All or nothing. That tends to me my approach to… well… everything.

It’s no surprise that my approach to food can be this way as well.

About two years ago I watched the documentary Forks Over Knives and quickly began to adopt a plant based diet. If you haven’t seen it yet (it is available on Netflix), I can’t recommend it enough. Every American needs to watch it and educated themselves on the food we eat! (That’s the all or nothing side of me talking… can you tell?)

We spent the past year and a half or so eating a mostly plant - based diet and we loved it. I, who am not much of a reader, poured over books and blogs learned everything there was to know about eating a plant-based (vegan) diet. I even told myself “I will do this forever!”

My much more balanced husband encouraged me away from putting a label on how we eat and to still have freedom to enjoy other foods ever so often. Wise man I’ve got!

At first I felt pretty good and was loving a whole new world of plants and grains and tastes I had never experienced before. God is such a creative God and has created so much to be enjoyed!

However for about a year I have just felt “off”. I thought it was the addition of a new baby and the lack of sleep that comes along with that but the older she got the worse I felt so I finally went to the doctor to get the bottom of it.

Several doctors and tests later, I have been diagnosed with something called SIBO which is an overgrowth of bacteria in my small intestines which is giving me all sorts of crazy symptoms and making me sick. It is totally treatable and could potentionally clear up years and years of stomach issues and food sensitivities.

Halleluiah!

However… it requires a crazy restrictive diet for an extended period of time. Let’s just say it makes the Paleo diet look like a cakewalk.

(I’m 10 days in… cake sounds really good right now)

Why am I telling you all of this?

A couple of reasons…

#1: There will be a few changes around The Kitchen when it comes to the new recipes that are posted.  Mostly because they will be based of what I am currently cooking in my home on this crazy SIBO diet!

I will be posting more recipes that contain meat, fish and eggs and lots of veggies. I have some friends who will continue to contribute to The Kitchen with plant-based recipes as well so there will be a wider range of recipes coming your way!

#2: I am learning the importance of educating ourselves about the food we eat AND avoiding too many all or nothing extremes when it comes to food.

Once my treatment is over I’m not sure where I will land with the whole world of food but I do know this; God created all foods for our nourishment and for our pleasure. He is a creative God and I want to enjoy His creations this side of Heaven. If we stick to the foods He created (not the man made stuff we have altered quite a bit), we really can’t go wrong.

I am on this journey of learning with you all and I have so much more to learn. My heart and my goal is to inspire you to love real, whole foods and to learn a bit about what you eat in the process.

Today’s recipe was inspired by my sister-in-law, Tammy, who created the tilapia rub and I added the salsa for an extra kick of flavor.

ENJOY!

Elizabeth

PS: I always love to hear what you are enjoying making and what you are learning! I’m inspired by your comments and love it when we start conversations about food!

What have you been cooking lately? Anything you’d like to see posted here on the The Kitchen?

CUMIN TILAPIA + PINEAPPLE + JALAPENO SALSA

Serves 4

Gluten, dairy, grain free

INGREDIENTS:

Cumin Tilapia:

4 tilapia fillets  (5-6 oz each)

4 T cumin

1 t smoked paprika (or regular)

¼ t cayenne pepper

¾ t sea salt

Juice from two limes

2 T coconut oil for cooking

Pineapple Salsa:

1 ½ C fresh pineapple

1 jalapeño

¼ C chopped cilantro

Juice from two limes

Sea salt

*If you can, make the salsa a few hours before you plan to eat so the juices can combine and create more flavor.

TO MAKE:

Salsa:

Chop the pineapple into small, bit-sized chunks. Here is a quick tutorial on how to cut a pineapple.

Cut jalapeño long ways and remove the seeds and insides. Finely chop.

Finley chop cilantro.

Combine pineapple, jalapeño and cilantro in a bowl and squeeze the juice from the two limes into the bowl.

Add a pinch of salt and refrigerate for a few hours. You can serve it immediately as well if you don’t have time to prep it early.

Fish:

Combine cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt in a bowl and stir well.

Cut the limes in half and squeeze the juice on both sides of each fillet. ½ a lime for each fillet of tilapia.

Use your hands to rub the cumin mixture on each side of the fillets. Make sure each side is completely coated.

In a cast iron or non-stick skillet, heat the coconut oil.

Add fillets to the hot oil and cook on medium heat for about 6-7 minutes on each side.

When it is finished, it should have a nice brown, crispy layer on each side.

TO SERVE:

Spread a few spoonfuls of the pineapple salsa over the top and enjoy!

You could also add the fish and salsa to a good corn tortilla, top with avocado and turn it into fish tacos!

ENJOY!

[print_this]

CUMIN TILAPIA + PINEAPPLE + JALAPENO SALSA

Serves 4

Gluten, dairy, grain free

INGREDIENTS:

Cumin Tilapia:

4 tilapia fillets  (5-6 oz each)

4 T cumin

1 t smoked paprika (or regular)

¼ t cayenne pepper

¾ t sea salt

Juice from two limes

2 T coconut oil for cooking

Pineapple Salsa:

1 ½ C fresh pineapple

1 jalapeño

¼ C chopped cilantro

Juice from two limes

Sea salt

*If you can, make the salsa a few hours before you plan to eat so the juices can combine and create more flavor.

TO MAKE:

Salsa:

Chop the pineapple into small, bit-sized chunks. Here is a quick tutorial on how to cut a pineapple.

Cut jalapeño long ways and remove the seeds and insides. Finely chop.

Finley chop cilantro.

Combine pineapple, jalapeño and cilantro in a bowl and squeeze the juice from the two limes into the bowl.

Add a pinch of salt and refrigerate for a few hours. You can serve it immediately as well if you don’t have time to prep it early.

