Ciabotta (also known as ciambotta or giambotta) is an Italian vegetable stew that is a common summer dish throughout southern Italy.
Similar to the French ratatouille, this vegetable stew is made up of seasonal Mediterranean vegetables slowly cooked down with tomatoes and finished with fresh basil.
My Nonna (a.k.a. Ma) made this dish every Summer for as long as I can remember. Although she called it peperonata (which is predominately peppers and onions), she prepared it more like ciabotta with the addition of other vegetables like eggplant and zucchini.
BUT, we won’t tell Ma that I changed the name of her famous Summer dish.
My family could always rely on Ma for containers filled with this vegetable stew, especially when the garden was overflowing with zucchini and eggplant.
She’d send my Nonno out to the garden to pick all the good stuff, while she spent hours in the kitchen (a place she truly loved to be) preparing this dish and many more. Basically, my Nonno was the gardener and Ma was the chef (and not a day passed where Ma didn’t yell at Nonno for bugging her while she was trying to cook).
This dish is dedicated to my Ma... Thank you for passing on your love of cooking to me and inspiring me to create traditional Italian dishes that bring back fun family memories.
Now give this simple and delicious ciabotta a try. It’s the perfect summer time dish and works well with meat or fish.
Here’s what you need for Ciabotta (Italian vegetable stew):
Ciabotta (also known as ciambotta or giambotta) is an Italian vegetable stew that is a common summer dish in Abruzzo, as well as all throughout southern Italy. Similar to the French ratatouille, this vegetable stew is made up of seasonal Mediterranean vegetables slowly cooked down with tomatoes and finished with fresh basil.Give this simple and delicious ciabotta a try. It's a wonderful side to meat or fish.
796mlcan fire roasted tomatoes, or other canned tomatoes
3tbspolive oil
1tspsea salt, add more if desired
Black pepper, to taste
Handful of fresh basil
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, then add the onion and garlic. Cook at medium heat until the onions are translucent. Keep stirring to prevent the garlic from burning.
Add in chopped vegetables along with the canned tomatoes and salt. Simmer on low for 1 hour. If the liquid reduces too much, add a little water.
Taste and season with more salt if needed and black pepper.
Add a handful of torn basil, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, mix and serve.
Lemon Sesame Protein Balls are perfect for a healthy mid-day snack or pre/post workout fuel! They’re are soft, chewy and very satisfying given that they’re loaded with good fats and protein. These no-bake balls are super easy to make with ONLY 4 ingredients needed!
DID YOU KNOW? Sesame seeds are beneficial for female hormones.
Sesame seeds contain phytoestrogens, plant compounds that are similar to the hormone estrogen.
Therefore, sesame seeds might be beneficial for women during menopause when estrogen levels drop. Phytoestrogens may help counteract hot flashes and other symptoms of low estrogen.
What’s more, sesame seeds are a rich source of lignan precursors. These specific compounds are produced by the microflora in the colon and have been shown to have powerful cancer-fighting effects on several specific types of cancer.
A 2012 study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that dietary lignans may act as a natural cancer treatment to reduce breast cancer risk by modifying tumor characteristics. In the study, lignan intakes were associated with a lower risk of estrogen receptor negative breast cancer. The study found that women with the highest intake of lignans compared to the lowest intake had a 40 percent to 50 percent lower chance of developing breast cancer.
All that said, if you’re looking for an easy way to add more sesame seeds into your diet, try my Lemon Sesame Protein Balls.
These protein balls are great for a healthy mid-day snack or quick pre/post workout fuel. Make a batch and store them in the fridge or freezer, so you’ll always have a healthy snack ready to pop or take with you when you’re running out the door.
Lemon Sesame Protein Balls are perfect for a healthy mid-day snack or pre/post workout fuel! They’re are soft, chewy and very satisfying given that they’re loaded with good fats and protein. These no-bake balls are super easy to make with ONLY 4 ingredients needed!
3/4cupPurePaleo Protein Powder vanilla, or PurePea Protein for plant-based version
6-8dropsfood-grade lemon essential oil , or 1.5 tsp lemon extract
2tbspsesame seeds, black or white
1/4tspsea salt
Instructions
Add sesame seed butter, protein powder, lemon oil or extract and sea salt into the food processor and combine ingredients. Use a spatula to scrape sides if needed. Mixture should be dense and smooth so it can be pressed together. If it's too wet, add more protein powder. If it's too dry, add more sesame seed butter (1 tsp at a time).
Using a teaspoon, scoop mixture and form into small balls. If balls are too sticky to form, place mixture into the freezer for 10-minutes then remove and form balls.
Roll balls into sesame seeds then place them in large shallow glass container so they're not touching one another.
Store protein balls in the fridge or freezer for a frozen treat. Once the balls have firmed up, feel free to stack them in a smaller container.
“Spaghetti” alla Puttanesca is absolutely delicious and super quick & easy to prepare! It’s a great go-to meal during the busy work week since most ingredients (like olives, capers, tomatoes and anchovies) can be easily stored. You’ll fall in love with this gluten free & paleo spin on a classic Italian dish!
So, I was going to talk about the health benefits of this flavourful Italian dish, BUT got sidetracked by some other interesting facts when I was doing recipe research …
DID YOU KNOW? Spaghetti alla puttanesca literally means prostitute’s spaghetti!
And that’s why we’re not talking about health today – and instead learning about how this dish got its name.
Some believe this was the easiest dish prostitutes could prepare between customers because the low cost, easily stored ingredients required little shopping or preparation.
Others believe it was was created by Sandro Petti, the co-owner of the restaurant Rangio Felon. The story goes that some customers arrived late to eat and because the restaurant had run out of many fresh ingredients, they asked Petti to prepare ‘una puttanata qualsiasi’, which literally translates as ‘a whore’s any’ but means any rubbish/ garbage. So Petti created a dish with what he had left in the kitchen. The resulting pasta dish was liked so much by the customers that Petti put it on the restaurant menu calling it ‘spaghetti all puttanesca’.
Moral of the story (whichever story you choose to believe): Spaghetti alla puttanesca is not only quick and easy to whip up, but it’s also a great go-to meal during the busy work week since most ingredients (like olives, capers, tomatoes and anchovies) can be easily stored in your kitchen.
Now check out my gluten free & paleo spin on a classic spaghetti alla puttanesca.
"Spaghetti" alla Puttanesca is absolutely delicious and super quick & easy to prepare! It's a great go-to meal during the busy work week since most ingredients (like olives, capers, tomatoes and anchovies) can be easily stored. You'll fall in love with this gluten free & paleo spin on a classic Italian dish!
Cut spaghetti squash lengthwise and remove seeds with spoon.
Bake at 400F for 30-40 min (first 10 min bake with flesh down, then turn so skin is down for remaining time). Fork should pierce skin easily when squash is cooked.
Use a fork to scrape out the strands of squash.
Puttanesca Sauce
In a large pan, sauté garlic, anchovies and red pepper flakes in 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium-low heat. Break apart anchovies.
Once garlic is lightly golden, add tomatoes and crush with a fork. Add some salt and cook at medium heat until tomatoes break down, roughly 10-minutes.
Add in olives and capers and let simmer on low heat for another 10-minutes.
Add cooked spaghetti squash into the puttanesca pan with 1 tbsp. olive oil and coat noodles with sauce.
Garnish with finely chopped parsley and serve!
Notes
For spaghetti squash: Cooking time varies depending on the size of the squash. Check regularly to avoid overcooking the squash. You want the noodles to be ‘al dente’. Time your spaghetti squash so that it’s done cooking around the same time as your sauce.
Not a fan of anchovies? Try tuna or chicken instead.
Make this dish plant-based by replacing anchovies with beans.
Maca Matcha Smoothie is creamy and refreshing! Two powerful ingredients, maca and matcha, make this smoothie great for hormone balancing and anti-aging. Truly the perfect smoothie for looking and feeling your best! Dairy free, AIP, low-carb, plant-based & paleo.
DID YOU KNOW? Maca is a root vegetable in the Radish family that is known for its hormone balancing effects.
Maca is an endocrine adaptogen, meaning that it does not contain any hormones, but rather it contains the nutrients necessary to support normal hormone production.
This root has been studied to help enhance fertility, normalize symptoms of premenstrual/menstrual symptoms, as well as the symptoms of menopause including hot flashes, night sweats, cramps, fatigue and lethargy.
