This recipe was inspired by a photo I saw on Plant Based Janes account. I had a head of cauliflower needing to be used up and a couple of old lemons. I always want greens in my food so adding in some leaves from my sweet potato vines made this a perfectly healthy and delicious dinner. It far exceeded my expectations! I used the gluten free macaroni from Costco and cassava root flour to make it gluten free but you can use anything you desire! Make it your own. Just make it!

Ingredients:

5 cups sliced cauliflower florets. Slice them to make them flat.
1/4 c. cassava root flour or flower of choice
1/2 tsp. salt or salt of choice
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. coconut or avocado oil
1/2 c. butter (I use kerri gold)
1/2 minced onion (about 1/3 cup)
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 medium lemon, juiced or two small
salt and pepper to taste
Chopped greens as desired and fresh herbs
Cooked pasta as desired, about 4 - 5 cups

Directions:
Wash and prepare the cauliflower into sliced florets, No thicker than 1/2 inch thick.
Put them in a bowl and sprinkle the salt, pepper and flour and gently toss to coat. Add more flour if needed. Cook pasta at this time as well and set aside. 

Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan. Add the florets and fry on both sides till golden. Do not burn! about 4 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate with a paper towel.

Using the same frying pan (wipe out if too caked in flour and cauliflower bits), add the stick of butter and onions. Sauté the onions on medium heat until they are translucent. Add the garlic and cook a minute longer. Do not burn! Stir in the broth and lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer a minute to thicken. Add in the chopped greens like kale, chard or sweet potato leaves. Sauté just till barely tender. Add in the cauliflower and toss with the lemon butter sauce. Be careful to not break up the florets. Let simmer for a minute then toss in the pasta. Just enough so that there is lemon butter for all. Add a little more butter if needed. Salt and pepper to taste. Add more lemon if desired. I also added chopped parsley and basil when adding in the greens. Served 4 people generously. 

Sometimes I just want old school comfort food. But, I want it as healthy as possible. Using grass fed beef, mushrooms, zucchini and fresh spinach, this dish is much lower in calories and fat than most stroganoff dishes. I used organic sour cream but it would be great with coconut milk or almond based creams as well. It must be thick! Use gluten free noodles for a gluten free option. Season it up as much as you want to your liking but the smoked paprika is an absolute must. Don't skimp! If you don't like mushrooms, you won't be making this dish. It isn't stroganoff without them. 

Ingredients:

1  1 /2 pounds grass fed hamburger
1/2 cup diced onion
1  1/2  C. chopped zucchini (any size chunk desired)
1 T. minced garlic
1/2 lb. sliced or chopped, fresh mushrooms
2 C. sour cream or substitute cream
2 t. or more smoked paprika (I love Spice Hunters brand)
fresh spinach, chopped
salt
pepper
pasta of choice

Directions:

Cook noodles per package and set aside. In a skillet, brown the onions, hamburger and garlic till the meat is almost done. Add in the mushrooms, zucchini, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and cook until the veggies are tender. Add more paprika, salt and pepper as desired. When the meat and veggies are cooked, turn the heat to low and stir in the sour cream. Add more salt and pepper if needed with the sour cream added. Toss in the noodles. Around 4-5 cups cooked or as desired. Top with chopped spinach and serve. 

Eggplants are one thing that grow in abundance in my garden. They aren't my favorite of veggies but I love them in this dish! Using almond flour instead of wheat flour leaves them crunchy and grain free! 

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 eggs
1 cup finely ground almond flour
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
coconut oil for frying

Directions:

Cut eggplant in 1/3 inch slices and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. of salt and let sit 15 minutes. Squeeze out the moisture in the eggplant. Mix almond flour, Parmesan, sea salt, garlic and pepper. Dip eggplant slices into whipped egg and then into almond flour mixture. Fry till golden on both sides and top with marinara sauce. 

**Recipe from www.alldayidreamaboutfood.com

This pasta is a summer gardners favorite because it uses up the plentiful tomatoes, zucchini and basil. I could eat this every day. It is so light and delicious and just smells like summer to me! Best part is that it takes 15 minutes tops!

Ingredients:

About 4 cups cooked pasta of choice. Usually half bag of spaghetti. 
 I love Tinkyada brown rice pasta and quinoa macaroni at Costco.
2 cups chopped zucchini
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 or more cups chopped roma tomatoes or halved Cherry tomatoes
1/2 c. or more chopped fresh basil
1/2 c. or more Fresh parmesan

Directions:
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Cook pasta till al dente. 
Sauté zucchini and garlic in olive oil till barely tender. Add in tomatoes and basil
and heat until tomatoes are soft and juicy. Add in noodles and fresh parmesan. Let 
the cheese melt and add in salt and pepper to taste!

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It has been decades since I have had a tuna casserole but I was craving this comfort dish last night. I decided to try my hand at making it as healthy as possible and it was a win! I used quinoa macaroni from Costco and Parmesan and hard, aged cheddar. Instead of heavy cream or cream of horrible toxins soup, I used 1% organic milk. You only need a cup of milk and 1 1/2 cup of cheese to feed the whole family. Not bad. You can make this completely gluten free or gluten it up. I used fresh peas but will add more veggies next time. For the tuna, I used the Wild Planet tuna. 

Ingredients:

8 oz. dry quinoa macaroni pasta or small pasta of choice
2 T. Kerry Gold grass-fed butter
3 T. flour or tapioca or arrowroot flour to thicken
1 onion, chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 cup of milk
1 3/4 cups bone broth
2 cans Wild Planet tuna, drained and chopped
1 cup hard cheddar, more if desired
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook macaroni per directions till al dente. Drain and set aside. Cook chopped onion in butter until limp, about 5 minutes. Add in flour or tapioca or arrowroot flour for a couple minutes as a thickener. Add in the broth and stir and let boil a minute until it thickens. Stir in milk and boil, stirring continually for another minute. Add in peas, and tuna and cook another minute. Remove it from the heat and stir in the cheddar and noodles and salt and pepper to taste.Top with parmesan and additional cheddar if desired. I made this all in a cast iron pan but if you are not using an oven proof skillet, place noodle mixture in a greased casserole pan before cooking. Bake at 375 for 18-25 minutes until golden. The cast iron cooks faster so it only took mine about 18 minutes. Serve with a great salad and fresh fruit.