Search

RSS Feed Facebook Flickr Twitter

Gluten-free

Recipe

 Chickpeas and garbanzos are the same thing.  These are delicious chicken cutlets that are breaded in garbanzo flour and Parmesan cheese, thus they are gluten-free.  They are light and delicious and can be paired with many things.  This recipe is for 2 people.  If you are only one, make this recipe and save the leftover cutlet for your lunch the next day.
 
2 organic chicken cutlets, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 cup plus 4 tablespoons garbanzo flour, divided*
2 tablespoons mixed dried Italian herbs (Spike Seasoning 5 herb is best), divided 
Salt and Pepper 
1 egg
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese (Locatelli Romano & Pecorino are good substitutes)
1/4 cup high heat cooking oil (sunflower seed or grapeseed)
 
Sprinkle the 4 tablespoons garbanzo flour, 1 tablespoon of the dried herbs, and a heavy pinch of salt and pepper over 1 large dinner plate.  
Beat the egg in a shallow bowl and set to the side. 
Combine the remaining 1/2 cup garbanzo flour, 1 tablespoon of dried herbs, another pinch of salt and pepper, and the 3 tablespoons cheese in a separate shallow bowl.  
Pass each cutlet through this 3 step process: 

  1. Turn over in the seasoned flour, and dust off excess. 
  2. Dip into the egg, and let excess drip off. 
  3. Fully coat in the garbanzo/cheese mixture.  You might have to do them one at a time, depending on how much room you have in the bowls.  You can leave the cutlets in this mixture while the oil heats up.  

It is important that at each stage you remove excess, so as to not create large floury clumps on your chicken.  
Heat up the oil in a saute pan until almost smoking.  Slide the cutlets into the hot oil and let them gain color on one side, before flipping over and cooking through on the other side (about 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on thickness of cutlet).  Remove from the pan and place on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil.  
Serve with a wedge of lemon alongside our Celery Root Chickpea Dip or Lebanese Hummus.  
Slice up left overs in strips to top a Caesar Salad.  
 
Serves 2.   * You can find garbanzo flour in health food stores, and in the organic section of conventional supermarkets.   

Recipe

This salad is called the Gypsy salad because it is a melange of flavors, textures and ideas from around the world.  Blood orange, arugula, and fennel from Europe mix with jalapeno and avocado from Mexico.  Cumin, mint, and dates from the Middle East come into play as well.  Many of these ingredients, like dates, have traveled from their origin, and are now part of new cultures.  It is like us, a gypsy that never stops traveling.  The measurements are not exact, we trust that you add how much you want of each ingredient, and enjoy the journey that it takes you on.

 

Ingredients

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and outer layer removed (if bruised)

1 handful of baby arugula

1 handful of dates, pitted and sliced in quarters

a few kalamata or Moroccan black olives, pitted and sliced

1/4 of a jalapeno pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 avocado, halved and pitted

1 sprig of mint

Small handful of parsley

a handful of fresh walnuts, roughly chopped

2 blood oranges (you can substitute regular oranges or cara caras here also)

1 lime (kaffir limes welcome!)

1-2 Tablespoons sherry or rice wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Pinch of cumin and salt

 

Slice the fennel in half lengthwise, and then thinly slice each half horizontally.  Transfer to a bowl and combine with the arugula.

Add the sliced dates and olives. 

Thinly slice the jalapeno.  If you are sensitive to heat, finely mince it, but if you like more of a bite, slice it in small horizontal strips.  You only need a 1/4 of the pepper or so.

Roughly chop or tear the herbs and add to the bowl. 

Keep the avocado meat in the skin and score with a knife in long vertical slices.  Use a spoon to get under the meat and scoop out the slices over the salad bowl. 

For the dressing, zest the oranges and the limes with a zester or microplane over the salad bowl.  You will only need a little bit of the lime zest and about 1/2 of one of the orange's zest.  Slice off the top and bottom of the oranges, removing the skin and pith.  Next place the oranges, one at a time, on the cutting board and slice off the skin and pith (without going to deep!) to reveal each segment.  Working over another small bowl, slice out each orange segment carefully, allowing the juices to fall into the small bowl, and then add the segments to the larger salad bowl.  When you have finished slicing the oranges, squeeze out any excess juice into the small bowl.  Juice the lime into the bowl as well.  Stir in the cumin, vinegar, and olive oil and whisk to combine (you can just do this with a fork). 

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. 

Add the crumbled walnuts. 

Serves 2. 

This salad works as an appetizer, but it also goes beautifully on top of grilled fish like tuna or mahi mahi, or atop a grilled chicken breast. 

