29Jan

Dairy-free and gluten-free menu planner, Jan 29 – Feb 4

Risotto with Artichokes and Leeks

Risotto with Artichokes and Leeks

This week’s menu:

  • Hearty Fish Chowder and Carrot Raisin Salad
  • Seven-Vegetable Pasta with Tarragon Glaze and Chicken and Sweet Pea Soup
  • Greek Style Turkey Patties with Lemon Tahini Dressing and Green Salad with Tomatoes and Cucumber
  • Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Spinach and Wild Mushroom and Walnut Rice
  • Risotto with Artichokes and Leeks with Chicken and Broccoli Cauliflower Bisque

Vegetarian Menu options:

  • Hearty Quinoa and Veggie Chowder and Carrot Raisin Salad
  • Seven-Vegetable Pasta with Tarragon Glaze and Almonds and Sweet Pea Soup
  • Falafel Patties with Lemon Tahini Dressing and Green Salad with Tomatoes and Cucumber
  • Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Spinach and Wild Mushroom and Walnut Rice
  • Risotto with Artichokes and Leeks with White Beans and Broccoli Cauliflower Bisque
Seven-Vegetable Pasta with Tarragon Glaze

Seven-Vegetable Pasta with Tarragon Glaze

This week’s menu planner is full of savory and delicious dishes, that are easy to make and should take no more than 30 minutes to prepare.  They are also very versatile – you can add chicken or fish or even beans or lentils to the dishes to fit your needs.

The Hearty Fish Stew is especially delicious – and I gave some to my son as well and he loved it.  The little bit of rice flour and almond milk makes it creamy and the nutmeg adds a savory flavor.  Enjoy!

Hearty Fish Chowder

Hearty Fish Chowder- mama and baby bowls

Hearty Fish Chowder

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons brown rice flour

3 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 cup diced potatoes

1/2 cup green peas

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 pound salmon fillet

1 cup almond milk

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Steps:

1.  Heat olive oil in a large soup pot to medium-high heat and sauté the onion until it is soft and translucent.  Add the garlic, salt and flour and cook for 2-3 minutes.

2.  Slowly stir in vegetable or chicken stock, carrots, celery, potato, peas, black pepper and nutmeg and cooked, covered, for 5 minutes.

3.  While the vegetables are cooking, wash the fish and cut into 1-inch cubes.  Add to the vegetable mixture and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender and the fish is flaky.  Stir in almond milk, balsamic vinegar and parsley.  Heat through and serve.

Vegetarian option: Instead of adding fish, add 1 cup of quinoa to the soup when you add the vegetables.  Bring to a boil, the reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.  Add the almond milk, vinegar and parsley at the end.

Substitutions: Salmon: mahi mahi, haddock, flounder, swordfish, etc.  Almond milk: GF rice milk, coconut milk or other non-dairy milk.  Vegetables: parsnips, blue potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini, etc.

Nutritional info: Per Serving: 342 Calories; 10g Fat (25.1% calories from fat); 29g Protein; 37g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 72mg Cholesterol; 1915mg Sodium.

Recipe source or inspiration: Meals that Heal by Lisa Turner

Hearty Fish Stew with Elijah - "I want some!"

Hearty Fish Stew with Elijah -"I want some!"

24Jan

How to Use Colors to Make Your Meals Beautiful

In my article, “Making a Beautiful Meal,” I talk about how the different color combinations of foods can greatly enhance and beautify a meal, making it more attractive and appealing. In this HeARTful Idea, I wanted to expand upon this concept to give you more ideas and inspiration while you’re cooking.

But first, a little color lesson. If you have taken any kind of art class, chances are you have seen a color wheel.  It is basically a circle with each color of the rainbow.  However, the colors are placed so that opposite to each color is its complementary color.  Below is a quick drawing of a color wheel I made.

A color wheel can be very helpful when you are first learning how complementary colors work.  As you can see, orange and blue, green and red, and yellow and purple are all directly across from each other. These colors have the most contrast between them, making the colors stand out.  You can use them to create more dramatic presentations in cooking and in art.

Let’s make this more practical and think of some situations where you might see these complementary colors at work within the art of cooking. As you read each example, take a moment to imagine what the colors of the foods would look like together.

Red and Green: I can think of many different circumstances where red and green create beautiful meals.  There are so many because there are so many green as well as red foods.  Here are a few examples I can think of off the top of my head:

  • Green salad with tomatoes, radishes, red bell peppers, strawberries, pomegranates
  • In the Indian Eggs dish in this week’s menu planner, the red tomatoes and cilantro are another example.
  • Red beans or red rice with green vegetables and herbs
  • Radicchio and avocado
  • Beets and greens

Yellow and Purple: This is a little harder because there aren’t quite as many purple foods but there is still a lot to choose from.

Yellow and purple peppers
Yellow summer squash and purple cabbage
Yellow nasturtiums (edible flowers) and purple greens

Orange and Blue: Again, blue is hard to come by in the food kingdom, but you can also think in terms of black foods, such as black beans and black rice.

  • Blueberries or blackberries and oranges in a fruit salad
  • Black beans and sweet potatoes
  • Blue corn and butternut squash

As you can see, when you combine colors of foods together that are complementary, it creates a meal that is beautiful to look at and appealing to eat. This week, when you are cooking, begin to notice the different colors of foods and how they complement each other.  Notice how a meal can be changed dramatically simply by adding a sprinkling of cilantro or by choosing summer squash over red peppers.

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