Bacon Jalapeno Winter Squash Soup

Woah. Posting two days in a row! WHAT?!

I have good reason...

Last night we resumed our Village Gardens Cooking Collective at the Village Market store. I met with five eager community members to cook and share a delightful winter meal together. In spite of some serious language barriers, we produced a beautiful blood orange kale salad and lots of winter squash soup.

The soup was stupid good. So I'm sharing the recipe with you because I'm nice like that. And I wrote this recipe, so I'm feeling proud of it.

Bacon Jalapeno Winter Squash Soup

Ingredients

• 2-3lbs Winter squash (acorn, butternut, hubbard)
• 6 strips uncured bacon, cut into 1/2inch pieces (be sure to save the fat after cooking)
• 2 jalapeno, deseeded and diced
• 1 sweet onion, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 apple, cored and chopped
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk

 

Directions

·       Preheat oven to 400F. While oven is preheating, prep all ingredients.

·       In a large soup pot, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp.

·       While bacon is cooking, halve and remove innards from squash. Cut into quarters.

·       When bacon is finished, remove and set aside. Carefully pour remaining fat into small bowl to use later in recipe.

·       Add two tablespoons of rendered bacon fat back to soup pot. Add sliced squash and stir well to coat.

·       Dump oiled squash onto a large rimmed baking sheet and place in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Cook until fork tender and browned on top.

·       Add remaining fat to soup pan and sauté the onions, jalapeno, and carrots over medium heat until onions are translucent and carrots begin to soften. Stir frequently so not to burn.

·       Add garlic and remaining spices, stir to coat and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.

·       Reduce heat to low and add diced apple and chicken stock and cover pot.

·       Remove squash from oven. Let stand for a few minutes to cool then carefully remove skins from squash.

·       Add squash to soup pot and bring to contents to a  boil 

·        Once boiling, reduce heat and let simmer 10-15 minutes for flavors to meld and squash to get squishy.

·       Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth

·       Slowly pour in coconut milk or heavy cream and stir to incorporate.

·       Serve soup with crumbled bacon pieces on top!

January Recipe RoundUp

One of my 2014 goals is to be more adventurous in my cooking, so I've challenged myself to try one new recipe a week. Doesn't sound like a lot right?

Maybe not, but coming home after a long day the thought of cracking open the cook book or pulling something off the interwebs and HOPING it turns out well is not exactly the ideal evening for me these days.

Will it actually only take thirty minutes? 

Does it secretly require six hours of prep? 

Will this really be the best pork roast of my life?

Is this a Pinterest fail in the making?

There's still a cheesecake brownie incident I am trying to live down....

But in spite of some hesitations, I stuck to it and attempted some altogether delightful recipes this month.

To kick the month off, I made a Mexican Braised Beef in the slow cooker for our new year's goals party. This was a combination of my Mom's recipe advice and a solid recipe from The Kitchn. Follow her recipe, it'll surely be awesome. Or take my mom's advice and sub out the diced tomatoes for stewed tomatoes and create something MAGICAL. 

Mexican Braised Beef with roasted cauliflower and kale

Next up, I took some solid advice from PaleOMG and made her Almost Five Ingredient Spaghetti Pie. This was really, really good. Like really good. Like go make this right now. I added mushrooms, parsnips and extra sauce to mine because I can't leave anything alone.

Courtesy of PaleOMG (hers is prettier looking than mine)

I have to say this was almost a fail.  I fell victim to not reading the recipe all the way through first.... I'd assembled this delicious casserole, looked at the next step "Bake at 400 for about an hour." So, my own fault, but dinner was at 9 that night. Worth it.

Tonight, the Village Gardens Cooking Group starts up again and I'm preparing two new recipes. The first, a play on my favorite salad: kale, blood orange and avocado salad with a blood orange vinaigrette. I'm a big fan of raw kale salads and I'm excited to try out a new vinaigrette to mix things up! Hopefully my participants will be equally jazzed about the ease and awesomeness of making homemade salad dressing.

September's Cooking Group hard at work

We are also making a roasted jalapeno and bacon winter squash soup. Sounds tasty right? I hope so! The Food Works farm provided us with some beautiful delicata, acorn and pumpkin squash that we will roast to perfection for our soup! Love sourcing local produce!


My new recipe challenge continues and thanks to my lovely soon-to-be-sister-in-law, I am the proud new owner of Beyond Bacon: Paleo Recipes that Respect the Whole Hog. This book is brilliant and the recipe photos are just absolutely gorgeous. Go check it out! Your eyes and stomach will thank me.

Its the great pumpkin!

I love fall. LOVE IT. 

Portland is in a major monsoon right now and I am giddily staring out the window, soul quenched from the sideways rain and wind beating against our sadly single paned windows. My roommate, who hails from the sunshineyland of Los Angeles, is less than impressed with the blustery, wet.
But I've fully embraced the season. Fires roaring, tea kettle whistling and the smell cinnamon, ginger and cloves wafting through the air, life is good.

Along with fall comes the great pumpkin kick. Decorations, pies, pastries, curries, charlie brown tv specials and dont get me started on that crack of a sauce starbucks uses....

PaleOmg has not helped this obsession--- she's been on what seems to be an equally aggressive pumpkin kick. Favorite thing she's posted so far is her Paleo Pumpkin Granola.

Holy Ballz. This stuff was DELIGHTFUL. My house smelled like Christmas for hours. 

I loosely followed her recipe, based on what I had in my cupboards, replacing the dates with raisins, pecans with cashews, etc. etc. 

Pumpkining continued last night along with the rain storm. I made a batch of paleo Pumpkin Banana Spice Cookies while Shane and Ted zoned in front of batman cartoons (my life has gotten weirdly domestic). 

The cookies were okay, shockingly had the Shane stamp of approval--- "Can I eat these when I'm being good (ie eating healthy)." They were far more like bites of banana bread than what I was expecting. I think next time, I'd replace the banana and use all pumpkin. They are also vegan, which is pretty cool for all my veg folks. 

Next up on the pumpkin list this week is this awesome pumpkin pudding from Grass Fed Girl . Its not vegan (good ol' gelatin), but I'm excited to try it out and perhaps top it with some of PaleOmg's delicious pumpkin granola. 

Ginger hitchin' + the kitchen expands.

So. Its been SOME TIME since my last bloggy blog. But life has been CAHRAZY. Like crazy. 

Like CHECK THIS OUT

YEAH UKELELES!?! 

Pretty cool....

BUT

AlSO

SERIOUSLY

WE'RE GETTIN' HITCHED BITCHES!

So yes, my best friend and partner in crime proposed two weeks ago and it was just absolutely the happiest day. The next year is going to be an absolute PARTY. 

We've even started CAKE TASTING!

 Yes cake. 

Thanks to lovely folks at Pentunias Pies & Pastries for these delicious GLUTEN-FREE treats. 

Yeah beezies. I said it.  

gluten-free. 

Shane couldn't even tell, so no whiners at the wedding please.

My lovely friend (AND BRIDESMAID) Jenn introduced me to this bakery. 

It spews cuteness and glitter. Seriously. There was glitter all over the cupcakes.

If you're in Portland, you should check them out. 

Other than being up to my ears in wedding business (woooooo), I am happy to say I am now working with Kitchen Commons and Village Gardens  on a Collective Cooking Group, as the cooking group coordinator. We are focused on bringing families back into the kitchen, emphasizing healthy cooking, budgeting time and money, and building community. Once a month, our group will be getting together to cook and share a meal. I'll be sharing our recipes and doing a recap of each meeting via this blog! I am super excited to help facillitate this program in my neighborhood. 

I even bought this awesome CRAZY FOR KALE cookbook as a fun recipe source....

I may just be crazy at this point...

Kombuchin' like kombitches

There has not been a dull moment since Britt and I have been reunited under the same roof.

If you missed the memo, her house burned down two weeks ago and she has relocated to a twin size air mattress in my living room. Living the dream here folks. Read about that and other crazy happenings in Danielle and Britt's lives on TwoEvilActors. 

Anyway. We have been doing awesome things like making badass music, cuddling with copious cats, and adventuring down Alberta, experiencing all Portland has to offer....

 Like beer cozies and sexy ladies

Tasty treats like Salt and Straw Ice Cream

Photo courtesy of Salt & Straw's FB

And of course..... fresh brewed KOMBUCHA on tap at Townshend Tea House

 

Yes. Those are growlers of Kombucha... 64 fluid ounces of fermented deliciousness. 

#tarotcards #Lifecolors #soportlandithurts

Our growlers have left our side, nary a moment since we purchased them. Portlandia, you are missing out on some great ideas here. In fact, I think Britt and I need our own reality tv show. Mr. Shakespeare* himself once said "This shit writes itself" Can't argue with that....



*he probably didn't say that, but Britt wore a shirt that said that... so I'm going with it. 

Anyway, whilst the rain beat down upon the earth, Britt and I swigged buch straight from the jug and made insightful revelations about our lives. Let me translate: It was raining, we were stuck inside, so we read tarot cards and drank too much kombucha. **

**we do this when its sunny too...



"Too much kombucha you say? No such thing!" Ah readers... unfortunately there is.... Drink a growler in 48 hours and see what that shit does to you... shit being the operative word. I'll spare the details.

Alas, three days later we were back in Townshend, refilling our growlers.

Please note the crazed look...

I should mention that while Kombucha is fermented, it is for all intents and purposes, non-alcoholic. It has TRACE amounts of alcohol in it, but I think you stand a better chance of getting buzzed off a tablespoon of Robitussin. Britt and I are just this crazy, naturally.

For those of you who aren't living an episode of Portlandia, Kombucha is a lightly carbonated or effervescent(bonus points for THAT word),  tart, fermented tea drink. Its packed with enzymes, aids in digestion and gut health, and contains glucosamines for joint health. And like lots of other fermented foods, it likes to power-punch that immune system into action.

While it is really fun to drink Kombucha out of a growler, a much more economical approach to buch-swigging, is to brew your own at home.

Its super, super simple, requires zero special equipment-- just the desire to brew and the ability to handle a SCOBY.

SCOBY, not to be confused with Scooby, is a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. Its this squishy mushroomy thing you put in the sweet tea to make it magically transform into Kombucha.
Sounds yummy right?

I have no idea who this woman is, but she is holding a SCOBY. 

Scooby

If you can handle the thought of that, then you are well on your way to home-brewing your own Buch!
Congratulations.
If you keep reading below, you'll have the instructions too... WOW. WHAT A DAY FOR YOU!

Food for Thought and Comfort.

Shane and I have developed this unspoken open door policy at our house, which I absolutely love. We love to entertain and we love to take care of our friends. So impromptu dinner parties are the norm and our guests, the usual suspects (B, theSuz, Kdough), have each designated their own spot at our dining room table.

The table in our dining room is the one I grew up at.  I used to wake up in the middle of the night and eat cereal with my oldest brother when he got off the late shift. Our family hosted Christmas and Easter, and crammed sometimes 25 people around the table as our family grew.  I watched the upholstery on the chairs wear down and get replaced numerous times before it made its way to my first Portland house six years ago. Since then its been subjected to a variety of drinking games that has worn the finish nearly all away, adorned with new water rings and the evidence of numerous games of quarters has been carved into its surface. But in spite of the flaking finish and squeaky legs, it still serves as a gathering place for friends and family.

Mark's Daily Apple posted last week about the benefits of cooking your own food. He notes that some anthropological interpretation of surviving evidence shows rituals surrounding food preparation started tens of thousands of years ago. This has evolved within cultures into rich and varied traditions. Food preparation and ceremony have long been tied. Unfortunately, as the American diet becomes more and more processed and the emphasis has become solely on quick, easy and cheap, this ritual has been sacrificed.

In an effort to reverse this trend and bring the focus back to simple, healthy meals, my neighborhood is in the process of teaming up with Kitchen Commons and creating a collective cooking group. This is going to be a phenomenal opportunity to not only learn crafty kitchen skills to apply at home, but also provides a chance to gather with neighbors and share our diverse cultural traditions over a communal meal.

This weekend, we had a fuller house than normal (normal being 5 adults and four animals...sigh).
At two am Saturday morning, I woke up to a phone call from my friend Britt who was standing in front of her north Portland house as it was engulfed in flames. An hour later, we had impromptu beds made up in our living room and played hotel for her and her roommates. The next morning we gathered around the table as family and ate stacks of french toast, bacon, sweet potatoes and fruit. Chattering over coffee and food about the previous evenings events, we were giving thanks that no one was hurt.  I felt like I was channeling my parents, who managed to make never-ending stacks of hot cakes or french toast for all the kids, plus friends who randomly appeared (especially in high school). 

I've always enjoyed cooking for people, as evidenced simply by this blog. The usual suspects gathered around the table again last night (loaves and fishes people, no idea how this happens) for an absurdly late (or European style!) dinner, providing comfort and relief from a stressful and emotionally taxing weekend all around. Now more than ever I've been reminded how therapeutic cooking and sharing a meal with friends and family can be and how thankful I am to be surround by such incredible people.

Birthday!

Last week was my big 2-5! 

Old right?

I chose to celebrate by making dinner for a small group of delightful people, because we are all decidedly broke, eating at restaurants is difficult for glutards and well I love to cook.

With the help of my fabulous sous chef, Suz, I managed to throw together a delightful meal:

Steak

Roasted beets and sweet potatoes with pistachio butter

Braised Kale

Dessert: Coconut macaroons

NOM.

Unfortunately, I made my guests wait till 8pm (European style right?) to eat, so food was inhaled before proper documentation could be taken. (read: I dont have photos)

But this was one of the most cohesive and successful meals I have ever thrown together so I highly recommend checking out the links below

This Steak Marinade was so tasty. I let the meat marinate for about 2 hours while I prepped and chopped everything else. I used Coconut Aminos instead of soy-sauce, to make it paleoriffic.

The big surprise of the evening was for sure the roasted beet dish, borrowed from my friends at Whole9. I added sweet potatoes and used coconut oil instead of olive oil. It really isn't the prettiest dish, but the pistachio butter is absolutely incredible. 

And finally because I am doing this fabulous 21 Day Sugar Detox I was really at a loss for what to make for dessert... I am not a fan of zee coconut flour and didn't want to jump head first into the dried fruit world (I was allowing myself a little leniency with the sugar, because... come on its my BIRTHDAY!) 

But I stumbled upon this Chocolate Drizzled Coconut Macaroon Recipe and fell in love! Its super super simple and comes together very quickly. They bake MUCH faster than the recipe indicates. Mine were done after 15-20 minutes, so keep an eye on them. 

Instead of using their chocolate drizzle, I used some of my homemade chocolate coconut butter (sugar-free, paleo, 21DSD friendly, vegan, you name it friendly) 

Chocolate Coconut Butter

Ingredients

3 cups unsweetened shredded/flake coconut

1/2 tsp salt

3-4 tbls melted coconut oil

1/3 cup unsweetened dutch cocoa powder

In your food processor combine coconut, salt and 2 tbls of melted coconut oil. Blend on high until mixture starts to liquify. Slowly add remaining coconut oil. Continue to blend until smooth. This process takes anywhere from 5-8 minutes. You may need to pause and scrape down the sides. Add the cocoa powder to the food processor and blend for another minute. This mixture should be VERY liquidy. Pour into glass jar and store at room temperature. It will harden (to a solid state) as it comes to room temperature. 

To use on macaroons, drizzle liquid on top of cookies with a fork. Let sit to harden a bit. 

nom. 

N'oatmeal

I miss oatmeal. 

like woah. 

Nothing starts the day off quite like a giant bowl of hot mus. 

Primal Britain has a recipe for Paleo Porridge that FastPaleo.com introduced to me...

I have been fairly skeptical of "paleo"izing breakfast options. Sure I've had some tasty paleo- "pancakes" but they aren't pancakes. They are in the shape of pancakes, I am eating them at breakfast, I could pour maple syrup on them, but it is still not in fact a pancake.
Don't get me started on waffles....

But Primal Britain's recipe is in fact delicious and reminds me somewhat of the instant oatmeal I'd eat as a kid (or a college student). Anyone else remember eating banana nut oatmeal growing up? Somehow those geniuses at Quaker infused a packet of powdery business with the bananaiest of flavor without actually harming any bananas in the making.

This recipe is similar... but better... and I'm sorry, real bananas are used.
 I created my own version this morning and it really is quite tasty, consistency is perfect and its packed with good fats and protein.

Liz's N'Oatmeal

Serves 1

1 small, ripe banana

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/4 cup almonds

1/4 cashews

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup egg white protein powder (optional)

Put all ingredients in food processor, except  egg white powder, and blitz until desired consistency is reached. Don't over blend, it'll get too mushy.

Pour food processor contents into a small sauce pan and warm over medium heat, stirring constantly to avoid sticking. Remove from heat and slowly sift in egg white powder stirring well to fully incorporate.

Serve with dried cherries or raisins on top. 

nom nom.

ch-ch-ch-chili!

That glorious chill of late fall is finally here.

My neighbor relentlessly sweeps brown, green, and red leafy intruders falling from the massive oak as they build a crunchy carpet over our shared backyard. His work is never ending, and seemingly pointless, the tree has only begun to shed. So I guiltlessly, stomp my feet through the autumnal piles as I clamor up to my tiny attic apartment.

I precariously balance my overly full grocery bags on the rail as I fumble for my keys. Door clicks and I barely open it and am tackled by two wiggling balls of fur.  My bags rip and soon enough onions, sweet potatoes and and carrots are rolling around my kitchen floor.

overwhelmed by love. I can't actually stay mad. 

My two little furry sous chefs inspect the produce rolling about the floor and are decidedly uninterested. 

Just as soon as they are overly excited, they are crawling back into their respective snoozy spots to sleep.

sigh. animals. 

To celebrate this delightful fall weather, I have decided that I  NEED to make chili. I saw PaleoGirl's recipe for Bison and Sweet Potato chili and I was admittedly intrigued. But I am broke broke, so  grass fed bison is just not in the books. But I take her recipe as a starting point and make my own delicious concoction, like I do.

Sweet Potato Kale Chili

So I give you Sweet Potato Kale Chili. 

I just got back from a four day stint in Hollywood where we pretty much ate out everyday. So as you can imagine, I am dying for REAL FOOD, namely dark leafy green. This chili hits the spot. Packed with hot green chilies, ribbons of kale and spicy ground beef, I am a happy camper (and continue to be, because this batch will feed an army for weeks).


Ingredients

• 3lbs grass fed ground beef
• 2 red sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch dice
• 1 tbls coconut oil
• 2 yellow onions
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 8oz organic tomato paste
• 3 tbls cumin
• 2 tbls chili powder
• 2 tsp cayenne
• 15oz can tomato sauce
• 8 oz diced green chilies, hot
• 32 oz crushed tomatoes ( I used some my sister canned, so the seasoning varied)
• 1 bunch kale, cut into thin ribbons
• 1 tsp salt (more to taste)

Brown the beef in a large skillet over medium heat until thoroughly cooked. I use this time to prep all my veggies.
In a large soup pot, melt coconut oil over medium heat. Add diced sweet potato and cook on high for about five minutes, stirring frequently.

Check on yo' bouef. If its done, remove from pan with slotted spoon and set aside. Pour drippings into pot with sweet potatoes. (If its not done... carefully drain some of the drippings into sweet potato pot anyway and continue to cook)

Reduce heat under sweet potatoes, add onions and cover the pot. Let cook until potatoes are fork tender.

Add remaining, garlic, seasonings, and tomato paste. Stir to coat and let cook for one to two minutes. Add in all remaining ingredients, except kale. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Fold in kale, it will wilt and be delicious. Let flavors meld for roughly ten minutes, add seasoning to taste.

Serve with diced avocado and cheese if you go that route. :)

Paleo chocolate meringues

Yesterday was the most delightful blustery fall day. 

Despite some early morning tidying, manfriend and I lazed about the apartment and cuddled with El Pancho and Moe the Dog. 

The cold, rainy days always put me in the mood to fill my house with baked goods (and subsequently, my kitchen with dishes).

Since banishing gluten from my kitchen last January, any attempt to create something that remotely resembles a delicious baked good, has been decidedly disappointing.  Let me tell you--- there is no good replacement for flour in tasty treats like muffins or cakes. Sorry bout it. 

However.  I needed to bake and I needed some chocolate. But I'm in the middle of this pesky challenge, so no cheating! 

I was perusing Dessert Stalker and came across a few meringue cookies recipes. They looked mildly promising, so I pulled together my own little recipe. 

I give chocolate meringue kisses. Totally Paleo, totally only 4 calories a cookie.  

Yes I am that good. 

Ingredients

• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp cream of tarter
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 single serve packets Stevia (I like stevia because its natural, and not scary chemical. If you are of the sugar eating kind, sub a 1/4 cup granulated sugar here)
• 3 tbls unsweetened cocoa powder.

Preheat the oven to 300F and cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In your fabulous KitchenAid mixer, beat on high, the egg whites, cream of tarter, and salt and until the mixture starts to form soft peaks. Add in the stevia or sugar and continue to beat on high, until stiff peaks form. You can tell its ready when you lift the whisk out of the mixture and the meringue doesn't fall. On low, stir in the cocoa powder until fully incorporated. 

Drop tablespoon size drops onto the parchment paper. 

Bake for 24-30 minutes at 300F or until dried out. 

Serve with delicious cocoa :)

Paleo meets Vegetarian.

It seems that the fates have spited me by sending me a vegetarian man-friend mere months after I abandoned my vegan ways.... My grain and legume free diet clashes with his pizza-loving belly.
Compromise and creative cooking have been high on the priority list lately, because really I can't afford to go out all the time and I love to cook (but preferably not two meals)!

So I spent a few hours one afternoon thumbing through all my yummy vegan cook books ( I miss you old friends.) for recipes that the veg and the dino can both enjoy.

The Veganomicon and Appetite for Reduction provided some great inspiration for happy tummies!

Last night's creation: Zucchini Pasta with tomato sauce, topped with Grilled Portobello Mushrooms (and a loaf of bread if you happen to be akin to that sort of thing....)

Super simple, healthy and I got the tasty seal of approval from the man who consumes more coca-cola and papa johns than I thought possible.

I'd love to share photos, but it was too tasty to wait for a photo shoot.... but here is the recipe.....


Zucchini Pasta with grilled Portos

Portobellos (adapted from Isa's Appetite for Reduction)

• 2 large portobello mushroom caps, destemmed (keep the stems, dice and add them to the sauce!)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 tbls tamari
• 3 tbls balsamic vinegar
• 2-3 tbls olive oil
• 1 tsp liquid smoke

In a small bowl whisk together all ingredients. Place mushrooms, gill side up, in a small pyrex pan. Pour marinade over shrooms and let sit for 15-20 minutes. (while these guys are doin their thang, you should start the zucchini process)

Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Add caps, gill side down, into pan. Pour any remaining marinade over the shrooms. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip over. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until center is tender. Remove from pan and cut into strips.

Pasta Ingredients 

• 4 large zucchini
• salt, pepper
• 1 tbl olive oil
• 2 qts water

Using a mandolin or a spiralizer thing (oh you faaaancy), slice your zucchini into long, thin noodley strips. You don't want to use the very core of the zucchini because the squash doesn't hold up well. So slice thinly on one side until you start to see the seeds. Flip to the next side, slice again until you hit seeds. Repeat on all four sides.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add zucchini strips and blanch for TWO MINUTES (no more or you'll end up with mush). Dump into colander and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking. Return noodles to pot and toss with salt, pepper and oil. Set aside.


 
Saucey Sauce

So I super cheated and used a jar of Newman's Own Sockarooni spaghetti sauce. BUT my mother did teach me something: jarred spaghetti sauce is never good left alone. So. If you want my cheater recipe, see below.

1 jar sockarooni sauce
1 pound crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbls olive oil

Heat oil in a medium sauce pan. Add garlic and onion, saute until onion is translucent. Add mushrooms and turn up heat. Brown mushrooms and onions (5-7 minutes). Add jar of sauce. Bring to boil and then let simmer until the rest of dinner is ready.


Assembly?
Grab bowl. Scoop zucchini into bowl. Pour on saucey sauce. Add portos on top. Eat and enjoy.

Just the Beets, no killer tofu here.

oooeeeeooooo, killer tofu.

No this is not an anti-bean curd post, just childhood reminiscing. Doug, anyone?

I was whistling the lovely theme song as I mandolined my beets in preparation for a tasty afternoon snack.

Stuck in your head yet?


In spite of the ungodly temperature of my apartment, I decided I had no choice but to crank up my little firecracker of an oven yesterday afternoon in order to satiate my need for beet chips.

Luckily, my fantastic Organics to You order arrived and had some beautiful beets ready for my every beet need.

So, I mandolined these beauties (definitely surprised by their candy cane striped innards), tossed them in a few tablespoons of olive oil and finished with a few dashes of sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

While they were baking and simultaneously making my apartment hotter than mordor, I lounged in my back yard with a mason jar of gin and lime seltzer. This last part is essential. 

Glorious.

Simple Beet Chips

2 Golden Beets (slightly smaller than a baseball)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Few dashes salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 325F

Using a mandolin, slice beets into very thin rounds and place in large bowl. Soak up extra moisture by squeezing beets in paper towels. 

Drizzle oil and spices over dry beets, and toss to coat. 

Place in a single layer on a parchment paper covered baking sheet.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until crisp. 

Meanwhile, enjoy a beverage of your choice. Perhaps read a book. Play with the dog. etc. 

Remove from oven and let cool for about five minutes before devouring. 

Masters of being F-ing Awesome.

In moderately not food related news, I've decided I have to go grad school. 

Or at least try. 

No, not just try.  

I will go.

If I don't I will probably shrivel up and die from lack of spotlights. Well. I've got the dramatic part down.

WOOOOOT. 

I am super inspired by my friend the singing llama, Danielle, who is blessing USC with her amazing talent this fall. 

I am throwing caution and practicality to the wind and am pursuing the stage. I'd like to start a program, pursuing my MFA or MM by fall 2013 or 2014. I know sure thats at least a year and half away. But really I have work to doooo! So for the next 9-18 months, I am spending all of my extra time, money and energy pursuing this; burying my nose in scripts, scores and taking breaks to go to the dance studio/ gym and being extra conscious of my dietary regimen. 

Boston Conservatory and NYU Steinhardt are at the top of my list, making it very clear that I will have to marry for money to get out from under the mountain of debt I'll accrue.... so I have my work cut out for me, if I even want to get in, let alone get scholarships. 

I am terrified and excited and terrified. but mostly excited. 

Did I mention terrified? 

This will be good. 

Sweeeet Kira-line... oh oh oh

Okay Kira, this one is for you.


--------------

I never considered myself to be a SWEETS person. Okay maybe that's false. But I don't think I'd die if I went a week or two without chocolate or gummy bears. Though. I do love Swedish fish... but I digress...

In need of a dessert that wasn't banana ice cream... I was perusing good ol' New Seasons Market for something to hit the spot. I found Laughing Giraffe Goji Cacao And Maca Snakaroon, which have decidedly changed my life, clearly it doesn't take much these days.


But what is EXTRA AWESOME about these bad boys is that they are 1. vegan 2. raw 3. paleo 4. SO FREAKING EASY TO MAKE.

The downside: horrendously expensive. I think the Pope must have blessed the damn Goji berries to justify the 16 bucks a bag (8 treats per bag)

So I did some more perusing... this time on the internets. I found the Queen of Quinoa's recipe to be most fitted to what my pantry held.

I altered a variety of things because of my inability to follow directions that's how I roll.

Just a note: you have to really enjoy the taste of sunflower seeds for this particular recipe... I'll probably sub almonds next time. If you are less than inclined to try the seeds, just use any dust and pulse a little longer.... I also plan on making this a series of different raw dessert recipes... so this is the first of hopefully many!


Chocolate Coconut Sunflower Balls (hah)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup hulled, roasted sunflower seeds
• 1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut plus 1/4 cup for topping.
• 8 medjool dates, soaked in warm water for five minutes
• 2 tablespoons almond butter
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
• water

Get yer food processors handy!

Okay. So. 

Throw those sunny seeds (or almonds) into the food processor and pulse 10-15 times until crumbly. Add 1 cup coconut and pulse 5 times to incorporate. Dump that mixture into a small bowl and set aside.

Drain the soaking dates (yeah did you forget to soak those? because I forgot to tell you? whoops. Go soak. five minutes). 

