Food Friday: Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

Don't get me wrong I love chocolate in my cookies but these are a great alternative for a "healthy" treat at tea time. Ok, not so healthy with 1 cup of sugar in them, but the oats are a great source of fibre for gut health from their beta-glucans. Beta-glucans are prebiotics that are fermented by the good bugs in our gut. In that fermentation process, the bugs produce short chain fatty acids, such as butyrate, which provides energy for the intestinal cells. Beta-glucans also increase the viscosity of our food moving through the intestines, allowing more time for nutrient digestion and absorption.

On to the recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter (or vegan butter in my case)

• 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or whatever you have at this point!)

• 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

• 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour (or spelt flour - both are delicious)

• 1 1/2 cups oats (large flake or quick)

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Beat the butter, sugar & brown sugar until light and fluffy, around 1-2 minutes (By hand like me or with electric mixer). Add the egg & vanilla and mix/beat again to combine. Add the remaining ingredients & mix until well combined and the mixture sticks together, around 1 minute.

3. Scoop about 2 tbsp of dough into a ball, rolling with your hands (or use an ice cream scoop), and place them evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet (work in batches). Press down lightly with your hands to slightly flatten the cookies. Bake until lightly golden brown around the edges, 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack, and repeat with the remaining dough.

4. Enjoy!

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen

(Recipe adapted from fraicheliving.com)

Food Friday: Skinny Chicken Pot Pie

I realized this was worth posting AFTER we started eating!

I really like when food is mixed all in one bite. ;) I think it increases the flavour in each bite you take. Things like stews, soups, shepherds pie, and chicken pot pies like this one. The problem for me is that being dairy free and gluten free some of those dinner pies are never an option for me. So inspired by a couple recipes I merged together, this delicious dish is just a lighter version of your typical chicken pot pie but still delicious and comforting. It can be dairy free (if you change up the butter) and gluten free (if you use gf tortillas). The flavours are great, it is pretty easy to make and you don’t feel so stuffed after. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 white onion, diced

• 1 cup carrots, diced

• 1-2 celery sticks, diced

• 1 cup mushrooms, diced

• 1 cup frozen peas

• 1lb chicken breast (about 1 large breasts), cut into small cubes

• 1/3 cup butter (sub ghee or dairy free butter if necessary)

• 1 3/4 cup chicken broth

• 2/3 cup dairy free milk

• 3 tbsp cornstarch

• 1/2 tsp salt

• pepper

• 1/2-1 tsp dried rosemary (to taste)

• 1/2-1 tsp dried thyme (to taste)

• 2 tortillas

• paprika, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, celery and mushrooms. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain; set aside. 

3. Heat a second medium saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in cornstarch, salt, pepper, dried rosemary and thyme. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low until thick. Remove from heat.

4. Mix chicken and veggie mixture into gravy mixture until well combined. Poor into a medium casserole dish (the mixture should fill up 3/4 of the pan).

5. Top with 2 tortillas, covering the top. Sprinkle with paprika (or any other spice blend you’d prefer).

6. Bake for 25 minutes, until tortillas or slightly golden and crispy and mixture in bubbling. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.

7. Serve with a green salad and small dinner rolls (if you’d like).

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen

Food Friday: Tom Kha Gai Soup

This recipe is adapted from a recipe out of The Defined Dish Cookbook. I just recently was introduced to her blog and cookbook and love it. They are easy, healthy meals for those nights you don't want something heavy or for those who are following a #Whole30 plan.

Now onto this recipe! This soup is creamy (without the cream, thanks to coconut milk) and full of flavour. It isn't too heavy on the veggies so I make sure to get those in during other meals. It is a great meal if you are sick (think Thai chicken soup, bonus is that the mushrooms are immune boosters), if your digestion is off (coconut milk if a low-FODMAP food, and the soup is low in fibre), or great for a light brothy meal anytime.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil

• 1/2 cup finely diced shallots

• Salt & Pepper

• 2-in piece fresh ginger, grated

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 cans unsweetened full-fat coconut milk

• 1 cup chicken broth (or bone broth!)

• 2-3 tbsp fish sauce

• 8 keffir lime leaves (or 1/2 lime grated)

• 2 tbsp lime juice

• 1 tbsp coconut sugar

• 2 red thai chilis, very thinning sliced

• 1/4 tsp ground coriander

• 2 stalks lemongrass (white and light green parts), cut into 2-in pieces

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and thinly sliced

• 2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms (button, cremini, shitaki etc)

• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, optional (I omit since my other half says its a “vile weed”!)

Directions:

1. In a large pot of Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until the shallots are tender, about 2-3 minutes.

2. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, being careful not to burn, about 1 minute.

3. Add the coconut milk, chicken/bone broth, fish sauce, keffir lime leaves, lime juice, coconut sugar, chilis and coriander. Stir to combine, then add the lemongrass. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer.

4. Add the sliced chicken and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, 6-7 minutes. Add the mushrooms and simmer for another 3 minutes. Stir in the cilantro if using.

5. Remove from heat and discard the lemongrass and keffir lime leaves, if desired. Top with cilantro (or basil is good) and serve with an extra squeeze of lime. Delicious!

Enjoy!

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen

Food Friday: The Ultimate Power Cookie

The power cookie at Whole Foods was always a indulgent snack for me when I was at school in Vancouver so when I found a recipe to recreate it I was hooked! The Whole Foods cookie was HUGE but I would eat the whole thing since it was so delicious. Oats, seeds, molasses, chocolate…what is not to love! These are a little on the heavier calorie side, even though they aren’t your average sugar filled cookie, so in order to cut down on calories I make these a little smaller. It’s enough to satisfy my hungry and my afternoon sweet tooth.

Recipe notes: This recipe makes MANY cookies, so if you want a smaller batch for just you, be sure to cut it in half. If you are gluten free be sure to use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 flour instead of spelt flour. These keep well in the freezer and I just pull one out for my afternoon snack.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups oats

• 2 cups spelt flour (or Bob’s red mill 1:1 GF flour will work)

• 1 cup sunflower seeds

• 3/4 cup pumpkin seeds

• 1/2 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened

• 1/4 cup flax seed

• 1 cup cane sugar

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

• 2 1/4 teaspoons sea salt

• 1.5 cups dark chocolate chips

• 1 1/4 cups raisins

• 1/4 water

• 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses

• 3/4 cup canola oil

• 1 cup soy milk (almond milk would work too)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.

2. Combine dry ingredients : from oats to raisins. Then combine wet ingredients: from water to soy milk.

3. Stir the dry and wet ingredients together until just combined.

4. Portion cookie dough using 1/4 cup measure and place on the baking tray. Gently flatten the cookies.

5. Bake for 24 minutes or until lightly browned. Continue until all dough is baked into delicious cookies!

Do you have an indulgent “healthy” snack you keep coming back to? Let me know!

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen