Pizza is probably one of the foods I miss most since being gluten-free. I have tried all kinds of pizza crust recipes and substitutes. Many of them are, frankly, just not worth the effort. (My fave so far is here.)Some come close to the chewy-stretchy perfection that defines most gluten-full crusts, but they still aren't the same. And most GF pizza crusts are still high in carbs, something that my body doesn't tolerate very well. I have found humble eggplant slices to be one of the most nutritious and convenient crust replacements. I have also found that with the right toppings, I enjoy this form of "pizza" nearly as much as actual pizza. Tonight I topped my pizzas with sauce, bell peppers, onions, banana peppers, and olives. I find that, even though I mostly avoid cheese and milk, a little bit of parmesan is fine. I pre-bake the eggplant alongside the GF crust that I prepare for the boys, and we can all enjoy pizza together. Ingredients 1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch slices Tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes Herbs and salt, if you just use crushed tomatoes Parmesan cheese, grated Pizza toppings: peppers, onions, mushrooms, olives, etc. 1. Place eggplant slices on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt. Allow to stand for 10 minutes. This will remove most of the bitter flavor from the eggplant. Rinse slices and pat dry when done. 2. Lightly oil the cookie sheet. Place slices on and pre-bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes. 3. Remove from oven. Spoon on sauce, and add toppings. I put a very light sprinkling of parmesan on top and find this is enough cheesiness for me. I also find that very finely chopped toppings taste better. 4. Bake for another 10 minutes at 400 degrees. All done. :)
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I love burgers, but I don't love ground beef. Back in my vegetarian days, I frequently ate various brands of veggie burgers, or made my own lentil or bean burgers. I have missed the Garden Burgers the most - I actually prefer a good veggie burger to a beef burger. But check out this list of ingredients in a national brandname veggie burger: TEXTURED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, WHEAT GLUTEN, WATER FOR HYDRATION), CORN OIL, EGG WHITES, CALCIUM CASEINATE, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF MODIFIED TAPIOCA STARCH, ONION POWDER, MIXED TRIGLYCERIDES, CANOLA OIL, HYDROLYZED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (CORN GLUTEN, WHEAT GLUTEN, SOY PROTEIN), DEXTROSE, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SALT, YEAST EXTRACT, SUGAR, CARAMEL COLOR, WHEY*, METHYLCELLULOSE, SPICE, GARLIC POWDER, MALTODEXTRIN, DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, SOY SAUCE (WATER, SOYBEANS, SALT, ETHYL ALCOHOL, WHEAT), AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, ASCORBIC ACID, THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), NIACINAMIDE, SESAME SEED OIL, SOY LECITHIN, IRON (FERROUS SULFATE), THIAMIN MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), VITAMIN B12. Never mind that I don't eat soy, gluten, most grains, or dairy anymore. Even barring that, there are so many ingredients that are unsavory. And they are processed, frozen, shipped, stored over such a long period that I'm quite sure that most of the nutrients have died a long, slow death by the time anyone actually gets to eat one. I've tried various homemade bean burgers over the years. They come out heavy and starchy and taste, well, like beans. They also bring with them all of the indigestibility of legumes, which I try to avoid for the most part. I've grilled portabella mushroom caps, which is nice, but not as satisfying as a burger you can sink your teeth into. Last spring, I made a batch of a veggie burger "dough" which included mushrooms, onions, garlic, carrots, peppers and ran it through my Vitamix. The result looked like (literally) a pile of horse crap in the skillet on my stove. Besides looking unappetizing, it didn't hold together and cooked unevenly when I tried to fry it as a patty. Most of it ended up in the trash. Pulling from different ideas I've seen online, and my own preferences for taste, and also needing this to be grain-free, I developed the following recipe. It was perfect - held together for cooking, had a firm, satisfying texture, and even looked kind of pretty - in a veggie burger sort of way. (For folks with nut allergies, I think this could be tasty without the nuts but would add in something else for some crunch in their place such as grated carrots, celery or peppers, diced finely, quinoa or oats if you eat grains. For vegans, you only need to replace one egg to make this a vegan recipe. Use your favorite egg replacer, or try no egg at all. I think they would probably still hold together because of the sweet potato.) Ingredients: 2 Tbsp olive oil 1/2 cup onion, chopped very finely 2 cups mushroom, chopped very finely (I used portabella caps) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup sweet potato, diced 1 tsp tamari or Worcestershire sauce 1/3 cup nuts, chopped finely or food processed (I used a blend of almonds and cashews) 1/2 tsp salt 1 egg 2 Tbsp tapioca starch (regular flour or other starches could be substituted if you aren't gluten-free) 1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion, mushroom, garlic, sweet potato, and saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes. 2. While it sautes, prepare nuts. I chopped them by hand, only because I couldn't find the right attachment for my blender. Add nuts and combine everything. Allow to cook for 5 more minutes. 