Sweet & Savory Carrot Socca

I have a new favorite food to share with you all and it hails from across the Atlantic. If you haven’t heard of it or made it yet, you better get started. Trust me. It’s amazing. It’s stupendous. It’s grain-free, gluten free and vegan. My friends, you’ve got to try this.

Of course, I’m talking about socca.

The lovely Pure2Raw twins, Lori and Michelle, were the ones who first introduced me to this amazing dish. This dynamic duo has an entire page devoted to their passion for socca, including where their love and addiction started, their trials, and finally, their many delicious recipes where socca takes center stage. Sweet or savory, socca reigns supreme. There is no meal it can’t be a part of, it’s that adaptable and amazing.

All it takes is three ingredients to make this food of the gods. But I must warn you, patience is not optional when cooking it, and you may have to experiment until you find the right cooking method for you.

Yesterday was the first time I made and ate socca. I used Mark Bittman’s ratio 1 part garbanzo bean (or chickpea) flour to 3 parts water. I mixed six tablespoons of olive oil in with about a cup of flour and then added in three cups of water and spices (sea salt, cracked pepper, thyme, oregano, herb de Provence, and powdered rosemary. Sadly, I didn’t read the “heat the pan in the oven before putting in the batter” bit until after it was cooking in the oven. The top was like custard, areas in the middle were mutating and rising, and the sides were browning to a concerning burnt-like degree. I thought it was a flop, since I meddled during the baking process, but after letting it sit on the counter, it was good enough to make me want to try again. Mama Dazz liked the taste, but the boyfriend… not so much.

My second attempt turned out a lot better. Breakfast consisted of silver dollar socca with salt and bourbon vanilla, prepared like a your average pancake. I topped it with raspberry preserves and was quite content with the taste. My only complaint was there wasn't enough of it.

But like I always say, third time’s the charm! And the boyfriend liked it, almost as much as I did. The twins’ Carrot Cake Socca Sandwich was the inspiration for my recipe and flavor combinations, but I definitely plan on making a CCSS on my own one of these days.

For future reference, my ratio is about 1 part garbanzo bean flour to 1.5 parts liquid.

Sweet & Savory Carrot Socca

2.6 oz (1/2 c. plus a scant tablespoon) Garbanzo bean flour
4 oz Carrot Juice
1 tsp. (15 g) Olive oil
1/8 tsp. Sea salt

Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl and let it sit up to an hour on the counter before using.  
Put a griddle or pan on medium heat, add a little oil to coat the base, and pour the batter in the middle like you would a pancake.
Once the bottom has set, place the pan under the broiler to cook the facing side for three to five minutes.
For crispier and charred edges, flip the socca over at least twice at thirty-second intervals.

Serves 1.

*I topped this socca with apricot preserves, ricotta cheese, tahini, and arugula. A marvelous combination of flavors that makes a tasty jamboree.

Chunky Roasted Tomato Soup

I swear to you, I have been cooking. I’ve been cooking a lot. In fact, I think I’ve been cooking more so than usual. But after being sick for roughly two weeks, school came first – that, and meetings… oh, and working out too – and taking photos was just something I didn’t have time for. I did quite a few Bento Box Snapshot worthy recipes, and I had many recipes I wanted to try in attempt to get the family out of our meal rut. However, sometimes I either had too few of the ingredients I needed or didn’t have the majority of the ingredients to begin with, so the recipes I was eager to make, photograph, and post were merely written down for another day.

There were also a lot of “What would happen if…?” moments in the kitchen. In other words, I simply threw things together to see the result of said experiment. They often turned into a “Not Quite What I Was Expecting” when it was still edible and delicious. And in some cases they were regarded as “Flops”, or "Not Quite What I Was Expecting" meals that weren’t edible or delicious at all. The latter, thankfully, happens few and far between but it still happens.

Buttermilk Oatmeal Donuts with a Banana-Almond Butter Sauce

My Bento Box Snapshots have been Stew-Salad combinations. There was the hearty beef and vegetable stew with salad. There was also kabocha soup (or puree) with almond milk mixed in for a silky texture with seasoned buttery rice, black beans, and a salad. I’ve noticed I’m not as hungry after dinner as I used to be, and I don’t feel guilty about eating when I am still hungry. So far, I’m dreaming zombie free dreams and not ravenous in the mornings.  

I have plans and deadlines for recipes this weekend, so be prepared for an onslaught of tastiness. This is where I’d laugh maniacally in a villainous fashion, but something tells me you all won’t mind it so much. In the meantime, as September comes to a close, I’d like to tell you what I’ve learned.

