Tempura Cauliflower Steak w/ Blistered Italian Spring Veggies! GF, V, SCD, BED & Paleo!

Hey Happy Tummies!

Alright. It's time for a show stopper recipe. Holy cow you guys this is one for the books, I'm serious.

So while I was in Wisconsin, my family wanted to celebrate my graduation. So we decided to have a BBQ -- a classic Northwoods celebration!

Since clearly I can't eat BBQ fare, I was encouraged to make a nice dinner. Challenge accepted.

So what did I make?? "Tempura" Cauliflower Steak with Blistered Italian Spring Veggies.

Wow wow wow. That's about all I can say. My dad, who has an aversion to all veggies other than corn and Lima beans:) proclaimed that this was the best thing I've ever made.

I'll take that as a win for team GFHT! :)

This treat was Gluten and Grain Free, Vegan, Specific Carb Diet & Body Ecology Diet friendly, & Paleo!

Here's what you need: (Serves one)


1/3 head of cauliflower 

1 egg, beaten (vegan option: plain almond milk)
1/3 cup almond flour

handful green beans
1/2 zucchini, sliced
6 mushrooms, sliced (BED use shittake mushrooms)

Sauce:
15 grape tomatoes or one large tomato (BED sub one red pepper)
1/2 red pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano

Fresh basil, chopped (garnish)


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut 1/3 of your cauliflower head. I used the "center cut" that included the root, and saved the outer thirds for snacking and other meals. Set aside and set up your breading station.

Breading process: You'll need a bowl, medium sized plate, and your tin foil-lined, olive oil-sprayed baking sheet. In the bowl, beat your egg and add a pinch of salt (or use almond milk). On the plate, spread out the almond flour with a pinch of salt. Take your cauliflower, coat it in egg, and then place it on the plate with the almond flour and coat it evenly with the almond flour. Then place it on one half of the baking sheet. Spritz with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

On the other half of the baking sheet, place your green beans in a single layer. Spritz them with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place the entire baking sheet into the oven. You'll bake the cauliflower for a total of 40 minutes. But at 20 minutes, when you flip the cauliflower, remove the green beans and set aside.

Meanwhile, create your sauce. Saute your onions and garlic in 1-2 tsp EVOO, salt, pepper, and dried herbs over medium heat. After about 4 minutes, add your red peppers. Let those soften, about 4 minutes. Then add your tomatoes and let them cook for about 4 more minutes. Then, carefully transfer the veggies to the food processor, and process until it is smooth. You'll need to scrape the sides a few times.

Also meanwhile, sauté your mushrooms and zucchini in 1-2 tsp EVOO. Let them brown on one side (about 3 minutes), and then flip and let the other side brown. Set aside.

To assemble, place your cauliflower on the plate. Top with the veggie mixture and sauce, and garnish with chopped fresh basil. I put the majority of the sauce around the cauliflower on the plate to minimize the contact between the sauce and the breading on the cauliflower so it would stay nice and crispy:)

You guys. I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing this was. I know I can be a bit of a "gusher" about food...but this is next. level.

The first thing you notice when you bring it to the table is how freaking gorgeous it is. There's something "rustically fabulous" about the "breaded" and substantial steak of golden brown cauliflower, topped with a stately pile of blistered veggies, and bright red tomato sauce. It is regal. It is elegant. It is something to be proud of:)

Then, the taste is just outrageous. The bright and subtly sweet tomato sauce is the perfect backdrop to the nutty and homey cauliflower. The bright basil accents the caramelized green beans and zucchini. So. Good.

And then the textures. This may be the best part. Let me tell you- you've got to cut into that cauliflower with a steak knife! It is still crunchy, but the outsides have caramelized and become a little chewy and have some give. And coating the outside is this sweet and nutty coating of almond flour that give it a richness and butteriness that you've never experienced with cauliflower before. It was cauliflower, transcended :)

And the creamy sauce with the crunch veggies was just delightful.


So all in all, this was a terrific meal to celebrate my graduation. It was special, and seemed a bit extravagant--but in reality, it was just the humble kitchen superstar--cauliflower!

As summer is beginning to wane, we're going to have lots of "special occasion" meals. Give this one a try! 

Roasted Beet & Fennel Pesto Pizza! GF, SCD, BED & Paleo w/ Vegan opt'n!

What up Happy Tummiesss?!!

How was everyone's weekend? Did you watch the World Cup finals? I watched it with my friends in Harlem. What a fun day.

A double rainbow on the way to the airport in Wisconsin.

So yep, I'm back from Wisconsin, and boy do I miss my fam. It was so great to be with them, especially my little niece, Baby A. She turns one on Thursday. Such. A. Cutie. :D My mom loves being a gma:)

It is definitely a different kind of summer here in NYC. It is seriously muggy and humid here on the East Coast, but that was NOT the case in Wisconsin! It was so cold in the Northwoods that on a couple days, that I had to wear a ski suit when we went boating!! And at the lake home, we have all our old clothes up there -- as the "cottage wardrobe." So let's just say I looked pretty sweet in my mom's 80's ski outfit! haha

Yep, it was a high of 63 degrees some days, so lets just say it was f-f-f-freezing on the water! Quite the change from NYC :D

One night in Wisconsin, I decided to make one of my favorite meals: a Cauliflower Flatbread Pizza!

Flatbreads are a standby for me. They're so delicious, filling, easy to make, and seriously good eats!

And you did read that right: it's made out of Cauliflower! Cauliflower and almond flour to be exact:D

This particular flatbread was a Roasted Beet and Fennel Pesto Flatbread! And it's Gluten and Grain Free, Specific Carb Diet and Body Ecology Diet Friendly, Paleo, and has a Vegan option!

Here's what you need: (Serves one)

1/3 cup almond flour
2 egg whites (Vegan option: 1 flax/chia egg)
1 cup cauliflower florets (riced in a food processor)
3 pinches salt

1 beet, cut into 1/4 inch rounds (BED sub red pepper)
1 bulb of fennel, half cut into wedges, and half shaved on the mandolin

Pesto Sauce:
1 cup, packed fresh basil
1/4 cup pine nuts
juice 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper
3/4 cup green peas, microwaved for 2 minutes
1-2 Tbsp EVOO

Garnish:
fresh basil, chopped
sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 400 degree. Rice your cauliflower in the food processor. Then, place your riced cauliflower in either paper towels, cheesecloth, or a clean kitchen towel, and wring out all the excess liquid. (This is a really important step!)

Combine the riced cauliflower with the egg, almond flour and salt in a medium sized bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (NOT wax paper!) Place your "dough" in the center of the parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment on top, and "smoosh" out the dough to about an 8 inch circle. Leave the top paper on, and bake as a "parchment sandwich" for about 30-35 minutes, until the edges turn golden brown.

Next, scrub and dry your beet, and slice it into 1/4 inch rounds. Place them in a single layer on a tin-foil-lined, olive-oil-sprayed baking sheet. Spritz with olive oil. Set aside.

Take your fennel bulb and remove the two outer layers. With half, cut into wedges, keeping the button intact, so the wedges stay together. Place these wedges in a single layer on the baking sheet with the beets. Spritz with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, take the fennel off the baking sheet and set aside. Flip the beets, and return the baking sheet to the oven for another 10 minutes.

With the remaining 1/2 fennel bulb, carefully shave it on the mandolin into paper-thin slices. These will be scattered raw on the pizza.

Meanwhile, make your pesto by combining all the pesto ingredients in the food processor and blitz until smooth. You'll need to scrape the sides several times.

To assemble, place a thin layer of the pesto sauce on the crust. Top with slices of the beets, the roasted fennel, and raw fennel, and garnish with basil and sunflower seeds.

Oh my goodness this pizza was SO GOOD! Holy cow, what a treat. For those of you who are skeptical of a crust made out of cauliflower, I assure you, you do NOT taste the cauliflower at all. No kidding. I passed it around the table for my family to try, and they all couldn't believe that there was cauliflower in it. Even my dad --- and that's saying something!

The textures were so great. The crust was chewy and bready, and a little crispy/crunchy on the edges. The creamy pesto, chewy beets and roasted fennel went perfectly with the crunchy sunflower seeds and raw fennel.

And the flavors were fabulous! The pesto was so bright and fresh, and the beets had a wonderful earthy sweetness to them that paired perfectly with the sweet and licorice-y fennel. There's something magical about fennel when you roast it in the oven -- its inherent sweetness comes out and caramelizes. SO good! And the sunflower seeds gave a nice nutty and salty *pop* to it.

Finally, it was a stunning dish with the bright green and deep purple. Just beautiful.

Alright, I'm off to watch the Bachelorette! More great recipes coming later this week! Be sure to check back!

OMG Slaw! GF, V, SCD, BED & Paleo!

Hey everyone!

How was your Fourth of July!?

