We have had the lovely pleasure of a visit from our son Jarrod and his wife Anook visiting from Montreal.  We have been visiting, beach walking, and most happily feasting!  The first night we had my Vegetarian Lasagna with a garden salad.  Then the next day we pulled out the BBQ for Organic Cheese Burgers accompanied with A Festive Sprouted Three Bean Salad.
Then day three.  Wooooohoooo......our loved ones did the cooking!  I love to watch Jarrod and Anook cooking in my kitchen.  I sipped some wine, took pictures, inhaled the most delicious smells coming from the kitchen - it was heaven.
This was on the Menu tonight:
Anook's Vegetarian Succotash - made by Jarrod.
Followed by Jarrod's Tahini Ginger Tofu Sauce and steamed rice.
Then for dessert:  Anook's Ginger Raspberry Strawberry Crumble, recipe pending.
Was I in heaven?  Oh yes indeed!    These are dishes I absolutely will be making - plus the leftovers taste even better the next day.  Thank you Jarrod and Anook for a most lovely meal!
So for this lovely Vegetarian dish I give you Jarrod to continue the post:
This recipe has been adapted from the recipe which is used in the Quebec Vipasanna meditation center. The center serves only simple vegetarian cuisine.....simple, but delicious! We enjoy this dish each time we sit or serve at the meditation center, and it has become a regular back at home as well.
Vegetarian Succotash:
4 Tblsp.  Grape Seed Oil
3 small Yams - chopped
4 carrots - chopped
2 medium zucchini
1 large red onion diced
4 minced garlic cloves
2 14 oz. cans Lima Beans, drained
3/4 cup frozen corn
Grated Aged Cheddar Cheese - to cover the casserole evenly
1 Tblsp. Basil
1 Tsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Heat up a saute pan on low medium heat with the grape seed oil.  Add in the chopped onion sauteing until soft.
Then add in the garlic and seasonings sauteing until fragrant.  Add in the yams, and carrots, sauteing for 10 minutes.
Then add in the zucchini lid on turn down to simmer for another 10 minutes.
Add the lima beans, and season with salt and pepper, lid cracked.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Pour the vegetable succotash into a 9x13 inch casserole dish, then add the corn on top and the grated aged cheddar cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Tahini Ginger Tofu Sauce:
This was a bit of an experiment.......with a favorable and flavourable result!
1 Tblsp. Grape Seed Oil
3 minced garlic cloves
3 Tblsp. grated fresh ginger
1 small red onion, chopped
4 cups cubed firm organic Tofu
1 Tblsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
200-250 grams tahini
2 Tblsp. Chili Paste
1 cup water divided
3 Tblsp. Tamari Soy Sauce
1 Tblsp. Peanut Butter
Heat up a pan on low medium heat with the grape seed oil.  To the pan add in the onions, ginger, chili paste and garlic cloves, sauteing until the onions are soft.
This is a Chili Paste with Sweet Basil Leaves - Gluten Free and MSG Free - found in our local Asian Market: (if you can not find this, Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste is a great alternative that is gluten free)

Add in the Tofu and 2 Tblsp. of Tamari Sauce, sauteing about 10 minutes.
Then add in 1/2 cup water, apple cider vinegar, Tahini butter and continue to saute another five minutes.
Pour in the other 1/2 cup of water, 1 Tblsp. Tamari Soy Sauce, and 1 Tblsp. Peanut butter.  Stir to combine, and if needed, add in 1/3 cup more water and 1 more Tblsp. Tamari Soy Sauce.  Saute until a thick consistency is achieved. Serve over steamed brown rice, with the Succotash on the side.

