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.

Turkey Sausage patties

I tried a modification of a friend of mine's recipe and really liked it. Today, I'm altering it again in an effort to make a good all around meat-base, for patties or balls.

I make a vegetable meat substitute using a recipe I got from my dear friend, Juanita Juchau's self-published cookbook: "Lean and Green Unleashed: The Peckish Pixie's Creative Approach to Low Calorie, Low Carbohydrate High Protein Fine Dining" (Get it: HERE). It gives me a GREAT way to make my veggies and my meat to go farther by using parts of the vegetable that often just get tossed in the compost. It's also a GREAT way to get additional vegetables in your daily intake.

You'll want to collect about 2 cups of mushroom stems, zucchini peels, celery tops, leek greens, broccoli stalks, onion tips, wilted carrots, even parsley and cilantro stems. Cut them into similar sized pieces and put in the food processor.

Process until you have fine ground veg.

Squeeze the juice out of the mix.

 Toss the lot in a microwaveable bowl with paper towel over the top.

Microwave for 4-5 minutes, stir and cook another 4-5 minutes. Let it cool.

GROUND MEAT BASE

1 lb. extra lean ground turkey
1 c. ground veg mix
1 small apple
1/2 c. hazelnuts
1/4 c. basil
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 1/2 t. Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning
1/2 t. smoked paprika
1 t. ground cumin
1 egg

In a large bowl, put in the turkey, the veg mix, the spices and the egg. Using a food processor, combine the apple, hazelnuts and basil until it is finely ground. Add the apple mix to the meat mix and you've got your meat base. I tried it as both meatballs and patties and it's quite tasty! I especially like the added crunch that the nuts give it.

Protein Bread

This week, I thought I'd try the bread version of my previously blogged about protein pancakes. What I ended up with was pretty darn tasty, but I added too much baking... powder or soda, I'm not sure which. The following is the adjusted recipe I will try next time I make it.

This is going to be a GREAT bread replacement at Easter brunch tomorrow!

1/2 c. whey protein powder (I used Advocare Muscle Gain)
2 T. oats
1/4 c. rolled spelt (you could use barley or even rye)
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 c. coconut flour
1/4 c. golden ground flax seed

1/2 c. mashed white fleshed sweet potato with skin
1 c. unsweetened almond milk (I used Trader Joe's Almond Smooth unsweetened vanilla)
1 c. egg whites

1. Preheat oven to 325 and prep a bread pan with whatever you use to keep things from sticking.
2. mix dry ingredients in a bowl 
3. I use a small food processor to mash the cooked sweet potato. I add just enough almond milk to make it creamy. Once the sweet potato is thoroughly mashed, add the rest of the almond milk and the egg whites and mix or pulse to combine.
4. Combine wet into the dry and mix thoroughly and quickly. Pour it in the pan and get it in the oven immediately.
5. Bake 35-40 min.

Protein Pancakes

I peruse a lot of websites and blogs in my quest for the latest health, nutrition and fitness information. I recently ran across a 'protein bread' recipe and was going to give it a shot, but I was missing a few key ingredients, so I made some substitutions and voila! I now have a go-to pancake recipe for when my husband begs for pancakes. In the past, when he's asked for pancakes, I roll my eyes because they are usually waaaay off my diet. These, however, fit RIGHT in and although I wouldn't want to make these every day, they're a great choice for the week-ends and especially today, as I can pack them up and take them on our hike with us. I added mini chocolate chips to them today, just because I had a few (maybe 1/4 c). Enjoy!

1/2 c. vanilla whey protein (of course, I used Advocare Muscle Gain)
1 T. oats
1/4 c. rolled spelt
1 t. baking power
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 T. dry peanut butter
1 T. coconut flour
2 T. ground golden flax seed

1/4 c. applesauce
1/2 c. coconut milk

5 egg whites (or 1/2 c. liquid egg white)

Mix the dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients together. Mix the two mixes together (I use a stick blender or a mixer to be sure it's smooth and totally mixed)

If you want to make bread with this mixture, I would recommend adding another Tbsp. of coconut flour. Cook it in a bread pan for 40 min. at 320.

If you want pancakes, put the heat on med-low and wait for the griddle to get good and hot before pouring the batter. Also be sure to lightly spray oil on the pan or you'll have a mess on your hands.

I believe the nutrition count is something like: 

Calories: 73

Fat: 2 g

Carbs: 7 g

Dietary fiber: 1.3 g

Protein: 7.7 g

Quinoa Breakfast Bites

This recipe was inspired by a number of different recipes. I had a 'moment' Tuesday morning - these moments usually result in magickal concoctions, which is why this blog exists. 

So Tuesday morning, I decided to make breakfast bites. To me, Breakfast bites double as late evening snack when I've had supper far to early and I need protein to see me through to a peaceful sleep in the evening. I also have been wanting to have a more portable breakfast, as I usually have to eat my breakfast in three stages - first thing in the morning, so I can keep my morning supplements down, then in the bathroom while I drink my coffee and put my make-up on, and then when I finally get to my desk to start my office work.

Three of these breakfast bites equals about 225 calories and a whopping 24 grams of protien - a good start to the day. It helps if you have leftover quinoa on hand. Otherwise make the quinoa the day before to make this recipe quicker to put together.

12 slices 98% fat free deli sliced ham (or smoked turkey - I've used both)
1/2 c. cooked red quinoa (you can use white if that's what you've got)
1/2 white onion
1 c. chopped swiss chard
1 c. egg whites
4 whole eggs
3T. nutritional yeast
1 t. cumin
1/4 t. chipotle (alternately, you can substitue chili powder and then add a dash of cayenne)
s+p (I use Herbamare and Trader Joe's African Smoke seasoning, but use what you like)

1) Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups - I dip my finger in olive oil and swirl in each cup.
2) Chop the onion. Prep the chard by cutting the main rib out and then chop like celery. Then roll up the chard leaves and thinly slice into ribbons. Set ribbons aside. Saute onion and chard ribs on medium until they start to brown. Add the chard ribbons and the quinoa. Turn off burner, stir to combine and add s+p to taste.
3) Blend or thoroughly beat the egg whites, eggs, yeast, cumin and chipotle. I like to use my stick blender in the cup it came in so I have a pour spout to use.

4) Line each muffin tin with one slice of meat. Be gentle, as you don't want to tear the meat.
5) Add a heaping spoonful of the quinoa and veg mix to each muffin tin.
6) fill each muffin cup with the egg mix.
7) bake for 18-22 min, depending on your oven's reliability.

Each breakfast bite is 75 calories, contains 3 g fat and 8 g protein.

Optional add-ons: Add a small dollop of chevre to each cup and top with a thin slice of plum tomato. finish with a couple diagonally sliced pieces of green onion. Now it's a gourmet dish!

In search of the perfect energy bar

As many of you know, I've been working on perfecting the Perfect Energy Bar recipe for the better part of the summer. It's autumn now, and I think I'm getting closer. A big thank you to Matt at www.nomeatathlete.com for the matrix that is the basis for most of my experiments.

Of course 'perfect' all depends on your own personal tastes and moods, but this is what I came up with today:

• ½ cup red lentils, cooked in 1 c. water
• ½ cup, packed pitted dates
• ½ cup PB2
• ½ t. stevia sweetener (or equivalent - I used 40 drops of Sweet Leaf Vanilla Creme)
• 1 t. of almond extract
• ¼ t. allspice
• ¼ t. ginger
• ½ t. cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 ½ cups of rolled spelt
• 1-1¼ cup hemp protein powder
• ½-1 cup water
• ¼ cup brewer's yeast
• ½ cup stir-in currants
• ½  cup mini-chocolate chips

1. In a food processor, process the dates until they're small and mushy.
2. Add each of the following one at a time: beans, then binder, stevia, extract, spice, and salt until smooth.
3. Add the oats and dry base ingredients and pulse just to combine.   If the consistency seems spreadable, you’re good.  If it’s too dry, add 1/4 cup of water; if it’s too runny, add an 1/4 cup of the protein powder.
4. Add stir-ins and pulse again just to combine. 
5. You can either form 12-15 mini bars or you can spread mixture into a greased 13×9 pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, less if you cook in the bar form, more if you're using the pan method

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