Sunny Tacos and My Favorite Taco Seasoning

For the past couple of years, I’ve made a taco filling with walnuts.  It’s very quick to make and really tasty.  Until you need something with no nuts.  While I can’t eradicate the human nuts from my kitchen, I knew I could find a way to make meatless tacos that were also nut free and maybe even raw vegan.

So I sought out to find an alternative to nuts.  Would you believe this is even better than the walnut one I thought was absolutely fine?  Isn’t that how it often works out?  A new dietary challenge often ends up being the impetus to creating something that tastes even better.  This taco filling is made with sunflower seeds! While not always a cup-for-cup replacement for nuts, it required minimal modification to my walnut taco filling to make a similar filling that is even more flavorful.

As I mentioned in my jackfruit taco post, my go-to for taco shells is a very thinly sliced jicama.  I learned this from Diane at The Whole Gang and have never looked back.  It’s crunchy, light and perfect for making a plate full of tacos, not to mention gluten-free.

Here’s how I made these tacos:

One slice of jicama and a bit of sunflower seed filling:

A generous dollop of lazy guacamole*:

Just a bit of shredded cabbage. And that’s it.

Super easy and makes a very quick dinner for four!

*My version of lazy guacamole isn’t really a recipe.  I toss in a couple of avocados, one small onion diced, a handful of cherry tomatoes halved, a little garlic, a little cumin, juice of a lime and stir away.

I’m linking up with Gluten Free Cat’s Raw Foods Thursday.  And while you are at her site, check out the tacos she shared this week–the nacho cheese spread she made is delicious!

I Ate Here: Frontera Grill, Chicago

I’ve long been a fan of Chef Rick Bayless.  Several times I’ve walked by his community of restaurants in Chicago (Xoco, Frontera, Topolabampo) but was always on the way to a dinner reservation elsewhere or a work commitment.  On a recent trip to Chicago, I made sure I wouldn’t walk by again without stopping in for a meal.

And, wow, what a meal!

Before I share too much about my meal, I have to tell you the menu at Frontera changes seasonally.  I was there on the last day several of the dishes I ate were offered.  Today’s menu may reflect different dishes than what I ate.  But based on the six dishes I sampled, I’m gonna guess you’ll be well fed, regardless of the season.  Here’s a peek into the dining space:

About eating gluten-free here:  while they don’t have a specific gluten-free menu, they have well-informed staff.  Our server was quick to point out what was gluten-free and was unsure on only one of the many dishes I asked about.  She was incredibly patient and made a trip to the kitchen to confirm one dish that she suggested to us.  I felt comfortable eating here.

First up, from the Vegetables (and a little meat) section of the menu, Jicama Street Snack.  This dish is so very simple…and so very delicious.  Crunchy spears of jicama, cucumber and pineapple with a drizzle of lime juice and sprinkled with guajillo chile.  This was the best $6 I spent in Chicago.

Next, I shared a couple of rice dishes with my favorite fella.  White rice with black beans, grilled knob onions, morita chile peppers, a basic yet flavorful dish.  This is the kind of food I could eat every day. The second rice dish was a red chile rice with lentils and pineapple.

This kale dish, oh the kale.  You know I’m a big fan of kale, but this dish would make a believer out of the kale-reluctant.  I know, some of you still don’t buy into my kale craziness.  This dish, I’m convinced it would change that for you.  Black kale with a guajilla chile sauce, little chunks of sweet potato and wood-grilled onions.  I’m usually a good sharer of food.  I considered stabbing my favorite fella’s hand with my fork every time he reached for some of this.  Only kinda sorta kidding.

Then there were a couple of tamale dishes. Fresh corn tamales, two little pillows of masa and corn kernels steamed in banana leaves, were delightful.  I know that’s not very descriptive but they truly were delightful.  The masa had a fluffiness to it and the pillow shape was the perfect serving size for one.  These left me wanting to know more about tamales beyond the traditional corn-husked steamed version.

