Friday, March 22, 2013

Oven Roasted Cabbage "Steaks" w/ Avocado Pesto! GF, V, BED & SCD!


Happy Friday!!

It’s the first weekend of SPRING!!! Woo!!



Even though NYC has SNOW in the forecast, I though I’d brighten things up with some stunning spring colors…deep purple, spring green, and bright red!

I made……Oven Roasted Cabbage “Steaks” with Avocado Pesto and Blistered Tomatoes!!



And they were AMAZING!!!!

And they’re Gluten Free, Vegan, Body Ecology Diet and Specific Carb Diet Friendly!



Here’s what you need: (Serves 2)

½ head of Cabbage, cut into ½ inch “steaks”
½ cup cherry tomatoes (BED omit)

Pesto:
1 cup fresh basil
3 Tbsp pine nuts
juice of 1 lemon
1 small garlic clove
1 avocado
salt



Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut your cabbage into steaks, making sure to get a bit of the stem in each slab to keep them together. Put your “steaks” on a tin foil-lined, olive oil-sprayed baking sheet. Spritz with olive oil. Bake for 40 minutes, flipping half way through. When you flip them at 20 minutes, add your tomatoes to the baking sheet and bake for the remaining 20 minutes. When the cabbage comes out of the oven, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, make your pesto. Combine all your ingredients in the food processor and process until creamy and smooth. You’ll need to scrape the sides twice.



To assemble, top each “steak” with a healthy dollop of the pesto and decorate with your blistered tomatoes.



What a delicious meal!!! I don’t know about you, but I’ve never had cabbage prepared like this. Usually, cabbage has had the life cooked out of it, and is, well…icky! Let me assure you, this is anything but. It’s FABULOUS!! The cabbage is slightly soft, but crunchy. And paired with the creamy pesto and the juicy burst of the tomato….stupendous!!



And the flavors are outstanding. The cabbage is earthy and wonderfully deep, which compliments the bright pesto! There’s the fresh basil, with the backdrop of garlic, and zing of the lemon. What a treat!

And the pesto is so good on its own too! It would be great as a crudité dip, or sandwich spread! Also as a sauce on brown rice pasta!



Finally, it is visually stunning. The colors just jump off the plate! And seeing the cross-section of a cabbage is so intriguing….it instantly draws you in!

Need a fabulous food processor? Here’s the one I use and have an obsession with:)

Happy Spring!!

Monday, March 18, 2013

Almond Butter Pancakes! GF, SCD, BED!


Hey guys!

I just got back from Cincinnati for my dad’s birthday! It was great to be home:)



So yesterday, I made one of my staples…and I didn’t think it was really “blog worthy” until my brother was fascinated by it and loved how good it was! He’s a "low carb guy", and so this was right up his alley! I didn't realize how "Atkins-friendly" my recipes are! My brother was so excited about this recipe because of its "bread-like" texture and the fact that it's virtually carb-free!



So this is seriously so delicious, and so easy to whip up. 3 INGREDIENTS! I can literally have it made and ready to go in 5 minutes!



It’s a sweet Almond Butter Pancake!



And it’s gluten and grain free, dairy free, Specific Carb Diet and Body Ecology Diet friendly. And paleo!



Here’s what you need:

3 egg whites
2-3 Tbsp almond butter
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 “droppers full” of pure liquid stevia (SCD use 1-2 tsp honey)
½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Combine your eggs and almond butter in a medium bowl with a hand blender. Blend for about 2-3 minutes, until fluffy. Spray a small non-stick skillet with olive oil. Over medium heat, cook the “batter” for about 4 minutes on one side. Carefully flip it and then cook the other side for 2 more minutes.

Top with fruit or eat it plain!



I love this meal. It really hits the “sweet spot” and it has that “bready” texture that one craves when they’re on the SCD, BED, or being GFree. It’s sweet and slightly spicy from the cinnamon.



And it’s so healthy too! It’s a protein powerhouse with good healthy fats from the almonds.



A tasty treat to start (or end!) the day!

Until next time!

Need a hand blender? Here's the one I use and love.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

PB & J Fruit Pizza! GF, V, SCD!


This fantastic recipe for my PB & J Fruit Pizza is available in my new e-book cookbook, The Best of GlutenFreeHappyTummy, available HERE ---> The Best of GlutenFreeHappyTummy  - Only $2.99!





Don’t forget to check out my video for this recipe! Cooking Demonstration Video: Fruit Pizza!