Category: PASTA & NOODLES

Zucchini Spirals with Faux Alfredo Sauce

9/12/2023

This is a RAW recipe and is a perfect summer meal. You can quickly heat the zucchini if you want this dish warm but don’t cook long or you’ll have a mushy mess. Don’t premix this salad with the sauce as it will become watery.

Ingredients:

1 small zucchini – spiralized

Sauce:

1 container silken tofu
2 Tbs. filtered water
1.5 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. tamari
2 Tbs. fresh rosemary, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Tbs. nutritional yeast

Garnish with fresh chopped basil and black pepper

Method:

Spiralize the zucchini and lightly salt and set aside. Zucchini holds a lot of water. To help get rid of the excess water after spiralizing, lightly salt the zucchini to draw out the water and let sit for half an hour then drain off the liquid. If you are salt free, obviously omit the salt and let the noodles sit on paper towels.
Put tofu, water, lemon juice, tamari, rosemary, garlic, nutritional yeast and sea salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. Add extra water to get the consistency you like. This sauce makes over a cup and stores well in the fridge. So, you should have enough sauce for 2-3 servings.
Put the drained zucchini noodles in a bowl.
Pour on dressing, about one third to a half, and mix lightly with the zucchini noodles.
Top with chopped basil and black pepper and serve.

*Store the remaining alfredo sauce in the fridge.

Go here to print this recipe: zucchini_spirals_with_faux_alfredo_sauce.docx

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Oil Free Pesto on Pasta with Steamed Greens

9/2/2023

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Adding steamed vegetables really bulks up the serving size while adding healthy greens. My favorite is bok choy but you can use any other leafy greens you have on hand.

The pesto is oil free but does contain nuts. The pesto recipe makes enough for two servings. So divide it up and freeze one serving or double the pasta and greens to serve two people.

Ingredients:

Oil-Free Pesto:

2 cups tightly packed basil
½ cup walnuts or pine nuts
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 Tbs. nutritional yeast

Pasta & Greens:

1 cup cooked gluten-free brown rice pasta. (Or to lower the calories use zoodles or konjac noodles.)
2-3 cups bok choy, chopped

Method:

To make the pesto, add all ingredients to food processor and process until well combined. If it is too dry to combine, add a little water to thin it out.
Cook the pasta as directed on the package or until al dente (10 minutes tops).
Chop and lightly steam the bok choy.
Drain the pasta, stir through the pesto and bok choy and serve in a bowl or on a plate.

Go here to print this recipe: oil_free_pesto_on_pasta_with_steamed_greens.docx

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Compliant Raw Zoodle Salad

8/25/2023

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Feel like pasta but it’s too stinking hot? Got zucchini you need to eat up. Here is the perfect recipe. This is a great salad for lunch or as a different kind of salad to take to a potluck.

Ingredients:

2 zucchinis
1 large tomato
6 soaked, sun-dried tomatoes
¼ - ½ cup water or tomato juice
2 cloves garlic
1 soaked date
2 Tbs. fresh basil
Salt free seasoning and/or pepper to taste

Method:

Soak the sun-dried tomatoes and date in the water/tomato juice for a couple of hours or even overnight.
Spiralize the zucchini into noodles, or with a peeler into ribbons, and place in a large serving bowl. Tip: line the bowl with paper towel and let zucchini rest for 15 minutes to dispel excess water into the paper towel. Then discard paper towel.
For the sauce, place the tomato, sun-dried tomatoes, water, garlic, date, basil and seasoning in a food processor/blender until smooth.
To serve, place the zucchini noodles into a big bowl and pour the raw sauce over the top, just like you would for a bowl of pasta and toss to mix.

Tip: You can blanch the noodles in boiling water for two minutes so you can serve this dish hot in winter.

Health Benefits:
Zucchini provides you with lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids that promote healthy eyesight. They’re also a source of magnesium, folate and fiber.

Go here to print this recipe: compliant_raw_zoodle_salad.docx

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Compliant Chow Mein with Konjac Noodles

5/10/2022

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This recipe is oil free and uses versatile konjac noodles in place of regular egg noodles making this a low-calorie meal. It’s so liberating to be able to enjoy guilt free healthy noodles at last. If you want to learn more about the benefits of these noodles, read my article: Cooking with Konjac Root: A Noodle Fiend’s Solution

Ingredients: Makes 2 big servings

Up to ¾ cup low sodium soup stock for ‘frying’
½ a medium onion, sliced
¼ small head of cabbage, finely sliced
1 large handful of bean sprouts
2-3 shitake mushrooms, sliced
A little grated carrot for color (optional)
1 Tbs. lite tamari (optional)
Konjac noodles, traditional style, rinsed well
1 green onion sliced
1 tsp. raw sesame seeds (optional)

Method:

Heat a wok or large skillet on medium high.
Add onion and ¼ cup soup stock and fast fry for 1 minute.
Add cabbage, bean sprouts, and mushrooms and more liquid as needed and fast fry for 5 minutes until vegetables are soft.
Add carrot and tamari (if using) and mix through.

Okay….at this point remove half the vegetables to a glass storage container if you are not eating both servings now.

Finishing:

Add the rinsed noodles to the vegetable mixture and heat through stirring and adding liquid if needed.
Once heated through, serve in a bowl topped with sliced green onion and sesame seeds if using.

Note: You can heat through refrigerated leftovers and noodles in the microwave for about 2 minutes and top with the fresh green onion and seeds if using. Remember that konjac noodles last for 2 days when stored in clean water in the fridge.

Go here to print this recipe: compliant_chow_mein_with_konjac_noodles.docx

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Compliant Lentil Mushroom Balls with Marinara Sauce

4/30/2022

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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

Comments

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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BREAK THE CYCLE RECIPES

ALL SALT, OIL & SUGAR FREE

Zucchini Spirals with Faux Alfredo Sauce

Oil Free Pesto on Pasta with Steamed Greens

Compliant Raw Zoodle Salad

Compliant Chow Mein with Konjac Noodles

Compliant Lentil Mushroom Balls with Marinara Sauce

Low Fat Thai Coconut Curry with Chickpeas

Archives

Categories

BREAK THE CYCLE RECIPESALL SALT, OIL & SUGAR FREE

Zucchini Spirals with Faux Alfredo Sauce

Oil Free Pesto on Pasta with Steamed Greens

Compliant Raw Zoodle Salad

Compliant Chow Mein with Konjac Noodles

Compliant Lentil Mushroom Balls with Marinara Sauce

Low Fat Thai Coconut Curry with Chickpeas

Archives

Categories

BREAK THE CYCLE RECIPES

ALL SALT, OIL & SUGAR FREE