Saturday, May 11, 2013

Anniversary Week



Our 8th anniversary and the fresh is on! We're in the second round of the playoffs and require a lot of time at home so the kitchen's really had a work out.
For this year's celebration, Bill kicked it off by bringing home a watermelon in one arm and tulips in another. The rest, as they say, is in the anniversary week post.

Highlights:










For a quick, protein-packed, hand-held gnosh, try my
Migas Omelet Wrap.
You'll need
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tbl salsa verde
1/2 avocado, sliced
handful of crushed tortilla chips, (I like Juanita's)
Tabasco, (Chipotle, of course)
Brown Rice tortilla, (I like Trader Joe's)

First, warm your tortilla to make it more manageable. Brown Rice tortillas especially are apt to tear at the slightest provocation. Pour beaten eggs in a med-high skillet and swirl to coat the pan. While the eggs cook, sprinkle in a handful of crushed chips down the center, top with salsa, avocado and Tabasco. When the egg lifts easily from the edges it's ready to fold. Gently lay the outer edges over the filling, folding like an envelope. Slide the omelet onto the center of your tortilla, return it to the pan and make sure the tortilla is warm enough to fold. Brown both sides slightly, wrap in some parchment and off you go.

 This next one really benefits from some fridge time. So throw it together a day or so ahead.
Smoked Sardine Salad on Polenta Coins 
You'll need
One batch Smoked Sardine Salad
One tube prepared polenta, sliced 1/2" thick
Avocado, sliced
3 Tbl of mint leaf chiffonade
2 Tbl tomato, diced fine
Parsley pinches, for garnish

Top baked polenta with smears of sliced avocado and ribbons of mint. Drop a dollop of smoked sardine salad on each and finish with pinches of parsley and tomato.


One night, we ordered pho, vermicelli bowls and spring rolls. There's always leftover sauce. Peanut sauce, spicy citrus vinaigrette, hoisin, chili. So the next night, we had
Tuna Shiitake Stir Fry 
You'll need:
leftover peanut sauce, about 1/4 cup
Dry Shiitake mushrooms (About 2 cups chopped)
3 medium carrots, coined
4 Tbl mirin
1 can tuna packed in olive oil, drained
2 cups broccoli slaw
Something crunchy julienned for garnish (Cucumber, jicama, green apple)



Guess what guess what guess what?

I found a new favorite blog. Because of Detoxinista, I found inspiration to plug in my juicer and stuff everything in my fridge down the chute. And wouldn't you know she has a solution to all the shame involved in throwing out your juice pulp?

Juice Pulp Patties
You'll need these things and a sense of adventure. But man these are SO good. Especially fried.


Yesterday, I feasted on apple celery lemon juice, beet apple carrot parsley juice, strawberry mint juice and today I'm all aglow. When I finish this post I'm going to run out into the sun and maybe not look both ways before I do it. IT'S SATURDAY MORNING SUCKERS, and the freakin weekin is about to get loud.


Today we're going to Portland for a Grand Prix. This morning we went to pancake town.
Pancakes are one of the great loves of my life. When gluten told me I was finished with pancakes, I told gluten to "get real" with a gleam in my eye. Then I ran to the bathroom and cried.
Here's what I'm working with these days:

Real talk.
It's almost like the real thing. I add strawberries to stifle the "stale flour" taste of gluten free baking materials and things are almost back to normal. The great thing about this mix? The pancakes flip like Olympic champs. You can pour huge amounts of batter in the skillet and they cook up quick, neat and easy every time, ne'er a drop spilt. I added some ground sunflower seeds to remind me that pancake time isn't playtime anymore, and satisfied my seed cycle requirements in the same swoop. Ladies, get on this seed cycle train with me! It takes about three months to regulate, and I'm only in month 2, but I'd love to hear about someone else's progress.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Dairy and Gluten, An Unrequited Love Story

Hey pals! I've been gone a spell but I promise, I've been diligently dining and whining daily. I gave up writing about it a few months ago (last year) because I got sick of photographing my food at restaurants. For someone who just wants to sit in a booth and privately savor one bite after another and generally coast through life unnoticed, it really wasn't playing my song. But check it out - I turned 30 in February so now I'm free of all that self aware bullshit (or I'm telling myself it is in fact so), and since this ain't for a grade I'm going to continue without ceremony. There. Now I'm just like you!
These revelations must be made. And of course, they're made to be shared so thanks for playing and let's get going!







By my hippie doctor's orders, I've abandoned gluten and dairy (so long, beloveds), for better living without allergies.
"Allergies, d'you say?"
Allergies. You guys, I've been fighting headaches, unholy itching, bloating, constipation and sleep all these years, just assuming I was atoning for something I did wrong in a past life.
Not so.
After a blood test, I've been thusly classified:
I''m allergic to casein, the protein found in cow's milk, Gluten, the protein found in wheat, rye and barley, Dust mites and Cock roaches. All likely producing headaches, digestive troubles, fatigue, listlessness, and brain fog, (and I thought I was just fried from college). All these years, I assumed everyone struggled with these things, and I was just being a baby. When I couldn't cope, I'd pop some ibuprofen and hit another pint of ice cream. Or some pizza. Or both.You know the drill.

Not pizza.
Alas, the list of foods I must avoid grows. After my juice cleanse last fall I've stayed off of caffeine, meat and most processed foods. Now when we're out to eat I'm left staring slack-jawed at menus, and I'm always on the look out for quick meals I can throw together at home. So when Bill throws a Totinos in the oven, I press through my sorrow and open my heart to a little more effort and start chopping. If I'm really pressed for time, I'll grab for *gasp* canned beets, but mostly, timely cooking is a brand new challenge. Here's what I'm working with these days:
Produce, Produce, Produce, nuts, eggs, Coconut milk, Almond milk, Rice, Quinoa, Brown rice pasta, Udi's Gluten Free tortillas, mung bean noodles and other wheat free creations, which, while not found too often in restaurants, are carried by most grocery stores in their "health food" aisle. I call it the "Fivef***indollarsforwhat?!?!?!" section.

Luckily, swearing off pizza and fast food has been excellent for my brain and body. Though I haven't quite put my mind to it, I imagine losing weight would now be a snap, especially since I CAN'T DRINK BEER.

My doctor also informed me that my cholesterol is too low, so I've been given carte blanche to gorge on avocado, fish, nuts and chia seeds, and have implemented the seed cycle. It's been a couple months now and while I could have been better at meeting the 2-tablespoon-a-day quota, I like to think I'm feeling better.

Chia Seed Pudding
So, if you're feeling like you might be missing out on high performance living, or just want to see if you could maybe feel a little better than you do, holler at me and I'll send you some recipes. Look, here's one now!
Chia Seed Pudding
 I make this at night and have it the next morning. And the next morning and the next. After that I have to make a new batch.
You'll need:
a quart container with a tight fitting lid
1/2 c chia seeds
1 1/4 c vanilla almond milk
1 1/4 c vanilla coconut milk
cinnamon
topping suggestions:
sliced banana
chopped roasted almonds
toasted coconut flakes

Combine the milks in the container, add as much cinnamon (and/or masala spice) as you like, maybe about a tablespoon total, then add in the seeds. Stirring here helps to avoid clumps from forming but if you're really fast you can just pop the lid on and tell your shake weight you found a new boyfriend.
Refrigerate for at least four hours, shaking whenever you open the fridge, or once, or never. Clumps are not the worst, since most of the milk will get absorbed no matter what, and a clump or two will provide some surprising crunch. Assemble in a small bowl with your preferred toppings and experience omega-3 fatty acids like never before!