Garlic-Herbed Personal Flatbread Pizzas

Yeah, you heard me. Personal pizzas - and more? They're vegan and gluten free, though you wouldn't know it to taste them. Enjoy these delicious pizzas with your friend or loved one (just don't tell them how easy they are to make)!

Herbed Flatbread (vegan and gluten-free)
(makes 4)


1 cup almond flour
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1 tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp herba salle
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp white pepper
2 tsp powdered garlic
1 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp poppyseeds
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil


Add dry ingredients (except sesame seeds and poppy seeds) into a food processor and pulse until all elements ground. Empty ground ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add seeds. Add wet ingredients and stir well with a fork. Keep stirring until the dough forms one thick ball. Split the dough into four equal balls. Place one ball of dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll out, between the parchment paper, until the flattened round is about 1/4 inches thick. Feel free to cut to shape once it's flattened and press the cut bits in around the edges. It's not going to change shape once it bakes, so what you start with will be what you get. 


Bake at 300 F for about 25 minutes or until browned. 


Tomato and Basil Flatbread Pizza
(makes 4)

8 tbsp homemade pesto (recipe below*)

4 herbed flatbreads (recipe above)

2 tomatos, sliced thin

4 tbsp fresh basil

8 cloves garlic minced
1/2 onion, diced and caramelized

1/2 cup shredded white daiya cheese

*Simple home-made pesto
3.5 packed cups fresh basil leaves
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
1/4 cup ground raw cashew

Combine basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, salt, cashews in a blender and blend until smooth. When the mixture is completely smooth, add the pecorino and pulse the blender until it has been incorporated into the mix.*


Heat oven to 400 F. 


Place two flatbread rounds on one parchment paper-covered cookie sheet. 
Spread 1 tbsp pesto on each round. 
In a small bowl, stir 1 tbsp pesto, 1 tbsp shredded basil, and 2 cloves garlic minced. 
Add a layer of the basil/garlic/pesto mix, then slices of tomatoes (I used three thin slices per flatbread). Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top, then sprinkle caramelized onions over top of the cheese (or vice versa as you like). 
Bake on the top rack of your oven for about 8 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

Chips and Dip (the healthy & vegan way)

A healthy, filling option for your next peckish afternoon or house party. The crackers are delicious on their own - salty and flavorful - but with the dip they are even better! Go on! Have a peace.



Herbed Crackers (vegan and gluten-free)


1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 tbsp coconut flour
3/4 tsp dried lavender
3/4 tsp dried rosemary
3/4 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp herba salle
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp poppyseeds
2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil


Add dry ingredients (except sesame seeds and poppy seeds) into a food processor and pulse until all elements ground. Empty ground ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add seeds. Add wet ingredients and stir well with a fork. Keep stirring until the dough forms one thick ball. Split the dough ball in half, placing each between dual sheets of parchment paper. Roll out, between the parchment paper, until each ball is about 1/4 inch thick round. Feel free to cut to shape once it's flattened and press the cut bits in around the edges. It's not going to change shape once it bakes, so what you start with will be what you get.


Slice the dough into the size crackers you want. I cut about 2 inches wide and 3 inches long. 


Bake at 300 F for about 30 minutes or until browned. 


Vegan Veggie Dip


~8 oz steamed spinach
~6 oz steamed baby kale
~6 oz steamed broccoli 
~6 oz steamed cauliflower
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp celtic sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp white pepper (for a kick)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup red onions
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup shredded white daiya cheese for folding in, 1/2 cup for topping


Caramelize red onions with olive oil. 
Quick soak cashews in boiling water for twenty minutes.
Set oven to 350 F.
Blend cashews first, then add the rest of the ingredients to a food processor and blend til smooth. 
Pour into a heat safe serving dish, fold in ~1/2 cup white daiya cheese. Top with ~1/4 cup white daiya cheese. 
Bake at 350 F for about 10 minutes, or until cheese topping has melted. 
Serve warm with crackers.

Delectable Quinoa Cabbage Soup

This is a delicious, protein-rich, filling soup. It doesn't need to be served with anything. One bowl full will leave you sated. It smells and tastes delicious. It's just... really good. Take a trip on the healthy side and find out for yourself.


Delectable Quinoa Cabbage Soup
(8 servings)

2 tsp sunflower oil
1 large red onion, diced
2 tsp grated ginger
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
3 cups water
3 tsp Herbamare
2 cups uncooked quinoa
4 cups steamed cabbage
16 oz brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, quartered
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

In a slow cooker set to 250 F, add water, broth, cabbage, brussels sprouts, pepper, and Herbamare.

Warm a skillet, add oil. Wait 30 seconds. Add onions and saute about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, saute until fragrant. Add to the broth.

Allow to cook for ~4 hours. Serve warm. Go on, have a peace.

Veggie-"fried" Quinoa

Do you love the taste and texture of fried rice, but shy away from the useless starch of the rice and excess oil? I do. Enter my creative side and some delicious quinoa, where you can get all the good stuff - vegetables, eggs, and the added protein of quinoa. Yum!

This makes a great main portion for a bento box. I accompanied it with a side of steamed cabbage mixed with soy sauce and bonito flakes and a little pouch of raw almonds, dried edamame, and dried cherries.

Veggie-"fried" Quinoa
(~8 servings)

2 cups quinoa, cooked (I used a mix of red and white quinoa for color)
2 inches ginger, grated
5 handfuls baby spinach
2 handfuls mixed cabbage, shredded
16 oz shiitake mushrooms, diced
1/3 lb ground lean turkey meat (or ground chicken or Quorn ground "meat" substitute)
whites of 4 eggs
3 whole scallions, finely chopped (white and green separated)
1 red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic
vegetable broth
2 tsp sunflower oil, separated
2 tsp sesame oil, separated
sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
splash soy sauce

Cook 2 servings quinoa (replacing water in the recipe with vegetable broth). If you start this process first, the quinoa will just be finishing up by the time you finish with the rest.

Steam spinach and cabbage. Soak in cold water. Squeeze excess water out and chop finely.
Mince garlic. Grate ginger.

Heat a skillet. When it's warm, add the diced onions and season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Add the ground meat. Cook until the onions become translucent and the meat is browned. Remove contents from skillet to a large mixing bowl.
Return skillet to heat. Add 1 tsp sunflower oil and 1 tsp sesame oil to the now empty skillet. Add garlic, ginger, and scallion whites, and cook for about 30 seconds. Add spinach, cabbage, and diced mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until fragrant and warm. Remove contents to the large mixing bowl.
Return skillet to heat one more time. Add 1 tsp sunflower oil and 1 tsp sesame oil to the now empty skillet. Add egg whites, season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook the eggs, scrambling them, until they are almost set. Add the scallion greens. Cook and stir until fragrant. Remove contents to the large mixing bowl.

Stir all contents of the mixing bowl until well combined. Add the cooked quinoa. Stir well to fully combine all elements. Add a splash of soy sauce. Serve warm. Go on, have a peace! Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Protein Game Changers

I was recently invited to participate in something called the Game On Diet, which is basically a diet/lifestyle change competition that involves collecting points for meals, water intake, and exercise. It's a pretty neat system, one that I recommend you looking into if it at all peaks your interest. But the point is this. As part of the game, we're required to eat five meals a day. I know. It's crazy. And since I don't have time to stay home all day and cook, I decided to look into a quick and easy way to prep for those extra moderately portioned meals on the go. This is the first thi I came up with. It has protein, cruciferous vegetables, fiber, and healthy carbs. All that and it tastes awesome hot or cold, and is extremely easy to pack and carry. So, here you go.

Sweet Potato Protein Game Changers
Makes 16 patties
1 lb sweet potatoes, cooked
1 bunch green onions, diced
1/3 cup onions
1/4 cup flax seed meal
1.25 lb 99% fat free ground turkey
6 tsp olive oil
4 fist sized clumps of baby spinach, raw
1/3 cup egg whites
2 tsp herba salle (you can make your own version of this by combining sea salt, dried rosemary, dried sage, and dried basil in equal parts)
1 tsp black pepper
2 dried sage leaves, crumbled
1 sprig rosemary, dried, crumbled 
2 tsp white pepper

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Bake sweet potatoes for 20-25 minutes. Pan brown turkey and onions with ~2 tsp olive oil. Puree sweet potatoes in food processor (I peeled the skins and munched them, but it's up to you). Steam and then puree spinach with sweet potatoes. Dump puréed vegetables into a large bowl. Purée browned turkey and onions in food processor. Combine blended sweet potatoes, onions, turkey, flax seed meal, green onions, herba salle, egg whites, blended spinach, herbs, salt and pepper.
Form and flatten portions of the “dough” into patties.
Lay the patties onto parchment paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray (or stoneware) and bake for 15-20 minutes until they’re lightly brown and crisp on the outside.
Serve warm, at room temperature, or straight from the fridge.


Go on, have a peace! Have two! Enjoy! Go on, have a peace! Have two!

Fabulous Fall Farrago

A farrago is a 'confused mixture' or hodgepodge - isn't that a fabulous word? And equally fabulous is this particular farrago, which is a hodgepodge of different delectable and healthy tidbits, all piled together into a slow cooker for an easy, tummy-pleasing meal with delectable fall flavors. And, like all wonderful soups, this one smells so good that people will look up from what they're doing just to ask you what you're eating.

Fabulous Fall Farrago
(serves 6)

1 lb ground turkey meat
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 large zucchini, diced
1/2 eggplant, cubed
8 oz baby carrots, shredded
1 red onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 bottle pumpkin ale (I used Buffalo Bill's brand)
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/8 tsp white pepper
1 can unseasoned diced tomatoes, with juice

Are you ready for how easy this is going to be? Add all ingredients to crock pot, turkey last. Stir to make sure everything is well combined. Set on low and let cook for ~9.5 hours. Serve warm. Enjoy.

Your kitchen is going to smell amazing and your taste buds will thank you.

Go on! Have a peace!

The Popeye Bento!

