food – Page 18 – GUTSy Performance Nutrition

June Notes

June 4, 2016by Rebecca1 Comment

As early as I could after the move, before we’d begun turning the back yard into a garden, I went out to the fence and planted peas. In the last couple of weeks, we’ve been drowning in peas. My mid-morning and early afternoon snacks are handfuls of snow peas and they’ve been making their way into every dinner and leftover-lunch. I’ve also been harvesting gorgeous amethyst radishes and the contrast of neon purple and garden green in our dinners makes the meals even more delicious.

Most often, I’m quickly chopping a few cups of assorted vegetables and giving them a quick sauté with olive oil and salt and pepper. I tend to make this the main portion of my plate or add into whatever else I’m making. When they’re this super fresh, vegetables are irresistible and don’t need much in the way of flavor add-ins. The season of eating what’s abundant from the garden is truly upon us and I’m excited to share more recipes with local and homegrown flavors soon!

I’ve also been continuing the work of rewriting old scripts with the help of a few short reads and podcasts. They are ones I’ve listened to and read multiple times these last few weeks. I’m finding these seasonal reading and recipe shares are good places to drop my thoughts, and I often come back to them later for fresh re-inspiration. Enjoy!

Totally Obsessed With:

Greg Faxon’s Interview on Running On Om: This podcast episode is absolute gold. The best thing I took from it is the practice of having high intention and low attachment.

Mantra: You can do hard things.

Oatmeal with fennel seeds and (fresh) apricots. It’s a thing. Try it.

Lindsey’s cookbook, Chickpea Flour Does it All. I’m basically making variations of her spring recipes non-stop.

In Season: Peas + Strawberries

Rustic Indian Samosa Pie with Cilantro-Mint Chutney

Quinoa, Avocado, Peas + Pistachio Salad

Strawberry Tabbouleh

Strawberry, Asparagus + Radish Flatbread

Strawberry + Basil Bruschetta

Reading:

The Magic Zone.

The Power of Narratives.

You Don’t Have to Believe What You Think.

Why Supplements aren’t the Same as Foods.

Five questions to ask yourself about your relationship with food.

Spring

strawberry, asparagus + radish flatbread

May 22, 2016May 17, 2017by Rebecca5 Comments

It started with my annual, have you tried asparagus before? questioning at the high school garden. To all the new students who told me they won’t eat asparagus, I brought them over to the plants, cut off a few stalks, snapped them into smallish pieces, and handed them over.

This always works.

I love converting asparagus haters. Fresh-off-the-plant raw asparagus is the epitome of what spring tastes like. It’s not tough or bitter or slightly limp like some of us have grown used to. It’s alive and green and has a flavor that even vegetable-avoiding high school students can get behind.

Since then, we’ve been eating a few asparagus-filled meals on repeat.

The first is this strawberry, asparagus + radish flatbread. It is perfect for a light meal or can be paired with others for more of a tapa-style selection. The Recipe Redux theme this month is tapas and small bites, so check out the link-up below for more ideas, if you’ve the mind. William and I have tended to make two of these flatbreads at a time, eat one for dinner, and then the other for lunch leftovers the next day. I like mine drizzled with a little balsamic vinegar and he leaves his as is. We love them.

The other asparagus dinners we’ve been enjoying and sharing with friends this spring include a quick sauté of asparagus, mushrooms, zucchini, and peas over Lindsey’s chickpea mash and then again with her vegan chickpea alfredo pasta, which we serve with asparagus, peas, and any number of other spring vegetables.

Strawberry, Asparagus + Radish Flatbread, makes 2

1 1/3 cups garbanzo bean flour

2/3 cups brown rice flour, plus more for dusting

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1/2-2/3 cup water

1 bunch asparagus, chopped into 2-inch pieces

1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced

juice from 1/2 lemon, or more to taste

olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs. raw honey

1 lb. strawberries, sliced

1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

balsamic vinegar, to drizzle, optional

Mix the flours, oil, baking powder, salt, and water. Add enough water to make a dough that can be handled and rolled. Then allow the mixture to rest for about 10 minutes. Divide it in two, and roll out one of the flatbreads on a floured work surface. Transfer to a baking pan or pizza dish and with a pastry brush or your fingers, coat the dough with a small amount of olive oil.
In a large bowl, toss the asparagus, radish slices, lemon juice, and garlic.
Then top the dough with half the asparagus mixture and bake at 400 degrees F for about 16 minutes. Without removing from the oven, add half the sliced strawberries, a handful of parsley, and a drizzle of honey, and then bake for an additional 3-4 minutes, just to warm the ingredients.
Remove from the oven, drizzle with a small amount of balsamic, if desired, slice and serve.
Repeat with the remaining dough and ingredients.

Spring

Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

May 9, 2016by Rebecca3 Comments

When I first started hanging out with this guy, William, he practically lived off of plain spaghetti, Kraft mac + cheese with peas, and Costco almond poppy seed muffins.

Naturally, I immediately began making shared meals chock-full of vegetables and inviting him along for bike to the market afternoons to buy beets and greens. I hadn’t a thought for the picky tastes of a guy who’d grown up favoring frozen peas as the sole vegetable of choice for most meals—and in those early days of a new relationship, he did not once balk at the sudden change.

The two of us joke often about how I hooked him before he was exposed to all the crazy. Since I was easygoing for approximately two days before all the guards came down, he either liked me in spite of it, or I have magical charms I had not considered.

It is safe to say much has changed since those early days: There hasn’t been mac + cheese in the house for ages and William’s desire for pasta without a bunch of greens and things is a thing of the past. Also, I’m fairly sure my crazy has ratcheted up a few notches.

I think I’ve only kept him around because I have a knack for muffins.

After his initial request and changing one ingredient at a time for approximately four batches, William proclaimed these absolutely perfect. Over the past month, he’s eaten approximately twenty muffins and is still asking for more rather than proclaiming a need for a break. It is an all-time record.

Perhaps it’s the opioids. :)

Almond Poppy Seed Muffins, makes 4 jumbo-sized muffins

1/2 cup (55 grams) almond meal

1/2 cup (70 grams) millet flour

1/4 cup (35 grams) brown rice flour

1/4 cup (50 grams) cane sugar

2 Tbs. (12 grams) arrowroot starch

1 Tbs. ground flax seed

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

1 Tbs. poppy seeds

3/4 cup non-dairy milk

1/4 cup canola oil

3 Tbs. aquafaba or 1 Tbs. ground flax + 3 Tbs. warm water

1 tsp. almond extract

1-2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a muffin tin with muffin liners or a light coating of oil and flour.
In a large bowl measure out the and mix the dry ingredients and then set aside.
In a separate large liquid measuring cup, stir together the milk, oil, aquafaba, almond extract, and lemon juice.
Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients and mix until it just comes together.
Spoon into the muffin tin and bake for approximately 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.