I wanted to try something a bit different with the wild rice this time so I picked apart several pilaf recipes and came up with my own. This recipe can be easily adapted to cater vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 cup wild rice
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1-2 carrots
1/4 cup roughly chopped almonds
2 cups low sodium GF chicken broth
1 cup mushrooms (sliced)
1 cup white wine
1 gala chopped apple
salt & pepper to taste
1 lb ground turkey (*optional)

Directions:

Heat the coconut oil in a large stainless steel skillet on medium-high.

Add the chopped onions and let them cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
(*if you choose to include ground turkey, add it now until it has browned, then continue with recipe)
Add the uncooked rice and vegetables, stirring frequently until the vegetables begin to soften slightly.
Season with salt and pepper.
Stir in the broth and wine, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes (until rice is tender).
You shouldn’t need to stir it while it cooks, but you can take a quick peek once in a while to make sure it’s not sticking to the bottom.
Once rice is ready, mix in the chopped almonds and apples and serve!

When I learned that I’d be gluten-free for the rest of my life I mourned the loss of pasta which I had grown up eating almost daily with my Italian family. I truly believed that nothing could ever replace the delicious, glutenous substance that is now my poison. I tried rice pasta after rice pasta until I finally found one that I can confidently recommend. My Italian step-mother had bravely prepared dinner for me one night and when I took my first bite all the colour drained from my face and I was filled with fear. Thinking she might have made a mistake, I politely asked if she had remembered to make rice pasta for me and even went so far as to check the bag myself just to be sure. The flavour and al dente texture of this pasta had me fooled! Rizopia is the brand. A Canadian company based out of Toronto, Ontario.

My tips and tricks for cooking rice pasta:

1. Use a large pot with more water than usual as the water becomes very starchy which will make the pasta stick together if there isn’t enough water in the pot.

2. Don’t overcook! I always check my pasta well before the package’s recommendations and remove it when the texture still feels slightly undercooked. It will continue to cook slightly when you drain and rinse it so I find that if it’s the perfect texture when you drain it, it quickly becomes overcooked by the time you serve it.

3. Rinse well with cool water and serve immediately.

This is more of a non-recipe because it’s so easy. The amounts below are estimates, feel free to use them as a guideline.

Ingredients:

454g bag of brown rice pasta (we used spinach brown rice pasta tonight)
3 cloves of garlic
10-12 sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 large handfuls of arugula
1/2 cup red or white wine
16 raw prawns or shrimp (chicken would be good too)
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Put a pot of water on to boil while you start making the sauce. Cook pasta until al dente.

Combine the sun dried tomatoes, garlic and 1 tbsp olive oil in a food processor or a blender and process until it forms a paste. In a large pan heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat and saute the shrimp until they just start turning pink. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the tomato/garlic mixture and wine. Stir to combine and let simmer for about 2 minutes. Stir in the arugula. Add the drained and rinsed pasta to the pan and mix thoroughly so the sauce coats the pasta. Transfer to bowls and enjoy!

Serves 4 or provides yummy leftovers for lunch!

Ingredients:

1 14oz can Eden organic garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
1/2 avocado
1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed butter)
3 tbsp organic coconut milk
1 tbsp garlic
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp unrefined sea salt

Preparation:

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients and process until smooth and creamy. Serve with fresh veggies or Que Pasa corn chips.

According to wikipedia Creole jambalaya is traditionally a combination of meat, chicken, sausage, seafood and vegetables. Rice and stock are added to the recipe in equal amounts at the end of cooking and the mixture is brought to a boil and left to simmer until the rice is cooked. We cooked our rice separately and spooned the mixture on top but I love the idea of a one pot dish so we’ll try this method next time!

This dish can easily be made allergy-free by only including foods from your safe list. It’s not an exact science, just throw together what you’ve got on hand and enjoy the simplicity of cooking with very little measuring. Vary the spices according to taste. This combination pleased our palate.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground bison or beef
3-4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
15-20 large prawns
8 gluten-free sausages
1 large handful green beans
1/2 can of corn
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 stalks of celery, sliced
7-8 medium mushrooms, sliced
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
2 tbsp paprika
pinch of unrefined sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne

Directions:

In a large fry pan, heat a dash of olive oil over medium heat.
Fry the onions for 5-6 minutes, until soft and add the garlic, cooking for another minute or so.
Add the beef, sausage and chicken, until almost cooked through.
Add all the vegetables and spices cooking for an additional few minutes to combine the flavours.
Add the can of diced tomatoes, mix well, cover and simmer for 25-30min. (This is where you could add equal amounts of rice and gf stock or water if you choose, to make it a one pot dish.)

Serve in a bowl over rice.

Being sensitive to the effects that white sugar has on my blood sugar levels I decided to replace it with my unrefined sugar that is full of naturally occurring minerals. It added a wonderfully rich and satisfying flavour to the cookies. Coupled with the fact that I used organic, natural peanut butter with no added ingredients these cookies aren’t all that unhealthy anymore!

Ingredients:

1 cup organic peanut butter (look for a brand with peanuts being the only ingredient)
1 cup organic unrefined sugar (rapadura, panela, gur or jaggery are all common names of unrefined sugar that are currently sold at health food stores)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Combine all the ingredients together and mix well.

Using unrefined coconut butter to lightly oil your hands, roll the dough into small balls and place on the cookie sheet. I find that smaller cookies work best for this recipe. Press down slightly with a fork until they’re about 1/2 inch thick (they won’t spread or flatten very much, if at all)

Bake for 8-10 minutes.

When removed from the oven they will still be very soft to the touch. Leave to cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

These delicious cookies are very soft and chewy, yum!

