Archive | April, 2012

Paleo Bread

30 Apr

Paleo Bread

I saw this recipe in a recent GOOP newsletter (Gwyneth Paltrow’s newsletter that I subscribe to). The issue was about “A Better Breakfast” and reducing the amount of sugar that you start your day with. I really do try to eat healthy and make the best choices I can but I struggle with the amount of sugar that is in everything I like to eat. Yogurts, cereals, and my nemesis…bread! I love having a piece of toast in the morning, but even a sprouted whole grain bread like Ezekiel bread doesn’t do me any favors. I am much better off with a bread free breakfast that has plenty of protein and heart healthy fats. That type of breakfast keeps me full all  morning and doesn’t leave me craving  carbs at my next meal. I am by NO means a non-carb eater. As you can see from my blog posts I love to cook whole grains and pasta. I’m just trying to start my day with the best option so that I can make better choices for the rest of the day. If I get my carb fix at dinner, at least I wasn’t eating them all day.

This bread was very simple to make in my food processor. It totally satisfies my morning toast craving. I will have a slice with almond butter and a berry and spinach smoothie – the perfect breakfast for me!

Here is the link to the newsletter about a better breakfast:

http://goop.com/newsletter/175/   There are a lot of good ideas in it.

Paleo Bread

  • 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
  • 2 tablespoons coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup  flaxseed meal
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 5 eggs
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Place almond flour, coconut flour, flax, salt and baking soda in a food processor and pulse the ingredients together.

Add in eggs, oil, honey and vinegar and pulse.

Pour batter into a greased 7.5″ x 3.5″ non-stick loaf pan (or line with parchment paper.) Bake at 350° F for about 40 minutes. Cool and serve.
A slice of toasted Paleo Bread with Justin’s Maple Almond Butter

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Justin’s Chocolate Peanut Butter

30 Apr

This is some seriously good stuff! It’s mostly organic and made with all natural, premium ingredients. My boys LOVE it on their whole grain waffles for breakfast. It has 7 grams of sugar in a 2 tablespoon serving (which is about what we use). If they have maple syrup and butter on their waffles they would end up with about 30 grams of sugar and miss out on the good protein. I also do banana/chocolate peanut butter sandwiches for lunch sometimes. Again…less sugar than jam which would be about 20 grams in 2 tablespoons. I made them a smoothie with it the other day – vanilla yogurt, banana,  a couple tablespoons of chocolate peanut butter and a few ice cubes….RIDICULOUS! Justin’s also makes some other great nut butters. You can find them locally at Ralph’s and they are sold at most health food stores. Definitely a juicy find!

http://justinsnutbutter.com/

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Pear, Pancetta, and Gorgonzola Pizza

26 Apr

I  hosted a jewelry party recently and decided to make some yummy gourmet pizzas for appetizers. This one was my favorite! I used a store bought pizza crust (found a good one at Albertson’s that is already baked and was a step up from a Boboli type crust). If you are a pizza crust maker or have good luck with rolling out dough (I am not…and I don’t) it would be even tastier!

"Cullinary Circle" Stone Fired Pizza Crust - ready to use!

The toppings took a little time to prepare, but they can all be done ahead and the pizza is quick and easy to make once you have done the prep work.

You will need one good ripe (but not too ripe) pear to make one pizza

Slice it into even thin (about 1/8 of an inch) slices

Soak your slices in a bowl of ice cold water that you have squeezed the juice of one whole lemon into. This will keep the pears crisp and help them retain their color without browning. This is a great tip for apples too! After a few minutes of soaking, dry them on paper towels and store them in a zip lock bag in the fridge until you need them.

Thinly slice 3 shallots. This will seem like a lot but they cook down as you caramelize them.

Brown 3 ounces of diced pancetta in an non stick pan until it has rendered most of it's fat and has crisped up.

In an stainless "All-Clad" type pan, saute the shallots in some of the fat from the pancetta combined with some olive oil. Take your time with this...you wan them to have a "melt in your mouth" texture when you are done.

My secret ingredient...fig jam that I add to the shallots to intensify their sweet taste.

Once all of your ingredients are cooked and prepped, you can lay them out and start assembling your pizza. If you want to do these steps ahead of time, just store the pears, cooked shallots, and pancetta in the fridge until you are ready for them.

