Quinoa-Beef stuffing - One Stuffing, Two Meals

I don't know why I've never tried combining beef and quinoa before - it makes an amazing stuffing. I bought a couple very LARGE zucchini's and a cabbage at the local market (Harris' Farm) and got creative with how to use them. Here's what I came up with: Stuffed Zucchini and Cabbage Rolls - both are filled using the same stuffing (bonus!).
For the 'stuffing':
-Saute 1 lb beef, 1 onion, 1 large carrot (grated), 2 celery stalks and 3 large cloves garlic
-Season with thyme, oregano, salt and pepper.
-Add 2 cups cooked Quinoa (I cooked mine with a dash of Bragg's seasoning).





Stuffed Zucchini:
Cut your zucchi
ni in half and scoop out the seeds (to make hollow 'boats'). Fill with your filling, top with diced tomato. Can sprinkle on parmesan or cheese if you wish. Bake in a lasagna dish

Cabbage Rolls:
Gently remove as many cabbage leaves as you want for the rolls. Add them to a pot of boiling water until the leaves are soft (about 5-7 minutes). Remove from the water. Fill each cabbage leaf with stuffing and roll it up. Place into a glass oven-proof dish. Top with diced tomato.

Bake in a 350 oven for 45 minutes.

**These pictures are taken BEFORE baking!

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Clinic Director
info@vitalityforlife.ca
www.vitalityforlife.ca
Twitter: @NaturoDoctor
We're On Facebook!

Where to get some pantry staples and COUPON CODE for iHERB.com!

As I mentioned in my last post I'll share with you some of the goodies I've recently purchased from iherb! I like getting inspired in the kitchen and keeping it fresh, so it's fun to try new products out once in a while, and getting my order last week did just that!
As a bonus, if you would like to place an order with iherb.com, you can use the following coupon code to give you up to $10 OFF your first order over $40!
COUPON CODE: NTK179

Ok, so you can see from the picture a few of the things I ordered:

Coconut sugar - a low glycemic sugar alternative - use exactly like you would regular sugar in your baking etc.


Coconut Flour - a paleo-friendly (grain-free) flour alternative, used in many of my baked goodies

Peanut Flour - a high protein grain-free flour alternative, can be added to smoothies, baked goods or make into nut-butter. Check out my peanut-butter cookie recipe in the previous post!

Coco Cardio - dark cocoa powder WITH beet and hibiscus flour. This is a heart healthy addition to warm drinks or baked goods. Use like you would cocoa powder. Check out my smoothie recipe in the previous post!

Agave - this is a nice pantry staple for using in dressings and some baked goods for sweetness in liquid form

Have fun in the kitchen!

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Clinic Director
info@vitalityforlife.ca
www.vitalityforlife.ca
Twitter: @NaturoDoctor
We're On Facebook!

Gluten-free Pizzas

Over the weekend we felt like having a pizza night, but to keep it clean and naturopathic I decided to try a couple gluten-free crust recipes. The first one was an eggplant based one (pictured on the right in the first photo) and the second one was made from gluten-free flour and was done easily in a skillet! Both turned out great!

Eggplant Pizza Crust:

• 1 eggplant, peeled
• 1/2 tsp  (2 mL)  salt
• 1/4 cup  (60 mL)  ground flaxseeds
• 3 tbsp  (45 mL)  Gluten-free flour (I used a blend, but you can use Bob's Mill)
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp  (15 mL)  olive oil
• 1/4 tsp  (1 mL)  pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Preparation

1. In large bowl, coarsely shred eggplant; stir in salt and let sit for 5 minutes. In handfuls or using cheesecloth, squeeze out excess liquid. In separate large bowl, thoroughly combine eggplant, flaxseeds, flour, egg, oil and pepper. On a piece of parchment press mixture into any shape, but 1/4-inch/5 mm thick. Slide parchment paper onto pizza stone (preheated) OR centre rack of 375°F/190°C oven; bake for 20 minutes.
2. Carefully slide crust out of oven; top with another parchment paper; lift both parchments and flip over; peel off top parchment. Apply your toppings and bake an additional 15-20 min at 400C.

Skillet Pizza:
2 cups gluten-free flour
2 Tbsp starch (corn, rice or arrowroot)
2 tsp Baking powder
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Add water (start with 1 cup) until you form a dough ball. Divide into 2 smaller dough balls and let sit 5 min. Heat a skillet (non-stick or cast iron). Add 1 tsp olive oil. Roll out one dough ball onto parchment into circle. Flip the dough into the hot pan (peel off parchment). Cook for about 4 min. per side (until light golden brown). Repeat with next dough ball. Apply toppings and bake 15-20 min at 400C

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Clinic Director
info@vitalityforlife.ca
www.vitalityforlife.ca
Twitter: @NaturoDoctor
We're On Facebook!

Throwing together a (CLEAN) meal!

My next few posts will be mostly food related with pictures and recipes of meals we've made recently that have been great enough to share! Sometimes I wonder why i'm grabbing my camera every time I put a dish together, but I'm realizing that I'm inspired by food, cooking and clean eating. This should be a cornerstone for good health for everyone, and that is why my Naturopathic blog sometimes feels like a food blog - it's THAT important!! Food create a hormonal and chemical cascade in out bodies, and when the diet is off, so is everything else! Your best assurance at good health is eating simple, REAL foods at least 80% of the time! Find out what will motivate you to get back into the kitchen, try new recipes, and challenge yourself to make it healthier! For me, I surround myself by people and resources that have the same passion about Clean Eating as I do - a simple strategy is to follow those people on Facebook or Blogs - each day when I open my page I'm flooded with great new ideas and recipes that I'm excited to try.

Ok, so the last week or so we've been really diligent with cleaning up our diets and incorporating a little 'detox' as spring arrives! One of the wonderful benefits of tackling a cleanse is that you are forced to explore new foods and create new recipes with ingredients you may otherwise not have tried. Here's one sample dinner that we made earlier in the week:

Brown and Wild Rice with a little coconut oil and peas

A simple avocado and tomato salad topped with chopped onion, lemon juice and salt and pepper - Delicious!

Stirfry - saute a diced onion and red pepper in Olive Oil until soft and translucent. Add baby bok choy and white navy beans, salt and pepper. Saute until bok choy wilts (3-4 min). Grate 2-3 cloves garlic into the pan and heat through. Serve with the rice and side of avocado/tomato salad.

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Clinic Director
info@vitalityforlife.ca
www.vitalityforlife.ca
Twitter: @NaturoDoctor
We're On Facebook!