More from The Sober Kitchen

Awhile back I promised recipes from the fabulous cookbook, The Sober Kitchen by Liz Scott. I've been remiss!! I think this is the first recipe I tried from the cookbook because my then-boyfriend requsted them and he had given me a Kitchen Aid mixer for Christmas. It kind of hurt my feelings that on our first Christmas together he chose a freakin' mixer for a gift, but I have to say that it is well-used and well-loved and I appreciate it a lot. I never liked gingerbread cookies all that much, but these are something different altogether: gingery hot, sweetened with molasses and sugar (I just don't think raw organic sugar used moderately is that big a problem) these cookies changed my mind about ginger cookies forever.

I love cooking and eating as spiritual practice. Sharing well-prepared, healthy food is one of the main ingredients in my recovery program. I have a couple of close friends who I cook with occasionally and there's nothing that can't be resolved with four arms and two female brains having fun in the kitchen.

My dad's heart attack and subsequent by-pass surgery changed the way my family ate. My dad spearheaded the change and while we didn't eat poorly when I was growing up, we didn't necessarily eat that healthily either. During the year following his surgery, my dad lost 65 lbs., changed his entire way of eating and lifestyle, began exercising and has managed to maintain it all for what, 15 years now, dad? 16? Anyway, it was an absolute pleasure to witness this change. Well, that is until he started wearing tight jeans and cowboy boots. Hey, what happened to my dad!

Chewy Double Ginger Molasses Cookies

3/4 cup canola oil

1 cup sugar, plus a bit more for rolling

1 large egg

1/3 cup blackstrap molasses

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup finely diced crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the oil and sugar until well combined. Add the egg and molasses and beat for another 2-3 minutes.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, except for the crystallized ginger, and whisk together. Add the dry ingredients to the oil mixture a little at a time, combining well after each addition. Stir in the crystallized ginger.

Form the cookie dough into balls about the size of small whole walnuts and roll in sugar to coat evenly. Place, without flattening, on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake until the cookies have spread out and tops appear crackled (this is just gorgeous!!), 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven (the cookies will still be very soft) and let stand on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack or brown paper bag to cool.

Here in the Polson village we have been sharing the best corn muffins. Carrot-ginger corn muffins, cheesy corn muffins, plain corn muffins, honey corn muffins. I know of 5 of us who have whipped up one batch, maybe two, and they've all been so very good. Plain corn muffins are especially good in venison chili, all smushed up, with some jalapenos and sour cream. Oh dear.

Pecan Cheesecake Pie

For the second year in a row, I've spent Thanksgiving with my co-workers and good friends, Peggy and Tom. Peggy and Tom live in a cozy little house on the side of a mountain in the forest. There is still snow on the ground and trees and pulling up to their house with the smoke pouring from the chimney set my heart full of gratitude for all the wonderful blessings in my life. Tom and Peggy are big hunters, barely having to leave their back yard to make a kill. They're also

hunters in the best way, using every inch of the meat for eating through the winter. They always thank the animal for the abundance it provides and Tom always buries the heart in the place where the animal was taken. Last year, we had venison tenderloin cut right off the deer that was hanging to age on their back porch. This year, Peggy made a venision roast that is probably the best meat I've ever put in my mouth. (Sorry, dad!) This really was the best Thanksgiving as far as the quality and taste of the food that I've had thus far in my life.

I contributed the pecan cheesecake pie shown above, Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Bacon and a big green salad with dried currants, pine nuts, radishes and a homemade balsamic vinagrette. I find if anything is usually missing from a Thanksgiving feast it will be something nice and fresh and green. One of Tom's brothers, Carlo, made some fantastic garlic and herbed mashed potatoes. Peggy roasted sweet potatoes with butter and honey. Tom's mother made a cold green bean salad with beans from their garden and of course, we had turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce.

I'd like to thank Peggy and Tom and Tom's family for being so gracious in sharing their holiday with me and bringing me in just like a member of the family. Holidays can be difficult for single people far from home, but they are so generous and warm that it keeps me from missing my family and friends in Georgia so much.

Now, the recipes.

