Butternut Squash Risotto With Meyer Lemon Gremolata -- Vegan And Gluten FreeOn Stove Or In Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Creamy butternut squash risotto is the perfect Christmas
dish for your vegan and gluten-free guests.

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Christmas Menu
I love to serve risotto for the holidays but it is a difficult dish to make when there are a number of things on the menu and you don't feel like stirring for 30 minutes with company sitting at the table. But this year I have my new Instant Pot Pressure Cooker and making risotto is a snap. Once the butternut squash is roasted, scooped from the skin, and mashed (you can do that earlier in the day), just stir it into the cooked risotto which only takes minutes in this pot and requires no stirring! But even if you make risotto the traditional way, this dish is worth the effort. The roasted squash adds a beautiful buttery texture to the risotto and the Meyer lemon gremolata is the perfect topping when you want flavor without a dairy parmesan. 

Make no-stir risotto in the Instant PotIP-DU060 in 5 minute (plus the time it takes to bring to pot up to pressure)!

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Butternut Squash Risotto
Vegan, Gluten Free
(makes 6 servings)

For the risotto
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus some for squash
1 pound of butternut squash
1 or 2 tablespoon Earth Balance or ghee (not vegan), divided*
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 to 6 cups veggie broth**
1/4 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

* Ghee is clarified butter and if it is very pure, does not contain casein or lactose
You will use 1 tablespoon for the pressure cooker method and 2 for the stovetop
** 4 cups for Instant Pot pressure cooker and 6 cups stovetop

For the gremolata
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Zest of half a Meyer lemon
1 clove garlic

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut a butternut squash in half, removing the seeds. Use one pound of it (I had a 2 pound squash and used one half of it). Rub the cut side with olive oil and place, cut side down, on a non-stick roasting pan or a pan lined with a Silpat mat.
Roast until a fork easily pierces through the skin, about 30 to 45 minutes. When cooked, remove the squash from the oven. Let cool a bit and, with a spoon, scoop out the squash. Place in a bowl, mash, cover to keep warm and set aside. 

Roasted butternut squash on a Silpat silicon mat.

Make the gremolata while the squash is roasting. Place the chopped parsley in a small bowl. Grate the garlic clove over the parsley and then grate the Meyer lemon peel. I like to use my Microplane Zester/Grater to do this. Mix together until combined and set aside. 

Parsley, lemon zest and grated garlic combine to make gremolata.

Risotto using the Instant Pot
Using the sauté function on the instant pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of the Earth Balance (or ghee). Add the onions and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. 

Add the rice and stir until coated. Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed. Stir in 4 cups of the broth, salt and pepper. 

Hit the off button. Secure the lid and set the manual button to cook under high pressure for 5 minutes. Then, do a quick release.

Carefully remove the lid, tilting it so that the steam comes out the back. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of Earth Balance (or ghee) and the warm, mashed butternut squash. Stir until well combined.

Add warm butternut squash to the cooked risotto

Butternut squash incorporated into the risotto

If it's not warm enough, briefly turn on the sauté function and heat it up, while stirring.

Adjust seasonings and serve immediately in wide, shallow bowls topped with Meyer lemon gremolata.

Per serving: 342 calories, 4.4 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 35 mg omega-3 and 308 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 6 g protein, 64 g carbohydrates, 4 g dietary fiber, and 215 mg sodium.

Risotto on the stovetop
Heat 6 cups of broth in a small pot and keep warm on low heat.

Place a 12-inch saute pan with at least 3-inch sides over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of Earth Balance (or ghee). Stir in the onions, salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice and stir continually until the grains are opaque, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed, about 2 minutes.

Add the hot broth to the rice 1 cup at a time, stirring continually, until each cup is almost absorbed. This takes about 20 to 25 minutes and will use up most or all of the 6 cups of broth.

When the rice is just tender, stir in the remaining tablespoon of the Earth Balance (or ghee) and the mashed butternut squash.

Adjust seasonings and serve immediately in wide shallow bowls topped with Meyer lemon gremolata.

Per serving: 365 calories, 3,6 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 35 mg omega-3 and 308 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 6 g protein, 64 g carbohydrates, 4 g dietary fiber, and 232 mg sodium.

