Lentilballs!!!

So, the theme for this week's meals are lentils. I thought about using them to make veggie patties. Then a light bulb went off in my head . . . lentilballs!!! I took 3 cups of cooked lentils and pureed them with two whole eggs, and 1/2tsp of salt. Add the mixture to a bowl that already contained some chopped onions. I added some sage and pepper. Because the lentils were still warm, I put the mixture in the fridge to cool for about 30-45 minutes.

The next step involves adding something that will keep the "lentilballs" together. You can use breadcrumbs, flour, ground nuts . . . I used ground flaxseed. Why? Because that is all I have (see post re: cooking with what I have). When flaxseed becomes moist, it becomes gelatinous. So, how did I get around this, well, I mixed the ground flax seed in, created 24 "lentilballs" and popped them in the fridge to "set". By the time I did this, it was late and decided to "brown" them this morning.

Letting the meatballs sit in the fridge overnight was probably the best thing. Now, if I had gluten-free bread crumbs or flour, I probably could have cooked them right away. That said, I would have let them sit in the fridge too. So, anyway I pulled the mixture out the fridge. Heated up a pan and added about 2TBS of olive oil. I placed the "lentilballs" in the pan making sure there is enough space between each of them. Crowding a pan will lead them to "steam" instead of "brown". Left them alone for almost a minute then turned around and rolled until each side was lightly browned. The results? 24 browned and tasty lentilballs. I cannot wait to have them over ribbons of raw zucchini, carrots and slightly cooked eggplant ribbons. Of course, I do not plan to drown this dish in tomato sauce. Will add 2-3TBS and some parmessan cheese. I cannot wait for dinner.

Eat and Cook with What I Have

A few months ago my company had a food drive. I gave away two Whole Food bags of food and still had enough to feed me for months. After going to my doctor, I decided I will cook with what I have in lieu of going to the supermarket every week or two. I knew it will test my cooking skills. At the time, my cabinet was stocked with 4 types of beans/peas, some quinoa pasta, lbs and lbs of quinoa seed, canned beans, and a freezer full of meat. Because I really wanted to develop a habit of eating locally, I go to the farmer's market once a week to purchase apples and vegetables that will be used for my weekly meals. Once I run out of something, that's it. Now, there are some staples I will purchase for my meals: eggs, milk (I discovered the joy of making my own yogurt), nuts, and if necessary, a flour.

I would like to go to the supermarket only once a month. This month I purchased coconut flour, shredded coconut, peanut butter, and milk. I don't plan on going back to the supermarket (i.e., Whole Foods) this month. I have made some really good meals:

Tomato & Chickpea soup, Kale & Proscuitto Sandwich (this was before the doctor put me on a gluten-free diet), argula and goat cheese salad, and quinoa with kale and carmelized onions. This week, its lentil soup and lentil meatballs and "veggie ribbon" pasta.

So far, things are going well. I have plenty of food to keep me fed until winter. I challenge any one that may read this post to do the same. You will likely save some money and enhance your cooking skills.

Pan-Baked Lemon Coconut Tart??? Um, No.

I discovered the following recipe last week while reading the NY Times "http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/dining/071mrex.html?ref=dining". I enjoy reading the recipes of Mark Bittman. I purchased his 400 Seasonal Recipe book a few weeks ago. As soon as I read this, I knew I wanted to make it. However, I didn't want almonds. I wanted coconut. A Lemon Coconut Tart.

The recipe is as follows:

Time: About 20 minutes

4 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup ground almonds

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup sliced almonds, more for garnish

1 lemon, zest and juice

2 tablespoons butter

Powdered sugar, for garnish.

******

Well, of course, I altered it a bit. I replaced 1/2c of sugar with 1/4c of agave nectar, cream with quinoa milk, 1/2c of almonds with 1/2c of shredded coconut and 2TBS of butter with 1TBS of coconut oil. I should have stopped right there. The mistake I made . . . . replaced the 1/2c of ground almonds with 1/2c of coconut flour. That dense flour soaked up every once of moisture in my mixture. I added two more eggs and some more quinoa milk to moisten what became a dough like mixture. Like cornbread.

I continued with the remaining steps by putting the mixture in a hot pan (w/ melted coconut oil) and then placed it in a 400 degree oven. 15 minutes what I had was coconut bread. Coconut flour has an interested taste. I now understand why recipes that use it cut it with another flour. It tastes okay to me, but if you are not used to it . . . well it may taste like coconut chalk. I will eat what I baked. Probably as a breakfast. A slice cut in half with a little strawberry jam.

So, I attempted to do this again. This time, I added a TBS of coconut flour. I think I should have done two tablespoons. I watched the video (again) and it saidI should have a batter. This was a little too runny. Furthermore, I should have let it cook on the stove more. The video states to let it bake for 20, yet the recipe says 10-15. I baked it for 10 and put it underneath the boiler for 2 minutes. What I got was :

Unfortunately, I did not use a spatula to ease it out of the pan and it collapsed on the plate. I "sliced" some of it and had some as dessert. Not bad. I think I will sprinkle some coconut on top before it goes in the oven.

Needless to say, I have to play around with this recipe again. I am determined to use every bit of shredded coconut, lemon juice and coconut flour I have to get this right.

Good Morning Saturday

Woke up with the alarm clock this morning. Went to bed at 12am. I swear those two hours (I should be in bed by ten) make a big difference in how I wake up. Took Mr. Elijah out for a 20 min walk. I love walking him on the weekends. We have the whole complex to ourselves. After walking him, I quickly cleaned up and went to Old Town Alexandria to purchase some goodies from the Farmer's Market and enjoy a soy chai tea latte.

On Thursday, I weighed in at 149.8lbs. I've been wheat free for eight days now. I added yogurt to my diet (made homemade yogurt too, will post about that later). For the past two days, I weighed in at 150.4. Not sure if the slight weight gain is due to the yogurt or an increase in calories or what. I am going yogurt free for the next two days to see what happens. That said, I am feeling amazing. I cannot believe how much energy I have. I have yet to go to Yoga. Haven't figured out how to get it into my schedule. On Tuesday & Thursdays, I have to get to the 5:30 class. The 9pm class ends too late and I do not feel comfortable walking to the metro by myself. The studio is in a vacant area.

This morning, I had my quinoa breakfast topped off with a bit of quinoa "milk". It was better than I thought. This batch of quinoa was leftovers from my Quinoa and Kale dish. I "seasoned" it with cinnamon and nutmeg and mixed in some golden raisins. I added the fig, a tsp or two of ground golden flax seeds and drizzle of agave syrup. It was delicious and very filling. Not sure what I am going to do for lunch. Will bring apples and peanut butter with me to the bookstore.

Old Town Alexandria Farmer's Market

So what did I get? Eggplant, zucchini, apples (of course), carrots, onions spinach and tomatoes. I love the pearl drop tomatoes I get from this one stand. They are soooo good. They are the only stand selling figs. The eggplant are getting smaller. According to my VA produce chart, we are getting towards the end of their season. The same with squash, hence my small zucchinis. That said, we are heading into sweet potato and "winter" squash season. I was told by one farmer he should have Honey Crisps until Feb.

I am so looking forward to cooking this evening. What's on the menu? Well, this week's theme is "Lentils". I am making a hearty lentil soup, lentil meatballs (served with veggie "ribbons") and a cake made w/ eggs and coconut flour. Quinoa "porridge" will be alternated with yogurt for breakfast.

Eating locally and holistically has made such a big difference in my life and I am sure it will do the same for others.

Quinoa Beverage

As noted in my other blog, A New & Healthy Me, my doctor put me on a gluten-free diet for 14 days. I feel wonderful and will be on this for the rest of my life. I don't believe I am lactose intolerant but I figure why not go back to making "milk" from nuts and seeds.

I love cereal in the fall and winter. Preferably warm and with lots of stuff in it. Being gluten-free means no more Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal for me. But, that doesn't mean I cannot have rice cereal and porridges made from gluten-free ingredients like quinoa.

So, back to the milk. I have at least 3lbs of quinoa in my cabinet and I need to do something with it besides cook it. So, I searched for "Quinoa Milk" recipes. Its the same process as making almond "milk" except you cook the quinoa after soaking and before blending.

Here are the steps:

• Rinse 1c of quinoa to remove any remaining saponins


• Soak in 2c of water for 8 hours (can be done overnight or while you are at work)


• Drain quinoa and rinse again.


• Cook quinoa in 2c of fresh water: Put quinoa and water in saucepan, bring to a boil, then simmer until water is gone (10-15 minutes)


• Place cook quinoa in blender w/ 2c of water.


• Blend for one minute. Add water to thin and blend for another minute.


• Strain blended mixture: I did this in batches (I have a small strainer). Stir/push liquid through strainer until sediment remains.


• Add sweetner, if desired, and additional water until you get the texture you want.


• Pour into a shakeable jar/bottle as you will need to shake the beverage before pouring. Place in fridge.

I had a quart of "Quinoa Milk" beverage. This should last me a week. I am looking forward to pouring it over a bowl of either Rice Chex or a bowl of warmed Quinoa w/ Raisins & Figs.

Introduction

I am studying to become a certified health counselor. This journey will take me and eventually clients down many paths and roads. I enjoy helping others. I enjoy teaching. I enjoy mentoring. Most importantly, I enjoy health and nutrition. So, I decided to turn the passion I have for food, nutrition, herbal medicine, essential oils, etc. into a counseling business. That business is called "Healthy Butterfly".

Why Healthy Butterfly? Well, the word healthy means "posessing or enjoying good health or a sound and vigorous mentality. And Butterfly? We all start out as a caterpiller. As we age, our true beauty begins to show. We become butterflies. In China, butterflies are asymbol for long life. In ancient Greek, butterfly means "psyche" which translates into "soul". So, a healthy butterfly equates to a healthy soul . . . a healthy long life.

My plans for this blog is to share articles written by me and others. Of course, post pics of food and recipes. Share what I am learning at the Integrative Institute for Nutrition with others.