Tangy Baked Broccoli Recipe

This is a recipe to kick up the taste of your broccoli, without smothering it in a fattening cheese sauce.

What You'll Need:

• 1 head of broccoli
• 1 tsp your favourite olive or grapeseed oil
• 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tsp dry BBQ or steak spice - I used the Silk Road Spice Merchant's St Laurent Steak Spice. I love this spice as it way less salty than normal BBQ spices and has a lovely spicy kick to it. If you can't get access to this spice you can also create your own by using: cracked black pepper, coarse salt, coriander, chile flakes, dill, paprika, mustard seeds, garlic and onion
• 1/3 cup of your favourite cheese - I used old gouda (as I live in the Netherlands), but a nice sharp cheddar or old parmesan would also work great
• Large bowl

What You'll Do:

• Pre-heat your oven to 350C (175F)
• Line a cookie sheet in tinfoil
• Inside your large bowl, add in your oil, salt and pepper to taste, BBQ spice
• Grate your lemon peel and add that into the oil mixture in your bowl
• Chop your broccoli - not too small or they will burn and not too large as they won't crisp up
• Toss your chopped broccoli into the bowl and toss around, ensuring each floret is covered in the oil mixture
• Lay out on the baking tray, evenly spaced
• Cut your lemon in half and squeeze lemon juice over each floret
• Bake in the oven for 20 minutes
• Remove from the over and squeeze more lemon juice over top
• Bake another 10 minutes or until the tips of the broccoli start to turn light brown
• Grate your cheese
• Remove the broccoli from the oven, and, using a spatula, move all the broccoli close to each other in the centre of the pan. The sprinkle your grated cheese over top
• Bake another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melty
• Remove from the oven and enjoy

This side dish would go great with Lemony Dill Salmon or the Dukan Polenta Oatbran Chicken Nuggets.

I know Martha would like this side dish as broccoli is really good for you. It is loaded with fiber and vitamin C.  Just like her.

The STEWART SCORE: 
Appearance: 2
Taste: 2
Ease: 2

How to Dice an Onion

I cook with onion all the time.
One year for Christmas my husband bought me the Slap Chop (for real) to help me save time with all my dicing, chopping and slapping.
It was totally terrible. I threw it out after about four very unsuccessful attempts at dicing mastery.

Instead of gadgets, I use a trick my friend Keith showed me years ago, a trick I think you will all love.

I have tried to show you in the below picture, but, basically cut the onion in even strips in one direction, then rotate the onion, keeping it facing upwards, and slice in even strips, so you have a hatched pattern.

Then, turn your onion on its side and when you slice your onion evenly, all of your pieces will be perfect little squares. I love this trick and hope you do, too!

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

I love me my quick breads. Banana bread was a staple in my kitchen (before I started the Dukan diet...I am pretty sure the persistence of the bread and the start of the diet were directly correlated;).

Now that I am in the stabalization phase of the diet - life is fabulous. I am back to baking and enjoying the things I was temporarily off during the attack, cruise and consolidation phases. And now I am back on those things with new healthier cooking tricks up my apron sleeve!

As I recently bought some adorable little pumpkins from the market, I wanted to make something baked that was warm and comforting - and not just your standard pumpkin default dessert - the good 'ol pumpkin pie.

I pulled out my old banana bread recipe and thought about trying to swap the banana content with pumpkin puree and it turned out marvelously, if I do say so myself.

I just thought of a new term: 'Marthalously'. So - this recipe turned out Marthalously.

                                * I promise this is the last time I use my camera phone as a camera...

What You'll Need:

• 1 loaf pan
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (you can read the first part of this pumpkin risotto recipe to see how you make it, or use a can of un-sweetened puree)
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup dark, brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp of Apple Pie Spice* (if you can't get this spice, use 1/2 tsp of ginger, 1/2 tsp of nutmeg)

What You'll Need to Do:

• Pre-heat your oven to 350 (175F)
• Grease then flour your loaf pan
• In a large bowl, mix together your pumpkin puree, egg, oil, water and sugars until smooth
• In a separate bowl, mix together your flour, baking soda, salt, and spices
• Pour the wet mixture into the dry, stirring slowly and allowing some 'lumps' to remain - you don't want this mixture too smooth
• Pour evenly into your prepared loaf pan
• Bake for about 45 -55 minutes
• The loaf is done when you can stick a toothpick in and it comes out clean
• Let cool then serve. Or just keep it your little secret and don't share a bite of it.

I think this bread is excellent on its own, but if you wanted to fancy it up - or plan on bringing this to a brunch/party - top each slice with a dollop of cinnamon-spiced vanilla whipped cream.

How do you make that, you ask...and now for today's bonus recipe:

Well, take your medium-sized carton of fresh whipping cream, add in 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp vanilla - beat until peaked and enjoy.

You could also turn this loaf into muffins - use tin liners and reduce cooking time to just 20 minutes. 

The STEWART SCORE: It is a 'good thing'
Appearance: 2
Taste: 2
Ease: 2

Gluten-Free, Low-Sodium, Vegan Pumpkin Risotto

Having just been in Italy for two incredible weeks, we ate a lot of amazing food.
One of my favourite dishes was a strawberry and gorgonzola risotto. It was indescribably delicious.

This dish has inspired me to cook more with rice. I never do. If I make a stir fry, or a curry, I usually don't cook rice at all. I found it dull and stodgy.

But - risotto! Creamy and so flavourful. I don't know why I never made it before!

I wanted to try a risotto with a twist - it usually contains quite a bit of butter and oils and parmesan cheese, so I wanted to try to make it as delicious while cutting the fat and salt content.
From this desire came the below recipe I must say I am pretty proud of!

