Marvelous Muffins

I am not a big baker.
I do not bake because when I do, I tend to eat the whole batch of warm whatever-it-is and wind up with a serious tummy ache. A fresh, chewy cookie or muffin is my absolute undoing, so I don’t often offer myself the temptation. However, two things happened over the past week: I completed a major project at work (therefore I needed a reward) and I found this very healthy recipe for orange-blueberry muffins. At first I was skeptical that they would be delicious and satisfying, but they delivered the goods, with tons of fruit and fiber to boot! I hate to use the term “guilt-free” when it comes to food because that emotion should never be associated with eating, ever, but why not? I’m gonna say it! These are hip-friendly, tummy lovin’ muffins…and I ate three when they came out of the oven!

Ingredients
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup olive oil or butter
1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
2 Tbs. Tahini
Grated zest of 1 organic, un-waxed orange
2 cups whole grain flour (spelt, kamut, or whole wheat)
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
nut or seed of your choice (optional)
--> pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts etc.

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly oil a 12-cup muffin pan.
2. Put the orange juice, oil, syrup, tahini, and orange zest into a medium bowl and whisk until well combined.
3. Mix the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl until well combined. Add the orange juice mixture and combine, using as few strokes as possible so you do not over mix the batter. Fold in the blueberries.
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pans, filling each approximately 3/4 full. Sprinkle with nuts or seeds. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (about 20-25 minutes). Let the muffins cool before removing them from the pan.
Or, do what I do: take a spoon and desperately dig them out like a complete maniac.

These muffins freeze beautifully. Eat half while they are still warm (you think I’m joking?), and once cooled, put the others in a thick plastic bag in the freezer. Take one out in the morning and put it in your bag for an afternoon snack at work. You will thank yourself for being so prepared and healthy!

This recipe comes from one of the best cookbooks I have ever read. It's called "Enlightened Eating" by Caroline Dupont. Pick up a copy, find food nirvana.

Have you Masticated Today?

I’m talking about chewing! When did we all stop eating mindfully and actually using our teeth? These days it’s hard to find time to eat, let alone do it “properly” so I thought it would be a good idea to remind us all why chewing is so important to our health and how to get back to masticating like we should.

Chewing your food properly is the first step in the process of digestion, which extracts the nutrients from what you eat. The bottom line is: the more you chew your food, the more nutrients will be available for your body to absorb. There’s no point in dropping extra cash on organic food, if you don’t even chew it up!

Here are some great reasons to start chomping again:
1. Chewing cleans your food before it hits your stomach since saliva is antibacterial. Certain food-borne bacteria can be killed just from chewing!
2. When you eat, it takes a while before satiety (“fullness”) signals reach your brain and tell you that you’ve had enough. If you rush your meals you will eat much more before these signals kick in, resulting in your consuming more food than you need. Just by slowing down when you eat you will more likely to eat less (apparently some people want to do that).
3. According to university studies, chewing stimulates the endocrine system, keeping your hormones in balance for a happier, younger-looking you. In particular, the parotid glands just under your cheekbones release a cell-rejuvenating substance, which gives you that youthful glow.
4. Chewing decreases your risk of indigestion and gas. By increasing the surface area of your food, the enzymes in your saliva can begin digestion earlier and prevent your stomach from working too hard. Also, when you chew slowly, you take in less air. You won't champion the next belching contest at the pub, but that's not something to be proud of anyway.
5. The more you chew, the more oxygen is sent to the brain. So take your time and give your meal a thorough munching if you want to keep your mind sharp and avoid those post-meal sleepies.
6. Scientists have also discovered that munching is magnificent for the memory. It may help keep dementia in the elderly at bay. It seems that the more you chew, the more short-term memory cells you develop. When people get older, they lose their teeth and start eating mushy foods. The short-term memory may be compromised because of this simple change in diet and behavior. Isn’t that amazing?

So it turns out grandma was right. Chewing sufficiently does make a difference in how we feel and even look! For best results, try chewing each bite 30 times or more. At first this may seem too time consuming, but remember that eating should be done without hurry anyway. Enjoying the flavour and texture of each bite will bring awareness and gratitude to the act of eating and you’ll naturally slow down. I like to chew my food until it’s liquid simply because I know that I am doing my body a huge favor – last time I checked, I didn’t have teeth in my stomach!

Grass Fed Beef in Pomegranate Sauce

Snow on the ground means time for delicious beef in pomegranate sauce.

Have I got a slow cooker recipe to soothe winter weary spirits. Why? The mesa is clouded in white this morning- again. We woke to a fresh dusting of snow. I'm posting on a laptop in bed, snug beneath a Pendleton blanket, hoping Steve lights a fire in the kiva soon.

Although consensus is that New Mexico is drop dead gorgeous in the snow, I am so not a winter person. By mid January I am bored with fussing with boots and itchy sweaters and jackets. The tedious layering. (I never choose the right winter coat, so I gave up- I haven't owned one in two years- and besides, who knew you needed a winter coat in New Mexico?) And then there is the loopy ritual of locating gloves that migrate to the oddest hiding places- inside boots or under folded pillow cases. If it isn't obvious to you, Perceptive Reader, I am more than ready for spring. Until she arrives, I remain a big fan of winter comfort food.

Last night I tossed together an intuitive combination of pomegranate juice and balsamic vinegar sweetened with pure maple syrup. Odd, you think? Just taste this.

