Gluten-free dinner for all!

Last night I made Millet Stuffed Portobello mushrooms for supper. Wow - delicious!

I had my business coach over, Kathy Hay, and since she's a vegetarian, I served the mushrooms with steamed cauliflower and the bean salad that she brought over. It was filling, tasty, healthy, and full of good fibre and protein. Paired nicely with the Shiraz we had too.

My husband, Brendan, believes that it would have been a lovely accompaniment to a grilled rib steak - and I happen to agree!

It didn't take long to get the millet in the pan and simmering. Then there is a 25 minute wait time - good time for preparation of the side dishes - before you can stuff the mushroom tops. Then, they are in the oven for almost half an hour, so you have time to get the table ready and actually cook any side dishes. So, not a quick crazy weeknight meal, but certainly not a slave-all-afternoon meal either. From start to finish, about an hour and fifteen.

It is always nice to find recipes that you can please the whole crowd with. Served as a stand alone healthy vegetarian meal, or as a side dish to round off a nice steak, these mushrooms hold up. I will definitely make them again (and Brendan said that he would happily eat them again - which is not often said about vegetarian meals!).

Happy eating!

Kerri Fullerton ND

Quick and healthy dinner

I got home later than usual last night and didn't have supper prepared. I did however, have a recipe on my computer for stuffed tomatoes that I found on http://www.vegetariantimes.com/.

This will become a staple for sure! It took about 5 minutes to put everything together, then I popped it in the oven for 30 minutes while my son had his bath and got ready for bed.

I lightly sauteed some zucchini and summer squash in some olive oil and salt to have as a side dish - presto! Healthy, filling, and most importantly, tasty.

for 4 stuffed tomatoes, you will need:

• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed


• 1 cup corn kernels (frozen or fresh)


• 3 green onions, sliced


• 1/4 cup of shredded cheese (divided in two)


• 1/2 tsp cumin


• 1 tsp chili powder


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 4 large tomatoes

1. cut the tops off the tomatoes (about an inch worth) and spoon out the centre.


2. chop the centres of the tomatoes and put into a medium sized bowl.


3. add the beans, corn, onions, 1/2 the cheese, cumin, chili powder and salt


4. mix well


5. spoon the mixture into the hollow tomatoes and top with the remaining cheese.


6. place in lightly oiled shallow pan


7. bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Yours in health,

Kerri Fullerton ND

Healthy and natural cooking

A very dear patient of mine wrote a wonderful cookbook. It is full of delightful, healthful and (most importantly) tasty recipes.

She is having a book signing this coming Saturday, June 26th, from 11 - 1 at Lotus Natural Living Boutique, 125 Dunlop St. E Barrie ON.

Please go and check it out. Buy a book and say hello to Cathy.

Yours in Health,
Kerri Fullerton

Are you getting it 5-10 times a day?

Canada's Food Guide recommends getting 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Personally, I recommend aiming for 11 per day. But is that reasonable? How can it be done?

Three fruits: one with breakfast, two servings as snacks. (1/2 cup of fruit, 1/4 cup of dried fruit, one piece of fruit).
Eight vegetables: do a four cup salad at lunch and two cups of cooked veggies at supper (1 cup lettuce/greens, 1/2 cup cooked or raw veggies)
Not so bad eh? Building you meal around your veggies instead of the piece of meat usually helps.

Here is my favorite stir fry recipe. Makes it easy and tasty to get 2 cups of veggies in!

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
1 cup brown rice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp grated ginger
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp sesame oil
340g skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 Tbsp canola oil
6 cups broccoli florets, rinsed (any combination of veggies works well)
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 cup roasted, unsalted cashews

1. Cook the rice according to package instructions.
2. Make the marinade: mix the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, water, sugar, cornstarch, and sesame oil in a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Set the bowl aside (you can do this step before you go to work!)
3. heat a large deep skillet or wok over med-high heat. Add the canola oil and stir-fry broccoli until bright green, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the chicken and the marinade. Stir-fry until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers and remove from heat.
5. Garnish with cashews and serve immediately with the rice.
makes 4 servings.

Bon Apetit!!
Kerri Fullerton ND

Where to find recipes

Many of my patients need inspiration when changing their diets. My two favorite sites for finding recipes are

• http://www.epicurious.com/


• http://www.vegetariantimes.com/

I just type in the food that I'm trying to eat more of in the search bar, and away we go!

Happy cooking!

Kerri

Wonderful winter chili

I love chili to keep me warm in the winter! With all the goodness of beans and the warmth of chili powder, this is one of my favorites. The sausage adds a new twist!


If you stuggle at getting the veggies in, put a handful of baby spinach in the bottom of the bowl before you serve the chili. It wilts up nicely and is barely noticed! Or, make yourself a taco salad by putting it over a bed of lettuce, tomatoes, old cheddar, green onions - top it off with some crushed corn chips and a dollop of sour cream! Mmm mm good.

Recipe

1 Tbsp olive oil
4 mild italian sausages
2 large onions, cut into chunks
2 large peppers (use orange, red, or yellow to add some great nutrition and colour), cut into chunks
1 Tbsp chili powder (add a tsp or two extra if you like heat)
2 tsp ground cumin
28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
15 oz can of each: white kidney beans, red kidney beans, black beans - drained and rinsed


Heat oil in large saucepan. Remove meat from sausage caseing and place in pan. Crumble and cook through. Remove sausage. Add onions to the pan and saute for about 5 minutes. Add peppers and saute for another minute. Add chili powder and cumin and stir until aromatic (half a minute or so). Add tomatoes and beans and sausage. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Kerri