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Compliant Lentil Mushroom Balls with Marinara Sauce

4/30/2022

This recipe is absolutely fabulous. The combination of lentils and mushrooms gives the texture of meat and fennel seeds are a revelation for giving you that true Italian flavour.

This recipe is oil-free, simply sauté the onions and garlic in water. Choose salt free organic tomato products if possible. There is no added salt in this recipe. Note that tamari and Bragg’s sauces are high in sodium so if you need to lose weight, please omit it.

Lentil Mushroom Balls (makes 14 big balls)

Ingredients:

2/3 cup uncooked lentils
Filtered water
1 small onion, diced finely
2 garlic cloves, minced or diced finely
1 Tbs. lite tamari or Braggs soy sauce (optional)
¼ cup tomato paste
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. fennel seeds
¼ tsp. no salt seasoning like Mrs. Dash
2 cups finely chopped brown mushrooms
1 cup rolled oats (gluten-free is preferable)

Method:

To make the lentil balls, rinse the lentils and add to a pot and add plenty of filtered water (at least 3-4 cups). Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 40 minutes until the lentils are tender. Drain well and set aside to cool. Note: I usually cook the lentils the night before to speed up the process.
In a pan, heat (on medium) a little filtered water and onions, cook until the onions are softened and tender (about 5 minutes).
Add the garlic and sauté a minute more until fragrant. Set aside and cool.
A. In a food processor, add the lentils, onion mixture, and the remaining lentil ball ingredients. Pulse until everything is blended but not completely smooth.
B. I don’t use a food processor. But I have one of those mini electric dicers. I finely chop the onions, garlic, mushrooms and oatmeal in the dicer. In a big bowl, mash the lentils. Add the onion mixture, and the remaining lentil ball ingredients to the lentils. Stir to combine.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the lentil ball mixture into 2–3-inch balls and place them on the baking sheet. Place them in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until firm but still soft in the middle.

Compliant Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

a little filtered water for ‘frying’
1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped finely or minced
1 Tbs. dried basil
1 Tbs. dried oregano
1 Tbs. fennel seeds
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 large can diced tomatoes (no added salt)
1 cup tomato paste (so use remainder from meatballs plus 1 small can) (no salt added)
1 ½ cups filtered water
1 tsp. no salt seasoning

Method:

While the lentil balls are baking, prepare the sauce. In a medium saucepan, heat the water and add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes on medium heat.
Add the garlic and spices and cook for a minute until fragrant.
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, water and no salt seasoning and bring to a simmer.
Reduce heat to low (2 or 3) cover and cook for about 15 minutes until the flavours have combined.
When the lentil balls have finished cooking, toss them with the sauce, and serve garnished with parsley over vegetable pasta or rice.

Freezing and Serving Tips:

These lentil balls and the sauce freeze really well so it is easy to make individual servings. A standard adult serving will include 2 large lentil balls, and 2 cups of sauce.
Freeze the meatballs separately from the sauce in a big freezer bag and freeze the sauce in glass containers.
Serve over konjac noodles, zoodles (zucchini noodles), palm heart noodles or rice.

Go here to print this recipe: compliant_lentil_mushroom_balls_with_marinara_sauce.docx

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Low Fat Thai Coconut Curry with Chickpeas

4/24/2022

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This super fast and easy recipe is absolutely delicious. Get all the flavor and creaminess of coconut milk without the fat and calories. This makes 3 2-cup servings and freezes really well making it a super fast healthy meal on the go. Chickpeas add a great texture and boost the protein content. Serve this over rice or shirataki noodles to really make a meal.

Ingredients

¼ cup filtered water
2 large shallot bulbs, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced or diced finely
2 cups filtered water or 2 cups oat milk
2 Tbs. shredded coconut (preferably sulfite-free)
2 Tbs. tapioca starch
1 Tbs. lite tamari or soy-free coconut seasoning sauce (omit for low sodium meal)
2 Tbs. Thai red curry paste
1 Tbs. dried basil*
½ tsp. turmeric
A little black pepper
1 can chickpeas or 1 ½ cups cooked
1 large tomato, diced
1 cup spinach, shredded

Method

In a blender or bullet make a slurry of water (or plant milk), coconut and tapioca starch. Set aside to give the coconut a chance to rehydrate.
In a medium pot or large deep sauce pan, add water and heat on low medium.
Sauté the shallots and garlic until the shallots are translucent.
Add the coconut slurry, lite tamari, red curry paste, basil, turmeric and pepper and heat through until the coconut slurry has thickened slightly.
Add the chickpeas, tomato and spinach and cook for about 10 minutes on low simmer until the spinach has wilted.
Serve over brown rice or konjac root (shirataki) noodles or cool and freeze in glass containers.

Note: If you have a lot of fresh basil, use 1 cup shredded in place of dried basil and spinach.

I have been experimenting! The pictures from left to right.

Coconut curry made with water and without tapioca starch so almost like a soup.
Coconut curry made with oat milk and tapioca starch so it's a much creamier dish.
Here is the curry with shirataki fettuccini-type noodles
Here is the curry over rice with the 2 2-cup servings for freezing.

Okay, so why did I go to all this trouble to create this recipe. Well, after a couple of years of eating this way, I really missed this yummy recipe and needed to find a guilt free version that would keep the fat and calories low. Not only is coconut milk high in fat, it is high in saturated fat. So, it's a real heart stopper and huge derailer if you want to lose weight.