Making Dolmades With Fresh Grape Leaves

Have access to fresh grape leaves? Make dolmades!

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Grape Leaves
I live in wine country and have a small vineyard with access to literally millions of grape leaves right outside my door. But for some reason I have never used them for cooking. I always go down to the Greek deli near our local post office when I have a craving for dolmades. So I finally took the plunge and tried making dolmades from scratch while the grape leaves are still young and tender. It was a snap!

The trick is to pick the leaves in late spring or early summer, before they toughen (and before my husband hedges the top of the vines). Pick grape leaves that are big enough to hold a filling and roll up and are as close to the top of the vine as possible. Usually that means the 3rd and 4th leaves. Only use organic grape leaves that have not been sprayed with pesticides.

I used grape leaves from my organic Sauvignon Blanc
plants but you can use leaves from any grape plant.

A single grape leaf contains
826 IU of Vitamin A and
26 mg of omega-3 fatty acid!

Pine Nuts
I gave up eating pine nuts a few years ago after getting pine mouth. This is a condition which causes everything you eat to taste like metal and originates from eating Chinese sourced pine nuts. So I'm going to try using Mediterranean pine nuts that I bought from Nuts.com. They are pricey but it's worth not getting pine mouth. 

These mediterranean pine nuts from Nuts.com
are grown in Italy, Spain, and Portugal.

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Dolmades with Fresh Grape Leaves
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 36 pieces]
Requires 9"x13" casserole dish, a 5-quart Dutch oven or pot with lid, and a shallow, wide pan.

2 1/2 cups boiling water
1 large Rapunzel vegan bouillon cube*
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
1 1/2 cups finely diced onion
Grated lemon zest from 1 organic lemon
1 cup white basmati rice
1/3 cup Mediterranean pine nuts
36 to 40 fresh grape leaves**
2 tablespoons fresh dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

* you can substitute broth for the water and bouillon cube
** you can substitute canned or jarred grape leaves

Dissolve the bouillon cube in a pyrex with 2 1/2 cups of boiling water. Or use 2 1/2 cups of ready-made broth. Set aside.

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add onions and grated lemon zest and cook until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. 

Add the rice and pine nuts and stir until coated. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of broth and simmer, tightly covered, until the moisture is absorbed but not over 15 minutes. Set aside the remaining 1 cup of broth.

While the rice is cooking, bring a wide, shallow pan of water to a boil. Submerge the grape leaves in the boiling water and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Submerged grape leaves.

When rice is cooked, add fresh dill, salt, and pepper. Let cool.

You can substitute a smaller amount of dried dill in this recipe
but fresh dill is far superior.

Taste the filling and adjust seasoning.

To assemble the dolmades, lay a blanched and dried grape leaf on a flat surface, shiny side down. Place 1 tablespoon of filling near the stem end of the leaf. 

Fold the stem end of the leaf over the filling.

Then fold in both sides towards the filling.

Then roll up completely.

Place dolmades seam-side down in a 9"x13" casserole dish. Repeat until you fill the pan. You may have left over filling. 

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and two tablespoons of lemon juice to the pyrex with the remaining cup of broth. Stir well and pour over the dolmades. 

Tightly cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until the grape leaves can be easily pierced with a fork.

Remove from the oven and let cool with the foil remaining on the casserole dish.

Serve at room temperature or store in the refrigerator, covered, until needed.

Per serving: 42 calories, 2 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 34 mg omega-3 and 505 mg omega-6 fatty acid, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 g protein, 6 g carbohydrates, 1 g dietary fiber, and 89 mg sodium (using a large Rapunzel bouillon cube and 1/2 teaspoons added salt). 

Vegan Panko-Crusted Tofu With Dijon Mustard

The Dijon mustard gives this panko breading intense flavors!

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Soy is a Healthy Food
I have always come squarely down on the side that says soy is a healthy food. Obviously you shouldn't eat soy if you are allergic to it, but eating moderate amounts of whole soy foods such as edamame or tofu is good for most people. It's an excellent source of vegetarian "complete" protein. Soy has been shown to relieve menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and is linked with lower risks of breast and endometrial cancer. The FDA claims that eating 25 grams of soy protein per day may help reduce the risk of heart disease. Eating lots of fake meats with soy isolates or taking it as a supplement is not recommended. 

