Sautéed Romano Beans with Toasted Hazelnuts

Romano beans are similar to the standard green bean, but they are flat and grow in Mediterranean-type climates. I bought a bag from a local organic farmer at the Saturday Market. I was thrilled to see that this particular stand was using Bio Bags to sell their produce! I sure wish all co-ops and health food stores would switch to this biodegradable and compostable form of plastic!



I wasn’t sure what I would do with them when I left the market, but I knew I would figure something out. I ended up steaming them, adding them to a Thai curry, and lastly making this yummy dish. You need to be careful when cooking Romano beans because they can all turn to mush if you overcook them!

This simple side dish is very quick to prepare. The toasted hazelnuts add a luscious flavor and crunch. This recipe is perfect for Phase 3 of the Elimination Diet though could be made for phase 1 or 2 by replacing the nuts with toasted sunflower seeds.

The inspiration from this recipe came from Heidi’s 101Cookbooks blog where I noticed a recent photo involving green beans and hazelnuts. Her photos are so lovely, worth the trip over to her blog for sure!

Sautéed Romano Beans with Toasted Hazelnuts

I used my large, 11-inch skillet for this recipe. Use a large enough pan so the beans can move around and sauté without being overcrowded and turn to mush. Cut very long beans in half to keep all of them relatively the same size. This dish is delicious even on the second day, enjoy!

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 to 1 ½ pounds Romano beans, ends trimmed
dash sea salt or Herbamare
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup water
¾ cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped*

handful fresh parsley, chopped fine
Herbamare and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add beans and sauté for about 4 minutes. Keep them moving in the pan to prevent the bottom ones from browning. I usually like to add a dash of salt or two at this point. Add crushed garlic and sauté for 30 to 60 seconds more. Garlic can burn very quickly so watch it.

Quickly add the water and cover the pan. Cook until desired tenderness, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove lid and cook off any remaining liquid. Take pan off of the heat and toss the beans with the chopped hazelnuts and parsley. Season with Herbamare (it doesn’t take much) and freshly ground black pepper.

*Note: To toast the hazelnuts, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place the nuts in a glass pie plate. Toast in the oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned and you smell a luscious flavor being emitted from your oven! Cool on a plate then chop with a large knife. Source: www.nourishingmeals.com

Other veggie side dish recipes:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Raw Mediterranean Kale Salad

Zucchini Bake

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Blueberry Syrup

Today I thought I would share a very simple pancake syrup recipe that is full of blueberry lusciousness. This antioxidant-rich, blueish-purple syrup is great atop freshly made pancakes and also can be used as a Phase 1 Elimination Diet recipe!

My favorite way to use this syrup is to pour it over a stack of homemade, gluten-free buckwheat pancakes. Though lately I have found a few additional creative ways to use it. You see, it is blueberry season out here, and every year we pick at least 100 pounds of these sweet, juicy morsels. That means every year around this time our fridge is stocked with fresh blueberries and a jar of this syrup. Usually I don't measure, but since I wanted to share it with you, I painstakingly took the time to measure out all four ingredients. I know, I work hard don't I? :)

For a Phase 1 elimination diet-friendly breakfast, try pouring this syrup over a bowl of cooked short grain brown rice or quinoa and top with toasted pumpkin seeds and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Enjoy!

Blueberry Syrup

Either fresh or frozen blueberries work in this recipe. You can also mix it up a little and use blackberries, raspberries, or strawberries.....or a mix of all of them! Sometimes I use kudzu starch in place of the arrowroot which is very healing to the intestines. Use 1 tablespoon kudzu in place of the 2 tablespoons arrowroot. This syrup will solidify a little in the fridge and needs to be heated before using.

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup water

2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave nectar (I usually use grade B maple syrup)

2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend on high until smooth. Pour liquid into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until little bubbles form, reduce heat just slightly and continue to cook while whisking until thickened and clear. It only takes about 3 to 5 minutes total cooking time! Just remember to keep whisking.

