Spaghetti Squash Pomodoro! GF, V, SCD & Paleo!

Hey everyone!

Well the weekend is wrapping up. And boy, was today a jam packed day!

Did you guys watch any NFL football?! I did, although, my teams: (The Bengals & The Packers), were out of the playoff last weekend. Sooo, I don't really have a big stake in the games anymore. Oh well! I was really just watching the game to hang with friends! We watched at a little bar in the East Village.

This brings up a great point....when you're on the Specific Carb Diet, or simply Gluten Free, what do you guys like to drink? Beer is clearly a "no no" because of the gluten in it. And to be honest, gluten free beer leaves a lot to be desired. (Besides, it's not SCD-friendly.) I like to get either white wine (dry), vodka-soda with a twist of lemon and lime, or an Unsweetened Vodka Mojito! Those are the drinks that agree with me! What about you?

So tonight, I'm going to share with you a delicious delicious dish. Sometimes, you just feel like pasta! Don't you!

And with New Year's resolutions still in full swing (hopefully :)) sometimes, we actually CRAVE pasta!

Well, this recipe allows you to have that pasta without the carbs and calories! How?! SPAGHETTI SQUASH!

I *LOVE* spaghetti squash. It really does feel decadent, like I'm eating pasta! You can twirl it on your fork and slurp it up! Now in full disclosure, it doesn't taste exaaaactly like gluten-full semolina pasta, but for a gluten and grain free alternative, it is pretty darn good!!

But the real star of the show, is this sauce!!! Holy cow, you guys. If you've never had homemade pomodoro sauce before, you really owe it to yourself to give it a go! I like to keep a bunch of this stuff in the fridge/freezer and have it with cooked veggies, spaghetti squash, "zoodles," even eggs!

And my Spaghetti Squash Pomodoro is Gluten Free, Vegan, Specific Carb Diet Friendly, and Paleo!

Here's what you need: (Serves 2)

1 spaghetti squash

1 zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
10 button mushrooms, sliced
10 stalks of asparagus (I know they're not in season, but they were in the fridge)

Sauce:
2 tomatoes
1/2 red pepper
4 baby carrots
1/2 onion
3 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1 bunch fresh basil

garnish: fresh basil

Prick your spaghetti squash ALL OVER with a fork or *carefully* with a sharp knife. Prick it more than you think you need! Place it on a paper towel in the microwave, and nuke it for 4 minutes. Flip it (with an oven mitt), and microwave for another 5 minutes, until the outside "gives" a little. Carefully remove from the microwave with an oven mitt and allow to cool for at least 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, sauté your onions and carrots in about 2 tsp EVOO, salt and pepper for about 5 minutes. Then, add your red pepper, dried basil and oregano, and sauté for about 3 minutes. Next, add your garlic, and let it cook for about 2 minutes. Finally, add your tomatoes, and let them cook for about 5 minutes. Carefully transfer this mixture to the food processor. Add your fresh basil and process until smooth.

In a separate pan, brown your zucchini and mushrooms and asparagus (optional) in 2 tsp EVOO, salt and pepper. Once they brown, remove from heat and set aside.

When your spaghetti squash is cool enough to handle, carefully slice in in half, lengthwise. Remove the seeds. Then, with a fork, scrape the flesh towards the center, forming spaghetti-like strands. Place 1/2 squash-amount of "spaghetti" onto a plate, and top it with half of the sauce, and half of the zucchini and mushrooms. Garnish with fresh, chopped basil.

Wow, oh wow. This sauce is SO GOOD! It's wonderfully tomato-y, but not too acidic, and with just the right amount of sweetness. You see, the sweetness in this recipe comes naturally -- from CARROTS! So, you don't have to add brown sugar to the sauce like many sassy Italians :)

And the fresh basil in the sauce makes it just so fresh and aromatic. Italian comfort food at its best.

Finally, all the browned and caramelized veggies are the perfect compliment to the slurpy and chewy spaghetti squash.

It's hard to believe that this meal is healthy AND figure friendly! Sounds like a "resolution" approved meal to me!

Let's make it a great week!!


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

Spring Green Lasagna! GF, V, SCD, BED!

Hey Happy Tummies!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend!

I’ll tell you what: it was a little strange for me this year. It was the first Easter I didn’t spend with my family. Since I was just home 2 weekends ago, and am going to be home again at the end of April, we decided to forego another trip.

But it was still a great holiday. I went to the Easter Vigil last night, and tonight, I made a beautiful dinner!!

I made a Spring Green Lasagna! Layers of zucchini noodles, alternating with basil and broccoli cream and roasted asparagus!

It was so incredibly tasty, and beautiful to boot!

And it’s gluten free, vegan, Body Ecology Diet and Specific Carb Diet friendly. And Paleo!

