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!

Turkish Inspired Stuffed Peppers

While in Istanbul last week I ate the most incredible foods.
One dish that stood out was a stuffed tomato I had as part of a mixed mezze platter.
The tomato was baked and filled with an aromatic rice, nuts and onions. The best part was the hint of cinnamon.

As I had no tomatoes large enough, I used red peppers I bought from the local market instead. Instead of rice, I felt like couscous, so I used that. I also tossed in some dried apricots as a lot of Turkish dishes have apricots and I think they make everything tastier. Martha would agree.

They turned out like heaven. Simple, easy, tasty heaven.

What You'll Need (four servings):

• Four large red peppers
• Tinfoil
• Baking pan
• 1 cup or 250 g of Couscous
• 1 cup or 250 g of boiling water
• 1 Onion
• 1/2 cup or 125 g of chopped Green onion
• 1/4 cup or 63g of fresh pine nuts
• 1/4 cup or 63 g of dried apricots
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 Tsp of your best cinnamon, I like this one from The Silk Road Merchants in Calgary

What You'll Do:

• Dice your onion into small cubes, like this
• Dice your dried apricots into small pieces
• Chop your green onion into fine pieces
• In a small, non-stick frying pan, add in your diced onion, just covered in water, and simmer until softened
• Cut the top of each pepper off and empty all the seeds
• Trim down the bottom of each pepper, so they stand straight up in the pan
• Pre-heat your oven to 190C or 350F 
• Line your baking tray in tin foil to help prevent the peppers from sticking
• Boil one cup of water on the stove top
• When boiled, add in your couscous and remove from heat, cover with a lid
• Place your empty peppers into the oven to cook for about ten minutes
• After five minutes of resting, fluff your couscous (as it can get sticky) and add in your cinnamon, a twist of freshly ground pepper, sauteed onion, chopped green onion, chopped apricot and pine nuts
• Stir until thoroughly mixed
• Remove your partially cooked peppers
• Stuff each pepper with enough couscous mixture to fill it to the top
• Bake the peppers for another ten minutes

Enjoy!

These babies go great with chicken or salmon...or on their own. So easy, so tasty.

The STEWART SCORE:
Appearance: 2 (they are so colourful...just like Martha's language)
Taste: 2 (the hint of cinnamon makes them taste so exotic)
Ease: 2 (if they were any easier, they would be my sister....I kid, of course)

Istanbul Recipe Book

Hi Friends!

I just got back from 6 lovely days in Istanbul today and wanted to show you this awesome recipe book I picked up. While there, my friend Krista and I ate the most incredible foods.
Seriously drool worthy. There was nothing we had we didn't like.

Figs, pumpkin, lamb stew with plums (yes...just like Katniss Everdeen, so I hear;), moussaka, the puffiest pita breads and the most delicious yogurts.

Inspired to learn to chef up some of these incredibly tasty bites, I purchased this book - Gonul Candas' Turkish Table, 4th edition.

Martha would love it.
There are over 200 recipes packed into this 'lil gem! From breakfast to dinner to desserts and everything in between.

I can not wait to try the stuffed eggplant and baklava recipes as I am currently on a serious honey withdrawal...as soon as I have time to try some of the recipes out, I will of course post them up here for you!!

Martha Would Not Be Proud

I haven't made a hot meal in weeks.
Cereal and yogurt have been daily staples.
With my husband out of town and working at my new job...but at least no one but my cat is at home to judge!

But - I am off to Turkey for a week and should come back filled with some delicious recipe inspirations.

Lemony Dill Salmon

I never liked fish. But, in the Netherlands, fish from the grocery store ain't half bad.

Last night I had three friends stay over and we decided to chef up using some great fresh ingredients.

Salmon is super easy and, Martha would agree, a healthy, tasty, fancy dinner choice.

I didn't get time to take any photos but will upload some next time I make this dish I call Lemony Dill Salmon. The more I type 'lemony' the stranger the spelling looks...

What You'll Need:

• A nice piece of salmon - I like to buy organic because it makes me feel better. I imagine the little salmon are free spirited, hemp-wearing dudes, offering up their life to me while saying 'namaste'
• Fresh dill
• One whole lemon
• A twist of fresh black pepper
• Tinfoil
• Baking pan
• A sunny disposition

What You'll Do:

• Pre-heat your oven to 180C (or 325F)
• Line a baking pan in tin foil (less clean up later!)
• Depending on how large your salmon is, cut a piece of tinfoil large enough to wrap the salmon up tightly
• Slice your lemon thinly
• Place as many thin lemon pieces on the tinfoil as your salmon is large - you want lemon to touch as much of the salmon as possible
• Cut fresh dill sprigs and lay on top of your lemon slices
• Place your hippy salmon down on the lemon slices
• Twist ground pepper onto the top of the salmon
• Place more sprigs of dill on the top of the salmon
• Place more lemon slices on the top of the dill sprigs
• Wrap your salmon up into a tinfoil pocket - ensuring the sides and top of the tinfoil and sealed up tight so no juices escape
• For a medium-well to well finish, bake for 30 minutes for a regular-sized piece of salmon, if extra thick and you want the salmon well done (that is how Martha and I like it), cook for another five minutes
• Remove from your oven and using a fork, puncture a few small holes in the tinfoil, to let some of the steam escape
• Let sit to cool for five minutes
• Serve up and wait for the compliments

Tasty. Easy. Healthy. Fancy.
My favourite things.

This dish is awesome with so many side dishes - grilled asparagus, spicy green beans, healthy roast Dukan vegetables, or a salad. It is great the next day as well - just let it cool completely before you store it in the fridge.

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