by jphilo | May 20, 2015 | Recipes
This recipe is another that comes compliments of the allergy elimination diet that’s ruled my life for the last month. The good news is that the reintroduction part of the diet is now in full swing, and rice, whole wheat, corn, carrots, potatoes, apples and bananas are now fair game. However, most sugars, all yeast, and alcohol (including vinegars) are still off limits. So to ease my hankering for whole wheat spaghetti noodles topped with marinara sauce, I made up my own version because the prepared sauces contain sugar. I’m still playing with the ingredients, which received the Man of Steel’s coveted seal of approval, to make it even more tomato-ee, but this recipe has added some much needed variety to our menu.
Way Too Healthy Tomato Sauce
1 pound ground beef, pork, or turkey, browned (I used pork)
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 Roma tomatoes, peeled* and diced
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, sliced thin
1/2 cup sweet pepper, diced (optional)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
Brown meat in large dutch oven. Drain off grease, if needed. Add garlic, onions, and peppers. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, water, salt and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a slow simmer. Simmer on stove for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve hot over whole wheat spaghetti noodles.
*Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute before peeling and they will peel much more easily.
by jphilo | May 13, 2015 | Recipes
Though the picture above may not be the most exciting foodie shot ever, the events leading up to the picture were pretty exciting. At least for me. Because I’ve slowly been adding foods back into my diet and the introduction of whole wheat was a rousing success. Which means homemade, whole wheat tortillas are now a menu option. Which means tacos are, too.
Or at least I thought they were until I read the ingredient list on the taco seasoning packet and discovered the ingredients included potato starch and sugar, two foods I’ve not yet reintroduced into my diet. And whey. Which comes from milk. Which means no go for this girl.
But since the thought of tacos had me salivating like one of Pavlov’s dogs, I did a quick internet search for DIY taco seasonings and found pages of them. The one I chose came from allrecipes.com and used ingredients already at hand. Though I didn’t have paprika. So I made it without the paprika, banking on my mother’s often stated opinion about the spice. “It doesn’t have any flavor. It’s just for show.” Which could also have been code for “It’s too expensive. We’re not buying it.” But the taco seasoning was delicious without paprika, so maybe she meant what she said.
Anyway, here’s my paprika-free version of the taco mix. For meat, I used one whole chicken breast, cut into very small pieces (smaller than stir fry) and pan fried in a little coconut oil.
DIY Taco Seasoning
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch red pepper flakes
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup water and spice mix to browned meat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes until water is evaporated. Serve in whole wheat taco shells with whatever you like for toppings.
by jphilo | May 6, 2015 | Recipes
This recipe comes courtesy of my two weeks spent on a candida elimination diet. With my diet limited to twigs, bark, and leaves meat, veggies and nuts, I didn’t expect to create a new and tasty recipe. But several days in, I needed to add something new to my basic recipe or risk ending the diet early.
So, I took the carcass of the chicken the Man of Steel had smoked on the grill and boiled it down into some very tasty broth. (My original plan was to use canned broth, but one of the ingredients listed on the label was “yeast extract,” a big no-no when eliminating candida.) The broth, combined with some of the leftover chicken and what seemed like the entire contents of the vegetable crisper, created a very healthy and tasty soup. One I plan to make now and then even after the diet ends.
Chicken and Vegetable Soup
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked,, cubed chicken
4 Roma tomatoes, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, mashed
2 teaspoons salt
1 large onion, chopped
1 red, yellow or orange sweet bell pepper, diced
2 cups kale, ribbed and coarsely chopped
2 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped
salt and coarse ground pepper to taste
Bring chicken broth to a boil. Add cooked chicken, salt, crushed garlic, onion, and roma tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1/2 hour. Add bell pepper and simmer at least 15 minutes longer. 5 minutes before serving, add kale and spinach. Stir well so the greens put their bodies under water for a few minutes. Serve hot with salt and coarse ground pepper to taste. This recipe freezes well and heats up well, too.
by jphilo | Apr 28, 2015 | Top Ten Tuesday
For the past nine days–not that I’m counting–I’ve been on an elimination diet. Nothing serious. Just trying to get to the bottom of some allergy and sinus issues. The diet consists of twigs, bark, and leaves. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little. But it is limited to lean meats, vegetables with low starch content, and nuts.
Not fun.
So every morning involves a positive self-talk. A pep rally of sorts that gives me the gumption to stick with it for another day. These daily pep talks include the constant debating of the diet’s pros and cons. Here are the top ten that get repeated again and again.
10. Pro: Doing this diet during grilling season means there are lots of delicious options for preparing lean meats and vegetables.
9. Con: Starting the grill aggravates this princess’s smoke allergies.
8. Pro: Some of my favorite foods–onions, garlic, and fresh coconut–can be eaten often. Very often.
7. Con: I am becoming rather fragrant. And I nearly injured myself cracking open a fresh coconut.
6. Con: It’s hard to get enough calories on a diet of twigs, bark, and leaves lean meat, green veggies, and nuts.
5. Pro: A diet of twigs, bark, and leaves lean meat, green veggies, and nuts promotes weight loss.
4. Pro: My sinuses feel much better.
3. Con: If my sinuses feel much better on this diet, parts of it may need to continue beyond 2 weeks.
2. Con: If parts of this diet have to continue beyond 2 weeks, my pants may get too loose and fall off.
1. Pro: Never before in my entire life has the above sentence been necessary.
Are you on a diet? What are the pros and cons you debate each morning? Leave a comment.
