This evening, I was standing in that old familiar position: head in the fridge, just staring, wondering what the heck I was going to make with all these random bits and pieces. I knew that anything requiring more than a few minutes of cooking was out of the question. I’ve been cooking a ton the last few days, and just didn’t have the energy to whip up something fancy for myself. Eventually, I spotted the sweet potato on the counter, the sprouts at the bottom of the veggie bin and a lone egg staring back at me, begging to be released from its shell.

This meal makes such a great weeknight vegetarian dinner. In fact, ever since I found Vital Farms Eggs I’ve been topping lots of things with fried eggs – steamed spinach, pumpkin cornbread, even roasted asparagus – to make simple, nutritious, and fast meals. They are the only eggs that I have found that I can eat with very little to no allergic reaction. I don’t know why I seem to be okay with these eggs and not any others, but I sure am glad I found them.

BLACKENED SWEET POTATO AND BRUSSELS SPROUT HASH WITH A FRIED EGG
makes two to four servings
Feel free to prepare these eggs however you like. I prefer sunny side up, but you can make them over easy or poach them. Part of the joy of this meal is eating the veggies covered in runny, gooey yolk, so I would recommend that however you prepare the egg, the yolk remains soft.

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1/2″ cubes
about 15 to 20 Brussels sprouts, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 Tbs. blackening spice
salt, to taste
1 fried or poached egg per serving

1. Place a 10″ cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, let it heat up a bit, and add the sweet potatoes. Add the blackening spice and stir to evenly coat the potatoes. Stir the potatoes occasionally, but not too often so that they can brown.
2. When the potatoes are almost cooked through, add the shredded Brussels Sprouts. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked and the sprouts are softened and browned.
3. Season the hash with salt and/or more blackening spice. Divide the hash evenly on serving plates and top each serving with an egg.

Oh, and I almost forgot. Look who I got to meet this weekend:

He’s so cool.

Anyhoo….Here are a few more…

EGG-TOPPED FOODS FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE:

Poached Eggs Over Rice at 101 Cookbooks
North African Pepper and Tomato Stew at Field to Feast
Frisee Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette and a Poached Egg at Gluten Free Girl
Breakfast Pizza at The Kitchn
Corn Pancakes with Broccoli, Carrots and Basil at What Did You Eat?

Unlike the cornbread that most folks are used to – soft, cakey, and decidedly too sweet – this one is rustic and savory. With the addition of pumpkin in place of buttermilk or oil, you not only remove a potentially gross and/or unhealthy ingredient, you also get a whole host of nutrients added to the mix. Pumpkin contains craaazy amounts of vitamin A, vitamin E, iron and fiber. In addition, it is strongly anti-inflammatory, so it balances the highly-inflammatory effects of the corn. This is good news for folks with arthritis, asthma, colitis, or autoimmune diseases who still want to chow down on some good ol’ fashioned cornbread every now and again.

Try it. You’ll like it.

PUMPKIN CORNBREAD
heavily adapted from a Cooks Illustrated recipe
makes one eight-inch skillet of bread

1 Tbs. + 1 tsp. EarthBalance or butter
1 cup stone ground cornmeal
2 tsp. sugar, maple syrup or agave nectar, or 1 packet of Truvia
¼ tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking powder
¼ tsp. Baking soda
1/3 cup boiling water
¾ cup pumpkin puree
½ tsp. Apple cider vinegar
1 egg, lightly beaten or Ener-G Egg Replacer for 1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spoon the EarthBalance into an 8-inch cast iron skillet and place the skillet in the oven while it is preheating.
2. Mix 2/3 cup cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda in a small bowl.
3. Add the remaining 1/3 cup cornmeal to the boiling water and stir to make a mush. Add the pumpkin, vinegar, and egg and stir until smooth.
4. When the oven is preheated, combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir until just mixed. Pour the melted EarthBalance into the batter and stir to incorporate. Quickly add the batter to the hot skillet. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes
5. Remove from the oven and turn cornbread out onto a wire rack. Cool for 5 minutes and serve.

OTHER PUMPKIN RECIPES FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE:
Gluten Free Pasta with Pumpkin-Coconut Sauce and Kale
Pumpkin Scones with Autumn Spiced Glaze at Baking and Books
Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup, Pumpkin Bars, Stuffed Mini Pumpkins, and Homemade Pumpkin Seeds at SF Gate
Pumpkin Casserole at Closet Cooking
Pumpkin Cinnamon Cheesecake at Elana’s Pantry

Now that the weather is changing, I have been in the mood for a warmer breakfast. I did smoothies for a while, but I got over that after having them everyday for almost a year. Then, I switched to turkey bacon, brown rice, and spinach. That lasted all of a month before I was ready for some actual breakfast-y food again. So, for the last few months I have been eating brown rice cakes with almond butter and jelly and a piece of fruit almost every morning. It’s delicious, but it too has become tiresome and isn’t really sufficient now that fall is upon us.