3. Put mixture into a mixing bowl. Using a hand "masher", mash up the mixture as much as possible. The sweet potatoes will break down entirely, the mushrooms slightly. 4. Add salt, tapioca starch, and egg. Combine well. 5. Add a little more oil for frying to the skillet. Form the dough into two patties using slightly wet hands, and fry over medium heat, for 3-5 minutes on each side. The patties will brown up nicely. I served ours on eggplant slices that I had cooked at 400 degrees for 10 minutes on each side, along with sweet potato oven fries. We topped it with our favorite burger toppings - ketchup, mustard, pickles, etc. It was delicious. Next time I will double the recipe and freeze a few. Well, here in New Hampshire the snow is sure piling up. It's halfway up our front door right now, and I hear there's more on the way. It's cold. Darn cold. So cold that I want to layer up in fleece and long johns and sweaters and wool socks and hide out under my big, fuzzy blanket. All. Day. Long. I also feel like eating baked goods - lots of them - which is the last thing that my body needs. (The banana bread in a previous post was easily devoured within 24 hours, and I'd love to blame it on the men in my home, but I did my fair share of damage.) There is certainly a place for hunkering down with warm stuff and baked goods, here and there, but every day? Not a great plan. So I've been coming up with ways to stay active, get fresh air, and keep building strength despite the cabin fever. Things I can do that are close to home, and not an all-day excursion, but sustainable, daily activities that can be done in an hour or two. I find that I need the following: -A good, moisture-wicking base layer. If you don't have one already, it's worth the investment. I have two sets, but they wash and dry really quickly for daily use. -Warm, squishy hiking socks (mine are a merino wool blend) -Snow pants -A warm fleece and a waterproof shell -Warm hat and neck gaiter, and good gloves and liners -Sometimes goggles, though I don't like them because they leave unflattering lines on my face and, I swear, accentuate my under-eye bags for at least 24 hours. Yes, I'm that vain. Sunglasses often do the trick. To motivate myself to get out in the cold on a weekend day or day off, I will actually put my base layer on in the morning instead of clothes as a way of declaring my intention to be active outdoors. I also do a lot of bribing myself with the thought of the hot shower I'm going to take when I get home, and that amazing post-exercise endorphin high. Good workout, warm shower, endorphin release = my personal trifecta. Oh - and a pot of ginger tea. Any of the following activities are fantastic. I usually end up pulling off drenched base layers afterwards, even though I didn't sense myself sweating during the exercise. Moving through the snow adds a challenging and fun twist to any workout. We live near rail trails which are perfect for walking/skiing/snowshoeing, but last winter, in the absence of rail trails close to home, I went to the golf course in town and made my own tracks there. It was beautiful at sunset. When the boys were little, I actually made a x-c ski track around my back yard and would ski "laps" while they built forts and played in the middle of the yard. Conservation trails work well, or any open field or area that is traffic-free. Breaking your own trail is more tiring in the absence of grooming or snowmobiles, but adds to the quality of the workout. Snow Walking - bare boots - I love snowshoeing and winter hiking. On days that don't allow for a longer excursion, even just a 30-minute walk in the snow will get your heart beating fast and get you a great workout. You don't need any gear outside of some waterproof boots. It's hard to walk in snow - kind of like walking in sand - and is pleasantly exhausting. Snow shoes open up the terrain you can cover, of course, and crampons are important for certain conditions when climbing hills/mountains. But neither is required for a winter walk. Go across a field, or your yard, or venture into the woods. Snowshoeing - So easy - just strap them on and walk out the door. I find that I am more tired and sweaty after a snowshoe than a cross country ski. Thirty minutes is enough to get a very effective workout. The