Gluten-free Stuffed Mushrooms

I just tried this recipe for a dinner party I had a few weeks ago and these little gems were a hit! However, the next time I make them, I’ll probably use a little less than ½ cup of sundried tomatoes – they added a very strong briny/salty flavor that was a bit overpowering. Still, this is a great recipe that I’ll use again and again.


Gluten-free Stuffed Mushrooms

1 C parsley, chopped
½ C sun dried tomatoes
½ C pine nuts
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 t lemon juice
¼ t Celtic sea salt
¼ C olive oil
1 (8-oz) package mushrooms

In a food processor, place parsley and pulse briefly. Add sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice and salt, then pulse until almost smooth. Drizzle in olive oil and pulse again briefly to incorporate.

Remove stems from mushrooms and stuff with pesto. Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes.

Serves 4

From elanaspantry.com

Spinach Hummus

I love making hummus at home – that way I can tweak it to my taste on any given day. Sometimes I like more garlic; sometimes I like to add jalapenos to jazz it up. Whatever I choose, this recipe has been a consistent winner in my house and Mark and I snack on it all the time. And to keep the calories and carbs low, we use sliced cucumbers, fresh cauliflower and carrots instead of crackers. Play with the ingredients and make it your way!


Spinach Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans/chickpeas (15 oz), drained
1/2 C fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 C tahini
2 T garlic
3 T lemon juice
2 T olive oil
1/4 t Kosher salt

In a food processor, process beans, garlic, spinach and olive oil. Add lemon and salt and blend. If spinach hummus is too thick, add 1 tablespoon water until desired consistency. Hummus should be smooth and creamy.

Spinach hummus can be made up to two days in advance. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator. It can be served hot or cold. (I like mine at room temperature.)

From mideastfood.about.com

3 Easy Tips for Navigating the Holiday Party Scene

Happy Day 1! Here's to having the courage to check in, reassess our diets and reclaim our healthy ways in the middle of the biggest eating season of 'em all! And because we're starting in the thick of the party season, it's a great time to revisit the topic of dealing with social situations while eating a non-traditional diet. Here are three simple things we can do to gracefully maneuver through the holiday party scene:

1. Be prepared - There's nothing worse than showing up at an event when you're starving. That's when temptation poses its biggest threat. If you can, try to eat something beforehand - a protein shake, a couple of slices of tofu, or a cup of carrots, cauliflower or broccoli  with a bit of hummus - that way, when you're faced with a dry salad, you won't feel deprived or hungry. And just to be safe, you might want to carry something in your purse or keep something in your office - an apple, a bag of carrots, some raw almonds - they'll help keep you feeling satisfied.

2. Find a new drink of choice. When the social calendar brims with one event after another and you find yourself indulging in a toast here and a glass of bubbly there, the good cheer can add up in the way of empty calories and mood-altering chemicals. So fill up a champagne flute with seltzer water and a lemon twist, or a martini glass with seltzer water and a couple of teaspoonsful of cranberry juice and toast to your own good health! And offer to be a designated driver!   

3. Get into the spirit of the season. Remember that the reason you're getting together with your friends, family or colleagues is to be together and celebrate the season. We've said it before at SkinnyPlus and it's worth saying again - it's not about the food; it's about the people. And because you’ll be alcohol-free and less focused on food you’ll be able to concentrate on your companions and really hear what they're saying. Who knows? You might just have a better time because of it. 

We're only in this mini cleanse for seven days; holiday favorites will still be around after we've finished our week. There will always be another cookie; there will always be another cocktail. We don't need to eat like every meal is our last, and we don't need "just one more" drink. Our bodies will thank us for reining in our diets - we'll feel great while everyone else is overeating and overloading, and we'll keep our calorie counts low and loaded with nutritional foods.

Here's to a great week of mindful eating and greeting - I'm glad we're in it together!

Get Ready - The Mini Cleanse Starts Monday!

It's time to get serious about what's going to happen on Monday. For seven days we'll be eliminating gluten, alcohol, sugar, caffeine and all animal products (or GAS CAP, as coined by our cleanse buddy Jane!) And there are some things to bear in mind as you get ready...

First, if you have tempting non-cleanse foods around the house, you'll want to dispose of them or at least move them to less prominent spaces in your fridge, freezer and pantry.

After that, the key to success is being prepared with ready-to-eat stuff in the fridge. Plan on picking up your groceries and spending some time in the kitchen making up a few entrees and prepping snacks that will last through the week. There's a wide assortment of recipes on this blog so check them out, see what appeals to you, and make a plan for the week. Then click on the Shopping List link under "Pages" on the lefthand side of this page for a shopping guide - and remember that this list is designed for the 3-week cleanse so you won't need oodles of supplies.

Typically, I make two entrees (all the recipes are fairly ample so two should last you until Friday), a bunch of quinoa, and a batch of soup. Brown rice and beans (black beans are my favorite) are great to have on hand too. And don’t worry – none of the recipes take much time at all.

Every few days I bake a couple of blocks of tofu so I can have it on hand. Just dry a block of tofu and slice it into 5 steaks. Marinate them in a bit of Bragg’s Amino Acids while you wait for the oven to heat to 375F. Then bake them for about 10-15 minutes, turn, and bake for another 10-15 minutes (I go 15 because I like mine a little crispy). I nibble on tofu slices throughout the course of the day and use them as chicken breast substitutes for salads and sandwiches (use lettuce instead of bread). Each tofu steak has only about 70 calories and about 8g of protein – very efficient!

For snacks I clean up some organic carrots and celery and make sure to have fresh fruit on hand. And I keep gluten-free crackers and tortilla chips around for something to crunch on. For quick treats, I mash up an avocado with a drop of lemon juice and a dash of kosher salt for a simple guacamole to serve with gluten-free crackers or gluten-free tortilla chips. Nuts are great to have on hand, too – my preference has been almonds up until a few weeks ago when I started munching on raw cashews. For a sweet treat, mix in some raisins.

If you need portable foods (for lunch at the office or meals on the go), you can put some soup in a travel mug or put together a Tupperware feast of some of the entrées you’ve made. And the tofu steaks are super easy – you can eat them with your hands! I keep baggies of nuts or carrots in my purse for hunger emergencies; gluten-free crackers work well, too.

Just make sure there’s something that’s always ready and within reach – it’s when you’ve run out of good food and you’re hungry that you can get into trouble. When there’s no alternative it’s easy to turn to the donuts or pretzels or whatever’s in front of you. So keep the fridge stocked and give yourself lots of options!

I'm looking forward to sharing the week with you. Here's to combining the spirit of the holidays with good health!