We do love our soup in this household.  Now that I think of it, this recipe is also Vegan - not a speck of animal protein in this soup whatsoever.  There are other tomato style soups on my blog, as well as Vegetarian, but I think this is the second Vegan soup I have ever made. It was surprisingly filling and packed full of flavor.
On another happy note, I found a fantastic deal on a new Kitchen Toy at the Thrift store:
This little baby cost $5.25 - how is that for a deal?  It has two settings on the switch, setting 1 then setting 2 which is turbo speed.  I was a little nervous buying a used hand immersion blender as everything in my kitchen is completely gluten free.  Remember making glue as a kid with flour and water?  The very thought of there being stuck on wheat flour or other forms of gluten was terrifying.  For a Celiac - this could be dangerous ground.
So to clean this blender, I filled a bowl with very hot soapy water, and blended on turbo speed for 2 minutes.  Rinsed out the bowl, added more hot water, and blended for another 2 minutes.  Then to make double sure it was clean, I rinsed out the bowl once more and poured in boiling water, then blended another 2 minutes.
That did the trick!  It was now super shiny clean and it blended the Vegetarian Tomato Basil Soup beautifully, with no risk of gluten contamination. Believe you me...if there was gluten contamination on that blender, I would have reacted within one minute after tasting the soup!
Then the day after - we had sunshine - out came the BBQ for burgers and homemade ketchup:

I love great Thrift Store Finds, and this one was such a deal!
CREAMY VEGETARIAN TOMATO BASIL SOUP:
5 cups sliced Roma tomatoes
2 Tblsp. Balsamic Vinegar
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 carrots, chopped
1 large onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 stalk of celery with leaves, chopped
salt and pepper
4 cups of Homemade Vegetable stock
1/2 cup minced Fresh Basil
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Add the tomatoes, Balsamic Vinegar, a couple of good splashes of Ex. Virgin Olive Oil, salt and pepper to a roasting pan, tossing to coat.
Roast for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, heat up a large pot or dutch oven on low medium heat, with a good drizzle of olive oil.  Add the carrots, onion, garlic and celery to the pot, sauteing about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.
Pour in the Vegetable stock, and bring to a simmer on low heat, lid on and simmer until the vegetables are cooked.
Add the roasted tomatoes, minced basil, and blend with an immersion blender or a food processor until thick and creamy.
Serve hot with fresh Gluten Free Bread - great for lunch or dinner!

Usually with any stew I make, I load it with lots of vegetables. In this dish, the vegetables were served on the side.  If Beef or Chicken is used, normally I like to cook with wine in the dish.  It lends such a richness to the gravy, and tenderizes the meat as well. Traditionally Beef Bourguignon is made with beef, mushrooms, bacon, red wine, a bouquet garnier and pearl onions.  Mine was a bit different, however, this may well be the only way I make a stew of any kind again - so so good!
Growing up, my mother would make a Beef Bourguignon, as well as making the same dish using Chicken Livers.  We can't seem to get Free Range Chicken Livers where I live, but if you can get them, give them a try.  They really are delicious in a dish like this - packed full of flavor, and super tender.  With this dish, the key is to use less liquid - just enough to surround the meat nicely.  If you use Chicken livers, they will need less browning time and less cooking time as well.
1 lb. Hormone/Anti-biotic free Beef Stew
3 slices of bacon, chopped
4 large Crimini Mushrooms, sliced in half then chopped to a 1/2 inch size
1 onion, sliced
1 cup Beef Stock
1 cup Red Wine
1 1/2 tsp. dried Thyme or 1 tsp. Fresh Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil, butter
Cornstarch and extra beef stock to make a slurry
Heat up a dutch oven on medium heat, and brown the bacon, then remove to a bowl.  Add the beef in batches and brown on all sides, then remove to the bowl.
You may need a drizzle of olive oil and a dab of butter to the pan.  Add the mushrooms, and saute until golden - then remove and add to the bowl.
Next, add in the sliced onions, season with salt and pepper.  Saute until the onions begin to get golden in color.  Add the Bay Leaf, Thyme and Red Wine, scraping up any brown bits.
Pour in the beef stock, then add in the bowl of beef, mushrooms and bacon.

