Gluten Free Strawberry Jam

Yeah!! It's STRAWBERRY Season.

I have gone strawberry picking twice already this season and loving all of the sweet, ripe, juicy red berries.    I searched the Internet for some healthy recipes so I can use all of these delicious strawberries.  I came across the easiest strawberry jam ever using only 3 ingredients.  This recipe used honey, chia seeds and of course fresh strawberries.
I happen to have chia seeds in the cupboard but also had psyllium husk in there as well.  Both chia seeds and psyllium have thickening properties because of how they drink in any liquid and can double or triple their size easily.  I brought out both and began to experiment.
The psyllium husk ended up thickening the strawberry jam not only faster but this batch came out way thicker than the chia seed jam, which turned out runny no matter how many seeds I stirred in.  My psyllium strawberry jam has lots of fibre too.  Keep the good food a comin'.


EASY GLUTEN FREE STRAWBERRY JAM

INGREDIENTS

2 cups fresh strawberries, washed and  hulled
2 Tablespoons honey ( I used about 1/4 cup or so      because my strawberries weren't as sweet as I'd like. And I like a bit of a sweeter jam)
3 Tablespoons psyllium husk



INSTRUCTIONS

wash and hull all of the strawberries

Place about 3 - 4 cups whole strawberries in a food processor. 

 Process until desired jam consistency.  I like mine pretty smooth with only a few little chunks.  You can make your jam as smooth or chunky as you like.

Measure the processed strawberries into a bowl and add the honey and psyllium husk.  

Stir well to make sure all ingredients are incorporated well.  Let stand for about 20 - 30 minutes.

Meanwhile wash and dry all of the jars and lids.

Once jam is set, spoon into clean jars and close with clean lids.  Label.

Jam can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 weeks (if it lasts that long) or frozen for up to 6 months.

Yummy, no cook, gluten free strawberry jam.  Soooo good!  Spread on bread, spoon some over ice cream or stir into some yogurt.  Enjoy.

Fresh is Best.
Eat Well,
:)

LOW FAT WALDORF SALAD

Since I will be having a lot of tropical fruit this weekend with my family, as we celebrate my son Dylan's 17th birthday and I've decided to have a Jamaican theme, today I wanted something raw to eat that was still sweet but a little more towards a Canadian climate.

I definitely wanted an apple, so I began there.

I love, love, love Waldorf Salad.

I first discovered it and made this salad during my high school years while attending a Home EC. class. ( basically a class where you learn how to cook and sew )

My salad was sooo good, I made it every day for the next 3 days at home.

As years have gone by I've learned many new and exciting ways to make this delicious salad.  I've made the dressing with sugar, honey, mayo, yogurt, sour cream, lemon, lemon zest, to list just a few and not used all  of the ingredients at once of course.
But what has mainly stayed the same was the use of the salad ingredients themselves.
Apple, grapes, celery and walnuts.  Although, I have used pecans in the past as well, or whatever nut I happened to have at the time and in any style, sliced, slivered or chopped.

I made this salad a few weeks ago as part of a dinner with my in laws.  My father in law, Joe, has never in all of his years had a Waldorf salad.  So I made one.  This salad had the usual apple, I used mutsu, a sweet and crisp apple, red grapes, celery, walnuts (lightly toasted) and a dressing made with yogurt, mayo, honey, and lemon juice and zest.  Well I am happy to say that Joe loved it and had two helpings for himself.

Today, was different though.  I didn't feel like being bogged down with a lot of fatty dressing.  I need energy!  I kept things as simple as possible and here's today's version of my EASY low fat Waldorf salad..... maybe too easy, since I only used 3 ingredients!!!



EASY WALDORF SALAD

INGREDIENTS


1 apple ( I have organic golden delicious in the fridge)
2 organic celery stalks
12 red grapes



INSTRUCTIONS

Chop the apple and celery and toss them together in a bowl.  Cut the grapes in half and add them in the bowl. Grab a fork and dig in.
Enjoy!!!  Make this super easy salad for a filling snack or a light lunch.  You can use another apple, more celery and more grapes if you are not full yet.

I did have an orange standing by in case I felt like squeezing on some fresh orange juice, but I didn't feel like it today.  Maybe next time!

This salad is sweet, crunchy and tasty.  I know it seems too simple,  but you'll be surprised, this salad is good!  The bonus is... its raw, gluten free, and vegan and packs vitamins and nutrients all in one neat little package.

A variation for you if the simplicity is too much for you is to add that squeeze of orange or lemon and stir in some nuts and some vanilla yogurt.  Also why not add a little fennel or incorporate some cous cous to make a salad with some added grains.   Mmmm sounds good.

Eat Well
:)

BERRY DELIGHT

I just recently purchased a birthday gift for my niece, Becka.  She had asked for a blender, as she didn't have one yet.  This post is dedicated to her to give Becka some ideas for the use of her blender. I'm sure, you, the reader will get plenty of ideas on your own too.

Here's some ideas...
salad dressing
smoothies
"ice cream"
milkshakes
daiquiris
pina coladas
margaritas
and fruit sauce,
among many other ideas, these are obviously just a few.

After a Zumba workout today I needed something to eat to get my energy levels back up.  I had a couple of packages of berries in the fridge to use up, so I came up with this yummy Berry Delight. It's all raw and totally delish.  This dish can be used for a meal for one or dessert for two. Double the ingredients and use for a dessert for a gathering.  Oh, and by the way, this is super easy.

BERRY DELIGHT


INGREDIENTS

1 lg pkg raspberries (about 12oz or 340g)
1 lg pkg blackberries (about 12oz or 385g)
2 medjool dates
1/4 cup or so of frozen mango
splash water


INSTRUCTIONS

In a blender, blend up a handful of the raspberries with the dates, frozen mango and the water.  You can add more or less of the water to reach desired sauce consistency.  I like it quite thick, so I only used a splash of water.  Blend until smooth with no more lumps.
Wash and pour all of the fresh berries into a bowl.
Pour your fruit sauce over the top of the berries.
Done!!! Easy and yum, yum, yum.
Enjoy.

Any berries can be used for this recipe.  Only have strawberries and blueberries, try those. I'm sure any berry combination will turn out just a tasty.  The colour might be a bit different but the taste will still be there.
You can also use a combination of fresh and frozen berries for the sauce.  No need to use the mango.  I threw in the mango for the extra creaminess to the sauce.  Feel free to use frozen and fresh raspberries for the ultimate raspberry delight.  Mmmm.  If you happen to not have any dates, they can easily be substituted with honey, although more fruit or frozen fruit may need to be added so the sauce doesn't turn out too runny.  And heck to make this recipe even easier, throw all of the ingredients in a blender, add a little more water and make the berry delight smoothie. Wow!

I had forgotten to take a picture.  I was so excited to be eating this creamy berry creation, that I had forgot, so in the pic, the bowl is already half empty. It was quite a full bowl of yumminess.  I didn't even get a chance to give you a pic of the ingredients, I ate is so fast!  Oops:}

Eat Well.
:)

BRING AN APPETIZER

Your going out to a get together with friends or family.  They've invited you for dinner.  You are asked to bring an appetiser.  This one I've come up with I have been making for a few years now.  My father in law loves them.  Wraps filled with colourful crunchy vegetables, feta cheese and creamy Greek dressing all wrapped together in a rice paper wrap.  Best of all they're low cal, and full of vitamins from all of the fresh raw veggies.  Although these are a little time consuming, they are so worth it.  Get the husband involved, the kids. Why not?  When they've been part of the creation, they enjoy the food more.  If there are any leftover, they make a great lunch for the next day.

