Healthy Easy Italian "Non-Parmigiana" - Gluten Free, Dairy Free

Sometimes I'm in the mood for some hearty Italian and my raw zucchini and marinara will just not cut it.  This is my alternative "Eggplant Parmigiana"  It's very filling and pretty simple to make.  You can add parmesan if you'd like, but this is the dairy free version.  I serve it with my raw "zucchini noodles" topped with a red wine vinaigrette.

Serves 2-3 People

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
1-2 Eggs
1 Cup Almond Meal
3/4 Cup Gluten Free "Bread Crumbs" (see pic above for a good brand)
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbs Italian Seasoning

2 Tbs Olive Oil

1/2 Jar of a high quality Organic Spaghetti Sauce
(Feel free to make your own, but this is the "simple" version)


Preheat oven to 350

Wash and slice the eggplants into "discs" about 1/4 - 1/2 thick.

Crack one of the eggs into a small bowl and stir it with a fork really well. Keep the extra egg handy in case you need more later on.  In a medium size bowl mix the almond meal, "bread crumbs", garlic powder and Italian Seasoning.

In a non-stick skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat.

Also get a cookie sheet covered in foil ready.

First dip the eggplants (1-2 at a time) into the eggs and coat them well.  Then mix them around in the almond meal mixture until well covered.  Place the discs in the skillet.  Once they are lightly browned, flip them over until the other side is lightly browned.

Place the eggplant discs on the cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 7-10 minutes.

While the eggplant is baking heat the spaghetti sauce in a small saucepan. Set aside. Easy:>

While the eggplants are cooking in the oven, I like to make "crumbles"  Take the leftover beaten egg and almond meal mixture and mash them together. Then put them into the skillet and stir them around until browned.  Set aside.

When the eggplant is done serve them on a plate covered in the spaghetti sauce and garnished with the crumbles.

Mmmm... So satisfying.

Quinoa Tabouleh

For some reason we always have leftover Quinoa.  However, it's not such a bad thing because I use the next day for lunch salads like this gluten free version of Tabouleh. It's so delicious that I cannot stop eating it. I constantly find myself at the fridge taking "just one more bite".  I never actually measure out all of the ingredients because I generally just use what I have in the fridge, so feel free to mess around with the amounts.

In a large bowl mix:

1 1/2 Cups Quinoa - cooled

1 Cucumber finely chopped

2 Small tomatoes finely chopped

1 Small Onion (Any kind, but red is so pretty!)

1 Green Bell Pepper finely chopped

3 Stalks of Celery finely chopped

1/2 Cup Crumbled Feta

1 Handful of Parsley finely chopped

For the dressing add

The juice of 1 lime

1 Tbs Red Wine Vinegar

Garlic Salt and Pepper to Taste

We like to eat it with Mary's Gone Crackers - my favorite gluten free crackers and some fresh hummus!  

Slow-cooker Butternut Squash Tempeh Chili - Vegan, GF

Simple chili loaded with veggies and tempeh.  This recipes serves 4.

I soak the beans over night in the un-plugged crock pot.  If you didn't do this, you can use canned beans but make sure you rinse them.

8 oz dried black beans (soaked overnight, see above) 

1 medium sized butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed

1 medium zucchini shredded

1 medium onion finely chopped

1 large can of chopped stewed tomatoes (20 oz?)

6oz Tempeh Crumbled

2 garlic cloves pressed

3 Tbs Chili powder (I use Frontier Organics)

1 Tbs Cumin powder

Hot Sauce (I use Crystal) to taste

Salt and Pepper 

After rinsing the beans that you soaked overnight return them to the crockpot and add about 24 oz of water.  Next add all of the veggies, the tempeh, freshly pressed garlic, cumin and chili powder and stir it up well. Turn the crock pot on high and let cook for at least 5 hours.  If you are going to be gone all day use the low or medium setting, make sure you do it first thing in the morning then!  

When it's almost time to eat salt and pepper it to taste. Use the hot sauce liberally :>

We like to eat ours with shredded cheddar, sour cream, chopped onions and fresh cilantro.