Nutritious and delicious, the Popeye Bento consists of high iron and protein dishes in moderate portions to give me the energy to be strong and resilient and energetic through a weekend of rehearsals. Here's what's in it: Blackened Sea-caught Tilapia, Spinach and Tomato Salad, and Spinach and Lentil Soup. (Did you see where I got the Popeye name from?)



Blackened Sea-caught Tilapia
(2 servings)

Two filets of sea-caught tilapia (if you can only find farm-raised, substitute this with cod)
juice of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 lime
~2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp black pepper
3 tsp sea salt

Combine the spices and juices in a flat bottom dish. Coat each filet on both sides with the spice/juice combination and set aside for about twenty minutes to let the fish absorb the flavors. Warm about 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and pan fry the filets; it should take about 3 minutes on each side, but the main thing is to keep an eye out for the blackening and test the fish with a fork when you think it's done. If the filet flakes, you're good to go. (The neat thing about this - I got this idea from my dad's apple pie recipe actually - is that the white pepper gives you a heat sensation without tasting "spicy", so even if you eat this fish cold - I did - it's still "warm" and delicious.)

Spinach and Tomato Salad
(8 servings)

10 plum tomatoes, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Combine elements in a bowl and toss. I only used the pepper, but it's a matter of preference at that point. Yum!



Lentil and Spinach Soup
(8 servings)

4 cups low sodium organic chicken stock (if you're veg, use vegetable stock)
3 heaping handfuls baby spinach, chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1.75 cups dried lentils, rinsed
1 tsp thyme
~3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
fresh ground black pepper
5-6 pinches Erbe Salle (This is a wonderful herb ground sea salt I adore. If you can't find this, use regular sea salt, about 5 turns of the grinder.)

In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté the chopped onion in a little olive oil until translucent. Add garlic, thyme, and 2 pinches of your salt of choice and sauté ~1 minute.
Stir in lentils. Make sure you really mix up the lentils with the onions and garlic. It should be smelling simply wonderful at this point.
Add the stock, tomato paste, and 1 cup of water. Raise heat to high, bringing the pot to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and allow to simmer 20-30 minutes. Add your spinach, simmer until wilted, about 2 minutes.  Serve hot or cold.
For the bento, I have an awesome little soup-storage container that retains the heat in the soup for about 3 hours. That said, I ate some of this cold the next day and it was still delicious, so go for it. Enjoy!

Second Day Stir-Fry

So, hello!

I have been gone for a while... I haven't stopped cooking; it's just the recording process has gotten a little behind. Cheers to any and all of you who've stuck with me.

For my part, I'll admit I've been going back to some old favorites the last few hectic weeks. Brought my Bad Ass Yamekins to a 5-hour long rehearsal; they were very pleasantly received with the exception of one "gah - they're squishy!" reaction. To which I say this: if something feels squishy, but everyone else is eating it and loving it - just try it. For goodness' sake, it's gluten-free! Also brought those yammies to the killer Relay for Life walkathon, which was so much fun. I'm planning on a full 24-hours for it next year, barring rehearsal schedules as yet unforeseen.

Another treat that I've been revisiting of late are my delicious Green Bean "Chips". They are awesome as a snack during a busy day - hot or cold, they're always yummy. I've also made them as a side for chicken, beef, and fish, and I've chopped them up on top of leftover brown rice. Nom nom.

Speaking of leftover brown rice, here's a nifty new meal for you folks. I'd have taken pictures, but the darned comestibles just disappeared too quickly!

Second Day Stir-Fry
(serves 4-5)

1/2 cup (leftover) brown rice
2 medium-large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, halved lengthwise and diced
2 blocks firm tofu, cubed (I used Trader Joe's Organic Firm Teriyaki Marinated Tofu, which my guinea pigs and I found to be delicious!)
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

Add sesame oil to a stir fry pan and set it over medium high heat. Add garlic and onions, sauteeing until the garlic is browned and the onions are translucent. Add celery, stir for ~3 minutes. Add carrots, stir for an additional 2 minutes. Add tofu, stir for another 3 minutes. Add rice, stir so everything is well combined, then add soy sauce. Stir for an additional 3-5 minutes. Ta-da! Dinner! Or lunch. Could be lunch.

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve. It was uber-tasty and filled me and my guinea pigs right up. :)

Herbed Chicken and Potatoes

I was in the mood for something simple and savory, so I threw together this simple dish. It's delicious with a warm, woodsy taste, it fills you up right quick, and it only takes about 20 minutes to make.

Herbed Chicken and Potatoes
(Serves 5)

Herbed Potatoes
3 medium potatoes, cut to 1" cubes
3 red potatoes, cut to 1" cubes
1 small red onion, diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried rosemary, minced fine
1/4 tsp dried thyme, minced fine
dash fresh ground sea salt
dash fresh ground pepper

Herbed Chicken
5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed and cut to 1" cubes
2.5 Tbsp olive oil
4-5 tsp thyme
3 tsp sea salt
3 tsp freshly ground pepper (I use lemon peppercorns and they give the dish a slight citrus flavor that's yummy)

Set oven to 450 F.

Prepare 2 cookie sheets with raised sides with olive oil spray. Not too much. Just enough to coat the bottoms.

