Mousse Di Cioccolato

I have a major sweet tooth, I always have. I'm also a choco-holic. Now that The Whole 30 has been over for a while, I am now able to reconstruct recipes that follow the rules of Paleo-style eating. It's been quite easy to find replacement ingredients that follow the rules and it's a great way to be able to have a little treat, while being able to stay healthy.

This is the easiest recipe I've ever made, I'm not kidding. I shouldn't even be calling it a "recipe". There's only 3 ingredients and it's absolutely delicious!

Mousse Di Cioccolato (Chocolate Mousse)

Yields: 3 small servings

Ingredients:

1 T organic, unpasteurized honey
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2-3/4 C coconut cream

Directions:

Mix honey and cocoa powder together in a small bowl. Add coconut cream and mix thoroughly. Divide into individual ramekins and chill.

Serve on its own, or add fresh raspberries or pomegranate seeds for an extra treat!

*Chill in the freezer if you want to turn this into ice cream!

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

Sindhi Beef Curry

I love Indian food. Samosa, butter chicken, curry dishes, dahl.... I am definitely a fan. I have a recipe for delicious Sindhi Beef Curry and it is really nice. The beef is tender and the flavors are rich and delicious. It's also made in the crock pot so it's super easy!

Sindhi Beef Curry

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients:

2lb stewing beef, cut into 1" cubes
2 T curry powder
1 T cardamom
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t ground clove
2 t garam masala
salt & pepper
1/2 C diced tomato
1 medium red onion, diced
2 T tomato paste

Directions:

In your crockpot, combine beef, curry powder, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, garam masala, salt & pepper.

Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine. Cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 6-8.

Serve over cooked rice or roasted squash.

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free Rasp-Blackberry Muffins

The Whole30 has come to an end... It was a wonderful experience for me. I did this 30 day challenge with my mother and we loved every minute of it! For us, we found it extremely easy to follow the guidelines and to stick to the rules. It's only 30 days of your life and the results have been astounding! We couldn't be happier with how we feel about our bodies, our energy levels and even our mental states. If you haven't tried The Whole30, you should! Even just to experiment. If you are already healthy and focused on eating well and exercising, this will be a breeze for you! If you are looking for another option to jumpstart a healthier lifestyle, you definitely should look into this program. For more information, check out their website: http://whole9life.com/

Part of the challenge of the Whole30, is that you cannot recreate junkfood to fit the rules of the diet plan. That meant I couldn't "Paleo-ify" baked goods, candies or treats during the Whole30... well now I can! I purchased 1lb of Coconut Flour from a local farmer's market on Commercial Drive. I couldn't wait to test it out and start baking some Paleo-style foods! There is a lot of truth in the fact that not every recipe can be recreated to suit a specific diet, for example: you could never bake a beautiful, fragrant loaf of Foccacia using gluten-free flour, it just wouldn't turn out the way it should. Some things need to be made exactly the way they were meant to. However, I made these Rasp-Blackberry Muffins last night and they are AMAZING! Even if you don't follow a specific diet plan, you should try them. They are dense and have a similar consistency to cornmeal muffins and guess what? They took 20 minutes to make, from prepping the ingredients to baking the damn things. Hallelujah!

Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free Rasp-Blackberry Muffins

Yields: 6 muffins

Ingredients:

1/4 C sifted Coconut Flour
1/2 t baking powder
3 T raw honey
3 T melted coconut oil*
3 large eggs
1/3 C fresh Raspberries
1/3 C fresh Blackberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tray with paper linings, or grease pan with coconut oil.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together coconut flour, baking powder, honey, coconut oil and eggs. Mix well with a hand mixer. Fold in fresh berries and pour evenly into muffin tin.

Bake 16 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy the hell out of these muffins!

*I used virgin coconut oil, feel free to use extra-virgin if you prefer a less pronounced coconut flavor.
*You must use fresh berries for this recipe, if you use frozen, they will turn to mush! Feel free to substitute blueberries, gooseberries, or whatever other berries you might want to try.
*My muffins turned super yellow because my egg yolks were bright yellow. Also, because the recipe calls for honey instead of sugar, the color will not change much after baking.

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

All Day I Dream About Food

"Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be."

My New Year's resolution for 2013 was to take cooking a lot more seriously. I have been cooking for years, but it's only been in the past few that my passion has really flourished. I absolutely love cooking, I am constantly dreaming about food, researching recipes or reading cookbooks. When I'm in a kitchen I feel at home. I feel accomplished and I love every second of it. To be able to use creativity and experience to create food is a wonderful thing.

Everyone needs to eat and I don't know one single person that doesn't LOVE to eat. When you eat a homecooked meal, you feel satisfied, you feel comfortable and you feel happy. When you eat a meal that has been made with love and with the most positive intentions, you can feel it throughout your body. My favorite thing to do is to cook for other people. When I see the look on their faces or when they say to me, "Oh wow, that was so good", it's the best feeling in the world. Nothing makes me happier than feeding people I love.

This past weekend I was given the opportunity to cook for friends of mine who are expecting their second baby. It is a wonderful thing when a family can enjoy every minute of their time focused on their children, their friends, their families, and they don't have to worry about meal planning, grocery shopping or slaving away in a kitchen. All of those tasks require time and energy and it can take away from other experiences. To be able to have given the gift of time and energy is a remarkable experience. This family will be able to rest easier knowing that they have good, healthy, homecooked meals at their fingertips. No brainstorming involved, no tedius tasks like chopping, peeling, shredding, stirring... just pure enjoyment of the moment at hand.

When I was contacted by this family, I was ready to go. "Of course I will help you! Whatever you want, I will do it!" You need to be positive and you need to be able to give everything you can to create the best quality of your craft. No task is too difficult and absolutely no task is impossible. Everything can be done, anything can be worked out exactly the way you planned - the key is staying positive, organized and focused.

I was so excited to get the ball rolling and to plan everything out. I used inspiration from my own repertoire and selected recipes that my client had requested. Altogether, 13 different recipes were scheduled! First came the task of organizing the recipes by group, then planning the ingredients needed for each, then a shopping list had to be created, which included all the food storage supplies, along with accurate pricing information. That meant creating spreadsheets so I could see everything I needed at one time, actively going to the grocery store and reading the prices on everything, taking into account that these products don't necessarily come in specific quantities for a recipe. I also had to calculate the preparation and cooking times of each recipe and organize each one by difficulty/time. All of that work and I hadn't even bought the groceries or started cooking anything. You know what? I loved every waking minute I dedicated to this project. Just knowing that all my hard work was going toward the ultimate goal of helping this family is what motivated me to work hard.

I had to take a full-day class on Saturday, so that left me with one day to cook everything I had planned. I was determined! I was excited and there was no way anything was going to stop me. Could I actually prepare and cook 13 meals in only one day? There was no way I could predict the actual outcome, because anything can happen when you are cooking, but I DID IT! I never could have accomplished such a huge task without the endless help and support from my perfect mother, Sharon Twiss. Also, this never could have come to fruition without the opportunity given to me by Robyn and Sam Sajadi - thank you for putting your trust in me and for allowing me to help your beautiful family during this exciting time in your life. Endless thanks, gratitude and love to everyone involved. I cannot wait to do it again!!!

Here is what I managed to cook in just over 12 hours on Sunday:

3 soups: Carrot-Butternut Squash, Mediterranean Lentil, and Thai Coconut Chicken
Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
Channa Gobi (Chickpea and Cauliflower Curry)
Beef Curry
Chorizo Sausage and Sweet Potato Melange
Shepherd's Pie x 2
Classic Lasagna x 4
Homestyle Chicken & Rice Casserole x 2
Moroccan Chicken Stew
Beef Meatballs x 35
Turkey Meatballs x 45

If you, or someone you know, may benefit from my services. Or if you would like recipe information, please contact me @ Lhamiltontwiss89@gmail.com

Spinach, Red Pepper & Mushroom Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

If you want a recipe for an easy meal that looks fancy, make this Stuffed Pork Tenderloin. If you want to impress your crush or show off to your long-time lover, you need to make this. I promise you, it is easier than you might think and it is delicious!

Spinach, Red Pepper & Mushroom Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 1.5lb pork tenderloin
1 300g package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed
1 red pepper, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 package dried mushrooms (I used a mixture), softened
3 sprigs fresh Rosemary
Butcher's twine (for tying the tenderloin)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place mushrooms in a bowl with boiling water. Let stand 15 minutes until mushrooms have softened and liquid is brown. Discard liquid and finely dice mushrooms, set aside.

