Original Recipes
Original Recipes from Nutricia Consulting and Friends
Click on any category or recipe title.
Appetizers:
Guacamole, Hummous
Vegetables:
Spring Salad with Mediterr-Asian Dressing, Sweet Summer Salad, Sweet & Salty Kale, Zippy Kale, Fried Green Tomatoes, Twice-baked Sweet Potatoes with Goat Cheese and Thyme, Vegetable Potato Pancakes
Grains:
Millet Polenta, Breakfast Buckwheat
Proteins:
Lamb Rounds with Feta-Yogurt Sauce, Chicken Sate Stir-fry, White Sage Beans & Tuna, Fish Fry with Mock Tartar Sauce
Appetizers
1 ripe (soft) avocado
1 roma tomato, diced
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
½ small onion, diced
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cut the avocado in half lengthwise. Twist the two halves apart. Start with the half without the seed: use a spoon to scoop out the fruit from the skin and into a bowl. Then, remove the seed from the remaining half of the avocado by embedding your knife into the seed, and twisting to remove it. Scoop the fruit out of this half of the avocado skin and into the bowl. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl. Combine them, mashing the avocado with a fork as necessary. Adjust the seasonings to your taste. Serve with sliced red peppers, carrots, or rice crackers.
Hummous, Garlic-free
by Tricia McCauley
I realize hummous is not really an original recipe, but I did develop this one myself, using onion instead of garlic, and attempting to emulate the smoothness and oil content of the best hummous ever, which can be found at the Lebanese Taverna in Washington, DC, Clarendon, Virginia, or Rockville, Maryland. You may add garlic, of course, to your own taste; or use this recipe when you have me over to a party!
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup olive oil
¼ onion
4 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon honey or agave nectar
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
dash of salt (optional)
Put all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Adjust olive oil & lemon juice to your taste.
Fruits
Fat & Happy Smoothie
by Tricia McCauley
Okay, so I like my smoothies on the not-so-smooth side. You might like it, too! You may wonder why there’s no yogurt in this smoothie. Since many people are lactose intolerant, I rarely recommend beginning the day with dairy.
½ banana
2/3 cup frozen fruit: strawberries, blueberries, mango, papaya, pineapple
1 1/4 cup orange juice
¼ cup cocoanut milk
6 almonds
2 Tablespoons dried cocoanut
1 small handful of fresh parsley*
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon spirulina powder
Stick it in the blender and blend it up! Yum! Serves two. (Or one, if you really love your smoothies.)
*Stealth Nutrition Tip: How to get greens into your meal without even noticing.
Vegetables
Spring Salad with Mediterr-Asian Dressing
by Tricia McCauley
Bitter greens, spring cleansing veggies, and a luxurious dressing. Serves 2.
1 cup Dandelion greens torn into bite-sized pieces
1 cup Arugula, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 Scallion (green onion), diced
1 small Radish, grated
big pinch of Sprouts, separated so they’re not in one annoying bunch
2 Tbs crushed walnuts
2 strawberries, chopped
Mediterr-Asian Salad Dressing
4Tbs Toasted Sesame Oil
2Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
1 grind of fresh black pepper
Place in a jar, close the lid tightly, and shake vigorously
Pour into a bowl and blend with a fork with:
1 Tbs Chevre (soft Goat cheese)
Toss and serve!
Sweet Summer Salad
by Jennifer Ambrosino
One Cucumber, quartered and sliced
¼ - ½ Vidalia onion
1 stalk of celery, very small dice
2 scallions, chopped
1 peach cut into chunks
One bag edamame, shelled
One tomato, seeded and chopped into small chunks
Combine ingredients in a bowl
For dressing:
About ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
Two teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Large pinch oregano
Small handful chopped fresh parsley
Pinch of salt
Fresh ground pepper
Combine all ingredients and pour over salad, amount of spices should be adjusted to your taste.
Sweet & Salty Kale
by Tricia McCauley
1 bunch kale 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice 1 tablespoon ume plum vinegar (or soy sauce)
Rinse the kale and shake off the excess water.
Pull the leaves off the stems.
Slice the stems into very small (1/4 inch) pieces.
Tear the leaves into 2-3 inch pieces.
Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large, deep saucepan, skillet, or dutch oven.
Add the chopped stems. Stir so they’re all coated with olive oil.
Cover and let sauté/steam for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they’re tender.
Add the leaves. Stir as best you can, and cover.