RICE PAPER WRAPS

INGREDIENTS

A variety of straight cut veggies. I use......
red pepper
yellow pepper
carrot
cucumber
sometimes I use jicama too. (its a vegetable that looks somewhat like a potato with light brown skin, white inside and tastes a little like a pear)
feta cheese (cut into strips)
arugula or other fresh herbs of your liking
Renee's creamy Greek salad dressing
rice paper (found in the international section of your
grocery store)
water (for soaking the rice paper)


INSTRUCTIONS


Set up your station like an assembly line.
I use two plates for soaking my rice paper in water until it is pliable enough to roll, but soft enough to eat.
I set up my filling ingredients and have a plate ready for completed wraps.  Also i have some extra water standing by in case I run short. The dish towel is used for my wrapping to absorb excess water from the rice paper.

So, now that we are all ready, let's go!
First lay your rice paper in the dish of water. You can get a second one soaking as well once you get going and are comfortable enough.

Let the rice paper soak for about 30
seconds or so. You can check to see
if it is pliable enough by touching  it                                                
with your fingers. Once it is soft enough, gently pick it up with two hands and spread onto the dish towel.

Now, fold it in half, so it looks like a
half moon.












Start adding your filling ingredients one at a time.
First add the Greek salad dressing.

Then add the feta cheese making sure
some of it is placed beyond the folded
rice paper wrap.                                                          









Continue adding all of the vegetables and arugula.
Making sure to place them beyond the rice paper only at one end, and as evenly as possible. No worries about the veggie ends inside the rice paper wrap, they will be covered and no one will see them.

Once finished, fold the bottom of the
wrap over the fillings.

Then fold over the left side of the rice
paper wrap.

Now, holding the bottom of the wrap in toward the filling, roll the wrap together towards the right side. You may need to add a little bit of pressure to make sure everything stays in place.  The wrap my be a bit sticky, but that's what you want.
The wrap would fall apart without the
stickiness.  Continue to roll to the end of the rice paper.

Oh, they're so pretty.  Now layer on a brightly coloured plate and your done.  You might want to eat one to "test" it.
Be sure to cover tightly with plastic wrap until ready to serve as these can dry up easily.
Enjoy.





You can try any variations you like.  For example Thai wraps with Thai garlic chili sauce and peanut butter and coconut. Or Chinese wraps using bean sprouts and nappa cabbage and I don't know.... maybe plum sauce.  Have fun and experiment.  Leave me a comment and let me know your creations.

Eat Well.
:)

BRING A SALAD

You're invited to a dinner with family or with friends and you were asked to bring a salad. You don't have a lot of time so are ready to go to the store to pick up a prepared salad ready to go.  That's fine and dandy, depending on what kind of salad is purchased.  I prefer a salad with some cheese or nuts or both in them.  My favorites are a Greek salad with feta cheese, cucumbers and olives  and a goat cheese salad with mandarin oranges and almonds. Yum! But they can be costly and the dressings that are provided are high is fat, sodium, and sugars. In case funds are short, I've got a couple of salad ideas here that are quick, easy, using foods you probably already have in your cupboard or fridge and they actually taste good. But here's the kicker... they are healthy too.  Low on calories, fat, sodium and price. Minimal effort are all they take and they make a nice presentation.  Use one of your fancy bowls and you're set.  It'll look like it took you all day to prepare.
Since I've been on this raw kick lately, the first salad is all raw, the second salad is about half raw.  Also they are vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.  For all of the skeptics out there, just because a recipe says raw or vegan or vegetarian, doesn't mean it tastes bad or different or "healthy".  Give these a try, I guarantee you'll like them.