Here’s what you need: (serves 1)

1 zucchini, sliced carefully (lengthwise) on a mandolin
6 asparagus spears, ends trimmed
1 cup baby spinach

Cream:
1 cup broccoli
1 cup cauliflower
5-7 basil leaves
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Steam your broccoli and cauliflower until tender. Set aside to cool slightly. Carefully slice your zucchini lengthwise into noodles on a mandolin. (use the hand guard!) You’ll need 6 noodles. You can also do this with a knife. Place the noodles on a tin foil-lined, olive oil-sprayed baking sheet. Also place your asparagus on the sheet. Spritz with olive oil. Bake for 25 minutes, flipping once, half way through.

Meanwhile, place your cream ingredients into the food processor and process until smooth and creamy. You’ll need to scrape the sides several times.

To assemble, place a bed of spinach on your plate. Place 3 zucchini noodles on the plate. Dollop about 3 Tbsp of the cream on top. Put 3 asparagus spears on top of that. Top the asparagus with another Tbsp of the cream. Repeat, ending with the asparagus. Garnish with fresh basil, or grape tomatoes.

My goodness. What a treat this meal was! It tasted like spring on a plate with the delicate asparagus, and bright and fresh basil! The broccoli and cauliflower provided the subtle flavor that really let the asparagus be the star of the show.

And the textures were marvelous! The creamy filling with the crisp-tender asparagus was just perfect. And the spinach was the perfect vehicle to pick up any of the extra filling.

This was a wonderful Easter dinner. This just goes to show that even if you’re flying solo, you can still have a fabulous meal!

Need a food processor? Here’s the one I use and LOVE!

No Easter dinner is complete without dessert! Check back later this week for a spectacular dessert! Here’s a hint…..freeze dried strawberries!!! :D

Cooking Video & Veggie Curry Pasta! GF, V!

Exciting news!!! Over the weekend, I made a cooking demonstration video! You can check it out here! I’m really excited about it:)

So anywho, I have to be honest – these past few days, I’ve been babysitting until 6:30 and coming home exhausted. So as a result, I’ve been having leftover soup for dinner – hence all the archive recipes.

But I love recipes from way back when – my diet was not so strict (I’m on the Specific Carb Diet now), and it’s fun to see how far GFHT has come!

So tonight, I thought I’d share my Veggie Curry Pasta! Oh my gosh I remember this dish – I still dream about it! haha

And it’s Gluten Free and Vegan!

Unfortunately, it is not suitable for the Body Ecology Diet or Specific Carb Diet.

This was a game-changing meal at my house – it was the first tofu dish my dad ever ate…and he LOVED it!

Here’s what you need:

1/2 red onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ginger, grated
1 bell pepper, diced — yellow in this case
6 mushrooms, sliced
4 carrots, diced
4 green onions, sliced
1 bunch of asparagus, in 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup cilantro
1/4 cup basil
1 T curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 block of Tofu, prepared & diced — see below

Sauce:
1 cup light coconut milk
1 healthy squeeze of agave — about 1 1/2 tsp
2 T tamari (GF soy sauce)
1 1/2 Tbsp ginger, grated
2 big garlic cloves, minced
juice of 1/2 a lime
3 tsp red curry paste

Tofu Marinade:
2 T tamari
2 T water
1 tsp agave
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 T fresh ginger, grated
2 big cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp EVOO
1 green onion, sliced

Yes, that is a super long list of ingeredients…but, it is totally worth all the slicing and dicing. Put some good music on, get in your veggie prepping “groove” and get ready for an amazing meal.

So here’s what you do.

1) Tofu needs to be drained. So I take it out of the package and slice it into 8 slabs. I then place those on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet and put a couple more towels on top and then put a big frying pan on top of them and press all the extra water out of the tofu.

2) While its pressing, I make the MARINADE!

3) Then I cut each slab into tiny little cubes and put all the little cubes into a bowl with the marinade and let them sit — coated — for about 15 – 20 minutes.

4) Put all the cubes onto a tin foil-lined baking sheet sprayed with olive oil in a single layer and pour rest of marinade over. Pop in a 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, turning each over half way through.

This is a definitely a labor of love for your tofu, but let me tell you, it is delicious and sooo worth it. They caramelize and almost become like candy. My dad actually loved it!

Ok, now onto the rest of the recipe. It is very easy…its just the slicing and dicing!

Saute your onions, carrots, and peppers in a big frying pan with 1 tsp EVOO for about 5 minutes, until they start to get tender. In the meantime, make the sauce in a separate bowl (I used a Pyrex measuring cup) by combining all the ingredients and set aside. Next, add your asparagus and let it cook for about 4-5 minutes, before adding in your mushrooms. Let them release their moisture, and then add in your garlic, ginger, green onions, and spices. Stir those around until every veggie is coated. Then stir in your sauce, raisins, and tofu cubes. Once your (GF) linguine noodles have finished cooking, put them in the pan, along with most of the basil and cilantro, and toss to coat. Garnish with the green parts of the green onions, basil, and cilantro.

This meal was absolutely fantastic. It definitely has a spicy kick to it! But oh boy, there was so much flavor and a delicious array of fresh veggies!! Part of the reason this dish was so wonderful was the contrasting flavors going on: The first thing that hits you is the warm, spice from the curry! It’s a deep heat, that is complimented so beautifully by the sweet, chewy, raisins! The asparagus gives a green, earthiness to the dish, while the peppers and carrots provide a slightly sweet undertone. The tofu also chimes in with a fantastic, caramelized, salty-sweet accent. All this rounded out perfectly with the fresh cilantro and basil. Wow, oh wow.

OK, I hope everyone’s week is off to a great start!

Do you like tofu? What’s your favorite tofu dish?

Until tomorrow!

Alfresco Bites for the Olympics! GF, V, SCD, BED!

Summer time is the best, isn’t it? The days are long, the produce fresh and succulent, and you can eat outside! And this summer is extra special….because of the OLYMPICS!!!

what fresh flavors!

I can’t believe the Opening Ceremony is tomorrow! I remember back in June, feeling like the olympics were forever away…and now they’re finally here!

Smokey, Sweet, and Earthy!

Did you know that the Opening Ceremony is being directed by the filmmaker of Slumdog Millionaire? How cool is that?! (If you haven’t seen that movie, I highly recommend it!)

Gluten Free, Vegan, Body Ecology Diet and Specific Carb Diet friendly!

So whether you’re having party to celebrate London 2012, or just an outdoor party to enjoy summertime, here are some delicious bites — that also make a delicious dinner! :)

juicy tomatoes and chewy zucchini!

I made: Roasted Red Pepper wrapped Asparagus Spears, Red Pepper Bundles, and Vegan Caprese Skewers!

Red Pepper Wrapped Asparagus!

And they’re Gluten Free, Vegan and Specific Carb Diet friendly with a Body Ecology Diet option!

so so good!

Here’s what you need: (serves 1 for dinner)

1 red pepper, roasted and sliced
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise on a mandolin
1 tomato, seeded & sliced in wedges (BED sub grilled shiitake mushrooms)
~12 basil leaves
1/2 bundle of asparagus, grilled
2 Tbsp Pine Nuts, toasted
salt and pepper
EVOO

Dressing:
1 part lemon juice
3 parts EVOO
salt and pepper

To roast the red pepper, I literally set it on our gas flame burner and kept turning it with tongs until it was completely charred. I then put it in a bowl and covered it with plastic wrap so that the steam loosened the skin. Then, after about 15 minutes, the charred skin peels right off (use your hands or paper towel), and you’re left with a wonderful, roasted pepper! If you don’t have a gas flame, you can do the same right under the broiler! After you peel the skin and take out the seeds, slice the flesh into thin strips.

Beautiful Red Pepper Bundle!

Prep all your veggies. (Be careful when using the mandolin! You’re going for super-thin slices of zucchini!) Toss your asparagus and zucchini in 1-2 tsp EVOO, salt and pepper. Also, toast your pine nuts and whisk dressing ingredients together.

Heat a grill pan until it is screamin’ hot. Grill your asparagus about 4 minutes per side, until tender-crisp and bright green. Then, grill your zucchini, about 1-1.5 minutes per side.

fresh tomato and basil — yum!!

To assemble:

Asparagus Spears:
Wrap each grilled asparagus spear with one roasted red pepper strip.

Red Pepper Bundles:
Wrap 2 roasted red pepper strips in one grilled zucchini strip.

Caprese Skewers:
On a wooden skewer, alternate tomato-basil-rolled up zucchini.

Drizzle everything with the dressing, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and garnish with toasted pine nuts!

The pine nuts are the perfect finish!

These bites were awesome! They each were unique and distinctly delicious!

so delicious!

The asparagus spears were wonderful! Tender-crisp with a smokey flavor from the grill. And the smokey-sweet roasted red peppers accented the earthy spears beautifully!

what a meal!

The Rep Pepper Bundles were delightful! The sweet and smokey red peppers were highlighted by the lemon and olive oil. Just delicious.

a little bundle of deliciousness:)

And finally, the Caprese Skewers. These were my favorite! The juicy tomatoes with the basil was out of this world. I know, it’s a tried and true flavor combo…but it’s just so good! And the addition of the smokey, chewy zucchini and toasted pine nuts really sent it over the top and added another depth of flavor.

Vegan Caprese Skewers!

And they were so pretty too! I’d love to serve these at a party:)

fabulous!

Do you plan on watching the Opening Ceremony tomorrow?

See ya then!

Need a mandoline or a grill pan? Here are the ones I use and LOVE!