Spiced Pumpkin Hummus

How much to I love pumpkin? Oy, can I even count the ways? I’ve used it for breakfast bakes. I’ve slurped it down in a smoothie. I’ve eaten it straight out of a can. And yes, I’ve used it in a Bento Box Snapshot. In conclusion, pumpkin (seeds included) is a wonderful food. It can be put into practically anything you can think of, and it’s perfect for both sweet and savory delights, so you can very well assume that anything that could be done with pumpkin likely has already. 

This isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it just means there’s a cornucopia of inspiration out there waiting for you! If you’re dying to try something out with pumpkin in mind, but have no idea where to start, do some research. There’s probably someone out there who has made the mistakes, found an aha! moment or five, and ended up with the recipe you’re looking for. I do that sometimes, like with the vegan oatmeal pumpkin bars I made this weekend. 

The original recipe can be found at Jessica’s blog Clean Green Simple. Although the modifications I made to it resulted in something tasty (as I was told by my friends), I do want to make it again and perfect it before posting the recipe. For one, the pepitas I used (as opposed to walnuts) gave it a particular earthy flavor, and I used half of the sweetener she called for (I used maple syrup instead of agave nectar) the oatmeal crust, so I included three ounces of almond milk to moisten it up. I also think if I put it through the food processor a pulse or two I would have been satisfied.

Jessica was right, though. They taste even better the next day.

Along with that recipe, my weekend was filled with pumpkin. And this one was as savory as the bars were sweet. It’s perfect for any leftover pumpkin you may have, and it’s not only packed with protein… it’s vegan!

Spiced Pumpkin Hummus

2 15 oz Cans Garbanzo Beans
1 15 oz Can Pumpkin puree
Juice of 1 lemon (< 1 oz)
1 oz Tahini
3 Garlic cloves
0.5 oz Fresh ginger, peeled
1 tsp. Garam Masala (Curry powder works here too)
1 tsp. Sea salt
1/2 tsp. Cracked pepper

Put all of the ingredients into a food processor in its largest bowl.
Blend until smooth and creamy.
Serve immediately or refrigerate up to a week.

Makes a ridiculous amount of the stuff. Garnish with black and white sesame seeds, olive oil, and cayenne pepper.

Crock-Pot Cranberry Apple Cider and a Love Story

There is another reason as to why I love Halloween. Besides homemade candy and traditional food, I love today because it was two years ago I met the boyfriend.

After a few weeks of moving into off-campus housing for the first time, I became friends with a group of people whom I still adore today. It’s because of my friend GM I met my friend TJ. It was TJ who invited the lot of us to his fraternity’s Halloween party. And it was at that party I met him. Coincidence? I think not. 

Our first photo together, March 2010

The rest, my friends, is history.

When I met him, it was one of those moments that I said to myself, “Now, this is a person I need to get to know better!” I was wearing goth boots with my costume, but I knew we would be around the same height without them. It was a strange evening, because I ended up hanging out with the pair of them for the majority of it, laughing and talking the whole time. I left that party with his phone number, but that was just the beginning.

We saw each other again on campus the first week in November. I was drinking a cup of Joe in La Pat[isserie] on the first floor of the Johnson Center before my interview, and he stopped at my table to say hello. In my forward ways, I told him that it was such a treat to see him again and that I’d almost forgotten how cute he was (I know, I’m terrible). For some reason, we kept bumping into each other and, naturally, I started liking him even more. We hung out officially for his birthday on November 19th with TJ, three days after mine, and we started hanging out on a regular basis afterward. Even before we formally started dating in January, he came over for Leftovers Day (the day after Thanksgiving at our house) and played various games with my family. It also seemed, I don’t know, right to invite him and his father over for a Yule dinner (December 21st, also known as the Winter Solstice).

Our friendship knew no bounds. We went to the gym with mutual friends together. We went to the movies and stole kisses on the cheek. We went out to dinner. We made dinner together.  I think it had blossomed to the point that being in a true-blue relationship was the appropriate next step, and I cannot express how amazing it is to be in love (and with) one of my very best friends in the whole world.  

He went into this relationship knowing of my lifestyle, and he’s been just fabulous about it all. Whenever he is craving for the Old Country cuisine, he either finds a recipe that is naturally gluten free or modifies it to make it gluten free. And whenever I cook something up for this blog, he is always willing to be experimented on.

Two years ago today I met and became good friends with a few people, and I raise a glass to them. With all my love, Dear Friends, and Cheers to You All.

“Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation.” (George Washington)

Crock-Pot Cranberry Apple Cider

64 oz Apple Cider
16 oz Cranberry Juice, unsweetened
3 oz Maple Syrup
2 Clementines, thinly sliced
Juice from 1/2 a Lemon (0.4 oz)
0.5 oz Fresh ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
1 tsp. Bourbon vanilla
1 stick or 1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Allspice
1/2 tsp. Coriander
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

Combine all the ingredients into a Crock-Pot and allow it to cook on low heat for eight hours.

Serves 8 – 12 people.

Halloween Treats without the Tricks: Honey Caramel Apples

I look forward to this holiday every year. Maybe it’s the walk around the neighborhood in costume, knocking on doors and with a squeaky voice shouting “Trick or treat!” My most memorable years were the times I dressed as Odette from The Swan Princess (Mama Dazz made the costume), the Pink Power Ranger, and a black cat. Sure, I celebrated more Halloweens than those three, but I remember them because those were the years of suburbia, where practically every house gave candy by the handfuls and there was a haunted house on every street. Like other munchkins under the age of seven, I was always afraid of the haunted houses, especially when the front yard of the house at the top of the hill became a graveyard for the undead. But for two or three hours on Halloween, kids are empowered to honor their costumes and face their fears. After all, nothing bad happens to a princess, and no one would dare attack one of the Power Rangers. And black cats own the night, so I was safe that year.

After high school, however, Halloween started to shift in regards to priority. I mean, why walk around all evening for candy you could buy half price the next day? And the costumes for tween girls and older seem to have become something different than I remember them being. I think know I’m too old to go trick or treating, but I have taken on the responsibility of giving out candy every time munchkins come to our door.

I must admit, though, I do miss the Halloween of my childhood, and that does include the ungodly amount of sugar, artificial coloring, and chocolate. For years my favorite candy was the eyeball gumball, though it became hard to find after a time. And when I moved to an international neighborhood, fewer and fewer houses celebrated the trick-or-treating tradition, I was slowly weaned from my once a year candy indulgence.

The word candy has changed since my gluten free lifestyle included soy, artificial anything, and refined sugar. Chocolate has become a little iffy for me, likely due to how it’s processed, so I’ve been using mesquite flour instead. But after making those gooey pepitas candy squares last week, my definition of candy has altered completely.

Candy doesn’t have to be artificially flavored, sweetened with HFCS, or gluten filled. It can be tasteful, healthy by candy standards, and delicious for munchkins and adult munchkins alike. I have become inspired, by the science of making candy and the turnouts of making candy. Sugarplums may not be dancing in my head, but honey sweetened chocolate bars, maple fruit juice lollipops, homemade white chocolate, and “candied” ginger are. My hopes for my children for this time of year are homemade delights, original costumes, and close-knit community Halloween fun. Until then, I just may do that for today’s kiddies, but by all means enjoy this certified gluten free candy list for tonight’s festivities.

So why am I talking about candy? Well, I made caramel apples… with honey. And after boiling over in a small saucepan and transferring the mixture and a half (because I boiled over, remember) to a slightly larger saucepan that I couldn’t heat up past 225ºF without going over, I finally found the right pot. So bear in mind, when they say size matters in candy making, they mean it. The recipe not only worked, it was amazing. It is rich, decadent, and had this butterscotch beginning with a caramel ending. I’m sure agave nectar and maple syrup would work wonders, and I’ll try again just in time for the winter holidays.

Who knows? Maybe candy canes are in the future. Happy Halloween, everyone!

Caramel Apples (recipe from Our Best Bites)

1 c. (252 g or < 8.9 oz) Honey
1 c. (240 g or 6.5 oz) Heavy whipping cream 
1/2 tsp. Bourbon vanilla
1/4 tsp. Sea salt

10 sm. Jazz apples (Trader Joe’s Small Apples for Small Hands)
10 skewers or popsicle sticks

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine cream, honey, and salt.
Once warmed and whisked together, bring to a rolling boil and reduce heat to a simmer (it should still be bubbling, but not so hot that is splatters all over).
Stir and scrape sides of pot down occasionally until a candy thermometer reaches 260 degrees.
To reach 260ºF can take about 30 minutes, so while your caramel is cooking prepare your apples by washing and drying them and skewer them with a popsicle stick or bamboo skewer, then place in the fridge to continue chilling until ready to use.
Line a baking sheet or cutting board with waxed paper or parchment paper and set aside.
When caramel has reached 260ºF, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally (It should start thickening).

(You’ll have to eyeball the consistency for dipping. If you’d like to help it along you can place your pot in a bowl of ice. And if it gets too hard to coat the apples, just return it to the heat until it’s thin again.)

Remove apples from fridge and dry them thoroughly with a towel.
Dip in caramel, rolling and twirling each one so it gets well coated.
Let excess drip off and then place on prepared sheet.
Refrigerate for 10-20 minutes to set the caramel and then enjoy!

Makes 10 caramel apples.

Halloween Treats without the Tricks: Colcannon

Who says Halloween can’t be savory? While it’s true that this time of year is associated with caramel apples, chocolate, getting candy door to door, apple cider, and pie, (lots and lots of pie), there are other autumn flavors that should be honored and enjoyed more often.

Really, I think anything in season this time of year is fair game to be deemed, uhhh…  Halloween-y. For Virginia, that means apples, broccoli, cucumbers, grapes, pumpkins, raspberries, eastern oysters, snap peas, spinach, squash, and tomatoes. I was more interested in the old traditions, like the amazing foods served in late October to early November, particularly for the holidays like All Hallows Day, El Dia de los Muertos, Samhain, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day. I began looking deeper into my own heritage, especially where my Irish roots were concerned.  

This leads me to a recipe, which also comes with a song.

Did you ever eat colcannon
When 'twas made with yellow cream
And the kale and praties blended
Like the picture in a dream?

Did you ever take a forkful
And dip it in the lake
Of heather-flavored butter
That your mother used to make?

Oh, you did, yes you did!
So did he and so did I,
And the more I think about it,
Sure, the more I want to cry.

This dish is quite popular around this time of year in Ireland, when kale comes into season. It used to be enjoyed year-round as a cheap staple food, and I can see why. Colcannon is delicious, easy to make, and a great side to just about everything. If you’re a fan of bacon, you could turn it into a main dish. Alternatively, it is a great base for breakfast. Just put a poached egg on top or turn it into boxty (or potato pancake).

Colcannon

2.5 lb Russet Burbank potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
3 Garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
3.5 oz Butter
1 tbsp. Olive oil
1/2 Head (12 oz) Green cabbage, finely chopped
1 Bundle (12 oz) Kale, finely chopped
2 Shallots, minced
1 tsp. Sea salt
1/2 tsp. Cracked pepper
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
Green onion, finely sliced as garnish

Place the potato chunks and garlic cloves in a medium-sized pot and fill it up with just enough water to cover.
Cook over medium heat until tender, about fifteen to twenty minutes.
Drain the excess water, add in the butter, and mash until all the lumps are gone.
In a large skillet on medium heat, grease it with the olive oil until it is at smoking point, then put in the cabbage, kale, and shallots until soft.
Fold the cabbage, kale, shallots, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in with the potatoes until thoroughly mixed.
Garnish with green onion slivers on top, and serve immediately.

Serves 8 – 10 people.

Halloween Treats without the Tricks: Gooey Pepitas Candy Squares

In honor of keeping my promise to post delectable autumn treats in time for Halloween, I wanted to try something new but simple, easy to make but will always be fashionable. Of course, I’m talking about candy, but candy that I wanted to feel good about eating.

Kelly of The Spunky Coconut is a genius when it comes to making healthy sweets. Bean brownies, caramel sauce made with maple syrup and honey alone, a plethora of cookies, casein-free or vegan gingerbread men… sheer brilliance. 

I view her blog daily, so when she came up with a Halloween Spunky Holiday round-up, I just knew I had to participate. That, and I wanted to get into the trick-or-treat spirit. I started thinking of traditional fall flavors, including traditional Halloween dishes more on the savory side. There were bags of raw pepitas in the pantry and bottles of honey in the cabinet, two things that came together in a beautiful way.

Regardless of what sugars you use in candy making, the temperature you cook it at is still the same. This candy making adventure had empowered me, because I thought such sweet delights were never to grace my taste buds again. Let out your inner scientist, fellow food lovers, and you will always find a way to make things happen.

I found this gem of a recipe at Food Mayhem, and it is important that you follow the directions. Candy making is a very finicky thing indeed, but don’t be intimidated by it. And now that I know honey is great candy base, I can’t wait to make honey lollipops, caramel, and so much more. This particular recipe looks like a great addition to a bowl of pumpkin ice cream for dessert or as a side to a hot cup of tea in the afternoon.

Gooey Pepitas Candy Squares

189 g (< 6.7 oz) Clover honey (for vegans, I suggest maple syrup or agave nectar)
7 oz Raw pepitas
1/4 tsp. Sea salt (I used Trader Joe’s Smoked Sea Salt, which gave it a nice flavor)

Pour the honey in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil on medium heat, occasionally stirring.
Once it is at a boil, leave it alone with the candy thermometer in it and wait until it gets at 270 – 290ºF for sticky candy (as I did, around 280ºF) or 300 – 310ºF for hard crack candy.
Empty the pepitas in and stir quickly to coat, and spread onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to an even layer (this is easy to do with a greased silicone icing spatula).
Set aside to cool and harden for 40 minutes to an hour.
Place the parchment paper on a large cutting board and cut the candy into any size and shape you like (I made 3-bite squares).
Store in an airtight container between sheets of parchment/wax paper.

Makes 15 – 30 candy squares.

Becoming a Gluten Free Athlete with Socca Tuna Melt

Motivation comes in many forms. Some use the “I’m doing this so I don’t have to do it for the rest of my life” approach. Others use the “I’m doing this to make other people happy” approach. But I prefer the “I’m doing this for me” approach. I’m writing this blog for me, and hopefully to help others along the way.

I lost substantial weight my first semester in college. It was to prove to myself (and my ex-boyfriend at the time) that I was worth something, to feel better about myself, and to take my mind off the many changes coming my way. I went from weighing 140 lbs to about 118 lbs in a matter of a semester, a size 8 in pants to almost a size 0, and still I wasn’t happy. I think this is where my obsession with exercising and “healthy” eating truly began, and it’s taken the better part of four years of healing and patience and support to get where I am today.

My disordered eating wasn’t about food. It was about control. What I did or didn’t put into my mouth or how long and how often I exercised were the ways to make me feel like I ran my life. Change was always around the corner, but my body was for me to control and no one else could take that away from me. That was my logic, but really, what good came from it? If I felt it wasn’t okay for anyone else to go to bed hungry because they had no other choice, how was it okay for me to go to bed hungry when there was always a well-stocked kitchen downstairs? What was the point of eating healthy and working out every other day when it was never enough? Not only that, but when you limit your caloric intake and exercise, it’s not only illogical… it’s freaking dangerous.

I’m telling you this because of what happened this morning. IB and I went on a slow run this morning, less than half an hour and under two miles. When we finally came back, my face was a deep red; I was nauseous and had tunnel vision even after gulping down water. We decided it was best if I lay down, though after a few moments I started to shake convulsively. It went away, but he was still concerned. He’d been a runner for years and never experienced this before, so he started researching.

I’ve been working with Cheryl Harris for nutrition guidance and life enrichment since February this year. I can look back and happily say there is progress. I’m eating between 1500 and <1800 calories a day instead of having a panic attack if I eat more than 1200 (and yes, this included the days I exercised). I’m giving my body what it wants immediately when it asks for it. There are days when I’m still hungry after I’ve eaten dinner, typically when I have a late class and pack food for myself, and I no longer grudgingly feed myself until I’m no longer hungry.

I learned a new mantra, one that I can tell myself should insecurity rear its ugly head. “Food is the fuel that keeps me going, and not the anchor that weighs me down.” How's that for deep?

I'm NOT holding myself down anymore.

Maybe I felt that, since I wasn’t what I pictured to be an “Athlete,” I could eat normally and still work out like a gladiator. That is, one hour of aerobic exercise, about half an hour of weights and other gym machines, and I’m not even counting all the walking I do on campus. If I want to go to the gym three to five times a week, I need to make sure my body has the fuel to do it. That means sleeping a full eight hours a night, drinking water, getting the right vitamins, and yes, eating. Perhaps a year ago if the Burt-man asked me “Do you want to be strong and solid (implying the possibility of weight gain) or a ninety-eight-pound weakling?”, I would have had to think about it. If I was honest with myself, I would have likely preferred the latter because I felt I’d rather be thin (implying beauty) than muscled and "stocky". But I know better now.

Beauty is found in a happy self, a body that gets what it needs and never wants. I still have a long way to go, but I’m not the person I was four years ago trying to be something that others would like. The next time I speak to Cheryl, I will focus on the Gluten Free Athlete perspective, and what measures I need to take in order to embody this persona safely, effectively, and happily. Michelle and Lori of Pure2Raw seem to have this concept down to a science.

Oh! And I’ve discovered a new blog, The Gluten Free Athlete. Something tells me I’m going to be visiting it often. But for now, I have a socca recipe for you, one that I gobbled up gleefully post-run. High in healthy fats and carbohydrates, my body felt like new.

Socca Tuna Melt

1 Socca Recipe
1 slice Gouda cheese, quartered
1/4 c. Canned tuna in olive oil, drained of excess oil
1 heaping tbsp. Fresh salsa 
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

Prepare and cook the socca (like so) and place it under the broiler.
Thoroughly blend together the tuna, fresh salsa, and mustard.
Remove the socca from the oven, flip over, and lay out the cheese on one side.
Top the cheese with the tuna mixture and fold the other side on top (like you would an omelet).
Place it under the broiler once more until the cheese is melted.

Cut it in half and serve with sour cream, a small salad, and carrot juice.

Serves 1.

Yeasty Apple Pulp Teff Bread

My goal for the month of October was to make traditional Halloween delights such as candies, treats, spooky Bento Box Snapshots, savory meals from all over the world, anything with pumpkin, and so much more. But then Midterms and projects happened. And Graduation and “What am I going to do with my life?” freak-outs kept me preoccupied. So I’ve a week and a day to make up for it.

As you may know, I’m a sucker for a good apple. Our peck and a half of apples we purchased from Hollin Farms lasted us for quite a while, until their bruises were growing and no one wanted to eat them as is. I then had the idea to juice them and use their pulp for something innovative and ingenious. Where that innovation and genius would go, I had no idea.

Earlier this week I started craving bread. Maybe it was Elana’s Paleo pumpkin bread or Amy’s vegan pumpkin bread that had me yearning for a mouthful of a toasted slice of something with butter smeared on top. But I was out of pumpkin puree, though I did have apples to juice. And I wanted a yeasty bread, something that would hold as an open sandwich base, something just as savory as it is sweet, and especially something that incorporated my apple pulp.

Naomi from Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried was my inspiration with her carrot pulp bread. I was treated with quite a bit of teff flour a few weeks back, and I wanted to use the molasses flavor it’s famous for. Besides making bagels from time to time, I’d never made true-blue gluten free bread before. Well okay, that’s not true. I did make gluten free bread once. It was way back when I had first started out and cooking mistakes were often and close between.

My first mistake: I cooked by volume. My second mistake: I used coarse rice flour and nothing else. And my third mistake: I used the bread machine without knowing how to use it correctly for gluten free bread. The result was a crusty block of… meh.

But this recipe is nothing like my first flop. It’s rustic, moist, rich, sweet, and yeasty. I do recommend more sea salt than I used, maybe a teaspoon or two more. I was inspired so much by my first ever success with bread baking, I plan on using freshly juiced carrot, maybe with raisins and walnuts like Jim Lahey’s recipe in My Bread.

Yeasty Apple Pulp Teff Bread

12 oz Water
3.5 oz Apple cider (or apple juice)
1 packet of Active Dry Yeast
2 tsp. Sea salt
1 tbsp. (21 g) Honey (to make it vegan, use maple syrup or agave nectar)
15 oz Teff flour
5 oz Tapioca starch
14 oz Apple pulp
4 oz Apple mash, or the concentrate strained from the juice (alternatively, you could use applesauce)

Add the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and stir either by hand or with a stand mixer and the dough paddle attachment.
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it sit overnight, up to twenty-four hours for a great rise.
Preheat the oven to 425ºF and place a Dutch oven (or oven-safe deep dish pot) in the center.   
After the oven is preheated, carefully take out the hot pot, grease it, and pour in the dough.
Bake for 10 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 350ºF and bake (covered with a lid) for 30 – 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool.

Makes 1 loaf of bread.

Socca Donuts

Sometimes you find foods that were meant to be together, foods that have a compatible relationship in the mixing bowl, in the oven, and most importantly, in your body. Eggs and socca have that kind of bond, for two very different recipes.

When I prepared socca with an egg for the first time, the taste and texture was a cross between a crepe and a tortilla. It had those beautiful air pockets much like a tortilla has, and if it been kept under the broil a little longer it would have been perfect for a quesadilla lunch.

All you need is a single serving socca recipe and one large egg mixed in the batter. 

Now, in my search for socca inspiration, I was thinking about using my donut pan for my socca addiction. This is where the socca and the egg marry once again into a beautiful outcome. The first time I made them, they were airy and savory. The second time I made them, they were moist and sweet. Next time I will add the teaspoon of maple sugar to the airy and savory recipe and see how it goes without half an ounce of unsweetened applesauce.

Socca Donuts

2.1 oz Garbanzo bean flour
3.25 oz Water
1 tsp. Olive oil
1/4 tsp. Sea salt
1 Egg, beaten
1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1/4 tsp. Baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and place the greased donut pan in the center.
Mix together the ingredients (sans the baking powder and baking soda) and let it sit on the counter for half an hour.
Take the donut pan out of the oven, add in the baking powder and baking soda, and pour the batter in the molds (I was able to make four).
Bake for thirty minutes until done.
Top with your choice of savory spreads, like peanut butter, cream cheese, hummus, etc.

Makes 4 donuts.

Individual Buttermilk Spoon Breads

After my midterm yesterday, my nervousness had lessened despite having been up since 4:30 a.m. that morning (and up for nearly twenty-one hours by the time I went to sleep). Along with figuring out how to handle my hypothyroid condition as well as keeping my adrenals from getting wonky with my immune system, I am still having issues with falling asleep and staying asleep. Could it be a hormonal imbalance or the inability to manage stress, I do not yet know. What I do know is that I am in a better place because I have a great support system called “Family.”

With all of these health concerns I have to be careful with what I put into my body. While it is true that I love a good cup o’ Joe in the mornings, my caffeine intake stops with that drink of the gods. My daily intake for unrefined sweeteners (i.e., honey, maple syrup, or agave) doesn’t exceed one tablespoon. Obviously I avoid gluten and soy products, and I take special pride in knowing how food affects me. Chocolate is one that I do not eat much of anymore because, even when unsweetened or made with sugars I do eat, I feel a tad “off” afterward. I don’t digest corn properly unless it treated with lime as it is with most masa harina brands. With my hypothyroid and adrenal conditions, I have to take particular care of myself. When I get headaches after I’ve eaten, I know that I am either dehydrated or I haven’t eaten enough. It’s usually a combination of the two.

Even with the headaches, the shakes, and the flare-ups from my adrenal glands, I am extremely grateful that my body tells me immediately when something’s wrong and instantly calms down after I’ve given it what it needs. I am also grateful for being able to discern the symptoms from the illness. I know I’m not sick, but something is keeping me from sleeping and being at peace.

Anxiety and insomnia can really affect your day, but our dinners have been satisfying more than our physiological needs, and spoon bread has become a weekly affair as the result.

Spoon bread hails from the states south of the Mason-Dixon Line, and has a similar consistency to savory puddings like England’s Yorkshire pudding. It’s rich, creamy, and a great side dish to just about anything. When it was Mama Dazz’s turn to cook a few weeks back, I had forgotten just how delicious it was. The spoon breads of our kitchen’s past were made from a box – with cornmeal and wheat – but the Joy of Cooking has quite a few spoon bread recipes that don’t even call for gluten ingredients. I will definitely work with different flavor combinations in the future, and the spoon bread recipe calling for cooked rice or millet looked very interesting…

In all seriousness, though, this recipe is scrumptious as is. Have it for breakfast. Have it for dessert. One bite and you will be hooked for life.    

 

Individual Buttermilk Spoon breads (Adapted from Mama Dazz’s 1975 copy of Joy of Cooking)

1 c. (120 g) Masa harina or white cornmeal
1 1/2 c. (360 ml) Boiling water
1 Egg
1 tbsp. Butter
1 c. (240 ml) Buttermilk
1 tsp. Baking soda
1/4 tsp. Sea salt

Bring the water to a boil and pour it over the masa harina.
Mix well and let the mixture cool slightly.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and place the greased baking dish(es) in the center.
Beat together the egg, butter, buttermilk, baking soda, and salt and slowly add it to the masa harina.
Pour the batter into the now hot baking dishes (either one 7-inch or four medium-sized ramekins).
Bake for 30 – 40 minutes (or until a nice brown crust has formed on the tops).
Serve with a slab of butter or a drizzle of cream.

Serves 4.

Cottage Pie

Do you ever have those moments where you ended up questioning something, even things in the past you didn’t have control over in the first place? Do you ever think you took the wrong path, whether it is for a career or a college major? My blogging activity waned for five excruciatingly long days, just as my motivation had for school. I kept cooking, and I kept going to school, but when it came time to study the weekly readings or blog my latest recipe, I couldn’t focus, my eyes glazed over, my mind went blank, and all I wanted to do was sleep and hide from the world.

Yesterday all I did was sleep, and I was still exhausted. My inability to sleep more than six hours without the compulsion to get up each night was starting to get to me (zombie-free, thank goodness). I look out from my bedroom window, gazing at the beauty of this clear autumn day, and I can’t help but feel so disconnected from the Cosmos. I don’t feel like I’m part of my own life.

So I’m looking back at my college career, and I think about Steve Jobs and Chris Botti. Both men are geniuses of their respective crafts, Jobs with computers and Botti with his trumpet. Neither one of them completed college (Jobs dropped out and then back “in” college, only taking the classes he found interesting and Botti dropped out to pursue the life of a musician), but look at the impact they’ve made in the world! I started thinking to myself, my minor classes in anthropology were the ones that kept my GPA under a 3.5, and suppose if I decided use those credits to take the classes I found interesting. Where would my GPA be? Where would I be as a person if I took a year off before going to school and traveled? A lot of recent opportunities have come up in the S/CAR program, opportunities that I can’t be part of because this is my last semester as an undergraduate. Maybe this is where it all started, when I found out that future S/CAR majors would have the ability to turn their senior year into their first year of the Masters program. That, and the fact that I still haven’t heard anything about my grades from Sweden transferring, that kept me from filling out my application and, in my mind, hindering my ability to being selected for the upcoming spring.

For the past few weeks I’ve been angry and frustrated and sullen. I was angry because I felt cheated, because I didn’t know what George Mason could have offered me if I hadn’t taken on the anthropology minor. I was frustrated because all the motivation and drive I had was quickly fading, and December was looming closer and closer. And I was sullen, because the only thing that was keeping me from the people that mattered most to me and inhibiting me from doing the things I loved and wanted to do was, well, me.

The nervous breakdown last night, in front of my family and friends, was my turning point. We all get together on a monthly basis to eat, love, meet new people, and discuss new ideas and philosophies. We started talking about the concepts of Wyrd and Ørlög, or fate and its path, as it is known in the Old Anglo-Saxon and Germanic cultures, and despite all my efforts to not break down, the tears fell and I excused myself for the rest of the discussion. It was at that moment I knew I didn’t feel connected to something I felt I should have been, and that my fate and destiny were secrets I wasn’t in on that they might as well not exist. What was I going to do with my life after graduation? What credentials could I possibly have that gave me a doorway to do something great for the world? What was the point of going through higher education when upon graduation I don’t feel prepared for life outside of academia? I am scared, so completely and utterly terrified, and more than once I’ve half-jokingly told people I’m going to become a Buddhist nun just to get away from everything. I began doubting my ability as being a conflict resolution practitioner. I began doubting my ability to cook. I began doubting the things I loved and the things I was good at. I wanted to put the covers over my head and wait until graduation, to not eat or move or talk.

I sat there, petting my uncle’s two dogs while I calmed down, and a couple of people came down to check on me. I told them why I was a blubbering mess with tears in my hair and a heavy heart, spilling out my fears and my reflections. Two of them, brothers and roommates, said they went through the exact same thing before and after they left the military. In fact, most if not all who talked with me said they’re still trying to figure it all out. “Your career doesn’t define you”, my uncle’s girlfriend said, “but that doesn’t mean you won’t end up where you’re supposed to.” I left the get-together in better spirits than I had arrived. I couldn’t have felt more loved or supported, and for that I am grateful for the amazing family I have.

If it hadn’t been for following Mama Dazz’s incentive and looking into conflict resolution as a discipline, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I learned the art of communication, the power of empathy, and have met the unsung heroes of this wonderful world we have. If it hadn’t been for George Mason or the S/CAR program, I wouldn’t have met the people whom I cherish more than anything, including my colleagues in my classes or the love of my life one fateful Halloween party two years ago. And finally, if I hadn’t been part of this program, I wouldn’t have gone to the conference last year and hear Andy Shallal’s speech that inspired me more than he will ever know.

Thinking about this, now, as I write this post, further reiterates what I’ve always known. Everything is connected. There is no such thing as a coincidence. I’ve been disconnected from the Universe because I’d lost my belief in the process. And when you turn your back on that process and distrust it, you become lost and your way is uncertain. You begin to fear the process, and what it might bring. 

When I was first looking into making shepherd’s pie for the family, put into my single serving Pyrex® dishes, I searched for other people’s recipes before I sought to create my own. Maybe I wanted a point of departure so I wouldn’t mess up something I’ve never made before. Or maybe I wanted to walk down a path already traveled. But then, I noticed none of the recipes were what I was going for. I was afraid to pave my own path, even if it was a recipe for cottage pie (and before you say it, there is a difference between the two recipes).

So, despite my revelation (and a bangin’ original recipe), am I still terrified, frustrated, and sullen? A little. Graduation is still coming up. Midterms are still this week. Morri is still a stressed out, hormonal mess. But you can’t change what has already happened, and you shouldn’t worry about the things you can’t control. Sometimes what other people have done before you isn’t exactly what you want to do. And there may be a better way to do what you have in mind.

Everything happens for a reason. Trust in the process. Believe in your fate and that path your fate is taking. So here, have some cottage pie for your journey. I guarantee you’ll feel better.

Cottage Pie

1.5 lbs Lean beef stew meat, chopped into bite-sized chunks

2 carrots (about 5.5 oz), peeled, quartered, and finely chopped

1 White onion (medium), peeled and finely chopped

5.25 oz Petite peas, fresh or frozen

3 tbsp. Olive oil

2 Garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

20 oz Water

1 tsp. Unrefined apple cider vinegar

1 Bay leaf

1 tsp. Thyme

1/4 tsp. Rosemary powder

1/4 tsp. Sage powder

1 tsp. Sea salt

1/2 tsp. Cracked pepper

3 (heaping) tbsp. Potato starch

4 Russet potatoes (about 2.5 lbs), cut into small chunks

2 Garlic cloves, whole

1 oz Salted butter

3 oz Sour cream

1/4 tsp. Sea salt

1/4 tsp. Cracked pepper

In a pressure cooker or large pot, combine the beef, veggies, water, and spices (sans the potato starch, and cook for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Cover the potato chunks and garlic cloves with cold water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil on medium-high heat until tender.

Drain the water and add the butter, sour cream, salt, and pepper, and mash the potatoes until there is a smooth consistency.

When the pressure has subsided in the pressure cooker, create a slurry with the potato starch (about 2 oz water) and add in with the meat and veggies on medium-low heat.

Once the stew thickens, turn off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and pour it into an oven-safe casserole pan.

Top it with the potato mixture and evenly spread it out.

Bake for thirty minutes or more if you want the potato to brown.

Serves 4 – 6 people.

Pumpkin Patch Adventures at Hollin Farms

I had my lunch box and two wonderful people at my side. It was an amazing day.

The Bromance

Hollin Farms is in Delaplane, Virginia, a place I never knew existed. The drive to get there once we picked up our friend BM was almost two hours of countryside and small towns in between. The air was clean, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the weather was perfect for a pair of jeans and a light cardigan. When we arrived, the hill that served as a parking lot was almost completely filled with minivans and trucks. There were a number of families, mostly with little ones who will be celebrating their first Halloween this year, and some had brought their entire clan it seemed. There were a few dogs on a leash amidst the toddlers carrying pumpkins almost too large for them to carry. Older kids were jumping spastically in the moon bounce, running through the corn maze, and screaming joyously with partially bitten apples in hand.

If there were any more reasons to love this time of year, Hollin Farms provided them in spades. The pumpkin patch itself spread across the side of a hill, acres upon acres of various types and sizes were still attached to the vines that crisscrossed over each other, their large yellow flowers in bloom. It was the first time I’d ever seen those flowers in person, though I goggled at their use in recipes often, and I am kicking myself for not taking a bunch along with my other pickings.

Turks Turban

One thing is certain, however. We’re going to make visiting this part of Virginia a seasonal tradition.  

There is something significantly different in the taste of an apple right from a farm versus the one you get at a supermarket. I’m not particularly fond of Golden Delicious apples, but the ones at Hollin Farms were beyond extraordinary. Crisp, tart, sweet, and meaty, this is how an apple should always taste. Between the boyfriend and myself, we have a peck and a half of apples, and surprisingly cheaper to buy than it would have been at a market. The York is my new favorite apple because of that visit, and I suggest you try one for yourself.

Photos of me eating, courtesy of the boyfriend

After lunch I decided to go to the petting zoo and take photos. I fell in love with the goats there, particularly the buck about the size of large dog. He loved to have his neck scratched and was willing to have his photo taken. The yin-yang kids were rather shy and kept themselves hidden, but the squat and very pregnant doe wagged her little tail and came when you called her.

We collected our pickings and headed back to the car with quite a bit of apples and various squashes in our arms and in our bags. The guys were partial to getting Jack-o’-lanterns, but I got a three teeny tiny ones and large white one that the nice ladies behind the counter said was good eats. On the ride back we stopped at Hunter’s Head Tavern in Upperville for a driving break. Sadly there were no gluten free beers to try, but it was interesting to sit at the bar with a glass of water and talk with the Czech bartender about the wonders of life.

My Saturday adventure ended with the boyfriend’s latest attempt to teach me how to drive his manual car (I only stalled a few times). I came home with a new-found love with Virginia's countryside, and can honestly say that Hollin Farms is truly worth the trip.

The Socca Chronicles

Besides the whole manganese thing, there are other aspects to socca that I love. It’s versatile, it’s delicious, but above all else, it’s comforting.

And I’m a huge fan of all things comforting. I am comforted by the smell of my Lilli cat after she comes back inside early in the morning (No, I’m not kidding.), the images of autumn and the tastes it brings with it, the warmth of a kitchen in use, with the sounds of bubbling concoctions in pots and sizzling foods in pans, and this is just to name a few.

Socca is now an official Morri favorite, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I’ve perfected how to cook it* and have come up with quite a few variations of the original recipe. For a single serving I do 2.1 oz (or 1/2 cup) of garbanzo bean flour to 3.15 oz water, 5 g (or 1 tsp.) olive oil, and up to 1/4 tsp. of sea salt. The beautiful thing about this ratio – as the wonderful bloggers from the GFRR about any ratio will tell you – is how easy it is to multiply or decrease recipe to the number of people you want to cook for. You can cook for an entire food bloggers convention for hundreds and it would still turn out as amazingly as you would for a single serving. It’s also great as food on the go. I quickly cooked up a batch and ate it in the car on the way to the S/CAR resume workshop last Tuesday, wrapped in a paper towel and steaming hot.

Honestly, the average socca recipe is a great base for any flavor combination you could ever think of. Would you like a few examples? Oh, what am I saying, of course you do.

After my sweet and savory carrot socca success, I started looking into different spices and accompaniments:

Pesto Socca

2.1 oz Garbanzo bean flour
3.15 oz Water
1 tsp. Olive oil
1/4 tsp. Sea salt
1/2 tsp Basil pesto (store-bought from Trader Joe’s and is not vegetarian)

I greased the pan with coconut oil instead of olive oil. It tasted amazing with the prosciutto, Dijon mustard, and basil.

Peppered Socca

2.1 oz Garbanzo bean flour
3.15 oz Water
1 tsp. Olive oil
1/4 tsp. Sea salt
1/4 tsp. Cracked pepper

Then I tried cooking it with additional flours and different oils:

Coconut Socca

0.25 oz Coconut flour
1.85 oz Garbanzo bean flour
4 oz Water (coconut flour is like a sponge)
1 tsp. (7 g) Coconut oil, room temperature
1/4 tsp. Sea salt

It was a lot fluffier and more delicate due to the coconut flour and additional water. I topped it with a savory smear made with pumpkin puree, tahini, and coconut aminos. Oh, and a little curry powder goes a long way.

Mexican Mesquite Socca

0.5 oz Mesquite flour
1.85 oz Garbanzo bean flour
3.5 oz Water
1 tsp. Olive oil
1/4 tsp. Sea salt
Cinnamon, as garnish

Coincidentally, both the Coconut Socca and the Mexican Mesquite Socca are sweet socca as opposed to savory, but can be used for both depending on what you eat them with.

And most recently, as in today for lunch, I used socca in a different way entirely:

Socca Pizza

2.1 oz Garbanzo bean flour
3.15 oz Water
1 tsp. Olive oil
1/4 tsp. Sea salt
1 Komato (or any small tomato of your choosing), sliced thinly into crescents
1 stalk Thai basil leaves (or regular basil), plucked and cut into fine slivers
1 tbsp. White onion, finely chopped
2 oz Ricotta cheese
Italian seasoning, for garnish
Red chili pepper flakes, for garnish

It turned out to be such an amazing crust for a single serving pizza, and much better than a traditional thin crust. It also gave me an idea for my next socca creation, one that has to do with sunny side up eggs and pork belly crisped bacon-style for breakfast. Something tells me socca is going to end up having it's own category on the Recipe Index page.

So now I want to hear from you. What unconventional ways have you made socca? How did it turn out? What interesting combinations would you like to try but haven’t done so already?

*How to cook socca… the MWM way:

Using this method in regard to pan-frying, I cook the socca like I would a pancake in cast-iron griddle pan on medium heat. Once it has set on the bottom and the bubbles have popped on the top, I put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes until the top has set. Sometimes I will flip it over and put it under the broiler again or use the stovetop for a crispier result.

Looking to the Future with a Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

A lot of turning points happened this week. It was a merry-go-round of enlightenment. I went to a resume builder workshop on Tuesday. I roamed a job fair on Wednesday. I facilitated a focus group and partook in a CARmunity meeting on Thursday (As of this week we are officially recognized by George Mason University and the first School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution student organization legitimated by the school!). I went to my chiropractor appointment and walked out with spider technology for my wrist as well as my monthly visit with Cheryl. As for today, I’m writing it down to make sense of it all after coming back with the boyfriend from the pumpkin patch in Delaplane.

Well, that, and also to tell you the joys of pumpkin and my latest smoothie creation.

As I sat in the workshop I couldn’t help but feel so underachieved in comparison to the others. One was in the navy for nearly twenty years and was worried about finding a job. Another worked full time, volunteered often, and managed a 3.97 GPA. Sure, I was part of the BFSI this summer and I helped to create CARmunity with a small group of amazing individuals in both cases. I’ve facilitated talks, simulated conflicts, done extensive research based on theory and practice, attended seminars, and went abroad to Sweden. I have over three years of office experience and a year working in two cafés. I will be working with kids in an after school program part time in the next week or so at a local community center. But after my job fair experience on Wednesday, I feel so unprepared for life after graduation.

I considered grad school, but I missed the deadline for spring due to some mishaps with my grades. True, I have wonderful references, but the Universe seemed to say that I needed to go out in the world and take a break from traditional academia for a semester. So that’s what I’m doing, and I have no idea where I’m going.

The employers at the job fair were mostly computer or business oriented, and one or two maybe had jobs for public relations or human resources. As a CAR major, our blessing and curse is how wide our potentials are. Since my concentration is international (with a little community/organization on the side), I could be a diplomat, run a non-profit, and work for the government. But I left that fair disheartened; no one there was looking for a Morri.

For a brief moment I felt like the world didn’t need what I had to offer, and that there was a lack of belief in my visions and potential. Doubt spread throughout my being like a sickness, a disease that only cooking and talking to other CAR majors experiencing something similar helped put it into perspective for me.

I have this vision, of founding a movement that follows in Busboys & Poets footsteps, a restaurant that promotes to flourish a healthy and cohesive community, one centered on the arts, dialogue, and holistic food. The holistic food part of my aspirations will have a modern take on traditional and comforting foods, that’s allergen friendly, mostly organic and local, and finally (I cannot stress this enough), affordable.

So I keep thinking about that job fair, all those people dressed in three-piece suits with resumes and this air about them I couldn’t relate to, and started thinking I was unqualified for what lay before me. Graduation is closing in, a mere two months away, and I don’t know what to do.

Actually, I do know what I want to do, and what I will be doing. I will get a job helping an amazing organization with sustainable development around food, or something to do with food distribution to those who may not know when their next meal will be, or do field work revolving around food and conflict. In a few years I’ll earn enough money to go to Johnson & Wales or Boston University and learn the art of professional cooking, restaurant management, and hospitality.

I will have my restaurant by the time I’m thirty (or at least something similar). Make no mistake about it, and it will be the most bangin’ thing since gluten-free sliced bread.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bake, Trial 1

Now, about my love affair with pumpkin.

I’m sure you know that the wondrous pumpkin is incredibly rich in vital flavonoid poly-phenolic antioxidants and vitamins such as leutin, xanthins, and carotene. It is a member of the cururbaceae family along with cucumber, squash, and cantaloupes, and is one of the most popular commercial field crops all over the world.

Oddly enough, I’ve found I’ve been craving pumpkin almost as much as I’ve been craving socca (definitely another post of the multiple variations I’ve done since my sweet and savory carrot socca recipe), and I think it has to do with manganese.

True, the pumpkin seeds (or pepitas) are the part of the pumpkin that has the majority of this trace mineral crucial to – you guessed it – thyroid and adrenal function.

According to The World’s Healthiest Foods website, high-manganese foods:

• Help your body utilize several key nutrients such as biotin, thiamin, ascorbic acid, and choline
• Keep your bones strong and healthy
• Help your body synthesize fatty acids and cholesterol
• Maintain normal blood sugar levels
• Promote optimal function of your thyroid gland
• Maintain the health of your nerves
• Protect your cells from free-radical damage

And although manganese deficiency is rare in humans, the symptoms include (with mine starred):

• Nausea*
• Vomiting
• Poor glucose tolerance (high blood sugar levels)*
• Skin rash*
• Loss of hair color
• Excessive bone loss
• Low cholesterol levels
• Dizziness*
• Hearing loss
• Reproductive system difficulties*

If you think of incorporating more manganese into your diet, consider using these gluten free food sources:

Excellent sources of manganese include flaxseed, mustard greens, kale, chard, raspberries, pineapple, romaine lettuce, spinach, collard greens, turnip greens, kale, maple syrup, molasses, garlic, grapes, summer squash, strawberries, oats, green beans, brown rice, garbanzo beans, ground cloves, cinnamon, thyme, peppermint, and turmeric.

Very good sources of manganese include pumpkin seeds, leeks, tofu, broccoli, beets, and tempeh.

Good sources of manganese include cucumber, peanuts, millet, figs, bananas, kiwifruit, carrots and black beans.

I have been eating pumpkin and socca almost every day and literally cannot get enough of either. Even more interesting is that most of my favorite foods and spices are listed above. Anyway, here, have a piece of pie in a glass.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

8.6 oz (about 1 c.) Canned pumpkin
1 Banana, frozen (or fresh) and halved
4 oz Carrot juice
4 oz Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg

Place all of the ingredients into the blender and mix until thoroughly combined.

Serves 1, but can easily be multiplied to the servings you need.