Dairy-Free Crock Pot Butternut Squash Soup

I've been on a bit of a roll with soup lately. My old crock pot unfortunately died, and we picked up a new one...so of course, I've been inspired to use it!

Overnight I made a delicious crock pot soup, and I'm happy to share the recipe here! It's gluten-free, and dairy-free. It's got a subtle hint of cinnamon and is absolutely belly and heartwarming.

Butternut Squash Soup

4 cups chicken broth
1 butternut squash: peeled, seeded, and diced (pieces don't have to be of equal size)
2 carrots, diced
1 large yam, peeled, and diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon cinnamon
salt and pepper, to taste

Simple ingredients! Just dump them all in a Crock Pot, stir, and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Once finished, blend up with a hand blender.

Enjoy!

Crock-Pot Mango Coconut Chicken Curry

Absolutely delicious, and a wonderful lunch to bring to work! This makes a crock-pot full!

Ingredients:

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon coconut oil (if you don't have this, go ahead and use butter)
1 can coconut milk
2 cups diced carrots
1 zucchini, quartered, then diced
2 tomatoes, diced
2 mangos, skinned and diced
2 bell peppers, colours of your choice, diced
1 1/2 tbsp medium curry powder
1 tbsp grated ginger
1/4 cup cilantro (I used freeze dried)
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder
salt, and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Toss it all in your crock-pot or slow cooker, and stir.
Cook on low for 9 hours. No need to stir!

Panne Rizo's Rewards Program

I've talked about Panne Rizo on this blog before, and I'm still a huge fan. It's so nice to have a bakery dedicated to gluten-free eating, but one that offers egg-free and dairy-free products as well. My favourite products are still their bread crumbs, Vegan Chia Loaf, and Bird's Nest Cookies, but I will continue to explore and update you on my findings!

Panne Rizo is also fantastic at providing it's customers with new products for the holidays. Last Christmas they had a delicious assortment of traditional Christmas cakes and cookies, of which I ate plenty!

I noticed that they've also got special offerings for this Thanksgiving! Drop by and pick yourself up a pumpkin pie (or try the recipe on my blog!) or some pumpkin loaf. Or save yourself a ton of time by ordering some gluten-free turkey stuffing! This is fantastic for those who will be serving someone with a gluten-free diet and is overwhelmed by the idea of making their own!

A new feature for Panne Rizo is their free Customer Rewards Program. Gain points by spending money (1 point for each dollar spent), and gain extra points by bringing in your own reusable bags!
Panne Rizo will also register you into the Celiac Registry where you can get your Celiac receipts at the end of the year for tax purposes.

If you are diagnosed Celiac- here is the link to the Canadian Revenue Agency's page on Gluten-Free write-offs:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/ncm-tx/rtrn/cmpltng/ddctns/lns300-350/330/clc-eng.html

Here is the link to the page of Panne Rizo's new Customer Rewards Program:
http://www.pannerizo.com/rewards-celiac-registry/

Superfood Superpower Nut Bars (Paleo Version of the Oat Bar)

I've been doing a lot of reading on the Paleo way of eating, and I think I might give it a try! In the meantime, I've been trying to eat up all the non-Paleo foods in my house (I hate wasting things), and have been buying a whole lot more veggies, fruit, and meat at the grocery store!

Because I'm OBSESSED with my new oat bars, I decided to play around with the recipe to try to make a Paleo version! They turned out great! Give them a try if you're trying to eliminate ALL grains.

If you're also looking to eliminate the maple syrup, I would suggest adding an additional banana to the mix- keep the apple sauce the same- OR use the equivalent amount of canned pumpkin in place of the maple syrup.

Here's the new recipe:

Paleo Fruit and Nut Bars:

¼ cup Goji Berries
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup black chia seeds
2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
½ cup chopped almonds
3/4 cup hemp hearts
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
½ cup chopped pecans

1 small mashed banana

½ cup unsweetened apple sauce

¼ cup maple syrup (or if you don't want to use this- try the equivalent of canned pumpkin!)

Here's a close up! Look at all that Paleo goodness!

Superfood Superpower Oat Bars

Tonight I created a recipe for an oat bar filled with healthy seeds, needs, and superfoods! Think protein,  healthy fats, and the added benefits of raw cacao, chia, and goji. Your body will love you.

Absolutely delicious- I hope you enjoy!

You will need:

½ cup roasted pecans, finely chopped

¼ cup goji berries

½ cup raw hemp hearts

2 tbsp raw cacao bits

2 tbsp black chia seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

1 ½ cup rolled oats

1 small mashed banana

½ cup unsweetened apple sauce

¼ cup maple syrup

Roast chopped pecans in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes.

Add all ingredients into a bowl, and stir thoroughly.

