Oatmeal cookies are by far my favorite cookie… especially when they are a bit gooey in the middle.

This week, I decided to try to make a wheat-free oatmeal cookie.  Why wheat free?  Well, for one, many of my clients can’t tolerate wheat, it can be tough to digest.  And honestly, I think we ALL eat way too much wheat here in America.  Think about it?  Bread, pizza, bagels, pasta, crackers and cereals are HUGE wheat-based staples.  As a nutritionist, I believe variety is key to a nourishing and healthy diet.

I added a bit of dark chocolate to my cookies because my husband loves his chocolate and because dark chocolate is full of antioxidants and much healthier than milk chocolate.  Good enough reasons for me.

I like to chop up my chocolate chips a bit so I get lots of chocolate flakes mixed into the dough. It makes the cookies taste a bit more chocolate-y!

Walnuts, one of my favorite nuts, are one of the few plant sources of omega 3 fats, heart healthy fats, so I added a few walnuts too.   You see, I am trying very hard to jam pack these cookies with good nutrition.

And then I made my cookies with old-fashioned rolled oats (also healthy) and oat flour (Bob’s Red Mill makes a great quality product.)  BUT I have also made my own oat flour by grinding rolled oats in the food processor. {This is what to do if you are on a gluten free diet: use GF rolled oats for the recipe and also use them to blend your own oat flour.}  I like the way oat flour adds a subtle texture to my oatmeal cookies.

I mix up a batch of these cookies, cook one cookie sheet  full of cookies and freeze the rest of the dough for another day. That way, I limit how many cookies I eat (I do love these cookies).  Plus, cookies do taste best warm from the oven, right?

Wheat-free Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate Chips and Walnuts {Fodmap-friendly}

1 stick butter, at room temp

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup oat flour*

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cup rolled oats*

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, rough chop

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix butter and sugars until creamy.
• Blend in egg and vanilla.
• Add oat flour and baking soda
• Fold in oats, nuts and chocolate chips.
• Roll dough into small balls, about 1 1/2 inch in diameter.
• Bake for about 6 minutes–should be slightly gooey in middle but lightly browned on edges.

Russ and I decided to get dinner in the North end, the Italian section of the city of Boston, this Wednesday.

I love the feel of the North end.  It’s reminds me of the European cities I have been fortunate enough to visit.

Russ and I went to a cute little restaurant called, Carmen Trattoria.  We ordered a few small plate appetizers including a red pepper, mozzarella and basil plate.  YUM!

So, I decided to try to make this little appetizer at home.

Start with fresh basil, fresh mozzarella and some roasted peppers.

Slice up the peppers into bite size strips, cut the mozzarella into bite size pieces and garnish with a generous amount of fresh basil.

Love fresh basil, don’t you?

Add a splash of red wine vinegar and garlic-infused olive oil.   It’s that easy.

Hope you try this tasty little dish.

Roasted red peppers, fresh mozzarella and basil {low in FODMAPs}

1 large roasted red pepper, sliced into bite size strips ( I used Trader Joe’s fire roasted red peppers)

About 6 mini mozzarella balls (celigene mozzarella cheese)

1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced for garnish

1 TB olive oil

1-2 tsp. red wine vinegar

salt and pepper

-Mix together and enjoy immediately!

I love experimenting in the kitchen.  This weeks experiment=using quinoa to make a pizza crust.

Quinoa is a gluten free and FODMAP friendly grain, but more than that…it is great source of protein & fiber AND tastes yummy too!

This is tricolor quinoa.

I found this recipe to make a quinoa crust with relatively few ingredients and thought I would give it a whirl.  It required soaking the quinoa all day, but I just soaked it for about 4 hours and that seemed to work quite nicely.

Quinoa should be soaked, drained and rinsed to remove the bitter tasting saponins on the outside of the grain.

To create a pizza crust, the recipe called for blending the quinoa in a blender or food processor.

This recipe also requires a cast iron skillet.   After I blended up the quinoa with water, oil and spices, I pour it into the well-oiled skillet.

The recipe I found blends all the quinoa in the blender to a pancake batter consistency but I saved some of the quinoa to blend in to the batter to add a bit of texture.

I sauteed a few yellow, red and orange bell pepper strips and some zucchini too, in a bit of  garlic infused olive oil with a dash of salt and pepper.  Then, tossed the veggies on top of the pizza crust.

Then I added a handful of pine nuts, about 1/3 cup of part-skim mozzarella cheese and a bit of freshly grated asiago and parmesan cheese.

