Behold, friends, an entire post dedicated to the magic that is cinnamon. See, me and cinnamon went way, way back. I thought I knew knew the herb--good ol' cinnamon, you know: tasty with apples, fun in a smoothie, a secret ingredient in a handful of savory dishes, even.

Then came the day I threw a few cinnamon sticks (also called quills) in my herb grinder. That's when we really met, and I learned that cinnamon is less like a flavor of boxed cereal and much more like a small fire that burns sweet, a gentle sun ray spiked with electricity, or a languid kitten that dreamily pricks you with its tiny claws. Oh, cinnamon.

This transformation of the herb from familiar to delightfully powerful and somewhat exotic, is the effect of experiencing the plant in a more complete way. Grinding the herb right before using it eliminates the time that the ground herb sits around, all the while dissipating it's precious constituents directly into the air, or allowing light to break down the herb's natural chemicals. So, maybe cinnamon can serve as an example of how alive these fresh ground spices can be.

A couple years ago, I bit the bullet and bought myself a coffee grinder and dedicated it solely to herbs and spices (no coffee allowed!). The payoff has been all these super sexy new relationships with herbs I used to think were mundane. Mustard seed! Cumin! Black pepper, for crying out loud! Who knew black pepper had floral notes??

Grinding herbs at home isn't too complicated as long as you have a spice grinder (or coffee grinder, same thing) that you're willing to keep free of coffee beans. Just throw in your spice and press the only button on the machine!

In the case of cinnamon, it's helpful to break up the quills into pieces. Sometimes wedging a table knife into the slits of the quills is the easiest way to break up a tough one.

If I'm being meticulous, I'll wash the grinder between each spice (to avoid contamination of herbs with each other). I've also heard of grinding rice between herbs as a way of "cleaning" the grinder. Do you have any good spice grinder tips?

Ok, kids. I've caved. I've become one of those food bloggers who features bacon prominently and probably unnecessarily. It's a bit of a savvy blogging tactic, I think--a little pandering for clicks, perhaps. It's just that bacon is so sexy.

Really though, the meat of this recipe is the fact that it's super low carb, comes in a cozy little package and is very adaptable. As for the bacon, you can take it or leave it.

Variations on this recipe that I've tried include:

• Roasted Roots with Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage
• Winter Veggies with Sharp Cheddar and Pecorino Romano

Obviously, this can easily be adapted to fit your diet/lifestyle needs. I've included the pictured recipe, as well as a generic recipe below.

Big thanks to my colleague, Desta Golden, for supplying me with this brilliant low-carbohydrate idea via our Diabetes Management class. Watch out Virginia, Mrs. Golden is headed your way in a couple years!

Serving Size: 2 muffins
Carbohydrates: 7g
Fiber: 1g

Bacon, Feta and Butternut Squash Omlette Muffins (GF, low lactose, low GL)

3 bacon strips, uncooked, chopped
1 small onion
5 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons plain whole milk yogurt
black pepper
nutmeg
3/4 cup butternut squash, cubed and roasted with salt
1/4 cup feta cheese, some reserved for topping (I used goat milk feta)
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Fry the bacon and onions together until the bacon is fully cooked and the onions are clear or slightly browned. While they are cooking, combine the eggs, yogurt, black pepper and nutmeg and whisk together until completely incorporated. Fold in the squash and feta and set aside. Grease 6 muffin cups with butter or coconut oil, then spoon the cooked onions and bacon, pour the egg mixture over this until the liquid almost fills each muffin cup. Top with the reserved feta and the pumpkin seeds and pop this pretty mess into the oven. Bake until the tops are golden and the center is springy, about 20-30 minutes.


Omlette Muffins: Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Style (GF, possibly: vegetarian, low GL, lactose free)

5 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons plain whole milk yogurt
black pepper
nutmeg
1 cup cooked veggies (pick your faves!)
1/4 cup cheese, some reserved for topping (completely optional)
2 tablespoons chopped nuts or seeds for garnish (optional, but why not?)

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Combine the eggs, yogurt, black pepper and nutmeg and whisk together until completely incorporated. Fold in the veggies and/or cheese and set aside. Grease 6 muffin cups with butter or coconut oil, and fill them 7/8ths full with the egg mixture. Top with the reserved cheese, seeds or nuts and pop this pretty mess into the oven. Bake until the tops are golden and the center is springy, about 20-30 minutes.

