Veggie Bomb Cauliflower Fried Rice

Posted in Appetizers, Curry, Dairy-Free, Detox, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Main Dishes, Nut-Free, Paleo, Primal, Primal/Paleo, Recipes, Sides, Turmeric, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian by mysoultofeed

cauliflower-fried-rice Hello there! Happy Tuesday! Thanksgiving is just 2 days away and my brain has been buzzing on all of the different kinds of things that I can whip up and bring to the holiday gathering. I love this time of year with all of the different festive events, decorations and extra family and friends time.

With these specific times of year making my creative thoughts flow extra strong, I seem to get more interesting with recipes I’ve been making for some time in my queue. A couple weeks ago, I jazzed up my Cauliflower Fried Rice recipe. It’s a great alternative to your typical fried rice dish, with white or brown rice (or another rice of your choice). It allows the dish to be lower in carbohydrates, fits into a Paleo regimen if that’s your gig, your grain-free, or you just don’t like rice 😀 LOL!

Like I said, I’ve been making this recipe for a long time now, and it is on the recipe circuit everywhere with fellow health, wellness, clean-eating foodie bloggers, however the other night I amped up the recipe, and created it into a veggie bombastic cauli rice, and I HAD to share (although not really Thanksgiving-y 😀 ). This can be a a side dish or a main dish. You can also make it NON-vegetarian and NON-vegan, if you like, by adding a protein of your choice, ideally the protein being already cooked, however. Check it out!

Ingredients:

½ large head of Cauliflower – made into a rice consistency in a food processor
- From the above process, it should make about 2 cups Cauliflower “Rice”
1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
½ cup Carrots, chopped
½ Yellow Onion, chopped
2 tablespoons Green Onion, chopped
6 White Mushrooms, sliced
½ cup Green Beans, snipped into smaller pieces (string, fresh)
½ cup Broccoli, snipped into small florets
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 whole Egg
Tamari (gluten-free), to taste OR Coconut Aminos
Sea Salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste

NOTE: To create cauliflower “rice” – take head of cauliflower, chop roughly into florets, place in food processor and pulse until it takes on a rice consistency:

Directions:

In a large skillet, sauté the garlic and onion in coconut oil, over medium heat
Add in the carrots and a tiny splash of water to prevent sticking, and cook for 3 minutes
Add the mushrooms, green beans and broccoli, and cook for another 2 minutes
Add the green onion and egg, which will start to cook quickly
Add in the cauliflower rice, along with a splash of tamari or coconut aminos, salt and pepper
Stir to combine and heat through, about 3-5 minutes
Adjust the seasonings to taste, then serve

**Putting a TWIST on the DISH:

If you HAVE to have some protein, you can add cooked turkey, chicken, etc. which you can whip up on the stove in a cast iron while fixing your cauliflower rice dish.
Some additional seasonings that have been WONDERFUL to add is curry and turmeric, both of which have amazing health benefits. Look here http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/8-impressive-health-benefits-turmeric/ and here http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/turmeric-and-curcumin-benefits/

Print Recipe: veggie-bomb-cauliflower-fried-rice

Enjoy!

29May2015

Summer Soul Chopped Salad

Posted in Dairy-Free, Detox, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Holidays, Main Dishes, Paleo, Primal, Recipes, Sides, Soy-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian by mysoultofeed

Yes! I’m still alive 🙂 ! It has been a very busy, yet productive 3 months. I’ve let my posting go to the wayside a bit, which I am not very proud of, however I’m back in the swing of things with a ton of yummy things to share for everyone’s bellies these coming months. I have been inspired in a number of different ways over the last little while, that has gotten a lot of my creative juices flowing… and simply kept my soul fed and geared up to pass on to those that are interested.

My husband and I love soup and salad. We eat a lot of that combo during our week – simple and detoxifying, letting our bodies rest from possible indulgences from traveling, social activities, or just plain wanting to cheat a bit :-). We tend to practice the 80/20 rule – 20% of the time we have some fun and experience not-so-“healthy” cuisine, and then 80% of the time we have our nose to the grindstone, whipping up fun, healthy creative meals. Our soups can be hearty or light, depending on our appetite or season. Our salads are full of our favorite goodies like sprouts, mushrooms, seeds, avocados, etc.

This past week I was having a conversation with a neighbor about a Greek chopped salad she was making for a Memorial Day weekend dinner feast. It sounded lovely. I love chopped salads, although I never really see much on menus, nor have I ever made one myself. Funny enough, I read an article the same day about a Southwestern flare chopped salad that sounded divine, although I would have to eliminate the corn that was in it (I don’t care for it, and neither does my Blood Type or digestive system 😦 ) . Anywho, needless to say, my creative juices started moving around up there and I decided that I was going to invent my own chopped salad recipe with some scrumptious and healthy ingredients. It turned out wonderful. I’m craving it now… I think there are leftovers 🙂 ! It is hearty as well, and made a great main dish, instead of just a side or dish to pass, although it will work quite nicely as one, with summer BBQ’s and other gatherings these coming months. There are a lot of health benefits in several ingredients (all of them actually – bonus!) Chop away!

