This month, I'm buying better beef

And with it, I'm building a better burger.

This month's column is chock-full of useful information about where your meat, poultry, eggs, butter, and cheese come from, and why choosing grass-fed and pasture-raised animals is better for your health, the local economy, and the environment. 

Head on over to the Los Altos Town Crier to read the latest installment of my Nourished column. Below is the recipe for the roasted garlic + rosemary spread I made to go along with my zesty Mediterranean burgers. Happy grilling!

Roasted Garlic + Rosemary Spread
1 cup Greek yogurt
6 small cloves of garlic, peeled, roasted in olive oil until browned
1 large sprig fresh rosemary, stems discarded
sea salt + black pepper
red pepper flakes, to taste
1/2 tsp. ground cumin 

- In a food processor, pulse all ingredients until well blended and smooth. 
- Serving suggestions: spread on burger buns, use as a dip for bell peppers, stir into chili, use in place of sour cream in tacos, or serve alongside grilled zucchini and onions. 

Sugar-Free Recipe Roundup

This Sugar-Free Sunday, I thought I'd start by wrangling all my favorite naturally sweet recipes from The Chocolate Fig as well as from around the web. If you have a recipe you'd like to be included next time, feel free to leave it in the comments! The following recipes use maple syrup, honey, dates/dried fruit, or a less-processed coarse sugar such as coconut palm for their sweetness. Treat yourself!

S W E E T 
Banana Walnut Freezer Fudge
Chocolate Fig Freezer Fudge
Spiced Cacao Hazelnut Bites
Raspberry Oat Squares
Apricot + Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Blood Orange + Barley Cake
Flour Free, Sugar Free Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Carrot Cake with Greek Yogurt Frosting

S A V O R Y
Lemon, Lavender, Olive Oil Crackers
Cinnamon Pear Pancakes with Spiced Honey
Date + Orange Power Muffins
Blueberry Bread
Savory Pear Puree with Spices
Meyer Lemon + Fig Scones
Peanut Butter Trail Mix Bars
Goat Milk Mexican Hot Chocolate

F R O M   T H E   W E B
Scandi Foodie – Almond Butter Squares
Elana's Pantry – Peach Crisp
Cannelle et Vanille – Tutti Frutti Crumble
My New Roots – The Raw Brownie
Honest Fare – Almond Meal Banana Muffins
Green Kitchen Stories – Summer Berry Cake (you will spend all day on this site)
Roost – Cinnamon Roll Donuts (yes, sugar-free!)
Sarah Wilson – Sugar Free, Grain Free Breakfast Ideas

Hopefully, you now have enough ideas to keep your sweet tooth properly satisfied for the rest of the week. Until next Sunday, stay simple + stay (naturally) sweet!

Sugar-Free Sunday

Sugar is one of the most harmful things we can put in our bodies. That being said, I take a very balanced approach to eating, and I’m not usually the type to pass up dessert at a restaurant. However, in my own kitchen, whenever a craving for something sweet arises, I can usually be found whipping up something deliciously and naturally sweet. I don’t buy refined white or brown sugar, and I probably never will: What you’ll find in my cupboard are dried fruits, raw honey, spices, and maple syrup. And for cookies, some coconut palm sugar or evaporated cane juice is a nice treat. 

So I suppose the title of this post should be Refined Sugar-Free Sunday. Nonetheless, it’s a new feature I want to begin. Sugar consumption is something we all struggle with, and I believe our overindulgence is the main cause of degenerative diseases like depression, alzheimer’s, and arthritis, to name a few (I am not an expert – this is solely my opinion). Sugar is inflammatory, and sugar is damaging to our body and mind. Therefore, on Sundays going forward I’m going to be highlighting some sweet and healthy indulgences to keep us sane and happily disease-free. 

If you’d like more information from credited sources on the detriments of sugar, please read Sarah Wilson, Sally Fallon, and Weston A. Price. You can also email me with more specific questions, and I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction for further research and where to find accredited people.

Onward. The first recipe I’m going to share with you is one that I just now threw together in five minutes flat. It’s a homemade Larabar of sorts, with healthy saturated fat to aid the absorption of critical nutrients and curb hunger cravings. The measurements are approximate – add or subtract whatever suits your fancy until you get the right consistency. This is fun, not rocket science. 