And by the way, my recipe is featured in the fab new cookbook:  Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking

Slow Cooker Grass Fed Beef in Pomegranate Sauce Recipe

You can slow cook this in a slow cooker like we did or slow simmer it, covered, on the stove top. It's an easy sauce- no fuss. And huge on flavor. Big, bold lip-smacking flavor. I could regale you with factoids about how good pomegranate juice is for you- with all those nifty antioxidants and all- but you know what? It's just tastes so crazy good. Try it.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds grass fed beef or buffalo roast or steak, fat trimmed
Sea salt
Light olive oil, as needed
1 onion, sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice
1 14-oz can Muir Glen fire roasted crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar- omit for yeast-free
1/8 cup pure maple syrup- or use agave to keep it lower glycemic
1/2 cup fresh cranberries or golden raisins
1 teaspoon dried French herb mix or Bouquet Garni
A small pinch of cinnamon

Instructions:

I slow-cooked my recipe in a slow cooker because that's what works for me here at high altitude. You can follow suit and Crock Pot your little heart out. Or do it old-school style, in a heavy Dutch oven or soup pot.

Salt the beef on all sides. Wait a few minutes. Kiss the cook. Get your slow cooker situated and turned on to High.

Heat a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef on all sides to sear in the flavor, using long tongs to turn the pieces. This doesn't take but maybe five minutes, or so. Remove the beef and set aside.

Add a small dash of olive oil to the crock. Add in sliced onion and garlic. Stir to coat with the olive oil. Place the beef on top.

Pour in the pomegranate juice, crushed tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. Stir to combine. Add the cranberries or raisins, dried herbs, a pinch of cinnamon, sea salt and ground pepper.

Stir a little bit to co-mingle ingredients.

Cover and let the magic happen- about 4 to 5 hours.

Taste test the sauce for seasoning adjustments. My intuitive combo was the perfect balance of tart and savory with a hint of sweetness.

We served ours with a generous mound of whipped mashed potatoes. Heaven. Seriously.

Serves 4.

Gluten-Free Banana Cookies

Gluten-free and vegan banana cookie recipe.

Two firsts today. I made my first batch (ever!) of banana cookies (and the recipe just so happens to be gluten-free and dairy-free). And I took my first post-fracture outside walk today, bundled up against a chilly wind, walking stick in hand, patient husband at my side.

I use the word patient for a reason. Because Babycakes, walking with me is painted turtle in the shade slow. Careful. Deliberate. No funny business. No waggling or showing off. It ain't necessarily pretty.

But it's vertical.

It's biped (if you don't count the requisite walking stick as an appendage). And these days- in this house- vertical rocks our world. When we circled back to the casita the kitchen smelled like bananas and vanilla. I unwrapped my purple scarf, peeled off my mittens and turned the kettle on. It was time for tea and cookies.

And I had worked up an appetite.

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Vegetarian Polenta Pie

Layered polenta, veggies and vegan cheese.

An easier savory vegetarian pie than this you won't find. It's a simple fresh recipe that rocks. I made it to celebrate.

We just got back from my three-month post-op check-up. The hip looks good. "I gained ten pounds," I said to my hunky surgeon, Brant, as he was lifting my left leg in the air and poking me in the pelvis.

"So what?" he snorted and turned to Steve. "These tall skinny chicks. Ten pounds."

"I thought you'd be proud of me," I countered. "You know- that whole, You fit the broken hip profile thing you said to me? Female. White. Skinny. Vegetarian. (Celiac!)"

"Yeah, well. I gotta give you shit about something," he said.

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Golden Potato Soup for the Sensitive Soul

A lovely creamy potato soup- gluten and dairy free.

When I want a recipe for comfort food I reach for potatoes first. And when I need a soup recipe in a hurry, this creamy potato comfort always hits the spot.

Decades ago (yes, decades- how scary is that?) while I was still in art school, living in my boxy white washed one-bedroom off Dupont Circle, I would make potato soup in a blender (no crankin' Cuisinart or snappy immersion wands back then) and serve it chilled in Asian blue and white bowls (Pier One Imports, 99 cents apiece) with a sprinkle of bright green chives. Art student friends would scrape their bowls clean and ask for more. And I would gladly oblige. (They were easily impressed, because they were, well, not exactly starving, but used to living on instant ramen noodles, pizza and beer.)

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Weekend Picks

January weekends put me in the mood for two things. Cocoa with marshmallows and browsing cookbooks. Ideally, at the same time. In bed.

And since you can't join me, Dear Reader- as I spoon rapidly melting marshmallows from my hefty green-glazed cup, trying ever so carefully not to drip chocolate on an open cookbook as I slurp- I thought I might quickly browse some of my favorite on-line recipes and snag a list of seasonal inspiration for your weekend. Pure comfort food.

The cocoa part is up to you.

From Karina's kitchen:

Roasted Green Chile Bake

Two Artists Chili
Buttermilk Flatbread
Roasted Vegetable Cheddar Quiche

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

From some of my favorite tasty blogs:

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries at Kalyn's Kitchen
Potato "Gatto" from Fatfree Vegan Kitchen
Black Bean Soup at Simply Recipes
Curried Chicken and Rice Soup from Gluten Free Gobsmacked
Salad with Fennel, Pears and Pine Nuts at Lucullian Delights