Mediterranean Couscous Party Salad

This salad is my go-to every time I have to bring something to a pot luck. Friends and coworkers who have had it now request that I bring it.  It's incredibly tasty, beautifully colorful, and thoroughly flavorful.  When my boyfriend and I first started dating, I sent some home with him after I'd made a large batch and shortly thereafter got a text that said "This is everything that's good about food." It really is that good. The only challenge is to resist eating an unreasonable amount of it in a single sitting. This recipe is a little pricy but it makes a huge batch.

 This recipe makes roughly 16 servings.  Each serving = Approximately 1 cup

Approximate Nutrition Information Per Serving
Fat: 11.9 g
Saturated: 2.7 g
Polyunsaturated: 0.2g
Monounsaturated: 6.3 g
Trans: 0 g
Cholesterol: 15.6 mg
Sodium: 548.9 mg
Potassium: 47.7 mg
Carbs: 27.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.9 g
Sugars: 3.8 g
Protein: 9.1 g
Vitamin A: 35.4%
Vitamin C: 72.2%
Calcium: 8.8%
Iron: 8.1%

Ingredients
2 boxes (2 1/2 cups dry) Casablanca Gardens® Whole Wheat Couscous
1 Orange Bell Pepper, diced
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, diced
2 cups Grape Tomatoes
1 Large Red Onion, diced
1 Cup Green Onions, chopped
6 cloves Garlic, minced
11 1/2 ounces Pitted Kalamata Olives, chopped
2 1/2 cups Athenos® Natural Crumbed Feta Cheese
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
4 teaspoons lemon juice

Instructions
1. Prepare couscous according to package directions and allow to cool until it is room-temperature or cooler.
2. In an enormous bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring well as you add each one, to assure even distribution of ingredients throughout the salad.
3. Cover bowl and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to mingle.  While it can be eaten right after making, the flavor becomes considerably more developed when it's allowed to sit overnight.
4. Stir again thoroughly.
5. Set some aside to keep at home.
6. Impress your friends by bringing the rest to the party!

Seitan Fajita Lettuce Wraps

These spicy, high-protein lettuce wraps will settle your cravings for fajitas without all the carbs from tortillas.  Feel free to play around with which veggies you use.

This recipe makes 4 servings.  Each serving = 1 Wrap

Approximate Nutrition Information Per Serving
Calories: 296
Fat: 16.2 g
Saturated: 5.0 g
Polyunsaturated: 1.6 g
Monounsaturated: 6.3 g
Trans: 0 g
Cholesterol: 21.2 mg
Sodium: 310.4 mg
Potassium: 529.8 mg
Carbs: 20.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.8 g
Sugars: 5.8 g
Protein: 19.8 g
Vitamin A: 22.7%
Vitamin C: 132.3%
Calcium: 24.5%
Iron: 12.1%

Ingredients
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 1/4 cup White Onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 3/4 cup Broccoli, chopped into florets
1 Large Yellow Bell Pepper
1 cup Zucchini, sliced into 1/2 cm strips
1 large Portobello Mushroom Cap, cut into small strips
1/4 cup Parsley, chopped
1 ounce Starwest@ Salt-Free Organic Fajita Seasoning*
1 package Westsoy® Seitan Strips, sliced into thin strips
1 Medium Avocado
1 teaspoon lime juice
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Cilantro, fresh or dried
4 large leaves of Iceburg Lettuce, carefully separated from head

1 Roma Tomato, diced

1/2 cup Cucumber, diced

2 tablespoons Organic Valley® Sour Cream
1/2 cup Organic Valley® Mild Cheddar Cheese

*I really recommend buying Starwest Botanicals® organic seasonings in bulk either directly from their website or on Amazon.  The blends are tasty and salt free and I haven't found better prices on organic spices anywhere else.  If you don't have fajita seasoning, this one contains black pepper, onion and organic garlic powder, cumin, coriander, lemon peel, oregano, parsley and cayenne.  In a pinch, you can raid your spice cabinet to make a similar blend.  

Instructions
1. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil on medium high heat.

2. Add onion and cook until lightly browned; about 3 minutes.

3. Add garlic, broccoli, and bell pepper and continue to cook for about another 3 minutes.

4. Next, add zucchini, mushroom, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and fajita seasoning, and continue to cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.

5. Add seitan, reduce heat to medium and stir, allowing mixture to cook for 3-5 minutes until seitan is heated through.

6. In the mean time, in a separate bowl, combine avocado, lime juice, the remaining salt, and cilantro and use a fork to mash them all together into guacamole.

7. Remove fajita mixture from burner and spoon equally in to lettuce leaves.

8. Top each with 1/4 of the guacamole mixture, tomato, cucumber, sour cream, and cheese.  

9.  Carefully wrap lettuce leaf like a burrito and enjoy! 

10.  If it all falls apart, get a fork, and enjoy anyway. 

Vegetarian, Low-Carb Portobello Mushroom Pizzas

These super tasty, low-carb, high protein, vegetarian pizzas use a portobello mushroom cap in place of a crust.  At only 206 calories each they're surprisingly hearty and rich.  They also reheat well so you can take the leftovers to work and watch your coworkers drool while you enjoy your lunch.

