Favorites of 2012

I am such a follower.

Most of the blogs I read have put up "Best of 2012" posts. Which, of course, means I have to do one too. Except I don't really have enough readers to be able to gauge which recipes have been my most popular ones. In addition to being a follower, I am also self-absorbed. Which means that my "Best of 2012" posts are of the recipes that I liked best each month. It was tough to decide some months while others it was clear.

Here is the yearly roundup.

1. Curried Ketchup - Proclaimed as the "best thing I have ever made!" Seriously. It's delicious and the simplest thing I have ever made.

2. Crustless Apple Pie - I make this over and over again, especially since it is something I can put into the slow cooker.

3. Sweet Potato, Apple, and Celery Salad - One of the many positive things to come out of last year's many detoxes is this awesome salad.

4. Buttermilk Quick Bread with 10 Variations - This recipe made it on the list simply because of its many variations. It is one of those great recipes that you can adapt to any flavor, whip up quickly, and bring to a potluck.

5. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip - This dip is seriously awesome. Despite its bean-i-ness, I have yet to serve this dip to someone and them not love it.

6. Chicken Meatball Soup - It is not often I eat, make, or post a recipe containing meat, but this turned out to be a pretty good soup recipe.

7. Zucchini Pancakes with Sauteed Corn - How could this one not make it to the list given my affinity for farmer's markets? This is the quintessential summer time recipe.

8. Chocolate Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal - Chocolate and peanut butter for breakfast? Yes, please. 

9. Warm Summer Vegetable Slaw - Another great farmer's market recipe!

10. Moroccan-Inspired Butternut Squash Quinoa - This is one recipe that I swore would go on repeat. I have yet to make it again, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't. It was delicious!

11. Peppermint Patty Bars - This recipe uses this year's most favorite new ingredient, dates! It tastes indulgent, but is quite healthy. 

12. Tofu Nuggets - Nuggets dipped in BBQ sauce. Need I say more?

Shout Outs to:
Black Bean Brownies
Slow Cooker Bread
Galettes Two Ways

Almighty Chickpea, Part 2

For this next installment of way too many recipes including chickpeas, I take inspiration from my favorite falafel place, Mamoun's.

If you have never been to Mamoun's, get your ass on a plane, train, magic school bus, whatever, and get to one immediately.

Maybe it's because I'm a New Yorker. Maybe it's because Mamoun's reminds me of cutting school as an obnoxious adolescent, wandering in and out of the St. Mark's tattoo parlors and sex shops....umm, I mean bookstores. Hi Mom! Whatever it is Mamoun's. Is. Awesome.

As a teen, I never traveled any where without at least $10, maybe even $20 in my pocket! With a budget like that, a $2 falafel sandwich was probably all I could really afford.

Lucky for me, it just happens to be the best damn falafel sandwich I have ever eaten!

A Mamoun's has just opened up here in Jersey. Seeeeee! Some people do actually want to come to Jersey. Jerry and I were making it our weekly date place (big spenders) despite it not exactly being the healthiest (or most diabetic-friendly) meal.

I decided that with 14 tons of chickpeas in our fridge, I'd try to "health up" our falafel. Of course, this nothing in comparison to our beloved Mamoun's, but I try.

Baked Falafel Patties

by Bonnie Graham

Keywords: food processor side snack entree vegetarian beans cilantro tahini Mediterranean

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Ingredients (7 -8 patties)

• 1 1/2 c garbanzo beans
• 1 small onion
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 1 handful fresh parsley
• 1 handful fresh cilantro
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tspcoriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 - 3 tbsp whole wheat flour, depending on consistency
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Add garlic cloves to food processor and process into smaller pieces.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor. Run processor, but leave the mixure fairly lumpy.

4. Form into small balls, about 1 1/2″ in diameter and slightly flatten.

5. Place onto an oiled or parchment lined backing sheet.

6. Bake for 15 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned (since it’s baked, only the part actually touching the pan will be browned and crispy).

7. Serve with pita, hummus, tahini sauce, tomatoes, lettuce and hto sauce!

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Almighty Chickpea!

I've been on a bit of a bean-buying kick.

Maybe it's my new love of the pressure cooker. Maybe it's because I want to see how many Whole Foods bags can fit into one cupboard. Or maybe I'm really just a sadist because I keep feeding Jerry tons of beans week after week!

Whatever the reason, I am definitely on a bean kick! However, after a certain point, one runs out of creative things to do on a daily basis with beans. Shocking, I know.

