SO DELICIOUS Coconut Milk Yogurt Review

I’ve been waiting for someone to develop a non-dairy, non-soy yogurt for a while, and my wish has been granted.  SO DELICIOUS is just that…a delicious probiotic treat without the allergens:

 

June 15, 2011. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Cooking, Recipes. Leave a comment.

Alfonso XIII Paella

Alfonso XIII, Madrid, Spain, European Travel, Adventure, Metro, Tour

Inspiration:

Well, this recipe is a tribute to my girls of Alfonso XIII.  When I was living in Madrid my roommate, Emily, and our good friend, Danielle, and I all lived at the Metro stop of Alfonso XIII.  This was our point for departure for various adventures in Madrid. I hope this paella provides a culinary adventure for you!

Ingredients:

1/2 chopped red bell pepper

3/4 c chopped eggplant

1 sweet onion diced

1-2 cloves of minced garlic

Paprika

Sea Salt

1 c white rice

3 c Chicken Broth

Saffron

3/4 lb. of peeled, deveined wild shrimp

1 c Shredded Chicken

1 c frozen artichoke hearts

1 can of rinsed chickpeas or garbanzo beans

2-4 T chopped Flat leaf parsley

Directions:

1. Heat pan with tight-fitting lid to medium high heat.  Add a couple turns of olive oil.

2. Add first three veggies and saute until tender.

3.  Push veggies to the side.  Add a little pool of olive oil in the center of the pan.  To it add the minced garlic.

4. Lightly season veggies with sea salt and paprika.

5. Add  rice to the veggie mixture.  Stir around to coat rice with the oil and lightly cook.

6. Add chicken broth as well as a pinch (a few threads) of saffron to the dish.

7. Add shrimp, chicken, and artichoke hearts to the pan.

8. Bring pan up to a bubble.  Then turn down to simmer, place lid on top and allow to cook for about 15 minutes.

9. Once rice and shrimp are tender, add garbanzo beans, season liberally with salt, add a little extra paprika, and a turn or so of olive oil.

10. Stir together, cover and cook for another 5 minutes or less to allow flavors to meld.

11.  Serve and eat!

June 13, 2011. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Cooking, Recipes. Leave a comment.

NEWS FLASH: Queso Manchego is Free of Cow’s Milk!

Oh happy, happy day!  When I was studying abroad in Madrid…

Spain, Spanish, Madrid, Merienda, Suchard, Chocolate, Snack, European
..Yes, I said STUDYING!  I did work hard in Madrid contrary to popular belief.  Anyway, like I was  saying, while there I fell in love with a couple of things:

1. Rioja wine

2. Queso Manchego

I’m here to discuss the latter.  You could not eat at any tapas bar in Madrid without running across Queso Manchego served in beautiful little triangular slices drizzled with olive oil.   When I first received my food allergy diagnosis, I just thought that I was never going to eat cheese again.  Now that I am aware of my cow’s milk allergy, I am slowly realizing that there are so many cheeses in this world, which do not contain cow’s milk, and Queso Manchego is one of them!  Join me sipping wine and dining on Queso Manchego with the tastiest little gluten free Rice crackers.

June 6, 2011. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Cooking, Recipes. 1 comment.

Fish Tacos with Tomatillo Avocado Cream

I love fish tacos!  With all my restrictions I thought they were a goner from my diet, but not so!  This is a great summery meal.  Enjoy!  (By the way, I meant to say that I caught not cooked the fish..well I suppose I did both actually. 🙂

Ingredients for two:

4-5 tomatillos

1 large Haas Avocado

Blackened Fish Mixture

Spices: Salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika

Juice of half a lime

4 pieces of white fish of your choice

Olive Oil

Cabbage

Rice tortillas or large butter lettuce leaves

1. Simmer tomatillos in gently boiling water, just enough to cover the tomatillos.  Cook 5-10 minutes or just until gently yielding when pricked with a paring knife.

2. Puree the tomatillos along with a little bit of the cooking liquid, just enough to allow the tomatillos to loosen and puree uniformly. Set aside.

