Cook (Recipes)

Splenda is not so splendid

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Yet another reason I’m not a fan of Splenda…….corn.
What, you ask, do corn and Splenda have in common?  If you take a look at the back of a Splenda packet, you’ll find a very imporant word: Dextrose.

Dextrose is a sugar derived from corn.  The same plants that gives us high fructose corn syrup also produce dextrose.  Now, dextrose can also be derived from other things, like grapes, but much of the dextrose we eat comes from corn.

Why all the hype about corn?  What gives?  Corn continues to be a hot button because we are over-using it; the typical American approach: Something has a good aspect to it, so we exploit it and over-work it, and then wonder what went wrong.  Our food (including dairy, meats, legumes, grains, etc) is at least 25% corn-based, from the reading I did in both “Omnivores Dilemma” and “Fast Food Nation” recently.  The reason is that many of our lifestock eat corn, so we get the residual issues in our bodies.

Corn sensitivity, like gluten or dairy sensitivity, is on the rise.  Of course it is – when we over-consume something, our bodies get sensitive to it.  It’s like being poked in the same spot on your arm 1,000 times.  Sure, a poke every now and again isn’t so bad, but constant poking yields a bruise, dysfunction on the skin and sensory feedback and general irritation.  Same with food.  We over-eat something ,especially if that something is genetically modified (and you can be your bottom dollar Corn is genetically modified, especially nowadays).
The other reason artificial sweeteners don’t excite me is that they miss the point: we are addicted to sweet.  Wouldn’t you (who are also fellow addicts like me) agree that once you get the taste for sweet, it’s over?
Americans consume a lot of sugar, we all know that
What I think is under-represented is the genetic and biochemical drive to consume that sugar even when we know it is not good for us.  What would serve us better are foods/recipes/mindsets that help us put our sweet craving aside.

In Chinese medicine it is said that a sweet addiction is an addiction to “the sweetness of life”.  We want it to taste like honey all the time, and when it doesn’t, we go looking for the honey.

I can certainly see this in myself.  I’ve used sugar as a compadre to cope with the drama in my head for many years.  Without it, life still seems a little sour, and yet with it I am a slave to its effects.

I suppose the call to action here is to invite myself and others to look at the role sweet foods play and ask ourselves if that role is really suiting our life’s dreams?  And for the times when something sweet would be really appropriatae, why not make something real, good and of the earth?
For such an occasion, I have a recipe.  Maybe its weird to post a dessert recipe here, because I’m talking about abstaining from sugar, so this one is for the birthday party, the 4th of July picnic, or whatever else is a call to celebrate.

I have to thank Better Homes and Garden’s for the inspiration.  I was looking for a recipe for a birthday potluck at work and my new mag came to the door, offering a recipe that catapulted me into creative recipe creating mode.

Blueberry-lemon-coconut-pie (and low sugar too!)

1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
3/4 cup whole oats (you can blend them for 30 seconds for a finer flavor, if you’d like)
1/2 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
2 tsp cinnamon and nutmeg, each
1/2 cup flaxmeal
1/4 cup sucanat

In a small saucepan, heat coconut oil over medium heat until melted and warmed (1-2 minutes).   In a med bowl, stir oats, flour, coconut, flax, spices, and sugar.  Stir in butter and mix.  Press into the bottom of a 10″ pie dish, or 13″x9″ pie dish.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Filling:

6 eggs (or 3 eggs + 4 whites)
1/2 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp lime peel
2 cups blueberries (I warmed 2 cups of blueberries on the stove w/1 packet Stevia to bring out flavor prior to adding)
1/4 cup sucanat.

In a medium bowl combine eggs, sugar, 1/2 cup spelt flour, lemon juice, baking powder and nutmeg.  Beat for 2 min.  Stir in lime peel and berries.  Pour over crust.  Bake 30 minutes at 350.  Serve chilled after 2 hrs of refrigeration.

This one was a hit with all the co-workers, even those who don’t normally eat healthy.

I’m learning the power of having a well planned, special treat on occasion versus the daily consumption of “junk” sugar, which doesn’t actually make me feel good, and certainly doesn’t add anything to my health.

Blessings

R

eating off-white in a “white” world…. (quinoa recipe included)

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They say you can’t go home again……and I think they are correct.

This weekend my husband and I went to Northern CA to check out his new grad school (UC Davis) and visit family.  Food issues have always been a family affair for me.  Dad was overweight and had a stroke in 1995 and mom shared my love of cake frosting and baked goods most of my childhood.  I’d say to some degree we all had an eating disorder.  Never was there left-over ice cream or desserts in my home, no matter how large a package was purchased.  I simply thought it was normal.

So here I am, with my high maintenance diet, going home.  I know where all the treats hide: chocolate chips in the outside freezer, homemade biscotti in the spare bedroom, ice cream in the kitchen and whatever was baked for the weekend’s bbq is probably resting in the laundryroom.  Yes, I come from a long line of food hiders.  Either because the family would eat all of the goodies, or because ants would find their way into the cupboards, food was always kept anywhere BUT the kitchen.  There were stashes everywhere, which meant that I adopted a pattern of ‘sneaking’ from a young age.

For the most part I faired well.  My mom tries to supply me with healthy options, but unfortunately her Splenda-baked lemon cheesecake just did not work out (no dairy and no Splenda for me).  She also lovingly made a HUGE tray of lasagna for everybody to eat….well, except me, as I best not have dairy or white flour.  Nothing like watching others eat homemade lasagna while you chomp down on a green salad with chicken to make you want to devour a whole tray by yourself.

So what did I end up doing…..”sneaking”, of course!!!  I dipped my hand into the Ghirdhelli chocolate chips several times when I was near the outside freezer. I could feel the tension in my stomach and I did not enjoy them at all.  “so this is what I was like growing up…”, I thought to myself.  It was all about getting what I was NOT supposed to have.

The good side of ugly:  compared with past visits, I did relatively well at staying away from the white stuff.  I declined an offer for Starbuck’s drinks when everbody else was slurping down latte’s.  I did not eat late at night when I arrived on Thursday evening, despite a growling stomach.  Choices I make past 8pm are never in my favor.   I even resisted the peanut butter, cheesecake, cheese and ice cream.  I did have a homemade biscotti, and damn was it good!

Other off-white survival tips I use:

  • Start every day with warm lemon water.  This helps keep the GI track a flowin’.   Lemon water also kills a craving, especially if you add tons of lemon.
  • Distract myself when food becomes tempting and I’m not hungry.  My 4-yr old nephew was a great distraction, and he was up for a little fun anytime.
  • Make a dish of my own for family picnics, etc.  I chose quinoa date salad (recipe below) and tabouleh (from Near East).
  • Tell your family about your food limitations. I couldn’t be chowing on peanut butter because everybody knew that it wasn’t a great food choice for me.  I was rigorously honest so I could keep myself healthy.
  • Become your own observer.  I enjoyed watching myself get into ‘sneaky’ eating mode and seeing how I felt, thought and acted. It really was like Jr. High again.  Consequently, Jr. High is when I started obsessing on sugar for the sake of control/rebellion/pleasure.

Quinoa date salad

Serves 4
3/4 cup quinoa, not soaked
1.5 cups water
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp each: cinnamon, ginger, cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped almonds
3/4 cup chopped dates

Add quinoa and water to a medium saucepan.  Bring to a rolling boil and then simmer covered until quinoa absorbs the liquid.  Just after the boil add vanilla, salt, and spices.    Chop the dates and almonds finely.  Add to quinoa 2-3 minutes before cooking is complete.  Serve warm or cold.

Bittersweet: more than just chocolate (recipes at end)

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 chocolate.jpg

Like a good piece of dark chocolate, life can be bitter sweet.  This weekend was a prime example.  The sweet part included a great snowshoe for my husband’s birthday, which included a fun day with two of our dear friends.     I even packed a healthy lunch of turkey and avocado wraps on multi-grain tortillas with veggies, and cheese.  We enjoyed a nice alpine lunch and good laughs.   The day rolled into night with an exotic trip to Morocco via Marrakesh restaurant and laughs with co-workers.

Then the bitter part: Long story short – our car was broken into and  my purse, an ipod, some clothes, and a backpack were nabbed.  Certainly an unexpected twist to our day……

But back to the sweet:  This kind of stuff unglues me, but I was able to keep my cool, deal with it all, and NOT EAT OVER IT!!!  Whenever I would think about wanting to “devour” my feelings over it, I would breathe or just talk about it.  Maybe my friends got sick of me bringing it up, but the sanity I had over releasing my feelings is worth any annoyance.  If you are like me and tend to “digest” your feelings instead of express them, you can appreciate this little victory.

I had already planned on going back to regular food this weekend, so I felt empowered in my choices at lunch and snack time after our snow adventure.  What also helped was having already seen the menu of the restaurant we attended, as I could mentally prepare for the choices available.

When I’m stressed, I must have a plan.  That plan is like my rock and makes me feel safe.  Already it can be hard when I’m with others who are eating all types of food, especially when the  continue to offer me treats and tidbits.  They don’t know that I can’t have “just one” or that all the little critters in my belly would have a party if I ate certain things.  It’s my deal, so I have to make responsible choices.

The Plan:
We had dinner at Marrakesh: a Moroccon restaurant in Portland.  I planned ahead to do the following:

marrakesh.jpg

  • Strategically have a “safe” snack pre-dinner.  For me this was a turkey/onion/mustard mini-wrap on a large romaine lettuce leaf, some tea, and a few apple slices.
  • Drink water and nothing else.  I’m not a big alcohol drinker anyway, but rarely drink when I’m out. The extra sugar is a no-go for me.
  • I avoided eating the bread when enjoying the “salad”, which was totally a finger/bread food. I piled up the veggies/hummus on small bits of bread, but didn’t eat the bread.
  • I tasted all the meat dishes, but had just enough to be satisfied.  Some of the flavors included apricot chicken, lamb with couscous, veggies and raisins (ate around the couscous), and lemon chicken with almonds.  Yum, yum, yum.   Moroccan food blends sweet and savory so well, I just love it!  Eating with my hands actually made me go slower, which helped not stuff myself.
  • Skipped dessert because I had my fill.

What’s funny about yesterday is that I’m so fired up about the fact that the stress did not make me seek out TONS of sugar yesterday or today, that it gives a little sunshine to a frustrating situation.

So, in honor of my bittersweet day, I’d like to speak about chocolate.

I truly believe chocolate can be a health food, depeneding  upon what kind you use and how much you eat.  For the health benefits look for 70% dark chocolate, which automatically means there will be less sugar.  I often keep dark chocolate bars or powder on hand to make low sugar treats because they save me from going on the deep end with sugar.

How to know if you really have a chocolate craving, or a sugar craving:

When you are really craving chocolate, a piece of bittersweet dark chocolate will alleviate the craving.  When you crave sugar, the desire is often more for milk or white chocolate (not really chocolate) because milk/white chocolate have milk sugar and regular sugar.  Beware: even hershey’s dark and the low-end dark chocolates often have only 30-50% cacao, and still have tons of sugar.

Is chocolate a superfood?  Read here and you be the judge:

·Cacao is rich in antioxidants

·Cacao has been associated with decreased diabetes & blood pressure (American Heart Association)

· Cacao is rich in B1, B2 and D vitamins, and magnesium and iron.

· Cacao is associated with improved vasodilation, helping increase stamina during exercise. (Athens Medical School)

· Cacao is cholesterol free. Its phenolic properties may also block oxidation of LDL cholesterol.

· Chocolate is associated with euphoria and reduced depression – due to phenylthylamine.

· Serotonin, a well-studied neurotransmitter, is thought to instill calm and relaxed feelings. Chocolate is associated with increased serotonin levels, a factor that is believed to explain chocolate cravings.

· Some researchers believe that
serotonin is related to premenstrual syndrome (PMS), explaining premenstrual chocolate cravings.

· Stearic acid, chocolate’s predominant saturated fat, has neutral effects on blood cholesterol.

· The European Board of Health lists chocolate as a pre-digestive aid

A  good chocolate bar also has about 3-5 g fiber/serving and contains trace minerals, like Selenium.

What about allergies?
Jeremy Drelich, MD assessed a group of 20 individuals who reported allergic reactions after chocolate consumption. After a week without eating chocolate each individual received skin prick and blood tests for allergies to chocolate and component ingredients (milk, soy, almonds, peanuts, vanilla), and consumed unlabeled cacao and non-cacao samples. Sugar allergies were assessed by giving half the participants unsweetened chocolate and half chocolate made with cane juice. None showed definite evidence of a chocolate allergy, though some tested positive for non-cacao ingredients. By choosing organic products made without additives or fillers – such as organic dark chocolate made without refined sugar – you’ll may find yourself happily reunited with chocolate.

http://www.webmd.com/news/20040601/dark-chocolate-day-keeps-doctor-away

Feeling bittersweet? Try these low or no sugar recipes:

CHOCOLATE COCONUT MACAROONS

3 cups shredded coconut
1/3 cups cocoa powder (substitute same amount of almond flour for
blonde macaroons)
1 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup coconut butter (I found at New Season’s)
1 Tb. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until moistened. Refrigerate for about
an hour just to make forming the balls easier. Form into balls.