1. I learned that my getting up early was the result of drinking coffee in the afternoon. Once I cut down my caffeine to the mornings, I’m sleeping deeper… and longer.
2. I learned that my zombie nightmares were the result of my being hungry while I slept. I started eating more (either with bigger meals around 500 calories or by snacking), and I’ve yet to see a rotting corpse.
3. I learned that eating more doesn’t mean I’m going to gain weight. It means I’m not hungry and starving myself. It also means I am back on a normal menstrual cycle (hopefully).
4. I learned that spirulina and chlorella are great detoxifiers and have the minerals I've been lacking for much too long.
5. I learned that I’ve been feeling detached from the people I love, simply because people are living their own lives as I am, so cooking has been my outlet in order to feel an intimate connection. (Ah, the joys of being a commuter student about to graduate in a few months.)
6. I learned to be persistent and not to be afraid to make a flop or two. It’s a proven fact that the more you flop the more likely you’re to find success.
7. I learned that feeling good means you’re honest with others and yourself. After the trials and errors revolving around my health, social, exercising, and eating habits, I’m not afraid to respectfully tell people how I feel.
8. I learned that there are directions in recipes for a reason. Read every line thoroughly… and twice.
9. I learned that socca. Is. Delicious. I haven't perfected it yet, but the Pure2Raw twins Lori and Michelle have definitely made me a lover of the stuff.

And that homemade roasted tomato soup which could be made into a bangin’ sauce that just so happens to be vegan? So yummy.

Chunky Roasted Tomato Soup

1 lb 4 oz (or 6 3.5 oz) tomatoes, halved
1 (11 oz) Red bell pepper, halved and seeded
1 (6 oz) Sweet Spanish onion, peeled and halved
4 garlic cloves
2 oz Olive oil
24 oz Water
6 oz Tomato paste
3/4 tsp. – 1 tsp. Water
1 Bay Leaf

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
Lay the veggies on a foil-lined large baking sheet, and lightly drizzle the olive oil on top.
Cook for about an hour or until they are soft and bubbling. (For a more roasted flavor, place veggies under the broiler until blistered and blackened in some places.)
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place the veggies into a medium-sized soup pot.
Add the water, tomato paste, salt, and bay leaf and cook on medium-high heat for at least fifteen minutes.
Remove from heat (and the bay leaf from the pot) and, while hot, use a hand blender to puree the veggies. (If you want to use your regular blender, you can do that also for a smoother soup consistency).
Serve immediately topped with finely cut basil and/or sour cream.

Makes 6 small servings (or 3 large servings).

*To make it into a sauce, reduce the water to 16 oz and add 1/2 tsp. each oregano, thyme, and herb de Provence.

Bacon & Gouda Stuffed Chicken Breast

Before I give you the easiest stuffed chicken recipe you will ever make, I want to talk to you about my dream last night. If you don’t already know this about me, I have a prodigious fear of zombies (Though, surprisingly, I dug Zombieland). It isn’t quite so much a phobia that gives me panic attacks and fainting spells, but I do have vivid nightmares about them. Not only are they extremely terrifying, they are also reoccurring.

It all started my first year in college, around the time school was letting out for the winter holidays. I went and saw my first ever zombie movie at the AMC Tysons Corner 16. It was Resident Evil 3, and it was only the beginning. At first the zombies looked like your typical human being in my dreams. The post-apocalyptic landscape was industrial and familiar, only without cars and them walking down the highway, staring straight ahead with vacant eyes. Whenever I walked near one they seemed to come out of their trance and would tell me to get away or they’d bite me. They knew what they were, and although they looked like any average Joe or Jane I’d meet on the street, I knew what they were also.

After three years, they’ve progressed and evolved into different images. Sometimes they were rotting and bloody, and I would usually have something to defend myself with. Sometimes they looked demonic and beautiful; they were sentient, articulate, and even more horrible to deal with. It’s the conscious, unearthly looking ones that terrify me the most, and they’re the ones that are often the zombie part of the zombie nightmare experience.

(c) Link

For a while I thought they symbolized my need for control of my own life and destiny, or not wanting to become part of the crowd that followed everything I was against. This morning's took on a new feel to it that was different from the others. I was uprooted from my home, because they could easily go in and out of buildings as they pleased. There was a secret government agency involved, where technology was exceedingly developed and they were about as helpful as a griddle skillet for a soup recipe. I spoke with them and I ran from them in this vast hotel with many halls, windows, and rooms. I was alone against the world, and I woke up with my heart thudding so hard against my chest and tears in my eyes. It took a few minutes until the pounding in my ears subsides. At least it was light enough I could see my room clearly with the morning light, and since my stomach was telling me it wanted pancakes with its grumbles I figured it was time to get up anyway.

As I was preparing and eating my first delicious creation of the day, I started thinking about my latest nightmare, and I was struck with such an enlightening realization that there was actually a very logical explanation to these dreams.

I was hungry.

The dreams started when I began exercising and losing weight, and they became more graphic the more restrictive I became with my lifestyle. I think it was my subconscious telling me that it was wrong for me to go to bed hungry, that these awful nightmares were a way of encouraging me to give what my body wants and to nourish its most basic need. Zombies are particular and picky; only the freshest human will do. Although it is very clear I’m eating more throughout the day (and not gaining weight, despite my constant fear of doing so), it still isn’t enough to satisfy my body completely, whether it’s feeling contentedly full at that moment or not.

