The frozen banana...ice cream's second cousin

I must apologize for not sharing this sooner! I thought I had, and even uploaded a photo of it weeks ago, but totally just didn't get around to it. There are two kinds of people in this world...those that LOVE ice cream and those that are just okay with it. I don't think I LOVE it, I am more of a cake person, but being in Texas during the summer makes you love anything cold. For years, I have adored this cool treat, assuming everyone else on the planet knew about it and loved it. Turns out, I was horribly wrong. Almost no one knew about banana-peanut butter smoothies!

Bananas do some interesting things when they are frozen. If you blend them just right, they become the creamiest frozen treats around. They rival even the tastiest ice cream! I will have plenty of notes/variations below, but here is the recipe for the best tasting smoothie I have ever had.

Jen's Monkey Business Smoothie (You could also call it "The Elvis")
Makes about 16 oz (enough for one adult or two children)

1-1/2 cups frozen, sliced banana
2 T all natural peanut butter
roughly 1/2 cup milk (doesn't matter what kind, though I tend to use almond)
honey or agava nectar
1/3 cup plain (unsweetened) yogurt (I like to go for the Greek for extra protein)

Directions

1. In blender bowl, add everything but the honey or agave nectar to the blender pitcher. Pulse a few times to get things going, then turn it up to it's highest setting.
2. Turn the blender off, and check the consistency. If you want it thicker, add more banana and/or peanut butter. If you want a thinner smoothie, add more milk. At this time, add the honey or agave nectar to your liking. You'll find that if you use Greek yogurt, you will have to use a bit more sweetner to overcome the tartness.
3. Blend a couple seconds more to get everything mixed, pour into a chilled glass, and enjoy!

Notes:

This is a great quick breakfast. It keeps you full for at least a couple of hours, and can be poured in a traveler's mug to go.

Children will like this, for no other reason than the the name!

To make this a truely fun frozen treat, pour the smoothie into ice cube trays or popcicle cups. It will taste just like those banana "bomber" treats from my childhood.

You can puree frozen banana with milk and add it to an ice cream maker. Frozen, healthy goodness! To top it off, add a drizzle of caramel sauce and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Frozen bananas foster, done! (for an adult version, make a simple syrup of rum, brown sugar or xylitol and a touch of cinnamon)

One last thing, this is NOT a low-carb treat, but it is high in potassium, calcium, protein and has a boost of magnesium.

Seasonal Sensation: Okra & Tomato stew

Once again, I am on my soap box about the importance of transforming your children into veggie eaters, and how you can use the seasons to make the job a little easier. Summer is a great season for okra and tomatoes, but getting children (or even adults) to like okra can be sticky (pun intended). Tips: Take fresh okra and freeze it (raw) for a couple of hours before using it. Roasting or grilling it also seems to cut back on the sticky goo that tends to turn people off from this green wonder. If you can't beat the goo, use it! Tossing okra into soups and stews can help add body to the broth because the okra goo mixes in and thickens it slightly. Below is a dish I grew up eating, and it is certainly a southern classic. It can be made vegetarian or not, and is fairly inexpensive. It can be a side dish, or you can make it a full on main course soup (see notes at the bottom). Whatever you do, enjoy the nutritious bounties of summer with okra and tomatoes!

Okra and Tomato Stew (serves about 4)

2 T olive oil (or 4 slices of bacon, chopped)
2 cups sliced (rounds) okra (fresh or frozen)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can/15 oz diced tomatoes with juice
Salt and black pepper


Directions

1. In a large pot, warm oil over med-high heat. If using bacon, sautee the bacon until most of the fat is rendered, then remove the pieces from the pot (the bacon should be brown, but not burned. Now you have a little snack!). Add onions and a pinch of salt. Sautee the onions until translucent.
2. Add the garlic, okra and two pinches of salt. You will start to see the okra release it's sticky goo, and that's okay. It will be useful later! Sautee everything for about a minute, making sure the okra goo doesn't start to burn to the pot.
3. Add the tomatoes with their juice and scrape the bottom of the pot to dislodge any okra goo that may have stuck. Add a couple of pinches of salt and about a 1/2 t black pepper (or more to your taste). Let simmer for 10 minutes. Serve warm. If you'd like (and if you didn't eat all of it), you can garnish with the little bacon bits you made earlier.

NOTES:

To make this more of a main dish entree, you can add cooked, cubed chicken at the end and let it warm through in the broth, or follow the first step, then add raw chicken during the second step. Make sure the heat is stil med-high so you can get just a little sear on the chicken. Chicken thighs would be a great, economical cut to use, and would impart tons of flavor. Follow the rest of the directions, but add another 5 minutes onto the simmer time to make sure the chicken is cooked through.

To make this more of a soup, you can add 2 cups of either chicken stock, tomato juice or water when you add the tomatoes.

This dish is great with rice (fake or real). You can also add a squeeze of lemon juice a the end before eating to brighten everything.

For a more italian style dish, add 1 t dried basil and 1 t dried parsley when you add the tomatoes. They add a lovely sweet herbal note. If you're adding the herbs, I would suggest adding at least 1/2 cup-1 cup of water, chicken stock or tomato juice.

Curb your coconut cravings!

If you're like me, you love coconut in pretty much anything. From coconut milk in Indian dishes to southern coconut cake, I am coo coo for coconut! A craving hit me quite suddenly tonight, so I was motivated to make coconut cookies. Gluten free baking can be a challenge, and I am still learning the different personalities of the various flours out there, but I think these treats are pretty tasty.

Soft Coconut Cookies (makes: about 27 cookies)

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder (optional, but it does make the cookies fabulously tender)
1/2 cup butter (room temp)
1/3-1/2 cup xylitol (or regular sugar), see notes below
pinch of salt
3 eggs
1 t vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 and line a cookie sheet with parchment.

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix well. Add vanilla.
2. Combine flour, coconut, baking soda, powder and salt in medium bowl.
3. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir (by hand) until well combined.
4. Using a teaspoon or small scooper, place the dough balls onto the cookie sheet in a 3x4 grid.
5. flatten balls slightly with the heel of your hand or a spoon.
6. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

NOTES: If you use sweetened coconut, I would suggest using 1/3 cup of sugar to limit the sugar exposure. If you use unsweetened or want sweeter cookies, use the 1/2 cup. This is one case where I wouldn't use a liquid sweetener. If you do, please leave a comment and let me know how it goes.

If you want somewhat chewier cookies, leave out the baking powder.

Flaxseed Crackers

These make a lovely salty snack for those going G2F, or anyone who wants a low carb salty fix. I could devour pounds of these with hummus, but they are also great with other dips and by themselves.

2 cups ground golden flaxseeds
3 T whole flaxseeds or sesame seeds (I think sesame seeds add more flavor)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 t onion powder
1/2 t sea salt
1 large egg
2 T olive oil
1/2 cup water
2 t coarse sea salt or various spices (I like rosemary, red pepper flakes and garlic powder)

Preheat oven to 325

1. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (including the cheese) minus the spice mix or coarse sea salt. In a smaller bowl, combine wet ingredients with a fork or small whisk.
2. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix well.
3. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper, and divide the cracker dough between the two.
4. Tear two more large pieces of parchment paper, and place each over a mound of dough. you will use this to help roll out the cracker dough. This step is extremely important since the cracker dough will stick to your rolling pin!!!!
5. Roll the dough out until it is as thin as you can get it, about an 1/8th of an inch. Make sure it is evenly spread out, otherwise they crackers will not be dry enough!
6. Remove the top layer of parchment, and sprinkle both sets of dough with your spice mix or sea salt.
7. Place the pans in the oven, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the center is firm.
8. When you remove the pans from the oven, cut or break, until you have the size/shape of crackers you like. I tend to to go for the typical, saltine size and shape. Allow them to cool at least 30 minutes before attempting to store in an airtight container or ziploc baggy.

Notes

I would check the crackers after 18 minutes, just to make sure they do not over cook. Burned flaxseed has a very harsh flavor.

Black bean recipe

There are a million ways to prepare black beans (dried or canned). I will present my favorite way to enjoy them. You can also turn this into a soup, by adding 3 additional cups of stock or broth (maybe not plain water, since that would kill the flavor you've built).

