Zoodles of fun!

What are Zoodles?

Makes you wonder if this is a new hair brained idea on this "eating healthy" thing.
Well actually, don't knock it till you try it!

It will fill your belly and tickle your taste buds with amazing earthy flavor. Here is a little ditty on their wonderful nutritious value and aid to your body.  Zucchini

So you may ask, "How do you make these interesting pasta free noodles?"

I am happy to say they are easy and fun to make. Reminds me of playing with "Play-Doh Fuzzy pump and grow" set as a kid. LOL!

http://www.toplessrobot.com/fuzzypumper.jpg

Ok, So here's the low down. You need this handy tool - Zoodle Maker  

To make this

Add your freshly spiraled Zoodles to boiling water. Let them hang out in the hot bath and cook them to your desired doneness. Drain the Zoodles and squish them a bit to remove the excess water that they like to hold on to.

Add any pasta topping that is your favorite like you would with regular pasta noodles. 

Ingredients for this lovely dish

Cooked Zoodles (2 zucchini)

1/4 cup Pesto

1/4 cup Crumbled Feta Cheese (add more if you want)

Toss all ingredients in a bowl so everything is well blended. Serve. Add a bit of protein. I made a poached egg and it was so YUMMY! Top with freshly ground pepper and red pepper flakes. Sop up the wonderful juices with some gluten free sunflower bread (or bread of choice) with a light blanket of olive oil. Have fun making many more creations with Zoodles! Enjoy!

Gluten Free meal. 

Butter Chicken

My husband and I lived in Kathmandu, Nepal for 2 years. As I opened each of the spice jars while gathering the ingredients for this Butter Chicken recipe by My Heart Beets the aroma filled my kitchen with fond memories of our time in Nepal. Here are some photos for a little walk down memory lane...

These photos make me smile and bring joy to my heart. Time in Nepal had it's rough moments, but those moments are blown away by our fond memories like a gust of wind clears the leaves from a path. The bonds of friendship formed in this deep soulful rich place will forever be special gems stitched in the fabric of our journey overseas. Very much like the beautiful tapestries as the one displayed below. 

The goodness rises to the top and outweighs the difficulty. It helps us remember we are all in life together. To embrace, love, cherish, and take care of one another. Find the positive in the now and to not take life for granted. Nepal is truly a place like no other.

So back to the meal. Usually when trying a new recipe sometimes I don't have all the ingredients or I modify it to be a Paleo/Gluten Free friendly meal. This one...I followed to the "T" and it was absolutely delicious! If I were to do anything different I would add a bit more kick next time.

Click on Paleo Butter Chicken for the recipe and click on Paleo Nann Bread for a quick, simple, addition to this fabulous meal. 

Here are my photos during the prep and completion of this dreamy dish. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Making the Naan bread. Yes, I am messy in the kitchen.

It's whats for din din!

Paleo and Gluten Free friendly meal. Enjoy!

Reverse Burger Experiment

Perusing through Pinterest awhile ago, I came across a post called "Meat Bagel." 

I made a few slight changes due to the type of ingredients I had on hand. It actually turned out pretty darn tasty and was a fun experiment. Who needs bread? Give it a try just for kicks. You might be surprised. Any type of ground meat would work. 

Heat oven to 350-400

Ingredients

1 Tbs olive oil

1 cup diced onion OR 1/4 cup chopped daikon, 1/8 cup chopped leafy greens with the stock, and 1/4 of a yellow pepper diced

2 pound ground chicken

2 eggs

2/3 cup tomato sauce

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt or herbamare

1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 cup almond flour (if meat mixture is a little too moist add in a little more almond flour)

Turn oven to 400 degrees and line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper.

In a fry pan add the oil and saute the veggies over med/high heat until they are tender. 

Set aside to cool.

 Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and mix together.

Mix in the cooled veggies.

Divide the meat mixture into 6 portions. Roll into balls and set in the parchment paper lined dish. Flatten the ball just a bit and indent the middle. It should resemble a bagel.

(My mixture was a little runny so I had to plump them up by pulling the sides to the center of the bagel to keep the form while they cooked a bit. Next time I will add less tomato sauce).

Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until meat is fully cooked. Check meat and scoop out any liquid that forms in the hole of the bagel. Transfer the cooked bagels to a parchment paper lined pan and allow to cool a bit.

Slice the meat as you would a bagel.

Load it up with your favorite veggies and condiments.

There ya have it! A reverse bagel burger!

That was a fun experiment! Meaty goodness and fantastic flavor. The original recipe only called for diced onion. Add any extra veggie, cheese, or herbs you want to create the master piece that suites your taste buds.  Kind of like the variety of bread bagels out there. 

Paleo and Gluten Free friendly meal. Enjoy!

Feel free to use Mrs. Dash as a salt substitute 

Inspired by: http://ditchthewheat.com/meat-bagels/