Well, not this time, my friends! I came armed with a crapton (excuse the expression) recipes to use up the dried chickpeas that sitting in my pantry.

No chickpea will go unused! I am like a Native American using every part of the animal! And you're going to reap the benefits with numerous, delicious chickpea recipes. I know you're excited!The first recipe that I will grace you will is the intersection of my "I can make that" philsophy and my obsession with all things hummus! Have I shared this obsession with you? When it comes to hummus, I just can't help myself! If there's hummus anywhere in my vicinity, you can bet that there's a gob of it on something I'm eating (or on my finger, depending on the day).

You can only imagine my delight when I saw that Trader Joe's is making a Hummus Salad Dressing. Hummus on my salad? Yes, please! I was so excited I dropped that bottle in my cart and went on my merry with chickpeas dancing in my head. It wasn't until I got home that I realized I paid $2.99 for what is essentially thinned out hummus. What?!? I know!

Well, take that Trader Joe's! I'm makin' my own hummus salad dressing! Grrr...

Knock-off Hummus Salad Dressing

by Bonnie Graham

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Keywords: sauce vegetarian beans tahini smoked paprika

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup chickpeas
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 - 3 tbsp water (depending on desired consistency)
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a blender, puree until smooth.

2. Season to taste with additional salt/pepper if desired.

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Out of the Box

Ingredients: Sugar, Vegetable Oil Shortening (Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oils, Monoand Diglycerides, Polysorbate 60), Water, Corn Syrup. Contains 2% Or Less Of: Cornstarch, Salt, Natural and Artificial Lemon Flavor, Preservatives (Potassium Sorbate), Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Colored with (Yellow 5)

Standing online at Target, that was my reading material.

For my birthday, I thought I would make myself some cupcakes. Lemon ones with lemon icing. Sounds delicious, right? Until the lemon icing rolled on its side, exposing its nasty under belly. Once I saw that list of ingredients, I knew there was no way I was buying that icing. Or the cake mix!

I figured, "I'm creative. I'm a good cook! It shouldn't be hard to make a healthier, more natural icing!" Still wanting the shortcut, I bought a new organic cake mix with a list of familiar ingredients and set out to make my own frosting. 

.......

Noticing the lack of pictures here? 

Unfortunately, the organic cake mix ended up tasting more like corn muffins then lemon cupcakes. I know I'm in trouble when my friends politely decline finishing a cupcake! The frosting, however, was actually pretty good...if it had ever achieved it's full frosting potential. Which it didn't. Because I refused to put in the required 3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar!!!! Diabetes. Blood sugar. Come on, people!

Feeling a little deflated from the previous night's insulin pump adventures and disappointed that no real birthday cake had yet been consumed, I decided to take another crack at cake making. Except this time, it would be for breakfast. It would be a tried and trusted recipe. It would still be lemon flavored!

 

Lemon-Strawberry Birthday Breakfast Cake
Makes 1 cake, but could easily be increased to make more

Cake Ingredients

1/3 c oat bran 
2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
3 tbsp milk
1 large egg
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 - 1 1/2 tsp lemon extract
1 1/2 tsp sweetener of your choice (Brown sugar adds a nice flavor, but I usually opt for the truvia!)

2 - 3 strawberries, chopped
pinch of salt

Icing Ingredients1/4 c cottage cheese

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp to 2 tsp sweetener of your choice

1/2 tsp lemon extract

splash of milk, if needed

1 - 2 strawberries

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a small ramekin.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the egg.
3. Whisk in applesauce, lemon, and milk.
4. Mix in oat bran, sweetener, salt and baking powder until just combined.
5. Pour into well-greased baking dish, spread evenly, and bake for 32-36min, until a toothpick comes out almost clean.
6. Slide a knife around the edge and flip out onto a plate. 

7. For icing, place all ingredients in a small blender or food processor. Blend until combined. Add milk if you prefer a thinner consistency. 

Cooking for a Crowd

Maybe it's the Italian in me, but whenever a large group of people get together, I feel a need...nay, a duty to bring food with me! I have to feed people! It's a compulsion, really! Whether its cupcakes or another diabetic-friendly dish (because, you know, cupcakes are so diabetic-friendly), you can be sure I'll have a plate covered in saran wrap in my hands.

This duty intensifies if I've had a hand in organizing said large grouping. This past weekend was no exception.

