Stuffed Chard Leaves

Some of my family members made stuffed cabbage (Galumpkis) when I was a child. The process was arduous and, to be honest, I could not stand the taste. As I grew up, I found ways to make it more to my liking by using ground turkey rather than a mix of ground beef, lamb, and veal.

With this prior knowledge and the LARGE CHARD leaves growing in my raised bed garden, I decided to try a stuffed Chard Leaves dish. It was a success!
 

Ingredients:
1 Package of Lean Ground Turkey
1/2 Cup Ground Flax Seeds
1/2 Cup Rice (uncooked)
1/4 Cup Sage
1/4 Cup Parsley
1/4 Cup Diced Garlic
12 Large Chard Leaves…cut off stems and save for another recipe
Broth – Vegetable or Beef – Low Sodium is preferred

Sauce: (OPTIONAL)
1 TBSP Butter
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Water
2-4 Cloves of Garlic (Diced)

Instructions:
• Preheat oven to 350
• Combine ground meat with flax seeds, rice, and herbs and spices.

• Rinse chard leaves
• Place a tablespoonful (or so depending on size of leaf) of mixture about an inch from the thin end of the leaf. Start rolling the leaf/meat mixture toward the thick end. Tuck edges as necessary. Place rolled leaf seam side down in a glass-baking dish. Continue till all meat is used.

• Add one cup of vegetable broth or beef broth to the baking dish and cover with non-stick aluminum foil. Bake 30-45 minutes depending on thickness of your chard rolls.
• Make optional sauce when you serve: In a pan on medium heat, cook garlic in olive oil for a few minutes – just until some of the pieces start to develop a golden color. Add butter and water. Turn down to low and continue to cook until some of the water evaporates. Use a serving spoon to ladle some liquid and garlic over the top of the stiffed chard leaves.

Serve:
Include a gluten free roll or a side of vegetables
Include a baked potato or sweet potato
Include a side of rice, quinoa, millet, or sorghum

Tofu Vegetable Burgers

In an effort to eat healthy and take care of my body, I am looking for ways to incorporate more plant-based protein into my diet. My diet includes some meat but I would not consider myself a carnivore. I call myself a balanced eater…some meals are vegan, some vegetarian, and some contain meat…but none contain Gluten. I experiment with recipes to make them Gluten Free but also look to see how tried-and-true meals can be modified to be vegetarian or vegan. Since a hamburger is an All-American favorite, people have been experimenting with Turkey Burgers, Veggie Burgers, and Tofu Burgers for years. I combined tofu and vegetables to create a tofu vegetable burger. The option to make this recipe different every time you make it had made it a “go-to” dish for me. The burgers never get old as I can change out the vegetables and/or flavor each time! The keys are FRESH ingredients and DRAINING the extra-firm tofu. Enjoy this YogaLean Recipe!

Ingredients:
1/2 Package extra firm tofu, drained (I use Non-GMO)
2 Cups of diced vegetables … steamed to el dente. I used carrots, onion, garlic, broccoli greens, and cauliflower greens.
2 Eggs
1 Cup Gluten Free Flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour)Ian’s Gluten Free Original Panko Bread Crumbs (to coat outside of patty)
Oil to cook patty in pan
Flavoring – I used 1/4 cup Cajun Spice mix from McCormick.
*** There are endless variations…use the vegetable combination you prefer and the flavor profile you wish.***

Instructions:
• Start by draining tofu and placing in a kitchen towel between 2 plates.
• Rinse and dice vegetables into uniform size. Steam vegetables until el dente. Let cool then put vegetables in a VitaMix or blender and give a rough chop. Add tofu and chop again to begin to incorporate ingredients.
• Transfer burger starter from VitaMIx or blender to a mixing bowl. Add eggs, Gluten Free flour, and flavoring.
• Chill mixture for at least two hours (or make in the AM and refrigerate to cook in the PM or refrigerate overnight).
• Make burgers into the size patty you desire and coat in Ian’s Gluten Free Original Panko Bread Crumbs.
• Add oil to a pan and cook burgers. They should take about 5 minutes per side.

Serve:
On a bun with options of: greens, roasted bell pepper, Ketchup and Mustard, Cheese, hummus, or sriracha.

