Battle of the Asians

In my old apartment in Astoria, there were dueling take-out restaurants on opposite corners, one Thai and one Chinese. Generally, I'm not a take-out kind of girl. Especially Chinese food! Bleck! I haven't had Chinese food in almost a year and that was only because someone's mom had a coupon. Can't turn down a bargain!

But occasionally, the alluring scent of chili-garlic sauce and MSG would spark a craving in which I will feebly attempt to create something to satisfy the take-out urge!

Since I love Thai-food, that's the route I usually take. However, my own version of "Thai" food deserves quotes the same way my "Indian" food does, in that the flavors miss the mark of authentic. If it has peanuts in it, I'll consider it "Thai-inspired."

Luckily, this recipe is pretty damn good.

Spicy Eggplant in Peanut Sauce

by Bonnie Graham

Keywords: eggplant peanut butter sriracha peas

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Ingredients

• 1/2 large onion, cut into thin slices
• 1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large eggplant or 2 smaller ones, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 large tomato, diced, optional - I actually prefer it without the tomato
• 1/2 c frozen peas
• 1 - 2 tsp srichara (optional, depending on how spicy you like it)
• 1 small handful of cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 to 1 c of homemade peanut sauce
• canola oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Spray cookie sheet with oil and toss cubed eggplant with a couple of teaspoons olive to ensure they don't stick to the pan when roasting. Let eggplant roast for 45 minutes our until eggplant gets golden, flipping in half way through the roasting process. This can be done a day or two ahead of time.

3. When eggplant is cooked almost all the way through, put onions in a pan with oil to begin softening. After a few minutes, add garlic. Adding the garlic after the onions have started to cook will prevent garlic from burning.

4. Add tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes before adding the roasted eggplant and peas. You can also add the srichaha at this point.

5. Add peanut sauce, stirring to coat all the ingredients. Warm through.

6. Remove from heat and add cilantro. Serve.

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No Soup?

I can remember a time back in high school where I dined at some "fancy" restaurant with a group of friends. I think it was Uno's. After reading the menu, I was so excited to order the Baked Potato Soup. As soon as I saw it, my decision was made. My menu was closed. I waited anxiously for the waitress to come take our order.

Everyone went around the table, ordering their lame burgers and gross deep-dish pizza. When it was my turn, I enthustiacally said "I'll have the Baked Potato Soup please!" The waitress said there was no soup that day. "No soup?" I asked, deflated. The entire table burst into laughter. They equated my reaction to that of a child who just lost their puppy, completely heartbroken. I don't remember what I actually ordered that night, but I do remember that there was no soup!

Needless to say, I have a crazy ridiculous enthusiasm for soup. In fact, I've been told its one of my best qualities! When the weather changes, I probably eat soup every day.

But wait, a diabetic posting a potato soup recipe? That seems unholy! Poor Mr. Potatohead gets a bad rep when it comes to carbohydrates. Potatoes are still vegetables, my friends. And while they may be more carb heavy then say...baby carrots...there is still a place for them (in moderation) for a low-carb diet. 

Creamy Potato-Kale Soup

by Bonnie Graham

Cook Time: 35 - 40 minutes

Keywords: soup/stew potato kale

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Ingredients (4 - 6 servings)

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp fresh thyme
• 4 – 5 medium potatoes, diced - I used Yukon Gold.
• ½ c white wine
• 3 ½ c vegetable broth
• 2 c kale, finely chopped
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large pot. Add the onion over medium-heat. Stir every minute or so, until soft and lightly golden.

2. Stir in garlic and thyme until fragrant, about a minute or two.

3. Add chopped potatoes and sauté for a few minutes.

4. Add the white wine and deglaze, making sure to scrap all the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.

5. Add veggie broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for about 20min.

6. Stir in chopped kale, desired amount of salt and pepper if needed, and simmer for 10min.

7. Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, puree your soup to desired consistency.

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Dirty Veggies, Part 11

I think I've gone a little buck wild on squash.

Right now, I have three acorn squash, 1 huge butternut squash, 1 patty pan squash (which I have no idea what to do with, thanks Mom!), and 1 spaghetti squash all sitting on my kitchen counter. It's just so hard when you walk around the farmer's market and see all these amazing (and cheap) squash there!

