My Fathers Daughter - Gwyneth Paltrow

Those close to me know my love for Gwyneth! I personally think she is amazing. Her journey through self discovery has been both public and personal. I am a HUGE fan of her blog, Goop. Gwyneth lives a healthy lifestyle, eating a healthy diet, exercise (with Tracy Anderson) and so on. Watching her father go through pancreatic cancer was another catalyst to her speaking out more about healthy eating.  I loved watching her food journey on Spain on the Road Again, feeling as if I was getting to know her and when she announced her cookbook I was the first person in line to buy it! She has put together a wonderful cookbook with options for vegetarian, vegan, kid-friendly, etc. I seriously just love this woman!

While I like everything in this cookbook here are few highlights from "My Fathers Daughter" and "Spain on the Road Again"

Gwyneth Paltrow's Horchata Recipe

Serves 2
1 cup blanched whole almonds, soaked overnight in 2 cups cold water
1 vanilla bean, split
1/4 cup of sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cayenne pepper
2 cinnamon sticks

Put the almonds and their soaking water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.  Strain through a very fine strainer (discard the solids), and pour the almond milk back into the clean blender. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them to the blender, along with sugar and ground cinnamon; blend well. Pour into two glasses, sprinkle with cayenne, and garnish with cinnamon sticks.

copied from: Spain: A Culinary Road Trip by Mario Batali with Gwyneth Paltrow. HarperCollins. 2008.

Gwyneth Paltrow's No-Fry Fries!

• 2 large russet potatoes (2/3 lb each), peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1. Heat oven to 450°. Cut potatoes in half horizontally; cut each half into 1/3-inch-thick fries and place in a bowl of cold water. Remove from water and dry thoroughly. Toss with oil and sprinkle with salt. Place fries on a cookie sheet. Roast until browned and cooked through, turning occasionally, 25 minutes.

175 calories per serving, 7 g fat (1 g saturated), 27 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein
copied from: My Fathers Daughter by Gwyneth Paltrow. HarperCollins. 2010.

I love reading cookbooks...they are my novels! This one is a must buy for the bookshelf!

Here is the link to Amazon: My Fathers Daughter

Sarah's A Fan!

I discovered this new blog while on Pinterest (of course) and I love it!

Marcus Samuelsson - I have seen him on shows such as Anthony Bourdain. He is a famous chef in New York City. I love that he has a blog. He post recipes, fun interesting facts about food and nutrition.

Viva Espana!

Appetizer

Piquillo Peppers and Manchego Cheese

Dinner

One of my favorite Spanish dishes is Paella! I love everything about it and have gotten quite good at making it in various ways.  Along with being a fan of all things Italian! I am in love with Spanish food. Someday I will go to Spain and learn how to cook (and then swing down to Italy)! I think what I love the most is their fresh ingredients, a little difficult here in Fort Collins. 

I took this from one of my favorite cookbooks; Spain on the Road Again! Yummers! This is so good!I purchased a paella pan and use it often. You don't have to have a paella pan to make paella either.

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 10 to 12 large scampi or prawns
• 1 medium Spanish onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 1/2 cup pureed ripe tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1 tablespoon sweet pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika)
• 1 pound cleaned calamari (I skip the tentacles), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 quarts Fish/Veggie or Chicken Stock
• 2 cups Bomba rice
• 1 pound lobster
• 1 pound Manila clams, scrubbed
• 1 pound of mussels

PHeat a 14- to 18-inch paella pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until smoking. Add the scampi and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add the onion to the pan and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato puree, stirring it into the onions, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the salt, saffron, pimentón, and calamari and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until the calamari firms up slightly. Add the stock, bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir well to distribute it evenly. Add lobster, mussels and clams, arranging them in nicely, bring the stock back to a boil, and cook, without stirring, for 10 minutes. Reintroduce shrimp to paella, taste for salt and add it if needed, then cook, again without stirring, for 10-15 more minutes, or until the liquid is almost completely absorbed and the pan starts to make a crackling noise (don’t worry, this is what you want). Remove from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Dessert

For dessert I made a traditional Spanish dessert I found online. I have attached the link! It was sooo yummy! I am actually surprised they made it to the dishes as Jeremy and I were having spoon fulls hot off the stove!