route I've been walking takes me down the rail trail then out onto a property, around a pond, over a stream past a dam, then through a field. It takes about one-and-a-half hours. Late afternoon at sunset is beautiful, but so is early morning. Or try a full moon hike at night. We went out for a 2-hour snowshoe under the full moon a few weeks ago and it was incredible. You can rent snow shoes to try them out - I know that many of the EMS locations in New Hampshire will rent them for the day. If you buy, spend a little extra to get shoes with good, easy-to-use bindings. They make a huge difference. Cross Country Skiing - I bought a whole set (skis, boots, bindings, poles) for $100 at the end of the season back in 2003. I still use the same set. I just broke my pole today, actually, when I took a bit of a spill trying to get up a steep hill. But I've used them nonstop without a single problem otherwise. Probably the best hundred bucks I've ever spent. I have skiied everywhere from groomed trail networks to conservation land to my backyard. Once you have a set, you can make them work almost anywhere - you just need a few inches of snow to get a nice glide going. If you don't know how, go to a ski area and rent a set (usually around $15 for the day) and take a friend who can show you how. I have one of my long-time close friends to thank for my own ability to ski. Shoveling - Not nearly as enjoyable, but still counts as a good workout. Switch arms to get equivalent muscle burn - and to save some strain on your dominant arm. Enough said. Hanging Crunches and Pull Ups - Soon after we moved into our new house, I bought one of those pull up bars that can be put up in a doorway. It's become a family tradition to do a few pulls ups at random times throughout the day. I have also been doing hanging crunches and oblique twists in between other activities - throw in a load of laundry, do 20 hanging crunches. This is keeping my upper body and core strength up, even though I am less active than I would be in warmer weather. Yoga/Deep Stretching - All of the movements in the snow really work the hips, quads, and knees. Stretching out after is so important to avoid injury. I have pretty much eradicated my left knee and hip pain by doing long, deep stretches of my hips, legs, and lower back. My favorite way to do this is through a variety of yoga poses. Sometimes I make it to a class, but more often I just flow through poses that I am familiar with. I have always considered stretching secondary to getting the more intense aspect of my workouts, but, particularly as I get older, I am recognizing that it's actually the stretching that is important, and the rest of it is just the icing on the cake. We eat a lot of chili at our house - it's quick and easy, and makes great lunch leftovers for the kids. Or a topping for nachos on a night when we need a fast dinner. Or a topping for baked potatoes. You know the drill. Typically I just make classic chili, but I don't really enjoy it anymore. I prefer veggie-heavy chilis, while the kids like beans and meat. So tonight I'm making two chilis - one for them, and one for me. This chili has lots of vegetables and is made with ground turkey rather than ground beef - not because I'm afraid of eating fat, but because I prefer ground turkey and chicken, just because. It is grain- and legume-free. And loaded with flavor. And super easy to throw together. This would be great as a vegetarian entree, as well. I would probably add some extra veggies to compensate for the meat - mushrooms? Zucchini? Eggplant? All of the above? Ingredients 1 onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp chili powder 1 Tbsp cumin 1 tsp salt 1 pound ground turkey 1 green pepper, chopped 1 red pepper, chopped 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced 1/4 cup tomato paste water or broth 1. Heat oil in a skilled or large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, until soft. 2. Add chili powder, cumin, and salt. Stir to combine. Add meat and stir well again. Let cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn heat to medium-low. 3. Add 1/2 cup water to deglaze the pan. Add chopped veggies and stir well. Let simmer for a few minutes. 4. Add tomato paste and about 2 cups of water/broth. Stir to combine. Let simmer for at least 10 more minutes, or much longer, until ready to serve. As an alternative, toss everything in a crock pot in the morning and cook on low for 8 hours. |
AuthorI'm Emily. I currently work in online education management, but I also have a Masters degree in Nutritional Sciences (my true passion). In addition, I am a mom, cook, avid reader, novice gardener, and enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities. On my blog, you will find articles on food, fitness, weight management, and eating issues. ALL recipes on my blog are gluten-free. Many are low-carbohydrate. Most are grain free. Enjoy! Categories
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