GF SF Pumpkin Spice Granola

What is one of the most versatile snacks? Granola. It can be eaten with milk as a cereal, a topping for yogurt, and just a crunchy snack. A lot of store bought granola are full of fat, sugar, and gluten. They also have low nutrition levels.





I've made granola at home a few times before and it has turned out great.








Pumpkin Spice Granola





Ingredients:


1/4 cup maple syrup


1/4 cup honey


1/4 cup grapeseed oil


2 tablespoons pumpkin spice


dash of Cinnamon, all spice, and nutmeg


1 teaspoon on vanilla


2 teaspoons of salt (I like mine salty sweet, you might want to half the salt)


1/3 cup flax meal


2 heaping tablespoons of vanilla rice protein powder


1/2 cup water


1 and 1/2 cups of nuts (I used walnuts)


4 cups gf oats


** optional**: chopped dates, raisins, cranberries, etc. I didn't have either of these on hand but I highly recommend the dates. They are delicious in this.





Mix all the ingredients minus the oats and nuts. Stir in the oats and nuts until evenly coated. Spread onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 300 for roughly an hour. Check every 20 minutes to avoid burning the stuff. It also helps to stir the mixture around when you check.

I've finally found what was wrong with The Beagle. His somehow hurt his right front leg. I think it has something to do with the joint by his shoulder. This would explain his prior slow walking, reluctance to beg (highly unusual for my lil man), shivering (pain), and being lazy. He can still walk but is avoiding stairs. I doubt there is much a vet can do for him except recommend rest. I don't know. I'm going to give him a couple more days and if he's still sore, I'll take him in. He's eating fine, pooping fine and asides from not being as active, being his normal beagle self. I'm kind of upset the emergency vet didn't realize this. Especially since The Beagle yelps when you move that leg. He just gave The Beagle an anti-nausea injection. The vet supposedly asked if he normally had a good appetite. Anyone have experience with beagles? Right. I understand that vets don't have the luxury of having clients who can speak, but I feel like he should have maybe done a physical exam on The Beagle's movements. maybe he did... I don't know I wasn't there... but who knows. I guess just like with people doctors, there are good and not-so-good ones. *sigh*




Biggest Loser Season Premier! WOOT.



Workout:


Gym: 15 min each: Elliptical, stair climber, row, treadmill, recumbent bike, elliptical. Free weights for arms and core.





No running group tonight. My legs need some rest.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

My friend LK baked some yummy looking muffins over in St Kitts and blogged about it. They looked delicious and so I thought I'd try to make them GF and SF

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins, GFSF

Ingredients:

Cream Cheese Mixture:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons maple syrup


Strussel Topping:
4 1/2 tablespoons Bob's Red Mill GF Flour
3 mini scoops powder stevia (or 6 teaspoons sugar3sugar)
1 tablespoon Trader Joes Pumpkin Pie Spice
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts


Pumpkin base
1 1/2 cups Sorghum
1 cup BRM All GF Flour
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup agave syrup
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon Trader joes Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin
1/3 cup grape seed oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine ingredients for each part of the recipe in separate bowls.

Fill greased muffin tins 1/2 full with pumpkin base. Place about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture in the middle of each muffin. Sprinkle the strussel topping on top.



Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

Frosted Maple Nut Muffins SF, GF

Sorry blog-sphere for not updating. I started classes with my 2 1/2 hour commute each way so I've been plenty busy driving, homeworking, and working. For anyone dying to know, I survived Hood to Coast.

Clearly, this is pre-running enthusiasm.

I got home from work today planning on going for a run. It literally looked like a monsoon outside, so I decided to make cupcakes instead.

Frosted Maple Nut Cupcakes- SF and GF

Ingredients:

1/2 cup real maple syrup

1 cup rice milk

1 egg

1/4 cup grape seed oil

1 cup rice flour

1 cup millet flour

2 teaspoons xanthan gum

2 tablespoons flax meal

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Beat liquid ingredients together using a stand mixer. Slowly add in flours, xanthan, and flax meal and return the mixer on high. Once the ingredients are thoroughly blended (it will be pretty liquid), pour into a well greased muffin tin. Sprinkle walnuts evenly over batter and bake for 22 minutes in a 425 oven.

Maple Nut Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1 8oz package of neufchatel cheese at room temperature

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons almond butter

1 teaspoon of cornstarch

Cream ingredients together until smooth. Spread on top of cooled cupcakes.

Zucchini Muffins with Walnuts

Over the weekend TH (aka DB, but changed by popular demand) and I stopped by his parents' farm. Momma TH had a wonderful all natural garden with plenty of veggies. I ended up going home with pounds and pounds of beets, and large Ziploc baggie of green beans, and a few summer squash and giant zucchini. I love zucchini but my taste buds have also been getting bored with my typical ways of cooking it. I've never made zucchini bread so I decided I would venture into desert land with a *hopefully* more healthful twist.
Zucchini Muffins with Walnuts, SF and GF

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa flour- homemade ( TH purchased a Blendtec so I used to it make my own flours! SO AMAZING)
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 brown rice flour- homemade
1 tsp baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 tablespoons flax meal
2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini- about one large baby
3 eggs
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup "date syrup" (see recipe below)
1/4 cup honey
1 cup chopped walnuts


Blend dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. In a smaller bow mix eggs and the other wet ingrediants leaving out the zucchini and walnuts. Combine the dry with the wet ingrediants in a stand mixer. The batter will resemble a cookie dough and I will admit, I was nervous at this point. Add in all of the shredded zucchini and turn the mixer on medium. Let the mixer do it's thing for a couple of minutes. Before you know it, all the moisture in the zucchini will release and a batter will form. Stir in walnuts and pour into well greased muffin tins.

Bake in a oven set to 350 for 25 minutes.

The finished concoction


And the closeup. See all the green zucchini bits?

How to make "date syrup"

Take roughly 1/2 cup of hot water and place 6 pitted dates to soak. After an hour, place in a mini processor and blend the dates with the water. You will have about a cup of a sweet syrupy liquid. There will be small bits of date in the mixture. I suppose you could use a blender for smoother results, but when baked into muffins, I can't tell there are date bits in there. I store the mix in the fridge in a glass jar.

Wish I had a picture of the syrup, but I used it all today :)

Lemon Bars

I've had lemon bar pictures on my camera for a good month now. I thought I'd finally share them:



SF, GF Lemon Bars
*Adapted from Gluten-Free Baking Classics

Ingredients

Filling:
3 eggs
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons GF flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 FRESH lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 Lemon extract

Crust:
1 cup GF flour
1/4 teaspoon Stevia powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter


Combine ingredients for the crust until crumbly. Press into a baking dish and pre bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

While the crust to baking, combine filling ingrediants and mix on high speed in a stand mixer for about 2 minutes, or until well blended.

Pour filling into baked crust and stick back into the oven for an additional 20 minutes.
Remove form the oven and let cool.

Cut into triangles and enjoy!

Aw... Lover-face.

T.J.'s Favorite Pasta Bake

I competed in the Amica Mid Summer Olympic Tri today. I went in with a goal of finishing under 3 hours. The weather was perfect. Upper 60's and overcast. The water this time around in Blue Lake was a bit warmer than last, but still murky. I haven't been training all that hard since my last triathlon becuase I've just been putting it off. I also could not sleet last night. I ended up waking at 4am. Giving me 4 hours of sleep. Not Good.

The Swim:
Started out good except my left rotator cuff was killing me. Last Wednesday I did a workout involving the butterfly stroke which must have aggravated my shoulder. I tried to ignore it during the race and I was able to most of the time but every once in awhile, it hurt. :(
I finished the swim and came out of the water covered in marine plant life. Seriously. There was some epic plants wrapped around my arm. gross.

T1:

Didn't bother to dry off, except my feet. Decided to wear my socks and DB's sun glasses.

Bike:


The flat course was fantastic compared to last month's Hagg Lake. My legs did feel fatigued and I could tell that I had slacked on my bike workouts over the past couple of weeks.



T2:
I was able to transition quickly, again, sitting while I changed into my running shoes. No hat this time, just sunglasses.

Run:

I was the slowest in my age group! First half was super slow. Second half after I ate a electrolyte gel was a little faster. My pace was at 9m 21s. I think more towards 9:40 first half and just under 9 second half. Legs felt good. A little pain in my right knee but nothing to write home about. I have been having trouble with my left knee so the fact that it was only my right knee today, was great. Also, Hood to Coast will feel like a piece of cake since I won't be swimming and biking before my runs.

I wasn't sure my exact time overall because I didn't get a change to look at the results. I did however get an award for 3rd place in my age group. M.Y.'s dental school friend kicked my butt and got 2nd place. 1st place was from Tacoma, WA and killed it on the bike. I had the 2nd fastest bike time, 3rd fastest swim and slowest run...heh.

Once DB and i got home, I had to drive over to Ocean Park to pickup my mom (long story). I didn't get home until just after 7pm. I checked the results online and.....









My final time was 2 hours 51 minutes!!!!


I'm so happy.




DB also got 2nd in his age group for the duathalon. Way to go boyfriend! I'm excited to see how we compare at the MAC Dash Sprint tri in September. I'm going to have to get quite the head start on the swim to be any threat to DB. (his running splits are crazy fast).

DB with his Silver medal, Me with my Bronze.

The next athletic endeavor will be Hood to Coast. I got lucky number 9. aka the most difficultly ranked and longest legs. Thanks team. Did I mention that I got the SLOWEST run time in my division today?


Last night for dinner I made a pasta bake with gluten free shells:
DB told me to call it his favorite, so here it is;

T.J.'s Favorite Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

1 - 16 oz gluten free pasta shells
1 1/2 cup chopped up fresh mozzarella
3 links of Aidells Artichoke and Garlic Smoked Chicken Sausage, sliced
5 large Roma tomatoes, diced
1 large zucchini sliced
3/4 cup shredded parmigiana cheese

Cooke pasta according to package. Once cooked, drain and combine with the rest of the ingredients in a large casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and Itallian seasoning.

Place in a 375 oven covered, for 30 minutes. Stick under the broiler with the lid removed for 10 minutes.

Gluten Free and precooked. Great for quick meals.

Okay, I have no idea why this photo is sideways. I couldn't figure out how to make it right side up either.

Do you see that stringy, cheesy, goodness?

Oh. I also discovered Nutella. You know those Ferrero Roche candies? Well I can't eat them becuase they have that shell in the middle that is made with flour. I bought Nutella and found that it was processed by the same company. Holy cow I'm going to be fat.

My waist-line will be cursing you later.

I will post pics from the tri later. They are on DB's iPhone.

Quiche

Aw I love that our nation celebrates its independence by blowing stuff up and eating. There's probably nothing more American than food and explosives. See part of our video here:

Before we headed over to the coast I made a quick dinner to clean out the fridge. We had eggs, onions, bacon, cheese, and other veggies. I didn't write down exactly what I put in and I didn't measure the ingredients but here's a guess.

Quiche

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 cup GF flour blend
5 tablespoons butter
sprinkle of salt
1 egg white
4 tablespoons of cold water

Combine the ingredients until crumbly and press into a small baking dish. Parbake in an oven set to 400 for about 15 minutes.

Filling:
2 eggs
3/4 cup half and half
diced onions
5 slices of bacon (cut into small pieces)
shredded Pepper Jack cheese
1/2 cup mushrooms
3 big handfuls of spinach
2 teaspoons of Kirkland Organic Salt-Free Seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Beat eggs and cream together. Cook bacon, onions and mushrooms in a skillet. Drain off excess grease and let cool. Once cooled add everything except the cheese into the eggs and pour into the crust. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake at 400 for about 40 minutes or until the center is set. Let cool for about 15 minutes before slicing and eating.



DB and my mom approved. Neither is picky so well, good luck.

Whoopie Pies

So I have started baking again. I saw a recipe online for Whoopie pies. I have never eaten one in my life so I don't know how close to the real thing I created. I think they came out alright. Kind of like a cakey Oreo? The original recipe calls for shortening. I'm anti hydrogenated-crap... so I used butter and applesauce instead. Probably would have had a better texture if I used shortening, but I'll take my applesauce over the artery clogging white stuff.

Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cup GF flour mix
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
12 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup applesauce
2/3 cup maple syrup
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon xanthan

Mix all liquid ingredients until blended. It helps to melt the butter first. Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Once all the ingredients are together beat on high for about a minute remembering to scrape down the sides of the bowl and paddle. Place by the tablespoonful on a greases cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz Cream cheese at room temperature
1/4 cup butter softened
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla
a few drops of red food coloring (not necessary but more fun)

Whip butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Whip in honey, vanilla and food coloring.

Frost 1/2 of the cooled "cookies" and place the other 1/2 on top to make sandwiches.


Additionally, You can add about 1/4 cup cocoa powder to the frosting to make it chocolate flavored.

The left is plain and the right is chocolate. :)

This has been linked to Amy's Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

Corn Muffins!

Hello World! I hate letting so much time pass since my last post. Training has been less than spectacular. I'm blaming our lack of a summer. Tomorrow morning at 4-something in the morning, is the official start of summer. The Oregon weather gods feel differently. DB and I went swimming in Hagg Lake the other day to get a feel for the water for the upcoming tri, and for me to not have another freak-out episode in the water. The swim went well. We just stuck by the shore and The Beagle even tried to swim out towards us. I wish I had a picture of him. He hates the water but I think he thought we were in trouble out in the water and tried to "save us". Below I have posted 3 simple recipes for some "staples" in my workweek diet.

Oh and in honor of Father's Day, I rammed my step-dad's pickup into a poll. The side of the pickup now has a giant dent. errrrrrr..... I blame genetics.


Corn Muffins
*Adapted from Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Analise Roberts: Corn Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup GF flour blend
½ teaspoon xanthan
¼ cup honey
3 ½ teaspoon baking powers
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup apple sauce
1 cup soy milk
1 egg beaten
¼ teaspoon vanilla

Blend ingredients until combined. Don’t over mix. Scoop into greases muffin tins and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. I was able to make 12 small muffins with this recipe.

Cheesy Rolls

Cheesy Rolls
*Adapted from Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Analise Roberts: Hamburger Buns

Ingredients:

2 large eggs at room temperature
2 tablespoons applesauce
2 cups GF flour blend (I used 1 C Bob’s all Purpose, 1/3 Cup tapioca, 1/3 Cup Brown rice, 1.3 cup Sorghum)
1 ½ teaspoon xanthan
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons honey
1 packet active dry yeast
¾ c plus 2 tablespoons soy milk, warmed
¼ cup flax meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
Shredded cheese (I used smoked gouda but cheddar or another cheese would be yummy)

Mix all the ingredients in a stand mixer on medium for about 3 minutes. In the mean time grease a sheet pan and dust with cornmeal. Once the “batter” is mixed and beaten to death, scoop onto the prepared pan. A self-releasing ½ cup ice cream scoop works perfect for this job. I made 6 rolls. Stick the rolls in a warm place for 40 minutes to rise. Preheat the oven to 375. Once the rolls have doubles in size, sprinkle with cheese and bake for 20 minutes.

The applesauce, gelatin, honey, and flax meal really make the rolls tender and soft.

Once cooled, slice in half and store in the freezer.

These make wonderful sandwich rolls for lunch and are delicious toasted.

Banana Ice Cream

Ingredients:

I large banana

Slice the banana into small pieces. Place the slices in the freezer for about 2 hours.

Once the slices are frozen stick in the food processor and blend away until smooth and creamy.

One banana fits perfectly in a mini-food processor and makes the perfect single size portion. I sometimes sprinkle the top with cocoa powder but today I used chocolate syrup. YUM! A friend of mine blended cherries with hers. I have been tempted to also blend other fruits and almond butter. This recipe is easy and can be vamped up in more ways than one.

Olympic Distance...check! (Spinach-Walnut Pesto)

When I completed the Beaver Freezer Sprint Triathlon, I was so happy that the Blue Lake Tri would be held in June. The Beaver Freezer was cloudy and cold and the roads were wet. Apparently in Oregon, monsoons still happen in June.

The pre race dinner:

Spinach-Walnut Pesto Pasta, Curried Butternut Squash Soup, and BBQed Pork Chops.

Spinach-Walnut Pesto Pasta:

Ingredients:
4 Large handfuls of baby spinach
1 cup walnuts
1 cup skim ricotta cheese
4 cloves of garlic
salt to taste

Stick everything in a food processor and blend away into smooth. Toss with cooked pasta.