Pear, Pancetta, and Gorgonzola Pizza

Ingredients:

  • 1 store bought or home-made pizza crust
  • 3 ounces diced Pancetta
  • 3 shallots, thinly sliced
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
  • 2 tablespoons of fig jam
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped thyme
  • 1 pear, thinly sliced (I used a bartlett)
  • 4 ounces crumbled gorgonzola cheese
  • handful of chopped toasted walnuts
  • fresh chopped italian parsley

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Saute the diced pancetta until it has rendered it’s fat and has crisped up, about 15 minutes. Drain on a plate with a paper towel and reserve 1 tablespoon of the fat. In another pan, saute the shallots in the reserved fat from the pancetta and a tablespoon of olive oil. Keep the heat on medium low and make sure they don’t burn and season them with salt and pepper. Saute them for about 20 minutes or until the are caramelized and very tender. Once they are done, add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to deglaze any bits that are stuck to the pan.  Add the fig jam to the pan and stir into the shallots until it has melted and is mixed in. The consistency of the shallots should be like a thick jam.

To assemble the pizza: Spread the sauteed shallots in an even layer on the crust. Sprinkle the pancetta over the top of the shallots. Sprinkle the fresh chopped thyme on top of the pancetta. Lay the pears on top so that they are very close together but not overlapping. Sprinkle the gorgonzola on last. If you use a pre-baked crust, bake the pizza right on the oven rack for about 15 minutes. Keep a close eye…it’s done when the top starts to brown a little.

Remove from the oven and garnish with the walnuts and parsley.

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Blueberry and Almond Breakfast Shake

22 Apr

Or anytime shake! I actually made this for lunch the other day. I was experimenting with ingredients and this combo was great. The prunes (don’t let them scare you!) added a delicious sweetness along with some fiber and potassium. The almonds give you a great protein boost and you get good heart healthy omegas from the flax.

Blueberry Almond Shake

Serves 1
Add the following ingredients to your blender and blend well:

  • 1 cup unsweetened plain or vanilla almond milk
  • 1/4 cup raw unsalted almonds
  • 3 prunes
  • 1/3 cup frozen organic blueberries
  • 1/2 bannana
  • 2 tablespoons of flax meal
  • 6-8 ice cubes

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Spicy Italian Sausage and Seafood Stew

21 Apr

I made this last week when my brother-in-law and sister-in-law were visiting. We had a bit of gloomy weather and I wanted to make some comfort food. This dish is very similar to a cioppino (Italian Seafood Stew), but a little simpler to make. It does take a while to cook…it needs some time on the stove for the flavors to develop and the wine to mellow, but you can do almost all of it ahead of time so it is a great dish for company. I used a seafood blend that I found a local seafood shop that had a mix of calamari rings, shrimp, and bay scallops. They also sell a mix like this at Trader Joe’s. The addition of spicy Italian sausage to this gives it great flavor. Don’t leave out the fennel…it really adds something to this dish! If you haven’t cooked with fennel before…here is a good video I found that shows you how you trim and prep a fennel bulb:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Woq5xV7G_N0

Also, I’m sure it would be a punishable crime to serve it without some really good crusty bread :)

Chopped onion and shallot

Fennel Bulbs

Chopped fennel

"Cento" brand imported Italian tomatoes

Serve this with a good Pinot Grigio

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large fennel bulb (also called Anise), trimmed and chopped
  • One medium sweet onion (like maui or walla walla), chopped
  • 1 large or 2 small shallots, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 pound spicy Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
  • 2 cups white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
  • 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 4-5 small yukon gold potatoes, diced into cubes
  • one 35 oz can of imported italian tomatoes blended into a puree in a food processor or blender
  • 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
  • kosher salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 p0unds of  a mix of shrimp, scallops, and calamari
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • 1/2 cup fresh chopped Italian parsley

Directions

In a large heavy soup pot (like a dutch oven), heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the fennel, onion, and shallots,  and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a few more minutes. Add the sausage and break into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook until brown, about 5 minutes.  Add the wine to the pot and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the canned tomatoes that have been pureed, the chicken broth, tomato paste, potatoes, thyme, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper (remember that the sausage and chicken stock will add some salt so taste as you go). Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for about an hour keeping in at a constant simmer and stirring occasionally. After an hour of cooking, check to make sure the potatoes are tender. At this point, you can let the stew cook a little longer which just helps the flavors to develop more if you have the time. If you are ready to serve, add all of the seafood and cook for a few minutes until it is cooked through. The seafood cooks really quickly and you don’t want to overcook it. It really only needs 3 -5 minutes of simmering. Turn off the heat and add the chopped basil and parsley (save a little to garnish) and re-season with salt and pepper if it needs it. Ladle into soup bowls and top with additional parsley and basil. Serve with good crusty bread and some good olive oil for dipping.