But despite the positive studies, eating soy remains a controversial subject. This topic comes up at every health conference and this year's 2013 Health and Nutrition conference was no exception. Dr. Weil discussed it the first day. He feels that there is a lot of misinformation about soy, most of which comes from the meat and dairy industries. The controversy arises from the fact that soy contains isoflavones that have estrogenic activity and some claim that they might accelerate some breast cancer cells or be bad for developing young boys. Studies have shown, and Dr. Weil agrees, that soy blocks access to estrogen receptors and is even safe for women with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. And no, it does not feminize boys.

Today's recipe
I enjoy tofu once or twice a week. Here's a incredibly easy and flavorful way to prepare it.
The Dijon mustard in this recipe not only serves to hold the breading onto the tofu, but it adds an intensely wonderful flavor to the dish. Other than heating the tofu and browning the breading, there is not much to cook so the entire recipe goes together very quickly.
I serve it with Thai Cabbage, Daikon and Carrot Salad.

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Panko-Crusted Tofu
Vegan
Requires a shallow roasting pan
[makes 3 (2-piece) servings]

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus some to grease the pan
1 pressed garlic clove
1 packed teaspoon grated lemon zest
2/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1 (14 to 16 ounce) block extra-firm organic tofu
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a shallow roasting pan with olive oil.

In a small bowl, combine garlic, lemon zest, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and cilantro (or parsley). Drizzle in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until the bread crumbs are well coated. Set aside.

Make the breading.

Cut the block of tofu into 6 slices. Lay them down in the greased roasting pan and spread each evenly with 1/2 teaspoon of Dijon mustard. 

Coat the tofu with Dijon mustard.

Sprinkle the Panko mixture over the tofu. It should stick to the mustard.

The breading should adhere nicely to the mustard.

Bake in the oven until the tofu is hot and the bread crumbs are slightly toasted and brown.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Serve with Thai Cabbage, Daikon and Carrot Salad.

Per serving (2 pieces of tofu): 272 calories, 18 g fat, 2.7 g saturated fat, 421 mg omega-3 and 3,996 mg omega-6 fatty acids*, 17 g protein, 15 g carbohydrates, 2.2 g dietary fiber and 356 mg sodium.

* Nutritional information for omega-3 and omega-6 excludes any contribution from the Panko bread crumbs since that information is not available from the manufacturer.

Raw Vegan Watermelon Italian Ice -Fat Free, Sugar Free, Gluten Free And Delicious!

Rich in lycopene, vitamins A and C, yet each serving is less than 50 calories!

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Italian Ice
I remember Italian ices when I was a kid. They were these thin little white paper cups filled with sweet, slushy fruit flavored ice. I'd finish the ice and squeeze the paper cup until every drop was gone. Most Italian ice recipes are full of sugar but a sweet watermelon makes a wonderful frozen dessert with just a little stevia and a touch of lemon zest. And you don't have to tell the kids that they are only 35 calories each!


Watermelon Benefits
You've probably read about how tomatoes are a rich source of the carotenoid, lycopene. This plant chemical is known for its antioxidant and cancer protective properties. Well, watermelon is also a very good source of lycopene! It's also a great source of vitamins C and A.

Simple ingredients for Italian ice:  Watermelon, grated lemon peel and a touch of stevia (not shown).

Watermelon Italian Ice
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 8 servings]


6 cups diced seedless watermelon
2 packets stevia (or to taste)
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel


Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to directions.
Serve immediately.


If you don't have an ice cream maker, freeze mixture in a shallow pan, place pan in the freezer and stir every 30 minutes until slushy.
Another technique you can try is to freeze the mixture in an ice cube tray. Place the frozen watermelon ice cubes back into the food processor and pulse until it's slushy being careful not to over process. Serve immediately.


Per serving: 34.6 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0.8 g protein, 8.3 g carbohydrates, 0.8 g dietary fiber and 1.1 mg sodium.

Blackberry Lemon Ginger Muffins - Vegan And Gluten Free

Blackberries blend beautifully with lemon and crystallized ginger.

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Blackberries Everywhere!
If you live anywhere near blackberries, you know that they grow like weeds and around this time of year, they are everywhere! We have some growing all along a trail near our house which we occasionally nibble on but this year Doug discovered blackberries growing through our back fence. How exciting to have these healthful little berries right there for the picking!

Blackberries growing through our backyard fence!

One cup of these little jewels are only 62 calories.

They provide half the RDA of vitamin C and manganese and have 8 grams of fiber!

Blackberries are rich in polyphenols and anthocyanins and are very high on the ORAC scale which measures antioxidant properties.

Gluten Free Baking
After learning a lot about the effects of gluten on the body from Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo's lecture at the Raw Health Expo, I started to develop more gluten free recipes. Since we love making fresh muffins and other baked goods, I quickly had to find a substitute for wheat flour. It's hard enough to make vegan baked goods without butter or eggs, so I thought this was going to be an even greater challenge. But luckily, I found Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour . It works much better when you add Xanthan gum to the recipe. If you don't want to make the muffins gluten free, you can substitute your normal flour in this recipe (I suggest white whole wheat) and eliminate the xanthan gum.

For best results, add xanthan gum to gluten free flour.
For cookies, add 1/4 tsp xanthan gum per cup of GF flour.
For cakes, add 1/2 tsp per cup of GF flour.
For muffins/quick breads, add 3/4 tsp per cup of GF flour.
For breads, add 1 to 1 1/2 tsp per cup of GF flour.
For pizza crust, use 2 tsp per cup of GF flour.

Blackberries, Lemon and Ginger 
I love crystallized ginger. I pop a few pieces in my mouth, from time to time, like they were candy. So I thought they'd match well with the tartness of blackberries. In this recipe, I also add a little lemon zest to bring out the flavors even more.

Penseys is my favorite crystallized ginger.
It's minced into tiny pieces, each delicately coated in sugar.

Blackberry Lemon Ginger Muffins
[Vegan, Gluten Free]
makes 12 muffins
Earth balance for greasing muffin pan
2 cups Bob's Red Mill gluten free all purpose flour *
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum *
2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
1 tablespoon aluminum free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup organic cane sugar or Sucanat
zest from one lemon
2/3 cup apple sauce
3/4 cup gluten free soy milk
1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla extract
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh blackberries
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, minced
* For non-gluten free muffins, substitute either white whole wheat or regular multi-purpose flour for the gluten free flour and eliminate the xanthan gum.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Generously grease a muffin tin with a vegan buttery spread like Earth Balance and set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, xanthan gum, flaxseeds, baking powder, salt and sugar and stir until combined.
In another bowl, mix lemon zest, apple sauce, soy milk, vanilla extract and olive oil. Blend with a fork, whisk or hand beater until combined.
Add to the flour mixture and stir until well blended.
Gently fold in the blackberries and crystallized ginger until they are uniformly distributed.
Scoop batter into muffin tins with a spoon and bake for 24 minutes at 350 degrees or until a toothpick comes out clean when placing it in the middle of the muffins.
Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes.
Take a butter knife and gently go around the edge of each muffin. Remove muffins from pan.
Serve warm or place on rack until cool before storing them.


Per muffin: 163.1 calories, 5.8 g fat, 0.7 g saturated fat, 2.8 g protein, 27.9 g carbohydrates and 3.5 g dietary fiber.

Gently fold blackberries and crystallized ginger into the batter.

Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Serve warm!

Garden Fresh Green Beans with Garlic, Lemon and Dill

Bush beans are prolific and do not require a trellis.

Fresh dill is easy to grow.


I planted bush beans this year instead of pole beans and I'm really surprised just how many beautiful, large beans come from each little plant. So many, in fact, that I really need to come up with some clever ways to prepare them. I've never really liked to can beans since canning makes them lose their snap and frozen beans just don't compare to fresh. So I guess we'll have to eat them all!

Here's my favorite way to prepare green beans. It's quick and easy and a perfect dish for entertaining since it can be served at room temperature. This dish can be made an hour or so before a meal and you don't have to worry about warming it. I'm lucky to have almost all of these ingredients from my garden - beans, dill, garlic and lemons.

