Friday, August 19, 2011

4-weeks postpartum: The Recipes (pt 2)

Now, onto the delicious recipes!


Luckily, eating the Elimination Diet doesn't mean you have to hate what you're eating. You find the things you can have & you make something delicious, beautiful and satisfying with them!

Whole Life Nutrition's Chicken Nuggets














1-2 organic chicken nuggets
1/2 cup rice milk
1 cup brown rice flour
1.5 tsp savory spice
2-3 T virgin coconut oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut chicken breasts into "nugget" sized pieces. Place milk into a bowl. Place rice flour and savory spice into another bowl. Take chicken pieces and place them into milk, mix them around to get them coated then dredge the chicken pieces into the rice flour/spice mixture until very well coated. Rub the bottom of a 9"x13" pan with the coconut oil, and then place the nuggets evenly in the pan. Place pan into preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cut into the thickest nugget to see if it's still pink. If it is, then place pan back into the oven for some extra cooking time.

*Note: These nuggets can be frozen before baking to make a very quick meal at another time. Simply bake the frozen nuggets as directed above. I used my leftover nuggets to top a salad the next day.


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Whole Life Nutrition's Sunny Sunflower Seed Burgers (modified)














1 cup uncooked brown rice (I used Uncle Ben's instant)
2 cups water
pinch sea salt
2 cups raw sunflower seeds
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
extra virgin olive oil for cooking

Cook rice according to package directions. While you let the rice stand, place the sunflower seeds and thyme in a food processor and process until finely ground. Add the chopped carrots and pulse a few times. Be sure not to over process the mixture or it will get very gooey. Then add the processed ingredients into the rice. Form mixture into patties. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add about 1 T extra virgin olive oil. Add burger and cook on both sides for about 3-5 minutes.

*Note: Uncooked patties can be stored in a glass container in between wax paper in the fridge for up to a week.


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Whole Life Nutrition's Oven Fries


















4 medium organic sweet potatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Peel skins from potatoes and cut into fries. Put all ingredients in a large ziplock bag and shake until fries are well coated. Arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake until golden (I like mine slightly burned because it gives them a caramelized flavor), about 30 minutes.


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Easy Green Beans w/Almonds & Thyme














1-2 cans green beans
1/2 cup sliced almonds
dried thyme, to taste

Cook green beans in microwave, covered, for approximately 2 minutes on high. Top with sliced almonds and add the dried thyme, to taste.

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Whole Life Nutrition's Agave Poppy Seed Vinaigrette














1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 T red wine vinegar
1-2 T agave nectar
1 T poppy seeds
1/4 tsp sea salt

Place all ingredients into a small bowl and whisk.


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Whole Life Nutrition's Energizing Berry Nut Smoothie (modified)


















1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 cup frozen cherries

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

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Basic Carob Cake with Carob "Frosting"
Adapted from Simple Treats by Ellen Abraham cookbook














1/2 cup sunflower oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 cups non-dairy milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp stevia powder
3 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup carob powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp corn-free baking powder
1 tsp sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil one 9"x13" cake pan, and set aside. Mix the oil, syrup, milk, vinegar and vanilla in a small bowl. In a separate, larger bowl, place the stevia and sift the flour, carob powder, baking soda, corn-free baking powder and salt into the stevia. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until well incorporated. Finish mixing with a spatula to scrap the sides of the bowl. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before putting on the carob "frosting".

Carob "Frosting"
For the carob frosting, I used Averie's Vegan Coconut Oil Chocolate recipe, but I doubled the recipe and substituted carob powder for the cocoa powder.

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Whole Life Nutrition's Coconut Cashew Chocolate Chunk Cookies














1/3 cup softened virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tsp stevia powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2-1 cup shredded organic coconut
1/2 cup raw cashews, ground
1 tsp corn-free baking powder
1 tsp guar gum
soy-free, dairy-free chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place coconut oil, agave nectar, stevia, sea salt and vanilla into a medium bowl and blend on high with electric beaters for about 2 minutes. Place cashews into a coffee grinder and grind until finely ground. In a separate bowl, mix together the brown rice flour, tapioca flour, coconut, ground cashews, baking powder, and guar gum. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together with an electric mixer until well combined. Add water, one T at a time, if mixture seems too dry. Fold in chocolate chunks. Grease a cookie sheet with coconut oil. Form dough into balls then gently flatten between the palms of your hands. Place on the cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Cookies will be somewhat crumbly when hot and will harden as they cool.