However, the real star of this week's farmer's market is this guy:

Meet Romesco. Or, as Jerry referred to him, Little Shop of Horrors. Feeeed meeeee, Seymour!

Romesco is an alien variation of cauliflower. When I saw this bad boy at the farmer's market for only $1.50/lb, I knew I had to get him. I have never made (or eaten) Romesco before, but I always wanted too. I'm not sure exactly what I am going to do with him, but I'm sure it'll be delicious.

This is the stuff I am talking about, people, when I talk about the farmer's market. Where else would I have been able to buy this guy if it wasn't for the market. I certainly haven't seen him in Stop and Shop. That's what makes the market so amazing. And why you should go do it.

Okay, okay, I'm stepping down off the soapbox.

Here's the weekly roundup:

7 onions (red and white) - $2.95

1 head of garlic - $1.25

1 bunch Swiss Chard - $2.00

1 bunch fresh sage - $1.75

3 lemons - $1

6 Bosc pears - $2.25

1 head of Romesco - $2.25

2 green peppers - $1

1 spaghetti squash - $2.25

Total: $16.70

To learn more about Dirty Veggie posts, read here and here.

Why Dirty Veggies?

It's been brought to my attention that maybe people don't really care what I buy at the farmer's market from week to week.

Here are the top 5 reasons why you should!

1. Because I love the farmer's market! And anything I love, you should love too. Because we're connected like that. Like soul mates. Like brothers from another mother. Like BFFs who will like totally love each other forever.

2. Because if you're truly into food, the farmer's market is your best source for the freshest veggies possible. Things from the farmer's market really do taste better. They're fresher. They're more flavorful. They're just good. It's the way food should taste when it's not loaded up on pesticides and shipped from half way across the world on a diesel-fueled truck.

3. Because it's important to support your local farmers. Large corporations are under-cutting and eliminating smaller local farmers at steadfast speed. By buying from your local farmer's market, you're helping to keep small family farms, that may have been operating for decades, in business!

4. Because it's better for you. The benefits don't just extend to your local farmers. Large corporate farms  are slowly poisoning our foods with pesticides, herbicides, genetically modified mutations, etc. Most of these farms are organic, but because of restrictive and expensive governmental processes to obtain an official label of "organic," many don't have the resources to go through the process. By ingesting less processed, pesticide-free food, you're improving your health without even trying.

5. Because you should be going to your local farmer's market too! The point of showing my weekly goods from the market is encourage you to get out to your local markets. It dispels the misconception that farmer's markets are overpriced. I can get the same things for the same price or even cheaper then what's available in the supermarket.

While I can appreciate that my grocery list may not be as exciting to some as it is to me, these posts aren't without purpose. And it would probably be more meaningful if you actually saw the outcomes of those grocery lists....meaning recipes. Which I will be conscious of posting so you know my veggies are decaying into a puddle at the bottom of my fridge.

And lastly, if you just not down with the Dirty Veggie posts, skip'em. I'll never know.

Now....without further ado, this week's roundup:
7 onions - $2
1 pint of fingerling potatoes - $3 - this week's splurge
3 NYS Bosc Pears - $2
1 head napa cabbage - $1
3 acorn squash - $2 - deal of the week
Total: $10 

To learn more about Dirty Veggie posts, read here. 

Dirty Veggies, Part 9

You may have noticed a slight decline in my visits to the farmer's market. I have been off the last few Wednesdays. As much as I love my farmer's market, I'm not driving up to Westchester from Jersey! It's had to go on without me. Sniffle, sniffle

However, I more then made up for it this week with my ridiculously awesome (over budget) buys! I was so excited about everything I got this week, I actually texted Jerry to tell him about all of my wonderful buys. Funny, somehow he wasn't as enthusiastic about poblano peppers and broccoli as I was!

Crap picture of veggies. Adorable picture of Jackson. 

This week's roundup:
1 head garlic - free....I realized afterwards that the guy didn't ring it up. Oopsy.
1 bunch celery - $2.50
5 onions - $1.75
2 heads of broccoli - $1.00! Farm fresh broccoli! I'm not sure I have ever had such a thing!
1 pint cherry tomatoes - $2.00 The last I'll be seeing for a while
3 lemons - $1.00 Not local, but I needed them
4 yams - $3.50
3 poblano peppers - $2.00
3 pears - $2.50
2 large parsnips - $2.50
1 bunch fresh thyme - $1.50
Total: $20.25

Let's see that face upclose!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia

As in the Chia Pet. Remember those?