Pecan Cheesecake Pie

Ingredients

1/2 (15 oz.) package refrigerated pie crusts

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

4 large eggs, divided

3/4 cup sugar divided

2 tsp. vanilla extract, divided

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/4 cup chopped pecans

1 cup light corn syrup

Fit pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate according to package directions. Fold edges under and crimp. Beat cream cheese, 1 egg, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla and salt at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. (What did they ever do without electric mixers?) Pour cream cheese mixture into pie crust; sprinkle evenly with chopped pecans. Whisk together corn syrup, remaining 3 eggs, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla; pour mixture over pecans. Place pie on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees on lowest oven rack 50-55 minutes or until pie is set. Cool on a wire rack 1 hour or until completely cool. Serve immediately or cover and chill up to 2 days. You would never know this pie was so easy it comes out so rich and delicious!

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Apples

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed

4 bacon slices

1 Braeburn apple, peeled and diced (I have no idea what kind of apple I used as Tom's mother gave me some from their tree. It worked fine.)

2 Tbsp. minced shallots

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup dry white wine (I used a chardonnay - gasp!)

1/4 cup low-sodium fat-free chicken broth

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 cup freshly shaved parmesan cheese

Cut Brussels sprouts in half, and cut into shreds. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon, drain on paper towels, reserving 3 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon. Saute' apple, shallots and garlic in hot drippings over medium-high heat 3 minutes. Stir in wine and next 3 ingredients, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts; saute' 8-10 minutes or until sprouts are crisp-tender. Top with shaved parmesan and crumbled bacon. Serve imediately. (I wasn't able to serve immediately so I kept the bacon and parmesan separate and added after heating the Brussels sprouts in the microwave.) They were great!

Gypsy Soup

I figured it was about time to post another recipe and this is one of the best fall soups I've ever had.

I discovered it when my friend Claudia aka The Practical Vampire Slayer gave me some last fall. She got it from Jennifer Graf Groneberg, our friend and fellow writer who's book, Road Map to Holland, about her first two years with her son, Avery, who has Down Syndrome, will be out this spring. Let me tell you something about both of these women, they can write and cook!

Here's the recipe:

3 T olive oil

2 cups chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup peeled and diced sweet potato

1 cup peeled and diced squash such as butternut, acorn or turkish hat

1 can diced tomatoes with juice

3/4 cup chopped sweet peppers (red, green or yellow) or substitute a handful of chopped kale or spinach (I used kale)

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

3 cups chicken broth or vegetable stock

1 tsp. paprika (I used curry)

1 tsp. tumeric

1 tsp. basil (I used tarragon)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 T tamara soy sauce

In a large pot, saute the onions, garlic, potatoes and squash in the olive oil. Add all seasonings (except stock and tamari). Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes to bring out the flavor of the spices. You won't believe how good this smells! Add remaining ingredients, turn up the heat and bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until vegetables are tender.

This serves 4 (although it looks like more to me!) and it's even better the next day. This soup is an incredible immune booster. The onion, garlic, cayenne and cinnamon are excellent at fighting off autumn colds. I can also imagine throwing in that turkey on Friday for a totally different leftover taste. And, I mean, you just gotta love that name - gypsy soup.

Enjoy!

Sacred Sunday . . . EAT

As a way of making up for lost time on My Sacred Life posts, I'm going to post three times today. One guess what the other two will be.

I won't be going to Italy any time soon, but these eggs sure made me feel like I was there. I think Montana's early light is similar to the buttery, golden light I see in photos and paintings from Italy. Much of my furntiure has an Italian feel to it - so hey, I was practically there.

Italian Eggs

Two farm fresh eggs
One small tomato
One small clove garlic
1 Tsp. olive oil
Pinch basil and tarragon
Parmesan cheese

Chop tomato and mince garlic. Place in pan with olive oil over medium-low heat for about a minute. Scramble eggs and cook with tomato and garlic. Just before they're finished, infuse with herbs. Top with cheese, salt and pepper. Oh, and don't forget the toasty toast with real butter. For dessert - yes, dessert. Another piece of toast with your favorite jelly or preserves. I used apricot. But I would've preferred fig or muscadine (sp??). Hint, hint to all my southern friends.

A very Italian start to a beautiful Sacred Sunday. Bella food!

