FettuZINI Non-Fredo! GF, Vegan, SCD & Paleo!

Pssst......

Ok guys. I have a serious secret to share with you....I mean, serious.

That is the extraordinary awesomeness that is SOAKED CASHEWS.

OK, pause. Before you scratch your head in confusion, let me explain.

I love cashews. I really do. But I always just buy them raw, grind them up in my food processor and fuggeduhboutit. I mean, I had always seen the recipes that call for "soaked cashews," but I never had the time or patience to plan ahead, and figured...how much of a difference could it really make? I mean, come on?

The answer? A LOT.

Yesterday, I knew I was going to have some time on my hands today. I have a shoot on Friday and am going to Sundance this weekend, so I knew I was going to create a little somethin'somethin' for my fave Happy Tummies today. :) So I thought, lemme just give it a try.

You. Guys. What happened to these raw cashews was nothing short of amazing. I took a picture to show you.

I soaked them in water for 24 hours. The right cashew is what they started out as. And here they are on the left, TRIPLED IN SIZE!

I couldn't believe it. They absorbed the water and became creamy and soft - seriously like the consistency of cream cheese or butter.

I've seen the light. I'm converted. :P

Anywho, given this revelation of the soaked cashew glory, I decided that it was time to tackle one of my former all-time favorite foods: Fettuccine Alfredo. Only this version would be SCD Friendly and VEGAN.

To all you who are shakin your head, or "SMH" as the youths today so eloquently put it, just hear me out. This dish was incredible.

You saw in my last post the power of Cauliflower in its ability to become irresistible sandwich bread. Well, friends, cauliflower is at it again! This time, it's transforming into a creamy and rich ALFREDO SAUCE!!

Yep! This alfredo sauce is Gluten and Grain Free, Vegan, Specific Carb Diet friendly, Body Ecology Diet friendly, and Paleo!

So then...it must taste like sawdust or cardboard, right?! ----- WRONG!!! It was superb!!!

Don't believe me? -- I dare you to give it a try :D

Here's what you need: (Serves 2)

1/3 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight or for 24 hours
1 cup cauliflower roasted
1 cup cauliflower steamed
1/2 vidalia onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
salt and pepper

optional:unsweetened regular almond milk - room temperature
optional: 1 grate/pinch of fresh nutmeg

1 zucchini, made into noodles
basil, chopped -garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a tin foil-lined, olive oil-sprayed baking sheet, bake half (1 cup) of your cauliflower florets for 25 minutes, stirring once half-way through.

Meanwhile, steam the other cup of the cauliflower in a steamer basket, or in the microwave until very tender.

Also, saute your onions and garlic in 1-2 Tbsp EVOO, salt and pepper over medium heat until the onions are soft and beginning to caramelize. This will take about 8-10 minutes.

Put your soaked and drained cashews in the food processor and process them until they form a smooth paste. Add your roasted and steamed cauliflower, onions and garlic to the food processor, and process until smooth. It will be thick and creamy. You may need to scrape the sides. I find it best to do this when it is still hot, as the steam helps the sauce "come together." You may add 1-3 Tbsp almond milk if it is too thick. I did not. You may also add a grate of fresh nutmeg if desired.

Finally, with either a spiralizer, mandolin, or sharp knife, make your zucchini into noodles. You may also use any noodle of choice.

To plate, either top your noodles with the sauce and garnish with chopped fresh basil, or toss your noodles with the sauce, and plate.

My goodness, you guys. What a TREAT! Back in my gluten-consuming days, Fettuccine Alfredo was my favorite "special occasion" dinner. And this brought me right back to that "happy place!"

The sauce was so creamy and rich from the cashews. And the combination of the nuttiness from the roasted cauliflower with the onions and garlic made for just a remarkable flavor.

It's hard to believe that this dish is healthy because it tasted so darn decadent!

So, it may not be the belle of the ball as far as appearances go, but what it lacks in color, it definitely makes up for in flavor.

I will DEFINITELY be making this again!

What's your "happy place" food?

Cozy Golden Cauliflower with Red Sauce! GF, Vegan, SCD & Paleo!

Hey Happy Tummies!

How is everyone's week going?

Good news...tomorrow's FRIDAY!!! :D

What do you have planned for the weekend?

Well today it rained. All. Day. And there's no better remedy for a rainy day then a lovely home cooked meal -- preferably involving the oven and roasted veggies:) haha

Enter: today's recipe: Cozy Caramelized Cauliflower with Red Sauce!

Half a head of cauliflower roasted to golden brown perfection, topped with a beautiful tomato sauce and fresh basil. Y-U-M.

And it's Gluten Free, Vegan, Specific Carb Diet Friendly, and Paleo!

