Breakfast Muffin Bread

I'm not a big breakfast person. I like something quick and easy in the morning, usually sweet and in the form of cereal. The only exception to this rule is brunch, but let's all be honest and fess up that we all know brunch is NOT breakfast whatsoever, but an exception to eat pancakes because you were too lazy to get out of bed 2 hours earlier.

When I realized I would have to cook an actual meal for breakfast on the E2 meal plan, I was not a happy camper. I mean, yes there was the option of making oatmeal or something like that, but that still involved far too much time and energy in the morning. I need something that I can consume in under 5 minutes, preferably in the car.

So, I searched for some sort of baked goods and found the recipe for "Mighty Muffins." I generally really enjoy muffins, especially of the lemon poppy seed sort, so I thought this was a good idea.

As I began compiling the batter for these muffins, I slowly came to the realization that I had neglected to buy any Pam spray (I've just been using olive oil in a spray can) and since Rip has seriously struck the fear of God into me when it comes to oil, I panicked. I had two options: I could make cupcake muffins with some of my cupcake papers, or I could turn these muffins into a loaf of Muffin bread. Since I only had about 3 cupcake papers (how does one only have 3 of those?), I decided to loaf it. I poured the batter into a parchment paper lined loaf pan which actually worked out quite nicely.

When I went grocery shopping, I had neglected to write down exactly how much of certain grains and nuts and what not I needed, but I assumed that since I was buying in bulk, this would not be an issue. Unfortunately, I had underestimated the large amount of strange grains and nuts we would be consuming, so I low-balled everything. I did not have enough oat bran for this so had to include one cup of old fashioned oats since I only had about 2 cups of oat bran. This didn't seem to make much of a difference.

This bread tasted alright all things considered. It was breakfast-y. Could definitely taste the 6 bananas (holy cow, that's a lot of potassium), but it was not something I'd generally serve to guests or crave for a snack. But it was filling and we still haven't gone through the whole loaf yet.

Here's the recipe for the Mighty Muffins from "Engine 2 Diet:"

Ingredients:

3 cups oat bran
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons sweetener
Juice of 1 lemon
1 large apple, grated
6 brown bananas, lightly mashed (leave some chunks)
¼ cup walnuts, chopped or halved
¼ cup raisins
¾ cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375º. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Squeeze the juice of the lemon onto the combined apple and bananas. Add walnuts, raisins, and water. Combine the wet and dry ingredients into one bowl. Pour into sprayed muffin tins and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown on top.

What the heck is Ener-g and how can it make cookies?

I thought by doing this plant-focused Engine 2 Diet plan I would not be faced with any more surprises in recipes.

I thought wrong.

Majorly.

As I put together my shopping list for the week, I found myself going to 3 different locations, JUST TO GET MY WEEKLY GROCERIES.

Unacceptable.

I started out at the Farmer's Market, but instead of enjoying following my senses and picking out the produce that looked fresh and delicious, I had to follow a list. One of the vendors told me I needed to "live a little and lose the list." He has no idea how right he is...

Then I went to the local grocery store. Matt is convinced that we can find everything we could ever need at this grocery store. Sadly that is not true, but we did find MOST of what we needed.

Except things like wheat germ and Ener-G Egg Replacer.

WTF

I had no idea what either of those things looked like, but I knew the wheat germ would be in the bulk section of Whole Foods, so I figured I should start there.

I am pretty sure every employee at my local WF takes a bathroom break when I get there because I ask at least 9 of them to help me find things. This was no exception. I needed to find this freaking Ener-G stuff.

A kind employee led me to this box:

*Image Credit Google Search

Beyond the fact that this box looks like it is from the 1950s, I was a little concerned with the fact that this is in fact a processed food and that is exactly what Rip Esselstyn harps against. But, in the spirit of participating fully, I went ahead and bought this scary looking box that was filled with God knows what that is supposed to be an egg substitute. *shudder*

I needed the mystery box to make cookies. I needed cookies if I was going to survive this whole shebang. Therefore, the box was coming home.

I made these "Chocolate Chunk Cookies" and at first, I was way unimpressed. By first, I mean as I was scooping cookie dough into my mouth, I was not loving it. Also by first, when I burned the roof of my mouth trying one of these basically the second they came out of the oven, I was also unimpressed.

They were all cake-like and squishy and had a weird flavor.

But, by golly, by the next day when they had cooled, they tasted ok. I'd even venture to say that I liked them.

Eureka!

We're almost through this batch and I guess I need to venture out and find more dark chocolate chips (why is WF the only place that carries this?) because these may be my sole nutrition for the next few days. That's alright, isn't it, Rip?

Here's the recipe for Chocolate Chunk Cookies from Engine 2 Diet:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal mixed with 1/4 cup water
1 cup plus 4 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon Ener-G egg replacer mixed with 1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon finely ground sea salt (I used regular ground...not sure what level of groundness is appropriate here...does it say so on the box?)
2 cups 70 percent cocoa (or greater) chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Mix the applesauce, flaxseed, and sugar together using an electric or hand mixer. Beat in the Ener-G and vanilla. Mix the remaining ingredients (except the chocolate chunks) in a separate bowl.
Gradually combine the dry and wet ingredients until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chunks. Place rounded, heaping tablespoons of dough onto a sprayed or parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack.

The Bagel Panini that Wasn't

Here we are on day 2 of the Engine 2 recipe review (wow, that entire sentence rhymed). So far, things are moving along just fine. I won't go into detail.

This ordeal has really forced me to be more organized as I've had to cook basically three meals a day and do that the evening beforehand. In theory, this is an excellent way to spend an evening and cut down on hangry cooking after work, but in reality, if I know what the food tastes like and I'm not impressed, it ruins my whole day.

Thankfully, we've only had one really bad recipe so far, and this is not one of them.

I love lunch. I hate when people throw this meal away as if it's an unecessary distraction throughout the day. Drinking a shake or smoothie for a meal? Give me a break. Salad with only a touch of dressing? Ridiculous. Part of what I've really come to enjoy about cooking so much from scratch is that I always have leftovers and therefore always have delicious lunches that oftentimes taste better the second time around.

So, I was dreading this diet's take on lunch.

***Let me be clear again: I do not like to diet nor do I agree with dieting. I do not think that a temporary change to your meal plan will give you any sort of results and I also celebrate every person's body shape the way it is at any time. So, when Matt told me he wanted to diet, instead of launching into my soapbox about my feelings on dieting, I thought I'd be proactive and look for a "diet" plan that I could sort of get on board with. Engine 2 is more of a cleanse that teaches you the impacts of certain foods on your body and invites you to respond after the "cleanse" is complete. If this means never touching a drop of oil? So be it. But I consider this a lesson in body listening rather than a lesson in denial of certain foods. It also tells me I can eat as much as I want as long as it's a safe food, which I appreciate. Mama don't like being hungry. EVER.***

Ok, off of soapbox, back to lunch.

I wanted to make something from the book that had sustenance and have never attempted a Panini before, so I thought: now's the time, now's your moment.

Did this turn out like a panini? Well, no not exactly. I used these whole grain bagels and also was scared I was burning them so I either frantically flipped them or turned down the heat every 2 seconds or so.

This was actually quite delicious, refreshing, and filling. Mine was a bit more green than I think it was supposed to be, but that's because I was using my green hummus. Even though they weren't exactly paninis, I would make these again, even if I wasn't on the E2D.

Here's the recipe for Ann's Panini with Hummus, Mushrooms, and Spinach from Engine 2 Diet:

Ingredients:

8 ounces mushrooms
Bragg Liquid Aminos to taste
4 slices whole grain bread (or bagels in my scenario)
Green Hummus
4 green onions, chopped into rounds
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
3 handfuls baby spinach

Directions:

Saute the mushrooms on medium heat in a nonstick skillet for about 5 minutes or until soft. Season lightly with Bragg's. Spread all 4 bread slices thickly with hummus. Sprinkle two pieces of the bread with green onions and cilantro and reserve the other two pieces as sandwich tops. Using a slotted spoon to allow any liquid to drain away from the mushrooms, place them on top of the green onions. Put a handful of spinach on top of the mushrooms. Top the two sandwiches with the reserved pieces of bread, and press to seal.

Carefully place the sandwiches in a nonstick skillet. Place a heavy casserole dish on top of the sandwiches to flatten them. Cook the weighted sandwiches on one side over medium heat for about 5 minutes, taking care not to let them burn. Flip sandwiches and cook the other side in the same way. When done, paninis will be quite thin and browned on both sides (in theory).

A 30th Birthday and Green Hummus

We celebrated a 30th Birthday this last weekend.

Not me, silly, of course not. I'm still enjoying my youth, comfortably cruising through my 20s.

Matt on the other hand, well, he is getting old.

As we neared his Birthday, I tried to suggest lots of activities he might be interested in participating in to celebrate this momentous occasion. A Haunted Pub Crawl, a boat party, a 90s themed murder mystery party, a Boy Meets World marathon...

He chose the Renaissance Faire. And a diet.

Now, both of these things need a little clarification.

The Renaissance Faire.

Matt is a nerd. Always has been. Always will be. I just wasn't entirely aware of how far his nerd-dom went. Throughout this past year where we have transitioned from being engaged to married, he's let a few more skeletons out of his closet:

-He has a pretty healthy obsession with Disney World. i.e. we've gone every year we've been together (that's 5 times...4 times more than I had been in my life up until our relationship).
-He watches two shows with obsessive fervor: Dr. Who and Boy Meets World.
-He loves comic books
-He's obsessed with Harry Potter (I know this is pop culture, not necessarily a nerd alert level, but combine it with everything else, it needs to be noted).
-And recently, I've learned that he has a strange affinity for the Renaissance and Medeival times. Faires and dinner and tournaments to be exact.

I was starting to get a little worried that I had been blind-sighted by all of these things, but Matt has informed me that because he is now in his 30s, he no longer needs to HIDE his nerdy tendencies, but rather, is going to let his freak flag fly. Loud and proud.

Now, the diet.

It's no secret that Matt and I have had quite an eventful summer. And most couples would diet furiously prior to their wedding to look svelte and slim for the big day and also to offset the imbibing that takes place on a honeymoon. Matt and I are not those people.

So, Matt thought that along with quitting smoking for this 30th (PRAISE THE LORD), we should go on a diet.

I immediately panicked. I hate diets. Disagree with them fundamentally. And had no idea what I would do on this blog. So I googled.

And found a diet I could be ok with. At least temporarily.

Enter Engine 2 Diet.

I had read about this book before and heard that the author of the China Study had endorsed this, so I had already wanted to do a little research into what the big deal was, so I looked at this diet as blog research. And the book came with a recipe section. So, with that being said....

WELCOME TO THE ENGINE 2 DIET RECIPE REVIEW...for the next few weeks at least.

Ok, this is getting to be a long entry, but I decided that I needed to start out with something simple to get my feet wet. The Engine 2 Diet does not use oil, so this was quite frightening to me. Hummus seemed like an easy option. And in reality, this hummus turned out pretty great (despite this awful picture).

Here's the recipe for "Rip's Oil-free Low Fat Hummus Recipe" with a few alterations from your's truly:

Ingredients:

2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Bragg Liquid Aminos (this is a soy sauce alternative that the author swears by)
6 tablespoons water
2 handfuls of spinach
1 jalapeno, chopped

Put it all in the food processor and blend until it reaches the consistency you like. Add more water to make it creamier if desired.


The moral of this story? I'd say wait until AFTER a mid-life crisis to make any huge life-altering decisions. Otherwise, you find yourself looking at this scene on a Sunday afternoon (that's Matt throwing the axe - while a group of Live Action Role Player "LARPers" watch).

Quoted!

Go check out an article on Diets in Review that quotes YOUR'S TRULY! The article is about Ellen Degeneres' new vegan blog. Wahoo!

http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/08/ellen-degeneres-launches-website-to-celebrate-vegan-lifestyle/

I'm Not a Simple Girl...

I think we may have hit a road block. Things have been going great in the kitchen. No REAL mishaps and those that did occur were never all that detrimental to the flavor of a dish.

But I've lost my zest.

It's not that I don't like summer foods, it's just that I like almost every other season's food that much more!

Salads? Meh
Popsicles? Sometimes...
Chilled soups? Vomit-ville

I like hearty warm meals. Meals that make you feel as if you achieved something after you finish eating them. Maybe you're sweating, maybe you need to lie down, but you definitely should not need to put on another layer because your body temperature has decreased.

Sad face.

I went to Terry Walter's "Clean Food" cookbook again and found the recipe for a White Bean Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Arugula and although the dreaded word "salad" was right in the title, I thought the "roasted" would overcompensate.

I revelled in the fact that I would be using my oven and my new cooking dishes.

Unfortunately, this salad failed to deliver.

Maybe that's because I took some liberties that I shouldn't have:
-First of all, my weird grocery store did not have arugula. I used Romaine.
-Matt hates fennel. Scratch that, Matt "claims" to be allergic to fennel and says that his throat gets itchy when he comes into contact with it. So, even though I LOVE fennel and think it's a great addition to many dishes, I have to suffer through finding a subsitute. I found out that celery is sometimes used as a substitute, so I did that.

The verdict: Not so good.

Maybe it's because I need more flavors in a dish or maybe it's because I hate large slices of onions, but this just really did not appeal to me at all. We ended up serving this on lettuce and dousing it in Italian dressing.

At least it wasn't ketchup.

It was a pretty dish, however.

Here it is with our own adaptions:

For those of you with a more "mature" palate than mine, here's the recipe for the White Bean Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Arugula.


2 sweet onions, cut into wedges (Walla Walla or Vidalia)
1 fennel bulb, halved, cored and chopped
5 carrots, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
3 cups cooked great northern or navy beans
6 cups arugula leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In glass baking dish, combine garlic, onions, fennel and carrots. Drizzle with just enough olive oil to coat vegetables evenly. Toss with sea salt and plenty of pepper. Roast uncovered 20 minutes or until just tender. Remove from oven, fold in tomatoes and beans and return to oven to roast an additional 10 minutes or until tomatoes are soft.

Remove from oven, cover individual plates or large platter with fresh arugula, top with bean and vegetable mixture and serve.

Serves 4

My Burrito Brings all the Boys to the Yard

I love burritos. Correction: I love CHIPOTLE burritos. It's actually pretty embarassing because when I come back from a work trip and am collecting all my meal receipts to file I have a hugely disproportionate number of Chipotle receipts. I would say I spend more money at Chipotle when I travel than I do on rental cars or hotel rooms.

That's a lie.

But still, I love me some Chipotle. The best/worst part about Chipotle is that moment when you hold the burrito in your hands and it almost feels like you're holding a small child. Then you suddenly realize that this small child will soon be inside of you. Then the guilt sets in...

It's never stopped me before though.

Anyways, I don't have a Chipotle in the near vicinity of my house, which is probably a good thing, because I've had to stress drive to the nearest one get creative.

This past week, a craving hit. Hard. I needed a burrito and STAT. So, I was still on my "Clean Food" kick (thanks again, Maris) and found this recipe for Black Bean Salad. It sounded delicious although a tad healthier than my usual Chipotle fare. But I had to make do.

This was SUPERB! Seriously. Beyond the fact that it was by far one of the more colorful meals I've ever eaten, the flavor was amazing. I have a new love for tomatillos...mostly because they come with coats, but also because the flavor is stronger than regular tomatoes.

*Really unclear as to why I had three utensils in this bowl.

Anyways, once the salad was made, I knew I had to take it one step further: burrito-fy it. I sliced up some avocado and put some pineapple chunks all up in there. Amazing.

Now, the next step was a little stressful since I don't know how to fold tortillas and I was desperate to house this feast, so here's my burrito/pillow.

All in all, I urge every single one of you to make this simple and delicious salad. It is the PERFECT summer dish mostly because it involves no heat and keeps for days in the frigde.

Here's the recipe for the Black Bean Salad from "Clean Food" by Terry Walters (with a few adaptations from your's truly).

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked black beans (I used canned, drained, and rinsed)
4 tomatillos, husked and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 1/2 cups corn, frozen or fresh
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced (I did not seed cuz I like spice)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Juice of one lime
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside or refrigerate to allow flavors to blend, then serve cold or at room temperature. Store refrigerated in airtight container for up to five days.