Green beans are great in any weight loss program. They are low in calories, high in fiber and are a very good source of vitamin A (through its content of beta-carotene), C, K, folate, iron, potassium and manganese. Green beans are also a good source of protein, the B vitamins Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2) and Niacin (B3) as well as important minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and copper. With its vitamin and mineral content, especially that of calcium and iron, it's an important vegetable for vegans and vegetarians. It is even a good vegetarian source of omega 3 fatty acids.

As a vegan or vegetarian main dish, serve over brown rice. These green beans also make a great ingredient when building a vegetarian antipasto (see my June 22, 2009 post). They make a great side dish, especially when paired with omega 3 rich grilled salmon.

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Fresh Green Beans with Garlic, Lemon and Dill [serves 6]
4 cups whole green beans
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan or sea salt (more or less to taste)
1/8 teaspoon dried or 1/4 teaspoon fresh dill (more or less to taste)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
Freshly ground black pepper

Steam green beans until fork tender (do not over cook). Mix together olive oil, salt, dill, garlic, lemon juice and lemon zest. Pour over cooked green beans and gently toss. Top with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Per serving: 43.5 calories, 2.3 g fat, .3 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 1.3 g protein, 5.7 g carbohydrates, 2.7 g fiber, 44 mg omega 3 and 236 g of omega 6 fatty acids.

Warm Scallop And Asparagus Salad

Scallops are my husband’s favorite seafood and asparagus one of his favorite vegetables, so when I found them BOTH on sale last week, I jumped all over it.

Although scallops have some cholesterol, they are low in calories and fat and make a wonderful food when you are trying to lose weight. Although there have been warnings about mercury, the FDA considers scallops “low mercury” seafood and allows 2 servings or 12 ounces of this popular shell fish per week. Scallops are also a good source of protein and vitamin B12.

Asparagus, a mild diuretic, is also low in calories and is an excellent source of folic acid and vitamins A, C and K.

Here’s a light but very filling salad which is perfect as a main dinner course.

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Scallop And Asparagus Salad [makes 2 servings]
8 large scallops, about 10 oz.
8 large or 12 small asparagus spears
½ head of red leaf lettuce, cleaned and torn
½ medium red bell pepper cut into strips
¼ cup of red onion, thinly sliced
½ medium avocado, sliced
1 T of freshly squeezed lemon juice Zest of one lemon*
2 T of extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large fresh white or crimini mushroom
¼ t of dried tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Clean the scallops VERY well by rinsing under a gentle stream of cold water making sure all of the sand is removed. Put the scallops in a bowl and gently mix with ½ T of olive oil, lemon zest, tarragon, and minced garlic. Set aside. Clean the asparagus very well and place in a shallow baking pan, 1 layer deep. Drizzle with ½ T of olive oil, salt and pepper and shake the pan back and forth until coated. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, gently shaking mid way through the cooking to make sure they don’t stick. When cooked, remove the pan from the oven and set aside.

Mix the lettuce, red bell pepper, red onion and mushroom. Make a dressing of the remaining 1T of olive oil, 1 T of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add to the salad and mix gently. Place the salad mixture in two large plates and garnish each of the plates with avocado slices.

In a no-stick skillet, on medium-high heat, cook the scallops 4 minutes per side. The oil in the marinade should be sufficient for cooking. While cooking, sprinkle lightly with salt and fresh ground pepper. Place 4 cooked scallops and half of the asparagus over each plate of salad. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 340 calories, 23.8 g of fat, 2.8 g saturated fat, 45 g cholesterol, 27.3 g protein, 16.3 g carbohydrate, and 3.8 g of fiber.

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*Put Zest Into Your Life!
Whenever you use an organic lemon, wash it well and zest it. I use a Microplane zester/grater for the job (as pictured). It’s one of the most useful kitchen gadgets I own and it’s only around $10 to $12. Dry whatever you don’t use of the lemon zest and save for use in soups and baked goods, or sprinkle generously on fish, poultry and vegetables. Research has shown that limonene, found in lemon peel, may decrease cancer risk. You can also do this with oranges or grapefruit.