"Type O" Pumpkin Cookies

I started on Dr. D'Adamo's Eat Right for your Blood Type diet recently.  I went to see him after he basically cured my mom of ulcerative colitis... it was amazing to see how fast her health turned around.  I have insane knee problems and some other minor health issues I wanted to address.  Anyway it has been a month and I am feeling great.  He has foods categorized into "super foods," "neutrals" and "best avoided" today I made these pumpkin cookies and all ingredients were on my super food list!  I was pretty psyched.  Anyway, I'm type O, so if you are too, this might cookie be just as perfect for you!

Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup organic brown rice flour

1 cup organic tapioca flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder (low sodium, aluminum free)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon (could also use 1/8 tsp. clove and 1/4 tsp. ground ginger for a spicier cookie)

3 tablespoons ghee (if not type o- coconut oil or organic butter)

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 whole egg

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

How to:  

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Whisk dry ingredients together, brown rice flour through cinnamon.  Stir in chocolate chips.
3.  Combine pumpkin puree, egg, molasses and honey.  Pour into dry mixture and stir just until combined.  
4.  Melt ghee (or coconut oil/butter) over LOW heat, let cool then add to your batter until well incorporated.
5.  Spoon batter onto parchment lined baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.  Yields 24 cookies.
6.  Let cool on a drying wrack and enjoy!  Best served warm, but last 2 days in a sealed container in a cool, dry place or up to a month in the freezer.

They may not be the prettiest cookies in all the land, but they certainly are delicious!  My mom used to make pumpkin cookies for halloween with little M&M smiley faces on them, I LOVED them so much- despite that they resembled... well never mind.  :)  Point is, halloween or middle of spring, these are great cookies any time you make them!

Thanksgiving and G-F Cornbread

We just found out that we are hosting Thanksgiving this year... sweet.  Actually, I am excited, Thanksgiving is usually my favorite holiday and this year my bro is not working (but will be for Christmas) so it is definitely my fav. this year!

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that you just have to make two versions of many (normally gluten-full) dishes.  I make the cornbread and pumpkin pies both gluten-full and gluten-free, I don't want everyone stealing my gluten-free food!!  Cause, clearly it is better than refined flour and white sugar- I mean, who would choose that?!  The funny thing is, this year when I made the cornbread, I ran out of regular corn meal and had to use polenta meal.  Ended up adding great texture and worked well in the bread!

I will post my pumpkin pie recipe after its made this year with a photo, but here is the recipe :)

Gluten-Free Cornbread
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups corn meal (or half meal and half polenta)
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 TBS organic butter
1/2 cup applesauce
2 whole eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup local honey
How To:
Mix together dry ingredients (corn meal through salt).  Cut the butter into the dry mixture using two butter knives or a pastry cutter until you can no longer see big chunks of butter.  Next, gently whisk together applesauce through honey and pour into the butter and flour mixture.  Stir to combine.
Pour out into an 8x8 baking pan (I prefer glass) and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes and then turn the oven down to 350 and cook another 10-12 minutes until you can poke it with a cake tester or toothpick and it comes out clean.
Let cool in the baking dish and then slice into squares and serve.

O'Connor Christmas Zucchini Bread

Although the recipe has evolved over the years and I am even experimenting with a gluten-free version, my mom's whole grain zucchini bread is as much of a Christmas tradition for my family as the tree itself.  We only eat the zucchini bread on Christmas morning (and there after until it is gone!), saving the treat as a special holiday tradition.  Thinking back on my childhood, I realize how forward thinking my mom was, passionate about recycling, reusing, and up-cycling before it was popular.  Zucchini breads and homemade croutons packaged creatively in containers from our home were gifts to teachers, friends, family and even the mail-carrier!  Our art section of the playroom was a bookshelf full of recyclable or up-cycleable items that I still believe had a huge part in launching my creative thought process.  Creating something brand new out of ordinary found objects expands your mind so much farther than any plastic toy wrapped in plastic, wrapped in cardboard and surrounded by plastic (again) can possibly do!

The more I focus my thoughts on ways to improve the environment and make life healthier, the more it is clear that a simpler life, truly reflecting the meaning of going back to the basics can make the most impact.  We constantly need more and more and wonder why our landfills are so large, why our food has to be genetically modified and pumped full of pesticides to keep up with demand, why we have health and obesity epidemics.  I'm not trying to say it is easy, but I think we can all benefit from a little more creative thinking... next time you go to deliver fresh baked cookies or a gift (with the holiday season upon us) think of a way to present it wrapped in something you find in your home.  What a great way to save money as well.

