BLT Rotini Pasta

This is another simple, but tasty meal. When I came up with this recipe I was living with a friend who always kept our refrigerator packed full of food containing gluten. Even though I knew I couldn't eat any of it, I would always stare in at our stocked refrigerator and just think about what all I was "missing". One day I opened our fridge and there it was. The half eaten BLT. I was all out of my gluten free bread and felt  a bad craving coming on, but instead of just staring at that sandwich, I decided to take the all of the ingredients that we had sans my gluten free bread, and see what I could come up with. So here it is, my BLT pasta. It's a great way to honor a classic sandwich and turn a laid back meal into a sit-down dinner that provides tons of protein from the quinoa pasta, not to mention great left overs. Dober Tek! (Enjoy your meal) and stay healthy.


BLT Rotini Pasta:
8oz rottini quinoa pasta
1/2 cup of olive oil
4 pieces of bacon (make sure it's gluten free)
1 1/2 packed cups of fresh spinach
1 large finely chopped tomato
1 1/2 tsp chopped garlic
Pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Bring water to a boil and add a touch of salt, then pasta.
While pasta is cooking, in a separate saucepan fry bacon. Once crispy, take out and place on paper towels for excess fat to drip off.
In the same saucepan used for bacon, without draining grease, add olive oil, garlic, and tomato.
Saute until tomatoes become "mushy" and thicken a little.
Add spinach and saute until it is cooked.
By now your pasta should be done. Drain water, then add the sauce in the saucepan. Once noodles are completely coated, take your bacon and rip into small pieces over pasta mixture.
Mix together and serve.

Santa Monica Salmon

Cooking hasn't always been my passion. I was never a good cook because I didn't really have to be. I lived at home and I didn't take the time to develop my skill like I wish I would have. As high school neared an end, I was preparing my move to California to pursue my acting career. Who knew it would be so hard to live on your own!?! I in no way anticipated half of the hurdles I encountered. The stress of providing for myself and simply being away from home and my family for the first time, really took a toll on my health. I knew I had gluten intolerances, but while in California discovered I am also extremely sensitive to dairy and egg. I not only had to learn how to cook, but I had to learn how to cook gluten, dairy, and egg free meals and still somehow make them taste good enough so that my friends would eat them as well. On a college students budget salmon seemed to be quite the treat. After making it a few times and it being very bland, I finally came up with this marinade that seemed to be a hit with my friends. It was a meal that brought us all together and helped us create great memories, just like good food is supposed to. I wanted to share this and hope it's as special a meal for you as it is for me. Afiyet Olsun! (Enjoy your meal) and stay healthy.


Santa Monica Salmon:
2 cuts of wild Alaskan salmon
1/2 cup of wheat free soy sauce
2 tsp sriracha chili sauce-
2 tbsp gluten free dijon mustard
1 tbsp wheat free hoison sauce
1 tbsp honey or agave

In a bowl, whisk all the ingredients together. Place salmon in a baking dish. Slice salmon horizontally to allow marinade to soak in, then brush on a generous amount of sauce. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees or until flaky-depending on the thickness of the cut. I recommend keeping extra sauce as well to spoon over once fish it's finished baking.

Green Beans with Bacon and Cinnamon Carmelized Onions

Green beans have always been one of my favorite vegetables. They are simple and classic and seem to be one of the few vegetables that appeal to all ages. One of the few memories I have of my great grandmother was from eating out with her at The Black Eyed Pea. It was the only restaurant in town we would go to with her, and she would always get green beans as one of her sides. Now these are nothing like the green beans she would get, but still bring back good memories. A new twist on a personal comfort food :-) Prijatnogo Appetita! (Enjoy your meal) and stay healthy.


Green Beans with Bacon and Cinnamon Caramelized Onions: 
1 red onion
1 pound fresh string beans
5 slices of bacon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
Pinch of sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

In a pan begin frying your bacon. In a separate pan add olive oil, garlic, cinnamon, and saute. Slice onions extremely thin, and add to olive oil mixture. Toss occasionally making sure they are coated. Once bacon is crispy, remove from pan onto a paper towel allowing excess grease to be absorbed. Add string beans into the pan the bacon was just removed from. Combine onion mixture and saute for 5-8 minutes or until green beans are al dente. Cut bacon into small pieces and sprinkle on top of the vegetables. Toss together and serve.