Roasted Spicy Chickpeas (Vegan)

These are delicious on top of salads or as a healthy, crispy snack.

1 can of organic chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained (reserve juice*)
Sea salt or APB seasoning

1) Drizzle chickpeas with olive oil, stirring lightly to coat. (I omit this step and it works fine.)

2) Season with sea salt, if you're serving children or a tame crowd. For the more adventurous, season with APB or other favorite such seasonings.

3) Line baking pan with parchment paper and spread chickpeas in a single layer.

4) Roast in a 450 degree oven (I used my toaster oven, on convection) until crispy, stirring once or twice, 10-20 minutes or so. Just watch them.

Who knew these even existed, or how easy they were to make?!!

When you're on an elimination diet, you're desperate for some crunch and spice. These little buggers deliver on both!

*Chickpea brine, the liquid drained from canned chickpeas, is known as aquafaba and can be used for many things. It makes a wonderful vegan whipped "cream" or for making GF, oil-free, vegan granola.

Ginger-Lime Tuna Marinade

This recipe is a meld of several I saw online. We can't have all the ingredients for most marinades on the Elimination Diet, so here's my modified version:

1/4 C. olive oil
1 Tbsp. dark sesame oil
1/4 C. lime juice
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger root
1 Tbsp. sliced green onion
1/4 C. chopped cilantro
1 tsp. sesame seeds
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
Pinch of stevia powder

This was tasty, especially given how little we had to work with. The taste of lime is strong, so bear that in mind if you don't like lime. On this Elimination Diet, we're desperate for whatever we can all have that is acidic enough to permeate and flavor the tuna

All of the original marinades call for garlic, soy sauce, and something sweet—honey, maple syrup, orange juice, sweet vinegar (balsamic, rice, apple cider)—which we will have to skip. I will add the tiniest pinch of stevia powder to compensate. (In the future, I'd add one or two of them for sure, hoping even for a bit of caramelization on the final tuna steaks!) 

Creamy Walnut Sauce for Pasta

The original recipe is from the cookbook Cooking for Isaiah by Silvana Nardone. If you are dairy- and wheat/gluten-free, I highly recommend it—but even if you're not, the recipes are all delicious! When we ate this pasta tonight, it didn't feel like we were being "deprived" on an Elimination Diet at all. Yummy!

My modified version of this dish appears below:

Ingredients:
2 1/2 C. walnuts
1 1/4 C. reserved cooking water (from blanching walnuts)
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 C. extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound rice pasta (I used the rice penne from Trader Joe's.)

Optional additions:
Sautéed vegetables, optional and according to preference (I used onion, asparagus, and broccoli.)
Chicken breast strips, pan fried on stove in a little oil (If I'd had them, I'd have done this.)
Finely chopped fresh parsley or basil, for garnish
1/2 C. toasted walnuts, for garnish and texture

Preparation:
1) In a medium saucepan, bring salted water to a boil. Add walnuts and cook gently for 15 minutes.

2) In the meantime, add the rice pasta to a different pot of salted, boiling water. Cook until al dente, according to package directions. Do not overcook!

3) While your walnuts and pasta boil, sauté any vegetables you want to add to your final pasta product and pan-fry your chicken strips, if using.

4) After 15 minutes boiling, strain the nuts from the cooking water, reserving the liquid for later use.

5) Transfer the blanched walnuts to the food processor. Add the nutmeg, crushed red pepper, salt, and 1 1/4 C. of the reserved cooking water. Process until finely chopped, about 30 seconds.

6) With the motor running, slowly stream in the olive oil and process until creamy, about 5 minutes.

7) In a large serving bowl, toss half of the the sauce together with the pasta and the sautéed vegetables. Add more sauce until it is the consistency you want. (This was more sauce than we needed, so I reserved some to use like a non-dairy "cheese sauce" in another recipe. It will keep about 3 days in the refrigerator.)

NOTE: Garlic and black pepper would be good in this, but we're having to eliminate those ingredients for our Elimination Diet. Silvana boils a clove of garlic in with the walnuts, then processes it together in the food processor. She also adds an equal amount of black pepper when she adds the salt.