If you want to make this a day in advance (which would probably make it taste even better), cook it all the way up to just before adding the seafood and let it cool and put it in the fridge. The next day you just need to bring it to a simmer and add the seafood.

Serves 8

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Capellini with Tomatoes, Artichoke hearts, and Olives

20 Apr

This is a super simple vegetarian dish that you can whip up on a week night without too much fuss. I can’t wait to make this again when the tomatoes from our garden are ripe and ready. For now I picked the best looking tomatoes I could find at Trader Joes and used a can of their artichoke hearts. With fresh basil, a lot of garlic, Kalamata olives, and some good buffalo mozzarella …the Trader Joes tomatoes tasted pretty darn good! My 8 year old, Max, demanded that we leave him some left-overs to have for lunch at school the next day. That kid loves his left-overs!

Capellini with Tomatoes, Artichoke hearts, and Olives

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of Capellini pasta (angel hair or thin spaghetti)
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 can of artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
  • 2/3 cup of kalamata olives, quartered
  • 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
  • 2 pounds of vine-ripened tomatoes (I used 8 small tomatoes on the vine…I think they were called “pearl tomatoes”)
  •  8 ounces of fresh mozzarella, cubed (1 “ball” of mozzarella)
  • 1 cup of basil leaves cut into a chiffonade ( stack leaves together, roll up, and cut into thin strips)
  • kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

In a large pot of salted boiling water cook the capellini until it is just done…you really want it to be “Al Dente” and NOT over cooked. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large pan and saute the garlic for a few minutes being careful not to let it get brown. Add the artichoke hearts and olives cook for a couple of minutes to heat them up. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook for a couple more minutes. Turn off the heat,  add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. When the pasta is done, drain well and add to the pan.Toss the pasta with the artichokes, olives, and tomatoes until they are all well combined. Add the fresh basil and the mozzarella and check for seasoning.  Throw a little fresh parmesan on top if you want!

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Whatever you have in the fridge spaghetti casserole

20 Apr

I made this last week with what I needed to use up in the fridge and it turned out to be a family hit. I had a ton of baby spinach to use up, 3/4 of a container of ricotta cheese, and everything I needed to make a good meat sauce. I made a pesto with the spinach and added the ricotta which made it nice and creamy. My boys are NOT spinach lovers but for some reason when I turn it into pesto they really love it.  I made a simple meat sauce with a pound of organic grass-fed beef and a jarred tomato sauce then put it all together in a baking dish layered with cheese and finished it in the oven. I make a good and simple home-made meat sauce (or sugo as my Sicilian mother-in-law calls it) and I will post that next time I make it, but to keep this an easy week night meal I used a jarred sauce. I have tried several and have a couple of favorites.  When it comes to buying a jarred tomato sauce, the best thing to look for is the fewer ingredients the better. I like Mezzetta’s which is made with vine-ripened plum tomatoes,  basil,  garlic, onions, parsley, imported Italian olive oil and sea salt. That is about as close to my home-made sauce as I can get! I also love Rao’s marinara which takes it a step further with Imported Italian tomatoes, but it is a bit more pricey than the Mezzetta.

This is one of those dishes that really can be put together with whatever you have or want to use. You can use a traditional basil pesto, you could add any veggies you want (some roasted zucchini or asparagus cut into bite-size pieces would be yummy), you could make a meat sauce with ground turkey or just keep it a vegetarian tomato sauce.

This made dinner for the four of us with enough left-overs for another full dinner. My non-spinach loving kids loved this and didn’t even notice that it was a spinach pesto.

Spaghetti Casserole with Spinach Pesto and Meat Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of Spaghetti
  • Spinach  Pesto (see recipe below)
  • 1 cup of ricotta cheese
  • 1 pound ground beef or turkey
  • two 25 oz jars of Mezzetta tomato basil sauce
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • fresh grated parmesan cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the spaghetti in a big pot of WELL SALTED boiling water for about half of the suggested cooking time (it will finish in the oven). While you wait for your pasta water to boil, brown the ground beef or turkey until it is cooked through. Add the 2 jars of sauce and simmer for about 20 min. Spray a large rectangular baking dish with non-stick spray. When the pasta is done, drain well and return it to the pot. Add the pesto and ricotta to the pasta and mix well. Add some of the meat sauce to the bottom of the baking dish so that you have a thin base layer of sauce. Next layer half of the spaghetti on top of the sauce. Add another layer of sauce on top of the spaghetti and top with a layer of shredded mozzarella. Finish with the remaining spaghetti, the rest of the sauce, and the rest of the mozzarella. Top with some fresh grated parmesan and bake for 30 minutes. The top should be bubbly and lightly browned in spots. Let the casserole cool for a good 10 minutes  and  serve.

