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Current obsession: kamut cakes with ricotta and marmalade!

Current Obsession: Pumpkin Butter! 
I got some at the farmers market on Sunday and have been festively gobbling it down all week with plain Greek yogurt.
This delicious spread (which I fully intend using on my cornbread tomorrow) is a great healthier alternative (see: butter [fat], jam [sugar], nut butter [fat]) to your rolls. Not to knock the other spreads, because they all have their place, but while you are slathering your turkey or tofurkey with gravy, putting it to the side of loaded mashed potatoes and stuffing, and topping it all off with a thick slice of pie- do you really need to add more poundage to your meal? I think not.

Anyway, here’s a recipe I conjured up (or I guess more of a list of ingredients). I didn’t put in measurements because everyone has such different preferences. I suppose it’s a guide to help you find your perfect Pumpkin Butter. Do everything to taste- start with small quantities of all your spices and the maple syrup and work your way up.

Ingredients:
Pumpkin Puree
Maple Syrup
Ground Cinnamon
Ground Ginger
Cardamom
Ground Cloves
Ground Nutmeg
Vanilla Extract (or better yet- vanilla beans if you have them)

Apple Juice

Instructions:
Mix everything but the apple juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Slowly add the apple juice, CONSTANTLY TASTING. Depending on the apple juice, you may only need a little. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer until it darkens and thickens. Let cool, or enjoy! Just don’t burn your tongue.

Suggested Pairings:
Yogurt
Cornbread (or any kind of bread, for that matter)
Rice Cakes/Crackers
Ice Cream
Fruit
Tofurkey/Turkey/Meats/Fake Meats
Granola

Hope everyone has a happy holiday, and doesn’t stuff themselves too silly.

To Good Health,
J 

EDIT!
I tried this with a little Satsuma zest and it is MAGNIFICENT! 

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My happy fridge freshly cleaned out and re-stocked from the Brentwood (Los Angeles) farmers market!

Roll Call:

Top Shelf: Brita pitcher, greens superfood (for smoothies), raw cacao, miso, pumpkin butter, lemon artichoke tapenade (I really hesitate on buying the pre-made foods usually but this is SO amazing), sesame seeds from Surfas (great gourmet cook shop), earth balance, heirloom tomato from my mother’s garden.

Middle Shelf + Drawer: Happy Cow cheese, gruyere, celery Bottom Drawers: 1 bag white button mushrooms, 1 bag cremini mushrooms, 1 bag bearstooth mushroom (first time trying), broccoli, carrots, Dino kale, holiday pluots, satsumas, Fuji apples, oro blanco grapefruit, passionfruit.

I’m hoping to make some mushroom soup this week for my pre-thanksgiving meals. It’s been soup weather here!

Vegan Thanksgiving

Chloe Coscarelli’s
Harvest-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

This hearty Thanksgiving entree is made of savory lentil cashew stuffing baked in juicy portobello mushrooms infused with aromatic herbs. It’s topped off with a sliver of sweet tomato and fresh thyme leaves. This dish is packed with protein and fiber and will hold its own on the Thanksgiving table.

1 large yellow onion, small dice
1 cup cashews
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cooked brown rice (or grain of choice)
1 can lentils, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves plus extra for garnish
6 portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed
1 tomato, sliced in thin rounds
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In large skillet, sauté the onions and cashews with 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and sauté until onions are soft and lightly browned. Add garlic and let cook a few more minutes.

3. In a large bowl combine onion mixture, brown rice, lentils, breadcrumbs, vegetable broth, basil and thyme. Mix together and season to taste with salt and pepper. (The stuffing can be made up to three days in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator.)

4. Brush both sides of mushroom caps lightly with olive oil and place top-side down on an oiled sheet pan. Stuff mushrooms with about 1/2 cup lentil cashew stuffing, then press one tomato slice on top of the stuffing. (The mushrooms can be stuffed and assembled on a baking tray the day before you plan to bake and serve them.)

5. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until the stuffing is browned and the mushroom begins releasing juices. Garnish with extra fresh thyme leaves.

Yield: Serves 6.

Chloe Coscarelli’s
Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Toasted Hazelnuts

The brussels sprouts are roasted at a high heat to bring out the natural sugars and caramelize the edges, then tossed with toasty hazelnuts and a kick of maple syrup.

1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon (or 10 grinds) black pepper
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. To prepare the brussels sprouts, remove any yellow or brown outer leaves, cut off the stems and cut in half.

3. In a large bowl, toss the brussels sprouts, olive oil, salt and pepper together. Once all of the brussels sprouts are coated in oil, spread them into a 9-by-13-inch (or larger) baking dish or sheet tray to roast. Note: You may want to line your sheet tray with foil for easy cleanup because the caramelizing process leaves a sticky residue.

4. After 15 minutes, stir the brussels sprouts with a spatula or large spoon to even out the browning. After 30 minutes, stir in the maple syrup. (Steps 1 through 4 can be done a day in advance; store covered in the refrigerator. Continue with Steps 5 and 6 right before serving.)

5. Continue to roast the brussels sprouts for about 15 more minutes, or until they are fork tender (about 45 minutes total roasting time).

6. Toss the roasted brussels sprouts with the hazelnuts and devour!

Yield: Serves 6.

Chloe Coscarelli’s
Chocolate-Pumpkin Bread Pudding

This warm pumpkin bread pudding has a dash of spice and is studded with chocolate chips. It’s a rich and creamy dessert that’s free of dairy and eggs but will leave everyone feeling indulged.

1 cup coconut milk
1 15 ounce can organic pumpkin
1/2 cup brown sugar (can use maple syrup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
10 cups cubed day-old bread of your choice (about 10 to 12 slices of sandwich bread, depending on the thickness of slices)
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (Guittard and Ghirardelli are among those that are nondairy)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 14 4-ounce ramekins (single-serving ceramic dishes) or a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish.

2. In a blender, process coconut milk, pumpkin, brown sugar, salt and spices until smooth. In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the pumpkin mixture and chocolate chips until each bread cube is coated.

3. If using ramekins: Evenly sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar into the bottom of each greased ramekin. Fill each ramekin to the top with the mixture and lightly press it down with the back of a spoon. If using a 9-by-13 baking dish: Fill the baking dish with the mixture and lightly press it down with the back of a spoon. Evenly sprinkle about 2 tablespoons brown sugar over the top of the bread pudding. The brown sugar will help the pudding to caramelize on the edges. (Steps 1 through 3 can be done up to three days in advance; store covered in the refrigerator.)

4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until top is lightly browned. If using ramekins: Let the pudding cool a few minutes, then carve around the edges with a knife to loosen and unmold. Garnish with powdered sugar if desired and serve warm. If using a 9-by-13 baking dish: Let the pudding cool a few minutes before serving. Cut into portions, then garnish with powdered sugar if desired and serve warm. The pudding can be baked right before serving or earlier that day and then reheated for 8 to 10 more minutes right before serving.

Yield: Serves 14.

Full Article @ NYTimes

Current obsession: ACV + Apple Juice + Cinnamon + Water

You can try the Bragg’s one, or make it at home! So delisshhhh.

Christopher McDougall's Top 4 Running Tips →

4. Get Naked: The more studies that come about cushioned running shoes, the more overwhelming the evidence that they’re a hindrance at best. Even Alberto Salazar, the great marathoner and Nike-sponsored coach, believes that a barefoot-style foot strike is the key to swift, efficient running. The best way to learn proper running form is to strip down to first principals: shuck your shoes and re-acquaint your feet with planet Earth. Once you’ve mastered barefoot-style form, you’re free to wear any footwear you like. Patrick Sweeney wins marathons in Barefoot Ted’s huaraches, while Emil Zatopek trained big miles in combat boots and did just dandy.

3. Air=good. Earth=Not So Good: The old joke about the guy who leaps off the top of a skyscraper applies to distance running: as he plummets toward the ground, he shouts “OK so far!” You’re fine as long as your foot is in the air; the trouble only starts when you land. So spend as much time aloft as possible by making your footstrikes quick and light. I like to occasionally check my cadence with a four-count (1,2, 3,4…1, 2, 3, 4). I count as each knee comes up, making sure each foot is lifting as quickly as the other.

2. Learn, Don’t Burn: When it comes to learning a new footstrike, less isn’t just more; it’s everything. If you feel your calves burning or your Achilles tightening, you have to back off and re-assess. The problem isn’t a lack of strength; it’s faulty technique. The beautiful thing about minimalist running is that everything means something, so if you try to ignore discomfort and muscle through, those muscles ain’t going to cooperate for long. Stop; take a breather; compare what you were doing to what you should be doing; and try again.

1. To Get Fast, Forget About It: One of the first and most lasting lessons I was taught by Caballo Blanco, the “White Horse” I met in the Copper Canyons, is this: “The problem with most people is they only care about getting fast, and think that once they get fast, running will get easy. They got it backwards. First focus on getting easy, because if that’s all you get, that ain’t so bad. Once you can run easy, focus on light. Once you get light, focus on smooth. By the time you’re easy, light and smooth, you won’t have to worry about getting fast—you will be.”

Vegan Halloween Candy!

From Veg News

Mining through gobs of candy every October can be mind-boggling, but VN’s definitive guide to vegan treats will make this your best Halloween yet.

 

If ever there is a time for an out-of-control sugar rush, Halloween night is it. Before pulling treats from the depths of a candy-filled pillowcase or grabbing fistfuls from a skeleton-shaped party bowl, consult VN’s comprehensive list of vegan-friendly candy to ensure that all holiday snacking is animal by-product free.

• Airheads Taffy (website)
• Allison’s Gourmet vegan caramels (website)
• Annie’s Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks (website)
• Azure Chocolat Beauty Bark (website)
• Biona Organic Wine Gums (link)
• BoomChocoBoom! Ricemilk Bar (website)
• Brachs Fruit Slices (website)
• Charms Blow Pops (website)
• Charms Pumpkin Flat Pops (website)
• Chick-o-Sticks (website)
• Chuao Chocolatier Spicy Maya (website)
• Clif Kid Organic Twisted Fruit (website)
• Crispy Cat Candy Bars (website)
• Crows (website)
• Cracker Jack (website)
• Cry Baby Candy (website)
• Diivies Super Stars (website)
• Dots (website)
• Dum-Dums (website)
• Endangered Species dark chocolate (website)
• Endangered Species Dark Chocolate Halloween Bug Bites (website)
• Ginger People Ginger Chews (website)
• Go Max Go candy bars (website)
• Goody Good Stuff Sours (website)
• The Humphrey Company Original Popcorn Balls (website)
• Jolly Ranchers hard candy (website)
• Let’s Do Organic Gummy Bears (website)
• Mamba Sour Fruit Chews (link)
• Mary Janes, regular and peanut butter kisses (website)
• Newman’s Own Licorice Twists (website)
• Now and Later (website)
• NuGo Organic Chocolate Bar (website)
• Panda Soft Licorice (website)
• Peanut Chews, Original Dark (website)
• Pez (website)
• Pure Fun Organic Halloween Pops (website)
• Q.Bel Double Dark Wafer Bars (website)
• Saf-T-Pops (website)
• Seitenbacher Gummy Candies (website)
• Sjaak’s Organic Chocolates (website)
• Sour Patch Kids (original variety) (website)
• St. Claire’s Organic CandyTarts (website)
• Stockley’s Cinder Toffee Candy (link)
• Super Bubble (website)
• Surf Sweets Fruity Bears, Gummy Swirls, Sour Worms, and Super Sour Bears (website)
• Swedish Fish (website)
• Sweet & Sara Marshmallow ghosts and bats (website)
• Tropical Source chocolate bars (website)
• VerMints (website)
• Whizzers Chocolate Beans (website)
• YummyEarth lollipops (website)
• X’s to O’s Canoe Boats (website)

tumblrbot asked: WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST HUMAN MEMORY?

My earliest human memory has to be swimming. My parents put me in classes when I was about three years old. I remember diving for a yellow ring. I loved swimming, and since then, I’ve always felt like part of the ocean.

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Hearty Mushroom Buckwheat Soup
I decided to use buckwheat instead of barley for this soup. Why? I’ve found my body to be a bit sensitive to gluten. Little known fact- buckwheat is actually a fruit seed (related to rhubarb), and in no way related to wheat/flour/gluten. This recipe would be good for those with any gluten allergies or sensitivities or those looking to cut a few calories (1 cup of cooked buckwheat is around 150 calories, whereas 1 cup of cooked barley is about 270 calories… brown rice clocks in at around 220 if you wanted to compare).

