Cooking Archives - Page 3 of 5 - Strength and Sunshine

My Top 15 Kitchen Prep Tools

July 21, 2015 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 64 Comments

Cooking, cooking, cooking! If I had an endless supply of ingredients to cook, I would do it 24/7. Like I’ve said, I just love cooking in my kitchen so much. I love creating something beautiful and delicious out of the natural beauty nature has given us to craft something of our own with. Most of the crafting and creating comes during the prep. That’s were things are cut, sliced, blended, zested, mixed, and poured. That’s where the fun is. Not the time you’re standing around for something to bake in the oven or standing over the stove making sure you’re pancakes don’t burn. The prep you do is the time to get inspired by your ingredients, get crazy, messy, and have fun. Kitchen prep can be simple with just cutting and mixing, but it can also require some more tools than just a knife. Here are 15 of my top kitchen prep tools and why I find them so!

Hamilton Beach Stack & Snap 10 Cup Food Processor – This is the greatest appliance I have. I think. I am in love with my food processor! I have about 4 or 5 blenders and I have never been happy with any. I’ve tried them all and they just don’t do the job. When I finally got an actual food processor, my life changed forever! Talk about blending, chopping, power! You can even grate things with this! Nut butter has never been easier to make, veggie burgers are a cinch, and hummus comes out so creamy! I don’t make smoothies, so a blender is a waste for me. You can do everything and more with a good food processor and I really recommend this one!Read More

Buckwheat: The Gluten-Free Flour You Must Have

June 30, 2015 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 75 Comments

This may seem like a bold demand, but I have my reasons for believing this. The gluten-free flour you need to have in your pantry is buckwheat! It may be the most perfectly crafted flour for when you have to kick “king wheat” to the curb. Personally, I use buckwheat flour in everything and my pantry is never without. Funny thing about buckwheat is that it seems to scare some people, as it carries the word “wheat” in it’s name. No need for alarm my gluten-free friends! Buckwheat has no relation to wheat, nor is it a grass or cereal grain. It’s actually a pesudograin just like quinoa. Buckwheat is a fruit seed (yea, I know!) and is in the same family with rhubarb and sorrel.

Buckwheat is really great not only for Celiacs, but also for anyone with grain issues. Because it’s a fruit seed, it doesn’t have the same types of proteins that cereal grains do. It’s very light and easy to digest in the body. It’s also a resistant starch which is very beneficial to the colon and overall gut health. The buckwheat seed is what we eat, either whole as the triangular shaped (pyramid) groat you see in buckwheat dishes, which, when toasted is called Kasha (it has a much nuttier almost smoky taste). The actually buckwheat flower that is grown from the seed is a pretty white flower (that can also be yellow or pink!), that when pollonated, makes a beautiful honey. To make buckwheat flour, the seeds are just ground like any other flour, which makes it easy to make your on too!Read More

The Need For Creative Passions

June 3, 2015 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 77 Comments

We all have those leisure activities that we look forward to doing whenever we have a spare minute. These activities can vary greatly from person to person and may even seem like a chore to some, but the most effortless pleasure to others. The types of activities I’m talking about, are the ones where we are able to actually create. The things that allow our minds to release their creativity in the form of manual physical work that leaves us with something to show. Painting, drawing, needle-work, writing, wood-working, gardening, cooking, the list goes on. Sometimes we don’t even realize which creative work brings us the most joy, but it’s an essential outlet in life that we all do develop.

A lot of these creative hobbies start out of curiosity, then we keep the ones we find pleasure, joy, and stress-relief in, and sometimes we even take them to the next level and make a living out of them. Even if these hobbies stay just that, as hobbies (or passions), it’s so important that we have and nurture them throughout our lives. They become a constructive outlet to let all our inner beauty, thoughts, dreams, and creativity take form outside of our own heads, so they can become our unique gifts to the world.

I’ve always known what mine is and it’s only become even more solidified in my mind these past few weeks. What is it? I’m sure you can guess. COOKING! The ultimate form of beauty, creativity, and manual work. How did I know and continue to nurture this passion of mine?Read More

5 Year Gluten-Free Anniversary + 5 Things I’ve Learned

November 3, 2014 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 88 Comments

No joke guys…it has been 5 years! It seems so much longer actually. I feel like I have been gluten-free my whole life. I guess 5 years is a long time though. I can’t imagine my life any differently now. You all know I am not one of those people who hates their disease or who struggles with coming to terms with their Celiac. I embrace it wholeheartedly and will never look back. I feel bad for those who constantly struggle and hate their Celiac. I am in a few Celiac/gluten-free support groups on Facebook and I constantly see people so down on the fact that they must be gluten-free. I understand those who are newly diagnosed, but some are years down the line, like me, and still hate it. Of course there are struggles, but to me, being gluten-free and safe is second nature and doesn’t take much thought (even here in college…for the most part). You can’t fully embrace your Celiac or new way of life if you are constantly down about it and negative. You have to see the positive and make the most of it!

The thing that makes being gluten-free worth it in my eyes, like I’ve said so many times before, is how much I’ve learned along the way. When I think back, I am so grateful for it all, really I am. Maybe I would have learned about all the world’s amazing foods, cooking techniques, and health info, eventually from getting involved with blogging, but I also think becoming gluten-free lead me deeper into the blogging world as I started becoming obsessed with food blogs! Going gluten-free lead to it all!

I question if I would have ever fully embraced cooking new crazy foods like millet, quinoa flakes, plantains, even my love for nut butters. Would I have ever looked for these things in the store? I don’t know, but I am glad I had to go gluten-free. People say they would never be able to do it since they would miss pizza, pasta, etc. But really THEY are the ones missing out on the real amazing wide range of foods out there! Has the typical person ever had creamy buckwheat cereal? I think not! Some people don’t even know what teff is! So I’m not missing out on anything! You can make ANYTHING gluten-free and make it better! The flavors of gluten-free grains and ingredients are so much better anyway 😉

I learned how to not be afraid of trying new things in the kitchen, cooking up whatever I can imagine, experimenting, and making it fun and healthy along the way. To live a good life, I think you need to learn to cook. You need to embrace food and make it yourself (like humans had been doing for centuries before all this processed food). Not only will you be nourishing your body with healthy whole foods, but you don’t have to worry about allergens AND you will feel so fulfilled and happy! Cooking is the greatest thing. Being gluten-free has shown me the beauty in food and the beauty in the craft of cooking.

Here are my top 5 things I’ve learned from being gluten-free for 5 years.

1. Try it! Just try that quinoa or that purple sweet potato! Branch out and expand your food “vocabulary!”

2. Like I said before, get cooking! Don’t be scared to experiment, it’s only food!

3. Even after all this time, people still don’t understand what Celiac is or why I’m gluten-free. Just try to be patient with them, but know that some will never understand. You also need to be kind to yourself as well. This is a lifestyle change (forever). It can take time, so remember to give yourself some love.

4. You have to be so aware! Read every label, every package, scan every food, request your needs, and demand safety! You deserve to be healthy!

5. Lastly, don’t stop expanding your knowledge, reaching out, connecting with the community, advocating and raising awareness, and most importantly DON’T STOP LIVING! Bring gluten-free is only going to enhance your life after being sick for so long! Embrace it and know you are not alone and this is what you need!

No, I will never complain or “hate” that fact that I have Celiac. I never want piety or someone to say, “O, that’s horrible, I could never do that!” Because guess what, it is not horrible and yes, you can do it when it is the only option to feel happy and healthy again!

Here is to 5 more (any many more) happy and learning gluten-free years!

So tell me:

+ If you have Celiac (or even some other food allergy), what have you learned?

+ Do you branch out and try new foods when you see them?

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Black Bean Eggplant Roll-Ups With Apricot Tomatilla Salsa

October 8, 2014 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 90 Comments

Long title, but interesting, so I hope it drew you in. Gotta “hook” the reader. All these SEO posts that bloggers make, trying to make it easier for bloggers like me who really just don’t get any of that stuff. I’m pretty sure you just have to use “keywords” throughout the post, title and use descriptions in you pictures, use hashtags, and most importantly, don’t title you blog post something like, “Little Rolls of Goodness.” This recipe is for little rolls of goodness, but that’s not a very effective name.

The long title is more interesting anyway. This recipe is very interesting. I came up with the creation after craving some eggplant roll-ups. I had made them once, years ago, following a Rachel Ray recipe (I think). The roll-ups were stuffed with a spicy black bean filling. But I messed up and added way to much chili powder and pepper. Lets just say it was SUPER spicy and barely palatable.

Taking that into consideration, I made a recipe that isn’t so spicy 😉 Instead, it is full of flavor, unique, tangy, and slightly sweet. Totally made on a whim too. With a random apricot, tomatillo, some bell peppers, black beans, and an eggplant. Hoping the flavors would work, I got busy in the kitchen.

I knew this could either be a major flop or a major success. That’s my favorite part about cooking. It is all a big experiment! I hate when people say they are too scared to cook, don’t know how, or where to start. You aren’t supposed to and you don’t need to know how! I taught myself to cook by just having fun in the kitchen, everyday making something new, always trying in ingredients, new combos, new flavors. Learning and teaching myself everything I needed along the way.

If this plant-based, gluten-free, soy-free, egg-free, dairy-free, meat-free foodie can make great successes in the kitchen all by herself, anyone can. And let me tell you, when you get in the kitchen and really cook and have fun, you will never be bored with food…ever. You will be eating healthy, proud of your creations, and gain a confidence you’ll want to show the world…maybe even start a food blog 😉

So if you get anything out of that rant, just don’t be scared to get in the kitchen and cook! Don’t take having the ability and access to the kitchen for granted. It is a powerful amazing thing and should be utilized to the fullest! Don’t neglect the most important room in your house!

Black Bean Eggplant Roll-Ups with Apricot Tomatillo Salsa

Ingredients: (serves: 4, makes 8 rolls)

Apricot Tomatillo Salsa:

+ 1 Medium Tomatillo

+ 1 Large Apricot

+ 3 Drops Stevia

+ 1 Cipolline Onion

+ 1/4 Tsp Chopped Garlic

Black Bean Filling:

+ 2 Cups Cooked Black Beans

+ 1 Cup Chopped Bell Peppers (I used a tri-colored mix)

+ 2 Cipolline Onions

+ 1/4 Tsp Chopped Garlic

+ 1/4 Tsp Cumin

+ 1/2 TB Dried Cilantro

+ 1/2 TB Chili Powder

Eggplant:

+ 1 Large and Long Eggplant

Directions:

+ For the salsa, chop the apricot and tomatillo into quartered pieces and place all ingredients in a food processor. Process until you get a chunky salsa texture. Set aside.

+ For the bean filling, again, place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until you get a smooth, hummus-like texture. Set aside.

+ Now slice your eggplant length-wise in about 1/4in think slices. You can use a mandiline or a knife. Once you have the slices, grill them on each side for about 5 minutes. They need to be soft enough for rolling, but firm enough to hold the filling.

+ Preheat the oven to 415°F. Take each eggplant slice and put about 2 tablespoons of the bean filling on one end. Carefully roll it up and place a tooth pick in to secure it. Continue with the rest of the slices and filling. Place all your rolls in a baking pan and pour the salsa on top of all the rolls.

+ Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes. Remove and serve!

And the flavors worked! I was so happy digging into these. It was risky because I was starving by the time I finished making and photographing these. I remember the rain clouds were rolling in to so I had to snap some photos quickly and get these done. If these didn’t taste good and flopped, I would have majorly cried and screamed. Thankfully that didn’t happen and my tummy could happily be satisfied and the rain started pouring down outside 🙂 I’ll take it!

So tell me:

+ If you’re reading this blog, you must be at least semi-interesting in cooking and food. But I still have to ask, are you scared of the kitchen and experimenting? Do you enjoy cooking? I wish my mom loved cooking and food as much as me. She says she liked food, just has no desire to actually do the cooking. Sad life. But I think she is just scared of cooking. I really should teach her…if only I had the patience! 😉

+ If you had to teach a beginner cook one recipe, what would it be? Pancakes! It is so important and beneficial to have pancake making secured under your belt. They can be made sweet or savory, and are a base for other baking too! If you know how to make perfect vegan and gluten-free pancakes, your golden 😉

*Recipe linking up for the week! WIAW, Allergy Free Wednesdays, #RecipeFridays, #RecipeOfTheWeek, #StrangeButGood, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Real Food Friday, Gluten-Free Fridays, Tasty Tuesdays, Savoring Saturdays, Healthy Vegan Fridays, #WeekendBites, Real Food Recipe Roundup, Gluten-Free Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, Meatless Mondays, Lena’s Tasty Tuesdays!*