Summer Tomato, Basil and Farro Soup

Mmm, farro!  Have you tried it yet?  It's a hearty whole grain with sort of a nutty flavor and al dente texture.  I experimented with farro for the first time on the Fourth of July when I made this amazing (no joke) summer salad from the New York Times.  The New York Times must really love farro because a couple weeks ago when I was searching for a soup recipe that would put some of our tomatoes to good use (we have enough to start our own tomato shop) I found this soup on the New York Times website, which called for...wait for it.....FARRO!

Our garden, about 3 weeks ago, looked like this.  Now imagine this same image, times about four.  That's what it looks like now.  It's not really pretty at this point, but it's my recipe inspiration.  The left is mainly butternut squash, and the right side is tomato and green pepper.

Without further ado, I present, the most amazing summer soup.....

Tomato Basil and Farro Soup

Source:  The New York Times

Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. plus 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, more as needed

1 cup farro, dried

4 large sprigs basil, stems and leaves separated

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling

4 garlic cloves **

1 large leek, white and light parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced **

3 lbs. ripe roma (or other) tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges

Black pepper, to taste

**NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet omit the garlic and add the garlic flavor back by using a garlic or Tuscan-infused olive oil.  Also, instead of using leeks use chives (I used ~ 1/2 cup chopped chives. Yum).

Directions

1. Pour 8 cups cold water and 1 tablespoon salt into a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium, add the farro and basil stems, and cook until grains are tender but still a little chewy, about 25 minutes. Drain, reserving the liquid.

2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the leek and a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium and cook leeks until soft, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 cup reserved cooking liquid. Bring to a simmer.  Cook until the tomatoes have completely fallen apart, about 30 minutes.

4. Using an immersion blender, blender or food processor, purée the tomato mixture until smooth (you may have to do this in batches). Add half the farro and pulse until the grains are broken down and the soup is a chunky purée. Stir in the remaining farro. If the soup seems thick, add more cooking liquid. Taste and add more salt if needed (although, it shouldn't be needed!). Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Drizzle with oil; top generously with black pepper and torn basil leaves.

This was my first time using an emersion blender.  It was fun.  I need to put this on my Christmas list (this was my mom's).

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1/6th of recipes
Source: CalorieCount.com

WARNING!  This soup is not low sodium. Nope, not even close.  I would strongly recommend reducing the sodium if you are trying to reduce your sodium intake.  This is actually less sodium than the original recipe (yikes, can you imagine!?). You could also use a salt substitute or add some vinegar to replace some of the salt (the bitterness from the vinegar might bring out some of the saltiness, making it taste saltier than it really is).

Nutrition Highlights:  Excellent source of iron, fiber, and vitamin C

On the night I made this Nick and I had dinner with my parents.  It's always a good sign when both Nick and my dad enjoy something that I've made.  They both gobbled this soup down, and Nick was even happy to take home leftovers for his lunches.  It was truly delicious.  On this particular night we served the soup with chicken off the grill (and some good Columbus Pale Ale, of course).

QUESTION:  Have you tried farro? What about farro in soup? Are you looking forward to soup season like I am? It's right around the corner!

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

Homemade Veggie Pizza with Oat Flour Crust (Gluten-Free)

When I was young I could easily eat half a pizza, without thinking twice (seriously, it's true).  That is, only if it wasn't made by my mom.  Not to say her pizza was bad.  In fact, it was always delicious, but when you're young you never want the homemade version of things, you want the store-bought or restaurant-made version (it was the same story with mac and cheese.  My mom tried enticing me with her mac and cheese all the time, but I wanted the Velveeta Shells and Cheese!).  Now that I try to follow a gluten free and low FODMAPs diet, I basically have no choice but to make my own pizza (and Nick, well, he gets stuck eating it too).

Thankfully for both of us I've finally perfected the crust, and as you learned last Friday, I've perfected the sauce as well.

Gluten-Free Veggie Pizza with Oat Flour Crust

Gluten-Free 

Serves:  12

Ingredients 

3 cups oat flour

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. oil (for your fingers when spreading the dough)

1 tsp. salt

1.5 Tbsp. sugar

1 cup warm water 

2 cups pizza sauce **

8 slices of fresh mozzarella cheese (~1/4th inches thick) **

2 Tbsp. fresh grated parmesan cheese **

2 cups spinach

8 ounces button mushrooms

2 red peppers, sliced and chopped

Fresh pepper and oregano (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Combine and mix the flour, salt, sugar, and the yeast in a medium sized bowl. Next, add the EVOO and water.

