1 pound fish filet, your choice

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground pepper

3/4 cup sliced mushrooms

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup onions, finely chopped

4 teaspoons lemon juice

4 teaspoons parsley and dill, rough chop

Divide the fish into four equal portions; sprinkle with salt and lemon juice. Saute the onions in the olive oil until transparent, add sliced mushrooms and saute until tender. Stir parsley and dill into onion and mushroom mixture.

For each of the four portions, use about a 12×9-inch piece of double-thickness aluminum foil. Place each portion on foil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top each portion with the onion/mushroom mixture.

Turn foil up and around fish, and wrap securely sealing the edges. Place on a pre-heated grill, or on a baking sheet under the broiler of an oven. Cook for 10-15 minutes-turning once-or until fish flakes.

Serves 4.

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This is a spin off of a wonderful recipe my favorite chef had on the menu while I worked for him in Minneapolis. It’s a little ingredient rich, but it all comes together nicely and makes for a great summer salad. You have to buy really good, fresh fish for this as well, since you will be eating it basically raw.
You will need:
6 oz. fresh fillet of salmon, skin off
6 oz. fresh steak of tuna
1 Tablespoon snipped chives
1 Tablespoon minced shallot
1 Tablespoon black and white sesame seeds, toasted
2 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1 teaspoon chili oil
1 each, Asian pear, small dice
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 fresh mango, small dice
1 small avocado
1/2 English cucumber (medium), small dice
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1 Teaspoon chopped mint
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1/2 bunch cilantro, rough chop
To begin, cut your fish fillets in half lengthwise to create two, thin fillets. Then dice the rest of the fish into small dices and toss with the lime juice,sesame seeds, chili oil, olive oil, pine nuts, diced Asian pear, mango, mint, shallots, cucumber, chives, salt and pepper. Reserve in a bowl in the refrigerator until needed.
With the avocado and cilantro, throw into a blender and add a little water, maybe 2 Tablespoons to get it going. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
To plate this you can use a ring mold and smooth a dollop of the avocado puree. Add on top of the puree some of the tartar and serve as is. You could also set the tartar on a bed of Boston Bib lettuce and dollop the avocado puree over it. Choice is yours to get creative. It is also good to know that the longer the fish sits in the lime juice and oil, the more it will “cook itself” enzymatic-ally. So if you prefer your tartar a little less rare, let it marinate in there awhile before plating.
This will serve about 4 as an appetizer salad.

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There are few things in life more comforting than cookies. Knowing that they are Pain Free Diet approved is one of them. Just a quick and easy variation on a classic peanut-butter cookie that will also give you some energy from protein!

3/4 cup soynut butter
1/2 cup ricotta cheese, drained.
1 1/4 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar Splenda
3 Tbs soymilk
1 Tbs vanilla extract or almond extract
1 egg
1/4 cup soy flour
1 1/2 cup brown-rice flour
3/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
Begin by preheating your oven to 375.
Combine soynut butter, ricotta, brown sugar Splenda, soymilk, and vanilla extrat in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Slowly add the egg. Beat just until blended.
Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture at low speed mixing just until blended. Chill the dough a little while then drop teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets.
You can even press the cookies down with a fork for the classic peanut butter cookie look.
Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until just set and just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and cool 2 minutes on baking sheet.
You can then remove cookies to wire rack to cool completely if desired. These are great with a chilled glass of soymilk as an after lunch snack.

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With rice flour of course! This is a quick, and easy recipe for a little indulgence.
1 cup Arrowhead Mills Brown Rice Flour
2 Tbs soy or vegetable oil
¼ cup honey
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla extract or almond extract
1 egg (beaten)
1 cup dark chocolate chips.

Blend all ingredients thoroughly. Chill for several hours or overnight. Before baking, pre-heat your oven to 350 and roll the chilled dough into 1-inch balls and arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet. You can press flat with your hand or the bottom of a glass if desired. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes. Let set in middle by cooling before tasting. Cookies tend to be doughy in the middle until they cool.