Let's ruminate on fake meats for a moment. Depending on the brand, they're either outlandishly pointless or, actually, kind of tasty. Aside from picking out the right package from the freezer section, the other tricky part about fake meats is that they are very processed, forcing vegetarians, vegans and a few fake meat lovers into a quagmire of gums and modified starches if they just want some good salty spice and a decent mouthfeel. Despite these potential pitfalls, sometimes a girl just wants some non-meat chorizo, am I right?

Well, here’s a sweet DIY vegan and gluten free nutmeat that's full of protein and flavor, made only from real, down-to-earth ingredients--in two traditional sausage flavors: chorizo and finocchiona. The fun and challenge of this cooking project is that it requires some elbow grease. Soaked nuts and simmered mushrooms are muddled to get the right meat grinder texture. But it's ok, the exercise and the ensuing protein-packed meal will put you on track for some bangin' triceps.

Deli-style Nutmeats (Vegan, Gluten Free, Low Glycemic Load)

6 cups water
1 cup almonds
1 cup cashews
3 tablespoons salt
1 lb mushrooms (any kind)
Spice mix (choose one from below)
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Start this recipe at least 6 hours ahead of time by soaking the almonds in the water and salt. After two hours, add the cashews and soak for a few more hours, (but no more than 6, or the cashews will get a little slimy). Slice the mushrooms finely and simmer until they are limp. Add the drained nuts to the simmering mushrooms and reduce until almost all the water evaporates.

Next, roll up your sleeves, get out your muddler, and muddle those bad boys until you get a sticky consistency that looks a little like ground meat. This step takes some dedication and it's ok to take a break. When you've muddled the whole batch, give yourself a high five, and incorporate the spice mixture and the apple cider vinegar into the muddled nuts.

Use these nutmeats anywhere you would use sausage--nacho topping, squash stuffing, taco building, frittata filling--you get the idea. They brown nicely in a frying pan, but won't hold together like a sausage patty.

To save for later, divide quarter cup portions of the nutmeat and wrap these little morsels in parchment paper. Sealed in a plastic bag, these nut sausages will last months in the freezer, and are super handy for  tasty last-minute meal ideas.

I packaged these up into pretty gifts that look fresh from the neighborhood deli, by using parchment paper, printer paper and some rad custom labels from a sweet Portland-based company called Evermine (which also happens to be the entrepreneurial pride and joy of my parents, Jeanne and David).

I signed up to contribute pumpkin pie to two thanksgiving gatherings this year, so, perhaps predictably, I embarked on the challenge to make a stunningly delicious pie AND make it gluten free and dairy free. This means I've been eating a lot of trial pies, which has been super fun.

At this point, it really is no big deal to make a delicious dairy free pumpkin pie filling and a suitably delicious gluten free crust. Old news. But when making my first trial pie, I made a mistake by doubling the water in the pastry recipe--the dough was pasty and weird--but I forged ahead with the experiment. What came of it was a crust that walks the line between chewy and crunchy, along with, of course, the delicate saltiness and coconut undertones of the original GF DF pastry crust. My kitchen bystanders loved it, and I did too; I found myself at times mining a trial pie or or three just for the crust.

So, yes, the crust is something pretty stellar (as long as it's fully cooked, I've learned) but I mention it without meaning to detract from the filling, which is fabulous on its own: spicy, lightly sweet and very compact in flavor. I think it's best to think of this filling and pastry as a tart rather than a pie. Don't expect a flaky, buttery crust and a plethoric, custardy filling, which would be consistent with pie. Instead, ready yourself for a dainty few bites, consisting of a compact, spicy filling in a chewy cookie-like shell--a tart!

Here's how to do it at home:

Stunning Pumpkin Tart (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

Filling:
3 tablespoons coconut oil
3 cups roasted squash
3 eggs
1 3/4 cups almond milk (or any kind of milk)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 teaspoons fresh ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger

In a small heat-safe bowl or pan, gently heat the coconut oil. (I like to heat the oil in a stainless steel measuring cup in the oven, but I suppose a small pot on the stove over gentle heat would work too) While the oil is heating, combine the squash, eggs, milk, sugar, salt and vanilla in a big ol' mixing bowl. Into the warmed oil, add the spices and stir to make sure there are no air bubbles. Whisk the spice and oil mixture into the squash until fully incorporated.* Set this filling mixture aside while you prepare the pastry.

*Most likely, the coconut oil will harden when it comes in contact with the cool ingredients in the pumpkin mixture, so our goal is to have it harden in small droplets that are evenly distributed in the batter.

Pastry:
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil

Start off by soaking the ground flax seeds in the water and set aside. Combine the flours and salt in a heavy mixing bowl, then cut in the solid (room temperature) coconut oil with a couple opposing knives or a pastry cutter. Press out the biggest chunks with a fork against the side of the bowl, so that the flour and oil mixture resembles a coarse cornmeal. Add the water and gently incorporate it into the flours until you draw the mess together into a ball of dough.

This is where you'll start to doubt your measuring, or my recipe--it may be very sticky, perhaps unlike any other pastry dough you've made. It's ok though; do your best to gently mix the dough into a uniform texture and then paint/spread it thinly onto the inside of tart tins or tart ceramics or, if you must, pie plates.

Fill the tarts until there is just 1/8 of an inch of exposed pastry, pop 'em in the oven and bake at 375 ˚F until the exposed pastry becomes golden, about 30-55 minutes, depending on the size, shape and material of your baking dish.

Well friends, I wouldn't have expected it, but its been over a year since my ode to hot sauces at my old blog, and it seems the sauces making their way out of my kitchen have come a long way. Last week I shared my long time favorite green salsa, Creamy Tomatillo Salsa, and this week, we're looking at a Halloween-y habañero.

 A friend introduced me to this bright orange habañero sauce and recipe, which he found nestled among other gems, I'm sure, at the self-respectingly self-deprecating, refreshingly unfrilly blog, foodpeoplewant.com. As long as you're into the heat, this sauce is the whole reason to keep eating whatever you put it on. Also, it was modeled after the ubiquitously loved habañero sauce by Portland's own Secret Aardvark, which is kind of saying a lot.

I adapted the recipe by dialing down the sugar in exchange for amping up the carrots and adding a yam. Also, less water means we can add less vinegar; and why bother with prepared mustard when we can go straight for some vibrant mustard seed powder? The end result is just as sultry, with a little more body, for folks who aren't shy of heat that you can slather on.

Scary Good Habañero Hot Sauce (GF, vegan)

1 can (14.5 oz) of diced tomatoes, including juice
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups of peeled and grated carrots (packed into the measuring cup)
2 cups of finely diced white onion
2 tablespoons mustard seed powder
1 1/2 cups shredded Yam
9 habaneros, seeded
1/2 head garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 c honey (or sugar)
1 cup of water or just enough to cover

Throw all of the ingredients in a pot and simmer for 2-3 hours until all the veggies are soft and the flavors are well mixed. Unceremoniously, throw this thick soup into a blender and let 'er loose--blending to your liking. Jar it up and share with friends!

With the end of the school year, I imagined July would bring ample leisure time--days filled with musing over which dish to bring to a barbeque and afternoons of gazing at clouds from a bed of perfect green grass. Instead, as I realize retrospectively every year, the pace of life quickens as the days get longer; a frenzy of projects and parties pulse through the hours as a languid sun procrastinates on its time-keeping duties. For me, life has aggressively filled my young summer schedule with some exciting developments:
• a new nephew! -and a fun medicine making project (ask me about it, I'll send you pics!)
• a move! -with my sweetie to a fabulous 1914 duplex which is, by chance, across the street from my kindergarten playground
• a massage business! -as promised on my About page, I've earned a massage therapy license in the state of Oregon (#19748, in case you're curious) and I'll soon be offering professional shiatsu massages. More on this coming soon!

What I really wanted to tell you today, though, is that I've been busy, and I've had to employ some of my favorite tricks for salvaging neglected summer vegetables. I thought maybe we could share tips. Sound good?

Here are a couple of mine (pictured above).

Liven the Greens
Wilty summer greens can be brought back to life by cutting off an inch or two of the stems under cold running water, and then placing them in a glass of water, like a bouquet of flowers. They'll liven up within a day, but use them soon after that or they will start to turn yellow or wilt again. If you have space to spare in the fridge, storing them in a glass of water will give them days of extra life.

Quick Pickled Onions
I just discovered this super easy way to avoid moldy onions, which are perhaps one of the saddest and most common kitchen tragedies that I see. Before the onion starts to go bad, slice it and submerge it in leftover sweet pickle juice--liquid from pickled beets in this case. This is a whole new way to do onions! So delicious! I enjoyed these ones on a couple sandwiches and a jaunty little dinner salad.

Holler if you have any super simple summer produce salvaging tips. I'd love to hear them!

Happy almost-solstice everyone!

In honor of summer, I've crafted another delightful picnic or barbeque side dish. I'm a big fan of this recipe because it is fresh, holds together well for a day or two in the fridge, and has a creaminess to it, without any dairy, expensive coconut milk or complicated nut pureé. Also, its an easy recipe to throw together, because the chutney takes care of all the complicated flavor work.

Simple Summer Slaw with Chutney (GF, lactose free, vegan)

3 cups red cabbage, chopped
1/2 cup chutney*
1/3 cup unsweetend shredded coconut
2 green onions, minced
A handful of cilantro, minced (optional)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or chopped almonds

Combine the cabbage, chutney, coconut, onions and cilantro. These guys can hang out together all day or in the fridge overnight, depending on how crunchy or soupy you like your slaw. I like to keep the nuts/seeds separate until serving time so they still pack some crunch. Top the slaw with the nuts or seeds as a garnish and serve. This recipe will serve 4-6 as a side dish.

*storebought chutneys are likely to have a lot more sugar and salt, so you may need to use less of them in this recipe. Check out the fabulous lower-sugar chuneys here at SweetAllium!

My mom says that life is too short to waste on ugly cookies, but lately, especially after learning about the influences on our biochemistry of sugar, gluten and the glycemic load of some foods, I've been thinking that maybe life is too short to waste on cookies at all. I can think of at least a few things in life that I like way more than cookies.

Even so, I'm especially vulnerable to a good old fashioned cookie craving. It's familiar territory and I succumb to it more often than I'm proud to admit.

My solution? I made a cookie with nothing in it. I'll wean myself from these unhealthy habits with Nothing Cookies!

Obviously, they're not made of nothing because, there you see them right before you (Upper left, see? They're giving you a friendly wave now.). These cookies are gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free and vegan, which makes it sound like there must not be anything in them. But, actually there is stuff in them, and these things are pretty gosh-darn awesome, especially in regard to blood sugar regulation.

Replacing flour with steel cut oats reduces the glycemic load of the cookie, which means it won't make your poor liver and pancreas perform acrobatics around each other to manage the sweetness in your belly. Instead of sugar, banana is used, which admittedly has quite a lot of sugar itself, but at least it comes with a bunch of vitamins and minerals especially vitamin C and B6. Almond butter, here used as the oil source, endows the cookie with the protective powers of nuts, which have been shown to reduce the risk of type II diabetes when eaten regularly. Cinnamon is used by herbalists, Naturopathic doctors and in some nutriceuticals to help the body balance blood sugar. I used raisins out of convenience (which also unfortunately have a pretty high glycemic load), but a superfood cookie would instead don dried berries, like blackberries or blueberries, which are full of antioxidants and are suspected to help out with blood sugar balance.

Of course, eating these cookies as second lunch isn't going to help anyone's blood sugar. I think of it as training wheels--when I'm about to cave and reach for a sugary snack, having one of these around could save the day.

Nothing Cookies

4 super ripe bananas
1/2 cup almond butter (I suppose you could use peanut butter, which would make it a very peanutbuttery cookie.)
1/2 cup raisins or dried berries
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons freshly ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups steel cut oats
1/2 cup coconut

Mash the bananas in a bowl until they become syrupy, add the almond butter, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda and salt with the bananas and combine. Mix in the oats and coconut. Press this dough onto a baking sheet covered by parchment paper. Bake until the cookies are slightly golden at the edges, 15-20 minutes, at 350˚F. Freeze for emergencies.