Calorie free noodles are real!

Konjac noodles are all the rage right now and I had to see what all the buzz was about.

"Shirataki (白滝^?, often written with the hiragana しらたき) are very low carbohydrate, low calorie, thin, translucent, gelatinous traditional Japanese noodles made from devil's tongue yam (elephant yam or the konjac yam).^[1] The word "shirataki" means "white waterfall", describing the appearance of these noodles. Largely composed of water and glucomannan, a water-soluble dietary fiber, they have little flavor of their own.
Shirataki noodles can be found both in dry and soft "wet" forms in Asian markets and some supermarkets. When wet, they are purchased pre-packaged in liquid. They normally have a shelf life of up to one year. Some brands may require rinsing or par-boiling as the water they are packaged in has an odor that may be unpleasant to those not accustomed to it." -wikipedia.com

So let me get this straight...noodles, with zero calories? Count me in coach!

I bought some at the local Chinese market, and went to work. When I opened the water filled package the smell of fish instantly filled the air, but nothing a couple rinses in cold water could not fix. I made a chicken noodle soup with some broccoli from the garden, and it was awesome.

Chicken noodle soups need no recipe, it was just simple ingredients cooked together. I love the noodles, and next on the list is pad thai made with them! They are uniquely chewy and slightly crunchy. They hold their own, even after they sat over night in the soup and were re-heated the next day.

The beets and broccoli grown in the garden... it's all coming to a close but it has been a great experience! Next year is sure to be better than ever, I'm already excited.

Aidan went to a kid friendly Halloween play and loved every second of it, he is a sucker for music and new friends.

Notice anything strange?

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin carving crazy

The pumpkin party was a blast, and the food was on point because we were at a chef's house.

Chef Zog's sliders

I went overboard on my pumpkin. I spent almost 3 hours carving away freehand style- I probably looked nuts but I thoroughly enjoyed it!

My first carved pumpkin, proof I still got it. LOL

For dinner the next day I had a sushi samba, and we went all out.

The Soul Roll version 1.0

Contains cornmeal crusted fried chicken, butter garlic corn and collard greens & onions from the garden. Served with a BBQ 5 chili mayo sauce.

Stay tuned for version 2.0 and 3.0, sure to be even better.

Beans, Beans they are good for your Heart

...The more you eat the more you, BOO!

What a weekend! I'm exhausted, but never too exhausted for a Sunday pumpkin carving party finale.

For the bash, I made this (not including the dinosaur...just in case you were wondering)

Flourless Mystery Brownies 

You'll never guess what they are made of when you try them! (no one at the party had a clue)

1 15 oz. can black beans
3 eggs
1/2cup choc chips
1/2cup walnuts
1/3cup melted earth balance
1/4cup grade B maple
1/4cup cane sugar
1/4cup cocopowder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Blend the eggs, beans, melted butter, vanilla, sugar, maple and coco in a food processor until very smooth. Add the walnuts & chips last. The batter will be very runny, do not fear it is wrong. Spray the baking dish & bake @ 350 for 30 min, super bombtastic. I made the chocolate skeleton pieces out of a candy mold (white chocolate & peanutbutter chocolate) on top of cookie dirt & marshmallow fluff.

Soup is super.

BOO!

(scared you...not)

This creature was protecting the tomato plants, stunning. I love spiders, so much so my man got me a tarantula on Valentines day, but I guess that just makes me a creep more than anything.

It has been a busy last couple of weeks, but I have still been cooking my little heart out. Two dear friends of mine were hitched proper, and in honor of my lovely gluten free & dairy free gal I made these for her

Squash and baked tofu fresh rolls with a spicy peanut sauce

The tofu was pressed for an hour, and then marinated in some gluten free tamari. I sprayed a cooking sheet, then sprayed the top of the tofu and sprinkled some black sesame seeds, baked at 375 for 30+ min. until tender and firm. The veggies inside are carrot, acorn squash, cucumber, cilantro, mint and chives.

The peanut sauce contains coconut milk, no sugar added peanut butter, veg stock, red chili paste, tamari, sriracha and arrowroot.

The lovely lady who jumped the broom, I adore her!

Acorn squash soup and harvest apple pie muffins with cheddar cheese

Harvest Apple Pie and Sharp Cheddar Muffins

1 cup ground oat flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup flax powder
6oz. nonfat vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup apple juice (no sugar added)
2 medium grated gala apples
1/2 cup 2% sharp cheddar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp apple pie spice
1 tsp baking soda

Heat oven to 375, combine all dry ingredients in one bowl, add wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Lastly add the cheese, and mix. Spray & Bake for 30 min. or until done, check with a toothpick. Makes 8 large muffins.


Acorn Squash Soup with Coconut Milk

2 cups acorn squash (baked)
1/3 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 1/2 cups free range chicken stock or veg stock
salt, pepper, garlic powder
garnish- green onion & crushed candied cashews

Bake acorn squash and set aside. In a sauce pan cook celery, onion and carrot in a little bit of stock. Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend til smooth. Add additional stock for a thinner soup, season as desired.

