Spiritual Supper Magick

I've been doing a lot of new cooking this week. I've been trying some new recipes and honing some standards. Mentally, I have started making the shift back to tracking my food, just to see what comes up. I logged my breakfast and lunch the way I usually do.

Two things I noticed: I didn't finish my breakfast because I felt full before the food was gone. But when I started putting it into the computer, I felt compelled to FINISH MY FOOD. Not out of hunger, but because I'd written it down. It's the reverse intention of what tracking is supposed to do for us!

The other thing I noticed was that, after going through the usual routine of having to log my recipes and then log how much of the recipe I ate, or just logging all the ingredients into each meal, I looked down at my totals to check my macros (Macros are the target measure of major food components like protein, fats, fiber, etc.) and I felt the usual 'panic' that I 'only' had 'x#' calories left.

But, having peeked, I started to plan a high protein, high veg meal. I mean, why not? But I did remember that it's important to honour our love of food, too, so I decided to make a Whole30 dessert.

For supper, I literally came into the kitchen and said aloud my intention to be inspired and to follow my intuition towards something that fit what I wanted to accomplish (healthy, high protein and veg with flavour and good mouthfeel, brightly coloured and absolutely delicious). And then it began. I felt myself literally reaching for things before they became conscious thought in my mind. I meditated the necessary ingredients into my consciousness like a bubbling spring. It was amazing. What come out wasn't perfect, but it's just what we needed: a nourishing, tasty meal and an inspired recipe for me to try again!

FISH PATTIES

I admit, I was kind of thinking 'healthy Filet-o-Fish' , because we have been trying to get rid of this cod we have that is inedible, but a great source of protein. Here's what We came up with:

1 lb. cod filets, or any light flavoured fish (I'm trying it with tilapia next)
1/4 c. macadamia nuts
1 t. smoked paprika
1 /4 t. red chili flakes
1 t. Trader Joe's African Smoke Seasoning
1 t. himalayan salt
1 lg. clove garlic, crushed
1 egg
1/4 + 1/4 c. almond flour, or 2 T. coconut flour

Put the fish, the nuts and the spices in the food processor and grind it aaaaaall up. It's gonna look pink. Transfer it to a mixing bowl, and add egg and 1/4 c. almond flour or 2 Tbsp. coconut flour and mix it up with your hands. Form into patties. If you are using almond flour, carefully coat both sides of the patty.

Heat a frying pan on medium and then add a teaspoon of fat and put the patty in the pan to cook  - about 3 minutes on each side.

While that was cooking I carmelized a half an onion in olive oil and a dash of salt and then added zucchini that had been 'spaghetti'ed by my awesome spiral slicer. I put these in the center of the plate, set the hot patty on top, and then topped it with my homemade fresh tarter sauce.

... and then there was DESSERT!

When I was doing research for energy bars, I ran across a simple nut ball recipe that I kept thinking about. When I came home and started smelling phantom smells of this recipe that I'd never made, I thought I'd better give it a try. It very simply is a Coconut Lime Truffle. and it's glorious.

Here's the direct link to the recipe: HERE

I really didn't do anything different, other than squeezing a lime and a half without measuring, but if I used a little more lime, it'd still rock. I made the balls. I think all that's missing is a shot of rum on the side.

Lauren's Cheeseburger Soup

Sometimes I get myself into a position to take on odd requests. I have a young, vibrant friend who had major jaw surgery and has to wear a splint that requires her to keep her jaw closed most of the day. The few times she can take out the splint to 'eat', she can only drink her meals. I noticed a post on Facebook about her boyfriend's sweet but failed attempt to make her something that tasted like a cheeseburger after she'd been craving one for days. When I saw her the next week, I made some comment like 'I bet I could make a stew that tastes like a hamburger' - and right there, I gave myself this challenge.

I think this first attempt is pretty darn good, and in fact, my husband went back for generous seconds. The only difference for us is that we did not BLEND it - it's small pieces, but she has to have hers blended to a creamy consistency which may render this soup less than appetizing to her.

I tried to use flavours that mimic what you'd normally find on a burger. We have the obvious beef and onion, the smoked African spice to lend a 'fresh off the bbq' flavour, the flour and potato to give it a hint of a 'bun' flavour and the apple cider vinegar and mustard to imitate pickles and mustard. The tomatoes didn't have enough 'ketchup' flavour to it, but adding the paste thickens it and gives it more of a ketchup flavour. The nutritional yeast is essential to give it the cheesy, creamy flavour and the consistency of a stew. I added kale, because every burger (and in my opinion, every recipe) needs KALE! I use Lacinato/Dinosaur/Black kale because it's the best tasting and has the best consistency over-all for most cooked or fresh kale recipes. My other fave is the purple curly kale - it smells like roses to me, but I digress...

If you'd like to give it a try, this is a great recipe for someone who is on a cleanse who is craving a burger but can't have one. I made this with actual beef, but if you're off beef (which  I am most of the time), you could safely replace the beef with turkey or even TVP, since the broth gives the soup some of the 'beefy' flavour. If you're still opposed to beef bouillon, then this recipe is probably not for you anyway, but feel free to make it your own 'burger'-type stew recipe. Enjoy!

1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 T. olive oil (or you may want to use butter for this)
2 T. almond flour (or any other kind of flour - to thicken)
1 heaping tsp Trader Joe's African Spice mix.
1/2 t. oregano
1/4 t. thyme
1/4 t. sage
1/8 t. pepper
1 t. ready-to-use chopped garlic (or 2 cloves pressed)
1 russet potato, peeled and diced into 1/4" cubes
2 c. water
4 beef bouillon cubes
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. rustic mustard
1 T. tomato paste
1 c. diced tomatoes
3 c. finely chopped kale
1/4 c. nutritional yeast

1. Heat a cook pot on medium. Add oil or butter and let it get warm/melty and add onion. Saute a few minutes, until it just starts to brown. Add the flour and give it a stir until all the onions are covered evenly.
2. Add beef and spices and continue to stir, breaking up the beef into as tiny pieces as you can and stir it all until it's browned. While it's browning, melt the bouillon cubes in the water.
3. Add potato and just enough bouillon water to keep the ingredients from sticking to the bottom. Keep stirring for a minute or two. 
4. Add the remainder of the water and the rest ingredients except for the nutritional yeast. Cover and simmer 10-20 minutes, until the potatoes are easily mashed with a fork (the mushier, the better)
5. Once it's all cooked through and looks ready, turn off the heat and add the nutritional yeast, stirring to mix it in thoroughly.
6. If you 'need' to (i.e.: If you're Lauren), throw it all in a blender and don't stop until it's creamy! If you're not Lauren, you might want to add a dash of shredded cheddar and a few croutons to the top. If you like it spicy, by all means, add some hot sauce to the final product.

Oh, and if you're just looking for a dairy-free, lowfat, high nutrient hearty soup, this should fit the bill quite nicely.

Raw Tacos

So, after mentioning it 3 times in the last week, my husband finally wore me down! I made raw tacos tonight.   This recipe can be prepared with a blender, but it goes so much easeir with a food processor.

There are two recipes and then a list of ingredients to make the tacos

Taco 'Meat'

1/2 c. sundried tomatoes
1 c. walnuts
1/4 t. cayenne

1 t. chipotle powder (can use plain chili powder if you can't find chipotle, but you should really try to find    chipotle)

1 t. cumin

1/4-1/2 t. salt

1) Let sundried tomatoes soak for 30 minutes in hot water. Drain well.

2) Put everything in the food processor and pulse until the consistency of ground beef, or something you like. If you do it too long, it starts to get pasty, so go easy on the pulsing.

- - - - -

Cashew Sauce (raw version of Sour Cream) 

I'm still perfecting this one, so check back for updates

1/2 c RAW cashews

juice of 1/2 a  lemon

1/4-1/2 c water

1/2 t. dill

1/2 t. onion powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. apple cider vinegar

1) soak raw cashew in water for 30 minutes to an hour. Drain well

2) Put soaked cashews in the processor and pulse a few times to get the pieces uniform. Then turn on and start drizzling water through the emulsification hole and watch until it's the consistency you want. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse to combine.

Putting it All Together

Taco boats are made using romaine leaves. I like to use the following as toppings:

• Tomatoes and avocadoes, in small chunks and mixed together
• red onion
• finely shredded carrot
• sliced olives (not 'raw' so if you are trying to go strictly raw, leave these off)
• sprouts for filler

Baingan Bharta

This is a great side dish, or can be used as omelette filling or, as my personal trainer likes to do, added to butternut squash soup. Try it over rice if you want.

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant
• 2 T. vegetable oil
• 1 t. cumin seeds
• 1 t. mustard seeds
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 c. peeled, chopped yams
• 1 c. chopped zucchini (optional)
• 1 1/2 t. grated ginger
• 1 1/2 t. crushed garlic
• 1 T. spicy curry powder
• 1 can fire-roasted, diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 t. fresh minced jalapeno chile pepper
• 1 t. salt (optional)
• 1/4 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place eggplant on a medium baking sheet. Bake 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender. Remove from heat, cool, peel, and chop.
3. Prep all your vegetables while the eggplant is cooking. When Eggplant is done, remove from heat, cool, peel, and chop.
4. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Mix in cumin seeds and onion. Cook and stir until onion is tender.
5. Mix ginger garlic paste, curry powder, and tomatoes into the saucepan, and cook about 1 minute. Mix in eggplant and jalapeno pepper, and season with salt  (optional). Cover, and cook 10 minutes over high heat. Remove cover, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking about 5 minutes. Stir in yogurt.  Garnish with cilantro to serve.

Calories: 124

Carbs: 24g

Fat: 2g

Protein: 5g

Sugar: 8g

Spicy Turkey Savoy Cabbage Rolls

This is a second attempt at this recipe. I have high hopes for it. Thanks for being my guinea-pig, Lisa!


Prep Time: 15 min.

• Cook Time: 105 min.
• Serves: 6
• 
  

Ingredients:

12 oz ground turkey breast
4 cloves minced garlic 
1 T. sage
 1/2 T. thyme 
1/4 T. allspice 
1/2 T. salt 
1 1/2 t. cayenne pepper, or to taste (I replaced 1/2t. cayenne for chipotle)
1/2 T. black pepper
1  T. olive oil
1  head Savoy cabbage (2 3/4 - 3 pounds)
1  large onion, slivered or thinly slice (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1  c. of any combination of the following:
       shredded carrots
       chopped sweet peppers (green, red, yellow, orange)
       shredded sweet potatoes/yams
       yukon potatoes
       turnips
1  T. minced garlic
1  cup chopped parsley
2  cups cooked teff (can use quinoa if no teff is available)
2 c. marinara sauce

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for cabbage.
2. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium-low heat. Add onions and mixed vegetables  and cook until soft and barely browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
3. Cut around core of cabbage to release leaves. Working in batches, drop leaves in boiling water; cook until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Gently remove leaves into a collander and rinse with cool water. Set aside to drain and cool. (You’ll need 12 large and 12 small cabbage leaves.)
4. Combine turkey, spices and sautee'd vegetables in a large mixing bowl. Stir in teff (or fold in quinoa).
5. Preheat oven to 375F.
6. Place 1/3 cup meat mixture onto 1 large cabbage leaf. Mash down slightly and lay a small leaf on top. Place another 1/3 cup meat mixture on top. Fold in sides and roll up leaf firmly from bottom. Place in a 5-quart casserole dish, seam-side down. Repeat with remaining leaves and meat mixture to make 6 rolls. Place tightly into pan and top with any extra cabbage. Pour marinara over top. Add chicken broth to almost reach to the top. Cover with foil.
7. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350F and bake 1 hour. Remove from oven and let stand 15 to 20 minutes, covered. Cabbage should be tender enough to cut with a fork.

PER SERVING

Calories:250

Carbs: 30 g

Fat: 8 g

Protein: 18 g

Sugar: 5 g