Gluten Free with Julie B: September 2012

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Tuscan Bean Soup with Shrimp

My husband absolutely loves shrimp. I mean really loves them. So I'm always looking for good recipes that use shrimp. This particular one is another from the Pioneer Woman. I didn't have everything on hand that her recipe calls for so I had to substitute a few things and also added some of my own. It turned out really well and the husband and I had lots of leftovers for the rest of the week! I know shrimp sounds a little odd, so if you don't like shrimp you can always substitue chicken or just leave a meat protein out all together. It's plenty filling without it! Enjoy!

What you need

- 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and tails removed
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 1 C carrots, chopped
- 2 T tomato paste
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 can diced tomatoes (15oz)
- 1/2 C dry white wine
- 4 C broth (I used a mix of chicken and veg)
- 2 cans Great Northern Beans (rinsed)
- 2 C baby spinach
- 1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp lemon juice

Directions

- Over medium heat in a large pot or dutch oven, heat a bit of oil (I used coconut)

- Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent and fragrant

- Add in the chopped celery and carrots

- Add in the tomato paste and stir well

- Add the red pepper flakes and oregano

- Add the white wine and scrape up the browned pieces from the bottom of the pan

- Add the can of diced tomatoes and the juice

- Add the rinsed white beans and stir well

- Add the broth and a bit of salt and pepper

- Let the soup simmer for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally

- When the soup has about 5 minutes left, go ahead and prepare the shrimp

- In a medium skillet, melt 2 T of butter (or oil but I like the butter flavor on shrimp)

- Add in the shrimp, parsley and lemon juice

- Cook until the shrimp turn pink and set aside

- Add in the baby spinach just before serving the soup

- Serve up the soup and add some shrimp on top. I also added some grated parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Do you know what you're eating?

I'm taking a break from posting recipes this week because I REALLY want to share this post with you all. Now, for those of you who aren't eating organic and hormone free, this post is especially for you! I know sometimes "organic" can be a scary thing. Maybe when you hear organic you immediately think "Oh I could never buy organic. It's way too expensive and most organic foods are weird. I mean isn't organic like tofu and bean sprouts?" Let me put your mind at peace. Instead when you hear organic, think healthy. I am convinced that eating organic and clean is the best way to jumpstart a healthy eating lifestyle. By making simple changes to the produce and meat you buy you can naturally eliminate SO many things that shouldn't be going into your body. Seriously. Listen up people. Or you will regret it later, I promise.

The husband and I made the decision about a year ago to eat as organic as possible. This was before I found out about my gluten intolerance but having made this switch first really did make going gluten free a lot easier. What helped us make the decision were two documentaries, "Food Inc." and "Forks over Knives." (Both are available for instant streaming on Netflix by the way...watch them!) These two documentaries do a great job of explaining the food industry and the dangers of eating processed and non-organic foods. They do a much better job explaining it than I ever could so just watch them. It will make you change your mind about eating organic.

Now, organic things are more expensive. I know, it seems unfair that the things that are better for everyone are more expensive but that's how the world works unfortunately. So, my new job was figuring out how to keep my husband from freaking out over the grocery receipt and still feel good about the food we were eating. It turns out that you don't have to buy EVERYTHING organic, but instead should focus on the foods that contain the most pesticides and artificial ingredients and start buying those organic. Also, as you will find out if you watch the documentaries, conventional meat has gross levels of hormones, additives and preservatives in them. Even name brands like Tyson and Perdue have hormones. The husband and I only buy organic, hormone free chicken. They sell it in bulk at Costco and it's wonderful! We really can tell a difference, and while it is more expensive we are considering it an investment in our health. You only get one body...take care of it! To help you figure out what to buy here's a list of the pesticide levels found in produce. The lower the number, the higher the pesticide level. In other words: low number = buy organic, high number = buy conventional. We just started using a produce deliver service (Orlando Organics) that delivers organic, locally farmed produce right to your door. It's fantastic!

Have a great week everyone! And I'll be back to posting recipes next week!