Cilantro Pesto Rice Bowl

It has been quite a long time since I have had time to keep up with the blog. Now that I have a week off from school and I am not working I have time to catch up on everything that is cooking and my other love crafting. Tonight's meal is the kick off of yet another attempt to go low fat vegan. I tried the fat free variety but I really love my avocados and nuts. So it is a low fat vegan diet that will nourish the hubby and I during the week, and one day a week I will cook either organic poultry or fish for myself. 

I love rice bowls but since we are still nightshade vegetable and fruit free it is difficult to make these without any salsa. So I improvise and come up with unique ways to get around the salsa issue by using vegan pesto sauces. The Cilantro Pesto in this rice bowl is nut free for those of you allergic to nuts. I did not do it on purpose; I simply forgot to add my pine nut alternative, pumpkin seeds, but that is a whole other story!

I hope you enjoy this rice bowl as much as we did!! 

Cilantro Pesto Rice Bowl

Serves 6

1 cup brown rice

2 C water

Cook brown rice with water until tender and cooked, about 45 minutes

Mix cooked brown rice with:

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained or 2 cups cooked kidney beans

1 cup fresh or red frozen corn

½ c red onion diced

1 pound steamed cut green beans

Cilantro Pesto

3 bunches cilantro, chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 T oregano

¼ t salt

¼ t pepper

1 t cumin

3 T olive oil or 3T water reserved from steaming green beans

Pour over rice bowl mix and enjoy.

Nutrition per serving:

Calories: 201.1        

Total Fat: 7.6 gr

     Sat fat: 1.0 gr

     Poly Fat: 0.9 gr

     Mono Fat: 5.2 gr

Cholesterol: 0.0 mg

Sodium: 393.6 mg  

Potassium: 409.1 mg

Total Carbs: 28.5 gr

     Dietary Fiber: 8.0 gr

     Sugar: 0.6 gr

Protein: 6.8 gr

Kiwi Jicama Tangled Salsa

My husband's new allergy has led me to experiment with so many unique ways of preparing foods. We both love salsas, but alas we cannot have any tomatoes or tomatillos, so I have been dabbling with just plain fruit salsas and came up with this unique blend of taste and texture. I call it tangled because of the stark difference in the textures of the jicama and the fruit. 


I hope you enjoy this salsa as much as we did. I served it with rice crackers. But it can easily be paired with an organic blue corn chip or over a nice grilled salmon or chicken breast.

Kiwi Jicama Tangled Salsa

6 kiwis, peeled and small diced

¼ of a large jicama, peeled and small diced

3 Tablespoons unsweetened dried cranberries

2 large strawberries, small diced

½ large red onion, small diced

4 Tablespoons minced cilantro

3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

½ teaspoon sea salt

Mix together. Refrigerate overnight. Serve with organic rice crackers, or other organic chip of choice.

Serves 6

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 90.8

Total fat: 0.4 grams

Sat. Fat: 0.0g

Poly Fat: 0.0g

Mono Fat: 0.0g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Sodium: 199.5 mg.

Potassium: 349.2 mg

Total Carbs: 22.2 g

Dietary fiber: 5.1

Sugars: 1.6g.

Protein: 1.2 g

New Way of Cooking

It has been some time since I blogged about cooking something new. Well that's because my husband has new food allergies and I am trying to get used to cooking without the nightshade family. It is amazing at what is included in the night shade family of veggies and fruits. The veggies of the nightshade family include: Tomatoes, Potatoes (excluding sweet potatoes and yams), Peppers (red, green, yellow, orange, jalapeño, pepper flakes, cayenne, paprika, chili powder), Eggplant, Artichokes. The fruits of the night include: Blueberries, Huckleberries, and Goji berries. I did some research into the nightshade family and found that there are over 2,800 different species of nightshades. The reason they are called nightshades is  because they grow in the shade of night.

So why are the nightshades bad for us? 
There is an active alkaloid in the nightshades. It is called solanine, we all know it as nicotine. A drug is a drug no matter the form it comes in. It is believed that anyone with joint issues to stay away from the nightshade family because these fruits and vegetables wreak havoc with the system. In my husband's case the nightshade family adds inflammation to the body causing his gastrointestinal tract to become inflamed.

While my husband is missing some of his favorite foods I have been trying my hardest to invent new versions so he can once again enjoy them. The newest one is for Caponata. Caponata is the Italian version of salsa. It is usually made with eggplant. I usually made it with artichoke hearts and fennel. The newest version I still use the fennel and substituted zucchini for the artichoke hearts. I hope you enjoy this version as much as he did. He ate so much of it, I barely had enough to take a decent photo..