Mix the potatoes and their ingredients together in a bowl, stirring to coat. Shake them out onto one cookie sheet, spreading them out so they're not too lumped together. Place them in the oven. Set the timer to 21 minutes.

Now slice up your chicken breasts and add them to the same bowl you used for the potatoes along with their ingredients. Stir well to coat. Spread the chicken out on the second cookie sheet. The timer should have counted down now to about 15 minutes. Pop the chicken in the oven with the potatoes.

When the timer goes off, it should all be done at the same time. To serve, I took a fifth of each tray and spooned it into a bowl, mixing it all up together. Yum yum yum! Enjoy!

Baked Falafels Pita Pockets with Mint Tzatziki

I had some friends coming over last night and thought it might be fun to have a DIY dinner, rather than a serve-it-up like I usually do. I've had a yen for falafel since I got back from Israel, so this was my attempt and bringing the tastiness of Jerusalem vendors to my best pals at home. This meal is ridiculously easy to make, and fun - the only thing I would say is that it isn't the best meal to make when you're trying to have a conversation. The food processor is so loud! :)

Baked Falafel Pita Pockets with Mint Tzatziki
(makes ~8 servings)

Falafel:
(makes about 36)
1 can low sodium garbanzo beans, drained
1 red onion, finely chopped
A little less than 1/4 cup sorghum flour
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp salt
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Drain a can of garbanzo beans over the sink, rinsing them well. Drop them, along with all the other ingredients except the baking powder, into your food processor. [If you don't have a food processor, a blender could work. Otherwise, you can use an immersion blender or a potato masher. The processor is just faster.] Puree, until ingredients are a thick paste. When all elements are well combined, add the baking powder and stir in thoroughly.

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Now, here, I used my awesome little melon scooper, but you could use a normal, small spoon - your falafels will just be a little bigger. Scoop healthy dollops onto the baking sheet, about 6 scoops on each row.

Put baking sheets into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Flip the falafel patties. Bake for another 15 minutes if you want them soft, 20 minutes if you want them lightly browned, 25 if you want them crispier.

Mint Tzatziki:
1 regular sized cucumber, chopped into small bits
2 cups plain, nonfat yogurt
~1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped into tiny bits
salt, to taste

I actually made this weird tzatziki sauce before as a sauce for grilled chicken. It's based on the recipe my friend Alex uses (she's Greek), but I had some mint leftover (from a fun squash stew I made) that I wanted to put to use. Wow, check out the parentheses use there. It's super easy to make. You just chop the mint really fine (use a big chef's knife - it's easier). You cut the cucumber lengthwise, then lengthwise again, then in slices. Toss these into a bowl, then scoop the yogurt in. Stir, mixing well, and you're done.

Pita Pocket and fillers:

3 whole wheat pita, cut in half

2 handfuls baby spinach, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 roma tomato, diced

Take your half pita, open it up on a small plate. Dollop a couple spoonfuls of the tzatziki into the pita, accompanied by a sprinkling of the spinach and tomatoes. Place 3-4 falafels into the pita. Enjoy!

It was a simple meal, cool and warm, and delicious! Lots of protein from the chickpeas. Vitamin A and K and manganese from the spinach (not to mention Popeye muscles). Vitamin C in the tomatoes. Nom nom nom. Plus, my friends really seemed to enjoy getting to make their own little sandwiches and we all found them very tasty.

[You will have extras. The leftovers are easily stored and will keep in the fridge to make a tasty snack/meal for the next day or two.]

Kitchen Sink Soup

Here's a healthy, hearty, and delicious soup that's easy to make and really hits the spot.

Kitchen Sink Soup
(makes about 5 servings)
1/4 cup diced red onions
1/2 cup green peas
1 carrot, diced
2 small red potatoes, halved, sliced, and cut into bite-sized pieces
14.5 oz diced tomatoes in juice (1 can)
2 stalks celery, halved lengthwise, then sliced
1.5 cup low sodium vegetable stock
1/2 tbsp marjoram
salt and pepper to taste

Pour vegetable stock and tomatoes into the pot. Add marjoram, salt, and pepper. Set stove to medium heat. Add celery and carrots and onions. Stir over heat for 5 minutes. Add potatoes. Stir over heat for 8 minutes. Add peas. Stir over heat for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

See? I told you it was easy. :) The soup is very filling on its own. It keeps really well in the fridge (fed me for a week).

Enjoy!!

Easter Snacks

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you're having a beautiful holiday. This Sunday is a day about rebirth, no matter how you slice it. New life, the balance of day and night and the balance in our lives.

And yet, Easter is also a day full of processed stuff that leaves your body completely UNbalanced. Why?

My parents sent me an Easter basket this year as they do every year - my parents are ridiculously awesome.
This year, they sent me an incredibly soft, snuggly bunny and some delicious sugar free snacks. One of the things they sent that was not sugar free was a yummy, yummy chocolate from 3400 Phinney Chocolate Factory.

Here's my rule about candy - you have to recognize and be able to picture all the ingredients and you have to eat it in moderation, as a treat. This bar is dairy free, gluten free, soy free, and vegan. The ingredients include and are limited to cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, almonds, figs, fennel, and ground vanilla bean.