(NOTE:  The dough will be very sticky.  You will want to use your hands to mix this. You will get dough on your hands, just scrape it off and keep mixing)

3. Coat your hands with some oil, or non-stick spray. Use your hands to spread the dough evenly on a pizza pan or baking sheet.  Try to get the dough as spread out as possible, without ripping the dough (I used a large baking sheet and spread the dough to cover about 90% of the sheet).

4.  Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then take out of the oven and add toppings (sauce, cheese, veggies, spices).  Finish baking for about 30-35 minutes (depending on your oven and how crispy you like your pizza!).  Take out the pizza and allow it to sit outside of the oven, on the hot pizza pan, for about 10 minutes before slicing.

**NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPS diet you will want to use the Rao's Sensitive Formula Marinara Sauce, or make one of these two homemade sauces.  Or, if you have another brand in mind with no garlic or onion, use that.  If you are lactose intolerant just go easy on the cheese, or use a lactose-free brand (keep in mind there is very little lactose in the small amount of cheese that is included on this pizza).

I've found that fresh mozzarella really makes pizza that much better.  Not to say you must use fresh (and when I say fresh I mean house made at the supermarket where I shop) but I think it makes a difference in the end result.  It's a difference I probably wouldn't have appreciated as a young girl, but now I crave it.

It took a few rounds of failed attempts before I finally perfected the art of making gluten free pizza.  This recipe was finally one that Nick and I both enjoyed, equally as well.

I hope your family enjoys this as much as we did!

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1/12th of pizza
Source: CalorieCount.com

Nutrition Highlights:  Good source of fiber, iron and calcium, excellent source of vitamins A and C.

QUESTION:  Was there a food that your mom or dad tried to make themselves, but which you refused to enjoy as much as the processed/packaged variety, when you were young??

Have a great Thursday everyone, and thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

Prevention RD's Halibut with Cold Cucumber Salad

A little over five years ago I started reading a blog written by a dietitian named Nicole. Nicole's blog always made me laugh (sometimes out loud, literally).  I always learned something new when I read her blog and she's one of those bloggers I always had a secret desire to actually meet (like a celebrity!). One day I learned that she and her husband would be moving to Columbus.  I about died!  For two wonderful years my husband and I were able to get to know Nicole (ie: Prevention RD) and her husband Mark (ie: Mr. Prevention) and while they no longer live here (so sad) I'm proud to say we still have a special part of them in our kitchen.......

If you haven't ordered Nicole's cookbook yet, what in the world are you waiting for?!  The price is right, at just over fifteen dollars, and the plethora of sinfully healthy recipes that you get in exchange are worth every penny.  Go ahead, buy it.  I'm waiting.

I have already marked/tabbed about fifteen pages, and counting, of recipes I plan on making eventually.  But the first one I chose was the Halibut with Cold Cucumber Salad. After all, it's the perfect "Summer is coming to an end, so I should take advantage of all summer has to offer before it's too late" recipe!

I think everyone who writes and/or blogs about food aspires to be as good at making food look as irresistible as Nicole does.  I thought about just using her photo, along, on this blog post, and not sharing my own.  But, while Nicole definitely has a true talent for food photography, I don't think I lag too far behind (please hold your comments to yourself!).

Close? 

Well as you can see I took out the red onions and used chives instead, just to make this FODMAPs-friendly.  But of course you can use red onions, as the original recipe suggests.  And if you're not willing to spend $25/lb. on your fish (yes, halibut is not cheap, but oh my gosh it's worth every penny. It literally melts in your mouth) you could use cod or tilapia I'm sure.  This cold cucumber salad would go with just about any light/mild fish.

Halibut with Cold Cucumber Salad

Source: Prevention RDs Everyday Healthy Cooking

Serves: 4

Ingredients

4 (5 oz.) halibut fillets

1/4 tsp. salt and pepper, divided

1 cucumber, seeded and diced (I used English cucumber)

1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced (I used one of the thousands of Romas from our garden)

3 Tbsp. red onion, chopped **

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Arrange halibut on the baking sheet, and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake 10-12 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, combine cucumber, tomato, onion, vinegar and oil in a small bowl.  Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

3.  Serve halibut hot with cucumber salad over top.

**NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPS diet omit the red onion and replace with chives.  Also, add more onion/garlic flavor by using a Tuscan or garlic olive oil, if you wish.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1 serving
Source: CalorieCount.com
NOTE:  These are slightly different from the facts in Nicole's book.  But overall, very similar. I'm sure we used a different program, or perhaps entered different products into our analysis. 