And voila…{drum roll please}….

So here is the link for the recipe I found for the quinoa crust.  AS usual, I modified the recipe by not blending all the quinoa and adding about 1/4 cup back into crust mixture to add a bit of texture and I deleted the garlic powder too and used garlic infused oil.  For the topping, I used:

• 1/4 of a red pepper, seeded and cut in strips
• 1/4 of a yellow pepper, seeded and cut in strips
• 1/4 of a orange pepper, seeded and cut in strips
• 1/2 medium zucchini, cut in strips
• 1 TB garlic infused olive oil
• Cook veggies with oil over medium heat in medium size skillet.
• Add a dash of salt and pepper.
• Top the veggies on the pizza crust once you flip it–per direction in link.
• Add 1/3 cup part skim grated mozzarella cheese and 1-2 TB parmesan and asiago, grated cheese
• Add 1 TB pine nuts and scatter across top of pizza.
• Place pizza back in oven for about another 15 minutes to melt cheese and firm up crust.

Hope you enjoy…

One of my favorite holidays of the year is Valentine’s Day.  What is better to celebrate than LOVE?

I love handcrafting my Valentine’s day cards and enjoy adding a handmade touch to my Valentine’s day treats.

Last year for my office, I treated the office staff to specially labeled fruit. Here’s a sample that I posted to Instagram.

A perfect Valentine’s day treat from a nutritionist, don’t you think?

I labeled bananas, apples, oranges and pears. Check out these cute fruit labels, here.

Do you post your pictures to instagram?   I love seeing all the great pics that are posted by friends, family and colleagues.  If you have a smart phone, check it out.  And follow me!

This year, I am packaging up some dark chocolates.  Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants that are great for your heart and blood pressure. But the benefits are found in DARK chocolate not milk chocolate. In controlled amounts, of course!So, I hope you enjoy a happy week full of love and perhaps some chocolate too!

When I was a little girl, my family used to go to  Anthony’s Pier 4 restaurant in Boston on the harbor front.  It was a big deal to head into the city and enjoy a meal out together. Anthony’s Pier 4 was known for their wonderful seafood meals but also for their popovers.

I have not made popovers in many years, but tonight, decided to make some so that I could use my new muffin tin.

Popovers are easy to make and require minimal ingredients.

Eggs and…

milk (I use 1%) and all-purpose flour for the traditional recipe. Of course, gluten free flour works well for this recipe too! {See recipe to link below}

Fill each well-greased muffin tin just 1/2 full.  Just how cute is my new muffin tin?  So cute, right?

Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes then put heat down to 350 for another 20 minutes.  Be sure to enjoy right away, perhaps with a bit of butter?

I used this recipe for my popovers, but deleted the salt.

Want to make a gluten free and low FODMAP version?  Check out King Arthur’s flour recipe here!

I haven’t had tofu in a while and thought I would whip up a little Asian-inspired sesame tofu with broccoli and cashews.  Have you tried tofu?  Or are you afraid?  Ha!

Tofu pretty much takes on the flavor of what you season it with, so if you like your seasoning choices,  what’s not to love?  Tofu is a great source of protein and is low in FODMAPs.

So this is what I did for lunch today and really it took just a few minutes to throw together.

Gather some soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds, cashews and a small handful of broccoli.

Add some soy sauce and sesame oil to the tofu.  Love the simple taste of these 2 key ingredients.  Let sit for about 1-2 hours or 10 minutes if you are hungry.  The longer your marinate, the more flavor you infuse.

Drain the tofu.

Eat a few cashews.

Sprinkle the marinated tofu with some sesame seeds.

Heat up a skillet with a couple tablespoons of peanut oil.  Carefully toss in tofu.

Cook it up with some broccoli, minced garlic (or garlic infused oil for my fodmap peeps), and fresh or dried ginger.

So easy and tasty.

Sesame Tofu with Broccoli and Cashews

1, 8 oz package extra firm tofu cut in bite size chunks

2 TB reduced sodium Tamari soy sauce

2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

2-3 TB sesame seeds

1-2 TB peanut oil

1/2-3/4 cup chopped broccoli

1 tsp garlic minced, or 2 tsp garlic infused oil {use garlic infused oil for low FODMAP}

1/4 tsp. dried ginger or 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

1/4 cup cashews, chopped.

