Tag Archives: side dish

Lemon Parsley Couscous

Lemon Parsley "Couscous" - Amanda NaturallyCouscous is a funny food. Somehow it is thought of as healthy, kind of like quinoa (not saying quinoa is a superfood, but it’s certainly better than wonder bread…for some people). I can’t even count the number of times someone has said this exact phrase:

“We eat really healthy – lots of vegetables, salads, couscous etc.”

It really blows my mind! Why? Because couscous is pasta. That’s it. It’s made of durum semolina, which, according to Wikipedia, is the only tetraploid species of wheat of commercial importance that is widely cultivated today. Translation:

COUSCOUS = WHEAT

There are so many reasons why wheat is not good, but first and foremost is this: wheat (and gluten) causes Leaky Gut. If your gut is “leaky” your whole body is susceptible to all sorts of damage. This is the case even without an allergy or sensitivity! The good news is couscous is pretty darn tasteless on its own, the reason it’s delicious is it picks up the flavours you cook it with. So it is super easy to re-create the same type of feel, using a healthier food! Enter:

CAULIFLOWER!

Lemon Parsley "Couscous" - Amanda Naturally

If you’ve been dabbling in the real-food, paleo, ancestral, WAP, primal, gluten-free, grain-free, low-carb or creative cooking world at all, you have probably come across a recipe for cauli-rice. I used it in my recipe for Sausage Stuffed Delicata Squash a few months ago, but never gave it it’s own blog post. So today I bring you, cauli-couscous! Or more specifically:

Lemon Parsley Couscous

By simply chopping up a cauliflower into teeny pieces, you can mimic the feel of couscous, or rice for that matter, really easily. The best part is it sops up sauce or gravy like the real thing. Even better? It’s jam-packed with nutrients and full of insoluble fibre to feed the healthy gut bacteria, all while being low in carbohydrates so it won’t damage your insulin sensitivity, cause small intestinal bowel overgrowth or lead to fatigue! 

Lemon Parsley "Couscous" - Amanda Naturally

Key tips:

1. Don’t over pulse the cauliflower. It should look like this:

Lemon Parsley "Couscous" - Amanda Naturally

2. Be liberal with your fat use! It really needs the fat to get the right taste and texture.

3. Similarly, be liberal with your use of sea salt.

4. It’s pretty hard to overcook this, but you definitely don’t want to undercook it. Better to get started earlier than planned, and if it’s done early, simply turn the heat down and cover until you’re ready to eat.

5. Serve with anything! This recipe goes great with middle eastern spices, like the Cracklin’ Pork Belly from Beyond Bacon.

Lemon Parsley "Couscous" - Amanda Naturally

Lemon Parsley Couscous
Serves 4
A grain-free, gluten-free, low-carb, nutrient-dense alternative to couscous!
Write a review
Print
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
20 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 head of cauliflower
  2. 2 small onions
  3. 3-4 cloves garlic
  4. 2 tbsp butter (or ghee, goat butter, lard)
  5. 2 tbsp olive oil
  6. sea salt
  7. ½ cup parsley, chopped
  8. zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
  1. Heat a large pan over medium heat, add in butter or lard and olive oil.
  2. Meanwhile, in your food processor, mince garlic. Throw in onion, pulse until roughly chopped.
  3. Scrape into pan and cook for 5 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, chop your cauliflower into smaller pieces.
  5. Throw half into the food processor and pulse until it resembles couscous or rice.
  6. Toss into pan.
  7. Repeat with the second half of the cauliflower. Season liberally with sea salt.
  8. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  9. When the "couscous" is done, remove from heat, stir in parsley and lemon zest.
Amanda Naturally http://www.amandanaturally.com/
Lemon Parsley "Couscous" - Amanda Naturally

Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts and Carrots

Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts & Carrots - Amanda NaturallyBrussels Sprouts. The poor vegetable that has been demonized by our society! I hadn’t even tried Brussels sprouts, but I knew I didn’t like them because….wait, I didn’t actually know why.

So when a few years ago I received them in my vegetable CSA I was actually pretty stoked to give them a try. There were so many foods that I either used to not like, or had simply pre-judged, that I now love, that I was pretty sure I was in for a treat.

And boy was I right! 

Roasted brussels sprouts are so delicious! They caramelize against the pan, which leads to an incredible smokey flavour, with a hint of sweetness. In this recipe, I’ve taken both of those flavours up a notch. I used maple syrup and roasted carrots to compliment the sweet side, and smokey bacon as a delicious contrast!

Bonus: Brussels sprouts are part of the brassica family. These vegetables – which include broccoli, kale, cauliflower, collards, cabbage, arugula, mustard greens and bok choy – are anti-carcinogenic by way of a powerful little molecule known as indole-3-carbinol  (I3C). I3C modulates estrogen uptake by cancerous cells that rely on estrogen for growth and proliferation – namely breast, endometrial and cervical cancers.  They also contain very high levels of sulfur (which is why if you overcook them, they get stinky!) which is a crucial building block of glutathione – one of our critical detoxification molecules. 

Note on Brassica Veggies & the Thyroid

Many people with low thyroid function, hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis have been warned against eating brassica vegetables. While it is important to remember that I’m not a doctor, it is equally as important to understand that the research simply isn’t there to support this. Moderate consumption of brassica veggies, even with subpar thyroid function, especially if they have been cooked, are not only safe, but may be beneficial to thyroid health. Now, if you’re downing a green juice made of raw kale, on a daily basis, you could potentially get yourself into trouble – especially if you have a selenium deficiency. As with any and all foods, overdoing it on one, will inevitably cause problems. Everything in moderation my friends!

Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts & Carrots - Amanda Naturally

Enough science, back to the yummy stuff. Today’s recipe, which is perfect for a regular fall/winter dinner, and is especially timely for our neighbours to the south since Thanksgiving is next week, is Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts and Carrots. First time cooking brussels sprouts? Rest assured this is easy! Simply combine all ingredients together in a roasting pan, on a cookie sheet or even in a cake pan and bake until crispy. Drizzle the maple syrup for the final 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts & Carrots - Amanda Naturally

 

Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts & Carrots
A delicious side dish for a fall meal, including Thanksgiving! Gluten-free, dairy-free and paleo. Full of flavour!
Write a review
Print
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
45 min
Total Time
55 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
45 min
Total Time
55 min
Ingredients
  1. 4 cups Brussels sprouts (whole)
  2. 4 cups carrots
  3. 2 tbsp cooking fat (lard, tallow, butter, olive oil)
  4. 4 pieces of bacon
  5. sea salt
  6. black pepper
  7. 2 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Prepare Brussels sprouts by slicing ¼ inch off the bottom and peeling off the outer few layers. The leaves should be bright green and tightly packed. Slice in half from top to bottom. Place in pan.
  3. Wash carrots and chop into pieces about the size of the brussels sprouts. Add to pan.
  4. Drizzle with 2 tbsp cooking fat and season liberally with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
  5. Chop bacon into small pieces and spread on top of the brussels sprouts and carrots.
  6. Bake for 35 minutes. Stirring 2 or 3 times.
  7. Drizzle with maple syrup and bake for 10 more minutes.
Amanda Naturally http://www.amandanaturally.com/
Copyright 2014 Amanda Naturally | Design by The Nectar Collective