Ingredients (feel free to experiment)
2 cups slightly undercooked buckwheat groats

2 tbsp olive oil (I recommend cold-pressed, extra virgin)
1 medium yellow onion diced
4 cloves garlic minced
2 stalks of celery diced
salt, chili pepper (can be omitted) and pepper to taste

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 box vegetable broth (make sure it’s low sodium and without MSG/yeast extract)
1 lb mushrooms sliced (I prefer crimini mushrooms, but buttons work as well- a mix of wild mushrooms could also be very good!)
1 cup carrots carrots (shredded, sliced or diced)

Braggs Aminos to taste
Dill to taste
Parsley to taste

Instructions
Leave your cooked buckwheat groats to the side (drained and rinsed) for now.

1. Sautee onions, garlic, celery, salt, pepper and chilis together in the olive oil on medium in your soup pot, until they are soft and the onions start to brown.

2. Add white wine vinegar to deglaze your pan.

3. Add mushrooms and cook until they are soft.

4. Stir in vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling, pull it down to a simmer.

5. Stir in your carrots, buckwheat groats, and the rest of the ingredients (make sure to keep tasting your soup!). Let it simmer for as long as you can handle… you can even toss in more olive oil at this point. It really depends on your broth and how much oil you like. Some is good; too much will make your soup greasy, and not delicious… or healthy.

6. Enjoy!

The reason to add the buckwheat groats in later is so they 1- keep their consistency, and 2- don’t add a ton of extra starch to the soup. They will add a little, helping the soup thicken, but not so much that it’s gooey (I’ve had some bad soba noodle in my culinary past). This soup is hearty, healthy, and deliciously filling. I won’t lie… I topped this with a little gruyere earlier. It was delicious!!

To good health,
J 

Top 10 Diet Myths

According to Health.com, about 80 million Americans each year go on a diet, spending $40 billion annually on weight-loss aids and programs. Since dieting takes up so much of our collective consciousness, you’d think we would know everything there is to know about the facts of weight loss. Unfortunately, this isn’t true—myths about dieting abound in magazines, weight-loss books and online diet sites and are interwoven into society’s conventional wisdom. One of the best ways you can get on the path to real, lasting weight loss is to identify and understand the myths and misconceptions about dieting that can keep you from getting the pounds off and keeping them off.

Skipping Meals
Ask most people and they will tell you that the key to losing weight for good—and the reason why they fail at dieting again and again—is to skip as many meals as possible. Eating fewer meals is good, right? Wrong. The National Institutes of Health’s Weight-Control Information Network reports that skipping meals—particularly breakfast—and eating fewer meals in the day is linked to heavier weight than people who eat small meals four or five times a day, including breakfast.

Water Will Help You Lose Weight
While drinking plenty of water daily keeps you adequately hydrated, it doesn’t take the place of the nutrients in food, boost your metabolism or flush out fat. If you try to lose weight simply by drinking lots of water, your body is still going to need the energy it receives from food and you won’t be able to hold that need off for long.

Never Eat After 8 p.m.
Many people firmly believe that calories consumed late in the evening turn to fat during the night while you are sleeping. According to dietitians, however, this is incorrect: your body’s digestion of food and calorie usage remains the same at any time of the day or night, and energy that is stored in the evening is simply used the next day. It isn’t when you eat, but what, how much and how many of the stored calories are burned off with physical activity during the day that determines weight gain or loss. Some Foods Burn Fat There is no food that, just by you eating it, can burn fat and magically melt away pounds. Throughout the years, dieting gurus have exalted everything from grapefruit to celery to eggs to cabbage soup as the one thing you need to eat to lose all the weight you want. While all these foods are full of essential vitamins and minerals and should have a place in every healthy diet, none of them can speed up your metabolism to the point that you will lose weight.

Exercising While Hungry
According to the That’s Fit website, exercising when you’re hungry not only doesn’t cause your body to burn fat exclusively, if it lacks enough available carbohydrates to burn for fuel, your body will begin to use muscle tissue instead. Burning muscle decreases your metabolism and makes weight loss less, not more, likely. Small Meals Boost Metabolism While the idea that simply eating a series of small meals throughout the day instead of two or three large meals can make your body burn calories faster is appealing, Real Simple reports that how you consume your daily calories has practically no effect on your metabolism. The key to upping your metabolism isn’t eating a bunch of times a day, but increasing your muscle mass: a pound of muscle tissue burns seven times as many calories in a day as a pound of fat tissue.