I think the hardest part about breakfast with dietary restrictions is finding something that is not only filling but nutritious. Getting plenty of protein, vitamins and minerals is just as important (if not more) at breakfast time as it is in any other meal, so why is it that breakfast has become a sort of throw away meal where people feel that toaster pastries and frozen waffles are quality options?

Sure, I could eat cereal for breakfast but pulverized grains smooshed into a flake shape and doused in sugar isn’t really my idea of a healthy balanced meal. Besides, something warm is really what I want right now.

I tried oatmeal, but it just makes me want to fall asleep, and its just a bowl of carbohydrates anyway. So, I started to consider some other grains that I could use in a porridge-y fashion like oatmeal and that would provide me with a decent amount to protein as well. Because I am allergic to quinoa, I decided to give amaranth a shot.

Amaranth is technically the seed of the plant not a grain, so very few people have allergic reactions to it. It is also a complete protein source like quinoa and contains tons of fiber, iron, magnesium, and manganese.

It cooks up very similarly to oatmeal and you can decorate it in much the same way. I personally just dolled it up with some raisins, walnuts, coconut milk, ground flax, and a touch of agave nectar. But here are a few other ideas:

*Add 2 tablespoons of pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and maple syrup for a pumpkin pie pudding.
*Stir in a few tablespoons each of almond butter and jelly.
*Saute some sliced apples with butter and cinnamon and stir them into the cooked amaranth along with a spoonful of good honey.
*For a savory twist, cook the amaranth in chicken stock or vegetable broth and stir in some spinach, sauteed mushrooms, and crumbled goat cheese towards the end of cooking.
*Toss in some hemp seeds, goji berries, chia seeds, raw cacao nibs, coconut butter, or any of your other favorite nutrient dense foods

AMARANTH BREAKFAST PUDDING
makes one serving
You can usually find amaranth in the bulk foods section of most well stocked grocery stores

1 cup water
1/2 cup amaranth
coconut, rice, or hemp milk, as needed

1. Bring water to a boil on the stove. Add the amaranth and turn heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
2. When the water has been absorbed, stir in enough milk to make it creamy and add all the fixins you’d like.

One thing that I forgot to mention in my last post is that one of the participants in the raw foods class that I taught was a pediatrician who specializes in alternative therapies for kids with Autism. She and I talked at length about our theories on health, wellness, and diet and we were both so happy to find that we had the exact same opinions.

Throughout my years of researching illnesses and disorders and how they can be treated with diet, one disorder that I somehow had managed to overlook is Autism. And, it is so strange that I did because upon receiving the results of my food allergy test, my doctor recommended that I go on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which is one of the most commonly recommended diets for kids with Autism.

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet and a Gluten Free, Casein Free Diet (GFCF) are similar in that they both eliminate gluten, but they differ greatly in some other areas. In addition to eliminating gluten, SCD takes it one step further by eliminating all grains (rice, corn, millet, etc.), high starch foods (potatoes, yams, tapioca, arrowroot, etc.), and all sweeteners, except honey. SCD does allow some dairy products (if they can be tolerated), meats, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. You can learn all about the science behind this diet, which was created by a team of doctors and refined by a biochemist, here.

In a nutshell, the theory is that by excluding complex carbohydrates and only eating foods that early man was eating before the agricultural revolution, our digestive systems can work properly and entire body can function optimally – especially our brain!

Because I was allergic to so many different grains, dairy, yeast, and legumes, it seemed that my digestive system would most likely benefit from SCD. I’ve avoided really diving in because it feels like such a restricted diet. But, after meeting my pediatrician friend and realizing that there is a huge Autistic population out there who really HAVE TO adopt this diet, I thought I should at least take a closer look and try to develop more recipes to make the transition easier for them – and maybe even myself.

Banana-Chia Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes about sixty bite sized cookies
inspired by this recipe at 101cookbooks.com

Otherwise if you eat them just as is, you can enjoy all of the healthy benefits of chocolate and chia seeds in one delicious vegan, gluten free, grain free, casein free, egg free, soy free, peanut free bite!