The second tamale course was huitlacoche tamales.  Corn-husked steamed, more like the traditional tamale I’m most familiar with.  Huitlacoche seems to be a polarizing food, folks love it or hate it.  I’m in the love it corner and it was great in a tamale dish. I suppose if I called these corn smut tamales you wouldn’t like them, but I’d encourage you to try them anyway.

Here are a couple more photos of the space. It’s no surprise this entire stretch of street in Chicago, claimed by Rick Bayless, is full of delicious smells, vivid color and activity.  I would eat here again in a heartbeat.  I had more gluten-free vegetarian choices here than at many vegetarian restaurants and every dish I tried was something I would happily have again.  Except that the menu has now changed.  I may need to go back for another round…

Frontera Grill is located at 445 North Clark Street in Chicago, IL.  312.661.1434

Eat With:  minimal caution.  My experience was that the staff is well-informed and cautious in providing a safe gluten-free meal. I was told that chips are fried in a shared fryer, however I was offered corn tortillas as an alternative.  Ask away, questions were welcomed.

Johnna’s I Ate Here series is not intended as a restaurant review, rather a summary of Johnna’s experience dining out.  You may or may not have a similar experience.  Menu prices, items and ingredients featured were current at the time of writing.  Please read the menu carefully and ask your server for assistance in ordering if you have dietary restrictions. It’s a good idea to call ahead and let the restaurant know of your food needs. 

A Gluten-Free Bread Class!

If you are in the KC area, I’m teaching a gluten-free bread class next Tuesday, April 16th at A Thyme for Everything in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

Class is from 6 to 8 in the evening and is $45.  We’ll be making and tasting cinnamon rolls, a wonderful loaf of bread that makes great sandwiches and biscuits and gravy.  All recipes are gluten-free and dairy-free!

Click here to sign up directly through A Thyme for Everything.  I hope to see you there!

After Easter Egg Salad

Do you have dozens of hard boiled eggs left over from Easter?  Today I’m sharing one of my favorite everyday meals to help you use up those eggs.

I love egg salad.  Many variations come from my kitchen, some with avocado, some with curry, even one with tortilla chips, but today I’m sharing my basic egg salad.  Quick, easy, likely that you have all of the ingredients on hand.

One quick note: you’ll notice I’ve used a vegan mayonnaise in this recipe.  This seems counter-intuitive since the recipe contains eggs.  I’m pretty particular about where my eggs come from and therefore rarely use a store bought mayo with eggs in it. If I’ve got lots of eggs (like this week!), I sometimes whip up my own mayo, which makes for a super indulgent egg salad.  Either way, you can’t go wrong with the basic, tried and true recipe for a classic!

Kale Artichoke Dip, Crazy for Kale Launch Party!

You know, I’m a bit Crazy for Kale.  Maybe more than a bit crazy, a whole lot crazy!

Last fall I planted around 300 kale plants with my friend Renee.  I did this because kale changed my life.  Really, it did!  Eating several servings of an extremely nutrient-dense dark leafy green has made me much healthier.  And juicing kale?  Watch out!  It’s like rocket fuel for my body and gives me an energy boost that is unrivaled.  I’m currently twiddling  my thumbs, waiting on Mother Nature to cooperate so I can get the spring crop of kale in the ground.  In the meantime, I’ve been cooking kale in lots of fun, new ways and have an original recipe to share with you today.

But first, I want to tell you about a new e-book that you NEED.  I got a sneak peek at this one and it gets my kaleaholic stamp of approval.  It’s a steal at just $5.99.  Packed with 40 recipes (33 that are grain-free, 31 that are vegan or have veg-alternatives), Hallie of Daily Bites has created a kale masterpiece that will motivate you to get into the kitchen and cook with my favorite dark, leafy green!

Click on over to Hallie’s site to read about her new e-book and join us for the Crazy for Kale e-book Launch Party.  You’ll find links to many more kale recipes from bloggers who like kale as much as I do!

Oh, a recipe.  Right. I’ve got one and it’ll knock your socks off.  This is my take on spinach artichoke dip, but without the spinach.  And dairy.  And I’ve used kale instead of spinach.  So really it’s not like the classic spinach artichoke dip at all, except that it tastes amazing, it’s a whole bunch better for your body AND your tastebuds will love it.

This recipe uses Japanese sweet potatoes.  Combined with non-dairy milk and nutritional yeast, they make a creamy cheese sauce that comes together in mere minutes in the blender.  I’ve chosen to use Japanese sweet potatoes in this recipe to get the lighter color.  If you can only find regular sweet potatoes, they will work just fine.  Your dip will be a bit more orange and slightly less sweet.  I’ll share more variations on this “cheese” sauce soon using regular sweet potatoes.

Thanks for dropping by today to read about my kale craziness.  Don’t forget to head over to Daily Bites for even more terrific kale recipes in the Crazy for Kale E-Book Launch Party!

Overnight Oats, Gluten-free and Dairy-free!

Awhile back, overnight oats were all the rage on Pinterest.  It took me a bit to figure out that most of the pins I was seeing took me to one site, The Yummy Life.  I added the recipe to my list of “try someday” recipes. Maybe you have a similar board?  Mine is hundreds of recipes long and I’ll probably never get to half of them.

Anyway, fast forward a few months…I was attending  a food media gathering and monetization was one topic being discussed.  If you are a blogger, this doesn’t surprise you.  We all want to know how we can make enough money writing recipes to buy enough food to write more recipes…and maybe replace the leaking dishwasher.  For the rest of my readers, that’s food blogger speak for trying to figure out how to make money creating recipes and sharing them on-line.  It’s tricky business.    Anyhow,  one gal spoke up and talked about the power of Pinterest and what it had done for her blog.  It was Monica from The Yummy Life, THE overnight oats gal!

I didn’t get a chance to talk to her during the conference. Every time I saw her, someone was chatting with her about the money thing…I really wanted to talk to her about the overnight oats! (This goes a long way in explaining why I am not wealthy, but I eat well…) The thought of making breakfast the night before makes me very happy.  The possibility of making several days breakfast ahead of time really makes  me happy!

I missed my opportunity to talk to Monica, but came home and looked at her recipes. There are many variations of overnight oats on her site, you should visit.  The original recipe contains dairy and potentially gluten, so that had to be changed.  I also needed some consistency between flavors, a one-size-fits-all-flavors concept if you will.  With a lot of trial and error, I figured out a way to make overnight oats for folks like me who must avoid gluten and perhaps a few other foods like dairy.

So what are Overnight Oats?  Well, it’s oatmeal that you don’t have to cook.  I make mine in 1/2 pint mason jars and store them in the refrigerator.  I eat mine cold, but I know folks who eat theirs at room temperature or warm them up.  On Sunday, I make 12 jars, breakfast for two for the next 6 days.  It takes me about 15 minutes.  That’s it, 15 minutes.  Packed with nutrients, this is a perfect breakfast for those of us in a hurry.  The chia seeds are rich in fiber, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, more so than flax.  Add to that all of the goodness in oats, non-dairy milk and the add-in toppings and you’ve got a super healthy breakfast in no time!

Overnight Oats, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free

Makes 1 serving, multiply to make as many servings as needed

1 half pint mason jar

¼ cup certified gluten-free oats (I like Trader Joe’s)

1/3 cup non-dairy, unsweetened milk (I use almond milk and coconut milk most often, use what works for you)

¼ cup non-dairy yogurt, such as So Delicious coconut or Amande

1 ½ t. Chia Seeds

1 t. sweetener of your choice, honey, maple syrup, coconut nectar, Stevia equivalent

¼ cup add-ins*

Spices as desired

*Add-ins include fruit, nuts, nut butter, chocolate pieces, etc…

In a mason jar, layer oats, non-dairy milk and non-dairy yogurt.

Next, layer in chia seeds, sweetener and add-ins.

