Baked Eggplant Bites - Arab Style

This recipe is free of gluten, has a low lactose content and is vegetarian friendly.

A few nights ago I was looking for a light snack to eat while I've been re-watching every episode of The Sopranos. I probably should've made something Italian themed to set the atmosphere, but I already did the Light Shrimp Alfredo Pasta last week, and ate it literally everyday (it's pretty delicious), so no more pasta for at least a few weeks!

I've been throwing around the idea of eggplant for a while, as an Arab friend of mine mentioned it's a fairly common vegetable used there but not so much here in Canada. I researched a bit and found eggplant is actually amazing! It's low in calories, about as healthy as a tomato, and is a great substitute for meat. I was sold and went out and bought 6 small eggplants that I used to throw together this lovely appetizer. 

It was my first time eating eggplant on its own, and this is something I'm going to be making over and over! On top of the health benefits, it was also a flavourful, salty snack worthy of replacing chips or fries - things people commonly crunch on when watching T.V. like I was doing. I highly recommend it if you are counting calories, or even if you aren't it's generally a healthier alternative - especially when it's baked!

Normally, eggplant done this way is garnished with something called labneh which is a very very thick strained yogurt common in the Middle East. I wanted to make it a bit healthier, so I used plain non-fat yogurt instead. 

The process for preparing the eggplant is really important so make sure you pay attention to the directions!

Yield: Serves 2-3 as an appetizer/snack 

6 small eggplants, sliced horizontally about a ¼ inch thick

1 teaspoon minced garlic

¼ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon yogurt for each slice

A few generous shakes of baharat (you can substitute this with either a mixture of garam masala and curry, or paprika and cumin makes a great complimentary flavour too)
Dried mint for topping 

Preheat oven to 450°F/230°C/Gas Mark 8.

Salt both sides of the eggplant slices and sandwich between two pieces of paper towel. Eggplant juices are naturally bitter, and this will allow the bitter juices to drain into the paper towel. The salt will bring the juices to the surface more quickly. Press on the slices to get the draining started, then you can leave it alone for 30 minutes to an hour.

Sprinkle both sides with whatever seasoning you chose - baharat or either of the substitutes provided. I used baharat as usual, as it's the best thing ever. Rub the seasoning in.

Mix garlic and olive oil in a bowl and brush mixture onto both sides of the eggplant.

Place the slices in a pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until browned and slightly crispy.

Serve with a teaspoon of yogurt on top sprinkled with dried mint.

Enjoy!

Post by McKayla

Light Shrimp Alfredo Pasta

This recipe is free of gluten and has a low lactose content.

I am a huuuge fan of alfredo. It's definitely my favourite sauce, hands down. However, classic alfredo sauce is pretty much just butter with a bit of garlic and seasoning, and most marketed alfredo sauces found in North America are loaded with heavy creams that would definitely twist my lactose-sensitive stomach. 

While I'm definitely not a calorie counter, putting half a cup of butter into my sauce is a bit much for me, same with heavy creams - even if I could tolerate them, just.. no. So, I decided to compromise and use a fraction of the butter called for in classic alfredo recipes, but use yogurt to get that creamy flavour us alfredo fans love so much! 

It was FANTASTIC. This was my first attempt at making alfredo from scratch, so I stuck to the basics and am so pleased with the results! Next time, I'll probably add some mushrooms and broccoli for that extra umph, but even on its own it was great. I also tested it on a few hungry men who seconded my enthusiasm. I highly recommend giving this spin on alfredo a shot!

Yield: Serves 3-4

1 11oz package pasta (I used gluten-free spaghetti, but you can use the more traditional fettuccine or penne)

28 large shrimp

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic cloves

1½ cups low-fat yogurt

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (parmesan) 

⅛ cup butter (quarter of a stick) + 1 tablespoon for boiling pasta

1 teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon oregano

Salt to taste

Pinch of nutmeg

Freshly ground black pepper

Boil pasta until tender in salted water with a tablespoon of butter.

Meanwhile, heat coconut oil in a large frying pan, then add garlic. Fry garlic until brown, then add the shrimp, cooking for 10 minutes on medium heat.

Once pasta is finished, drain water and transfer it back into the pot. The shrimp should be done by now, so add the shrimp and garlic with whatever oil is left in the pan.

Add the rest of the ingredients - except the pepper - stirring frequently until mixture is hot and cheese is melted.

Serve with a hearty dose of freshly ground black pepper on each plate.

Enjoy!

Post by McKayla

Creamy Cashew Chicken

This recipe is gluten free and low in lactose.

This is a delicious quick make if you're in a rush. I didn't have some of the sauces traditional cashew chicken calls for, so I improvised. I made it from scratch and tossed a few things together that I thought would be similar. It was deemed more delicious than the generic cashew chicken with pre-made sauces! If you're a fan of this dish, try my version and see if you agree.

Yield: 2 servings

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (or whatever you deem 2 servings to be)

2 handfuls cashews - note that I have ridiculously small hands

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon minced garlic cloves

2 tablespoons vinegar (I used apple cider because it's my fav, but you can use rice vinegar instead)

2 teaspoons gluten-free soya sauce

1 teaspoon Worcester sauce 

½ teaspoon paprika

1 cup yogurt

1¼ cups white rice 

3 green onion stalks

Olive oil for frying as well as for rice lube during boiling

A little sprinkle of salt to taste for the sauce, and ¾ teaspoon salt for the rice

Mix chicken, sugar, vinegar, soya sauce, Worcester sauce, salt (to taste), paprika and yogurt in a bowl. Leave to marinade in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat and toss in garlic cloves. Cook until the garlic starts to brown.

Meanwhile (this step is optional) break the cashews into tiny pieces. If you prefer whole, that's okay too! I put them in a bag and smashed them with a hammer. Fry the cashews with the garlic for 5-10 minutes, or until the cashews start to darken.

Add the chicken mixture. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

After you add the chicken, you'll want to start the rice. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add the salt and a little bit of oil along with the rice. Bring to a boil again, then reduce heat to low and cover, stirring sparingly, for about 10 minutes. 

Now, when my chicken finished, I didn't like the amount of sauce. I'm a sauce lover, and this was inadequate sauce territory. So I mixed up another batch of the sauce ingredients above, and added it to the chicken and cooked it a bit longer. However, that's just me being a sauce freak, so what you have might be fine. Either way, add a bit of corn starch (or any kind of edible starch) to the sauce and thicken it to your liking. 

While your rice and chicken is cooling, chop up the green onions. Use it to garnish if you want to make it look pretty, or just mix it in with the chicken and rice if aesthetics isn't on the list of things you care about today. 

Enjoy!

Post by McKayla