet covered in parchement paper. Bake at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden.

I think I will going back to the kitchen one more time, maybe the first recipe with a combination of sweetened and unsweetened coconut?  Or maybe leave well enough alone and just make another batch of version one?  Stay tuned.