Curried Sweet Potato & Carrot Latkes! GF & Paleo!

Hey Happy Tummies!

Gosh, thank you all for the outpouring of kind words about my family photos I posted earlier this week. You guys are just the greatest:)

I can't believe that there's less than 3 weeks until Christmas! In fact, I get to see this little munchkin in just two weeks! Weee!!

So for today's recipe, I wanted to share a seasonal favorite with a Happy Tummy twist! As many of you know, Hanukkah begins on the evening of December 16. Potato Latkes are a traditional part of that holiday, but unfortunately aren't gluten free - or paleo for that matter. Soooo I decided to shake things up and give them a makeover - Happy Tummy style!

Introducing Curried Sweet Potato and Carrot Latkes with Avocado Cream Sauce!

And they're Gluten and Dairy Free, Paleo, and have a Vegan option!

Here's what you need: (Serves 2-3)

1 sweet potato, shredded, about 2 cups
1 carrot, shredded, about 1 1/4 cups
2 eggs, beaten (vegan option: 2 flax/chia eggs)
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp curry powder
3 healthy pinches of salt
3 Tbsp - 1/4 cup olive oil, coconut oil, or grape seed oil

1 avocado
squeeze of lime
1 Tbsp cilantro, minced

optional:
1 fried egg per person

Grate your carrot and sweet potato on a box grater.

In a medium sized bowl, beat 2 room temperature eggs with a fork with the salt, pepper, and curry powder. Stir in your carrot and sweet potato until evenly coated with the egg. Stir in the almond flour.

In a frying pan or cast iron skillet, pour enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan in a thin layer. Heat the oil for about 2 minutes, over medium-high heat.

Take 1/4 cup of the carrot/potato mixture and form into a patty. Place in the frying pan, and cook for about 2 minutes per side, when the edges begin to turn golden brown, flipping gently with a spatula. Place on a paper towel to absorb any extra oil. Makes 10 latkes.

Meanwhile, mash your avocado with salt, a squeeze of lime, and 1 Tbsp of cilantro.

To serve, top each latke with a dollop of avocado cream, and garnish with minced cilantro.

OPTION B:
Another plating option is to top 2 latkes with a fried egg instead-of/in-addition-to the avocado cream sauce!

What a treat was this!! It could be dinner. It could be breakfast. It could be a midnight snack. JUST EAT IT, PEOPLE!! hehe:)

But seriously, WOW. The curry is such an unexpected punch of yummy flavor. It's a bit spicy, which is instantly cooled down by the buttery and rich avocado. And it pairs beautifully with the subtle sweetness from the sweet potatoes and carrots. Finally, the cilantro pops in with this burst of freshness that takes it over the top.

And the textures! The potatoes have become nice and crunchy and chewy. And then there's the cool and creamy avocado to compliment it.

But Happy Tummies...the egg. My, oh my! The rich and gooey yolk ties everything together with this luxurious richness that's perfect for dinner, or a hearty breakfast!

Just do yourself a favor -- make this meal! Whether you call them latkes, potato pancakes, hash browns, skillet potatoes, WHATEVER -- just do it! Your tastebuds will thank you:)

What's your favorite holiday tradition? Mine is putting up the Christmas tree while listening to Kenny G :)

Creamy Cashew Curry! GF, V, SCD, BED & Paleo!

Who just had an incredible dinner that was off the charts?

Uhhh this gal :)

Holy cow guys. I thought last night’s was amazing, but TONIGHT’s dinner may have taken the cake!

I’m telling you…there’s something in the air up here in Wisconsin that just has my creativity FLOWING!!

What did I make tonight? CREAMY CASHEW CURRY!!!!

Oh gosh. SO GOOD. A red pepper/cashew curry sauce over zucchini noodles with diced avocado, mango, sugar snap peas, carrots, and mushrooms! AHH!! IT WAS AMAZING!!

And let me tell you…it was FILLING!! Who ever said zucchini pasta was “bird food” has clearly never tried my cooking:)

And it is Gluten/Grain Free, Vegan, Specific Carb Diet friendly, and Paleo w/ a Body Ecology Diet option!

Here’s what you need: (serves 1)

1 large zucchini, “noodlized”

Sauce:
¼ red pepper, diced
¼ onion, diced
1 ½ tsp grated ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup cashews
5 Tbsp light coconut milk
juice of ½ lime
5 drops of pure liquid stevia (alcohol free) (SCD use a touch of honey)
salt and pepper

6 sugar snap peas, chopped
1 carrot, or 4 baby carrots, chopped
3 mushrooms, sliced (BED use shitake)
1 tsp curry powder
1 mango, diced
½ avocado, diced

Garnish
cilantro, minced
5 cashews, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. With a spiralizer or mandolin, “noodlize” your zucchini. Separate the strands, and spread them out on a tinfoil-lined, olive oil-sprayed baking sheet. Set aside. (Don’t bake just yet).

Saute your red pepper and onion in 1 tsp EVOO with salt and pepper. Cook for 6 minutes, until soft. Then, add the garlic and ginger and let them cook for about 2 minutes. Transfer this to your food processor. Process this mixture with the cashews and coconut milk until it is rich and creamy.

Now, put your zucchini in the oven for 9 minutes, so the zoodles become soft and warm.

Meanwhile, sauté your mushrooms in 1 tsp of EVOO until browned. Once they’re browned, stir in your carrots and snap peas and curry powder. Let those cook for about 2-3 minutes, until the snap peas turn vibrant green. (They should still be crunchy.) Then, stir in your sauce. If it is a little thick, thin it out with 1 Tbsp coconut milk.

