Pumpkin Spice Cashew Coconut Butter

Here we go again. More #pumpkinspice. I promise I won't get too outta control this season. But I was inspired by saving money and not buying the @youfreshnaturals nut/coconut butter...and I totally nailed it. Here it goes:

1 cup roasted/salted cashews (with the dates and the salt on here, it gets a sorta caramel flavor)
1.5 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
4 pitted dates
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground clove

Start with the coconut. Toss it in the vitamix and butter it. If you haven't buttered coconut before, be patient. You're going to have to crank up the engine on the vitamix (or whatever super high speed food processor you have), and let it ride out for a while. When it is super smooth, add the cashews, dates, and spices (feel free to add/subtract spices per your taste preference). Let it go some more. Timing on this is really up to you. I like my nut butters extremely smooth, so I go until I nearly overheat my engine. But do what you please for your desired texture.

This stuff is good. I may try to add some protein next time...not sure yet, because I don't want to taint this deliciousness.

(Paleo) Apple Cinnamon Raisin Muffins

'tis the season. Yes, 'tis the season for an abundance of apples. Peaches are less sweet and becoming more scarce...but the farmers markets are boomin' with apples galore! Partner this piece of seasonal evolution with my buddy Matt seeking some sweet "cake-like" treats that won't hinder his stellar CrossFit performance. He didn't want paleo, but they ended up being paleo anyways. Go figure. Here we go.....

Apple Cinnamon Raisin Muffins

3/4 cup sifted coconut flour
6 eggs
3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
handful of raisins
1/2 peeled, diced apple

Preheat your oven to 350 (surprise, surprise). I used my silicone muffin "tin," so no greasing needed. Mix all dry ingredients in one big bowl and whisk together. Grab another small bowl and mix all of the wet ingredients (sans raisins and apple). Mix in the wet mixture with your dry mixture. Whisk/stir until there are no lumps. If you're not familiar with baking with coconut flour, the texture may seem kind of weird. It's kind of thick, quite stiff, and spoonable. Go ahead and mix in your raisins and diced apple (feel free to get creative here...currants, nuts, etc). Evenly distribute into your muffin cups, and bake for 25-30 minutes. I checked mine at 25, and they were still not quite ready, so I gave them another 2-3 minutes. Just keep an eye on them, and when they're browning slightly, and you can toothpick test them, you're good!

Share this season with all of your paleo (and even non-paleo) friends! Simple, minimal ingredients, and delish! #sharethewealth

Paleo Pumpkin Bars

Yes, 'tis the season...for the infamous #psl (and all of the artificial cancerous caramel color it contains)...and pumpkin EVERY-thaaaang. I decided to get creative last night and make some pumpkin bars...until, to my surprise, Whole Foods was literally completely OUT of canned pumpkin. Whaaaa? Too many chickees must be high on this pumpkin bandwagon. Was I gonna let that stop me? No sir. How about a kabocha/butternut bar? #giveittome. They turned out fabulous....and today I decided to give it a shot with a different crust, mostly because I want to bring a client of mine a treat to tomorrow's session....and she's got major nut allergies.

Filling
1 1/2 cups of whatever kind of squash you want
1/4 cup coconut milk (or lite...it works just fine too)
2 eggs
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp clove
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg


Crust Option 1:
10 pitted dates
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup pistachios
1/3 cup walnuts
1 Tbsp water
sprinkle of salt

*blend all together until a paste is created

Crust Option 2:
10 pitted dates
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup cashews
1/3 cup pistachios
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 Tbsp water
sprinkle of salt

*blend all together until a paste is created


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Blend all of your crust ingredients together (yay Vitamix!). Remove and spread evenly over a greased (coconut oil and/or parchment paper lined) 8x8 baking dish. Clean the blender thoroughly, then add in all of your filling ingredients, and let 'er rip until it is nice and smooth. Pour Filling over your crust, spread evenly over your crust. Put in the oven and bake 35-40 minutes, or until firm (go ahead and use the toothpick method, making sure it comes out clean).
Here's the tough part...COOL COMPLETELY! Be patient. I set mine, in the baking dish, on the cooling rack for about 30 minutes. Then, removed, cut, and let continue to cool a bit longer. Quite delicious!