Friends and I are headed upstate to attend the annual New York TAP Festival. TAP Fest is a two-day beer festival on Hunter Mountain, where you get plenty of samples from local breweries and usually some deep-fried grossness. And corn dogs. I can't forget the corn dogs! People have almost lost limbs trying to get those corn dogs! Or at least wasted 30 minutes stalking the wait staff as they left the kitchen with them. Ahem, Jerry.

This was our second year renting a house for 20 people! Yes, 20 people! Since the planning for TAP Fest started in February, I have been devising what recipes I wanted to make this year! When cooking for a group of 20, your recipes need to be two things: good and cheap!

I wanted something that would feed a crowd, excite me more then just regular hamburgers and hot dogs (two things that are not part of my usual food repertoire), and help me clean out my pantry in preparation for my upcoming move. I decided to make a Vegetarian Three Bean Chipotle Chili. Recipe to follow.

And you can't have chili without cornbread! Look for this recipe in an upcoming post.

I decided I needed to contribute to breakfast as well. I made steel cut oats in the slower cooker. Yes, I am a dork and brought my slow cooker with me.

This isn't the actual oatmeal that was served, but you get the idea!

Lastly, it wouldn't be full weekend of fun without cupcakes! There's nothing particularly special about these Red Velvet cupcakes. Except for the obvious! That they're cupcakes!!! Which is pretty damn special. Oh, and I replaced the water called for in the recipe with buttermilk. It gives them a slightly more authentic feel.

Here's a shout out to my friend, Lilia, who made some kickass 'shrooms and onions to top our burgers with. Maybe she'll be so kind as to do a guest post and tell you how they were made.

Three Bean Chipotle Chili - vegetarian
Obviously, this recipe makes a crapload of chili; feel free to adjust to your needs. It also went really well as a hotdog topping. Which we would defeat the whole vegetarian thing, but just sayin'.

Ingredients
1 large red onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 large green peppers, chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup TVP
3 tbsp cumin
1 1/2 tbsp oregano
4 - 5+ chipotle peppers in adobe, chopped
2 tbsp adobe sauce from peppers
2 tbsp liquid smoke
2 cans dark red kidney beans
2 cans black beans
1 can black-eyed peas
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste

2 - 3 cups vegetable broth, depending on how thick your mix is
salt and pepper, to taste

Method
1. Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent.
2. Add the peppers, carrots, and onions. Saute for about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper.
3. Add TVP, cumin, and oregano. Saute a few minutes longer.
4. Add beans, tomatoes, chipotles, adobe sauce, and liquid smoke.
5. Add can of tomato paste and pour veggie broth over it to help break it up. Mix into the chili well.
6. Let chili simmer on stove top for about an hour to an hour half, stirring often to prevent the bottom of the chili from scorching.

Alternately, you could also complete through step 3 and then add everything to a slow cooker. Set on the low setting for about 3 - 4 hours.

My Mother's Daughter

Growing up, I always thought I took after my father. My father is a talkative, outgoing person who loves to tell stories. He is also rather pig-headed and can give you the silent treatment like nobody's business. Qualities I happen to share with him.

However, as I have aged, I am starting to see more and more of myself in my mother. In fact, I have inherited an apparently genetic disease from her. No, not diabetes (but her genetics probably played a role in that too). It's "There's Not Enough Fooditis." 

As my mother prepared for Easter dinner, we listed off all of the food to be made, which included antipastos, dips, soup, fish, veggies, salad, and enough desserts to put me into a diabetic coma. We DEFINITELY had enough food. 

However, I realized that whenever I am preparing for a meal or party, where I am responsible for feeding others, my number one anxiety isn't if everything will taste good or poisoning everyone (though maybe I should move that concern up to the top of the list), it is will there be enough food. Which leads me only to make so much food that only a small army of men would be able to finish it all. 

Case in point, I recently had to prepare lunch for a staff meeting. Having worked a long day, I cooked for several hours after work, adding new dishes as I went to ensure plenty of food. However, whatever I had made the night before did not register as enough in my mind. I woke up the next morning and threw together this quick bread. 

Crazy for me. Lucky for you, because it happens to be an awesome bread!

This bread happens to be Herbed Sun DriedTomato and Parmesan Cheese Bread.

Buttermilk Quick Bread with 10 Variations
Adapted from TheKitchn.com
Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
2 tbsp olive oil


Method

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease or spray with nonstick cooking spray a standard 9x5 loaf pan.

2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Melt the butter, if using. Whisk it in a separate bowl with the buttermilk and the egg.

3. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients. Gently stir and fold the ingredients until all the flour has been incorporated and a shaggy, wet batter is formed. Be careful not to over-mix.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and pat it into the corners. Bake for 45-50 minutes. When finished, the loaf should be domed and golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing and slicing.

5. Wrap baked loaves tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature. Baked loaves can also be wrapped in plastic and aluminum foil and frozen for up to three months.

10 Variations:

1. Cranberry-Walnut Loaf - 1 c. dried cranberries, 1/2 cup toasted and chopped walnuts, 1 tsp vanilla, zest from one orange
2. Apple-Cinnamon Loaf - 1 c. diced apples, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup toasted and chopped nuts
3. Cherry-Almond Loaf - 1 c. dried cherries, 1/2 cup toasted and chopped almonds, 1 tsp almond extract
4. Blueberry Loaf - 1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries, 1 tsp vanilla, zest from one lemon
5. Ginger-Orange Loaf - zest from two oranges, 1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, pinch of cloves, pinch of nutmeg
6. Herbed Sun-dried Tomato and Parmesan Loaf - reduce sugar to 1 T, 1/2 c. grated cheese, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp thyme, 2 T minced sun-dried tomatoes
7. Onion-Dill Loaf - reduce sugar to 2 T, one minced onion cooked until soft, 1 T minced fresh dill
8. Pesto Loaf - reduce sugar to 1 tablespoon, 1/4 c. pesto, 1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese
9. Spicy Jalapeno Loaf - reduce sugar to 2 tablespoons, 1/4 cup minced jalapeno peppers, 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese, 2 tsp chili powder
10. Irish Soda Bread Look-Alike Loaf - reduce sugar to 1/4 cup, 1 T caraway seeds, 3/4 cup raisins

Desperately Waiting....

In Week 3, I am able to add gluten-free grains and dairy back into my diet. I have know idea what grains are gluten-free and which aren't, so I'm taking my ignorance to mean that I can eat whatever grains I want. That logic works, right? Your lack of response tells me you agree.

 If I thought that gluten was a problem in my life, then I would be a more conscious about not adding it back in. That whole "Never want to stop eating" thing is really my life's problem.

Either way, I have been desperately waiting for Week 3 so I could make this dish for lunch!

I've changed some of the ingredients slightly to fit what I had in my kitchen, to be more diabetic-friendly (more veg then carbs), and what is in season. I found vine-ripened tomatoes grown in MA at Whole Foods!


And, by the way, the dressing for this recipe is fucking amazing!

Protein Power Bowl

Ingredients

3/4 cup uncooked green lentils

3/4 cup uncooked farro

1/2 tbsp olive oil, for sautéing

1/2 large red onion (~1 & 1/3 cups), chopped

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1 red bell pepper, chopped (not seasonal, I know!)

2 tomatoes, diced
3 cups spinach or kale, roughly chopped

1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced

1 batch of Lightened Up Tahini-Lemon Dressing (recipe below)

salt & black pepper, to taste

lemon Wedges & lemon zest, to garnish

Method
1. Cook lentils and farro (or grain of choice). I did this the night before to save time.
2. Prepare the Tahini-Lemon dressing in food processor (see below for recipe).
3. In a large skillet over low-medium heat, add your olive oil and sauté the chopped onion and minced garlic for a few minutes, being careful not to burn.
4. Add in the chopped red pepper and tomato and sauté for another 7-8 minutes.
5. Stir in the chopped kale or spinach and sauté for another few minutes, just until tender.
6. Stir in the full batch of tahini-Lemon dressing, the cooked & drained grains and lentils, and simmer on low for another few minutes.
7. Remove from heat and stir in the minced parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with lemon wedges and zest.

Tahini-Lemon Dressing

Ingredients

1/4 cup tahini

2 garlic cloves

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup Nutritional yeast or a bit more, to taste

2-4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil, to taste

1 tsp kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

3 tbsp water, or as needed

Method
1. In a food processor, add all ingredients and process until smooth.

Lucky Me!

Lucky for me, red lentils are allowed back into my diet during the second week of my detox. Which is awesome since I've been craving the Red Lentil-Pumpkin Dal from my Lunchbox Challenge.

Lentils are one of those tricky little foods for diabetics. They're carby, like most beans, but also have a lot of fiber and a low glycemic index. Which in non-diabetes terms means I can eat them!
Unfortunately, gluten is still not part of the diet during this detox, but I'll share the 5-minute Naan bread anyway because it really is sooooo good with this dish.

Red Lentil Pumpkin Dal


Ingredients
3/4 c red lentils
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 can tomato paste
1/2 c pumpkin puree
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp tikka masala spice blend
1 c veggie broth
1 handful of cilantro
salt and pepper
olive oil
Plain yogurt (optional)

Method
1. Heat up oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook until translucent.
2. Add red lentils and saute for a few minutes until lentils' color deepens slightly. Mix in spices and seasonings.
3. Add pumpkin, tomato paste, and veggie broth. Stir well. Turn down heat to medium low and allow to simmer for about 40 to 45 minutes or until lentils are soft and most of the broth has been incorporated.
4. Allow the lentils to cool down slight before adding chopped cilantro. Top with a dollop of plain yogurt to finish.

5-minute Naan
Adapted from Edible Perspective


Ingredients
1/2 large egg or 2 tbsp egg whites
4 tbsp milk of choice
1/4 c flour of choice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp curry powder

Method

1. Heat a small sauté pan over medium heat with a little oil.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the ingredients.  The batter will be runny.  Add more milk if needed.
3. Pour into the heated pan and turn the pan so it’s evenly spread around.  Let cook for about 2-3min, until bubbles form on top and able to be flipped.
4. With a large spatula, carefully flip and cook for another 2-3min, or until golden brown.
5. Eat right away, or let cool, wrap tightly and refrigerate.

Out of the Box

As part of my detox, I've been spending some time with my old friend, the Smoothie!

I use to be a frequent smoothie-maker. Until diabetes, that is!

I eventually cut myself off from them. It wasn't one of those "I have no self-control, so I'm going to take this jar out of the garbage and eat it" cut-offs. It was more of a "I'm a diabetic now and figuring out insulin for a smoothies seems too hard" kind of cut-offs.

My smoothie making ability was further impacted when I decided that I was only going to eat local and organic foods, which, unfortunately limits the amount of fruit you can put into a smoothie. When was the last time you saw a banana tree growing in the North East? I usually use bananas as a creamy base for my smoothies, but while on a trip to Coast Rica, I actually "toured" a banana plantation. I use the word "toured" loosely because really all we did was watch hard-working citizens of this third world country in the Dole Banana Factory while crazy gringos snapped souvenir pictures to bring home!

When I combine that image with the thought of how those bananas make it to our shelves here in the US, you can understand my hesitation of consumption.

However, this recent detox inspired me to think outside the box when it comes to my smoothies. Here's an array of "outside of the box" smoothie recipes that are surprisingly delicious! No. Really.

Sweet Tater Smoothie

Ingredients
1/2 c sweet mashed potatoes
1/2-1c milk (I used almond milk)
1 package vanilla protein powder
handful of ice
1/2-1t cinnamon
1t fresh grated ginger
1t vanilla
few shakes of nutmeg

Method
1. Throw it all in a blender and let it go! Add more liquid, until desired consistency is met.

Carrot Cake Smoothie - Seriously good

Ingredients
2 carrots, steamed
1/2 apple, roughly chopped
1/2 - 1 c. milk (I used almond)
1 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger (or to taste)
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom (or to taste)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)
1/4 c. old-fashioned oats (optional)
sweetner to taste (though you don't really need it)

Method
1. Throw it all in a blender and let it go! Add more liquid, until desired consistency is met.

Beet-Carrot-Fruit Smoothie - Doesn't it look pretty?

Ingredients
1 small beet, steamed
2 carrots, steamed
1/2 apple, roughly chopped
1/2 pear, roughly chopped
1 - 2 cups water
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp freshly grated ginger (or to taste)

Method
1. Throw it all in a blender and let it go! Add more liquid, until desired consistency is met.

Moldy Cake Batter Smoothie - Moldy, not because of taste, but because of looks! Live a little! Try it!
Ingredients
1 handful spinach leaves- I swear you can't taste it!

1/2 - 1 c. milk (I used almond)

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1/4 c. old-fashioned oats

1 t. sunflower seed butter

1/4 c. organic cottage cheese

1/2 t. vanilla

8-9 ice cubes

sweetner to taste

Method
1. Throw it all in a blender and let it go! Add more liquid, until desired consistency is met.

Callin' a Do Over!

