Cauliflower Steaks w/ Roasted Beet Cream! GF, V, SCD & Paleo!

Hey Everyone!

I hope you’re having a fabulous week!

I’m back in NYC, and I don’t know about you, but it’s always tough coming back after a nice trip. I had such a wonderful time at home. I got to meet my new niece, my new puppy nephew :) and hang out with my family. It was awesome.

Let me tell ya, I had so much fun cooking up new meals while I was home. That’s another perk of coming home – groceries are SO much cheaper than in NYC. So lets just say I take full advantage of that! :)

On Friday, we had a cookout at my brother’s house. I brought along my dinner and it was a showstopper! What did I make?

Cauliflower “Steaks” with Roasted Beet Cream!

Wow. Wow. Wow. What a dramatic dish! This was so freaking good. A caramelized cauliflower “steak” topped with a puree of roasted beets and garnished with blistered green beans! YUM!

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

Here’s what you need: (serves 1 – 2)

½ head cauliflower – cut into 1-inch slabs (makes 2)

Cream:
1 large beet, diced
¼ red onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
10 cashews

Handful of green beans

Fresh basil (garnish)

Baby spinach

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place your cubed beets on a tin-foil-lined, olive-oil-sprayed baking sheet. Spritz with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until tender, stirring once, halfway through.

Also, cut your cauliflower into 1-inch slabs. Be careful to include the stem on each steak so that the florets stay together. Place the 2 slabs on another tin-foil-lined, olive-oil-sprayed baking sheet. On the same baking sheet, spread out your green beans in a single layer. Spritz with EVOO and bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown on the edges.

Meanwhile, sauté your onions and garlic in 1 tsp EVOO with salt and pepper. Allow them to get soft – about 5 minutes. Transfer to your food processor.

In your food processor, process your beets, cashews, onions and garlic until creamy. You’ll need to scrape the sides twice.

To assemble: Place one cauliflower steak on a bed of baby spinach. Top your cauliflower with about ½ cup of the beet puree. Top with about 6 or 7 green beans and sprinkle with chopped basil. This recipe makes 2 complete steaks. (One steak is enough for a side dish, or two for a main meal.)

What a showstopper! This dish brought so much drama to the table! The deep purple of the beet puree just jumped off the plate and really stood out against the white cauliflower. It looked sophisticated and regal with that deep purple, and the height from the green beans.

And then the flavor! The beet puree was savory from the onions and garlic, and had a slight earthy sweetness. It was extremely creamy and luxurious from the cashews. I could have eaten it by the spoonful! It went wonderfully with the pop of fresh basil!

And then the cauliflower. E gads. I always say that cauliflower is the humble super star! I mean, I’ve made pizza crusts, rice, mashed “potatoes,” taco shells, steaks, and poppers out of it – it is SO versatile! 

But if you’ve never had it roasted in the oven, you really should give it a try. It becomes golden brown and takes on an almost “nutty” flavor. It is truly amazing. And in “steak” form, it is really beautiful and “fancy” looking.

This was the first day’s meal. I’ve got 3 more where that came from!!  Stay tuned for the deliciousness!

PS – what did you all think of the Bachelorette!? Ohmigosh – what is Des going to do!? She basically said the show was over for her? She can’t possibly pick Drew or Chris after she pretty much said she was pretending with them?!? 

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

Green Fries w/ Pink Sauce! GF, V, SCD, & Paleo!

Hey Happy Tummies!

How was everyone’s weekend? Things here couldn’t be better.

I’m actually home right now in Cincinnati, becauuuuse…………MY BROTHER AND HIS WIFE HAD A BABY!!!!

Yes! They welcomed an absolutely precious little girl into the world on 7/17! So I flew home this weekend to meet my niece! That’s right! I’m an aunt!!

She is the absolute sweetest little girl in the world. I loved holding her as she slept in my arms. Congratulations you two. I couldn’t be more excited for you!

So before I left, I had a “use up the ingredients in the fridge” type of meal. I don’t know why, but those meals are always SO GOOD! And this one was no exception.

What did I make? Green Bean & Zucchini Fries with a creamy Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce!

Wow. And it’s Gluten Free, Vegan, Specific Carb Diet Friendly, and Paleo with a Body Ecology Diet option!