Ingredients:

Large head of Romaine Lettuce
15 oz. can Cannellini Beans, rinsed and
drained
1 large Yellow Bell Pepper
1 ½ cup Grape Tomatoes
1 cup cut Fresh Green Beans – ends snipped and
cut into 1 inch pieces
1 to 1 ½ cup Cucumber
6 Green Onions

Dressing:

½ cup fresh Dill, chopped OR 2 heaping tbsp of dried Dill
1 large ripe Avocado
½ fresh Lemon Juice, more to taste
1 large Garlic Clove
¼ to ½ cup Olive Oil (eyeball it)
a small SPLASH of Apple Cider Vinegar
¼ tsp. Sea Salt
¼ tsp. Black Pepper

** adjust any of these ingredients to taste

Directions:

Make the dressing: puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Finely chop romaine, bell pepper, tomatoes, green beans, cucumber and green onions. Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Recommendation: **If serving individual salads, take around 2 cups of chopped salad mixture and place into a small mixing bowl and then add 2-3 tablespoons of the dressing – mix well (give or take the amount to taste) stir to combine and serve on individual plates. **If serving as one big, chopped salad (say at a get together) combine the chopped salad mixture and dressing into a serving bowl, then serve as desired/needed. TIP: Keeping the chopped salad mixture and dressing mixture separate is key if it is just an intimate dinner for two, so storing the extra salad in fridge overnight can stay fresh, so it doesn’t get soggy if combined. Making fresh dressing for a second day of salad delight is advised. You may have leftover dressing, but it is delicious with other things, i.e. as a dip with crackers, breads or veggies.

ONCE SERVED, SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE.

PRINT RECIPE: Summer Soul Chopped Salad

As I said above, this salad has a lot of goodness for bodies in it…

Green Beans – high in folic acid and calcium… http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/folic-acid-foods/ http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/foods-high-in-calcium/

White Beans – high in calcium… http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/foods-high-in-calcium/

Avocado – a SUPERFOOD – high in calcium… http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/folic-acid-foods/

Tomatoes and Peppers – high in vitamin C… http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/foods-high-in-vitamin-c/

Go ahead, try it out – It will become a staple!

❤

9Dec2014

Healing Turmeric Spice Latte (Dairy-Free)

Posted in Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, Recipes, Turmeric, Vegan by mysoultofeed

It has been a little chilly the last couple of days over here on the East Coast of NC. No, I know it isn’t Polar Vortex cold, but it’s been frosty enough for me! I’ve been craving warm things like creamy soups, spicy teas, hot chocolate, and cozy fleece blankets that were a thoughtful Christmas craft of Mom’s. Although I often Vita-mix up a smoothie when I return from yoga class, for breakfast or lunch, today my body was saying a big NO when I was trying to satisfy my tummy. I was initially wanting my Turmeric Smoothie I love so much, but after realizing the shivery, damp air had made it into my bones, I opted to nibble on some egg avocado salad with a few sprouts and get creative with Turmeric in a way that would allow me to enjoy it warm in a favorite mug at my desk, instead of in a glass tumbler with my mittens on. I’ve read a lot about turmeric teas, golden milk a.k.a. turmeric milk, so I knew I could whip up my desired beverage with this healing spice.

Turmeric is affectionately coined by Ayurveda as “The Golden Goddess” and been used for centuries in the 5,000 year old natural healing system of India. For sooooo long, many different cultures have used this amazing, versatile herb to treat a infinite list of diseases and ailments. The most well-known medicinal action of Turmeric is that it is used as a powerful anti-inflammatory. It also acts as an analgesic, antibacterial, anti-tumor, anti-allergic, anti-oxidant, antiseptic, antispasmodic – a lot of anti’s! Read more about Turmeric and Ayurveda here. Also, another powerful article I have most recently come across talks about why it might be the most important thing in our spice rack: 600 Reasons Turmeric May Be The World’s Most Important Herb

Anyway… I’m sold if you couldn’t tell! And now on to my little creation – my Healing Turmeric Latte (and of course, Dairy-Free). This is now going to be a staple, especially on these more frigid kind of afternoons. Happy sipping!

