Broccoli Soup with Feta

It's been rainy and icky outside... time for soup!  One of our favorites is Broccoli soup.  It sort of sounds like a punishment  - here's your slop Little Orphan Annie - but it's truly delicious.  The original recipe from Food & Wine's February 2008 edition also has a recipe for Cheddar Crisps* - Yum!  You could enjoy a cheddar crisp on Gundry (the diet allows about 1 oz. per day), but I usually opt for something a little simpler... like stirring in some delicious, fresh, goat-milk feta (the diet allows about 1/2 cup per day). 

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 large white onion, chopped

3 small celery ribs, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1.5 lbs broccoli, cut into florets

3.5 cups water

Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil.  Add the onion, celery and garlic and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes.  Add the broccoli and water to the saucepan and bring to a boil.  Simmer over moderate heat until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes.  Ladle the contents of the saucepan into a blender and puree until smooth.  Season the soup with salt and pepper.  

Notes:  I usually substitute some of the water with vegetable or chicken stock, as I find it adds good flavor.  The soup is quite bland before you add salt.  Add slowly, but don't be surprised if you feel like you add a lot of salt - the soup needs it to bring out the flavor of the broccoli.  Slightly under season in the blender and then serve the soup with salt and pepper so each individual can season to taste.  

Phases:  In the tear down phase, you can serve this soup with some shredded chicken or chopped ham to get an adequate helping of animal protein.  

* For the Cheddar Crsips: Heat oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Sprinkle 4 oz. of shredded, sharp cheddar cheese on the sheet in eight 2-inch rounds.  Bake for 18 minutes until darkened slightly.  Blot the crisps with paper towels and let cool and harden.  

Taco Salad

So, in this Gundry life you don't get to eat the huge, crispy, taco shell. But, taco salad is still a yummy and very quick weeknight meal.

1 lb. lean ground beef
Taco seasoning package*
2 - 4 romaine hearts, halved, sliced thinly
1/4 cup red onion, sliced thinly or diced
1/2 cup fresh salsa
1 dill pickle, sliced thinly*
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Shredded cheese (optional)

Cook the beef according to the instructions on the taco seasoning package.  Put lettuce in a bowl and toss with salsa, olive oil, red onion, salt and pepper.  Divide among four plates.  Top with seasoned beef, pickle slices and a small amount of cheese if you wish.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

If you're in the initial stage of Phase 1, omit the salsa or look for a green salsa (made with tomatillos instead of tomatoes).  In Phase 2, reduce the amount of beef and substitute with avocado.  In Phase 3, omit the beef all together and substitute with avocado, boca burger or a seasoned meat substitute (check ingredients to make sure there isn't a lot of added sugar).

*Most brands of taco seasoning have a small amount of sugar.  If you want to avoid this, you can make your own seasoning with a mix of chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, ground cumin, salt and pepper.
* Trust me on this one!  Max introduced me to the amazing coupling of pickles and tacos when we were first dating and I haven't eaten tacos (or since Gundry, taco salad) any other way since.  The garlicky flavor or the pickles really compliments and brings out the flavors of the seasoned beef.

And if you're really hankering for a taco, make yourself one with a low-carb tortilla and serve it with salad on the side.

Smoked Salmon and Fried Egg Salad with Mushrooms, Pine Nuts & Leeks

This salad boasts an unusual but delicious combination of flavors. We've been enjoying this salad since our pre-Gundry day, but all of the wonderful ingredients work for the diet.  Keep in mind that the salmon, nuts and eggs are all proteins, so you'll have to adjust the recipe to fit your stage of the diet.  This recipe, now one of our "go to" week night meals, comes from the March 2009 issue of Sunset magazine.

1 large leek, white and green parts*
4 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 teaspoon chopped, fresh thyme
3 cups cremini (or other) mushrooms, thinly sliced
6 oz. smoked salmon, torn into small pieces
4 large eggs
8 oz. salad mix

Preheat oven to 350.  Cut leek into approximately 3-inch cylinders.  Cut each cylinder in half and slice the leek lengthwise to create thin slivers.*  Place the slivers on a rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss.  Bake slivers until some are golden and beginning to crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, put pine nuts in a shallow pan and bake until golden, 8 to 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper.  Add mushrooms and salmon and toss gently to coat.

Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet and heat to medium.  Crack eggs into pan (or a cup first to make sure you don't get any shells in the pan), spacing evenly.  When whites are set (approximately 2 to 3 minutes) carefully flip eggs and cook until yolks are soft set, about 30 seconds.

Add salad mix to bowl with mushrooms and salmon and toss to coat.  Divide salad mixture among plates, top each with egg, pine nuts and leek slivers.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 2 to 4.

*Leeks carry a lot of dirt and need to be rinsed well. Sometimes you can get rid of most of the dirt simply by peeling away the outer layers.  You can also rinse the leek after cutting - place the pieces of leek in a large bowl of water, "swish" around, let sit (the pieces of dirt will sink to the bottom), and then pull out the pieces of leek and dry on a towel.
*I hold the leek cut side up and cut the very edge of the leek first, working my way toward the center.

Dr. G's Tricolore Crab Salad with Avocado

Try this Dr. G recipe for a quick and easy weeknight meal.  It's perfect for this Summer-in-Fall weather.  I added avocado to his recipe for a little vegetarian protein and because it's such a lovely complement to the crab. Here's Dr. G's recipe from pages 209 and 207 (slightly modified).

CRAB
1.5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/2 pound can crab meat
Juice 1/4 lemon

DRESSING
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1.5 teaspoons dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

SALAD
1 head radicchio
2 Belgian endive
1 head romaine
1/2 avocado, cubed

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add seasonings and garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.  Add the crab and cook until heated.  Squeeze the lemon juice over the crab mixture and stir to incorporate.  Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the rest of the meal.  Then,  whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.  Wash and dry the lettuces.  Halve the radicchio, endive and romaine and slice thinly.  Put the lettuces in a mixing bowl and toss with the dressing.  Add the cooled crab and cubes of avocado and gently incorporate.  Serves 2.  Radicchio and endive are both fairly bitter greens.  They are good for you, but you may want to adjust the ratio of bitter greens to romaine, depending on your taste.

Ma! The Meatloaf!

Will Ferrell's small but hilarious part in the movie Wedding Crasher's as a one-time lady's man living in his mom's basement made an impression on my fiance.  From time to time, when he's hungry and wondering when dinner will be ready, Max will scream, "Ma! The Meatloaf!".  While sort of obnoxious, I think it's quite funny and I thought it would be even funnier to actually make meatloaf.  This American classic gets a bad rap, but c'mon, it's basically seasoned beef - how bad could it be?  So, I found a recipe on epicurious that I thought sounded good and modified it according to our Gundry rules.

INGREDIENTS
2 strips lean bacon*, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small zucchini, finely chopped
1 pound very lean ground beef (preferably grass-fed)
1 large egg
1/4 cup unsweetened soy or almond milk
1/2 cup almond flour
2 tablespoons Dijon
2 tablespoons tomato sauce (no sugar added)
1.5 teaspoons bottled horseradish, well drained
1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh, flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon finely minced fresh thyme (or 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme)
5 whole, un-peeled, garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
*Dr. Gundry suggests turkey "bacon"

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Saute bacon over medium-low heat until it begins to crisp and most of the fat has rendered out, approximately 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, onion and zucchini and continue cooking for 4 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and the onions are translucent.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Place the ground beef in a large mixing bowl.  Use your hands to work the rest of the ingredients into the beef.  First, add the egg and milk.  Next, add the almond flour.  Last add the cooled vegetables, mustard, tomato sauce, horseradish, Worchestershire sauce, parsley, salt, pepper and thyme.  Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray and dust the bottom with almond flour.  Scoop the beef mixture into the loaf pan and spread evenly.  Gently press the un-peeled garlic cloves and bay leaves into the top of the meatloaf.

