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Archive for the ‘Entree’ Category

California Barbecue (Vegan and Soy-Free)

Posted in Entree, tagged , , , , , , on April 15, 2013 | 4 Comments »

I learned to appreciate healthier food during my college experience in the Sunshine state of California. Believe it or not, one of my absolute favorite dishes, and last memories of barbecue, was a barbecued salmon dish. This of course was well before my knowledge of Farmed Fish and how it can offset our blood pH, causing skin, weight and health issues.

Inspired by a past life in California, and my present living arrangements in Texas, I hope you enjoy this updated version of healthier but authentic “barbecue”. I am soy-free, but there is also no oil, added sugar, or animal products. That said, the mighty mushroom, sweet bell peppers and spices sure did impress.

(Don’t let this photo fool you. The finished product disappeared too quickly for photographs).

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Lauren’s Homemade Barbecue Sauce

Makes about 2 cups

  • 1 cup 365 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for 8 minutes
  • 1/2 cup medjool dates, soaked till soft (remove the pits), drained
  • ¼ cup sundried tomato “soaking water”, discard the rest
  • ½ red bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 Tbsp coconut aminos
  • 2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 ½ tsp chipotle powder (I used chipotle peppers. Remove the seeds and soak to hydrate, or run under warm water for 5 minutes)
  • 1 tsp fresh chopped garlic
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne

(Double up this recipe and keep it in a sealed container in the fridge for 7 days).

California “Beef”:

  • 3 pounds portabella mushrooms, sliced (about 12 portabella caps)
  • 4 leaves fresh sage
  • 4 fresh or dried bay leaves
  • 4 raw garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp dried thyme
  • 5 tbsp raw coconut aminos, or gluten-free tamari
  • 1 red pepper, deseeded and diced
  • 3 stalks celery, diced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large casserole dish lay out mushroom slices. While oven is preheating, combine all barbecue sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour sauce over mushrooms. Toss, and let mushrooms marinate while you prepare your other ingredients. The longer the mushrooms marinate, the better the flavor so this dish can be prepared the night before and allowed to marinate over night in the fridge. Before baking, add remaining ingredients, except for the bay leaves and sage, and toss until well combined. Lay bay leaves and sage on top of mixture and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and discard leaves. Serve it up!

(Tip: You may place the casserole dish back into the oven on warm before serving.)

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Dinner for One– Quick Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

Posted in Entree, tagged , , , , , , on April 9, 2013 | 3 Comments »

A few weekends ago I had the weekend to myself with my husband.

Still under the weather, he was not precisely a ball of enthusiastic energy.

A hopeless romantic, I could not put aside my desire to share a romantic and “parent-free” dinner together. (Don’t get me wrong. I love the kids but I rarely sit down these days).

Fast forward.

Romantic was not exactly in the cards. Luckily, delicious and simple were.

So here is a super quick recipes that I absolutely loved… and I hope you will too.

photo

Serves 1

  • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped
  • 3/4 cup red onion, diced
  • 1/2 heirloom, or beefsteak tomato
  • 2-4 tbsp water or veggie broth (for oil-free sautéing)
  • 4 sun dried tomatoes, no-oil, soaked for 8 minutes in warm water- then drained and chopped
  • 1/2 small avocado
  • Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
  • 1 medium zucchini, spiralized

Method:

Heat a skillet on high heat for 1 minute, adding about 2-3 tbsp of water.

As water/broth sizzles, reduce heat and add red pepper, garlic, and onion. Stir constantly to avoid sticking, adding in broth only when needed. As peppers begin to sweat, and onions become translucent, add tomato, and reduce heat to low. Stir frequently, with the goal of warming your vegetables, not sizzling them.

Carefully scoop all ingredients into a high-speed blender or food processor and pulse 2-5 times until mixture is well combined but chunky. Add in avocado, sea salt, and pepper, and pulse. Serve over your spaghetti and enjoy!

Did I feed this to my husband too?

Not Exactly. I doubled up this recipe and subbed in olive oil for him, where I used avocado (about 1 tbsp). I served his up with a piece of fish and a chopped salad with raw apple cider vinegar and cerignola olives.

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The New Dip, High Protein, Low Fat, Vegan, Creamy, Delish.

Posted in Entree, Recipes, Sides, The Truth About Dairy, tagged , , , , , on March 18, 2013 | 3 Comments »


image-1St. Patrick’s Day is over, but don’t be sad.

