Roasted Brussels Sprouts with cranberries & pecans

| Rachel Boulos

roasted brussels sproutsInstead of going for the traditional green bean casserole, why not try something different this Thanksgiving?

Roasted brussels sprouts are an all-time favorite in our house. I don’t understand why they get such a bad rap?! They are so freakin easy and delicious. And roasting them is such a healthy and simple way to provide all the crunch and flavor without all the effort!

We will be throwing these in just as the turkey is coming out. They make a great low-fodmap addition to the meal! Continue reading →

Cranberry Jalapeno Dip

| Rachel Boulos

This cranberry cream cheese spread rocks my appetizer world. In fact, it has already been requested for Thursday in advance. This sweet dip has a nice kick to it and makes for an awesome Thanksgiving Game Day treat! Not to mention a pretty addition to your table.

This recipe is gluten free and can easily become low-fodmap.

Ingredients

  • 1 package fresh cranberries, chopped
  • 1/2 c green onion, chopped (fodmap – use green part only)
  • 1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 small jalapeno, seeded and diced
  • 1/2 c sugar
  • 1 Tbsp fresh ginger
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • (2) 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened (fodmap – use Green Valley Organics Lactose-Free)
  • dash of salt
  • your favorite crackers (fodmap – use Back to Nature Classic Round or rice crackers)

Directions

Chop cranberries in a food processor and add to a bowl.

Chop green onion, cilantro, and jalapeno and add to cranberries along with sugar, ginger, and lemon juice. Mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours. When ready to serve, spread cream cheese onto a platter. Top with cranberry mixture and serve chilled with crackers!

 

Holiday Pumpkin Muffins: gluten, dairy, & fodmap free

| Rachel Boulos

pumpkin titleLet’s face it. Our holidays revolve around food and lots of it. Having food sensitivities can add an extra measure of stress to your hustle and bustle!

This will be my first year braving the holidays with food restrictions. But I am armed and ready. I have gathered my recipes. I laugh in the face of all things gluten. Bring it on, turkey day.

These little muffins just made my A-list for Thanksgiving breakfast. They would make the perfect gluten-free, dairy-free, low fodmap addition to your holiday!

I made these three times, once as a loaf and twice as muffins. They turn out moist, full of pumpkin flavor, and make great leftovers! You could make them the night before and store in the refrigerator overnight. I personally love to chill them first and then pair them with a warm cup of coffee. Mmm. Continue reading →

The Masquerade: why you must remove your mask

| Rachel Boulos

why you must remove your maskAs a homeowner, I look forward to trick-or-treating every year. My husband and I carve pumpkins, grab our favorite TV show, and wait with anticipation. While I’m not a fan of Halloween, I do look forward to the doorbell ringing and greeting a cast of characters with handfuls of sweets.

Rain or shine, today we will be the ones on the sidewalk going door to door with Iron Man and Superman leading the way! And while I feel like a kid again and have eagerly packed “goodie bags” for such an occasion, the activity conjures up another mask in question.

This mask is not for kids. And it is not reserved for special occasions. In fact, it seems to be worn throughout most of the year. This mask hides flaws. It misrepresents. It is the paraphernalia of an act, one that has been performed throughout the years. This mask is worn for others. This mask is mine.

Getting me to admit my masquerade has been a long time coming. I felt the effects long before I recognized the cause. Even as these words leave my fingertips, my heart flutters a little with insecurity. But I’m going to be honest with you. Because maybe you’re like me. It all started a couple months ago with Donald Miller’s book, Scary Close (awesome read, by the way). Within the first few pages I knew I had a problem. Like the author, I have been an actor on the stage of life. Performing for others in order to receive the applause of acceptance and affirmation. I rehearse my lines so I can deliver them with ease. I disguised myself and therefore deceived myself.

Maybe you do this too. Perhaps you’re an actor on your own stage, performing for the people in your life in order to get something in return: significance, love, acceptance, forgiveness, recognition, fame, fortune, the list goes on and on. Somewhere along the line we’ve all learned that we aren’t enough. That there is something wrong with us. So we overcompensate. We carefully craft a mask to wear that we know will be pleasing to others. As Miller says, we all have an ace card that, when all else fails, we know we can play with success.

It got me thinking. What is my ace card? And what’s yours? What mask have I worn over the years that has yielded positive results? That has given me the affirmation I always wanted? And then it came to me. While yours may be intelligence, humor, money, or service, mine is Continue reading →

Low-Fodmap Toscana Soup with sausage, kale, and potatoes

| Rachel Boulos

souptitle5

When the temperature drops, I get delighted about two things: baking, and soup. They were meant to be together. Like Lucy and Ethel. Football and Tailgating. Movies and popcorn. Peanut Butter and Jelly. April and Showers. May and…well, you get the picture.

These are my favorite months to peruse new recipes and fall in love with various flavors just in time for the holidays! But for those of us on a low-fodmap diet, these dynamic duos present a problem. Baked goods and gluten. Soup and onions. It can make these months a little disheartening.

So I have made it my mission this season to find alternatives and share my success stories with you! May your home be blessed with sugar, spice and everything nice!

This soup is absolutely amazing. My husband (who is not on any special diet) has already asked me to make this four times in the last month. This one-pot meal is ready to go in 30 minutes. Even without garlic and onion it is still full of flavor and spice! The recipe only makes Continue reading →

Gluten-free Apple Crisp with Oat Flour

| Rachel Boulos

apple crispWhen Fall rolls in, my baking side comes out. Apple crisp. Apple pies. Apple cobbler. Every year we trek out to the local Orchard and help ourselves to the endless rows of apple trees. The tradition brings back fond memories of climbing the apple trees as a kid in my Grandad’s own orchard. We fill our bag to the brim until it’s almost too heavy to carry, snacking on a few apples along the way.

But this year is different. This year I have SIBO. This year I’m a fodmapper. No more apples. Or flour. Just go put a damper on my fall baking dreams.

So this is my revolt: Original Apple Crisp Recipe + Super Easy Gluten-free Flour Substitute = Ridiculously Yummy. Not gonna lie, I might even like this better than the original. Shh, don’t tell.

The best part about this recipe is that it only requires one flour, no additional ingredients, and you probably already have what you need in your cupboard. Oats, my friends. I mean, honestly. Who wants to buy 4 kinds of flours, all those starches, and xanthan gum when you can literally make this recipe out of the stuff in your Quaker box?  It’s gluten-free, not rocket science so let’s give our baking selves a break. Continue reading →

Grateful for Dirty Dishes: yes, you read that right

| Rachel Boulos

grateful for dirty dishesI have a love-hate relationship with dishes. I love discovering a unique piece for my cupboards. I love crackle glass and how it makes everything look so fancy. When I pour coffee into my favorite teal mug and hold it between my palms, all seems right with the world.

But I hate washing them. Nothing annoys or stresses me out more than to come home and see a mountain of dirty dishes encroaching on my counter space. On more than one occasion I have been known to stockpile them to one side, thinking that if I just build a tower in the corner it will delay my fate for another couple hours…or days. How can our tasty dinner so easily turn into a bacteria nightmare?! When my workout for the day consists of scrubbing who knows what out of my pan, it just makes me crabby. I would rather do an entire day of laundry. I would rather scrub toilets. I would rather iron my husband’s dress shirts….no wait. That might be worse. Don’t get me started on those stubborn, antagonizing folds. And those taunting collars.

But I digress. Where was I? Oh yes.

So you can imagine my distress when I started our dishwasher the other week and was met with silence. I think my heart might have skipped a beat. I tried again. Nothing. Our faithful friend had finally breathed its last. And the reality of my future began to set in. I was now the dishwasher. Truth be told, I may have panicked a little. Continue reading →

Why you must lose your leaves this season

girl in woods falling leaves
| Rachel Boulos

 

It wasn’t until I moved north that Fall took on a whole new meaning. The charming season now warms a special place in my heart. The very word conjures up memories of apple picking, pumpkin carving, hot cider, and the delicious aroma of Grandma’s pie baking in the oven!

Every year I look forward to pulling out my weathered box from its nestled place in the basement, rediscovering the rustic decor that will soon adorn my home. This year, as I sat down to admire my handiwork, my eye caught a glimpse of the trees out back. Tall and proud, they line the yard with their fiery blaze of reds, oranges, and yellows announcing that summer is officially gone and winter is sure to come.

Soaking in the moment, I was suddenly struck by the irony of it all. The very leaves I admire are actually dying before my very eyes. The thought was slightly disturbing and fascinating all at the same time.

How could death be so beautiful?

I was compelled to rustle through my memory from the old school days when we learned about the abscission of deciduous trees (science words make my head hurt). If the trees were going to survive the season, they must toughen up and dispose of their leaves. Not only is the loss of the leaves important but the nutrients that are received from that loss, and the chance for regrowth, is what guarantees longevity and new life in the spring.

I’ll be honest. Science makes me yawn. But as I gazed at the foliage, God whispered in my heart. There was something I needed to learn from the leaves. Continue reading →