Tangy Ginger Lime Apple Ribbon Salad! GF, V, SCD & Paleo!

Hey Happy Tummies!

I hope everyone is staying warm with these plummeting temps around the country!!

I have to admit: I love getting all snuggled up and watching a movie, knowing that it's blustery and freezing outside:)

Speaking of movies, I cannot WAIT for the new Hunger Games movie to come out on Friday!

I'm going to see it with my fam when I go home next week for Thanksgiving.

I can't wait to see my little niece!! Isn't she just the cutest ever?!

And I guessss I'm excited to see this little princess too :) haha

SO tonight, I made a particularly delicious and colorful meal.

I used my fave gadget...the spiralizer! (You can make this without a spiralizer, just chop the veggies into small pieces and it'll be a chopped salad!)

I call this colorful pile of deliciousness the Tangy Ginger Lime Apple Ribbon Salad!

Now friends, don't take the word "salad" lightly --- this dish PACKS. A. PUNCH!

"Noodles" of carrots, beets, zucchini, and cucumber smothered in a nutty ginger lime sauce, and kissed with cilantro and honey crisp apples!

Now, if you've been following my blog, you'll know the special place honey crisp apples have in my heart:) I mean, I love them, like woah.

I even made an entire post about them a while back :) haha

And let me tell you, those sweet little nuggets of honey crisp glory really shine in this dish.

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

Here's what you need: (Serves 1 as a main, 2 as a side)

1/2 zucchini, made into noodles
1/2 cucumber, made into noodles
1 carrot, made into noodles
1/2 beet, made into noodles
1/2 honey crisp apple, diced
1/2 red onion, sliced paper thin
1/4 cup cashews, chopped
2 Tbsp cilantro, minced

Sauce:
1/3 - 1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated on a micro plane
3 Tbsp Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
8 drops pure liquid stevia alcohol-free (SCD use 1/2 tsp honey)
2-3 Tbsp water

Spiralize (or chop) your veggies and put them in a large bowl.

After you slice your onions, let them soak in a bowl of ice water for about 5-10 minutes. (This gets rid of that harsh, onion-y bite that raw onions have)

Combine your sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Add enough water to thin out the sauce until it is "drizzly" - about 2 - 3 Tbsp.

Toss your veggie noodles, onions, cashews, and cilantro with the sauce until evenly coated.

Garnish with cashews and cilantro.

My goodness, you guys. This was SO GOOD! This dressing. I'm serious, I could drink it it was so delicious! Tangy, fresh, a little gingery, nutty, sweet -- AMAZING!!

It pairs so wonderfully with the subtly sweet veggie noodles, the buttery cashews, and the bright and fresh cilantro.

And it's so crunchy and fabulous. My favorite part was the honey crisp apple bits -- super sweet and juicy.

Finally, it really is a beautiful dish with all the colors. Red, Orange, Green, Purple -- it's a rainbow of nutritious goodness!

With this cilantro and lime action, all I need is a margarita! :D

Do you like trilogy movies like the Hunger Games, or Twilight, or Lord of the Rings?

Until next time!

Also -- be sure to follow GlutenFreeHappyTummy on Facebook or Twitter for instant updates!!

OMG Slaw! GF, V, SCD, BED & Paleo!

Hey everyone!

How was your Fourth of July!?

Mine is going great! I'm up in Wisconsin at my family's lake home with my entire family. I'm having so much fun! My little niece, Baby A, is here, and she is just the gosh darn cutest thing in the entire world.

It's so much fun to see things through her eyes and watch her discover things for the first time.

So for Independence Day, we had a traditional BBQ cook out. My dad made beer boiled brats and hamburgers on the grill, and I made a delicious dish to share.

Since I was feeding a big number, (10!!), I decided to make a dish that goes a long way, and is a crowd pleaser.

Let me tell you this was a HIT! Everyone LOVED it and gobbled it up.

I've decided to call it my "OMG Slaw," since that's what everyone said when they ate it..."Oh my gosh this is AMAZING!"

And this colorful dish is Gluten Free, Vegan, Specific Carb Diet and Body Ecology Diet friendly, and Paleo!

Here's what you need: (Serves 10)

1/2 head purple cabbage, sliced thin
3 large carrots, sliced into matchsticks
1 red pepper, diced
8 radishes, sliced thin on a mandolin
24-30 sugar snap peas, sliced thin
1 red onion, sliced thin
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
3 pinches salt

Dressing
1/3-1/2 cup almond butter
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
3 Tbsp Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
Juice of one lime
8 drops pure liquid stevia (SCD use 1/2 tsp honey)
2-3 Tbsp water

First, prep all your veggies. Cut them as thin as possible by either carefully using a mandolin (use the hand guard!) or with a sharp knife. In the largest bowl you have, combine the veggies. Add your pinches of salt, seeds and cilantro, and toss to mix.

Then, in a Pyrex measuring cup or a separate bowl, make your dressing. Using a microplane or grater, grate your ginger directly into the Pyrex, then whisk to combine the other ingredients. You'll need to add about 1-2 Tbsp water to thin out the sauce into a "drizzly" consistency.

Coat all the veggies with the dressing, and serve garnished with more seeds.

Refrigerate before serving. It will keep (and keep getting better) for three days in the refrigerator.

Oh my goodness this slaw was so freaking awesome. I can't even begin to describe the bright, fresh flavor of this slaw. There's nothing like spending the day on the lake, and enjoying a cold, crisp salad for dinner. It was so refreshing.

I'm serious, everyone flipped out over this salad. There were NO LEFTOVERS! People were licking their plates, the dressing was so good.

First of all, it is a beautiful dish. You eat with your eyes first, and this definitely jumped off the plate. There was purple and pink, green, red and orange! So beautiful.

And the texture was so satisfying. The cabbage was so incredibly crunchy, and the avocado was nice and creamy. Finally, the seeds gave a chewy, salty pop that really hit the spot.

Finally, that dressing. It was nutty and bright from the lime juice and apple cider vinegar. It was a little sweet, and wonderfully fresh from the cilantro. Cilantro and lime are a match made in heaven:)

What a treat. Seriously so good. This week is going so well. We're celebrating my niece's first birthday, and my graduation while we're here. I made a gorgeous gluten free cake with coconut oil frosting for Baby A's birthday celebration. I'll post about that soon. It was a hit!

Question for all my lovely readers: There's a new trend with food production called aquaponics, which is a sustainable food growing system circulating water between fish and plants. It's herbicide/pesticide free and uses less water than traditional farming. How do you feel about it? Would you buy produce grown using aquaponics?

OK, see you soon!

Coconut Mango Vodka Slushy! GF, V, SCD!

Hey hey everyone!

I'm still riding cloud nine from the Fourth of July.

Independence Day in the Northwoods of Wisconsin is so fun. Everyone decorates their boats in patriotic gear. It's one big party!

So my mom has a super high powered Ninja blender that makes amazing blended drinks. She and the gals in my family enjoyed what's called a rum chatta collata. Well, it contains lots of dairy, sugar, and rum....so it is definitely NOT SCD friendly! (It's rum chatta spirit (dairy based), pineapple juice, rum, coconut cream, and nutmeg.)

But I'm not one to miss out on a "fru-fru" vacation drink! So I concocted one that I could drink!!

It's completely SCD legal!! I wanted to find a flavored vodka, but all the ones I could find have LOTS of added sugar and artificial ingredients. BUT I finally found a winner!! Skinnygirl Coconut Vodka! It's just made with vodka and coconut water! No added sugar!! Wooo!!

SOOOO I blended: (makes 3 drinks)
4 cups ice
1 cup coconut vodka
juice of 1/2 lemon & 1/2 lime
8 drops of pure liquid stevia (SCD omit)
1 cup raw organic mango juice

Blend on high for about 30 seconds until it resembles a slushy.

Holy cow you guys this is SO INCREDIBLE!! I may or may not have had the entire thing by myself that day:) Oops!!

It's like an adult slushy. And the best part is that it didn't hurt my tummy! The ice really waters down the juice so it's not overly sweet. It's very light and refreshing! It tastes like you're on vacation!

And the color is just gorgeous. That tangerine orange -- so sunny and bright!

My sister-in-law tried both and said that she actually preferred my Coconut Mango Slushy over the Rum Chatta Collata because it was lighter and more refreshing for a hot day.

Adios for now!


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

Fresh Figs w/ Almond Butter Sauce! GF, V, SCD!

Ok so if you've never had a fresh fig before, consider this your cordial invitation.

Really.

I had never had a fresh fig in my entire time on this earth. And yesterday I decided that it was about figgin' time! (see what I did there?) :)

Soo basically, fresh figs are fabulous. Really and truly!