PS you can also make the filling alone,
put it in a single serving dish of your choice, and
make a delicious custard for yourself as well.
I looooove a personal dessert dish

Mini Meatloaf Muffins ... mmmmhmmm

Meatloaf is essentially anything you want it to be, right? I never understood the "ummm nah I'm good" that people would seem to communicate if invited over on family meatloaf night. I always thought my mom's meatloaf was pretty bomb. So, in the process of me trying to remove myself from my mundane (yet always delish) crock pot chicken breast, sweet potato, broccoli combo that has been my food prep staple for the past couple of months, I thought I'd knock out some mini meatloves.

Here's how it went down:

3/4 lb. grass fed ground beef
2 tandoori mango chicken sausages, removed from casing
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 slices black forest bacon, diced and browned (optional, but always welcome)
Freshly grated cheese, quantity and type per your tastebuds
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350. Here's the tough part: toss it all in a big bowl and mash that stuff up with your hands. Don't do it too much, as you don't want to make the meat too dense. But just enough to mix it all together. Then...divvy it up into a muffin tin (don't even need to grease it), maybe 3/4 of the way full in each cup. Bake for 25ish minutes, remove, and let cool!

My plan with these bad boys is to grab one of those, and one of my egg white muffins, to take with me every morning for breakfast. #getsome

Egg White Muffins - #breakfastfordayssss

Okay, so many of my clients have gotten random variations of this recipe from me. Why? Because I never do it the same, and it is extremely adaptable...so I'm always encouraging my peeps to make it their own. #claimit

This is how today's version went:

12 eggs (removed 8 yolks...I typically go for a 1:43 or 1:4 egg white:whole egg ratio)
3/4 of a pound fresh sausage (or 3 fresh sausage links, removed from casing)
1-2 slices of black forest bacon
1/4 sweet onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
handful of spinach, shredded up
whatever seasonings you want to add, to taste (this will change for me, depending on the type of sausage I use

Preheat oven to 350. Brown the sausage and bacon on the stovetop until fully cooked, then let cool. Toss everything in a bowl. Mix. Distribute mixture into muffin tin (I strongly recommend investing in a silicone muffin "tin." Nothing will stick to it, and it is incredibly easy to clean. And, probably costs the same as a normal muffin tin, so save yourself the scrubbing). Leave in oven until the muffins are firm. When removed from the oven, immediately remove from the muffin tin so too much condensation doesn't build up around them, and they can cool properly.


I typically grab a couple of these for a snack, breakfast, evening snack, all of the above. So easy to make in mass quantities, you really have zero excuse to make that stop at starbucks for a "protein box" with cheese and peanut butter (ummm...where's the protein?) breakfast. #grabandgo

Vanilla Maple Coconut Butter

There's really nothing easier than this stuff. Well, assuming you've got a Vitamix (or super high power food processor) on hand. What do you need? One ingredient. And then make it your own however you want to.

What you need:

Unsweetened coconut flakes (shredded, large flakes, whatever)...toast them beforehand if you'd like! I'm not specifying a quantity, because it's all about how much you want! I had about 2 cups of medium shreds...and it made about 8 oz of butter

What I added:

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp maple extract

10 drops liquid stevia

Add coconut to Vitamix. Let it run for a few minutes. It'll go from flakes, to getting kind of pasty, to getting a little more liquified. Keep going. Add in your other ingredients (get crazy here! any kind of extract, nuts, cocoa powder, etc)...and crack it up on high for a few minutes. Take a look at it. It'll be getting hot, looking runny...keep going! When you're sufficiently satisfied with the smoothness of it, distribute into jars or whatever container(s) you'd like to store it in! Don't cover yet. Let it sit on the counter to cool off first, then put in the fridge for another day or so before covering, so you're not locking in any condensation.

Be careful....you may want to recruit someone to distribute this to you....or just grab a spoon and get ready to kill the whole batch. No guarantees on the aftermath of that, but it'll be pretty fabulous going down. 