I made the Curried Butternut Squash Soup from below sans the honey. It was easy and delicious. I highly recommend it. DB grilled the pork. My mom just seasoned them with my favorite Kirkland Organic No-Salt seasoning and some salt (ha).


The Swim:(1.5K)
I would consider swimming my strongest portion of triathlons. I have the strongest background in it and I'm a pretty slow biker and running isn't my biggest favorite thing to do. The problem with today is that I have never really swam in a lake before. Many people say that before your first lake swim, it's important to practice in a lake beforehand. Many people say the reasoning behind this is that in a triathlon lake swim, there is a lot of splashing, kicking, and it's hard to see. Well this is a lot of what water polo is. I have a background in water polo. I have no problem will people trying to drown me in water and splashing or getting kicked in the face. (no, that was not an invite to kick me in the face). The one part of lake swimming I did not take into consideration was the temperature of the water. The water was under 65 degrees today. This is COLD! Not to mention that it was pouring down rain the entire time. After the first minute of the swim I couldn't stick my head under the water because I couldn't breathe. I typically do a 5 stroke breath pattern in the pool. I couldn't even breathe every stroke. I began to breast stroke with my head out of the water. I thought about head up freestyle, but seeing that I had a mile to go, that wasn't going to work. DB and I expected that I would be in about the middle of my swim heat. I was nearly dead last at this point with one girl right next to me. After what seemed forever and after I began to panic because I realized it would take me a damn hour to finish the swim a guy from the wave behind me passed me. I decided that that was it. I forced my head in the water and started to swim head down for 2 strokes then head up for 2 strokes. After I passed the turnaround buoy, I realized that I could do this! I began picking up my speed and continued to swim head down and lifting my head every 5 strokes to make sure I was going the right way. And guess what?! I starting passing other women in my wave. Finally I could see the get out point and picked up my speed again until I got there. I was soooooooooo happy to get out of that water.

The Bike: (40K)
The bike portion was really good. My legs felt good and I made sure to monitor my fluid intake. The only down side was that the entire ride was soaking! It was pouring down rain the entire time and the road was flooded half the time. I literally thought I'd have to dismount at one point because the water looked really deep. There were a lot of people with flats and even one guy just laying in a ditch. It looked like he fell but his feet were still stuck in his pedals so he was stuck laying down. Thankfully there were a lot of support vans and motorcycles to help those folks out. The first 12 miles flew by. My goal was to keep my pace up and I was reassured that I would do it since I felt better than I did at the 12 mi point of the Beaver Freezer. At the point that the bikes entered the park, the course narrowed from a 2 lane road into a 5 foot wide steep hill with a super muddy mat on top of it for "traction". I thought this was the dismount area so I clipped out of one of my pedals. Unfortunately it was not and I couldn't clip back in fast enough. My speed to too slow and I ended up having to half walk/pedal my way up the little hill. Well I nearly tipped over. I was on the far left of the mat for this reason. Some uber-hardcore-looking guy tried to sneak by me on the left (WTF!?) at the same time I nearly tipped to the left. So I ran into him. I felt really bad so I yelled that I was sorry but he just acted all pissed. Honestly buddy, you could see that I was about to fall and you could have gone to the other side. Hate the game, not the player. The actual dismount went well and I couldn't decide if I wanted to change my shorts or not (from bike to run) so my T2 time was extra long. I ended up sticking running shorts on since my bike shorts were soaked.

The Run (10K)
The run started slow. Unlike the Beaver Freezer I could feel my legs after getting off the bike. I had about 6- 50 y/o women and men pass me on the. I swear they take drugs. They are amazing! The first water station I drank to much water too fast and well... the water just decided to come right back up. ew. My goal for this race was to finish and try to run the entire run. I only ran at the aid stations so that I could drink water and those were only for 10 feet at a time. I am going to count that as running the entire time. Finally after what seemed like FOREVER I could see the finish. I started to tear up. I ran through the muddy muck and finished! As I waited for DB to meet up with me I thought I was going to burst into tears. I didn't becuase I had already embarrassed myself enough for the day.

