Food Friday: Summer Pesto Pasta

Do you love pesto as much as I do? It is so easy to make and so fresh tasting in the spring and summer. I love it store bought, but it is sooo much better prepared yourself.

This recipe is so fresh. It is gluten free, grain free (depending on what pasta you use), dairy free and really delicious! This one is an easy recipe to whip up on a weeknight and great for leftovers. It can be eaten hot or cold depending on what you prefer.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 cup basil

• 1/2 cup hemp hearts

• 1 garlic clove

• pinch of sea salt

• juice of 1 lemon

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (not light olive oil)

• 1/2 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-2 inch pieces

• 1/2 cup peas, thawed or fresh

• 2 big radishes, sliced into half rounds

• 2 cups pasta (Chickapea is a great option from Costco)

Directions:

Blend basil, hemp hearts, garlic, sea salt, lemon juice and olive oil in a mini food processor or blender until desired consistency. Cook pasta in salta water according to directions. Add asparagus to salted boiling water, simmer covered for 3 minutes, then drain. Toss all ingredients together with enough pesto to your liking (I like a lot!), then enjoy!

Do you have a favourite pesto recipe? I’d love to hear it.

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen

Egg Roll in a Bowl

This recipe is a go to for me when I am craving LOTS of veggies and a quick meal to make. It is great if you’ve had a few meals lacking in the unstarchy veggie category (that which we should be eating at least 2 big handfuls a day of). It makes lots of leftovers for lunches the next day. This recipe was inspired by @feedingthefrasers passed onto me by my sister.

Ingredients:

• 1lb ground beef (I use organic or local sourced)

• 2 tsp fresh garlic

• 2 tsp ginger, grated

• 4 cups napa cabbage, sliced

• 1 bunch bok choy, sliced

• 1 small yellow onion, sliced thin

• 1 cup carrot, shredded

• 4 oz sliced shitake mushrooms

• 1/4 cup Braggs gf soy souce/tamari/liquid aminos

• 1 tbsp rice wine

• 1 tsp-1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

• 3 green onions, sliced

• pinch of red pepper flakes

• sriracha - optional

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tsp olive oil or sesame oil in a large deep dish pan on medium-high. Once hot add ground meat. As it cooks break up into small crumbles and cook until no longer pink. about 6-8 minutes.

2. Add in ginger and garlic, stir and cook 1 minute until fragrant. Add in cabbage, bok choy, onion, carrot, mushrooms. Toss carefully to combine. You may need to add this in batches. It starts to wilt giving you more space. Pour in soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil. Toss frequently until cabbage and bok chop start to wilt.

3. Remove from heat and garnish with green onions, sesame seeds and sriracha (optional for a little spice).

Quick, simple and delicious. Enjoy!

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen

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