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

So, I used to make this more often back in my strict paleo days. This morning, as I was brainstorming about what to food prep this week, it decided to creep back into my mind...and I decided to run with it. This easily makes a good 5 servings, so I'll be set on one meal for the next several days with this guy. 

my extra went into this awesome mini cast iron
skillet. Worked well for the photo shoot.

Filling:
1 lb. ground turkey breast
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 zucchini, diced
1/4 cup raisins
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste

Sweet potato topping:
1 large sweet potato
2 Tbsp. coconut milk
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350. Heat large skillet on stovetop to medium-high, and add all vegetables, stirring until they sweat down a bit. Add all seasonings, then add ground turkey breast and raisins. Continue cooking until turkey is browned, and there are no excess liquids in the pan. Add mixture to 8x8 baking pan.

To prepare sweet potato topping, peel and roughly chunk your sweet potato, then add to pot with a few inches of boiling water (doesn't have to cover the sweet potato). Cover the pot, and bring heat down to medium-low. When sweet potato cuts easily with a fork, remove from the water (I strained it, to remove as much of the water as possible), and add chunks to Vitamix (or other blender/food processor). Add coconut milk, cinnamon, smoked paprika, and sea salt, and blend until smooth. Let cool for 10-15 minutes, then add egg whites (this will help you get the sweet potatoes to firm up on top of your mixture).

Add sweet potato topping atop of your filling, smoothing out the top, and place in the oven for approx. 25-30 minutes. If you like the top browned, turn the broiler on for an additional 5 minutes, but be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't give you blackened shepherd's pie (not a good look).

This, as "typical" shepherd's pie, is ideal if it is baked in individual serving vessel's...but if that's not possible, the 8x8 pan will do...but beware that it'll get kind of messy when scooping it out! It's worth it though!

Protein Nut Butter...intrigued??

Please don't tell me you fall into the category of those that consider nuts a protein. PLEASE! Look at the nutrition label. What is the "overwhelming" macronutrient (fat, protein, carb) in that can of cashews. Protein? Nope. Try fats. "Good" fats, yes. Although, I'm going to go ahead and recommend to not go buck wild on them because they are "good" fats. So scooping out peanut butter for that afternoon snack might not be a bad idea, but don't consider it a significant protein source. Eat a piece of chicken.

...moving on. So lately I've been seeing a lot of "protein" nut butters, marketed primarily on Instagram. G-Butter, ManBake, p28...basically, different flavors of nut butters, packed with additional goodness, in the form of flax, protein, etc. Right before shelling out $15 (before shipping) to ManBake for some "cookie butter" nut butter, I decided to have a peek at the label, and see if I could make something similar myself. What did I find? Yep...let me go about it the "do it yourself" way. Here's what it's looking like:

finished product! cooling, as it
gets pretty hot from the high speeds!

butter me up!

1 cup raw cashews (or use whatever blend of raw nuts you'd like)
2.5 scoops of protein of choice (I used MusclePharm Mint Chocolate Chip...why? because it had it)
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1 Tbsp chia seeds

Toss it all in the Vitamix (pretty crucial to have a high powered blender or food processor, otherwise it just won't "butter," no matter how much you kill the engine). If it needs to be smoothed out at all, add in a little bit of coconut oil, to create a more creamy texture.

There ya have it! Customized protein nut butter with other healthy goodness....just store in a mason jar! Cost me about $6, if that, and literally took 5 minutes to make.

Teff Ginger Molasses Cookies

Teff?!? Heh? I'll straight up admit that I had zero idea what teff was until recently. And when I learned what it was, I also learned that it is what's used to create injera...the airy pancake-like things that I love eating Ethiopian food with. Then...during a recent trip to Whole Foods, an African woman was sampling some of her cookies...made with teff flour. Whaaaaaat? Of course, I had to taste (sample-master right here)...then proceeded to purchase a container of them. Gotta support local businesses, right?

Of course, the next immediate thought was "why don't I make these? How do I make them? I got this." ...and perused pinterest for a while in search of recipes. So...the following is a bit of my own version of this one I tracked down

Teff Ginger Molasses Cookies

2 cups teff flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup molasses
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup ginger beer
2 tsp tamari
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger

Preheat your oven to 350. Combine all dry ingredients, combine all wet ingredients. Then mix it all up! Drop whatever size cookies you'd like on parchment-lined cookie sheets, and bake for about 12 minutes (if you like them nice and soft!).

These are pretty awesome, if you're into gingerbread! Gluten free, vegan, paleo...sign me up! I'll definitely be making these again.

DIY Quest Bars....yes, please!

So, if you're into fitness and/or health supplements, you're well aware of the existence of the infamous Quest bar. So many incredible flavors to choose from, budding fitness culinary artists figuring out different ways to consume them (quest pop tarts, cookies, cannolis, you name it), and did I mention the cookies 'n cream one?!?! <insert watering mouth>

After PR'ing my squat today, and watching a random Netflix movie...I decided to conjure up my own version of one of my fave afternoon snacks...in the form of my absolute favorite flavor of all time: Mint Chocolate Chip.

I'm not going to sit here and preach about how I've outdone the Quest bar. Please. Not trying to do that. However, if you're in the mood for some DIY snacks, it is definitely worth giving it a go. Cost savings per bar is maybe around 50 cents...but hey, money in the bank is money in the bank.

supplies ready for action

ready, set, consume!

4 scoops of your fave protein powder (I used Muscle Pharm Mint Chocolate Chip)
1/4 cup ground oats
1/4 cup nut butter of choice (I used Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams)
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1/4 cup water (you may or may not use it all)
1 Newman's Own mint chocolate cup, finely chopped
1 Tbsp raw cacao nibs

Mix all dry ingredients together. Slowly add the water until it is fairly sticky (then don't add more!), and all dry ingredients have been incorporated. Then, flatten out onto some parchment paper and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Cut, eat, and store! Should make about 6 bars.

Clearly, my cacao nibs and my mint chocolate cup were the icing on this mint chocolatey cake...so feel free to get creative and create your fave flave!

Here's the approximate nutrition info per bar:

Calories: 189
Fat: 7g
Protein: 20g
Carbs: 12g (5g sugar)

*nomnomnom*

Let's Talk About....

...Cheese, bay-bee. Let's talk about you, and me. Let's talk about all the good things, and the bad things, that may be.

...no? Was I the only one that was tickled by my salt 'n pepa reference?

...anyhoo, I'm going to deviate a bit from mere recipe sharing. Why? Because I had a fabulous cheese experience, that has inspired me to perk up and become inquisitive about cheese and their interesting origins. I've had thoughts of educating myself more on the wondrous art of cheese making in the past, just never really felt like investing the time to get to know my cheeses a bit more personally. But...thanks to gouda reserve...I'm in.

My little heaven at Whole Foods

I often find myself perusing the small basket in the corner of the cheese section at my P Street Whole Foods. You know, the one where they put the odds and ends of cheese that can't really be sold with the rest of their coagulated compadres. See, I'm a "let me taste that" kind of girl...wanting to experience as many flavors, textures, aromas as possible in the things I eat...not necessarily wanting to commit to a large portion of any one of them. <smorgasbords are perfect for me> So I loooove when the little basket at Whole Foods is filled up with various cheeses for me to try. I'll often get one or two per week, trying to remember what I like and don't like, occasionally googling the whereabouts of particular ones that stood out on my palate (and creating no form of actual notes to re-reference either. #colormelazy). But never have I been completely compelled to dedicate some weekly time to cheese discovery.

Without further adieu, here's my first cheese review and knowledge bomb...

GOUDA RESERVE

This cheese is quite hard. At first, I thought it was mislabeled. Gouda, not soft? Won't bend? Huuh? I wouldn't necessarily consider it super hard like a grana padano (my heart belongs to this guy, btw), but just seems like it's been sitting in the fridge too long and lost its moisture. The taste is one-of-a-kind. Strong, tart in its own way, with a bit of a bite. There are interesting crystals inside that crunch while you chew, and if you let it rest in your mouth, it'll slowly become slightly creamy. This leads me to wonder how delicious it'd be shaved onto a warm, tomato soup for garnish. Hmmm....