Dehydrate @150 for 12 hours or place on a cookie sheet for roughly 5 – 7 mins @ 350 degrees. This just gives it a little crispness on the
outside.

CHOCOLATE MINT DISKS
Pour I cup coconut oil in a bowl. If oil is solid,place it in a double boiler and heat gently to the liquid state.

Add 1/2 C. dark chocolate or 2 to 3 tsp. cocoa powder . If using chips/chunks, melt chips with solid coconut oil, or melt and add to liquid coconut oil.
Stevia- 2 droppers or to taste.
Peppermint oil- 3 drops
Add chopped nuts, seeds or unsweetened coconut to taste.( raw sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, or any nut in raw state, excluding peanuts.) 
Pour mixture into pie pan and refrigerate.
Cut into squares before they get too hard or set them out for a few minutes and let barely soften to cut up.  You can also use a small mold for convenience.

Ah, nuts

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 walnuts

I love Oregon.  The people here are amazing.  For instance, my husband and I are often the benefactors of garden overflow from two lovely people, who we’ll initial M and B, who have a spectacular 2 acre garden in Woodburn, OR.  I went there once and  felt like I was in the garden of eden.  We sampled fresh figs, got to tour the filbert groves in M’s classic convertible  and I left with about 7 (no kidding) boxes of produce.  Jackpot!

Well this week, another bounty: Walnuts, and lots of them.  Not only walnuts, but a recipe for roasted walnuts to accompany my treasure.  Now that is full service generosity.  So,  I’m naming the recipe: “M and B”‘s.  Its like “m&m”s, but healther and no sugar.

4 C walnut halves
2 tsp salt
Filtered water
Mix nuts with salt and water and leave in a warm place for at least 7 hrs.  Drain.  Spread on a baking sheet and place in a warm oven (150 or less) for 12-24 hrs.  Turn occasionally until completely crisp and dry

Spicy walnuts
2 Tbsp butter
2 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp cayenne

Melt butter with rosemary, salt and cayenne.  Toss with nuts, spread on a baking sheet.  Bake at 250 for 10 minutes.  Store in airtight container

I am however, happy to report that I remained nut-free today, on day two of my detox.
Today’s feasts included:

Protein shake w/banana
stir-fried Swiss chard/Onions (hardly felt like a cleansing day, the food was so good)
baked spaghetti squash, eaten with a tomato sauce that had nothing but veggies/herbs
spinach salad
a handful of dates  – I tell ya, they really help give a ‘treat’ to the experience.

I also topped off the day with a cup of nettle tea, which helps the liver and GI  tract in general.

It amazed me how tasty eating light can be.  Why do I always want “big” meals?  granted, I can’t keep up this way forever, but my body does feel good and my mental energy is spectacular, and in only 2 days.

Tomorrow I’m snowshoeing and doing a little birthday shin-dig for my hubby, so I’m back to solid food, but no wheat/gluten/dairy/sugar.  Weird thing, I don’t even miss the sugar and that is normally my biggest vice.  Maybe all those long stretches of being free of sugar really have helped…who knows?  Or maybe I just want to fit into my skinny jeans again (I’d be lying if I said that losing a few pounds isn’t also a motivation) and therefore have no desire of things that sabotage my efforts…

Okay, TTFN, time for bed.  Tomorrow is an early day!

Celebrate with Mushroom Barley Soup

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mushroom

Today is a big day. As o 8:49pm I had 500 hits on this blog!

WOOHOO! Thanks to everybody who kept coming back and to those who perused once to see what was going on. I’m thrilled.

So to celebrate, let’s make soup: particularly mushroom barley soup. Why? …..Why not? Besides one kind commenter asked or a recipe and here at Off-White we’re all about service with a smile.

I haven’t posted a recipe in a while and it feels good to do so. This is a good one for a hearty meal or to make in a large batch and have for lunch at work a few days in a row. I’m posting the vegetarian option first with a beef add-in.

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 yellow onions, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 oz dried porchini mushrooms, reconstituted in 1.5 cups of water for 30 min (if you don’t have them, just omit, but they are nice)
1/2 lb fresh button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 can tomato paste
3 cups beef or veggie stock (I like Pacific brand, but watch the salt)
3 cups water
2 cups pearl barley (found in bulk at many grocery stores)
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill or 2 tbsp dried
salt and pepper to taste

Optional: 2 lb beef shortribs, fat removed

In a large, non-reactive pot, heat oil on med heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery until lightly browned and soft, about 10 minutes. Strain dried mushrooms, reserving soaking liquid. Add dried + fresh mushrooms to pot. Cook about 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, stock, water and reserved soaking liquid. Boil and add barley. If using beef (which is browned in oil on med heat and then de-boned), add now. Reduce heat and simmer, partly covered for 1 hour. Add dill and cook another 10 minutes.
ENJOY!!!!

Serves 10

In living color

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swiss chard

I’m beginning to understand why some people are obsessed with food photography.  Food is beautiful, especially wholesome, natural food.  I look at the colors in the package of rainbow chard from Trader Joe’s (oh, when will you open in Salem???).

To see a great blog and pics about Swiss Chard, click here

I see green, red, yellow, white, and even purple.  All these magnificent colors richly blended together and without the use of red dye #40 or anything artificial.

When I see these amazing gifts from nature, I have to ask myself what the appeal is of the “white stuff”??  It is all the same color.  I know in my mind that the pretty pink flowers atop a birthday cake can only be possible when a myriad of chemicals are added to lard and sugar…so what is the appeal?

When  I created this simpe meal, Swiss chard scramble, I allowed myself to be wooed by the bounty of Mother Nature and not food by the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing game that the junk food plays all the time.

By the way, this one is low carb AND gluten-free, if that is your thing:

Swiss Chard scramble

1/2 bag of Swiss rainbow Chard (about 1 bunch chopped)
2 tbsp water
1 small tomato, diced
4 cage-free eggs
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste.

In a large skillet, on med heat, begin to  cook the water and chard, stirring frequently.


Once the chard is warmed, add the eggs and scramble for 5-7 minutes, until eggs are done.  Add the tomatoes and spices, to taste.  I also added a few pieces of left-over new potatoes to my dish, just as a variation.

Serves 2-3

swiss chard scramble

Why fiber is my friend

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I’m fired up about fiber right now, so how about a fiber focus.

What is the big deal with fiber, you ask? Well, for one, if I’m seeking foods with fiber, I’m usually in the realm of “off-white” foods, and therefore don’t have to worry as much about the junk like HFCS, hydrogenated oils and my nemesis: refined sugar. There just isn’t a lot of foods that mix fiber and junk: it’s a conflict of interest.

Also, fiber makes me feel full and helps me digest and keep things a movin’. Fiber is also like the “junk magnet” in the body: it can carry out toxins, poor quality nutrients and other “stuff” we don’t really want getting into our bodies and hanging out for too long. Eating fiber speeds up the elimination process, so our food isn’t lingering in the gut.

In an ideal world we would get like 35 grams of fiber/day, which is much MORE than what the average US adult gets (10-15g/day is typical).

So, let’s aim to boost our fiber. Research shows that just 5g/meal of fiber can help balance blood sugar, which is a major player in weight gain/loss + diabetes, etc. 5g of fiber is about 1 apple.

Here are some tips for getting in your fiber:

  • have at least 5 servings of fruit/veggies per day. Berries, apples, kiwis, sweet potatoes, and broccoli are examples of foods with at least 4g of fiber per serving.
  • Eat breads or crackers with AT MINIMUM 3g of fiber per serving. Watch the HFCS too. You’re basically left with either fresh, local whole grain breads, or breads like Ezekiel.
  • Get some beans in your diet. A cup of black beans has about 20G of fiber per serving. Garbanzo beans and lentils are high in fiber too.
  • Eat cereals with at least 5g of fiber and less than 10g of sugar. Again, you’re limited to things like Puffins, Kashi, All-bran, and stuff that doesn’t have a cartoon character on the label.
  • Even random things like Molasses, soy milk, almonds, dates, chocolate (YES! A good piece of chocolate has 2-4g of fiber/serving) are sources of fiber.

Recipe: Fiber-fest oatmeal

1/4 cup whole oats
1/2 cup hot water
1 tbsp chopped almonds
1 tbsp blackstrap molasses
cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, to taste
1/2 small apple, finely chopped
1 tbsp flaxmeal, ground

Cook the oats on the stove on low-med heat, stirring frequently. Add the apples, almonds, spices, and molasses in at the end and cook for about 1 more minute, covered. Add flaxmeal in just before serving. You don’t want to heat flaxmeal too much.

Serves 1, but it’s a hearty serving. Should keep ya full for while.

Happy eating and happy digesting!

Hummuna Hummuna hummus – your anti-vending machine agent

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vending machine

Hummus ROCKS!!!!!  I love it.  I keep using it as a tool to help myself and my clients have something tasty to eat on veggies or whole grain breads etc.

