Daikon Chips w/ Guacamole! GF, V, BED, SCD!

Happy Tuesday! How's everyone's week going?

OK...serious question...Who watched the Bachelor?! :D

Guilty as charged. I know, I know...such garbage....but I like it:) I thought the prank he pulled on Desiree was not cool...not cool at all.

Also -- If you want to be on the GFHT Email List to receive my recipes in your inbox, leave me a comment with your email, or email me @ Caralyn4@gmail.com and I'll add you to the list!

So anywho...onto the Food!

I think I have a subconscious longing for chips...haha...I see people eating them on the subway all the time, and since I can't have them on the SCD, I think I subconsciously want them...which is weird, because growing up, I was never even really a "chip person!!"

Soooo, I made Daikon Radish Chips with Red Pepper Guacamole!

Wait wait wait...daikon radishes? What the heck are those?.......Well, they're those big white tube-looking veggies in the produce section. They also come looking like white carrots, but I bought the big tube -- perfect for chips.

And come on...annything with guacamole is a winner!

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

Here's what you need: (serves 1)

1 daikon radish, sliced thin on a mandolin
1 zucchini, sliced thin on a mandolin

Guacamole:
1 avocado, mashed
1 garlic clove, grated
2 Tbsp red onion, minced
squeeze of lime
big pinch of salt
2-3 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

Mix Ins:
1/2 red pepper, small dice
6 cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Carefully slice your radish and zucchini on a mandoline. Place the slices on 2 tin-foil-lined, olive-oil-sprayed baking sheets in a single layer. Spritz with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping once halfway through.

Meanwhile, make your guacamole. Mash your avocado in a bowl with the salt, garlic, and lime. Stir in your cilantro and onion. Then, fold in your desired Mix Ins.

Serve your chips with your guacamole and devour!

This meal was fantastic! Let me just tell you about this guacamole....it is outrageous. In fact, I don't mean to "toot my own horn," but among my family and friends, I'm kinda famous for it. Whenever I go to a party, or dinner get together, people ALWAYS request me to bring my guac. I literally make like a quadruple batch, and it's gone within 5 minutes. It is THAT good. I usually don't put red peppers in it, but I wanted to get an extra veggie in there tonight:)

And the chips were marvelous! I already know that I love zucchini chips, but the daikon chips were such a pleasant surprise! They weren't super *crunchy*...they were more of a chewy texture, but that was fine with me...they were wonderful! Their raw flavor is somewhat intense, but when you bake them, they become almost nutty and scrumptious!

Would I have liked to eat this guac with tortilla chips? Yes. But were these chips the next best thing? Absolutely!

Do you have a signature party dish?

This meal was made possible by two of my favorite kitchen tools: my mandoline, and my olive oil mister! This mandoline is great because it has a hand guard, which I found out the hard way, is a must!! And then my EVOO sprayer makes it so I don't have to use chemical-laden cooking spray. Here are the ones I use:

Mexican Sweet Potato Gratin & a Haircut! GF, V, MD!

Well some exciting news today …

I got a haircut!!! My curls are back in action!

And…my business cards came!! The font could have been a little bigger, but ehh – oh well:)

Today was a particularly fun day. Not only did I get pampered at the amazing Devachan Salon – which is an amazing “curls-only” salon, but I got to see one of my best friends who visiting NYC! She and her mom stopped by my place for a little while. It was SO good to see them!! :D

So tonight, I thought I’d share another favorite from the archives. (Why is it that ALL the archive recipes are favorites?) haha

Mexican Sweet Potato Gratin!!

Layers of sweet and spicy sweet potatoes, topped with cool and creamy guacamole!

And it’s Gluten Free, Vegan, and Maker’s Diet friendly! For a Body Ecology Diet substitution, use Red Skinned Potatoes! :D

With this gratin, I served “un-fried” black beans – also incredible:)

Here’s what you need: (Serves 4)

2 Sweet Potatoes (long and thin)
1 tsp EVOO

Spice Mix:
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
Dash cayenne pepper (only add if you like heat!)

Preheat your oven to 350. Using a mandolin, carefully slice your SPs into about 1/4 inch rounds. Not paper-thin, but thin-ish. I used the 2nd setting on the mandolin.  In a bowl, toss your rounds with the EVOO and about 1 1/2 Tbsp of the spice mix. Then, in a oven-safe, non-stick pan, arrange your rounds overlapping, starting on the rim and spiraling in towards the center. After you have this layer, spray it w/ EVOO and then make another layer. Repeat, spraying after each layer until your potatoes run out — I made 3 layers.

Delight in its beauty, and then, put it on the stove over low heat for about 5-6 minutes.  You’ll hear the bottom layer start to sizzle, but that’s ok! Don’t touch it! It’s forming a beautiful crust. After you hear this sizzle, put it in the oven. After about 10 minutes, turn up the oven to 400 for 5 minutes, and then turn it back down to 350, and allow it to cook for about 5 more minutes. Make sure the potatoes are fork tender.  You will notice that it has sort of, “shrunk” — and that’s great!

flipped out!

