Spring Rolls

This is my new FAVORITE thing!! The best spring rolls by far!!

Ingredients

1 1/4 oz dry rice noodles (I choose the very thin ones) (about 1 cup cooked)

1 1/4 cups shredded carrots

1 1/4 cups shredded cabbage

2 scallions (I used leeks) sliced very thin

15 fresh basil leaves (chopped)

15 fresh mint leaves (chopped)

2 TBSPs fresh cilantro chopped (I just sprinkled some dry pantry cilantro)

1/4 cup crushed peanuts

1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated (I used powdered ginger I had)

1 tbsp soy sauce (If you want it gluten free, use gluten free soy sauce)(I found a raw coconut aminos that you can use as a soy free supplement) surprisingly good and so much better for you. Coconut Secret makes it.

1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tsp toasted dark sesame seed oil

15 round rice wrappers found in the Asian section of your market

Peanut Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce (look above for supplement)

1 tbsp coconut milk

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tsp Chinese Chili paste (spicy or sweet)

1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Remove from heat and stir in rice noodles. Let stand for 10 minutes stirring occasionally until soft. Drain and rinse under cold water. Cut into 1 inch lengths and transfer to bowl.

2. Add all remaining ingredients except rice papers and peanut sauce to the noodles and mix well. (I chopped everything very small so it blended really well together without being too chunky).

3. Prepare bowl of warm water large enough to fit rice papers in. One at a time, dip the rice paper in the warm water until it begins to soften, 8-10 seconds. Transfer to a flat work surface. Working quickly, put about 1/4 cup filling on each wrapper. Fold the bottom of the wrapper up over the filling, and then fold each side toward the center. Roll from the bottom to the top of each roll, as tightly as you can without ripping the wrapper. Wrap in plastic to keep from drying out. Repeat with remaining. Serve at room temp, with peanut dipping sauce. Refrigerate the rest. Serve cold or room temp.

4. Peanut sauce. In a small bowl, combine the warm water and sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients, whisking until smooth and well blended.

Enjoy!! Your kids will love to help you make these. Don't be overwhelmed by the ingredient list. They are much easier than they look and fun and worth every bit of it!! You will not believe how yummy these are!!!!

Have fun!

Crazy But Good FOR YOU Soup!

I could not believe how beautiful this soup was to make! I have to say I was impressed with the overall results. Found this recipe on theceliacmaniac.com website.

Make sure to use organic ingredients when making this soup.

Ingredients:
1 large onion or leek chopped
1 bunch of beets (about 3) peeled and chopped. Stems and leaves removed
1 large bunch of swiss chard, chopped (stems and leaves)
1 large butternut squash, peeled and chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper (to taste)

Add oil to large pot and saute onions for 2-3 min
Add beets and squash. Add enough water to cover veggies and bring to boil and cook for 10-12 min. Add swiss chard and add more water if needed to cover. Cook for another 10 to 12 minutes or until squash, beets, and chard stems are soft. Remove from heat.

Scoop out into a blender and blend until smooth until all soup is blended. Add salt and pepper.

Freeze some for a quick healthy soup any time you want.

Pair with a great spinach salad. I added shredded red cabbage, carrots, cranberries, chopped almonds, tomatoes and balsamic olive oil dressing and chicken!! YUM!


End result is a little weird I have to say, looks like ketchup but surprisingly it tastes pretty good. If you are not a big beet fan you may not like this soup but if you are more interested in the health benefits of this soup you may just see past the beet taste. I can honestly say that I am not a beet fan and enjoyed this soup. Worth a try. If anything you can always give it away to someone who is a beet fan!!

Mixed Greens Soup

For those who love a super healthy soup! Use organic ingredients if possible.

1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 cup leeks, 1 glove garlic, 8 cups of chicken or veggie broth, 1 large sweet potato, 4 cups of kale, 4 cups rainbow chard, 4 cups collard greens or other chard, 1/2 cup cream (optional), 1/8 tsp white pepper, salt to taste. (I use 1 bunch kale, and 2 bunches of rainbow chard, and green chard) You can use any type of greens you like but 3 large bunches are enough.

In a large pot, add oil and leeks heat until tender then add garlic and cook for 1 min.

Add broth, potato cubes, and greens and stir

Bring to boil, then simmer. Cover partially and simmer 1 hr. Remove and puree

This next part is optional if you want to add cream. I don't add cream to mine.

Return to simmer, uncovered until it thickens (10min)

Skim off foam if any and stir in cream, simmer 10 more minutes

Season with salt and pepper and garnish with lemon

I was surprised at how good this soup was. It would also be a great base soup if you wanted to then add ham, more carrots, and potatoes to make it a chunky soup. I added soup crackers to it and the boys loved it.

Healthy Chicken and Rice

Gluten and Dairy Free

Bake 2 large chicken breasts for 30 minutes at 350. I sprayed olive oil and sprinkled salt and pepper on each before placing in oven.

Cut up 4 cups of broccoli (trader joes bag) and 1 red pepper and steam with 3/4 cup of gluten free chicken broth or low sodium chicken broth until cooked through. I put veggies in my fry pan and covered them with my cutting board and it steamed them perfectly with the broth.

Cook up 2 cups of brown rice.

In a blender or bullet mix together 2Tbsp of Olive Oil, 2 Tbsp of red wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp of dijon mustard, 1 garlic clove, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of ground pepper.

When chicken is done slice up into small pieces.

Add chicken to broccoli and peppers, add rice, and pour sauce over all of it and mix together.

Good, clean, yummy!

Vegetable Minestrone Soup

One of my favorites and so easy to make with the veggies you like.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil (optional)

2 Cups peeled potatoes (I used the small bag of purple, yellow, and red mix)

1 Medium onion or LEEK

2 cups diced celery

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups diced carrots

4 cups of reduced sodium chicken or veggie broth

1 cup diced zucchini

4 oz green beans

1 can of diced tomatoes (I used a huge can since I love tomatoes)

1 can cannellini beans rinsed and drained

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves slivered

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Spices you can add:

lemon zest 2 inch long strip

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp rosemary

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

***Warm oil over medium heat and add potatoes, leek, and celery and cook until veggies start to soften (5min) add garlic and cook until fragrant***

I did all of this in a large soup pot and just added as I went.

Add carrots, broth, lemon zest, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 min or until veggies are tender. Stir in zucchini and green beans and cook for 5 more minutes.

Stir in tomatoes and their juice and cannellini beans and return to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to med low and simmer for 5 min. Stir in 1/4 cup basil.

Top with the remainder of the basil and Parmesan cheese.

This is a recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks but I tend to make it my own with every recipe. I changed it a little and did not measure any of the veggies, just add what you like for veggies, I'd say 1 cup to 2 cups so you don't get too carried away but have fun and pick what you like. You can't really mess it up!