How do you make your Lentils?

During my trip to LA, I stayed with my good friend from HS and his girlfriend, Cristina.  Cristina made a giant batch of hearty lentils absolutely loaded with veggies... and we ended up eating them all week.  On salads, warmed with toasted corn tortillas, etc., etc.  They were delicious.  After asking me how I typically make my lentils I realized that the answer is- I don't.  It's a shame because lentils are such a great food, but I just never think to make them.

First thing when I got home I went to the grocery store and bought a bag of organic red lentils and whipped up the batch pictured above.  I think I overcooked them a bit because the lentils broke down and sort of melted into the veggies... which, turns out I actually love.  I seasoned this batch with curry, turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper and of course a touch of sea salt.  Upon serving though, I either scooped them out as they were or I stirred them together with a dollop of creamy goat cheese and a drop of sarancho chili sauce (my preference).  Either way, they are completely satisfying and certainly a single meal in a pot!  Although my brother was wondering where the meat was and said he did love them but thinks of them as more of a snack.  I guess it depends on the size of your appetite.  I was just happy he liked them so much!

Pumpkin Cookies!

My mom used to make these unbelievable pumpkin cookies when we were kids.  They looked terrible, kind of lumpy and that slightly orangey-brown color that could remind you of something else!  BUT, they tasted so good I looked forward to them every halloween.  Surprisingly, I this is the first year I have tried to make a gluten-free variety (despite going on 5 1/2 years G-F!).
Well, clearly I had to do some tweaking to the original recipe, but so far so good!  The texture was not bad with these cookies, thanks to help from the pumpkin puree (*vegetable and fruit purees do wonders for gluten-free baking!).  I replaced refined sugar with local honey and used a combination of tapioca and brown rice flours.  To add fluffiness and a tiny bit of elasticity, I also separated the eggs and whipped the whites into stiff peaks.  In addition to being gluten, dairy, soy and nut-free, this recipe is also lower in sugar and made with only organic or local ingredients.  Definitely a cookie you can feel good about!

I'll have the fried chicken sandwich, but hold the bottom bun.

I have seen some crazy things in my day, but this has to come close to one of the least-logical food choices yet.  I am sitting on a plane in Atlanta (connecting from LA to NYC) and this man is sitting diagonally across the isle from me.  He is a rather full gentleman who's belly grazed up against the tray table.  I curiously looked around to see what food he brought on the plane... my own hunger and curiosity melded with the variety of aromas wafting up into the stale airplane air from everyone's delectable airport dinner choices.  Anyway, up comes a fast food bag.  Oh no I thought, please don't... really, whatever is wrapped up in that papery-tinfoil, its not worth it, I promise you it's not.  As he unwrapped, the fried chicken sandwich with all the fixin's, all I could see was it sitting there on the tray table like a heart attack.  Then, for some reason, the fried chicken man took off the tiny bottom bun and left it on the side.  Hmm, I thought, is he trying to be health conscious?  Is this an attempt to adhere to the Atkins diet or some other carb-limiting plan that would prompt him to remove that bottom half of his bun?  No it couldn't be, surely if he cared about the carbs, the top bun (the thicker of the two) would have to go as well, as would the oil saturated breading surrounding his (hopefully real) chicken!  Well, four bites later and the sandwich was gone.  All I could think was- hey, at least there were no fries!  I shouldn't have been worried about fries.  To my great dismay, the man reached down into his fast food bag and grabbed round two, another sandwich.  He performed the same ketchup/mustard- squirting/bun removal technique as before and once again, four bites and probably close to 1,000 calories later it was all devoured and rapidly absorbing into his body.
I wanted to run to the flight attendant, flailing my arms and screaming EMERGENCY!!!  Get that man some kale, get him a shot of wheat grass... ok, right, this is a plane- at least some bloody mary mix?!  Of course I held myself together, realized that I have to accept that people continue to make these (sorry for saying so) stupid choices and then wonder why they have to rely so heavily on medications, healthcare and their ever-expanding waist lines.
I know I am generalizing, being mean and that I really should not judge, but I the truth is, I feel worried about our society.  I feel concerned that in a world where more and more evidence points to the direct correlation between what you eat and how well you are... so many people don't seem to care.  We have to get them to care, or at least show them why they should.
*sigh*

Casseroles, Mmmmmm!

