February Cocktail: The Gimlet

I can't believe February is almost over. I'm glad of it since I can't wait for spring to come. Although March seems to always be the snowiest month here in Minnesota. Since we haven't had much snow yet this winter, March might be a doozy! In fact, we have a snow storm headed our way right now and it sounds like we are going to get dumped on tomorrow. Speaking of February, we are at the peak of flu season right now. Citrus fruits are high in vitamin C which may help prevent cold and flu (although the data on that is a bit spotty, a nice glass of OJ sure tastes good when you have a cold). In the olden days, limes and other citrus fruits were used by British sailors to prevent scurvy. Supposedly a General Gimlette came up with a gin and lime juice drink to get the sailors to take their daily dose (according to Wikipedia). Thus, the gimlet was created. By the way, this is also the origin of the term "limey."

Traditionally, a gimlet is made with Rose's lime juice, which unfortunately contains high fructose corn syrup. I thought I'd try a fresh version of the drink. My hubby found a recipe in one of our bar tending books that sounded fabulous. I love gin and I've had gimlets before, but never with fresh lime juice. It's very tart, but delicious. We had a neighbor friend over for dinner and I served these. We all agreed it would be good in the summer. A very refreshing drink. Be sure to shake very well with ice!

The Gimlet

from The Ultimate A to Z Bar Guide by Sharon Tyler Herbst

2 oz. gin
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. confectioners' sugar

Combine ingredients in cocktail shaker over ice and shake well. Strain into cocktail glass. Optional: the rim of the glass may be dipped in lime juice and then granulated sugar before pouring the drink in.

Giving Up Wheat

I have some big news: I stopped eating wheat. This is a good thing. I feel great! A couple of weeks ago I finished reading "Wheat Belly" by Dr. William Davis. Even before I was done reading the book, I had decided to give up wheat. The first week and a half of being wheat-free I lost four pounds. Four pounds! Although it was probably mostly water weight - still! This was after three weeks of trying to lose weight my own way and not seeing the scale budge at all. I was so frustrated after those three weeks. I found myself looking to the internet for inspiration. I was on either the Huffington Post Healthy Living or MSN's Fitbie. Both of those sites profile people who have lost a lot of weight. One of the women being profiled said that she read this book called "Wheat Belly." I was intrigued and looked it up. The reviews were so good that I downloaded the book to my Kindle that night. I started reading. The next day I didn't eat wheat. The day after that I noticed my tummy shrank (mostly water because I was bloated from the wheat). The day after that I noticed the pain in my muscles and joints was greatly diminished. A week and half later, I was down four pounds. Wow. I guess I shouldn't eat wheat.

I found out that wheat has an inflammatory response in me. I didn't realize how much pain and discomfort I was in until I gave up wheat. I finally feel comfortable in my skin. What started as a quest to lose weight lead to me finally finding out what has been giving me so much pain and discomfort all these years. Not only am I losing weight and in less pain, I also have better digestion, which is a big deal for me having suffered from IBS since I was a teenager. I will be discussing all of this with my doctor and whether I should be tested for celiac disease or if it is a wheat intolerance. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy this awesome feeling.

No more recipes made with this.

I really recommend reading this book, but I will try to sum it up. Basically, when humans evolved millions of years ago, we were hunter-gatherers, subsisting on meat, nuts and berries. This is what our bodies were evolved to eat. Then we became farmers and started eating grains. Then we started fiddling with these grains. About fifty years ago, agriculturists started to engineer and modify wheat and corn to grow in unfavorable conditions. This is great when you are trying to feed starving countries, but they didn't do any testing to see what kind of effect this would have on us. Well, I think the past fifty years we have been a part of this testing and the result is obesity, diabetes, heart disease and a host of other diseases. Eating modern wheat (even whole wheat) causes an insulin response, which causes you to store fat and also sends your blood sugar on a roller coaster, making you hungry. Dr. Davis recommends a diet low in carbs and high in protein and healthy fats. After doing lots of research I've found that it is similar to the Paleo or Primal diet. In addition to giving up wheat, I've been trying this Paleo/Primal diet with mixed results. I'm still working on finding a good balanced diet that works for me.

I don't think that wheat is the only cause of obesity, but it is a major one. Along with sedentary lifestyles, "super sizing," eating too much sugar (which often accompanies wheat in the form of cookies, cakes, etc.), and too many processed foods, our country has become obese. Wheat is just one of the pieces of the puzzle. Truth is, nutrition and the effect food has our bodies is way more complicated that we ever imagined.

While going wheat-free worked for me, I don't imagine it will help everyone. A lot of people can eat wheat just fine. Unfortunately, I can't. I feel so great right now, I can't imagine ever going back to eating wheat. So you can imagine that there will be some changes in my blog. Gone are the days of cookies and cupcakes. Honestly, after spending too much time on allrecipes.com, I don't care if I ever even see another damn cupcake with swirly frosting again! (Yes, I realize I have one of those cupcakes in my slide show up there, just one of the many moments of weakness being involved on that site.)

I will be making a different kind of this.

I hope I don't loose too many readers of my blog with this shift in diet! I will still be sharing what I'm cooking and baking, and there actually might not be that much difference. Right now, I even have a loaf of banana bread in the oven that smells delicious. Well, it's Paleo banana bread, which means that it is made with almond flour and very little sugar. (I will post about this bread soon.) What we eat for dinner really hasn't changed that much though. I won't be making many pasta dishes, but definitely be looking for healthy chicken, beef and fish recipes. So please stick around!

Clipped Recipe: Creamy Ranch Chicken

I'm still working on organizing all of my recipes clipped from magazines and newspapers. The trouble is that I keep adding to it faster than I can organize it! It doesn't help that I get even more cooking magazines now. This recipe for Creamy Ranch Chicken has been in my pile of clippings for quite a while. It's from Better Homes and Gardens magazine. I love it because it is so creamy and warm. Great for a winter dinner. Plus, it's super-easy! Just serve with a salad.

Of course I made some changes to it. I made it healthier by using turkey bacon and cooking the chicken in olive oil instead of the bacon drippings. I also used Simply Organic Ranch Dip Mix and skim milk.

Healthier Creamy Ranch Chicken
serves 4

Ingredients:
6 slices turkey bacon, diced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. dry ranch dressing mix
1 1/4 cups skim milk
3 cups uncooked medium egg noodles
grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, cook diced bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove from pan.
2. Heat the olive oil in the same pan and add chicken. Cook chicken until no longer pink in the middle and stirring to brown evenly.
3. Sprinkle chicken with flour and ranch dressing mix and stir well. Stir in milk and cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Stir in bacon. Meanwhile cook noodles according to package instructions. Serve chicken mixture over egg noodles and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Chocolate, Nut and Seed Granola Bars

The recipe I'm sharing with you today I created for a completely selfish reason: myself. I wanted an easy and satisfying snack to take to work with me and thought granola bars would be perfect. I was searching the store for a granola bar that fit my criteria. I wanted something peanut butter and chocolate, something natural, something low in sugar, something with ingredients I could pronounce, something highly nutritious. Do you think I could find it? NO! So I just decided to make some myself. Come to think of it, I don't know why I even bothered looking for something processed, since we hardly buy any of that junk anymore.

I decided to go all-out nutritious and add as many healthy nuts and seeds as I could. The base of the granola bar is oats and peanut butter. I added a little honey for sweetness (but not too sweet!). Then came the nuts and seeds. Chia seeds are all the rage right now. We can't keep them on the shelf at the store. They are tiny little things that pack a ton of nutrition. They are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and protein. They are also teeming with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Wow, not too bad for ch-ch-ch-chia (yes, it's the same plant)!

Next I added flax seed. Flax seed has to be ground in order to reap the benefits, otherwise it will just pass right through you whole. I buy them already ground (Bob's Red Mill is my favorite). You can buy the whole seed and grind them yourself in a coffee grinder. Like the chia seed, flax is high in omega-3's and fiber. They are high in a substance called lignans, which are antioxidants and phytoestrogens that may help prevent cancer.

You may not think of adding sesame seeds to granola bars, but when they aren't toasted they have a very mild, neutral flavor. And, you guessed it, they are very good for you (and your heart). Once again, they have omega-3's, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.

Finally, the last seeds I added are sunflower seeds. I actually used sunflower nuts, which are the dehulled inside "meat" part of the sunflower seed. Like other seeds and nuts, they are super-good for you. I chose to add chopped walnuts to the granola bars, but you can use any nut you like, such as sliced almonds, pecans or peanuts.

This recipe has been at least a month in the making. I went through 6 or 7 batches to get it just right. I still think they are a little crumbly though. I'll keep working on it and if I come up with something better I'll update the recipe. I hope you enjoy what I have created so far!