The new-fangled, health craze these days are the same seeds you use to smear onto a clay-shaped cow and waited to sprout "hair." They're now suggesting you eat those things!! Crazy kids these days. 

I have, of course, jumped onto the chia seed bandwagon and started to eat what had once been a brown substance smeared onto a planter. In all honesty, it wasn't my favorite ingredient. It's one of those things I could toss into my smoothie or oatmeal and not even notice it's there.

Wanting to do more with my expensive chia seed besides disguise it, I was excited to find a recipe using them in pudding! 

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this, but I have a thing for pudding. The same kind of thing I have for sauce, dips, soups, vegetables, farmer's markets, and pretty much anything else I can put in my mouth. Wait...I mean that I can swallow....Jerry's getting happier by the minute. You know what I mean!

The great thing about this pudding is that it can be made in an instant with all natural ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. Chia seeds have this gelling quality that allows the pudding to thicken. In fact, this recipe is so easy, I've already made it twice this week! Plus, it's pretty good on my sugar!

Jerry even tried to talk me into making it twice in one night. He almost had me convinced. 

Chocolate Chia Pudding

by Bonnie Graham

Keywords: blender dessert snack vegetarian chia seeds

6030790

Ingredients (3 servings)

• 1 c milk of your choice (I do find almond milk to set up quicker)
• 3 packets Truvia (or 6 tsp sugar)
• 1 tsp honey
• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

1. In a blender, add milk, sugar, chia seeds, cocoa, salt, and vanilla.

2. Blend for a minute or more, until the seeds are fully pulverized. I use the grinder blade on my Magic Bullet.

3. Transfer to dishes. Stir in chocolate chips, and refrigerate until chilled, about 1/2 hour or more.

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Dirty Veggies, Part 7

Okay. Here are my thoughts. Get ready.

The whole point of me going to the farmer's market each week, in addition to getting ridiculously good veggies, is to support local farmers, right? And if I end up going to the supermarket to supplement my produce because I didn't buy enough at the farmer's market...well, aren't I just giving into The Man? I might as well hand out dollar bills at Walmart!

This is how I am justifying this week's overexpenditure.

Which I actually think is totally valid logic. In fact, I'm thinking it's so logically, I might increase my weekly budget to $15! Gasps! If I'm using the farmer's market as my primary source of produce, shouldn't I be able to spend a little bit more to supplement?

I can see you nodding your head through the screen.

I thought you would agree.

This week's roundup:

2 cucumbers - $.50

1 bunch carrots - $1.75

1 head green leaf lettuce - $1.50

1 gigantic head of collard greens - $2.00

1 white eggplant - $1.35

6 peaches - $2.25

2 beautiful heirloom tomatoes - $3.05 (my splurge)

Total: $12.40....only $2.40 over-budget

'Shrooming

With a two-hour foraging class under our belts, Jerry and I decided it was a good idea to pick up some wild mushrooms on this weekend's hike. 

During this hike, a pair of lost souls came upon us, asking for directions as they had gone wildly off track from their initial route. Realizing that it was late in the day and that we couldn't give them proper directions to get back to their car without potential sending them deeper into the woods in the wrong directions, Jerry offered them a ride to their car if they wanted to follow us back to ours.

With introductions made, a 2.5 mile trek back to our car began. Along the way, Jerry and I looked for the mushrooms we had identified earlier in the day as non-toxic. Having to explain to this probably now very concerned couple who were wondering what they had gotten themselves into that we would be picking up mushrooms on our way back for us to eventually eat for breakfast tomorrow was....awkward.

We shared that we had taken a foraging class a few weeks ago and that Jerry had purchased a mushroom identification book. We were practically experts! Jerry joked "Unless I ask you to get on my unicorn when we get back to the car. In that case, you can take my keys from me."

"Are you really going to eat those?" they asked. 

"Yeah, definitely" we replied. 

Which I then verified with a "Well, Jerry's going to eat them first. Then we'll see how it goes." The mushroom jokes are endless. 

After scouring the internet for hours, with Jerry showing me similarly looking poisonous mushrooms to those sitting on our kitchen counter, he assured me that our mushrooms were good to-go.....probably. That's the vow of confidence one needs to potentially poison themselves! Saute those babies up!

Jerry's not much of a recipe guy, but I can tell you that this saute had mushrooms, zucchini, garlic, onions, and probably lots of different seasonings. It was good. And only caused a little bit of explosive diarrhea.

Disaster Area

Holy moly, making this recipe was a total shit show!

It may partially be my fault. Despite arriving home an hour later then expected, I decided that going to an 8:00 Boot Camp class at the gym would still leave me plenty of time to make this recipe and enjoy the rest of my evening. Have I mentioned I'm my father's daughter and that the concept of time is something that frequently eludes us?

When I returned home from the gym, I started working on what was initially called a Kale-Farro Market Salad. Until I realized I had no farro.

Actually, let me correct myself.

Until I realized that I couldn't tell which bag of grain, out of the many, many bags of grains we have in our cupboards, was actually farro. Was it this one? No. How about that one? Maybe. It got so bad that I woke Jerry for his "expert" advice. To which he responded that every single bag I presented was filled with barley. I don't think he wanted to play my game.

After I scoured the internet, comparing each little grainlet to Google Images, I decided to just give up and make what was actually identifiable as barley. But it was hulled barley. Which means that it takes over an hour to cook. Well, I just wasn't feeling up to waiting a WHOLE hour for barley to cook. I figured I'd use my trusty pressure cooker.

Which cooked nothing.

After 45 minutes of listening to the pressure cooker gauge lock and unlock, I gave up on that as well and decided to pour the whole thing into a pot and cook it the good ol' fashion way. I'm not sure how, but it seemed to take a full two and half hours to cook this barley that should have been done in an hour.

While the barley cooked, I prepped the other ingredients for the salad. Kale was the star for this one. I picked up Tuscan Kale at the farmer's market and was so excited to use it. Until I tasted it. And had to stop myself for spitting it out. How is this possible? How are there millions of kale salad recipes out there yet I manage to pick out the one variety of kale that tastes like varnish?!

Again, I went back to my old reliable Google and searched "how to make raw kale not taste like ass?" Apparently, you need to be gentle with your kale and give it a good rub. Massage your kale to help break down the watchmacallits and speed up the somethingtechnical process to reduce its bitterness.

I was ready to do a striptease for this friggin' kale if it meant salvaging this disaster of a salad.

Ridiculous long story short....this salad was really good! I've eaten three times.

Try it for yourself.

Kale-Barley Market Salad

by Bonnie Graham

Keywords: food processor salad vegetarian kale grain nuts carrots

6029826

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients:

• 1/2 bunch kale, destemmed, torn into pieces
• 1 cup cooked barley
• 4-5 farmers' market carrots, very thinly sliced
• 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 1 avocado, cut into small cubes
• a big handful of toasted, slivered almonds

Green Garlic Dressing Ingredients:

• 2 stalks scallions, rinsed and chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons ripe avocado
• 1 teaspoon honey, or to taste
• fresh pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Puree the scallions, salt, lemon juice, olive oil, avocado, honey, and pepper until smooth in a food processor. Adjust seasonings to taste.

2. Combine the kale with about half of the dressing in a large bowl use your hands to work the dressing into the kale, softening up the kale a bit in the process.

3. Add the barley, carrots, and celery, more dressing, and a couple pinches of salt, and toss again. Taste.

4. Add the avocados and almonds. Give one last toss.

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Dirty Veggies, Part 6

I needed to go over budget at today's farmer's market.

No, really. I did.

And it wasn't one of those "I need as many golden beets and heads of red lettuce that I can squeeze into my eco-friendly shopping bag" kind of need. No, it was a "I have to feed 8 people a deliciously large, locally grown salad for lunch tomorrow...oh and dessert too" need.

My team at work are a bunch of fat kids. We love to get our eat on and try to work it into every single meeting we have. Potlucks are a frequent occurrence. And I love it.

For this week's potluck lunch, I wanted to re-create a salad from one of my favorite natural food blogs, 101 Cookbooks. The appeal of this salad was that it uses ingredients that I see every week at the farmer's market. Hence the reason for going over budget.

Notice my little wooden piggy in the background. 

This week's roundup:
6 avocados - $3.75*
2 zucchini - $2.00
1 gigantic head of kale - $2.00
1 bunch carrots - $1.75
1 bunch celery - $2.00
6 white peaches - $2.50
Total: $14.00

Recipe to follow.

