Shepherd's Pie Roll

After watching Brave and after winter break, we'd had an inkling to take a summer trip to Scotland/Ireland with our wonderful bay area friends. A couple months ticked by and I started firing off the messages to get the ball rolling as I always seem to (Ms. Facilitator), divided up the research after having a phone date. Then began my research with Glasgow, intrigued to find a "Crannog" center in Abernathy (5,000 year old type of dwelling), excited by walking tours  put on by the art school, yearning for Pollock Country park for hikes...and drooling over gluten-free {happy dance}afternoon tea places! But alas, less than a week later, with second thoughts about upcoming financial commitments (or looming furloughs), this trip has to be shelved.

Whether it was inspired by the future-vacation or maybe it was just because St. Patrick's Day was only a few weeks ago, I wanted something Irish/UK inspired. Shepherd's pie sounded good. And I also had plenty of cabbage from CSA. So adapted a cabbage roll recipe into Shepherd's Pie wrapped in steamed cabbage leaves. There's something that really makes my brain happy with the cabbage and potato combo. I even saw this recipe that could make a vegetarian version (use lentils instead of ground meat)

The big round cabbages work best. If your cabbage is the smaller cone or a different type of cabbage I would try chopping it, steaming and serving it as the "bed" for the potato and protein. 

POTATO FILLING-use this or your favorite mashed potato recipe. I wanted to use up carrot tops and lemons.

I made up a potato recipe: Rinsed, cut into similar sized pieces and boiled red potatoes, until a fork could pierce to the middle. While the potatoes boiled, I rinsed carrot tops and stuck them in a blender. Added about 2 tbsp of lemon juice, some smoked tomato flakes and 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast and 1/4 cup (add more if needed) of water. Made for a pesto to mix with the potatoes. Because of the citrus pucker, for me, it's not a dish I would eat a big bowl-full on it's own, I'd have something mellow to balance it out. Or perhaps turn it into salmon and/or daiya cheese patties. I found the pesto to taste nice over steamed broccoli.

CABBAGE LEAVES AND TURKEY FILLING-adapted a Mediterranean cabbage rolls recipe from Cooking Light, which originally called for a smaller portion, using turkey sausage instead of plain ground and it used rice.

18 Cabbage Leaves, rinsed

1 lb Ground Turkey, 93% Lean

1 lb Ground Turkey, 99% Lean

1.5 tbsps pine nuts

2 tsp sugar 

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground allspice 
1 tsp ground cumin

1.5 cup water

 4 tbsp tomato paste

Steam the cabbage leaves, covered, 3 minutes or until tender. Keep warm.

Cook turkey and nuts in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray or a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat 12 minutes or until the meat is browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in next 4 ingredients (rice through cumin); cook for 2 minutes. Add the water and tomato paste and stir until evenly incorporated. Remove from heat. Place the mixture in a medium bowl; cool slightly.

Place 1/4 cup turkey mixture in center of each cabbage leaf. Add 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes. Fold in edges of leaves; roll up. Eat. If you need a little zip, dot in some Sriracha sauce.

I wish the pesto kept its bright green, I know it looks swampy-chic...but it tastes very zingy carrot-lemon fresh.

Where is your next trip and does it inspire any recipes?

Work-out Kale-Ginger-Apple "Biscuits"

The last three days the sleep in my eyes could not be dislodged easily. Getting up for oatmeal again wasn't encouraging. In tracking my protein intake, been doing a standard mix of 1/3 cup oats + 1/2 cup coconut milk (milk alternative) + 1/4 cup raisins + 5 g coconut sugar (low glycemic index) and cinnamon + 1 scoop Brown Rice protein powder. Tired of oatmeal means TIME FOR PANCAKES!!! But wait...I need more protein not just carbs for energy during these tiring circuit workouts...hmmm...

I know a few yoga friends have mentioned doing 3 day-juicing cleanses this month. I got inspired by that and I had some leftover pulp from my one-time (not ready for even a full day liquid cleanse yet) kale-ginger-orange-apple juicing snack last weekend (saved the pulp in a ziplock bag in the freezer). My mouth did a recoil from the amount of spiciness, the recipe called for 5 oz of ginger, I only did 2 oz. I do have to admit that it made me feel very alert. You know what else made me alert? Vitamin B-12. Dave let me have a little of his stash today after the lazy afternoon of watching The Croods (cute prehistoric animals, silly, brilliant/crystal clear visuals-go see it. I could be biased for liking Emma Stone). But back to the topic at hand, a hearty breakfast to fuel you in doing a work-out!

I decided to shake it up with another variation on the reliable gluten-free pancakes recipe and make a dent in my juicer pulp; however, I failed to consider that my new Sun Warrior Blend Protein Powder (Pea, Hemp and Cranberry protein) is very dense as is chickpea flour. My pancakes were a blobby-wobbly mess on the stove, so my second batch was thrown into the toaster oven on parchment paper. Which solved the doughy-center (raw chickpea flour makes my tongue cringe). There's a little touch savory flavor from the kale and ginger and some sweetness from the coconut sugar so I ate these without any sauces. I could see it being tasty with a sour cream (or dairy free nut "sour cream") or with jam if you have a sweet tooth. I also thought if the sugar was left out and  more herbs added it could be a great gluten-free topping for a pot pie (and includes protein if you're not doing a tofu or chicken pot pie)

 

INGREDIENTS for 10 biscuits

1.5 scoops of Sun Warrior Protein Blend (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBSP ground flax seed
2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
1/4 cup of leftover juicer pieces puree (I had kale-apple-ginger 1/2 cup blended with a few tbsp water)
2 tbsp coconut sugar
1 3/4 cup coconut milk (refrigerated milk alternative kind)



If using a regular oven, preheat to 400F.

1. Make your juicer puree.

2. Mix the ingredients starting at vanilla extract together in one bowl and allow to sit.

3. Mix the rest of the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

4. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until uniformly mixed.

5. Place parchment paper on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through if one side browns more than the other.

NUTRITION per biscuit :

128 calories; 6.0 g protein; 20.8 g carbs; 2.3 g fat;
10% Calcium
4% Vitamin A
1% Vitamin C
6% Iron
High in Manganese...whatever that is good for.

Are you working on getting healthy as the weather is growing nicer? And what changes are you making?

Guest Chef VEGETARIAN Recipe: "Make-something-fast-because- I -didn't-plan-lunch dish"

I miss my family already from Christmas, despite weekly phone calls, texts or emails. I have all these things I'd like to do when they visit next.

-Indian food @ Annapurna (dosas!)
-Yoga @ the studio or on the beach
-Check out the San Diego Public Market (not yet done this but Vietca has)
-Thrift stores with in Poway
-Foot reflexology @ the newly remodeled Asian Twins massage rooms. Call ahead is recommended.
-See another play/musical
-Make tamales
-See if we can find Steam Powered Giraffe playing ("robotic" trio wearing steampunk, if you've $20, it would be well spent next weekend )

My sister shared this delightfully healthy and filling meal in a Facebook message with me a couple weeks ago.  If she can't be here in the kitchen with me, then her spirit and humor will have to do. Her original words and recipe:

 "Make-something-fast-because- I -didn't-plan-lunch dish"

-Some sort of grain(I used harvest blend from Trader Joe's. It has Israeli cous-cous, red quinoa, baby chickpeas, rosemary orzo. It has a nice texture and crunch in the quinoa and baby chickpeas!)
- Rainbow chard
-Leeks
-Olive oil
-Red wine vinegar
-crumbled soft cheese(I used goat, but feta or blue could work)
-Nutritional yeast flakes
-ground flax seed
1) cook up your grains. rinse until cool.
2) Cook leeks in olive oil until browned, add chard and stir so it won't wilt, but enough that it's cooked Add a splash of vinegar. Take off heat.
3)When ingredients are cool, mix them together. Add cheese, nutritional yeast, and flax. I also added small freshly ground pepper on top. Taste the rainbow....chard. Served with bread of choice and a nice spread! (Olive bread from a local bakery in Kelseyville with eggplant)

Sara's take: I'm cool without measuring for some recipes. I figured some readers may not be ready to take that leap yet, so now I will let you know how mine made about 4-6 servings.

All my ingredients prepped:  cooked the beans from dried & the barley and rinsed/cut beet greens the night before. So maybe my version isn't an "oops forgot to make lunch"...but I have seen instant microwavable rice courtesy of my grandma. You can short cut with things like that and canned beans of course or use leftover cooked grains from another meal.

Big spoonful of love. The nutritional yeast and vinegar provides enough seasoning so I don't really care that there's no cheese-y goodness. If I don't dwell on it too much. Wah, gooey grilled cheese and pizza, I miss you. Daiya isn't the same.

A-NOM-NOM-NOM

-1 3/4 cup of cooked grain (Too bad the TJ mix has cous cous and orzo that aren't wheat free...I used pearl barley which is wheat-free but not gluten-free, cooked with 2x water to grain ratio for 20 minutes, had to add a little additional water)
-6 cups beet greens and stems instead of chard (rinsed 3 times in a big bowl to remove dirt, separated greens and stems)
-1/2 cup chopped onion (since I didn't have leeks)
-2/3 tbsp of olive oil
-1 tbsp red wine vinegar and/or rice vinegar
-1.5 cups of kidney beans for protein instead of cheese/TJ mix's chickpeas
-1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
-2 tbsp ground flax seed (Costco had a huge bag that doesn't require refrigeration!)


