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Friday, January 25, 2008

Grass Fed Beef in Pomegranate Sauce

Snow on the ground means time for delicious beef in pomegranate sauce.

Have I got a slow cooker recipe to soothe winter weary spirits. Why? The mesa is clouded in white this morning- again. We woke to a fresh dusting of snow. I'm posting on a laptop in bed, snug beneath a Pendleton blanket, hoping Steve lights a fire in the kiva soon.

Although consensus is that New Mexico is drop dead gorgeous in the snow, I am so not a winter person. By mid January I am bored with fussing with boots and itchy sweaters and jackets. The tedious layering. (I never choose the right winter coat, so I gave up- I haven't owned one in two years- and besides, who knew you needed a winter coat in New Mexico?) And then there is the loopy ritual of locating gloves that migrate to the oddest hiding places- inside boots or under folded pillow cases. If it isn't obvious to you, Perceptive Reader, I am more than ready for spring. Until she arrives, I remain a big fan of winter comfort food.

Last night I tossed together an intuitive combination of pomegranate juice and balsamic vinegar sweetened with pure maple syrup. Odd, you think? Just taste this.


And by the way, my recipe is featured in the fab new cookbook:  Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking.

Slow Cooker Grass Fed Beef in Pomegranate Sauce Recipe

You can slow cook this in a slow cooker like we did or slow simmer it, covered, on the stove top. It's an easy sauce- no fuss. And huge on flavor. Big, bold lip-smacking flavor. I could regale you with factoids about how good pomegranate juice is for you- with all those nifty antioxidants and all- but you know what? It's just tastes so crazy good. Try it.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds grass fed beef or buffalo roast or steak, fat trimmed
Sea salt
Light olive oil, as needed
1 onion, sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice
1 14-oz can Muir Glen fire roasted crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar- omit for yeast-free
1/8 cup pure maple syrup- or use agave to keep it lower glycemic
1/2 cup fresh cranberries or golden raisins
1 teaspoon dried French herb mix or Bouquet Garni
A small pinch of cinnamon

Instructions:

I slow-cooked my recipe in a slow cooker because that's what works for me here at high altitude. You can follow suit and Crock Pot your little heart out. Or do it old-school style, in a heavy Dutch oven or soup pot.

Salt the beef on all sides. Wait a few minutes. Kiss the cook. Get your slow cooker situated and turned on to High.

Heat a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef on all sides to sear in the flavor, using long tongs to turn the pieces. This doesn't take but maybe five minutes, or so. Remove the beef and set aside.

Add a small dash of olive oil to the crock. Add in sliced onion and garlic. Stir to coat with the olive oil. Place the beef on top.

Pour in the pomegranate juice, crushed tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. Stir to combine. Add the cranberries or raisins, dried herbs, a pinch of cinnamon, sea salt and ground pepper.

Stir a little bit to co-mingle ingredients.

Cover and let the magic happen- about 4 to 5 hours.

Taste test the sauce for seasoning adjustments. My intuitive combo was the perfect balance of tart and savory with a hint of sweetness.

We served ours with a generous mound of whipped mashed potatoes. Heaven. Seriously.

Serves 4.


  photo Print-Recipe.png




Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com

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Monday, January 21, 2008

Gluten-Free Banana Cookies

Gluten free banana cookies
Gluten-free and vegan banana cookie recipe.

Two firsts today. I made my first batch (ever!) of banana cookies (and the recipe just so happens to be gluten-free and dairy-free). And I took my first post-fracture outside walk today, bundled up against a chilly wind, walking stick in hand, patient husband at my side.

I use the word patient for a reason. Because Babycakes, walking with me is painted turtle in the shade slow. Careful. Deliberate. No funny business. No waggling or showing off. It ain't necessarily pretty.

But it's vertical.

It's biped (if you don't count the requisite walking stick as an appendage). And these days- in this house- vertical rocks our world. When we circled back to the casita the kitchen smelled like bananas and vanilla. I unwrapped my purple scarf, peeled off my mittens and turned the kettle on. It was time for tea and cookies.

And I had worked up an appetite.


Read more + get the recipe >>

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Vegetarian Polenta Pie

Layered polenta, veggies and vegan cheese.

An easier savory vegetarian pie than this you won't find. It's a simple fresh recipe that rocks. I made it to celebrate.

We just got back from my three-month post-op check-up. The hip looks good. "I gained ten pounds," I said to my hunky surgeon, Brant, as he was lifting my left leg in the air and poking me in the pelvis.

"So what?" he snorted and turned to Steve. "These tall skinny chicks. Ten pounds."

"I thought you'd be proud of me," I countered. "You know- that whole, You fit the broken hip profile thing you said to me? Female. White. Skinny. Vegetarian. (Celiac!)"

"Yeah, well. I gotta give you shit about something," he said.


