This translation from French into English does not work. When we say “j’ai un petit creux” that translates literally into “I have a little hole“, but it means “I have a hole in my stomach“, so that “I am a little hungry“.  It sounds really strange in English, you are just wondering where that hole is…but that’s all I could find since I am not proficient in English expressions, so we’ll leave it at the hole we have in our stomach!

I am not a huge cookie fan, and I rarely eat cookies, so I don’t keep anything sweet at home, no cakes, cookies or such things. I would gladly chose a bag of chips which is my “péché mignon” over a slice of cake or a cookie, but once in a couple of months, I do feel like a little sweet thing which is not fruit, then I make those.

They are very tasty and healthy and they can be eaten in the morning since they do have a good quantity of oats and nuts. They’re the soft kind and quite satisfying when you feel like a little treat.

I used whole wheat einkorn flour and dark chocolate but of course, you can make your own substitution according to your tastes.

Ingredients for 10-12 (depending on the size)

• 1/2 cup light agave nectar (or any sweetener of your choice)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste
• 1 small container of apple sauce (about 3 tbs)
• 1/4 coconut flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat einkorn flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3 tbs chopped cashews
• 4 tbs chunks of dark chocolate for baking
• 1 cup + oat flakes

Instructions

In a container, mix agave nectar, vanilla and apple sauce. Mix well. Then add the flours, the baking powder, the nuts, the oats and the chocolate. Mix with tip of the fingers to obtain a homogeneous mixture but do not over mix.

Pre heat oven at 360F. Using a cookie tray, make cookies dividing the dough into small amounts, the equivalent of 1.5 tbs of dough on tray. Sprinkle the top with extra oats.

Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

I found those high protein, low carbs spaghetti. They’re made with black bean flour and water. I was very intrigued by those and obviously needed to try them. The same brand also sells edamame noodles, with the same concept, using edamame flour and water, which are as good with a little more chewy texture. The world of pasta has evolved a lot in this last 10 years, using all different kinds of nutritious flours.

This dish is vegan and gluten free, I am neither vegan nor gluten free, but sometimes I like to eat light nutritious vegan meals with lots of flavors and delicious that make me happy and energized, so here is one.

Besides I love the contrast of the black spaghetti combined with the light green of the pesto. Aside from the fact, that this is a beautiful dish to look at, it’s packed with nutrition.

You can play around with its texture, adding more broth, or make it more creamy by adding more almonds.

Ingredients for 2-3

• 180 g black bean spaghetti
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1/4 onion, chopped
• 1 lb Brussels sprouts, finely sliced
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 2 tbs silvered almonds
• 1 meyer lemon (juice and zest)
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a pan. Add onion and let soften. Add Brussels sprouts and broth. Cover with lid and let cook for a few minutes. The sprouts need to be still vibrant green and still a bit crunchy. Remove from heat.

Divide the sprouts in two equal portions. Let the portion to be used for the pesto to cool.

In a mixer, mix half the sprouts, mint, almonds, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix until obtained a smooth consistency. If too thick add some broth. Add lemon zest at the end.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti stirring regularly and cook for about 6 minutes and still al dente. When cooked, drain and rinse under cold water.

In a large bowl, mix spaghetti with pesto, and add the cooked Brussels sprouts left aside.

Mix well and eat cold or lukewarm.

I called these galettes, anything in that particular shape, is a galette to me, but it can also be called borlotti burger, you can eat them as is, in a middle of a bun, or dress them up a little like I did, it’s all up to your imagination. They’re gluten free for those with Celiac disease, dairy free for the lactose intolerant crowd, light and nutritious for the “gourmands“. I am in the third category.

These are made with the kind of beans called “borlotti“I have always heard call them borlotti, but in English I just found out that they’re called cranberry beans. It’s a Italian variety. Fresh they come with a redish-whitish color skin. It’s the beans I was used to eating in my childhood, therefore they remain special to me.

You cannot always find them fresh, so the canned one work fine. I found an organic brand imported from Italy that is really good.

I made those quite large, the size of a hamburger, but you can make them half the size and serve them as appetizers. The combination of the beans, kale and pungent red pepper salsa was perfect. The textures and flavors really complimented each other.

For 3 large galettes

For the galettes

•  1 can borlotti beans
• 2 tbs garbanzo bean flour
• 1 egg
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 tbs red onion, chopped
• 1 tbs savory, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• salt and pepper

For the kale

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 3 garlic clove, shopped
• 4 cups baby kale
• 1 tbs kalamata olives, chopped
• zest of 1/2 Meyer lemon
• salt and pepper

For the roasted pepper salsa

• 2 small bell red peppers, roasted, skin off
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• cayenne pepper to taste
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbs olive oil

Instructions

For the galettes

In a mixing container, place drained beans (if using canned ones) and crush them to obtain a semi-smooth texture. Add all other ingredients and mix well. Form about 3 inches patties. Heat olive oil in a pan, add cook patties at medium heat until golden brown on both sides.

For the kale

Heat olive oil in a large and deep pot. Add garlic and let cook until fragrant. Add kale, salt and pepper and stir at high heat until wilted. Add lemon zest and olives and stir for few additional minutes.

For the bell red pepper sauce

Place peppers under broiler, and let them cook on all sides until the skin starts burning. Remove from oven and place in a plastic bag until it cools down. Remove skin and seeds. Place peppers in a mixer with the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth.

Serve galettes hot, topped with kale and red pepper sauce. Drizzle with some olive oil

Spring is here and I am just excited about a new season coming. I love spring, except for the allergies due to pollen. Hopefully this year will be mild allergy season.

One of the simple things that make me happy in life is eating coconut ice cream. Since I have no coconut ice cream, I would be just happy eating anything “coconuty” today. Since I have a lot of ingredients made out of coconut in my kitchen, I thought to make something simple, yet light and delicious.

I like the fact that this cake doesn’t need anything special in the making process such as dividing the whites from the yolks and beating them separately, etc… all ingredients are mixed together and that’s it.

For those with some gluten intolerance, I made those gluten free, otherwise you can make those with regular flour, it can be with whole wheat flour, or any other flour you prefer. I don’t have any problem with gluten but I was out of whole wheat flour so I used gluten free flour. I was gluten free for about eight months, I wanted to see if I would feel any different, since everybody is telling you, you have to remove the evil gluten from your diet. I my case, there was absolutely no change in the way I felt, weight, health, or anything else, so I decided to go back to gluten.

These cakes are so light that after eating one of those, it feels like you didn’t eat anything.

You would think that for a coconut cake, the result would be a snow white cake. I love snow white cakes, but you just have to use white sugar. In this case, the raw coconut sugar being brown like a brown sugar, you end up having a brownish cake. Oh well “tant pis“, they’re delicious, so the color doesn’t really matter in the end.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 5.3 oz (or 150 g)  raw coconut sugar
• 4.5 oz (or 130 g) raw coconut oil
• half can coconut milk (I used the light one)
• 5.3 oz (or 150 g) shredded coconut (I used the reduced fat kind)
• 4.2 oz (or 120 g) gluten free flour
• 1tsp baking powder

Preparation

Pre heat oven at 375F. Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Divide the batter in eight paper cups (or regular greased molds) – Cook in a preheated for about 35 minutes. You can enjoy slightly warm or cold.

I have been playing around with this recipe for a while, changing quantities and I finally managed to like this version which is moist and soft.

I am not necessarily pro or against gluten. I think if people have problems with it, then it should be removed from one’s diet. I removed it from my diet and ate sans gluten for a couple of months to see how my body felt. I thought since everyone talked about it, I should try it too, to get my own opinion, so I did.

Well to be real honest, I did not feel better nor worse. I had less and less carbs cravings and was less bloated but that’s basically it. So I won’t start preaching a gluten free diet or a not gluten-free one, I think that’s a personal choice. If you feel better when you don’t eat gluten, then don’t. That is my philosophy.

If you want to try a gluten free cake that is moist and light, then this is the one.

Ingredients for 6-8 people

• 6 eggs
• 190 g (6.7 oz) brown sugar
• 250 g (8.8 oz) almond flour
• 50 g (1.7 oz) gluten free flour
• 160 g (5.6 oz) melted butter
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bitter almond extract

 Preparation

In two different containers, separate the yolks from the whites. Beat the whites to a thick consistency. Mix yolks with sugar and beat until the mixture whitens and double volume. Add butter. Add flours and mix well to obtain a smooth batter. Incorporate egg whites. Add baking powder and almond extract.

Butter a round baking mold, sprinkle flour and spread the flour evenly into mold.

Pour batter in mold and cook in a pre heated oven at 350F for about 45 min or until completely cooked. Check the cake once in a while so that it doesn’t brown too fast. If it’s the case, lower the temperature.

This will be my last post before I fly to France, for my bi-yearly trip to visit the family.

I discovered this pasta while looking for an alternative for a gluten-free client. It’s basically pasta made with quinoa, amaranth and brown rice flour. At first I was curious as to what its texture and taste would be. I know brown rice pasta tends to be chewy, so this flour mixture intrigued me. I have to say that I loved it right away, at the first bite. I rinsed it with cold water after when I drained it, to avoid any stickiness. Then I prepared it like regular wheat pasta. I love its texture, a bit chewy but firm.

I had tons of baby spinach so being a leafy green, I thought to use them for pesto. Then to add more green, a few zucchini ended up in there too. I have to say that I adore this dish combination…and the color is so vibrant, it’s a simple dish to lift your spirit. When I eat clean, fresh food, I feel energized and happy. I did not add nuts in the pesto, simply because I ate almonds in the morning, so I did not want to add extra. You can certainly add some walnuts, pine nuts, or even pistachios.

Ingredients for 2

• 200 g rotini
• 3 zucchini (cut lengthwise then crosswise)
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1-2 tbs vegetable broth

For the pesto

• 1.5 cups baby spinach
• 2 tbs olive oil
• juice and zest of 1 meyer lemon
• 1 tbs nuts (optional)
• 1 tbs parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
• salt and pepper

Preparation

For the spinach pesto

Mix all ingredients in a blender except for lemon zest. At the end, when the pesto is done and homogenous, add lemon zest.

For the remaining of the recipe

Heat olive oil in a pan, add zucchini and a few tbs broth. Cover at medium temperature and let cook until zucchini are tender but not mushy (about 5-7 minutes). Adjust with salt and pepper.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, cook for about 7 minutes and drain. In a mixing bowl, mix pasta with zucchini and pesto.