Nutrition Highlights:  Excellent source of iron and vitamin C.  Also, this recipe provides ~2.2 grams of EPA/DHA, per serving (form the halibut, of course).

Nick and I pretended like we were at dinner with Mark and Nicole as we ate this amazing meal (haha, jk, we aren't that strange, but that would have been nice!).  We enjoyed every morsel and are both looking forward to many more Prevention-inspired recipes.

QUESTION:  What's the last cookbook you purchased?  Have you used it at all?  I'll be honest, I rarely use cookbooks anymore, but Nicole's? You better believe it's my new food bible.

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

Zucchini Fritters with Chili Greek Yogurt Dipping Sauce

What was that? You're sick of zucchini?  Well that's just too bad.  We grew 20 pounds of it so you'll just have to deal.  Muahaha.....

Have you ever made something, and as you were making it you thought to yourself, "these are going to be nasty!"??  That's what I thought when I made these.  I based this assumption off of how the batter tasted before I put these in the frying pan (don't you do that??).  The batter was just funky tasting.  But as I've learned in the book I'm reading, heat actually adds to the flavor of food.  So, in the case of these fritters, the heat certainly added to the flavor (oh, and the fantastic dipping sauce helped too).

Homegrown Zucchini Fritters

Makes ~12 fritters

Modified from a recipe on www.FamilyFeedbag.com

Ingredients

3 Tbsp. Tuscan or garlic olive oil

3 cups grated zucchini (I used a cheesed grater for this)

3/4 cup chopped chives

2 eggs

1 cup brown rice flour (or all purpose flour) **

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 cup plain 0% Greek yogurt **

Juice of half a lime

1/2 tsp chili powder

Directions

1.  In a bowl combine zucchini, chives, and eggs.  Stir well to combine.  

2.  In a separate bowl add the flour, baking powder, 1/2 tsp. chili powder, salt and pepper and stir to combine.

3.  Finish the batter by combining the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, and stirring to incorporate well.

4.  Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat and then add your oil.  

5.  Drop batter onto the pan in heaping tablespoons (you may want to use a frying shield because even though you aren't frying, the oil can still get hot and splash up, beware!).  Put as many fritters in the pan as your pan will hold, leaving plenty of room for flipping.  Heat each fritter for about 3 minutes on each side (you may need to flatten them a bit with the back of a spoon).  Once the centers are firm, remove the fritters from the oil and put them on a plate.

6.  In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, lime juice and the chili powder for the dip.

7.  Serve your fritters hot with the dip, and enjoy every delicious bite!

**NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPS diet use brown rice flour (this is also what you should use if you want these to be gluten-free).  Also, Greek yogurt contains some lactose, but only a very small amount.  Most people who are lactose intolerant should handle this just fine.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 2 fritters and ~3 Tbsp. dip
Source: CalorieCount.com

Nutrition Highlights:  Good source of protein and vitamin A, excellent source of vitamin C

Like I said above, the batter was...interesting.

But the final taste?  Amazing.

These were served at a dinner party we hosted with five other adults.  They were gone in 60-seconds.

I should have made more.

And you know, it's ok to turn veggies into fritters.  I mean, it's not like they were deep fried or anything!  Although, they could have been deep fried (use a different type of oil if you plan on deep frying these. Olive Oil would not be the best choice).

QUESTION:  Have you ever tasted a batter, not liked it, but then really enjoyed the end result anyway??

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

Gouda Turkey Burgers on Portobello Buns

When I was young I never would have thought a) I'd ever be a huge fan of turkey burgers and b) I would ever steer clear of buns and opt for vegetables instead.  Of course, when I was young I never thought I'd ever love crunchy peanut butter, avocado, artichokes, and....well, the list goes on.  I also never thought I'd be obsessed with taking photos of my food (I wonder what I'll do in the next twenty years that I never would expect at this moment in my life, do you ever think about that?).  I digress....


Let's talk about turkey burgers.  It's difficult to make a good turkey burger. The toughest part for me is cooking them to the appropriate temperature (165 Degrees F) without creating a dry and flavorless burger.  When you cook beef it's generally ok for it to be a little on the rare side (I personally love my beef burgers medium-rare) but with poultry burgers, well...that's another story.  The secret to a juicy turkey burger is to first consider using the broiler or baking in the oven, so they don't get charred on both sides before reaching the appropriate temperature in the center.  Second, add some great mix-ins such as Worchestershire sauce and egg (both are in this recipe) or avocado or ground flax and, and third, use a juicy flavorful "bun" such as; mushrooms.