A lot of people eat then with cheese or honey. Since these options are not vegan, I decided that almond butter would be a great alternative! And not juuust almond butter.....but ginger too!! 

Soo I made figs with a ginger almond butter drizzle! This would be a great appetizer or tapas style dish to serve with dinner. It'd also make a fantastic healthy dessert! (that's what it was for me!)

And it's Gluten Free, Vegan, and Specific Carb Diet friendly!
Here's what you need:


2 figs per person


Sauce: (makes enough for leftovers!)

3/4 cup almond butter
3 tsp raw Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp grated ginger
juice of 1/2 lime
1-3 tsp water
8 drops pure liquid stevia (BED use alcohol free; SCD use 1 tsp honey)

This couldn't be simpler. Choose 2 or 3 firm figs. Quarter them and set aside. Make your sauce by combining the ingredients with a fork. Add water until the consistency becomes "drizzly." Drizzle the slices with the almond butter sauce and enjoy!

These little bites were marvelous. Figs just may be my new favorite food! They're not overly sweet, and the texture was chewy and kinda juicy. It was the perfect vessel for the nutty almond butter. They complimented each other perfectly.

And the sauce was outrageously good. I like to keep some in my fridge at all times. It's a great dip for fruit or carrots! It's sweet and tangy, nutty, and fresh from the ginger. It is the perfect companion for the figs!

There was something so luxurious about the figs. It felt like I was eating something special...and I was!

So do yourself a favor and have some figs with almond butter!

Do you have any fun 4th of July plans?

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

Mango Avocado Flatbread w/ Sweet & Tangy Almond Butter Drizzle! GF, V, BED, SCD!

What. A. Week!!

I don't know about you, but mine was absolutely jam packed! Auditions and interviews...gotta love the hustle! I bought a new pink blazer for an audition....what do you think!? :)

So I have a super exciting recipe to share with you! Brace yourselves, because this one is fab.u.lous! A Mango Avocado Flatbread with a Sweet & Tangy Almond Butter Drizzle!

Yeah. Just let that sink it.

It was so good, it made me literally get out of my chair and do a little dance:)

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

Here's what you need:

Crust:
3/4 cup almond flour
2 egg whites (Vegan option: 1 flax/chia egg)
1/4 tsp salt

Toppings:
1 avocado, mashed
juice of half a lime

1/2 red pepper, sliced
1/2 cucumber, seeded and sliced thin on a mandoline
1 carrot, sliced
1/2 mango, cubed
1 green onion, chopped
cilantro, chopped

Almond Butter Drizzle:
1/3 cup almond butter
3 tsp apple cider vinegar
20 drops pure liquid stevia (BED use alcohol free)
healthy pinch of salt
juice of 1/2 a lime
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1-3 Tbsp water (to get a drizzly consistency)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix your almond flour with your eggs and salt. Put the dough on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Place another sheet on top and "smoosh" it out, making a crust. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Meanwhile, prep your veggies. Also, make your drizzle by mixing everything with a fork until drizzly. Also, mash your avocado with the juice of 1/2 a lime and a healthy pinch of salt.

When you take your crust out of the oven, spread your avocado in an even layer, leaving a 1 inch border. Top it with your veggies and mango, sprinkle with cilantro, and drizzle liberally with your almond butter sauce!

Note: You will have extra veggies and sauce. What I did was save the veggies and sauce in separate containers, and made them for lunch the next day as a yummy salad! The sauce also makes a great dip for fruit and veggies!

Hold on to your hats, ladies and gentlemen, because this meal was SOOOOO good!! Oh my gosh, I don't know where to start! Lets start with the looks...because, you eat with your eyes first! The colors were absolutely jumping off the plate! Red, Green, Yellow, Orange! It was just gorgeous!

And then the flavor! Wow oh Wow. The buttery avocado was the perfect backdrop for the sweet veggies, and salty, nutty crust. There was a slight bite from the green onions, and then BAM you got this intense sweetness from the mango. And the drizzle was slightly tangy, but wonderfully sweet and nutty, all highlighted by the fresh pop from the cilantro!

And then the textures were amazing. The crust was crunchy and nutty -- you could actually pick it up like a pizza! The avocado was creamy, the veggies were incredibly crunchy, and the mango was juicy and sweet.

A perfect 10 if I do say so myself:)

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Until next time!

A mandoline and a good knife were key tools for this recipe. Here are the one's I use and love: