Meatless Monday: Grain-Free Apple-Pomegranate Breakfast Crumble

May 20, 2013 by · 7 Comments

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The writing of cookbook #2 is well underway. Well, not so much the writing, per se, but the recipe development.

As someone who is fortunate enough to not have to follow a gluten-free diet, I do not eat a strict gluten-free diet. It just so happens that many recipes I make are naturally gluten-free or can be made gluten-free. However, as a dietitian, I should know more about gluten-free cooking and baking. Taking on this gluten-free/almond flour cookbook was a huge step outside my comfort zone. Huge. But I am always…always up for a good challenge.

My pantry is now full of everything from almond flour to tapioca starch to brown rice flour…and everything in between.

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Other than 1 or 2 epic failures, the process of developing gluten-free recipes has gone…way, WAY better than expected. Way better. To say I’ve been thrilled with the results would be an understatement.

Outside of actually learning about gluten-free cooking and baking, I’ve also been enjoying the new tastes, textures, and flavors of gluten-free flours, such as almond flour. Unlike other flours, nut flours are incredibly rich and surprisingly versatile. Also, they’re packed with nutrition by way of heart healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

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This breakfast crumble has been on my must-make list for ages. Apples, nor pomegranates, are in season, but I was still drawn to making this recipe for breakfast over the weekend. I love the tart crunch both fruits have to offer which are sweetened up with the honey, and made rich with the flavors of coconut oil and almond flour. The tapioca starch helps absorb excess moisture given off from the fruit.

A cup of coffee and a heaping scoop of breakfast crumble makes for another gluten-free recipe success and another weekend made a little sweeter with a delicious, nutritious breakfast…and leftovers for the week ahead :)

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Grain-Free Apple-Pomegranate Breakfast Crumble from Perry’s Plate

Filling:
3 apples, cored and diced
1 cup pomegranate arils
2 Tbsp honey
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp cinnamon

Crumble:
1 cup blanched almond flour *
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp equivalent stevia, or another dry sweetener, to taste
3 Tbsp melted coconut oil, divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place apples and pomegranate arils in an 8-in x 8-in baking dish. Drizzle with honey and lemon juice; toss well. Sprinkle the tapioca starch and cinnamon over the top and toss to coat.

In a small bowl, whisk together the almond flour, walnuts, nutmeg, and stevia. Stir in the coconut oil and mix well to become a crumbly mixture. Spread the crumble evenly over the fruit. Bake crumble for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm.

Yield: 4 servings

Nutrition Information (per serving): 456 calories; 29.0 g. fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 13 mg. sodium; 46.3 g. carbohydrate; 7.3 g. fiber; 7.8 g. protein; 26.5 g. sugar

*Thank you to the kind people of Honeyville for producing a great blanched almond flour and their product donation to my cookbook project!

Result: Pomegranate arils are one of the most underused fruits and dishes like this make me thankful for finding new uses for them in cooking and baking. Granted, I could eat pomegranate on its own daily, but the arils adds a fun crunch and tart bite to this morning crumble. It’s hard to believe this is breakfast…not dessert, though it could be either :) Enjoy!

Hi ho, hi ho…off to work I go.

Be well,

sig4

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Filed Under: 450 calories or less, carb-controlled, fiber, fruits and vegetables, gluten-free, heart health, kid-friendly, recipe, Uncategorized, vegan, vegetarian ·

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad + Weekly Menu

May 19, 2013 by · 4 Comments

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Michigan had a frost last week. The owners of my Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) were concerned that the unusually cold May temperatures would ruin what had been planted. After last year’s fruit crop being completely trashed by the weather, I was concerned, too. But it sounds like everything survived. Phew.

Hopefully, just hopefully, we can start putting spring behind us (and certainly winter), and begin to move into summer temperatures.

Lord knows the mosquitoes were out in full force last night. #notcool

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While my CSA deliveries are still a few weeks out, signs of fresh, local produce are here. Other than the fresh picked, local asparagus we’ve been enjoying, the grocery stores are starting to fill up with other local produce. Rhubarb, anyone? :)

Even produce that is not yet in season…is beginning to taste a whole lot better. A tomato almost tastes like an actual tomato. I can’t wait to have too many of them luring fruit flies into my home. That’s one problem I don’t mind having. …especially after I learned that a little dish of water, apple cider vinegar, and dish soap do the trick as far as catching the little buggers.

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I digress.

Fruits and vegetables are coming into their prime season and salads have been a welcome addition to dinners as of late. When salads are full of this much flavor, this much color, this much texture, this much nutrition, this much fiber…and protein, with fat and sodium levels in check…it is seriously note-worthy. It’s a meal you won’t hear complaints over. Only raves and requests for more.

Yep, it’s one of those.

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Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad from Cooking Light

Dressing:
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
4 tsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

Salad:
1 head Romaine, chopped
12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 avocado, peeled and diced
1/3 red onion, thinly sliced
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8 3/4 oz) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, drained and rinsed

Directions:

To prepare dressing, combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl; mix well and set aside.