This recipe makes 6 individual "pizzas".  Each pizza = 1 Serving.


Approximate Nutrition Information Per Serving
Calories: 206
Fat: 9.4 g
Saturated: 3.3 g
Polyunsaturated: 0.8 g
Monounsaturated: 2.7 g
Cholesterol: 13.3 mg
Sodium: 669.6 mg
Potassium: 518.6 mg
Carbs: 17.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.7 g
Sugars: 3.4 g
Protein: 15.7 g
Vitamin A: 11.5%
Vitamin C: 8.2%
Calcium: 22.9%
Iron: 6.1%

Ingredients
6 Portobello Mushroom Caps, approximately 4" in diameter.
1 1/2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
3/4 cup White Onion, peeled and diced
4 Cloves Garlic
3/4 cup Zucchini, diced
1 tablespoon Fresh Basil, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Dried Oregano

1 3/4 cups Quorn® Meatless and Soy Free Grounds 1 1/2 cups Organic Italian Herb Spaghetti Sauce
1/2 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup Shredded Low-Moisture Part Skim Mozzarella


Instructions


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. Remove stems from mushroom caps and use a spoon to gently scrape the gills from the mushrooms to create slightly deeper bowls.  Set removed gills aside.

3. Place mushroom caps gill side up on a baking sheet and evenly rub each one with 1/6 tablespoon of olive oil.

4. Sprinkle each with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

5. Put prepared caps into preheated oven and set timer for 15 minutes.

5. In a large saucepan, heat 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil on medium high.

6. Add onion and cook until lightly browned; about 3 minutes.

7. Add garlic, zucchini, and the mushroom gills you set aside, as well as the basil and oregano.  Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions begin to caramelize.

8. Add Quorn® grounds and spaghetti sauce, stir well, and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes until grounds are heated through.

9.  Reduce heat to low and continue stirring frequently until the timer for the mushrooms goes off.

10. Mix the two cheeses together in a bowl and set aside.

11.  Carefully remove mushrooms from the oven and evenly divide the prepared sauce mixture between each of the six caps.

12.  Turn oven to Broil.

13.  Evenly sprinkle the cheese mixture over the six caps.  If your caps are generously filled, you may need to carefully use your hands to push the cheese into the sauce mixture a bit to keep it from falling on to the baking pan.

14.  Put the pan on to the top shelf of the oven and allow to broil for about 3 minutes until cheese melts and starts to brown.

15. Remove tray from oven and allow caps to cool for about 5 minutes before using a spatula to carefully lift each cap on to a plate.

16.  Enjoy!

Why this blog? Where I began, where I am, where I'm going.

I've always been a fat kid.  I can't remember a time that I didn't at least think that I was substantially overweight.  I never really felt like I was in control of my weight.  I didn't clearly understand why it seemed like I had a harder time staying lean than other people I knew, and I didn't know how food was impacting me and actually making me sick.

I got there as a result of making all the wrong choices, and being unaware of what was going on in my body.  In college I was broke and lazy and turned to carb-laden junk food far more often than I'd care to admit.  I drank too much, and always the sugary, fruity stuff.  By the time I graduated and started working a desk job, I was eating fast food and at restaurants with appalling frequency and the portion sizes and carb and fat content of what I was eating was entirely horrific.  My life was sedentary and my energy for anything beyond work very low.  I had gotten really, really fat quite quickly without even realizing what was happening.

A visit to the doctor in 2006 where, at 5'4" I weighed in at 290 pounds came as quite a shock.  I knew something had to be done.  I saw a nutritionist and devoted myself to strict diet and exercise and by mid-2007 I was down to around 200.  But I was really, really hungry.  All. The. Time.  My exercise routine, while effective, consumed at least a couple of hours every day, and I was getting bored and feeling like I was sacrificing more time than was reasonable to the gym.

At about that point, a lot of drastic changes started happening in my life.  I opened and closed a business, got divorced, lost my home, and dealt with some health issues.  By October of 2008, I was living in a new state, trying to start over, but feeling as though I had little footing or control of my life.  All of these changes lead to a departure from many of the healthy habits I had acquired and it wasn't long before I got back up to about 240.

When, in July of 2009, I started cosmetology school to forge a new life direction I decided that the first day of class would also be my first day of vegetarianism.  Ethically and environmentally I had known for a long time that I wanted to make that change and the first day off class seemed like a good day to commit to the change.

Because I was very, very poor, I also stopped taking anti-depressant and birth control medication, cold turkey, shortly after starting school.  Initially, detoxing from the medications in that way was awful (and a terrible idea), but slowly, wonderfully, a cloud lifted, and I came alive.  After nearly 15 years on medication, I didn't have any idea what real life felt like.  Suddenly, I was vital in a way I never had been.  While I ate the high-carb diet of a broke and poorly-informned vegetarian, I dropped to about 230 over a few months.  The chronic pain I'd had in my feet and ankles for over a decade entirely vanished.

