Month: August 2013

Zucchini Stuffed with Brown Rice

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Usually, acorn or butternut squash is first to come to my mind when stuffing a veggie. They are the perfect kind of squash for autumn dishes — richer and fuller in flavor than their veggie counterparts — but zucchini is a great squash to stuff, too! Zucchini is lighter and more fresh, making it a great summer dish. Halve the zucchini and make them into little boats by scrapping out the seeds. You’ll want to scrape out a little more than just the seeds so that enough of the flavorful rice mixture can be packed in. But if it’s too thin on the bottom, it won’t cook evenly … I trust your carving skills. Buy quality tomatoes for the best-tasting stuffing. Heirloom tomatoes or cherry tomatoes work well for this zucchini side dish. Zucchini Stuffed with Brown Rice 4 servings; prep 15 minutes; cook 20 minutes 8 Zucchini, halved and seeded 2/3 Tomatoes, diced or halved 1/2 Onion, small; chopped 1 1/2 C Brown Rice, cooked Olive Oil Thyme or Rosemary for seasoning Salt and …

Gluten-free, Dairy-free Birthday Goodness

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Try this elimination diet: no dairy, no gluten, no beans and no fake sugars. If you chuckled and said something along the lines of “No, thanks!”, I’m not surprised. That was my first reaction, too. Honestly, after almost six weeks of this, I’m still having the same reaction! But it’s been successful in detecting my allergies. At least I get my basic needs: wine and dark chocolate! A day when I normally would have deserved any kind of splurging or would’ve un-regretfully eaten the largest piece of cake (ever!), looked as though impossible. However, being that my older sister always looks out for her twin sisters, chocolate cake was back on the menu. What I learned? My sister can make a mean, gluten-free, dairy-free cake! She used a gluten-free Whole Foods recipe, and substituted the dairy with dairy-free milk and butter. Then topped it off with black cherries. Flourless Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Glaze — (seriously the best cake you’ll ever taste!) Related Recipes/Articles Gluten-Free Cake Pops by http://www.LifeMadeDelicious.ca Nectarine Upside-Down Cake by www.FaveGlutenFreeRecipes.com Fudgy Gluten-Free Brownies by www.maryanna-bishop.blogspot.com Surprising Foods …

Citrus Muse

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I was in a rut. A rut that involved using the same ingredients. Walking into the grocery store, grabbing the usual items—a mindless dance. But sometimes all you need is one new cooking buddy. Meet my new friends the lime and lemon. That’s all it takes to inspire new flavor combinations and new types of cuisine. Here is a hot, Mexican-flavored zucchini dish with the use of lime, cumin and agave. A lemon-pepper white fish makes a satisfying main. I dare you to make these your new friends! I was inspired  by this recipe by Skinny Taste, a fantastic blog with gorgeous food eye-candy. Citrus, Agave Zucchini 1 Tbs. Olive Oil 5 Zucchini, chopped 1 Large heirloom tomato, diced 1 tsp. Cumin 1 tsp. Paprika 1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper (optional) 2 Limes, zest and juice 2 tsp. Agave Salt and pepper Parmesan cheese Heat olive oil in skillet and sauté zucchini for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add tomatoes, agave, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, lime, and salt and pepper. Cook on high for about 7 …

No Bake Banana Bread

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Let’s be honest. Sometimes you want freshly baked banana bread just to find those ooey-gooey pockets of banana that make you feel like you’ve discovered gold! But there isn’t necessarily the time between the morning’s wake-up call and the out-the-door frenzy routine. I found that mashed bananas on toast topped with cinnamon (key ingredient here!) and walnuts provide another delicious way to dress up your morning toast. I just love cinnamon. I could put it on just about anything. It should be a standard table setting, right there with Mr. and Mrs. Salt and Pepper. If cinnamon doesn’t grab your attention by the mere remembrance of its sweet, yet spicy taste, then how about the fact that it controls blood sugar and reduces body fat percentage—I knew there was more to my love for cinnamon! In case you do have time this weekend for a full-on banana bread baking session, then I would take a look at Joy the Baker’s banana bread. She even has one with strawberries. This one is definitely on my “to do” …