Allergy Free Wednesdays Archives - Strength and Sunshine

Cheezy Roasted Vegetable Quinoa

March 19, 2014 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 51 Comments

Did you eat Macaroni and Cheese as a kid? Well that is a silly questions, of course you did! Who didn’t? And I am sure you still enjoy it on occasion, right? It pretty much is the quintessential kid food, am I right? Quick and easy to throw on the table on a busy day. Unless you had one of those food loving moms or grandmas that would make homemade mac and cheese baked in the oven with mass amounts of gooey cheese, breadcrumbs, the works. All bubbly and browned to perfection. Well I know I didn’t, but I was just fine with my fake powdered cheese packets dumped in to the pot after my cardboard box pasta was cooked 😉 A little splash of milk and it was ready to eat. And we can’t forget to mention the innovative shapes and colored mac and cheeses used as a ploy by marketing to get a mother’s child to jump up and down in the grocery until they bought their Spongebob shaped mac and cheese. I know, the good old days, right? I was also one of those kids that enjoyed some ketchup on my macaroni and cheese as well. Haha, that is nutrition right there!

Well don’t worry, now that we know the scary things that are used to manufacture those wonderful boxes of chemical, man-made, “cheese” and noodles, we can remedy the situation. You can have you mac and cheese and eat it too! Most importantly you can have your non-gmo, clean, real-food, gluten-free, soy-free, vegan mac and cheese and eat it too! Haha, I know I am excited too! However, let’s make things more interesting and not use a traditional pasta or just plain old vegan cheese. No. Let’s make this a fancy grown-up side dish delicacy packed with wholesome ingredients and nutrition.

Full of warm roasted veggies, including eggplant, artichokes, portobello mushrooms, and pearl onions. With our superfood base ingredient of quinoa. That little powerful seed of gluten-free protein happiness. All mixed together with the wonderful nutty cheezy taste from my favorite, nutritional yeast!

Cheezy Roasted Vegetable Quinoa

Ingredients: (serves 4-6)

For the Roasted Vegetables:

+ 9oz of (Thawed) Frozen Sliced Artichoke Hearts

+ 2 Cups of Sliced Eggplant

+ 2 Medium Portobello Mushroom Caps (sliced)

+ 6 Pearl Onions (peeled and roughly chopped)

+ 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper

+ 1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder

For the Quinoa:

+ 1 Cup Dry Quinoa (+2 Cups Water for Cooking)

+ 1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast

+ 1 Tsp Turmeric

+ 1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika

+ 1 Tsp Dijon Mustard

+ 1 Tsp Chopped Chives

+ 1 TB Dried Parsley

Directions:

+ For the roasted vegetables, preheat the oven to 415°F. Prep all the veggies and spread them out on a foiled and lightly oiled baking sheet. Toss the veggies with the pepper and garlic and roast for 20 minutes, stirring half-way through.

+ For the quinoa, rinse off your quinoa under cold water, bring a large pot of 2 cups of water to a boil, add the quinoa and cook for about 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed.

+ When the quinoa is done, add in the roasted veggies, nutritional yeast, turmeric, parsley, smoked paprika, Dijon, and chives. Give everything a good stir until everything is coated and incorporated.

Grown-up “mac and cheese”? I think yes!

This was so delicious and also perfect the next day reheated! Great for a quick lunch option or a side dish to dinner. Or It could be a dinner within itself 😉 You may not be able to stop eating it. I had this three days straight it was so good!

The only thing I did not do was add ketchup! Hm….I may have to test that out 😉 Then we will really be talkin’!

So tell me:

Were you a macaroni and cheese lover as a kid?

Ketchup? Yay or Nay?

*Recipe linking up for the week! WIAW, Allergy Free Wednesdays, #RecipeFridays, #RecipeOfTheWeek, Ricki Heller’s Wellness Weekend, #StrangeButGood, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Real Food Friday, Gluten-Free Fridays, Tasty Tuesdays, Whole Food Fridays!*

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Hazelnut Mocha Oat Bake

March 6, 2014 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 16 Comments

Oats. Oats and I have had a rocky relationship. I was never a big oat or oatmeal eater at anytime in my life, but I did enjoy the occasional bowl of instant oatmeal as a kid. Not just any instant oatmeal, but Quaker Instant Oatmeal with Dinosaur Eggs! You know the one where as you pour the hot water in, the eggs slowly dissolve and reveal a little tiny candy dinosaur! Haha, those were the best!

But then, many years later I found out I had Celiac and Quaker oats were a no go. Contaminated and not certified gluten-free, out of the question. From there, I never really had oats in my diet for a few years except for a small dabbling in Glutenfreeda’s instant oatmeals in the beginning of my gluten-free journey. But Oatmeal was never filling enough for a breakfast for me. I would much rather have a huge bowl of cereal then a tiny bowl of oats (full of sugar in those instant packs).

But then I started blogging and saw the love many bloggers had for overnight oats. This wasn’t just oats, but a mixture of many ingredients left to sit overnight and become think and creamy ready to eat in the morning. (I am a thick oatmeal person by the way…watery is so gross!) I knew I had to try overnight oats. I could make them a lot more hearty and filling and it would be easy to grab in the morning. Thus I ordered my first huge bulk bag of certified gluten-free rolled oats from GF Harvest. I jumped right in full force and made overnight oats. I had them about 3 times a week and well…after the first few weeks of this breakfast, I noticed my tummy was not a happy camper. This happened in the Summer so at least I didn’t kill myself before a long school day, but I did eat this when I went away to Washington DC and my stomach hurt on that trip. Bummer!

Then I thought I was allergic/intolerant to oats as Celiacs can be even if they are Gluten-Free. So I stopped eating them and was so sad. However when I went to the GFAF Expo I met the lovely people from GF Harvest and we chatted about our Celiac Disease and they suggested I not eat raw oats and try them only once a week in small amounts. The next time I had oats was in granola which is baked and now raw. And guess what?! My stomach was okay! I realized that as long as I baked the oats or thoroughly cooked them I would be fine. So hello granola and baked oats! I still watch my consumption though and never have oats more then 3 times a week, but I do love them 😉 So here I introduce you to my first ever oat bake or “baked oatmeal”. A lot healthier than those instant Quaker packets for sure! Haha!

Hazelnut Mocha Oat Bake

Ingredients: (serves: 1)

+ 1/3 Cup Gluten-Free Rolled Oats

+ 1/4 Tsp Baking Powder

+ 1/4 Cup + 1 TB Water

+ 1/4 Tsp Hazelnut Extract

+ 1 TB Chocolate Protein Powder (optional)

+ 1 TB Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (increase to 2 TB if not using protein powder)

+ 1 Tsp Instant Decaf Coffee Granuals

+ Raw Hazelnuts (to serve)

Directions:

+ Preheat the oven to 350°F.

+ Oil a single serve Ceramic Ramekin. Add in all dry ingredients and stir to combine. Then add in all wet ingredients and stir again.

+ Cover the Ramekin with foil and place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes. Remove, uncover, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

+ Top with Hazelnuts or even Hazelnut Butter! Happy breakfasting!

Since I don’t have time to bake in the morning, I baked this the night before, let it cool, and then placed the foil back over top, poking a few holes in the foil. Then I just took it out in the morning and heated it in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes. Easy and quick!

The photos without the Hazelnuts were from the first time I made this. The photos with the Hazelnuts were another time!

So tell me:

Do you like baked oats, oatmeal, or overnight oats best?

What is you go to breakfast during the week? Cereal or granola is the easiest for me to just throw together in 2 minutes. But sometimes I will prep a bowl of quinoa flakes or buckwheat cereal in a bowl with all the dry ingredients, then just add the water in the morning and microwave.

*Recipe linking up for the week! Allergy Free Wednesdays, #RecipeFridays, Ricki Heller’s Wellness Weekend, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Real Food Friday, Gluten-Free Fridays!*

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Grilled BBQ Portobello Burgers and “Baked” Beans

March 5, 2014 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 34 Comments

There is something so comforting about a BBQ and a grill. Reminiscent of long, lazy, hot Summer days. Sitting outside in the warm sun, watching it set with a beautiful orange glow over the trees. Knowing that when you wake-up the next morning, you can take you time and relive the day the same way as yesterday.

Enjoying all those Summer foods is one of the best things about the season. BBQs, picnics, and grill-parties are just some of the fun food occasions to partake in. Bringing together family, friends, and nature’s best. Fresh juicy fruits, crisp light veggies, grill marks on anything and everything, all dishes homemade from the salad to the burger buns. The tantalizing smells and flavors of BBQ filling the air. But no meat will penetrate this party. Why not use the beautiful fruits of the Earth to fill us up with nutrients and love?

A vegan “burger” using a grilled portobello mushroom cap, fresh veggies, creamy avocado, all with a side of “baked” vegan beans. A satisfying glorious meal for any day of the year, not just Summer. Because when we think about it I don’t think this winter of 2014 is going to be ending anytime soon and those Summer days seem to just get further and further away, not closer. I need some Summer love in my life and I think I found it right here!

Grilled BBQ Portobello Burgers and “Baked” Beans

Ingredients: (serves: 2 burgers, can easily be increased!)

+ 2 Large Portobello Mushroom Caps (de-gilled and cleaned)

For The Marinade:

+ 2 Tsp of Liquid Smoke

+ 1 TB Balsamic Vinegar

+ 1 Tsp Dijon Mustard

+ 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder

+ 1/2 Tsp Onion Powder

+ 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper

For The Avocado Mash:

+ 1 Medium Avocado

+ 1/2 Tsp Chili Powder

+ 1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder

+ 1/4 Tsp Onion Powder

+ 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper

+ 1/4 Tsp Smoked Paprika

Additional Toppings:

+ Thick Sliced Beets (1 per burger)

+ Lettuce (or other green)

+ Alfalfa Sprouts

+ Ketchup

+ Buns – Chelsea’s Homemade Vegan and Gluten-Free English Muffins (or favorite bun)

For The “Baked Beans”:

+ 1 15oz Can of Black-Eyed Peas (No-Salt Added, drained and rinsed)

+ 1 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

+ 3 Drops of Plain Liquid Stevia

+ 1/4 Cup Tomato Paste

+ 1 Tsp Dried Oregano

+ 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder

+ 1/2 Tsp Onion Powder

+ 1/4 Tsp Cumin

+ 1/4 Cup Water

Directions:

+ Make the English Muffin Buns in advance if you are choosing to use that as the bun (which I highly suggest you do!) I followed Chelsea’s recipe to a T, except I added some ground cornmeal to the bottom of each of the foil muffin rings. I also suggest topping each bun with poppy or sesame seeds before baking (I forgot and am still kicking my self!).

+ Place all of the Marinade ingredients in a medium zip-lock bag along with the cleaned mushroom caps. Place in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.

+ In the meantime you can create your Avocado Mash. Cut and scoop out the avocado and add all spices to a bowl. Then just mash it all together with a fork until you have a nice guacamole texture.

+ For the beans, after your rinse them off, add them to a sauce pot along with all the other ingredients, stir, and heat on medium for about 10 minutes, covered.

+ Make sure all your topping are also prepped. Wash, peel and slice the beet. Wash your lettuce and rip into “burger” sized pieces. Rinse your sprouts (about 1/4 cup for each burger).

+ Then to grill your portobello burgers, heat the grill, grill pan, or use a George Foreman grill like I did. Once heated, place the caps on the grill and cook for about 3 minutes. (My grill your close so it has top and bottom grill plates so I only needed to cook my for 3 minutes total. If you are using a traditional grill with one plate, grill for 2 minutes on each side.

