28-day Re-boot

Today was day 4 of my self-devised 28-day diet re-boot. While I eat healthy most of the time, I find myself in ruts, eating desserts way more than I'd care to tell you, and snacking just because it's in front of me or because the clock says its time to eat.  60 animal crackers anyone?Portions get a little out of hand, and my love for plant-based eating gets all but forgotten. A few months ago I did a 28-day clean eating challenge- I loved it. Sure, I cheated a few times but managed to stick to it for the entire month. What I didn't like about that particular diet challenge was how vague the diet component was. I wasn't sure if bread was allowed or discouraged, was red meat OK, or why plain yogurt was ok but not Parmesan cheese. The recipes I tried were tasty, but no nutritional info was provided (and I was too lazy to figure it out). I craved a more detailed plan to follow. I also knew I wanted a cleanse program that progressively added foods back in so I could detect any food sensitivities, and see if I felt noticeably better by avoiding certain foods. My plan uses what I believe to be the healthiest way to eat, and encourages a key component - establishing a  healthier relationship with food. This means learning how to balance your plate, whether vegan or carnivore, and consuming whole foods rather than the processed & packaged version. The biggest challenge for me - mom to almost 4 babes- is the extra time and planning this lifestyle takes. There is no getting around this, it's just part of the commitment. So, I guess you have to ask yourself how committed you are willing to be. And it's perfectly acceptable to me to admit to yourself (and the entire blog-reading world) that you are about 75% committed. I'd say that's about where i'm at with clean eating, and damn proud, too. Hey, I've come a long way. 

Anyway, Jordan and I are test-driving the re-boot plan and some recipes. All of which I will share with you once we make it through. I'll post updates as we go, so far so good!

Here's a picture of yesterday's lunch: trader joes spicy egg white salad atop a super greens salad. Yum! 

Cashew "cheesecakes" with Amaretto cherry sauce

If I am told that my death is imminent and I can plan my last meal, I'd probably choose a bacon avocado cheeseburger and fries or a deep dish pepperoni pizza. I'd want a fruity Pinot Noir to accompany this fancy fare. For dessert, it'd be a toss up between a rich chocolate layer cake a la mode or cheesecake. The obvious problem with cheesecake is that after one slice you feel seriously ill and disgusting (which wouldn't matter if I was about to die, would it?) - and that probably has a lot to do with the insane amount of calories, sugar, and saturated fat crammed in there. But if I were dying, or if it were a special occasion, say a Thursday evening, I'd totally go for cheesecake regardless of the pain it would cause me. My point is that I have no willpower whatsoever when it comes to dessert. But every once in a while, I dream of variations of my favorite foods that are nutritious, won't make me sick, and make me feel a little bit like a Santa Cruz hippy.

This recipe for cashew "cheesecake" is so so good. My guests agreed it was more like a mousse, than a dense cheesecake but nobody felt that was a bad thing. Many cashew-based cheesecakes suggest freezing them until about 20-30 minutes before serving, which would definitely firm up the cake if you were looking for a more traditional cheesecake proper for slicing. I chose to top them with a cherry sauce since cherries are just starting their season here. It really made the dessert, so give it a try. You'll do a little hippy happy dance for sure.

CASHEW CHEESECAKE
serves 6

Crust
1 cup raw almonds
3/4 cup pitted dates
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
pinch of cinnamon
1 Tbsp water, if needed

Filling
1 1/2 cups raw cashew nuts,soaked 
juice from one medium lemon
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
Scant 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup (or half & half is what i used)
6 oz plain greek yogurt (I used nonfat but think low fat or whole fat would be even better)

Soak cashews in water for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain and set aside.

For crust, add first 4 ingredients to food processor and blend until nuts are finely chopped - it should be sticky but not crazy sticky. If its dry, add the water and blend. Place crust in the bottom of a springform pan or individual glass cups. Set aside.

For the filling, Add all the ingredients to VitaMix or food processor and blend until completely smooth. This can take a couple minutes. Pour on top of crust and smooth top. At this point, you can refrigerate the individual cups for a softer dessert, or freeze the cake for easier slicing.

Warm the cherry sauce just before serving atop cheesecake.

*The cheesecake can be made vegan/dairy free by omitting the yogurt. Just make sure to reduce the sweetener to taste if you do.

AMARETTO CHERRY SAUCE (can be made in advance and warmed up before serving)

2 cups pitted, stemmed cherries
2 Tbsp sugar (can add more if needed)
2 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup water
2-3 Tbsp Amaretto
2 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp lemon juice (optional)

In a medium saucepan, add cherries, sugar, water, butter, cornstarch and amaretto. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to low, and continue at a simmer for about 2-3 minutes. Stir occasionally. You can add more water/booze if more sauce is desired or cornstarch or sugar. Just taste and adjust.

I added the lemon juice just before serving to give a little more punch.