Line a glass roasting dish with tin foil, pressing into the edges of the pan.

Press mixture into pan--trying to keep even throughout.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool in the pan.

Panne Rizo-- Vancouver

Panne Rizo is a place I avoided for a long time. It's a rice-based bakery in Kitsilano that is absolutely 100% gluten-free.

The words "rice bakery" just scared me to death. I have had some awful experiences with rice-based goods...I just imagined everything would be dry, dry, dry. I was afraid to go, and be sad with what I found. Isn't it wonderful to have your expectations blown out of the water?!

I'm so sad that it took me so long to go. This place is glorious. The food is WONDERFUL. I've tried a few different products, and am absolutely in love.

They always have a variety of samples available, which is awesome...you get to try before you buy! Who doesn't love samples?!

Products I've tried:

Chia Bread- Absolutely delicious. I eat it lightly toasted, and the taste reminds me of an english muffin/crumpet. It's become a staple in my house. I buy two loaves at a time, and keep them in the freezer. It's vegan, so NO eggs! That's tough to find in gluten-free bread. It's the only vegan bread loaf in the bakery as far as I know.

Multigrain Loaf- This was a good multigrain loaf. I prefer the chia....bread is more of a 'treat' now for me, so I don't really care if there's seeds or different grains in it. It's less moist than the chia bread.

Breadcrumbs- SO GOOD. I need to go buy some more immediately. I made breaded fish, chicken, yam fries, zucchini, and more with this product. Homemade chicken strips....I thought I was dreaming! Definitely something to keep in the house.

Gingerbread Men- I bought these at Christmastime. They were spicy, and delicious. You would never know the difference between these and "normal" gingerbread men. The package was so cute with a family of 4- two big gingerbread men, and two babies!

Pfeffernussen- This is a type of German Christmas cookie that I discovered through Panne Rizo. They are like little snowballs. They're similar to a ginger cookie, but covered with powdered sugar. Lightly spiced, and absolutely delicious. Between my boyfriend and I, we went through about 2 dozen!

Foccaccia- When I first tried this, I said, "It's actually foccaccia". You won't be disappointed in this one. Careful though, it's heavy on the garlic (delicious, but my tummy was unhappy with me...I'm not supposed to do garlic). I couldn't resist.



I'm slowly discovering more and more of their products, and have not yet been disappointed. Everything's been a wonderful discovery, and I will forever be a loyal customer. It looks like you can order their products online- I'm not sure if they ship!

It also looks like a variety of stores also carry their products including:
Whole Foods (Lower Mainland)
Urban Fare
Planet Organic (Victoria, Coquitlam)
Nature's Fare (Langley)
Edible Flours
Tamaringo's Cafe (Langley)
Good Nature Health Foods (North Vancouver)

I haven't seen them there, but would love to know if you have! Leave me a comment below!

Chicken Soup for the Soul With a Cold

Last Tuesday I came down with a horrendous cold. They're just so inconvenient, you know? It's putting a serious hamper on my daily activities and production levels!

Since I've been sick, I've been eating Campbell's Chicken and Rice soup like it's going out of style- but I knew there was nothing better for me than homemade.

So tonight- that was my project!
I adapted a recipe from Canadian Living- but it didn't have an essential "get better" ingredient that I wanted to throw in there- GINGER!

Here's my recipe:

Chicken Soup for the Soul With a Cold
*this recipe makes a whole lot of soup- so be ready to put some in the fridge or freezer if you can't finish it all.

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 medium yellow onion
4 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
4 small yukon gold potatoes- peeled and diced
1/2 yam, peeled and diced
1 tbsp dried thyme (use fresh if you have it!)
3 sprigs fresh parsley, diced (I had some in my garden-- use dried if you only have that)
salt and pepper to taste
5-6 cups reduced sodium gluten-free chicken broth
1/2 cup rinsed jasmine rice
1.5 inch piece of ginger root, peeled and cut into very small pieces

Heat olive oil in your largest pot--you will use only this pot for the soup.
Brown chicken thighs over medium heat.
Once browned, remove from pot- chop into small pieces and set aside for later.

Add onion and celery to the pot.
Saute for 2 minutes.
Add carrots, potato, yam, thyme, parsley, ginger, salt, and pepper.
Saute for 3 minutes.
Return chicken to pot.
Stir in broth and 4 cups water.
Bring to a boil- simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in rice.
Cover, and cook until rice is soft- approximately 15 minutes.

YUMMY!

Protein Powder and Favourite Smoothies!

With so many different protein powders on the market- it's hard to pick which one. I've had great, good, average, and terrible protein powders, and with all my allergies it's tough to find one that works!

I discovered Organic Rice Protein by Prairie Naturals through a friend, and absolutely love it! It comes in 360 and 720g versions, and in several flavours! It's organic, and vegan-- which I think is tougher to find on the market. Most protein powders have whey- which is milk-derived. It's 100% gluten-free, and is made from sprouted brown rice.

There are 24 grams of protein per serving, and most importantly, it's delicious.
I've tried only the French Vanilla favour, but it also comes in Café Caramel, and Natural. You can find information on all of Prairie Naturals protein products here.

I bought the 360g one, but found that between me and my boyfriend, we ZOOMED through the whole thing. I'm much happier with the 720g, but it's harder to find! In Vancouver, you can find the 720g at Body Energy Club for the best price of $38.99. Whole Foods sells the 360g flavours, but not as good of value.

Here are some smoothie recipes I've created, and have daily! They fill me up, and none of that "they really fill you up" diet lies--I mean it!

Awake Smoothie Recipe:

1 medium banana
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
Splash of juice
4 ice cubes
1 chunk of cucumber (about 2 inches- skin and all)
Small handful of kale
2 Scoops Organic Rice Protein
1 tsp Macha

Blend until smooth!


Simple Vanilla Smoothie:

1 medium banana
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
2 scoops Organic Rice Protein

Blend until smooth!


Cucumber is a great addition to a smoothie- it's a low-calorie, neutral vegetable that can go undetected in your otherwise fruity smoothie! Great way to get your greens!

Pulled-Pork- The Easiest Recipe You'll Ever Make.

After my honey kept bugging me to make pulled pork, I finally decided to get down and try it. I don't know any meat-eater that doesn't like pulled pork. I discovered a recipe that, frankly, is the easiest thing I've ever made. I'd love to pretend I laboured for hours to make such a delicious dish- but honestly, it's absolutely painless- and absolutely delicious.

You will need a slow cooker, aka. Crock Pot. I've got a fantastic orange and brown 70's style Crock Pot that I picked up at a garage sale before I moved out for College years ago.

Ingredients:
1 boneless pork shoulder
A bottle of your favourite BBQ Sauce- I used Amazing Dad's Original BBQ Sauce- It's GF and organic!
2 medium yellow onions
1 cup ginger ale

Instructions:
Slice up your yellow onions into large pieces. Put the pieces of one onion on the bottom of the slow cooker.
Add in your pork shoulder
Put the pieces of the other onion on the top of the pork.
Pour 1 cup ginger ale over the mix.

Cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

After 8-10 hours the pork should easily be falling apart.
Drain all the liquid, and then take 2 forks to tear apart the meat. It's so much easier than I thought it would be. All the fat has been melted off and was drained with the liquid.
Add in a generous amount of BBQ sauce and stir- the pork is cooked at this point, so you can test and see if you added enough BBQ sauce. Add as much to your liking- but know you can also add more to your sandwich if you decide to later. I like to use less, and add more if needed later.

Cook on high for an additional 1-2 hours- stirring every half hour or so.
This recipe takes absolutely no effort, but it does take time. Make sure to plan accordingly!

Curried Cauliflower

YUMYUM!

I bought a cauliflower this past week knowing that I wanted to experiment with it. Cauliflower is a great vegetable- especially cooked. It's so neutral that it can be made with anything. If you haven't done mashed cauliflower as a heathy replacement for mashed potato, you absolutely should. It's divine. And you feel especially healthy eating it.

Tonight's recipe I call:

Curried Cauliflower and Chickpeas over Jasmine Rice

1 medium yellow onion
2 tsp yellow curry paste (I used Thai Kitchen- found at Whole Foods)
1 1/4 cup chicken broth (replace with veggie broth if you're a vegetarian!)
1/2 cup coconut milk
Olive Oil
1/2 jar Dalla Terra Roasted Pepper Antipasto (found at Whole Foods)
15 baby yellow potatoes
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into medium-large bite size chunks.
1 medium tomato
1 can chickpeas
3 cups cooked jasmine rice (I prepared with 1 cup jasmine to 2 cups water)

Over medium-high heat, heat up a small amount of olive oil in a large wok or pan.
Cut all baby potatoes in half, and add to pan. Cook 5 minutes.
Add chopped onion. Cook 3 minutes.
Add cauliflower. Cook 3 minutes.
Add to pan, chicken broth, curry paste, coconut milk, and antipasto. Cook 5-7 minutes.
Add chickpeas.
Once all veggies are tender, add fresh tomato.

Serve over rice!

Since the antipasto and curry paste have so much flavour to them...I found the final dish needed no extra seasoning!

Fantastic!

OMG Bread.

Gluten-free bread. Also Egg and Dairy-free.
I DID IT!
Homemade.
Delicious.
No seriously.
Delicious!!!!!!!!!

I hesitate even defining it as gluten-free because even though it is entirely gluten-free....it's not "gluten free", if you know what I mean.

WOW.

Make this recipe now. I adapted this recipe from another site seen here:
http://aprovechar.danandsally.com/?p=228

But below are the EXACT instructions that I did.

Recipe for 2 loaves:

In a large mixing bowl combine:

1 1/2 cups millet flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup potato starch
1 cup tapioca flour
4 tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp active dry yeast (not rapid rise)

Add:

4 tsp olive oil
3 1/4 cup warm water (not hot)

Mix well- don't worry about "toughening" the bread...that only happens when Gluten is involved. Mix away my pretties! When you finish mixing, the bread dough will be more like cake batter than traditional bread dough.

For the best rising: While mixing the bread, create a proofing box in your stove. Put a bowl of water in the stove, and heat it at your absolutely lowest heat- MUST be less than 100 degrees F. Pour the bread dough into two well-greased loaf pans (I use and reuse those cheap shiny ones from the supermarket...work great). Tuck the loaves into the oven with the water. Allow to rise until batter extends a bit over the top of the pan. It took mine about 50 minutes.


Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove loaf pans from oven and cover with aluminum foil. Return to oven and bake for an additional 35-50 minutes, depending on your oven. To test doneness: Insert a toothpick or knife into the center to see if it comes out clean or doughy. Clean is good.

Remove bread from oven, and let cool in pan for about 10 minutes- then remove and put onto a well ventilated area (I put mine on top of my strainer to cool).

Never refrigerate this or other bread—it will get dry and hard if you do. If you leave the bread on the counter (wrapped), it will be good for all purposes for a couple of days. Or freeze if you take your time eating it, like I do...

I'm not kidding you this bread is amazing. On the other site, some people went so far as to saying it brought tears to their eyes. It's so good. In fact, I'm going for another piece right now.



So, I just took this picture of a half-loaf, and I'm considering going back for a third piece. Unbelieveable.

Make it.
Do it.

All flours are available at Whole Foods- save yourself some money by buying the other ingredients somewhere else.
OMG.

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie is a good old English dish. I've had it too many times to count and you can customize it by adding or subtracting any veggies you'd like. Add peas, corn, or broccoli if you so desire. This dish can also be made with lamb, but there was no fresh ground lamb available to me- so I went with beef! You can also double up the potatoes if you like a nice, thick layer of potatoes on top.

My family always ate it with ketchup...so I added ketchup on top when I served it. This is up to you...it's also delicious just on it's own!

The trick is to keep sampling till you have the seasonings JUST right :)



Sauce:

1.5 cups Almond Milk
1.5 tablespoons Gluten-Free Flour Mix (use a blend...there are several recipes online)
2 Leeks- chopped into 1/2 cm strips
1/2 tsp dried Thyme
1/4 tsp dried Rosemary
1/4 salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup red wine

Filling:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 pkg ground beef
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 black pepper
1 pkg brown mushrooms, quartered (or more if you love mushrooms!)
1 large red bell pepper chopped
30 baby carrots cut in half
1 small cauliflower, broken into florets
1/2 cup Chicken Stock (look for gluten-free!!!)
1 pkg baby red potatoes (or more!)


FOR SAUCE:

Combine milk and flour in blender. Blend at high speed for 30 seconds.
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add leeks, thyme, rosemary, salt, and 2 tbsp water.
Steam-saute until leeks are lightly browned.
Stir in the garlic powder, wine, and reduce liquid by half.
Gradually add milk mixture until sauce is smooth. Don't allow to boil!

FOR POTATOES:
Boil potatoes until soft.
Strain and return to pot.
Add 4 tbsp olive oil.
Mash, with skins.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

FOR FILLING:

Preheat oven to 375. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Season beef with salt and pepper, and cook until browned.
Add the vegetables and stock.
Stir.
Cover and cook for 8 minutes.
Transfer mixture to a large casserole dish.
Spoon mashed potatoes evenly over the mixture.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Remove, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Serve with any extra topping you'd like:

Ketchup!
Hot Sauce!
Melt some cheese or faux cheese on top!

More wonderful recipes in this book:

Let's Talk About Pasta

I had my first rice pasta dinner last night, and WOW is rice pasta delicious. A very similar texture, and, dare I say, even better taste!

For those allergic to gluten, and eggs, this pasta has neither!

Fry up some veggies: sugar peas, mushrooms, red pepper, and onion, add some pasta sauce, season with salt and pepper, and stir this delicious mix into the cooked rice pasta.

When cooking the rice pasta it's important to rinse the pasta after cooking- just like you should with wheat pasta.

Get yourself up to your nearest grocery store (I got mine at Whole Foods), and pick up a bag of rice pasta. Delicious!

This is the good stuff, folks.