Maybe starting a diet/exercise/meditation challenge on the most difficult two days of my week, followed by Super Bowl Sunday probably wasn't the smartest idea. Needless to say, I haven't done well this week. In fact, I have somehow manage to gain four pounds in the last four days.

It may be cheating. It may not be fair, but I'm calling a "do over" on this whole diet/exercise/meditation challenge. I know that I can kick it off to a much better start then this, which wasn't much of a start at all.

Fear not, I did have one great lunchtime creation! It was all centered on the lovely, delicious sweet potato. I baked 4 or 5 at once, wrapped them in tin foil, and ate them throughout the week.

Now, I initially had great intentions on having a sweet potato with a different set of toppings each day. I was going to take pretty, pretty pictures of these wondrous toppings that would have made you second guess the way you've been enjoying your sweet potatoes. Sadly, I didn't make it past one set of toppings. BUT it's a slammin' set of toppings!

Yessssssssss.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Hummus and Garlicky Greens

1 large sweet potato

Homemade Hummus
1 can garbanzo beans
1/3 c tahini
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp water
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper

Garlicky Greens
1 - 2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 - 2 sprinkles red pepper flakes
1 large head of spinach
salt and pepper

Method
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a fork to poke your sweet potato several times. It won't mind. Place on a cookie sheet and bake until soft and tender, 45 to 55 minutes.
2. To make hummus: put all the ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth or you reach your desired consistency. You can always add more tahini. 
3. To make garlicky greens, heat garlic up in a pan with red pepper flakes. Let garlic brown, but watch careful as not to burn. Add washed spinach leaves, salt and pepper. Cook until spinach is wilted. 
4. To assemble, slice open sweet potato, add desired amount of hummus, and top with greens. 

Deviant Tart!

What is this?

It's a galette.

A what?!

A galette. It's french for an open faced tart.

Take that exchange and multiple it by 10. That's how many times I repeated that conversation the night of Heather's party. Eventually, I gave up on all my fanciness and just called it what it was, an open faced tart. 

This recipe seems long and complicated, but it's actually pretty easy. If you wanted to save yourself some time, you can always buy pre-made pie crust instead of making your own. 

Potato, Mushroom, and Caramelized Onion Galette

Spinach-Feta Galette

Galettes Two Ways

Crust Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 – 2/3 cup water

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Seasonings of your choosing

Filling #1 (Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, and Potatoes):

1 tbsp butter

1 large onion, chopped

1 tbsp sugar

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 12 ounces container cremini mushrooms, sliced*

1 large Yukon Gold potato, thinly sliced*

Freshly shredded parmesan

salt and pepper

Filling #2 (Spinach, Feta, and Olives):

½ large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 bag frozen spinach, thawed

½ tsp oregano

½ c feta, crumbled

1/3 c kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

salt and pepper

Method

For crust:

1. Combine all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl.
2. Make a well in the center. Add the water-oil mixture, stirring until well blended. Stir in seasonings. You should be able to form this into a ball and not be too sticky.
3. Press the dough into a disk; if it seems dry, add a little more water. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer. The unbaked crust will keep, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

For filling #1:

1. Melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, sugar, salt, and pepper. Sauté over medium low heat until onions begin to brown and caramelize, about 35 – 40 minutes.
2. In a separate pan, sauté mushrooms and garlic in olive oil until ‘shrooms are cooked through.
3. Thinly slice potatoes
4. Layer potatoes into galette and bake for 20 minutes. Add onions, mushrooms, and cheese for the last 15 minutes of baking.

For filling #2:

1. Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until soften.
2. Add frozen spinach and oregano. Heat until cooked through.
3. Let spinach cool once cooked for 15 to 20 minutes. Add feta and olives.

To assemble galettes:

1. Roll the dough into a rough 14-inch circle about 1/4 inch thick. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and place the dough on it.
2.  Arrange the filling on the dough, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Fold the border up and over the filling to form a rim, pleating as you go.
3. Stir egg and water briskly; brush lightly over the crust.
4. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes until the crust is golden brown. 

I'm Baaaacccckkkk!

It's been a WHOLE week of no posting! Did you miss me?! I know you did. It's okay. You don't have to say it. We're just that connected. 

The last few weeks have been INSANE! This last one especially. My very busy work week was followed by a very busy weekend, which included lots of booze, a Christmas Sing-a-Long, karaoking, and dressing up like Santa to meander around Manhattan! While this weekend provided hours of endless entertainment, it also wore me down a bit.

