Stuffed Cabbage

In October I had posted on the Facebook page that I was trying out stuffed cabbage. I did like what I came up with the first time, but the process was very tedious. I followed The Joy of Cooking's method to prep the cabbage. I placed the whole head of cabbage with core removed into boiling water. Every 5 minutes I would remove the HOT cabbage and peel away a few tender leaves and repeat. This was so tedious and my poor fingers were burned. I wised up the second time! This time to prep the cabbage I made a cut with a pairing knife at the base of each leave and gently pulled it off. I steamed the loose cabbage leaves in a steam basket until tender about 10 or so minutes. This method was a tremendous time AND finger saver.

1 green cabbage with leaves removed in tack and steamed until tender (see above)
1 lbs of lean ground beef or turkey meat
1/2 cup of blanched almond flour
1 egg
1 grated carrot
1 minced garlic clove
1 small onion chopped
1 tsp of dried Italian Seasoning
1 tsp of sea salt
1/4 tsp of ground black pepper
28 ounces of tomato puree or sauce
Water (if needed) to cover cabbage rolls


1. Set aside steamed cabbage leaves to cool. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine meat, almond flour, egg, carrot, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Combine thoroughly.
3. To fill and roll cabbage rolls. Place a cooled cabbage leave on cutting board with the stem facing you and outer part of the leaf flat on the cutting board. Place a rounded dinner spoonful of meat mixture 1/4 inch away from the stem. Fold the sides in then starting from the stem roll the cabbage leaf up jelly roll style.
4. Place cabbage roll in baking dish seam side down. Repeat until all the leaves are filled. Cover with tomato puree. Add an additional water to baking dish if needed to cover stuffed cabbage leaves.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until cooked through.

*Note you may sub in 1/2 cup of brown rice instead of almond flour though you will need to add 1/2 cup of water to meat mixture and you will need to bake cabbage rolls for 1 & 1/2 to 2 hours.

Honey I'm Home Shrimp Stir Fry

I kicked the Northern snow off my boots and dusted them in the South Florida sand Sunday afternoon. Is it ever good to be home. Rich, Isabella, & I had a lovely time visiting with family and friends in Pennsylvania over the Thanksgiving holiday. It was wonderful to reminisce old memories and make new ones. We had some snow flurries the last two days we were at my parent's home. It was not Bell's first snow experience, but her first snow memory was made. We visited my parent's and and had a beautiful snowfall when Isabella was just a tiny 7 week old baby.

Butternut Squash Bake

In the spirit of Thanksgiving I am posting some gluten free recipes that you can make for the holiday. Earlier this week I guest blogged a great cranberry relish recipe on G-FreeLaura.com. Today's recipe is one I love. I say that a lot; recipes I love. My recipes are almost like children in a way. You create them, nurture them, then share them with the world hoping that they will make an impact. This dish featured for today's post is one I make  year round, but really love to serve at all my holiday meals. I have always been a fan of sweet potatoes and yams. I was hesitant to try butternut squash until I had roasted butternut squash soup. I loved the mixture of savory and sweet flavors of this squash. If you have never tried butternut squash I think you find it pleasantly surprising as I did.

Butternut Squash Bake

1 lbs of butternut squash 
1 egg + 3 egg whites
1/2 cup of apple sauce
1 tsp of dried thyme
1/2 cup of milk
3 TBS of blanched almond flour
2 TBS of melted coconut oil
1/2 tsp of cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp of sea salt
pinch of pepper


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash squash and remove skin with a vegetable peeler. Then cut squash in half length wise and remove seeds. Place squash cut side down on parchment paper line baking sheet. Bake until squash is tender and can be easily pierced with a fork. Depending on the size of your squash this could take 30 to 45 minutes. Remove squash and cool.

Turn oven down to 350 degrees. Oil an 8x8 glass baking dish Cut squash into smaller cubes and place into large food processor with remaining ingredients. Process until smooth and combined.  Spread into dish and bake for 35-45 minutes until squash is browned and set. Garnish with additional thyme sprigs if desired. Serves 8-10.