Stir well, put lid on tightly and store in refrigerator at least overnight before eating. Reusable Plastic Lids for canning lids are available at areas stores as well as on Amazon.  I find a butter knife works very well to stir these, as the jars are very full and trying to get a spoon in the jar makes quite a mess for me.

These will keep well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days depending on your add-ins. If using a banana, I try to eat within 3 days.  If using other fruits and nuts, some will store well for 5-6 days.  I do not stir in nuts and seeds, I leave them on top of the stirred mixture so they retain more of their crunch.

Favorite Add-In combinations:

 Chunky Monkey

Add honey for sweetener, 1 t. cocoa or cacao powder, 1 T. nut butter of your choice and ½ of a small banana, diced.

Peach Cobbler

Add maple syrup for sweetener, ¼ cup finely diced peaches, ¼ t. cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg.

Pina Colada

Add honey or agave for sweetener, ¼ cup finely diced pineapple and ¼ cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut.

Autumn Blend

Add maple syrup for sweetener, 2 T. pumpkin puree, 1 T. dried cranberries (Eden Organics) and 1 T. chopped pecans.  Stir in 1 t. pumpkin pie spice.

Frozen or fresh fruit will work in this recipe.  In addition, dried fruits will work but may absorb some of the liquid in the oats.  I sprinkle nuts and seeds on top AFTER stirring everything else together.  They retain a bit  of crunch.

In a recent culinary class, I taught how to make my variation of Overnight Oats.  We had a sampler of four flavors.  While not a fancy food photo, I think this shows well the texture of overnight oats.

Are you a fan of making meals ahead of time?  I’d love to hear what you are making!

Disclosure:  The post contains affiliate links.  I am compensated a small percentage if you click through and make a purchase from the links above.

National Food on a Stick Day, Gluten-Free!

A couple of summers ago I set out on a journey with several friends to catalog 52 different Foods on a Stick.  It was a great adventure and there was a lot of food sampled, most of it far from healthy and nearly all of it contained gluten.

Today’s the day we take back all that is impaled, skewered, speared and otherwise on a stick !  I’ve collected several of my favorite gluten-free Foods on a Stick to share with you. Happy National Food on a Stick Day!

From Shirley of Gluten Free Easily, Glorious Fruit Easily.  Think Edible Arrangements, only DIY.  Love this!

Debi of Hunter’s Lyonesse has created these beautiful Sangria Poptails.  A combination of a popsicle and a cocktail?  That’s a food on a stick after my heart!

This gorgeous Chocolate Covered Cheesecake on a Stick comes from  Marcia at Sugar & Spice in the Land of Balls & Sticks. Shown here all decked out for Christmas, you could decorate these many different ways…or not at all.  Cheesecake and chocolate on a stick?  Yes, please!

Perfect for Spring, Jeanine at The Baking Beauties has created these adorable Gluten-Free Cake Pops.

How about Pizza on a Stick from The Gluten Free Bistro?  Lots of possibilities here, and a fun one to make with kids in the kitchen!

For those of us still digging out from the snow, this Hot Chocolate on a Stick from Chocolate Covered Katie is perfect!  I’m including this in my celebration today!

Check out the Tempeh and Cucumbers on a Stick from Averie Cooks.  The Brown Sugar Balsamic Reduction Dip sounds so good!

Soon it will be time for fire up the BBQ grill.  First on my list, these Marinated Veggie Kabobs from Megan at Allergy Free Alaska.

And last, a favorite from right here at In Johnna’s Kitchen, Sugar Cookies on a Stick.

Big thanks to all of the wonderful food bloggers who participated in this round-up.  Click thru and visit their sites for many more original recipes!

Are you celebrating with us today?  Got a favorite food on a stick?  I’d love to hear from you!

Baked Garlic Potato Chips with Curry Mayo Dip

Potato chips, I could take ‘em or leave ‘em.  Well, until I  met these guys.

Usually I’d rather have tortilla chips.  These are the chips that changed that for me.  Crispy, but not fried.  A little salt, a lot of garlic and a delicious side of curry mayo.  Sorry, tortilla chips, I’ve got a new favorite  snack.

