Dairy Free Lasagna

May 2, 2014February 19, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

I don’t eat dairy anymore, and for the most part, I really haven’t missed it all that much. But every once in awhile, I get a hankering for something gooey, cheesy, and delicious. Those hankerings usually lead to creative and tasty recipes. This one is no different. You might be thinking to yourself, “There is no way that you can have a delicious lasagna without wonderfully yummy ricotta cheese.” And I say to you, nay nay. You can have a delicious lasagna without wonderfully yummy ricotta. Just ask my husband who has no problem with dairy and would love it if there were more of it in the house (there’s none). He loved this meal and devoured second helpings. I may have too…

Dairy Free Lasagna

1 batch of my tomato sauce, or store bought sauce (just make sure to read the ingredients!)
1 package of lasagna noodles (I used brown rice to keep it gluten free but whole wheat would work well too)
1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1 to 2 tsp italian seasoning
1 to 2 cloves garlic

*If you’re using my tomato sauce, you can prepare it ahead of time and store in the refrigerator. That way you can just assemble everything.

1. Cook noodles according to instructions on the package. Once cooked drain and set aside to cool a little bit. You might want to undercook your noodles just a little so they won’t turn to mush when you cook them in the oven.

2. While the noodles are cooling, drain soaked cashews and place into a blender or food processor. Add in water, lemon, salt, rice vinegar, italian seasoning, and garlic. Pulse to combine everything and then let it run to smooth everything out. You can leave it a little chunky or totally smooth, it’s your preference.

3. Preheat oven to 375 and get out a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Line up the tomato sauce, noodles, and cashew cheese for easy assembly. Pour a little tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan so the noodles don’t burn. Then put a layer of noodles down, then a layer of cheese, and finally a layer of tomato sauce. Keep layering everything until you run out of noodles. You might have a little cheese and sauce leftover, that’s fine You can use it to dress up another dish!

4. Cover lasagna with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and take of the aluminum foil. Place back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Take lasagna out of the oven and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes (this helps it set so when you cut it, it doesn’t fall apart). Cut into squares and eat up!

This lasagna tastes even better the next day once the flavors have melded and really set. So make sure that you leave some leftovers for later!

Judging Or Too Accepting?

April 28, 2014 / ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

Shocking to see me with a blog post on a Monday! It’s been awhile and life has been crazy, but I wanted to give you guys a regular post and not just a recipe this week.

Todays post will be more along the lines of me thinking out loud and asking for your opinion on a certain matter. Kind of a Monday musings if you will. Here is the question I have been wondering over the past few days: why do we feel more comfortable telling a skinny or thin person to go eat a cheeseburger than telling an overweight person that they need to eat less or go on a diet? I know that I am just as guilty of this as the next person. I am totally ok with telling someone (usually a friend or someone I know and in a joking manner) that they should go eat some food, but I would never dream of telling someone in that same way that they need to stop eating so much or go on a diet.

Let me clarify. In a totally professional realm where someone is coming to me to seek help and guidance about becoming healthier, I would have no problem steering them in the way of eating better and moving more. You know that I am a huge proponent of finding what works for you health wise and I am passionate about helping others find what that means to them. But to just walk up to someone who is overweight and tell them to go on a diet? No way. Not only would I think that’s rude, others would probably deem me as an awful or cruel person. But when you turn the tables and you’re telling someone they are too thin and need to eat more food? I feel like that is a whole different ball game. Suddenly, you are doing that person a favor. You are worried about their health and are only trying to help. Why does the size of the person make all the difference when it comes to what you say?

Now I understand that this feeling doesn’t apply to everyone. Maybe you are someone who has no problem telling anyone that they need to eat more or less. Maybe you feel like one isn’t taboo while the other is totally acceptable. Maybe I am making a much bigger deal out of this than I need to.

I think my biggest issue with this is that I know that comments like this can hurt the self esteem of the person in question, small, big, or medium size. Rather than telling someone what they need to do more or less of, we should be trying to find the best way to help or support them. We shouldn’t be judging people on their size any way, we have no idea where they are coming from. We don’t know if they have already lost 100 pounds and are in the middle of their weight loss journey. We don’t know if they are training for a competition and despite their small size could pick you up and throw you over their shoulder and carry you 200 feet. We can’t tell those things by just looking at someone. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, right?

