Guessing Game

I'll give you three guesses as to what is the base of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough recipe.

Are you thinking?

Come on! Play my game!

Okay, fine, do you want me just to tell you? It's less fun that way, but I can.

It's chickpeas.

Hello? Are you still there? Have you clicked out of this post yet?

As someone with a sub par pancreas, I'm constantly looking for healthier, lower carb ways to satisfy my sweet tooth. A few months ago, there was a bit of a craze in the blogosphere (listen to me, blogosphere! I'm so cool!) over dessert hummus.

Now, I'm pretty much down for anything hummus, but I wasn't so convinced that dessert hummus was for me. As I saw more and more dessert hummus recipes crossing the blog posts of some of my most trusted bloggers, I decided to give it a try.

When I first made this recipe, I asked Jerry to taste test it without telling him what it was. Which is actually quite a challenge in a relationship where torturing each other is a bit of a sport. He immediately asked for a second spoonful and couldn't guess that chickpeas was the main ingredient. Success!

The rest is history, my friends. Literally. We polished off this dip in less then 24 hours. And you should too.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip
Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups chickpeas or white beans
1/8 tsp salt
scant 1/8 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 c nut butter of preference (I used almond butter)
up to 1/4 cup milk of choice, only if needed
2 tbsp honey
3 packets Truvia
1/3 cup chocolate chips
Optional: 2 to 3 tbsp oats - makes for a thicker, more textured dip

Method
1. Add all ingredients, except for chocolate chips, to food processor and blend until very smooth. 
2. Mix in the chocolate chips.
3. Eat with a spoon straight from the food processor. 

***Update: I made this recipe again, using canned white beans and peanut butter. Results were ah-mazing! Even better then the first batch. I think the white beans are more mild in flavor and are more well masked by the other flavors. You should make this!!

Favorite Number

My favorite number?

Oh...umm...let me think....I think my favorite number would be a 6.1, bitches!!!!

Sorry, I didn't mean to indicate that you were bitches. I meant more in that diabetes and my a1c tests are bitches....as in my bitches....as in I own them!!!!

In case you don't remember, the a1c test is a blood test that gives a three month picture of how well one has been controlling their blood sugar. It's one of the standards that doctors use to ensure that patients are doing well in their diabetes management. American Diabetes Association would like for a1c results to be >7%. The American Association of Endocrinologists would like it to be > 6.8%.

On Friday, I saw my favorite endocrinologist friend, who gave me a1c results of a 6.1, my best a1c result since becoming diabetic a year and half ago. Needless to say, I was pretty damn excited.

So excited, I went home and had myself a mojito and a half pint of ice cream! :) Here I come, 6.0!

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.

Enough to Make You Cry

My endocrinologist called me yesterday asking if we could move up my June appointment to this Friday! Even though it was mildly inconvenient, I have a little bit of a high school girl crush on my endo and, obviously, agreed to change the appointment. As well as offer to have his non-diabetic love child. This change in appointment meant getting my A1c completed earlier the expected...which means blood work. Ugh!

There are many things I have adjusted to since becoming a diabetic. Blood sugar testing, injecting myself, carrying an insulin beeper, stealing packets of honey from every Starbucks in the tri-state area. All of those fun things. Yet there are two things that I'm not sure I will ever get use to.

One is that awful, shaky, mind-numbing experience of hypoglycemia. Two is getting my blood drawn.

Before diabetes, getting my blood drawn was no thang! I'd roll up my sleeve, puncture a vein and be on my merry way. No problems! It was also probably something I did every other year. 

With diabetes, I have my blood drawn every 3 - 4 months. Every time I go, I can't help but get a little teary eyed. Whether because it's an uncommon reminder that I'm diabetic or because most phlebotomists suck and stab me several times before successfully getting blood or I'm traumatized from my experience in the hospital, getting my blood drawn is my least favorite part of being diabetic.

Except today. Today was different, my friends.

Maybe it was the last minute nature of the experience. Or because Rolondo is my new best friend and got my vein on the first try.  But this was the first time in my year and half of being diabetic that I didn't cry after getting my blood drawn.

What's up now, Diabetes? Take that!

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. 

The Move of the Century....

I'm writing this from home.
In Jersey.
Because that's where I live now. 

From the way I talked about this move, it definitely seemed like...

The Move of the Century!
The Move to Conquer All Moves!

While the whole process of moving is pretty dreadful, I allowed it to consume the last few weeks of my life! In fact, I feel like I stopped functioning as social member of society for a while, where the only thing I talked about was moving! And the cats...moving. Towards the end, I realized just how much stress I had been putting on myself and how it was really wearing me down. Now that it's over, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. I'm feeling better, getting back to the gym, and eating a much better diet. Sleeping, on the other hand....well, we'll get to that.

For now, I know everyone's biggest concerns were our kitties!

Jackson, in his carrier, holding onto his Monkey for dear life.

For the first few days, we kept the kittes separated, only allowing them to see each other through a crack in the bedroom door.When Jackson and Bilo met again, there was some hissing, a little growling, and maybe some spitting here and there. Luckily, there's been no couch-shitting or anal gland leaking going on.

Now, by day 7, they seem to be best buddies. In fact, they've decided to party in our bedroom well into the night. There's nothing like a blood-curdling battle cry at 3 AM with little paws racing over your sleeping body to get the adrenaline going!

Just chillin'

It's nice to see them getting along so well and it's such a relief. Especially for Jerry, who was a total drama queen about the whole thing, totally projecting all his anxieties onto the cats. Such a psycho!  :)

As for everything else, boxes are unpacked, but things aren't exactly "in place." We still have 7 end tables sitting in our living room...in case anyone needs one. It'll come with a free pound of barley if you're interested! We have about 7 of those too!

As for Jerry and I, so far, so good. It's only been a week, but it's nice coming home to him every night. I still expect some bumps in the road as we continue to make this transition in our lives, but so far, I'm liking how this feels. :) I can honestly say, without hesitation, I'm happy.

God, that feels nice.

Granola Muncher

I've had a SERIOUS hankering for granola lately! So much so, I even considered buying a bag of it at Whole Foods.

Granola in hand, on my way to the check-out counter, my "I can make that!" gene kicked into high gear. Why would I waste money on some over-priced granola when I can easily make my own? Lord knows we have enough grains to do!

Then, as if to punctuate the frivolousness of this purchase, I looked down at the nutritional information. Have you ever looked at the ingredients/nutritional information for store-bought granola? Because if you have, you've seen that there is enough sugar to put you into a diabetic shock! Okay, okay, maybe not that much. But there is a shit ton of sugar in most granola!

While it certainly taste delicious (and addicting) it's not exactly as good for you as you'd hope. With the "I can make that!" fever in full effect and my ridiculous craving for granola pushing forward, I decided to make a granola that would put all those other granolas to shame! Cry, Kashi! Cry! 


And I believe I have.

Cinnamon-Almond Granola


Ingredients
2 c rolled oats
1/2 c uncooked millet
1/4 c golden flax seed
1/2 c almonds
1/2 c pumpkin seeds
2 packets truvia
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c honey
4 tbsp almond butter
3 tbsp apple sauce
1 tsp vanilla extract**

**This granola would be even better if you put any dried fruit of your choice in. I did not because of that whole busted pancreas thing, but you should feel free.

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix ingredients from rolled oats through salt in one bowl. In a second bowl, mix honey through apple sauce (not the extract).
3. Place the bowl of wet ingredients into the microwave for 60 seconds. Add vanilla extract and stir well.
4. Mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients. Mix well to combine.
5. Spread granola out onto a pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, flipping half way through to ensure even browning. Granola will crisp up as it cools.