I know I shouldn't use canned tomatoes, but I haven't figured out a way to omit them yet. They are so easy! Maybe I could use fresh tomatoes and extra water... I'll have to get back to you on that.

Ginger Garlic Slaw w/ smoked tofu - Gluten Free, Vegan, low carb

This is a slight adaptation of a recipe that my aunt created. She makes great salads and this is one of my favorites! All I did differently is add the smoked tofu because to me it makes that salad heartier for a satisfying dinner - but you could omit this and still have a great salad.

1/2 head of red cabbage (or green, but red is so pretty)
1 red bell pepper
1 small onion
1 cup slivered almonds
1-2 cups raw kelp noodles
6 oz smoked tofu chopped into small cubes

Dressing
1 Tablespoon Fresh ginger grated
1-3 cloves of fresh garlic, pressed
2 -3 Tablespoons Braggs Amino
2- 3 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar


Finely slice and then chop all of the veggies as if you were making a traditional cole slaw.  Mix them in a large bowl.    Rinse and chop up the kelp noodles, add to salad.  Add the almonds and smoked tofu.

Next mix all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Adjust to suit your taste.  Toss into the salad.

Fish Taco Slaw - Low Carb, GF

This recipe needs a better title.  I realize it doesn't sound to good, but believe me it's delicious.

 Mmmmmm.....  I'm in love. I literally just finished eating and I immediately headed over the computer so I wouldn't forget this recipe.


For 2 people

3-4 Tilapia Fillets
1 Tbs Butter (or olive oil, but butter is so good on fish)
1 Tbs Lemon Juice
Trader Joe's Everday Seasoning and Garlic Salt to taste


For the Slaw:
1/2 Head of Green cabbage finely chopped "cole-slaw" style
1/2 Cup of Onion finely sliced and chopped
1 Large tomato finely sliced and chopped
1-2 Cloves of Fresh Garlic Pressed
1 Tbs of Fresh Cilantro or Freeze-dried
Pickled Jalepenos sliced (use to your preference)
1 Lime Juiced (or lemon)
Salt to taste

Shredded Aged Cheddar Cheese for a topping.


I pan-fried the tilapia on top of the stove in the butter, but you could also grill it on some foil.  Cook until well done and slightly brown on the edges appx 7-10 minutes over medium to medium-high heat. Season with the lemon and the seasonings as you cook the fish.

Let the fish sit in the pan off the heat while you prepare the slaw.  Mix all of the slaw ingredients in a medium bowl.  Make sure they are all finely sliced as you would for a traditional cole-slaw.  You could use a food processor for this (except for the tomatoes) , but I find it easier to just slice things myself.

Divide the slaw into bowls. Break up the fish into bite size pieces and serve warm on top of the slaw.   Sprinkle aged cheddar cheese on top.

Moussaka Lasagna - Vegetarian

The other night I was making a big greek salad dinner.  Then I found out my aunt and uncle were coming over for dinner so I needed to find something "heartier" to go with the greek salad and decided to make my first ever Moussaka.  I don't know how traditional this will taste, but everyone loved it!  I used tempeh because I had no meat in the house, but if you are a carnivore you could substitute the tempeh with a ground meat of your choice (turkey, beef, bison..)

If you want this to be low carb, double the eggplant and skip the potatoes.  Make sure you do a layer of eggplant on the bottom of the pan in place of the potatoes.

2 Organic Potatoes
2 small eggplants (or 1 large)
1/2 lb of tempeh in chunks or slices
1 red onion sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbs Oregano
1 Jar of Trader Joe's Bruschetta
1 sprig fresh rosemary finely chopped
1 tsp Tumeric
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Tbs Butter (or dairy free equivalent)
Fresh Goat Chevre Cheese (I got some raw stuff at the farmer's market - LOVE it)
Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 425

First wash and then slice your eggplants into circles about 1/4 inch thick, then do the same with your potatoes.

Toss the eggplant slices in a small bowl of olive oil (use about 3 Tbs) with the garlic powder, oregano and a dash of salt.  Place on a cookie sheet and bake for about 7- 10 minutes or until lightly brown, turning them over once.