Next, you have 2 options: You could either a) Serve the sauce separately over the zoodles, or b) Turn off the heat and toss your zoodles and mango in the pan with the sauce. I personally enjoyed option B – mixing them. Garnish with avocado, cilantro, and cashews.

Oh my goodness, you guys. I’m not even kidding this was extraordinary! The thing I loved most about it was how rich and creamy it was! Seriously, it was such a luxurious dish! The cashews and coconut milk made the sauce super creamy and velvety.

The flavor just exploded in your mouth. That sauce! The ginger gave it a spicy kick, the garlic was subtly in the background. The lime juice gave it a zing, and the curry was warm and spicy! OOOH WEEE!! And then the little bites of mango provided this intense sweet and juicy bite! And the fresh pop of cilantro at the end tied it all together!

There were so many levels of flavor too! The spicy curry sauce, the buttery avocado, the rich cashews, sweet mango, fresh cilantro, bright lime, earthy mushrooms. SO GOOD!

And finally, the textures! The zoodles were slurpy, while the carrots and snap peas were super crunchy. The sauce was velvety and the mushrooms were chewy, while the cashews were crunchy! Just incredible!

Seriously. If you want some good eats, give this a go! You won’t regret it!!

Hope you had a fabulous Fourth of July! Yay Amurrrica!

Roxy & I saying Happy 4th from Wisconsin! :)

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

Nemo Noshes!

Hey Hey Happy Tummies!

Who’s ready for NEMO!?! OK…I seriously want to have a word with whoever named this snow storm….Nemo is an adorable little fish, NOT a panic-inducing blizzard!

But I digress. Chances are, we’re going to be snowed in….which only means one thing…

It’s time to snuggle up on the couch, watch some classic chick flicks, and have some cozy snow day eats!

Bring on the recipes!

Fennel & Asparagus Soup! (GF, V, SCD, BED)

Sugar Free Almond Pillow Cookies! (GF, BED)

Peanut Butter and Jelly Pancakes! (GF, Maker's Diet)

Alfresco Bites! (GF, V, BED, SCD)

Veggie Curry Over Millet! (GF, V, BED)

Hassleback Red Potatoes! (GF, V, BED)

Sweet Cinnamon Millet Chips! (GF, V Option, BED)

Carrot Cake Bites! (GF, V, SCD)

Well, I'd say THAT should get us through the blizzard!

I hope you're all staying warm during the storm! I bought some ingredients to create a new recipe while I'm cooped up! So keep a lookout for that! 

Until next time!

Here are some of the essential tools I used for these recipes:

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!

Veggie Curry Zucchini Pasta! GF, V, BED, SCD!

What a great day. Sunday might be my favorite day of the week. Today, my mom and I had a movie marathon. This is a rare occasion, but my mom has been doing a lot of work lately – as inALL summer with the fire at the lake home and a class she’s teaching in the fall — she deserved a day of R & R.

Veggie Curry Zucchini Pasta!

We watched one foreign film that was in subtitles haha, and then What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. This second movie was really good. Johnny Depp and Leo DiCaprio were in it as little guys! Leo was only 18! It was the movie that really launched their careers. It was SO well acted!

Gluten Free, Vegan, SCD and BED!

So, our movie marathon lasted until 6:45, and I hadn’t started dinner yet. Oops! Oh, well, totally worth it:) So I needed something fast….my brain was scanning my options, and then I suddenly remembered something…

delicious!

I recently received an email from a reader about how much they enjoyed my Vegan Curry Pasta! I looked back at that recipe and remembered just how much I loved it too! And it was fast!

Vegan Curry Pasta inspiration!

So I “SCD-Legalized” it by replacing the brown rice noodles with zucchini noodles, and omitting the tofu! It was delish! And the best part — on the table in 30 minutes!

yum!

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

what a plate!

Here’s what you need: serves 2

1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup frozen pea
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
fresh cilantro, chopped (garnish)
cashews, chopped (garnish)
2 tsp curry powder
salt and pepper

2 zucchini, “noodlized” – either with a spiralizer, mandolin, veggie peeler or knife

Sauce:
1/2 cup veg stock
juice of 1 lime
15 drops pure liquid stevia (SCD use 1/2 tsp honey)
1/2 cup of light coconut milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. After you “noodlize” your zucchini, spread the noodles out onto an olive-oil-sprayed baking sheet, spritz them with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for about 15 minutes, stirring half way through. OR, if you have more time, bake for about 30 minutes at 250 degrees.

Meanwhile, prep your veggies. In a large frying pan, saute your onions in 1 tsp EVOO, salt, pepper, and the curry powder for about 3 minutes. Then, add in your other veggies, garlic and ginger, and allow them to cook for about 3 minutes. Finally, add in your sauce ingredients and frozen peas. Let them warm through. The veggies will still be crisp-tender.

Top your zucchini noodles with the veggie curry, and garnish with cilantro and chopped cashews!

slurpy zucchini noodles!

This meal was superb! We thoroughly enjoyed it:) The flavors were so exotic and exciting! It was spicy, somewhat sweet, a little tangy, a little creamy — just delicious! In fact, my parents joked that they could drink the sauce it was so good! Well alright! haha

such colorful veggies!

The textures were lovely too. The zucchini noodles were so slurpy and wonderful with the crunchy veggies and velvety sauce! To be fair, this would have been just a knockout over a bed of rice or millet — something that could absorb the sauce — but for a grain free gal, this was pretty doggone incredible!

the cilantro adds the perfect freshness!

And I couldn’t believe how fast it came together! Curry in a hurry, I’d say!

what textures!

What are your favorite “marathon” movies? Adam Sandler flicks? Period pieces? Twilight?

Off to watch more movies!! :)

See ya tomorrow!

Need an olive oil mister or a spiralizer? Here are the ones I use and love: