Dressing For Health

Ever make a beautiful, healthy salad at home, or even order one at a restaurant, and think about how much good you are doing for your body, your health? All those veggies, the greens, maybe even some nuts, seeds or fruit are gently tossed into the bounty of good health sitting on your plate. And then you reach for the dressing...

Is a salad really healthy anymore when it's smothered in bottled dressing? Most dressings suffocate the individual tastes of the delicate contents of your dinner, not to mention the empty calories and sugar(and additives).

So next time you reach for the bottle of Ceasar, Ranch, Russian, French, whatever dressing, think of your poor salad and dress for health instead! A squeeze of lemon juice, drizzle of olive oil, maybe a fruity vinaigrette, or a homemade dressing like the one below...

Avocado Delight Dressing

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 Avocado, peeled and pitted
1/4 Cup red onion, sliced
1/2 TSP Pesto
2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 TBSP Lemon Juice
Pinch of salt
1 TSP Sunflower Seeds
2-4 TBSP water

Put all ingredients in a food processor, starting off with only 2 TBSP of water. Blend until the ingredients are smooth. If you would like a less thick dressing, add another TBSP of water and blender again. Continue doing so until you have the desired consistency.

Store in an air tight container. Makes enough dressing for 2 large salads.

I Dream of Pizza...

Out of all the things I miss about not being able to eat gluten, tomatoes and cheese, is pizza. After all, how could it possibly in my wildest dreams be possible to enjoy a beautiful, soft yet firm pizza crust smothered in sauce, veggies and cheese....

Guess what? It's possible. No, I'm not lying to you. Don't believe me? Try it and see!

I posted a recipe for a pizza crust not that long ago, but I promise that this one is even better. It doesn't even contain any flour. It can be made to be vegan, or it can be covered with meat. Looking for a vegan, tomato free sauce? Try my Presto It's Dairy-Free Pesto, it's sure to please.

Ingredients:

2.5 Cups cooked rice*
2 Eggs(or egg replacement like ground flax seed in water)
2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 tsp Sesame Oil
Spices(garlic powder, pepper, salt, oregano, basil, ect)**
1-4 tsp water

Add all ingredients except for the water to a large bowl. Stir together with a wooden spoon(or your hands) until everything is well mixed. You may need to add a few tsp of water so that the rice sticks together well.

Line your pan or pizza pan with parchment paper. Spread half the rice mixture onto the paper until it is the desired thickness. This will not rise or fall, whatever thickness it is now is the thickness of your pizza crust.


Bake in the oven on 350 for 15 minutes then gently flip the crust over so the other side can cook. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the crust is firm. If you want a crispy crust, bake for another 5 to 10 minutes.


Remove from the oven and top with your choice of sauce, veggies and cheese. Bake until veggies are tender and cheese is melted and enjoy!

 Sauce Ideas: Tomato sauce, olive oil, pesto, make a sauce from boiled carrots, squash or pumpkin(put cooked ingredients in food processor or mash with a fork, add spices, garlic and a few cooked cranberries go really well!), Garlic butter, cream cheese...
Topping Ideas: Mushrooms, spinach, red pepper, onion, olives, shaved carrot, broccoli, zucchini, sprinkle of sunflower seeds, meat(chicken, beef, pepperoni, bacon, ham), pineapple...
Cheese Ideas: Authentic Feta(goats cheese), soy cheese, nutritional yeast, mozzarella, marble cheese, Swiss, Parmesan



*Any kind of rice can be used for this, although I haven't tried it with wild rice. Cook your rice with a little extra water to help the crust stick together.
**A little bit of spice goes a long way with this. You don't want all the flavor in the crust to overwhelm the taste of the pizza!