WHILE the eggplant is cooking boil the potato slices AND the tempeh in medium size put until tender (appx 7 minutes).

Set the eggplant and potatoes aside.

In a large skillet add about 1 Tbs of olive oil.  Saute the tempeh and break into chunks (like ground beef) add the onion slices, rosemary, garlic (pressed or finely chopped) and salt and pepper to taste.

NOW it's time to assemble the "Lasagna"

Rub the bottom of a medium sized casserole dish with some butter.  Layer to potato slices on the bottom.  Next add the tempeh mixture and spread evenly.  Then spread the bruschetta over the tempeh evenly.  Next layer the eggplant slices over the bruschetta.  Finally sprinkle the top of the lasagna with the goat cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 15-25 minutes (depending on the temperature of the ingredients when you put it in the oven, just make sure it's heated through).  Uncover and bake until just lightly browned.

Harvey's Protein Muffins

My son Harvey is an extremely picky eater.  I used to to judge parent's with picky eaters and think "just make them eat".  Harvey's eating habits is karma.  No matter what I try, he's just picky and will throw up if the texture/ taste is wrong.

All that said, I'm always trying to get protein in him because he does not eat meat.  This is a modification of a recipe that I found on a greek yogurt website.  Greek yogurt has lots of protein so it's a big part of Harvey's diet.  The great thing about this recipe is that you can mix up and play around with flour, flax, oat bran, almond meal etc.  I've even used dehydrated coconut flakes in the past, but Harvey didn't like the texture.  Also if you are a soaked grain enthusiast, you can soak the flour in the greek yogurt overnight.

1 C of Sweet Potato puree (you can also use pumpkin/ butternut squash. Sweet Pot. has the most protein)

2 Large Organic/ Free Range Eggs

1/2 C Organic Plain GREEK Yogurt

1/2 C Apple Sauce No Sugar Added (I'm going to try unsweetened fig preserves next time)

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 C Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour 

1/2 C Almond Meal

1/2 C Ground Flax Meal

1/2 C Succant 

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tumeric (super healthy, but you could also omit this)

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place Rack in middle of oven. Line the 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In a medium bowl mix together the puree, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, almond meal, flax, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, tumeric and salt.  Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Do not over-mix the batter or the muffins will be tough when baked. 

Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full with batter. Place in oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until firm to the touch. 

Greek Zucchini Pasta w/ Chicken - Low Carb, Gluten Free

Tonight I was in the mood for some greek food and needed to use up my zucchini, so I made this up.  Very good and satisfying, especially with some baked chicken on the side and some fresh kalmata olives.  Make sure you get good feta and olives. Makes a big difference.

1 Large Zucchini

1 Large Tomato

1 small onion

1 cup fresh parsley 

1 cup of Quinoa Cold (optional)

3/4 Cup of Feta broken into crumbles

Olive Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, Oregano, Garlic Powder, Salt and Pepper for dressing

First make your zucchini noodles with your spiral slicer (see my spaghetti and marinara recipe).  Put them in a bowl. Then dice and add the remaining vegetables. Add the feta and quinoa and give it a good mix with some forks.  Season to taste with dressing ingredients.  Serve with chicken and olives. 

Juliana's Shasuka Eggs - Great for breakfast or anytime!

My best friend, Juliana, showed me how to make this and it is now a favorite of mine. She learned how to make this while living in Israel, but I don't think we have the name right.
I especially like to make this it at the end of the week when I have a bunch of leftover co-op veggies that I need to use. You can use whatever veggies you'd like, but my favorites are potatoes, zucchini, egg plant, broccoli, bell peppers, onion etc.  You can also use frozen veggies.

I made it this morning for 2 people using the following ingredients.

1 medium size russet potato
1 cup of broccoli
1 eggplant (smallish in size)
1 vidalia onion
2 cloves of fresh garlic pressed or finally chopped
1 Tbs Olive Oil
Salt and a Seasoning blend (I like Trader Joe's Everday Seasoning blend)
2-4 Eggs

First wash and chop the potato into cubes. The smaller you make them the faster they cook.  Next boil them in some water on the stove until they are tender and then drain them.