Other Breakfast recipes:

Teff Pancakes

Pumpkin Pancakes

Whole Grain Waffles

Quinoa with Warm Cinnamon Apple Topping

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15-Minute Poached Salmon

The other day, while Tom was out of town, I got home from running a few errands at 5pm. The kids were all hungry and ready for dinner….like now! I had a beautiful fillet of wild Coho salmon which I had bought the previous day, ready to be seasoned and baked. My friend who was helping out with the kids thought I should use some of the blueberries we still had sitting on the counter waiting to be processed and frozen. Mashed blueberries with ginger to top the salmon was her idea. I thought yum, but I don’t have time for that right now.

I mean, I had two crying 1 year olds pulling on my legs. Poached salmon came to mind. With a thin fillet like I had, 10 minutes cooking time is all that is needed. Add five minutes of prep time and you get 15-minute Poached Salmon.

Serve it over brown rice noodles with a green salad for a 15 minute meal! How is that for healthy and quick?

Start a pot of water to boil before you prep the salmon. Add the noodles, place the salmon on the stove to cook, prep a salad or steam green beans. Dinner is done, kids in the bath, bedtime early…..ahhhh take a breath, relax.

15-Minute Poached Salmon

I used Lucini Rustic Tomato Basil pasta sauce but you could use a homemade sauce or any other brand. Either red or white wine will work here. I used Napa Valley Natural’s Burgundy because I don’t often keep wine in the house. The trick to keeping the salmon tender is to keep the heat low, like a gentle simmer. If you turn the heat too high the fish will toughen up. The acids from the wine and tomatoes also help to tenderize it. I use a 12-inch oval au gratin pan to poach fish. I am sure a 10 or 11-inch skillet would work too.

1 ½ pounds wild salmon, such as Coho
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup pasta sauce
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Rinse the salmon and place into an oval pan or skillet (you’ll need one with a lid). Season the fillet with a few pinches of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour the pasta sauce over the fillet, drizzle with olive oil. Pour wine over fillet and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Cover pan and cook over medium to medium-low heat. The cooking time will depend on how thick your fillet is. To check for doneness you can pull away the flesh with a fork to see if it is pink. Remember though that the salmon will continue to cook after you remove it from the heat. Enjoy! :)

You might also like these recipes:

Slow Cooked Chicken Tacos

Baked Wild Salmon and Local Veggies

Easy Gluten-Free Chicken Stew

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Zucchini Bake...tastes like cheese!

The other evening, as I was preparing dinner, I thought about using up some of the zucchini that I had. Why not layer it, sort of like scalloped potatoes I thought? Hmmm, almond flour might be nice in between the layers of zucchini as would the sweet walla walla onions I had.

Sometimes I take photos of my creations just in case they are blog worthy. So as I was taking a photo of this finished dish, Tom tried a bite of it. He said: "Hey Al, this really tastes like ricotta cheese.....it isn't ricotta is it? What is this?" Being vegan, he was thrilled to have something taste like cheese. I didn't think it was a ricotta imitator, but you can be the judge. Either way, it was very delicious and the two of us finished it off that night.

I buy my blanched almond flour locally from Lucy's Kitchen Shop but I have heard that Honeyville is also a good place to order it.

This recipe is a Phase 3 Elimination Diet recipe. Enjoy! :)

Zucchini Bake

I use a 9-inch deep dish pie plate to bake this, but I think any type of casserole dish would work. You may need more zucchini and other ingredients if your pan size is quite a bit larger. I use Greek seasoning from Penzeys Spices. Here are the ingredients if you would like to try and make it yourself: salt, oregano, garlic, lemon peel, Tellicherry black pepper, marjoram.

2 medium zucchini, sliced

1 large walla walla onion, cut into crescent moons

blanched almond flour

extra virgin olive oil

Greek seasoning or Italian seasoning

Herbamare

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Start by adding about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the bottom of your baking dish (I use a 9-inch pie plate). Then add a layer of zucchini. Next add a few onions. Then sprinkle with a little Herbamare (not too much) and Greek seasoning. Then add about 3 to 4 tablespoons blanched almond flour.

