Chocolate Whoopie Pies (Paleo)

13 Mar

Whoopie Pies - 15I must admit, I never had a whoopie pie before I made these. It turns out I like them. They’re like an inverse cupcake, and they were fun and easy to make. They’re also a lot easier to frost than a cupcake, and they look pretty any way you do them. Next time I might pipe the frosting in to make them a bit neater, but just using a knife worked fine.

I had no idea how they’d turn out, since I made up the recipe using a few others for paleo cupcakes, hoping that it would all be alright in the end. Whew! They turned out really well, and I think most people would be hard pressed to realize that they were totally grain free if they weren’t told. Continue reading →

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Jamaican Patties (Paleo)

2 Mar

Jamaican Patties - 11It’s been a rainy, blustery weekend here in Santa Barbara, and we really did need it. Over 5.5 inches of rain in a few days won’t clear up the drought, but it certainly helps. There’s even been water in the creeks over the past few days, and I haven’t seen that since we moved here over a year ago.

But it does give me time to get back in the kitchen to cook and time to get a blog posted—without the beautiful weather we’ve come to expect this winter, it’s nice not to feel the pressure to be outside and active. Sorry, I realize that must sound terrible to people reading this who have had to put up with lots of storms, flooding and cold, but I guess we all have to deal with what we’ve been given! Continue reading →

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Paleo Banana Pancakes

19 Jan

Banana paleo pancakes - 13Well, it’s Day 18 of the Whole 30, and I haven’t had a drink. It feels annoyingly awesome, actually, and strangely I’m only really craving white wine, which I rarely drink. I thought that by now I’d be at the point of punching someone for a martini, but I’m surprisingly calm about the whole thing. Which is good, but I’m kind of worried about the fact that this healthy living sh*t works, you know? Clear thinking, more energy, clear skin, no allergies, losing weight…Sigh.

So, on to a delicious recipe that I’m not allowed to have until I’m off the Whole 30. And I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been craving these bad boys. Nothing like a nice stack of pancakes with a side of bacon, am I right? (Okay, vegetarians/vegans out there, you can sub tempeh bacon, and I hope you do.) Continue reading →

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Butternut, Parsnip and Apple Soup (Paleo, Gluten-Free, Vegan)

12 Jan

Butternut parsnip apple soup - 5

Happy 2014, everyone! I hope yours is off to a good start. Weather notwithstanding, January has been much better than December for me. And that’s even with not drinking all month. And those of you who know me or read this blog regularly know that this is not normal for me. And I don’t miss the alcohol as much as something else…

I’ve been pining for winter. I shouldn’t complain, really, but while the rest of the United States is being frozen by the “polar vortex”, the same weather condition is making it hot and bothered here in California.

I’ve given up hoping that it will even rain. It’s going to be 80°F next week for three days. I’m worried that the entire city of Santa Barbara will spontaneously combust at any moment. And I’ll be honest—sunny days with cloudless skies do not make me feel in the Christmas spirit at all, which made my December a bit miserable. Continue reading →

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Virtual Vegan Potluck #4: Indian Beet Chutney

15 Nov

Chutney17 I’m so excited to be part of the fourth Virtual Vegan Potluck! It’s always so much fun reading through all of the creative recipes, but my favorite part is being included in this awesome group! Annie is just the coolest for setting all of this up.

I’m also very happy that she chose the beet as the special ingredient this VVP, because it reminded me of an unusual yet delicious recipe I’d tried once before. If you’re visiting my blog for the first time, you won’t know that I’m absolutely obsessed with Indian food. In fact, my first VVP dish was a curry, although a Caribbean one. (My second was a cottage pie, and third was these delicious homemade Snickers, in case you were wondering.)

If I wasn’t married, I’d probably cook Indian food for every other meal. Continue reading →

Paleo Pho With Seared Spiced Duck

28 Oct

Photos - 7236I’m a big fan of any cuisine that uses cilantro—Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Mexican. I know that there are people out there that taste soap when they eat cilantro, and if you’re one of those people, you have my heartfelt condolences. I’m so so sorry. Apparently there’s some enzyme that this section of the populous lacks that causes the cilantro-soap conundrum. I must say that I’m glad I’m not one of them. I heart cilantro. I really, really do.