While you are waiting for the potatoes to cook, chop the other veggies to about the same size as the potatoes.  Add the the olive oil to a skillet and the remaining veggies (minus the garlic and potatoes). Saute over medium-high heat until they just start to soften.  Add the potatoes and garlic and season to taste.  Stir for about 1 minute.  Lower the heat to medium and press the veggies down into the skillet with a spatula making them flat and uniform thickness.  Crack the eggs over the veggies and break the yolks with a fork.  Cover the skillet and let the eggs cook until they are opaque and not runny.  Approx 5-7 minutes.  If it looks like it is starting to burn on the bottom remove from heat and let the eggs finish cooking with the lid still on.

We like to eat it with a bit of hot sauce on top, but you could also sprinkle some feta or goat cheese on.

Also for more nutrition try experimenting with different types of potatoes, such as sweet or blue potatoes.

Spaghetti and Marinara - Raw, Vegan, Low carb

The other day my friend took me to a lovely little raw vegan restaurant.   They had a delicious spaghetti  dish made from zucchini "noodles" but it was $18 a plate.   So today I figured how to make the "pasta" and  all I needed was  a spiral slicer which my mom had.  This gives it  real noodle effect but if you don't have one you can use a vegetable peeler.  The spiral slicer is so fun that I recommend you getting one if you don't have it.

So tonight for dinner we had zucchini pasta with marinara and shockingly my husband loved it.  He wanted meat so I put some chicken sausage on the top of his.  If you eat dairy then it is really delicious with some grated Parmesan on top. Mmmmmm Mmmmm. The best part is you can have a huge helping of the "pasta" guilt free!

Pasta:
4 Zucchinis
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 tsp Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste


4-5  Small to Medium Tomatoes
5 oz of Sundried tomatoes packed in oil
2 garlic cloves (peeled and pressed)
1 Tbs spoon oregano
Salt to taste

Equipment:
Spiral Slicer or Vegetable  Peeler
Food Processor for a chunky sauce or a blender for a smoother sauce.



First peel the skin of the zucchinis. Next make the "noodles" according to your spiral slicer's directions.  My slicer made them in the shape of angel hair pasta, my favorite.  If you don't have a spiral slicer you can just use a vegetable peeler and shave thin slices of the zucchinis to make the noodles. Put in a bowl for later.

Next wash and remove the tomatoes stems and cut into quarters and put into your blender/ food processor.  Add the sundried tomatoes with the oil, garlic and oregano.  Blend until it's to the consistency you desire. You may have to stop the food processor and scrape the edges and keep blending.  Put the marinara in a sauce pan and heat over low heat until it is just warm. You can heat it as much as you like, but to keep it "raw" just heat above body temperature.  Salt to taste.  Sometimes the sundried tomatoes are pre salted and seasoned so taste before you salt!

Next drain any excess water that may have accumulated in the bottom of your zucchini bowl.  Mix in the olive oil, vinegar and lightly salt and pepper it.

Serve the zucchini with the marinara on the side or top.  So yummy!

Stuffed Poblano Peppers - Low Carb!

I just made these tonight and they are so yummy and filling, I couldn't finish my second one, which is unusual for me.

4 Poblano Peppers
3 Chicken Italian Sausages (raw, not the pre-cooked ones)
1/2 cup Almond Meal (I used Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup Monterey Jack Cheese (Or Cheddar)

Optional Toppings:
Sour Cream
Salsa
Avocado slices

Preheat oven to 400

First wash the peppers then cut off the top and remove the seeds.
Next squeeze the chicken sausage from the casings and into a skillet.  Brown the sausage over medium heat until all the pink is gone.  Make sure you break up the chicken into "crumbles" with your spatula as you cook it.

Once the sausage is done pour it into a bowl. Add the almond meal and cheese and stir it up well.

Now stuff the peppers with the sausage mix and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don't burn, if they start to get too dark on the top of the pepper, flip them over.

Now serve them warm with whichever topping you choose!