Gouda Turkey Burgers with Portobello Buns

Serves: 5

Source:  Substitute Yourself Skinny

Ingredients

5 portobello mushrooms **

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 pound extra lean ground turkey

1/2 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic **

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 egg whites

1/4 tsp. ground mustard

1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce **

3 ounces diced Gouda cheese

Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

1.  Preheat broiler.  Place the mushrooms on a broiler pan and drizzle with olive oil.  Broil until just tender, about 3 minutes.  Remove from broiler and set aside.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2.  In mixing bowl, mix together the turkey, garlic, salt, pepper, egg whites, mustard, and Worchestershire.  Form into 5 patties.  Spray a heavy ovenproof skillet with nonstick spray and heat on medium-high.  Add the patties and sear for 3 minutes on each side until brown and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (or alternatively, broil the burgers for about 5 minutes on each side, ~4 inches from the broiler).  

3.  While still on the hot skillet top with Gouda and allow to melt by covering the skillet with a lid for about 1-minute (or alternatively, add cheese to the burgers and allow to broil for ~45 seconds). 

4.  To serve, place each mushroom, top side down, on a serving dish.  Top each with a Gouda burger and chow down!

**NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPS diet omit the fresh garlic and and the flavor back by using garlic-infused olive oil.  Also be aware that there is typically garlic and onion in Worchestershire sauce.  That being said, the small amount in this recipe shouldn't cause any problems.  The portobello buns, however, may cause problems, so you can use a giant piece of zucchini instead (see above), or grilled eggplant or your favorite soft and moist gluten-free bread.  Also, the gouda will have a small amount of lactose, but it shouldn't be enough to cause any side-effects.  The amount used in this recipe is small, but just enough to add some delicious tastes, textures, and aromas.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1 burger with "bun"
Source: CalorieCount.com

Nutrition Highlights:  Under 250 calories, good source of calcium and excellent source of protein.

The question is, do you eat these with your hands or a fork and knife? Nick ate his with a fork and knife, I ate mine with my hands.  Imagine juices flowing down my arm as I bit down. That's exactly what happened, but no, I didn't mind.

QUESTION:  Eating mushroom or zucchini "buns" was something I never would have imagined I'd enjoy when I was growing up.  What's something you do now (or eat now), that as a child you never would have imagined you'd be doing (or eating)?!

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

INSTAGRAM!

Gluten Free Dark Chocolate Quinoa Bars

I'm still on a quest to try all the different grains in our bulk department at work.  Obviously I've tried quinoa before, but I'd never tried it in a baking recipe, until now.  Prior to making these bars I'd only had quinoa in salads or casseroles.  Why have I waited so long to use it in a sweet recipe?!  Shame on me.  I've been missing out.  I'll have to make up for lost time now.....

Gluten Free Dark Chocolate Quinoa Bars

Modified slightly from this source

Serves: 10

Ingredients

Dry:

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (this is a little less than ~3/4 cup dry, be sure to measure after it's cooked. You will have some leftover.)

1 cup brown rice flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup chia seeds

Wet:

1 cup skim milk or unsweetened almond milk

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

1.  Allow your quinoa to cool before starting to make this recipe.  In a large bowl mix dry ingredients.  In a separate smaller bowl, mix wet ingredients, except for the chocolate chips

2.  Add wet to dry, stirring gently until mixed.  Add in chocolate chips and mix.

3.  Poor batter into a greased baking pan (I used a square pan, about 2-inches deep)

4.  Pop it in the oven and bake about 28 minutes- fork check to make sure they are done.

5. ENJOY!

**NOTE:  If you follow a low FODMAPs diet you'll be pleased to know these are low-FODMAPs!

The day I made these Nick was at work.  I couldn't wait for him to walk in the door and smell these so he would beg for a taste.  Sadly, he never did.  Yeah, he walked in the house and didn't even notice the smell of chocolate and brown sugar emanating through the house.  So of course I marched downstairs and forced him to try these delicacies.  He took one bite and wanted the rest.  Muahaha.  Trying to ignore my wonderful baking talent?!  Not so fast buddy.  And he says he "hates quinoa".  

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1/10th of recipe
Source: CalorieCount.com

Nutrition Highlights:  Good source of protein, fiber, and iron

I packed these in both Nick and my lunches for about a week after making these.  They were just so filling and easy to pack in a work lunch.  They tasted great without heating, but even better popped in the microwave for about 15 seconds to bring back some flavors.  Please make these today, you won't be sorry (and make a double batch so you can have plenty for lunches!).

QUESTION:  Have you ever baked with quinoa?

Have a fantastic Tuesday everyone. Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd