Uphill idealist

One of the foods that I miss since I discovered a wheat sensitivity is breaded eggplant. It used to be my go to comfort food. A few weeks, I noticed an add for 4C Gluten Free bread crumbs and since I had two eggplants waiting in the fridge, it was time to give wheat-free breaded eggplant a try. Here is how I made mine: Ingredients: 2 large eggplant 2 cups (approx.) 4C Seasoned Gluten free bread crumbs 4 eggs beaten 1 tablespoon Wegman's garlic seasoning (or Borsari ) Cut eggplant to desired thickness (the thinner the crisper it will finish). Dip slices into egg and seasoning mix and then drop to coat in GF crumbs. You can cook the coated eggplant two ways - on the stove top or baked in the oven. If you cook on stove top, be sure to keep the temperature even and to you use a lid for your pan to hold heat in. Do NOT cook on high as the crumbs will burn before the eggplant is cooked through. If you bake the eggplant (my preference), preheat oven to 350-375 and bake for...

While I love to cook and create tasty new recipes, I rarely take the time to jot down my creations. Just this weekend, my daughter asked me to change this trend and start to catalog some of my mash-ups for posterity. Today's recipe is a new one. I threw this veggie dip together for my son's high school graduation party and have been making it ever since. I call it,  Mean Green Creamy Veggie Dip...  Ingredients: 1 bag of Trader Joe's Cruciferious Crunch Collection: Kale, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Green Cabbage & Red Cabbage 1 block of fat free or low fat cream cheese 1 cup water 1 cup chicken or veggie stock 2 tablespoons of Garam Masala (to your taste) Salt (to taste) 1 cup (more or less to your liking) TJ's Lite Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese. How to cook: Place water, stock, and garam masala powder into a large pot and bring to a boil. Add greens mix to liquid and spices and cook until quite tender. Drop cream cheese into the mixture and keep ...

Ingredients: 2 Sweet Onions 1 stick butter Curry power Flour Vegetable Stock Garam Masala Spice Block winter squash Can of pumpkin  Pint of heavy cream Silken tofu Salt Fresh thyme Directions: Melt butter in large non stick pan. Thinly slice onions and place in pan. Cook till glossy and translucent. Add generous helping (to taste) of curry powder.  Add handful of flour to thicken mixture. Slowly add 4 cups of vegetable stock. Add Garam powder to taste. Add squash and pumpkin. Let simmer until thick and comes to a slow boil. In a separate bowl, mix tofu and heavy cream till blended smooth. Combine veggie base and cream base. If you desire a very smooth soup, blend mixture together In blender. (Suggested approach) Add additional garam, curry and salt to taste.  As a last touch, add fresh thyme and a tablespoon of white sugar to blended soup. Depending on desired thickness of soup 4-8 cups of veggie broth can be added to cream and veggie mix. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 3-4 Heads of Kohlrabi 4 Beets (Fresh) 3-4 Yellow and Green Squash 1 Large Sweet Onion Bunch of Green Onion 1 Bag Baby Carrots 2 Apples Handful of Kale Canned tomatoes Spices: Berbere (African Spice) to taste. Fresh Ginger Root - as you like it. Papricka Cinnamon Olive Oil Pepper Salt Chicken/Veg. Soup Stock Chop all veggies and toss in large saute pan with olive oil and all spices. Simmer till all veggies are tender. You may want to add the tougher veggies first (Carrots, Kohlrabi, Beets and Onions) and the more tender veggies later.) Before you serve, mash the stew a little to desired consistency. Serve over rice, quinoa , or with good bread. I add an additional dash of cinnamon toward the end of the cooking process for an extra dose of taste. If you like, add a little fresh mozzarella to the top of the dish for contrast with the sweet spicy flavor. Enjoy! T

For the last 12 years, my family and I often visit a local gem of a restaurant  to enjoy their pizza, wings and salads. Ashville General Store is one of my favorite places to take out-of-town friends because of the amazing variety on the menu, the small town charm of the store, and the wonderful staff.  The owner, Jackie, was kind enough to give me the breakdown of one of my favorite salad treats they serve there: Broccoli Garbanzo  Salad. Here is my first at-home attempt in making this tasty dish. It's easy and good for you. If you like, grilled chicken breast can be added to it to become a dinner entree instead of a side dish - but I've been happy having this salad any day of the week for supper! Here's what's in it: Broccoli Crowns(Either steamed fresh or from frozen), garbanzo beans, green onions, feta cheese, green onions, fresh basil or pesto mix, chopped garlic, sunflower seeds - sesame seeds - black olives (if you like them), lemon juice, virgin olive oil...

Several months ago, my friend Sally who happens to be a missionary in Ethiopia ( Baer Essentials ), made me a fantastic pasta dish made with a spice blend called Berbere. Berbere is deep red in color and has the ability to built the spice level of any dish with a small amount of spice. It's like the best secret ingredient in creating 'hotty' curry - without using a ton of spice. I've created a summer veggie curry from the Berbere and the local veggies I get from my local farm share ( Roots and Wings Farm ) that I've made a couple of times and feel is worthy to share. If you like a rich spicy dish, give this one a try! Berbere Pan Pan Curry Ingredients: 2 Pan Pan or yellow squash (chopped in cubes) 2 shallots or white onions (diced) 3-4 Clove of garlic (diced) 1-2 cans of tomatoes with chilies or fresh tomatoes and a small jar of hot salsa. Capers Olive Oil Berbere (to taste) 4 Chicken bullion cubes 2 tbls. Marjoram 3 tbls. Garam masala Handful of chopped fresh Basil...

THIS Image from the blog Best of BTF . PLUS THIS... Image from the blog LUPEC Denver . EQUALS THIS... Here's a jazzed up blended version of the typical over-easy egg breakfast with traditional Bruschetta ingredients. It's a simple dish I've been making for years, but have not seen elsewhere although it reminds me of something I had years ago at a diner in Sufferen, NJ. I usually use muenster cheese, lots of tomatoes, and place the dish on whole grain/12 grain toast. If you want the egg yolks to be runny, don't overcook them and melt the cheese by popping the complete dish in the microwave and cook till the cheese is melty as desired. You could pop them under a broiler in the oven as well.(30 seconds/1 minute.) Bruschetta Eggs Cook two eggs in non-stick pan till almost over-easy, place Bruschetta tomatoes or diced stewed tomatoes over eggs, place a slice of favorite cheese over top. When cheese is melted, lay toast on plate and put egg/tomato/cheese on top. Enjoy and ha...

Image from TLC Cooking . What's so magic about quick spaghetti? Here are the ingredients for quick spaghetti: Tomato sauce, ground meat, various herbs and spices, pasta and a group of hungry people. The magic happens when you gather good friends around the table. That's what make the most common of dinners become so uncommon. Our company was family and people we work with everyday, but we learned something new about each person. We shared stories about family, adventures from when we were young, and concerns for today and tomorrow. We all needed some extra warmth and laughter on that chilly winter night and that spur of the moment meal we shared together delivered. Many times I have ignored opportunities for quick spaghetti nights because of the clutter of daily living and my fear of missing the mark as a hostess. You know what? I don't care about the clutter or mark anymore. Martha Stewart doesn't live with me, but if she wants to come over for quick spaghetti, she...