Here's what you need: (Serves one)

1/2 head of cauliflower

handful of baby spinach
3 button mushrooms, sliced
fresh basil, chopped (garnish)

Sauce:
1 tomato, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp herbs de provence
1/4 tsp salt
several "cracks" of black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place your halved cauliflower, cut-side-down on a tin foil-lined, olive-oil sprayed baking sheet. Spritz with olive oil, and bake for about 45 minutes, until its golden brown and delicious, otherwise known as GBD :)

In the meantime, make your sauce. In a skillet, sauté your onions and peppers in 1 Tbsp olive, salt, pepper, and herbs de provence. Let those soften for about 5 minutes. Add your garlic and let it cook for another 3 minutes. Finally, add your tomato and let it cook for about 4 minutes. Carefully transfer to your food processor, and process until smooth.

Finally, brown your mushrooms in the skillet - about 3 minutes per side.

At this point, you should have about 10 minutes left on your cauliflower -- which is the perfect amount of time to clean the food processor, set the table, and pour a glass of wine :)

To assemble, place your cauliflower on a bed of spinach. Top with the tomato sauce, mushrooms, and garnish with fresh basil. Serve warm.

My goodness, what a delightful dinner! The perfect ending to a rainy and rather gloomy day.

It was such a stunning dish - with the golden brown outlines of the cauliflower, and the bright red tomato sauce. It was so beautiful against the bright green from the spinach and basil.

But more than that, it was DELICIOUS. If you've never had roasted cauliflower before, consider this your personal invitation. It is seriously amazing. I'm not kidding -- magic takes place in the oven, my friends, magic! It becomes caramelized and has a nutty flavor! For a girl that can't eat bread, it almost tasted like bread! hah ok, well...how about...reminiscent of bread. :)

And the sauce was wonnnnderful. The herbs de provence gave it a warm and cozy flavor that had a delicate sweetness to it. And the basil gave it a nice *pop* of freshness.

So. Good. This is my next dinner party meal for sure:)

Finally, I was watching Gilmore Girls, and to my delight, check the sign on the door of the town grocery store...you may know my love for all things winter squash, so the screen grab was particularly humorous. Check back on Monday for a special butternut squash recipe:)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Spicy Butternut Zucchini Pinwheels over Cauliflower Rice! GF, V, SCD & Paleo!

Hey Happy Tummies!

I hope everyone had a terrific Halloween weekend! I definitely did! I dressed up as a cheerleader :)

And look at how cute my little niece is! She was an owl:)

What did you dress up as?





Well November is officially upon us! Can you believe it!? And I've decided to rededicate myself to posting more often! SO - I'm officially donning this month: NOMvember! Because I'm going to be making so many delicious things!

You see, next month, I'm going to be in Philly filming the new TV pilot, "Heroes of the Street!" So there will be NO cooking going on. And also, right now, leading up to filming, I've got some time on my hands, so what better to do with it than to share some food love! :D

So lets kick things off with a goodie: Spicy Butternut Zucchini Pinwheels over Cauliflower Rice!

It seems like lately, EVERYTHING is pumpkin this, and pumpkin that! For goodness sakes, Starbucks and their #PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte) hashtag is taking over the world! -- Well, I've always been one for the underdog, so I've decided to pay a little homage to the pumpkin's humble, lesser-known cousin: the butternut squash.

Yes, butternut squash: the gourd with a funny name that is a bit cumbersome to peel, but that is equally delicious, and -- dare I say it -- BETTER than pumpkin?! *gasp* "Did she really just...." Yes. I. Did.

So -- let's kick off NOM-vember with this little doosey of a recipe!

It's Gluten Free, Vegan, Specific Carb Diet and Body Ecology Diet friendly, and Paleo!

Here's what you need: (Serves one)

1 zucchini, sliced into ribbons, either with a vegetable peeler, mandolin, or sharp knife

Filling:
1 cup butternut squash, cubed and steamed
1 medium carrot, diced
1/4 cup cashews
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbs onion, diced
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
<1/4 tsp salt (if you have a salt grinder, about 3 turns)

4 cauliflower florets, riced in the food processor
3 button mushrooms, sliced
basil (garnish)

First, slice your zucchini into thin ribbons. I got 7 ribbons from my zucchini.

Next, in your food processor, rice your cauliflower by processing it until it resembles rice. Remove, place in a bowl and set aside. Reassemble your food processor (you don't have to wash it) - you'll use it again soon.

Steam your butternut squash by either steaming it in a steamer basket or microwaving it in a 1/2 inch of water for about 7 minutes. (I microwaved mine).

Meanwhile, sauté your onion, garlic, carrots, and spices in 1 Tbsp EVOO. Let them cook for about 6 minutes over medium heat, until the carrots soften. Then, add your cooked squash. Let that cook for another 4 minutes, and then remove from the heat. Carefully transfer to your food processor, add the cashews, and process until smooth. You'll need to scrape the sides several times.

Next, grill your zucchini on a grill pan, over medium heat for about 3 minutes per side. You'll need to grill in batches. Lay flat and set aside. Also, grill the mushrooms for about 3 minutes.

