Butternut Squash and Green Apple Soup

When the mercury starts to fall and it gets a little harder to walk out the door, I know it is time for soup. A great hot soup is like a hug from within. It relaxes and soothes you. I love this soup because the butternut squash is the perfect foundation for a soup that is sweet and spicy at the same time. The spices warms you up and combined with the fiber in the butternut squash,apple and lentils it is a little liquified miracle. The lentils add a little more protein to the nutritious soup.

Makes 4 cups

1/2 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 tbs oil ( I love coconut oil)
2 cups chopped butternut squash
1/2 Green Apple
4 tbsp cooked lentils
a pinch of:
cinnamon
cayenne pepper
black pepper
turmeric
salt

Heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender ( be careful not to burn the onion as it changes the taste). Add the spices and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant. Add butternut squash and 1/4 apple ( save the rest of the apple for later). Add 1.5 cup of water. Cook until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer to blender and puree. Dice the rest of the apple. Add the apple and lentils to the soup. Add more seasoning if necessary.  Enjoy!

Healthy Mexican Pizza

Today is a really cold day. When I got home after going outside this morning all I wanted was some hot tea and comfort food. To me pizza and mexican are the ultimate comfort foods. The problem with comfort food is that when you crave it you usually also feel like sitting on the couch bundled up in every single blanket you own. Since I was ready to settle in for a nice afternoon on the couch I wanted to make something that would make me feel less guilty. Enter the Mexican Pizza - the combination of the two things I really craved. I love my pizza crust as thin as possible, and this pizza crust is definitely thin.  With my yeast or gluten and plenty of vegetable, this pizza is amazing.

Mexican Pizza
1 pizza 

Crust:
2 egg whites
1 oz gluten-free flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp gluten-free oat bran

Filling:
Tomato paste
Baby Spinach
Kale
Mushrooms
Red Pepper
Chicken Breast
Low-Fat Cheese
Taco Seasoning



Mix the egg whites, flour, oat bran and baking soda. In a frying-pan cook the crust like you would a pancake. Season the chicken breast with the taco seasoning and cook it. Cut the chicken breast into pieces. Cut the vegetables. Spread the tomato paste on the crust. Top the crust with the chicken, vegetables and cheese. Sprinkle some more taco seasoning on top. Bake in the oven or toaster-oven until the vegetables are tender and the cheese has melted. ( For a quicker meal, pre-cook the vegetables.) Enjoy

The finished result:

Thai Shrimp Salad

A few years ago I went backpacking in Thailand and feel in love with Thai food. There is something about the cuisine that never fails to put a smile on my face. The food is probably the reason why Thai people always smile. If I ate this food every day I would smile too.  I love that one dish can be both spicy, sour and sweet at the same time. My absolute favorite dishes are Larb Gai ( minced chicken), Tom Yum ( sweet and sour soup) and Plaa Goong ( Shrimp Salad). The last dish is the subject of this post.

Cooking Thai food can sometimes seem a little daunting. A typical recipe includes numerous ingredients that you would probably not stumble upon in your local grocery store. Most of the complicated ingredients can usually be replaced by more conventional ingredients.

This Thai Salad is a great introduction to the wonders of Thai cooking.

Thai Shrimp Salad:

Salad:
- 3 oz cooked shrimp. (Peeled and deveined.)
- 2 cubs of baby spinach
- 1/2 tomato or grape tomatoes
- 1/3 pepper
- slices of red onion ( to taste)

Dressing:
- 1 lime
- cayenne pepper
- black pepper
- salt
- grated ginger
1 tsp tamari ( gf soy sauce)

Steam, pan-fry or grill the shrimp. Allow the shrimps to cool down. Toss the salad. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl. Add the shrimp to the dressing. Mix the shrimp and the remainder of the dressing with the salad. Enjoy

Lots of love