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Barley is really versatile, but so many people tend to overlook this grain as boring. In fact it is high in beta-glucan, a fiber that can help reduce diabetes risk. It has a rich, nutty flavor,a fantastic, chewy texture, and is a great substitute for rice. It has three times the fiber of one serving of rice. It is also manufactured as rolled grains, like rolled oats-so that it can double as a breakfast cereal, or in baked goods, or to dredge fish in before sauteing. It contains many vitamins and minerals such as: niacin (Vitamin B3), thiamine ( Vitamin B1), selenium, iron, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus and copper. Barley is also high in anti-oxidants and phyto-chemicals to reduce the risk of developing certain cancers, and heart disease.

Fruit Salad:
3 cups cooled, cooked, pearl barley, (cooking directions below)
3/4 cup sliced strawberries
3/4 cup raspberries
3/4 cup blueberries
1/2 cup diced apple
1/3 cup crumbled bleu cheese (or crumbled goat cheese if you prefer)
1/3 cup toasted, slivered almonds

Raspberry Orange Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 tablespoon sugar-free orange marmalade (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced or mashed with the flat side of a knife
1/2 teaspoon Coleman’s dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a large salad bowl pour the vinegar, the dry mustard, garlic, salt, pepper. orange zest and marmalade. Gently whisk in the olive oil to mix well.
To cook pearl barley:
In medium saucepan with lid, bring 3 cups water to a boil. Add 1 cup pearl barley and return to boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 45 minutes or until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed. Place any extra cooked barley in an airtight container and refrigerate or freeze. Add to soups, stews, casseroles and salads for extra flavor, texture and fiber. For best results, bring frozen or refrigerated cooked barley to room temperature before using.
Mix the cooked, cooled barley with the dressing and fruits and almonds and crumble cheese on top if desired. This makes such a filling lunch or side dish at dinner. You could interchange the fruits with steamed veggies, fresh chopped herbs, and Dijon mustard instead of a sweet approach. Once you have cooked barley on hand, the choice is yours how you will use it.

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Oatmeal is a favorite of mine. I’ll add diced apples and cinnamon with honey or Splenda. What I really love though are heavy, tummy filling, oat bars that are so common in Scotland. When I was there hiking in the Highlands so many summers ago, the group I was with brought them along with us on our daily excursions. Scottish oat cakes are something I craved when I got back on U.S. soil and they’re bang easy to make and with a tweak of a few key ingredients they fit right into your eating plan.
You will need:
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup light brown sugar Splenda
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups soy or oat flour (save a little for dusting work surface)
1/4 cup chilled vegan margarine, cut into pea sized pieces (give or take)
3/4 cup soy milk or nonfat buttermilk

As you can see this is basically a biscuit recipe. At this point gathering your ingredients you can decide if you would like to add any dried fruits such as cherries, blueberries or cranberries. Or nuts, such as almonds, or pecan pieces. Or spices like ginger and cinnamon. They are good just as they are with a bit of jam on top.
To bake:
Pre-heat your oven to 325°F. Make sure the racks are set a few inches apart near the center of the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the oats, brown sugar Splenda, baking soda, and salt (also if adding spices or dried fruits, or nuts, now would be a good time to toss them in). Place the oat flour in a separate bowl. Add the small pieces of shortening, and rub it into the oat flour with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly just like making biscuit dough. Then add the two together, mixing by hand until incorporated. Then add the soy milk or non buttermilk, stirring well to combine.
Dust a clean work surface with some extra oat flour, then pat the dough to roughly 10×8-inch rectangle 1/4-inch thick. The dough will be sticky and you can work it a bit to get it to form. Dust additional flour on top of the dough as needed to form a rectangle. Use a knife or a 1″ biscuit cutter to cut the dough into circles or triangles. With a spatula, gently transfer the oat cakes to the lined baking sheet. Pat out the remaining scraps into another 1/4″ thick rectangle, and repeat the process until all of the dough is cut. Bake the oat cakes for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are a light brown. Let the cakes cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. This makes about 24 oat cakes. If you like you can freeze half of the dough until you want to make more. Just thaw to room temperature before baking. Another thing you could do instead of hand forming the dough like a scone or biscuit, is to spray some olive oil into a baking pan, an 8×10 for example and spread out the dough with a spatula and bake that way. Cutting before or after.
These are great in the morning, or pop into a zip-lock for a snack, or as a dessert with a scoop of granita and fresh berries.

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