*Okay, okay, I know these aren't locally grown, but if I can help a small farm stand help make a buck when it supplements its usual produce with some imports, then fine. At least that's how I justify it in my head.

Dirty Veggies, Part 5

So close to budget this week. That damn friggin' quarter!

This week's roundup:
1 zucchini - $1.00
2 white peppers - $.75 (White peppers?! I know!)
1 head red leaf lettuce - $1.50
1 bunch fresh onions - $2.00
6 peaches - $2.50
6 tomatoes - $2.50
Total: $10.25

I had a 19-year client come into my office today and announce that it smelled like potato salad.

"Oh, it's just my fresh onions that I bought today at the local farmer's market. I also have tomatoes and peaches and look! White peppers. Aren't those cool?"

He wasn't impressed.

Dirty Veggies, Part 1

With reusable, eco-friendly bags in hand and a $10 budget, I make my way to the White Plains Farmer's Market each Wednesday. Have I mentioned my recent obsession with the farmer's market?

Oh, I haven't...well then.

I'm soooo in love with my farmer's market. In fact, I'm so smitten that I've decided that you need to be too! With that, I'm going to be posting a weekly installment of all my fresh veg buys as a way of maybe convincing you to go and check out your local market too!

This week's rundown:

1 bunch fresh carrots - $1.75

1 bunch radishes - $1

1 bunch cilantro - $1.50 (so fragrant)

1 bunch parsley - $1

1 head green leaf lettuce - $1.25

5 vine-ripened tomatoes - $3.75 (my splurge)

garlic scape - $.60

Total: $10.85....just $.85 over budget, not too shabby. 

At one point or another, all those veggies will be in my salad...and then in my belly! I have something wonderfully delicious in store for you with the cilantro and parsley.

Aren't you excited?!

Love is in the Air

Ah, love is in the air here in Jersey.

Besides all the kitty love we got going on....

Yes, that is our cats, arm and arm.

...there's another kind of love in this apartment. A sweet love that only grows stronger with each passing day. A love that, I am certain, will last a lifetime.

That would be the love of my new kitchen! It. Is. Awesome.

I always knew that Jerry had a superior kitchen to my large but limited kitchen back in Astoria. For starters, his has a dishwasher! A dishwasher! I've never actually owned a dishwasher before! Plus, there is a lot of nice counter space and a set-up for an easy work flow. I can wash something in the sink, chop it on my cutting board, and drop it in the frying pan all without moving more then two steps to the left or right.

Since moving in, it feels like I have been non-stop in the kitchen. Having a dishwasher is certainly encouragement to cook more! A combined pantry of two fat kids doesn't hurt either!

Inspired by the love of my new kitchen, I thought I'd share a few more things with you that I'm currently obsessing over. Don't worry, there's a recipe at the end of this post. 

From L to R: Parchment paper, PB2 Peanut Flour, Smoked Paprika,
Golden Roasted Flax Seeds, Pressure Cooker

1. Smoked paprika - Have you ever used this before? Because if you haven't, you need to go out and buy some this instant! Really. Go now. I can wait.
2. PB2 Peanut Flour - For someone like me, who eats spoonfuls of peanut butter straight from the jar, this product is awesome! It has 85% less fat then regular peanut butter but still adds great PB flavor to many dishes. I'm diggin' it.
3. Trader Joe's Golden Roasted Flax Seed -  So good. Just opening the package, you can immediately smell what makes them so good. I've been using these bad boys in everything from granola to salads. 
4. Parchment paper - I've been using parchment paper like crazy, mostly for all my baking.
5. Pressure Cooker - It's taken me a while to start using my pressure cooker, but now, I'm addicted. In household where we literally have 25 pounds of grain dominating our cabinet space, it's definitely coming in handy. 

My last obsession is of the food blog variety. Oh She Glows is a healthy vegan blog with really awesome recipes. Even though I'm not vegan, I like to pretend I am. Despite my affinity for diary and the occasional plate of BBQ, I eat a mostly plant- and grain-based diet in my day-to-day life. Angela's blog actually makes me consider turning full vegan. She makes it look that good and easy. 

So easy, in fact, I made an adapted version of her "Perfect Veggie Burger," non-vegan style.