For my hummus loving friends, try this refreshing dip instead.

A chockfull of pea protein, beautifying raw fat (from the avocado), and that “barely there” hint of raw garlic and lime juice, this creamy dip is ideal for veggies, on a bed of greens, or thinned out as a tasty and refreshing soup!

Why is this better than hummus?

Most hummus’s are a combination of seeds, legumes, and oils. That’s a lot of combinations of concentrated fats.

  • For many, fresh peas can be easier to digest than chickpeas.
  • Frozen organic peas can be easily, and cheaply purchased in the frozen section of most grocers, whereas chickpeas come in toxic cans.
  • Canned foods are not an ideal source of nutrition.
  • Seeds + Oil + Legume = Digestive Distress (Translation: Fat/Protein + Fat + Fat/Protein)

Chickpea-less Hummus 

  • 16 oz organic frozen peas, thawed for 20 minutes
  • ¾ cup ripe avocado
  • 4 tsp fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 2 tsp garlic
  • 2 tbsp chives
  • 1/8 tsp celtic sea salt
  • 2 cups of water
  • Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Sprinkle with chives for garnish. Enjoy as a chilled soup, or as a dip for vegetables, or in replace of hummus. Add more water for a thinner consistency.

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Roasted Garlic Avocado Pesto, Gluten-Free, Vegan

Posted in Beautiful SKIN, Entree, The Truth About Dairy, tagged , , , , , , on March 11, 2013 | 4 Comments »

Can you love pesto without the cheese and nuts?

For sure!

The combination of cheese and nuts is like a headache for your stomach (oh, or a stomachache). Both concentrated fats (cheese and nuts) blended with protein, they each require different enzymes for complete and proper digestion. The result? Neither happens and it slows the digestive process, creates a lot of stress for the liver (that aids in fat digestion), and beautiful skin? Not so much. 

That’s why you will absolutely love this simple version. Nix the nuts and cheese for some skin beautifying avocado. That’s what I call guilt-free!

This gorgeous and gluten-free avocado pesto dish was as classy and aesthetically appealing, as it was creamy, light, and refreshing. Place it on a pretty platter, or in a single-serve glass cup and you are ready to impress.

Behold… beauty and the avocado.

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Roasted Garlic and Avocado Pesto with Zucchini Noodles

Serves 4-6

  • 3 large avocados
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 ½ cups basil, tightly packed
  • 1 large cluster of garlic, roasted
  • ½ tsp salt (more to taste)
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 6 medium zucchini, spiralized into noodles
  • Optional Ingredients:
  • 1 ½ Artichoke Hearts
  • ½ cup Castelvetrano olives, rinsed and halved
  • ½ cup Nutritional Yeast (gives a cheesy taste)
  • 1 cup loose spinach leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To roast garlic, chop off the head of each garlic cluster, exposing the white of the garlic cloves. Wrap the cluster in foil and bake for 30 minutes. Prepare zucchini noodles with a spiralizer or julienne into match sticks and put to the side. In a food processor, combine avocado, lemon juice, and herbs, and process until smooth. Carefully remove garlic from oven and squeeze roasted garlic into the mixture. Process again until smooth. Pour pesto sauce over noodles and combine with additional optional ingredients.

This is one delicious recipe you will not want to miss out on… not to mention how much lighter it feels. Hello! More energy!

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Vegan “Beef” Fajitas

Posted in Entree, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on January 30, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Our town is lacking in the restaurant department. Slightly spoiled, having lived in New Jersey (excellent Italian), close to the big city of Manhattan, then in the ever amazing and unique Los Angeles, I would not call myself a food critic but rather, I have a great appreciation for fresh, and wholesome food.

One of the restaurants in our town that always seems to be bustling with singles, couples, and families, is a little Mexican restaurant I have truly grown to appreciate. I can’t say there is much going on on the menu I am too interested in, but I do love the guacamole. And hey, when there is nothing else in town, and avocados are the highlight of the menu, you really start to appreciate the smaller things in life.

My version of chips and guac is a bit different than the average person. I dunk whole organic romaine lettuce leaves into my guac, which serve as my “chips.” These “chips” travel with me into the restaurant via my handy bag. Although it may seem weird to others, it is just one less thing a restaurant has to do for me (especially when salad greens are not their strong suit).  I see myself as un-complicating a rather unique situation. Judge if you like, but I am a happy paying customer.

