French Toast

Two different French Toast recipes from Allrecipes, the first is French Toast I and is a very good basic recipe. Easily adaptable. I added strawberries and pistachios.

Second recipe, Fluffy French Toast, is a little different because it uses flour. This coats the bread and makes more of a crust. I added raspberries, cherries and powdered sugar. Both recipes are great. Which one will you try first?

1. French Toast I: link here
2. Fluffy French Toast: link here

Chicken Pineapple Curry

Curry is my favorite part of an anti inflammatory diet. Turmeric mixed with a tomato based sauce gives this sauce its bright orange color. I made this recipe with inspiration from Dao Thai Restaurant in downtown Chicago, but with a mixture of curry spices found more commonly in Indian food.

Chicken Pineapple Curry

2 sweet potatoes, cubed

1/2 head cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces

1 onion, diced

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon sugar (or substitute honey for anti inflammatory diets)

for the spice mixture (I used ground spices):

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon cumin

1/2 tablespoon turmeric

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cardamon

1 tsp corriander

1/4 cayenne pepper (can be left out or adjusted to taste)

1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp olive oil

2 eight oz cans of tomato sauce

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1 eight oz can of coconut milk

1 lb chicken, cut into bite size pieces

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp paprika

1  tsp olive oil

1 - 2 cups chopped pineapple

peanuts for topping

Add the olive oil to a large, deep pan over medium heat, then stir in the onions and cook for a few minutes. Add the spice mixture to the onions and continue to cook for about five minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for just a minute before pouring in the tomato sauce, broth, sweet potatoes and cauliflower. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to low. Cook for fifteen minutes, stirring to ensure it doesn't stick or burn on the bottom. 

Meanwhile, combine the diced chicken with 1 tsp paprika and turmeric. Heat 1 tsp oil in a skillet and add the chicken, browning on all sides but not cooking all the way through. Chicken could definitely be left out to make this a vegetarian recipe.

Add the chicken to the sauce and vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Continue to cook over low heat for thirty minutes, until chicken is cooked. Add the coconut milk and pineapple. Cook until heated through, then serve with rice or quinoa and garnish with peanuts. Cilantro and greek yogurt would also be great with this.

Serves 4

Zucchini Lasagna

This is a delicious way to eat gluten-free lasagna; you just substitute the pasta with zucchini slices! I used a mandolin to create super thin slices of zucchini but you could slice them by hand as well. Since I've started following the anti-inflammatory diet more closely (helps with endometriosis symptoms) it's been tough going without pasta/bread, but this recipe is just as good as the real thing.

Zucchini Lasagna

for the meat mixture:
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp Italian seasonings (oregano, basil, etc)
1 jar pasta sauce
5 cloves garlic
1/2 onion

for the cheese mixture:
1 container cottage cheese (ricotta if you're fancy)

1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
salt & pepper
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded cheese

3 or 4 medium sized zucchinis
1/4 cup additional shredded cheese for topping

(preheat oven 350 degrees)

Finely dice the onion then saute in a large pan until translucent. Add the ground turkey and cook until no longer pink. Add the garlic and saute for a minute or two, then add the pasta sauce and let simmer until flavors combine.

Slice the zucchini on a mandolin or by hand into long thin slices.

Combine cottage cheese with the other cheese mixture ingredients and set aside.

Alternate layers starting with a spoonful of sauce at the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange zucchini "noodles" on top in a single layer, overlapping is ok. Add the meat mixture followed by the cheese mixture, then repeat the layers. Top the final layer with the remaining cheese. Cover with tin foil.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until edges are golden and bubbly. Wait 10-15 before serving to allow time for the lasagna to set up properly.