Repeat by starting with a layer of zucchini again. Continue until you are out of ingredients. End with a layer of zucchini. Top with a few tablespoons blanched almond flour, Herbamare, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes. *Or until the desired doneness of the zucchini.

Other Recipes that would be delicious served with this:

Balsamic Roasted Chicken

15-Minute Poached Salmon

Mixed Greens with Fig-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Raw Mediterranean Kale Salad

Gluten-Free Whole Grain Flatbread

Other News:

Tom was invited back this year to speak at the International College of Integrative Medicine conference in Grand Rapids, MI, October 2 - 4. The theme of this year's event is detoxification.

Tom and I were both invited to be part of Wordstock, the Portland Literary Festival, October 8 - 11. This year's theme is food.

A fellow food blogger, Shirley from Gluten Free Easily, is doing a giveaway right now for a free copy of our book! Check out her site and leave a comment for a chance to win! :)

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Spicy Summer Black Bean Salad

The days of overflowing gardens and refrigerators full of produce are upon us! What to do with all of those peppers, tomatoes, and onions? I got it! A fresh black bean salad!

On Saturday, the girls and I went to the market to pick up what is not growing in our garden, such as peppers (mine aren't ready yet), cucumbers, carrots, and garlic. While I was picking out a few hot peppers, my girls saw some "pretty tomatoes" that they really wanted to buy. Apparently the tomatoes in our garden aren't pretty. So I bought tomatoes as well.

On the drive home my mind was pairing peppers with quinoa, no. Peppers, cooked, with a sauce, maybe enchiladas, no. How about a cold black bean salad, alright now we're talking. Oh and I could use the tomatoes that the girls just had to have. The mammoth-sized green onions in our garden would go well here too. Now I just need some limes.

How is that for a sneak peek into my mind?

This evening, as I was preparing this salad for dinner, I snitched a piece of pepper. A spicy hot blast of fiery red pepper burnt my lips. Tom walked in the door just at that moment to hear me cussing in front of the kids. He quickly went into the fridge and opened up a bottle of Green's gluten-free beer. "Here" he said, "this will help." I have not had a beer in quite a while but that tasted so good and immediately calmed the fire on my lips.

I thought I was buying a sweet Italian pepper, they look the same, at least I think? I kept them in the salad and thought we would just give it a try. Mixed with everything else it was totally edible and actually quite delicious, but still spicy.

Needless to say I didn't want to serve this to my kids. For them I made mashed black bean and avocado wraps with roasted potatoes on the side.

Read below for helpful kitchen tips.

Happy Summer!

Spicy Summer Black Bean Salad

This fresh salad is full of antioxidants, vitamins (especially vitamin C), and live enzymes (from the raw vegetables). It is low in fat and high in fiber; a perfect cholesterol lowering meal. Serve it for a party or bring it to a potluck. It can also be served in lettuce leaves as a "wrap" or "taco." Serve it over cooked quinoa for a heartier meal.

6 cups cooked black beans

4 cups chopped tomatoes

3 ears raw corn, cut off the cob *

3 spicy peppers such as jalapeno or banana peppers, diced *

1 mild red pepper, diced (such as a bell pepper or another spicy one if you dare)

2 cups sliced green onions or chopped sweet onions

1 cup chopped cilantro

Dressing:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

the juice from 2 limes

2 teaspoons Herbamare (or sea salt)

1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin

Place all salad ingredients into a large glass bowl. Whisk the ingredients for the dressing in a separate small bowl. Pour dressing over salad and gently toss together.

Source: www.glutenfreewholefoods.blogspot.com

*Tip: To cut the corn from the cob, hold the corn upright over a plate. Use a serrated knife and a gentle sawing action to cut the corn away.

*Tip: To easily remove the seeds from hot peppers, hold the pepper upright on a cutting board and cut away the sides into fourths, leaving the "core." Rinse the pepper pieces under running water to remove any seeds.