3. Add a portion of the tomatillo puree to one 1 large Hass avocado.  Continue to add the tomatillo puree until the avocado mixture reaches a creamy consistency.  Season with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, juice of half a lime to taste. (Feel free to add any other seasonings you would normally put in your favorite guacamole. )  Set aside.

4. Pat dry fish of your choice.

5. Sprinkle lightly with fish seasoning

5. Bring pan to medium high heat.  Coat with a couple turns of oil.

6. Add fish to pan and allow to cook undisturbed a couple of minutes per side or until desired firmness is reached.

7. Serve cooked fish, topped with thinly sliced cabbage and avocado cream on a rice tortilla or leaf of Butter Lettuce.  Serve with Erica’s Favorite Rice on the side.   Black beans would be a great addition too!

Erica’s Favorite Rice

In the rice cooker dump:

  • 1 c Jasmine rice
  • 2 3/4 c water
  • 1T olive oil
  • Zest of one clean lime
  • 1 t of salt
  • 1/4 c of green (in this case, green onion)

You can also cook this in a pot, and just follow the ratios for water to rice on the package of rice.

Adapted from Lime Cilantro Rice at Allrecipes.com.

May 31, 2011. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Cooking, Recipes. Leave a comment.

Quick Shrimp Cobb Salad

An array of vegetables form delicious, healthy salad

The possibilities with fresh vegetable salads are endless.

This recipe is easy peasy and healthy.  It is great for a light dinner, or for a ladies luncheon kind of a thing.

Quick Shrimp Cobb Salad (for two):


Ingredients:

  • 1 head of washed chopped Romaine Lettuce
  • Lots o’ matchstick carrots or diced/sliced carrots
  • 1 avocado diced
  • 4 pieces of Bacon cooked and crumbled/chopped
  • 2/3-3/4 lb. peeled deveined shrimp
  • Salt, pepper, and paprika

Directions:

1. Lay a bed of greens on a plate and top with the veggies and bacon.

2. In a pan that has heated on medium high, add a couple turns of olive oil to the pan.  Allow to heat for 10 seconds or so, and then add the shrimp.  Cook until the shrimp is done and they form ‘C’ shapes.  Season to taste with salt, pepper, and paprika.

3. Scatter the salad with the shrimp.

4. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing and olive oil.  No dressing is required.  The lemon and olive oil mixed around with the creamy avocado makes its own ‘dressing.’

Adapted from: Shrimp Cobb Salad

Healthy and delish!

May 13, 2011. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Cooking, Recipes. Leave a comment.

I’m JUICING, and it’s Legal!

Seasonal fruits, vegetables, squeeze, fresh healthy juice

Fresh fruits and vegetables when juiced make a healing tonic

That’s right, I have just fallen in love with making fruit and vegetable juices! This was my first juice film and only my second time to juice, so sorry the video is a bit rough:

Here is why juicing is so amazing in a nut shell:

1. Juicing vegetables is particularly beneficial because the juicer smashes everything up into a liquid form that is easily assimilated into your cells, because your body doesn’t have to waste energy digesting the fiber of the vegetable.  Vegetable juices are like an instant multi vitamin to your cells!

2. Juicing is Nature’s liver scrubber.  Your liver, my friends, lives a hard life, especially in this day and age.  It is working overtime to process the crummy food you eat, alcohol, caffeine AND all the crazy toxins that are now in our environment.  Show it some love and help it stay clean with juices, so it can in turn help your whole body stay clean.

Please don’t be dismayed by my ancient juicer or the murky green juice it produces; trust me, it tastes great!

If you have cash to burn and want to buy the Cadillac of juicers, I think something like this would be lovely.

I think juicing is one of those habits where if you adopt it today and juice a few times a week or more, your body is going to thank you ten-fold down the road.  When everyone else is old and wobbly, you’ll be full of life, like this guy.

May 11, 2011. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Cooking, Recipes. Leave a comment.

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March 25, 2011. Cooking, Recipes, Uncategorized. 1 comment.