Homemade Almond Milk (Vegan)

1/4 C. whole, raw almonds
2 C. filtered water (of 4 C. total)

1) Place together in the Vitamix. I only add 2 cups of the water at first to make less of a mess when blending.

2) Begin on low but quickly increase to highest setting.

3) Blend 1 minute.

4) Strain* with a fine mesh strainer or nut bag, if desired. (I put the nut pulp in our morning oat bowls.) 

5) Add the rest of the water and refrigerate.

6) Keeps, refrigerated, for about a week.

* NOTE: Almond milk is rich in fiber if left unstrained. If you desire a smoother product that tastes more like store-bought, however, you can strain the blended product through cheese cloth or a nut milk bag.

You can also make a delicious, flavored almond milk, by following this recipe on ohsheglows.com.

Pumpkin Quinoa Porridge

1 C. dry quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 C. homemade almond milk
1/2 C. pumpkin puree
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp. sea salt

1) In a pot, combine 1 C. water and 1 C. almond milk.

2) Bring to a boil, then add add above ingredients. Turn down heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until liquid has evaporated.

3) Remove from heat and stir in 2 Tbsp. ground flaxseeds.

4) Top with any of the items listed below. Enjoy.


Top with any of the following, according to personal preferences and/or allergens you're avoiding:

1/4 C. chopped walnuts or pecans
1 Tbsp. hemp hearts
2-3 Tbsp. raw honey or maple syrup
2 Tbsp. coconut flakes

NOTE: I have no idea why the quinoa needed a rinse. I did it anyway!

The original recipe appeared on Food Babe.

All-Purpose Blend (APB) Seasoning Mix

This is a spice blend of things we can have, since all the pre-fab mixes (including my beloved, simple  SPG blend) are off the menu during our Elimination Diet. All crushed, dried spices should be ground fine enough to pass through the holes of a spice shaker bottle.

Coriander (1 tsp. ~ 1 heaping Tbsp. ~ scant 1/4 C.)
Dill (1 tsp. ~ 1 heaping Tbsp. ~ scant 1/4 C.)
Rosemary (1 tsp. ~ 1 heaping Tbsp. ~ scant 1/4 C.)
Celery seed (1 tsp. ~ 1 heaping Tbsp. ~ scant 1/4 C.)
Sea salt (1 tsp. ~ 1 heaping Tbsp. ~ scant 1/4 C.)
Onion salt (1 tsp. ~ 1 heaping Tbsp. ~ scant 1/4 C.)
Savory (1 tsp. ~ 1 heaping Tbsp. ~ scant 1/4 C.)
Marjoram (2 tsp. ~ 3 scant Tbsp. ~ 1/3 C.)
Thyme (2 tsp. ~ 3 scant Tbsp. ~ 1/3 C.)
Paprika (1 Tbsp. ~ 1/4 C. ~ 3/4 C.)
Onion powder (1 Tbsp. ~ 1/4 C. ~ 3/4 C.)
Cayenne pepper (1 Tbsp. ~ 1/4 C. ~ 3/4 C.)
Celery salt (1 Tbsp. ~ 1/4 C. ~ 3/4 C.)
Parsley (2 Tbsp. ~ 1/2 C. ~ 1 1/2 C.)

We had to eliminate:
basil
bay leaf
black pepper
garlic
mustard
oregano
white pepper

Raw Zucchini "Sushi" Rolls

These are super cute, and super yummy, but they take a lot of work. Even if you prep all the ingredients ahead of time, it is still a very labor-intensive process to put it all together, which I would not have been able to do the day of the shower without my sweet helpers, Nanny and EL.

I'm not sure how these would hold up if they weren't assembled fresh, just before the event. (If you try it and it works, please let us know in the comments!)

The original recipe appeared on askmefood.com, and they are credited with the nifty photo, too. (Don't click on the link to get to the instructions, or your computer will freeze up and a scammy message will appear!)

Zucchini
(chosen for their non-crooked, even appearance)
Veggies of your choice
(cut into matchbook sticks of varying lengths, by type)
Cilantro
Hummus

The day before:
1) Process veggies: Cut into thin, matchbook slices, the veggies of your choice. We used carrots, celery, cucumber, red bell pepper, and yellow bell pepper. Store in separate piles in an airtight container overnight.

2) Process cilantro: Rinse and dry cilantro. Carefully cut into little individual "flowers" by having a leaf on top and a length of stem beneath. Wrap together in a damp paper towel and store in hydrator overnight.

3) Make or buy hummus of your choice. Any flavor will do.

On assembly day:
1) Gently dab the veggie sticks with a paper towel if they're too moist from storage.

2) Using a veggie peeler, gently slice the zucchini into thin slices, lengthwise.

3) Spread hummus along almost half of the slice, with a dab on the other end so it will stick when rolled.

4) Stick the veggie sticks (one of each type, plus a cilantro "flower") very close together, beginning at the end with more hummus. (You don't need to try to cover all of the hummus area. It is for making it stick when you roll it.)

5) Gently roll up so the veggies are deep inside the roll (from the veggie-and-hummus-full end to the dab-of-hummus end).

6) Carefully stand up in a deep serving dish that will allow for them to lean on its edge and on each other, if necessary, should they fall over. (They get "limper "the longer they sit during the event.)

Again, I didn't try rolling them ahead. It may be that they hold up better because they "set up" in the refrigerator, or it may be that they get soggy. I'm just not sure. Let us know if you try it.

NOTE: If you cut all the carrots one length, and all the cucumbers a slightly different length, etc., you can line them all up together at the bottom of the roll-up (which forms a nice base for them to stand up on) while still having various heights of veggies sticking out at the top.

Nanny's Deviled Eggs

1) Hard-boil however many eggs you want to serve.

2) While still hot, carefully peel the eggs.

3) Cut the eggs in half and carefully remove the cooked yolks.

4) Melt a pat of butter into the hot yolks, then stir in just enough mayonnaise and homemade sweet pickle juice to make the right "stuffing" texture. Add salt to taste.

5) Sprinkle deviled eggs with paprika before serving.

Glazed Kielbasa Pineapple Bites

The original recipe appears here. I used the following modified version for Jessica's shower:

Kielbasa, sliced

1 20-oz. can pineapple chunks, drained and with juice reserved
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. pineapple juice (reserved from can)

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2) Place a piece of pineapple on top of a slice of kielbasa, wide side up, and secure with a toothpick.

3) Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl and brush glaze onto tops and sides of bites.

4) Bake for 15-20 minutes until warmed through and slightly browned.

5) Let cool slightly, but serve warm.

NOTE: I added a bit of Pineapple-Habanero Sauce, a pre-fab bottle I had bought at Costco to use for the meatballs. It gave it a bit of a kick that I liked. I may add a splash of jalapeño vinegar (juice from the jar of pickled jalapeño slices) next time, if I don't have that sauce on hand.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Crispy Asparagus Spears

This was a fun and relatively easy addition to Jessica's bridal shower this past weekend. I found the original recipe on chow.com, but my modified version appears below.

Ingredients:
2 pounds asparagus (about 40 medium spears), washed and with the hard ends snapped off
Prosciutto, thinly sliced (and with the slices themselves cut in half lengthwise)
Olive oil
Black pepper, finely ground
Balsamic Reduction, for glazing (See below.)

Procedure:
1) Drizzle the spears with olive oil and gently roll to coat evenly. Sprinkle lightly with pepper.

2) Starting just under the "floret" of the asparagus, gently wrap each spear in a spiral all the way down, barely overlapping the edges of the prosciutto.

3) Place them on a lined baking sheet, as close together as possible without touching. (If they're touching, they'll steam inside and stay soft instead of crisping up.)

4) Brush lightly with Balsamic Reduction.

5) Broil for 3 minutes, then remove pan from oven and gently roll spears over. Glaze the other side.

6) Continue to broil until asparagus is lightly charred in spots and prosciutto is crispy and brown, about 3 minutes more.

NOTES: You want to get the largest asparagus spears you can find, that still seem tender. If they're too thin, the proportion of prosciutto-to-asparagus will be too much and they'll taste overly salty.

Also, I lined my baking sheet with parchment paper. For the last few leftovers that wouldn't fit, my husband didn't line the pan, and the pan was horrible to clean up!

Balsamic Reduction:
1/3 C. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer lightly until reduced to 1/4 C., about 10 minutes.

NOTE: It thickens as it cools. You'll want to cool it some before brushing it onto the spears so it will stick nicely.