Living Candida-Free and a sammie to knock your socks off!

I’m super excited to tell you about my friend Ricki Heller’s new cookbook Living Candida-Free!

Her eBooks have been favorites of mine for a while. Desserts Without Compromise allowed me to eat guilt-free desserts during a time when I gave up sugar and was moulding my physique.

You might recall my review of her first book, Naturally Sweet & Gluten-free, and the fun On-Air interview we did where she walked me through how to make coconut macaroons. You’ll also find some of her delicious recipes in my Cooking by Color series from 2013 AND in the Cooking Tool of the Month series I did in 2012! Are you seeing a theme here? I have a major girl crush/colleague admiration for Ricki.

I have so much respect for her, too. Not only is she a smarty pants academic type (and good friend to me!), when she had some health issues spring up she did everything she could to find ways to ease them within the confines of a vegan diet. That takes hard work for something such as candida, which every doctor/naturopath/fill-in-the-blank will tell you must eat an omnivore/paleo diet (extremely low in carbs) to prevail. Ricki didn’t just go along with the mainstream here. She took her disease by the horns and made it work without killing innocent creatures.

<Enter expletive about ex-vegans here>

Candida is no joke. Symptoms can include chronic fatigue and pain, digestive disorders (gas, bloating, diarrhea), and weight gain all the way to brain fog, depression, skin issues, and food allergies. When the good bacteria in your gut is whipped out, say from too much antibiotic use, bad bacteria can flourish. And this is not a good thing.

Ricki to the rescue! She has helped thousands of people cure candida naturally with her plant-based program found in the book. Or if you want some hands-on love I highly recommend one of her online programs. If you are sugar-free, gluten-free, corn-free, or any other free you must get Living Candida-Free! Head on over to her blog, which is also full of resources and recipes!

Even though I have no dietary restrictions I love the recipes inside Living Candida-Free. They are inventive, flavorful, and I feel healthy and alive when I eat them. There may be some ingredients you aren’t used to, but are easily found at a natural food store or online.

Today I get to share with you one of the more protein-packed recipes in the book! Because muscles.

This sandwich reminds me of the tempeh reuben I love so much. Well, it’s not really a sandwich because there is no bread. I’m a sucker for anything that has sauerkraut and it’s awesome that you can have it on a candida diet!

Living Candida-Free
100 Recipes and a 3-Phase Program to Restore Your Health and Vitality
By Ricki Heller, PhD, RHN with Andrea Nakayama, CNC, CNE, CHHC

The Toronto Sandwich
Makes 1 sandwich

Ricki says: I decided to name this dish in honor of my favorite Canadian city. Because the wrapper can be whipped up in less than 10 minutes, I often make one of these for a quick, savory, weekday breakfast if I have leftover salad or cooked vegetables to stuff inside. If you have more time, try a “Toronto” Sandwich for Sunday brunch, filled with Glazed Tempeh and your choice of vegetables. Don’t forget the sauerkraut, though—it really makes the dish!

Wrapper
1/4 cup (25 g) chickpea flour
Pinch of fine sea salt
3 to 4 tablespoons (45 to 60 ml) vegetable broth or stock
Nonstick spray, or olive or coconut oil, for pan

Filling Base
2 to 3 slices baked Tempeh (optional)
2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml) well-drained sauerkraut, or kimchi
Handful of shredded lettuce or salad greens, or leftover cooked vegetables

Creamy Topper
1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced, 1/4 cup (60 ml) hummus, or 1/4 cup (60 ml) creamy dip of choice (e.g., Tomato Dressing or Sauce, see recipe)

Make the wrapper: In a small bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour and salt. Add the broth and whisk until smooth and pourable but not watery (like pancake batter). If it’s too thin, add a bit more flour; if too thick, add a touch more broth.

Grease a 6- to 8-inch (15 to 20 cm) skillet with nonstick spray, or brush with a little olive or coconut oil and heat over medium heat. Add the wrapper batter, spreading out to coat the pan, if necessary, and allow to cook until the top appears dry and the color has darkened, for 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and continue to cook for another 3 to 4 minutes on the other side.

While the wrapper cooks, prepare the fillings: Heat the tempeh, if using, in a nonstick pan and set aside. Drain the sauerkraut and set aside. If using lettuce, chop it now.

Assemble the sandwich: Once the wrapper is cooked, top half of it with the tempeh; then the greens and sauerkraut. Finally, add the avocado or drizzle with your choice of a creamy topper. Fold the wrapper over the fillings and consume immediately.

From Living Candida-Free by Ricki Heller. Reprinted with permission from Da Capo Lifelong, © 2015. Photograph by Nicole Axworthy