Green Apple, Pepper, Dill Salad

 
Green Apple Red Pepper Dill Salad (MyRealFoodLife.com)
Green Apple Red Pepper Dill Salad Recipe

This recipe is very light and fresh tasting, with just the right hint of tart sweetness from the apples  complimented by the meaty flavour of the red peppers.  The dill is a delicate tie-together.

Note: If you are going to keep any salad in the fridge, don’t dress it with salt- it makes everything wither and go limp.  Season just before serving, instead.

 

Purple Raspberry Breakfast Slurpee

 
Purple Raspberry Breakfast Slurpee (MyRealFoodLife.com)
Purple Raspberry Breakfast Slurpee

Getting decent fruit in the winter is a pain. There’s always that stretch of time where the only thing decent is apples and oranges… and a bunch of other anemic out-of-season choices like those bloated, slightly crunchy half-green strawberries.

Enter frozen summer fruit. I try to make this slurpee most mornings- its like your whole day’s worth of fibre and raw fruits in a glass (and raw is so important!). I find, using the red grapes is the perfect amount of sweetener. You could always use a banana, but lately I prefer the clear berry taste combination. And once it melts a bit,  smell it- its like fresh purpley summer.

If you ever have fruit in your fridge thats going over-ripe, just freeze it on cookie sheets and then put into re-sealable bags (I like to wrap in parchment paper first to minimize plastic contact but thats just me being anal lol).  You’ll be able to use the fruit in smoothies, puree and throw into baked goods, etc.

 

Dip- Baba Ghanouj

 
Baba Ghanouj (MyRealFoodLife.com)
Baba Ghanouj Recipe

I’m finding that gluten, corn, dairy, etc… free dips are best as vegetable based, and using ground nuts and /or seeds as a thickener to be a great combination.  This one is my version of a classic eggplant-based dip, using Tahini (sesame paste), as a thickener.

 

Going Gluten Free/ allergen -free…

 
Gluten Free Ottawa My Real Food LifeIn September 2009, I was diagnosed with a whack of food intolerances. I was so mad the first thing I did was go and buy a double cheeseburger meal at McDonalds. (lol I’d never even had a cheeseburger before.  It just seemed like the ultimate act of defiance). I angrily DARED the meal to make me sick (Oh. It did. For days. lol). I love cooking, I love food, and it just seemed like a giant cosmic kick in the pants that I of all people would get stuck with this ridiculousness.
  
Then I found Shauna’s blog, Gluten-Free Girl (listed below). She really, really loves food, she really really has alot of fun with it. And she loves her life.  I scoured her site, read everything I could find, and was kinda blown away. I am going to have fun. I am going to love the food I eat. Its not going to be so bad. This is entirely doable. So, from that point onwards, I got going. I got looking. And I found some great stuff that changed everything.
 
Here are the 4 resources I rely on heavily. You’ll be encouraged.  I’ve realized that any recipe I want gluten free, can pretty much be done  (although I am still wracking my brains about a gluten/egg/milk/corn free custard.)
 
The Gluten-Free Goddess
www.glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com
Karina Allrich is my favorite food blogger, period. All her recipes are her own. All her baked goods are explained with precision, beautifully(!) photographed, and turn out perfectly. I looove her waffles and pumpkin spice bread. You have no idea the stuff is without eggs, milk, corn, processed sugar, and wheat.
There is extensive info on how to go gluten-free, and over 400 (!) recipes to search.
www.glutenfreegirl.com
Gluten Free Girl was the first blog Icame across when I had to go GF. While she doesn’t have a whole whack of recipes like Karina (she has a cookbook coming out), and her only intollerance is wheat so her recipes do need adapting, she is a beautiful writer. I would read her older posts over and over again, just because she has a way of making you realize its not the end of the world and there are MANY beautiful things to eat. And that, means more than bazillions of recipes. She inspires. Much appreciated.
 
The AllergySelf Help Cookbook
-This book has been around since the early 80s, and was one of the first to mention effects of plastics, etc, when everyone was heating up their food in plastic bags in the microwave (*shudders remembering*)
– Extensive coverage of food families, allergen precautions, etc. Very easy, and very extensive, recipes. Its like you can live life again.  It was the first cookbook I bought post-diagnosis, and I like it so much its always on my bedstand.  
 
 
– A recipe book and dietary guide by a local Ottawa dietary consultant. She has every recipe imaginable, plus information on food intollerances, where to buy local products, and 4 day rotation diets. Very helpful. Very easy to read and use. AND she does personal diet planning consultations!
 

 So, be encouraged. There is beautiful food waiting for you to discover and eat. :)

 Gluten Free Ottawa My Real Food Life