A more controversial part of me thinks that perhaps we are too accepting of bad health and that’s why we feel more comfortable telling someone to eat more rather than less. There is no question that Americans are dealing with obesity and all the diseases and symptoms that come along with that. We are very good at treating the problems and issues that occur along with being unhealthy or overweight, but we for some reason can’t get to the root of the problem and stop it before it becomes a major issue. Maybe that’s because we all feel it isn’t ok to try and address people directly. I’m not talking about in a cruel, derogatory, or rude manner, but coming from a place of truly wanting to help someone live healthier and approaching them in a loving and compassionate way. I am in no way advocating that we just start walking up to random people and telling them they need to get healthier. I do advocate trying to get the message out that it is possible for everyone to be the healthiest version of themselves. I also advocate that we don’t all need to be the same size or shape to be healthy and we should celebrate the fact that we are all different and unique in our own ways.

I know that society dictates a lot of how we feel or think about certain things. Unfortunately as much as I try to avoid that and form my own opinions and feelings on certain issues, I am just as susceptible to the popular opinion. Fortunately, as I grow older and learn more and more about myself and what it means to be healthy, I am finding that I really want to try and help change the views of society when it comes to issues like this. Will I be able to do it all on my own? No. But one voice in the crowd is better than no voice at all.

Let’s hear from you guys. What are your thoughts and musings on this issue? Do you think it is as big a problem or do you feel I am making a mountain out of mole hill? I would love to hear from you on this one!

Have a great Monday everyone!

Roasted Chickpeas

April 25, 2014 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

Hello everyone! I hope that you have had a great week and that you are starting to emerge from the caves of winter into the warmth (sort of) of spring! I know that I haven’t done a regular post that doesn’t include a recipe in a while, but I have a few coming your way soon and once this move is over they will be coming more often! Today I have a quick and healthy snack recipe for you. I have been having a love affair with chickpeas lately, I can’t seem to get enough of them! I eat them any way I can, in hummus, in salads, sauteed with greens, and roasted. Roasted chickpeas are a great crunchy snack that you can season any way you like. If you want a sweeter snack you can use cinnamon or nutmeg and if you are craving salty you can try garlic and pepper. The options are endless!

Roasted Chickpeas

1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and rinsed (you could use canned, but the texture isn’t quite the same)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
seasonings of your choice (I like garlic, garam masala, cumin, or italian seasonings)
silpat or parchment paper (aluminum foil doesn’t work well with these)
large baking sheet

1. Cook your soaked and rinsed chickpeas in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 20-30 minutes. You want a firm texture, not too mushy.

2. Preheat oven to 425. Place your silpat or parchment paper on to a large baking sheet. You want the baking sheet to be big enough that the chickpeas will have enough room to spread out, otherwise you’ll get chewy not crunchy chickpeas

3. Pat the chickpeas dry and place into a large mixing bowl. Add in the olive oil (enough to cover the chickpeas, but don’t drown them in it) and whichever seasonings you’re going to use. Mix well so everything is coated.

4. Spread the chickpeas out in a single layer on the baking sheet, making sure they have a enough room between each and place in the oven. Cook for about 15 minutes, then rotate the pan and cook for about 5 more minutes. Keep an eye on them for the last 5 minutes so they don’t burn.

That’s it! Remove them from the oven and let them cool a bit before you dig in. I promise I have never burnt my fingers or tongue trying to eat these right out of the oven… Enjoy your tasty and healthy snack! Have a great weekend and see you all on Monday!

Herb-Crusted Tilapia

April 11, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I haven’t ever really posted a recipe with meat as the main ingredient mostly because I don’t eat meat. I am a huge supporter of eating real foods that work best for you. For some people that means including meat in their diet, I just happen to feel my best on a non-meat diet. My husband, Adam, on the other hand tends to like having a few meat dishes a week. One of the easiest and simple ways to do this in our house is to make fish. Fish, and tilapia in particular, can be a nice clean slate when it comes to seasonings and flavor. Tilapia is a very mild tasting fish so you can do anything you would like to flavor it. This recipe is one of my go-to’s and I use it every week. It’s simple and quick which are musts for a weekday dinner. We buy big bags of individually wrapped frozen fish so it’s easy to just grab one filet and thaw it in the fridge before dinner. So grab what ever fish is your favorite and give this recipe a try!