Read more + get the recipe >>

Monday, January 14, 2008

Golden Potato Soup for the Sensitive Soul

Gluten free dairy free vegan potato soup
A lovely creamy potato soup- gluten and dairy free.

When I want a recipe for comfort food I reach for potatoes first. And when I need a soup recipe in a hurry, this creamy potato comfort always hits the spot.

Decades ago (yes, decades- how scary is that?) while I was still in art school, living in my boxy white washed one-bedroom off Dupont Circle, I would make potato soup in a blender (no crankin' Cuisinart or snappy immersion wands back then) and serve it chilled in Asian blue and white bowls (Pier One Imports, 99 cents apiece) with a sprinkle of bright green chives. Art student friends would scrape their bowls clean and ask for more. And I would gladly oblige. (They were easily impressed, because they were, well, not exactly starving, but used to living on instant ramen noodles, pizza and beer.)

The thing is- what's not to love about potatoes and butter and cream? How can you go wrong? In fact, when you can cook with butter and cream, you're bound to stumble upon something that tastes pretty darn good. Notice I'm not mentioning gluten. That's only because there's no gluten in this potato soup (I never thickened mine with flour). And then, Dear Reader, there's cheese. If you can cook with cheese, you can kick up any recipe's taste without breaking a sweat.

But what if you can't? Cook with butter, cream and cheese, that is.

Welcome to the world of those of us living not only gluten-free, but dairy-free. Call us GF/CF if you like (for gluten-free/casein-free). The truth is- 50% of celiacs are allergic to milk proteins. Did you know that? Half of celiacs need to be not only gluten-free, but casein-free as well. [This is not a lactose issue; this an immune response issue; if you react to dairy, don't assume it's a lactose problem, get a food allergy blood test.]

Many additional sensitive souls (celiac or not) react neurologically to the proteins in gluten and dairy- proteins that have an addictive, opioid effect on the brain chemistry of those of us who may not be exactly neurotypical. (I, for one, have noticed a positive change in my overall sense of well being since going dairy-free last June; after living gluten-free for over five years, going GF/CF nudged me to a deeper level of healing and managing my usual ups and downs in mood, energy and focus.)

Which brings me back to soup.

How can I recreate my favorite potato soup without butter and cream?

With some New Mexican inspired flavors, of course.


Read more + get the recipe >>

Friday, January 11, 2008

Weekend Picks

Green Chile Tortilla Bake

January weekends put me in the mood for two things. Cocoa with marshmallows and browsing cookbooks. Ideally, at the same time. In bed.

And since you can't join me, Dear Reader- as I spoon rapidly melting marshmallows from my hefty green-glazed cup, trying ever so carefully not to drip chocolate on an open cookbook as I slurp- I thought I might quickly browse some of my favorite on-line recipes and snag a list of seasonal inspiration for your weekend. Pure comfort food.

The cocoa part is up to you.


From Karina's kitchen:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

From some of my favorite tasty blogs:

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries at Kalyn's Kitchen
Potato "Gatto" from Fatfree Vegan Kitchen
Black Bean Soup at Simply Recipes
Curried Chicken and Rice Soup from Gluten Free Gobsmacked
Salad with Fennel, Pears and Pine Nuts at Lucullian Delights





Gluten-Free Soup, Stew and Chili Recipes


Our Favorite

Gluten-Free Soup, Stew and Chili Recipes


Here is a collection of my favorite gluten-free soups, stews and chili recipes here on Gluten-Free Goddess®. Warm up body and soul with one of these hearty slurp-worthy bowls of comfort. There's nothing like soup. And from a can doesn't count.

Many of these favorites are made in a slow cooker for easy, year round cooking.




 





Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Baked Cod with Roasted Sweet & Sour Vegetables


Yesterday, it snowed. Today the winter sky is clear and bright. The snow shadows are blue- almost purple. I was sorry to see the last of our Beef and Potatoes au Chocolat go. A chilly day like today is the perfect day for a slow cooked soup or stew. But alas. There's not a cup of soup in the house. Or any leftovers, for that matter. Last night we tossed together a simple dinner for two- cod fillets baked in olive oil and garlic, and topped with tangy roasted vegetables. Mermaid comfort food. 

It was gone faster than you could say Daryl Hannah.



Read more + get the recipe >>

Sunday, January 6, 2008

The Death Defying Diet

I thought I'd share this new article with you all. It is from the 'TIMES ONLINE' and is quite positive about CR.

Here it is CR ARTICLE

It is 5 pages... and leave a comment there too.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Beef and Potatoes au Chocolat

Spices make this chocolate sauce muy fabulouso.