Look for a brand that makes fruit preserves or jams without added sugar (or the addition of artificial sweeteners.) St.Dalfour’s and Crofter’s Organic both make fruit spreads that are sweetened with fruit juice.

What fruit preserves did you use for this recipe? I’d love to know your favourites!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp unrefined virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup fruit juice sweetened mango preserves or jam (preserves have more whole fruit than jam)
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp GF sweet red chili sauce or 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 whole free range chicken, quartered or 4-6 legs with the thigh attached
Unrefined sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.

In a small sauce pan, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the mango preserves, balsamic vinegar, chili sauce, rosemary and a pinch of unrefined sea salt; stir to combine.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand until the chicken is cooked. (You can make the glaze ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Before using, warm over low heat.)

Place chicken pieces in a baking dish and season lightly with unrefined sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook, uncovered for 50 min. Pour the mango-balsamic sauce over the chicken and continue cooking for 10-15 min, basting every 5 min or so to create beautifully glazed chicken pieces. If additional sauce remains in the baking dish you can serve it drizzled over the chicken.

Served with green beans lightly sauteed in unrefined virgin coconut oil. Delicious.

Serves 4-6.

4 skinless, boneless, free-range chicken breasts
½ cup chopped spinach
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil or 1 tbsp dried basil
1 large organic lemon
2 tbsp unrefined coconut oil
unrefined sea salt to taste
lemon pepper to taste
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions:

Cut a pocket into each chicken breast, going almost all the way through.
Mix spinach and basil together in a bowl and set aside.
Thinly slice lemon and then cut the slices in half.
Fill each chicken breast pocket with ¼ of the spinach mixture and 2-3 lemon slice halves.
You can use toothpicks to hold the pockets closed, but we’ve had luck without them.
Lightly salt and sprinkle the chicken breasts with lemon pepper.

Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Sauté the breasts until they are lightly browned on both sides, approx. 3 minutes each side.
Add wine, broth and a slice of lemon if you have any leftover and bring to a simmer.
When the chicken is cooked, remove and tent with foil.
Turn the heat up to medium high and reduce the sauce until it’s thick enough to drizzle on the chicken.

Serve with a side of lightly sautéed green beans and salad topped with avocado and apple slices.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp unrefined virgin coconut oil
1 red or yellow onion, chopped
1 red or green pepper, sliced
4-6 lamb loin chops
pinch of unrefined sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup GF low sodium chicken broth

Directions:

In a large fry pan heat coconut oil over medium high heat. Fry onion until almost caramelized. Add pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes. Season the lamb with a pinch of unrefined sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Move the peppers and onions to the side of the pan and add lamb chops. Once browned on both sides add the rosemary, white wine and chicken broth. Cover and simmer, flipping the lamb occasionally until liquid has reduced and the lamb is cooked through, approximately 20-30min.

We served the lamb with oven roasted potatoes and salad.

Sweetened with almond amasake and raw honey it’s packed with flavour and nutrients. Amasake is a fermented brown rice beverage which can be used as a natural sweetener and raw honey contains live enzymes which aid in the digestion of carbohydrates. Cinnamon is added, not only for it’s flavour, but for it’s ability to slow the rate at which the stomach empties after meals, reducing the rise in blood sugar after eating.

Brown basmati rice is a great place to start if you’re new to the texture and flavour of brown rice. Soaking the rice in water for 12 hours or overnight also helps to break down the fiber and improves the absorption and digestibility of the nutrients it contains. It also cuts the cooking time in half. Just reduce the amount of water you use to cook the rice by about 1/4 depending on how firm or soft you like your rice. Stay tuned for a blog post on the health benefits of coconut oil and coconut milk.

Ingredients:

1 cup brown basmati rice, soaked for 12 hrs
1 400ml can of coconut milk
1/2 cup almond amasake (Green Cuisine is the brand I use)
1 tsp-1 tbsp raw honey
1 tsp cinnamon or to taste
1/4 cup raisins

Directions:

Cook brown rice according to package directions replacing 1/2 to 3/4 of the water with coconut milk, reducing the overall liquid by 1/4 if you soaked your rice.

(My brown basmati rice called for 1 cup of rice to be cooked in 2 cups of water for 50min. I combined 1 cup soaked rice with 1 cup coconut milk and 1/2 cup water, simmering over low heat, with the lid on until the liquid was absorbed and rice was tender about 25min)

Once your rice is cooked add 1/2 cup almond amasake, additional coconut milk to desired consistency, raw honey* and cinnamon to taste. Mix well and stir in raisins.

*Only add raw honey to your rice pudding when it’s cool enough to eat, so the live enzymes are not killed by the heat.

Serve warm, immediately after cooking or cool and refrigerate. I enjoy this rice pudding cold as a snack or dessert. For breakfast I add chopped almonds for the additional protein.

Enjoy!

To make up for the lack of vegetables in this dish we served it with mixed greens. Top with whatever colourful veggies you have on hand

Ingredients:

1 lb ground lamb
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 28 ounce cans of diced tomatoes
5 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cinnamon
a pinch of unrefined sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

In a large sauce pan brown the lamb, onions and garlic with a dash of olive oil. When the lamb is browned and the onions are translucent add the tomatoes, oregano, cinnamon, sea salt and pepper. Simmer over medium-low heat, covered, for a minimum of 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Want to know the secret to a great pasta sauce? Time. The longer you cook your sauce, the more delicious it becomes. If you have the time, let your sauce cook for 2 hours and taste the difference!

Serve over your favourite brown rice pasta. Leftover sauce can be refrigerated or frozen and is just as good when reheated. Makes enough sauce for approximately 6 servings.