I will leave you with this.  Although it stems from a rich sense of humor, my brother has never, literally never used wrapping paper and it has become something to look forward to... what is Ryan going to wrap our presents in this year?!  I will take a picture this year.  

...and back to the Zucchini Bread, here are the recipes 3 ways!:

Whole Grain Zucchini Bread (modified from the original to eliminate oil, refined sugar and white flour)
                                            Ingredients

3 eggs
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup local honey
2 cups fresh grated zucchini
3 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup flaxseed
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup oat flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
                                             3 tsp. cinnamon
                                            1/8 tsp. allspice
                                            1/8 tsp. nutmeg
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (eggs through applesauce), set aside.   Sift wheat flour and oat flour into a bowl and combine with the remaining dry ingredients (salt through nutmeg).  Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and thoroughly combine.
Divide batter between two loaf pans and bake for 40 minutes or until you can poke it with a toothpick and it comes out clean.

Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread (made to be free of gluten, refined sugar and low in fat)
2 cups of brown rice flour
1 cup of tapioca flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
2 cups freshly grated zucchini
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
4 TBS melted and cooled butter
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup applesauce
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine dry ingredients (brown rice flour through nutmeg) in a large bowl and whisk to combine.  In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (zucchini through applesauce).  Make sure the butter has cooled before you add it to the egg mixture so you don't accidentally scramble the eggs!
Next, add the wet ingredients to the dry stirring until the batter is well incorporated.
Divide batter between two loaf pans (or one loaf pan and a muffin tin like I did!) and bake bread for 30-40 minutes and muffins for 20-25 minutes.  Gluten free should be watched in the oven because depending on the moisture in the air, the cooking time could vary.  Simply poke the muffin or bread with a cake tester or toothpick and if it comes out clean, pull those babies out!

To store, place in a sealable glass storage container and pop in the freezer, they will be good to go for a  month (but trust me, they won't last that long!), just re-heat in your toaster oven at 200 degrees.

Original Recipe (yummy and tender, but definitely a treat...)
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated raw zucchini
3 tsp. vanilla
3 cups white flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. cinnamon
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the first 5 ingredients in order, beating after each addition.  Mix sifted dry ingredients (flour through cinnamon) into the egg/sugar mixture.  Pour batter into two loaf pans and bake for 50-60 minutes.

Organic Buffalo Anyone?

I picked up some organic buffalo ground beef at Whole Foods the other day and made some burgers last night.  Sorry for fuzzy picture... anyone interested in sponsoring a souped up camera to Nourish This??! ;)  Anyway, the burger was a little bit sweeter tasting than regular beef and was pretty tender.  I just added salt and pepper to the meat and grilled it on my grill pan, topped it with asiago cheese, caramelized onions and fresh basil.  It would have been perfected by a slice of a giant garden (or heirloom) tomato, but no such luck.  I didn't think of it in the moment!
As you can probably see, I had it with steamed broccoli and sweet potato fries.  The sweet potato fries are a synch.  Just dice them into whatever shape you like (shoe string, rounds, squares, etc.) just make sure they are fairly uniform in size so they cook evenly.  Sprinkle them with a bit of olive oil, just to lightly coat the potatoes and then a dash of large grain sea salt, fresh nutmeg and a touch of cinnamon.  I cook them in the oven at 375 for 15-20 minutes (depending on the size of the pieces).  They are so simple but definitely one of those things you literally can't stop eating because they are so good!  Don't worry though- they're sweet potatoes so go to town!

Farm Fresh Omelet Wrap

I felt badly about not taking a pic of my pretty fish dinner the other night so I figured the least I could do is use that tasty basil oil on my eggs and remember to take a picture of that this time!
Breakfast was definitely my favorite.  I have a few things in my fridge that helped me make it so good so quickly, but this might give you a few ideas.  My grandma emailed me a week or so ago about asparagus and all of its healing powers.  The email gave a few examples of how people used asparagus puree (2 tsp.s 2x/day) to help cure themselves of all kinds of illnesses.  It came from a fairly reliable source, so I thought I would give it a try... my feeling is, its asparagus, what's the risk?!
Long story short, that is why I had a glass pyrex full of asparagus puree in my fridge!  So, I scrambled 2 tsp.s of the puree with one egg and one egg white and a splash of water, salt and pepper.  In the meantime, I also sauteed a few slices of zucchini in olive oil.  When the eggs were done, I heated my gluten-free brown rice wrap (well half of one anyway) on my skillet for just a second, topped it with the asparagus scramble a pinch of parmesan cheese, clearly the basil oil and my zucchini slices.  Wow was that good.  I am not kidding that the whole thing took me about 5 minutes to throw together.  I had organic eggs, wrap, asparagus and zucchini and basil straight from my garden, how can you beat a breakfast like that?!