• Mix tofu chunks with soy sauce and sesame oil.  Let marinate from 10 minutes to 2 hours in refrigerator.
• Drain tofu from marinade and put on plate.  Sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds.
• In medium skillet, add peanut oil and heat over medium heat.
• Add tofu, broccoli, garlic-infused oil or minced garlic and ginger.  Cook for about 2 minutes then stir gently.
• Cook for about 4-5 minutes until light brown and broccoli fork tender.
• Add cashew nuts for last minute of cooking.

I LOVE potatoes!  Must be my Irish heritage.  White potatoes are rich in potassium and vitamin C.  With the skin, add 2 grams of fiber too.  Sweet potatoes also provide a good kick of vitamin A.  Today I am cooking with a bit of both.

I love potatoes prepared just about any way, but today, I thought I would try some crispy hash brown-like potato pancakes.

I grated a couple white potatoes and a large sweet potato, added a couple of egg whites, a bit of curry powder, paprika, salt and pepper and made up some yummy hash brown cakes…

I use a mild curry powder to give the potatoes a bit of spice.

I formed rounded cakes and popped them in a skillet with a bit of olive oil over medium heat.

I like to serve the pancakes with a tablespoon of plain Greek yogurt and a few cilantro leaves…YUM!

Crispy Sweet Potato Hash Brown Cakes

Makes about 10-12 pancakes

1 large sweet potato, skin removed and grated

2 medium white potatoes, skinned and grated

2 egg whites

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp paprika

dash of salt and pepper

1-2 TB olive oil for skillet

Blend ingredients and form into rounded patties with hands with about 1/3 cup of mixture. Place oil in pan over medium heat and cook pancakes for about 4 minutes until nicely browned on each side.  Serve with a bit of yogurt and cilantro or as desired.  These are great with curried chicken and a salad.

{This recipe is FODMAP-friendly-for 1-2 pancakes per sitting.  Sweet potatoes are a source of mannitol, a polyol but small amounts such as less than 1/2 a cup is considered low FODMAP.  White potatoes are low FODMAP)

Have you ever seen chia seeds soaked in almond milk? It looks something like this…

Chia seeds are edible seeds that were once part of the Aztec and Mayans diets.  They are loaded with heart-healthy, omega 3 fats and bone loving calcium.  And along with their nutty taste,  they are a rich source of fiber and magnesium too!

I love the way these little seeds puff up and create a tasty pudding with little effort.

My first try of chia pudding was a bit of a flop.  I soaked the seeds in water and coconut butter with a dash of cinnamon and vanilla.  It tasted pretty good but it was just a bit too “chia-y” for me.

BUT… I really wanted this recipe to work so I thought I would try adding a bit of brown rice and some almond milk to the mix….and I got it right the second time around.

I used a canning jar to mix the ingredients because you can see the pudding being created before your eyes!  How cool is that?

To ensure the chia seeds blend well you will need to shake the jar a bit.  Having a top on the canning jar makes this job a little less messy too.

I gathered all my ingredients…

I start with some almond milk, cooked brown rice, maple syrup, some vanilla, a cinnamon stick and added some chia…

Then….I added a dab of coconut butter, which is completely optional but I just bought some recently and wanted to try it.

Shake up the mixture and pop in the fridge to “puddinize” the mixture.

The mixture becomes like pudding consistency in about 1 1/2 hours.  At that point, you can scoop out some pudding and eat it cold with some dried cranberries, almonds and a smidge of coconut….or heat in the microwave to create a warm pudding dish.

I decided to go cold…Mmmmmmmmmm…..

Rice and Chia Pudding

1 cup cooked brown rice

1/4 cup chia seeds

2 cups unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cinnamon sticks or 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. coconut butter * optional

1 TB maple syrup

• Add all ingredients to a medium-size glass jar with lid.
• Shake to disperse ingredients.
• Place in refrigerator for 1 1/2 hours or overnight to allow ingredients to settle into a pudding consistency.  Shake a few times in the first 15 minutes to be sure chia seeds evenly disperse and don’t clump.  Remove cinnamon sticks prior to serving.
• Serve with your favorite toppings such as a dash of maple syrup or maple sugar, brown sugar, coconut, almond slices, and/or a few dried raisins, cranberries or perhaps some sliced banana.

{Fodmaps-friendly dessert}

One of my fondest memories of Ireland was the delicious whole grain bread served at every meal. Made with buttermilk and whole grains, the bread is rich and hearty.

Ireland is such a beautiful country with breathtaking scenery.

Many homes have such an inviting feel.

The small little villages are so quaint.

Russ and I found our trip to Ireland to be very restful and nurturing.

Every now and then we like to re-live our trip and enjoy some of that  hearty Irish bread.  This weekend was one of those times. We enjoyed some Irish bread with breakfast; of course, some coffee and fresh fruit too.  So…I thought I would share my Irish brown bread recipe with you. 

This bread is tasty, simple and full of whole grains!

Irish Brown Bread

2 ½ cups whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)

½ cup all purpose flour

½ cup steel cut oats

2 Tb. brown sugar

1 Tb. wheat germ or oat bran

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp. salt

2 cups buttermilk (or make your own with 2 cups milk and 2 TB vinegar-let sit for 10 minutes)

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

• Spray bread loaf pan with non stick cooking spray
• In large mixing bowl, combine whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, oats, brown sugar, oat bran, soda, baking powder and salt.
• Blend in buttermilk and egg and mix until blended.
• Add to loaf pan and smooth top.
• Bake for 45 minutes.
• Great toasted!

{This recipe is NOT low in FODMAPs but you could try to make it FODMAP-friendly by making lactose free buttermilk with lactose free milk and vinegar, and try to sub in gluten free flour mixture for whole wheat pastry flour and all-purpose flour}

I started my college career at Emory University in Atlanta. Not really knowing what I wanted to be when I grew up, I knew that a school with a strong science department was a good place to start.

I used to love to go to a little restaurant in the Virginia Highlands area of Atlanta called Capo’s café.  They had the most amazing chicken stuffed with cream cheese and served with a sweet and savory pecan mustard sauce.

So, I thought I would share my version of this recipe with you.  Although a fairly decadent  recipe, I always try to tweak all my recipes for better health without compromising the flavor. I think you’ll like this one.

Be sure to have some good quality mustard, pecans and a bit of brown sugar on hand for this recipe.

This recipe calls for cream cheese, of course, use lowfat (Neufenchel Cheese) BUT for many of my blog followers that don’t ‘do’ lactose, try making your own lactose free ‘cream cheese’. {It’s quite easy, really, you just need a little time} Recipe to follow.

First pound the chicken breast.  This part is essential as you want the chicken to be quite thin so that it will cook quickly.

Then place a dollop of cream cheese in the middle of the flattened chicken piece.

Roll up the chicken and secure with toothpicks.

You can refrigerate the chicken at this point if you want to cook your meal later in the day OR start cooking them up.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 TB olive oil and 1 TB butter, place the chicken pieces in the skillet and let them brown up a bit,  About 2 minutes on each side.

Using tongs to flip the chicken is the easiest way to handle these little guys.  Turn carefully to ensure the cream cheese stays tucked inside the chicken.

When the chicken is all browned up, add in some butter, brown sugar, mustard, and pecans stirring until ingredients combine.

YUM!  Full recipe below.

So…do you want to try to make some lactose free cream cheese?

First purchase a tub of Green Valley Lactose Free plain yogurt or alternative lactose free yogurt.

Place the yogurt into a  strainer lined with cheese cloth and put the strainer on top of a small bowl or cup to catch the liquid that will escape through the cheese cloth. As the liquid leaves the yogurt, the ‘cheese’ begins to form. Place the yogurt and strainer in the fridge to strain away for about 3 hours.

Cheese cloth is a meshy cloth that you can find at most grocer’s or kitchen stores.

After the 3 hours, remove the cheese cloth and slowly roll out your newly made cheese.  Use this cheese in this recipe or in other recipes that call for cream cheese.

Here’s my homemade lactose free cream cheese!

Capo’s Chicken

Serves 4

1 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into 4 thin cutlets and then pounded to 1/4 in thickness

2 TB butter

1 TB olive oil

1/2 cup light cream cheese, at room temp {or your newly made lactose free ‘cream cheese’}

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 TB mustard

1/4 cup pecans, chopped

• Place a dollop of cream cheese in the middle of each chicken breast and then roll up jelly roll style and secure with tooth picks.
• In medium skillet, over medium heat, add 1 TB butter and 1 TB oil and add chicken.
• Cook chicken for about 2-3 minutes on each side until browned and turn over using tongs carefully to keep filling inside the chicken.
• Place skillet cover over chicken and reduce heat to low.  Cook for another 3-5 minutes until thoroughly cooked, turning once.
• Remove cover and add residual 1 TB butter, brown sugar, mustard and pecans stirring to blend.
• Remove toothpicks from chicken [kinda important! Ha! ]
• Serve chicken and top with a spoonful of pecan mustard sauce.

This recipe is FODMAPs Friendly and Gluten free (use the lactose free cream cheese if lactose intolerant)