 

Pistachio + Spice Energy Bars

1 cup pitted medjool dates

1/4 cup unsalted, shelled pistachios

4 Tbsp. grass-fed butter

1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

perhaps a tiny pinch of sea salt, if using unsalted butter

In a food processor, pulse dates and pistachios until crumbly. Add butter and pulse to combine. Add coconut, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and pulse again until everything is well blended. Unplug the food processor, reach in and grab a handful of the mixture: if it sticks together and can easily be molded, the consistency is right. If not, add some more butter until you like what you see/feel. Spread a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter, pile the mixture into the middle, and wrap it up. Mold and shape into a square or rectangle, then place in the freezer for 10 minutes. Cut into squares and enjoy.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Spring Pea + Potato Soup

It's that time of year again: the markets are bursting with bright-green veggies, strawberries taste like they should, and I've begun craving lighter fare. Spring is in the air. 

This Pea + Potato Soup makes a great meal on its own. With fresh English peas and a bit of bacon for flavor and indulgence, it's quite filling, and leftovers will feed you for several days. If you want a little extra creaminess, try adding a dollop of coconut milk or creme fraiche. 

From my kitchen to yours, I hope you have a tasty, fun-filled Easter weekend!

::{a few recipes from last spring}::
- Pasta Primavera
- Banana Walnut Fudge
- Strawberry Cacao Smoothie 

Spring Pea + Potato Soup 

3 pounds gold potatoes, roughly chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 slices bacon, chopped

1 tsp. chopped fresh sage

chili flakes, dried sage, salt and pepper

1 cup fresh English peas

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup chicken stock (homemade is best; I'll do a post on this soon!)

4 cups water 

• Preheat oven to 400’. Roughly chop potatoes, toss with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper, and roast until very tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
• Heat a large stockpot over medium-high, with 2 Tbsp. butter, coconut oil, or olive oil. Add onion and garlic, and a pinch of sea salt, and saute until soft. Add bacon and saute until starting to brown. 
• Add herbs, spices, peas, and half of the lemon juice. Cook until peas are soft. Add chicken stock and stir to lift brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Once simmering, turn off the heat and add all the potatoes and 2 cups of water. With an immersion blender (or large food processor), puree until completely smooth, adding more water as needed. 
• Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer pot back to the heat and warm on low until gently simmering. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a few drops of lemon juice.

Matcha Butter Tea

I am so behind on blogging! There have been tons of yummy things to come out of my kitchen lately, and I have a queue of posts waiting to be shared. So here we go.

Although I do have a soft spot for really good coffee, I’m a tea person at heart. For me, there’s nothing like a warm, earthy cup of green tea to start the engines at the 6 o’clock hour. It’s nice and gentle, not too caffeinated, and sets my day on the right track. I love slow mornings, and you just can’t rush through a cup of tea. Lingering is almost mandatory.

I used to buy only Sencha tea, which I love for its grassy and rich flavor. I brewed it nice and strong. Then I moved onto Jasmine green tea, which – now that I think about it – coincided with the winter months. The floral scent of jasmine is especially uplifting. Now that it’s spring, I’ve discovered Matcha: the powdered superdrink that is Gyokuro’s expensive cousin. Match is especially high maintenance: to make it, I also had to invest in a special bamboo whisk and porcelain bowl. Trust me though, it’s worth it; and my sources agree.

But there’s one other step that I’ve recently invented, which is to add a small slice of grass-fed butter to the mix. This helps create a decadent foam on the top of your cup and also aids your body in absorbing as much of the supernutrients as possible. Tratidional Tibetan butter tea is made with brewed black tea, and shaken to create the foamy top. If butter tea sounds weird to you, think of it this way: it’s basically cream. You put cream in your coffee, right? Well, I prefer the taste, texture, and nutritional profile of butter. Either way, adding a bit of fat to your morning brew will help you assimilate the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants as well as possible. I’m no expert on the subject, but the recipe below is how I’ve been making it. Give it a try, and let me know what you think!

 

Matcha Butter Tea :: makes 1 cup

1/2 tsp. good quality matcha powder (I got mine here)
1 cup boiling water
1/2 tsp. raw local honey (for those of you in Northern California, I like this farm)
sliver of grass-fed butter (you can add more to taste, but start small)

1. Place matcha powder, honey, and butter in the bottom of a small drinking bowl. Latte bowls work well for this.
2. Once water has boiled, pour about 1/2 cup into the bowl. With your bamboo whisk and a nimble wrist, incorporate the matcha into the water. Be careful not to scrape the whisk against the bottom of the bowl. Once the powder is mixed, gently whisk on top to create a frothy layer. 
3. If desired, add up to 1/2 cup more water to dilute slightly. Sip slowly and enjoy.