Now. If you're like me, you've probably hardboiled and dyed a boatload of eggs. But what do you do with all those hardboiled eggs once you're done admiring them? Personally, I love just munching on hardboiled eggs as a snack. But if you want to do something else with them, here's a few ideas:

Deviled Eggs

Avocado Eggs
1 avocado
8 hardboiled eggs, peeled
~1/8th of a small red onion
1/8 cup lemon juice, to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the hardboiled eggs in half. Scoop the yolks out into either a bowl or a food processor. Lay out the remaining egg whites on a plate.

Cut your avocado in half, throw away the pit. Again, if you have the food processor, add the avocado to the yolks there. If not, add it to the yolks in the bowl. Mash it all together.

Take 1/8th of a small onion and chop it into tiny, tiny bits. You might not want to use all of the onion, it's up to your personal taste. Add as much as you like to the mashed up avocado and yolk. Now add a tiny bit of fresh ground sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Sprinkle in the lemon juice - again to taste. Mix it all together.

Scoop the mash up into each of the hardboiled egg whites and serve immediately. :) That's it! It's creamy, delicious, and tastes like guacamole!

Yum yum yum!

Tea Eggs - I made these with Good Earth green tea bags, 2 cups of boiling water, and a 1/2 tbsp of low sodium soy sauce and they were delicious!

Irenic Salad
This is my go-to lunch when I'm short on time. It's filling, delicious, and healthy.
8 leaves romaine lettuce, broken into bite-sized pieces
1 hardboiled egg, sliced in half and then diced into little bits
4 grape tomatoes
2 stalks of celery, sliced in half lengthwise and then into bite sized slices across
1/8 cup edamame or fresh green peas (optional)

For dressings, you'll want to use something that isn't cream based. You won't need it. You can make a simple dressing by drizzling a tiny bit of olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar over the salad. Or you can make my personal favorite dressing.

Irenic Dressing
This dressing is easy to make and very tasty.  
1/4 tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried basil
4 leaves fresh basil
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil
black pepper to taste

Take the olive oil and put it into a small skillet, heat it over medium high and throw the garlic into it until it browns and smells delicious, about 1-2 minutes. Pour the olive oil and garlic into a blender or food processor, then add all the other ingredients. Blend it all together. You can triple or quadruple this recipe and save the remainder in your fridge to use for the next couple days. :)

I hope you all enjoy this beautiful day! Happy Easter; have a peace.

Black Velvet and Colcannon (St. Patrick's Day feast)

Now, I know, I usually do food recipes for the holidays, but I mean... it's St. Patrick's Day! C'mon!

So I'm switching it up a bit and starting with a drink.


Black Velvet
A Black Velvet is my favorite way to celebrate St. Patrick's baptism of the Irish. This recipe makes 2 pints.

1 pint Irish stout (Guinness, Murphy's, or Beamish - not Harp)
1 pint champagne

Chill both. Combine in a large glass jug. Stir. Pour into pre-chilled tall glasses. Drink. Repeat.

Slainte. :)

Colcannon
Now, colcannon is traditionally Halloween fare in Ireland, but it's my favorite "pub-at-home" food so here you go. :) Makes about 4 servings.

1 lb kale (or green cabbage if you can't find kale)
1/2 pt water
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1.5 lbs potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup skim milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Simmer kale (or cabbage) in the water and oil for 10 minutes.
Drain thoroughly, chop finely.
Boil potatoes and carrots in the same pot until tender.
Put milk and onion into a saucepan and cook lightly.
Drain the potatoes and carrots and mash them together. Add the onion, milk, and cooked kale to the carrot/potato mash. Mash and mix some more. :)
Serve warm. Enjoy!

[These recipes are from a book called "The Feckin' Book of Everything Irish", with alterations.]

Goulash Nosh

 Every week, my friend Janet and I get together and I teach her how to make a new recipe. Tonight, I decided to show her a nice, easy en-masse meal. My friend Alex gave me her Greek grandmother's goulash recipe about a year ago and I've been playing with it ever since. This is delicious, easy to make in big batches, filling, high in protein, and surprisingly healthy.

Goulash Nosh
(~8 servings)

1.5 cups creamy tomato soup (Red pepper and tomato soup would probably be really good too!)
2/3 cup garden patch juice (alternatives: tomato juice or V8)
8 ounces vegetable rotini pasta
1/2 red onion, diced
3 carrots, chopped into bite-size bits
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
2 tsp agave nectar
salt and pepper, to taste
1.5 lb ground turkey meat
1 handful light, shredded 3-cheese, plus more if you want
1 tbsp grapeseed oil

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain.

In a large stock pot, brown onions and turkey meat with 1 tbsp grapeseed oil over medium high heat. When the meat is fully cooked, drain the grease.

Add noodles to the stock pot. Add soup and juice. Stir. Add carrots; simmer for 3-5 minutes. Add agave nectar. Stir. Add garbanzo beans. Stir. Simmer for 2-4 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Add handful of cheese and mix it well with the rest. Tap down, sprinkle a teensy bit of cheese over the top. Put a lid on the pot, lower heat to medium-low. Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Serve hot.