Stay strong and carry on,

Brooklynn

Gluten Free Cherry Tomato Meatballs & Comfort Foods & Tailgate Treats Review

Today I am bringing you a new recipe from my trainer, Kyra's cookbook. Her new e-book cookbook, Comfort Foods & Tailgate Treats, was released earlier this fall. As you know this blog is primarily devoted to gluten free whole foods. This cookbook is not a gluten free cookbook, but many of the recipes can be adapted to be gluten free or are already gluten free. The cookbook has several comfort food dishes that Kyra has revamped to be more wholesome and nutritious. I tested out one of the recipes for this review for my daughter's birthday this weekend. Sadly, there wasn't a single meatball left! They were delicious with several good reviews at the party. I am posting this recipe with Kyra's permission. The only thing I changed in this recipe was the whole wheat breadcrumbs to a gluten free version. Before I reveal today's recipe here is a note from Kyra about her new cookbook.

Stuffed Peppers 2 Ways

Vegan Stuffed Peppers

A few weeks ago I tweeted (@LeanGourmet) I was making vegan stuffed peppers, but 
never got around to posting it. I also made stuffed peppers with ground turkey meat last weekend when my parents were visiting. Stuffed peppers are a favorite childhood meal. My mom would crock-pot them all day while we were at school and work. It is a warm comforting dish that I crave during the cooler months. We don't have many of those in South Florida, but I still make this family dish often especially when I'm home sick.

The Lean Gourmet Eats Out at Cheesecake Factory and almost glutened!

Happy weekend everyone! I tweeted yesterday asking everyone what their plans for this weekend entailed. My folks and baby brother are visiting us in sunny Florida this weekend. My family arrived yesterday after I got off work so we went out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. 

White Bean Burgers

I am not frugal by nature. Did somebody say filet mignon? I don't clip coupons often, but I do buy in bulk at Costco. I stock up during sales and buy most of my dry pantry staples for much cheaper prices online than at the grocer.  We eat a lot of protein and  have a serving of protein no matter if it is a snack or meal. We even have protein with breakfast everyday. I've been looking for ways to find cheaper protein sources. It is so costly to have lean organic chicken breast or grass-fed lean ground beef with every meal. I stumbled upon this recipe for White Bean Szechuan Burgers on the Spunky Coconut. I was inspired to create my own white bean burger recipe.

Barbecue Chicken Salad with Poppy-seed Dressing and my "hangry" moment

 If you've been around the blog you will notice I don't blog a lot of salads. Though I eat do a lot of greens. In fact I probably have one salad as a main meal or as a side daily. I just don't post salad recipes because it is so "diet-like." This is not a diet blog. No sir. It is a healthy eating and living blog. It took me a LONG time to come up with my blog name and even longer to start writing. At first it was simply The Lean Gourmet. I wasn't referring to myself as " the lean gourmet," but rather the recipes. However, that's how it came across so the blog became The Lean Gourmet Kitchen.  I am posting this recipe because it is SO SO SO good. Just look at that picture. I know you want to pick up the fork and dig in don't you? Just look at the juicy tomato, the yummy BBQ chicken, and oh look at those pears with grill lines and all! Ok enough of my shananigans and onto the recipe.

One Skillet Tacos

I more often than not make a mess when I cook. I use lots of pots and pans and we run the dishwasher at least once a day. We eat well and often. All fresh and homemade goodness. Sometimes when I work a longer shift, but I still arrive home in time for dinner I just don't have the energy for meal preparation that takes more than 20-30 minutes. This recipe is easy, fast and supper yummy! All three of us enjoyed it even my 2 year old!

How to Dine Out GFree

                                                                             Source: bistromd.com via Bistro on Pinterest

Going out to eat while on a strict gluten free diet can be limiting. I did a review a while back of my gluten free dining experience at Seasons 52 you can read that review here. I did a review of Bonefish Grill this past week here. It is one of my favorite places to eat and I have never been "glutened" there. Since my gluten sensitivity diagnosis I've had a handful of great experiences and some horrendous incidents while dinning out. There was a restaurant Rich and I went to on a double date that had a gluten free menu. When I asked the server for the gluten free menu she asked me "What's gluten. You mean like milk?" Yes. I did get glutened there, but the company was great!  I had an email from a reader recently that is visiting the Florida Keys about eating out while following a gluten free diet. This is what I recommended to this reader:

• Look at websites of the restaurant you will be going to and/or call ahead before you dine out to see if they have a gluten free menu or can prepare gluten free food.
• There's an App for That! I use a couple of Apps on my iPhone to find gluten free restaurants. They are Gluten Freed, Gluten Free Registry, GlutenFree, and OpenTable.
•  Let the hostess and  server know you need your food to be gluten free and prepared to avoid cross contamination. Sometimes I even speak with the manager ahead of time about my dietary needs.
•  If the manager or server asks "what is gluten?" graciously leave. Though I am a strong advocate of education this would not be the time.
• Thank your server and the manager for the  great service and tip generously.