Fish:

Combine cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt in a bowl and stir well.

Cut the limes in half and squeeze the juice on both sides of each fillet. ½ a lime for each fillet of tilapia.

Use your hands to rub the cumin mixture on each side of the fillets. Make sure each side is completely coated.

In a cast iron or non-stick skillet, heat the coconut oil.

Add fillets to the hot oil and cook on medium heat for about 6-7 minutes on each side.

When it is finished, it should have a nice brown, crispy layer on each side.

TO SERVE:

Spread a few spoonfuls of the pineapple salsa over the top and enjoy!

You could also add the fish and salsa to a good corn tortilla, top with avocado and turn it into fish tacos!

[/print_this]

I’m pretty sure pasta is my husband’s love language. Duke would eat “clean noodles”, as he calls them, (pasta with nothing on it) for every meal of the day if I let him.

So, naturally, any meal that consists of pasta in any form makes my boys happy!

Whether you have been cooking your whole life or just learning to find your way around the kitchen, spaghetti is a pretty simple meal to make. However, it is often filled with sausage or ground beef and packed with Parmesan cheese to create more flavor.

Sometimes these additions can turn it into a meal that slows you down instead of one that fuels your body... and if you are anything like me, you need all the energy you can't get!

I’m not a fan of fake meat substitutes due to the fact that they are usually full of ingredients that don’t add a whole lot of nutritional value.

And they often taste, well...fake.

That’s why tempeh (pronounced tem-PAY) is a great product to use in dishes that could really use a “meat like” flavor and texture if you are trying to eat a plant based diet . And it is great for added protein.

So what is tempeh?

• Tempeh is a nutritional superhero. Tempeh's fermentation process and it’s retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber and vitamins compared to tofu, as well as firmer texture and stronger flavor.

• Tempeh is a great choice for people who have difficulty digesting plant-based high-protein foods like beans and legumes or soy foods such as tofu. Because tempeh is a fermented soy product, its enzymes are partially broken down, making it easier to metabolize.

• Tempeh has a bit of a nutty flavor and easily takes on the flavors of whatever you are cooking it with. It works great in tacos, stir fries, salads and just about anything else you can think of. It can be crumbled or cut into strips.

• Most grocery stores carry tempeh, you just might have to ask where to find it.

This recipe is my take on healthier, “meaty” spaghetti and a warm comfort food on a cold rainy day.

I’m still working on convincing Duke to eat more then just “clean noodles” and that vegetables will give him strong muscles like his dad… but this spaghetti is a start!

ENJOY!

Elizabeth

TEMPEH AND VEGGIE SPAGHETTI

dairy free

serves 6

INGREDIENTS: 

• 1 bell pepper
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 small onion
• 4-5 mushrooms
• *1 package of tempeh
• *3 cups marinara sauce
• 3 T (or more) nutritional yeast (this can be found in bulk at Winco, Whole Foods or New Seasons. It adds a cheese - like flavor and is packed with vitamin B12)
• 2 t garlic powder or minced garlic
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1/4 t sea salt
• A few dashes of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 package of whole wheat or brown rice noodles

*I used the Organic Three Grain Tempeh from Trader Joe’s for $1.39. It does contain barley which contains gulten but original tempeh is gluten free and only contains soy.

*I keep it super simple and use the jarred sauce but you can make your own too.   I use the Organic Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce from Trader Joe’s.

*Anything goes with the veggies! Add whatever you think sounds good.

TO MAKE:

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and add chopped onion and crumbled tempeh.

To crumble the tempeh, simply break it up with your hands until it is all crumbled into bit sized pieces.

After the mixture begins to brown, add chopped bell pepper, zucchini and mushrooms. Stir well and let the veggies begin to cook up.

After a few minutes, add nutritional yeast, garlic, pepper, salt and cayenne pepper.

Let the veggies cook up until they are just beginning to soften and brown and then add the marinara sauce.

Let the sauce mixture simmer for 10 – 15 minutes on low so that all the flavors can combine and do their magic.

While your sauce is simmering, cook up some noodles in salted water.

TO SERVE:

Serve over noodles of your choice and top with fresh basil.

ENJOY!

[print_this]

TEMPEH AND VEGGIE SPAGHETTI

dairy free

serves 6

INGREDIENTS: 

• 1 bell pepper
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 small onion
• 4-5 mushrooms
• *1 package of tempeh
• *3 cups marinara sauce
• 3 T (or more) nutritional yeast (You can buy it in bulk at Winco, Whole Foods or New Seasons. It adds a cheese - like flavor and is packed with vitamin B12)
• 2 t garlic powder or minced garlic
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1/4 t sea salt
• A few dashes of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 package of whole wheat or brown rice noodles

*I used the Organic Three Grain Tempeh from Trader Joe’s for $1.39. It does contain barley which contains gulten but original tempeh is gluten free and only contains soy.

*I keep it super simple and use the jarred sauce but you can make your own too.   I use the Organic Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce from Trader Joe’s.

*Anything goes with the veggies! Add whatever you think sounds good.

TO MAKE:

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and add chopped onion and crumbled tempeh.

To crumble the tempeh, simply break it up with your hands until it is all crumbled into bit sized pieces.

After the mixture begins to brown, add chopped bell pepper, zucchini and mushrooms. Stir well and let the veggies begin to cook up.

After a few minutes, add nutritional yeast, garlic, pepper, salt and cayenne pepper.

Let the veggies cook up until they are just beginning to soften and brown and then add the marinara sauce.

Let the sauce mixture simmer for 10 – 15 minutes on low so that all the flavors can combine and do their magic.

While your sauce is simmering, cook up some noodles in salted water.

TO SERVE:

Serve over noodles of your choice and top with fresh basil.

ENJOY!

[/print_this]