How To Make Spinach Delicious (and Unrecognizable)

Posted on January 3, 2014

 

Disguising the appearance and texture of a vegetable is the underlying point of a recipe like this if you’re not especially fond of little green fronds. Believe me, I couldn’t have dropped 180 pounds and kept it off for nearly five years if I didn’t become more amenable to subsisting on more cauliflower, cabbage, kale, and spinach…I’m much more cooperative than I was a decade ago…but I still need coaxing.  Thankfully, the January issue of O magazine gave me a brilliant idea and I ran with it:  Spinach Pesto.

That’s pesto as in, no basil, ALL SPINACH. You’d think that as a passionate home cook, healthy eater, and recipe developer, this would have occurred to me long ago. But no matter, I had a 10-ounce tub of fresh spinach in my crisper drawer just waiting for a purpose. I loosely followed the O magazine guideline and came up with this emerald-colored and surprisingly flavorful sauce which I paired with mung bean pasta. I’ve been having a love affair with the simple, pale-colored mung lately:  Our New Year’s Day pancakes were made with a gluten-free flour blend that included mung flour, coconut flour, and blue cornmeal, and two days ago I made a massive pot of mung  bean soup. Mung pasta is a little on the chewy side, but its upsides are many, including the fact that it’s gluten-free, heavy on the protein and fiber, and rich in iron, while being light on sugars and simple carbs. Double win!

Spinach Pesto

1 10-oz. tub prewashed baby spinach

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 cup grated Peccorino cheese (made from sheep’s milk)

1/4 cup lemon juice

About a cup of extra virgin olive oil (this amount can vary, what you want is enough oil to make a slightly liquidy paste; something that will emulsify easily over pasta)

In a food processor, blend ingredients together and pulse until smooth. If your food processor is medium-sized like mine, you’ll have to do the pesto in several batches. Don’t be alarmed at the mountain of spinach…it chops down to nothing in no time. When first batch is done (you don’t want to overcrowd the food processor), scrape pesto into a small mixing bowl and start second batch. Serve immediately over pasta and refrigerate any excess. I recommend storing in an airtight container, where it will keep for a few weeks. This is also fantastic on toast or a toasted bagel.

Now isn’t THAT a fabulous way to get the greens?

 

 

Veggies the easier way

Veggies the easier way

 

Unconventional, but I got my spinach today...

Unconventional, but I got my spinach today…

 

 

 

 

0 comments

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies

Posted on December 17, 2013

I know my strengths…and the areas in which I do not accel naturally. So when I wanted an infallibly delicious oatmeal cookie recipe, to celebrate a special anniversary involving The Zachster, I turned to none other than The Pioneer Woman herself, Ree Drummond. I knew she’d deliver and she did.

The wonderfully creative poster girl for home cookin’ is not gluten-free however, so I made a few adjustments. Below is her recipe made over with flours. I used 1 cup corn flour and 1/2 cup white rice flour…and the usual pinch (about 1/4 tsp.) of xantham gum for binding.

Back in the day when I ate sugar and made the occasional batch of GF cookies, I discovered the valuable practice of baking as I went along…or as the cravings came.  It works like a charm, because you won’t have a batch of baked cookies hanging around, just waiting to be eaten as the clock ticks on their shelf life. And who doesn’t love cookies right out of the oven? The Zachster sure does, and he was very on board with the ‘bake as you go’ method.  It’s a far wiser and more enjoyable way to make the cookies last. The excess dough is stored in an airtight plastic container in the back of the refrigerator and keeps for months.  It also freezes well. Of course, there are exceptions.  If you’re having a cookie exchange, bake sale, or party, by all means get down with your oven and bake ’em all. These oatmeal cookies will be savored no matter what the occasion or crowd size. Even if it’s just a party of one over a cup of herbal tea.

I baked these on a recent snowy day, the perfect backdrop for baking up a batch of homemade, gluten-free cookies. I even shared some with the mail man. He arrived at my doorstep covered in snow and looking none-too pleased that he had to leave the comfort of his truck. I think the unexpected gift of these turned his day around. Happy Baking!

The Pioneer Woman’s Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies –Made Gluten-Free By A Recovering American

1 cup Salted Butter, Softened

2 cups Packed Dark Brown Sugar

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

2 whole Eggs

1 cup Corn Flour

1/2 cup White Rice Flour

1/4 tsp. Xantham Gum

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

3 cups gluten-free oatmeal

Preheat oven to 330

Blend butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together in large mixing bowl with an electric beater until creamy. In separate bowl, sift flours, xantham gum, salt, and soda together, then mix in the oats. Gradually add dry ingredients to the creamed sugar until a chunky dough forms.

Take a small ice cream scooper or tablespoon from the kitchen drawer and drop dough by balls, slightly smaller than a golf ball on a ungreased cookie sheet. My sheet fit 9 comfortably, three rows of three.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, depending on if you like your cookies chewy or crisp. Place on cooling rack or plate and either devour immediately or store.

Simple, comforting cookies, sans gluten

0 comments

Lobster Risotto

Posted on December 12, 2013

How’s this for a winter comfort recipe? I promise, you’ll love it! And if you have a shellfish allergy, or are vegan, substitute something delicious of your choice as an add-on: sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, a cup of your favorite shredded cheese all work fantastically.

Risotto is a short-grain Italian rice that can’t just be dumped in simmering water and left for 20 minutes. Constant stirring is required, making it a time-consuming event, but at the same time, the process is simple and comforting. Do a little on-line cooking research or simply follow directions on the box, they tend to be thorough. If you run out of stock, just use hot water. Bon Appetit!

