Monday, August 29, 2011

The Bento Box Snapshot: Pork roast with rice and veggies

Before my 4:30 class starts, I thought I’d post the first "Bento Box Snapshot" of the semester! I can tell my Mondays are going to be busy. From 1:30 p.m. to 7:10 p.m. I have class, with 1 hour 45 minute break in between. With fifteen credits to take to graduate (three classes or nine credits for my anthropology minor and one class or three credits for my last conflict resolution class as an undergrad), as well as CARmunity starting up again, applying for grad school and looking for a part-time job, I have a feeling BBSs will be rather common this semester.

And that’s fine by me.


For lunch I packed another rice cracker sandwich with roasted turkey and gouda slices with a granny smith apple and a dollop of peanut butter.

As for dinner, I sliced up last night’s pork roast with a side of a combination of sweet brown and black rice. Along with my protein and grain is a salad, consisting of Kumato (or Olmeca) tomato, carrot, red bell pepper, cucumber, and labneh. There is some coconut aminos sprinkled around… somewhere. Oh yes, and sea salt and cracked pepper brings it all together.  





Mushroom Risotto & Garlic-Jalapeño Green Sauce

This is not the post I thought I'd be writing this morning. In fact, I was supposed to officially move in yesterday with five other friends in a house less than five miles away from George Mason University. And after that laborious ordeal, we were supposed to be celebrating the move in with an elaborate dinner and a gluten free and vegan baked donuts breakfast the following morning. Instead, my last semester as an undergraduate starts today, and I’m at home with my parents, a few recipes and posts behind schedule.

1st breakfast of the semester.

I’m not going to get into detail of what happened, because I think that would be in poor taste and, as they say, “the Internet is forever”. What I will say is the house didn’t work out, and standing up for what’s right for you can be the hardest and least popular thing you could do for yourself.

I don’t blame anyone, not really. There was a miscommunication of what was expected, both from the owners/landlords and by the individual tenants. And what have I to show for it? The family I was to be renting from were friends of mine, and I lost that friendship to business. It wasn’t supposed to be about me; rather, the fact of the matter was the house wasn’t ready to rent out. I couldn’t breathe when I was attempting to move in before the boyfriend got back from Texas. Even with the windows open, my lungs felt heavy. My throat is so swollen from all that has happened (additionally, I hurt my wrist in attempt to move a wooden couch frame down a flight of stairs by myself) that I have gotten spirulina powder, chlorella capsules, and a box of Omega3 Squeeze Chocolate Orange just to detox my body in time for the first week of the semester.

Experimenting with spirulina in my breakfast. A bit too green for me.

Many lessons were learned last week, lessons that were hard and heartbreaking. I learned why I used to exercise so obsessively, and that was to make sure I was strong enough to never be taken advantage of, whether it was physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. I cried, along with multiple panic attacks, and I was left with the feeling of depth and quiet as opposed to numbness and cynicism.

I learned what true friendships looked like. There is the kind of friend that stops what they are doing to come with you to move all your stuff from the house in the middle of the night, and do this multiple times over the course of a weekend. There is the kind of friend that stands up for you and stands with you, no matter what arises. There is the kind of friend you find in your lovers and loved ones, who provide support and advice and encourage you to stick with your guns and hold strong onto what you believe in.

Most of all, I learned the difference between being independent and being dependent on yourself. Depending on yourself doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t depend on others, like it would be expected should you strive on true independence. It means that, despite everything that is going on in your life, you never give in to what you know in your heart to be wrong. Sometimes, it differs from person to person, and that is completely okay. As a conflict resolution major, I strived to keep the relationship before the business, and of course there are some things I wish were said and others that I wish there weren’t. But the house will have tenants that the landlords think it deserves, and I am happy for them. I wished it could’ve worked out, but in the end, I think it did.

With that, lovely readers, I have two recipes make up for my absence due to the drama and trauma of this last week. Both came together to make a lovely meal, and the balance of taste, texture, and heat was similar to the absolutely delish steak dinner Mama Dazz and I had in Cape Cod.