Mine is going great! I'm up in Wisconsin at my family's lake home with my entire family. I'm having so much fun! My little niece, Baby A, is here, and she is just the gosh darn cutest thing in the entire world.

It's so much fun to see things through her eyes and watch her discover things for the first time.

So for Independence Day, we had a traditional BBQ cook out. My dad made beer boiled brats and hamburgers on the grill, and I made a delicious dish to share.

Since I was feeding a big number, (10!!), I decided to make a dish that goes a long way, and is a crowd pleaser.

Let me tell you this was a HIT! Everyone LOVED it and gobbled it up.

I've decided to call it my "OMG Slaw," since that's what everyone said when they ate it..."Oh my gosh this is AMAZING!"

And this colorful dish is Gluten Free, Vegan, Specific Carb Diet and Body Ecology Diet friendly, and Paleo!

Here's what you need: (Serves 10)

1/2 head purple cabbage, sliced thin
3 large carrots, sliced into matchsticks
1 red pepper, diced
8 radishes, sliced thin on a mandolin
24-30 sugar snap peas, sliced thin
1 red onion, sliced thin
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
3 pinches salt

Dressing
1/3-1/2 cup almond butter
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
3 Tbsp Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
Juice of one lime
8 drops pure liquid stevia (SCD use 1/2 tsp honey)
2-3 Tbsp water

First, prep all your veggies. Cut them as thin as possible by either carefully using a mandolin (use the hand guard!) or with a sharp knife. In the largest bowl you have, combine the veggies. Add your pinches of salt, seeds and cilantro, and toss to mix.

Then, in a Pyrex measuring cup or a separate bowl, make your dressing. Using a microplane or grater, grate your ginger directly into the Pyrex, then whisk to combine the other ingredients. You'll need to add about 1-2 Tbsp water to thin out the sauce into a "drizzly" consistency.

Coat all the veggies with the dressing, and serve garnished with more seeds.

Refrigerate before serving. It will keep (and keep getting better) for three days in the refrigerator.

Oh my goodness this slaw was so freaking awesome. I can't even begin to describe the bright, fresh flavor of this slaw. There's nothing like spending the day on the lake, and enjoying a cold, crisp salad for dinner. It was so refreshing.

I'm serious, everyone flipped out over this salad. There were NO LEFTOVERS! People were licking their plates, the dressing was so good.

First of all, it is a beautiful dish. You eat with your eyes first, and this definitely jumped off the plate. There was purple and pink, green, red and orange! So beautiful.

And the texture was so satisfying. The cabbage was so incredibly crunchy, and the avocado was nice and creamy. Finally, the seeds gave a chewy, salty pop that really hit the spot.

Finally, that dressing. It was nutty and bright from the lime juice and apple cider vinegar. It was a little sweet, and wonderfully fresh from the cilantro. Cilantro and lime are a match made in heaven:)

What a treat. Seriously so good. This week is going so well. We're celebrating my niece's first birthday, and my graduation while we're here. I made a gorgeous gluten free cake with coconut oil frosting for Baby A's birthday celebration. I'll post about that soon. It was a hit!

Question for all my lovely readers: There's a new trend with food production called aquaponics, which is a sustainable food growing system circulating water between fish and plants. It's herbicide/pesticide free and uses less water than traditional farming. How do you feel about it? Would you buy produce grown using aquaponics?

OK, see you soon!

Travel Tips for Special Diets!

Howdy y’all!

Guess where I ammm…. I’m in TEXAS!!

I’ve never been! And I love it! 95 degrees and humid as all get-out --- bring it on!! :D

I’m here for my friend’s wedding. It was over the weekend, and gosh, was it ever beautiful! My friend, M, was such a beautiful bride! I’m so happy for them!

I’m writing this from the Houston airport, where I’m about to get on a flight to Wisconsin for my family’s annual 4^th of July reunion at our lake home.

If you’ve been following my blog for a while now, you’ll remember that the other year, there was a FIRE at the lake home, and so we’ve had to completely revamp the place.

It’s all better now, and I can’t wait to spend the week with my fam...and of course, Roxy. J

Party on the Water! :D 

So as I’m sitting here snacking on some grape tomatoes and raw cashews, I decided that I’d do a quick post about traveling while on a special diet.

#RealTalk ... it can be pretty tough if you don’t plan ahead. SO, my #1 advice is BE PREPARED.

When you’re gluten free or vegan, or SCD – or All three like me – then you can’t just swing into the news stand at the airport and pick up a pack of m&m’s if you get hungry, or expect to waltz into a airport eatery and grab a quick bite. No ma’am. Last I checked, there aren’t organic fruit and vegetable stands in the terminals. You’re lucky if you can find a salad with more than one tomato and one limp cucumber slice if we’re being honest. Bleak, friends. Bleak.

BUT – I’ve found a way to enjoy traveling --- food and all! It just takes a little creativity and a little planning!

Here are my tips:

1^st and foremost: EAT A BIG (read: HUGE) BREAKFAST BEFORE YOU TRAVEL

“But I’m not a breakfast person.” Well suck it up sweetheart – today you are…in a big way. I always eat what I would typically have quantity-wise for dinner, for breakfast when I’m traveling. This is called an insurance policy. J

“But my flight’s super early.” Tough nuggets, love. This will be the best chance for you to nourish your body all day, so take advantage. I ALWAYS make my breakfast the night before when I have a flight in the morning. This is a great meal to eat on the mornings of flights because it’s filling, nutritious, and will keep you going for a long time – plus it tastes like pumpkin pie, so it’s like having dessert for breakfast. J 

Funny story: once I brought this in a tupperware to eat on my flight. I was stopped in the security line and had to throw it away because they said I could be hiding something in it! What?!! CRAZY! I was *NOT* a happy camper. --TSA, if you're reading this, that really ticked me off!! :P #GirlsGottaEat

2. BRING LOTS OF SNACKS

#RealTalk ... Aside from my computer and wallet, my huge Vera Bradley carry on is full of food! No joke. Tupperwares with chopped veggies, whole fruit, nuts, homemade trail mix, dried no-sugar-added fruit like dried mangoes or raisins, LaraBars (they’re GF, V, SCD – but not BED). Their ingredients are simply dates, dried fruit and nuts.

I also bring several packets of individual peanut/almond butter packets. Justin’s nut butter sells individual “squeeze packs” that you can put on apples, carrot sticks, bananas, etc. – Just be sure to declare them in your “liquids and gels” at security.

I also always whip up a batch of these energy bites before I go.

They're GREAT to have on hand, and easy to travel with.

Try my apple pie bites or blueberry muffin bites!

3. BE CREATIVE WITH PIT STOPS

When you’re on a car trip, one thing that everyone looks forward to is where to take a pit stop and stretch and get some food. The best trick I’ve found is to stop at the grocery store. They always have fresh food options for you to take advantage of.  Not only that, but many grocery stores have a salad bar in the deli – jackpot!

On that note, if you can find a Whole Foods….you have found Heaven on Earth for a road tripper. Every store has an amazing Salad, Hot and Cold food bar. They label every ingredient on the bars, and will let you know if it’s gluten free, vegan, etc. – and if it includes any of the top allergens like soy, shellfish, etc. I like to check out if there are any WF’s en route, and plan our pit stops accordingly.

Additionally, Golden Corral’s have wonderful salad bars for you to take advantage of, complete with lots of fruit and veggies, chickpeas, etc.

4. GOOGLE IT

When you’ve gotten to your destination, Google the city/town to find any gluten free/vegan eats. You can also look up health food stores. You’d be surprised how many people post about this online…It’s really helpful – that goes for airports too!

5. GROCERY IT UP

Additionally, when you’re at your destination, hit the grocery store. Most hotel rooms have a refrigerator and microwave. You can use these for makeshift dinners if you’re in a pinch!

When I was in Texas, there was a great deli across the street from my hotel called Jason's Deli that had a beautiful salad bar. I went there for both lunch and dinner!

 #bestsaladever!

It was amazing. It had dried fruit and nuts, an organic olive oil/balsamic vinegar dressing, hard boiled eggs, beets, olives, and tons of fresh veggies.

This place, Jason Deli, was known for their salad bar. I really lucked out being right across the street. Apparently it's a chain, so there are other locations. 

I enjoyed it while soaking up some rays at the hotel pool. #thisisthelife

So there you have it sports fans! Those are my tips for traveling! I just got to Wisconsin, so I’m off to the grocery store! Haha #practicewhatyoupreach :)

The main thing is, you’re on vacation! Enjoy the company you’re with and create some special memories. Odds are, unless you have access to a full kitchen, you’re not going to be eating the most exciting things while you’re traveling – to be honest, it will be more like survival mode. But remember the important thing: you’re there to be with the ones you love. So if your food is less than optimal, so be it. It’s only temporary :)

I’ll be up in Wisconsin, where my culinary creative juices flow! So be sure to check back this week for more exciting recipes!

Who’s watching the World Cup today?!