Garden Pie Casserole

This is my vegetarian version of Sheppard’s Pie. It is a great choice for Meatless Monday, or any other day of the week for that matter. It strikes that fine balance between healthy goodness and yummy buttery potatoes cooked to a golden crisp.  Ahhhh…. So good.

Nut-Free Gluten-Free Granola Bars

I have been looking for a ‘granola’ type bar that I can send to my daughter’s nut-free school and that my gluten-free husband can also eat.  I found about a dozen different recipes and couldn’t find what I wanted.  I finally came upon one from thepaleomom.com that I tweaked just a bit to make  "Grandma" friendly. No sulphur in the dried fruit and no Soy Lecithin in the chocolate.  I used a brand of organic chocolate chips that don’t have soy in them at all. There are no oats in this recipe so I guess technically these are not granola bars but .... po-tae-toe, pot-ta-toe. . .

Veggie Chili

 

Veggie Chili is a hearty way to have big bowl of comfort food during long cold nights and leftovers make a great addition to homemade nachos or a taco salad. Served with crutsy bread, rice or organic corn chips it's perfect.  Because I don’t make mine too spicy (for young eaters) we always have hot sauce and/or chili flakes on the table for those with more adventurous taste buds.  You can also serve it with lime wedges and yogurt. 

Back to Basics - Cooking Beans From Scratch

Many people think that cooking dried beans is difficult and time consuming.  In fact cooking your own dried beans from scratch is very easy and requires almost nothing of the cook. A nice bonus is of course that they are extremely economical.  But for me the most important reason to cook beans from scratch is to avoid BPA in the cans.  So let's get started.

Canning Tomatoes

Why would I can my own tomatoes?  Well, almost all food cans have Bisphenol A (BPA) in the lining.  That means that BPA, an endocrine disruptor which can mimic estrogen, may leach into the food in those cans and then into the people eating that food. Canada became the first country to declare BPA a toxic substance but still allows it to be used in cans.  I cannot imagine why.

Rich and Chewy Coconut Macaroons

 

This is my most requested recipe, and it is no surprise why. Macaroons are not only rich and chewy deliciousness, they are also naturally gluten free and (big secret)….. they are EASY to make. When my husband brought them to work his colleagues asked if the recipe was on the blog. So, for them and for the many others who have asked, here it is.

Creamy Carrot Soup

This is the perfect comfort food for long cold winter nights.  Carrots have just the right amount of sweetness that couples with the ginger and curry to make my mouth water.  This is a filling soup and can be served as a main dish with some yummy crusty bread or homemade croutons.