 

 

 

Recipe

Waldorf Salad was invented at New York’s Waldorf Hotel in
the late 19th Century.

It combines chicken with celery, grapes, walnuts, and apples, which are usually coated in mayonnaise. This version plays upon the Turkish dish of Circassian chicken, originally from Georgia, which is shredded chicken mixed with a walnut sauce. We use black walnuts, a strong and interesting nut native to New England, to make the delicious sauce that coats the chicken, opting out of the mayonnaise. Lucky for us the super sweet Conchord grapes coincide with apple season, and we are able to make this dish with some Fall fruits.

½ lb cooked boneless skinless chicken breast*

2 cloves garlic

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup black walnuts (or substitute regular walnuts), toasted

About ½ cup stale bread (white or wheat), soaking in water

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ cup warm vegetable or chicken broth

1-2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves

4-5 mint leaves (optional)

¼ cup Conchord grapes, rinsed

½ cup green apple, small dice

1 celery rib, trimmed and thinly sliced

Shred the chicken breast with your fingers and place in a
bowl.

Pulse the garlic and salt in a food processor. Add the black walnuts and cumin and continue to pulse until the walnuts have broken down and are starting to form a paste, but are not completely smooth.

Remove the bread from the water and squeeze to remove excess moisture. Add to the food processor and continue to grind.

Add the broth little by little, to give more fluidity to the sauce. You might not use all of the broth, because you don’t want the sauce to be too loose. It should remain a bit coarse.

Add the cilantro and mint to the food processor and pulse to break up the herbs.

Add the grapes, chopped apple, and celery to the bowl with
the chicken, and pour over the black walnut sauce. Use a spatula to fold the sauce over the chicken and coat everything well.

Serves 6 people as a meze, and 4 as a sandwich filing.

Recipe

These stuffed tomatoes are simply made with ricotta, herbs, and the tomatoes’ own juices. The tomato juice makes the mixture a soft shade of pink. You can use any kind of tomato of any size, but note that if you use a larger tomato, you will not use all of the reserved juices (you will still use all of the flesh). Small stuffed tomatoes make great appetizers. If you find that your ricotta mixture is too loose, you can add a piece of stale bread broken up into pieces.

8 medium sized tomatoes
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 scallions, finely chopped (white and pale green parts only)
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
4-5 sage leaves, finely chopped
4-5 mint leaves, finely chopped
2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped

Slice off the top eighth of each tomato flat across.
Scoop out the seeds and juice and reserve.
In a food processor, combine the ricotta, olive oil, scallion, zest, and herbs, as well as the reserved tomato seeds and juice. Puree until smooth. Season well with salt and pulse again.
Meanwhile, turn each tomato upside down, so that the juices drain.
Fill the tomatoes with the ricotta mixture and season with freshly cracked black peppercorns.
The sauce also makes a great topping for bread or sauce for pasta.

Makes 8 stuffed tomatoes.

These stuffed tomatoes use the tomato's own juices to make the sauce. We encourage you to buy local ricotta cheese when making this dish, as the nuances in the flavor will improve the final product. Sage, mint, and rosemary may sound like a strange combination, but they work really well together and have a surprising profile.
September 12, 2009   |   0 comments
Tags: Antioxidant, Appetizers, Fruit, Gluten-free, Healthy, Summer
Recipe

This salad is super healthy and nutritious. Not only is it vegetarian/vegan, but it is also gluten-free and high fiber. You will love the combination of sweet husk cherries (also known as Cape Gooseberries) with the slightly sour tomatillos. Cilantro and jalapeno round this out, and the black beans keep it grounded and substantial. The colors are amazing, and you will feel so good about eating it! Eat it with Ezekiel sprouted tortillas.

4 tomatillos, husked
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup cape gooseberries, husked and halved
1 ear of corn, husked
¼ jalapeño pepper, sliced thinly
¼ red onion, medium dice
¼ cup packed cilantro, rinsed and roughly chopped
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Boil the tomatillos for about 10 minutes and drain.
Slice 2 of the tomatillos into thin wedges, about 6 pieces each.
Set the onion in a small bowl covered with water for about 10 minutes and drain.
Slice the corn kernels off the cob and then reverse the blade of the knife to get out the milk.
In a medium bowl toss together the black beans, cape gooseberries, corn kernels and juice, jalapeño, and red onion.
Quarter the remaining 2 tomatillos and blend with the olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Add the cilantro and keep blending.
Pour the tomatillo sauce over the rest of the ingredients and toss.
Serve with sprouted corn tortillas.
Serves 4.