• Ingredients: Pasteurized cow's milk, salt, cheese culture, animal rennet
• Country of Origin: Holland
• Aged: At least 18 months
• Price: $16.99/lb.
• Verdict: Buy buy buy!! (you won't regret it)

...until next time...

Back at it....with Cinnamon Currant Protein Bars!

Excuse my absence. I know, excuses will likely go in one ear and out the other. So I'll refrain from concocting any creative reasons to beg for your pardon of my slacking off. You're welcome :)

So. I'm staying at my friend @goldiesquats place, watching her little cuddle bug, Tansy. Being the meal prep fanatic that I am, I wanted to make sure I brought my full arsenal of goods, so I wouldn't have to be all up in her kitchen this week. I did my typical slow cooker chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, and broccoli. But I didn't want to keep raiding the local GNC for more and more quest bars (slight addict)....so I thought I'd give a go at making something fun to bring for myself. I recently got some Cellucor Cinnamon Swirl protein....and it is gooooood. I was reminded of loving some cinnamon raisin toast as a kiddo, so I thought I'd create some cinnamon raisin protein bars. The currants came about because I pictured my bars being fairly small, and imagined the raising taking over the whole bar. So...solution? Mini raisins :)

Here we go:

1 cup raw cashew pieces (got them from whole foods, they're cheaper than whole cashews)
3/4 cup organic oats
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
3 scoops Cellucor Cinnamon Swirl protein (or whatever you want, really)
1/4 cup dried currants
1 1/3 cup coconut almond milk (I use blue diamond, but do whatever kind of milk you'd like)
*optional dash of cinnamon if you want!

Cashew pieces go in the vitamix and get chopped pretty finely. Don't go crazy and butter it, just make it like a fairly fine cashew meal. Next, grind up your oats in the vitamix as well. Add all dry ingredients to a big bowl and mix. Then, add in the milk and stir. The mixture should be really sticky. Then, lay out the dough/batter on a parchment lined baking pan, and spread until it is maybe 1/2 inch thick. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes, or until the top is slightly brown, and your big bar is pretty firm. Remove from oven, let cool on a rack for a few minutes, then cut into whatever shapes/sizes you want! Mine made about 12 bars that were about the same size as a quest bar. Yummo.

Paleo Pastelón ... aka Puerto Rican Lasagna

Puerto Ricans are resourceful. And "proud" may be an understatement, for most of us at least. The Italians have lasagna? How 'bout we try to make our own with these delicious bananas we have laying around the island, si? Mom made this growing up. Who knows if I do it the same way...nothing ever seems to be as good as mom's. But here we go!

yea yea, it isn't the most attractive dish, I know ;) We're good lookin'
enough, our food doesn't need to look amazing too!

2 fairly ripe plantains, sliced lengthwise
1 lb ground beef (grass fed, preferably)
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 small can fire roasted tomatoes (or tomato sauce...depending on if you like tomato chunks)
Handful of raisins
1/4 cup red wine
2 Tbsp capers, with juice
6-8 green olives with pimento, sliced, with juice
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
3 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 325F
2. Coat heated skillet (medium to medium high) with olive oil, add onion and peppers. Sauté until onions are translucent. Add garlic and oregano and sauté for another 1 minute.
3. Add ground beef to skillet and brown.
4. As beef is nearly browned, add raisins, capers, olives, tomatoes, and red wine. Stir and allow liquid to significantly reduce.
5. As liquid is reducing, heat another skillet (medium), and lightly spray with coconut/olive oil. Lay plantain slices and allow to cook 2-3 minutes per side, until lightly browned.
6. Lightly grease 8x8 baking pan. Layer plantain slices on the bottom of pan, then fill with meat mixture. Add another layer of plantain over meat.
7. Beat eggs with a little coconut milk (1 Tbsp or so), and pour over meat and plantain. Let settle for 3-5 minutes.
8. Place in oven and bake 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let (almost) completely cool before slicing.

