Baked Shells & Cheese (wheat-free) Vegetarian Recipe

Oh sweet decadent bubbling shells in your beautiful glass enclosure… How I do long to indulge in your divine cheesiness. Alas! One must wait for the husband to return from his journeys afar. (my Facebook status today)

Now that we are done the first 3 months of our healing cleanse, once a week we indulge a “cheat meal”. I still stay within the calorie range I’ve set for myself, but I do indulge in at least one thing that I’ve missed on this diet. The number one thing I’ve craved has been homemade mac and cheese, so today, more than 3 months into this cleanse, I am allowing myself to indulge in one small piece. It’s actually better than I remembered. I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.

Ingredients:

1 package brown rice pasta shells, cooked according to package directions
0.5 cup butter
1 t sea salt
1 t freshly ground pepper
0.5 cup kamut flour
1 can evaporated milk
2 cups milk (skim or rice dream)
0.5 lb (0.25 kg) block mozzarella cheese, grated
0.5 lb (0.25 kg) block cheddar cheese, grated
0.25 cup kamut breadcrumbs

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare pasta shells, cooking for lower end of recommended cooking time.
3. In a large pot, melt the butter, and add salt & pepper, then add flour and stir till smooth.
4. Remove pot from heat and add evaporated milk and regular milk.
5. Return to heat, and bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly as mixture thickens.
6. Turn stove off, add grated cheese, stirring until melted.
7. Add cooked shells, stirring gently until all shells are covered in sauce.
8. Pour into a large baking dish and sprinkle bread crumbs over the top. I save a chunk of kamut soda bread and put it through the food processor until ground finely.
9. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
10. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Taking Time to Enjoy the Present

Last night we had another power outage. Last week it was fun. This time I found myself getting annoyed at the inconvenience. I had places to go (tv shows). People to see (online). Things to do (computer work).

It was downright silly to feel that way because I had an amazing new book to read (Watch Over Me by Christa Parrish) and plenty of candlelight to read by. We had food in the fridge and a pot of cold tea that was easily reheated on the wood stove. Our family was together. My son and I spent some time playing “Blink” and my Palm Treo was fully charged so we were able to listen to music.

Yet these was this restless need for things to be “normal” (electricity, cable tv, internet access). I felt unreasonably irritated that some idiot had knocked down an electrical wire. I can understand losing power when the winds are gusting and torrential rain is falling. It can even feel cozy in those circumstances. But the air and ocean were calm. There was no storm. In fact, we had just spent three quarters of an hour meandering down an oceanside road and were just home as dusk fell. The sky was overcast and the threat of rain was in the air, but it was so calm it almost felt balmy.

We were just getting ready to make dinner. Not fair, my brain screamed!

As the hours crept by, my restlessness increased, and I kept calling the hydro power outage line for updates. But I also found ways to distract myself. I took my camera out and snapped pictures of candlelight and a warm wood fire.  I played scrabble and solitaire on my cell phone. I got lost in my book and the good music. In fact, when the lights finally came on 5 minutes before the hydro company had predicted, I barely noticed.

I realized later that these moments are my child’s memory making moments. He literally hoots with joy when the lights go out and cherishes the quiet family time and the one-on-one attention. My lesson? Treasure these moments and be fully present.

Fail Proof Soda Bread (egg free, sugar free & dairy free)

Adapted from a bread machine recipe I found online. I’ve searched and searched and can’t find the link, so if you come across this recipe and it belongs to you (I know your first name), let me know so I can give credit where credit is due.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour (I use kamut, but any flour will work)
4 t baking powder
1 t salt
1.5 cups liquid (I use rice milk, but any liquid will work )
0.25 cup liquid fat (I used melted coconut oil)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix dry ingredients.
3. Mix wet ingredients in separate bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir until there is no more dry flour, but don’t overwork it – it should be lumpy.
5. Oil your hands, gently shape wet dough into a ball or oval.
6. Place on a clean baking sheet. If you like a crispy bottom, pour 1 T of olive oil where you will be placing the dough. For a softer bottom, skip the olive oil. You can score the top of the bread, but I find it cracks naturally and is quite nice without it.
7. Bake for 30 or 40 minutes.

Variations:

• Oil the top of the bread and sprinkle with a savory herb like oregano or rosemary or sea salt.
• Replace liquid with juice and add finely diced dried fruit.
• Replace liquid with tomato juice and add sundried tomatoes.
• Add seeds – the loaf pictured has 2 T flax meal, 2 T sunflower seeds, and 2 T sesame seeds.

Kale Quinoa Lentil Stew Vegetarian Recipe

It’s hard to capture the deliciousness that is this stew in a picture, especially when taking it after dark. The side kick is brown rice and tamari (unintentionally poured in a no. 9).

Adapted from Vegan Yum Yum (I originally found this recipe on a different site, but couldn’t find it again when ready to post this, and this link was the closest to the recipe I used. If this is your recipe, let me know and I will change the credits.)

Kale is in season right now, so I’ve been making this a lot lately. It’s amazing in taste AND healthy! Kale is rich in calcium, lutein, iron, and Vitamins A, C, and K. Kale has seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli and ten times more lutein. Kale is also rich in Vitamin C and much needed fiber. Quinoa has the highest protein of the grain family and is gluten free.

Ingredients:

½ cup green lentils
½ cup quinoa
1 sweet or red onion, finely chopped
4 T olive oil
1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and chopped bite-size
2 cups diced peeled potatoes (about 4 small to medium)
5 cups veggie broth
3 tsp cumin, heaping
2 tsp curry powder
3 Tbsp tahini (sesame butter)
3 tbsp tamari, soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Seasoning

Instructions:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, and add onions, quinoa, and lentils.
• Saute for a few minutes, add spices and kale. Mix well and saute till kale is slightly limp.
• Add veggie broth and potatoes and bring to a boil. Cover and turn down heat to low.
• Simmer for 35 – 40 minutes.
• Carefully blend half the soup in a food processor and return to pot or use hand blender and just pulse about half the soup for some texture
• Add the tahini and tamari and stir again.

Optional: To garnish, mix 1 -2 Tbsp of tahini with a small amount of water until it becomes smooth. Drizzle on top of the soup, add a sprig of parsley and serve.