March 9th, 2010 . Posted in Baked Goods, Breakfast, Chocolate, Dessert, Gluten Free, Kid Friendly, Quick and Healthy | No Comments »
Tags: almond, Chocolate, healthy muffins, Rebecca Katz
Today marks 2 weeks since my diagnoses, yet I have seen no doctors to discuss my case. I finally get to go tomorrow to hopefully get some answers. Whomever wrote that song about “the waiting is the hardest part”, is certainly resonating with me right now. Knowing that I have cancer and sitting around waiting to find out if it has spread to the rest of my body can only be described as spinning out of control in an emotional hurricane hoping to be spit out in one piece. Going through this time with toddlers has proved to be the toughest challenge yet. Being a stay at home mom with 2 little ones tests your patience to the limits on a good day, but when you are walking on egg shells already, it makes it nearly impossible.
One thing that always tends to calm my nerves is baking. Enzo really wanted chocolate chip pancakes this morning so we compromised by making an almond muffin recipe out of Rebecca Katz’s book, The Cancer Fighting Kitchen. These muffins can be made with a few variations that Rebecca suggests but I think the batter is a great base to use with whatever favorite muffin additions you like. We chose the chocolate ones, which turned out great. They turned out moist and tender and not too sweet. If you are used to a very sweet muffin, you may want to add a little more sweetner. I thought they were perfect and the kids loved them. They make a healthy little snack for toddlers because they are made with almond meal, banana, agave nectar and spelt flour. If you wanted to make these gluten free, just replace the spelt flour with brown rice flour.
Recipe:
- 1 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/4 cup spelt flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 T baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt (use a little more if you like more salt in your baked goods)
- 1/3 cup agave nectar
- 1/2 cup mashed banana
- 1/4 organic milk, almond, rice or soy milk
- 2 organic eggs
- 1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil, almond oil, or neutral extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate
Method: (makes about 16 mini muffins)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine dry ingredients in a medium size bowl. In a separate bowl, combine agave nectar, mashed banana, milk, eggs, oil and extracts. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate. Spoon into muffin papers or well greased muffin tin (mini muffins = 100 kcal each). Bake about 13-15 minutes or until the center of the muffins springs back when touched. Let cool on a wire rack.
* Variations- for almond muffins, omit chocolate and cocoa powder and add another 1/4 cup spelt flour. For ginger lemon muffins, omit the almond and vanilla extracts, and instead add 1 tsp ground ginger to dry ingredients, 3 tablespoons of fresh grated ginger, 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon zest and 1 T fresh lemon juice to the wet ingredients.
* Muffins store well in the freezer*
March 4th, 2010 . Posted in Personal updates | 16 Comments »
I apologize for being missing in action lately. I have been trying to find my way back here, I feel as if I have been frozen in time and I didn’t know how to move forward. My whole life changed in an instant after receiving some earth shattering news last week. I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I am 33 years old, no family history, not considered high risk by any means. I am a health food junkie and have been for at least 10 years. I grow my own vegetables and grow grass on my counter to juice. I did not see this coming. I have asked myself “why me?” but I have come to realize “why not me?”. Maybe it is me for a reason, maybe because I am supposed to take this challenge and make something good of it.
Right now the good that I can make of it, is to change the direction of this blog to a “cooking my way through chemo to kick cancer’s ass blog”. I plan to cook recipes from cookbooks written by an amazing woman named Rebecca Katz. She has painstakingly put together 2 beautiful books with recipes that not only nourish your body while going through cancer treatment but they look and taste amazing. She has worked with Nutritionists and Oncologists around the country to put together these great books. Of course I will still have some of my own creations as well, but her recipes are certainly worth sharing. The focus of my ingredients will be foods that have been proven to help fight cancer. The good news is, these foods are the foods that everyone should be eating to try and prevent this from happening to them.
If I can be diagnosed with breast cancer at 33 years old, it can happen to anyone. 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Unfortunately, mammograms are not available for women under 40, if they were, my cancer probably would have been picked up early, a year ago at my annual appointment and I might not be facing the aggressive treatments that I now have before me. We need better early screening tools for young women.