Finally, transfer the mash into a ziplock bag. This will serve as a makeshift "piping bag." Snip one corner of the baggie and pipe the mash onto each zucchini ribbon.

To assemble: roll up the zucchini ribbons, and place on a bed of the cauliflower rice. Garnish with the mushrooms and basil.

Goodness gracious, you guys. What a delicious and striking meal! It was tasty, filling, and beautiful to boot!

The flavors were wonderful - warm and spicy from the cumin and chili powder. It was complimented by the subtle sweetness from the butternut squash and carrots. And there was a slight smokiness from the grilled zucchini. Just perfect!

Finally, I loved the colors! The deep green with the burnt orange filling looked so autumn-y! :) Plus- they looked like flowers!

Alright, that's it for now!

What are you looking forward to this week?

Also: a little news: the pilot I'm working on is having a fundraiser "Meet and Greet" with the cast from 6-11pm in Philly! So if you live in the area and have a free Friday night, come on out! Tickets here!

Okey Dokey, that's all for now!!

See you tomorrow!

Garden Fresh Vegan Ratatouille! GF, V, SCD, & Paleo!

Hey Happy Tummies!!

How the heck are ya?! Gosh, it has been FOREVER and I am so sorry about that.

Things here in NYC have just been going at hyper speed!

So I've been getting a bunch of emails from you guys wondering where I am and if I've fallen off the face of the earth! So I thought I'd take a minute to fill you guys in on what I've been up to:)

First of all: I've missed you guys. A lot. And thank you to everyone that sent me an email as to my whereabouts. Your kindness is truly what makes the world go 'round:)

OK so what in the name of Pete have I been up to?!

Wellllll...things have gotten super busy on the acting front.

I'm excited to announce that I will be playing the lead role of Autry in the upcoming TV pilot, "Heroes of the Street." It's about paramedics and it starts filming this December in Philly. So that's exciting. It's Facebook page is found here! Check it out!! :D

Also, I may have mentioned this already, but I was also cast in a horror film trilogy, called the Coffee Cafe. That will be shooting in 2016 in North Carolina. So exciting stuff folks! It's Facebook page can be found here!

So lots of stuff going on. Annnd I finally "broke down" and created a Facebook "actor page" that I update regularly, so if you want to "keep tabs" on this gluten free gal, you can find me there as well:)  Here's that Link!

So that's the news on this front. I did a few other projects here recently too: several commercials, a role on Oxygen's "My Crazy Love," and a spot for a new alcohol delivery app called Thirstie. It's a pretty interesting idea - like Seamless but for alcohol. You can check out its Facebook page here!

Alright, now for a new recipe! Garden Fresh Vegan Ratatouille!

This one is actually courtesy of my sister-in-law! For Christmas dinner last year, she came up with this brilliant SCD recipe that was SO GOOD! I thought it was perfect to share with you all as Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching!

It was a hit! Layers of fresh veggies - tomatoes, eggplant and zucchini, all smothered in a delectable tomato and red pepper sauce. YUM.

And it's Gluten Free, Grain Free, Vegan, Specific Carb Diet friendly, and Paleo!

Here's what you need: (Serves 6 as a side dish)

2 zucchini, sliced thin on a mandolin

2 yellow squash, sliced thin on a mandolin

2 medium eggplant, sliced thin on a mandolin

3 tomatoes, sliced thin

Sauce,

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 Tbsp EVOO

1/2 cup raw cashews

Prep your veggies by carefully slicing them on a mandolin. (Use a hand guard!) Set aside.

Next, make your sauce. In a large skillet, sauté your onion and red pepper with your EVOO, herbs, salt and pepper for about 5 minutes over medium heat, until softened. Then add your garlic, and let it cook for about 2 more minutes. Finally, add your tomatoes, and let them cook for about 2 minutes, until warmed through. Set aside.

In your food processor, place your cashews. Process them for about 30 seconds, until you get a fine powder. Then, carefully add your vegetable mixture. Process until you get a smooth, creamy sauce. (You can make this a day ahead of time, and store in a Tupperware in the fridge if you're making this for the holidays.)

When you're ready to bake it, place 1/4 cup of the sauce in a large, oven safe, round casserole dish. Spread it around in a thin layer. Then, alternate your sliced veggies in a circular pattern, overlapping like so: Tomato - eggplant - zucchini - yellow squash - tomato etc.

Then, pour the remainder of the sauce over the assembled veggies. Bake for about 30 minutes, until warmed through and bubbly.

* If you are not dairy free, this would be great with a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. *

Serve warm.

My goodness, this dish was not only beautiful, but seriously delicious, too! It was the hit of the dinner! And not to mention wonderfully healthy! 

The sauce was cozy and warm with the oregano and basil, and rich and creamy from the cashews.

The oven worked its magic on the veggies - they became soft and tender. A perfect pairing with the tomato sauce!

Alright that's all for now! I'm going home this weekend, so I'll be doing some cooking while in Cincinnati! 

Have an amazing week!