Truthfully though, one need not give up their fajita affection for health. In fact, you can quite nicely create your own fajita dinner with some spices, tamari, peppers, mushroom and onion. Try this one out!

fajita

Vegan Fajitas

Serves 6-8

 Fajita Marinade

  • ·         2 tbsp water
  • ·         1 tbsp orange juice
  • ·         Juice of 2 limes
  • ·         3 chipotle chiles, chopped
  • ·         3 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • ·         ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ·         ½ tsp chili powder
  • ·         ¼ tsp paprika
  • ·         1 tbsp gluten-free tamari, low sodium

Fajita Mix

  • ·         8 oz small portabella mushrooms, sliced into strips
  • ·         1 yellow bell pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
  • ·         1 red bell pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
  • ·         1 orange bell pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
  • ·         1 large red onion, diced
  • ·         1 cup scallions, chopped
  • ·         4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • ·         8 soft gluten-free tortillas and your favorite fajita toppings!

Heat a medium pan to medium-high heat. Add garlic, peppers, red onion and 2-4 tbsp of water or vegetable broth to prevent sticking. Sauté for 4 minutes and add mushrooms and scallions, stirring constantly. Sauté for 4 minutes, or until peppers and onion are sweating, and add remaining marinade ingredients. Cover and let steam on low heat for 6 minutes to absorb marinade flavors.

Serve it up with guacamole, salsa, and rice.

I chose to treat my guests with quinoa over rice.

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Healthy Holiday Ideas- Creamy Cashew Cheese Stuffed Portabellos and Raw Cranberry Relish

Posted in Entree, Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on November 20, 2012 | 1 Comment »

I used to love Thanksgiving.

Big family gatherings.

An excuse to eat more than usual.

Desserts.

No school.

My Uncle Chris’s famous mashed potatoes. (Which I later discovered had mounds of butter, heavy whipping cream, and lots of salt).

Of course, Thanksgiving is about more than just the food. It is about being Thankful.

Grateful.

Everyone has something to be grateful for. While I have many reasons to be grateful, this Thanksgiving I am particularly grateful to have somewhere special to be for the holiday. It has not been easy being away from the happenings at home. With my sister and brother home from college, cousins, and New Yorkers asking about my whereabouts for the wintry season, and my mom wishing I was home cooking again (like I did the first Thanksgiving I met my husband), I have to count my blessings that they are all happy, healthy, and safe. I am also particularly proud that my younger sister will be cooking Thanksgiving! 

As much as I want to be in on the action, this year my husband and I were lucky enough to be invited over to a couple’s house that I think of as family. Although we do not get to see our friends often, in their company I always feel at ease. Comfortable. Safe. Happy and particularly honored and grateful to be guests in their lovely home. In many ways, I feel like a little sister, and I like that. In addition, and from a Foodie and Nutritionist’s perspective, I also do not have the least bit of anxiety about the food for the occasion. This is particularly important for me. As while I am unapologetic about my beliefs, it is always nice to not feel like Exhibit Vegan (even in a household that is… not). That’s what I call family.

Strangely enough, I have no definitive plans of what I shall be making to bring over, but you better believe I will prepared with a small army of vegetable dishes to share.

That being said, I do have holiday recipes to share with you!

Here you are!

Fresh Cranberry Relish—Adapted from Whole Living Magazine, November 2012

  • 2 cups fresh cranberries
  • 1 sweet apple, such as Pink Lady, peeled, cored, and chopped
  • Finely grated zest of 1 orange, or 2 tsp
  • 1 peeled orange, pith removed, chopped
  • 4 tbsp raw honey
  • Dash of pink sea salt

Pulse ingredients in a food processor until combined but still chunky.

Raw Kale Salad with Fresh Figs and Pine Nuts– also posted here, without pine nuts

  • 4 heads of raw organic kale, pulled from stems, hard ribs removed
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/8-1/4 cup raw coconut aminos 
  • Pinch of sea salt, optional
  • 3 ½ organic avocados, pits removed
  • 2 cups ripe figs, stems removed, halved
  • 1/4 cup shallot, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup raw pine nuts

Combine kale, avocado, lemon, and sea salt in a large mixing bowl and massage the oils and citrus into the leaves until wilted. Set aside figs and throw in remaining ingredients. Toss. Add in figs and gently toss. Transfer salad onto a serving dish.