I know that this blog will be an outlet for me during this very challenging time for our family. I have decided to share this very personal information with the hope that it helps even one person. Because this is my personal blog, I couldn’t go on blogging about food and not being honest about this very difficult challenge. Now, it is not just food that I am blogging about, but food with a purpose. Food that keeps my body in the best shape possible to make it through the following year filled with chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. Hopefully blogging about this can serve as a tool for someone else going through this, or be inspiration for someone to do a self exam, or to do the walk for the cure, or to eat more vegetables. You never know when life is going to throw you a curve ball. The next few weeks will involve more tests to find out if my cancer has spread. It is an extremely frightening time with much uncertainty. Your thoughts and prayers would be much appreciated. Thank you to all of my readers. I will keep you updated and get back to posting recipes very soon.
February 22nd, 2010 . Posted in Breakfast, Gluten Free, Kid Friendly, Quick and Healthy | No Comments »
Tags: hash, kale, potatoes
I usually eat kale for breakfast, whether it is sauteed and served with a scrambled egg or juiced. Potatoes and kale have an affinity for each other. The strong flavor of kale is a nice contrast to starchy potatoes. Shredded potatoes and garlic sauteed kale come together in this dish to make a more nutritious hash. You could also use sweet potatoes in this recipe. This hash is great by itself, but even better topped with a soft fried egg. To make this dish come together more quickly, clean and tear up greens the night before and store them in the fridge.
Recipe: serves 2
- 2 small yukon gold potatoes or sweet potato, shredded with a grater and placed in a bowl with ice water
- 1 bunch kale, cleaned, stemmed and cut into bite size pieces
- 2 cloves garlic (more if you are like me), minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil
Method:
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Meanwhile, drain potatoes and squeeze excess liquid out. Drizzle about 2 teaspoons of olive oil in the pan. Add kale and saute until tender stir in garlic and season to taste. Remove to a plate.
- Add another 2 teaspoons of olive oil or use non stick oil spray. Add potatoes and cook until nicely browned, season with salt, flip and brown the other side. When potatoes are done, stir kale back in until heated. Serve with egg or other desired toppings.
February 18th, 2010 . Posted in Gluten Free, Vegetarian, sauces | 1 Comment »
Tags: garlic, lemon, olive oil, parsley, salsa verde, shallot
With a hint of spring in the air in the Bay Area, this is the perfect sauce to get the palate ready for the lighter, fresher flavors of spring. Not to be confused with Mexican salsa verde, which is made from tomatillos and jalapenos, Italian salsa verde is made of parsley, garlic, shallots, lemon, capers and olive oil. It is a bright flavorful sauce that transends everything that you put it on. Typically served over roasted or grilled meats, it is also great over fish, eggs, vegetables, drizzled over a sandwich or whatever else you dream up.
Recipe:
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- 2 T capers
- 1 shallot
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 large clove garlic
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and pepper to taste (close to a teaspoon salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper)
- fresh squeezed lemon juice, to taste
Method:
- You can either put the ingredients in a food processor or finely mince the parsley, garlic and shallot and whisk in olive oil. It can be kept in an air tight container for 2-3 days just wait to add lemon juice until serving.
*Variations- add a few fresh mint leaves, fresh basil, other herbs, or olives
February 16th, 2010 . Posted in Gluten Free, Main Course, Quick and Healthy | 1 Comment »
Tags: black beans, garlic, jalapeno, onions, tomatoes
Black bean soup is my quick “go-to” dinner when there is nothing to eat in the house. I always have canned black beans, tomatoes and broth in my pantry to put together quick meals. Fresh jalapeno peppers and cilantro are ingredients that I tend to keep in the house because I love adding them to so many different dishes. Pair this soup with vegetable quesadillas or a green salad for a dinner the whole family will enjoy. The kids like rice, cheese and or crushed up tortilla chips stirred in. This soup comes together so quickly, making it a great weeknight dinner. Leftovers are delish for lunch! Pack it in a thermos with rice for kids lunches. Pack them shredded cheese and baked tortilla chips separately so they can add them in at lunch time.
Recipe: serves about 4
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded, stemmed and diced
- about 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin (I just pour out about 1/2 a palmful)
- 1 tsp ground coriander seed
- 1/2 tsp chipolte chili powder (sub regular if needed)
- 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained (you can use about 4 cups cooked black beans as well)
- 1- can or half a 32 oz carton of chicken or vegetable broth or 1 1/2 cups homemade broth
- 1- 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
- fresh cilantro, baked tortilla chips and sour cream for garnishing
- olive or canola oil for sauteing vegetables
Method:
- In a medium pot, over medium heat, add olive oil saute onions and jalapeno until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and spices, cook another couple of minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Season with sea salt to taste. Serve with optional toppings.
Variation- add chopped zucchini and corn when cooking vegetables.
February 13th, 2010 . Posted in Breakfast, Chocolate, Kid Friendly | 1 Comment »
Tags: challah, Chocolate, ricotta, strawberries, stuffed french toast
Looking for a decadent breakfast for Valentines Day? This might just be what you are looking for. Certainly not something we would make on a regular basis, but this french toast is a really special treat. Melty bittersweet chocolate paired with sweet creamy cheese sandwiched between two pieces of french toast. As if that is not decadent enough, I cooked down a basket of strawberries to top it off. The almonds are optional, but I think next time I would toast sliced almonds and sprinkle over the top to serve. If you like orange and chocolate together, you could some orange zest or a few tablespoons of orange juice to the filling. My husband, the biggest chocoholic I know, thinks that chocolate and orange is the absolute worst combination of flavors on Earth, so we leave it out. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Recipe: Serves 4
Filling:
- 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup cream cheese or neufchatel
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup sugar or powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Batter:
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or sugar (adjust according to desired sweetness)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- a pinch of salt
For the rest:
- 4 thick slices challah bread
- 1 basket strawberries, stemmed and sliced
- 2 tsp sugar
- toasted sliced almond, optional for garnish
Method: Preheat oven to 350
- Beat together filling ingredients and set aside.
- Whisk batter ingredients and place in a baking dish. Heat a griddle over medium heat. Dip slices of bread on each side in the batter until moist. Cook french toast until golden brown on each side. Spoon filling on 2 slices of french toast. Top with the other slice and place sandwiches on a cookie sheet or baking dish and transfer to the oven. Bake about 10 minutes until heated through.
- While you are making french toast, place strawberries sugar and 1/4 cup of water in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until strawberries begin to break down and release their juices.
February 12th, 2010 . Posted in Breakfast, Gluten Free, Kid Friendly, Main Course | No Comments »
Tags: cottage cheese, eggs, feta, spinach
I love the combination of spinach, eggs and cheese in this portable breakfast pudding. Baked in heart shaped ramekins in honor of the upcoming Valentine’s Day. I tested this recipe with feta but I think the addition of a little fontina cheese would be nice. I used cottage cheese as a base for the egg mixture but ricotta would work as well. Feel free to change the flavors by omitting spinach, feta and basil and adding diced green chilies and jack cheese for a chili cheese pudding. The consistency of this pudding is similar to a baked fritatta. It can be baked in individual ramekins or an 8×8 baking dish.
Recipe: Serves about 6
- 1 onion, minced
- 12 oz fresh spinach, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1/2 cup fontina or mozarella, grated
- 2 cups cottage cheese or ricotta
- 4 eggs
- fresh ground pepper
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking dish or ramekins by spraying with nonstick spray.
- Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add onions and saute until soft, about 8 minutes. Add spinach and stir until wilted. Stir in garlic, salt and basil and remove from heat. Sprinkle feta and fontina cheese over the top of spinach.
- In a bowl with an emmersion blender or in a blender, combine eggs and cottage cheese pulse until smooth. Pour egg mixture over spinach and stir to combine. Season with fresh ground pepper. Spoon into prepared baking dish.
- For individual pans, bake for about 30 minutes or just until puffed and set up. For a larger baking dish, bake for about 45 minutes.
February 10th, 2010 . Posted in Kid Friendly, Main Course, Quick and Healthy, Vegetarian | 2 Comments »
Tags: baguette, marinara sauce, mozarella, tofu, tofu parmigiana
Tofu is typically used in asian inspired recipes, but it doesn’t mean you have to stick to only using it that way. In this recipe, tofu is used in place of the classic chicken. Tofu takes on whatever flavor you pair with it. The texture is not as meaty as if you were using chicken but it provides a nice neutral background for the flavorful marinara sauce. The flavor of this dish is reminiscent of a really good french bread pizza with the added bonus of extra protein. Calcium, protein, lycopene and vitamin C are the key nutrients that this dish provides.
Tofu is also an inexpensive protein when compared to the price of organic chicken breasts. If you are looking to add a few vegetarian meals to your weekly menu, give this one a try. For best results, slice tofu in about half inch slices. I served these open face on a baguette but you could also serve just the breaded tofu cutlets with the marinara sauce, mozzarella and a side of sauteed greens or spaghetti squash. If you have a batch of marinara sauce on hand, this dinner comes together in a few short minutes.
Recipe: Serves 4-6 (use leftovers for a quick lunch)
- 1 package extra firm tofu-15.5 oz (I used sprouted tofu), sliced into 8 cutlets and excess liquid pressed out with a dish towel
- 1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg, lightly beaten in a shallow bowl
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup or so of marinara sauce (see Nonna G’s sugo)
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese, or 1 cup grated
- whole grain baguette for serving
- olive oil
Method:
- Combine panko and Parmesan cheese on a plate and season with salt and pepper.
- Dip tofu cutlets in eggs then press into panko mixture to coat. Set aside on a plate and repeat with remaining tofu.
- Heat olive oil in a large non stick skillet, just enough to coat the pan. Add tofu and cook over medium high until nicely browned, flip and brown the other side.
- While tofu is cooking, slice baguette in half and again into to make slices the size of the tofu cutlets (you will probably have baguette leftover) and place on a cookie sheet. Spread each slice of baguette with hearty spoonful of marinara sauce.
- Heat broiler to high. Top each slice of baguette with a tofu cutlet (you can put 2 slices if desired), spread with another spoonful of marinara sauce and a slice or sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.
- Place open faced sandwiches under the broiler until cheese is melted. Serve. Feel free to top with another piece of baguette and serve like a regular sub.
February 9th, 2010 . Posted in Chocolate, Dessert, Kid Friendly | 1 Comment »
Tags: Chocolate, graham crackers, peanut butter, vegan
Yes, another dessert… I have been quite busy with jewelry parties and have not been home to cook. With Valentines Day around the corner I figured this recipe was appropriate. As you have probably realized by now, I am a sucker for anything that combines chocolate and peanut butter. Store bought peanut butter cups are too sweet and have other not so healthy ingredients in them. I came across this recipe in a vegan cookbook, The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. The recipe is very easy to make and is so good! She adds crushed up graham crackers to the peanut butter filling which gives it a nice crunch factor. Whip up a batch of these for your Valentine:-)
Recipe:
- 1/2 cup Earth Balance butter
- 3/4 cup Peanut butter (natural)
- 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (preferably natural)
- 1/2 cup Sucanat (I used a bit less, maybe 1/4 or so, if you like them sweeter use the full amount, you can use any other sugar of choice)
- 1 cup non dairy chocolate chips, I used chopped organic bittersweet chocolate
- 1/4 cup almond, rice or soy milk
Method:
- Line a 12 cup muffin tin with papers. Set aside (I used candy papers and made small cups)
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan, alternatively in the microwave. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, sucanat and mix well. Evenly divide mixture into muffin cups.
- Combine the chocolate and milk and heat gently until melted. Spoon chocolate evenly over mixture. Place in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.
February 5th, 2010 . Posted in Kid Friendly, Side Dishes, Vegetarian | No Comments »
Tags: garlic, gratin, shallots, spaghetti squash, swiss chard
Spaghetti squash and sauteed swiss chard baked together with a light creamy sauce, topped with asiago cheese and panko breadcrumbs. I had a big pile of swiss chard that I picked from the garden along with a big spaghetti squash sitting on the counter that needed to be used. I roasted the spaghetti squash until tender and spooned out the tender ribbons of squash. While the squash was roasting I sauteed the chard with shallots and garlic. I combined them in a gratin dish and poured a light bechamel sauce over the top and baked until bubbly. They result was a very satisfying creamy gratin. It would be a nice side dish for roasted meat, chicken or fish. Pretty mild in flavor, you could serve with a main dish with a more bold flavor.
Recipe:
- 1 large spaghetti squash, cut in half and roasted at 400 degrees, until tender about 40 minutes
- 1 large bunch of swiss chard, cleaned and cut into large bite size pieces (you can include stems)
- 3 shallots, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups low fat milk
- 1 T flour
- 1 T butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- Asiago cheese for grating
- about 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- olive oil
- chili flakes, opt.
Method: Preheat oven to 375
- In a large saute pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil then add shallots, cook until tender. Add garlic and saute for a minute longer. Add chard to the pan and saute until tender. Season with salt, pepper and optional chili flakes. Add to your cook spaghetti squash and stir until combined. Put mixture into a casserole or gratin dish, set aside.
- In a saucepan, heat over medium heat and add butter and flour. Whisk together and cook a few minutes. Whisk in milk and season with salt and pepper, cook until thickened. Remove from heat. At this point you could stir in a handful of grated asiago if you want that flavor throughout.
- Pour milk sauce over vegetables. Top with grated asiago cheese and panko bread crumbs. Bake until bubbly and top is browned about 20-30 minutes.