Baked Halibut with Cherry Tomatoes and Fresh Basil Oil

I am kicking myself for not taking a picture of this last night.  Seriously.  This recipe is so unbelievably easy and makes a gorgeous presentation.  I have no excuses for not taking a photo either, I was just plain lazy!  I told myself it was because my knee was hurting and I didn't want to go down and then back up the stairs to get the camera... to me that is just screaming "I want to sit on my rump instead!"  Anyway, I will absolutely have to make this again, take a picture of it and re-post this because after you see it, you won't be able to not make it for dinner!

Alright so what you do is: In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Wash and slice organic cherry tomatoes in half and add to the skillet when it is hot.  I used two bunches of tomatoes because I wanted leftovers for pizza (I love to make something that I can split in half and use for two different recipes).  Dice 1/2 cup of red onion and saute with the cherry tomatoes.  The tomatoes will start to get juicy, thats ok, just turn the heat up to medium high.  You want to cook the tomatoes until the liquid reduces and you are left with a chunky thick tomato sauce.  Ok, so add about 1 TBS of tomato paste (helps to thicken it up), 1/2 TBS dried oregano and a dash of large grain sea salt.  Stir to combine.  Lastly, add 2 tsp. of maple syrup.  I know it sounds weird, but it cuts the bitterness from the tomatoes and makes them taste incredibly rich.  Ok, your sauce is done!  

I let my sauce cool a bit and  then spooned it on top of a piece of halibut, popped it into a pre-heated 350 degree oven for ummmmm about 35 minutes (it was a thick piece!).  While it cooked, I washed about 1/4 cup of basil leaves and tossed them into my mini chop with a pinch of large grain sea salt and whirred it together with about 1/2 cup of olive oil.  You could be fancy and strain out the finely chopped basil leaves, but quite honestly, I like the extra flavor.

When the fish comes out of the oven, serve and drizzle with the basil oil.  

I made this recipe with sauteed kale and parmesan quinoa.  Loved it.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yeah, so it is nothing short of a comfort food day for me today.  In the past two hours I have made the crumble topping apple pie (see below), chocolate chip cookies and a pizza pie crust.  Clearly I am in an eating (and/or stuffing my face) mood!

The chocolate chip cookies were a new recipe and I think they came out much better than I expected.  Mostly because I am so tired today I feel like I am not actually functioning despite all of the cooking that seems to be happening!  Anyway, they taste nothing like G-F cookies you normally find, which makes me so happy.  Here is the recipe:

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup Brown Rice Flour

3/4 cup Tapioca Flour

2 tsp. Baking powder (low sodium)

1 tsp. Baking soda (low sodium)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 TBS flaxseed

Wet Ingredients:

1 tsp. vanilla

2 TBS applesauce (organic)

1 egg yolk

2 egg whites

4 TBS butter, melted and cooled (organic)

1/3 cup honey

chocolate chips (I used the allergy-free mini ones, about 1/2 cup)

Here's how its done:

In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk, vanilla, honey and butter just until combined.  

Mix your chocolate chips with the flour mixture first so they get evenly distributed.

Next, add your wet ingredients to the flour and chip mixture and stir just to combine.  

Lastly, beat the egg whites into stiff peaks and fold into the cookie dough 1/3 at a time.  

Spoon out 1 TBS of cookie dough onto your baking sheet (I line mine with recycled parchment paper) and bake for about 10 minutes.

Eat warm for the best taste or cool and freeze for up to a month!!

Ahh, New England in the Fall

I was considering (strongly) moving to CA for at least 3 months but for several reasons my plan fell through...  at least for the time being.  In some ways I am happy it is post-poned because I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fall.  So my favorite season!  The brisk air, the brightly colored trees and crunch of fallen leaves under your feet, being comfortable in just jeans and a cozy sweatshirt.  Nothing beats it.