Enjoy. :)

Guilt-Free T.C.

Due to the fact that I expect to be rather busy for the next few days, I decided to make a casserole to tide me through the coming week. And then I realized, hey! I haven't showed you guys any of my wicked fun casserole dishes. So you, my friends, are in for a treat. This dish makes about 8-10 servings. It's delicious, wholesome, guilt-free, and utterly satisfying. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed inventing it. :)

Guilt-Free Tuna Casserole
(Serves 8-10)

1/4 cup breadcrumbs
8 oz vegetable rotini pasta (this pasta is made from compressed veggies and is super delicious)
olive oil cooking spray
3 stalks celery, halved lengthwise and diced
1 head cauliflower
1 small red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp almond meal
1 Tbsp flax seed meal
1 cup low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1/2 cup water
2 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and diced
~14.8 oz canned tuna - unsalted, packed in water, drained
2 cups fresh or frozen peas
~1 Tbsp dried dill (make sure it's finely minced)
~1 Tbsp low-fat Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a stockpot filled with water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook according to package directions.

Dice a head of cauliflower into 1-2 inch florets, including as much of the stalk as you can manage without adding the green parts. Set these out over a parchment paper covered cookie sheet, spray gently with olive oil cooking spray and dust lightly with milled sea salt (or kosher). Put this in the oven to bake, should take between 30-40 minutes, until just beginning to brown on the edges.

Meanwhile, heat a large stockpot (the bigger the better, within reason) over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Mist with olive oil cooking spray and add celery and onion. Saute for 2 minutes or until onions become translucent.

In a small bowl (I used a tea cup), combine the almond and flax seed meals.

Add chicken broth, water, and the mix of almond meal and flax seed meal; whisk briskly until it begins to go frothy. [This, by the way, is my cheat to making a healthy roux (or thickener). I think you can also use this to make homemade "cream" sauces, though - considering I just made it up - I have not yet tested this.] Reduce heat to medium. Stir in drained pasta, carrots, tuna, and peas. Add dill. Remove from heat.

By now, your cauliflower should be done roasting. Take it out and load the entire head's worth of little roasted pieces into a food processor. (If you don't have a food processor, you can use a food mill, a potato ricer (these are so awesome!), or at the most rudimentary a potato masher.) Puree the cauliflower until it's well mushed (yes, that's my technical term); add the minced garlic and puree again. Now dump the contents of your food processor into the bowl full of tuna stew. Stir until well combined. It should take on a thick, glutinous consistency.

Pour tuna-pasta-cauliflower mixture into a 11.5 x 15 inch casserole dish (preferably glass). Sprinkle with 1/4 cup breadcrumbs and a light dusting of Parmesan.

Bake for 30 minutes or until browned on top. Remove and serve hot.

For storage, cover tightly with saran wrap (or put it into a casserole container with a sealing lid like I do) and put it in the fridge. It will keep for about 5 days. If you want it to last for 7 or 8, cut a portion off, seal it, and put it in the freezer, leaving the rest in the fridge. 

Note: This recipe might seem a little low on salt, if you're used to cooking and eating with it. As you may have noticed, I barely use any when I cook, so my tongue isn't super sensitive to it when it's missing. To me, this dish is perfect in its garlicky, mushy, delicious comfort foody way. I'd say taste test before you transfer it to your baking dish, just to make sure you'll be happy. And if you must add more salt, be sparing with it. The less you use, the more you'll get used to not using it, and then you'll eventually find that you don't miss it at all. :)

Chunky Chicken Chili

So, in the vein of delicious, easy meals in a bowl, I thought I'd offer up one of the easiest chilis I have ever made and thoroughly enjoyed. This is a high protein, low fat, energy boosting, quick-fix meal. Enjoy!

Chunky Chicken Chili
(makes ~6 servings)

2 tbsp grapeseed oil
1-2 lbs of chicken meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 can diced, fire-roasted tomatoes (I use the Muir Glen brand, with green chiles for a little kick)
1 can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained
lime juice, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
milled sea salt, to taste

Heat the oil in the bottom of a stock pot and cook the onion and garlic until the onions are soft and the garlic is browned (about 3 minutes).

Add the chicken broth and the fire-roasted tomatoes; stir. Add the chicken and cook on medium high for 8-10 minutes, until chicken is cooked all the way through.

Next, add the beans and corn. Add lime juice (I used about 1 tbsp, but I'd recommend adding 1 tsp at a time until you're happy with the taste). Simmer for 5 minutes. Salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer for another five minutes and serve hot.

You'll want to use a slotted spoon to serve, so you can avoid the excess broth. I eat this plain in a bowl, but if you're looking for a more filling bowl, you can serve this over brown rice. Maybe with a little mexican cheese or sour cream. Nom nom nom. :)

To store, pour the chili through a colander to drain it and then put it in a sealed tupperware container. It will keep for about a week. Deliciously!

Everything But the Kitchen Sink Soup

I've been in a soupy mood for the past few days. I've also been in 'I don't want to go to the grocery' mode. These two feelings, in conjunction, culminated in me searching my fridge and pantry for anything that might make a suitable soup. I love the way that sounds... 'suitable soup'.

Everything But the Kitchen Sink Soup
(5-8 servings)

1 box (~4 cups) Trader Joe's Garden Vegetable Patch Soup (could use plain tomato soup, or probably even V8)
~3 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
~5 stems fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
8-10 cherry tomatoes, halved
5-10 button mushrooms, sliced in thirds
3 stalks celery, sliced small
1 can great northern beans, rinsed
1/4 cup diced red onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
freshly milled sea salt, to taste (*I used about 10 turns of my sea salt mill)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste (*I used about 7 turns of my black pepper grinder)

In a medium stock pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic to the bottom and saute for 4-6 minutes, until onions are soft and garlic is browned.

Add 4 cups of the soup base you've chosen and set the stove to medium heat. Allow the soup to come to a simmer.

Add the spinach and basil to the pot and stir well. Next take the celery and stir that in, followed by the cherry tomatoes and the mushrooms. Salt and pepper the soup and stir, scooping from the bottom, to make sure everything's well combined.

Finally stir in the great northern beans and then allow to simmer, unmolested, for 5-8 minutes. Stir a couple times and taste test to make sure you're happy with the seasoning of the soup. If you used more or less of any of the ingredients I did, you'll want to alter your salt and pepper usage accordingly. Also depending on what brand of soup base you use, it may already be salted or seasoned on its own. Check the label and make sure you're not oversalting.

When you're happy, remove from heat and ladle out. It comes out warm, filling, and delicious. Yum, yum! Enjoy!

Falstaffe Sauce

After three long, wonderful weeks up in Washington with my family, my long absent heartmate, and his family, I have finally returned back to Los Angeles. My first thought upon disembarking from the plane was 'wow, I don't need my coat down here'; the second, 'thank God - I'm only twenty minutes from my kitchen!'

In case you haven't seen it, my kitchen is, frankly, a wonderland. At least it is to me. Every tool and gadget is exactly where I expect it to be - because I put it there - and I know for a fact that everything I own is well within it's expiration date (don't ask). Now, having only recently arrived, I made do last night with a bowl of Trader Joe's Miso Soup and some popcorn that my friend Megan brought over. But today, I hit the store and let my stifled creativity loose on an old favorite. I used what I remembered of an old Emeril pasta sauce recipe and then added two of my favorite things. Broccoli and cauliflower. Broccli is good for you and delicious in any capacity, but especially when roasted. Cauliflower has this amazing capacity for creaminess when cooked just right - you can even use it as a replacement for mashed potatoes! But here, I use it to turn my homemade marinara into a decadent fake alfredo.

I call it Falstaffe sauce for two reasons. 1) Because Falstaffe (Sir John, from ol' Shake's Henry IV 1-2 and Merry Wives of Windsor) was aware that life is a charade and would probably appreciate the sneaky nature of this misleading recipe. And 2) because poor, portly Sir John wouldn't have been nearly so portly if he'd been eating this instead of butter and cream sauce. :)

Falstaffe Sauce

Broccoli and cauliflower, lovingly mixed in olive oil and balsamic, roasted and then blended with tomatoes and garlic to make a delicious, creamy pasta sauce.

1 head broccoli
1 head cauliflower
3 heads roasted garlic (or more if you like)
1 large red onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
.25 cup tomato paste
1.5 tsp salt
.25 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
.25 tsp italian seasoning
.25 tsp dried basil
2 cans whole italian tomatoes with juice (28 oz each)
Salt and pepper to taste.
1/2 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Prep- Wash and cut broccoli into 1 inch thick pieces. Wash and cut cauliflower into 1 inch thick pieces. Chop large red onion into 1x1 inch pieces (or smaller if you prefer). Open both cans of tomatoes and pour into a mixing bowl, juices and all, and crush (either with your hands or with a potato masher).

Roasted garlic: Peel the outer layers of garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the cloves intact. Cut off about 1/4 inch of the tops of the cloves, exposing the individual cloves. Place the garlic bulb in a baking pan. [If you're making a lot of these, then use a muffin pan. If not, then just toss them in a small bread pan or something similar.] Drizzle olive oil over each bulb and make sure it's well coated, then cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the bulbs feel soft when pressed. Take the pan out, and set it to the side. If you're serving folks, you might want to make a few extra bulbs and let people munch on the delicious roasted garlic as an appetizer. Just remember to save three of them for the recipe.

Broc and Caul: Mix cut broccoli in a bowl with 1/4 cup olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Repeat for cauliflower. Use olive oil to coat a couple baking pans and use one pan for the broccoli and one for the cauliflower, trying to keep from making any puddles of olive oil on the pan. Put both pans in the 400 F oven for 20-30 minutes. [I like my veggies a little crispier so I tend to leave them in 10-15 minutes longer, but its up to you.]