Let them cook for 5 minutes, then stir. (They should be a bit wilted by this point, and you’ll have more room to stir them around.)
Cover again, and check back every 5 minutes to stir and see if they’re done.
When the greens are wilted to your satisfaction, remove from heat.
Toss with lime juice and ume vinegar or soy sauce.
Be sure to cook on medium-low heat, or the greens will burn. (I know this from experience! J)
1 bunch kale
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Rinse the kale and shake off the excess water.
Pull the leaves off the stems.
Slice the stems into very small (1/4 inch) pieces.
Tear the leaves into 2-3 inch pieces.
Heat the olive oil and crushed red pepper over medium-low heat in a large, deep saucepan, skillet, or dutch oven.
Add the chopped stems. Stir so they’re all coated with olive oil.
Cover and let sauté/steam for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they’re tender.
Add the leaves. Stir as best you can, and cover.
Let them cook for 5 minutes, then stir. (They should be a bit wilted by this point, and you’ll have more room to stir them around.)
Cover again, and check back every 5 minutes to stir and see if they’re done.
When the greens are wilted to your satisfaction, remove from heat.
Fried Green Tomatoes
Tricia's variation on the old classic. The batter is gluten-free.
2 green tomatoes, sliced thickly
1 egg
¼ cup tapioca flour
¼ cup potato starch flour
paprika
salt & pepper
butter
Beat the egg in a bowl.
On a plate, combine the tapioca flour, potato starch flour, paprika, salt, and pepper.
Dredge the tomato slices in egg, then in the flour mix. Coat both sides and the edges.
Melt the butter in a skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium heat.
Cook in batches, until each side is slightly crispy and a bit brown. Yum!
Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Goat Cheese and Thyme
by Tricia McCauley
Serves 2.
1 sweet potato, washed and cut in half – not peeled!
2 tablespoon butter or olive oil
3 tablespoons goat cheese (chevre)
2 teaspoons dried thyme, or 4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
salt & pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place the sweet potato halves in a baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes or until soft.
Remove from the oven and let them cool off a bit.
When they are cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out of the skins, leaving a ¼-inch layer inside the skin. Place the potato flesh in a bowl.
Mix the butter or olive oil, goat cheese, and thyme with the potato flesh.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Replace the sweet potato mixture in the potato shells.
Return the potato halves to the baking dish and the oven and bake for another 20 minutes.
Vegetable Potato Pancakes
by Jennifer Ambrosino
2 medium carrots, grated
½ medium onion, grated
1 medium to large russett potato, unpeeled, grated
1 large handful alfalfa sprouts
1 egg, beaten
1 handful of Italian parsley, chopped fine
½ to 1 cup of Panko breadcrumbs
Zest of ½ lemon
Salt and pepper
Place carrots, onion, potato and sprouts in a bowl and mix well making sure the sprouts are well distributed and not in a single clump. Add the parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add the beaten egg and mix until combined.
Heat a skillet with peanut, olive or canola oil on medium-high heat. Just before you plan to prepare the pancakes, gently fold in the Panko breadcrumbs. Use more or less until the pancakes are a consistency you like and hold together when shaped.
Shape a ball with about ½ cup of the veggie mixture and then press into a pancake with a spatula in the pan. Cook until brown on both sides and filling is cooked through. Serve immediately.
Serves 2, recipe can be easily doubled.
Grains
Millet Polenta
by Tricia McCauley
Yes, I know, it’s full of naughty cheese and maybe butter… but it’s such a yummy comfort food! Also, I find millet can be VERY bland – experiment with herbs, bouillon, and salt & pepper to your taste.
1 cup millet
3 cups water, broth, or stock
¼ cup butter, ghee, or olive oil
¼ cup parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons basil
1 ½ tablespoons oregano
1 tablespoon thyme
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Rinse the millet. Place it in a saucepan with the water, broth, or stock.
Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20-30 minutes, or until water is absorbed.
Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, and let stand 5 minutes, covered.
Mix the millet with the butter, ghee, or olive oil, the herbs, salt & pepper, and most of the parmesan cheese.
Pack the millet mixture into a pie pan and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the edges are a bit browned.
Remove from oven, let cook just a tad, and serve topped with tomato sauce.
Breakfast Buckwheat
by Tricia McCauley
½ cup buckwheat (kasha)
1 cup water
½ cup blueberries
¼ cup chopped nuts – walnuts, pecans, almonds, etc
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
Rice syrup or your choice of sweetener
Rinse the kasha
Bring the water to a boil.