My plan for this week (and the weekend) is to take it easy, get back on a regular sleeping/eating/exercising schedule, and avoid anything related to tequila! I figured a good way to start the week was to make myself a good, comforting meal that would carry me through to Friday.

I know. This picture is awful.
But I figured it's better then having no picture at all!

Chick(peas)'n Biscuits 

Ingredients

For chickpea mixture:

1 large onion, chopped

1 garlic clove

3 carrots, diced

3 celery ribs, diced

1 handful mushrooms, sliced

1 ½ c chickpeas

1 c peas

1 c vegetarian gravy (see below)

1 c veggie broth

salt and pepper

olive oil

For biscuits:

1 c whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp canola oil

½ c milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Sauté onions through mushrooms in an oven-proof skillet over medium heat until onions are translucent and other veggies are starting to soften.
3. While the veggies cook, mix the biscuit ingredients together. This mixture is rather thick.
4. Add chickpeas and peas. Sauté a few minutes longer. Salt and pepper.
5. Add gravy and broth to vegetable mixture, coating the vegetables well.
6. Drop biscuit mixture into ¼ c balls onto vegetable mixture.
7. Place in oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or when biscuits look fully cooked. 

Vegetarian Gravy

Ingredients

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 tbsp fresh thyme

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 cup vegetable broth

1/3 cup organic milk

salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Sauté onion, thyme, and garlic over medium heat until translucent.
2. Remove from heat and add flour, yeast, and soy sauce.
3. Return to heat and slowly whisk in vegetable broth, trying to breakdown any clumps.
4. Once ingredients are incorporated and beginning to thicken, add milk, salt and pepper. Whisk together. 

Gobble, Gobble!

I cried my way through last year's Thanksgiving dinner.

Having only been diabetic for two months by that point, I was still navigating my way through diabetic eating. Actually, that description is far too kind. It was more like......Having only been diabetic for two months by that point, I was still pouting and temper tantruming my way through diabetic eating.

I still was finding my bearings and obsessing over every blood sugar number I had. I avoided eating some of the usual favorites, like homemade stuffing and canned cranberry sauce. Nothing says yummy, or high blood sugar, like gelled, ruby reb high fructose corn syrup in the shape of a can! Mmmm....

You can be rest assured that there will be no crying at the Thanksgiving Day table this year! Besides that fact that it made my dinner soggy, I feel like I have a much better grip on eating as well as accepting that I may possibly have a high blood sugar after eating for 5 hours straight. Though it's my goal not to have high blood sugar, it's bound to happen at some point!

To help the ol' pancreas out a bit, I came up with two yummy Thanksgiving recipes that are low (or lower) in carbs that could easily replace the traditional favorites. Make them and give me thanks! :)

Oh....but first, a comment or two on ingredients. First,  Whole Foods has Pumpkin Puree for $1.25/can! I know! I was excited too! Second, I use Pumpkin Pie Spice in this recipe, which feels like a little bit of a cop out. Usually, I like to add my own flavor combination. However, Trader Joe's has this awesome Pumpkin Pie Spice mix, that include cinnamon and cardamom. Really good. Also, this recipe uses only 1/3 the amount of sugar (depending on how much you add)!

Pumpkin Pie Pudding - aka Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 12 oz can evaporated milk - I used fat free, but you could easily use 2%
2 eggs
1/4 - 1/2 c brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all the ingredients into a bowl until well combined.
3. Pour pumpkin mixture into a prepared baking pan or ramekins.
4. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until mixture is set, but with a slight jiggle. Less if using ramekins.

Because you're saving some carbs on the crust and reduced sugar, I give you permission to add a dollop of whip cream!

Mashed Cauliflower - which could easily replace those traditional spuds!

Ingredients
1 large head of cauliflower, broken into smaller pieces
4 cloves of garlic, whole with skins on
1/4 c milk
1/4 c olive oil, divided
salt and pepper


Method
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Toss cauliflower and whole garlic cloves with enough olive oil to coat. Salt and pepper.
3. Place cauliflower in oven to roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until pieces are golden brown. May be less depending on your oven.
4. Squeeze garlic cloves into food processor. It should come out pretty easily.
5. Add cauliflower, milk, and more salt and pepper if desired. Puree cauliflower, streaming in an extra tablespoon or two of olive oil, until you have reached desired consistency. 

Tastespotting.com

My obsession with food blogs started with Tastespotting.com.

