Avocado Pie

I have never baked in my life and there's a reason. Actually, there are two reasons. For one I don't have a sweet tooth and what's the point of putting all that time and energy into making something you're not excited about eating? And two, even if I DID have a sweet tooth, I don't have the patience or precision that baking requires. You will notice that I often take liberties with my recipes e.g. "the recipe called for 2 tbsp but I used three" or "the recipe said to cook it for 15 mins but I cooked it for 20." There is no place for these types of executive decisions in baking and for that reason baking has never interested me (much to my mother's dismay.)

Tastier than it looks

Enter the avocado pie. I saw it on pinterest months ago and immediately wanted to take a bite. But as that would require baking it was never going to happen. Then my mom asked what I wanted to bring to Thanksgiving dinner this year. Of course she was signed up for every pie known to man....every pie but avocado:)

Last night was my trial run. Ten or fifteen minutes into crushing the gingersnaps I thought "this is why I don't bake! Ugh!" But the finished product was exactly what I was hoping for. 

Between the gingersnaps and whipped topping I consumed more sugar than I have in months. But I was able to feel good about myself for also having consumed one of the best sources of monounsaturated fat (good for the heart), antioxidants (prevent aging symptoms) and dietary fiber (as much as a piece of bread!) So if you want to end your evening with something that both tastes good and does a body good (and you don't mind crushing gingersnaps) I highly recommend this pie:)

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 1/2 cup ginger snaps, crushed

6 tablespoons butter, melted

Avocado Filling:

1 1/2 cup canned coconut milk (not light)

2 tsp (1 envelope) unflavored gelatin

3 large, ripe avocados

1/2 cup mint leaves

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Topping:

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 tbsp granulated sugar

Lime zest and mint leaves for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ginger snap crumbs and butter in a large bowl. Then press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9" pie pan. Bake for 15 minutes and then remove and allow to cool completely.

Open the can of coconut milk - do not shake it! The cream will have settled on the top. Spoon it out and set aside for the next step. Put 1/2 cup of the coconut milk liquid in a medium saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and allow it to sit for 2 minutes. Then place over medium high heat and warm the liquid and gelatin until the gelatin has dissolved (do not stir). Remove from heat.

In a large blender, combine: gelatin mixture, remaining coconut milk and cream from the top of the milk, avocados (pitted and skinned), mint leaves, lime juice, zest, sugar and salt. Blend on high until very smooth. Pour into cooled pie shell. Cover and refrigerate at least two hours.

Right before serving the pie, combine whipping cream and sugar. Whip with a hand mixer into whipped cream. Spread whipped cream over the top of the pie and garnish with lime zest and mint leaves.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

One thing I craved during my break from grain was pancakes. I thought I would go a little nuts at my favorite breakfast spot once I reintroduced grain into my diet but instead I ordered my usual egg white omelet. Ha. Once you are grain free for a period of time the idea of grain just sounds so heavy and...blah. But I came across this recipe for "Louisiana" sweet potato pancakes and as I am a big advocate of all things sweet potatoes I thought I would give them a shot. (Click here for the health benefits of sweet potatoes as well as a great Thanksgiving Day recipe!)

My batter was a little heavier on sweet potatoes and lighter on flour than the below so yours may not be quite so orange. One drawback of adding extra sweet potatoes is that your pancakes are "gooier" in the center but for me it was worth it!

Ingredients: (serves 4)
6 oz sweet potatoes
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp butter, melted

Directions:
Place sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan of boiling water and cooke until tender but firm, about 15 minutes (I cooked mine 20-25.) Drain, and immediately immerse in cold water to loosen skins. Drain, remove skins, chop and mash.
In a medium bowl, sift together flous, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Mix mashed sweet potatoes, eggs, milk and butter in a separated medium bowl. Blend sweet potato mixture into the flour mixture to form a batter.
Preheat a lightly greased griddle over medium high heat. Drop batter mixture onto the prepared griddle by heaping tablespoonfuls and cook until golden brown, turning once with a spatulat when the surface begins to bubble.

Beet Bourguignon

When my mom was in town recently I thought I would impress her with one of my delicious home cooked meals. Never mind that she doesn't like beets because I LOVE them (a trait that she "blames" on my Polish father.) But much to my very surprised delight she devoured this meal even commenting on how wonderful the beets were! (She did however eat around the mushrooms. Sigh. Is this what it feels like to be the mother of a picky eater?)

Now that fall is officially here and the wedding is over (which means I can join all of you in rooting for cold weather) it's time for some comfort food. But unlike mac n cheese this dish won't require "comfortable" clothes.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 small raw beets (no need to "cheat" and get cooked/canned for this one)
4 medium carrots, sliced into large pieces
2 sprigs thyme
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup red wine
2 cups vegetable stock
3 bay leaves
2 portobello mushrooms, cubed
10 crimini mushrooms sliced in half
sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron pot over medium heat. Stir in 1 onion and garlic, saute until soft. Toss beets, carrots, thyme, and salt and pepper into the pan, cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomato paste, red wine, vegetable stock and bay leaves, let simmer on low heat for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan and cook the mushrooms and 1/2 onion, stirring occasionally until onions brown. To finish the stew add mushrooms and onions and simmer for 10 more minutes. Garnish with fresh thyme.

Post Wedding Thai Curry

Sorry for the hiatus. Wedding planning had me eating take-out for two weeks (gasp!) Luckily I live in la so it was easy to stay grain free. I even indulged in a lettuce wrapped cheesburger from Five Guys;)

The grain free experiment was a huge success. I felt like I could eat more of the things I love (cheese, deli meat, wine) as long as I didn't eat any bread, pasta, rice, tortillas etc. I easily maintained my 125 lb weight and even developed sixpack-like abs without doing a situp. I am so happy with the results that I have decided to stay low grain, eating one serving or less per day of the above mentioned items.

To commemorate my return to the kitchen I decided to cook Thai Curry. I'm not typically a fan of Thai food. In fact, my "husband" would say that's an understatement. But since he loves it and I've been dying for some pasta this recipe seemed like a great compromise. And it did not disappoint:)

Ingredients:
1 bag Pad Thai noodles
(I used Pappardelle egg noodles from Trader Joes)
1 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 large egg plant cut into bite size pieces
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into cubes
1 cup coconut milk
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
coconut oil
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce, 1 tbsp red or green thai curry


Directions:
The directions don't call for the eggplant or sweet potato to be precooked but I chose to do so to soften them up a little. For the egg plant I cut into 1/2 inch thick slices, sprayed with olive oil, and grilled for a few minutes on each side. For the sweet potato I placed on aluminum foil and cooked on 350 degrees for 15 mins.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook noodles until done. Rinse and set aside.

In a skillet combine coconut oil, onions, garlic and thai curry sauce and cook until onions begin to brown. Add egg plant, sweet potato and red pepper and cook for several minutes. Add coconut milk, soy sauce and diced tomatoes with juice. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and let sit for 10 minutes. Add noodles and mix. Garnish with cilantro or basil.

Spaghetti Squash with Pumpkin and Sausage

A few months ago the display went out on my microwave. Upon further investigation I discovered that it wasn't just the display that had shorted out, it was the entire microwave. My first instinct was of course to buy a new one. But once I thought about it I couldn't remember the last time either Dave or I had used it. We laughed at the fact that a useless appliance had been taking up so much counter space in our tiny kitchen. Then spaghetti squash season returned :-P

For those of you lucky enough to have a microwave, poke holes in squash(es) and microwave for 10 minutes. Once squash has cooled, cut in half lengthwise, remove seeds and scrape the strands out with a fork and transfer to an extra large bowl. Otherwise cut in half lengthwise, remove seeds, and place cut sides down in 1/2 inch water in a baking pan. Bake on 375 for 40 minutes. Let cool, remove seeds and scrape strands into an extra large bowl.