Put the loaf pan in the oven until browned and cooked through (internal temperature should be 165 degrees), approximately 40 minutes.  Let rest for approximately 5 minutes and then slice and serve.  This recipe will make approximately four servings in Phase 1 and later eight servings.

I served the meatloaf with mashed cauliflower and sauteed greens.  I found a gorgeous head of golden cauliflower that is responsible for the rich, buttery color you see in the picture at the top.  I must say, it was a tasty, satisfying meal.  The leftovers keep well and can be used the next day in a breakfast scramble, lunch salad or as a topping for a Dr. Gundry "pizza".

Grilled Swordfish, Fennel & Red Onion

Perusing the produce section of Whole Foods the other day, I stopped by the fennel.  Fennel is a unique vegetable with a light licorice flavor that is wonderfully summery and Mediterranean.  Looking at the bulb with its whispy fronds, I remembered a dinner I'd once prepared for myself from a Giada de Laurentiis recipe: Tuna Spiedini - kebabs with tuna, fennel, green onions, red onions & tomatoes.  They were delicious, but I was looking for something a little simpler for my weeknight meal.  I grabbed a swordfish steak, two small fennel bulbs and a red onion and made a delicious salad of grilled fish and vegetables.

Here's what to do: Cut a swordfish steak (about 1/3 lb. per person) into approximately 1-inch cubes. Place in a bowl and toss in olive oil, salt, pepper and herbes de Provence.  Thread the pieces of fish on skewers.  Cut the fronds and the end off of the fennel bulbs, remove the outer layers and cut the bulb into wedges.  Do the same with the red onion.  Skewer the fennel and onion wedges, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbes de Provence.  Place the skewers on a heated grill and cook until the fish is cooked through and the vegetables are tender - about 8 - 10 minutes for the fish and 12 - 15 minutes for the vegetables.  Serve atop arugula.  Drizzle with more extra-virgin olive oil.  Squeeze lemon over the top and spinkle with sea salt.

This combination of flavors is refreshing and delicious.

Jicama "Tacos" with Grilled Shrimp and Avocado

Several weeks back, during a lovely "girls' weekend" the conversation at one point turned, of course, to food (well, yes, we also discussed sex, sig others and body parts we hate, but this is a food blog people!).  My girlfriend was describing a recent food festival she'd attended and said that the most surprisingly delectable item she consumed was a shrimp taco with a jicama "taco shell".  I immediately thought, "What a wonderfully creative, Gundry-friendly dish!  I can make those."  I didn't get a lot of details from my girlfriend, but I thought avocado and a simple cilantro salsa would go perfectly with shrimp and jicama.   Here's what to do:

First, make the salsa:
1 jalapeno, seeded
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
Small handful of cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lime
Sea salt
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until well mixed, but still lightly chunky.  Set aside.

Heat grill to high heat.  Next, toss shrimp, (preferrably wild caught) in extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt and chili powder.  Let marinate for a few minutes while you cut the jicama and avocado.  Slice the jicama thinly enough that it bends without snapping.  I found it was easiest to use a mandoline.  Also cut thin slices of avocado.

Thread shrimp on skewers leaving a little space in between each shrimp for even cooking.  Place directly over heat and grill, turning once, until just opaque, 3 or 4 minutes total.  Sprinkle with cilantro if desired.

To assemble the tacos, place jicama slices on a plate, top with shrimp, a slice of avocado and a spoonful of salsa.  Drizzle with a good-quality extra-virgin olive oil.

I served with a simple salad of romaine, radishes and a homemade caesar dressing (recipe below).

Caesar Dressing
1 hard-boiled egg
1 Tablespoon dijon
1 clove garlic
1 small cube parmesan cheese
Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined.  Drizzle in extra-virgin olive oil until desired consistency is achieved.  Season with sea salt to taste.  Thin with water if desired.