I have to share with you this next great recipe that came to us from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. This week they are featuring specially gluten-free meals! I love this recipe because it's one featured out of this great book:

This recipe contains a fantastic seed (that is often mistaken for a grain). Millet is a tiny bird-like looking seed that packs a powerful punch of nutrients. It's heart-healthy because it's high in magnesium (which aids in lowering high blood pressure and reducing the risk of heart attack.) It's definitely a great seed worthy of incorporating into your diet! 

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
Recipe by Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine

Makes 4 halves 
Ingredients: 

• 1 lb fresh spinach, chopped & steamed
• 1/8 cup or 2 Tbsp dry millet, rinsed
• 3/4 cup water, divided
• 2 medium russet potatoes
• 1 Tbsp cashews
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 & 1/2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted (optional)

Directions:

1. Place millet in a small saucepan with 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until all water is absorbed (about 1 hour). Set aside. 
2. Bake, microwave  or steam the potatoes whole until tender. Carefully cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/4 inch thick shell. Set flesh and shells aside. 
3. Steam the fresh spinach. Set aside. 
4. Combine the cooked millet, cashews, nutmeg, black pepper, and salt in a blender with remaining 1/4 cup water. Blend on high speed until completely smooth (about 2 minutes). Stop the blender occasionally to scrape down the sides. 
5. Transfer the potato flesh into a skillet. Break it into bite-size chunks  Add the spinach and warm over medium heat, stirring often. When hot, stir in the millet mixture. Cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes to heat through and thicken slightly. Scoop into the potato shells and sprinkle with sesame seeds (if using). 

Store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat using an oven or microwave. 

By the time I was 25 years old, I could count on 1 hand how many times I've tried Brussels Sprouts. Okay, actually 1 finger. As you can guess, that 1 time was dramatic enough that the details are edged in my memory forever! Ha ha. 

When I was little, my mom had told us (me, my brother, and sister) that we were trying something new for dinner, and... if we ate it,  we could have some special CANDY she got for us. Oh, how my little ears perked up with the sound of candy and bribery! As she started cooking this mystery food though, all I can remember is this horrific smell oozing from the kitchen! We had to eat whatever was making that smell??! Forget it! 

I remember having to stay at the table FOREVER (along with my siblings) until we finished every last bite of our brussels sprouts... Yikes. What a nightmare. I had never worked so hard for candy in all my life!

Luckily, I've found other ways to eat these little healthy veggies (rather than boiling them.) Ironically, this next recipe was created by my mom. Turns out she's found a better way to enjoy them as well. 

So my challenge to you...give brussels a chance! If I can overcome my traumatic experience and learn to LOVE them, you can give them a try! They're super healthy, high in vitamin c, have some protein, low on the glycemic index chart, and can actually help you FEEL full. 

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free, Egg Free, Nut Free)
Created by alene (jalene's mom)

Yields: 2 cups
Ingredients: 

• 1/2 lb brussels sprouts
• 3 slices of nitrate-free bacon (we use Hormel)
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil 
• sea salt, to taste
• fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions: 

1. Wash the brussels sprouts thoroughly and cut off the tough end. Using a large grader, shred all of the sprouts. (I use my food processor to speed things up.) Set aside. 
2. Cook the bacon according to package directions. When cooked, remove from pan and allow to cool on a paper towel. Discard all of the bacon grease EXCEPT for 1 Tbsp. Place the pan back on the stove over medium heat and add the 1 Tbsp of bacon grease and 1 Tbsp coconut oil. 
3. Add the shredded brussels sprouts to the pan and stir-fry for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste while cooking. Remove from heat, crumble your bacon, and add to the pan. Stir well and serve warm. 

Store leftovers covered in the fridge. 

This recipe can be adapted to use during Dr. Nielsen's Candida Cleanse. Simply omit the bacon and add an extra tablespoon of coconut oil to cook the brussels in. 