Eat High-Protein, Low-Carb
According to the National Institutes of Health, a diet that focuses on high-protein foods and strictly reduces the number of grains, fruits and vegetables consumed provides unbalanced nutrition that may yield results in the short-term only because of restricted food choices, but may end up contributing to a number of health conditions, including high cholesterol, increased heart disease risk, kidney stones and gout. Additionally, That’s Fit reports that, when compared to low-fat dieters, low-carb dieters lose weight quicker, but gain it back in six months and end up no thinner than their low-fat counterparts. It is also untrue that eating starchy carbohydrates like pasta, potatoes or bread is instantly turned into sugar, then stored as fat. It’s extra calories that cause weight gain, not carbohydrates, which should be an essential part of every healthy diet.

Fad Diets Work
Going on any short-term diet that requires you to make extreme changes in your regular eating patterns or cuts your calories below recommended daily levels is not only going to be difficult to keep up over the long run, but can possibly affect your health and make you upset when the weight you lost at the beginning of the diet creeps inevitably back. There aren’t any quick fixes when it comes to permanent, sustainable weight loss. The best way to get the weight off and keep it off is to make healthy changes that you can maintain for a lifetime.

Eating Certain Foods Makes You Fat
Just as consuming certain wonder foods won’t magically melt fat off your thighs, eating other “bad” foods like nuts, red meat or dairy products aren’t a guarantee that you will instantly gain weight. Nuts, lean red meat and dairy products all provide vitamins and minerals needed by your body and, in moderation, can certainly be a part of a healthy lifestyle.

Go Vegetarian to Lose Weight
While vegetarians overall do tend to consume fewer calories and less fat than non-vegetarians, it is not true that simply switching to a vegetarian diet will cause you to lose weight. There are as many ways to eat high-calorie, high-fat foods and exceed the number of calories your body needs while eating vegetarian as there are eating a more traditional diet. As with every aspect of weight loss, focus on what you eat, how much you eat of it and how much physical activity you engage in regularly.

Via livestrong.com (http://www.livestrong.com/article/227349-top-ten-diet-myths)

knowcancer:

Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore - Andre Gide #inspiration

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Currently eating: Jujubes! In Chinese and Korean medicine, they are said to relieve stress. This I can always use… Time to eat and meditate! To good health, Joyce

Processed Meats Declared Too Dangerous for Human Consumption →

The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has just completed a detailed review of more than 7,000 clinical studies covering links between diet and cancer. Its conclusion is rocking the health world with startling bluntness: Processed meats are too dangerous for human consumption. Consumers should stop buying and eating all processed meat products for the rest of their lives.

 [Martha Rose Shulman] describes quinoa as an easy-to-cook and versatile grain with a delicate texture, nutty flavor and high protein content. She writes:

Several readers have asked me about the way I cook quinoa, which differs from the package directions. I use three parts water to one part quinoa. I cook the quinoa until the grains are fluffy and a spiral appears as the outer germ separates from each grain (15 minutes). Then I drain off the excess water through a strainer, return the quinoa to the hot saucepan, cover the pan with a towel and put the lid back on, so the quinoa will dry out and fluff.

Quinoa will cook well using two parts water to one part quinoa, but I find that the grains are fluffier if I do it my way.

Here are five news ways to cook with quinoa.

Breakfast Quinoa With Fruit and Almonds: Quinoa cooks so quickly that you can make it for breakfast without getting up especially early.

Stir-Fried Quinoa With Vegetables and Tofu: Use regular or red quinoa instead of rice in this easy, quick stir-fry.

Quinoa Pecan Muffins: These moist, nutty muffins rely on homemade quinoa flour.

Whole-Wheat Quinoa Bread: This hearty bread provides beautiful slices for toast or sandwiches.

Quinoa and Squash Gratin: Quinoa substitutes for rice in this comforting Provencal-style gratin.

Full Article @ NY Times

Dan Gilbert Asks Why Are We Happy