Abundant Mother

My Sacred Life

Food is an important part of my life and my recovery. There are a lot of reasons for this, but the primary reason is because eating is enjoyable! And my recovery is about the integration of as much joy as I can possibly fit into my life. I'm finding out that's a lot.

Preparing and eating fresh, healthy, healing food from the Abundant Mother is a sacred act that enriches my life. I also have political reasons for eating, shopping and cooking the way I do. I believe that our agricultural methods, BIG FOOD, are a major source of the depletion of the earth, local economies and the vast disparity between the have's and the have not's. I buy organic vegetables from a local farmer in the growing season here. I also buy organic vegetables from the local health food store and eggs, chickens and vegetables from the Hutterites, a religious community similar to the Amish.

I eat much more mindfully than I ever have and I have begun to offer a "thank you" to the earth and the creator before each meal. It's silent. No one has to know but me, the earth and the creator. When I moved from a heavily populated area to the area I live in now, there were hardly any fast-food restaurants available and especially in winter, very few restaurants of any kind that stayed open on a regular basis. Things are a little different here than they are in the rest of America and thank goddess! Had eating remained as easy as it had always been, I'm not sure it would have ever become the source of delight and nurturance that it is for me now.

The dish in the picture is Curried Chicken Salad and it is so very yummy! Let me know if you like it.

Curried Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS:

6 slices bacon
3 cups diced cooked chicken
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup seedless grapes
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons red onion minced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 to 1 teaspoon curry powder
salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook bacon over medium high heat until evenly brown. Crumble and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine chicken, bacon, celery and grapes.
3. Prepare the dressing in a small bowl by whisking together the mayonnaise, onion, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, curry, salt and pepper. Pour over salad and toss well.
4. Chill for about an hour to allow the curry to settle. Serve and Enjoy!

Oh - obviously I placed on a bed of mixed field greens and garnished with fresh cherry tomotoes. Yum. Yum.

Chocolate for Sobriety

Everything is better with chocolate and that includes recovery. I discovered this recipe in one of the best cookbooks I've ever invested in: "The Balanced Plate, The Essential Elements of Whole Foods and Good Health" by Renee Loux. More than a cookbook, The Balanced Plate is an adventure into the wonderful world of whole foods - as Renee says, "foods that nourish mind, body and soul." With chapters on the true cost of our food, the importance of organics, and special sections on using herbs, oils and various cooking methods, this is a book that will change the way you think about food.

Feeding myself well and learning to view eating as a spiritually as well as physically nourishing experience is one of the great joys of my recovery. Sharing meals with friends and family can be a daily exercise in gratitude for the abundance of our planet. Every recipe I've tried from this book is fabulous. This one is for treating yourself and your loved ones to the dark mystery of chocolate, the bright splash of fresh raspberries and the zing of mint. With very little sugar and lots of real food, this is one chocolate dessert you can feel good about. So without further ado, here is:

Chocolate of the Gods Mousse with Raspberries and Mint

Yields 8 servings
2 cups Hass avocados (about 2)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
2-4 tablespoons evaporated cane juice or organic sugar (otpional)
2 tablespoons coconut butter (optional)
1-2 teaspoons non-alcohlic vanilla extract
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (aged balsamic is best)
1/2 teaspoon shoyu (soy sauce)
1 cup pure cocoa powder (Green & Black's is choice) (I've used Ghirardelli with good results)
1 pint raspberries
Handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped

In a food processor, blend the avocados, maple syrup, cane juice or sugar, coconut butter, vanilla, balsamic vinegar and shoyu until smooth and creamy.

Add the cocoa powder and blend until smooth. Sifting the cocoa powder before adding it is a good idea to prevent lumps. A simple metal strainer works well.

Distribute half the raspberries evently among 4 to 6 dessert glasses. Follow with a dollop of mousse, a sprinkle of mint, the remaining raspberries, and more mint.

Leftover mousse can be stored in a tightly sealed container for up to a week in the fridge or frozen for up to a month. (Mine has never made it to either place!)

Nutrition: Per serving, 170 calories, 7 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 3 g protein, 29 g carbohydrates, 7 g dietary fiber, 25 mg sodium.