3 bananas, mashed
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbs. chia seeds
3 Tbs. water
2 cups almond flour
1 cup shredded coconut
1 Tbs. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking powder
about 1 cup carob or chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a liquid measuring cup combine the bananas, coconut oil, and vanilla and stir them all together. In a separate small bowl, combine the chia seeds and water. Allow these to sit for about 10 minutes or until it forms a gel-like consistency and stir them into the banana mixture.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut, cinnamon, cardamom, salt and baking powder. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Fold in the carob or chocolate chips.

3. Line a sheet pan with a Silpat or parchment paper and spoon scoops of dough, about 1 1/2-2 tsp. in size, onto the pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes on a rack located in the upper part of the oven. Bake the cookies as long as possible without burning the bottoms. Gently remove the cookies from the sheet pan and transfer them to a cooling rack.

Me: “Am I bad person if I eat Gingerbread for breakfast?”

Luke: “Hell bad or just Pergatory bad?”

Me: “No, seriously. Is it terrible if I just have sweet bread for breakfast?”

Luke: “Well, it’s possible you may only be subjected to an eternal void instead of hell…”

With the threat of actual damnation cast aside, I scooped up an amazing cup of tea and a big slice of this gingerbread and stuffed my face.

I’m not a big fan of eating sweet stuff for breakfast, but I just simply couldn’t resist this Gingerbread. I used my favorite gluten free flour combo of the moment – white rice flour and millet flour – which leaves not even a slight hint of “Obviously Gluten Free” flavor or texture. The white rice flour, while not nutritionally the best option, provides a flavor and texture so similar to regular all-purpose flour. The addition of millet flour adds more nutrition and a nutty flavor similar to whole wheat. I’m tellin’ you, the combo of the two is gluten free heaven.

The glaze over the top is, admittedly, pretty awesome, but if you avoid sugar, this gingerbread is still pretty stellar without it. If you do include the glaze, feel free to just use regular lemon or even orange.

Mmm! You are going to love it!

GINGERBREAD WITH MEYER LEMON GLAZE
makes one loaf

Going along with my theme of altering recipes to meet my needs, I found this recipe at Simply Recipes. This Gingerbread is an adaptation of those yummy looking cupcakes.

1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or EarthBalance
1/4 cup rice milk
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
Ener-G Egg Replacer for 3 eggs, made with warm water, or 3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1/3 cup powdered sugar, optional
1/4 Meyer lemon, juiced, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If your loaf pan is not non-stick, lightly grease the bottom and sides. In a medium bowl, sift together white rice flour, millet flour, baking soda, xanthan gum, spices, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a microwaveable bowl, melt butter and rice milk together in the microwave. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the agave nectar, molasses, prepared Ener-G Egg Replacer, and vanilla. Beat slowly together until fully combined. Add the dry ingredients and then pour in the melted butter mixture. When everything is just incorporated, add the fresh grated ginger and mix just enough to evenly distribute the ginger. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake about 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out with a few crumbs on it. Allow the loaf to cool in the pan while you are preparing the glaze

4. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and Meyer lemon juice. Allow to thicken slightly in the bowl before brushing over the top of the gingerbread. Let the bread cool a bit and let the glaze harden before eating.

Other Gingerbread Recipes Around the Blogosphere:
Ginger-Molasses Cupcakes at Gluten Free Girl
Vegan Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies at The Post-Punk Kitchen
Almond Flour Gingerbread Cookies at Elana’s Pantry
Vegan Blackstrap Gingerbread with Lemon at Shmooed Food
Gluten Free and Vegan Pumpkin Gingerbread at Eat’n Veg’n

Certainly there must be at least 346,902,387 different types of smoothies one could make, with a list of ingredient options that is practically limitless. However, in my smoothies, I like to sneak in some secret treats that most folks would never even think to add to their smoothies. After years of drinking them almost everyday, I’ve learned some pretty awesome tricks to up the nutritional value of my smoothies without sacrificing deliciousness. Here’s a couple of my all time favorites:

Spinach: I know. Sounds totally gross, right? But, what is absolutely incredible is that throwing a big handful of leafy greens into the blender doesn’t affect the flavor of your smoothie AT ALL. I’ve also thrown in romaine, kale, chard or whatever greens I happen to have on hand, but I’ve found that spinach tends to have the most neutral flavor.