Here’s what you need: (serves 1)

1 big handful of fresh green beans (about 25-30 beans)
1 zucchini, cut into fries

Sauce:

½ red pepper
2 cups cherry tomatoes, or 2 tomatoes (BED sub 1 whole roasted red pepper)
1 cup cauliflower (I used frozen)
¼ onion, chopped
1 garlic clove
10 cashews
dried basil and oregano (1/2 tsp each)

Garnish:
fresh basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a tin-foil-lined, olive-oil-sprayed baking sheet, spread out your zucchini and green beans in a single layer. Spritz them with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 40 minutes, flipping once, half-way through. Sprinkle with more salt after them come out of the oven.

Meanwhile, sauté your onion in a skillet with 1 tsp EVOO, salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Let them soften for about 4 minutes. Then, add your red pepper. Let that cook for another 5 minutes. Finally, add your garlic and tomatoes. Let that cook for about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to your food processor.

While your veggies are cooking, steam your cauliflower florets until tender. I did this by microwaving them for 3 minutes in a Pyrex measuring cup. Add the cooked cauliflower to your food processor.

Also add 10 cashews to the food processor and process everything until smooth and creamy: for about 1 ½ minutes. You’ll need to scrape the sides once or twice.

To assemble: Place 3 Tbsp of the sauce on the bottom of the plate. Place your green beans and zucchini on top of the sauce. Top with another healthy dollop on top. Garnish with fresh basil.

My goodness, how good was this dinner?! If you’ve never “blistered” green beans like this, you NEED to try it. As in, stop what you’re doing right now, and throw some in the oven! They’re that good! They become super crispy – almost like fries!

And the sauce! Holy camoley. It was just marvelous. First, the color was gorgeous – salmon pinky-orange. And it was so rich and creamy from the cashews and cauliflower. It had a slightly sweet note from the red pepper, but then the comforting and cozy flavor of tomato and basil.

It was a perfect pairing with our green fries.

I need to make some “clean out the fridge” meals more often!

All right, that’s it for now! Talk to you soon!!

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

Purple People Pleaser Salad! GF, V, SCD, BED & Paleo!

Hey everyone!

I'm so glad you all enjoyed my post on Hu Kitchen! What a fabulous dining experience!!

So, even though school supply commercials are starting to pop up on TV, I'm still in FULL summer mode! I hope you are too:) I mean, it's still July! We've got August ahead of us! (Which, IMHO is the best  month...cuz it's my birthday month:))

I love summer because of all the fun social get-togethers! During the summer, cookouts are the name of the game. I don't know about you, but whenever I go to someone's house for dinner, I always want to help with the cooking and bring a dish. How many times have you said, "I'll bring the salad!" It's probably the standard "bring along" dish, (aside from dessert).

Well, why not bring a salad that will steal the show:) Yep...no more boring "salad in a bag." This dish will be the hit of the cookout!

It's colorful, crunchy, healthy, and absolutely BURSTING with flavor!

I call it, my Purple People Pleaser Salad!

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

Here's what you need:

Serves 2 hungry people (as a main dish...4 as a side dish)

1/2 head of purple cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, shaved into long strips with a veggie peeler
1 cucumber, seeded and sliced
1/4 red onion, sliced thin and soaked in ice water
1/2 red pepper, sliced thin
15 green beans, chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2 avocado, diced
3-4 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
12 cashews, chopped

Dressing:
1-2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 Tbsp almond butter
juice of 1 lime
10 drops alcohol free pure liquid stevia (SCD use 1 tsp honey)
2+ Tbsp water

The prep couldn't be easier. Carefully prepare your veggies: either with a mandoline or a knife. (I just used a knife). (*After you slice your red onion, place them in a small bowl and cover with ice water for 5 minutes. This will take away that sharp onion-y bite*) In a big bowl, combine your veggies and cilantro.

Next, make your sauce by whisking the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Add enough water to make it "drizzly."

Finally, toss your veggies with the dressing. Garnish with chopped cashews and extra cilantro. Serve chilled.

Oh my gosh, how good was this salad!?! The first thing that hits you is how beautiful it is. There's so much color going on on the plate! There's purple, red, orange, green -- it's so whimsical!!

Then the flavor - holy cow. Hold onto your hats, folks. This dressing is good enough to bathe in! Haha Seriously! It's tangy, sweet, gingery and nutty. So incredibly delicious.

