I'm back, and ready for more!

Hello!

For those of you who know me, you know I have putting off the recipe book for sometime now. I completed the recipes, completed the photos and started to edit it....slowly.

This week, I am putting in the effort. I am getting this dang thing done so you all can enjoy cooking up these fantastic recipes. More information coming soon!

Also....in other news, I am going to keep up with the blog! Hooray! Since the recipe book will be done (soon) I will shift the focus of the blog to restaurant reviews, dairy free recipes, candida free recipes and healthful eating in general. I found out recently that I am actually allergic to cow's dairy and not gluten. I wish I had known that for the last 6 years! Good news is I know now and I am ready to take on food sans the cow dairy. Don't worry cheese lovers. Cheese will not leave the blog or all of you would leave too. Goat, sheep and vegan cheeses will pick up the slack.

Keep checking back to see the latest and greatest in Colorado food.

Tomato-less Caprese Bruchetta

My dislike of tomatoes is really putting a damper on my photos! This is my take on caprese bruchetta. Most would argue that the tomato is an integral piece of the caprese...but my taste buds beg to differ. Although these photos are lackluster, there is an upside (there is always an upside) these are Candida safe! See recipe below.

Tomato-less Caprese Bruchetta

• 2 slices spelt bread
• extra virgin olive oil
• fresh garlic
• goat cheese
• fresh basil
• And by all means...add tomato if you like it!

Cut each slice of bread into 4 squares and coat with extra virgin olive oil. Top with a little fresh chopped garlic and a small hunk of goat cheese as well as a fresh basil leaf. Bake until the bread starts to crisp on 350.

Dinner with Dad: Avocado and Caramelized Onion Burgers

My Mom is out of town, so I thought it might be a good idea to go feed my dad and sister so they didn't have to starve to death. Or actually they would have had popcorn and PBJ sandwiches...but still, not a great dinner. I tried to very nonchalantly sneak healthy food into their diet. They eat good when my Mom is home but on their own...they are hopeless. There was some resistance...but I held firm! And the best part? This meal is Candida safe! Grass-fed, organic, Colorado ground beef with caramelized onions and avocado with 'healthy' fries and garlic organic green beans. What a tongue twister!

So here are the wonderful caramelized onions that topped the grass-fed burger. They may have gotten a little crispy...but no complaints here.

The complete burger. Grass-fed, organic, local Colorado ground beef topped with an avocado and caramelized onions. And since I can't eat buns right now and my dad and sister don't like them anyway; the burger was served sans the bun. My dad said the beef tasted normal, but my sister was not as happy. She noticed a difference in the flavor and couldn't finish hers. I will say that grass-fed isn't as sweet as corn-fed beef and that may account for a taste difference. I tried to get her to push past the new taste and think about how much healthier the beef was.

It seems that you can't eat a burger without some kind of potato; these are 'heathy' fries though. First of all, I used little red potatoes that are approved for the Candida diet. Second, I coated them in egg instead of oil. Third, I baked them instead of frying them. Add a little salt, pepper and garlic and oh gosh...heaven! Leave the skins on for the nutrients.

 

Egg-Pepper Breakfast

Happy Monday Morning! I hope the week is a good one. I thought I would start out this week by sharing a very yummy Candida safe breakfast idea with you. Since breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it is important to eat well :)

Egg-Pepper Breakfast (for 2)

-4 eggs

-1/2 orange pepper

-1/2 green pepper

-splash almond milk

-1/4 cup goat cheese

-1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

-salt and pepper to taste

-2 slices spelt/sprouted bread

-butter

Cook the chopped peppers, salt and pepper in extra virgin olive oil for a few minutes in a sauce pan on medium. Mix the eggs and almond milk in a bowl then add to the peppers.  Let the eggs cook and add the basil and goat cheese at the last minute. Toast up a slice of spelt bread and top with butter.

Who says you can't eat a big Candida safe breakfast? Not this gal....

Pesto Shrimp

Here is an old Candida safe dinner I had a while back. And per usual, it was easy and ready very quickly. Just cook up some shrimp in a basil or cilantro pesto with a little garlic in a sauce pan on medium heat. Add a whole wheat tortilla on the side for good measure and then sit there and feel really proud of yourself for the culinary expertise you have just tackled.

What pesto recipes do you have?

Basil Shrimp and Rice

First Candida safe dinner. Brown rice with basil and shrimp. Now this dish was pretty simple (which is kind of a theme for me). Cook up some rice, toss in some fresh basil and throw in the already cooked shrimp from the grocery store....I feel totally lazy. For the record, they only had two kinds of shrimp; the cooked ones and then uncooked ones that had weird little leg things. Ugh! I hate cooking with animals...one of these days I may get used to it.

Candida Breakfast: The E & E

It is that time again. Time to put away the foods that I love so dearly and get my gut to a good place. I am going back on the Candida Diet. Jeff and I are taking a trip to California in three weeks and I would like to actually enjoy the trip and not be sick or doubled over in pain the whole time. My lack of discipline has resulted in the Candidas reforming their battle fronts and reeking havoc on my body. So here it goes! Three weeks of healthy eats.

The easiest change you can make to your diet to start to combat Candida is The E & E (Egg and Ezekiel bread) in the morning for breakfast. Ezekiel bread is a brand of spelt bread, but any spelt or whole grain bread will do that does not contain yeast or sugar. So the instructions are really pretty easy...toast the bread, cook up an egg and there you have it; a quick and easy way to be nice to your tummy.

So you start with an egg...

And then you cook it and put it on the bread. Simple! Now try and tell me that the Candida diet is too hard ;)

There are many more posts to come in the following weeks with fresh Candida diet ideas.

Jan's Veggie Salad

Finally, a candida safe recipe. I have been slacking pretty bad, haven't I? My mom has been trying her hand at eating candida safe. She is an excellent cook and has the ability to improvise (a skill I am still trying to master). This is a great recipe to bring to gatherings as well. Try this recipe...your body will thank you.

Jan’s Veggie Salad

• 2 medium zucchini
• ½ red onion
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 3 cup broccoli
• ½ cup orange bell pepper
• ½ cup red bell pepper
• 1 cucumber
• 3 stalks celery
Dice all the vegetables and put in serving bowl. Pour on dressing and mix together. Refrigerate for a least 2 hours.

Dressing:
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper

Lentils and Rice

So this meal idea is 98% safe for a Candida-free diet. I can't be perfect! I say this because there is a tiny bit of cream in the Madras Lentils, but it is so low that it shouldn't effect the diet too much. These little guys are amazing! My aunt gave them to me as part of a birthday present (along with a beautiful lunch tote for work). It tastes like Chili and can be used in a number of ways: as chili, in tacos, as a soup, on rice etc. Tasty Bite website here. You can purchase them at Costco.

And guess what? They are REALLY good for you. Not only do the below things apply, but for those of you watching your calories...the whole container is about 300 calories and fills you up! (That's 6 weight watchers points).

Whats even better? You throw it in the microwave for 90 seconds. Pair that with some 90 seconds rice....

And voila! A quick lunch that will sooth your healthy soul. I topped my meal off with some Greek yogurt (an excellent substitute for sourcream)

My only worry... packaging. I realize this is a lot of packaging. The rice bowl is BPA free and recyclable...but that doesn't make it perfect. To reduce waste, make this meal only when you are really strapped for time and stick to the bulk food section for other meals.

Whole Wheat Pasta and Tea

After all of the meatball sandwiches, cheese dip, and mounds bars I needed to have some Candida friendly food. I made a whole-wheat pasta, with spinach and goat cheese and a little pesto mixed in. Pau d’ Arco tea on the side; great for a Candida diet. For a healthy choice add more veggies and protein and less pasta.

Candida Safe: whole wheat pasta, goat cheese, spinach, pesto (homemade or natural), pau d’ arco tea

Burgers?

Yes that is right! I had a Candida safe ‘burger and French fries’ dinner.

Candida safe: Spelt Bread (grilled with butter and garlic), Grass-fed ground beef, goat cheese, red potatoes mashed with rosemary and garlic.

And this meal, I will say it…looks like crap! How to improve the overall taste/presentation/healthy benefactors? How about lettuce, tomato, onion…heck! I could even throw an egg on top to really tickle my burger cravings. More adventures in Candida safe burgers to come!

Whole Wheat Pasta

I am really missing the point on this meal. The ratio should really be mostly veggies, followed by protein, and then things like whole wheat pasta and ricotta cheese in the smallest portions. My thought…it is better than other choices I could have made; burger and fries, mac and cheese etc.

Everything on this plate is Candida safe!

Candida safe: Whole Wheat Pasta, Ricotta Cheese, Spinach, Tomato, Chicken (cooked in olive oil, lemon and rosemary)

Shrimp Madness!

Whole Foods was having a shrimp skewer special; five Shrimps on a skewer for a buck. I capitalized on this offer and with my new found love/tolerance of shrimp I planned a dinner. I bought 10 shrimp that were already marinated with a tequila lime sauce and then marinated the other 10 with my own blend of lime juice, lime zest, garlic and cilantro (fresh!). I sautéed the little guys up in some olive oil and made cilantro-lime brown rice and green beans as side dishes. As a light dipping sauce I put together Greek Yogurt with lemon juice and zest. Delicious sounding, I know, and everything thing sans the tequila shrimp (Jeff wanted these) and the CasCal soda are great to eat on a Candida diet. If you would like a more savory version of shrimp and rice idea, go check out this recipe at Savor the Sweet.

Candida Safe: Shrimp, Lime, Garlic, Cilantro, Brown Rice, Green Beans, Olive Oil, Lemon, Greek Yogurt
More information to come on CasCal soda...