I'm lucky to have really supportive friends and family who love to cook and eat my recipes. Since I've been eating Paleo, I've been trying to make my food equally as delicious and satisfying. Below are two of my favorite veggie sides that go well with any protein or by itself! And they've been tested by some of my toughest critics!
Butternut Squash Soup
2 packages frozen puréed butternut squash
1-1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk (depending on how thick you want the soup)
1 tsp of curry powder (use this measurement as a starting point, you can add more if you like a more robust curry flavor)
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
You can also add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes for a kick and a dash or two of Chinese 5 spice powder for a little warmth and natural sweetness.
In a large soup pot cover the frozen squash with coconut milk and let it meld together. Add your spices and stir until smooth.
Ginger Cabbage
1/2 head red cabbage, shredded or chopped
2 tbsp light olive oil
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Sauté ingredients in a large pan over medium heat until the cabbage is tender.
Enjoy!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Rants and Recipes
If you read the last post, you know that I've been following the Whole30 program for a little over 2 weeks. Rather than tell you what I can't eat--I'm just not a glass-half-empty kind of girl-- I'm gonna tell you what I can and do eat:
I eat whole, natural foods. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and yummy fats from coconuts, avocados and clarified butter or ghee.
But Francesca, you're a foodie. How are you possibly restricting so many delicious foods? The majority of people who are aware of my eating changes have said slight variations of the same thing. Moderation is key, they say. (And I'm sure I've said myself countless times) Can't you just have a few bites of this decadent brownie with ice cream and caramel drizzle? The answer is YES. I can have anything I want. The catch is, I don't want it.
Let me reiterate (briefly): for a few years now, my health hasn't been optimal. I've had headaches, GI upset, anxiety, and weight gain. When I discovered the Paleo diet just over a month ago, I had nothing to loose and I was desperate to feel better. I'm not in perfect health yet, but the benefits I have gained so far are immeasurable. Those of you who read my previous post know.
That said, I love my new way of eating! It breaks all the traditional rules and challenges conventional wisdom and proves that the Standard American Diet is hurting us in the long run. It's my birthright to feel optimally healthy and I don't want to eat things that make me feel any less than that.
Part 2 of this post, all ranting aside, is two delicious recipes that have satisfied my craving for all things creamy and luscious: homemade mayo and green goddess dressing! So cheap to make and so unbelievably delicious.
3 Ingredient Mayo
-1 egg
-2 tbsp white wine vinegar (or any other acidic component you have, lemon juice works!)
-1 1/4 LIGHT olive oil. Not extra virgin.
*Season with salt and pepper
ALL ingredients must be at room temperature or the emulsification process won't work. Trust me, I learned the hard way.
In a blender crack the egg and add 2 tbsp of WWV along with 1/4 cup of the light olive oil. Blend until well mixed. Then, with the blender on, SLOWLY drizzle in the remaining cup of oil. Taste for seasoning.
The end product should be thick, creamy, with just a little bite from the acid.
It took me a few tries to get the consistency right so if at first you don't succeed...
Green Goddess Dressing:
-Juice and zest of one lime
-1 Hass avocado
-1/2 cup of light olive oil
-1/2 tsp garlic powder or 1 tbsp minced fresh garlic
-Salt and pepper to taste
Blend all ingredients into submission!
Enjoy
Xoxo
I eat whole, natural foods. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and yummy fats from coconuts, avocados and clarified butter or ghee.
But Francesca, you're a foodie. How are you possibly restricting so many delicious foods? The majority of people who are aware of my eating changes have said slight variations of the same thing. Moderation is key, they say. (And I'm sure I've said myself countless times) Can't you just have a few bites of this decadent brownie with ice cream and caramel drizzle? The answer is YES. I can have anything I want. The catch is, I don't want it.
Let me reiterate (briefly): for a few years now, my health hasn't been optimal. I've had headaches, GI upset, anxiety, and weight gain. When I discovered the Paleo diet just over a month ago, I had nothing to loose and I was desperate to feel better. I'm not in perfect health yet, but the benefits I have gained so far are immeasurable. Those of you who read my previous post know.
That said, I love my new way of eating! It breaks all the traditional rules and challenges conventional wisdom and proves that the Standard American Diet is hurting us in the long run. It's my birthright to feel optimally healthy and I don't want to eat things that make me feel any less than that.
Part 2 of this post, all ranting aside, is two delicious recipes that have satisfied my craving for all things creamy and luscious: homemade mayo and green goddess dressing! So cheap to make and so unbelievably delicious.
3 Ingredient Mayo
-1 egg
-2 tbsp white wine vinegar (or any other acidic component you have, lemon juice works!)
-1 1/4 LIGHT olive oil. Not extra virgin.
*Season with salt and pepper
ALL ingredients must be at room temperature or the emulsification process won't work. Trust me, I learned the hard way.
In a blender crack the egg and add 2 tbsp of WWV along with 1/4 cup of the light olive oil. Blend until well mixed. Then, with the blender on, SLOWLY drizzle in the remaining cup of oil. Taste for seasoning.
The end product should be thick, creamy, with just a little bite from the acid.
It took me a few tries to get the consistency right so if at first you don't succeed...
Green Goddess Dressing:
-Juice and zest of one lime
-1 Hass avocado
-1/2 cup of light olive oil
-1/2 tsp garlic powder or 1 tbsp minced fresh garlic
-Salt and pepper to taste
Blend all ingredients into submission!
Enjoy
Xoxo
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
The Whooooole 9
I'm not skinny-driven or fad-driven or diet-driven but if you know me well, I am certainly health-driven. I read nutrtion books for fun (yes, I know, I am a nerd) and I try to be as healthy as I can while still enjoying delicious food. For the past year and a half however, I have suffered greatly from unbearable heartburn and GI distress that has caused me to put on weight and worse, feel like crap. Doctor after doctor told me everything was normal and that I simply needed to lose weight. Problem was that I was exercising and eating a healthly diet according to "convetional wisdom". But I still felt bloated, tired, depressed, etc. I'm just not the type to settle for feeling mediocre. I'm an overacheiver and I want to feel my best everyday. Is there something wrong with that?! (Haha.)
The truth is that my core beliefs lie in the fact that everything we put in our mouths has an affect on the way we feel physically and emotinoally. Sometimes I wonder why more people don't feel this way. I mean food is your main source of nutrition, energy, vitality and let us not forget pleasure, connection, and joy. So you can imagine my frustration when my exceptioanlly healthy, mostly vegetarian diet was failing me miserably.
Then something happened and a light bulb went off in my head. What if I can't tolerate the foods I eat in "healthy abundance": wheat, grains, gluten, dairy, soy, legumes, peanut butter!!! No, no, no, NO!!! Peanut butter?!?! But I love peanut butter!!! It's not a nut, by the way, but rather a legume. I needed to test this theory. After sharing this insight with a friend of mine equally interested in nutrtion,she told me to check out the Whole 30 program. A nutrition program based on a The Paleo Diet which I won't waste space explaining here. But the active link will lead you to a very funny blog about what it entails!
I am in my 3rd week of Whole 30 eating lots of meats, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, and lots of yummy fats from coconuts and avocados and olives and I am simply amazed at the transformation I have experienced. I HAVE NO HEARTBURN!!! I'M NOT BLOATED!!! AND I'VE LOST ABOUT 15 POUNDS!!! It hasn't been an effortless transition (I've had dreams about bread and butter a time or two) but I feel satisfied and happy. I don't feel hungry or grumpy or irritable. I feel energetic and most importantly, I feel a huge weight (literally and metaphorcally) lifted off my chest. When you're constantly uncomfortable and nothing else has worked, finding something as simple as a non-evasive diet change is mind blowing and inspring.
So while my recipes won't be centered around beans and grains for a while, like my delicious bean relish below, I am still making yummy food. Like homemade lemon mayonaisse!!! I encourage anyone who knows they could feel and look better to check out this program and look into the Paleo Diet in general. It has been life changing for me and I trust it can affect many others equally as positive. I've written about how corporation driven agriculture has given meat a bad rap befor, (See my "MEATia" post in the archive) but now I am even more convinced of the money driven scam that drives consumers to eat an obscene amout of processed grain and sugar AND tell us fat is evil.
Love and bacon,
Francesca
The truth is that my core beliefs lie in the fact that everything we put in our mouths has an affect on the way we feel physically and emotinoally. Sometimes I wonder why more people don't feel this way. I mean food is your main source of nutrition, energy, vitality and let us not forget pleasure, connection, and joy. So you can imagine my frustration when my exceptioanlly healthy, mostly vegetarian diet was failing me miserably.
Then something happened and a light bulb went off in my head. What if I can't tolerate the foods I eat in "healthy abundance": wheat, grains, gluten, dairy, soy, legumes, peanut butter!!! No, no, no, NO!!! Peanut butter?!?! But I love peanut butter!!! It's not a nut, by the way, but rather a legume. I needed to test this theory. After sharing this insight with a friend of mine equally interested in nutrtion,she told me to check out the Whole 30 program. A nutrition program based on a The Paleo Diet which I won't waste space explaining here. But the active link will lead you to a very funny blog about what it entails!
I am in my 3rd week of Whole 30 eating lots of meats, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, and lots of yummy fats from coconuts and avocados and olives and I am simply amazed at the transformation I have experienced. I HAVE NO HEARTBURN!!! I'M NOT BLOATED!!! AND I'VE LOST ABOUT 15 POUNDS!!! It hasn't been an effortless transition (I've had dreams about bread and butter a time or two) but I feel satisfied and happy. I don't feel hungry or grumpy or irritable. I feel energetic and most importantly, I feel a huge weight (literally and metaphorcally) lifted off my chest. When you're constantly uncomfortable and nothing else has worked, finding something as simple as a non-evasive diet change is mind blowing and inspring.
So while my recipes won't be centered around beans and grains for a while, like my delicious bean relish below, I am still making yummy food. Like homemade lemon mayonaisse!!! I encourage anyone who knows they could feel and look better to check out this program and look into the Paleo Diet in general. It has been life changing for me and I trust it can affect many others equally as positive. I've written about how corporation driven agriculture has given meat a bad rap befor, (See my "MEATia" post in the archive) but now I am even more convinced of the money driven scam that drives consumers to eat an obscene amout of processed grain and sugar AND tell us fat is evil.
Love and bacon,
Francesca
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Summer Eats
Yesterday marked the first day of Summer. Hard to believe considering it's been about 80 here in Florida since March. But school is out, for those lucky enough to still be in school, and there is a charcoal aroma wafting through the breeze from nearly every outdoor patio.
It's a feeling really. A slowness and ease that ruminates through our bodies. One of the expressions it takes for me is a craving for light and crisp flavors. Lots of lemon and lime, various fish, fresh salsa, fruity olive oil and creamy avocado. I love those flavors during the summer months. Also, for some odd reason, I better tolerate raw tomatoes, the only food I really don't like on it's own. Crazy, I know.
Last weekend I had a pool party and one of the most delicious things I made was a 3 bean salad. I got the recipe from June's Food Network Magazine. It's a twist on Guy Fieri's recipe. It was a total hit and gone long before the party ended. I encourage all of you to make this. It's light, fresh, healthy, and super cheap!
Recipe follows:
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 cup scallions, sliced
3/4 cup red onions, finely diced
1 jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and finely diced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons honey
1 (12-ounce) can white beans, drained
1 (12-ounce) can chick peas, garbanzo beans, drained
1 (12-ounce) can black beans, drained
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and let mariante in the fridge for no less than an hour! I served my along side fresh cubanitos. But some guests enjoyed it with homemade pita chips!
Enjoy.
It's a feeling really. A slowness and ease that ruminates through our bodies. One of the expressions it takes for me is a craving for light and crisp flavors. Lots of lemon and lime, various fish, fresh salsa, fruity olive oil and creamy avocado. I love those flavors during the summer months. Also, for some odd reason, I better tolerate raw tomatoes, the only food I really don't like on it's own. Crazy, I know.
Last weekend I had a pool party and one of the most delicious things I made was a 3 bean salad. I got the recipe from June's Food Network Magazine. It's a twist on Guy Fieri's recipe. It was a total hit and gone long before the party ended. I encourage all of you to make this. It's light, fresh, healthy, and super cheap!
Recipe follows:
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 cup scallions, sliced
3/4 cup red onions, finely diced
1 jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and finely diced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons honey
1 (12-ounce) can white beans, drained
1 (12-ounce) can chick peas, garbanzo beans, drained
1 (12-ounce) can black beans, drained
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and let mariante in the fridge for no less than an hour! I served my along side fresh cubanitos. But some guests enjoyed it with homemade pita chips!
Enjoy.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Raisins, Wanuts, and Flax oh my!
For those of you who requested the recipe for my raisin walnut loaf I posted on my Facebook yesterday, here it is!
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups of sugar
3 1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
3 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup of raisins
3/4 toasted walnuts
3 tbsp. flax seeds
In a bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. No need to sift, just fluff all ingredients with a fork.
In a separate bowl beat room temperature eggs until they are light yellow. To that, add vanilla, sugar, and vegetable oil. Stir until well combined.
Add dry to wet, mix just enough, then fold in walnuts, raisins, and flax seeds. Do not over mix!
Pour into 2 loaf pans, muffin tins, or a 13 x 9... whatever you have! Make sure you grease them!
Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until a knife or pick comes out clean.
An electric mixer is not needed here, that why I love it! Quick and easy.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Miss Representation
I am sure that all of you have had an experience that has changed you, or in the very least shaped, molded, or dented you. It may have been an experience that you rather not remember or maybe you're fond of the event. Either way, it impacted you and whether you judge it as bad or good, ultimately it was for the greater good. I love being affected by the world and I love that I can take that energy and transform it into something productive to further develop who I am as a person.
Last night, I saw a documentary called Miss Representation. It is all about how women are misconstrued and misrepresented in the media. Now, I know this isn't a new thing and we've been fighting for women's equality since the 60s, but unfortunately we've regressed in a way that women are now mocked in society. (i.e. in politics) The movie was raw and powerful and actually really sad. Not just because I am a women but because of the dehumanization I witnessed throughout the documentary.
I left the movie feeling like I wanted to do everything I could to empower women and make them realize their worth and wholeness. I wish I could look every woman in the eye, hug them, and tell them that they are validated. That they don't need to be 90 pounds, date an athlete or a CEO, or be a mother to be worth something because they already ARE something. So what can I do? What can you do? Follow your passion, whatever that is, to the end of the road. And if you don't know your passion, you still know yourself, and you know what you love and what you hate, so start there. Don't lose yourself, love yourself. And if you want to take a really easy step, stop watching reality television.
I graduate college in two months. All of my friends are in law school, graduate school, dental school, med school--I have some pretty amazing friends-- and for a while I didn't really know what I wanted to do. Nothing my friends were doing interested me and all I knew was that I loved to eat, travel, write, and cook. And that's where I started. Now, I have my start date for culinary school (Octboer 10th!!!) and I believe that it is really my purpose, or my calling-- I know how romantic that sounds but it's true. So if your lost or defeated just make a list of what you love. NOT what you love to do but just waht you love and she where it takes you.
(missrepresentation.org)
Last night, I saw a documentary called Miss Representation. It is all about how women are misconstrued and misrepresented in the media. Now, I know this isn't a new thing and we've been fighting for women's equality since the 60s, but unfortunately we've regressed in a way that women are now mocked in society. (i.e. in politics) The movie was raw and powerful and actually really sad. Not just because I am a women but because of the dehumanization I witnessed throughout the documentary.
I left the movie feeling like I wanted to do everything I could to empower women and make them realize their worth and wholeness. I wish I could look every woman in the eye, hug them, and tell them that they are validated. That they don't need to be 90 pounds, date an athlete or a CEO, or be a mother to be worth something because they already ARE something. So what can I do? What can you do? Follow your passion, whatever that is, to the end of the road. And if you don't know your passion, you still know yourself, and you know what you love and what you hate, so start there. Don't lose yourself, love yourself. And if you want to take a really easy step, stop watching reality television.
I graduate college in two months. All of my friends are in law school, graduate school, dental school, med school--I have some pretty amazing friends-- and for a while I didn't really know what I wanted to do. Nothing my friends were doing interested me and all I knew was that I loved to eat, travel, write, and cook. And that's where I started. Now, I have my start date for culinary school (Octboer 10th!!!) and I believe that it is really my purpose, or my calling-- I know how romantic that sounds but it's true. So if your lost or defeated just make a list of what you love. NOT what you love to do but just waht you love and she where it takes you.
(missrepresentation.org)
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Italy and the Slow Food Movement
So much of what I believe in has to do with food and taking your time to cultivate, prepare, and eat it. If you know me, you know that I have to consistently work on the slow eating part. I'm basically a vacuum at meal time and honestly, I'm fast at a lot of what I do. But somehow, the Slow Food Movement intrigues me. It's motto is good, clean, and fair food. Let me first mention that I'm not a hippie, or a gardener (I actually have quite the brown thumb), or a food activist. I actually hate the thought of forcing ideas and believes on people. But here is what I am: someone who loves food and loves the taste of the freshest, highest quality products available. Call me a food snob if you must, but it behooves me to think that people do not actually care what goes into their bodies. People, "you are what you eat" is not just something a philosopher pulled out of his (or her) ass.
So what's Italy have to do with all this? Well, this is where Slow Food (and Slow Wine!) started.
It makes sense, doesn't it? The entire culture of Italy is based around the table, eating, and sharing together. That's the environment I grew up in and that's what I'd like to pass along to my children. In October when I start culinary school, (!!!!!!!!) I will be spending half of my time in Italy. I cannot wait to be in the center of this culinary mecca and I cannot wait to blog about it so you can live vicariously through me... c'mon, I know you want to!
Until next time, live an unhurried life... and start at the table.
www.slowfood.com
So what's Italy have to do with all this? Well, this is where Slow Food (and Slow Wine!) started.
It makes sense, doesn't it? The entire culture of Italy is based around the table, eating, and sharing together. That's the environment I grew up in and that's what I'd like to pass along to my children. In October when I start culinary school, (!!!!!!!!) I will be spending half of my time in Italy. I cannot wait to be in the center of this culinary mecca and I cannot wait to blog about it so you can live vicariously through me... c'mon, I know you want to!
Until next time, live an unhurried life... and start at the table.
www.slowfood.com
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