My favorite of all fall past times is without a doubt apple picking.  We go to Blue Jay farms in CT and have for many many years.  It is so beautiful in the orchards and Blue Jay has this little farm store with homemade cider donuts, pies, jams, etc.  Smells like heaven in there.  Unfortunately I cannot eat any of the treats anymore due to my gluten, dairy, soy-free restrictions.  Oh, but not to worry, I am making some of my own.  Filling my kitchen with the smell of baked apple and cinnamon is enough to make even the most heavily-laden gluten eaters re-consider purchasing pies pre-made.  Half the experience is being able to smell the deliciousness all day... mmmmmmm :)

My apple pie had a gluten-free pie crust, apple filling stacked about 2" above  the rim of the pie pan and a cinnamon crumb topping.  I am about to pull it out of the oven and snag a quick taste... will post a picture soon!  

Birthday Cake!

Well, I made my own birthday cake this year... although I have to say, my mom made a valiant effort to take the reins but I insisted.  Baking gluten-free is a challenge, but making an angel food cake gluten-free without sugar or xantham gum is another story entirely!! 

Like I was going to let anything stand in the way of me and birthday cake!  HA.

So, I whipped the eggs, folded the flour, prayed to the God of angel food cake while I added the forbidden liquid (maple syrup) to my peaked whites and poof, delicious, fluffy Birthday Cake was born!  I have to admit on top of the culinary difficulties we were also amidst the most humid part of the summer and I was cooking in a kitchen without AC... so we had a slight deflating issue.  No biggy, it was still fluffy and so so good.  

Being my birthday and all, I felt like I deserved a kicked-up version so I made a mixed berry syrup with fresh blueberries, strawberries, maple syrup, water, orange juice and half of a cinnamon stick.  I could literally eat that stuff with a spoon.  

I know this is completely not "Nourish This" philosophy of a well-rounded meal but I totally had cake dripping with sweet berry sauce for breakfast and loved every second of it!  Although, I do have to say that "Nourish This" (a.k.a. me) certainly believes in eating what you love as long as it is in moderation.  When it is a special occasion or you are really craving something, go for it, you only live once!  Plus, when you try to ignore cravings, the size of the craving grows until instead of being satisfied with one slice of cake you won't be satisfied until you have devoured a whole one!  Yeah, lets not let that happen, go for the piece and move on!

Peter, Pina, little Sophia... and new inspiration

I REALLY need to get in the habit of being attached to my camera because it would have come in handy this weekend.  I went to Long Island to visit/plan/hang-out with my partners/advisors, Dr. Peter Bongiorno and Dr. Pina LoGiudice (and their precious 13 month old baby girl- Sophia).  It is always inspiring to get together with them.  I learn so much, but best of all, our conversations usually shifts my perspective slightly, opening my eyes to new possibilities for Nourish This.

Equally inspiring on this particular visit was our deliciously authentic take-out!  We debated about whether we would go to the grocery store and prepare lunch ourselves or if we should order take-out from either a Turkish or Indian restaurant... as soon as Peter and Pina mentioned Masala Dosas (which I had never tried before) both of their eyes lit up so bright I could hardly resist finding out what was so exciting!  Well, the pancakes came and they were HUGE, super thin and sort of stretchy... maybe I am not making them sound as appealing as they were!  They are made from lentil and garbanzo bean flours (are gluten-free) and taste terrifically light and tender.  They came with curried potato and onion as well as a few dipping options (what looked like a cilantro pesto of sorts, a spicy tomato based sauce and tomato chutney).  I am not sure if we ordered this separately, but it also came with a cold coconut spread, a slightly lighter and chunkier consistency than hummus-which I adored. 

Peter explained  that in ayurvedic medicine, the idea is to eat a variety in each meal, both sweet and savory, warm and cold, etc.  In doing so, the body is being completely satisfied... interesting thought.  I have to say I was definitely full and satisfied but not uncomfortably stuffed after that amazing lunch.  

Like I said... should have taken a picture :(  Next time, I promise!

ps- Pina found this photo for me on http://www.indianfoodforever.com/snacks/masala-dosa.html, so there ya go!

Gluten-Free vs. Gluten-Full!

So, as my name very clearly indicates, I am of Irish heritage (from my dad's side at least). Anyway, as such, we partake in the traditional St. Patrick's day traditions, a little Guinness, corn beef and cabbage, wearing green head to toe... my uncle even marches in the NY St. Patty's Day Parade, and of course Irish Soda Bread. The first couple years of being Gluten-Free I was missing out on the Guinness, corn beef and Irish Soda Bread... the last of which I was most distraught about! Anyway, as with all of my attempts at Gluten-Free baked goods, it took me a few tries to get it right, but when I did- MAN was it good! This year I was baking with my dad for the good ole green holiday. My back was to him as we were baking our respective loaves, working on opposite counters to keep his gluten away, so I was not overseeing his process... unfortunately! When my loaf was ready for baking I put it on the baking sheet and turned around to see my dad's... gluten-full version. Now, I would not ordinarily make fun of my dad's baking skills, in fact, I applaud him for his attempt. BUT, due to the fact that gloating some times does occur about the ability to eat gluten, I found it comical that my Gluten-Free loaf actually looked like a loaf and the traditional recipe looked a little scary! hehe I do get to laugh at that right? I mean I have been gluten-deprived for some time now so when at long last my baked goods look MORE appealing than the gluten-full version, you have to admit, its something to smile about! Anyway, don't trust me, take a look for yourself (gluten-free on the left)...Well, it turns out his tasted delicious as well so in the end everyone was happy. I guess it was the luck of the Irish!

Ryan the Guinea Pig

My brother could see this as an advantage or disadvantage... you decide! He lives close by and so when I am experimenting with new recipes, I use him as my guinea pig. The thing you have to remember is that I am experimenting!! SO, it is not always a success. It has been a little less than a week since I have tried to come up with a new one, so I figured I would write 3 recipes, make them and stick them in Ryan's freezer. I know he will call me and say "uh, how do I heat this up?" so then I will know WHEN he is eating each dinner and I can hound him afterwards for an official critique! I can pretty much judge the success of the dinner based on the enthusiasm in his voice when he says it was "good." I ask if he would want it again, if he ate the whole thing (if not we would be in some serious trouble... recipe would be promptly ditched and never thought of again!) and if there is anything he would change. Its a good system, at least it weeds out the really bad ones and I can feel comfortable trying them out on other unsuspecting diners!
So this is what is on the menu for Ryan today...
1. Chicken Stir Fry with Curried Cashew Cream, snow peas, carrots, zucchini, water chestnuts and a side of brown rice with fresh mint and slivered almonds.
2. Corn and Herb crusted Grouper over whipped potatoes (just for Ryan... I would skip the potatoes) with spaghetti squash tossed with crumbled goat cheese, walnuts and parsley.
3. Penne pasta with shrimp, peas and a white bean cream sauce.
I never make red meat, I don't think its a bad thing to have once in a while, but I just don't make it for some reason... hmm. Anyway, we'll see what Ryan says about these, I wonder what he will like best?!

Quinoa for Sophie

Sophie requested more quinoa recipes so I thought I would start her out with this one! This is a recipe to have along side your dinner (or as your dinner!).
First and foremost it is important to RINSE your quinoa before cooking. Doing this helps get rid of that bitter taste quinoa can sometimes have. Ok, now, cook quinoa in one part water, one part chicken broth... it only takes about 10-12 minutes after coming to a boil.
While it is cooking, chop up some spanish olives, grape tomatoes and fresh spinach. When the quinoa is finished cooking, fluff it with a fork and toss with the chopped veggies. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper and voila!... You have another fabulous recipe :)

*To spice up this recipe even more, you can add crumbled fresh feta or goat cheese.
OR you can buy stuffing mushrooms (you know, the extra big white mushroom caps); wipe them clean with a damp towel,pluck the stems and spoon about a bit of your quinoa mixture into the mushroom and top with a hard cheese like parmesan or hard goats cheese and bake in your 375 degree oven for 10 minutes!

Quinoa in the morning...

So I am trying to eat even healthier lately and one of the ways I am attempting to do so is rotating diverse whole grains in for breakfast. One day buckwheat groats, then eggs the next day, quinoa the next, steal cut oat meal... you get the picture. It seems to be working out except that quinoa in the morning can be somewhat unappetizing.

UNTIL TODAY!!! I decided to treat it like a quinoa muesli... I cooked it in one part water, one part almond milk and added a cinnamon stick and a couple cloves. When it was cooked and fluffy, I stirred it together in a bowl with cinnamon, raw coconut, pumpkin seeds and slivered almonds (only about 1 tsp. of each) and topped it with about 1/4 of a banana and an extra drizzle of almond milk.

It was more than good, it was something I will look forward to eating all the time! ...and that says a lot for quinoa in the morning!

*Quinoa is a whole grain (gluten-free) native to South America. Quinoa is considered a "complete protein" because it is composed of all 9 amino acids as well as a good source of manganese, phosphorous, copper, iron and magnesium; making it helpful for migraine sufferers, cardiovascular health and diabetes. (www.whfoods.com)