A different twist on broccoli salad - and it's now sugar-free!

Broccoli Salad (Sugar-Free)

This is a variation of the sweet broccoli salad usually found in restaurants. I have removed the sugar, making it a delicious low-carb salad. Do not use a grape seed oil based mayonnaise, it has to much of the fatty acids we don't need more of in our diet. A homemade mayonnaise is best.

This is a great salad for the Sugar 100 Diet by Jorge Cruise. I like this book of his by the way. This recipe is also paleo friendly and gluten-free (do check your mayonnaise ingredient list though).


BROCCOLI SALAD Recipe:

Serves 8 to 12

Dressing:

1 c. Hellman's mayonaise Or Best Foods (or better yet, homemade)
1/4 c. erythritol (or Lakanto's zero-cal white granular sweetener)
1/4 c. xylitol
2 t. white wine vinegar
1 t. prepared mustard
1 t. sweet paprika
Sea salt or BioSalt (recipe on this blog), to taste
Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Salad:

2 bunches of broccoli florets
1 c. chopped red onion
1 c. organic raisins (Craisens have added sugar)
1 c. sliced fresh mushrooms, optional
2 fresh mandarin oranges, peeled and separated into individual segments (or 1 small can, drained)
1/2 c. cashew pieces (or sunflower seeds) (see recipe for "C" soaked Sunnies on this blog)
8 slices fried bacon, crumbled


Method:

Mix the dressing ingredients until smooth. S
eason to taste.
Cover and chill overnight.
Just before serving, pour dressing over salad and mix well.
Serve.


Enjoy!

Leila

A delicious hearty Italian salad with an easy homemade dressing

Red & Green Italian Salad

This is a hearty beautiful salad and can make a meal by itself. It is something different to take on a picnic or pot-luck.

This is an easy recipe to adjust for specific diets like paleo, low-carb, vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free. Use gluten-free pasta or omit the pasta altogether if you want to. Omit the cheese if you avoid dairy.


RED & GREEN ITALIAN SALAD Recipe:

Salad Ingredients:

1 can jumbo pitted black olives
2 c. cooked gluten-free large shell macaroni, or other shape if desired
1 4-ounce jar pimentos with juice, sliced into strips
4 to 5 small zucchini, sliced thick
1 quart lightly steamed broccoli, cut into uniform bite-sized pieces
1 quart lightly steamed cauliflower, cut into uniform bite-sized pieces
1 medium red onion, sliced in rings
1 to 2 dozen small mushrooms, stemmed and sliced in half

Dressing ingredients:

1/2 c. good olive oil, or more
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1 to 2 garlic cloves, well smashed
1/2 to 1 t. sweet paprika
1 t. fennel seed (soaked in water to soften, then drained)
1 t. dried oregano
BioSalt, to taste (recipe on this blog)
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Mozzarella or Jack cheese, cubed, optional

Garnish:

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional


Method:

In a large bowl, toss the salad ingredients together.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the salad dressing ingredients together. Season it well.

Pour the well-mixed dressing over the salad ingredients and toss together thoroughly.

Marinate 1 hour.

Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese, if desired.


Note: You can serve this salad on a bed of lettuce.


Enjoy,

Leila

Tiger Bites - A healthy coconut-apricot sugar-free candy

Tiger Bites - A Sugar-free Candy


I love these cute little confections.  My mom made a similar version of these but I didn't have her recipe, so I recreated this version of them. They are a perfect combination of sweet and tangy. The fresh citrus brightens the flavor and they have a delightful chewy texture. Best of all, they have no added sugar!

There are sorta-similar recipes out there using sweetened condensed milk and powdered sugar. They are flat tasting compared to these.

You can feel good about serving this great tasting, sugar-free and dairy-free version to your family!


TIGER BITES recipe:

1 1/2 c. (12 ounces) dried unsulphured California apricots
3 T. (1.5 ounces) Juice of 1/2 organic orange
Zest of 1/2 organic orange (0.50 ounces)
3 T. (1.5 ounces) fresh lime or lemon juice
1 T. (0.50 ounces) xylitol (or Lakanto zero-cal white granular sweetener)
1/4 t. BioSalt (recipe on this blog)
2 c. (4 ounces) dried unsweetened coconut chips
1 1/2 c. (3 ounces) unsweetened dried coconut, finely ground, for rolling


Method:

Snip the whole dried apricots into quarters and place in a bowl of a food processor.

Pour the orange juice, grated orange zest, lime or lemon juice, xylitol, and salt over the apricots.

Let the apricots soak while you prepare everything else, or about 5 minutes.

Place the finely ground coconut in a shallow bowl and set aside.

Place the BioSalt and half of the coconut chips into the food processor with the apricots.

Blend until the mixture until it starts to look chopped.

Add the rest of the coconut chips and process until it clumps into a mass.

Taste for sweetness and tartness. adjust if necessary.

Use a stainless steel 18/8-size ice cream/portion scoop to portion out half-ounce balls.

Drop the balls in the bowl of finely ground coconut and roll to completely cover the confection.

Seal air-tight and store in the refrigerator.


Note: I drop 4 or so balls at a time into the bowl of finely ground coconut, and then shake and roll  them about until well coated.


Enjoy the sweetness of life!

Leila

Delicious Greek shrimp recipe - Put inside lettuce wraps or pitas

Greek Shrimp Stuffed Lettuce Wraps or Pitas

Greek Shrimp Lettuce Wrap - YUM!