Nutty Veggie Burger

Makes 7 to 8 burgers

Ingredients

½ c onion, diced

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 eggs

1 c oats, processed into flour

1 ½ bread crumbs (I processed 3 pieces of TJ’s sprouted grain bread until fine crumb)

1 c grated carrots

1 c cooked garbanzo beans, rinsed and roughly pureed

½ c sunflower seeds

½ c golden flax seeds

1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 ½ tbsp soy sauce

1 ½ tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp. oregano

salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350.  

2. Process each ingredient separately in a food processor, adding each ingredient into a large mixing bowl as you go, stopping at the sunflower seeds. Those don’t go through the food processor.

3. Mix all of the ingredients until thoroughly combined.

4. With slightly wet hands, shape dough into patties. Pack dough tightly as this will help it stick together. 5. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and bake for 25-30 mins (15-17 minutes on each side) until golden and crisp.

For alternate cooking methods, you can pan-fry or place on the grill. For grilling, pre-bake the burgers for about 15 minutes in oven before placing on a pre-heated grill until golden and crisp on each side. These would be great to feed a vegetarian for a Memorial Day BBQ.

Single Lady Serving

Recently, I started following Chocolate Covered Katie, a healthy dessert blog where recipes use all-natural, vegan-friendly ingredients. It's totally addicting! Especially since many of Katie's recipes are single serving size. Perfect for a diabetic fat kid where the term "portion control" might as well be in Icelandic.

Jerry will often read blogs with me....over my shoulder...while commenting that  he doesn't understand how I can spend so much time reading blogs...but oh, can you make that for me? Whenever I get to a  recipe Katie calls "Single Lady Servings," Jerry will say, "You can't make that. You're not a single lady." Sorry, sweetie, I'm a fat kid and that wins out every time. 

In reality, I think he's less concerned about our relationship status and more concerned that he won't get any! Good thing he has such a generous girlfriend who will make him his own "Single Lady Serving."

Chocolate Peanut Butter Soft Serve*
This recipe can be eaten straight out of the blender and will have a consistency similar to that of melted ice cream. You can also re-blend after freezing for a more soft serve consistency. 

Ingredients
1/2 c cottage cheese with pineapple (trust me, it's better then regular)
1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 - 2 tbsp peanut flour or peanut butter
1 packet Truvia or sweetener of your choice
splash of milk
3 - 8 ice cubes, depending on your preferred consistency

Method
1. Add all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Either enjoy straight from the blender or place into individual ramekin and return to freezer. Freeze for 30 minutes or until desired consistency is reached.

*A few notes on ingredients:

• You may have noticed the use of peanut flour. This is a new ingredient in my pantry and so far....I'm lovin' it! Peanut flour is made by taking roasted peanuts, grinding them into a paste (like peanut butter but without the added salt, sugar, or any added oils) and then pressing out the oil.  Since most of the oil's been pressed out, peanut flour is relatively low in fat. But it's still got all the protein, fiber, and other nutrients that make peanuts nutritional powerhouses.
• You may have also noticed that cottage cheese is the primary ingredient in this recipe. Have no fear. It definitely does not taste like cottage cheese once you're done with it. 

Knock-off

My "I can make that!" mojo is in full effect, my friends!

During my detox, as a replacement for all the other naughty stuff I eat, I became addicted to LARA Bars. I know the purpose of a detox is to eliminate the physical dependency on food, but what can I say? I'm an anomaly! 

In case you've never seen or heard of a LARA bar, they are fruit and nut-based bars that have no artificial ingredients, additives, or sugars. In fact, I don't think I have seen a Lara bar with more then five ingredients on the label. My favorites are Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Cashew Cookie, Ginger Snap, and Lemon Bar. Are you noticing a cookie trend here? 

Once my detox ended, I was a little hesitant to keep LARA bars as a substitute for my daily Kashi granola bars. On the one hand, LARA bars are much higher in fat (because of the nuts) and carbohydrates (because of the dates) then my usual granola bar. On the other hand, my Kashi bars also have a lot more then five ingredients and definitely includes a sugar additive.

Then, I found out that dates, the primary base of LARA bars, are good for you! Dates are an excellent source of carbohydrates, contain no cholesterol, are high in fiber, and boast a wide range of nutrients. They aid in digestion and help to regulate blood sugar levels. SOLD!!!! Sign me up!