Mushroom Risotto

12 oz Arborio rice
32 oz Vegetable stock
1/2 tsp sea salt
Pinch of each, Cayenne & Paprika
1 tbsp. Olive oil
1 tbsp. Dehydrated minced onion
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 oz Parmesan cheese, freshly and finely grated

1 tbsp. Olive oil
3 tbsp. Pinot Grigio
10 oz Baby Bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 tsp. Coconut aminos (or gluten-free tamari sauce)

Place the rice, stock, oil, and spices into the rice cooker on “Brown Rice”  (i.e., slow cooking) or in a medium saucepan on low heat for up to an hour).
After the rice has absorbed all of the liquid, add in the Parmesan cheese and keep the rice cooker on “Warm” (or you can put a lid on the saucepan).
Put the oil, wine, mushrooms, and aminos in a skillet on medium-high heat and cook until the mushrooms are done.
You can add the mushrooms in the rice or simply put them on top.

Serves 6 – 8.

Garlic-Jalapeño Green Sauce

3 Jalapeño peppers, seeded, deveined, and coarsely chopped
3 Garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
Juice of 1 Lime
3 Basil leaves
3 tbsp. Olive oil
2 tbsp. Unrefined apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. Sea salt
1/4 tsp. Cracked pepper

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend thoroughly.
The sauce is rather thick, similar to a runny puree, so add more oil and vinegar for a thinner sauce.
Keep refrigerated and use within a week of making.

Makes 2/3 c.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The Cape

My travels in Cape Cod were beyond my expectations. We had no plan of what we were going to be doing those six days, no direction in where we were going, but we had a heading. We had a beginning, and that’s all we needed.


We stayed at the Barnacle Motel in West Dennis, and like the hotel we stayed in Marlborough it had a kitchen. The beauty of having stayed in the dorms with no kitchen at all, we adapted to having to move to a smaller room of the motel where all that was there was a stove and fridge-freezer. That was when we started our eating adventure where, for the first time in a long time, we weren’t the ones cooking.

We had coffee in a number of cafés and coffeehouses, not one of them Starbucks (only in Long Island). We had lobster. We had gluten free pizza. We ate at a completely gluten free establishment. We went to a swank bistro that used to be your typical household whose chef has a famous relative but is also famous in his own right.


Only at breakfast and on the road and at the beach did we eat the food we made ourselves, except for one dinner where scallops were involved.

So, where and what did Mama Dazz and I eat, you ask? I’ll tell you.

The Swan River Restaurant & Seafood market, Dennis Port: I don’t think it could’ve been a more genuine Cap Cod experience. I called the restaurant ahead of time to ask about reservations and what was gluten-free friendly, and all my questions were answered with a patient and understanding disposition from the woman who ended up being our waitress. I forgot to bring my camera to take pictures of the establishment and the 1.25 lb deep red lobster staring at me from my plate, including the dressing-less salad and the sea-salted baked potato. This was the first time that I recall ever having a fully intact lobster, but I was able to remove the majority – if not all – the sweet and tender meat from its shell. 


It was casual dining with a romantic view. We had seating along the water, and all of the windows were partially open to get that lovely warm and salty breeze throughout the establishment. Our waitress told us to keep our eyes peeled for the three-week-old baby bunnies hopping along the high grasses of the river’s edge. This restaurant was highly recommended by the owners of the Barnacle Motel, and I wholeheartedly agree with them. The seafood market next to the restaurant has a wide variety of freshly caught seafood, and the scallops we purchased were clean and succulent. If you call ahead, they can even steam lobster for you in fifteen minutes for a meal to go. 


Idgy’s Gluten Free Dining, South Yarmouth
: You walk into this small café-looking establishment, with colorful chalk on blackboards serving as menus. To your left you have the breakfast and lunch menus, along with a weekly (or monthly, I do not recall which) special that a member of the staff created, vegan options and pizza. To your right, perpendicular to the display of delicious looking breads and baked goods, is the menu for the entrees and sandwiches. Mama Dazz and I both ordered a Beef Puff Pie, a beef stew inside a sturdier pâte à choux pastry. I informed the staff that, along with my gluten intolerance, I also did not handle soy or sugar well. Chelsi, the young woman behind the counter (and also the creator of that week’s special), checked often to make sure the puff pie was suitable, and it was. We also ordered a caprese salad, but they were wonderful enough to get us a new one because of the balsamic vinaigrette and I was uncertain of the ingredients. They didn’t charge us for the exchange, which was very kind of them.


What I loved most about the menu was its affordability. My jaw dropped at the prices, since veteran gluten-freers know exactly how expensive gluten free dining can become. But the inexpensive menu did not mean it lacked taste or quality, and I am now extremely optimistic about my future endeavors with owning an allergen-friendly restaurant striving for community cohesion. So if you are ever in South Yarmouth, head over to Idgy’s. Satisfaction is almost certainly guaranteed.

 
BZ’s Mexican Pizzeria, Dennis Port
: At first we were planning on going to Paradise Pizza, where their gluten-free version of a pizza crust was a large potato latke. And that’s perfectly fine, but Mama Dazz and I were in search of a true pizza crust, gluten free but one that satisfied her gluten-sympathetic palate. We ordered an Arizona White with chicken, along with another naked house salad. The house salad came with a piece of bread on one side, one that was not gluten free. When the pizza came, I asked the waitress if she was certain it was gluten free. Mama Dazz took the first bite, assuring me that it was.


It tasted good, really good… until I read the ingredients. For those who cannot handle soy or sugar, this may not be the crust recipe for you. Soybean oil, sugar for feeding the yeast, egg replacer… for an hour or so after, my tummy grumbled and cramped uncomfortably. It was possibly more psychological than it was physical, but regardless I didn’t feel so hot after eating it and Mama Dazz’s feelings were hurt because she was the one who had recommended it and my explanations of why soy and sugar were a no-no. It could be, however, that because my thyroid is healing – and thus, the rest of my body is following suit – the pain was minimal and didn’t last very long.


But I do have a new favorite pizza, and I plan on making a Morri-friendly crust that will knock your socks off soon enough.

Blue Moon Bistro, Dennis Village: Probably my favorite and most expensive dinner was at the Blue Moon Bistro. I called ahead for reservations, and the only openings they had at 6:00 p.m. was either outside or at the bar. I made the decision to eat outside, and with a casual Sunday’s Best ensemble, we headed out to the restaurant. Our waitress, a young woman who I had also talked to on the phone about reservations and eating lifestyle, was offbeat and charismatic, with a willingness to help and make our dining experience as wonderful as possible. The bugs and the promise of rain was a constant worry, but the food… the food was magnificent.


The chef and owner of the restaurant is Peter Hyde, the second cousin of the late Julia Child. But he is a gastronomic genius in his own right, using fresh and local ingredients to make dishes that are out of this world.

We started off with drinks. Mama Dazz ordered watermelon ale whose brand escapes me and I had a glass of the Glascón Malbec from Argentina, tasting like a combination of a find-bodied Pinot Noir and Merlot.


While I was taking pictures of the kitchen and the home grown herbs, bread sticks and triangles came out with a duck confit with red wine reduction and white bean spread. I tried the confit and it is something I definitely want to make in the future.


In no time at all, our order came. My “George’s Bank Lined-Hooked Cod” came with charred onion and tomato soffrito, wild and basmati rice risotto, and blanched asparagus. I couldn’t find what Mama Dazz’s duck meal was called on their website, but she offered me a taste and, let me tell you, it was like butta’. We would have had coffee and stayed a while longer, but the bugs were relentless. If we had eaten inside, it would have scored five stars out of five. 


In the number of coffee places we went to, my favorite by far was at Café Al Fresco at the Lemon Tree Village, a shopping wonderland for those who love a change of pace and local artistries. Their cappuccino espresso base was smoky and rich without that burnt taste you find at chain coffee joints. Mama Dazz had a cannoli (not gluten free) along with her caffé breve, and the ambience was complete with sculptures and birdbaths at the neighboring stores.


The was, of course, The Cook Shop, filled to the brim with amazing cookware, bakeware, and special ingredients like whole vanilla bean and sauces.


All in all, from P-town to Dennis, Cape Cod is an amazing place that I’d like to make a tradition. It is a combination of old and new, where diversity is encouraged and the people are eccentric in the best way possible.


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

On Love and Barbeque

It was a perfect day for an August wedding. There was a faint tint of summer becoming fall in Holliston, and the white wash of the church stood out against the bright colors of the blue sky that crowned it and the old buildings that surrounded it. There was such love between the newlyweds on Saturday, and it was quite the sight to see.


I think it was Aaron (one of the best men) who said that, to paraphrase, many quotes about marriage talk about imperfection. He quoted Rocky (“She's got gaps and I got gaps, and between the two of us, our gaps meet and we sort of fill each other in.”) and McLoughlin (“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.”). He talked about how Galen and Amy, now the fabulous Mr. And Mrs. Wall, created a home where he felt there will always a couch and a cold beer waiting for the people who need it.

His and Alex’s (the other best man) speeches really touched me. Actually, the whole wedding thing had my gears turning.

This is the “Love” part of this post, so bear with me if you would.

The Happy Couple: Amy and Galen (my cousin)

Aaron was right: Love isn’t perfect. It isn’t a one-size-fits-all kind of concept. Your Soul Mate can make you angry. You can make the Love Of Your Life cry. Everyone around you seems to have The Advice for The Perfect Relationship that, apparently, you’re  not in. Then they go on to say what you are ready for and what you aren’t. Like when to get married, for example.

I think the best way to tell how a wedding ceremony and reception truly affects you is how much you can relate to the couple in question. Here there was this woman with the larger than life personality marrying a man where all you needed to do was dig a little deeper to see just how broad he is… and I saw it. I saw a bit of the boyfriend and myself there, surrounded by loved ones and dancing our first dance and eating our cake. I saw the ceremony that formally sealed the pact we have already informally created. I saw the life we shared together, and I was inspired.

I knew then what I had already known: we are in love and it’s quite possibly the forever kind. The love we share isn’t perfect, thank goodness. If it was, then it wouldn’t get better and we wouldn’t learn a thing. We wouldn’t make mistakes or progressions that led to personal enlightenment by stepping outside the box for a change.

Love isn’t just a concept for when things are wonderful, new, and perfect. Love is the idea where every emotion on the sentiment spectrum applies. You take what you have, and what may not be the likeliest cohesion just may surprise you both.

Take weddings and barbeques, two things that definitely make a right.




I think this is a good time as any to add in the “Barbeque” part of the title. It must have been two weeks ago when I decided to make pulled-pork barbeque in the presser cooker. The result was a perfectly succulent meat substance… with an overpoweringly spicy and watery broth. Now make no mistake you guys, I dig spice and I dig spicy even more. Get me a ghost chili pepper and I’ll make something from it. But I was disappointed, however, because I wanted a kick that didn’t kick the Burt-man to his knees and a sauce that truly delivered.

Then I remembered there was still half a grain-free nectarine crisp still in the fridge. And Mama Dazz did say she wanted me to incorporate it for that night’s dinner…

It went very well with the plantains*.

Pulled-pork Barbeque

2 lb Pork roast, cubed
24 oz Chicken stock
1 oz Dry white wine
4 tbsp. Olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
1 Yellow onion (sm.), finely diced
1 Carrot, finely diced
2 Garlic cloves, finely diced or crushed
3 tbsp. Salsa fresca
2 tsp. Chili powder
1 tsp. Chili pepper flakes
2 tsp. Paprika, preferably “smoked”
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Sea salt
1/2 tsp. Ground pepper

3 – 4 Ripe nectarines, peeled and halved
2 oz Almond meal (not flour)
2 tbsp. Almond slivers
1 tbsp. Honey

Place all of the ingredients, except the last four, into the pressure cooker on med-high heat (with the lid securely fastened) for 45 minutes to an hour.
Turn off the heat and let it sit until the pressure has subsided (about half an hour).
Remove the lid and in a large bowl or saucepan, scoop up the cubed pork and break them into strands.
Add the remaining ingredients to the broth and cook on medium to medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
Turn of the heat and with a hand mixer (or very carefully with a typical blender due to splashing), emulsify until the sauce is consistent.
Place the pork back in with the liquid.
Serve over your favorite bread as an open sandwich with a side of plantains.

Serves 8 – 10 people.

*For the plantains: Peel 3 – 4 and cut them each into four equal chunks. Flattened them at least 1/4” thick (I did this with my tortilla press in between a gallon-sized Ziploc® bag, formed them into a letter fold), and place them on a greased, aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil and “steam” them for 45 minutes at 350°F. Set the oven at “broil” and brown both sides to your preference of doneness. Makes 12 – 16 pieces and can serve 4 – 8 people as a side/starter dish.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

The New England Adventure

Mama Dazz and I have been in Massachusetts for nearly 48 hours, and I cannot deny how beautiful it is. The sky resembles that robin egg blue I remember in Sweden, with cotton puff clouds randomly dispersed. The people are open and inviting, particularly the cashiers at the Hannaford supermarket (which has a gluten-free/health section and kombucha!). We slept nearly twelve hours our first night at the Embassy Suites in Marlborough after a delectable steak dinner we made. 


And the salmon dinner last night was just as wonderful.


In a few hours we will be heading out to St. Mary’s Church in Holliston to witness a distant cousin’s wedding, to reunite with family after over a decade of being apart, and to enjoy the euphoric event with as much gusto as my five-foot-four frame will allow.

This will not be a gluten-free event, so I am packing my own awesome meal. But for now I am posting the recipes I said I’d post, eating an early lunch, and getting into the wedding spirit (as well the dress I packed).

Turkey Goulash

2 tbsp. Ghee and Olive oil, for greasing
1.25 lb Ground turkey
28 oz (1 large or 2 regular sized cans) Diced tomatoes
1 Red onion (small), finely diced
1 Shallot, finely diced
2 Garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 Yellow bell pepper, julienned and finely chopped
2 Celery stalks, julienned and finely chopped
1 Carrot, julienned and finely chopped
4 oz Petite peas, fresh or frozen
4 oz Dry white wine
1 tsp. Sea salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
Parmesan cheese, for garnish

In a large skillet, place the ghee and olive oil on medium-high heat.
Add the ground turkey, break apart into small chunks and stir until completely browned.
Put in the remaining ingredients covered with a lid, decrease the heat to medium-low and let cook for at least half an hour.
Serve over a bed of rice and garnished with Parmesan shavings.

Serve 4 – 6 people.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Huevos Rancheros

Inspiration overload. And before you say anything smart or sarcastic, yes, it does exist.

Maybe it feels overwhelming because I’ve been feeling a bit blah since last week. It could be the August Blues or Mercury in retrograde. It could be the lightning that struck so close to my house last Tuesday that a sharp, intense pain like abrading glass passed through my skull while cooking dinner.


Whatever it is, I’m behind three blog posts.


Today, I went out to lunch at a Thai restaurant with my dad, though all I had was green tea due to a tender stomach. The rest of his side of the family is in Pennsylvania for the week, but he had to stay behind for work (and help his wife’s youngest pack up for another year at JMU) and I have a Boston wedding to attend this weekend. I arrived rather early to his office, and we took the opportunity to browse the nearby Border’s bookstore, one of the many locations that is going out of business. But for less than twenty dollars, I bought three cookbooks, all of which give readers the ability to cook and bake by weight and/or volume. The best part about the recipes was that many are naturally gluten free, and I’m confident I can substitute unfriendly ingredients with friendly ones.