Place in food processor and pulse 10 times to chop. Add in the sunflower seed and coconut mixture and pulse 5 times. Add the almond butter and then press go on the processor and let it work like hell. 

Let it run for about a minute and a thick dough should start to form. 

Test the mixture for consistency. The dough should hold together when you pinch it (like cookie dough). If its too crumbly, add a teaspoon of water and let the processor run like hell again. I ended up having to use 2 tsps of water, but it depends on how oily your almond butter is. 

Once doughy consistency is reached, pulse in the chocolate chips until well combined. 

Roll dough into balls, slightly smaller than a golf ball. Coat them in the remaining 1/4 cup of coconut. Place uncovered in freezer for 35-40 minutes.

Enjoy!

When you fall off the wagon, it may also run you over.

Ouch.

So. I just returned from a whirlwind work trip to Seattle. While, I managed to plan meals for 35 hungry college students with a variety of food allergies, I most definitely left myself out of that equation. whoops.

Sometimes I try to convince myself that my own food sensitivities are all in my head. Unfortunately, my stomach begs to differ. So when my meals consisted of quad tall soy lattes, the occasional bagel with light cream cheese and a beer (or 2) for dessert, my stomach would be so kind as to sucker punch me as a reminder that coffee does not a breakfast make, dairy is not my friend and I really shouldn't hang out with those gluten kids so much.

My body is kind of angry.

So my return home this week to my little safe-haven of a kitchen has been delightful. I took Tuesday off as a recovery day (You spend the weekend chaperoning a choir trip and see if you make it into work the next day...)
With this free day, I took my time getting out of bed, making breakfast, walking the dog, showering, doing dishes,really  doing anything productive  but with laziness came greatness in breakfast form.
Savory pumpkin pancakes, baked kale, and peppered turkey bacon.

The pumpkin pancakes are inspired by another recipe on interwebs, that I have lost.  So no this is not my original work, but yes I made it better. BAM. These are not by any means sweet, but they'd be delicious with honey or maple syrup. I just like how pumpkinny they are.
I threw some kale in the oven while making these pancakes and that made everything all the better.


Savory Pumpkin Pancakes (GF, Paleo-esque)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree (make sure it's NOT pie filling)
• 6 eggs
• 3 tbls coconut milk
• 1 tbl oil (coconut if you have it, I used olive because thats what my pantry gave me.)
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp honey (optional)

In a small bowl, sift together coconut flour, baking soda, salt and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, coconut milk, pumpkin puree and vinegar till smooth. Add dry to wet, stirring well to fully incorporate. 

Spray a lovely skillet with some non-stick spray or oil and preheat over medium heat. 

Pour a quarter cup of batter into hot skillet. The batter is pretty thick, so  you'll have to use a spatula to spread the batter into a thin circle. These also don't bubble like normal pancakes, so watch carefully and flip over when the the edges start to brown. It takes 1-2 minutes per side, depending on thickness. 

Serve with greens and some ghee on top :)

A renewed spirit and a delicious dinner

This whole paleo challenge has been tough for a variety of reasons. Its expensive, the change in diet has made me a grumpy biotch. But the worst is I've  become wary of my kitchen, feeling like I no longer know what to do with those crazy spirals that get really hot.

I am pretty handy in the kitchen, preparing vegetarian  cuisine for the masses (or just me... ), but I have been really thrown, mentally, by the simultaneous addition of eggs and fish and subtraction of grain, tofu and tempeh-- staples in my diet.

So the internet has been my savior for the past week or so. But I got bored (see egg post. )

Nothing tasted like "me" if that makes sense? My kitchen looked like a foreign land.

But tonight, somehow, everything clicked. Ginger is still ginger even if its on fish instead of tempeh. Almond butter probably makes a delicious sauce when paired with tamari, just like peanut butter and soy sauce used to in other dishes I've made.

So tonight I experimented, with a little inspiration from the internets. Spaghetti squash with sesame oil and almond butter sauce and a spicy sesame coconut salmon graced my coffee table dining room table.

Tasted amazing, really reknewed my spirit in this endeavor. That probably sounds dramatic, but it is true!

Recipes below!