You can easily add maca to your diet by blending it into a smoothie. Look for gelatinized maca for easier digestion and absorption.
What you need for Maca Matcha Smoothie:
Unsweetened coconut or almond milk (use full fat or light canned coconut milk for an extra creamy smoothie)
Maca Matcha Smoothie is creamy and refreshing! Two powerful ingredients, maca and matcha, make this smoothie great for hormone balancing and anti-aging. Truly the perfect smoothie for looking and feeling your best! Dairy free, AIP, low-carb, plant-based & paleo.
Tuna & Sauerkraut Wrap is the perfect quick and healthy lunch recipe! It’s super easy to prepare with just 6 simple ingredients needed and zero cooking time. This delicious gluten & grain free wrap is also paleo, low-carb & keto.
DID YOU KNOW? Sauerkraut’s live and active probiotics have beneficial effects on the health of your digestive tract — and therefore the rest of your body too.
That’s because a very large portion of your immune system actually lives within your gut and is run by bacteria that live within your intestinal flora.
Imbalances in gut bacteria have been associated with a long list of health related problems and increased risks of disease, but luckily obtaining good bacteria from probiotic foods has repeatedly demonstrated health benefits in clinical settings.
Probiotic foods can be beneficial for reducing symptoms like IBS, gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, food sensitives and other digestive disorders since they can help lower the presence of toxins, inflammation and bad bacteria living within your gut.
In the process, sauerkraut and other fermented foods help you better absorb nutrients from the food you’re eating and even help manage your appetite, since they have an effect on hormones.
Sauerkraut with live bacterial cultures can be found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Read the label to make sure it contains live cultures.
Give this gluten free Tuna & Sauerkraut Wrap a try! It makes for a great lunch or dinner when you want healthy & probiotic-rich food.
Tuna & Sauerkraut Wrap is the perfect quick and healthy lunch recipe! It’s super easy to prepare with just 6 simple ingredients needed and zero cooking time. This delicious gluten & grain free wrap is also paleo, low-carb & keto.
Coconut Matcha Protein Balls are a yummy snack filled with protein, tiger nuts, coconut, dates & matcha! They’re AIP friendly, paleo & delicious!
Did you know that coconut oil can be helpful when it comes to weight loss? Here are 3 ways coconut oil supports weight loss …
#1 BOOSTS METABOLISM
Coconut oil is high in MCTs (medium chain triglycerides), which are fatty acids that are metabolized differently than most other fats, leading to beneficial effects on metabolism.
Several studies confirm that when humans replace the fats they are eating with MCT fats, they burn more calories.
Therefore, a calorie from coconut oil is NOT the same as a calorie from olive oil or butter (although these fats are perfectly healthy too).
#2 REDUCES APPETITE
Many studies on MCTs show that compared to the same amount of calories from other fats, MCTs increase feelings of fullness and lead to a reduction in calorie intake.
So, coconut oil boosts fat burning (“calories out”) and it also reduces appetite (“calories in”).
#3 SHRINKS BELLY FAT
Eating coconut is particularly effective at reducing the harmful belly fat in the abdominal cavity, which is strongly associated with disease.
Studies also show that MCTs lead to weight loss, but the weight loss effects of coconut oil appear to be fairly mild, except for the abdominal fat.
Now give these delicious, coconut-rich protein balls a try! They’re AIP, Paleo & IBS friendly.
1/2cuptiger nut flour, or almond flour if not following AIP
4tbspPurePaleo Protein powder vanilla, or PurePea vanilla for vegan/not AIP version*
2tspmatcha green tea
4pitted dates, soaked for a few minutes
1/4cupcoconut oil, melted & cooled
1/2cupcoconut butter/manna, melted & cooled
Instructions
Add all ingredients into a food processor and process until ingredients start to stick together. If mixture is too dry, add 1 tsp of coconut butter or oil at a time. If mixture is too wet, add 1 tsp of tiger nut flour (or almond flour) at a time.
Scoop out mixture with a tablespoon, press firmly together then roll into balls.
Enjoy right away or store in an airtight container for later.
My mission is to help women heal their gut, lose weight and feel great through simple and delicious smoothies, whole food nutrition & healthy lifestyle habits.