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage (I used spicy chicken sausage from Trader Joes)
4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
1 med. onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 bay leaf, dried
4-6 sprigs fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup low fat evaporated milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Course salt and black pepper
Romano or Parmigiano cheese for grating

Directions:
Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over med. high heat. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3-5 minutes until the onion is tender.
Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine to half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in evaporated milk. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer mixture 5-10 minutes to thicken sauce.
Transfer spaghetti squash into a large pot. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over the squash. Combine sauce and squash and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves.

Apricot Chicken with Pumpkin Pesto Mash

I just returned from a GORGEOUS weekend in San Francisco where I celebrated my bachelorette party with some of my closest girlfriends. I have been to the city dozens of times in my life and I don't remember it ever being that warm (or that fun, or that big of a blur!) Which made it very hard to return home to cook "fall" recipes. But, alas, nothing can last forever. The weather started to turn last night and today's southern california forecast is calling for rain (gasp!)

The turn in the weather inspired me to search the internet for a squash or pumpkin recipe, preferably something savory, filled with onions and garlic. I got even more than I bargained for when I found this gem which includes all of the above and one of my favorite indulgences...dried apricots.

My only suggestion is to substitute the pumpkin with another squash. The result was delicious and worth it if you have a ton of time on your hands. But if you've ever carved a jack-o-lantern you know how difficult pumpkins are to work with. Also, by time you separate all the seeds and pulp there isn't much meat left. (And the only thing more time consuming than carving one pumpkin would be carving two!)

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
40 g dried apricots (about 6-8)
The meat from one small pumpkin/ large squash deseeded and roughly chopped
2 tsp butter
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 large handfuls baby spinach, stemmed
olive oil spray
4 skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 tbs basil pesto
extra baby spinach leaves to serve

Directions:
Place the apricot in a small heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 10 minutes to soak. Drain.
Cook the pumpkin/squash in a saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes or until soft.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, for 1 minutes or until soft. Add the spinach and cook, stirring for 2 minutes or until the spinach wilts. Add the apricot to the spinach mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
Use a small, sharp knife to cut a horizontal slit in the thickest part of each chicken breast to create a pocket. Divide the apricot mixture evenly among the pockets. Seasons with salt and pepper.
Spray a large non-stick frying pan with olive oil spray. Heat over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes each side or until cooked through. Thickly slice.
Drain the pumpkin and return to the pan. Place over medium heat and stir to remove the excess moisture. Stir in the pesto. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide the mash among serving plates. Top with the chicken. Serve with spinach.

Butternut Squash and Quinoa Casserole

It may still be in the 90s in Los Angeles but I've already transitioned to "fall" foods like pumpkin spice lattes and butternut squash.

Butternut squash contains many of the same health benefits as zucchini even though it is technically a fruit. It is high in fiber which aids in digestion, potassium which is important for bone health, and caretenoids which protect against heart disease. Is is also full of antioxidants which have anti inflammatory effects and can improve conditions such as asthma, arthritis and acne.

As if the health benefits weren't motivation enough, this recipe is a casserole which means less cooking during the week! I'm packing the leftovers for lunch at this very moment...

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 large onion, diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp paprika
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin, divided
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 18-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cups frozen chopped spinach
1 cup quinoa or whole wheat couscous
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt, divided
2 10-12 ounce boxes frozen pureed squash, thawed*
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Heat two tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until tender and browned, 9 to 11 minutes. Add garlic, paprika, 2 tbsp cumin, coriander, cayenne, and allspice and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in chickpeas, tomatoes, spinach, quinoa (or couscous), raisins, water and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
If thawed squash is watery, place in a fine-mesh sieve and gently press to extract excess liquid. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the remaining 1 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp cumin and 1/4 tsp salt.
Transfer chickpea mixture to a baking dish and cover with squash. Cover the dish and bake until steaming hot, about 45 minutes for quinoa (15 mins for couscous). Let cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro if you insist.

*I couldn't find pureed squash at Trader Joes so I bought two fresh butternut squash. I sliced each down the middle vertically, placed cut side down on a slightly greased baking sheet and cooked for 45 minutes at 400 degrees. Once the squash cooled I scooped the meat into a large bowl and used an immersion blender to puree.