Cashew Cheese Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms—“Cheese” adapted from “Raw Food for Everyone” by Alissa Cohen

  • 16 no oil sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for 10 minutes in warm water
  • 8 Portobello mushrooms, stems removed
  • 1 cup pine nuts
  • 1 cup macadamia nuts, or cashews
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 ½ tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp gluten free tamari
  • 2 garlic cloves

Remove stems from Portobello mushrooms and layout, belly up, on a cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes at 300 degrees. Carefully remove mushroom and soak up the juice that will pool in the mushroom. Flip mushrooms over and set aside, or place back in the oven to keep warm.  Soak sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chop, and set aside.

Combine all remaining ingredients in a food processor. Scoop a generous dallop onto each mushroom, top with sun-dried tomatoes, and freshly ground blacker pepper. Transfer mushrooms onto serving dish. 

And now for some oldies:

Roasted Eggplant Caviar– Recently Posted (I will be bringing this to Thanksgiving)

Spicy Roasted Ratatouille Spread- Posted here (oh! or maybe I will bring this!)

 

Pretty Salad Shooters: Golden Tomato and Mache Layered Salads- Check it out here.

Vegan Pumpkin and Coconut Cream Sweet Potato Casserole- Posted Here

Sweet Vegan Banana Bread- Posted Here

Pumpkin Pie Mashed Potatoes (Not Vegan, but you can easily substitute raw coconut butter, for butter) Here

Please share!

What are you making this season?? 

What are you grateful for?

I have so many more recipes coming this winter! You are going to love them!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

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Cilantro-Pistachio Pesto and Roasted Cauliflower Pasta- Gluten-Free, Vegan

Posted in Entree, Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , on November 5, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Pistachios remind me of my father. We used to take “Father-Daughter” trips to the local ice cream shop after dinner. Now, a mother myself, I can imagine a large part of the trip had to do with Dad getting a dessert, mom cleaning up, and a sleepy and stuffed daughter falling asleep on the way home.

A win-win-win (well, maybe only partially for my mom– who wants to clean a kitchen?).

As for the pistachios, I can remember tasting my dad’s green pistachio ice cream and thinking it different. Not bad, not awful– it tasted kind of nice (of course, how could anything combined with sugar and cream taste awful?). While I cannot remember ever ordering a pistachio ice cream for myself, I am sure it would have been something I would have acquired a taste for should I still enjoy dairy today.

With that said, I really have not been that intrigued by the nut family (or pistachios) over the years. They are dense. However, browsing through a magazine of aesthetically appealing recipes, I was naturally intrigued by a pasta dish that incorporated pistachios, cilantro, and roasted cauliflower. The picture was dazzling, but the combination of ingredients was bizarre.

Who combines pistachios with cilantro and gets away with it?

I was about to find out.

It seemed like a serious hit or miss and actually reminded me more so of a fashion magazine– one that displays beautiful women in bizarre outfits that would seem out of place everywhere, except for the magazine.

A second look at the recipe and I found it laden with oil and gluten-containing pasta. Oil plus nuts? Gluten plus nuts, plus oil?

Oh no. Not in my kitchen.

My goal is to make food that dazzles the taste buds but does not reek havoc on the digestive system. Nuts are already dense in that they pack a lot of nutrients, protein, and fat into a tiny little area. Combining concentrated fats and proteins is asking for trouble. Add in the inflammatory gluten-containing pasta, and it spells digestive dilemma.

I like to minimize trouble in my life, and so… I did.

Behold, Pistachio Cilantro Pesto over Zucchini noodles with Roasted Cauliflower and carrots— adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine Fall 2012

Serves 6

  • 1 large cauliflower cut into small florets (all greens and stems removed) (between 8-12
  • cups)
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into thick medallions (1/2 inch thick)*
  • 1 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves
  • ½ cup raw unsalted shelled pistachios, soaked for 30 minutes and drained
  • 3 medium garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 4 zucchini, peeled and then julienned, or sliced with a serrated vegetable peeler or
  • veggie spiralizer.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Prepare and put aside zucchini. Lay out cauliflower and carrots* on a cookie sheet (over parchment paper) and season with a light sprinkling of pink sea salt (optional). (If I were to make this again I would not use carrots). Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, or bake until cauliflower is golden and browned in some places. As vegetables are cooking, combine cilantro, pistachios, and garlic in a food processor. Process until all contents are mixed. Add in lemon juice and continue to pulse. If consistency is not blending (because pistachios are not as rich in oil as some of their friends– like macadamia nuts or cashews), slowly add 1-2 tbsp vegetable broth, OR ½ cup roasted cauliflower. Remove roasting vegetables from oven and transfer zucchini noodles and pistachio pesto into a mixing bowl. Mix and season with freshly ground pepper to taste. Sprinkle with scallions and transfer to a serving dish, or serve hot.