Except they come at anywhere from $1.29 to $2 a pop. Ouch. 


I decided to make my own to see how cost effective it is. The judges have yet to weight in. 


I'll share my recipe, but there is this great post that goes into significantly more detail on how to make the LARA Bars. Hop on over to Enlightened Cooking for more info. 


Cashew Cookie LARA Bar
Makes 3 large bars


Ingredients
2/3 c chopped dates
1 c raw cashews

cinnamon, to taste

Method

1. Place the dates in a food processor and pulse to a paste. Transfer dates to a medium bowl (don’t clean processor).
2. Add cashews to the processor and pulse until finely chopped. 

3. Add the nuts, along with the cinnamon, to the bowl with the date paste. 

4. Use your fingers to knead the nuts into the paste.
5. Divide mixture in thirds (or fourths, if you're really stingy!) Place each one on sheets of plastic wrap. 

6. Wrap the plastic around each bar and start squishing into a bar shape form, 3 and 1/2 inches long, 1 inch wide and 3/4-inch thick); press against counter top to flatten bottom side, flattening top side and ends with flat of hand. 

7. Tightly wrap the plastic around each bar and store in the refrigerator.

The Dreaded Sprout

No offense to my parents, who I love dearly, but their culinary tastes have only recently started to blossom. While my mother has always been an excellent cook, the vegetables that frequented our dinner table were usually corn and potatoes. How very Iowa of us. There were also overcooked broccoli and string beans. Maybe the occasional sweet potato if they were on sale and it was around Thanksgiving. And asparagus served in the same steamed way.

However, as we aged and my tastes have matured, my parents have also become quite the foodies. My mother even makes her own sushi! Though a curry dish will probably never cross their table.

One vegetable I can remember my parents agreeing that they would never force us to endure was the hated brussel sprouts. What kid doesn't hate brussel sprouts?! It is as though all 80's and 90's pop culture conspired against this poor sprout to ensure children everywhere hated it! Even if they never tried it!

I was 27 years old when I had my first encounter with "this dreaded sprout." Lucky for me, I loved them! As with all other vegetables in my life, my favorite way of eating them is roasted!

I've even convinced my parents to eat them! Don't I get some life bonus points for that, Karma?

Simply Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients
1 lb Brussel sprouts, cut in half
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
2. Coat brussel sprouts with olive oil and spread out onto a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 20 minutes and check to ensure that the sprouts are browning. You can leave them for a few more minutes if they need more browning. Flip and bake for a few more minutes. 

Single Handed.

I blame Trader Joe's for singlehandedly raising my a1c. Yes. It is all Trader Joe's fault.  With all of its holiday goodness and time-limited products available only during the Christmas season. Fucking Trader Joe's.

Let me tell you a little story about our frienemy, Cookie Butter.

Several weeks ago, while shopping at TJ's, I had noticed Cookie Butter staring at me, longingly, from his place on the "new products" shelf. Intrigued, I went over to read the label. Immediately from the description, I knew Cookie Butter was bad news. In one of my stronger moments, I resisted and put him back on the shelf.

Several weeks later, I was shopping in TJ's again and they were giving out samples of Cookie Butter. What could a sample hurt? Maybe I'd try it and hate it, right?

Bad decision. Of course it was delicious! This time, my willpower was weakened and Cookie Butter followed me to the checkout counter. I couldn't resist the urge and opened him up RIGHT THERE IN THE TRADER JOE'S PARKING LOT! It was so good. Thankfully, I was able to stop myself from eating the whole jar with my finger!

However, once I got Cookie Butter home, it was all down hill from there. In fact, it got so bad that one night, I actually threw him in the garbage. Twisted the lid on tight, tossed him in, never to hear from Cookie Butter again.

Until the next morning, when I took him out of the garbage and ate him on an english muffin for breakfast.

Definitely not my proudest moment.

Hell Week

I am bracing myself for the week ahead! 

Lists have been made. Schedules have been arranged. The apartment has been cleaned. A week's worth of meals have been prepared. I had to stop myself from laying out all of my clothes! Thank goodness I still have those underwear with the days of the week on them!

This Friday, I am coordinating a half-day conference for professionals that has been several months of hard work in the making. Organizing a conference has been a professional goal for the last three years. While I'm expecting this to be tough work week on top of an already insane work load, I feel proud to finally accomplish it!