A gluten-free, low-sodium vegan pumpkin risotto!

                                          * this photo does not do the dish justice

What You'll Need (serves 4):

• About two hours of time
• A deep, covered frying pan
• 1 cup freshly pureed pumpkin (if they are not in season, un-sweetened canned pumpkin will also work great)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 medium-sized onion
• 1 Tbsp of your favourite olive oil
• 1 cup of rice. Now - typically you should use arborio rice. Its shape and texture allows it to soak up liquid quickly while releasing starch so it becomes stickier than normal rice. I didn't have this rice in stock so I used a long grain brown rice and it turned out just fine.
• 1/2 cup of white wine (preferably something that goes nice with a risotto;)
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 Tbsp freshly diced basil
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly minced ginger
• 1 Tsp of 5-Spice Powder (mine contains; aniseed, fennel, peppercorn, cinnamon and ginger)
• 1 Tbsp low-sodium margarine (if you do not require this to be vegan, replace with un-salted butter)
• Twists of freshly ground pepper to taste

What You'll Do: 

Step One - A lesson in pumpkin selection
Select a pumpkin that is good for baking with. As this is Halloween and jac-o-lantern season, you will see giant pumpkins all around - do not get one of those. Their flesh will be watery and stringy. Look for a smaller, smooth pumpkin often called 'sugar pumpkin' or 'pie pumpkin'. These pumpkins are great for baking, making soups, stews, and for our needs today. Because they are smaller, they usually yield about two cups of puree, maybe a bit more once baked.

Step Two - Baking your pumpkin

• Pre-heat your oven to 350 (175)
• Set up your blender
• With a large, sturdy knife, cut your pumpkin into halves or quarters, depending on how you are able to make the slices. Be careful here as pumpkins are smooth and slippery (like Martha) and no one wants a real life gory hand this Halloween
• Line a baking tray with tinfoil
• Place your cut pumpkin slices, flesh up on the tray
• Cover with tinfoil
• Bake for 45 minute to 1 hour. Check in at 30 minutes to see how they are doing. If you chose to cut the pumpkin into quarters, flip your slices around, so their other side is now facing up and cover again with foil
• They are done when you can easily slide a fork in and they look all soft and nearly mushy
• Let cool
• Using a spoon with some edge, scrape the flesh out of the peels and plop into your blender
• Add in the 1/4 cup of water and pulse until you have a nice, smooth puree
• Set aside to cool - do not refrigerate

Step Three - Cooking the rice. This takes time. Budget 1.5 hours.

• Dice your onion - this is how I like to dice mine - and toss into your deep frying pan
• Add in your favourite olive oil
• Sautee the onions until slightly brown and very soft - about 5-7 minutes if you are on a steady low heat
• Add in your rice
• Stir and cook for about five minutes
• Add in the 1/2 cup of white wine
• Stir and cook until all the liquid has cooked in
• Add in 1/2 cup of your 2 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth at a time. Each time stirring and cooking down until all the liquid has nearly gone
• Once all of your broth has been added, add in your 1 cup of pumpkin puree
• Stir constantly and add in all of your spices, margarine/butter and basil
• Turn the heat down to the lowest setting, cover and let gently steam for 10 minutes
• Check the rice - if it is still a little too hard, add a splash of water, cover and let steam again for periods of five minutes
• Depending on the grain of rice used, this may need to be done a few times. You want the rice to be soft, but not mushy
• Once the dish has reached your desired consistency, turn the heat off and let stand, covered for another five minutes
• Serve and accept the compliments graciously, as Martha would

This is not a quick dish.
To make it faster you can most definitely use canned pumpkin puree (we don't have that in the Netherlands, so I am forced to be old school about it). But the beauty of this dish is that it is not made in 15 minutes. It takes time, effort, love and patience.

I think this dish would be great for Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays as a nice alternative to mashed potatoes. It is so flavourful and would go great with turkey or chicken dishes.

The STEWART SCORE:
Appearance: 1.5
Taste: 2
Ease: 0 (though not necessarily difficult, this dish does take time, so I would not say it is easy)

Pumpkin Recipes

I love fall.
The crispness in the air, the gorgeous yellow and orange colours on the trees, the fashion.

How I have missed my tall boots and opaque tights.

I also love fall food. So homey and comforting and festive.
Who doesn't love a good gourd?

Martha loves gourds.

At the local market I found the cutest little pumpkins on for just one Euro and was inspired to try some new recipe inspirations out.

Coming back from Italy recently and really enjoying their risotto, I wanted to try a gluten-free, low-sodium, vegan pumpkin risotto - something healthy that my sister's who are celiac could try for a nice Christmas dish alternative.

I also wanted to make a baked good...something other than pumpkin pie.
I love banana bread and wanted to try a new spin on that, so I created a super moist Pumpkin Bread recipe I think you will all love because it is tasty and easy. Just like Martha.

Photos and recipes coming soon. So, until then - go out and get some gourds - I would love to hear what you cook up with them!

Italian Food...Not Dukan Friendly

My husband and I just got back from two glorious weeks in Italy. Spending most of our time in Florence, Chianti region of Tuscany and the Cinque Terre.

The scenery, the art, the history, the fashion...the food!

Strawberry and Gorgonzola risotto and Blueberry sauced steak at Aqua Al 2 in Florence was our favourite meal of the trip.

It is definitely hard to eat a Cruise or Consolidation phase diet in this country. So many rich sauces, incredible wines, pasta, breads, olive oil on everything - but, I am happy to report I am officially on the Stabalization of the diet now and did not gain a single pound on the holiday.

Not one pound.

I am Dukan triumphant right now.

The diet, so far is working!