Bring to a simmer, lid on and turn to a low simmer heat.  Cook for 2 hours, then remove the lid and the Bay Leaf, and simmer about 10-15 minutes to reduce the liquid a bit.
Look at the now very rich beef mushroom wine stock:
Make a cornstarch slurry - cornstarch and beef stock mixed well, slowly add to the stock, stirring well until you reach a nice gravy consistency.
Serve with potatoes of your choice and any side vegetables. (our local Asparagus will soon be finished for the season...sigh...I can not get enough of it ! :))

Tonight we had a most wonderful "comfort" food meal.  Like many places around the world, we too are experiencing a most dreadful spring.  Last week was fabulous...out came the BBQ, sunscreen was applied, garden work was being done.  Five days...yes five glorious days.  Then the rain, wind and cold set back in...we are freezing!  I want to light a fire in the fireplace and wrap up in a warm blanket - Mercy!
So this post is about comfort food.  A step by step procedure.  I promise the Savory Rice Pilaf is coming....at the end of this post.
If you read my blog, you know in this house we do love our comfort food.  My absolute favorite comfort food is a simple roast chicken:  throw in half a lemon, a sprig of Rosemary, 4 or 5 garlic cloves, salt and pepper into the cavity.  Then coat the outside of the chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 350 for about 2 hrs. - for a 4 lb. chicken basting occasionally. That is it - simple - and delicious!
With this roast chicken, I also sliced up some carrots, a drizzle of olive oil, a couple of splashes of Balsamic Vinegar, salt and pepper and threw them into the pan to roast as well.  Then after the chicken was removed, I used a flat spoon to remove any excess grease from the pan - now there was wonderful gravy drippings. Remove the carrots to an oven proof platter.
To the pan I added a handful of fresh asparagus to roast.  Turned up the oven to 375 degrees and roast for about 10 minutes.
Remove the asparagus to the platter of carrots - put in the oven to keep warm. (which is now turned off)
Then add 1 cup of chicken stock to the roasting pan, scraping up any brown bits.  Make a simple cornstarch slurry with chicken stock and slowly add the slurry to the drippings to make a savory gravy.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, then pour over the sliced chicken.
SAVORY RICE PILAF:
1 1/4 cups Basmati Rice (rinse in a sieve in cold water until the water runs clear)
2 1/2 cups Chicken Stock
1/4 cup chopped fresh or dehydrated mushrooms (I used dehydrated mushrooms, re-hydrate them in the chicken stock)
just over 1/4 cup chopped dried sweet/tart cherries
1 1/2  tsp. dry rubbed Sage
1 Tblsp. dried chopped celery leaves - or fresh
4 small minced garlic cloves
2 slices of prosciutto - chopped (or bacon)
2 tblsp. butter
a drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper
Using a medium/large sauce pan, heat up 2 Tblsp. of butter and a drizzle of olive oil on low medium heat.  Add in the diced shallot, sauteing for 2-3 minutes.  Then add in the Prosciutto, continue to saute for 3 minutes.  Then add in the minced garlic, cherries, sage, celery leaves and season with salt and pepper.  Saute for 3 more minutes.
Add in the rice and stir for one minute.  Then pour in the chicken stock mixture with dehydrated mushrooms and bring to a simmer scraping up any brown bits.
Once simmering, lid on, turn down to minimum heat and cook for another 10-12 minutes until the rice is tender and all of the liquid is absorbed.  Turn off the heat and let sit 10 minutes.
We had this meal with the gravy poured over the so moist chicken, roasted carrots and asparagus and the savory rice on the side.  The sun was not shining outside - but it sure was in our household tonight! 🙂

This was such a quick and easy meal to put together.  It helps if you have leftover roasted chicken, and leftover cooked rice.  Why do I never have this kind of meal on hand when I have my busiest days??  I must keep reminding myself to plan ahead and get more organized.  Maybe one day I'll get there!
Tamari Marinade:
juice of 1/2 a lime
4 Tblsp. Tamari Soy Sauce
3 minced garlic cloves
2 Tblsp. grated fresh ginger
2 Tblsp. water
Olive oil
1 1/2  cups cooked, leftover chicken, cut into 3/4 inch pieces or smaller
1 cup of cooked rice - any kind would work nicely in this recipe
1 broccoli stem and florets, stem cut into 1/4 inch pieces, florets cut small
1 1/2 carrots, diced
1/2 a large onion diced
5 crimini mushrooms, diced small
Salt and pepper
Heat up a frying pan on medium heat with a good drizzle of olive oil.  To the pan add in the mushrooms, sauteing until lightly golden.  Then add in the diced onions, continue to saute, season with salt and pepper, and saute about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, make up the Marinade:  Mince up the garlic and transfer to a small bowl.  Add in the lime juice, Tamari Sauce, water, and freshly grated ginger.  Whisk to combine and set aside.
To the frying pan add in the carrots and broccoli, sauteing another five minutes, stirring frequently.  Pour in the Tamari Marinade, stirring to combine, turn down to a low simmer, and cover.  Simmer another 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are eldente.
Then add in the diced/shredded chicken stirring well, then cover and simmer for another five minutes.
Remove the lid and stir in the cooked rice stirring to combine.  Heat through about 5 more minutes and serve hot.

Well....when this recipe first began, I certainly did not expect this dish.  No, absolutely not.  It all started with the beginning of a simple Marinara Sauce.  Then work intervened.  The Marinara went into the fridge.
Then began the lean ground beef and cheese mixture...still not sure where this was going to go.  Then the now forgotten Marinara Sauce....next thing you know - a healthier version of Mac and Cheese. DH loved it - in fact three helpings later...
Marinara Sauce:
2 Tblsp. Olive Oil
1 onion, finely diced
3 finely minced garlic cloves
28 oz. can whole Tomatoes and Juice:  cut the tomatoes into bite sized pieces
1 Bay Leaf
1 Tsp. dried Basil
1/2 Tsp. ground Fennel
1/2 Tsp. Italian Seasoning
Salt and Pepper
Splash of Balsamic Vinegar
Extra Ingredients:
1/2 a zucchini - finely chopped
1 pkg. Tinkyada Brown Rice Macaroni Pasta
Heat up a saute pan on low medium heat with the Olive oil.  Add in the minced onion, and garlic.  Saute, seasoning with salt and pepper about 5 minutes.  Pour in the cut tomatoes and juice.  Season with the Basil, Fennel, Italian Seasoning, and Bay leaf and bring to a simmer.  Add in the splash of Balsamic Vinegar.
Continue to simmer on low, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from the heat.  Once cooled, remove the Bay Leaf, and add to a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth.  Transfer to a medium sauce pan, or in my case with a busy day, refrigerate.
Meat for Marinara Sauce:
1 lb. Lean Antibiotic/Hormone Free Ground Beef
1 small onion
4 minced garlic cloves
1/2 a celery stalk with leaves
2 Tblsp. Fresh Minced Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp. dried Basil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups grated Aged Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
Heat up a frying pan on medium heat.  Add the ground beef, cutting up the meat with a spoon.  Brown the meat well, then drain any renderings.  Meanwhile, using a Food Processor on the fine grate attachment, grate the onion, garlic and celery, to a fine grind.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside.  Using the same attachment, add in chunks of aged cheddar cheese - grate until you have about 1 1/2 cups worth, and set aside.
Once the meat is browned, add in the minced onion, garlic and celery - saute about 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat, and transfer the meat to a bowl.  Add in the cheeses, and minced Parsley, stirring to combine, the set aside.
Add the Marinara Sauce to a pan on low medium heat, bringing to a simmer.  Then add in the diced zucchini, lid on and simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.  Add in Gluten Free Macaroni, and cook for 8 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Drain the pasta.
Add the meat mixture to the Marinara Sauce, mixing well to combine.  Then add the drained pasta, stirring well.
Transfer to a casserole dish, and add an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese throughout.
Cover with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes.
With this amount, you would think it would serve 6.  Well, not in this household, 3 helpings later for DH... so maybe 4 or 5 helpings if you did not have piggies in the household like we did...Mercy!
As backwards as this crazy dish was, a dish that had no direction what so ever, it still turned out yummy. 🙂