Result? 

Guests liked it! 

Oil Free. Gluten-Free. Vegan.

This recipe not only looked enticing, but spoke volumes for itself. Rich, caramelized cauliflower warmly welcomed the pungent bite of raw garlic. The citrus from the lemons offered a subtle tang while helping to melt together the unique flavor from the cilantro. 

I’d do it again.

It also tasted great the next day (according to coworkers).

How would I do this differently next time? 

  • Remove carrots.
  • Roast garlic (for a smoother texture)
  • Add artichoke hearts

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!

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Entertaining: Roasted Eggplant Caviar, Oil-Free, Nut-Free, Vegan

Posted in Entree, Recipes, Sides, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 1, 2012 | 2 Comments »

I love eggplant.

My college roommate and I spent a decent sum of time together dry sautéing, baking, and George Forman-ing eggplant slices in our little kitchen. 

Laugh if you will, but this recipe is very much nostalgic for me– reminding me of the few years I spent loving vegetables as much as someone else (sadly taboo for me these days in Texas).

The Eggplant. A nice houseguest. 

Baked eggplant takes on a naturally creamy texture that seems to ease itself into a variety of dishes without disrupting flavor, or requiring oil.

It’s easy demeanor and versatility makes it a charming “guest” and the perfect winter vegetable– warming, filling, and very low in calories, fat, sugar, and sodium.

Although commonly fried in oil (as in eggplant parm), it needs not an ounce of fat, and very little love to transform from cumbersome vegetable, into a rich and velvety culinary delight. 

Whether you are already a lover of eggplant, or are new to this nightshade, you are sure to gobble up this extraordinary Roasted Eggplant Caviar. Serve it warm over a bed of greens, or experiment with it as a complimentary spread to sprouted toast, as I did while entertaining guests.

Who needs bruschetta when you have eggplant caviar with roasted garlic and sun dried tomatoes!?

Roommate, you will love this one.

Ready. Set. Entertain.

Recipe:

  • 1 1/2 large eggplant, roasted
  • 3 cloves of garlic, roasted
  • 1 bag of no oil added sun-dried tomatoes, I used the 365 brand by Whole Foods, soaked
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, freshly chopped

Direction: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Cut eggplant in half, lengthwise, and place them face down on cookie sheet. To roast garlic, turn on their side and carefully cut the entire top off, exposing their white raw heads. Wrap each garlic cluster in foil and place on a cookie sheet. Place entire sheet in oven for 30-35 minutes.

Soak sun-dried tomatoes in warm water for 10 minutes. Drain, and set in a mixing bowl with fresh parsley (You can pull apart, or chop sun-dried tomatoes to make them easier to eat).

Remove cookie sheet from the oven. Eggplant is finished when the purple skin is wrinkling and the insides are easy to scoop out with a spoon. Garlic is finished when fragrant, their tops are a golden brown, and the whole garlic cluster is slightly squishy. The eggplant and garlic should be finished cooking at roughly the same time. Unwrap garlic and allow eggplant and garlic to cool for 5-10 minutes. Carefully scoop eggplant into the mixing bowl. Squeeze the garlic from its cluster into the mixing bowl.

Don’t burn yourself!  These guys hold heat!!

Mash all ingredients together.

Transfer to serving dish.

You are ready to go!!

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Entertaining this Fall: Massaged Kale Salad with Fresh Figs

Posted in Recipes, Entree, Lunch, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on September 26, 2012 | 3 Comments »

If you don’t like kale, you have not tried one of my recipes.

The trick to enjoying kale is not just the ingredients, but in the hands.

Yep.

The hands.

One must truly massage the curly leaves of the cruciferous kale (in a fat) in order to make it all the more enjoyable. By “breaking down” the roughage of the kale, we are also enhancing the digestive process and making the kale’s nutrients more useful to the body.

While I enjoy many versions of massaged kale, this salad was particularly spectacular.

A little avocado. A little citrus. Kale salad, I will never tire of you.