If you don't mind it falling apart a bit, feel free to cut before it cools. But, let me tell ya, it might go all over the place if the eggs haven't cooled enough to hold it together.

Totally paleo, great carb/protein ratio, and is fabulous the next day, day after, etc until it is gone! Delicioso.

Amped Up Butternut

So, we all love some butternut squash soup. What happens when this Paleo chick gets a little bacon crazy with her butternut? The most simple, delicious, butternut squash soup that has ever graced your palate enters reality. Here goes nothin'

1 Butternut Squash, roasted (cut lengthwise, remove seeds, spray with coconut oil, salt/pepper, roast face down)
1 Cup chicken broth
1 Onion
1/2 Red Pepper, roasted
4 Cloves garlic, roasted (keep in skin, toss in the oven for 5 minutes or so, then peel)
3 Slices Black Forest Bacon (I got this stuff at Whole Foods. Use whatever bacon tickles your pickle)
1 Tbsp curry powder

1. While Squash, pepper, and garlic are all busy roasting, rough chop your onion and bacon and sautee in a large saucepan until brown.
2. After squash cools, scoop squash out of skin and add to your onion and bacon mixture. Peel your roasted garlic, and add that in the saucepan along with the roasted red pepper. Add chicken broth (or stock, your choice) and curry powder, simmer for 10-15 minutes, so the squash can absorb some of the other fixins.
3. Once liquid is slightly reduced in your saucepan, transfer everything to your Vitamix (or Ninja, whatever blender works best for you), and let 'er rip! From here, it is really up to you re: the texture you prefer of soups. I like mine not quite pureed, so I don't get to out of control while running the Vitamix.

4. Optional: cook up an additional slice of bacon, cool/drain, and break apart as garnish on your bowls of heaven!

Battle: Paleo Pizza...volume 1

I should preface this post by stating that this is likely the first installation of many future paleo pizza battles. This was initially inspired by my buddy and fellow fitness/foodie freak, LAQ (http://laqfitness.com) who posted her recipe for Paleo BBQ Chicken Pizza. Mind you, paleo pizza is no new phenomenon. "Meatza" is definitely well-known within the paleo community...and is known to satisfy our primal cravings for a round object we can cut wedges out of and eat with our hands. Her post, however, lit a little inspiration fire within me to have yet another throw-down. I decided that yes, I would not only make (my variation, of course...why can't I just stick with the recipe? I'll never know) her version, but also have a little fun with a cauliflower crust as well. Why not, right? What else would I rather be doing on a rainy Friday evening?

Check out the link for LAQ's recipe. My modification was making it a "personal" pizza...and, because of not wanting to get a whole pound of ground chicken...I got 96/4 ground beef (1/4 lb). Pros: hearty, flavor was good. Cons: maybe I didn't use enough egg (tried to do about 1/2 an egg for the 1/4lb of meat), so it wasn't staying circular as I moved it around.

crust vs crust

cauli crust pre-consumption

open up!

Cauliflower crust:
1 cup raw cauliflower
2 cloves garlic
1 egg
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp tomato sauce (whatever you're going to top your pizza with)
1 tsp almond meal
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt
dash of cayenne pepper or red chili flakes

Heat oven to 400 degrees. boil cauliflower and garlic until just tender. drain excess water, place in vitamix. Add egg, cheese, spices, and almond meal and blend until everything is integrated. spread mixture evenly on parchment lined baking sheet. Place on center rack and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until evenly brown and crispy.
Top with your fave toppings. I used mushrooms, roasted peppers, carmelized onion, kalamata olives, bacon, roasted kumato, and goat cheese. Toss back in the oven for about 5 minutes, remove, and enjoy!

As I'm writing this...I'm already looking at other crust ideas. Talk about paleo ADD. Geez. Can't. Get. Enough! :) I don't have an official verdict. Meatza is fabulous and filling...but cauli crust did me right re: feeling like I was eating (very thin crust) pizza. Post-wod....just have both!