And I think it does have to do with self-control, if only a little. I think I was (or still am) afraid of giving in to what I wanted and needed, and that my body had more control over me than I believed it should. But really, what is the distinction? The Body isn’t a separate entity from the the Mind and Spirit, and I shouldn’t be treating it like it is. It should be nourished, loved, and respected just as much as the other two without criticism, exceptions, or regulations. The amazing thing about the physical body is that it knows what’s what before anything else that is a part of you. Everything else beyond the five senses can be physically manifested because even your own mind knows that before You do. Fascinatingly confusing stuff, am I right? Hopefully my future dreaming endeavors, whether they are zombie-filled or not, will be brighter, gentler, and kinder from now on.

Until then, here is a recipe anyone can do and do it well. Stuffed chicken breast is such a versatile dish in how it’s prepared, what it’s stuffed with, and how the overall dish will end up looking on a plate. I like to stuff it with various cheeses and greens, and serve it over a bed of rice with another vegetable as a side. But you can stuff it with apples or other fruits also. You can bread it, glaze it, marinade it, and possibly fry it. You can top it with a sauce or crust it with herbs. This is such a great dish for those who want a nutritionally balanced meal without compromising flavor... and their wallet.

Bacon & Gouda Stuffed Chicken Breasts

4 Chicken breasts, butterfly-cut and pounded out
9.5 oz Pork belly pieces (or bacon), thinly sliced
4 oz Smoked Gouda (or 4 deli slices), thinly sliced and halved into crescents
4 Garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. Herb de Provence
Olive oil, for greasing the pan

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Place the large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and cook the pork belly until it is crispy with a satisfying crunch.
Remove the pork belly pieces from the pan and allow cooling until they can be safely handled.
Add the cheese and bacon to one side of the butterfly-cut chicken breasts and sandwich the stuffing with the other side.
Lay the chicken breasts next to each other on the pan and evenly garnish with the garlic, remaining bacon pieces, and Herb de Provence.
Back for 45 minutes and serve hot.

Serves 4.

Visiting Penzeys Spices

You know how can you tell you are a foodie? When going to a specialty food store is probably more exciting than your birthday. 

In fact, I’m probably borderline fanatical, obsessed with the gastronomic world and all it has to offer. If you put me in a bookstore, I search for the cookbook section and will stay there for hours. If there is a gluten-free restaurant nearby or a new Morri-friendly product on the shelves, you bet your bottom dollar I’m going to give it a try. My morning routine consists of reading the latest posts from the amazing food bloggers I follow. I watch the Cooking Channel zealously, and think of ways I could alter the recipes to my lifestyle. I dream of food often, and I daydream of my future in the restaurant business. My philosophies are directly linked to cooking, and the aromas that come from the kitchen smell more glorious to me than the most expensive perfumes money can buy.

My Uncle’s girlfriend was the one who recommended this store to Mama Dazz and me, and if any of you foodies are ever in the Falls Church area, Penzeys Spices is an awesome place to visit.

This store, while simple in design and execution of display, is a jaw-dropping sight to behold. You walk in to shelves upon shelves upon shelves of spices, organized by type and how it can be used. There’s a baking section to your right, with various extracts and cocoa powders and citrus peels. To your left is a plethora of spices from A – Z, including three types of cardamom and even more cinnamon types. There are cheese seasonings, chili powders, sausage spices, and more. 

Mama Dazz and I walked out with seventeen distinct spices and combinations in our quaint brown paper shopping bag, all of them Morri-friendly to boot! My favorite by far was the “Balti” blend, smelling exactly like the Bangladeshi home across the street and a scent I had always wanted to incorporate in my cooking. We also got Italian herb blend, Greek seasoning, Turkish seasoning, Chili 3000, Tsardust memories, powdered rosemary, whole cumin seeds, various pepper powders, and natural wasabi (not pure wasabi, but still interesting). Already my mind is swimming with ways to use them, though I don’t want to use them just because we have them on hand. I want to put them in with dishes that make sense, like the Greek seasoning with the falafel and lamb kabob dish I have planned later in the week or Tsardust memories in a meat and cabbage combination to go with a bowl of borsch I want to help the boyfriend make. 

The Frenchman (with the accent and everything) behind the counter let me take a few pictures of the store, and he is quite a nice gentleman once you start talking with him. I talked about my time in Sweden, about the two amazing young Frenchmen I had met there and the hilarious stories they shared. Despite my not knowing a word of French (other than Le Petit Poucet) and not learning it while in a Scandinavian country, he gave us a coupon for his wife’s salon and spa with our receipt anyway.

 The prices are fairly reasonable, but we have quite a spice repertoire as it is, so it may be a while until we come back to restock. They do have a number of gift assortments, however, great for weddings and the holidays. And I do have a number of foodie friends with birthdays coming up... :)

Grain-Free Buttermilk Pancakes

Lately I’ve been in a food rut, with the same dinners (stews, one-pan wonders, and lots of rice), lunches (rice cracker sandwiches and hard-boiled eggs), and *sigh* breakfasts. Most of my breakfasts are a hot porridge of some sort, though I have been mixing in various grains for a new experience each morning. Kasha and gluten-free steel cut oats is quite a yummy pairing in that aspect, but I wanted something different for my Saturday breakfast. I didn’t want another tasty mess in a mug with pureed banana or chopped apple with a dollop of creamy nut butter mixed in. After my week of sleeping and sneezing and not doing much of anything, I definitely needed to liven my palate up a notch.

Thus, I made pancakes, but they're extremely different than the ones I made for my first post. These pancakes are special, but for very peculiar reasons.

I’m not fond of non-stick cookware, but I have used them for finicky recipes, especially for my various pancake and crepe creations. I used them because they were in the townhouse on campus, and because I was afraid what would happen should I use my stainless steel pans incorrectly. And yes, apparently they can be used incorrectly, but that was before I came across this bangin' tutorial on pan-frying using an s.s.p. I used to simply put the oil or butter in the pan and then turn on the heat. That is one of the crucial mistakes I made that resulted in my food sticking to the bottom, which tore apart meats and browned many an egg, and probably the main reason why I was so timid to making pancakes or omelets before.

So I made pancakes today, this time on a cast iron griddle pan, and I followed the tutorial’s step regarding the butter’s “smoking point”. It made all the difference, my friends, and I suggest you experiment using this particular cooking technique if you don’t do so already. The recipe is for one, but it can easily be multiplied to serve whatever number of loved ones are sitting at your breakfast table. 

Grain-free Buttermilk Pancakes

1 oz Buckwheat flour
0.5 oz Coconut flour
0.5 oz Almond meal
3 oz Buttermilk
1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1/4 tsp. Baking soda
1 Egg
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. Bourbon vanilla
0.5 oz Unsweetened applesauce
Butter, for greasing the pan and topping

Mix all the ingredients (except for the butter) in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined, and let it sit covered with aluminum foil or saran wrap overnight.
Put your skillet or griddle pan on medium heat, grease with your preference of a fat (I used butter but bacon fat is said to work wonders), and pour in the batter like you would normally do when making pancakes.

Makes 2 – 3 pancakes (depending on size). Serves 1.

These pancakes will rise beautifully and keep their height as you eat them. They went deliciously with the pear.

Sautéed Cinnamon Pears

4 g Butter
1 Bartlett pear, cut into small chunks
1/4 tsp. Bourbon vanilla
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan on medium-high heat and proceed to cook until the pear chunks are soft but still have their shape.
This can also be made a little saucier with cream or a citrus-based juice.

Makes about 1 cup for a single serving.

The Bento Box Snapshot: Turkey, White Bean, and Quinoa Chili Verde

Yesterday my evening class was canceled, so I was able to come home for dinner and my Bento box was lovingly put in the refrigerator. It just meant I had a lunch already prepared for today, which is great because I tend to get hungry between 10:30 a.m. and 1:10 p.m. (the same time as my three-hour CAR Integration class). And since I’m feeling significantly better than I did this time last week, I think I’ll be going to the gym for an hour afterward. Along with the chili I cut up some veggies and corn tortillas and packed my daily apple and spirulina-nut butter spread combo (as well as a can of wild salmon in case I'm still hungry).

Despite my being a week behind schoolwork, everything is still merging into something wonderful. For one, I can see the floor of my bedroom and my desk is almost completely cleared off. For another, my life after college is coming into focus. At this point, because some crucial grades from my time in Sweden have still not transferred, applying for Grad school may have to wait. I had intended on starting immediately after graduation, but I think the Cosmos is trying to tell me something, and it's something along the lines of taking things slow and to enjoy the ride. Maybe I’ll apply to the various research assistant positions at the USIP or work at a restaurant to learn the tools of the trade. Maybe I’ll join the ranks of some bangin’ NGO or create my own non-profit. If Grad school wasn’t meant to be in January, I’m sure August will be a different story. It’s all about adaptation and timing.

I do my best to stick to other people’s tasty recipes (heck, my own), but sometimes I either don’t have a particular ingredient or don't have enough of it, and I tend to add and subtract others as I go. Sometimes it doesn’t go as I expected it to, but usually the result is extremely delicious and post-worthy. The philosophies found in cooking can be relative to those in life. So if something just isn’t going to happen no matter how hard you try or want it to, find something that will. You can always go back to it when you’re ready.

This Bento Box Snapshot comes with a recipe. It must have been Monday (getting sick turns days into one consecutive day) when I decided to try my hand at white chili, but ended up adding more chili powder than I had planned to and turning it flamingo pink. So it wasn’t white chili by definition, but it was very different than the chili we usually make. It wasn’t exceptionally spicy though there was a nice kick from the jalapeño and green chile, and there was a delicate sweetness the cut-up apple provided to balance it. The tomatillos that I replaced the tomatoes with gave it a green undertone beneath its pinkish coloring, and the ground turkey made it light but still comforting to the tender stomach. It also was a great dish to use up all that leftover quinoa we had.

Turkey, White Bean, and Quinoa Chili Verde

 3 tbsp. Olive oil
1.25 lb Ground turkey
2 lb Tomatillos, coarsely chopped
24 oz Water
1 can (15 oz) Pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (4 oz) Fire roasted diced green chile
1 Jalapeño, seeded, veined, and coarsely chopped
1 Red onion, julienned and finely chopped
11 oz (2 c.) Cooked quinoa (you could also use rice, millet, pasta, etc.)
1 Sm. Granny Smith apple (about 4.5 oz cored), finely chopped
1 tbsp. Chili powder
1 tbsp. Crushed garlic
1/2 tsp. Sea salt
1/4 tsp. Cracked pepper

In a large mixing pot, heat the olive oil on medium-high and separated the ground turkey into chunks as it cooks.
Add in the remaining ingredients (or cook up some quinoa if you don’t have any on hand and put it into the pot when it’s done), and let it simmer on medium heat for thirty to forty-five minutes.
Serve in your favorite large drinking mug or soup bowl, and garnish with your choice of cheese, fresh salsa, herbs, and finely chopped sweet onion or shallot.

Serves 6 – 8.

Beef Stroganoff

I have been very quiet since Friday, likely due to getting caught in one of autumn’s chilly nights without any notice and getting sick. Either I was wearing clothes reminiscent to summer (gym wear and flip flops) or someone who had it within my proximity passed it along to me. Regardless, I came down with some flu-cold combination and blogging was not my top priority. 

Luckily I was able to celebrate Mama Dazz’s birthday and hang out with friends that was long overdue. Saturday, the day I started feeling rather worn down and achy, was also my “experimenting in the kitchen success story” day. For her birthday I made her favorite pizza (with a yummy gluten free crust I made from scratch!) and a strawberry labneh cheesecake. Flamingos, sunflowers, and stargazer lilies were in abundance, and the house is slowly coming out of its clustered funk. 

Despite losing the desire to do much of anything (because sneezing and coughing and being delirious can do that to you), the creativity in my meals seemed to thrive. It was based on comfort, on the need to feel full and warm. I felt feverish and clammy, though my temperature varied from 96.7ºF and 98.4ºF. My digestion was even more temperamental than usual; actually, it was similar to the experience of being glutened. I was ravenous and extremely dehydrated throughout the day, eating to fill the emptiness in my stomach and drinking ease the dryness in my throat. I ate things that I remembered loving as a kid, meals served in a large mug or bowl, piping hot, sure to make any upset or sour stomach grateful for the nutrition.

And it all started with beef stroganoff.

Since becoming gluten free I had an issue with thickeners. It was similar to my issue with adding sugar to something naturally sweet already; why include something to make it a thicker consistency when it was delicious as is? Chili did just fine without that tablespoon or two of cornstarch, but for some reason beef stroganoff needed a slurry or roux to keep the sour cream from curdling when mixed with the broth. After recently making coq au vin, I realized the significance of the thickening process I once despised, and started incorporating it back into recipes that usually call for it.

This dish has its origins from 19th century Russia. Elena Molokhovets’ cookbook A Gift to Young Housewives (1861) was the first to provide the recipe in print, and the name is believed to derive from someone of importance within the Stroganov family. It has many variations around the world and is very popular in the United States, the UK, Scandinavia, Iran, Australia, Portugal, China, Japan, and Brazil. We used to eat it over egg noodles in the BGF days, but I found out it is just as delicious served over sprouted brown and wild rice.

Beef Stroganoff (Pressure Cooker version)

1 tbsp. Olive oil
10 oz Baby Bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 Sweet white onion, julienned and thinly chopped
1 Shallot, julienned and thinly chopped
3 Garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp. Chives, coarsely chopped
32 oz Water
1.5 lb Lean stew beef meat, cut into manageable chunks
1/2 tsp. Sea salt
1/4 tsp. Cracked pepper
1 tsp. Herb de Provence
1/2 tsp. Mustard Seed Powder
3 tbsp. Rice flour
9 oz Sour cream

Place the olive oil in the pressure cooker over medium-high heat and sauté the mushrooms, onion, shallot, garlic, and chives until softened and reduced.
Pour in the water and bring to a boil, then the meat and spices (sans the rice flour and sour cream).
Put the lid on the pressure cooker, and lower the heat to medium-low, cooking for at least half an hour.
Turn off the heat and let the pressure reduce on its own until the lid can be opened.
Take at least a cup of the broth and pour it into a small mixing bowl with the rice flour to make a slurry.
Turn the heat back on to medium-low, add in the slurry, and let the broth thicken for an additional 15 – 20 minutes.
After the broth has thickened, turn off the heat once more and fold in the sour cream until thoroughly combined.
Immediately serve over rice or your choice in pasta, garnished with fresh chives or spring onion.

Serves 4 – 6 people.

The Bento Box Snapshot: Broiled Plantains, Stew, Quinoa n' Beans

This particular BBS was a complete success! I felt a lot fuller and wasn’t ravenous at the end of the day. This was especially important since Thursday was a big day for me: a three-hour class, about an hour at the gym, and preparing for the CARmunity informational later in the evening. 

It was around the time I left home for the meeting on campus that the weather went from summer to autumn, with me dressed in my favorite olive green jacket (very light and extremely worn) with a pair of jeans and black ballet flats. Not very smart for a person who tends to get sniffly at any sign of a cold front, I know, and I have a feeling Rooibos Chai Lattes will be my official drink of the season.

Dr. Scambledstein's Monster: It's boiled... BOILED!!!

So what did I have that kept a grumbly tummy at bay? For lunch I had a hard-boiled egg (that cracked during the boiling process), a rice cracker sandwich with chèvre (goat cheese) and slices of cucumber and tomato, a Granny Smith apple with spirulina-peanut butter spread, and canned salmon.

For dinner, I went to the salad jar (pun intended), filled with peppers, tomatoes, avocado, carrots, and cucumber, marinated with coconut aminos, lime juice, and salt. In the Bento box itself were baked plantains (broiled for a minute or so on each side for that caramelized burnt crunch), leftover beef and butternut stew, quinoa, and kidney beans, garnished with black and white sesame seeds for texture and giggles.

Nutty Spirulina Overnight Oatmeal

It’s closing in on Saturday, with about half an hour to spare. I’m working on Mama Dazz’s birthday surprise(s). Her birthday is tomorrow, and so I take a moment to catch up on the posts I had been meaning to write. I think I’ve come down with a bit of a sniffle, but I figured I had enough time to do a Bento Box Snapshot from yesterday, and dedicate a moment to the wonders of spirulina.

Oh yes, I have become a huge fan of spirulina. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a food that tasted like its color (except for, well, the orange). In juice I find it tastes less than ideal, but put it in nut butter and it takes center stage on your taste buds. After I moved out of the house, my throat was swollen from the stress and fumes I was exposed to, and I wanted to find something that cleared out my system of toxins. The answer was chlorella and spirulina, though I had to be creative with the latter since it came in a powdered form and not a pill form. 

Like hemp protein powder before it, spirulina is now part of my Granny Smith apple and peanut butter affair. My body seems to crave the stuff daily, likely because it has something it desperately wants. To quote a website completely devoted to this amazing superfood:

“It powerfully protects from oxidant stress and strongly supports the immune system and a healthy inflammatory response.”

With more protein than soy, more Vitamin A than a carrot, and more iron than beef, I have a feeling Superman isn’t the only thing super around here. I’m still working on the kinks to incorporating spirulina to oatmeal (any hot cereal really) and smoothies (something I really should get back in the habit to making), but I offer this recipe to anyone who can make it even more delectable and healthful.

Nutty Spirulina Overnight Oatmeal

1.4 oz CGF Rolled oats
1 tbsp. Flaxseed meal
1 tbsp. Chia seeds
1 tsp. Unrefined apple cider vinegar
14 oz Filtered water
4 oz Almond milk (or any milk of your preference)
1 tbsp. Peanut butter
1 tsp. Spirulina

1 packet of Trader Joe’s Apple Carrot fruit sauce crushers (or up to 3.5 oz of any pureed fresh fruit of your choosing)

Combine the rolled oats, flaxseed meal, chia seeds, cider, and water in a Mason jar or sauce pan with a lid to sit on the counter overnight (or up to eight hours).
Pour the contents of the jar in the saucepan and add the almond milk to the mixture.
Cook over the stove on medium-low heat until the liquid has just about evaporated but still remains runny.
In a small bowl, thoroughly combine the spirulina and peanut butter and set aside until the very last minute of cooking.
When the oatmeal is done, add in the spirulina-peanut butter concoction and still until integrated.
Pour into a bowl or large mug and top with the fruit puree (which could also be added during the cooking process).

Serves 1.

Honesty, Health, and Stew Beef Enchiladas

The beauty of the human condition is how broad personal experiences can be, especially when there is a willingness to share them with others. That is one of the reasons I started this blog in the first place; I want to share what I’ve learned and reflect the impact reading what others have experienced.

And I want to do it every time I post.

My next post: Spiraling Spirulina Oatmeal

There are two bloggers who’ve each posted an entry that really struck home for me. Shauna of Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef wrote about the dark side of blogging (titled "warm brown rice and grilled vegetable salad"), about how people choose to use the anonymity of the Internet to be cruel, and basically make themselves feel all-powerful by using hurtful words in attempt to belittle another.

No one has done this to me through my blog, but after the house fell through, one of the landlords’ kids (and once a friend of mine) sent me a message through Facebook saying how dare I disrespect my roommates and her home. Her last statement was this: “Good luck finding an apartment. I hope it takes you months.” It’s not like she was outlandishly malicious or anything, because she was angry and that’s how she felt. I responded with an “I’m sorry you feel that way…” sort of spiel and said I found a place that was just what I needed. As of now I am commuting to school from home, and as the consequence of living at home, I am slowly moving and unpacking all my things in the manner to my liking. The boyfriend is staying in the guest bedroom, and as mentioned in my last post, I am happier than I’ve been in months.

In a matter of days, however, new friends filled the void, and it just keeps getting better and better. Misery loves company, and it doesn’t like those who soar high overhead above it. Shauna embodies that tenfold. She has a life filled to the brim with joy and prosperity that some envy and possibly resent, so they nitpick the most ridiculous of things just to bring her down to their level. But she doesn’t go down, not even a centimeter; she simply flies even higher.

Yesterday, Iris of The Daily Dietribe wrote a post titled “Does She Really Have a Food Sensitivity or is it an Eating Disorder?” As I was reading, I couldn’t help but think how much it related to my experiences, particularly when people give me that “look” when I tell them I can’t eat something they made especially for me. It sucks when I go over to a house and know I can’t eat much or anything being offered, because that means I have to deny a very intimate connection that food seems to offer interpersonally. It sucks that I have to be so anal and paranoid when I go to a restaurant (if at all), sometimes even eating beforehand so my stomach won’t grumble as I watch people enjoy their orders. And yes, sometimes I do wonder if I have an eating sensitivity or if it is purely a psychological malfunction, an eating disorder that manifests discomfort every time I accidentally consume something on my “Red” list. Maybe it’s a bit of both, but all I know is I feel better not eating wheat, soy, refined sugars, artificial flavors and sweeteners, anything processed, and weird chemically things found in food I can’t pronounce.

So do I have a form of disordered eating? Maybe. Probably. I certainly used to be: excessively counting calories, limiting food intake, exercising a certain amount of calories at a time (also known as exercise bulimia), and had panic attacks when something not Morri-friendly entered in my system without my knowledge. I’m part of a cooking club at the University (Café GMU), and to make up for my inability to eat anything, even when gluten-free bread like Udi’s is being provided, I help in the kitchen and make people laugh. Do I wish I could taste the food? Of course I do. I always do. I never binged on food I restricted from my diet, but I dream about it often. Why, just last night I dreamed of pita bread rising in the oven, and the night before I dreamed of eating a muffin, a gluten-filled muffin. Sometimes in my dreams I wonder why I bother being gluten-free, and I take a bite and savor the taste with every chew until I swallow. Seconds later, I panic, and wake up wondering if I really did eat it because of the vividness of the act. It’s better than my reoccurring zombie nightmares, but still, it is always a very uncomfortable and upsetting thing to dream about.

I’m telling you this because these two amazing and strong women have been upfront and honest with what they go through, the good and the bad. As for me, the idea of being honest about the struggles behind the scenes seems, well, unnerving. I’ve talked about disordered eating and fanatically exercising before, but I didn’t talk about the things beneath the surface. I never talked about my hypothyroid condition in length, or how my bowels and digestion were delicate and fickle. And because I was afraid of people I knew thinking what I wrote to be a “too much information” sort of thing, I didn’t mention my hormones being topsy-turvy because my menstrual cycle was either obscenely light or non-existent.

Well, I’m being honest now.

Last year, from May to about February, I went nine months with only one period from that summer up to coming back to Mason from my semester in Sweden. That was before I was diagnosed with a hypothyroid, and it may have been that I was simply not eating enough for my body to believe I wasn’t starving. Regardless, I felt less of a woman, and it impacted my life more I than I realized. That’s what happened on Friday; after a four-month hiatus, Lady Red came to town. Something shifted, and immediately I realized my down-in-the-dumps attitude was because of an extended version of pre-menstrual symptoms (a better terminology for PMS), that made me fatigued, in a funk, not wanting to fix what I could fix, and wanting to hide under the covers until it was all over. Suddenly I felt connected to the world and The Way. The stress went away and those little things that affected me so negatively don’t even exist anymore. I am able to keep up with my classes and still make time for CARmunity as Director of Student Representatives and Diplomatic Affairs in S/CAR. I have the energy to go to the gym and was pleasantly surprised that I wasn’t as bad off as I thought I was. The current I fought so hard against is flowing to my pace, and I am beyond ecstatic and feel amazing. 

Stew Beef Enchilada

1.5 lbs. Lean stew beef meat, cut into manageable chunks
1 can (14.5 oz) Diced tomatoes
1 tsp. Chili powder
1 tsp. Chipotle powder
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Trader Joe’s smoked sea salt (or whatever salt you have on hand)
1/4 tsp. Cracked pepper
1 tbsp. Unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tbsp. Olive oil
1 Shallot
3 Garlic cloves
8 oz Filtered water
8 oz Riesling
1 1/2 Green zucchini (medium-sized), finely grated
2 Carrots, finely grated
10 oz Ricotta
1 can (14 oz) Black beans, drained
12 Trader Joe’s Corn Tortillas
2.5 oz Pecorino Romano, finely grated

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
With a pressure cooker or large pot, grease the bottom generously with olive oil and cook the meat on medium-high heat.
Put in the blender the tomatoes, spices, oil, shallot, garlic, and the water and blender until thoroughly pureed.
After the outside of the meat is cooked, though still raw in the middle, put half of the sauce including the Riesling in with the meat and cover the pressure cooker or pot with the lid, and cook of medium-low heat for at least half an hour.
Using a fork or a wooden spoon, tear apart the stew beef chunks into individual strands.
Grease a deep 9x9” pan and start the layering process, beginning with 4 tortillas on the bottom, then veggies, ricotta, meat, and beans, repeating once more with some of the sauce splashed throughout.
Top with the last 4 tortillas, the remaining sauce, and the Pecorino Romano.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour until the cheese has browned and the sauce is bubbling.

Makes 6 – 8 servings.

The Bento Box Snapshot: Saucy Boiled Chicken, Sesame Peas, and Sweet Potato

It was last Friday when the Cosmos made everything right again, and the weekend when everything began falling into place. My whole perspective was given a one-eighty, and I was back to the Morri that found life grand, didn’t sweat the small stuff, and laughed often.

After what seemed like months, perhaps semesters long, I finally feel settled and back into the rhythm of things.

This is my first Bento Box Snapshot with Cheryl Harris’s perspective on my meals when I’m at campus all day. So I’ve altered how I packed my Bento Box, mainly because my love of veggies made it colorful but very low in calories. From now on my veggies will be packed in another container (or in a plastic bag). She had also advised me to pack a hard-boiled egg, a piece of cheese, or a small container filled with nuts to curb me over between meals.

Also, I noticed that when I use butter instead of peanut butter in my morning oatmeal, I am significantly fuller and don’t have the jitters a few hours later.

So what’s being served for today?

Mr. & Mrs. Eggston, newly hard-boiled.

For lunch, I have two hard-boiled eggs, slivers of carrot, red pepper, and celery, and a Granny Smith apple with peanut butter, spirulina, and chia seeds. It isn’t pictured, but I added a small chunk of Parmesan cheese to the equation.

 

As for the Bento Box itself, there’s boiled chicken marinated in tamarind chutney, petite peas with sesame seeds, and sweet potato. And in case I’m still a tad peckish, I packed a combination of raw pepitas and sunflower seeds.

 

Happy Monday, all. I have a feeling it’s going to be an amazing week, with quite a few recipes to share.

The Not-So-Yummy Baked Donut Base

I wasn’t even certain I’d be attempting this month’s Gluten Free Ratio Rally, but I’m glad I at least tried. Not that I had this magical awe-inspiring baking moment where even the Universe had to bow its head to my genius or anything, but if you have been reading the last few entries you’d know that it’s been a hell of an August. 

So what, a flop of a baked doughnut recipe? I can live with that.

Looking back, I realize that my statement of this being the summer that I grew into myself was indeed correct. I didn’t realize it at the time, but that one little sentence was like that one fortune cookie at the table that heeded warning and provided decent advice. In less than a month I lost my footing of where I thought I’d be at this point. It is now September, and northern Virginia is already experiencing the changes autumn brings. I lost a great deal of what I thought was important to me, including people I thought were my friends and a type stability I thought I’d have. I’m having to face a lot of Big Girl Problems, and I don’t think I’d ever been so angry or so upset as I have been these last three weeks. 

The answer to my less than ideal situation came like a gust of wind after a summer rainstorm. I did possibly the best thing I could do for myself; I took myself out of the equation. 

To put it simply, I quit. (Thank you, Andy Shallal, for your wisdom last semester.)

I stopped looking into apartments after the house fell through. I stopped focusing on the people who believed my actions to be a direct link to my character and trustworthiness as a person. I stopped trying to shape myself in the way people wanted me to be in their lives. I stopped censoring my honesty because of the panics and fears that I may in fact offend someone and be punished for speaking my truths. And feeling like I could struggle no further in the sand dunes, from which the totality of my foundation fell, I began to see things differently. Upon much reflection and even more tears, the silence that was forced upon me was lifted, and I haven’t stopped speaking.

Whatever negative backlash was sent my way by evil eye or social media never came, and yesterday I felt a sense of peace and strength I thought would never return. Life’s positive struggles didn’t produce feelings such as vulnerability and fragility, so it was apparent that this was not a positive experience. 

The first week of the semester went by in a blur of information and emotions, and all my worrying had me running from one moment to the next, enjoying very little of it. Here I was, in my last semester as an undergraduate, and I was using my time and energy focusing on other people and their wellbeing before my own. My struggles were rooted in things I couldn’t control, worrying about people whose opinions didn’t matter, and realizing that I was trying to fix what couldn’t or shouldn’t be fixed, I let it all go and my time and attention went to things deserving of my focus.

So, despite this recipe being a total flop that one bite was hard to swallow, I am so happy be moving on. In a few days I will try again, even though I missed this month’s GFRR deadline. September promises a fun month of baking, and the next one will be epic.

In the mean time, I heartily recommend you check out the other participants’ entries for their version of donuts/fritters. All you have to do is visit Meg at Gluten-Free Boulangerie, this month’s GFRR host.

The Not-So-Yummy Baked Donut Base

2 large Eggs, beaten
1.5 oz Maple Syrup
5.5 oz Whole milk
6 oz Glutinous rice flour (this was why it resulted in a flat, gooey, and weird tasting donut)
2 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. Baking soda
3 tbsp. (1.45 oz) Butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp. Unrefined apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. Sea salt

So here’s what I did: As the oven was preheating to 350ºF, I used an electric mixer on the lowest speed to whisk together the wet ingredients and the salt. I sifted the flour, baking powder and soda, and slowly integrating it into the wet ingredients. For about an hour, I let the batter sit on the counter, and then poured the batter into the desired sized donut pan 3/4 of the way in the mold. For thirty minutes the donuts baked a rose, and the top started to flake. I poked through a donut to check the doneness, and let them rest in the pan out of the oven for a few minutes. That was when the donuts started to flatten. Regardless, I placed them on a cooling rack and took some pictures. The boyfriend came down and took a bite… that was all he could stomach. I took a smaller bite, and I knew a flop when I tasted one. It made up to a 12 regular sized donuts, but they were not eaten.