GF Cauliflower Pancakes w/ Kale Pesto & 6 Pounds of Nuts!

Thank you all so much for your encouraging comments yesterday. I really appreciate your love and support:) It means a lot!

On another note…

As many of you know, I’m on the Body Ecology Diet. This is to kill Candida yeast. You see, these evil little yeast eat sugar. So, in order to kill them, you have to cut off their food supply. Enter: the Body Ecology Diet. This anti-Candida diet strictly prohibits sugar, and everything that breaks down into sugar. That means NO: sugar, dairy (because of the milk sugar: lactose), fruit, grains, starchy vegetables (like potatoes), sweet veggies (like beets and yams), beans (including peanuts), soy, mushrooms, tomatoes, alcohol, caffeine, or vinegars (except Apple Cider Vinegar). It does allow 4 Gluten Free grains though — quinoa, millet, buckwheat, and amaranth.

So — what does a girl eat?

Well, for the last 2 months, I’ve chronicled my dinners…but what about snacks?

gluten free – check. vegan – check. body ecology diet – check.

Nuts, people. I eat nuts.

A lot of nuts.

Six Pounds worth of nuts.

six pounds!!

And not just any nuts.  Since peanuts, and peanut oil are a “no-no” on the diet, I can’t have nuts roasted in peanut oil — which most, if not all, of the nuts at the grocery store are roasted in.

lots and lots of nuts!

So, my sweet father scoured the internet and found a company that doesn’t roast in peanut oil! So, this was our latest shipment of nuts. Macadamia (my fav), cashews, almonds and hazelnuts. In bulk! Six whopping pounds! That should last….oh about 2 weeks. ;)

studded with green onions!

Anywho, dinner tonight was really delicious! I made Cauliflower Pancakes with Kale Pesto! They were wonnnnderful! Crispy outside, tender inside, and packed with flavor! And, they’re gluten free, and Body Ecology Diet friendly with a Vegan option!

yum x 3!

Here’s what you need:
3/4 cup millet cooked in 1 1/2 cups veg stock
1/2 head of cauliflower – riced
1/4 cup almond flour
3 egg whites ((Vegan option: 3 Tbsp ground flax + 9 Tbsp water –> “flax egg”))
1/2 tsp salt
2 green onions, sliced

Kale Pesto:
1 cup packed fresh Basil
3 large stalks of kale, stems removed and steamed
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 garlic cloves
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1-2 tsp EVOO
salt to taste

healthy never tasted so good!!

Cook your millet until it absorbs all the liquid, about 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, steam your kale for about 3-4 minutes, until tender, and toast your pine nuts on the stove for about 3 minutes. Also, rice your cauliflower by breaking into florets, and then putting them in your food processor. Pulse until it becomes a “rice” consistency. Then, place your “rice” in a clean kitchen towel and wring out all the excess liquid. Then, place in a medium-sized bowl. Rinse out your food processor — you’ll use it again. :)

cauliflower pancakes!

To make your pesto, simply combine all the ingredients in your food processor. Process, scraping down the sides several times, until you get a gorgeously thick and creamy pesto!

After you millet cooks, fluff it with a fork, and let it cool. Once cool, combine it in the bowl with your cauliflower, and add your egg whites, almond flour, salt, and green onions. Mix well. This is your batter.

crispy-crunchy pancake exterior!

Heat a big non-stick frying pan that has been sprayed with EVOO spray. Add 1-2 tsp EVOO to the pan. Once it’s hot, form 2-Tbsp-patties, and carefully place them in the pan.  You should hear a sizzle. Cook for about 4-5 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Be careful when flipping, as they are fragile — it was a “2-hand-job!” It will make about 9 patties.

there’s kale in that?!?

To serve, dollop 1-2 Tbsp of pesto on each pancake, and enjoy! To get the “swirled” look, put your pesto into a ziplock sandwich bag and squeeze it down to one corner. Then, snip off the tip of that corner, and you’ve got a make-shift piping bag!

gorgeous emerald pesto!

With the pancakes, I served Lobsta Bakes‘ wild, ocean-caught grouper! I broiled it in 1 tsp EVOO with salt, pepper, chili powder and paprika. It was so tender and delicious!

This meal was fantastic! The flavors were so bright and refreshing! And my parents had no idea there was kale in the pesto and cauliflower in the pancakes! — That’ll be our little secret ;)

delicious!

The outside of the pancakes were crunchy and golden, while the insides were tender and moist. And the pesto was rich and creamy, which paired perfectly with the cakes! It was bright and fresh from the basil, with a subtle hint of garlic and lemon. So fantastic! We cleaned our plates!

gluten free and Body Ecology Diet friendly!

What are your favorite snacks?

See ya tomorrow!!

I made my pesto in my food processor! it's my favorite. Here's the one I use: