Peach and Nectarine Tart, Mmmmm, so good!

Ok, so we had a basket of peaches and nectarines ripening on my countertop... all looking incredibly desirable in perfect hues of orange and rustic reds.  Clearly I had to do something with them!  A sweet peach on its own is already a mouthwatering treat but I was in the mood to make it something special. 

I have made gluten-free pie crust before (pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving) and it turned out surprisingly well so I thought I would give it another whirl.  I threw together a pie crust (made with sorghum flour, brown rice flour, a little sea salt and organic butter), divided it into two and rolled out (very gently might I add!) two individual tart crusts.  

To make the filling, I mixed together the peaches and nectarines with a little cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice with a drizzle of maple syrup.  Let me just say that when I peeled the peach it was so ripe the sweet juices were running down my hands... thats when you know its going to be damn good!

I digress!  Anyway, so I wanted to make two varieties (as you can see above) one plain with a simple crumb topping and the other with slivered almonds, pistachios and unsweetened dried cranberries.  I am always adding nuts to things, I don't know what my deal is, maybe its a phase... Well, they both came out pretty fantastic but I actually preferred the plain.  Hmm, maybe its time to give the nuts a break!  I mean they are really healthy so I guess I will just go back to using them occasionally :)

This recipe will be posted in July's NourishThis.com updates.

Oh, I topped this one with coconut ice cream... non-dairy/soy/gluten but incredibly creamy and delicious.

Healthy Child Videos

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I have some exciting news!  I am going to be shooting webisodes for Healthy Child Healthy World.  They are a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and bringing awareness to harmful chemicals and toxins in our world that have a grave impact on children's development.  They are updating their website to include an entire section dedicated to recipes and nutritional information for parents and the public, which is where my web videos will be hosted.  You can check out their current website (www.healthychild.org).  

Here's the catch... because they are a non-profit, they do not have funding for webisodes so I have to figure it out on my own!  Zoiks!  I was told to check out local colleges for people interested in volunteering... but if anyone knows someone who might be interested in volunteering for this project, I would greatly appreciate it!  

Peter, Pina, little Sophia... and new inspiration

I REALLY need to get in the habit of being attached to my camera because it would have come in handy this weekend.  I went to Long Island to visit/plan/hang-out with my partners/advisors, Dr. Peter Bongiorno and Dr. Pina LoGiudice (and their precious 13 month old baby girl- Sophia).  It is always inspiring to get together with them.  I learn so much, but best of all, our conversations usually shifts my perspective slightly, opening my eyes to new possibilities for Nourish This.

Equally inspiring on this particular visit was our deliciously authentic take-out!  We debated about whether we would go to the grocery store and prepare lunch ourselves or if we should order take-out from either a Turkish or Indian restaurant... as soon as Peter and Pina mentioned Masala Dosas (which I had never tried before) both of their eyes lit up so bright I could hardly resist finding out what was so exciting!  Well, the pancakes came and they were HUGE, super thin and sort of stretchy... maybe I am not making them sound as appealing as they were!  They are made from lentil and garbanzo bean flours (are gluten-free) and taste terrifically light and tender.  They came with curried potato and onion as well as a few dipping options (what looked like a cilantro pesto of sorts, a spicy tomato based sauce and tomato chutney).  I am not sure if we ordered this separately, but it also came with a cold coconut spread, a slightly lighter and chunkier consistency than hummus-which I adored. 

Peter explained  that in ayurvedic medicine, the idea is to eat a variety in each meal, both sweet and savory, warm and cold, etc.  In doing so, the body is being completely satisfied... interesting thought.  I have to say I was definitely full and satisfied but not uncomfortably stuffed after that amazing lunch.  

Like I said... should have taken a picture :(  Next time, I promise!

ps- Pina found this photo for me on http://www.indianfoodforever.com/snacks/masala-dosa.html, so there ya go!

Devolve Clothing meets Nourish This!

I am planning a surprise... next month we are going to be selling the Nourish This T'shirt, designed by Josh Lee from Devolve Clothing!  I know Josh from college and he used to make all of his close friends these shirts/sweatshirts, etc.; each of which was completely unique and made by hand.  Now he has created a slightly more sophisticated approach and turned it into a business!  

So, of course when I thought of making Nourish This T's I had to ask Josh to help me out.  I know some of you know that I am an artist, but I am more of the paint on canvas, sketch with charcoal or sit down in a gorgeous spot and whip out the watercolors... BIG difference when you are trying to make a design look rockin' on a T-shirt!  I am not that cool!

Anyway, I cannot wait to see what Josh comes up with.  I mean, I thought it would be funny just to put "Nourish This" across the chest of a white T and call it a day!  I'm sure leaving it up to Josh was a better move :)  I know you will be sitting on the edge of your seat, just like me, but you will have to wait until next month... patience my friends, patience ;)

Re-Launch

Today is Nourish This' 1 Month anniversary!  Wahooooo!

We are launching a bunch of new and improved recipes/articles/tips as well as doing some re-structuring.  Added to the "recipe" page will be a new "Gluten-Free Bakery" section with baked goods ranging from waffles to muffins (pictured above) and everything in between!  We already have three recipes to start you off.

I am not going to get you too excited, but I spoke to my web designer today (Kevin) and we talked about re-writing NourishThis.com in this really cool new program that will make navigating, searching and using our website even easier... stay tuned on that one though, not sure how long it will take to put into action.  Super exciting stuff though :)

Ok, I hate to cut this short but its 6:30 and my stomach is telling me I better go make dinner- or else! 

Wild Rice Waffles... YUM!

OK, I really nailed it this time!  I spent Saturday experimenting with new recipes for next month's additions to NourishThis.com.  The first recipe I made was wild rice waffles with blanched asparagus, poached egg and a basil "benedict" (I put that in quotes because it was in fact nothing like a benedict but it was meant as a healthy replacement to the indulgent poached egg pair!).  It was so good I could not believe it myself... after a while of eating gluten-free, you have the feeling that you are losing all sense of reality when it comes to acceptable/good tasting breads.  However, my friend Natalia came over later in the afternoon to help me with another recipe and she fell in love with Mr. Wild Rice Waffle, which was both flattering and reassuring.  I think I might have to make her some to keep in her freezer :)

Anyway, I will post the recipe in my "Gluten-Free Bakery" section of my "Recipe" page.  You can check it out there along with a little video we made of how to prepare them. 

Natalia was so much fun to have around yesterday because we decided to film another one of my experimental recipes!  I think we laughed for two hour straight... only to follow that by eating for two hours straight!  We made Red Bell Peppers stuffed with Shrimp, Leeks and Apricots topped with sweet polenta- pretty good but I am going to make a few small adaptations.  After eating our days work, we played football with my brother and another one of our best friends, ate smores around our outdoor fire-pit and then watched a highly idiotic comedy that made us laugh for another two hours straight!  All in all it was a good day.

Thanks Natalia!!

Breakfast made easy

I started off the morning with a great breakfast that I have to share with you!  You probably know by know that I usually like to make everything myself, from scratch... but there are a few exceptions.

I found these great Gluten-Free tortillas at the grocery store... now, they are a "processed" food, but most of the ingredients on the label are those I am familiar with and the only one I have a slight problem with is corn starch.  However, I do not eat these tortillas as a main staple in my diet so I feel that once in a while is A-OK!  The other "processed" food I used was Dr. Praeger's Spinach patties... I completely trust these patties, they are made from whole food ingredients (made with spinach, potatoes, onions and arrowroot flour), they are gluten-free and taste outstanding.  Again, I do not eat them all the time, but as a treat, they are wonderful.

So, this morning I scrambled some eggs... the best, fluffiest scrambled eggs are whisked together with a small splash of cold water, a dash of sea salt and black pepper, cooked over medium-low heat (and not malled to death by your spatula- be gentle people!).  While the eggs were scrambling, the spinach patty was heating up in my toaster oven (no, I do not own a microwave- and besides the toaster makes the edges crispy), and I put the tortilla on top of the toaster just to warm it up.  

When everything was ready, I broke the patty apart on top of the tortilla and then gently placed my scrambled eggs... folded it in half and tadaaaaa, perfect breakfast.  Well, with a side of mixed berries and green tea of course ;)

At the weeks end

It has been a busy week... but an unexpectedly good one.  I hosted a cooking class, worked, gave a healthy eating lecture at Norwalk Hospital (pictured above) and stumbled upon a few interesting possibilities for the future... which I will get to at another time, don't want to jinx myself!  

The cooking class went well, I host all different themed classes (all healthy food of course); allergy-free cooking, cooking for optimal health, quick and easy meals, cooking for kids, etc.  This class was a gluten-free cooking class so I made gluten-free fluffy pancakes, open-faced chicken salad and roast veggie sandwich and breaded/herb-crusted tilapia with sauteed kale and roast butternut squash.  I had two hours and basically 3 meals, but it was great, I had a lot of fun and it seemed like those attending were happy with the food and what they learned.

Talking at Norwalk was exciting... my brother is a doctor there so there were some familiar faces in my talk/demonstration.  It presents an interesting challenge when talking to doctors about nutrition/food/pesticides, etc.  Doctors know a great deal about the body and health, however, they are not taught as much about nutrition and ways of healing that are less (or not at all) scientifically based.  On the one hand you don't want to stand in front of doctors and look like a freak talking about how vegetable juice cured your health conditions... but you also need to illustrate that there is a powerful connection between the choices we make and the affect on our bodies.  My perspective was based on personal experience... that I went through a lot of doctors, specialists, etc. to figure out the health issues I was having and it was not until I looked at it from a holistic perspective that I started to heal.  Therefore, I think it helps to show the doctors that I am not telling them what I learned in school, but what I experienced as an individual.  I hope to have made an impact on some of them, they were very receptive and appreciative.  I was lucky to have such a great group... or maybe I am a little biased!