Well Hello, Artichoke

Confession. I had never done anything with a fresh artichoke for nearly 30 years of life. Whaaaat? How could this have happened? Well, my theory is that mom must not have liked artichokes, because I'm not sure I even knew what an artichoke was until I started seeing them in salads and on restaurant menus as an adult (I use that term loosely). Thanks to the 2 for $5 sale at whole foods last week...artichoke experimentation began. 3 artichokes, 3 different preps. One hungry CrossFitter.

At about 60 calories a pop, and actually a decent bit of protein considering its a vegetable...these puppies are a win. After pinteresting away for a while, and considering my typical flavor combos...here's what I came up with:
3 - white wine/garlic/lemon

1 - garlic/lemon

2 - balsamic/feta

3 - white wine/garlic/lemon

Cooking method:
Crank the oven up to 400-425 degrees. Cut the top part off, and pull apart leaves to create space so you can shove flavorful goodness in every nook and cranny (thanks to Thomas' English Muffins for that phrase) you can find. Wrap it up in foil, place on baking sheet, and roast for about 40-50 minutes. When you remove from the oven, give it another few minutes wrapped before unleashing the beast.

Results:
One conclusion that I easily made is that wrapping in foil while roasting is a must. Trial #2, although it looks gorgeous...was quite dry, therefore less meaty than #1 and #3. Lesson learned.
Artichoke hearts from fresh artichokes are SOOOO much tastier than anything canned or jarred. So good. Worth it.

Re: flavors. Based on my 3 tests, I'd go with #3, then #1, then #2. I'm wondering what other cheese might work well though. Parm? Goat cheese? I know there are loads of recipes for artichoke dips that are mostly cheese with a bit of artichoke. Regardless, I've got many years ahead to find millions of different ways to make artichokes delicious. Go try some!

Welcome to Grillin' Season! Grilled Zucchini and Sweet Potato "salad"

...props to Megan Mattson, one of my kickass clients...for providing me this recipe! Megan is in the process of getting herself back-in-business, fitness-wise, so she can challenge her brothers to the Mattson vs. Mattson vs. Mattson tennis match of the millennium! Me being me, I (of course) had to make mini revisions before finalizing idea creation:

option #1: no zucchini

Option #2...what happens when there are zucchini
in the fridge calling your name :) 

Grilled Sweet Potato "Salad"

2.5 pounds sweet potatoes
2 Zucchini, cut lengthwise

1/8 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 scallion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped (as per taste preference)

Boil the sweet potatoes for 15 to 30 minutes in salted water and rinse under cold water to cool. Peel potatoes and cut crosswise into ½in. thick slices...

While the potatoes are boiling, whisk together the oil, salt and cumin in a small bowl. Brush oil mixture on both sides of the potato and zucchini slices. Whisk lime juice into remaining oil mixture.

Grill (I used my grillpan! LOVE IT!) potato and zucchini slices to desired doneness (is doneness a word? I can spell it...so I guess so) :) . Transfer to a platter and sprinkle with scallion and cilantro. Drizzle with lime juice mixture and serve!

one fish, two fish, white fish, new fish

"I'm about to be a pain in the ass"... was the prefacing warning I provided Eddie, my fish monger @ the P Street Whole Foods (apparently the highest volume Whole Foods in the company)...on a Saturday afternoon. I can't help it. When I have an interesting idea...I need action! I don't want to just sit around and wait for another time to research whitefish. Luckily, my fish guy is awesome, and got my eight 2-ounce portions of every single whitefish they had in the case. Here's the lineup:

Black Cod
Pacific Cod
Chilean Sea Bass
Tilapia
Trout
Monkfish
Swordfish
Catfish

The mission: learn taste/texture contrast between all of them, with minimal variables involved. Lightly seasoned with s&p, grilled on the grill pan in as natural a state as possible. So, with the assistance of my harp-playing buddy Nadia, the games began.

official setup

grill pans are awesome

My notes are as follows:
Catfish - not very fishy, flaky, thin, dry
Pacific Cod - flaky, fairly dry, not fishy
Black cod - very thick flakes, buttery/oily
Monkfish - dense, not flaky, rather sponge-like, moist (although not oily)
Trout - very flaky, thin, dry but meaty
Tilapia - fairly flaky, but moist. Medium flakes. light fishy flavor
Swordfish - steaklike. good flavor, absorbs salt well (assuming it'll absorb anything quite well). thick
Chilean Sea Bass - Large flakes, buttery, mild flavor

Memorable quotes from Nadia: "I want to make a salad with trout. Something like a chicken salad." "I'll save my opinion on monkfish for later."

