Alternative Eggs Benedict

This version of Eggs Benedict uses tahini and garbanzo bean pancakes instead of regular muffins and the sauce used in conventional recipes. Using these low-glycemic ingredients is good for overall health, in particular for those prone to cancer and other ailments which are fed by the overuse of refined sugars.

This recipe serves two:

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 c garbanzo bean flour
• 1 sprinkle cumin powder
• 1 sprinkle garlic powder
• 1 sprinkle sea salt
  
• 1/3 c water
• tahini
• ham or chicken slices (2)
  

Mix together garbanzo flour, water, cumin, garlic and sea salt, stirring until lumps are mostly gone and the mixture is the consistency of pancake batter. (Add more water if necessary.)

Pour into olive-oiled frypan, using about half the batter. Sautee on both sides until light brown. Set garbanzo pancakes aside and cook eggs in same pan, either sunny-side up or over easy, according to your preference. Sautee ham or chicken slices until warm.

Spread a small amount of tahini onto pancakes and top each with ham slice and egg. Great for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or as a complement to a veggie dish.

Cilantro Tahini Eggs

These are effin' great! I was looking for a cool substitute for mayo when making deviled eggs for a block party yesterday, and so went out and picked up an 8-oz container of Tahini Sauce at Trader Joe's. The full-bodied creaminess of the Tahini Sauce and its lemony flavour was exactly what the recipe needed:

• 12-14 large eggs
• 1 8-oz container Tahini Sauce
• 6-8 sprigs cilantro leaves, chopped

Place eggs in cool salted water, making sure water covers the eggs, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, time for 7 minutes, turning heat down to just above medium so that eggs are gently boiled. Pour boiling water out of pans over sink and refill with cool water to cool eggs. Refrigerate for two-three hours.

Remove cooked eggs from fridge, peel and slice in half. Carefully remove yolks, which should be firm, but not too dry. Set aside egg white halves. Mix yolks in Tahini Sauce until mixture is uniform and smooth (just a couple minutes). Add in chopped cilantro leaves and quickly mix to distribute evenly.

Using small spoon, scoop mixture into each egg white half, distributing mixture evenly among all egg halves. Place in cilantro-lined container and refrigerate again for an hour or so.

These eggs were really well-received at the block party, and have a delicious flavour and texture that is heartier than traditional deviled eggs. They make great leftovers - we ate them for breakfast the next morning and they were just as good!

Low-Glycemic Vegan Pancakes and Breading

Get a hold of some low-glycemic chick pea (garbanzo bean glycemic index: 28, which is considered quite low) flour.  Also called Besan, this is usually available in health food shops and in stores selling Indian food.  This is so damn easy:

• Any amount of garbanzo bean flour
• Water
• Sea salt

Add enough water to the garbanzo flour and salt (add to your taste) to make a pancake batter-like consistency (meaning it should be a little firm, but easy-flowing enough to form a flat, round disc when poured into a frying pan).  Add your choice or combination of:

• Herbs (cumin, cilantro, coriander, cayenne, etc.)
• Veggies (chopped finely)
• Oils (olive, etc.)
• Meats (use less water for batter, some salt and the right herbs and it makes a great "breading" for fried chicken, etc.)

Pour some batter into a well-heated frying pan on medium heat.  Cook first side until you can see slight browning on the edges.  Flip and serve with a main dish, or as a main dish.

Quick, Rich Gluten-Free "Breaded" Italian Veggie Casserole

My Quick, Rich Gluten-Free "Breaded" Italian Veggie Casserole is something I happened upon when I bought a bunch of veggies and herbs, but when I got home I realized I forgot the rice pasta that was supposed to be the anchor for the dish.

But no matter, this spur-of-the-moment recipe turned out to be absolutely dee-lish and even lower carb than I had planned. This is so easy to throw together and so great that if you feed it to your guests they will think it came from a fancy restaurant and you spent gobs of time making it for them (definitely use as leverage!). You'll need about 5-10 minutes prep time and 55 min bake time:

• 1/2 large organic white or yellow onion, chopped
• 2 oz. organic fresh basil (about 50 grams or so), chopped
• 3 medium-sized organic zucchini, sliced, about 1 cm thick each slice
• 3 organic roma tomatos, sliced about same thickness as zucchini

In large glass oven-proof baking pan, pour about 2 tb olive oil. Stir chopped/sliced veggies into pan to just coat with the oil. Next you'll need:

• Garlic powder, organic if possible
• Dried organic oregano
• Sea salt, organic if possible
• Almond meal, organic if possible

The above three ingredients you may add to taste. I used about a teaspoon of garlic powder (enough to coat the veggies lightly when stirred again), several shakes of oregano (at least a few teaspoons for flavour) and about 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt. Stir the sea salt and veggies again to distribute salt. Spread mixture evenly in pan, then coat with 3/4 to 1 cup of almond meal (again, to your taste where you can use more or less). Veggies can be peeking through in spots here and there, but it should have a nice coating on top.

Sprinkle top of almond meal with another pinch or two of sea salt, then place in 400 degree oven for 55 minutes. Almond meal will be brown on the peaks and veggies will be soft, but not mushy. Cut into serving sizes of your choice and use spatula to serve. Refrigerate unused portion to reheat later on.

Curried Singapore Rice Noodles

This dish is the SHIT! And great for your health as well.

Curry powder contains a matrix of great herbs and spices, and has the effect of waking up your taste buds as well as encouraging glandular activity in the body due to its warm, tangy spiciness.

Preparing this dish depends on your tastebuds--and how much curry you have around. I like a lot of curry in this, along with a taste-enhancing amount of sea salt:

• 1 package rice noodles (angel hair or vermicelli, aka the smallest-diametered spaghetti you can find)
• Curry powder, to taste (try and get an authentic curry powder and have plenty on hand)
• Butter (to taste--sub in Earth Balance if you need to, but butter works best)
• Sea salt (to taste)

Boil rice noodles in oiled water per package directions. Drain and place in bowl, then set aside.

In a fry pan on medium to medium-high heat, roast slightly your curry powder, stirring it briskly so it becomes fragrant. This helps bring out the flavor.

Set curry aside momentarily, and melt your butter into your rice noodles, enough to generously coat them. Add curry powder a little at a time, stirring into noodles. Add sea salt to taste.

Variations: add steamed or slightly-cooked vegetables (julienned carrots and blanched celery are good). Sliced grilled chicken and scrambled eggs also work well.