This time I opted to sweeten our greenery with a hefty drizzle of raw honey and fresh figs. This is the ideal salad for enetertaining. Don’t miss out on the creamy but sweet flavors this salad has to offer.

Gosh. I want some right now.

Ingredients– Party Size (Serves 6-12)

4 heads of raw organic kale, pulled from stems, hard ribs removed

½ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Pinch of sea salt, optional

3 ½ organic avocados, pits removed

2 cups ripe figs, rinsed, stems removed, quartered 

1/4 cup shallot, thinly sliced

3 tbsp raw honey

3 tbsp fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

The How To: 

Place kale leaves in an oversized bowl and start by sprinkling your greens with sea salt. Next add your lemon juice and avocado. Use your fingers to really massage the oils and citrus into the leaves until sufficiently covered. The leaves will have wilted. This should take about 5 minutes.

Set aside figs and throw in remaining ingredients.

Toss.

Add in figs and gently toss, (or use as decor around the outside of your serving dish like I did here). Put salad in a serving dish.

Enjoy!!

What are you enjoying this Fall?

How do you enjoy your kale?

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Houston Restaurant Review and Spaghetti with Meatballs Recipe, Vegan, Soy-Free, Gluten-Free

Posted in Entree, Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 12, 2012 | 4 Comments »

This past weekend I visited a counterpart in Houston, Texas. Despite the fact that it was a work related trip, I had a ball. (Which is not surprising, considering I love my job, and I loved meeting my other half in Houston). Houston, however, I had been hesitant about visiting again. Having been there before with my husband, and feeling out of the loop with so many Irish pubs, heavy food, and heavy concrete surrounding our hotel, I cannot say I was too much of a fan. (Austin has always been a bit more my scene).

That being said, I soon discovered that there was much more to meet the eye. With only one evening to enjoy out on the town, my amazing tour-guide found the perfect place for us to venture.

COPPA, a warmly lit Italian ristorante, was a welcoming sea of square tables, set minimally enough to suggest easy conversation, the potential for shared plates, and a non-pushy, sort-of rustic simplicity. After a long day of travel and work-related banter, the setting sun, trickling in from the windows, was pleasantly peaceful, refreshing, and friendly.

Although not initially starving, you would have never have guessed by my eagerness to try the warm plate of olives we ordered. Certainly a highlight, the olives were delightful– as if they came straight from Italy– fresh, buttery, and perfectly warmed.

Although their menu did not spell vegetarian, it was obvious from the assortment of veggies on the menu that there were plenty of plants to choose from. In fact, my lovely date for the evening had already called ahead, making sure veggies were an option.

Available they were!

I enjoyed a bounty of fresh arugula and a beautiful platter of steamed vegetables. Another highlight was the marinara sauce– which was so exceptional, I could not help myself to request two large bowls. So delicious, the marinara was fresh and creamy enough to be enjoyed as a tomato soup appetizer.

(A quick shot of my pretty platter of steamed greens– golden beets, collard greens and green beans). 

Veggie Platter at Coppa, Houston

So inspired was I by my Italian experience, I came back to my own concrete world in Dallas, and created an Italian inspired dish. Because I cannot share Coppa with you, please enjoy this new flavorful and naturally low-fat dish of mine.

Spaghetti and Meatballs, Vegan and Gluten-Free 

This dish is rich with the condensed flavor of sun dried tomatoes, but with little oil, it is hardly heavy or greasy. The portabella mushrooms offer a meaty texture and density, and are a delightful compliment to the fresh but light bite of basil and pungent garlic. Between the unique taste of capers and sun-dried tomatoes, this dish is perfect as is, without the need for added salt. 

Serves 1-2

Meatball Spaghetti Sauce 

  • 2 tbsp organic capers, rinsed in cool water
  • 15 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in water for 15 minutes prior
  • 1 tbsp olive oil, preferably organic and unfiltered
  • 3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
  • 1/2 tbsp raw garlic, minced
  • 1 baked portabella mushroom

Remove stem and place on cookie sheet. Bake mushrooms (2) at 400 degrees for 5-8 minutes or until juicy on the top of the cap. Carefully remove and use one for the sauce and save the other for your spaghetti.

Spaghetti 

  • 1 large zucchini, “spiral-ized”, or peeled with a perforated vegetable peeler
  • 1 chopped portabella mushroom, baked

Spice this dish up with red chili flakes, and enjoy.

What are your favorite Italian dishes? Recipes?

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