Raw Chocolate (Cacao): No, I’m not suggesting that you throw in a couple tablespoons of cocoa powder. While that may be super delicious, raw chocolate is practically a different animal altogether. Raw chocolate, or cacao (kuh-COW), has been all the rage amongst raw foodists for years. It is most commonly found in natural food stores (or the Food Hole) in the form of little nibs which are actually the seeds directly from a cacao pod. This is chocolate in its purest form.

Not only are these little nibs of joy packed full of 9 grams(!) of fiber per ounce, up to 30 times the antioxidant levels of green tea, tons of magnesium, protein, and iron, but they also contain natural MAO Inhibitors to help elevate your mood and suppress your appetite. As if all that wasn’t enough, it also contains something called Theobromine which is a cousin to caffeine. This stuff definitely gives you a big boost of energy, but unlike caffeine, there is no crash and it’s not addictive.

However, a word to the wise: If you decide to add cacao to your diet, start slowly. Use only a Tablespoon to start with and work your way up. If you had never tried coffee before, you wouldn’t start with four shots of espresso, right? This is kind of the same idea. And, keep in mind, because this is pure chocolate, it is NOT sweetened. The lack of sugar takes some getting used to for some folks, but in a smoothie, you never know the difference.

For more information about cacao check out these sites:
The All-Knowing Wikipedia
The Brand of Cacao and Goji Berries I Use
The Brits Love It!
Links to Scientific Studies Done on Chocolate

Spirulina: I love it! It’s just an all around great product, especially for vegetarians and vegans because of it’s high concentration of B vitamins. Go ahead. Learn all about it.

Ground Flaxseed: By now, I think we’ve all heard plenty about the benefits of Omega-3’s and flaxseed. An added bonus to adding this to your smoothie is that it will thicken an otherwise too thin smoothie. To make these seeds easier to digest, be sure to grind them up in a coffee grinder before adding them to your smoothie. And, in case you want a little more info on flax, check out this article.

While there is a plethora of other things I add to my breakfast from time to time, I’ll have to get to those at a later date. In the meantime, try these and let me know what you think.

Here is what I had for breakfast this morning:

1 cup thin local organic goat yogurt (You can use any type of “dairy” you like here. Almond milk, rice milk, soymilk, yogurt, etc. all work well.)
1 super ripe banana
1 cup frozen organic mixed berries
1 big handful chopped spinach
2 Tbs. raw cacao powder
1 tsp. agave nectar (optional)

1. Pour the liquid in the blender first and add all the other stuff on top.

2. Blend until smooth and slurp it up!

P.S. Smoothies are also fantastic for folks who don’t like to eat breakfast. (Mom, are you reading this?) This way, they can get the most important meal of the day in their bellies without putting in a whole lot of effort. (Seriously, Mom. Go make yourself a smoothie. Do it for me.)

A lot of allergen free treats taste kinda…gritty, ya know? But, these muffins really don’t taste like a chalky knockoff. They taste like good ol’ fashioned, Betty-Crocker-and-White-Flour muffins. They make me so happy – I’ve already eaten three today. Even Luke, my man with no food allergies, has been sneaking little bites off of them all day. He’s not a big fan of rice flour because the texture is weird for him, but he doesn’t seem to be able to detect it in these…

Be forewarned, though: there is no cane sugar in these guys and very little agave nectar, so they are only mildly sweet. I (and my pancreas) happen to love this, but, admittedly, I have been dreaming of warming them up, slathering them in Earth Balance and squirting a big blob of honey right on top. I guess that wouldn’t be such a bad thing… right…?

Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoy these as much as I am. And, if you are allergic to nuts, feel free to omit the walnuts. Also, by day two these guys get pretty dense and hard. Try to eat them immediately, but if you have leftovers for a few days, pop them in the microwave for 20 seconds to soften them up. Enjoy!

BANANA NUT MUFFINS
makes a dozen muffins
recipe adapted from “The 125 Best Gluten Free Recipes”

1 1/4 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. GF baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3 super ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar (I like Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar)
1/4 cup walnut or vegetable oil
2 Tbs. ground flaxseed
5 Tbs. water
1/4 cup agave nectar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a muffin tin if it doesn’t have a non-stick surface. In a small bowl, stir together the flaxseed and 5 Tbs. of water. Allow the flax to soak in the water for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt and walnuts. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together mashed bananas, agave nectar, vinegar, oil, and the flax/water mixture. Pour the banana mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Try very, very hard not to overmix this batter. Spoon batter into each cup of the prepped muffin tin. Let stand 30 minutes. Bake in preheated oven 15-20 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch. Remove muffins from the tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

***If you would like to make this into a quick bread instead of muffins, pour the batter into a greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.***