Paleo Spinach Florentine Quiche

Wow, it has been a minute since I've last shared! After posting some Instagram photos of the finished product, I've been asked for this recipe a couple times, so here it is!

Bear in mind, I don't measure a ton, because honestly, who has time for that bologna?

The Story

A few weeks ago, during meal planning, I thought, wouldn't it be nice to have a frittata with a crust that's actually paleo? I've done the frittata thing so much that honestly, the thought of doing another one the exact way I had been just made me cringe. I thought... (gasp) what about hash browns? As long as I use a real potato, it will be fine. I know sometimes white potatoes are questionable on the Paleo diet, but to me, as long as it's not the only thing I'm eating and just an added starch, then it is okay by me. I researched hash brown crusts, but came up with my own version so it could fit the Paleo bill. Then, magically, I found this dairy spread at Whole Foods that is a true quiche game changer. It's made of cashew milk and all the the ingredients are paleo approved. I hadn't originally planned to put it in the quiche, but the more I thought about it and realized the ingredients I was including in the recipe were the same as what was in the spread, I decided, why not?! I hope you have just as much fun making and eating it as I did.

Ingredients

Crust

1 russet potato, shredded
Olive oil or Coconut oil spray
Olive or Coconut oil, 1/2 cup?
Salt
Pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder

Filling 

1 container leaf cuisine Garlicky Herb Spread (pictured right)
1/4-1/2 onion, chopped
1 box frozen spinach, thawed according to instructions
7 eggs (for real, seven is the number that works best)
Salt
Pepper

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serves 4

Method

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2) Spray pie pan with olive oil or coconut oil spray. Let sit. Also a good idea to get the eggs and dairy spread out of fridge so they can acclimate to room temperature.
3) In a large bowl, mix potato shreds with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to taste. Once spiced, add olive oil or coconut oil. I used a mix of extra virgin olive oil and light olive oil.
4) Press spiced potato shreds into pie pan just like a normal crust. Put in oven and bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

5) Meanwhile, sauté onion until caramelized and add cooked spinach to the pan to mix. Let cool significantly before mixing with eggs.
6) In a large bowl (you can use the same one as before, rinsed out), beat 7 eggs together and add salt and pepper to taste. Add dairy spread and cooled veggies. Mix thoroughly. It WILL look disgusting.
7) Take the hash brown crust, hopefully nice and golden brown, out of the oven and add egg and dairy spread mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick or knife come out clean.

8) ENJOY!

My next recipe post will be a variation of this one, but in the Lorraine style.

A gluten and dairy free breakfast

A former teacher and friend of mine recently was told he would need to go gluten and dairy free. This can come as quite a shock when as an adult you have been eating anything you prefer and developing favorites for decades. I went gluten free in January of 2011 after discovering an allergy to wheat and it was soon thereafter I went dairy free as well. The first 6 months of this radical diet change were rough for me. I kept cheating with gluten and dairy with my favorites like pizza justifying it by saying, 'No... I don't need to be gluten free' only to realize a mere hours after the 'gluten-ing' that I would continue to be sick if I kept up this trend.

This will be the first in a series of posts about what works for me now, what substitutions you can make in a gluten and dairy free diet that keep the flavor and nutrition values high, and what solutions I've come up with for eating out and going to friends parties.

My breakfast this morning: yogurt parfait. Here are the products I used.

The granola clusters on the left are from Trader Joe's. Believe it or not, oats and granola are a controversial gluten free subject. I tend to purchase oats and granola that are specifically labeled gluten free like Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats, Udi's Granola Bars, etc. I have felt sick from products that don't indicate their gluten free status even though there are no gluten containing ingredients listed specifically. I have also made my own granola cluster bars for monetary and personal preference needs. I have recently switched from a soy milk based yogurt to almond or coconut milk based products. The protein content is actually higher latter two milks. The brands I like are Almond Dream (pictured above center) and So Delicious Dairy Free Greek Style Yogurt. Sometimes I'll split the serving of yogurt down by half to avoid the sugar intake and make the yogurt last longer-I am a starving artist after all.

