Saturday, December 31, 2011

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Tacos

This colorful and healthy recipe is one of my favorites in the fall and winter months and is not only vegetarian, but gluten and dairy free as well.  It also tastes great as tostadas or as filling in a burrito if you can handle flour tortillas.



Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 medium/large sweet potatoes peeled and cut into small cubes
Approximately 2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup diced yellow or sweet onion
Juice of 3-4 limes
2-2 1/2 cups of shredded red cabbage
1-1/2 cups of shredded spinach
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 avocado, diced
1 package of corn tortillas
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and red pepper flakes to taste
Chopped cilantro to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Placed sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet and toss with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, juice from one lime or so, and chili flakes to taste.  Bake in oven until potatoes are cooked through and starting to brown (about 40 min) stirring up the mixture once or twice during baking.

While the potatoes are cooking place cabbage and onion, juice from 1-2 limes, and salt to taste, into a bowl.  Toss to combine and let sit.  To cook the beans, heat a small amount of olive oil in a medium saucepan, add onions and cook until translucent (about 3 min).  Add ground cumin and stir until fragrant.  Add beans and juice from remaining lime(s).  Heat thoroughly.

Heat tortillas in microwave or on stove top and serve with a layer of slaw, then beans, then potatoes.  Top with diced avocado, spinach, and cilantro.  Serve with salsa of choice.

Friday, December 16, 2011

White beans and kale in tomato sauce

This recipe came about when I had some leftover kale and tomato sauce in the refrigerator and needed to use them up.   This may be one of the easiest meals or snacks to make and is cheap, healthy and yummy to boot!  These ingredients may already be in your own kitchen.  The dish is great on its own (and gluten-free!), but could also be served over a pasta, other grain, or even toasted bread. 

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
1 large bunch of kale coarsely chopped and stemmed  (I like lacinato for this recipe)
1 can or 1 3/4 cups of cannellini or great northern beans, cooked
Half a jar or 8 oz of favorite marinara or tomato sauce
Red pepper flakes
Grated parmesan cheese, optional
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

Heat olive oil in large skillet, medium heat.  Add kale and stir frequently until it just begins to wilt.  Add beans and marinara and mix well.  Heat through and serve or save/freeze for later.  Sprinkle with red pepper flakes to taste and garnish with parmesan cheese if desired.    It is that easy! 

Monday, December 12, 2011

(Gluten-Free) Pasta with Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms

This is one of my favorite fall/winter recipes adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe from a few years back.  Any recipe with Brussels sprouts is one for me and this one is super lemony and fresh.  You can always do this with a regular or whole wheat pasta, but with my wheat intolerance I make it with Bionaturae.  It is the only gluten-free pasta that I have found that looks, tastes, and has a similar texture to real pasta.  It holds up well and will even last for leftovers.   It isn't the cheapest gluten-free pasta, but it is worth the price to make this and other pasta dishes when I am craving it!


Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/2 Pound penne pasta (or 4 servings)
1/2 Pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
2/3 Pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and chopped or shredded
2 Garlic cloves minced
Zest from one lemon
Juice from one lemon
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook pasta according to package instructions, reserving 1/4 to 1/2 cup pasta water.  Drain and return to pot.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms and season with salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned.  Add mushrooms to pasta.  Reduce skillet heat to medium and add remaining oil, Brussels sprouts, and garlic, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cook stirring often until sprouts are soft (4-6 minutes).  Add sprouts mixture and lemon zest to pasta.  Stir in enough pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats the pasta.  Add lemon juice and serve.  Garnish with parmesan cheese if desired.


Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Portabella Mushroom Pizza

I love this recipe because it satisfies my pizza craving, is gluten-free (good gluten-free pizza is hard to come by!) and healthier than the real deal.  It is also very family friendly, everyone can build their own!


Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
4 Portabella mushrooms (serves 2 if very hungry, 4 for a lighter meal/snack
1-2 cups of pizza or marinara sauce of choice
Cheese of choice, shredded (I like a layer of mozzarella and grated Parmesan on top)
1/4 -1/3 cup each of any or all of the following toppings, diced or chopped:  bell pepper, sweet onion, spinach, basil, black olives, artichoke hearts, or any other topping you like on your pizza
Red pepper flakes (optional)


Preheat oven by setting the broiler on low.  Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.  Remove stems of portabellas and gently run with a wet cloth to clean.  Place mushrooms belly side up on the baking sheet and spoon in pizza sauce (I like a lot of sauce!).  Sprinkle cheese and then veggies on top.  Broil in the oven on the middle rack for about 10-12 minutes.  Watch closely as broiler temperature varies.  Serve immediately.