Sauce base: While that's cooking, take out a large saucepan and saute the chopped red onion in olive oil over medium-high heat for about 6 minutes. Add 1 tbsp minced garlic and cook with the onion for another minute. Then add tomato paste, salt, balsamic vinegar (I love this stuff), crushed red pepper flakes, italian seasoning, and basil, and cook for a minute. Smell that. Awesome, right? Now add the tomatoes you prepped earlier, juice and all, and stir with all the other ingredients so they're all well combined. Reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Take out the broccoli and cauliflower when they're done and empty the entire cauliflower pan into a bowl along with the non-leafy broccoli parts. For this portion of the program, you're going to need a nifty thing called an immersion blender [if you don't have one, buy one - it's one of the most handy tools I own]. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can throw the aforementioned things into a food processor or blender, but you'll have more clean up than me. Blend all the cauliflower and the broccoli stems together. Serve the leafy parts of the roasted broccoli on top of the pasta, or mixed with the sauce, as a side dish, or stick them in a tupperware box and eat them later as a snack. Heck, eat them while you're cooking. They're delicious.

Back to the sauce. Add the roasted garlic cloves you made first to the simmering sauce and stir to combine. Simmer for another 30-40 minutes, or until you taste test and find all the flavors alert and marching on your tongue.

Now. Add the cauliflower/broccoli blended mixture and stir. See how that marinara just turned into a soft pink creamy looking sauce?

Serve over pasta (I use whole wheat spaghetti or vegetable rotini), and enjoy. :)

Note: This recipe makes about 1.5 quarts of sauce. You can also use it as a creamy pizza sauce or a topping for steamed or roasted vegetables.

African Spinach and Peanut Butter Stew - Kwanzaa dish

There is no specific menu for a Kwanzaa meal, but according to my research Kwanzaa means "first fruit", and an important symbol of the festival is Mazao (crops), so it seems one should strive to include a healthy selection of vegetables and fruits in their meal plan. The following recipe is one I've actually made a couple times because it's easy and delicious, and it's very similar to several that came up in my research.

African Spinach and Peanut Butter Stew

Ingredients:
2 medium onions (I prefer red, but I've used white ones before too)
410g canned tomato
2 lb spinach
4 tbsp peanut butter
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying (I use olive oil, but you can use whatever you prefer)

Directions:
Slice the onions and fry them in oil until soft. (You're going to want to do this either in a pot or a pan with high sides, because you're adding everything else into this.)
Slice the canned tomatoes and add them to the onions.
Wash, trim, and chop the spinach coarsely. (Don't skimp on the spinach. First, it shrinks when it's cooked; and second, it's your main veggie in this dish. If you're not a huge fan of spinach, you don't need to worry. You can hardly taste it in this dish.)
Add the spinach to the stew and cook, covered, over medium heat for five minutes, stirring to keep it from burning or sticking.
Thin the peanut butter with hot water (1 Tbsp at a time) until you've made a smooth paste; add that to the stew.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook for another 5-10 minutes, stirring and adding water as necessary to prevent it getting too sticky or glutinous.

You can serve this stew over steamed rice, vegetables, mashed potatoes, polenta, quinoa, er.... anything you want to, really. If you want to add more vegetables to the stew itself, you're welcome to. Just make sure to keep your ratio of peanut butter and water right to keep that "stew" feeling.

Enjoy!

Healthy Potato Latkes : Hanukkah Dish

Latkes are a traditional food of Hanukkah; the use of the oil relates to the miracle of the oil, which the festival celebrates. The following recipe is from the December '05/January '06 issue of EatingWell:


Crispy Potato Latkes
It is a holiday tradition to fry latkes in hot oil, but here shredded potato-and-onion pancakes get a coating of matzo crumbs, are pan-fried in a small amount of oil and finished in a hot oven for a few minutes. The golden-crisp results have only 4 grams of fat and 100 calories per serving—truly a miracle.


Ingredients: 
1.5 lbs russet potatoes (about 2), shredded
1 medium white onion, shredded
2 medium shallots, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 tsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 pieces whole-wheat matzo (6x6 in), broken into pieces
1/2 tsp white pepper
3 tbsp peanut oil, or extra-virgin olive oil, divided


Directions:

1. Toss shredded potato, onion, shallots and salt in a medium bowl. Transfer to a sieve set over a large bowl; let drain for about 15 minutes. Squeeze the potato mixture, a handful at a time, over the bowl to release excess moisture (don’t oversqueeze"some moisture should remain). Transfer the squeezed potato mixture to another large bowl. Carefully pour off the liquid, leaving a pasty white sediment"potato starch"in the bottom of the bowl. Add the starch to the potato mixture. Stir in egg.
2. Put matzo pieces in a sealable plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin into coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the crumbs and pepper over the potato mixture and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate until the matzo is softened, 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir the potato mixture. Cook 4 latkes per batch: place 1/4 cup potato mixture in a little of the oil and press with the back of a spatula to flatten into a 3 1/2-inch cake. Cook until crispy and golden, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the latkes to the prepared baking sheet. Continue with 2 more batches, using 1 tablespoon oil per batch and reducing the heat as needed to prevent scorching. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes.

Makes 12.
Nutrition Per latke: 100 calories; 4 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 18 mg cholesterol; 15 g carbohydrates; 2 g protein; 2 g fiber; 204 mg sodium; 278 mg potassium.