For more information about eating gluten free at parties or social engagements see this post here.

If you have any tips to share or advice while eating out and following a gluten free diet leave them in the comments below.

Stay strong & carry on,
Brooklynn

The Lean Gourmet Eats Out 2: A Review of Bonefish Grill

Once a month Rich and I get a sitter, get dressed up, and go out like normal adults. 

Eggplant Parmesan (gluten free)

I vaguely remember my first attempt to make eggplant parmesan. I was a blushing bride only married a few months. It was a disaster  not one of my best meals. Rich hated it. I did not own a mandolin and sliced the eggplant too thick. I didn't know eggplant needed to be coated in salt and left to sit for an hour in a Hollander either. This process rids it of the phytochemical that causes the bitter taste of eggplant and can also help prevent and cure the common cold. I ended up with a thick rubbery bitter eggplant mess. I decided never again. Until I started making this moussaka recipe and fell in love with eggplant. After going gluten free I  found a recipe I love adapted from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook from Elana's Pantry for eggplant parmesan.

Zip Zing Wow Chicken Salad

I hate mayo. Some how I managed to fall in love with chicken salad during pharamacy school having lunch with my good friend,Angie, at a local lunch cafe,Higher Ground. We ate there a few times a week and this place made the best chicken salad made with cream cheese and sour cream. I would eat it in a wrap with mozzerella cheese warmed just till the cheese melted and topped with tomato. Mind you this was before my gluten free clean eating days. I finally came up with a clean and tangy chicken salad that I love and I hope you will too. By the way I've missed you. I haven't blogged the last two days due to working two late nights and a row. I just have this void when I don't blog. Maybe because I just love it so much. Sharing my recipes and thoughts.  Speaking of thoughts, I would love to know what yours are. Leave me a comment on this post, tweet me @LeanGourmet, or connect with me on my  facebook   page. Talk to you soon!

Brown Rice Flour Pizza Crust

I have always loved to make my own pizza crust. I think I finally convinced my husband to date me years ago by inviting him over on numerous occasions for homemade pizza. I baked and cooked my way into his heart for four months! Now that I follow a gluten free diet  my first attempts with homemade crust was disappointing. I started with some store bought mixes and tried several recipes. I always ended up with sticky slimy crust. Blech! Now this crust is NOT your Chicago deep dish style. It is a crisp, thin, and slightly chewy. The recipe does not require you let the dough rise. If you have time to spare you could let it rise for an hour. Also I love making crust in batches and divide it up  and freeze. To freeze place the dough in zip-lock freezer bag and press the dough down so it forms a flat square inside the bag. Take the crust out of the freezer the night before you plan to use it and defrost the dough in the fridge.

"So Easy My Husband Made It" Dinner

Last night I had to work late so Mr. Lean Gourmet was on dinner duty for himself and the kiddo. When I came home he told me about this great meal he created. I was so eager to try it we made it together again for tonight's dinner. It is delicious and easy! You will need to have  roasted  spaghetti squash on hand to make this recipe. Here is a post on how to do so from earlier this summer on the Lean Gourmet Kitchen.

Zucchini Pasta Pie

My maternal grandpa or "Pap-Pap" as we call him always had a garden in the summer.   I remember those long gone hot summer days helping my grandparents pick tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, bell peppers, and other produce nearly every summer growing up. My Gram would sit with me, my cousins, and aunties snapping green beans and telling all kinds of stories. My grandma also cans. You name it she has canned it. She still makes her own stewed tomatoes which the family enjoys with homemade baked macaroni. My ultimate favorite veggie out of the garden was zucchini especially if it ended up in my mom's zucchini bunt cake. I do wish I was bringing you that recipe dear friends, but  alas I have yet to come up with my own yummy recipe that is gluten free and clean. A  few months ago I began experimenting with pasta alternatives and zucchini noodles are by far my family's favorite! Rich loves 'em and Bella too! Today's recipe is a fresh twist on spaghetti pie. I hope you enjoy it!

The Lean Gourmet Eats Out at Seasons 52

Seasons 52 Palm Beach Gardens, FL picture by Brooklynn

My dear friend Kim introduced me to Seasons 52 about 5 years ago. I remember her saying
"we have to check out this restaurant it's healthy and you'll love it!" That was way before gluten free and clean eating entered the picture of my life's journey. I will say I am pleasantly surprised that despite my high maintenance diet Seasons 52 is a safe and fantastic place for me to dine. So I decided to take my camera, my best friend, and have a girls date night dinner to give you all a little review of one of my favorite restaurants in Palm Beach Gardens, Fl.

Before I give you a  visual montage of my tasty dinning experience let me highlight why I love this restaurant so much.

1.  A knowledgeable wait staff attune to the needs of those that can not eat gluten. My server for this particular visit knew exactly what items I could not enjoy off the menu due to containing gluten and made sure my meal was properly prepared. The restaurant was serving a tomato bisque (which I love!),but she mentioned that the thickening agent for the soup contained gluten. Instead I had the organic spinach salad with seasonal fruit; delish! The desserts are served as " mini indulgences"  presented beautifully in small shot glasses. Only the fruit mini indulgence is on the gluten free menu, however my server made an excellent recommendation of pairing the chocolate and peanut butter mousse without the cake as a gluten free option. It was sensational!
2. A fresh seasonal menu and an International wine list. Unlike many chains Seasons 52 has a rotating seasonal menu serving up unique and visually stunning dishes.  The wine list is extensive and upon a recommendation from a server  at a previous visit I found a new favorite wine, Jam Jar Shiraz.
3. A warm inviting dinning experience. Whether you are dinning on the patio, at the piano bar, or in the heart of dinning area you can sense the warm ambiance of this place.  It is truly a beautiful relaxing dinning venue.

The Best Friend picture by Brooklynn

Organic Baby Spinach Salad Picture by Brooklynn

The Rainbow Trout picture by Brooklynn

Yours Truly picture by Kim

The Big Finish, Peanut butter & Chocolate Mousse Indulgence picture by Brooklynn

Mongolian Beef & Shirataki noodles with Greens

As I was browsing Facebook earlier today I noticed a status update by Cassey of Blogilates  post about  training and diet. In her post she mentioned her upcoming appearance on QVC for Miracle Noodles. Her blog is one of my new favorite fitness and health blogs and she posed a great question asking her readers what was harder  for her readers to  do training or diet. This was my response:
"For me it just depends on the day of the week. I love to workout hard which makes me have a larger appetite. I do my best to eat clean whole foods 99.9% of the time, but sometimes a gal just needs some dark chocolate;right?! I believe what is key is balance and finding your "sweet spot.” That place between over doing it in exercise and under feeding yourself and eating too much and not exercising enough. The beauty of this it’s different for everyone because YOU are unique in your own beautiful way:)"
Honesty time. I made myself Isabella oatmeal raisin cookies this week when she asked me to make cookies. I've had my fair share throughout this week. They are so good! I usually keep my treats to once a week and I will bake on Friday or Saturday, but  alas the cookie monster in me has given in. I write this to say I'm not a perfect eater; is there such a thing? NO! However, I am a balanced eater. Enough said. Now back to   today's recipe. I had wanted to make beef stir fry all week long and wanted to have it with gluten free buckwheat soba noodles, but alas could not find any at Whole Foods when I stopped there today. However, I did find Miracle Noodles which I remember reading about on Blogilates. Miracle noodles are made  of the soluble fiber glucomannan and water; the nutrition facts are here. They are fantastic!!!!! So without further ado...

Mongolian Beef & Shirataki Noodles with Greens

1 lbs lean stir fry beef

1 tsp minced ginger

1 lime juiced

2 TBS soy sauce ( gluten free)- divided

2 tsp sesame oil

1 minced shallot- divided

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 cup frozen shelled edamame

1 large sweet bell pepper sliced

Noodle dressing

Mixed Greens

1 package of Angel Hair Miracle Noodles

Mix minced ginger, lime juice, 1 TBS soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, & shallot, in a large bowl. Toss beef in mixture and set aside. Coat large skillet with 1 TBS of olive oil or grapeseed oil and heat on medium low heat. When oil is hot place beef with marinade in skillet. Saute for 5 minutes then toss in  mushrooms, edamame, bell pepper, and 1 TBS soy sauce. While stir fry is cooking prepare miracle noodles according to package. Make the noodle dressing then toss the cooked miracle noodles in dressing.

Assemble meal by placing divided portions of greens onto plates. Then place noodles on top of greens and stir fry mixture on top of noodles. Drizzle  rice vinegar and sesame oil on top for additional dressing.

Noodle Dressing

1 TBS rice vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp honey

dash of ground ginger

1 tsp sesame seeds

Mix all dressing ingredients together until honey is dissolved.  Toss Noodles in dressing.

Today's Workout Blip:

Today I did my Get in Shape Girl Bikini Plan  HIIT cardio, but ran out of time for more than the 22:30 minutes of HIIT.

Let's Connect!

You can now follow me on pinterest  and twitter @LeanGourmet. Also on the sidebar of the blog you can sign up to have the blog emailed to you. I have a facebook page too!

Until next time stay strong and carry on!

Brooklynn

Sweet Potato Stuffed Acorn Squash ( gluten free,dairy free)

Photo by Rich

My local Publix Greenwise Market makes this delicious stuffed acorn squash and inspired today's recipe. This recipe maybe a little too involved for your typical weeknight dinner, but it would make a great dish to impress company or addition to your next holiday meal!

Sweet Potato Stuffed Acorn Squash         

Photo by Rich

• 1 acorn squash
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• honey for drizzling
• 2 TBS almond milk
• 3 TBS turbinado or rapadura sugar
• 1 large sweet potato baked & peeled
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash acorn squash and cut in half long ways then scoop out seeds and discard. Place squash cut side up in a glass rimmed baking dish and fill with 1/4" of water. Sprinkle each half of squash with 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and drizzle honey on top. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until tender. Meanwhile beat sweet potato with remaining 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 TBS sugar, and milk until smooth. In separate bowl beat egg whites, vanilla extract,  tartar, and 2 TBS of sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into sweet potato mixture. Line a rimmed baking dish (that can be placed under broiler) with parchment paper and place cooked acorn squash cut sides facing up. Stuff sweet potato mixture into acorn squash ( I used my pampered chef Easy Accent Decorator to get the pretty swirl.) Broil until sweet potato is set and golden. Watch to make sure it doesn't burn.

Today's Workout Blip:

Today I totally trashed my shoulders. One exercise I did today to work my shoulders and lats was single arm dumbbell rows with 30 lbs for 3 sets of 12 reps per arm (yikes!) Today I again did my Get in Shape Girl Bikini Plan  step mill workout. I have to confess I enjoyed it and am falling in love with the step mill!

Let's Connect!

You can now follow me on pinterest  and twitter @LeanGourmet. Also on the sidebar of the blog you can sign up to have the blog emailed to you. I have a facebook page too!

Until next time stay strong and carry on!

Brooklynn

Oven "Fried" Chicken (gluten free, grain free, dairy free)

Mcdonald's chicken finger nugget happy meals; the stuff that 80's kids dreams are made of, right? Oh dear God put the breaks on what was my mother thinking?!  My tastes and diet have certainly changed since those early day's, but a girl still has cravings right?! Speaking of cravings I distinctly remember one late night my husband, Rich, bringing me home Publix Fried Chicken. I was eight months pregnant and I ate 3 large pieces at 10 o'clock at night! Today's recipe is adapted from the Joy of Cooking's sauteed breaded chicken. It is a fiber packed gluten free rendition of chicken fingers.


Gluten Free Oven "Fried" Chicken

4 chicken breasts cut into tenderloin strips

1/2 cup almond meal/flour

1/2 cup of flaxseed meal

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp ground pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 egg beaten with 1 tsp of water

Preheat oven to 400 degree. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  To make the breading toss all your DRY ingredients (almond meal through garlic powder) in a mixing bowl then pour onto some was paper on the counter or a large plate. Crack an egg in mixing bowl and beat with 1 tsp of water. Dredge your chicken pieces through the egg mixture then into the breading and then place on baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Enjoy!

Oven "Fried Chicken" served with homemade potato fries and kale

Today's Workout Blip:

Today was legs and abs circuits of my  Get in Shape Girl Bikini Plan which I did at home.  Remember last week's spout on holding planks for 90 seconds. Well I am one proud mama to say I held ALL 3 sets for 90 seconds! This program has reinforced in me that if you push yourself you will get stronger and push beyond your own physical limits. So again I ask how long can you hold a plank?

Roxy, my workout buddy for today at home

Let's Connect!

You can now follow me on pinterest  and twitter @LeanGourmet. Also on the sidebar of the blog you can sign up to have the blog emailed to you. I have a facebook page too!

Until next time stay strong and carry on!

Brooklynn