Raw Vegan Caprese

I was recently blessed to receive a Veggetti™ Spiral Vegetable Cutter in exchange for my opinion on the product. This cute little Veggetti™ Spiral Vegetable Cutter turns veggies into good-for-you spaghetti or fettuccine with just the twist of your wrists.

My first comment to my husband, was how handy this will be to have on our sailboat, or camping. No need for huge equipment or electricity. With just a few minutes I was able to have a large bowl of healthy raw veggie pasta.  The Veggetti™ Spiral Vegetable Cutter is very easy to use, anyone can learn to use it quickly and safely. I recommend it!

I had 3 people for lunch today, so I thought I would give this tool a whirl. My husband popped in from work to fill his tummy, and a friend stopped by to catch up on her lunch break. So I went to what was fresh and ready for eating. This took me 5 minutes to make and less time to gobble it up. We all loved it. Don't be afraid of healthy food! Make this!

Raw Vegan Caprese
by Christi Silbaugh

3 Zucchini
2 tomatoes
1 Avocado
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
garlic salt

Peel your zucchini. Then place it in the thick side of your Veggetti™ Spiral Vegetable Cutter. Twist until all the zucchini is used. Place zucchini noodles in a large bowl. 

Dice you Tomato and Avocado, add them to the zucchini noodles. Add balsamic and toss to coat. Season with garlic salt to your liking. Serve cold. 

Chicken Sausage Tagliatelle

This past week I had the honor of sampling Jovial Foods gluten-free Tagliatelle pasta. 

What a treat! Even if I was not eating gluten-free, I would want to buy their pasta instead of the nasty enriched pasta sold at the market. 

Jovial™ gluten free products were developed in Italy, out of a heartfelt compassion for all of us who have had a food intolerance critically effect personal health and wellness. Jovial believes eating gluten free should be pleasurable and not feel like a sacrifice. 

When I saw this pasta, I thought; "oh boy, this is gonna be a comfort food night!". 

I got busy. Walked to Jimbo's for the finest produce and some spicy free range chicken sausage. Thanks to my herb garden I had plenty of fresh basil. 

This dish came together effortlessly and disappeared fast. Boy was I right about comfort food. This pasta is so decadent. I love it! So go ahead. Enjoy pasta again! 

You can get jovial pasta here and at a lot of health food stores, like Jimbo's, whole foods, vitacost etc.

Gluten-Free Chicken Sausage Tagliatelle

by Christi Silbaugh

1 9oz. box of Jovial Foods gluten-free Tagliatelle pasta

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb. spicy chicken sausage, casing removed

1 tsp garlic, chopped

1 tomato

1/2 cup chopped basil

1 cup parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Boil and drain your pasta according to package directions.

Chop up your tomato, garlic, and basil.

Heat a skillet over medium heat, and add olive oil, garlic, and your chicken sausage. Cook until sausage is browned and cooked through. 

In a large bowl add noodles, cooked sausage with drippings, tomato, basil, and parmesan cheese. 

Toss to distribute ingredients evenly throughout pasta. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve and eat! Great hot or cold. 

Cheesy Baked Penne Casserole

Well we are deep into fall now, and it is now that time of year again when my photos will be lacking in quality. Food photography needs natural light. Yes I have a lightbox, but it never ever turns out as good of pictures as the ones that are taken with natural light. So for the next few months, I apologize for having less  than par pics.

I do believe I am finally on the mend after what I consider to have been one of the worst colds I have had in a long time. I have this beautiful jar of  Terra Verde Foods Tomato Basil Garlic Sauce I have been wanting to make something scrumptious with. This is the perfect time. 

This organic sauce is made from Vine ripe tomatoes, roasted garlic and basil. All natural, no preservatives. So I thought it deserved more than just the basic spaghetti. I thought I would mix it with my favorite pasta. Penne has always been my favorite pasta, and jovial makes a great gluten-free one. 

If you are not gluten-free, you can use regular penne pasta.

Gluten-Free Baked Penne Casserole

by Mom, What's For Dinner

12 ounces jovial gluten-free brown rice pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

3 minced garlic cloves

1 lb spicy Italian turkey sausage

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp freshly grated black pepper

1 15oz jar of Terra Verde Foods Tomato Basil Garlic Sauce.

2 cups mozzarella cheese

Cook penne according to package directions (Jovial is 9 minutes) until almost cooked. Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil, then add onion, and garlic; stir fry until onion is translucent. 

If your sausage has casings, remove them. Crumble sausage in the skillet with the onions and garlic; add Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. 

Cook until sausage is cooked through, then drain.

 Add the tomato basil garlic sauce and bring to a boil, then take off heat.

Stir in Penne pasta with the sausage and marinara mixture.

Put mixture in a baking dish and cover with shredded cheese. 

Bake for 20 minutes 

Let stand 5 minute before serving.

Parsnip Fries

I recently returned home from a three week trip to the Northwest, with a horrible cold. I loved my trip, but alas, I brought the Northwest cold and flu bug home with me. Frustrated I settled in my bed with boxes of kleenex, vitamins, herbs, and a lot of books to read. 

While going through all of the titles that had been recently sent to me for review. One caught my eye;

My Kitchen Cure.

The subtitle; How I Cooked My Way Out of Chronic Autoimmune Disease. 

Being sick already, and knowing this book would go right along with my whole food beliefs, I dug in. 

As all of you know on here, I am a big advocate of whole foods, organic foods, non-gmo foods. I get a lot of eye rollers here. This stuff is real. How about instead of rolling your eyes, you give it a try. Trouble with migraines? Sleeping? Bloating? Joint Pain? Skin issues? I am willing to bet most of them can be solved by fixing what you eat, instead of taking drugs to mask the issue. 

I wrote an article on the dangers of our food earlier, you can read that here: http://whatsfordinner-momwhatsfordinner.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-truth-behind-our-food.html

This book covers all the main issues we face regarding our food. She also outlines the traditional american daily schedule, both how we eat, and what we do, that aids to the chronic diseases we all face. She explains how to change things and how to learn to eat right and avoid all of the chemical laden food we are presented with every day. 

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is ready to make a permanent change in their life. I am well educated in this area, and couldn't agree more with author Mee Tracy McCormick. This book would be a great start to understanding the roll food plays in our sicknesses.

You can get the book at Amazon and other book stores. 

I thought I would include one of her healthy recipes that will shock the kids. Parsnip fries. They have the same taste and texture as the carb loaded potato fries, but they are great for you and not loaded with carbs. Try them!

Parsnip Fries

from My Kitchen Cure

2 large parsnips

2 TBSP olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

Wash and slice your parsnips. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Using a large cookie sheet, spread out your fries and toss with olive oil and sea salt (if you are a garlic lover you can add fresh garlic too). Place them in the oven for 10 minutes. Serve as a side dish to burgers, sandwiches, or just as a great snack. 

Creamy Crab Linguine

Just when I thought that my local farmer's market couldn't get any better, A new booth opened that has live fresh caught local crabs. Since last week, I faced my fear of cooking crustacean. This week I faced my fear of murdering one. As I approached the booth, I got stressed out. One crab in particular was staring at me saying: "please save me!". Confidently I handed the owner the money for two live crabs. The one who asked to be saved was put in my bag, still moving and pinching. I made my husband carry it home while giving myself a pep talk. 

I walked into my house and immediately started the boiling water. The bag was now on my counter and I could see the crabs were still slowly moving. "don't look, don't look, don't look", I kept saying it to myself. I grabbed the long tongs and dropped each live crab in the pot without looking. Placed the lid on the top and boiled for 15 minutes. Goodbye fear. 

I served the crab over linguine and alfredo sauce, seasoned with old bay. It was very very tasty and worth all the effort. I made my pasta from scratch. If you would like homemade gluten-free pasta, you can see my recipe and process here: http://whatsfordinner-momwhatsfordinner.blogspot.com/2010/10/gluten-free-homemade-pasta.html

Gluten-Free Crab Linguine

8 ounces gluten free linguine

4 whole crabs, if just buying lump meat, 1lb.

1 TBSP old bay seasoning plus 1 tsp divided.

For the Alfredo Sauce:

1/2 cup butter

1 TBSP Gluten Free Flour

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 cups shredded parmesan

Start off by cooking your crab. Fill a large stockpot 3/4 full with water and add 1 TBSP old bay seasoning. Bring to a boil. Add your crabs and cover for 15 minutes. 

While crabs is cooking start your sauce. 

For the sauce: Start by heating your garlic, butter, salt and pepper in a large saucepan.

Next add your flour and whisk until smooth. Cook until bubbly and then add your whipping cream. 

Stir constantly until it comes to a boil.

Then add your Parmesan and stir continually until thick and creamy. 

Remove the crab from the boiling water and let get cool enough to crack. Do not dispose of boiling water. Add your noodles and cook in the boiling water. 

If you have homemade pasta it only takes 2 minutes. If you are using packaged noodles, cook according to the package instructions. 

Rinse off your pasta really well.

Crack your crabs and remove all the meat. Toss with 1 tsp of old bay.

Assemble your dish with noodles, alfredo and crab. Serve!

Don't forget you can order my cookbook HERE!

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Avocado Basil Pasta

This past week I spent a day with some girlfriends in Little Italy. I was so pleased to find gluten-free farfalle  (bow tie pasta) at one of the little Italian markets! That night I put it to good use and made a big bowl of avocado basil pasta! It was so good. I am keeping this one in rotation for our days on the sailboat. Nothing beats a great cold pasta salad! If you can't find gluten-free bowtie pasta, any pasta will do.

Gluten-Free Avocado Basil Pasta

8 ounces gluten-free  bow tie pasta (or a different shape)
2 medium avocados, halved, seeded, peeled, and chopped
6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
2 medium ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 red pepper, seeds removed and chopped
2/3 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Cook bow tie pasta according to package directions. Drain.
2. In a large bowl combine the avocados, chopped tomatoes, crumbled bacon, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, pepper, and salt. Add the pasta and combine, then sprinkle with cheese.

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