Fennel and Zucchini Caponata

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 small Vidalia onion, chopped

1 fennel bulb, chopped including fronds

1 small zucchini chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

¼ cup dried cranberries,

4 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Grated rind of 1 orange

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Sauté first five ingredients in large sauté pan, till onion is translucent. Add remaining ingredients. Stir and sauté another 3 minutes. Serve.

Serves 4

Makes a really good accompaniment to grilled steak or chicken breasts. 

Dean, D. (2010. January 20). Nightshade vegetables may cause adverse reactions in some people. http://www.naturalnews.com/027978_nightshade_vegetables.html

Sweet Potato Mango Delight

My inspiration for salads comes from many sources, but mostly what I have a taste for and how I can bring together these different tastes for a whole new experience. This is how the Sweet Potato Mango Delight came into being. My husband and I both love sweet potatoes, and we both love mangoes, so began my creative juices in my head and in my mixing bowls. This is one recipe that I have already gotten requests for from my friends, who are secretly taste testing my recipes and they don't know it yet. Oops! I think I just let the cat out of the bag! I liked this Delight as a wrap and my husband liked it as a salad. I hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Sweet Potato Mango Delight

Serves 8

Ingredients:

6 small sweet potatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces

1 large avocado, skinned, pitted and chopped into bite sized pieces

1 large ripe mango, skinned, pitted and chopped into bite sized pieces

1 Vidalia onion, chopped

1 large red pepper, chopped

1 can black beans, drained, rinsed and slightly mashed with potato masher

1 cup short grain brown rice, cooked according to package directions

Cilantro Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Steam sweet potatoes until fork tender, about 10 minutes.

2. Soak avocado in lime juice to keep from browning while preparing rest of meal.

3. Spray a large sauté pan with non-stick spray, heat over high heat. When hot, add onion and red pepper. Saute onion and red pepper until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

4. Mix together sweet potatoes, drained avocado, mango, onion-red pepper mixture, slightly mashed black beans, and cooked brown rice.

5. Pour on Cilantro Vinaigrette stir to combine.

6. Serve as a main dish salad or make into a wrap with a large tortilla or flat bread.

Cilantro Vinaigrette

1 cup cilantro, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup lime juice

¼ cup red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons agave nectar

6 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin

1/8 to ¼ teaspoon dried chipotle pepper flakes

½ teaspoon salt

Mix altogether in food processor.

Makes 1 cup dressing.

Nutrition per serving:

Calories: 304; Total Fat: 14.3gr; Cholesterol: 0.0 g; Sodium: 168.8mg; Potassium: 609.2 mg; Total Carbohydrates: 40.3 g; Dietary Fiber: 7.9 g; Sugars: 9.5 g; Protein: 6 g

Mediterranean Garbanzo Burgers

The start of the new year means a change in some way for most people. Starting over with a clean slate is a chance to make positive changes in our lives. Whether those changes are starting a new diet, a smoking cessation plan, or just adding more of something good and eliminating something bad. Change is good. Change helps us grow as human beings. Change helps us spread our wings and fly.

This new year I am incorporating a vegan diet for both my husband and myself. Our health depends on it. When I eat a vegan diet I feel better, when my husband thinks vegan he thinks flavor but he does not want to give up his regular food, and since he is now highly allergic to soy I will have to come up with satisfying vegan dishes that are suitable for a soy-free, gluten-free diet.

I thought I would start the month off with a burger that is sure to please. This Mediterranean Garbanzo Burger is a take off of my own meat (ground turkey) version. This is as easy as mixing up hamburger with spices, plus it is baked so there is less mess and it is quicker.

Mediterranean Garbanzo Burgers

Makes 6 burgers

2 cups cooked garbanzo beans, mashed

1 bunch fresh baby spinach, stems removed and chopped

½ cup artichoke hearts, chopped

¼ small onion, minced

Salt and Pepper to taste

¼ cup whole spelt flour

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T. minced Italian flat leaf parsley

Mix together in a bowl. Shape into patties. Place on sprayed cookie sheet. Bake at 350* for 20 minutes. Turn and bake for 10 more minutes.

Nutritional Info Per burger: Calories: 137; Total fat: 1.3 g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 295.2 mg; Potassium: 546.2 mg; Total Carbohydrates: 26.3 g; Dietary Fiber: 6.4 g; Sugars: 0.3 g; Protein: 7g.

Serve these topped with fresh sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, or wrap in lettuce leaves instead of bread. I usually serve them plain on a plate with a baked sweet potato and a salad.