With that said, a girl's got to eat! 

I know I'm not going to have a lot of time (or motivation) to come home after a long day and make myself dinner. In preparing for this week, I decided to make several meals ahead of time. While they are all delicious now, I'm sure by the time Thursday rolls around, I'll never want to eat them again! Until then, let's eat!

Recipes Prepared:

Reversed Apple Crumble

Millet-Veggie Bake

Sweet Potato, Mushroom, & Farro Soup

Oyster Mushrooms, Rockefeller-style

Recipe for you now:



Photo credit to E. Gordon!

Sweet Potato, Mushroom, & Farro Soup

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp fresh thyme

1 pad butter

1 very large sweet potato, diced

1 8 oz container cremini mushrooms, sliced

3 cups vegetable broth, plus more for adding

1/2 c farro

salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and thyme. Saute for several minutes. 

2. Add the butter and sweet potato. Cook for several more minutes. Salt and pepper.

3. Add mushrooms. Cook for several more minutes. 

4. Add veggie broth and farro. Let soup simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until farro is cooked through. 

Beans, Bean, Good for Your Heart....

....the rest of that line doesn't really apply to me. Farting is not my thing. Though I am mighty open about sharing my crapping habits! Every day. 9:30 AM. Like clockwork!

Beans and I are good friends. I love to eat them, as I do most of my good friends. Weird. They're a complex carb with lots of fiber who are nice to my blood sugar. While I still need to take insulin for them, they do good things for my sugar, heart, and digestive track!

Now that I've open this post with TMI (Too Much Information, Mom), let me share with you a recipe I prepared for our Halloween soiree. Yes, soiree! I'm trying to class it up here after all the poopin' talk!

Rosemary-White Bean Dip

Ingredients

1 - 2 garlic cloves, depending on your taste. This is raw garlic and can be rather potent.

1 can cannelli beans, drained

1 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 c olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. In a food processor, process garlic cloves until the pieces stick to the side of the processor. Scrape down.

2. Add all ingredients through cannelli beans to lemon juice. Turn process on.

3. Slowly add olive oil and puree until desired consistency is reached. You may want to use a little more olive oil if you're looking for a thinner dip. Serve with cut veggies and pita chips!

Wonder Food!

I'm not sure if you noticed, but I have a lot of food crushes. It's a requirement of being an official fat kid. If I had more time on my hands (and if you actually had any interest in it), I could probably go through all of my posts and list the very many ingredients and dishes that I'm enamoured with. Eggplant, oregano, farro, eggs, sauces, dips...the list goes on.

Surprisingly, peanut butter has been under recognized for its special place in my heart! Sure, I taught you how to make your own, but then I never shared any of my delicious peanut butter creations with you! Well, that stops now, my friends. I have been denying you for far too long!

Plus, peanut butter has wonderful qualities for diabetics. It won't raise my blood sugar and will even help stabilize it. It's recommended that I eat peanut butter with fruit and other carbs since the healthy fats will slow down the absorption rate of the carbs in my body. My CDE actually called it a "Wonder Food," like it should be wearing a cape and some kick-ass Batman underroos!

This recipe is very versatile. You can use it as a dipping sauce like a satay (as I did for our Halloween party). You can thin it out and use it as a dressing for salads. Put it in a stir-fry. The possibilities are endless!

Spicy Peanut Sauce 


Ingredients
1 - 2 garlic, minced
1 tsp grated ginger
1/2 c peanut butter
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 - 1/3 c vegetable broth (depends on how thick or thin you want the sauce to be)
1 - 2 tsp srichacha (optional)
1 tsp sesame oil
canola oil
salt and pepper

Method #1
1. Place garlic cloves into a food processor or blender. Blend until garlic is minced. Grate ginger into processor.
2. Add all of your ingredients and blend until thoroughly combined. You can choose to add a little more broth to thin it out.

Method #2 - good for those of you who don't like the flavor of uncooked garlic and ginger
1. Heat some oil in a small pot. Add the garlic and ginger to the pot and cook until fragrant (about 60 seconds).
2. Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and broth whisking as you add the ingredients. Bring to a simmer.
3. Once the ingredients blend together, you can add the srichacha, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Cook for a minute or two longer.