Sheik Al Mihshee - Eggplant for a Sheik

Recipezaar.com recipe # 83484. This smelled amazing while baking, and I loved the finished dish, as well! I used fresh tomatoes instead of canned and used vegan butter substitute instead of the real thing. For the meat, I just used a variety of things I had in the freezer and chopped them finely and mixed. Some boca crumbles, chicken breast, and browned sausage.

Ingredients
1 large eggplant, sliced and unpeeled (2 lb)
1 lb ground lamb or ground beef
1 (22 ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon salt
pepper
1/4 teaspoon clove
2 crushed garlic cloves
2 medium onions, sliced (or chopped)
2-3 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

1. Lay out slices of eggplant on a large platter, and sprinkle with salt.


2. Let sit for approx 1/2 an hour.


3. Drain off water.


4. Brown meat and onions.


5. Add garlic, cook and stir for another minute, then drain.


6. Combine tomatoes with remaining seasonings.


7. Butter a casserole.


8. Layer half beef mixture, eggplant, tomatoes.


9. Repeat.


10. Cover.


11. Bake in an 450°F oven for 1 hour.

Jambalaya

This one has one cheat in it - I did use a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Very yummy without tomatoes, I was surprised!

This was recipe 114406 on Recipezaar.com. It had great reviews, and I agree!

Ingredients
2 cups cooked chicken (I like a combination of roasted light and dark chicken... with crispy skin)
1 lb peeled deveined raw shrimp
1/2 lb smoked sausage, sliced
2 cups chopped onions
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup uncooked rice
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
salt

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven, cook the smoked sausage in the olive oil until browned; add the onion and garlic and saute until golden and transparent.
2. Add the uncooked rice and cook, stirring briskly, until just starting to turn golden, then add the chicken broth and Worcestershire Sauce, stirring to combine with the rice-sausage-onion-garlic mixture.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and add the cooked chicken, thyme, oregano, bay leaves, cayenne pepper, white pepper and black pepper.
4. Cook, covered, over low heat for about 30 to 40 minutes; add more liquid if you need to.
5. Then add the shrimp, cover, and cook for another 10 minutes or until shrimp is pink and cooked through.
6. Season to taste with salt and more pepper if you like.

Pumpkin Curry Soup

Candida Friendly: Yes (with substitutions below)

WW Points: ______ per each of 4 servings

Source: Recipezaar.com (recipe 31749)

Substitutions from original recipe: I used EVOO instead of margarine and Silk instead of the evaporated milk. I just let it simmer a little longer to reach a thicker consistency.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons margarine
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk

Directions
1. Melt margarine and cook onion and garlic.
2. Stir in the curry, salt, and pepper and cook for one minute.
3. Add the broth and pumpkin, bring to a simmer, and cook uncovered for 20 minutes.
4. Stir in evaporated milk just before serving.

Green Bean 'Fries'

Candida-Diet Friendly? Yes
WW Points: 2 pts for each of 4 servings
Source: Recipezaar.com

Ingredients:
2 lbs green beans
1-2 tablespoon olive oil (or just enough to lightly coat beans)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Wash, dry well, and trim green beans.
3. Put green beans on a jelly roll pan.
4. Drizzle with olive oil.
5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Use your hands to be sure all the beans are evenly coated and spread them out into 1 layer.
7. Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning after 15 minutes, until beans are fairly brown in spots and somewhat shriveled.
8. Serve hot or at room temperature.

These turned out much better than I had hoped for. I only made a partial batch and finished it off myself! Next time I'll buy more green beans and share with the boys.

Pictures below do not show a full batch of this recipe.

Welcome!

Last year, some of my associates gave me a Christmas gift. A simple Hallmark coffee mug with a saying that so accurately categorizes many of my day-to-day endeavors.

Multitasking: Screwing Up Multiple Things At Once

I love it! And bring it home, rinse, dry, take the next morning, fill with a warm beverage, and repeat.

Being a mom isn't easy.
Being a full time professional in corporate America isn't easy.
Following Weight Watchers (successfully) isn't easy.
Cutting sugar (including fruit, corn syrup, etc), dairy, and yeast out of my diet - utter chaos.

So, in an attempt to eat WW-friendly foods that don't cause my candida symptoms to flare, working a job, and taking care of a family, I have started a food blog. For now, it's purely selfish. I will document the things that went well so I have a reperatoire to come back to in the future. If I accumulate enough, perhaps I'll even intentionally share this down the road!