I know, I haven't blogged in a while.  Well, you know about the knee surgery, so there's that and then I have been making arrangements to go to CA in a week and got myself all busy :)
It's funny, as soon as it gets cold out, all I want to make are soups and casseroles.  Have not started the soup making quite yet but have made a few "pop-in-the-oven" one bake wonders.  Tonight I made an Italian version of my Shredded Chicken Bake recipe.  Instead of making a béchamel sauce, I just sauteed some onions with shredded chicken, tomato sauce and white wine... a touch of parmesan cheese and fresh homemade italian breadcrumbs and you have a winner folks.  I was running around and did not have time to think about dinner so I just boiled the chicken in... sadly enough, water.  BUT, the chicken got super tender and I got to cook it and walk away.  All together the actual "cooking" part took me about 12 minutes.  Super.

Over the weekend I also made a new gluten-free macaroni and cheese with fresh mozzarella and parmesan cheese, tossed with spinach and broccoli and topped with, yes, thats right- homemade Italian breadcrumbs. As my bro would say, Niiiiiiiiiiiiiice.  ;)  I should be getting these recipes up and more in a few weeks, after my trip to LA.

Chicken Pot Pie

I am working on  a recipe makeover for someone who wanted to make an easy but healthier version of the traditional chicken pot pie.  Due to my lack of ability to get to the grocery store, I could not fully accomplish the new version that I wanted to try, but this one turned out awfully tasty so I thought I would share :)
I diced organic carrots, celery, and zucchini and sauteed them in a touch of olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat with some frozen pearl onions.  I seasoned them with salt and pepper, nutmeg, sage and a bit of parsley.  The night before I had made two roasted chickens (which I always do, if you are bothering to do one, its no extra effort to make two!)... they make the BEST leftovers.  The chicken was cooked so all I had to do was shred it up into the dutch oven with my softening veggies- pretty sweet deal!

Now here comes the slightly odd part.  I did not have chicken stock, so I added sugar-free almond milk and water and thickened it up with a slurry of brown rice flour, a bit of organic butter and a touch of almond milk.  Once I added all the liquid and the slurry, I let the mixture simmer together for about 15 minutes to allow the liquid to thicken slightly and the veggies and chicken to absorb some of the flavor.
In the meantime, I made a quick gluten-free pie crust using equal parts brown rice and tapioca flour, a pinch of salt, butter and COLD water.  I only made enough for a top crust because I wanted to cut down on calories and unnecessary fat... plus, I have always felt that the real taste of the crust comes from the top layer anyway, the bottom and sides are just soggy and not all that necessary.

Using a pie pan (or in my case a round cake pan... it was closer and I was still on crutches!), spoon the chicken pot pie filling into the bottom of the pan and let it be completely full if not a little heeping.  Gently lift your pie crust over the top of the pie, brush with an egg wash (1 beaten egg and a dash of water or milk), poke a couple slits in the top so the steam does not make your pie explode and pop it into a pre-heated 325 degree oven for about 35 minutes.  I filled my pie up to the very top so I placed the pie pan on a baking sheet so the overflow did not destroy my oven!  No one likes to clean an oven unnecessarily!

My next try is going to involve butternut squash and cornbread... Mmmmmm ;)

"NO COOKING"

...say my discharge papers :(  Are you crazy, oxycodone or not, I can handle my way around the kitchen!  Ok, maybe thats not the most brilliant idea but as soon as the pain dies down and I kick these crutches to the curb I am back in business!

As for now, I am going to be hanging out, leg up, watching movies and maybe getting back into my art for a few days...  how could I not when I know how therapeutic it can be?  (MA in Art Therapy, I know, quite the deviation from home cook!).  Well, this whole typing on the computer stuff is making me want to hurl so I am going to post a couple gory pictures for you- I did make them black and white so you don't have to have the FULL affect ;)  I'm so sweet. ;)

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!