Now, traditional pho doesn’t necessarily feature cilantro, so I’ll get back on track here. I’m not even sure if you can go to a pho restaurant and get a version with duck. Well, in my house you can. Clearly I’m just making it up as I go along. BTW, my first cookbook will be proudly titled: “Cooking By the Seat of My Pants” and the working subtitle is: “Was That the Oven Timer? And Why Is My Martini Glass Empty?” Continue reading →

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Persimmon Almond Cake

20 Oct

Persimmon Cake11I have a confession to make—I’ve been scared of persimmons. Fear of the unknown, I guess, even though they are beautiful and plentiful here in California. When I saw that we had some growing on our tree this year, I figured I’m going to have to do something with them. Nothing would be worse than wasting these gorgeous, bright orange fruits.

So I must admit, I’m pretty proud of this cake. Mainly because I took a recipe that didn’t have any persimmons in it and made it work. I’m excited to credit the excellent blog Mama’s Gotta Bake for the inspiration here. First of all, all of her recipes/creations make you want to lick your screen because of their obvious deliciousness. I’m so glad she lives an hour and a half away, because if I was anywhere near her house (not that I know where she lives, except in the Los Angeles area!) I’d keep stopping by and weigh about 300 pounds.

Then you look at the photography—I swear this woman works for Martha Stewart Living magazine as a stylist and photographer. EVERY photo is amazing—both in composition and lighting. Clearly, there’s not one shred of jealousy in my body. Not one. Nope. Continue reading →

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The Best Picnic Sandwich Ever

6 Oct

Sandwich09This is not your regular sandwich. This is The Sandwich. It’s so wonderfully great for picnics, tailgate parties, pre-concert snacks—basically, it’s your best bet for a portable meal.

And, might I add, it’s awesome.

I’m featuring this recipe for a few reasons: First, we’re having such unseasonably warm weather here in California, it may as well be summer and perfect for picnicking. Second, it’s football season and I hear a lot of people go in for that. The Sandwich would rock a Monday Night Football Party, or weekend game party, for sure. Lastly, it’s so good I don’t want to keep the recipe to myself. Continue reading →

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Grains—Is Our Love Affair Killing Us? Guest Post by Huw Lloyd Davies

26 Sep
Wheat fields always reminds me of a Woody Allen film, where Diane Keaton says "Wheat, wheat. Fields of wheat." Love & Death, I think...

Wheat fields always reminds me of a Woody Allen film, where Diane Keaton says “Wheat, wheat. Fields of wheat” in a very dramatic voice. Love & Death, I think…

A few years ago, I was a client of BodyWorks Lifestyle, with the formidable yet friendly New Zealander Huw Lloyd Davies at the helm of this successful Orange County fitness company. Huw got me into shape in no time, and was actually the first person to talk to me with any sense about cutting beans, grains and potatoes from my diet. At first I was skeptical, until I started getting results. But, as always, I slacked off and started eating what I wanted again. And the pounds followed. So it wasn’t until I took a blood test to see what my food sensitivities were (and I found that corn was a big no-no in my system—goodbye polenta!), I started looking at this style of eating again.

Huw very kindly wrote this guest post for me months ago, but I’m only posting it now. It’s good timing, since I’ve embraced the Paleo way of eating again (and I intend to stick to it this time, for good) and need to remember why I should avoid these foods—logically. I want them. I love tortillas, I love beans—hell, I’m one of those crazy people who love tofu! But with the way we’ve messed with our food production, what seems good for our bodies on the surface can be hiding some nasty things inside. Well, I’ll let Huw explain.

(Vegetarians and vegans out there, I’m not trying to offend you or say that you’re “wrong” for eating grains and beans. There are just as many arguments against eating meat. We all choose what we feel is best for us ((well, most of us who have examined what we’re eating, why we’re eating it and what’s in it—i.e. NOT most of America)), and we have our reasons. I think we should all worry about Monsanto, animal welfare and over-processed junk food than trying to argue who’s food is “better”. I hope you agree.) Continue reading →

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Paleo Slow-Cooker Pork Belly with Vietnamese Salad

20 Sep

IMG_3325Yes, you can tell I’ve gone all Paleo again, with these meat-centered dishes. But without getting all evangelical on you about it (I passed that phase already), it’s just really working for me in a way that no other way of eating has. So it’s been fun to look up some new recipes and try some fun things out, like the plantain “buns” I made last night for some Cubano sandwich-style burgers. Yummy—but it was a lesson in FOLLOWING directions. Sometimes I make assumptions that just aren’t correct. I have to remember that people have researched these recipes….der.

But this is a dish I’ve put together using a few different recipes, and it’s starting to be my go-to dish for when company comes over, even though there’s a lot of slicing and dicing involved. But the best thing is that you can scale that part down, and throwing the pork in the slow cooker is just so easy. Continue reading →

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