Recipe

These Deviled Eggs will make you a cocktail hour hero(ine). They are easy to grab, and deliciously spiced. They show off the beauty of homemade harissa and farm fresh eggs at their best (for the deviled egg and the mayo that goes into it).

1 tablespoon capers
2 sprigs fresh mint
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (preferably homemade)
2 tablespoons harissa
Lemon juice
6 eggs, hardboiled, peeled

Cut the eggs in half lengthwise, and remove the boiled yolk.
In a mini blender, grind together the capers, mint, mayo, harissa, and lemon juice. Add the egg yolk and blend until smooth.
Arrange the hard whites on a serving plate and spoon the deviled mixture into the center.
Serve with pieces of warm bread.

Farm fresh eggs are one of the best things about eating locally. We use our homemade harissa spice paste to flavor these deviled eggs, along with capers, parsley, and homemade mayo. These are lovely party treats that are easy to prepare and quick to be eaten!
Recipe

This is the basic equation for a healthy and delicious chickpea salad. You can use a nice quality olive oil and a variety of vinegars to dress it. It looks lovely when served on individual pieces of Romaine or in Butter Lettuce cups.

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas, rinsed
1 medium tomato, medium dice
1/4 cup red onion, medium dice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice
Freshly chopped parsley
Salt and Pepper

Mix together the chickpeas, tomatoes, red onion, parsley, olive oil, and vinegar or lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

And possible variations . . .
Mexican: diced avocado and chopped cilantro, minced jalapeno pepper, chopped peach or mango
Moroccan: freshly chopped mint, ground cumin, ground coriander, smoked paprika, minced preserved lemon.
Italian: Capers, anchovies, basil, sage.

Serves 2 as a main dish, or 4 as an appetizer.

Blog entry

I am in Miami for the next month or so, and am going to be exploring as many raw and local foods during my stay as possible. Months back I had written about the Banana Nut and Seed Bowl at the Pain Quotidien. They no longer serve the dish, which I was addicted to last Spring. Apparently I was the only one who ever ordered it.

Anyway, since arriving in Miami I have been making my own rendition of the dish. I have simplified the ingredients, which helps the budget a little bit. I use pumpkin seeds as my main ingredient, either raw or soaked. Soaking them makes their protein more readily available, as well as awakens their dormant enzymes. I then add some sesame and flax seeds to the mix. Since now is the growing season in South Florida I have papaya and blueberries available to add to my dish. I also love it with bananas. It is super satisfying and delicious, and I am really energized when I eat it. I also do not get hungry until lunch time.

I posted the recipe for my Breakfast Nut and Seed Bowl and hope that everyone gives it a try.

Recipe

This recipe is inspired by the Pain Quotidien's Banana Nut and Seed Bowl, which they unfortunately do not serve anymore. This is a raw, vegan/vegetarian, healthy breakfast that makes you feel amazing. It is high in fiber and protein, as well as vitamins and minerals. See the *Suggestions following the recipe. This enough for 1 person, but can be easily doubled. You can also make a large amount of the dry ingredients and store for quick mornings.

All of the following must be raw:
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds **
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon flax seeds
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
Blueberries
Papaya*
Banana*
Almond Milk

Mix together the seeds and nuts. Thinly slice the banana and chop up the papaya and add to the bowl. Pour over some almond milk. Yum!

*Suggestions: Blueberries are a great addition to this dish. You can add other berries, sliced banana, chopped up papaya, mango- whatever seasonal fruit you can find. You can also add a variety of raw nuts and seeds: sunflower seeds, almonds, pine nuts, hazelnuts, etc.

** You can soak the pumpkin seeds over night to awaken their enzymes and make their protein more available. Simply place in a bowl and cover with ample water. The next day, drain them and add to the dish.

This healthy nut and seed bowl is full of fiber and protein to help you start your day with a ton of energy!
Recipe

2 T amaranth grain
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp paprika
6 scallops + oil for cooking (about 3 tablespoons)
1 marinated roasted red pepper
1 small bunch baby arugula
Lemon juice

In a coffee grinder or mini blender, grind the amaranth until it resembles a fine powder. Mix together with the salt and spices. Rinse the scallops and remove their foot. Pat dry. Coat the scallops in the amaranth mix. Heat the oil in a pan until smoking, and then sautee the scallops on both sides until nice and golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Serve three scallops each on top of the arugula with lemon juice and some thinly sliced red bell pepper.

May 26, 2008   |   0 comments
Tags: Entrees, Fish, Gluten-free, Healthy, North America