Yummy Vegan Alfredo Sauce

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I found this easy and very quick pasta sauce that you can make in 5 minutes. It’s dairy and gluten-free so it’s great for the Elimination Diet. My whole family loves it! Here is a picture of last night’s dinner.

Vegan Alfredo Sauce

INGREDIENTS [YIELDS 12 OZ. SAUCE]

1 c. coconut milk [the canned kind] 1/2 c. nutritional yeast
1 medium clove of garlic
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Mince the garlic and add all of the ingredients to a blender. Blend until the consistency is smooth and creamy – you know, like alfredo sauce. Pour it over any pasta you’d like and warm quickly with the rest of your hot pasta and other toppings.

This week, I added broccoli to my boiling pasta and cooked diced chicken at the very end. My pasta choice is a rice and quinoa pasta I found at Costco. I suppose the whole meal isn’t vegan but the sauce is so enjoy!

 

The link to the original source is here at The Fitchen.com

 

 

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Curried Butternut Squash & Pear Soup

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My great friend Amy shared this recipe with me. It was titled “Lindsay’s Curried Butternut Squash and Pear Soup” so I can’t give full credit to the original author. It was easy to make and has great flavours. I’ve added in my notes for you throughout.

Roasted butternut squash
Roasted butternut squash

This is a perfect soup for a cold winter day!

squash soup2

Ingredients:

  • 1 (2lb) butternut squash
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter (could use coconut oil)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 3)
  • 2 tsp minced fresh ginger root
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 4 cups chicken broth (I used my homemade chicken broth – so easy from scratch!)
  • 2 firm Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1 inch dice
  • 1/2 cup half & half (I didn’t add any milk, you could add coconut or almond milk to make Dairy-free)

 

The finished product! Made about 4 good servings - Perfect for lunch!
The finished product! Made about 4 good servings – Perfect for lunch!

Directions:

  1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Cut squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membrane. Place squash halves, cut sides down, on the prepared baking sheet. Roast in preheated oven until veyr soft, about 45 minutes. Scoop the pulp from the peel, and reserve.
  3. Melt the butter (coconut oil) in a large soup pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, and salt. Cook and stir until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Pour the chicken broth into the pot, and bring to a boil. Stir in the pears and the reserved squash, and simmer until the pears are very soft, about 30 minutes.
  4. Pour the soup into a blender or use an immersion blender to blend. Stir in the milk or milk substitute and serve warm.

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Gluten-free Quiche

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I made this amazing quiche a few weeks ago when my dear friend Emma came to visit.

 

Home cooked gluten-free, lactose-free quiche.
Home cooked gluten-free, lactose-free quiche.

Potato crust quiche

For the Potato Crust:

  • 1/2 cup grated onion
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose gluten-free flour (Bulk Barn)
  • 1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled

For the Filling:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 1/2 cups (1 large) leek, sliced, washed, and drained
  • 4 cups sliced mushrooms
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup grated fontina or Swiss cheese (optional – I didn’t use cheese to make it lactose free)
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk (I used rice milk)
  • 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Grease a 9- or 10-inch deep-dish pie pan. Set up a strainer over a bowl.Grate the onions into the strainer, and drain for 10 minutes, pressing out the extra liquid.

When the onions are drained, transfer them to a bowl and combine them with the salt, thyme and flour.

Grate the potatoes into the strainer. Press out any extra liquid, then combine with the onion mixture, mixing to combine.

Pat the mixture into pie pan and up the sides. Bake for 25 minutes to let the steam escape.

After 25 minutes, brush the potatoes with oil, then bake for 15 minutes more, until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and turn the oven temperature to 350°F.

While the crust is baking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and mushrooms and cook until the leeks are wilted, and the mushrooms give up their liquid and it cooks away (you don’t want the vegetables to be juicy). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer the vegetables to the baked crust, and sprinkle the cheese evenly on top.

Whisk the eggs, milk and Worcestershire together, and pour slowly over the vegetables. Return the quiche to the oven and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until the centre is set. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm.

I found the recipe at: http://gourmetfood.about.com/od/breakfastrecipe1/r/potatoquiche.htm

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Gluten free granola bar recipe

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granola bars

At last I have made a school friendly granola bar that I am happy to see my boy love.

Store bought granola bars tend to be filled with sugar and rarely don’t have wheat in them.  The gluten-free bars are often very high in sugar and mostly void of fibre.

Here is the recipe that I concocted to make some delicious ones at home.

  • 1 cup quick oats, 2/3 cup rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup hemp hearts
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1 cup gluten free Rice Krispies
  • 1/3 cup oat flour
  • 6 Tbsp oil (olive or coconut)
  • 3 Tbsp honey
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin seed butter, heated until smooth
  1. Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an 8×8 pan with oil then line it with parchment paper that hangs over all edges.
  2. In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.
  3. In a smaller bowl, combine the oil, honey, vanilla and heated pumpkin seed butter.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
  5. Pour the mixture into the pan.  Use an oiled spatula or oiled waxed paper to press the mixture firmly into the pan.
  6. Bake for 30-40 minutes (until the edges just start to turn brown), remove and place on cooling rack.  Do not attempt to remove the granola bars or cut them until they are well cooled.  In fact, place them into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to firm them up before cutting.
  7. These freeze really well.

Enjoy 🙂

Edit March 8/15: my son asked for granola bars that look like the Nature’s Path ones. They are not as thick as these. So I followed the recipe, but instead used a larger pan and cut the time down to 15 minutes. Worked like a charm!

 

Dr. Kerri

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Easy Chicken Roasted in a Crock Pot

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As I write this at the clinic, I have a chicken cooking at home. I love that when I get home from work tonight, my meal will be mostly ready. All I will need to do is steam some green beans and maybe have some corn on the cob because it’s in season. I have cooked small chickens in the oven before but I always worried it wasn’t cooked all the way through. Since this is cooked in the crock pot, the juices stay inside and it doesn’t dry out while I can leave it for the length of time required and I know it will be done. The skin doesn’t get crispy but we try not to eat a lot of the skin anyway because of it’s high fat content. Try it at home with an organic or free range chicken. We got ours from the Warwick Hughs Food Market  http://whfoodmarket.foodpages.ca/ The chicken itself came from Edencrest Farms: http://www.edencrestfarms.com/

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 onion
  • 1 large chicken
 INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Combine the dried spices in a small bowl.
  2. Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker.
  3. Remove any giblets from the chicken and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts.
  4. Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover it, and turn it on to high. There is no need to add any liquid.
  5. Cook for 4 – 5 hours on high (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone. Or cook on low 8-9 hours. Don’t forget to make your home-made chicken stock from the bones! ( I throw water, salt, thyme, carrots, onions, peppercorns and celery in the pot and let it cook on low over night with the bones)

Thanks to this source for the recipe:

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/02/25/recipe-the-best-whole-chicken-in-a-crock-pot/

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