Sure, this experience was certainly not to determine a "wishfish winner," but this a competitive society. :) Swordfish took the cake by far. Chilean Sea Bass is way overrated, and trout somewhat underrated. Monkfish won't be found on any future plate of Nadia's, but I may experiment with that ugly duck if I happen to feel frisky.

Recommendations on what to analyze next?

Sweet Potato Hummus Showdown

Confession. I totally fell in love with Soupergirl's sweet potato hummus (For those of you local to DC...she has a store somewhere by the Takoma metro stop, but I catch her at the DuPont farmer's market every Sunday). Silly her, though....for placing an ingredient list on her containers :) People like me will definitely try to duplicate....and one-up :) Here it goes:

roasted sweet potato
tahini
garlic
onion
sweet paprika
olive oil
lemon juice
salt & pepper

Of course, there are plenty of variables here. How much of each? Is the garlic roasted or raw? What about the onions? What kind of sweet potato (which the overall flavor is hiiiiighly dependent on. If the sweet potato isn't very sweet, there's a huge flavor difference, taking you from a sweet-ish dip to fairly savory). And...what does she use to mix everything? Assuming not a Vitamix, as hers has a fair amount of texture to it. Whenever I run mine through the Vitamix, smooth and silky becomes the default.

soupergirl (left), me (right)

Results? Try it yourself. Experiment. I had about an even split on "whose is better?" amongst friends (in a blind taste test, of course :) Want yours a little sweeter? Maybe a dash of cinnamon and a touch of honey? More savory? Load up on the garlic. Even toss in some chickpeas if you want a more "authentic" hummus. Or...you can get really wild and crazy and give Japanese sweet potato a whirl. Check this out:

Beware with the Japanese sweet potato, though. It tends to get rather gummy in hummus form. My next attempt at this will either include more olive oil, or some chickpeas, to smooth out the texture. It was fabulously creamy mashed potatoes while still warm after roasting, but when cooling off...insanely gummy (although still delish!)

choc-o-licious paleo brownies. say whaaaaat?

Over my time being Paleo, I feel that I've attempted countless Paleo brownie recipes. Most have a ton of coconut flour, and end up dense, with your mouth crying for a glass of anything to help wash it down. While searching for a gluten free, nut free, dairy free recipe to bake for an uber generous client couple of mine, I came across this gem. Of course, my freestyle behind couldn't just follow the recipe. I had to add in my flavor (and actually kept the improv to a minimum this time). Check it out:
(original recipe: http://www.healthfulpursuit.com/2012/04/fudge-tastic-brownies-vegan-gluten-free-grain-free-nut-free/)

• ½ cup mashed frozen banana 
• 1 cup sunflower butter (I made my own via tossing a load of sunflower seeds into the Vitamix and lettin 'er rip!)
• 2 tbsp ground chia seeds, mixed with 3 tablespoons water to form a paste
• 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp stevia powder
• 1 Tbsp Tahini
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup cacao powder
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp baking soda 
• ¼ cup chocolate (or carob) chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease an 8×8 baking dish with coconut oil. 
2. In a food processor, combine bananas, sunflower butter and chia seed mix. Process until smooth.
3. Add in coconut oil, honey, stevia, tahini, and vanilla. Again, process until smooth before adding cacao, salt and baking soda. Batter will be really thick, but it is all good! Add in chocolate chips. 
4. Transfer batter into a well greased 8×8 inch Pyrex baking dish and sprinkle with additional chocolate chips.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. 

This stuff is GOOD! It has a slight sunflower taste, but overall the texture and flavor are FAB! :) Enjoy!