The deal is; if you have some good foods around that are easy to access, you can easily eat well.  Its when we are starved, and staring down an empty fridge that it makes those cupboard raids (and does anything really GREAT come out of those cupboard raids?) and the frustration that comes with them, a regular habit.
Consider this recipe your insurance against vending machine runs at 3pm.

Ingredients:
1 pound (1 can organic or fresh) each: white beans and garbanzo beans
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp cumin
2 tsp parsley (fresh, if possible)
In a blender or food processor, combine half the beans, the lemon juice and blend.  For a thinner dip, add some of the bean liquid or water.  Process, scraping down the sizes for complete mixing.  Add the second half of the beans, the oil, and the cumin.  Process until smooth.  Place in a serving bowl, adding salt and parsley to the top before serving

Variations: Add balsamic vinegar after processing

Serve with: whole grain breads/crackers, sliced peppers, carrots, cucumbers, jicima.

Other serving options: hummus makes a zesty sandwich spread, toast spread, or addition to a garden salad

Quick…we need for lunch tomorrow!!

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skillet greens + spelt pilaf = YUM

Its about 7:30pm at our house on Sunday night. We’re tired. We’ve been painting ALL DAY and have just enough energy to stare at a TV and drool at dream kitchens on HGTV.

Then it comes to me. We need something nutritious to eat the next couple days at work. We both work long days and there are not many food options, except a marginally decent Safeway, and its hard to find good off-white options from the deli.

So we get cookin! The menu: Sauted collards + Kale, spelt pilaf and turkey burgers.
why this menu: First, we have all this stuff at home and need to cook the greens before they go bad, and second – this is typical fare in our world. It becomes easier to eat dark greens and non-wheat grains when you plan ahead, have some good recipes and invest the time. Any chance I can get for some dark greens, I take it. I had some white bread this weekend (here comes the nutritional confessional!). Not a big deal, but i really do feel like crap when I eat ‘white stuff’. Dark greens help detox the body.
Apparently Julius Cesar ate collards after attending royal banquets – I tell ya, those Greeks were smart people 😉

Okay, on with the recipe:

Collards/Kale saute
1 bunch each: kale + collard greens, deribbed and chopped

deribbed greens (these are the ribs that are left over – you can certainly be Martha Stewart and make stock with them, but I don’t).

2 tbsp EVOO or grapeseed oil
1/2 onion, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
salt, to taste

On a Med skillet, brown the onion w/1 tbsp oil. Next, add the greens and other oil and saute on med heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently so all the greens get coated w/oil and get some of the heat. Add lemon + salt for another 3-5 minutes of saute.
Enjoy! Serves 3-4.

Recipe: Becky’s Backcountry Bars (gluten free)

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So this past weekend my husband embarked on a little journey into the great outdoors to do some avalanche training (yep, we like the mountains!). Just to set the stage, here’s a little pic of us doin’ our thing matt and rebecca on the mountain

Okay, back to the recipe…

Anyway, the night before he left I got a wild hare to try and make some low-sugar, gluten-free “energy bars” so we could avoid buying some and I could feel good giving him a healthy treat. Turns out these bars are mighty tasty:

1/3 cup organic unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup wheat-free baking mix from Bob’s Red Mill (not sure if it 100% gluten-free, but no gluten flours are in it)
1/3 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 gtsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup REAL butter
1/3 cup blackstrap or Barbados Molasses
1/3 cup almond butter
1 lrg egg
1 1/4 cup mashed bananas
1 1/2 cup oats (gluten-free or regular if you can have regular oats)
2/3 cup raisins
2/3 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350. Lighlty grease a muffin tin (about 18-20)
Stir together: flour, spice, soda and salt in a med. bowl and set aside.
In a laarge bowl, beat: butter, molasses and egg. When mixed, add banana and almond butter. I mixed with a ghetto hand-held mixer and it works just fine
Add flour mixture, beat on low until well-blended. Stir in oats, raisins and nuts. Mix.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Just like this:

matt making bars

Bake about 20-minutes. They do not rise a whole lot. If you want them to rise, use 1 1/3 cups of spelt flour instead (it has gluten).

Backountrybars

Enjoy at elevation or sea level! You could also add things like carrots, dates, other nuts, figs, almond butter.

PS: please don’t call me Becky. My name is Rebecca, but Becky just made the alliteration part work. Only people who knew me in 6th grade get to call me Becky.