Fried green tomatoes, flounder and homemade aoili. no recipe because I did not like this dish and don't wish to share...but still worth looking at!

I am obsessed with this squash, called sweet potato squash aka delicata squash. Tastes like the perfect combination of sweet potato and corn, you can't go wrong.

A perfect fall day, is there anything more wonderful than the sound of children playing? I think not.

Aidan and Brendan, he is getting so big!

and 1 last thing... get your camp fire on before it is too late

(smores are totally under-rated)

F stands for...

Fall is for FUN!

Fall in Michigan is my favorite time of year, and I insist on spending as much time as humanly possible at the apple orchards & farms.

The eggplants have been kickin' with a vengeance in the garden, and I'm always trying to come with creative ways to use them.

The weather finally turned brisk and instantly I was craving chili, so I made eggplant chili (why not?)

Eggplant & bean chili (vegan + gluten free) with pumpkin cornbread muffins (gluten free+vegan)



I made this chili by throwing a bunch of ingredients in a pot, you really can't go wrong.

3 cans of organic kidney beans

2 cups chopped roma tomatoes

2 chopped & peeled carrots

1 onion

1 eggplant, pealed & chopped

1 1/2 cup chopped yellow & orange bell peppers

2 whole chili peppers (chopped)

8 cups of veg stock

cutting celery (a herb that tastes just like celery)

chili powder

garlic powder

cumin

mustard powder

salt

In a large stock pot I cooked down the onion and peppers, I then added the tomatoes and the veg stock. I rinsed 2 cans of beans, and the third can I only washed half of the beans, so the remaining beans in the can were still with the starchy goo that comes with canned beans (helps to thicken the chili). To that I added the remaining ingredients except the salt & cutting celery. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to low heat and cook for 3 hours, do not cover!

Pumpkin Corn Muffins

2 packets of maple flavored instant oatmeal (ground into a flour)

1/2 cup corn meal

1 cup of pumpkin

1/4 cup water

2 TBSP flax powder

1 tsp baking soda

This was an experiment, and it worked for some reason. Add all the ingredients, and bake at 375 for 15 min, or until done.

Not-cho Grandma's Muffins

Call me weird, freak, call me what you will. I'm in love with flour free baking, and I can't stop won't stop.

These muffins make for the perfect breakfast, just warm up and add some buttah- and you are good to go with a cup of joe.

On a side note, don't be afraid of the eggs! Eggs are great for you, the more the merrier I say.

Not-cho Grandma's Banana Nut Muffins (gluten free)



Get Some!~

7 eggs

3/4 cup coconut flour

2 ripe, smashed bananas

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 cup grade B maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

dash of salt

Beat the wet ingredients together. Add the dry, and mix well. Spoon into sprayed muffin tins, and bake at 325 for 25-30 min. Check with a tooth pick, and enjoy.

These muffins are spongy and airy, I'm in love with coconut flour! 

An apple a day

Breakfast, the most unappreciated and under-rated meal of the day. Go big and go hard, breakfast is essential to gettin' your groove on and making the most out of the next 24hours.

Aidan loves his morning oatmeal, so I made it super fly for a change up.

Super Fly Apple oatmeal (vegan + gluten free)

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 small apple of choice, chopped
• 1 TBSP agave
• 1 TBSP flax meal
• 1 TBSP earth balance
• splash of lemon juice
• cinnamon, and whatever spices you like
• walnuts (optional)

Cook chopped apple in a sauce pan with a little water and lemon juice. Add the almond milk and heat on med. Add the remaining ingredients and turn heat up to high, as soon as it boils turn heat down to low.

Just another Sunday at the apple orchard

Eggplant roll-OUT

Quinoa pinenut eggplant rolls

Nothing turns a house into a home like the smell of fresh food cooking on the stove or in the oven.

If they could make a candle that gives you the real deal impression that someone has been baking away the day then that would just be lovely, those scented overpriced jar candles don't cut it.

For 2 of my favorite's wedding anniversary we had an impromptu vegan vs. not vegan theme.

I made this vegan dish in hopes to win over some quinoa virgins.

It started out like all great meals, with tomato sauce cooking away with fresh herbs

For the eggplant, I peeled it. Cut it into thin slices, and salted each side. They sat for 30 min. and then I dried off the water that came out. I then baked them for 15 min. at 350 until they were soft and ready to 'roll'

I sauteed 1 cup of chopped baby sweet peppers, with some onions and fresh cut mint.

In a pot I boiled 2 cups of veg stock and added 1 cup of quinoa.

When the quinoa was done I added it to the pepper mixture with some pine nuts, and additional seasoning



The rolls were then covered with the sauce, and placed in a baking dish.

They were baked at 375 for 30min.

Plated with a little drizzle of olive oil, these bad boys were ready to party.