Yeast Free Living

Archive for the ‘Pasta’ Category

I have been making this pasta salad for years now.  It is really simple to make and it is one of my signature dishes at my barbecues and house parties and it has been well received by my guests.  I am not sure why, but I have never attempted to make a yeast free version of this until today.  It was really easy to make and tastes very similar to its yeast/gluten filled counterpart.  The hardest part of this recipe will be making you own yeast free mayonnaise, that is if you do not already have some prepared.   Other than that it is pretty easy.  I do steam the vegetables in a vegetable steamer before adding them to the salad.  If you do not have a steamer and are not sure how to steam vegetables without one check out this article on how to steam vegetables.   I hope that this dish helps you with your entertaining food needs. 

Yeast Free Pasta Salad Ingredients
8 ounces brown rice pasta fusilli
1/2 cup yeast free mayonnaise
1 bunch of broccoli chopped  
3 carrots chopped
1 onion chopped
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Yeast Free Pasta Salad Directions
Steam broccoli, carrots and onion in a vegetable steamer 
Cook pasta according to package directions
In large coverable bowl add cooked pasta, mayonnaise and mix thoroughly
Mix in steamed vegetables and season with sea salt and black pepper to taste

My friends and family have grown so found of my original yeast free hamburger helper recipe that I decided to try and make one of the other varieties.  Those of you that are familiar with Hamburger Helper know that there are many different types and they all taste completely different.  These varieties are actually proving to be great inspiration for additional yeast free recipes. 

I have never really been fond of the Hamburger Helper lasagna variety but my younger brother is.  We used to always argue about what type to buy.  I always picked beef noodle (now called beef pasta) and he preferred the lasagna.  I usually got my way but sometimes I felt obligated to concede and purchase the lasagna variety, as I did not want to be viewed as a Hamburger Helper tyrant.  I am not sure what made me think of this variety but Hamburger Helper lasagna has been on my mind for at least a week now.  With my oldest daughter in mind (she is a lasagna lover), I decided to create another yeast free Hamburger Helper meal.

I doubted that this version would come out as good as the original but I was wrong.  It came out spectacular.  It does not taste exactly like the one in the box, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.  The reason for this is that there is no replacing the cheese that is in the store bought one.  If you can tolerate non-moldy types of cheese you can just add some mozzarella to the dish.  To be completely honest I did not even miss the cheese.  I hope that you enjoy another processed food remake. 

Yeast Free Hamburger Helper Ingredients
1 pound ground meat (I used ground turkey meat due to a beef allergy)
Approximately 24 ounces unsweetened tomato sauce (I used one of box Pomi Strained Tomatoes)
3 cups water
1 tablespoon fresh oregano chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped
1/2 teaspoon arrowroot powder (cornstarch or tapioca starch will work too, as it is used to help thicken
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 box brown rice lasagna noodles broken into small pieces

Yeast Free Hamburger Helper Directions
Brown ground meat, drain excess oil and return ground meat to skillet 
Add water and seasonings and mix
Next Add fresh oregano and basil and mix
Finally Add lasagna noodles and tomato sauce in that order
Mix all ingredients together thoroughly
Cover and cook on medium heat until lasagna noodles are al dente

Lasagna is one of our favorite family meals and with both of  my children’s allergies and my following the candida diet I had to figure out how to salvage this family favorite.  Since wheat is out of the question for my children and questionable for the candida diet, I had to first find lasagna noodles that were wheat free.  Fortunately, Tinkyada makes Brown Rice Lasagna Noodles.  I am very found of Tinkyada Brown Rice pasta varieties.  The texture is very  similar to that of wheat pasta and it can even withstand a bit of overcooking unlike most rice pastas.  I have used Tinkyada Brown Rice Lasagna noodles with and without precooking with great results.  I experiment with different cheeseless lasagna recipes in order to stay on task with the candida diet since cheese is also prohibited.  With a little creativity Tinkyada Brown Rice Lasagna noodles will help you create a lasagna that is yeast free and that your family will love. 

Crockpot Cheeseless Lasagna – Candida Diet Recipe

This quick and easy chicken and pasta recipe is great great when you are pressed for time.  