One of my favorite food-themed movies is Chocolat. All those sexy close-ups of thick and glossy ribbons of deep dark chocolate. The dustings of cinnamon you could almost taste. And the revelation of chile-spiked cocoa! It's enough to make any chocolate and spice lover swoon.
Flash forward. Winter day. Steve is turning, smiling- devilish- in the late afternoon sun that slants through the square kitchen window, unwrapping (vegans please skip ahead now to when I acknowledge your goddess-given right for a substitute) a gorgeous grass fed ribeye steak from Whole Foods and ponders, aloud, Should we make some kind of stew tonight- something Sicilian, maybe? And suddenly- feverishly- I am possessed with the idea of mole- a lip smacking, foodgasm-inducing Mexican sauce, decadently rich and redolent with unsweetened chocolate and spices.

You know what happened next.


Read more + get the recipe >>

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Spicy Eggs Diablo on Polenta

Spicy eggs on polenta - huevos diablo
Spicy eggs on polenta aka Huevos Diablo (or Diavolo)


I've been a tad busy behind the scenes here at Karina's Kitchen. A little cooking, yes. Now that I can stand for longer and longer periods of time and not topple over. And no, I haven't been drinking. Well, just a little red wine with dinner, of course.

No, I'm afraid it's not an intoxication issue at all, it's the whole getting-used-to being vertical thing. It's a wee bit strange and vertigo inducing. It seems I have to re-orient my depth perception and excavate my bi-ped spatial navigation skills (which were never as we now know particularly well honed). I must relearn how to aim and propel this stiff and complaining body (spare parts included) semi-crutchless around my casita-bound world. For the first time in ages.

You think that's easy?

Actually, it's all good. Even the failed baking attempts are good. Like the vegan pear cobbler that wouldn't bake in the middle and got only gummier the longer I baked the damn thing (what is it with high altitude and egg-less baking?). Actually, I blame gluten-free and egg-less baking. It's no walk in the park. It looked pretty, but tasted god-awful. So I'm sparing you.

Instead I'm reprising an older recipe I once ate with gusto (and can no longer consume due to an egg allergy; but you can, I hope!).

I love you that much.

Make this tasty egg dish for brunch or breakfast for dinner on some rainy spring night.

Read more + get the recipe >>

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

1 chocolate, 2 chocolate, 3.. .4...5...6...

I just couldn't resist. CR for three years coming up and I thought 'what the hell?' and ate a chocolate bar, then another one and so on. But in moderation as I only ate one or two a day for about a week and that was it. The bars weren't even the full size ones, just mini version so the calorie content was quite low 100/150k/cal per bar. No real nutritional value other than supplying calories, but I don't see how it can do much harm, I mean I'm not going to age before my very eyes over a week of consuming chocolate loaded with saturated fat and sugar. I did enough of it while I was a teenager and my health markers like fasting glucose was pretty good for non-cr @ 4.5 (81mg/dl). Fortunately because I'm young I can still still pretty much do these things on the off occasion, even more regularly if I wanted to (but I won't) and probably not get any significant negative effects from it. On the other hand unlike most people I still got all my RDA's every day, ate my 12-15 or so different vegetables and fruits... with massive servings of each.

I haven't experienced any SAD symptoms lately, I don't know why this is because I've not seen any daylight for ages now, so I'm quite surprised! I am having a bit of trouble trying to get my sleeping pattern back to normal hours though. I think I'm going to need to try something so that I can sleep and wake at normal times. Being awake at night while everyone else is asleep can become very annoying at times. I just find myself watching T.V. Way too much. if there is one thing I have to do in 2008 is get my sleeping habits sorted out.

The insomnia I had from taking 3 small doses of cipro (then UTI result came back negative and I quit) is starting to go away slowly. It initially caused me to not be able to sleep AT ALL. Then I kept waking up every 2 hours, and had non restful sleep. That continued well into November on and off. Though from start of December sleep has become more normal. The reason that Ciprofloxacin caused the insomnia was likely because it is able to inhibit GABA binding to the GABAa Receptor... Usually for most people this doesn't happen, but for me it did and there is no real fix other than time itself. I know one thing is certain, Since starting CR and taking up all these healthy foods my reaction to common drugs has increased. For certain antibiotics and other medications I seem to get the 'very rare' side effects for most. I don't know whether it is the CR or the foods (specific compounds) that are somehow altering the metabolizing of the drugs. Probably via the P450 enzyme system. So me and my usual doctor agreed that it's best to take medication only when 'absolutely' necessary because of my track record. And I agree! It would be interesting if other CRers have noticed that they react to medications more strongly now.

The end of 2006 to the first quarter of 2007 was a load of crap, with some patchy spots mid-late 2007. Lets hope that 2008 brings much better things. I'll have all my normal blood tests taken between March and April now because it will then be 12 months. I don't want to get them done every six months now, not because I can't, but because I think it seems a bit too much to my doctor since there isn't really anything significantly wrong with my health.