I surprisingly felt amazing after I finished. Far better than I did after the Beaver Freezer which was less than half the distance. I didn't bother changing or toweling off becuase everything was drenched and muddy. I could hardly pickup my bag because it was so heavy with wet clothes and gear.

Before the bike and run portion of the tri I ate a pouch of glucose gel. One from Powerade and one from Hammer. They were both orange flavored. The Powerade went down a lot easier but they both have comparable tastes. I didn't notice a perk in my energy but I didn't was not fatigued during the legs and I didn't cramp anytime either. I felt strong. I also wasn't famished after I finished. I don't know how I placed because results haven't posted yet. I'd just like to finish not last in my division after that swim. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

It was around 5am. I look beautiful!

This is before the swim. I was already soaking from the rain.

Aw, the wonderful bulges wearing your bike shorts under a wetsuit can create.
Me: ready to panic.

Getting ready to start the bike leg.

After I successfully dismounted from the bike.
Notice the standing water. It was like that everywhere.
The start of a very muddy run.
Yay, I'm holding back tears. Again, notice all the water/mud.

First Day and a Guest Post from my Carribean Friend

Aw... first day was an adult. Not bad since it was all orientation. AK and I felt rather important in our lawyery suits and all. The day flew by and though we didn't do any actual "work", All this briefing made me more excited for the following weeks. In 6 days we will be likely doing our own trials. (!!!!). I have a good friend who is currently attending Vet School down in the Caribbean. What a smart choice! I chose the not so fabulous route of studying for law school in dreary, rainy Oregon. She is tan, in shape, and loving it! Since I have been super busy this past few days, I asled her to make a guest post about her Curried Butternut Squash Soup that she raved about. I will make it some day. (Hum...Perhaps I will have a cooking marathon this Saturday) Laura does not have a food blog and does not cook specifically with any allergens in mind, she has been able to use ingredients available on her tiny island of Saint Kitts to made mouthwatering meals, which I think sounds even more challenging at times then GF/SF cooking. She of course does this all while studying up a storm learning about animals and their parts.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Curried Butternut Squash
Guest Post by Miss Laura K.

Ok, so the best part of this recipe, is that you can make what you want of it. I took a plain recipe I found online and added my own twist, but basically this is how it is done:

2 medium-ish butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded, and chopped into 1in chunks or so
2 large carrots, peeled, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 small-med potato, peeled, cubed (helps thicken the soup a bit, I used a red potato)

6 cups chicken or vegetable both
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbs. curry powder (or less to taste, this is pretty strong)
1 tbs. honey (optional, if you have it around, it adds a nice sweetness to the spicy curry)
salt and pepper
olive oil

There are 2 ways to start this, but it all ends up the same, so it is just your preference.

1. Roast the veggies before boiling in the broth. I heard this helps bring out their flavor, not sure if it is true, but I did. Put all veggies on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, add salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for 20 min or so. Then continue to #2, skipping the saute part.

2. In a large pot, saute the onion in some olive oil. Add veggies, broth, spices (everything EXCEPT honey), bring to a boil. Simmer for 15-20 min or until veggies are all soft. Take off heat.

3. Stir in honey. Now, puree it all in a blender until you reach your desired texture. I like really smooth soup, I know some like it chunkier. Depending on your blender size/strength, you may need to blend it in batches.

and, you're done!

Really, it is quite simple. And delicious, and healthy! Have fun making it your own, there are a lot of things you could do to change it up a bit. Enjoy! :)

Pork Enchiladas

Sorry for the lack of posting. I am officially moved out of my cottage in Eugene and back home with Mommy. Pretty awesome huh? Nearly Law School Grad moving back home. People are asking me what I'm getting my degree in. They are shocked when they find out I'm a professional/grad student. swell.