To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 entree portions

Nutrition Information (per serving): 300 calories; 5.5 g. fat; 41 mg. cholesterol; 438 mg. sodium; 30.5 g. carbohydrate; 11.0 g. fiber; 34.5 g. protein; 6.3 g. sugar

Result: Incredibly quick to throw together (especially if you use leftover chicken or a rotisserie), and packed with flavor, no calories…this meal was rated 5 stars by Cooking Light reviewers, and I’d have to agree. This was delicious. lots of bold flavors and the yogurt dressing was unique, spicy, fun, and summery. A meal for 300 calories that is this filling and packed with nutrition? Amazing. Enjoy!

Weekly Menu: May 19th – May 23rd

Cookbooking today!

Be well,

sig4

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Filed Under: 300 calories or less, carb-controlled, fiber, fruits and vegetables, gluten-free, guilt-free, quick meals, recipe, reduced-calorie, spicy, weekly menu ·

Roasted Tomatillo and Black Bean Tacos

May 17, 2013 by · 4 Comments

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I tempted fate…

The week got worse. Hard to imagine, but it did.

I was chasing down a referral for diabetic education yesterday, literally. From registration to the doctor’s office and back again. Who said EMR would eliminate all the struggles with modern-day health care? Notsomuch.

I was returning to the kitchen, 10 minutes into lunch service, when someone screamed, “THERE IS WATER POURING FROM THE CEILING IN THE CAFETERIA!!! PAGE MAINTENANCE…STAT!!!!!!”

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I glanced quickly into the cafeteria and sure enough, that yell was, if anything, an understatement. It was RAIN FOREST CAFE. Literally. My staff reacted as quickly and effectively as possible and I had maintenance paged…STAT.

Water was pouring from air vents, ceiling tiles, you name it. We had pots, pans, Igloo coolers, trash cans, and everything else strewn across the floor…trying to catch the water…but not doing very well at all. We had to discard all of the cold prepared salads, the soup, all of the salad bar…it was a disaster. There were people everywhere with mops…and people still trying to get in for lunch.

About 30 minutes later, the pouring had been reduced to a dripping. Most of the water was off the floor, and lunch service continued. Chaos continued, I should say.

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When the lunchtime had passed, we finally had a chance to sit down and breathe. Debbie looked at me, totally exhausted, and we just laughed. If it wasn’t hectic enough to feed the entire hospital a free lunch yesterday for Hospital Week, it had to RAIN during lunch today. I mean, what gives?

She was finishing up next week’s cafeteria menu and as usual, joked about my love of Mexican food. If you throw something in a tortilla, chances are I’ll love it. I saw this recipe pop into my inbox and was drawn to the tomatillos. At $1.99/pound, tomatillos are such a fun food to experiment with. I was surprised at how substantial the beans, bell pepper, and onion could be…and how over-the-top a bit of avocado and queso fresco could make these tacos.

Yes, I could eat Mexican food any day in any way, but these…really are worthy of repeating!

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Roasted Tomatillo and Black Bean Tacos from Vegetarian Times

¾ lb fresh whole tomatillos, husks removed and halved
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 onion, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into ½-inch pieces
1/4 cup cilantro
1 jalapeño pepper, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp salt and black pepper, to taste
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
1/2 avocado, diced
2 oz queso fresco, crumbled

Directions:

Preheat oven to broil. Place oven rack 3 inches from heat source. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray, and spread tomatillos, garlic, onion, and red bell pepper on prepared baking sheet with the bell pepper and onion separate from the tomatillos and garlic. Broil 12 minutes, or until tomatillos are blistered and charred, and onion and bell pepper are softened and charred, tossing once halfway through cooking time.

Pulse tomatillos, garlic, cilantro, jalapeño, salt, and pepper in a food processor until just slightly chunky.

Toss 1/2 cup tomatillo sauce with black beans, red bell pepper, and onion; keep warm.

Fill tortillas with black bean mixture, avocado, and queso fresco. Serve remaining tomatillo sauce over the tacos, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings (2 tacos each)

Nutrition Information (per serving): 333 calories; 9.8 g. fat; 8 mg. cholesterol; 747 mg. sodium; 52.5 g. carbohydrate; 13.3 g. fiber; 14.0 g. protein; 6.0 g. sugar

Result: I thought I would enjoy these tacos, but I loved them…Mr. Prevention, too. He jokingly remarked that they were good, “even if it isn’t Meatless Monday.” They were easy to make, and affordable ingredients to buy. The tomatillo mixture is spicy, so scale back the jalapeno if you prefer things on the milder side. The queso fresco and avocado make them as good as they are…enjoy!

 TGIF!!! I think furniture shopping must happen this weekend…

Be well,

sig4

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Filed Under: 350 calories or less, fiber, fruits and vegetables, gluten-free, quick meals, recipe, spicy, Uncategorized, vegetarian ·