Soba Noodle Bowl

Ingrediants:

•1 pound Soba Noodles (Soba are buckwheat noodles used in Japanese cooking. Found in the oriental section of your local grocer. Can also substitute with Whole Wheat Spagetti noodles)
•Salt and freshly ground pepper
•1 tablespoons olive or grapseed oil
•1 pound medium shrimp, tails off, deveined
•4 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
•2 handfuls of string beans (about 1/2 pound), cut lengthwise into strips
•1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
•1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
•3 cloves garlic, chopped
•1/2 cup orange marmalade
•1/4 cup Tamari (dark soy sauce)
•1/2 cup chicken stock
•2 teaspoons hot sauce
•1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional garnish)

Preparation:
Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the noodles and cook to al dente.

Place a large skillet over high heat and add 1 tablespoon canola oil, once around the pan. Add the shrimp and vegetables and stir fry for 4-5 minutes until shrimp are pink and firm.

While the vegetables are cooking, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the marmalade, Tamari, chicken stock, hot sauce and some freshly ground black pepper.

Drain the soba noodles and toss them with all the ingredients in the skillet. Pour the sauce over the pan, toss to combine and then adjust the flavors – you can add a splash more stock or soy or hot sauce to your taste. Garnish noodles with toasted sesame seed sprinkles, if desired.

Quinoa with Carmelized Crimini mushrooms - Asian Style

Quinoa: Pronounced Keen-wah
Very Healthy Ancient Grain that originated in South America.
If you are attempting to increase your fiber and low-fat protein intake by consuming more whole-grain foods, quinoa is your ticket to success. One cup of cooked quinoa contains 5.2 grams and 8.1 grams of dietary fiber and protein, respectively. In addition, it contains high levels of folate. As much as I enjoy brown rice dishes, I don't always have time to wait 45 minutes while the brown rice cooks. Quinoa, on the other hand, takes a mere 20 minutes to reach a stage where the tender, nutty grain is ready to serve.

Ingredients:
•2 tsp olive oil, divided
•1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
•2 garlic cloves, minced
•1 cup quinoa
•2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
•1 tsp sesame oil
•8 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced
•1 tbsp soy sauce
•1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
Method:


In a medium saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon canola oil over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic. Sauté, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Add quinoa and stir to combine with the ginger and garlic. Add vegetable or chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook all of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking, heat 1 teaspoon canola oil and 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft and brown in spots, stirring occasionally. The trick with mushrooms is to cook them in a skillet that is big enough to give the mushrooms to room. If they are too crowded, the mushrooms will begin to release all of their liquid and steam, rather than brown. To optimize the caramelization, do not stir too often.

Stir the mushrooms into the cooked quinoa, along with 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Garnish with diced red bell pepper and serve.

Serves 4.

Spelt Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 c butter
1 c peanut butter
1/2 c honey
1/2 c pure maple syrup (the real stuff)
2 1/4 c spelt flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 c chocolate chips

Bake cookies on a greased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until slightly browned. Makes 2 dozen cookies

Spelt Bread

Ingredients

3 cups spelt flour
1 cups warm water
1 tbs yeast
1 tsp salt
3 tbs honey
3 tbs coconut oil

1. Dissolve yeast in the warm water (I’m doing this in the bread-maker…you can also do it in your mixer). Add honey and coconut oil. Mix until there are no lumps. (I think I get the lumps because I’m using raw honey).
2. Add salt and half of the spelt flour. Mix and let rise 30 minutes.
3. Gradually add remaining spelt flour and mix until you have a nice dough. Allow to rise another 20-30 minutes and then bake. (I am using the shortest baking cycle with the bread maker, and use a spatula to help it form a nice dough. I don’t think you have to help the bread maker when using white flour. Or you by a bread-maker that is for gluten-free flours or non-white flours).
4. For those of you baking it in the oven, bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. (Depending on your prefered crust color).

As with most homemade bread loaves, this one tastes divine warm with butter on top! It is rich, moist and oh, soo good. Enjoy.

p.s. Don’t want to wait twice for it to rise? I have found that if I mix the first 2 c of spelt flour with the other ingredients, wait a few minutes, and then mix in the remaining cup, it still works magically, and in a third less time.