~ Makes 2 Servings ~

2 cups of Almond Milk, Coconut Milk, or other non-dairy milk (I use this one)
1 teaspoon of Turmeric (I use this one)
¼ teaspoon of Black Pepper (when you combine black pepper and turmeric, the absorption of turmeric is actually enhanced)
1 inch piece of Ginger, sliced
½ teaspoon of Cinnamon
½ tablespoon of Coconut Oil (I use this one)
Raw honey to sweeten (if desired)

*From what I’ve read from several different sources, if you have an intestinal issue where there were to be anything ulcerative, don’t include the black pepper, as it could be problematic. Black pepper sometimes can make small cuts in the bowels of those that have Crohn’s disease.*

In a saucepan, add all of the ingredients (except the honey) and whisk them together
Heat the mixture over medium heat until it begins to slightly bubble
Reduce heat to low and simmer for around 5 minutes so the flavors mesh together
Strain out the piece of ginger
Add honey to desired sweetness
Blend briefly in a blender, Bullet (Nutri or Magic), so it becomes whipped and slightly frothy
Serve in your favorite mug

PRINT RECIPE: Healing Turmeric Spice Latte

Stay warm! ❤

26Nov2014

Thanksgiving + Football = Bacon-Wrapped Avocados

Posted in Appetizers, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Holidays, Paleo, Primal, Recipes, Snacks by mysoultofeed

Well, it is almost that time of year – actually less than 24 hours away! We are all collectively drawn together this particular Thursday in late November to conjure up meals that consist of new recipes, the good ol’ traditional recipes, recipes altered to fit new lifestyles, and so on. Most often, the precursor to the turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, there are the spreads of appetizers that make you sometimes too full to eat the main course! Originally, we made this snack on Super Bowl Sunday and it was a crowd pleaser to the football get-together attendees.

If you are looking for something different to add to that display of the Thanksgiving snacks, which pairs lovely with the traditional pigskin (no pun intended) chaos going on the TV all day, this is a great one to plug in. You can use TURKEY BACON if you aren’t into pork. With this recipe we of course used uncured, organic bacon. Although we have not attempted it, I’m sure this recipe can be made sans meat, using a VEGAN bacon product. So maybe this recipe can be for all diet lifestyles 😉

1 package of Bacon (pork or turkey) – for pork we used Applegate Organic Sunday Bacon – uncured, minimally processed, casein, gluten and dairy free – this company has wonderful Turkey Bacon that we use, as well
2 and 1/2 Avocados (organic)
Chili Powder
Sea Salt – optional (for light sprinkling after done baking)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Cut the avocado into equal slices
Wrap each avocado slice with bacon – one piece of bacon should be good for 1-2 avocado slices
Sprinkle chili powder over the slices of bacon-wrapped avocado; line them up on the baking sheet
Put in the oven and bake 12-15 minutes

PRINT RECIPE: Bacon-Wrapped Avocados

Have a blessed day!

***Original recipe adapted from PaleoLeap

5Oct2014

Garlic Cauliflower Mashed “No-tatoes”

Posted in Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Holidays, Nut-Free, Primal, Recipes, Sides, Vegetarian by mysoultofeed

I was shocked when I tried this recipe… SHOCKED! I love mashed potatoes. Always a past-time at Grandma’s Sunday dinner (alongside her fried chicken, of course), present at every holiday get-together, the epitome of comfort food. It is hard not to love them. Well, I had a head of cauliflower one evening, had heard of this concept, and decided to play. A GREAT alternative to mashed potatoes for ANY occasion. And the two biggest holidays are just around the corner… Crazy, I know, but maybe this is a must try for those family shindigs! I’m addicted to these and I’m O.K. with that! Because my hubby was in for some comfort food this particular evening, we paired it with some “fried chicken”, HOWEVER, this chicken was battered with an EGG WASH and some ALMOND FLOUR – totally gluten-free, grain-free. Just lightly fried up in some olive oil at a moderate heat, and it made a nice fried-like coating, perfect complement to the mashed “no-tatoes” 🙂

1 head Cauliflower, cut into florets
5 large cloves of Garlic (using pre-peeled garlic makes this easiest)
To taste – Salt
2 tablespoons of Grass-Fed Butter (preferably organic)
To taste – Black Pepper

Let’s get mashin’….

Fill up a large stock pot with a couple inches of water and set on stove on high, using a steamer insert in the pot, and cover with a lid. While you wait for the water to start boiling, cut up the florets and stems of the large head of cauliflower. Then, slice up the cloves of garlic. It’s easiest to use already peeled garlic that you can grab at most markets, but you can peel your own if you’d rather. Once the water is boiling, throw into the pot the stems, half of florets, and garlic. Salt everything liberally. At this point, put in the rest of the cauliflower, season with a bit more salt, replace the lid, and steam everything until it is soft, approximately 10 minutes. Test with fork to make sure the veggies are tender and don’t need to steam longer. Once the florets are done, put everything into a colander and let it drain. Once done draining, place everything into a food processor and add some black pepper and the butter. Process everything until smooth. Taste test for seasoning adequacy. Serve right away, place on a very low heat in a crock pot/warmer OR low heat on stove, to keep warm for ongoing enjoyment (at if at a gathering, etc.)

PRINT RECIPE: Garlic Cauliflower Mashed No-tatoes

Enjoy! ❤

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Category Archives: Grain-Free