Basic Black Beans

1- 15oz can black beans (no salt added, organic,), drained.
1- 15oz can diced tomoatoes (no salt added, organic)
2 t ground cumin
1 t smoked paprika
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1/2 chopped medium onion (color doesn't matter)
3 fat garlic cloves, chopped
Olive oil
Salt
1 cup water (or chicken stock)

Directions

1. Warm pan with enough oil to coat the bottom. Add onions. Sprinkle with a couple of hearty pinches of salt.
2. Add the pepper flakes and sautee the onions over med-high heat. Allow the onions to soften. Add the cumin and paprika. Toast the spices until you can smell them (maybe 30 seconds). Add the garlic, and sautee 1-2 minutes. Make sure the garlic doesn't burn!
3. Add the tomatoes, juice and all, and stir well. Give it a couple of pinches of salt.
4. Lastly, add water, stir well, check seasonings, then turn the heat to med-low and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

NOTES:
You can make this in a crock pot with dry beans, just increase the to about 6 cups, and add everything in at once. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or overnight. Since you are using more water, you will need to add a few extra pinches of salt and increase the cumin to at least 1 T. I would also suggest replacing half or all of the water with chicken stock. If you chose to do this, select low sodium stock.

Eat this, not...wait

With all the food trends, people are more and more at a loss as to they are "allowed" to eat aside for organic, homegrown kale. The attack on food has taken a sharp turn towards legumes (peanuts, beans, etc.). For years, we were told beans were incredibly good for you, and that they make a handy meat substitute. We started throwing them in everything, attempting to re-invent starchy wheels. Now, suddenly, new "research" has shown how terrible they are for you.

When evaluating what you want to put into your body, you must look at YOUR personal health and fitness goals. Look at the food for it's nutritional value and ask yourself, "Does the nutritional value of this food outweight the supposed 'risks' associated with it?" If the answer is yes, eat without guilt! If the answer is no, then move on...still without guilt or regret. I love beans, they are packed with protein and fiber. They are naturally low in fat and very filling. They are less expensive than meat, and make a great meat substitute in many dishes. The reason why beans have recently come under fire is their high carbohydrate content. True, they are quite starchy and pack a carb punch. Taking all of this into account, I chose to keep beans in my diet, and limit my carb explosure in other areas.

Today, I was craving black beans and rice with a little shredded jack cheese. I prepared the beans as I normally would, and instead of pairing them with a high carb food like rice, I made a batch of cauliflower "rice". It was delish! I found a way to make one of my favorite foods work. I did not sacrifice my health goals, I just made needed adjustments.

Vocab term to learn: Nutrient density
What it means: How many vitamins and nutrients are packed into one serving of something compared to a single serving of another food.
Example: Doughnut vs an Apple. The apple is clearly more nutrient dense than the doughnut.

Microwave popcorn without all the cancer and bloating

We all have read the articles about how microwave popcorn is extremely bad for you, not only because of the inordinate amout of sodium it normally contains, but also the chemicals and working conditions of those who manufacture the product. Below is more info about the outcry.

ABC News Article
Discovery Health

Of course, the first time I heard about possible health issues associated with it, I immediately began craving it, and went out and bought a ton. Now that my personal crazy has died down a bit, and the chemicals and sodium have hopefully left my body, I can focus on obtaining popcorn without all the work of stovetop cooking. The solution? You can microwave popcorn without the bag!

All you need to make fluffy, healthy natural popcorn is a large, microwavable bowl, something to cover it (I use a plate) and popcorn.

What you do
Place the popcorn in the bowl..about 2-3 Tablespoons (NO OIL or BUTTER!!!), put the lid/plate on top of the bowl and place it everything in the microwave. Set for 3-4 minutes. It's done when you no longer hear popping (duh) or you really start to smell it. Be careful since the plate will be hot and have condensation on the bottom. Remove the plate quickly to avoid getting the popped corn wet. Eat as is for a healthier snack, or try some of the flavors below:

Melted butter (duh)
Olive oil mixed with spices (try rosemary and sea salt for a sophisticated snack)
Garlic powder + melted butter
Olive oil + taco seasoning
White chocolate and butter (great for gift giving...or not, no one is judging you...)

Sweet Treats

Going G2F doesn't mean saying goodbye to sweets, even baked goodies. I have a fairly serious sweet tooth, and while I am seriously restricting my sugar exposure, I know that the key to any sucessful life change involves incorporating habits you can actually keep. Swearing off sugar completely, isn't reasonable for me at this point. I can get rid of artificial sweetners, and I was never one for diet beverages, so refined sugar is the area I really have to work at. The first step was tossing out the white stuff. That was easy enough to do, but the question was, how do I make my baked goods sweet? I am a big fan of honey, and it can serve it's purposes, but it is not the most frugal choice. Besides, it does a lovely job of hiking up your blood sugar quickly. I have settled upon Xylitol and Agave nectar. Not too thrilled about Xylitol because the name sounds odd and some how artificial, so I am being careful with it. Also, it causes a bit of a cooling sensation on the tongue, which isn't always desirable. At any rate, Below are two great recipes.

Dark Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Normally people only associate this treat with Valentine's Day or Mother's day, but neither of those holidays actually falls during strawberry season. The strawberries are never as sweet, so they kind of need all of the confectionary coatings people subject them to in order to taste good. Chocolate covered strawberries should be a summer treat, when the berries themselves can actually provide all the necessary sweetness. Instead of white chocolate and milk chocolate, which are the two most commonly used coatings, I am going with dark chocolate. Use the darkest possible chocolate to control the amount of sugar. If you're doing this when strawberries are in season, they should be sweet enough to comfortably allow you to use 70% or more cacao content without it being too bitter. Flax seeds add a nutritional punch. If you love your honey, you want them healthy!

Strawberries (make sure they are ripe and in season! organic if possilbe!)
Dark dark chocolate chips
Olive Oil
Flax Seeds (whole or ground)


1.) Place the chocolate in a microwavable bowl, add 1 T oil per 1/2 cup of chocolate.
2.) Microwave for a minute. Stir. Microwave at 15 second intervals until all chocolate is melted and shiny.
3.) Wash the strawberries and dry them extremely well. Absolutely no water can be on the berries! Place a wax paper on a plate or cookie sheet.
4.) Roll the strawberries in the chocolate, coating well. If they have been properly dried, the chocolate will stick.
5.) lay the strawberries in rows on the wax paper. While the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle on the flax seeds.
6.) Put the coated strawberries in the refridgerator and allow the chocolate to set. Enjoy!

Pairs well with a nice dark roast coffee, espresso or a lovely robust, red wine.


Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 cups almond meal
1/4 coconut flour
3 eggs
1/4 cup Xylitol
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/3 cup melted butter
2 t vanilla
1 t baking soda
1.5 cups dark chocolate chips (the darkest you can find)

Preheat oven to 350 and line a pan with parchment paper.

1.) Whisk together almond meal, coconut flour, xylitol, flax seeds and baking soda in large bowl.
2.) In medium bowl, mix eggs, vanilla, and melted butter. Pour into the flour mixture.
3.) Add chocolate chips and stir until just combined.
4.) drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheet. Flatten slightly.
5.) Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Since each oven is different, I would check the cookies at 7 or 8 minutes.
6.) Cool on wire wrack. Cookies should be soft and slightly chewy. They will look a bit darker than their wheaty counterparts.

Stir up some veggie eaters!

Growing up, I never had an issue eating vegetables. I guess it's because there were always plenty of fresh, locally grown vegetables available, and they tasted amazing. Our next door neighbor always grew tomatoes, collard greens, spinach, and sometimes peas (usually purple hull). Every once in a while, he would drop off bags and/or pillow cases full of each because he had too much. Sometimes, during the summer, my mother and I would walk to his house and he would let us pick it ourselves. My paternal grandparents had peach, plum and fig trees, as well as chickens, and squash. Occasionally, they grew strawberries or other veggies. Every summer, I would be in the kitchen with my step-grandmother, making jams, jellies and preserves. Boy, I wish I'd paid more attention...it would certainly make my canning go a lot smoother! Several other people we knew had extremely prolific and large home gardens, so we would get pounds and pounds of fresh produce straight from the source. It was a fabulous way for a young foodie to grow up, let me tell ya!

At any rate, I love vegetables, and summer makes me love eating them even more. Not every child falls in love with the oh-so-good-for-you fruits of the earth, so parents now-a-days are having to find all kinds of tricks to get their child to eat their veggies. I have found that stir-fry is a great way to get children to eat their veggies. For some reason, when they are hidden in plain sight, children are more interested in eating them. Granted, you can go the route of hiding vegetables by juicing and pureeing them and adding them to "normal" recipes, but understand this will not really develop a healthy love or enjoyment of vegetables...just the foods they are hidden in. I believe ultimately, you want a child to see a vegetable, know what it is and still chose to consume it. It makes life less stressful for everyone involved.

Thursday, I went about planning my meals for the weekend, and decided a stir-fry was in order. After the curried chicken, I was in the mood for more international cuisine. I was craving the tender-crisp texture of veggies with a hint of magic, which is what I feel like I get with stir-fry. Going low carb and G2F (gluten/grain free) meant eliminating soy sauce (it contains wheat) and limiting sugar exposure, since so many American-style stir-fry sauces contain tons of sugar. What I came up with, is a very light, summery Lemon Ginger stir-fry in which the main stars are the veggies. It has chicken, which is totally optional, so this would be quick and easy meatless meal, if you were so inclined. I paired it with Sauteed Bok Choy which also picked up some of the ginger notes and added a little more spice of it's own. You could serve this with fake rice, or not...totally up to you. I don't think its necessary. Okay, I shall keep you in suspence no longer, on to the recipes!

Lemon Ginger (7-veggie) Stir-Fry

1/2 cup sliced carrots (try to use organic)
1 red bell pepper sliced in semi circles
2 ribs of celery sliced on the bias
1/2 of medium sized red onion, sliced in semi circles
1-2 large portabella mushrooms, gills removed, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup green beans or sugar snap peas cut in 1-inch sections
1 broccoli crown cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 lb chicken breast or tenders, thinly sliced into 2-inch pieces, patted dry
3 large cloves of garlic sliced/crushed
1/2 t red pepper flakes
Olive oil
1 T minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup lemon juice
1-2 t agave nectar or honey* optional
Salt

Directions:
1. Pour enough oil to coat the bottom of a large (10 or 12 inch) skillet by a good 1/8th of an inch. Turn heat onto medium, close to med-high. Add garlic and pepper flakes.
2. As the oil heats, stir the glaric around to make sure it doesn't burn. You are using to to flavor the oil.
3. When the garlic is light brown (NOT BURNED), remove it quickly from the oil.
4. Turn the heat to med-high. Add the chicken, stiring quickly to coat it in oil. Cook for 2 minutes. (this is when thinly slicing/shaving it is a bit better than cutting it into 1-in cubes as many recipes ask, you get more caramelization and flavor)
5. Add broccoli, mushrooms, celery and onions and a couple of pinches of salt. Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring a few times.
6. Add all other veggies with another couple of pinches of salt. At this point you may want to make sure there is still enough oil to coat everything. It not, add a good 1/4 cup to the pan. This is what will help make the light sauce. Toss everything to coat well. Cook 1-2 minutes.
7. Add ginger and continue cooking until you smell it (if your heat is high enough, this should take about a minute). Pour in lemon juice and cook until everything is coated. Remove from the heat and serve!

NOTES: This dish is lightly sauced, so it should not be swimming in juices. If there is a lot of juice (adding the salt, makes the veggies release their natural juices), keep cooking and stirring until some of the liquid has evaporated. Lastly, if you want to make this a bit more appetizing to children, or if you'd enjoy a slightly sweeter flavor, add the agave nectar or honey. Add a very small amount to control sugar exposure. Remember, we're not going for a sticky, gooey stir-fry. We are looking for everything to have a nice coating, and that's it.

Sauteed Bok Choy

1 Head of Bok Choy, sliced (wash it well)
1-2 t minced fresh ginger (depending on how spicey you like it)
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/3 cup olive oil
1 t butter
salt

Directions
Heat pan to med-high.
Add oil, butter, ginger and nutmeg. heat until you smell them (shouldn't take more than a few seconds). Stir well.
Add bok choy and a coule of pinches of salt. Stir, cooking about 5 minutes. You are looking for the stalks to have a tender-crisp texture and the leaves will be wilted. Enjoy!

Portion distortion in a good way

We all know as Americans, we struggle with how much is on our plate as well as what is on our plate. The average American plate tends to be dominated by a meat-based entree, and smaller portions of side dishes. The side dishes are more often than no, starchy in nature and often slathered with butter. Changing the way I eat, has certainly changed the way my plate looks. Instead of being dominated by a huge slab of meat (no matter how healthfully prepared), it is now composed mainly of veggies with a small portion of protein. This is how our plates are supposed to look. Full of nutrients, color and visual appeal. We tend to get into a rut by making everything the same size and monchromatically themed (i.e. everything on the plate is white or brown), but what I like about this meal are the different colors and shapes. Having the veggies piled atop one another and them being different sizes makes them far more interesting. This would appeal to smaller children, because they could have fun trying to find all the carrots and sorting everything while consuming all the vitamins and minerals they to live healthy, happy lives.

Sunday pot roast (3 oz), steamed green beans and steamed baby carrots

Chicken curry and "rice"

I love a good curry, and this totally hits the spot without being too fussy. What's great is the "rice" made of cauliflower, it's a sneaky way to get kids to eat an extra helping of veggies.

Curried Chicken

1 lbs chicken breast sliced thinly and cut into 2 inch sections (or cubed, if you prefer)
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
1/4 cup water.
2 T tomato paste
1 red bell pepper
2 T curry powder
1 t paprika
1 small yellow onion
1/2 t Red pepper flakes
Olive Oil
salt and pepper

Heat a large skillet with no oil over med-high heat, add oil, pepper fakes, onion, bell pepper and chicken. Cook until chicken almost done. Add curry powder and paprika. Cook until you begin to smell the spices. Add tomato paste and stir rapidly. Deglaze with coconut milk and water, scraping bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then simmer 10 minutes. While it's simmering...

Fake Rice

1 head of cauliflower
2 T butter
1/2 t salt

Quarter the head of cauliflower, then wash it with cold water. Using the largest holes in a box grater, shred the cauliflower completely. Put it in a microwavale bowl with the salt and butter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid, and microwave for 3-4 minutes, depending on how soft you want your "rice". Toss to coat everything with butter. Serve with any dish you'd normally serve with rice. You will be surprised at the texture and the taste. You won't miss rice at all!

Culinary Elements: Color & Variety

When composing a meal, one must think about how the food will actually look on the plate. People eat with their eyes before they ever taste with their mouth. Meal planning means making sure you have plenty of variety in textures, colors, flavors and temperatures. I tend to not enjoy cold foods, so it is certainly a struggle for me to get multiple temperatures in the same meal (safely). At any rate, an extremely hearty meal that certainly pays homage to my southern roots, also provides a lovely example of the elements color and variety.

You are looking at dry rub, baby back ribs, french red onion and cabbage soup and roasted okra. Very tasty, low car, and quite healthy, as long as you watch the sodium in the rub and soup. I am not putting the recipe for the rub, since I think that totally depends on what your tastes are, but I will include the recipe for the soup and okra.

French Onion and Cabbage Soup:

1 med-large onion (any color, in the picture, I use red for the color)
3-4 cups chopped cabbage (red or green, again, I chose red)
3 cups chicken broth or water
2 cloves garlic, minced
Olive Oil
1-2 T butter
salt and pepper

On the stove top, turn the heat to med and warm the pot (without the oil). Halve, then slice the onion into half moons. Add enough oil to the heated pan to coat the bottom (roughly a 1/4 cup),the butter, then add the onions. Sprinkle a couple of pinches of salt over the onions to help begin the cramalization process. Keep the heat at low, and stir the onions until they are all coated in oil. Let the onions cook until brown (not burned) completely. This could take anywhere from 7 to 12 minutes, make sure you don't go too far! Toss in the cabbage and garlic. Stir well, and sprinkle with another couple of pinches of salt. When the cabbage begins to wilt, delgaze the pan with the water or chicken broth, scraping the bottom. Add a few dashes of pepper, give it one final stir then let it simmer for 15 minutes. Taste your broth, if it needs more salt, add it at this point and let it simmer for a couple of minutes further. If it is to your liking, you are ready to serve!

Roasted Okra

1 lb raw, whole okra
3 T seasoned salt (See below for my version)
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 450

Coat okra in oil, then sprinkle with seasoning. Place in pan (preferably on baking sheet) in a single layer, Roast until it starts to brown at the edges. Allow it to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Cooking it this way helps eliminate the gooey, sticky liquid most people associate with okra.

Seasoned Salt

1 T kosher salt
1 T smoked paprika
1 T garlic powder
2 t onion powder
2 t ground black pepper

Mix together and store in an airtight container. Great on chicken, pork and veggies. For steak seasoning, omit paprika and use course ground black pepper.

G2F

Definition time! G2F is my way of saying gluten & grain free. I've decided to experiment with this lifestyle and see how it goes. It has certainly been a fun and interesting challenge culinarily. Definitely makes you think outside of the box and question everything that goes into your body. Though I am not going to be as strict as the Wheat Belly or Paleo diets, would have you go. I am eliminating/severely limiting wheat/gluten, rice and corn products from my diet. Bean and starch consumption will be limited as well. Honestly, it all boils down to a low carb diet, so it's not super complicated. My focus is mostly have tons of veggies and plenty of proteins. Since it's a bit difficult to find premade foods that meet my requirements, I cannot rely on traditional GF foods. They also tend to be full of junk. I must make everything from scratch. Most baked goods end up tasting like cornbread, which isn't completely bad, but certainly a change from what I am used to. I did end up making some pretty good Chocolate Chip cookies, though. Usually, when someone mentions going on a very restrictive diet, the first question is, "Well what DO you eat?". I will be sharing a few recipes and pics of the meals I've had. Here goes nothing...

Allergic to living

Has anyone noticed how allergies are now quite fashionable? It's the new, hip thing to be allergic to almost everything so that people can ask you "well what on earth do you eat?", and you can go on and on about this special flour that you have to order from some hut in Africa. Seems we're ordering more and more foods from other countries, because we're suddenly allergic to everything we make here in America.

Back in the day, decades, even centries ago, the only food you could get was local food. There was no ordering something from some third world country, from the bowels of the rainforest. You either ate what you or someone in your community grew, or you didn't eat at all. That was it. Period. There was none of this Gluten, grain, lactose, peanut, tree nut, soy-free craziness. Let's look at soy, for example. About 10 to 15 years or so ago, soy products became fashionable. Soy milk was the new "it" thing. Everyone felt so special ordering soy lattes and bragging in the dairy aisle about how they ONLY get soy. They would say this so smuggly even if they'd only started buying soy milk two weeks ago. Now, in the past year or so, everyone has become allergic to soy. The new "it" thing is now coconut or almond milk. Hemp milk is moving up in the ranks as well. Now the various milk cartons boast labels such as "soy free" "Lactose free" "gluten free", and "all natural". The almond has now replaced the soy bean, and coconut is now king. You can easily get almond and coconut flour in addition to the milks. Almond butter is taking a serious swing at peanut butter. Coconut butter/spread is giving traditional cows-milk based butter a run for it's money.

The yogurt aisle is getting ridiculous as well. Companies are now trying to cater to every audience possible. While there are some tasty products that have come from this, it is getting to be a bit much. We have Greek, Turkish, Scandinavian, Hungarian, French and several other styles of yogurt. Honestly, most of them taste the same. We've also got the various "milk" mediums to go with all of these styles. I'd imagine serious shoppers can get Hungarian Hemp-milk yogurt flavored with rose water if they really wanted it.

All of these alternatives came from the idea that people are suddenly allergic to everything around them. That magically nearly everything is bad for you. Seems the only food everyone agrees on is kale. I think our society is finally coming to a point where we've realized, our constant demand for quick-cooking, attractive, perfectly sized foods has led scientists to frantically create foods that make us ill. Gone, are the days of testing foods to make sure they are safe. Instead, consumer demand now drives corporations to get things onto the shelves and into our greedy gullets ASAP. It started with some light genetic modification, and has spread to total reconstruction. Our food today, looks absolutely nothing like it did years ago. We are no longer eating food, we're eating science experiments. Our planet has become one, big science fair.

I am so thankful for the movement to go back to a naural diet. To stop the purchase of hormone riddled, genetically modified foolishness. Let's take the time to choose our foods wisely. What we put into our bodies is what we get out. It's not "cool" to have a yard-long list of allergies, and have special dietary needs. Our greetings to each other should not include new foods we're cutting out of our diet. Let's do away with this endless allergy search. Doctors get on TV, and list off very generic symptoms such as tiredness, drowsiness, muscle ache, bloating, gas, and the list goes on and on; then they toss out a random food or food group like...grains, and say that your consumption of grains is making you feel this way. We are to immediately purge this horrid toxin from our diet, and after the "withdrawal" we will feel a million times better. I believe for many people, the reason why they feel better is a.) they believe they're supposed to or b.) cutting out one food group forced them to consumer another...usually veggies, so they're getting more fiber, and thus, they poop more...so they feel better. So much of this witch hunt is just smoke and mirrors. Let's undergo a paradigm shift and go back to the basics. Let's get real food, and stop anticipating being sick afterwards (or suddenly feeling so much "better"). America, let's eat!