Chicken Penne Ingredients
1 package penne brown rice pasta
1 yellow pepper
1 onion
1 garlic clove chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 jar pasta sauce (no citric acid)
3 grilled boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

Chicken Penne Directions
Cook penne according to package directions.
In large skillet heat oil
Add pepper, onion and garlic and saute in oil until tender
Stir in pasta sauce, chicken and parsley
Simmer 2 – 3 minutes
Serve sauce over penne
Saute pepper, onion and garlic

Adapted from Ronzoni Health Harvest Easy-to-Prepare Recipes 

I threw this together one night when there was not much left in the house to eat.  I was on the verge of cheating and I saw a half of bag of cooked shrimp in the freezer.  The meal was a big hit and it has become part of our monthly meal plan.  It is very high in carbohydrates so plan accordingly.   The recipe yields 8 servings.  I freeze the leftovers for use later in the week. 

Shrimp and Zucchini Ingredients
1/2 pound of  cooked shrimp
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs clarified butter
2 fresh zucchini diced
5 cloves of garlic chopped
1 bag of rotini brown rice pasta
1 tsp sea salt

Shrimp and Zucchini Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions
In medium saucepan heat oil on low heat
Add garlic and zucchini
Lightly saute until zucchini is soft
Stir in shrimp cook for about 3 minutes
Add butter and continuously stir mixture
When butter is completely melted Toss the shrimp mixture with the cooked and drained pasta
Stir in sea salt

Bon Appetite!

When I first tried the Candida Diet in 2006 I had a very difficult time giving up pasta.  At the time pasta was a staple ingredient in many of the family meals that I would prepare.  Making the transition to no pasta was a tough one.  I actually ended up cheating a few time by eating whole wheat pasta.  I heard that spaghetti squash could be a good pasta substitute and although it was tasty, it was just not pasta. 

This time around I have discoverd brown rice pasta.  There are several brands of brown rice pasta on the market but I usually purchase the Trader Joe’s brand due to the low price of $1.99.  Tinkyada is the other brand that you will see quite often and this brand is readily availble in supermarkets.  It is a little more pricey at about $2.99 a package but but the texture is also a little closer to regular pasta, probably do to the addition or rice bran.  Regardless of what brand you choose brown rice pasta can help you create a convenient candida diet meal.  Cook according to package directions and toss with a little clarified butter, fresh basil and sea salt.  Additionally, there are a few no sugar, no citric acid pasta sauces on the market that may be okay for the candida diet.  I use Trader Joe’s Organic Marinara Sauce or Cento Pasta Sauce. 

Bon Appetite!

Tennille

It can’t really get much easier than this meal idea.  You will almost feel like you are living your old life of convenient but nutrionally inept food.  All ingredients except the salt in the Marinara Sauce is candida diet approved.  I wish that they would have used sea salt.  Trader Joe’s does with a lot of it’s other products but I still buy this salt.  I figure that this is a very small cheat and me consuming this has never conincided with a relapse of symptoms. 

Cook soba noodles according to the package directions and then top with sauce.  Remember to purchase 100% pure buckwheat as I have seen many mixed with wheat.  I always pair with a salad or a steamed vegetable.  I hope this helps prove that it does not need to be a gourmet meal to be candida friendly.

Bon Appetite!

This is a terrific yeast free meal.  The sauce is delicious and you can try different gluten free pasta alternatives such as Japanese soba buckwheat noodles, brown rice pasta.  This meal is carbohydrate heavy so please be aware of the amount of carbohydrates that you are consuming throughout the day and adjust accordingly.  Bon Appetite! 

Yeast Free Meat Mixture Ingredients
1 pound ground veal, turkey, or chicken
1 medium yellow onion, scrubbed, peeled, and finely grated
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh oregano
1 large egg

Yeast Free Meat Mixture Directions
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl
Set aside until sauce is prepared
(Yields 4 Servings, 4 carbohydrates per serving) 

Yeast Free Spaghetti Sauce Ingredients
1 can (15 Ounce) unsweetened tomato sauce (without citric acid, I use Cento)
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste (without citric acid, I use shoprite brand)
2 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons 100% pure, cold-pressed olive oil
1 tablespoon each coarsely chopped fresh basil and oregano

Yeast Free Spaghetti Sauce Directions
Place all ingredients in a large pot
Add Meat Mixture to sauce
Place on Medium heat and bring to boil
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour

Yeast Free Pasta 
Use Japaneese soba buckwheat noodles, Brown Rice Pasta or Corn Pasta
Cook your pasta of choice according to package directions 
Note: Spaghetti Squash is a delicious and healthy pasta alternative

Recipe by Gail Burton – The Candida Control Cookbook page 103