Suzie Carpenter - Cook With Love

Cook With Love

Veggie Smothered Pasta

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veggiepasta2I love this recipe!

This is one of my favorite go to meals and my husband’s too. I make it once a week with an assortment of veggies.  It’s perfect for when the fridge is starting to look empty and all that’s there is a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Mixing veggies together makes it so much more fun and colorful. Pick whatever veggies you like best and get creative, just as if you were painting a picture.

The pasta we use is Tolerant red lentil pasta because it tastes and looks like the real deal, unlike some gluten free pastas that are too sticky or lack flavor. As an added bonus, it is made purely from lentils and is very high in protein. Another amazing gluten free and paleo (grain free) pasta is Cappello’s fettuccine made with almond flour and eggs.

Fair warning, both options are much more expensive than traditional pasta, but remember you are paying for pure, organic, nutrient dense ingredients. As a result, there’s no belly bloat, sluggishness or cravings for more after eating these noodles. Besides we only use a little bit of pasta and smother it with lots of veggies 🙂

With this recipe, no tomato sauce is needed. In fact it’s preferred not to use it with this recipe. Instead, we toss our pasta with Body Bio magic oil before smothering it with the sautéed veggies (only use this oil raw do not cook with it). It’s so good, it needs a spoon to lap it all up!

 

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Veggie Smothered Pasta

1 cup chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped broccoli florets
1/2 cup chopped leeks or onion
2 cups raw spinach
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons coconut or olive oil

Place oil in a large sauté or stir fry pan. Stir in onion and cook until tender and translucent. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon. Add broccoli and zucchini. Cook over medium high heat until tender and beginning to brown. Remove and set aside. Add more oil as needed and stir in mushrooms and garlic. Once mushrooms are beginning to brown, add the spinach and cook until wilted. Stir all vegetables together before placing over pasta. Sprinkle with pine nuts.

Serves 2

 

Broccoli Apple Salad

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img_2426 The past few weeks I’ve been getting a lot of broccoli from my CSA (community supported agriculture). I love broccoli, and lucky for me, so does my family.

One of my favorite ways to make broccoli is to blanch it and then eat it as a snack with hummus or save it for later to use in salads or a quick stir fry. A simple toss in boiling water for just 30 seconds makes a big difference in the flavor and texture of broccoli. Broccoli florets are much more palatable when they’ve lost that squeaky, crunchy raw texture. Don’t get me wrong, I will eat broccoli raw, but when I have the time, a quick dunk in boiling water really saves the day 🙂

In this version, I added some fresh chopped mint and basil for additional layers of flavor. I also tossed in chopped hard boiled egg for a protein boost since I was feeling extra hungry after my workout! I didn’t use the crumbled bacon, cranberries or walnuts because I was in too much of a hurry, but you can imagine that they would all make it even more delicious, yum! Oh and if you don’t have time to make your own mayonnaise, I recommend this mayonnaise.

img_2437Broccoli and Apple Salad
2 heads of broccoli
2 carrots, peeled and grated
2 apples, granny smith or pink lady, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 pieces cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)

Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Pinch cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper

Chop off broccoli stems and cut florets in to bite sized pieces. Fill a large sauce pan filled half way with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Place chopped broccoli florets into the water and blanch for 30 seconds to one minute, that’s it! Remove and rinse with cold water until cool.

Whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Place broccoli in a large bowl.  Add carrot, apple, and onion. Toss with dressing until even coated. Add more dressing as needed, as you like it. Sprinkle with cranberries, walnuts and bacon.

Best if eaten immediately!

Serves 4

Red Quinoa Buddha Bowl

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When I first heard the term Buddha bowl I wondered what it meant.  What made a Buddha bowl a Buddha bowl?  It wasn’t a bowl in the shape of Buddha.

No, essentially it is just a cute and clever name for a salad, a super colorful, healthy, appealing and appetizing salad.

A Buddha bowl is really just a trendy name for a fun way to serve a bowl of veggies.  I love it.

But the buddha bowl is more than just a bowl of veggies.  Energetically it’s supposed to lift your spirits and to enhance feelings of gratitude and goodness.  It’s meant to be eaten with mindful attention to what you are putting in your body and why.  Honor your food, honor your body and you will feel amazing.  Now that’s why I like the Buddha bowl.

So I say put whatever you want in that Buddha bowl, get creative have fun with color, texture taste and make it your own.  This one I made with quinoa and whatever veggies I had in my refrigerator.

Quinoa, pronounced keen wah, is an ancient grain relatively new to our gluten free markets.  In its native country of Bolivia, it’s known as the mother grain and has been a staple in diets there for thousands of years.

Red quinoa is beautiful to look at and delicious to eat. Quinoa comes in three varieties – red, black and white.  It has a mild slightly nutty flavor and is an ideal gluten free alternative to pasta.

Wheat, rice and other grains are missing one or more essential amino acids. Whereas, quinoa has them all – making it a complete protein.  Amino acids are often referred to as the building blocks of the body. We need amino acids to build muscle and repair tissue, plus they play many other important roles in our health.

Not only is quinoa naturally packed with protein, but it also contains a healthy amount of fiber, iron magnesium and omega 3 fatty acids.  Quinoa is a feel good food –  it tastes great and also energizes and nourishes the body.  A win win!

Red Quinoa Buddha Bowl

1 cup quinoa
8 ounces fresh spinach leaves
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup chopped carrots (sliced in rounds or on the diagonal)
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt fresh ground pepper

Cook quinoa according to the instructions on the package.  Place 1 inch of water in a sauce pan and add steamer basket.  Steam spinach until wilted.  Remove spinach from steamer and add carrots and broccoli.  Steam for 3 minutes or until tender, as you like it.  Whisk vinegar and oil together in a small ball to make the dressing.   Place quinoa and veggies in a large bowl.  Pour dressing over top and gently toss to combine.

Makes 4 servings

Recipe: Spring Stir Fry with Fresh Turmeric

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Spring is finally here, yay!

With the sense of renewal, rebirth and fresh start that comes with the season, I’ve been experimenting with some new ideas and new foods (new to me anyway).

Two of my favorites from the past week are red palm oil, read about it here and fresh grated turmeric.

Turmeric is an amazing anti-inflammatory agent, and many people find relief from pain by using turmeric supplements or adding more of it into their diets.  I love adding powdered turmeric to soups, stews or even a batch of lentils.

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Fresh turmeric is a whole new experience.  It’s got a brilliant orange color and extremely fresh taste when compared to it’s powdered form.  On the outside it looks like ginger with it’s brown rippled skin, but on the inside it’s a bright beautiful orange color.

Try it and let me know what you think:)

Spring Veggie Stir Fry with Fresh Turmeric

2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup sugar snap peas, ends snipped
1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced into thin strips
2 teaspoons fresh grated turmeric or ginger root
1 tablespoon red palm oil
coarse sea salt
fresh ground pepper

Fill a saucepan half way with water and bring to a boil.  Place broccoli in the boiling water and let cook for one minute, no more.  Remove broccoli with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to dry.

Heat red palm oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat.  Add veggies and stir fry for two minutes.  Sprinkle with sea salt, fresh ground pepper and freshly grated turmeric or ginger.  Serve with Tamari or coconut amino’s.  YUM!

Though I must admit, I like mine plain, no sauce 🙂

 

The New Spaghetti

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Photo source: Eat Boutique!

Photo source: Eat Boutique!

Spaghetti squash one of the coolest veggies out there.  It’s super easy to make and so twirly!

Even though it looks similar to other winter squashes, spaghetti squash is different because its flesh separates into spaghetti-like strands after it’s cooked.

Whether you eat Paleo, avoid carbs, or are gluten free, spaghetti squash is the perfect substitute for spaghetti.  Of course, it doesn’t taste the same, but it provides a similar sensation of eating stringy pasta without giving you that the sluggish, bloated feeling after eating it.

That’s because spaghetti squash has only 7 grams of carbohydrates; whereas regular pasta has 31 grams.  It’s also easier to stick to an appropriate portion size with spaghetti squash.  The gluten in regular spaghetti makes it more addicting and is often the reason for that bloated feeling.

Spaghetti squash is super versatile.  I love adding some to my winter squash soup recipes or eating it as side dish with tomato sauce.

Prepare spaghetti squash by cutting it in half lengthwise, scooping out the seeds and then baking the halves until they’re tender. Scrape a fork across the flesh to separate it into strands. Serve the squash the same way you would pasta; use your favorite sauce or simply drizzle olive oil and sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top. YUM!

If you want a quicker way to cook it, here’s how to microwave it.  Halve squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Poke the outer flesh with a fork several times.  Place facedown in a microwave-safe dish with one cup of water. Microwave, uncovered, on high until the flesh can be easily scraped with a fork, about 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the squash.

Pamper yourself with good food 🙂

xo

 

Cilantro Pistachio Pesto (Dairy Free)

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The other day I bought some organic cilantro from one of my favorite places to shop – Annye’s Whole Foods in Nantucket. As often happens for me, especially in summer, buying it was merely an impulse purchase. Bottom line, it just looked too good to pass up.

With no recipe in mind, I wasn’t sure what to do with it once got home, but certainly wasn’t going to let it go to waste especially knowing how much it cost!

After organizing what was already in the fridge and thinking about our upcoming meal possibilities, it suddenly dawned on me that I wanted to make cilantro pesto. Not having thought about this possibility while at the store, the trouble was I had only purchased one of the ingredients for the pesto.

Scrounging through the kitchen cabinets, I discovered I could make it work with what was there and thankfully avoided another trip to the store. In doing so though, I had to give up my vision of making the pesto with pine nuts and instead resigned to make it with a new nut – one that I don’t usually have in the cupboard or use to make pesto – pistachios.

In the end, the pesto was a surprisingly delicious discovery with a mouth-watering depth of flavor. Being on vacation at the time, my motivation in making the pesto was to spread it on sandwiches (gluten free wraps actually) for lunch at the beach. But I also really enjoy pesto on navy beans, chicken, fish, steak, veggies and gluten free pasta.

Not only does pesto have versatile applications, but it’s also an excellent way to use up any kind of greens such as spinach, swiss chard, collard greens or herbs from your garden.  Extra bonus!  In addition, pesto is a fabulous way get more dark leafy greens into your diet without having to chew through a bowl of steamed leaves.

When I make pesto, it’s always without cheese.  Trust me here. Really, no cheese is needed. Using nuts or seeds gives it the proper thickness without having to add cheese.  For those of us with lactose intolerance or sensitivity to whey or casein, finding delicious recipes without cheese is always an exciting and rewarding revelation!

What’s your favorite way to make pesto?

Cilantro Pistachio Pesto

1 cup unsalted raw pistachios
2 bunches fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 garlic clove peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Wash and dry cilantro (you don’t need to trim off stems). Place pistachios and garlic in bowl of food processor. Pulse until loosely ground, so texture resembles gravel. Add cilantro and pulse again so that cilantro evenly combines with nut mixture. Pour in lemon juice and pulse again.  Then, slowly pour in the olive oil in a steady stream while the motor is running. Add salt and pepper to taste.  yum!

Makes about 1 1/2 cups pesto