I finally received my new cycling shoes via Steapandcheap.com. Along with them I had to get clip-less pedals. After spending an entire day unpacking junk and moving it from Mommy's garage to my bedroom in Mommy's house, I thought it would be great to take a ride on my trainer with said shoes and pedals. Well, I go to remove my old pedals, pedal wrench and all, and I got the left pedal off not problem. Right pedal, Problem. I stripped the nut completely. Pissed and frustrated (sorry DB) I threw my bike in my car in hopes of making it to REI the next morning. At REI the next morning, the tech spent an hour trying different tricks to remove the stubborn pedal. No luck he finally told me that I would have to replace the crank set and even if I could get the pedal off, the crank got so torqued that it would be stripped anyways. Not what I wanted to hear. Especailly since I was not the one who origionally installed said pedal. That was courtesy of Tom from Eugene REI, who btw, lacks motivation and perhaps inhaled one too many herbal products in his day. My bike is under warranty and figuring that it is a relatively new bike and technically came with this problem I told REI tech man that I didn't want to pay for a new crankset and I didn't have time to wait a week since I have a triathlon in a week. I'm not typically a very demanding person, but I'm not going to fork out more money for something that has nothing to do with my error. Being the kind and patient gentleman that he apparently was, REI tech man swapped out my crankset with pedal with another one from the same bike they had in the store. He then brought to by knowledge that the pedal I had on there wasn't even the right pedal for my bike. (Thanks, Tom!)

After much thanks and the problem solved, I proceeded to venture to the local aquatic center to register for a pass and swim. It was wonderful (mostly). The pool here does not use chlorine, they use some sort of salt system. It's much gentler on skin, hair and swimsuit. Unlike the UO Rec Center, the pool had a completely empty lane and I had to share with one other person once things heated up, but the lanes are nice and wide so I didn't end up smacking my arm, finger, toes into the lane line. On top of the pool, the aquatic center also has a nice rec room and a bunch of drop in fitness classes. I probably won't take too much adwantage of this now but once winter rolls around and triathlon season rolls out, I will be very glad to have these amenities available to me and a very reasonable price.

Once I showered from the pool I thought it would be a great idea to try out my new pedals since I hadn't rode my bike outside for about a week. I did a few spins on my trainer to figure out what I needed to do to release by feet from the pedals. Off I went. First stop sign, I kind of forgot about the whole pedal thing and slowly proceeded to tip completely over landing on my elbow and hip. RIGHT in front of 2 cars with drivers half concerned half chuckling. I've never fell off a bike in my life except one time in the back yard when I was 6. Yes, I clearly remember this as I have always been a child of caution. With my ego bruised... better yet... destroyed, I got right back up and pedaled the hell out of that intersection. I origionally planned on doing 20 miles but I have yet to bike around Hillsboro much and since a lot of the area around I live is rural/agriculture, the roads are narrow and do not have shoulders. They also frequent large farm vehicles. Not wanting to rick anymore stop sign acrobatics or becoming a farm truck pancake, I did a 16 mile loop and called it good. Can I just pause for a moment, and have a minor FREAK OUT about how unprepared I am for next Sunday?!

I feel that I have had a productive week and I hope that if the weather cooperates, I might take the bike on another route, more suburia-esk with bike lanes. However, this might mean more stops and more tippage.

On to the recipe. While dropping off some furniture at DB's home, I decided to make Pork Enchiladas. From scratch people.... no canned sauce.

Pork Enchiladas *adapted from the Joy of Cooking*

Ingredients
2 large onions, chopped
4 medium jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
2 tbls finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup red pepper flakes
2 tsps ground cumin
Two 28-oz cans diced tomatoes, drained
Roughly 2 lbs of port terderloin
12 corn tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese ( I mixed cheddar and Monterrey jack)


In a preheated oven, bake pork for roughly 25 to 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a large skillet cook onions and jalapenos until tender (~ 7 min). Add in garlic, pepper flakes, and cumin.
Continue stiring for another minute and add in tomatoes. Once the tomatoes are combined and heated through, remove skillet from heat and cool. Meanwhile, shred up pork in a large bowl. Puree cooled sauce in a food processor. Combine about a 1/2 cup of the sauce with the pork. Place about another 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Fill each tortilla with the pork mixture, roll and stick seam side down in dish. Once done, cover with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 -15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.

Sorry folks, pictures are on DB's camera. You will have to wait. I suggest not using 1/4 of red pepper flakes because your mouth will feel like they are melting off. DB didn't think it was that spicy but I sure did. Maybe a tablespoon will suffice instead. I guess that is what happens then the Chinese girl from Oregon attempts Tex-Mex.

The dogs seem to be settling in just fine

(yup, that a dog in the upper left corner, not a pillow)