I'm Baaack! Memorial Day Munchies!

Hey Everyone!

Long time no see!

After a long hiatus, I'm back and ready to party! :) This past semester, I was finishing my senior capstone for college...so that, combined with auditioning and life in the city left zero time for blogging. But now that the semester is over and my summer semester is lighter, I've got a bit more time to devote to my Happy Tummies!

So just a quick update on my time away...I'm still in New York, and loving every minute of it! The acting is going great...staying busy for sure. And my little niece is just as cute as can be! I wish I could see her more.

My health couldn't be better! I'm still (and always will be) on the Specific Carb Diet...which is a gluten free diet. Basically, it's the Paleo diet, but I'm doing it vegan style. :)

But I've missed you guys! And I'm so excited to get back to it, and share more delicious and healthy recipes!

So, with Memorial Day coming up, let's start with some fun Memorial Day Eats! Nothing says Memorial Day like cookout food, like Burgers, Pizza, Potato Salad, Slaw, and Ice Cream! :)

I wish I could be spending it up at our lake home with my family in Wisconsin....

...but this view in NYC will have to do! :)

All the recipes are Gluten and Dairy Free! The majority are Vegan and Paleo. SCD = Specific Carb Diet, BED = Body Ecology Diet

SCD Hamburger Buns w/ Portobello Burger GF, V Option, SCD, BED, Paleo

Oven-Dried Tomato, Eggplant & Avocado Flatbread Pizza GF, V, SCD, Paleo

GF Onion Rings!

Sugar Free Vegan Strawberry FroYo! GF, V, SCD, Paleo

Fireworks Slaw! GF, V, SCD, BED, Paleo

Vegan Pesto Potato Salad! GF, V, BED

Portobello Burgers w/ Goat Cheese (Omit Goat Cheese for Dairy Free!)

Coconut Cashew Sugar Free Vegan Ice Cream! GF, V, SCD (Sub Honey!), BED

Twas the Week Before Thanksgiving...

Twas the week before Thanksgiving and all ‘round the blogs,
The masses were hunting for pie and eggnog
The posts were all hung on the pages with care
In hopes that their readers would enjoy them with flair!
The foodies were ready with pencils and pad
To jot down some recipes they were craving “real bad”
When what to their wondering eyes did they find?
But a green bean casserole, of the Gluten Free kind!
With an ingredient list so wholesome and free,
They knew in a moment, “this dish is for me!”

Yep, I Veganized and SCD-ified the classic standby – Green Bean Casserole!  -- Canned green beans with cream of mushroom soup and french fried onions. Sounds like a dish out of the fifties doesn’t it?! Not my version, friends. I used fresh, organic green beans, a homemade mushroom soup, and homemade baked onion rings! It was remarkable. 

And, it’s Gluten Free, Vegan, Body Ecology Diet friendly and Specific Carb Diet friendly!

Here’s what you need:

3 cups of fresh green beans, blanched

Soup:
5 1/2 cups of sliced mushrooms – I used 1 carton of shiitake and 1 carton of button (BED use shiitake only)
1/2 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp minced fresh rosemary
2/3 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt
pepper

Onion Rings:
1/2 onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp salt
5 cracks of black pepper
1 egg white (Vegan option: almond milk)

Preheat oven to 375. Set up your “breading station.” You’ll need one bowl filled with your egg white (or almond milk). You’ll need another bowl filled with your almond flour, salt and pepper. Then, you’ll need a baking sheet that’s been covered with tin foil and  sprayed with olive oil.

Coat your onion rings with the egg, then with the almond flour, and then place on the baking sheet. Fair warning: this is a bit of a messy job. I find it’s helpful to have a “wet hand” and a “dry hand.” Once all your rings are coated and on your baking sheet, spritz them with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown, flipping half way through. Cut into 1 inch pieces, and set aside.

Meanwhile, blanch your green beans by boiling them for 2 minutes, and then shocking them in a bowl of ice water.

Next, the soup: Saute your onion and garlic in 1-2 tsp of EVOO, salt and pepper for about 4 minutes. Once they’ve softened, add your mushrooms and let them cook down. Transfer the veggies into your food processor along with the rosemary, coconut milk, and salt. Blend until smooth. It will be thick.

Finally, spray a small casserole dish with olive oil. Toss your green beans with the soup, and put in the casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. After you take it out of the oven, sprinkle your onion rings over the top. Then, dig in!

This was fantastic!! The flavor was so incredibly savory and homey. The slight hint of rosemary really elevated the flavor and gave it a gourmet touch! The onion rings on top were crunchy and had a toasty, nutty flavor from the almond flour.

And the casserole was just delicious with the fresh green beans! It was creamy and velvety and just…decadent:)

It was the only dish on the Thanksgiving table that we polished off!! Everyone loved it…no matter what diet they followed!

So give this classic update a try! You won't be disappointed!

Stay tuned for more Thanksgiving recipes over the next few days!

Want more GFHT?  You can now get my e-cookbook, The Best of GlutenFreeHappyTummy for only $2.99 on Amazon!

GF Portobello Burgers w/ Goat Cheese & GF ONION RINGS!!

As this weekend comes to a close, I’m beginning to gear up for next week. Its a big week. We’ve gotta get some healing going on up in here, or I have to switch to more drastic and severe medicines. *eek* I definitely definitely don’t want to do that…I’m the advocate of the natural way! But, alas…*sigh*

Roxy, my sidekick

Its a good thing my new friend is always by my side:) Thanks Roxy.

GF Portobello Mushroom Burger with Goat Cheese!

For dinner tonight, we had a real treat. A bit of a splurge, you could say…even though it was mainly veggies! I made grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers and Baked Onion Rings! Ooooh boy, these were amazing.

yummmm

Lets start with the Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers. Beautifully layered steaky mushroom, creamy mashed avocado, melty goat cheese (Old Kentucky Tomme), a “fried” farm fresh egg, tomato, grilled onion, and a fluffy GF bun! *swoon*

I grilled 3 large portobello mushroom caps (1 p/p). I lightly brushed the tops with 1 tsp EVOO, salt and pepper. I grilled the rib side down first, so that when I flipped it, I could fill it with a bit of shredded goat cheese, so it could melt.

Meanwhile, I mashed 1 avocado with salt, and sliced a tomato for the burger.

After the mushrooms have grilled for about 5-6 minutes per side, I took them off and let them cool for just a second while I fried the eggs–no oil, just a light spritz of olive oil spray.

Here’s how I layered the burger: bun–avocado–mushroom cap with melted cheese–”fried” egg–tomato–grilled onion–organic ketchup/mustard–bun. Lets just say I was wearing half of it by the end of the meal!

The recipe for my crunchy GF Onion Rings is available in my new e-book cookbook, The Best of GlutenFreeHappyTummy, available HERE ---> The Best of GlutenFreeHappyTummy  - Only $2.99!

I also want to share my fresh juice I made today!

Carrot–Celery–Apple–Lemon–Ginger…..Fantastic! I meant to put kale in, but sadly, we had none. It instantly wakes up all the taste buds in your mouth–especially the “zingy” ones! Raw, fresh-pressed juices are one of the best things for your body–since its fresh-pressed, the enzymes are alive and find their way into your organs, feeding and healing them!

feeling snazzy in a margarita glass

Fresh juice has changed my life! I literally use my juice once a day! A good juicer is definitely an investment, but here's how I think about it: we invest in a good pair of black pants that we'll wear for a while. Why not invest in our bodies? But organic food and drink juice from your own juicer? Your body will thank you! I did a lot of research and found that Breville makes the best juicer. Here's my juicer:

Until Tomorrrow:)