My husband just got his wisdom teeth removed and he hasn't been able to eat many things during the healing process. There's only so much blended food that a person can take, so I've been experimenting with different vegetables that he can eat with ease but still bring his taste buds some happiness. So I came up with this simple and delicious way to prepare carrots. The carrots turn out very sweet and savoury and best of all, my husband smiled as he enjoyed them! :-)
You will need:
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 Tablespoons of Honey
3 Cloves of chopped garlic
1 Tablespoon of butter
Salt and pepper to taste.
In a pan, melt the butter and then add the garlic. Cook the garlic until it's a golden colour. This should take less than a minute. Then add your carrots and 2 tablespoons of water and cover. Let it cook for about 2 minutes, then add the honey, salt and pepper. Cover and let cook for another 5-7 minutes or until desired tenderness.
Enjoy!!
If you're a fan of dill pickles, you will love this recipe. It's so quick and easy to put together. Not only is it delicious, but its extremely healthy too!!
Studies have shown that dill has many health benefits. Dill contains components called polyacetylenes that have been shown be anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, as well as have anti-inflammatory effects. It has also been used to help with insomnia. It is rich in vitamin B-Complex which is believed to help with stress and produces a calming effect.
I hope you enjoy this dish as much as my husband and I did!
You will need:
5 medium sized potatoes. (I like the yellow potatoes)
2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Juice of one lemon
Generous amount of fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup of chopped fresh chives
1 Teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt to taste
Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Then, drain them and put them in a bowl. Now add the olive oil, lemon juice, fresh dill, fresh chives, cayenne pepper and salt. Mix the ingredients well until the potatoes are saturated in the oil and spices.
Serve on a plate and enjoy!!
For the dough, you will need:
2 cups brown rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
2 tbsp corn meal
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1 1/4 cup warm water
Little more flour for kneading the dough
Cornmeal to sprinkle on the tray
Instructions:
In a large bowl, mix together the brown rice flour, tapioca flour, cornmeal and salt. Then add the olive oil and mix with a fork.
In a measuring cup, add warm water and the yeast and stir until the top is foamed. Then make a well in the flour and add, all at once, the water mixture. Mix together until it forms a firm dough and knead for about 5 minutes. After this, cover with a damp cloth and let it sit to rise for 1 hour.
Then, grease a pizza tray and sprinkle some cornmeal on the tray. Flaten the dough as much as you can with a rolling pin, and then place dough on the tray.
Tip: It is difficult to work with the flour because it breaks easily due to the lack of gluten. I usually form the dough in the shape I want and then place it on the pizza tray and gently press the dough towards the edges, until I have an even thin crust.
Add your favourite toppings and cook at 375 degrees for approximately 20-30 minutes or until crust is golden.
Pizza Topping Suggestion:
Pesto, Carmelized Onions, Grilled Chicken
Instead of a traditional red sauce, I sometimes like to make homemade pesto:
In a food processor, add about two cups of fresh basil leaves, 2 cloves of garlic, a generous amount of olive oil and a pinch of salt. It tastes great!!
In the photo above, the toppings are fresh ground tomatoes, carmalized onions, artichokes, chicken, red pepper and parmasan cheese.
Enjoy!!
Nutella is probably one of my favourite things. When I was young, I remember coming home from school and my favourite snack was nutella on crackers. Instead of peanut butter and jelly, I looked forward to nutella sandwiches. I came up with this recipe because I knew that nutella would add a lot of texture and flavour to a gluten-free cookie. It's moist, chewy and very rich!
You will need:
2 cups of rice flour
3/4 cup of tapioca flour
1 Tsp baking soda
1/2 Tsp gluten free baking powder
3/4 cup of Nutella
1/2 cup Brown sugar
1/2 Tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs beaten
1/4 cup of oil
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees farenheit.
Mix the rice flour and tapioca flour together and then add the baking soda and baking powder.
Then, in a separate bowl, mix together the nutella, brown sugar, oil, beaten eggs and vanilla.
Mix well with an electric mixture.
Then, slowly and gradually add the dry ingredients to the nutella mix and keep beating with an electric mixture until all the flour and nutella are completely combined. Once it is all combined, it will have a crumbly appearence but don't worry, once you form them, it sticks together well.