+ To assemble: Cut and warm what ever type of bun you are using. Scoop some avocado mash on the bottom of the bun, then place the beet slice, then the portobello, ketchup, lettuce, sprouts, and finally the top bun.

+ Serve with a side of baked beans. Prepare for a messy, delicious, and satisfying vegan meal!

Yummy beans

Yummy burger

All together now!

So tell me:

What is your favorite Summer food?

Does your family grill only in the Summer or all year-round?

*Recipe linking up for the week! WIAW, Allergy Free Wednesdays, #RecipeFridays, Ricki Heller’s Wellness Weekend, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Real Food Friday, Gluten-Free Fridays, #strangebutgood!*

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Mexican Spaghetti Squash Bowls

February 27, 2014 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 18 Comments

This maybe be some kind of healthy living blogger sin, but I really don’t like avocados. They just have an awkward “no-taste” and slimy cool texture in the mouth. It is not my idea of a delicious fat. However, after years of dislike, I think I am finally rounding the corner. I’ve started buying 1 or 2 avocados at the grocery each week and have been simple mashing them up, adding a little spice, and then using them to top dinner bowls, salads, pizzas, etc. I definitely like my avocado mash warmed up though, not cold. And it has to be mixed in with tons of other goodies. I really want to keep incorporating them in my diet since they are such a good easy source of healthy fats and an easy calorie increaser so I think I will be keeping them around 😉 Last night I used my plain mashed avocado to coat my piece of Barramundi for dinner, plus some citrus+herb spice. O my…it was so so good! Baked at 400F for 14 minutes, I am speechless. It tasted so amazing! (I think I found my new favorite avo use ;)!)

When I think of avocados, I always think of Paleo people (haha) and Mexican dishes! Since I will never jump on the Paleo wagon, but I do like Mexican dishes…avocado and Mexican it is! I whipped up this dish a few weeks ago because I was craving beans, salsa, and avocado. Maybe it is all those Chipotle bowls everyone always posts and raves about. Well I won’t eat “fast-food” or eat out so I made my own Mexican bowl. Plus, I said “screw the acid reflux” and bought my first bottle of Cholula Hot Sauce at the grocery. What better way to try it out then with a Mexican dinner bowl? And one more thing. You don’t even need to dirty a bowl for this “dinner-bowl!” I was very resourceful and used my scrapped out spaghetti squash halves as the serving vessels! Perfect, right?!

Mexican Spaghetti Squash Bowls

Ingredients: (serves: 2)

+ 1 Small Spaghetti Squash

For the Beans:

+ 1 15oz Can of Pinto Beans

+ 4 Medium Crimini Mushrooms

+ 1 Tsp Chili Powder

+ 1 Tsp Dried Cilantro

+ 1 Tsp Dried Oregano

+ 1/2 Tsp Onion Powder

+ 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder

+ 1/2 Tsp Cumin

For the Avocado Mash:

+ 1 Small Avocado

+ 1 Small Celery Stalk

+ 1/2 Cup of Shredded Carrot

+ 1 Tsp Chili Powder

+ 1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder

+ 1/2 Tsp Onion Powder

Toppings:

+ Salsa

+ Hot Sauce

+ Crunchy Lettuce

+ 2 TB Nutritional Yeats (1 TB per bowl)

+ Crumbled Multi-Grain Corn Thins (optional)

Directions:

+ For the Squash: Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and inner strings, then pop each half in the microwave for about 5 minutes. When each half is done and fork tender, scrap out the squash and transfer to a bowl.

+ For the Beans: In a medium sauce pot, pour in the beans (rinse them under water first) and add the mushrooms (chopped). Then add all the spices plus 2 TB of water. Simmer on low for about 5 minutes until warm.

+ For the Avocado Mash: Cut your avocado lengthwise and scoop out the good stuff into a bowl. Then chop your celery and add that to the bowl along with the shredded carrots. Then add the additional spices.

+ Now it is time to assemble. In each empty squash half, add about 1 cup of squash, 1 cup of beans, 1/4 cup of avocado mash, then your additional toppings. I used a few tablespoons of salsa, a handful of crunchy lettuce stuffed into the sides of the bowl, 1 TB of nutritional yeast, a few dashes of hot sauce, and two crumbled corn thins.

Perfect easy vegan and gluten-free Mexican yumminess! I could not wait to dig into this bad boy. It totally satisfied my cravings 😉

So tell me:

Do you like Avocado?

Are you an obsessed with Chipotle like so many bloggers seem to be?

*Recipe linking up for the week! Allergy Free Wednesdays, #RecipeFridays, Ricki Heller’s Wellness Weekend, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Real Food Friday, Gluten-Free Fridays!*

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Lentil Quinoa Meatball Bolognese and Zucchini Noodles

February 12, 2014 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 40 Comments

I don’t feel like Wednesdays should be considered “hump-day”. They never feel like the half-way point. They just seem long and dragging. Come Thursday though, I start to see the light. Well, at least once I leave school on Thursday, then I start to relax knowing I have to get though only one more day. There are a few things that can make any day better though. Sunshine, moving your body (Wednesday is strength training for me!) but yoga would be fabulous as well, or being able to look forward to a yummy dinner. Something special and out of the ordinary is what I am talking about. None of the classic go-tos, but something that takes a little extra love but have a pay off that equals amazing.

I got a spiralizer for Christmas as I had always wanted one. I was so jealous when I saw all those amazing recipes using zucchini noodles, sweet potato noodles, etc. So fun and unique which is right up my ally for cooking. Plus, spiralizers are pretty cheap (this is the quality famous brand that you want!). I was worried that it would just be a piece of cheap plastic and way to difficult to actually get working. O, but I was so wrong. It was so easy to spiralize! All you have to do is pick your blade (there are 3), attach it, cut the ends off of the veggie you want spiralized, stick one end in the pointy circle, stick the other on the small raised circle, then just crank the handle and oodles and oodles of noodles pour out! It is so much fun, you will be addicted!

Lentil Quinoa Meatball Bolognese and Zucchini Noodles

Ingredients: (serves: 4)

+ 4 Medium Zucchini

For the Meatballs:

+ 1/2 Cup Quinoa

+ 1/2 Cup Brown Lentils

+ 1/2 Tsp each of Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, and Smoked Paprika

+ 1 Tsp each of Dried Basil, Marjoram, Parsley, and Oregano

+ 1 Tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer

+ 1 TB Nutritional Yeast

For the Sauce:

+ 15oz Can of Salt-Free Plain Tomato Sauce

+ 15oz Can Salt-Free Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes

+ 2 Small Shallots (diced)

+ 2 Small Eggplants (cut into discs and then quartered)

+ 1 1/2 Cup Roughly Chopped Portobello Mushrooms

+ 2 TB Nutritional Yeast

+ 1/2 Tsp each of Garlic Powder and Oregano

+ 1 Tsp Each of Dried Basil and Marjoram

+ A Few Cracks of White Peppercorns

Directions:

+ Watch this tutorial here on how to spiralize your zucchini if you need help. Otherwise, just go ahead and spiralize and then set them aside.

+ For the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cook your quinoa and lentils in a pot with 2 1/3 cup of water for about 20-30 minutes (until the water is all soaked up).

+ In a blender, add the quinoa and lentils, all the spices, herbs, nutritional yeast, and egg replacer. Blend until everything is combined, but still a bit lumpy for texture.

+ Then prepare a greased baking dish and roll small palm sized amounts of the meatball mixture in your hands. You can make them what ever size you want but I did about 3-4 for each person. Then place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.

+For the sauce: Add all ingredients to a large sauce pot, stir, and heat on medium heat (covered) for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

+ When everything is done, add the meatballs to the sauce and mix around. Then just plate form noodles and top with a few meatballs and lovely sauce 🙂 Enjoy!