Feeling better and better, I finished school and started work in my new industry.  I loved this new career path and soon found a supportive partner.  In April of 2010, we relocated to Asheville, NC, a vibrant, beautiful, healing place, and city full of resources for the health-conscious.  Finally, I was feeling a sense of balance in my life that I hadn't in several years.  I knew that the time was coming to make some major changes and continue my journey to reaching a healthy weight and lifestyle.

For a while, I had been aware that I had Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), but I hadn't ever been told or educated myself very well about what this meant was going on in my body.  A conversation with a friend at work revealed that she shared my condition and she mentioned something that her doctor had told her about the need for a higher protein diet.  So, I started reading.  The things I learned were incredibly enlightening.  For me, like for as many as 15% of women, PCOS meant that I was insulin resistant.  It explained why, not long after eating, I would often become hungry again in just a couple of hours.  Why my blood sugar would make sudden drops.  Why I'd get shaky, spaced-out, or moody nearly every day.  (All of which would lead to more eating and the cycle starting over.)  Why my body seemed to store everything I ate and putting on weight had always happened so quickly.

My body hated carbs.  When I ate high-carb foods, particularly without high protein alongside, my body was producing insulin that it couldn't absorb.  Resultantly, my blood sugar would plummet and lead to all of those feelings I was having of near-immediate hunger and discomfort, and causing my pancreas to have to work overtime.  

When, around this time, my boyfriend came to me and said that he had found this great iPhone app called MyFitnessPal and wanted to start using it to lose some weight, I was more than ready.

Starting in early November, 2011, every single thing that I ate started being entered and tracked in my food diary.  I started reading more and more about PCOS and Insulin Resistance.  I joined the r/Loseit forum on Reddit and found an amazing support group and a wealth of information.  I learned about ketogenic eating.  As I learned, I adapted how I cooked.  I played with my carb, protein, and fat ratios to see what felt right, what was sustainable, what kept me feeling full and energetic and as though I was getting diverse, whole nutrition.  I nixed pasta, bread, rice, potatoes, and other high carb foods from my life.

Weight started coming off rapidly and this time, unlike when I had lost weight a couple of years earlier, I felt great!  I didn't feel hungry all the time.  After I ate, I'd stay full for hours, and when I did get hungry, it was a "normal" feeling of hunger, not that awful feeling of low blood sugar.

It became clear very quickly that unless I started getting creative, I wasn't going to be able to sustain my high-protein, low-carb, vegetarian lifestyle and keep it interesting.  As I learned more about of some of the issues associated with soy that were related to phytoestrogens, thyroid and reproductive issues, and the likelihood that a high-soy diet made weight loss more difficult, I reduced my soy consumption to once a week or less.  This meant I was going to have to get really creative.  And any chance of being able to eat at restaurants?  Basically gone.

So, I started cooking.  Seeking out and trying recipes, adapting meaty keto recipes to vegetarian ones, trying all the creative ways that carby foods could be replaced.  Suddenly, it was getting fun.  I was having an increasingly good ratio of successes to failures and I found that some latent instinct I had for creating and understanding flavor profiles emerged.  Maybe it was all those years of watching Top Chef and eating at restaurants.  Following recipes and living with a professional cook helped me learn tips and tricks that meant I made fewer mistakes and developed better instincts.

As of the date of this post, it has been 121 days since I committed to this lifestyle change and became a genuine geek on the subject of insulin resistance cooking.  In that time I have consumed hours of information and cooked something new at least once a day.  I still have a lot to learn, but I have come a long, long way, and I can confidently say that I am no longer a terrible cook.  Also, in those 121 days, I have lost 40 pounds, and it's still coming off at a rate of about 2.5 pounds per week.

I know that what I've learned could be helpful to others out there who are vegetarian, dealing with insulin resistance, PCOS, diabetes or pre-diabetes, intimidated by cooking, and wanting to put delicious, diverse, nourishing, whole, organic, healthful, balanced food in to their bodies.   I'm starting this blog so that I can share this thing that has changed my life and my body.

I have a daily motivating thought and mantra that I'd like to share with you as we begin this journey together.  I hope it will become yours, too, and that you can experience joy and freedom that comes from being in control of your destiny.  It goes:

In this world, we are surrounded by defeating forces.  They are in the form of the food that is made available, marketed, pushed upon us, the ways in which lazy, unhealthful lifestyles are encouraged and enabled, the misinformation and deceit with which we are constantly inundated.  I refuse to be one of those defeating forces to myself for another minute.  I commit to myself to rise above these forces, and the nonsense, and all the things that would prevent me from being every bit as healthy and strong as I can be, and become my own superhero. 

Thanks so much for joining me.  I encourage your feedback and suggestions as I post my recipes and thoughts.