Grab a teaspoon-sized amount of dough in your hands and gently form it into balls and put on a greased cookie sheet. I don't like to flaten the dough because they slightly flaten while baking.
Put in the oven and bake for approximately 10-13 minutes or until the bottom is lightly browned.
Voila! Enjoy!
Gnocchi is a popular Italian dish. It is made out of potatoes and flour and is similar to a dumpling. It is delicious and easy to prepare. Usually it is cooked by boiling it for a few minutes, but I decided to try something different in this recipe. I am sure glad I did!! The gnocchi I used here are store bought.
(Stay tuned for my upcoming posts where I will show you how to make them from scratch.)
For the sauce you will need:
2 Tomatoes
2 Sweet red peppers
2 Small Onions
4 Cloves of Garlic
3 Tbsp of fresh chopped basil
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
In a blender, combine the tomatoes, red peppers and onions. Blend this until it's smooth. Then, in a medium pot, heat up the olive oil and add the chopped garlic. Cook until lightly browned and then add the tomato and pepper mixture. Add the basil. Stir and cook on medium heat for approximately 25-30 minutes.
Then:
1 Pkg of gluten-free gnocchi (I found mine at an Italian specialty store, but check your local health food store)
2 Tsp of butter
Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the package of gnocchi. Let it sear for a few minutes on one side until it's nicely browned, then do the same to the other side. Total cooking time of around 7-8 minutes.
Once the gnocchi is complete, pour the sauce on top and sprinkle some freshly grated
parmasan cheese.
Buon Appetito!!!
My mother-in-law and I came up with this recipe one day. We tweeked a recipe that she already had and came up with this really delicious treat. It has the consistency of a macaroon mixed with a merengue. It comes out very light and airy. It is a perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth! The best part is it's gluten free!
You will need:
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 Cup of almond flour
1/2 Cup unsweetened coconut flakes
3 Tbsp bitter cocoa sifted
1/3 Cup egg whites
1/2 Tsp vanilla extract
1/3 Cup sugar
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees farenheit.
Mix icing sugar, almonds, coconut flakes and cocoa in a food processor until smooth or well mixed
In a bowl, beat the egg whites with vanilla extract until fluffy, about 5-7 minutes.
Once this is done, slowly and gradually add 1/3 cup of sugar and beat until stiff.
(You should be able to turn the bowl upside down without the mix falling out.)
Then, add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and beat until mixed well.
Let it sit, covered, for 30 minutes. This allows the batter to settle and thicken a bit.
After about 30 minutes, gradually put the batter in a piping bag, and shape into whatever shape you choose on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 16-18 mins.
Yields approx. 2 dozen cookies.
This morrocan-inspired rice tastes amazing! It is perfect for vegetarians because the almonds add a natural protein. In this recipe, I will also show you how to cook rice perfectly. It won't be to hard or too mushy. I have followed this method for many years and it always turns out just right!
2 Cups of Long grain rice
3 Cups of Water
1/4 Cup chopped roasted almonds
2 Red onions chopped
3 Cloves of crushed garlic
1 Carrot cubed
1 Medium-sized tomato
1/4 Cup of chopped fresh parsley
1 Cinnamon Stick
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon of saffron
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
To cook the rice: I use the ratio of 1 cup of rice to 1 and a half cups of water.
In a medium pot, add 2 cups of long grain white rice and 3 cups of water together. Then, mix in 1/4 teaspoon of saffron and cover and bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling, stir once, cover and cook on low heat until the rice has absorbed the water. This usually takes approximately 10 minutes. Once finished, uncover and gently fluff with a fork.
In the meantime:
In a large wok or frying pan, carmalize onions and garlic with the olive oil. Then, add the almonds, tomato, carrot and whole cinnamon stick and cook together until the carrot is slightly tender. Then, add the cooked rice, cardamom, and salt and pepper. Cook together for about 5 minutes or until the rice is completely saturated in the spices and well mixed.
Finish off with a splash of raw extra virgin olive oil. This dish makes a perfect companion to roasted garlic hummous or even eggplant salad. (See Spice Contessa's previous recipes)
Enjoy!!
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