Rinse and pat down tenderloin with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, carefully slice the tenderloin lengthwise. Be careful not to pierce all the way through, you want to leave about 1/2" between the pork and your cutting board.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together spinach, diced red pepper, garlic and diced mushrooms. Toss with salt and pepper, to taste. Use a spoon and fill the tenderloin cavity. Lay rosemary sprigs across the top and tie with kitchen twine.

Bake for 35 minutes at 375 degrees. Let stand 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with steamed or roast vegetables and a nice glass of wine. Try pairing this dish with a white Bordeaux or Sauvignon Blanc and if you are a red wine drinker, go with a Pino Noir.

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

Braised Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes, Red Peppers, Onion, Scallions and Mushrooms

My Mom and I are still going strong with The Whole30 challenge we started on February 1st. I may have mentioned that I cook for my Mom once a week. I do all her meal planning for the week and provide a shopping list. Then I go to her house and cook it all so she can divide it into personal size portions to eat throughout the week, or to freeze for later.

Last weekend I found a recipe for a Paleo Chicken Casserole and completely reconstructed it. It was so much fun and the end result was beautiful! Cooking is something I take seriously but it is also fun and energizing. It gives me an opportunity to utilize my creativity and to come up with new ideas on a regular basis. I love cooking for other people more than anything! When people eat something I've made and they say, "Oh my goodness, that is so good!", it is one of the best compliment I could ever receive.

 Braised Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes, Red Peppers, Onion, Scallions and Mushrooms

Yields: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 roasting chicken, innards removed (freeze them for chicken stock!!!)
1 small box cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 small bunch scallions, diced
1 package dried mushrooms - we used a mixture

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a large kitchen knife, divide the chicken into portions. Separate the legs, thighs and breasts. Leave the bones and skin intact. Meanwhile, place dried mushrooms in a bowl with water. Let stand at least 15 minutes to soften. Remove mushrooms from bowl once they are soft, dice mushrooms and reserve the liquid.

Season chicken pieces with your favorite seasoning. Place in a large baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. You do not want to cook the chicken all the way through. Transfer partially cooked chicken to a large casserole dish with a lid. Top chicken with cherry tomatoes.

In a medium skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add peppers, onion, scallions and mushrooms to the pan. Saute until onions are soft and golden brown and peppers begin to spot. Pour saute mixutre over the chicken and tomatoes. Bake in preheated oven for 50-70 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (internal temperature must be 165).

Serve with a nice green salad and mashed sweet potatoes or roasted squash.

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

Frittata with Italian Sausage, Spinach, Peppers, Mushrooms and Onion

I've started cooking for my mom on the weekends and this passed Monday, we made amazing food! I will be posting 3 recipes in the next few days. I'm going to start with a simple Frittata recipe we made. It is so freaking easy to make, not to mention very healthy and delicious!

Frittata with Italian Sausage, Spinach, Peppers, Mushrooms and Onion

Yields: 1 large frittata

Ingredients:

10-12 large, organic, free-range eggs
300g Italian Sausage
1 package frozen spinach (or use 1 large bunch fresh and steam it)
2 bell peppers of your choice (green, red, yellow, orange), diced
1 small onion, diced
1 small package mushrooms (crimini, white, portobella, etc), diced
Olive or coconut oil


Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 9x13" pan with coconut or olive oil. In a large mixing bowl, toss spinach with kosher salt and pepper, set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once pan is hot, add sausage and saute until well browned and meat is cooked through. Drain fat from the skillet. Add cooked sausage to the spinach, mix to incorporate.

In the same skillet, heat oil until hot. Add peppers, mushrooms and onion. Saute until vegetables are soft and mushrooms have soaked up their liquid. Add sauteed vegetables to the sausage-spinach mixture. Mixwell and spread evenly into prepared baking pan.

In a separate mixing bowl, crack eggs and whisk well. Pour over frittata mixture in the baking pan. You may need to stir it around to make sure an even layer of eggs coat the ingredients.

Bake at 425 degrees for 40-50 minutes, until eggs are set in the centre. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.

*I like to cut my frittata into 6 portions and use it throughout the week for lunches and quick dinners. 10-12 eggs may sound like a lot, but when you split up the portions, it's a perfect amount!
*Check out the website: www.thewhole9life.com for more details about the Whole30!

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!