Please visit Renee's website at www.reneeloux.com

Mmmmm, Mmmmmm. Enjoy!

The One-pot Wonder

I love this recipe. I adapted it from "The Self Healing Cookbook" by Kristina Turner. (link below) It's especially good for early recovery because it’s easy, so nutritious and can be cooked on the weekend and eaten throughout the week. Early recovery can leave a person feeling like they're floating in outer space most of the time. The ingredients in this recipe are grounding and will help with that awful spacy feeling. As anyone who has been in recovery can tell you, there are lots of times in life when it feels like early recovery again. Moves, break-ups, deaths, job changes, pregnancy – all these things can throw us into a susceptible state both physically and mentally. Healty food can can work as a recovery tool in those times, providing the support our bodies need while our spirits and minds are working to heal.

Here is the basic recipe:

½ cup basmati brown rice
½ cup lentils
½ cup potatoes
½ cup carrots
½ cup onion or leeks
4 garlic cloves
1 cup greens
1 strip kombu
1 strip wakame
2 cups water
large pinch sea salt (for heaven’s sake throw out that table salt!)

Okay. First, coat your pot with a high-heat tolerant cooking oil such as coconut, grapeseed or safflower. (You'll want a covered pot that can go from stovetop to oven.) Soak the kombu and wakame in very hot water for 15-30 minutes. These vegetables are purchased dried and will expand in the water. Remove sea vegetables and leave the water in the pot. Wash and chop your land vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Chop sea vegetables. Pre-heat oven to 350-degrees. Wash the rice and lentils and place in the pot with your mineral-soaked water. Layer vegetables on top of the rice and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil on the stovetop. As soon as the water boils, take off the stovetop and place in oven. Bake, covered, for 45 minutes to one hour or until all the water is soaked in. Notice that there's not one ingredient in this dish that doesn't provide excellent nutritional value. No sugar, no flour, no butter. Nothin' but the good stuff.

Now let me tell you about those two funky sounding ingredients you may never have heard of: kombu and wakame. These are sea vegetables and they may be my best discovery of the past year. (Thank you, Mary!) What’s so great about sea vegetables? Well, just about everything. They’re loaded with calcium and iron, two nutrients especially important for women at every phase of life. They also provide B-vitamins, Vitamin A, potassium, magnesium, phosphorous and iodine. Now, on to the minerals: selenium, zinc, copper, rubidium, nickel and molebdenum abound in these lovely ladies from the sea. Because of the depletive agricultural methods employed over the past century, our land vegetables are sorely lacking in most of these nutrients. Since I’ve been using sea vegetables in cooking, my hair has quit falling out in handfuls. The shower drain is no longer clogged with strands of hair that belong on my head! That’s enough for me to realize that I’m getting something from these vegetables that I don’t get anywhere else. Here’s to thick, shiny, full beautiful hair!!

Another great thing about this recipe is that you can literally use any vegetable combination. Last night I used blue potatoes, onion, garlic, kale, carrots and zucchini. I also experimented with the lentils and used tiny dark bulghar lentils. I prefer the larger ones, but the bulghar gave the dish a beautiful dark purple color. The road to recovery is paved with brightly colored foods! I have used sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, brussel sprouts, broccoli, daikon radish, spinach, collards, mustard greens, celery, mushrooms, squash, swiss chard – the list is really endless. I always use one or more root vegetables and at least one leafy green. I always use garlic, and onion or leek. You can also use more or less rice, and more or less lentils according to your taste. Just adjust the amount of water to match the amount of rice and beans. Wanna make more? Just increase your quantities and use a bigger pot! The only drawback I have found to this dish is that it doesn’t freeze well; put it in an airtight container, though, and it will last for 5-6 days in the refrigerator.

I hope you like this recipe as much as I do. Let me know what vegetable combinations you like best and how you feel after eating this luscious food.