Oh yes...it's another zucchini recipe! The stuff is seriously multiplying like a weed in my garden. Tell me if you're fed up with the recipes, but they're all a great way to consume this vegetable! You could always pawn it off to a neighbor if you're having the same problem as me! Come to think of it, we are constantly getting new neighbors where we live...maybe I should start giving out in neighborhood welcome baskets! ;)

This is one of my easy go-to recipes when I want to use it as a side dish for dinner. It's quick and tastes good. You can also make this dairy free if needed.  

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan)

Created by Jalene
Makes 2-3 side dish servings

Ingredients:

• 1 medium size zucchini
• 1/2 tsp onion salt (or onion powder, I've tried them both & they taste great)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp parsley
• sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Optional: plastic baggie

4.   Place on preheated pan and cook until lightly browned on one side. Flip and cook the same way on the opposite side. 

Serve warm, refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container. 

If you're not worried about being Vegan or Dairy Free, you can add 1 Tbsp of Parmesan Cheese for a extra yummy treat! 

Let me just start out by saying I'm no Stir-Fry expert but I love to eat it! There's actually so many different combinations you can do but we just had this one for dinner so I thought I'd share. If you don't have exactly these veggies, you can sub in other ones you need to use up. 

Speaking of veggies, did you know that you're supposed to eat 2 & 1/2 cups of veggies a day?! Man, how many of us are doing that? I know sometimes it can be hard! So, here's a great naturally gluten free meal that is PACKED full of veggies and with the garlic and ginger flavored teriyaki sauce, you won't be forcing them in your mouth either! I like to add nuts for extra protein. It makes a great Vegan, meatless meal. 

Directions: 

1. Prepare (wash, cut) all the veggies (if you haven't already.) If you need help on how to julienne visit HERE. 
2. Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. 
3. Add your oil, garlic, ginger, and carrots. Stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes. 
4. Add the remaining vegetables. One minute before desired firmness is achieved, add the Teriyaki Sauce. Serve hot over rice. 

Optional: Sometimes we like to sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top. Makes a yummy addition. 

Like I said, I'm no expert but here's a great article from someone who is. It's a great Q&A session specifically about Stir-frying. It's worth checking out: http://consults.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/09/a-cook-talks-about-woks-and-stir-fries/ 

This side dish is super fast to mix up and throw together thanks to my premixed Italian Dressing Seasoning Packet mix from last week's post! They go great with almost any meal and are definitely a crowd pleaser. 

Remember, if you can, use organic potatoes since they are on the dirty dozen list. 

Italian Potatoes
(Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan)

Created by jalene

Ingredients:

• 4 organic red potatoes
• about 2 or 3 tsp of extra virgin olive oil (use enough to coat)
• about 2 or 3 tsp of Italian Dressing Seasoning (use enough to coat)

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 425 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Scrub the potatoes and cut into cubes. Place in a strainer and rinse with cold water. Shake to drain. 
3. In a bowl, add the potatoes and oil and mix until well coated. Then add Italian Seasoning and mix until also well coated. 
   
4. Spread the potatoes out so they are not touching on the pan and bake for about 25 minutes  or until potatoes are starting to turn slightly brown and look crispy. Stir once half way through.  Enjoy!

Makes about 2-3 cups

Sometimes it's just easier to eat your vegetables when they are hiddin'. This recipe is really easy to throw together and cooks fast. It also gives a great flavor to a kind of bland vegetable. You can use it as a quick snack or a side dish to a main meal. If you are not dairy-free you can also sprinkle some Parmesan cheese in with the breadcrumbs to give an extra tasty kick. 
  

Breaded Zucchini Sticks
(Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

Created by jalene

Ingredients:

• 2 zucchini
• 1/2 cup gluten-free, dairy-free breadcrumbs
• 1 egg

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. 
2. Wash and scrub the outside of the zucchinis. Cut each zucchini into sticks. I can typically get 18 sticks per zucchini but it depends on the size of your zucchini and the way you cut it. 
3. Place the breadcrumbs in a zip-lock bag and set aside. 
4. In a small bowl beat the egg.  Dip the sticks in the egg coating well then allow excess to drip off.  (See tip below). 
5. Place up to 3-5 sticks in the bag of breadcrumbs and shake until well coated. Then place breaded sticks onto a parchment covered cookie sheet. Be sure not to let them stick. Spray or lightly drizzle olive oil over each stick. 
6. Bake for 5-10 minutes. (Amount time will vary with different ovens and sizes of sticks.)