I made this carrot salad one evening last week when I wanted something light but filling for dinner.  My husband loved it and couldn't say enough about how good and fresh it tasted. We had a little bit left over from our meal so the next day I added a handful of pecans, some chia seeds and flax seeds to the salad for some extra protein to fill me up as there just wasn't enough salad on its own.  The veggies had not gone soggy sitting overnight in the fridge either, which is an extra bonus.  I've seen other versions of carrot salad out there made with jello. I just don't want to be eating artificial colors in my salad, no matter how good it may taste!!! This one has fresh ingredients. Nothing artificial here.  Any of the ingredients can be easily adjusted to your liking. If you don't like tomatoes, don't add them in!  A little bit of grating and chopping and your done. This is a nice alternative to the many lettuce based salads out there.

CARROT AND BROCCOLI SALAD


INGREDIENTS 

1 broccoli crown, cut into bite size pieces
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 carrots, grated (good for you if grating by hand,
 but using a food processor is wayyyy faster)                                              
1/2 of a red onion, finely diced
handful of grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 apple, cubed  (i used a mutsu apple,
 use your favorite sweet apple)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS


Place the broccoli in your desired serving bowl.

Toss in the salt and oil to soften broccoli a bit, while you are preparing rest of fruit and veggies.

Add in all other ingredients and toss together.

Now, wasn't that easy?

Salad serves 2 to 3 for dinner or up to 6 as a salad/side dish.
Enjoy.



I ate this nappa salad for the first time a few years ago at a neighborhood barbeque.  This bowl of salad was the one that was empty first.  I, along with everyone else,  liked it so much, I had to have the recipe.  I prepared this salad for many dinner parties after that. Never failed to come home with an empty bowl. The only downfall is that it's LOADED with fat and sugar.  The original recipe called for 1cup of sugar in the dressing and 1/2 cup of butter in the topping. Becoming more health conscience over the years, I've since cleaned it up to be a little more hip, belly and thigh friendly.


NAPPA SALAD
My cleaned up version

INGREDIENTS

1 head nappa sliced into thin strips
2 snack containers mandarin oranges (one for the dressing and I drink the juice from the other for a treat)
1/4 red onion thinly sliced
3 green onions thinly sliced

topping ingredients
1/3 cup chopped pecans
2 tbsp or so of sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tbsp honey

dressing
juice from 1 snack size container mandarin oranges
1 tsp soy sauce
1-2 tbsp. honey (enough to thicken dressing a bit)
2 tbsp or so light olive oil
splash maple vinegar
salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Whisk the mandarin orange syrup, soy sauce, and 1 tbsp. honey and vinegar together in a fancy serving bowl.  Whisk in olive oil. Whisk in more  honey to emulsify and thicken up dressing if needed.  Whisk in salt and pepper to taste.

Place all salad ingredients on top of dressing, BUT don't toss.

Place all topping ingredients in a small fry pan on med heat and stir occasionally until pecans are fragrant and lightly browned.  Cool slightly and place on top of salad.  BUT do not toss.

About 30 minutes before serving you can toss the salad.  Tossing too early will cause the nappa to wilt a bit.
Enjoy.


Eat Well

PINA COLADA MOCK ICE CREAM

What?  Did I read that right?  Pina Colada Ice Cream?
Yup, you sure did!
The only ingredient missing is the rum!  Oh well, it's really tasty anyway.
I created this recipe trying to use up the last bit of coconut milk I had leftover in the fridge. I suppose the proper term for this 'ice cream' should really be 'frozen yogurt', but ice cream makes it sound much more decadent.

I asked three grown, beer drinkin' men (including my husband) to be my Guinea pigs, to try my mock ice cream and tell me what they thought about it.
The response was unanimous.  They all said it was really good.  One of the guys even had to "TRY" it three more times until he said that he liked it.  Ha, ha.
No milk is used in this recipe and it's super easy. This ice cream is gluten free and  vegetarian.  Soy yogurt can be replaced with the Greek yogurt to make a vegan variation.  Try putting a little thawed mock ice cream in a blender with protein powder and banana for a pina colada smoothie.