Let the pan cool for about 10 minutes, and then flip it onto another plate. Confidence is key here for a clean flip — place the plate upside-down on the pan, and then in one big swoop, flip it! You now have a GORGEOUS sweet potato gratin!

amazing caramelized sweet potatoes!

look at those layers!

Next, the “Un-Fried” Black Beans.

1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup veg stock
juice and zest of 1/2 lime
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp spice mix (see above)
handful chopped cilantro
S&P

Saute the onion and garlic for 5 minutes with the spices. Add in the black beans and mix for a minute.  Then, mash with a potato masher and stir in the veg stock. Let that evaporate. Before serving, stir in the lime juice, zest, and cilantro. Yum!

Next: Guacamole

1 avocado
1 Tbsp minced red onion
squeeze of lime
1 small garlic clove, grated
1/2 small tomato, seeded and diced small (BED omit)
handful chopped cilantro
salt

Mash avocado with salt and lime juice. Stir everything but the tomatoes in, and then gently fold in the tomatoes. Refrigerate. Delish.

This meal was a show stopper. First of all, the presentation was beautiful. You eat with your eyes first, so the plate should look appealing. And boy, this one sure did! There were so many beautiful colors! The burnt orange sweet potatoes, lemony green avocado, bright red tomatoes, and black beans. Dramatic -– let me tell ya.

Finally, the flavors just burst in your mouth! The spice mix in the gratin brings such a spicy-heat that is complemented so well by the caramelized sweet potatoes. They have this beautiful crust on both the top and bottom that have a sweet, smokey, sticky, caramelization. The beans are spicy and fresh with the cilantro. Finally, to round it all out, the guacamole is cooling, creamy, and rich!

Do you like getting your haircut, or is it a hassle?

Until tomorrow!

Need a mandoline? Here's the one I use:

Mexican Skillet Cakes! GF, V Option, BED, SCD!

Well here we are at the end of another week! How was it for everyone?

Things in NYC are going great – although I was sick yesterday and today, so I’m afraid it’s going to be a pretty slow weekend. That’s ok — we all need that sometimes.

So I hope you’ve been enjoying the recipes from the archives! Isn’t it fun look back and see where you’ve come from? Kinda like rereading your old diary…I love it:)

Anywho, tonight we’re back with a new recipe! And boy was it goooood:)

Mexican Skillet Cakes!!

Mexican flavored veggies packed into a flapjack, and smothered with creamy guacamole!

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

Here’s what you need: (Serves 1)

1/2 cup almond flour
2 egg whites (Vegan Option: 2 flax/chia eggs)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 zucchini, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
2 shiitake mushrooms, diced
3/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp oregano
5 grinds of pepper

Guacamole:
1 avocado
squeeze of lime
1 garlic clove, grated
1 tbsp red onion, grated
cilantro
salt

Start out by sauteing your onion in 1 tsp EVOO with the salt, pepper, and spices. Let them cook for about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, combine your other raw veggies in a separate bowl. After the onions have softened, pour them in the separate bowl with the other veggies and toss to coat everything with the spices. Once fully mixed, stir in the eggs/almond flour and salt.

Take a big skillet and spray it with olive oil. Heat it until it is super hot. Then, pour 1/3 cup dollops of batter onto the skillet. It will make 4 pancakes. Let them cook for about 4 minutes per side, until golden brown. When you go to flip, carefully do so using both a spatula and a silicone scraper — they can be a bit messy.

While they’re cooking, make your guacamole by combining everything in a bowl by smooshing it with the back of a fork.

To assemble, top your skillet cakes with a dollop of guacamole, and garnish with cilantro.

Wow, oh wow! Were these ever a treat! Before I even tasted them, I was salivating at the amazing aroma coming from the kitchen! I saw my neighbor after dinner when I was throwing away the garbage, and he said, “oh my Gawd, there’s always such good smells coming out of there! Are you opening a restaurant?” Haha, thanks buddy:)

But the flavors and textures were incredible….outstanding, in fact. I have never had Mexican flavors with almond flour, and let me tell you — it was outrageous! The Mexican spices were warm and sultry, and then there was this underlying slight sweetness from the almond flour, which had now toasted, and the red peppers, which had begun to caramelize.

And then the rich and luxurious guacamole brought it all together. It was cooling, counterbalancing the spicy-sweetness.

I cleaned. my. plate. It was just splendid:)

What’s your favorite Mexican dish? Tacos? Burritos? Tamales?

My sister-in-law and her family make AMAZING tamales around Christmas time — who needs fruitcake when you’ve got homemade tamales?! mmm mm mmm!

Until tomorrow!

Tools used in this recipe: