Multiple Sclerosis Friendly Recipes

Ginger Lemonade

7/5/2020

It is summer and it is hot. Of course my normal go-to drink is water, but sometimes you need a little change and some flavor to help cool you down. Lemonade is a great summer drink, but it is usually made with refined white sugar which makes it not the healthiest of drinks. For this recipe I used honey as the sweetener and it came out great. If you want to make it vegan you can try substituting maple syrup...I haven't tried it, but I am sure it will work just fine.

This drink was just the thing I needed for these hot summer days. I love the tang of the ginger and the crispness of the lemon, paired together it is really refreshing! You can also leave out the ginger for a simple lemonade.

Ginger Lemonade Recipe
refined sugar-free, gluten-free, plant-based

Ingredients:

6 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup warm water
Juice of 4 lemons (about 2/3 cup)
1 inch peeled and finely grated ginger root
3-4 cups sparkling water

Instructions:

Mix the honey with the warm water to dissolve.
Add all the ingredients to a pitcher. Pour into an ice filled glass and serve chilled.

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Roasted Vegetable Dip

6/20/2020

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My favorite recipes are the ones that entail roasting followed by processing. To me these are the easiest and most convenient. I like to use the oven baking time to clean up and prepare for the next step, and it always feels like cooking is a breeze. So, I knew I had to share this recipe because it is my favorite kind, pop all the veggies in the oven then whiz it together in the food processor and, voila, it's done!

And of course I love this recipe because it is chock full of yummy vegetable goodness, and super delicious. It goes really well with homemade cauliflower crackers, homemade corn tortillas, or even as stir-in to cooked quinoa or pasta.

Roasted Vegetable Dip Recipe
vegan, gluten-free, plant-based, refined sugar-free

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, chopped into cubes
5 oz. cherry tomatoes (or about 1/2 cup any tomato on hand, chopped if necessary)
1 onion, sliced into rings or slivers
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed with the side of your knife
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1, 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (substitute any bean variety you have on hand)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Coat all the eggplant, tomatoes, onion and garlic with the olive oil, salt and pepper and spread on baking sheet.
Roast vegetables for 20-30 min, until they are cooked through and tender.
Place roasted vegetables in a food processor, add the chickpeas and lemon juice, then process until smooth.

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Cauliflower Cream Pasta Bake

5/31/2020

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Here is another great way to prepare a creamy sauce out of cauliflower that will leave everyone guessing how you made such a cheesy and creamy sauce without cheese or cream! I prepared this with mushrooms, but you could use pretty much any vegetable you prefer. Zucchini, peppers, or carrots would be great substitutes. There are also three topping options you can choose from depending on how you are feeling. You can either make a cheeze sauce, which is what is pictured, or add sauteed onions or make some bread crumbs for a crispy topping. Or you could even go crazy and try all three together!

Cauliflower Cream Pasta Bake Recipe
vegan, gluten-free, plant-based, refined sugar-free

Bake ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
3 cloves of garlic
12-16 oz. pasta (I used brown rice pasta to keep it gluten-free)
16 oz mushrooms, sliced (can substitute any vegetable you have on hand)
2 cups vegetable broth
3/4 cup plant-based milk (or 3 Tbsp raw nuts with 3/4 cup water)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried sage (or 1 Tbsp fresh sage)
1 tsp dried thyme (or 1 Tbsp fresh thyme)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
2-3 leaves fresh sage for garnish

3 Topping options:
Cheeze sauce:

1 cup water
1/2 cup raw nuts
3 Tbsp tapioca or arrowroot flour
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt

*blend all cheeze ingredients until smooth and heat over medium heat with stirring until the cheeze sauce thickens (5-10 min).

Onions:

Slice 1 onion and saute over medium heat (5-10 min).

Bread crumbs:

Add 2-3 slices of bread of choice to a food processor or blender and blend to form crumbs.
Can add 1-2 Tbsp of nutritional yeast to give it a cheesy flavor if desired.

Instructions:

Heat oven to 375°F and bake cauliflower florets for 20-25 min or until cooked through (you can also boil the cauliflower for 10-15 min if preferred).
While cauliflower is baking also roast the cloves of garlic for 15 min in the oven.
In a large pot cook pasta for 5 min less than instructions on the box, they should still be hard so they do not over cook later in the process. Then drain and rinse and leave in colander.
In the same pot that you cooked the pasta, add the sliced mushrooms and saute with the sage and thyme for 15 min. Then add the cooked pasta back to this pot with the sauteed mushrooms.
Once the cauliflower and garlic are cooked, add these to a blender with the rest of the "Bake ingredients", except the sage for garnish. Blend until smooth and mix together with the pasta and mushrooms.
Pour into a 9x13 baking dish.
Prepare the topping of choice (cheeze sauce, onions, or bread crumbs) and add to the top.
Bake 15 min at 400°F, garnish with sliced sage leaves, let cool for about 10 min and serve.

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Gluten-free Bread

5/10/2020

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A little over a year ago, I had a visit with a functional medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. Seeing a functional medicine specialist is a very different experience compared to seeing a "normal" doctor. Their goal is to get to the root cause of health issues, and it literally starts by looking back at your birth and if you were breast- or formula-fed, then moves on to the conditions you lived in through childhood, along with discussing any health issues you experienced, and ends at the present.

A key tool used in functional medicine is an 8 week elimination diet. After the 8 weeks you slowly begin reintroducing foods that you removed from you diet to see if any specific food triggers your symptoms. When I completed the elimination diet last year, I was actually able to identify foods that made my symptoms worse.

So a few months ago when my fatigue started to majorly impact my daily life, I decided to try the elimination diet once more to see if the fatigue might be triggered by certain foods. This time around I noticed that gluten pretty much knocks me out. About and hour after I reintroduced gluten to my diet, I felt like I was hit by a truck and was out for the count! So, I have been avoiding gluten containing products for a few months now and have felt better (of course the fatigue isn't magically gone, but it is more manageable).

But as those of you who also avoid gluten know, it is really hard to find a really good gluten-free bread recipe. Maybe the store bought gluten-free breads are okay substitutes, but they typically have additional ingredients in them that I don't eat. So the journey began to find a really good gluten-free bread recipe that is also vegan.

Luckily, I came across a website that had pretty much everything I was looking for: Rhian's Recipes. The below recipe is my favorite so far but you should check out what else she has if you are looking for other gluten-free baking ideas. This recipe is super quick and easy and requires no yeast or kneading. It stores very well and it is even better when you put it in the toaster. Use it like you would any bread and happy baking!

Gluten-free Bread Recipe
Gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, refined sugar-free

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup chickpea flour
1 1/4 cups brown rice flour
2 Tbsp tapioca flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup almond milk
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a bread baking dish (8 in x 4 in) with extra virgin olive oil.
Add all of the dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk together.
Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
Immediately pour into the greased baking dish and bake 40 min. At this point if you insert a knife or toothpick and it comes out wet, continue to bake another 5-10 min.
Slice and enjoy. Will keep well in a covered dish in the fridge and toasts wonderfully in the toaster.

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Gluten-Free Wraps

4/25/2020

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Here is another fun, delicious, and simple way you can use chickpea flour. The key for this recipe is that you must us a non-stick pan. Otherwise these will get stuck and be impossible to flip. Trust me, I tried it! If you have a non-stick pan, this is a super easy recipe. The first time I made it, I was amazed at how these came out. They are light, flexible, and fluffy. I found this recipe fits best with savory ingredients, but I bet you could add a little bit (1-2 Tbsp) of maple syrup or honey to turn these into a fun dessert crepe that you can fill with fresh fruit and homemade chocolate spread.

So far my favorite pairing with these crepes was filling them with beetroot hummus. However, these are so versatile and mild in flavor that they can be used in so many ways. Try a southwest wrap by adding black beans, salsa, lettuce, and homemade sour cream!

Gluten-Free Wrap Recipe
gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, refined sugar-free

Ingredients:

1 cup chickpea flour
1 1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (approx. juice from 1/2 lemon)
1/2 tsp salt
Optional: 1 Tbsp fresh herbs or 1 tsp dried herbs of choice

Instructions:

Add all ingredients to a large bowl and whisk well.
If you have time, let mixture sit for 30 min so flour can absorb the water (I usually don't wait and they turn out fine).
Heat a non-stick pan on low to medium heat and add 1/4 cup of batter to the pan.
Rotate the pan to spread out the mixture.
After about 5 min check if the crepe lifts off the pan easily, it if doesn't then let it sit for a little bit longer and then flip and cook the other side for 1-2 min.
Serve immediately or refrigerate in a sealed container. Warm in microwave and add your filling ingredients (e.g. hummus, spinach, tomatoes).

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Eggless Quiche

4/12/2020

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If you are finding it difficult to find eggs at the store right now, head to the baking aisle and pick up a bag of chickpea flour (actually I suggest getting a bag even if eggs are plentiful :)). Chickpea flour has become one of my all-time favorite ingredients. This stuff is tremendously versatile, and can be used in so many recipes (which I will be posting more and more of).

I also love chickpea flour because it is packed with protein, while also being low in fat. Below you will find out how you can create a hearty breakfast option that is quick and easy to whip up. So go ahead and buy a bag, I will share with you different ways you can use it.

Eggless Quiche Recipe
vegan, gluten-free, plant-based, refined sugar-free

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups chickpea flour
2 1/4 cups water
1 tsp balsamic vinegar (optional, but adds a nice flavor dimension)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove of garlic minced)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried herb of choice or 1 Tbsp fresh herbs (I used 1 tsp dried basil)
1 tsp salt
2-3 cups chopped veggies (I used 1 bell pepper, 2 grated carrots, 1/4 of a large onion, but feel free to use your imagination here for other veggie combinations!)
sliced tomatoes or mushrooms for topping

Instructions:

Whisk together the chickpea flour, water, vinegar, nutritional yeast, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, herbs, and salt in a large bowl. (If you can let this sit for about 30 minutes as this helps the chickpea flour absorb the water, but if you don't have time you can skip this and it will work just fine.)
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Mix in the chopped veggies.
Grease a muffin tin with extra virgin olive oil and pour 1/4 cup of the batter each well.
You can pour the rest in an 8 inch extra virgin olive oil greased pie dish, or pour all of the batter in a 9x13 inch baking dish if you don't want to make the mini version.
Layer the sliced tomatoes and/or mushrooms on top.
Bake 30 min and remove from oven and let site for 10 min before serving. Use a knife to cut around the edges to help muffin tin removal.
These are great straight from the oven, reheated, or served at room temperature.
Pairs wonderfully with a side of beetroot hummus for dipping!

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3 Ingredient Banana Pancakes

3/29/2020

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Finding specific ingredients at the store right now is challenging. That's why I wanted to share this very simple pancake recipe that only calls for 3 ingredients. More importantly, 2 out of 3 of the ingredients can even be swapped out for whatever is currently on hand.

For example, for the flour, you do not have to used rolled oats, you can substitute any flour you have, this can be wheat flour or perhaps rice flour or a gluten-free blend. You will need bananas, but regarding the milk, if you do not avoid dairy, feel free to use cow's milk. However, if milk is hard to come by you can just use straight up water.

One thing I have been noticing at the store lately, is that if there are items left in the baking section, these are predominately the gluten-free ingredients. I bet this partially stems from the price of these items, but I also wonder if they are left behind because many people are not sure how to utilize these gluten-free products. The recipes I share typically use ingredients that are not the norm, but I will be sharing more gluten-free recipes so you are equipped if you are in the situation where you are bringing home ingredients you might not be familiar with.

To tell you the truth, I was a bit skeptical when I first started making these pancakes, but I was pleasantly surprised by their very pancake-like consistency and banana flavor. So if you are in a pinch (or even if you just want some really good pancakes) I hope this recipe will help you ensure your family has a wholesome breakfast with these pancakes.

Banana Pancake Recipe
vegan, gluten-free, plant-based, refined sugar-free

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats (can substitute any flour you have on hand)
2 bananas, peeled and broken into small pieces
1/2 cup plant-based milk (can substitute with any milk you have or even just use water)
Optional: 1 Tbsp maple syrup or honey for added sweetness

Instructions:

If using rolled oats, add to a food processor and process until the flakes are a flour-like consistency, otherwise go to step 2.
Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until the batter is relatively smooth.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat (if using non-stick, no need for oil).
Add about 1/4 cup of the batter at a time to the pan and let the pancake cook until small bubbles form, then flip and cook on the other side.
Yields approximately 6 pancakes.

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Strawberry Shortcake Biscotti

3/22/2020

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While I was sipping my coffee the other day, I was really in the mood for something sweet to pair with it. At this moment a documentary on Italy came on TV and a light bulb went off...I should make biscotti!

One hiccup, however, is that I have never made biscotti. So I was a little intimidated, as in my mind it seemed like this would be really advanced baking. But as it turns out, it really wasn't that difficult. Biscotti are basically twice-baked cookies, so while it does require a bit of patience, it isn't too different than making cookies. They just sit longer in the oven. So go ahead and give it a try!

Strawberry Shortcake Biscotti Recipe
vegan, gluten-free, plant-based, refined sugar-free

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup tapioca or arrowroot flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup maple syrup (can also substitute honey)
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup fresh diced strawberries

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then add in the maple syrup, vanilla, and water and mix to combine.
Gently fold in the diced strawberries.
Place the dough on the parchment lined baking sheet, wet hands if the dough is sticky and shape into a long rectangle that is about 1/2 inch high. (Make sure the width is not too wide because you will need to cut the long after the first round of baking, I just made sure it was not wider than the blade of the knife I used for cutting in the next step, although next time I will make a narrower log.)
Bake in oven for 20 min. Then remove and let cool, the longer you let it cool, the easier it will be to cut...I only waited 10 min, but wait at least 30 min, if possible :).
Once cooled, cut the log into about 1 in slices (see picture below).
Set oven to 250°C, and place the slices back on the baking sheet with the cut side down.
Bake 20 min, then flip and bake another 20 min.
At this point you can either turn off the oven and let the biscotti sit for another hour or two while the oven cools to become very crispy, or your patience has already been tested enough (like mine) and you take the biscotti out of the oven now and enjoy!

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Roasted Acorn Squash Spread

2/28/2020

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You have to try this recipe. It is unbelievably good. I am not kidding, I made this along with homemade cauliflower crackers and I was in heaven, it tasted so amazing! This recipe makes quite a lot, which is good since this spread is so versatile. As mentioned above it is wonderful with homemade cauliflower crackers, but also pairs perfectly with homemade corn tortilla or pita chips (to make: cut oil- and sugar-free corn tortillas or pita bread into triangles and bake 15-20 min 375°F).

But that's not all! You can add it in with pasta or quinoa or even use it as a sandwich spread. Add it to oil- and sugar-free whole grain bread, top with fresh tomatoes, cucumber, and spinach and you have yourself a vitamin packed sandwich that will put those other sandwiches to shame. I prefer this spread when it is warmed or at room temperature, but it can of course be enjoyed chilled. This spread will keep up to a week in the fridge in an air-tight container. Don't forget to bake the seeds that you remove from the squash. Just sprinkle with some salt and bake for about 10-15 min along with the squash and onions.

Roasted Acorn Squash Spread Recipe
vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, refined sugar-free

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash (cut in half and seeds removed), can also substitute butternut squash
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1, 15 oz. can chick peas or any other white bean variety, drained and rinsed
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
pinch pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Coat each half of the acorn squash with olive oil (about 1 tsp per half) and place cut side down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. If you are using butternut squash peel, remove seeds, and dice before coating with olive oil and adding to the baking sheet.
Add the sliced onion to the baking sheet as well and bake with the squash in oven for 30 min.
Once the squash is cooked through and the onions are nice and roasted, removed from oven and let cool for about 10 min,
Add cooked squash and onions, along with the rest of the ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth.
Serve as a spread on sandwiches or as a dip for homemade crackers, corn tortilla chips, pita chips or even use it as a mix in for pasta or quinoa.

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Dairy-free Avocado Crema

1/25/2020

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While I mainly follow a vegan diet, I do eat seafood every now and then for a dose of healthy omega-3's. The other day I was in the mood for shrimp cocktail, but I was trying to come up with a better alternative to the traditional cocktail sauce that is sold with the shrimp rings. If you have ever looked at the ingredients of cocktail sauce you will notice that it is not only chock full of sugar but also many additives. You can make it yourself to have less of the bad stuff, but sugar is still a main ingredient and I was looking for an alternative.

I then remembered that shrimp goes very well with avocado. I didn't want to make a guacamole, figuring that would overpower the shrimp. That's when the words "Avocado Crema" came to mind. To be honest, I didn't really know what was in an Avocado Crema, but it sounded delicious! Looking up recipes, I found it is actually quite simple to make, but does call for sour cream. Luckily, I have a dairy-free sour cream recipe up my sleeve so I set out to combine this with the Avocado Crema recipes I found. It is super simple to prepare...all the ingredients just go in the blender. It pairs wonderfully with pretty much any seafood and can be used as a sandwich spread or salad dressing.

Dairy-free Avocado Crema Recipe
vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, refined-sugar free

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and roughly chopped
1/2 cup raw cashews or slivered almonds
1/2 cup water
1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 peeled and crushed garlic clove
3-4 Tbsp of fresh lime or lemon juice (about 2 limes or 1 lemon)
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of black pepper
*optional handful of fresh cilantro

Instructions:

Add all ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until very smooth. If necessary, add some extra water 1/4 cup at a time to help the mixture blend fully.
Serve. Use as a dip for your shrimp cocktail or as a dressing for pasta salad. Due to the avocados, this recipe is best if used in 1-2 days.