Amaranth Fritters with Carrot and Tarragon

I love to make amaranth fritters using Bob’s Red Mill Amaranth. The recipe on the Amaranth package got me hooked. I made a few changes to adapt this recipe to my Gluten Free Lifestyle. Today I added carrots and tarragon to change the flavor profile.

My REGULAR CHANGES to the original recipe linked above:
• 1 Cup Amaranth
• 1/3 Cup Diced Onion
• 2-4 Cloves Minced Garlic
• 1 1/2 Cups Vegetable Broth (low sodium if possible) Chicken Broth may be used if you are not trying for a vegetarian recipe as well. Water can be used as well.
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 Cup Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
• 1/4 Cup Diced Basil
• Oil to fry – I like to use WALNUT or Olive

***To add CARROTS and Tarragon:
Substitute Tarragon for Basil
After amaranth has cooked, use a box grater and grate 2 cups of carrots. Add to the amaranth mixture. Let cool.

Instructions:
• Place amaranth, onion, garlic, and liquid in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce heat to low. Stir from time-to-time. Let cook until all liquid is absorbed, about 40 minutes. Remove pan from the hot burner. *** see above for adding carrots and tarragon***
• Once amaranth has cooled, add egg, flour and chopped basil. Mix well.
• Heat oil over medium-high heat in a pan (use just enough oil to get an outer crust – about 4-5 tablespoons. Use a large tablespoon or serving spoon to portion out fritters. Add fritters to the pan. (Cook as if they are a meat patty) Let cook until browned on one side, about 5 minutes depending on thickness. Use a spatula to flatten out to ensure center is cooking. When ready, turn to cook on other side.

KEY: Remove fritters from pan and drain on paper towels. Serve or place in an airtight container and refrigerate.

Serve:
These can be a side dish or a main dish. Serve with a vegetable or salad. Smaller fritters can be made as appetizers and served with dipping sauces.

Gluten Free Canadian Bacon Quiche

I used my Gluten Free Quiche Recipe and made a few changes. The quiche was going to be a served for dinner with a desert of Pot du Creme...the recipe and pictures to come!

Base Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 cups milk (I use Almond Milk)
1 ½ cup shredded cheese (I used 1 cup of shredded cheddar blend and 1 cup of Italian blend)
2-3 cups vegetables (I used 1 green bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper, 1/4 a small onion)
1 cup Canadian Bacon diced into small cubes

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Cut the vegetables into small pieces with a knife or mandolin
Combine the eggs, milk, and vegetables in a pan
Spray a pie plate with oil and add bread crumbs (I used Ian's Gluten Free Panko Bread Crumbs)to line the bottom of the pie plate
Bake for 45 - 60 minutes … or until knife comes out clean.
Let cool for 10-15 minutes and serve.

HINT: Slide a knife around edge of pan to get the quiche to slide out without sticking!

Serve with a size salad, side of vegetables, or Gluten Free roll.

Personalized Pumpkin Bread

I have mentioned before that my mother taught me semi-homemade cooking before Food Network’s programming made it became a household concept. The pumpkin bread recipe below is semi-homemade. I take a store bought mix and add to it thus making it my own.

Pamela’s makes great Gluten Free products. In order to find recipes using Pamela’s Gluten Free Products, you need to visit pamelasproducts.com. There you can search by product, category, etc. I modified the Pumpkin Quick Bread Recipe.

I decided to double my recipe, it is the summer and I thought I’d prefer to heat the house once and have plenty of bread for a few weeks. The bread stores well on the refrigerator and freezes well.

My MODIFIED Recipe – see hyperlink above for the original recipe.

Dry Ingredients:
4 cups Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup nuts, chopped (I use walnuts or pecans)
1 cup chopped dates (raisins work well also)
1 cup ground flax seed meal

Wet Ingredients:
4 eggs (room temperature if you have time to make that happen)
1/2 cup brown sugar (in the recipe)
*1/4 cup brown sugar to sprinkle on top (option add ¼ cup oats and butter and make a crumble topping for the top * see below)
3 tsp vanilla
2 cup pumpkin, grated zucchini or very ripe bananas
1/2 cup melted butter

Pamela’s Directions MODIFIED:
In a medium sized bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients, 1 at a time (in the order listed above) to incorporate before adding next wet ingredient.