This a fast, delicious meal, great for weeknights when you want something extra special. Make it
low-carb and grain-free by using lettuce wraps instead of pita bread. Most feta cheese is 100% goat cheese, but check the label if you choose to avoid cow dairy.


GREEK SHRIMP STUFFED WRAPS Recipe:

Yield: 4 to 5

Shrimp Mixture:

1 pound cooked shrimp, peeled and finely chopped
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
2 to 3 scallions, finely chopped
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
BioSalt, to taste (recipe on this blog)

Yogurt Sauce:

1 c. plain non-fat yogurt (Greek yogurt makes a thicker sauce)
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley and/or mint
1 clove garlic
1/2 t. fresh ground pepper
1/4 t. onion salt
BioSalt, to taste
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice, optional



Method:

Put the clove of garlic in a food processor and mince. Scrape down the sides.

Put the rest of the yogurt sauce ingredients in the food processor and process until a sauce is obtained.

Check and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Chill the yogurt sauce at least 1 hour in the refrigerator, before serving.

In a separate bowl, combine the shrimp mixture. Season to taste.

Fill lettuce wraps or pitas with the combined shrimp mixture.

Top with the yogurt sauce and serve immediately.


Note: You may garnish with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, Greek olives ,as desired.

Tip: If Greek yogurt is used, I prefer to thin the sauce with some lemon juice plus a little water.



Enjoy,

Leila

The Greek Shrimp Spread

Greek Yogurt Sauce

Greek Shrimp garnished with Greek Olives.

With a pita.

Super delicious marinated B-B-Q lamb chops - Greek style

Easy Greek B-B-Q Lamb

This recipe is so simple to prepare and so tasty! The marinade compliments lamb perfectly. This is another of my mother's delicious recipes and I think you will love it as I do.

I prefer domestic lamb over imported lamb, by the way. I have some good friends who have lambing operations in Utah. I think the flavor of their lamb is better, plus I like supporting local businesses, don't you?


GREEK B-B-Q Lamb Recipe:

8 Lamb chops

Marinade:

1/4 c. Olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
2 to 4 Garlic cloves, crushed well
1 t. Dried oregano, crushed
1 t. Sea salt
1/2 t. Fresh ground black pepper
1/4 c. Water


Method:

Mix the marinade ingredients together and set aside.
Place 8 lamb chops in a heavy-duty Zip-Lock bag.
Pour the marinade over the lamb chops. Let the air out of the bag and seal.
Let marinate in your refrigerator 12 to 24 hours. Flip the bag over a couple times to evenly marinate.
Drain and grill  or broil the lamb to your liking.


Enjoy,

Leila

Delicious marinated green Beans (good for raw food diets)

Marinated Green Beans - And a yummy salad to put them in!

I loved it when my mom made Salad Nicoise with these marinated green beans. Her salad would also have steamed baby red potatoes and we would drizzle some of the green bean marinade over those too. These beans store well in your refrigerator for a few days. I have had pickled store-bought green beans before - yuk. Make these instead, you will love them.



MARINATED GREEN BEANS Recipe:

Fresh whole green beans
Your favorite healthy oil & vinegar dressing
4 garlic cloves, barely crushed
1 t. mustard seed
1 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1 t. dill seed, if desired
A touch of raw honey



Method:

Wash the green beans and snip off the tips, and string if necessary.
Pack the whole green beans in a clear jar.
Mix the oil & vinegar dressing with the garlic, mustard seeds, red pepper, and dill (if using).
Add a little honey, to taste.
Pour oil & vinegar dressing mix over beans to cover.
Seal the jar and refrigerate 2 to 3 days before eating.


Tip:

These marinated green beans are terrific on salads, like salad Nicoise, potato salad, etc...

OR

Make the Marinated green beans the main ingredient of the salad and add:

Kalamata olives
Feta cheese
Diced ripe tomatoes
Minced fresh oregano

Garnish salad with a pinch of sea salt, fresh ground pepper and a sprig of fresh oregano.


Enjoy!

Leila

The best applesauce I've ever had

Golden Lemon Apple Sauce

This was my favorite applesauce when I was growing up. I have good memories of helping my mom make it. The Golden Delicious apples are perfect for the fresh lemon used in this recipe. Since I love the lemon in it so much, I might add a drop or 2 of organic lemon essential oil to amp up the flavor.

You can add another healthy sweetener of choice, but the honey does taste fabulous!


GOLDEN LEMON APPLESAUCE Recipe:

Ripe organic Golden Delicious apples
Apple juice
Raw honey or powdered erythritol
Fresh grated lemon zest
Fresh squeezed lemon juice
Ascorbic acid powder (Vitamin C)


Method:

Wash the apples. cut out the 'belly buttons" and cut into chunks.
Cook with a little apple juice until the apples are soft.
Run the apples through a colander, to remove seeds and skin.
Sweeten to taste with raw honey or healthy sweetener of choice.
Add some lemon juice, lemon zest, and ascorbic acid for tang, to taste.
You can store the applesauce in Zip-lock freezer bags in the freezer.


Tip:  A good ratio of apples to lemons is 12 apples to every 1 lemon (or more lemons if you like).

Note: It is best to use organic lemons for obvious reasons.


Enjoy,

Leila