And the crunchiness of the veggies is just phenomenal. Each veggie brings a specific flavor to the dish. The carrots and red peppers are sweet, the cabbage is a bit more savory and stringy like spaghetti. And then the avocado. OH the AVOCADO! It is rich and creamy, and adds this luxuriousness to the salad.

Finally, the cilantro provides the perfect fresh *pop* to punctuate the dish. :) Loved it. Loooooved iiiit!!

What's your favorite dish to bring to a cookout?


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

Hu Kitchen! An NYC Hotspot!

Holy cow, you guys. I may have just discovered the Holy Grail. And it's called Hu Kitchen.

I just had, hands down, the best restaurant experience -- bar none -- at Hu.

Hu is revolutionary dining. As in -- it's real food. I mean -- check the door: No Tricks. Just food. 

They're setting out to change the way we eat. To bring food back to nature -- the pre-industrial way of eating. . Unprocess it. They want to cook and eat food the way it is found in nature. Hallelujah! 

Their revolutionary food philosophy is summed up in their Eight Hu Pillars. And if you read them carefully, it's not so revolutionary after all --- it's how we're supposed to eat! They follow the same food philosophy I do!

The Hu Pillars: 1) Unprocess. 2) Count ingredients, not calories. 3) Pull plants, push animals (pull fruit and veg to the center of the plate) 4) Minimize grain. 5) Embrace fat (the good fat) 6) Get back to animal (feed animals what they're supposed to eat -- ie: grass -- not GMO pellets) 7) Sweeten wisely (no cane sugar/artificial sweeteners) 8) Eat clean (organic)

And the cuisine here is nearly ALL SCD-Friendly! Yep! You heard that correctly! Everything is gluten free, the majority is grain free and ALL is dairy free!! And if that's not amazing enough, there are a TON of vegan options --- even Body Ecology Diet options! -- and they use organic, non-GMO ingredients! 

I met the owner, Jordan, and he couldn't have been more awesome. He's the picture of good health. He explained that this is the way he eats. He feels so good eating this way that he had to share it with the world! And boy, am I glad he did.

It's a self-service place with a cool vibe. The decor reflects the food -- clean and earthy. Everything is made out of rustic wood and metal -- It's really modern and cool. Airy with a lot of open space.

There's a hot bar, cold bar, bowl station (and for all the BEDer's, there's a quinoa option!!), juice and smoothie bar, "mashable" station (think SCD/vegan Pinkberry/FroYo with all the fixins!!!), grain-free bakery, homemade packaged snack station, and an organic alcohol bar!!!! Pinch me, right?! It's straight from my dreams!!

I felt like a kid in a candy store. There were so many delicious options to choose from! I just couldn't decide. So I did what any good foodie would do: ask the chef what his fav is;)

I had what's called the Grandmaster Veg, a side of their notorious caramelized and grilled pineapple, and a SCD-Legal Hu roll.

The Grandmaster Veg was an incredible grain and dairy-free lasagna. Carrots, cabbage and eggplant were deliciously smothered in the best homemade marinara I've ever had.

But the best part of this lasagna goodness was the layer of cashew cream on top. It had the luxurious taste and consistency of melted cheese. It definitely made the dish.

I really enjoyed mopping up the marinara with their grain and dairy free Hu roll! This little nugget was wonderfully chewy, slightly nutty, and had a great crust.

And finally, I had their "famous" caramelized pineapple with cashew cream. Jordan said that these were a big seller, and boy, do I know why! It was downright sinful how good it was. Pineapple bites caramelized with cinnamon and served warm with a sweet cashew cream. It was sweet, juicy and had a spicy warmth from the cinnamon. It was like dessert! And oh my gosh, the cashew cream was amazing. I wanted to bathe in this stuff! haha 

So as you can probably tell, I'm genuinely freaking out about Hu Kitchen. But you've got to realize, I haven't been able to go to a restaurant and literally order anything off the menu as is in over a year. Perhaps you can relate. So you can imagine how tremendously excited I was to find a restaurant where EVERYTHING is "Happy Tummy Approved!"

I will definitely be back to try more of their fabulous cooking! 

So if you live within a 12 hour drive of NYC, then you should probably hop in the car right now and drive to Hu Kitchen! haha But no....seriously.

It's 78 Fifth Avenue. It's on 5th Ave between 13th and 14th street. See ya there ;)

On another note, I did a really "touristy" thing on Wednesday! I went to the live taping of Kelly and Michael!

I was front row, baby! So fun. 

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