I stumbled across it one day and soon was addicted to its food porn! It would consume my entire day! I would plan out whole menus for pretend dinner parties, BBQs, cocktail parties, birthday celebrations, luncheons, teddy bear picnics, whatever! It was getting a little out of hand. I had to cut myself off. Who the hell plans luncheons?! What am I, an 80 years old Southern woman?!

I had visions of one day having my own food website and then I could submit my own food porn pics to Tastespotting.com. Hey now! Lookie here! I have a food blog! But, as with any at-home pornographer, I soon learned the dream is much harder to attain. I'm assuming. My regular pornography has never been a problem -- haha, just kidding Mom. 

Understanding that my pictures aren't awesome, I did think a few were good enough to submit to the website. After my submissions, I excitedly waited for my notification of publication. I checked my account and clicked on the Published tab. Nope, none there. Maybe in the Pending tab? Nope, none there either. Then, I clicked on the Declined tab. And there they were. All three of my submissions! Whan Whan Whaaaaaaa! Maybe it's the diabetes? Maybe Tastespotting.com is an anti-diabetes website?! Fuckers!

Dejected, but not giving up, this picture is going to be published! I just feel it!!!!!

I'll let you know how it goes!

Open-faced Italian Tuna Melts


Sandwich Ingredients
1 can tuna fish
1/4 c - 1/3 c prepared or homemade pesto
1/4 small red onion, chopped
Bread of your choice (whole wheat English Muffin pictured)
1 tomato, sliced
1 roasted red pepper, cut into strips
1/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese


Pesto Ingredients
1 large handful basil leaves
1 - 2 garlic cloves
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
1/4 c nuts (I used almonds)
1/4 c olive oil
veggie broth used to reach desired consistency
1 tsp sweetner of your choice (optional, but mine definitely needed it)
Zest of one small lemon (optional)
salt and pepper


Method for Pesto
1. Add garlic cloves to blender or food processor and chop to small pieces - I hate having large chunks of garlic in my pesto.
2. Add the rest of your ingredients, except the oil, to the blender. Pulse for about 30 second.
3. Leaving the blender running, slowly add your olive oil until well incorporated and desired consistency. You can use more oil to achieve that consistency, or if you prefer a lighter pesto, you can use veggie broth.

Method of Tuna Melt
1. Preheat your broiler. Toast your bread/english muffin.
2. Mix your tuna, pesto and onions all together, being sure to salt and pepper the tuna as you go.
3. Take your bread and place tuna slice, scoop of tuna, and roasted red pepper on top. Place shredded or sliced mozzarella cheese on top.
4. Place melt under the broiler to melt the cheese and heat up the pepper. Watch it carefully as it can burn quickly. Sprinkle with dried oregano.

Hurricane, Schmrricane!

What do you do when a stupid hurricane (which actually ends up to NOT be a hurricane) ruins your weekend plans?

If you're me, you make (diabetic-friendly) bread and eat soup!

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread with Flax

Ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp apple sauce
2 tbsp brown rice syrup (or sweetner of your choice)
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup flax seeds, grounded
1/4 cup whole flax seeds (for texture)
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
Optional throw-ins: walnuts, dried fruit, etc.

Method
1. Preheat overn to 450 degrees
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. You can choose to process the oats to a flour if you'd like a finer bread.
3. Mix in all wet ingredients. Stir until well combined.
4. Pour batter into greased loaf pan. Scatter small pads of butter over the top.
5. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until brown and golden on top.

Best warm out of the oven, toasted, or dipped into tomato soup.

You don't have tomato soup? Well good thing my fat kid survival skills kick in during natural disasters and I cook my ass off. Because now, I have an easy tomato soup recipe for you.

You can thank me later.

Quick Tomato Soup

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper
1/2 can evaporated fat free milk
Optional: 1 cup prepared brown rice (I had extra in the fridge)
Garnish: 1 tsp prepared pesto (also, extra in the fridge)

Method
1. Saute onion, garlic, carrots, and oregano with olive oil in large pot until onions are translucent and carrots are beginning to soften. Salt and pepper as you go.
2. Add canned tomatoes and let simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat and use immersion blender to puree soup, leaving it as thin or as chunky as you like. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can puree some of it in a regular blender.
4. While still off the heat, add the evaporated milk. It gives the soup a nice creaminess without adding fat.
5. Place back on the heat for a few minutes to warm through, but don't boil once milk has been added.

Enjoy with fresh homemade bread while waiting for a "hurricane" to pass over your head!