Add the kasha, blueberries, nuts, and cinnamon.
Cover, bring back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Stir in vanilla and sweetener.
Proteins
Lamb Rounds with Feta-Yogurt Sauce
by Tricia McCauley
Special thanks to Carole Heiss for re-naming this dish!
These are great served over basmati rice as an entrée, or as finger food for a party.
Lamb Rounds:
1 pound ground lamb
1 onion, minced
1 egg
1 slice bread (sprouted-grain, gluten-free, or normal), crumbled
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or 1 tablespoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Put all ingredients into a bowl. Remove your rings and mix everything together with your hands.
Roll the mixture into balls. It will make about 30 small (1-inch) rounds. (Watch out for those raisins, they will try to escape.)
If you are the precise type, you can form the mixture into a block on a cutting board and slice it into equal squares, and make balls from that, so they’re even.
Place the balls on a rack and place the rack on a baking dish. This way, the excess fat is drained from the meat.
Bake the lamb balls for approximately 20 minutes, or until the inside is no longer pink.
Feta-Yogurt Sauce
Inspired by the Moosewood Kitchen Garden by David Hirsh
1 small container of plain yogurt
3 tablespoons flax oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon tarragon
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
¼ cup feta cheese, in block form
Combine all ingredients. Use a fork to mash up the feta.
Chicken Sate Stir-Fry
by Jennifer Ambrosino
Sauce:
3 Tablespoons tamari
1 Tablespoon mirin
1 Tablespoon agave
1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
1 teaspoon sesame oil
ginger – zest about ¼ - ½ inch piece
shallot – zest an equal amt. as ginger
1 pinch chili pepper flakes
boneless chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces
crimini mushrooms quartered
chopped onion
chopped red pepper
chop rest of shallot
handful chopped parsley
Penzey’s sate seasoning (an Indonesian-style curry made from coarse flake salt, brown sugar, garlic, white onion, coriander, purple shallots, ginger, turmeric, sweet paprika, Ancho pepper, galangal, cayenne red pepper, lemon grass – available online or use your own mix)
Heat peanut oil in large frying pan. Add onion, shallot, red pepper to hot pan and cook for 1 minute.
Season chicken generously with sate seasoning.
Add chicken to pan and brown on all sides. Cover and let cook for a few minutes.
Add mushrooms and cook 2 minutes.
Add stir-fry sauce and cook one minute.
Remove heat and add chopped parsley. Serve over rice.
White Sage Beans & Tuna
by Jennifer Ambrosino
3 tablespoons olive oil (approximately)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 tsp dried sage leaves (to your taste)
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can albacore tuna, drained and flaked
parmesan cheese
chicken or vegetable stock
In a medium sized pan, saute minced garlic and sage leaves in olive oil,
until garlic is soft, but not brown.
Add tuna and break up in pan. You can also use Italian tuna in olive oil in this recipe if you like, which is very nice, but regular tuna in water works just fine.
Add beans and stir (gently) to coat. Turn heat down to simmer and cover beans for 10-15 minutes (stirring occasionally).
Serve over cooked pasta (whatever shape you like, cavatappi or rotini work well. Use a whole grain pasta for better nutrition, I like Barilla Plus). If the mixture seems dry, add some chicken or vegetable stock to loosen it up.
Top with a generous amount of freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese, to taste and plenty of black pepper.
It’s a little monochrome looking, but it tastes good! Add a little chopped parsley for color or even better, some sautéed spinach.
Fish Fry with Mock Tartar Sauce
by Tricia McCauley
1 pound white fish, such as cod, tilapia, or flounder, skin removed
1 egg, beaten
Quinoa flour
Rice flour, tapioca flour, or potato starch
Paprika
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 Tablespoons olive oil
Cut the fish into “patty”-sized portions, if you plan to make fish sandwiches. If you prefer fish sticks, slice the fish into 1-inch slices.
Place the beaten egg in a bowl.
Mix the flours, paprika, salt, and pepper
In a cast-iron skillet or heavy pan, heat the olive oil.
Dredge each fish piece in egg, then in batter
Serve on a toasted sprouted-grain bun with lettuce, tomato, and lemon-dill sauce.
Lemon Dill “Tartar” Sauce
1 container plain yogurt
¼ cup fresh dill, diced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
"There is no love sincerer than the love of food."
-- George Bernard Shaw