Disclosure:  I was provided complimentary Nasoya for use in creating this recipe.

Twelve Months of Healthy Eating: Spinach Artichoke Panini

Happy National Spinach Day!

I love all of the quirky food holidays.  And I love spinach.  As a kid, I may have been the only one in the school cafeteria who looked forward to spinach being served.  Even when it was the overcooked, stewed spinach that was only made palatable by an ample dousing of malt vinegar, I would eat it.  I was also a fan of Popeye, watching the cartoon every morning before school.  Kinda makes me wonder if we got more cartoon characters behind healthy food if it would be more appealing?

I eat spinach in lots of ways for lots of reasons.  I put it in smoothies, in salads and today, on a sandwich.  I eat it for many of the usual nutrition reasons (magnesium, Vitamin A, K, etc…) but also because it contains glycoclycerolipids.  There is very promising research showing the glycoclycerolipids in spinach can protect the lining in our digestive tract from damage related to inflammation.  For any of us with gluten-related health concerns, this is big!  Eating something that tastes great AND is good for our bodies works for me.

Today’s recipe is part of my Fausto’s calendar project, Twelve Months of Healthy Eating.  You may have read my January and February entries related to this calendar I snagged at my favorite Key West grocery store.  Each month I’m remodeling the recipes featured in the calendar. This month’s recipe is a Spinach Artichoke Panini.

To modify this recipe, I used gluten-free bread, Nasoya mayonnaise and made my own Swiss cheese spread.  It makes a great panini, so creamy and reminiscent of spinach artichoke dip without the less-nutritious ingredients I used to put in such dips.  This one is going into rotation on our menu plan!  On the side, I made garlic chips with a curry mayo dip.  Watch for the recipe tomorrow!

Oh, and about the mayonnaise.  You’ll notice in the recipe I didn’t use butter or a butter substitute on the bread.  I used mayonnaise.  Try it instead of butter on any grilled sandwich, you’ll love the appearance and the flavor!

Disclosure:  Nasoya provided complimentary mayonnaise for me to use in this recipe. 

I Ate Here: Taco Punk, Louisville, Kentucky

I planned to eat at Taco Punk once.  I ended up eating there three times in a week.  The tacos are seriously good here and I could eat them every single day. For a week, I almost did. If it weren’t for the plethora of amazing restaurants in Louisville, I would be happy eating only at Taco Punk.

Prior to eating at Taco Punk, I e-mailed to ask what is gluten-free on the menu and what items would work for a vegetarian.  I got a prompt reply telling me which items are gluten-free and vegetarian.  On my first visit, it became apparent the staff were also in the know, handling my order with care from the minute I mentioned my order needed to be gluten-free.  While the housemade tortillas are not gluten-free, I was offered corn tortillas which are stored separately.  Yay!

My favorite dish at Taco Punk is the veggie mole.  Usually mole is off limits to me, since many moles are thickened with bread or a gluten-full flour.  Taco Punk has a pumpkin seed mole and it’s everything I like in a mole: thick, rich, savory with a hint of sweet. And gluten-free!

The platters at Taco Punk are a great value.  For about $10, I got two tacos, chips and salsa plus a side.  On two visits, I had guacamole for the side. It’s good stuff!  Tacos are dressed to your liking.  For me, this means shredded cabbage, pickled onion and pineapple habanero salsa. With chips and salsa plus a side, one taco would have been a plentiful meal, as they are stuffed with the veggie mix that is prepared when your order is placed.  I would guess even the heartiest of appetites would be satisfied with the two taco platter here.

Taco Punk is in Louisville’s Nulu neighborhood, the East Market District.  I enjoyed window shopping and checking out the other bars and restaurants in the neighborhood.  It was nice to have a little time before or after dinner to browse the neighborhood, which was full of other folks doing the same.  If you are going on a Friday or Saturday night, be prepared to wait a bit for a table at many restaurants and to park a block or two away.