Crema Catalana

As much as Jeremy and I strive to be local, organic, etc...it is hard when you love certain food! However, the dessert we used our own eggs, local milk, organic everything else. The paella the onion is local (farmers market) and homemade stock. You can't win them all...but you can try to win most of them!

Forks Over Knives and Rambling Thoughts

I recently went to see Forks Over Knives at Whole Foods with my good friend Malini.  It was a great movie and I recommend everyone to watch it. As someone who is avidly striving to live a healthy lifestyle, I am open to differenct opinions in regards to what we put in out bodies.  There are so many diets out there right now;

• The Paleo Diet
• The Blood Type Diet
• Dr. Dean Ornish Diet - I actually did this one and it worked! Hard to sustain but good.
• Plant-Based Diet 
• Vegetarian Diet

I could go on and on because I haven't even spoken about the famous 10 Diets. I swear if you look hard enough there is a ton of stuff written and successful in regards how to eat to live. I do believe it is personal to everyone and what works for each individual person.

I am attaching a link about Forks Over Knives and I appreciated the approach on the whole foods, plant-based diet. I do think that we have become lazy as a society as we need immediate gratification on everything, including food.  If both parents are working, kids are in sports, school, etc. it can be difficult. I mean let's face it, there are very few families that have time. I think it is great that everyone is writing all these books but nobody is helping/teaching people HOW to do it.  These authors are showing people recipes and exercise but we are asking people to change habits and that can take a lot of work.  We need to teach people HOW and make it EASY for them and people will change.  There will be a time when Lays Potato Chips will be $5 a bag and broccoli .79 cents. Jeremy and I have incorporated this philosophy into our weekly diet for years and have invested a lot of time and money into living this way (sidenote from Jeremy: he loves Lay's Sour Cream & Onion Potato Chips and hopes they never reach $5 a bag!). 

While I believe very strongly after reading about plant based-whole food diets, I also believe that animal protein is good in moderation AND it depends how that animal lived (but that is my personal opinion).  I know it can be expensive to shop for groceries at specialty shops but if you are going to the Wal-Marts and Sams Clubs you probably are eating factory farmed meat, make sure to get organic soy products, as most commercial soy beans today are genetically engineered to feed cows.mass-produced food that has a lot of chemicals in it. I eat a steak every once in awhile but the cow is grass fed. I will eat chicken from Jodar Farms or soon to be my own chickens, I think that you get my point.

Being a gardener, chicken farmer and huge supporter of eating local. I am a HUGE Joel Salatin fan and believe we can eat healthy as long as we know what we are putting in our bodies and where our food comes from. It can take a lot of work, investing in your groceries is like investing in stock. Here are a few things I do in my daily life:

• Be smart about how you shop.  
• Read labels. 
• Read cookbooks 
• Know your meat/fish (if you choose to eat meat). How did that animal live? How was this fish caught?
• If  you are going to be a vegetarian/vegan, take a cooking class and learn new and fun ways to make different types of food. Indian and Asian foods are super good and have a lot of vegan/vegetarian options. I am especially on a kick learning to make Indian food!

Here are some fun reading materials to check out that Jeremy and I have enjoyed:

• Feeding the Whole Family - I purchased this book a year or so ago and enjoy the recipes
• The China Study
• Animal, Vegetable Miracle
• Omnivore's Dilemma
• Farm City - This is just a cute fun read
• McDougall Quick and Easy Cookbook  - great cookbook
• Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World 
• The Backyard Homestead

I have also been loving my IPhone and my new favorite app is "How to Eat Everything Vegetarian" by Mark Bittman! Seriously just plug stuff in and WHAM! You have yourself a meal. 

Peace and Love

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

I have been wanting to figure out a homemade enchilada sauce for awhile and FINALLY made a good one last night!