LOBSTER RISOTTO

Six servings of Risotto (prepared according to box instructions, using seafood or vegetable broth as a base)

1 lb. of lobster meat, pulled into chunks

Salt to taste

Butter for garnish

After risotto is prepared, let stand covered in the pot on the stove (no heat). Process the lobster meat in batches in a food processor. It should be finely shredded, almost paste-like. Turn a low flame under the Risotto and transfer lobster meat to the pot and mix thoroughly. If Risotto becomes too thick and chunky, add small amounts of hot water or stock until it’s creamy enough to fall off a turned spoon. Heat on low for another five minutes until mixture is thoroughly warmed. Garnish with butter and serve immediately.

Note: If there are leftovers, do not reheat them on the stove. Use a covered casserole dish or crock – it will come back beautifully.

 

Lobster Risotto

0 comments

Spice Up Your Life!

Posted on December 6, 2013

My latest experiment with using lentils instead of flour. My semi-annual, must-be-fulfilled gingerbread craving did arrive as scheduled, on or about December 1. This little treasure filled the bill without upsetting the apple cart of glycemic balance!

 

Great Northern Spice Cake

 

The name comes from this cake’s surprising base:  a can of Great Northern Beans, also known as Cannellini Beans. They’re mild and velvety and perfect for mimicking a vanilla or spice cake – unlike the black bean – which lends itself to a dense chocolate cake.

My way of eating these days is sugar-free so I use Stevia as the sweetener for this dessert.  You’re free to use something else, such as sugar in the raw, agave, or coconut palm sugar. I’m discovering that because the nature of lentils is dense and wet, bean-based cakes and breads take longer to bake than their flour-based counterparts.  You definitely want this to pass the toothpick test, but without over-baking. Check the cake after 30 minutes.  If it’s not done, return to the oven and check in five-minute increments.

 

 

Makes 1 round cake layer

 

1 can Great Northern Beans, drained

2 eggs, room temperature

2 Tbs. coconut oil (note: it’s normal for coconut oil to be solid at room temperature, except in warm-weather months)

25 drops of Stevia (or 1/3 c. agave, sugar, or coconut palm sugar or nectar)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp. allspice or cloves

 

Preheat oven to 350

Process all ingredients in a food processor until thoroughly blended and beans are liquified, scraping sides of the food processor if necessary. The texture should be similar to pancake batter, perhaps a bit thicker. Coat a round cake pan with cooking spray thoroughly and pour batter into pan. Bake for 30 minutes before doing a toothpick.  Continue to bake in five-minute increments as needed.

Let cool to just warm or room temperature.  Serve with coconut or almond milk-based ice cream or coconut whipped cream.

Spicy...and Clean!

Spicy…and Clean!

0 comments

At Peace With Being 50 Lbs. Heavier Than A Vogue Model

Posted on November 27, 2013
Clothing-As-Barometer IN, Weekly Visits to the Scale OUT

Clothing-As-Barometer IN, Weekly Visits to the Scale OUT

 

Oh yoo-hoo…Diet Industry, Beauty Magazines, Madison Avenue…I’ve got something to SAY to you:

 

I weigh 165 pounds.

That’s it.  No remorse or explanation. I’m not ashamed, perturbed, or disturbed in any way.  Which is really good news for me, but not so great news for you.  Oh stop sniveling. Yeah, I know, you can’t manipulate me anymore.  But here’s an idea: maybe you could try and find a more honorable way of making a living.

Not only am I OK with my weight of, I’ll say it again: 165 pounds, I’m ECSTATIC over it. I once weighed 345 pounds.  Do you know how this must feel?  Of COURSE you don’t.  If you ever suffered the humiliation of being large in a fat-phobic society, or have known the abject frustration of failing at the maniacally devised human mouse traps and self-esteem-crushers known as diets, you would be unable, in good conscience, to continue preying on the misery of others.

It may interest you to know I hoisted the 180-pound monkey off my back through clean eating, listening to my body’s hunger cues, exercising regularly, and deciding to go head-to-head with the demons that drove me to binge-eat.

Now that I’m free, I know that health and balance is a total mosaic. The number on the scale for me is no longer the ultimate indicator of this. I weigh above what many women, and certainly the modeling and entertainment industry deem acceptable. But I don’t care anymore. I could choose to spend considerable energy on getting that number down another 20 or 30 pounds, but it seems I’ve reached a comfortable place and my body is happy. I workout moderately, eat clean, and quite frankly, I’m not interested in being any more rigorous than I am. That’s not to say I’ll stop accepting challenges, but enough’s enough. It’s OK to be happy with myself, even if it in no way matches the media images we’re all fed ad infinitum.

OK Truth-Seekers..I want to hear from you.  Many of you have found Peace, Love, and Fitness through a way of living that does not include gimmicks and legalized torture.  Are you happy with yourself, or constantly wringing your hands because you don’t think you look good enough or weigh what you ‘should’ weigh?

My story does not have a Sports Illustrated ending to it…so what? Just because I’ll never be whisked away to Bora Bora for a Kleenex-with-straps couture photo shoot doesn’t mean my life is bereft of happiness or meaning. My thighs are not smooth as ceramic. The stretch marks were embedded at age 11, the bikini ship has sailed and I know it.  And somehow, I’m still walking upright, happier than I’ve ever been and grateful beyond measure for my freedom.

Who’s with me in the Victory Charge?  If enough of us rally, the ad and diet industry will one day be FORCED to find a more honorable way of making a living.

 

 

 

 

1 comment