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With feeling crabby (can't attribute it all to work stress) and skin going downhill, it's time to re-energize the exercising and diet. Farewell for awhile refined sugar.  Hello, butt-kicking circuit work-outs and testing out more protein powder based-snacks. And hello (sigh) macronutrient tracking.

Practicing for Marconutrient tracking with Kathleen Tesori work-outs: 

6 servings-serving size 132 g (need to see how accurate this Calorie Counter is, I just divided my tupperware into 6 portions)

290 calories: 18.1 g protein; 50.8 g carbs; 5.3 g fat

I like Calorie Counter because it tells you the pros and cons of recipes you make...this one is:

• Very low in saturated fat
• No cholesterol
• Low in sodium
• Low in sugar
• Very high in dietary fiber
• High in iron
• High in phosphorus
• High in potassium
• High in riboflavin
• High in thiamin
• High in vitamin A

With no cons...good job & thanks SIS-STAR! 

Do you have leftover beans because you used 2 cans or just overdid it with dried beans like me? I used my  do ever-new-favorite tamale recipe but you could do a half portion (12 squares) of No Meat Athlete's vegan bean brownie (don't knock it till you try it-really rich and the instant coffee is a must! Has the extra boost of protein. Have not tested, but am sure the low GI coconut sugar I use could work instead)


What recipe have you received recently and made? What's your favorite place to take out of town guests?

20 Minute Orange-mirin Chicken

Up until today, the weather had been perking up to the point of me asking "why haven't I started planning for a garden this season?" (and the compost worm bin for that matter). The poor mint shrivelled up in the fall and is home to spiders now and basil is a lone bare twig after its leaves went yellow.

 I like the convenience of buying plants pre-grown but then I feel a little bad having no good re-use for the containers they come in. Any ideas?

WISH LIST -next time I am feeling like I have nothing to do, these little projects should fill my time. Right after that t-shirt yarn I want to make.

• tomatoes
• yellow beans (still have seeds from last year)
• things that can grow together in containers (not lettuce/leafy greens). I like the visually tasty ideas on Better Homes and Garden and Real Simple...combining veggies with edible flowers. Peppers sound lovely with "grasses" (chives and onions).  Smelling the sage on our weekly hikes has me craving that taste as well. Wondering if sweet potatoes can be grown in containers (apparently potatoes can). I found out from Valentine's dinner leftovers that I adore the fragrant combo of thyme and oregano. 

Speaking of my leftovers, that's what I'm sharing with you today. We spend a fair amount when buying herbs at the grocery store, so we better get our money's worth!

20 Minute Orange-Mirin Chicken

1/2 cup fresh squeezed OJ
1/3 cup mirin (Japanese cooking wine, pictured below)
1/4 cup fresh thyme and oregano mixed  (remove leaves from stocky stems, keep stems for soups stock..or compost, or may haps making organic looking toothpicks for your next appetizer party.)
1-1.5 lbs of chicken breast cut into 1 inch chunks

1. Squeeze the OJ and put it into a medium frying pan. Add the mirin. Bring to boil.

2. Add the uncooked chicken. Turn down the heat to medium-high. Let the chicken simmer for 5 minutes on each side.

3. While chicken is cooking, prep your herbs if you haven't already. Add the herbs after the chicken is done, mix in and keep on low heat for 1 minute more.

4. Serve the chicken with your choice of grain and veggie or go for an all veggie bowl.

 I did cauliflower leaf stems chopped and sauteed once and another with 1/2 cup cooked pearl barley + 1 cup of fennel bulb and 1 cup fronds cooked in leftover orange-mirin sauce. Sorry, again vegetarian friends, my next post will be sharing a leafy-green concoction from my very own sis-star! If you do soy, savory tempeh would probably taste great in today's sauce (based on a rosemary-orange maple syrup recipe favorite).


 In case you need help finding mirin, this is what it looks like. Usually near vinegars and oils at the Japanese markets or the ethnic section of regular grocery chains. Not sure if the alcohol content requires a driver's license check, I haven't bought it in awhile.

 A sigh of relief for a simple 4 ingredient sauce. Not the sauce for you if you are shy of carbs.

  Adding the herbs last minute seems to help                  I like the crunchy veggies to contrast
keep the flavor stronger.                                                 texturally.

Other thyme & oregano use for the week: adding these herbs to the 101 cookbooks lemon chutney. So yummy with salmon or just add to freshly steamed cauliflower. Our Valentine's dinner was a red-wine and onion stock with these herbs, simmering the flank steak in it.


Do you plan to plant anything this spring? (if so tell me about it as inspiration)