1 - 14.5 oz can of Muir Glen Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilis
2 Tbsp of chili powder - or more. I played depending on taste.
2 Tbsp of Garlic Powder -or more. I played depending on taste.
2 tsp of Cayenne or Roasted Jalapeno (my favorite)
Salt and Pepper
2 cups of water
Few pinches of Cumin - can't remember how much I used.
1 cup of water and enough flour to make a thickening agent. You can add or take away as you see fit.
1/4 c. or more of Roasted Green Chilis
2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.


I slowly heated then blended together with an Immersion Blender. Of course I didn't stay on course 100% with the recipe but it was good! Plus, it wasn't processed!!!!!!!! Yeah! Now you can double the recipe for a larger batch!

Butternut and Pumpkin Soup

This is one of my favorite fall/winter soups! It is just so velvety and yummy!

1 butternut squash
1 pumpkin - sugar pumpkin preferred
Vegetable stock
Maple Syrup
1 cup of milk
Cayenne
Grated ginger- god I am in love with fresh grated ginger!
Roasted garlic - I usually roast for about an hour with the pumpkin and butternut squash!
Salt and pepper
Greek yogurt - if to spicy to cool it down

Here is a quick and easy way to make this yummy soup for an evening dinner. I turn the oven to 450 degrees. Slice the squash and pumpkin in half taking out the seeds. Then place in oven with olive oil and roast for about an hour. I put aluminum foil on the cookie sheet and over the top of the squash and pumpkin.

Once soft pull out of oven and scoop out all the goodness. Roasting it makes the pumpkin skin easier to peel. Place in a pot and add all the other ingredients to liking and blend with an immersion blender. Feel free to play with the flavors. Cook til warm and serve!

Peace and Love,

Carrot Soup - A Summer Favorite!

I made this soup earlier this summer and my mom #2, Kathy...Loved it so much she has been begging me for the recipe. It took a lot of digging but I found the recipe again! This soup once made needs to be put in the refrigerator. It is sooo good cold! It makes a great mid-day snack or healthy dinner option.

• 1lb of carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 potato, chopped into chunks (with the skin on)
• 5 cups of vegetable stock
• 2 celery, (with leaves? all the more better)
• 1 cup low fat buttermilk or Greek yogurt. I used Greek yogurt.
• 1 leek white and tender green parts only, coarsely chopped
• 1 onion, chopped roughly
• 3 to 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• pinch of saffron
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp of cayenne

1. In a large pot, combine the stock with the carrots, celery, onion, leek, potato, cumin, paprika and cayenne and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor, then return to the pot. Stir in the buttermilk and season with salt and pepper. Reheat gently. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Notes One Serving 115 calories, 1.0 gm total fat, 0.5 gm saturated fat, 18 gm carb

Here is the website I found this Spicy Carrot Soup.

Day 3

Well I am nursing some seriously wicked injuries to my shins and ankles from skiing...I guess the stress fracture isn't totally cured.  One thing I am thankful for is my gym pass and that my gym has a pool! Master swim here I come tonight. One thing that I like is that it is a one hour class, so nice and I love the structure.


Eating healthy is an important part of our everyday diet. I made a soup that is healthy AND hearty.


Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup

2 teaspoons Earth Balance sticks

1 cup chopped carrot  

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped cremini mushrooms

1/4 cup of chopped shallots

1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary and thyme.

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 (16-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups chopped smoked turkey breast (1/2 pound)

1 cup uncooked wild rice

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 3/4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

3 tablespoons Madiera

Salt and Pepper to taste

Pinch of ground cayenne.  

1. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add carrot and next 5 ingredients (carrot through garlic). Sauté 8 minutes or until browned. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in turkey and rice; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and 15 minutes or until rice is tender.
2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and milk in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add to pan. Cook over medium heat until thick (about 8 minutes), stirring frequently. Stir in Madiera and salt.

I would double this recipe in the future so I can have more leftovers to freeze!

I got this recipe from Cooking Light (favorite magazine) and modified it a bit. Just click on this link...Cooking Light.

Wheat Berries!!!

Oh I have seriously found a new love...wheat berries! They are fantastic!  There is so much that you can make with them or add them too.  Especially for someone like me who is always looking for ways to add more fiber to my diet.