Chocolate, Nut and Seed Granola Bars

makes 12 bars

Ingredients:
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter (regular or natural both work)
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup canola or walnut oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats (not quick)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup raw sunflower nuts
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
1 Tbsp. chia seeds
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350º F. Line a 8"x8" baking pan with foil. Lightly grease foil with cooking spray or oil.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, honey, oil and salt. Stir until smooth.
3. In a large bowl, combine the oats, walnuts, sunflower nuts, chocolate chips, ground flax seed, chia seeds, and sesame seeds.
4. Pour the peanut butter mixture into the oat mixture and stir until evenly combined. Press into prepared pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Moo Moo Photobomb

I recently discovered what is called a "Photobomb." I'm thinking this is one of those things that everyone else knew about and I'm just finally catching on to (it's a feeling I've had my whole life, seriously). Anyways, it's where a photo is being taken and something or someone ruins the photo. There are some pretty hilarious ones out there and Huffington Post does a good job of compiling them. My favorite is this one: Crasher Seal Photobombs Group of Penguins.

I was going through some of my old photos and came across a couple of Moo Moo photobombs. Maggie (Moo Moo) is my pug and she is quite a character. She is always there to supervise my food photo shoots. She makes sure crumbs are cleaned up ASAP and that the food always smells good.

Here I was trying to take a picture of a salad. I was getting great light on the coffee table. Moo Moo jumped from the couch to the table and got very close to the salad. I took this photo before I shooed her away. As you can see, we are probably a little too lax on our "no dogs on the furniture policy," in that we have no such policy.

Here I was fiddling around with my old camera and Moo Moo jumped up in my lap. I snapped this photo and I thought it looked very "photobomb-ish." I e-mailed this to my husband one day at work, and it just cracked him up. I'm glad we could provide some humor to his work day.

Piña Colada Banana Muffins

I've been on a cleaning and organizing kick lately. Last week I went around and cleaned out three of our closets. I have 3 bags to donate and 2 bags of garbage. My mantra is "if it's not beautiful or useful, get rid of it." The best way to organize is to not have so much stuff to begin with. I really like the minimalist, non-cluttered look. It makes me feel peaceful and calm.

I wanted to try and clean out my fridge and pantry too. This recipe all started with the leftover coconut milk from the Warm Coconut Rice Pudding. I wanted to use it up before it went bad. I also had a couple of overripe bananas. And then I had this lone can of pineapple in my pantry. I have no idea why I bought it or why it was there. I don't even remember buying it. It was almost as if it had legs and was wondering around and decided to take up residence in my pantry. Well, it wasn't expired yet and I was tired of seeing it, so I decided to use it. So I had coconut milk, bananas and pineapple. Piña coladas! Better yet, I thought I'd try making up a recipe for muffins. Here's what I came up with. I know chocolate chips aren't a usual ingredients in piña coladas, but Hubby insisted.

Piña Colada Banana Muffins
makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (sweetened flaked coconut may be used)
2 small bananas, mashed (about 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup coconut milk (or milk of your choice)
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1 - 8 oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained
1/4 cup diced maraschino cherries

Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin tin or use paper liners.

2.    In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, chocolate chips and coconut.

3.    In a medium bowl, stir together the bananas, milk, egg, oil, pineapple and cherries. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

4.    Fill muffins cups 3/4 full and bake for 30 minutes, or until they test done with a toothpick.

Loving "Cooking Light"

Moroccan Chicken & Butternut Squash Soup

"Cooking Light" magazine has become one of my favorite resources for new recipes. I really didn't know the magazine existed until I stayed at my aunt and uncle's cabin up north last summer. My aunt had some old "Cooking Light" magazines laying around and I picked one up. I immediately began dog-earring the pages to mark recipes I wanted to make. There were so many recipes, my aunt told me to keep the magazine! I decided when I got home I had to get my own subscription.

"Cooking Light" has just the type of recipes I like to make: healthy, low-calorie, low-fat, lots of veggies and protein and also, most importantly, delicious! This photo shows my typical magazine. I have a pad of post-its next to me that I label and mark each recipe I want to try as I read. This makes it easy to see what recipes I have marked and to find which magazine a particular recipe was in.

Warm Coconut Rice Pudding

Most recently I tried two new recipes from the January/February 2012 issue. Moroccan Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup and Warm Coconut Rice Pudding. I have a tendency to stick with American or Italian cuisines, but I want to try and make more ethnic and exotic dishes. Expand our palates. This soup definitely did that. It has a wonderful blend of spices and flavors. The orange rind gives it such a brightness. It's also so healthy, combining colorful produce with flavorful chicken. I don't know as if I have ever cooked a Moroccan dish before, I think I will again!

The other recipe I tried was Warm Coconut Rice Pudding. I've written a blog about how much I love rice pudding and my grandma's recipe. I usually just stick with Grandma's, but it takes an hour to cook and this recipe looked very quick and easy. Plus, I love coconut milk and had a can of it in my pantry. I also loved that this recipe had cardamom in it. If you've had a chai tea latte, then you probably know what cardamom tastes like. It's a unique spice, kind of peppery. It goes great with cinnamon and is often used in Indian cuisine.