Taco Punk is located at 736 E. Market Street, Louisville, Kentucky. 502.584.TACO.

EAT WITH:  Minimal caution.  Be aware that the housemade tortillas are NOT gluten-free, but a gluten-free corn tortilla is available, just ask!

Johnna’s I Ate Here series is not intended as a restaurant review, rather a summary of Johnna’s experience dining out.  You may or may not have a similar experience.  Menu prices, items and ingredients featured were current at the time of writing.  Please read the menu carefully and ask your server for assistance in ordering if you have dietary restrictions. It’s a good idea to call ahead and let the restaurant know of your food needs. 

Fabulous Flexitarian Meals Class with Katie!

I’m so excited to share this news with you!

On Monday, April 1st, I’ll be teaching a class with Katie of Healthnut Foodie!  We’re teaming up to bring you a class full of dishes that will work for your entire family, meat eaters, flexitarians, picky eaters, vegetarians, vegans, gluten-free, dairy-free…we’ve got it covered!

Here’s the scoop:  we’ll be creating four entrees two ways in one class.  That’s EIGHT dishes in two hours.  Each dish will be prepared with meat AND with a whole foods, meatless alternative.  You’ll get all of the recipes, get to sample each of the dishes (come to class hungry) and get a resource list to help with your shopping.

What’s on the menu, you ask?  We’re having a Korean sweet potato dish made with London broil.  We’re having Vindaloo both with pork and with chickpeas.  We’ll be heating up the wok to cook Farmer’s Market Fried Rice with chicken and with local tofu. And for those nights when you don’t have time to cook dinner, we’re including a crockpot chili packed with superfoods with a chicken option.  We’ll share our favorite sources for all of the food used in class, tips and tricks to make healthy eating easy and delicions plus talk about how to get the most bang for your buck in the kitchen. We get it, we’re on a budget, too, and want to share with you how we do it! If you’ve been to a class with me or with Katie, you know we are both very passionate about the food we cook and the recipes we create.  We want to share our healthy eating knowledge with you!

Class is on Monday, April 1st from 6:30 to 8:30 P.M. at Fit By Burn in Liberty, Missouri.  To register, click here.  Class is $55 per person and includes recipes, a resource packet and sampling of all dishes created with organic ingredients and local ethically-raised meat. Space is limited, sign up today to guarantee a spot in this truly unique class.  Bringing together a Culinary Coach and a Healthy Eating Expert to teach one class is going to be amazing, you won’t want to miss this one!

Mini Chocolate Raspberry Trifles

Yesterday, on my appearance on Better Kansas City, I shared my favorite chocolate cupcake and chocomole frosting. I’ve turned my TV leftovers into a dessert that may be even more decadent than the original!

Leftovers?  Leftover cupcakes?  Yep.  I’m a bit of a perfectionist about my recipes.  Not so much that they be impeccably formatted (maybe you’ve noticed) or that they have some specific nutritional balance (just healthy ingredients works for me), but that they actually work and taste great.  So every time I’m going to be on TV, teach a class, post a recipe here, I find myself testing a few times just to be sure.  Which means I had lots of cupcakes and lots of frosting from my TV appearance.  What’s a girl to do with several batches of frosting staring her down every time the refrigerator door is open?  Make trifles!

Here’s all you need to do this:  a few fresh raspberries, one batch of Chocomole frosting (recipe below) and one batch of My Favorite Chocolate Cupcakes.

I used small plastic punch cups to make these for a couple of reasons.  First, I could share these with friends and neighbors and not worry about getting a container back.  Second, the shape of the punch cups follows the shape of a cupcake, narrower at the bottom, flaring at the top.  These can also be created in small mason jars.

Slice each cupcake in half. Place bottom of cupcake in the bottom of the cup.

Top with a layer of chocomole frosting, following by a layer of raspberries.

Top with remaining half of cupcake.

Finish with another layer of chocomole frosting and a few raspberries for garnish.

Store these in the refrigerator until ready to serve.