Apple Turkey Burgers with Brie and Caramelized Onions with Baked Garlic Parmesan fries

I love me a good burger - beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, salmon, whatever. Just give me some grilled protein with cheese and bread and I'm pretty much content (except I will need dessert, you know). I admit that before yesterday, I have never made this variation of a turkey burger- and for whatever reason, it wouldn't be a recipe I'd normally want to test out -  but I got a new cookbook that raved about using grated apples in turkey burgers, and when I Googled it, sure enough, apple turkey burgers are super hot right now. And who doesn't like to be a bit trendy? After comparing too many recipes, I decided to base my recipe off a blog onceuponacuttingboard.com. I added more stuff to the burger meat, but our recipes are pretty similar. For the fries, I used a recipe from Cookin Canuck- I followed her recipe closely except I increased the oven temperature based on other recipes I found on epicurious. And the results...a very good dinner. I think everyone cleaned their plates - and my burgers were HUGE. While they needed a bit more salt for my taste, they were so moist and the flavors were spot-on. Next time, I'll serve the burgers on whole grain English muffins to reduce the carb load which also means I'll have to shrink my burgers down to a normal size but hey, I won't be pregnant and eating for 6- I mean two- forever. 

APPLE TURKEY BURGERS WITH BRIE AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS

adapted from Once Upon a Cutting Board

Makes 3 big burgers

Ingredients:

4 small yellow onions, peeled and sliced into half-moons (or 2 larger yellow onions)

1 tablespoon olive oil

S/P

1 lb lean ground turkey

2 granny smith apples, divided

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

1 tsp onion powder

1 Tbsp parsley, minced

1 Tbsp chives, chopped fine

1/2 tsp Salt and pepper, each

6 slices Brie cheese

3 hamburger buns

dijon

baby spinach

Directions:

Start by caramelizing the onions, as this step can take up to half an hour.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions, stir to coat with oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Spread onions out evenly across the pan and let cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and caramelized, about 25-30 minutes.  Don’t stir the onions too often so they can brown, but don’t leave them alone long enough to burn or stick to the pan.  You may need to reduce the heat or add a splash of water to deglaze the pan a few times to prevent onions from burning.  Once they’re done, set aside in a small bowl.  This step can be done ahead of time and onions can be warmed up in the microwave before topping burger.

Grate one apple for using in the turkey burger and keep the second apple aside for topping the burger later.  Prepare turkey burgers by gently mixing ground turkey, grated apple, Dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, thyme, sage, parsley, chives, garlic, onion powder, and salt and pepper in a bowl.  Form into four patties, being careful not to overwork the mixture. 

Prep hot grill by spraying with cooking spray.  Cook turkey burgers until cooked through (center no longer pink, juices run clear, internal temperature of 165°F), about 5 minutes per side.  Add 2 slices of brie cheese to each burger about 2-3 minutes before it’s done cooking so the brie can melt slightly.

Thinly slice the second apple.  Top each bun with a turkey burger (with brie), sliced apples, and caramelized onions, spinach, and dijon. 

Baked French Fries with Parsley, Garlic & Parmesan Cheese
Adapted from a Cooking Canuck

4 medium russet potatoes (about 1 3/4 pounds), unpeeled
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced ( I used garlic powder and it worked great)
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Cut potatoes lengthwise into slices that are 1/3-inch thick and then cut each slice into 1/3-inch thick strips. Dry the potatoes between paper towels or kitchen towels. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, olive oil, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Divide the potatoes between 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spread into a single layer.

Bake until the potatoes are golden brown, about 45 minutes, turning the potatoes every 10 minutes and rotating the racks halfway through baking.

Place the cooked potatoes in a large bowl and toss with garlic, parsley, and Parmesan cheese. Taste (careful – they’ll be hot!) and season with additional salt if necessary. Serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Gluten-Free Fudge Brownies

I'm not a big fan of fussy gluten-free baking recipes. If I have to use xanthan gum or arrowroot, just forget it.  I want it simple, and I want to already have the ingredients in my pantry. So that being my rule, I found this recipe for GF brownies from David Lebovitz and altered it only slightly by adding vanilla and chocolate chips to the batter and skipping the nuts. The result is a dense, fudge brownie that is insanely good. I am debating using this as my everyday brownie recipe since it is so easy to pull together and so friggin amazing. You must make these STAT. And then you must thank me for passing along the recipe.

Best GF Brownies adapted from David Lebovitz

• 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter
• heavy pinch of salt
• 8 ounces (225g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch process
• 3 tablespoons (30g) corn starch
• optional: 1 cup (135g) nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped AND/OR chocolate chips

1. Line the inside of an 8-inch (23 cm) square pan with foil so that it goes up the sides to the rim. Lightly grease the foil with butter or non-stick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350º (180ºC).

2. Melt the butter and chocolate and salt in a medium saucepan over very low heat on the stove top, stirring constantly until smooth.

3. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, then the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla. 

4. Sift together the cocoa powder and corn starch in a small bowl then stir them into the chocolate mixture. Beat the batter vigorously for at least one minute, until the batter is no longer grainy and nearly smooth. It will pull away from the sides of the pan a bit.

5. Add the nuts or chocolate chips, if using, then scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the brownies feel just set in the center. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from the pan and slicing. After letting brownies cool, I put them in the refrigerator for about an hour to firm up even more - I highly recommend you try this. 

Storage: The brownies can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 days, or frozen for at least 1 month.