There is so many benefits to our health from eating wheat berries. Of course, wheat often gets a bit of a bad rap in the U.S. This is, no doubt, partly due to the fact that Americans need to lose weight more than they need to gain weight. But there are other factors at play as well. “The fact that people have greatly overeaten refined and rancid wheat products that have been genetically altered for smut resistance continuously since 1926, partly explains the many common allergies to this vital food.” (Zachary Shahan). 

Here are the top three reasons to eat wheat berries!

1. They are an excellent source of dietary fiber.
2. Lots of protein
3. Essential vitamins, such as; potassium, calcium, iron and vitamin E to name a few.

Here is a site that can provide you more health benefit information about wheat berries.

I found this fantastic recipe (click here) and enjoy! 

Roasted Revolution

Roasted Revolution

It has been awhile since my last post and I must apologize. I am usually really good but with traveling I had no access to internet this time and it was a blessing! It felt great to cut off from civilization! However, coming back after the Thanksgiving holiday I have so much to write about so there will be no shortages of interesting blogging.  I must talk about one of my favorite cooking techniques in the fall and winter which is roasted veggies. I LOVE it!

I have discovered a lot of different veggies that are excellent roasted and a lot of different and unique veggies!  Some of my favorite roasted vegetables are carrots, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, turnips, rutabaga, beets, winter squash, parsnips, bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, and more.  The process of roasting brings out the natural sweetness in vegetables and intensifies their natural flavors. Roasted garlic is another perfect example. While raw garlic is pungent, roasted garlic has a sweeter, milder flavor. You might be hard pressed to choke down a clove of raw garlic, but you can spread six cloves of roasted garlic over a slice of bread as you would butter.

Cooking:
I usually roast my vegetables in the oven from between 400 to 450 degrees.  I like to line my pan with tin foil (sometimes) just to not totally destroy my pans. I will roast anywhere from 20 minutes up to an hour.  Beets are the only vegetable that I cook differently. I typically wash the whole beet and then skin on will wrap in tinfoil then place in oven and let roast for about an hour. When they are done the skin peels off so nicely.

 Peace and Love...Happy Roasting!

My Mothers Chicken Noodle Soup...Organic Version!

I grew up in Minnesota where the winters are brutal and soups were an essential part of growing up when I came in from the cold. My mother had a variety of soups she made: split pea, ham and bean, and her resident favorite, chicken noodle! I loved it and always craved it - even when I moved away. However, her secret ingredient was Wyler's Bouillon Cubes. Now I am sure they are fine for some people (and the broth was good) but I looked on the back of the jar a few years ago and didn't recognize a single ingredient! It was all a bunch of chemicals. Since then I have been on a journey to create my own chicken noodle soup broth.  To be honest, I have seriously struggled with flavor when using a chicken carcus.  The flavor just wasn't there...something was missing and no, it wasn't the sodium.  Plus sometimes you just want chicken noodle soup fast...let's face it!
Recently, at Whole Foods I discovered Organic Better then Bouillon Chicken Base and it is great!!! I recognize all the ingredients and the only slightly bad one is Maltodextrin. I found this great website on Maltodextrin for you to check out and decide for yourself. However, for me it was such a sweet find! I really enjoy that there is something out there for quick and easy chicken noodle soup or whatever and whenever else you need to add some chicken base.

Mothers Chicken Noodle Soup:

• 1lbs of sliced carrots! Yes I said it and sometimes I add more. I love carrots in my soup
• Diced onion. I use about 1/2 a medium sweet onion
• 2 or 4 sliced celery stalks
• Better the Bouillon Chicken Base (I just used what it told me to on the back of the jar)
• In the winter I always make either Chicken Tortilla Soup or Chicken Noodle with the left over chicken from when I do a slow cooked chicken.
• Pepper to taste
• Parsley

I am just letting the whole mess slow cook all day until the carrots are tender. You can use whichever noodles you prefer. Here are my mothers favorite: 

Mrs. Weiss' Kluski Noodles





and Jeremy and I recently purchased Manischewitz Noodles!

So now you can enjoy fast chicken noodle soup without all the guilt.  Especially if you don't want to take the time to prepare stock from scratch, because let's face it...we have busy lives!

Peace and Love