A friend gave me this gluten free recipe on a recipe card - it was actually for rice krispie bars.  I did change up the ingredients - if I can replace sugar and corn syrup in a recipe all the better.  But as a result the bars did not work.  So rather than throw away food, I decided to turn it into Granola...a happy accident!  I have made this recipe twice now - and also included 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds in the second batch - we love it.
This is a versatile recipe in terms of dried fruit, nuts, and spices, here I used raisins and also added immune boosting Cinnamon and Ginger.  Plus the Almond Meal makes this granola more healthy and hearty.  Our new favorite Gluten Free Granola!  This recipe is also posted at Allergy Free Wed. - lots of great recipes there!
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup honey
4 cups Gluten Free Brown Rice Krispies Cereal
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup unsweetened medium shredded coconut
2 Tblsp. dried Quinoa Flakes
1/4 cup roasted Sesame Seeds
1/2 cup Almond Meal
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Ginger
3/4 cup raisins
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

In a big bowl, combine the cereal, nuts, quinoa flakes, almond meal, coconut, raisins, sesame seeds, cinnamon and ginger stirring well to combine.

Using  a big pot or dutch oven, melt the butter on medium heat.  Add the honey and stir well to combine.
Remove from the heat, and add in the dried ingredients, mixing well and until incorporated.
Spread the mixture evenly onto the baking sheet, and bake for 1 hour, stirring the granola about every 15-20 minutes.
Allow to cool stirring occasionally and store in a tightly covered container.  We had this granola for over a week - still fresh and delicious!

As I may have mentioned previously, years ago when healing from Celiac Disease I made the choice to heal naturally. I have never done well with medication of any kind, including aspirin! I wanted to get vitamin packed nutrients from vegetables of all kinds. We bought an inexpensive juicer and at that time regularly made home made green drinks.
The road to healing for me was to eat a healthy diet, with some vitamin supplements, Pro-biotics , Massage, Reflexology, Acupressure and Acupuncture treatments. As well as having different herbal infusions and remedies, yoga and giving the time for my body to heal naturally through good nutrition. I so wish I knew then about the many health benefits of fermentation - sauerkraut, fermented vegetables, fermented salsa, kimchi and the many other fermented foods.  The more I read about the many health benefits of these foods - the more I want to learn.
So, I continue in my research and education: to learn about fermentation, to learn about natural soap making and natural body lotions to name a few.  I hope to share some of this knowledge as I learn - down the road.
For me, this natural approach was the way to go. I can not speak for others, as each healing journey is unique to each individual.   Although this was a three year healing process for me, in hindsight, I would not do it any other way.
Would you like to share your healing journey from Celiac/and or other Allergy diseases?  What approach best worked for you? Have you any guidance or recommendations you would like to share? I welcome all thoughts, insight or experiences you may have had - please do share.
So here we are - many years later, healed from Celiac Disease. I started to think back on those early days of healing and also when we first purchased our Juicer.  We had not had homemade juice in quite some time. The juicer got packed away and sort of forgotten about.  Now it sits in the corner of my kitchen on the counter - as a reminder not to forget about the wonderful, tasty, healthy, juice drinks that can so easily be made.

The other good thing about making your own vegetable cocktail, is you control what goes into it and how much salt to add.  Many of the commercial brands, even the low sodium, are still quite high in salt.
This cocktail was super refreshing!  Now when tomatoes go on sale - this juice will be my number one pick.
You can really play around with the ingredients in this cocktail - extra cucumber, extra carrots, or extra tomatoes whatever suits your tastes.  I can't wait for fresh summer tomatoes!
4 fresh tomatoes
2 green onions
3-4 inch piece of English cucumber
2 1/2 carrots
1 1/2 stalks of celery
salt and pepper to taste
Roughly chop the vegetables into sizable chunks - to fit into the top of your juicer.  Once all the vegetables have been processed, season with salt and pepper.  Pour into a tall glass and add a celery stalk stir stick (phew, that was a tongue twister!) as the juice does separate.  It is like a refreshing salad in a glass! 🙂