Herbal Infusions

Sounds like something you'd mainline, huh? Actually, an herbal infusion is a large amount of dried herbs brewed for a long time. Herbal infusions are chock full of minerals and phytoestrogens, especially healthful for women coming into their menopausal years. I first learned of herbal infusions from the book, "New Menopausal Years, The Wise Woman Way", by Susan Weed. (see link below) To make an herbal infusion take one ounce of dried leaves/flowers of the herb, place in a quart jar of boiling hot water with a tight lid, let brew for 4-8 hours, strain, refigerate and drink within 48 hours. A word about infusions is in order here: you don't drink them for the taste. Although the oatstraw is not bad tasting, the others will take some getting used to, but I find that they feel so good to my system that I enjoy drinking them anyway. The four main herbs that Susan recommends are stinging nettle, oatstraw, red clover and comfrey. The following information is directly from Susan's excellent website, http://www.susanweed.com:

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) builds energy, strengthens the adrenals, and is said to restore youthful flexibility to blood vessels. A cup of nettle infusion contains 500 milligrams of calcium plus generous amounts of bone-building magnesium, potassium, silicon, boron, and zinc. It is also an excellent source of vitamins A, D, E, and K. For flexible bones, a healthy heart, thick hair, beautiful skin, and lots of energy, make friends with sister stinging nettle. It may make you feel so good you'll jump up and exercise.

Oatstraw (Avena sativa) reduces high cholesterol, increases libido, and strengthens the nerves. A cup of oatstraw infusion contains more than 300 milligrams of calcium plus generous amounts of many other minerals. Its steroidal saponins nourish the pancreas and liver, improving digestion and stabilizing moods. Oatstraw is best known however for its ability to enhance libido and mellow the mood. Do be careful whom you share it with, or you may find yourself sowing some wild oats. In Auryuvedic medicine, oatstraw is considered the finest of all longevity tonics.

Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is better in every way than its cousin soy. It contains four phytoestrogens; soy has only one (isoflavone). Red clover infusion has ten times more phytoestrogens than soy "milk," fewer calories, more calcium, and no added sugars. Red clover is the world's leading anti-cancer herb; soy isoflavone encourages the growth of breast cancer cells in the lab. Red clover improves the memory; Japanese men who ate tofu twice a week doubled their risk of Alzheimer's disease. Soy beverage can contain up to 1000 times more aluminum than milk, according to Sally Fallon, lipid researcher and fat specialist. She believes that "the highly processed soy foods of today are perpetuating . . . nutrient deficiencies. . . ."


Comfrey (Symphytum) leaf is free of the compounds (PAs) found in the root that can damage the liver. I have used comfrey leaf infusion regularly for decades with no liver problems, ditto for the group of people at the Henry Doubleday Research Foundation who have eaten cooked comfrey leaves as a vegetable for four generations. Comfrey is also known as "knitbone," and no better ally for the woman with thin bones can be found. And, don't forget, comfrey contains special proteins used in the formation of short-term memory cells. Its soothing mucilage adds flexibility to joints, eyes, vagina, and lungs.

I'll be writing more about herbal infusions as I blog about some of the ongoing health issues I deal with. I've been very lucky and so far the only life-threatening problem I have is alcoholism/addiction, the others are mostly bothersome, but can be very uncomfortable. I'm talking about insomnia, restless legs syndrome, fybromyalgia, sinus problems and tendonitis/sciatica.

I find that the more I care for myself, especially using the abundance provided by the earth, the better I feel, mentally, physically and spiritually, and the more likely I am to remain on a sober path.

Now I'm off to make a stinging nettle infusion and see if I can't get these legs of mine to settle down!

Super-powered sobriety drink

It's the heat of summer and I've been experimenting with some great, healthy non-alcoholic beverages to enjoy. This one is my favorite so far.

Angela's Super Powered Sobriety Drink

3 green tea bags (I like Good Earth green tea with lemongrass)
3-4 chamomile tea bags
honey to taste
2 tbsp. dried lavender blossoms

Steep the tea bags for 15-20 minutes, add honey to sweeten. Add lavender blossoms for up to, but not more than, 5 minutes. The lavender will scorch if left longer than that and you'll lose the great taste. Pour through a strainer and add water to 1/2 gallon. Refrigerate or pour over ice.

This tea is yummy, yummy and is great for you. The green tea is loaded with antioxidants and the chamomile and lavender are excellent nervous system soothers. Honey has enzymes that sugar doesn't and your body will just love them.

Enjoy in good sobriety! P.S. Use organic whenever possible!!