Makes about 36 to 54 sticks. 

TIP from jalene:
 
To make sure your breading doesn't get clumpy you can dip your zucchini in the egg then place on a cooling rack over a drip-plate. This allows excess liquid to drip off before you shake them in your breading bag. 

One day my family and I were watching the Disney movie: Ratatouille when I thought, "Man! I wish I knew how to make that dish!" You know, the one at the end of the movie where the critic tastes it and flashes back to happy days of his childhood? Oh, I wanted to feel like that! So, I pulled out my Betty Crocker cookbook and found I had a recipe for Ratatouille! Yes! All happy, I made my dish but it turned out looking a lot like this:

Yuck! Not only did it taste gross but it looked gross too! This is what I would call Rat-Patootie! That didn't look anything like the movie's!! So I dug a little deeper and searched a little harder and now I have adapted a yummy Disney-Ratatouille-worthy dish. It does take a little bit of prep (more so than the original Betty Crocker recipe) but the end result is so amazing you're going to LOVE it! 

It has 3 specific layers that you need to make. The bottom is like a pepper and tomato sauce, the middle is the sliced vegetables and the top is a vinaigrette that you drizzle on top after it has cooked.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Disney Ratatouille 
(just like the movie's)
Adapted by jalene

#1 Bottom of pan sauce (Piperade) ingredients: 

• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 orange pepper
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 cup finely diced yellow onion
• 6 tomatoes (about 24 ounces total weight)
• 2 sprig thyme (You can do rosemary instead)
• 2 sprig flat-leaf parsley
• sea salt

Directions: 

1. Heat oven to 450 F.  Wash and dry peppers, removing seeds and ribs. Cut in half and place cut side down on a foil lined sheet. (Putting it on a silicone mat may discolor it.) Bake the peppers until the skin blisters (about 15 minutes). 
2. While the peppers are cooking, remove the skins and seeds of the tomatoes and finely dice. Save the juices.
3. When the peppers are cooked, remove from heat and let rest in a tightly covered bowl until they have cooled enough to handle. Peel the skin off and chop finely. 
4. In a skillet over low heat add the oil, garlic, and onion. Cook until very soft but not browned. (Add more oil if necessary.) 
5. Add tomatoes, their juices, thyme, and parsley. Simmer over medium-low heat until very soft and very liquid remains. (Make sure it does not brown.)
6. Add the peppers and simmer to soften them. Season with salt and discard large chunks of seasoning. Let it cool slightly and put in a blender to chop slightly. Pull out 2 Tbsps of the mixture and spread the rest in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. 

#2 Vegetable Pattern Ingredients:

• 1 zucchini (4 to 5 ounces) sliced in 1/16-inch rounds 
• 1 Japanese eggplant, (4 to 5 ounces) sliced into 1/16-inch rounds 
• 1 yellow squash (4 to 5 ounces) sliced into 1/16-inch rounds 
• 4 Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/16-inch rounds 
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic 
• 2 tsp olive oil 
• 1/8 tsp thyme 
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 300 F. In a 9x13 pan arrange a strip of alternating slices of vegetables over piperade sauce. (See above picture.) Repeat until pan is filled. (You may not use all the vegetables).
2. Mix the garlic, oil and thyme in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover pan with foil-making sure edges are sealed well. Bake until vegetables are tender, about 50 minutes. Turn up heat to 325 F and uncover the pan and bake 15 minutes more. 

#3 Vinaigrette Drizzle Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp of the reserved piperade
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions: 

1. Combine all the ingredients. :)

To serve Ratatouille carefully lift sliced vegetables out of pan and round into a circular fan shape. Drizzle top and slightly the plate with the Vinaigrette. Serve hot. 

You can serve this over white rice, brown rice or quinoa to make it more substantial.