Below is a table of the fat and calorie comparison:

So, as you can see, if you opted to make this with the oat milk it would be 4 grams of fat and 127 calories per serving. With filtered water it would only be 2.6 grams of fat and 50 calories per serving.
Now that is awesome guilt-free cooking! To learn more about shirataki/konjac noodles check out my article: Cooking with Konjac Root which is coming soon.

Go here to print this recipe: recipe_low_fat_thai_coconut_curry_with_chickpeas.docx

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Overnight Zucchini Apple Oats

4/19/2022

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By Petra Korn Makes 2 servings

Some people can't tolerate vegetables for breakfast every day over the long term. Here's a great recipe by Petra Korn that incorporates some veggies for breakfast as an easy alternative.

Ingredients:

1 small zucchini, grated
1 apple, grated
½ cup rolled oats
¾ cup plant milk or water
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla powder (preferably)
1 Tbsp. raisins or walnuts (optional)

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a big bowl or jar and let sit over night in the fridge.
Serve hot or cold in the morning.

Special notes:

Vanilla powder is compliant. I have yet to see it in a store but you can order it online. Vanilla extract contains alcohol so it is not considered compliant. You can use vanilla extract if this is all you have at home.
Raisins are high in sugar and walnuts are high in fat. If you are trying to lose weight, please omit them from this recipe.
This is not my picture. I am still happy with the giant salad for breakfast.

Go here to print this recipe: overnight_zucchini_apple_oats.docx

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Compliant Lentil Mushroom Loaf with Mushroom Gravy

4/2/2022

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I have altered this recipe from the book Staying Alive! Cookbook for Cancer Free Living. This loaf is absolutely delicious and was a big hit at Christmas. It would also serve well for Easter dinner and family Sunday dinners. Makes 6-10 servings

Ingredients:

¾ cup brown lentils
3 cups of water for boiling
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
A little water for ‘frying’
1 cup finely minced onion
5 large garlic cloves, minced
½ cup brown mushrooms, finely ground
1 Tbs. salt-free seasoning (cremini, shitake, etc.)
2 cups fresh spinach, finely sliced
1 tsp. seeded or Dijon mustard
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
½ cup rolled oats

Method:

Rinse lentils and put in a small pot. Add water, bring to a boil, lower heat to medium low and simmer, covered for 30 minutes until the lentils are mushy and soft. Drain the lentils and transfer to a medium sized mixing bowl, add the vinegar and mash well.
While the lentils are cooking, prepare the onions, garlic, mushrooms in a mini food processor and finely slice the spinach.
Heat the water in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Sauté the onions for about five minutes until translucent. Add the garlic, mushrooms, spinach and seasonings and sauté for another 5-10 minutes until all the vegetables are tender. Preheat oven to 350.
Add the vegetable mixture to the mashed lentils and add the rolled oats. Mix well and spoon into a silicon loaf pan. Press down gently with a spatula.
Bake at 350 F for about 40 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from the loaf pan. Turn out onto a serving plate.
Slice and serve with gravy.

*Because I am the only one eating this in my house, I have made this into 'muffins' for ease of storage. Here are the pictures. So now I have 7 servings that I can freeze in a Ziploc freezer bag and store in the fridge or freezer.

Go here to print this recipe: compliant_lentil_mushroom_loaf.docx

Mushroom Gravy

This recipe was also adapted from Staying Alive: Cookbook for Cancer Free Living. Frankly, there were a few challenges of making this recipe sodium and gluten free. I am including the sodium ingredients as optional.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of filtered water for ‘frying’
1 Tbs. tamari or BRAGG liquid soy seasoning (non-compliant – optional)
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cups finely sliced brown mushrooms (cremini, shitake, etc.)
2 Tbs. gluten-free flour (millet, spelt, tapioca, etc.)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. poultry seasoning or sage
1 tsp. no-salt seasoning
¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Method:

Heat 1/2 cup of water and tamari (if using) in a large pot.
Add onions and mushrooms. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium. Stir frequently.
Mix the flour and seasoning with 2 cups of hot filtered water. Use a whisk.
Add the flour mixture to the onion mixture.
With the whisk, stir constantly over medium heat until thick.
For a smoother gravy, blend with an immersion blender.

Makes about 2 cups.

Go here to print this recipe: compliant_mushroom_gravy.docx

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BREAK THE CYCLE RECIPES

ALL SALT, OIL & SUGAR FREE

Compliant Lentil Mushroom Balls with Marinara Sauce

Low Fat Thai Coconut Curry with Chickpeas

Overnight Zucchini Apple Oats

Compliant Lentil Mushroom Loaf with Mushroom Gravy

Mushroom Gravy

Archives

Categories

BREAK THE CYCLE RECIPESALL SALT, OIL & SUGAR FREE

Compliant Lentil Mushroom Balls with Marinara Sauce

Low Fat Thai Coconut Curry with Chickpeas

Overnight Zucchini Apple Oats

Compliant Lentil Mushroom Loaf with Mushroom Gravy

Mushroom Gravy

Archives

Categories

BREAK THE CYCLE RECIPES

ALL SALT, OIL & SUGAR FREE