This recipe is for TWO loaf pans…Spray or grease loaf pans well, pour in the batter and spread evenly in pan. Add Crumble Top (see below).

Bake approximately 45 minutes, the sides will be just starting to pull away from the pan (toothpick or knife will be completely clean). Allow to rest in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

Crumble Top Option:
• After you have put the batter in a pan, you may sprinkle ¼ cup brown sugar on top to create a glaze or use a fork to combine ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup oats, and ¼ cup cold butter and sprinkle the crumble mixture on top of the batter.
• As the loaf cooks, you will want to use a knife or toothpick to check to see if it is done…start with 10 minutes left in the baking time as each oven has its own quirks. After checking, cover with non-stick aluminum foil so the loaf cooks evenly and the top does not burn.
• Continue checking to see if it is done, every 5 – 10 minutes. It is important to open the oven as little as possible, without burning the bread!

A Versatile Bread:
I love this bread in the morning for breakfast (with fruit and hard-boiled eggs or Greek Yogurt) or as a dessert with a bit of chia seed jam on top! Add nut butter on top and it is a high protein snack to refuel after a workout.

Beets and Balsamic on a Bed of Quinoa

I have mentioned numerous times on the blog that I use as much of a vegetable as I can. The farmers at the farmer’s market have given me tips as to how they enjoy portions of the vegetable that I was accustomed to throwing away when I purchased vegetables from a conventional grocery store. I have come to appreciate the unique flavors of the stems, flowers, and leaves of many vegetables. Each has its own flavor and texture.

Beet greens can taste bitter to some people. They are a great extra in a salad as they add an additional flavor profile as well as nutrition to a house or mixed greens salad. Beet stems are great in a stir-fry, soup, or on their own.

This is a simple recipe that can be made with beet stems, broccoli stems, or chard stems (or all three).

Ingredients:
2-3 Cups Beet Stems washed and trimmed into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 Yellow onion diced evenly
1/2 Cup Vegetable Broth (low sodium)
1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

Instructions:
• Place all of the items in a pan on high heat.
• When the liquid begins to boil, turn the heat down to low/simmer and cover the pan.
• Check from time to time to make sure the liquid is not absorbed and the balsamic is beginning to caramelize.
• Test to see if the vegetables are to your preferable texture. Add 1/4 cup of water more (at a time) until vegetables cook to your preferred tenderness.
• When done, let rest in the covered pan for a few minutes.

Serve: alone, with nuts, or serve on a bed of quinoa, rice, or other grain.

Banana Granola Cookies

I enjoy making cookies that are “sneaky” healthy and can change each time they are made. This recipe is a tried and true favorite that can be modified with one or two ingredients switched each time that no one will ever tire of the treat!

I cut the sugar in the original recipe by adding Gluten Free Granola which is high in sugar. If you decide to use rolled oats, you may wish to increase the sugar to 1/2 Cup. I always use as little refined sugar as possible, I increase the spices to make up for reducing the sugar. Remember the riper the banana the sweeter it is. A very ripe banana will not need much sugar added to the recipe!

Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 Cups Flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flours…1/2 cup each: Oat, Coconut, and 1-1 Baking Flour)
• 1/2 TSP Baking Soda
• 1 TSP Salt
• 1 TSP Cinnamon
• 1/2 TSP Nutmeg
• 3/4 Cup Room Temperature Butter or Coconut Butter
• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Flax Seed Meal
• 1 Cup Mashed Bananas (Use the ripest bananas as you can)
• 1 3/4 Cups Gluten Free Granola (You can use rolled oats if you do not have granola on hand)
• 1 Egg


OPTIONAL:
1/2 Cup Raisins (or other dried fruit diced into small pieces)
1/2 Cup Diced Pecans or Walnuts
2 TBSP Gluten Free Protein Powder

Instructions:
• Preheat oven to 400 Degrees
• Combine dry ingredients in a stand up mixture.
• Add wet ingredients.
• Mix just enough to combine
• Use a spoon and your hands to form cookies the size you desire. I like to make a medium sized cookie.
• Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Serve:
Warm or at room temperature
This can be a desert or a snack with a nut butter or a handful of nuts and dried fruit