*Tip: For info on how to cook beans, please refer to this post. If you do not want to cook your own beans you can use canned beans. 6 cups cooked beans equals about 3 to 4 cans.

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Cold Spaghetti Salad

Here is another summer recipe for you to sink your taste buds into. Refreshing, colorful, slightly salty, and full of flavor, this salad would make a great addition to a summer picnic!

The original recipe comes from my aunt Martha. While I was visiting my mom this summer, she pulled the recipe out of the old family cookbook in hopes that I would make it. I took one look at it and thought...yum! Martha's recipe used wheat-based spaghetti noodles and green bell peppers. I used Tinkyada spaghetti noodles because they don't get mushy and fall apart during cooking. Be sure to cook them al dente for this salad. For some reason I am not a huge fan of green bell peppers so I omitted them for this recipe. If you would like to use them, her recipe says to chop them and saute lightly with the onions and garlic.

I use kalamata olives produced by the company Mediterranean Organics. I while back I wrote the company about the citric acid used in their products. Here in the USA citric acid can only be made from corn (through fermentation), but in other countries it can be made from either corn, wheat, molasses, or beets. About 25% of the citric acid used here in the USA is imported from other countries, meaning, unless you write the company to find out the source you may be getting minute amounts of gluten in your diet.

Here is the response I received from the company: The citric acid in the Mediterranean Organic Olives and Capers is produced by the fermentation of sucrose derived from cane and beet sources and purified to the highest standard. The Peppers is manufactured through a natural (microbial) fermentation process which converts corn syrup (a carbohydrate substrate) to citric acid using the microorganism Aspergillus niger . The corn syrup is GMO free. And yes, the products are also Gluten-free.

Happy Summer!

Cold Spaghetti Salad

Serve this delicious salad as part of a summer picnic or with a fresh green salad for an easy, light summer meal. Our Everyday Salad Dressing over fresh greens would compliment this spaghetti salad very well.

two-12 ounce packages Tinkyada spaghetti noodles

1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 tablespoons minced garlic

4 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

1 cup pitted kalamata olives

sea salt or Herbamare and freshly ground black pepper

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Cook the noodles according to the packages directions, though cook them al dente. Rinse with cold water in a colander to stop cooking. Set aside.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil and chopped onions. Saute for about 10 minutes being careful not to brown too much. Keep the heat low enough to cook the onions until completely soft and flavorful (I add a few pinches of sea salt to the cooking onions to help with this). Then add the garlic and cook for a few minutes more. Watch the temp so the garlic doesn't burn. Remove from heat.

Add the cooked and cooled noddles to a large bowl. Then add in the cooked onions and garlic, and all of the remaining ingredients. Toss well. I use quite a bit of black pepper to season this. Add salt to taste.

Tip: To toast the pine nuts use a dry skillet and place over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and keep them moving in the pan for a few minutes until lightly browned. Watch them closely as they can burn easily!

Source: www.glutenfreewholefoods.blogspot.com

Other tasty summer recipes:

Cucumber Tomato Basil Salad

Raw Mediterranean Kale Salad

Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream

Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing

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Sugar-Free Watermelon Sorbet

The sultry days of summer are upon us and refreshing, cooling foods seem to be the daily mainstay. Watermelon has a high water content and is naturally sweet making it perfect for sorbet. This recipe is very easy to make and does not require an ice cream maker.

Before I give you the recipe I thought I would highlight a few health benefits of watermelon. This pink, juicy fruit is an excellent source for the potent carotenoid antioxidant, lycopene. Watermelon, as well as tomatoes, offers high amounts of lycopene. Lycopene has been found to be protective against various forms of cancers including, prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, endometrial cancer, and colorectal cancers.

What exactly is an antioxidant you say? Well, since every cell in our bodies is exposed to oxygen and other potentially harmful substances every day, we need to offer protection. Thankfully nature puts protective chemicals in whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables, which do a fabulous job at protecting us. These protective chemicals are called antioxidants. Antioxidants offer protection to our cells by donating electrons to counteract any damage that may have been done. This damage occurs every day so this is why it is impotent to eat fresh fruits and vegetables all day, everyday. Disease can manifest when too many cells have been damaged. What better way to enjoy dessert than with fruit!