PINA COLADA MOCK ICE CREAM


INGREDIENTS


4 cups frozen cubed pineapple (buy in freezer section of grocery store or purchase fresh pineapple, cube and freeze yourself)
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 can coconut milk (put in fridge to get cold)
1 tsp. or so of grated nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla sugar

INSTRUCTIONS


Process the frozen pineapple in a food processor until broken down into pea sized bits.

Add in rest of the ingredients.

 Process until the consistency of ice cream.
 You may need to scrape down the sides a few times as needed.

Scrape into a freezer friendly bowl or dish. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and freeze until ready to eat.

 Or have a treat now if you wish, the consistancy will be like soft ice cream.  The mock ice cream won't take long to be ready, the frozen pineapple speeds up the process.  So yummy ice cream sooner.  Yeah!  Enjoy.

Eat Well.

BAKING ALTERNATIVES

Mmmmm,
I love the smell of cookies and cakes baking in the oven. I especially love the aroma of chocolate anything baking in the oven.
Even though the traditional methods of baking are delicious, they are however not the healthiest.  With all of the saturated fat from the butters/margarine, the non nutritious white flours and fattening refined sugars, no wonder the obese popularity has grown to new levels.  It's like a heart attack in a cookie, cake or pie or brownie, or...yum????

Well, the YUM! factor is still possible, with a few little twists and turns.  Here's a brownie recipe that's EASY, gluten free, moist and delicious. And best of all they're actually good for you.  They're made with black beans for fibre, to keep you regular and full for longer, so a little of the yummy bites goes a long way, chocolate for its antioxidant properties and eggs for protein. When I tried these for the first time I could hardly wait to share them with my husband and son and in laws(who live right around the corner).  They all agreed that these chocolaty squares ARE moist and delicious, and passed the YUM test, even though they are made with black beans!!!  Best part of all, you can't even taste the black beans amongst all of the chocolate.
You can easily make these into a vegan treat.  Just omit the eggs and replace with an equal measure of silken tofu. Or you can add in a little grated zucchini and sneak in some veggies. The kids will never know!  I love this recipe and make it often, maybe for this years Easter celebrations.  Easter's all about CHOCOLATE anyways.....right!!!

BLACK BEAN BROWNIES


INGREDIENTS

cooking spray
1oz. organic dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)

1 - 398ml can black beans (drained and rinsed)
2 eggs
1 egg white
heaping 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
heaping 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup local honey

optional
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or grated zucchini or for a triple chocolate treat, add in some semi sweet chocolate or carob chips.


INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350degrees F. Spray an 8" baking pan with cooking spray.
Melt dark chocolate in saucepan with 1 Tablespoon of water on low heat.

In food processor, add melted chocolate and all of the remaining ingredients.

Process until smooth.

At this point stir in nuts or zucchini if you choose to do so.
Pour into baking pan.

 Bake for 30 minutes until top is dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Cool slightly and serve warm. Or cool completely, these can be served both warm or cold and will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. If they last that long.
Makes approx. 9 - 2" squares.


BAKING ALTERNATIVES


Some of these alternatives are not limited to baking only but can be used in everyday cooking as well. For example the vegetable oil can be substituted with a healthier oil like a cold pressed extra virgin olive oil.

BAD INGREDIENT                          GOOD SUBSTITUTE

vegetable oil                                        unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana,
                                                           nut butters, coconut oil, olive oil, canola oil

whole eggs                                          egg whites ( use 2 whites for 1 whole egg)

eggs and oil                                         silken tofu (see future post for a recipe)

refined white sugar                               honey, maple syrup, agave ( be careful of
                                                           the liquid substitutions as they may alter
                                                           your recipe by making it too runny), sucanat,

white flour                                            whole wheat flour, oat flour, spelt flour,
                                                            corn flour, brown rice flour
                                                            soy flour, kamut flour

white rice                                              brown rice

cow's milk                                             coconut milk, rice milk, soy milk, or my
                                                             favourite almond milk, flax milk, nut milks