Herb-Crusted Tilapia

1 filet tilapia or any other mild fish (sole or cod would work well)
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
small handful of cashews (you could also use almonds or sunflower seeds)
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

1. Beat your one egg in a shallow dish and set aside. In a food processor or blender, pulse cashews (or other nut) a few times until they are broken up into small chunks. You don’t want to pulse it into a powder. Add in the nutritional yeast, oregano, basil, thyme, garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes. Pulse a few times until everything is combined

2. Dump your seasoning mix out onto a plate and spread it around evenly. Line up your egg dish and your seasoning dish next to your stove. In a small skillet, heat a little olive oil and heat over medium heat.

3. Take your tilapia and add a little salt and pepper. Then, dunk it into the egg and make sure it is coated. Transfer the fish over to the seasoning plate and coat both sides evenly.

4. Place the fish into the skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes and then flip and cook for about 1-2 minutes, until the fish is flaky and opaque.

Serve over some brown rice or quinoa and add some vegetables on the side and you have a great and filling dinner! You can obviously make more than one piece of fish if you are serving more than one person. Just up your egg count to 2 or 3 and make enough seasoning to cover each piece. I hope you enjoy and I will try to include more variety of recipes like this for you guys. Have a great weekend!

Polenta: A Quick Tutorial

April 4, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Polenta is one of my favorite things because it is so versatile and super tasty. Maybe you have heard of it or you’re scratching your head right now going, “Po-whatta?” Polenta is a fairly simple dish made of cornmeal that has been boiled into a porridge like consistency. After it has been boiled, polenta can be served in a variety of ways. You can eat it as is, or you can let it set and bake, fry, saute, or even grill it. It pairs well with so many things; one of my favorite ways to eat it is to top it with a mushroom gravy. Because it is so easy to make, polenta makes a really great side dish, but it can easily be made into the main course. I have a few different recipes that utilize polenta that I plan on sharing soon, but I thought that I would just give you the basic steps to making polenta as well as a few easy ways to “fancy” it up.

Basic Polenta

Polenta topped with my favorite mushroom gravy

1 cup yellow cornmeal
3-4 cups water/milk/non-dairy milk*
1 tsp salt

*If you are going to be eating the polenta in it’s porridge like form, use 4 cups of your choice of liquid. If you want to let it set and then use it, use 3 cups. I like doing a mix of water and either almond or coconut milk. Using milk makes it a little creamier than just plain water, but water works just as well.

1. In a medium saucepan bring your water/milk and 1 tsp salt to a rolling boil. Once at a boil, grab a whisk in one hand and your one cup of cornmeal in the other. Slowly add the cornmeal to the water while constantly whisking with your other hand. This helps to make sure there are no lumps.

2. Turn the heat down to low and cook until the cornmeal is nice and thick and starting to pull away from the sides of the pot. Stir often and watch out for polenta splatters!

3. You can eat it as is at this point or you can let the polenta set so you can slice it and bake or grill it. Grease or line any pan that has an edge with parchment paper and pour the polenta out. Spread the polenta evenly and place it in the fridge for at least an hour or in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes. Once the polenta is set you can cut it up and prepare it however you would like!

That is seriously it when it comes to making polenta. I told you it was really easy! Now there are a few things that you can do to jazz it up and make it even tastier. You could:

Add in shredded cheese or butter to make it even creamier.
Try out different seasonings. I like adding in garlic and Italian seasonings as well as taco seasonings
Top with gravy, vegetables, meat, or any kind of sauce
Use it as the base for a casserole (I have a recipe for this coming soon!)

Experiment with a few different things and find out what you like best. Polenta is a very neutral canvas when it comes to food, so it is really easy to pair with many different creations. Go pick up a bag of cornmeal (if you can find it in bulk, it is really cheap!) and get your polenta on!