The Books:
Comfort food: More than 120 easy recipes for every day. (2010). Sydney: Murdoch Books.

Rodgers, R. (2010). The world kitchen: Favorite international recipes to cook at home. San Francisco, CA: Weldon Owen.

Williams, C.; Kidd, K.; Kolpas, N.; & Williams-Sonoma. (2010). Cooking at home. San Francisco, Cal: Weldon Owen.

As I glanced through the books with a sense of wonder and veneration, a few of the recipes called out to me. Whenever I use someone else’s recipes, I tend to stray away from doing it exactly as they had. I may change the ingredients I use, sometimes even going so far as altering how I prepare the dish, because good recipes enable you to make it yours. You can add or remove elements of the dish. You can change how you cook it, or use recipes as insight to making something totally different.


Being gluten free gives me that innovative freedom, and the Huevos Rancheros recipe (Comfort Food, p.20) is the first of many recipes from these books where my creative license will be incorporated.

Huevos Rancheros (Served Over Polenta Disks* & Refried Beans)

1 tbsp. Ghee & 1 tbsp. Olive oil, for greasing the pan
1 Yellow squash (sm.), halved vertically and thinly sliced
1 Green squash (sm.), halved vertically and thinly sliced
16 oz Chipotle-Garlic salsa
1 Red onion (sm.), halved and thinly sliced
1 Shallot, thinly sliced horizontally
1 Orange bell pepper, julienned and coarsely chopped
2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 Eggs
2 oz Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Put the ghee and olive oil in a large frying pan (one with a lid) over medium heat.
Add the vegetables and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
After turning down the heat to medium-low and including the salsa, cover with a lid and let simmer gently for 8-10 minutes.
Smooth the surface of the mixture and make 8 hollows with the back of a spoon or small ladle.
Break an egg into each hollow and put the lid on the pan, cooking for 5 minutes or until they are set. (Be sure not to overcook the yolks… like I did. :D)
Serve the eggs over polenta disks (or tortillas) and refried beans with Parmesan lightly sprinkled on top.

*To make the polenta disks, I used Trader Joe’s 18 oz Precooked Polenta. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice the polenta tube into 8 equal circles and lay them flat on a greased baking sheet, lightly coated with olive oil or cooking spray on top. Cook for 45 minutes, flipping them over halfway. Turn on the broiler and crisp each side until golden brown.

Serves 4.

Moon & Stars Noodle Soup

I can’t remember the last time I prepared pasta. The first time I made it from scratch was back in 2009, but it wasn’t the gluten free kind. Despite that, there was something therapeutic and magical about making pasta from scratch. Why I don't make it more often is beyond me.

July’s Gluten Free Ratio Rally, hosted by the lovely Jenn of Jenn Cuisine, was pasta. I was so bummed to miss out, especially since noodle making seemed like the perfect challenge for an aspiring gluten free cook like myself.

Most gluten free pasta is made with rice or corn, though it’s usually the former. Sometimes you find quinoa or buckwheat, but it can be rare and rather expensive. In fact, I’ve wanted to work with soba noodles, the Japanese-style noodle that is part buckwheat, and I found a gluten free version that cost eight dollars. Eight dollars… for eight ounces.

Is it me, or is that just ridiculous?

Actually, I feel that most gluten free pasta (heck, most products) is absurdly priced. And when you make it from scratch, it is not only fresher but also more economical for you.

I’ll be honest; working with fresh pasta was difficult for me. I’m used to knowing when dry pasta is done after boiling in water. Mine seemed al dente after cooking, but I think that had more to do with the buckwheat and not cooking it long enough. Next time I’m going to try various flour combinations, but I think this was a great start.

Buckwheat Pasta Dough

9 oz Buckwheat flour
6 oz Eggs (Or 3 eggs and 1 egg yolk)

Combine the flour and eggs in a food processor (or by hand) and pulse until a ball of dough is formed.
Remove from the food processor and place it onto the counter, forming the dough into a manageable disk shape.
Wrap it in plastic and let it rest for an hour in the fridge. (Can be refrigerated for 24 hours and frozen for up to a month.)
Cut into four equal pieces, around 3.75 ounces, roll them to the desired thinness, and cut.
 
Moons & Stars Noodle Soup 

1 c. Chicken broth
2 c. Filtered water
1/2 Yellow Zucchini, shaved into long “noodles”
1 Carrot, shaved into long “noodles”
1 Celery stalk, shaved into long “noodles”
1 Shallot, halved and thinly sliced
1 Garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1 – 2 tsp Ginger, finely chopped or shaved
2 oz Turkey deli slices, torn into manageable pieces
1/2 tsp. Sea salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
3.75 oz Buckwheat pasta, rolled out thinly and shaped with moon and star cookie cutters
1 tbsp. Olive oil

Fill a medium-sized saucepan with water halfway (with the olive oil), and place it on medium-high heat for the pasta.
In another saucepan, add all the ingredients except for the pasta on medium-low heat.
Roll out the buckwheat pasta dough thinly, and cut into moon and star shapes with a cookie cutter.
When the water has come to a boil, cook the pasta until soft.
Pour the soup into one or two bowls depending on the meal and top it with the noodles.

Makes up to 10 noodles. Serves 1 or 2 people.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Poor Man's Ratatouille

Photo of Me by the fabulous Jordan P from BFSI, July 2011

After a month of not posting much, you’d think I’d be posting every day. I had this exercise plan of running every other day, but my body decided against it. I’ve been feeling tired, anxious, and obsessive about my body. Even after the good news from the doctor (as in, my cholesterol went down over forty points since February and it appears that my current Armour Thyroid dosage is just right), the obsessive focus on my weight concerns me.

As I met with Cheryl on Friday, tears stung my eyes but didn’t fall. She encouraged me to pursue the wisdom of our aloof furry companion, the Cat. The Cat, you see, isn’t focused on why he is loved. He isn’t achievement-oriented and doesn’t think of ways to deserve love. The Cat, along with other animals, receives our love simply because we love them. Only humans are foolish enough to think we have to daily come up with ways to deserve love and feeling accomplished.


For one week, I am to think of what my body is doing beautifully and what I’m doing right. It’s Day 2 of Gratitude and Positive Attitude…

So far, so Golden.


Poor Man’s Ratatouille

Crust
5 oz Rice, cooked
1 oz Flaxseed meal
2 tbsp. Olive oil
1/4 tsp. Sea salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper

Top Layer
2 oz Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2 – 4 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
0.5 oz Basil, coarsely chopped

Middle Layer
1 Green zucchini (Medium or Large), thinly sliced
1 Yellow zucchini (Small), thinly sliced
1 White onion (Medium), halved and thinly sliced
1 Red bell pepper (Medium or large), thinly sliced

Bottom Layer
6 oz Tomato paste

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Put the ingredients for the crust in a food processor on pulse until combined but not smooth.
In a deep 9”x9”-baking dish, layer the bottom thickly with tomato paste and top with the vegetables.
Sprinkle the chopped basil, the garlic, and then the cheese.
Top the dish with the crust and bake for 45 minutes.

Serves 4.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

July Reflections & a Summer Veggie Burger

July came and went, it seems, faster than I could blog about. The last post reminded me of a half-baked muffin batch, so I decided to delete it and start again. I don’t think I could even begin to describe how amazing these kids are, how living on campus with a gluten-freer’s essentials (sans a kitchen) brought further self-assurance in my abilities of traveling anywhere, and how I learned so much about myself it’s ridiculous. In less than a month forty-three kids, eight mentors, two directors, and those amazing people behind the scenes became a family. The goodbyes were grief-ridden, heartbreaking, and two days long. Every group that left received tearful embraces that took over half an hour to complete, not including the rides to the airports.

Mazadar Kabob Restaurant in Fairfax, VA: delicious gluten free options 

I’m truly going to miss them. But it isn’t really goodbye. It’s more like “See you later.”

Much of my self-reflection had to do with how I felt around those participating in the Institute. As previously mentioned, I regained a sense of self I thought I had lost. Despite the crash that lasted five days, being around people is what makes me content. My energy is based on the love and compassion I have for life and everything in it. Being around people makes me happy, even when I need some R&R after.

When we traveled to Philadelphia and New York City, I experienced something similar to being glutened. I think the food at the restaurants we visited, including the hotel we stayed at, had a bad reaction in my system. That, and in addition to taking too much of my thyroid medicine in the morning, I stayed in my hotel room in a fetal position while the group toured Manhattan by boat. Kombucha (the grand total of four bottles) really helped me lose that “hangover-without-the-fun” feeling in a matter of twenty-four hours, but the feeling of distrust and anger lasted longer. Of course, it isn’t anyone’s fault. The restaurant in Phillie did provide me with a meal, but the hotel’s scrambled egg mix was probably what did me in.

My Heroes: Green Cafe off of Broadway....

Being glutened or experiencing food with preservatives and pre-mixed keeps me from going out to eat. I don’t think people realize how important it is to share a meal with others. For the majority of my meals I had to pack my own while everyone else ate what was provided. Only when we visited the house at the Environmental Studies on the Piedmont was I able to eat the same food (the majority of it), and I felt like I belonged. 

... & the fresh produce stand on the street corner

It’s disheartening not being able to break the same bread with other guests at a table. It makes me think I’ll be judged as someone unable to travel for work, to visit friends near and far, or partake in adventures the universe has been leading me towards. 

It’s times such as these that holistic living seems restrictive as opposed to freeing.


Five days of downtime – much of it sleeping and rereading the Te of Piglet – has me back to my good ol’ Morri self. Recipes are being written down and photographed. Miles are being run. My simple eating and constantly being on the go last month resulted in losing five to six pounds (121 lbs.), one and/or six pounds towards my ultimate weight goal. Sadly, although I’ve lost weight, the inner dialogue is in overdrive. If I ended up around 115 lbs., I still wouldn’t be content with myself. I did gain a more prevailing belief in myself and I am confident in my abilities and aspirations, but the idea of “never being good enough” whispers around the edges. And to be honest, I’m kind of over feeling that way.

This recipe was inspired by the meal I had at the house on the Piedmont. It was here I tasted the Sunshine Burger, a great vegan alternative for the grill that just so happens to be soy and gluten free. I think my favorite thing about this delectable morsel was this quote on the box:

“Carol’s farm fresh vegetarian burgers are not meant to be a beef imitation but an excellent flavor sensation of their own.”

And it did not disappoint. In fact, I was the complete opposite of disappointed that I had to make my own veggie burger, grain and nut free.

Summer Veggie Burger

2 oz Canned black beans, drained
0.75 oz Carrot, finely grated
1 oz Yellow zucchini, finely grated
1.5 oz Quinoa, cooked
1 Garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1 scant tsp. Chia seeds
1 tsp. Ghee (easily substituted with olive oil for vegans) 
1/4 tsp. Sea salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1 Flax egg*

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Coarsely puree or mash the black beans by hand or hand mixer, then blend in the remaining ingredients except for the flax egg.
Add in the flax egg and let the mixture sit for up to ten minutes.
On a lightly greased baking sheet (or a small cake pan, like I used), mold it into a patty shape with an even thickness.
Bake for 35 – 40 minutes until the patty is cooked all the way through and firm.

Makes 1 patty. Serves 1.

*Flax egg: 1 tbsp. flaxseed meal with 2 – 3 tbsp. water. (Let sit at room temperature up to three minutes.