Spinach Pesto:

Combine all of the following ingredients except the olive oil in the bowl of a large food processor. Pulse until the spinach is chopped very fine and all of the ingredients are combined.  Add the olive oil slowly while the food processor is running. Scrape the sides to make sure everything is mixed well.

  • 4 cups of baby spinach (about 8 oz)
  • 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese (or about 2 oz cubed)
  • 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • kosher salt to taste

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Lentil and Farro Salad

1 Apr

So…for the past 3 days I have been on a juice cleanse. Juice and only juice for 3 days! I felt like I needed a fresh start and help with curbing some of my bad cravings. I had done a juice cleanse in the past through Ritual Cleanse in Newport Beach, CA and I was really happy with how I felt after I was done. This time I did it on my own (MUCH cheaper) with the help of Organic Tree in Dana Point, CA. Organic Tree is a juice bar that uses a top of the line juice press for all of their fabulous organic veggies and fruits. I got all of my green juice from them for each day (kale, spinach, celery, cucumber and parsley…3 times a day!). I also did some juicing at home to complete my 6 a day. One is a very yummy blend of carrot and pineapple!  At the end of the day you get a  “smoothie” made with alkaline water, cashews, dates, vanilla & cinnamon. Did that one in my Vitamix and it pretty much saves you from total starvation! Anyway, I feel really good and want to keep up the good habits so for my first real dinner I thought this salad would be a good start. I also get to have coffee and wine again…THANK THE LORD!

I got the idea for this recipe from a link that my friend Lori shared with me for a very similar salad from a another food blogger. It looked delicious so I adapted it to what I had at home and needed to use up. Here is the link to the original recipe if you want to check it out: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2012/03/recipe-for-lentil-and-barley-greek.html. She used tomatoes in her salad which would be really yummy IF tomatoes were in season. I will try it again that way when our garden tomatoes start coming in.  You could vary the ingredients quite a bit to suit your taste. I used farro instead of barley.  I LOVE farro and it’s chewy texture. It is an Italian grain that is very similar to emmer wheat (sort of like a wheat berry). It can be hard to find but I have found it at places like Whole Foods and it is sold at Williams-Sonoma. For the lentils I used a quick cooking “sprouted lentil” from True Roots.  They cooked in a very short time and I recently read that “sprouted” lentils are even better for you than the regular ones. Any type of lentil would be great though. You need to cook the grains and lentils separately because of their different cooking times and you can do it ahead of time then pop them in the fridge until you are ready to put the salad together.

As for the rest of the ingredients, I used what was in the fridge: a bag of french green beans and a couple of zucchinis that needed to get used. I blanched them – put them in boiling water for just a few minutes then put them in an ice bath to “shock” them and help them keep their nice green color. It’s important to keep a close eye when you  blanch veggies…you want to keep that nice crisp bite and it only takes a minute or two to get them there. I thought green onions would give some good flavor and some Italian parsley (which I pretty much put in everything!). I picked up a really good feta cheese at the market. An imported sheep’s milk feta…much tastier than the domestic stuff! Remember…simple food needs really good ingredients! I feel like the better it is, the less I have to use.

Lentil and Farro Salad

makes 6 servings

Salad Ingredients:

  • 3 cups lentils, cooked and cooled
  • 3 cups farro, cooked and cooled
  • 2 zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces and blanched
  • french green beans, cut into bite size pieces (about 2 cups) and blanched
  • 4 green onions, chopped small
  • 1/3 cup chopped Italian Parsley
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • toasted pine nuts

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1/2 of a lemon)
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 minced garlic clove
  • a few shakes of dried oregano
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all of the salad ingredients except the pine nuts and mix well. Whisk the dressing ingredients well and mix into the salad. Serve with the toasted pine nuts on top.

My family had this salad for dinner with steamed artichokes (my kids favorite!). The left-overs were really yummy the next day for lunch!

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