Another breakfast favorite of mine is sunny-side up eggs. Unfortunately, I am running out the door most mornings, so I don't have time to cook and sit down to eat. The great part about eggs? They are naturally gluten free. So are cooking sprays and oils. So where do you get the dipping bread that makes sunny-side up eggs so good? That's easy: Udi's Gluten Free Multi-Grain Bread. This is the best bread I have had to date and something I keep stocked in my freezer. I eat this bread about every other day, so the freezer helps keep the bread fresh since gluten free bread products tend to dry out quicker than products with wheat and all the preservatives. This bread is made with rice flour so it isn't as dense as GF bread made with potato flour for example. I use Smart Balance Buttery Spread Lite with Omega 3 oils to top off the bread and voila, sunny-side up eggs! The green pepper is for when I am feeling super fancy.

Besides granola bars and bread, another American staple for breakfast is pancakes. Now, I don't eat pancakes a ton, but I have used the Bisquick Gluten Free Pancake mix along with the butter mentioned above and maple syrup and have mostly enjoyed the results. Sometimes with certain GF flour mixes there is a chalky after taste. I'll post more on that subject as I experiment.

But where are the muffins you ask? They're right here:

These are my favorite kind of store bought muffins, but I really prefer making them at home with the King Arthur's Flour Gluten Free Muffin Mix. My favorite add-on combination is cinnamon, brown sugar and Craisins with a brown sugar crumble topping.

But most importantly, coffee. Coffee was, is and always will be gluten free.

And now it's off to work! Enjoy your Thursday!

Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe

Who needs sleep anyways? I have decided it is time to start my personal blog that has been registered since January 2014. I'll blame the multiple polar vortices (model pictured for your convenience if you need the visual reminder) on why I have not actually posted until now... a mere eight months later.

I'm working for a company called Instacart- a grocery shopping & delivery service for large cities. It has been a lot of fun! A normal day starts off with a friendly text telling me what grocery store to get to and by when. Once there, I use an app with the customers grocery list. I even scan things into the app to let the customer know I picked exactly what they want. Most orders require a quick call to verify changes, then check out and delivery.

My funniest moments so far?
A) Catching myself talking to the produce, asking the produce questions like 'Who is getting in this bag?' and just generally talking to myself throughout the entire shopping process.
B) Continually finding myself hunting for some obscure spice or random brand name for longer than I should only to discover I've walked by it three times already.
C) It's really amusing to see who behind the register pays attention enough to remember the same girl with the bright green/bedazzled water tumbler checking out two, three, maybe even four times during their shift.

But the best one? I keep putting my produce in other people's carts. Most of the time I am at the stores when it is quite busy, especially in the produce section. I have gotten in the habit of just parking my cart in some out of the way spot, grabbing my various items, then throwing them all in my cart. Today, I was talking to the organic produce (see funny moment talking point 'A') and put the green onions I had just selected in someone else's cart. She was standing right there, but it didn't phase me. I just kept going about my business trying to find the cucumbers (that I walked past twice, see funny moment talking point 'B'). I felt someone staring at me and finally looked at the woman. 'Did you just put that in my cart?', she said. 'Oh... (awkward laugh) I did. Sorry 'bout that.' I did that twice today and caught myself a third.

I digress. This is suppose to be a recipe post. Another thing I am doing this summer is attempting to eat cleaner. I already eat gluten free and try to avoid most dairy, but there are still many 'extras' in the best gluten free products out there. Many of the customers I have served through Instacart this summer have been very health conscious eaters whose grocery lists stick to the outside walls of the grocery stores. That, combined with an exercise program called T25 Beachbody have inspired me to really simplify my food intake even more. Grains, vegetables, low fat dairy (oh the PAIN of no longer being able to consume copious amounts of colby jack), fruits, protein. This tuna salad recipe is a combination of a T25 recipe, my preferences when it comes to quinoa and a certain restaurant's secret ingredient.

Ingredients
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 5oz can White Chunk tuna in water
1 red pepper or 2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado
3 green onions
1/2 cup cilantro or parsley, finely chopped
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tsp Extra Virgin olive oil
1-2 Tsp Tamari gluten free soy sauce to taste
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method
1) Prepare quinoa by bringing 1 cup of water to a boil, add quinoa with salt & pepper to taste, simmer for 20 minutes.
2) While the quinoa cooks, chop the red pepper, green onion, and cilantro. Peel and pit avocado, then cut into cubes.
3) Combine quinoa, vegetables, avocado, cilantro, and tuna in a bowl.
4) Add lemon juice, olive oil, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Mix well.
5) Taste Test. ALWAYS taste test. Adjust the seasonings if needed.
6) Serve right away or chill to let the flavors settle.  Makes three 2/3 cup servings.

Make the recipe yourself, try new substitutions, post pictures, but above all,

ENJOY!