Watermelon Sorbet

The trick to making this recipe at a moment's notice is to have your freezer already stocked with chopped watermelon. Then all you need to do is toss everything into the food processor and you can have a healthy, refreshing dessert in minutes!

4 to 5 cups frozen (seedless) watermelon chunks
the juice of one lime
1/3 cup honey or agave nectar
1/8 teaspoon guar gum

Place all ingredients into a food processor fitted with the "s" blade and pulse. Continue to process then pulse until all of the chunks have become a smooth sorbet. The pulsing is really the trick here, so if the watermelon chunks just are not breaking down, turn off your machine, then pulse. Taste and add more sweetener if necessary. Pulse again.

You can serve it right away or scoop it out and freeze for a few hours in a container. Use an ice cream scoop to serve.
Source: www.glutenfreewholefoods.blogspot.com

Please note: I have not frozen this recipe for more than a few hours because my children eat it all up right away!

Let me know what you think! :)


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Gluten-Free Whole Grain Waffle Recipe

Today I wanted to share with you a tasty little waffle recipe that I created a few days ago. I know many gluten-free recipes and packaged products usually contain large amount of not-so-nutritious starches and refined flours such as white rice flour. Well this one doesn't. I rely on flours from super nutritious grains such as teff, quinoa, and millet. These flours not only significantly boost the nutrition, they add loads of flavor.

This recipe does contain eggs, though I do use coconut oil and rice milk which makes the recipe dairy-free. For those of you who do milk and butter you could easily use these ingredients instead. You can also make this recipe corn-free by using the corn-free baking powder recipe in our cookbook.

Over the last few days I have made this recipe a couple of times. Each time sharing it with my extended family who we are visiting right now. My 5 year old nephew asks me every morning, "Auntie Ali, are you going to make those waffles again today?" I take that as a success!

I bought all of the flours needed, except the millet flour, here in my parents' Midwest town. I used Bob's Red Mill brand. I think I gave my mom a bag of millet flour a few months ago while she was out visiting so I didn't need to purchase that one. I buy Arrowhead Mills millet flour which can be purchased online here.


Gluten-Free Whole Grain Waffles

This gluten-free waffle recipe is full of flavor and nutrition, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside - just like a waffle should be. It is also sugar-free, relying only on a small amount of maple syrup to add a touch of sweetness. If you need this recipe to be rice-free as well, simply substitute the rice flour for sorghum flour or millet flour. Waffles can be frozen and then reheated in a toaster or toaster oven for convenience. To make breakfasts even easier, plan a day to make a few batches of the dry ingredients up and store them in separate sealed containers. Place the directions and list of wet ingredients on the container. Enjoy! :)

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup dark teff flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup sorghum four

1/2 cup millet flour

1/2 cup quinoa flour

3/4 cup tapioca flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 to 4 teaspoons cinnamon

Wet Ingredients:

3 large organic eggs

6 tablespoons melted coconut oil (or melted butter)

4 tablespoons maple syrup

2 1/2 to 3 cups of non-dairy milk (or dairy milk)

Heat your waffle maker.

In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk together well. (Start with the lesser amount of milk. Make one waffle and see if it seems too dry. If it is then add more milk. It will depend on how you measure, some of us over-measure slightly and some of us under-measure.)

Pour the batter into your waffle maker per your maker's instructions.

Source: www.NourishingMeals.com

Other breakfast recipes you might enjoy:

Vegan Maple Raspberry Scones

Bean and Rice Breakfast Bowls

Green Smoothie

Teff Banana Pancakes

Other News:

Tom was recently on the Voice America Internet Talk Radio speaking about Celiac disease. If you are interested in listening to the show you can follow this link.

I just opened up a Twitter account, though I really have no idea how to use it. I think if you have a Twitter account you can follow us. Eventually I will learn how to use it, though right now I am really enjoying the summer with my children. We are playing hard! :)

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