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).

The snowy dreamland that was Portland this past week prompted some delightfully cozy activities, like bundling up for long crunchy walks, mulling wine, napping all day, and of course, hot cocoa.

Ever since I started eating a little healthier a few years ago, hot chocolate repeatedly proved itself a disappointment. The coziness it could instill was never worth how weird and gross I felt afterward, so I was really ok with the idea of giving up hot cocoa forever. I figured I had outgrown it, the way I outgrew other childhood activities like watching other people play video games, or playing the impressively uninventive two-person card game called War.

Recently, though, my sister gave me a small package of stone ground mexican-style dark chocolate and told me how to make it into hot cocoa. I liked it, and aside from a boost in coziness, I felt totally normal afterward. But, I didn't realize just how good it was until a few days ago when I served it to a friend who "mmm"-ed over it and said, "Oh my god, I love you. This is so good." So maybe it's worth sharing, yes?

I'm not one for cooking from packages, in general, or certainly not showcasing it on the internet, but in this case, I think it makes some sense. A couple pieces of the Mexican-style stone ground chocolate, made by TAZA Chocolate, provides the cocoa and sugar in a refreshingly not-too-sweet ratio (while helping to keep us from over-adding sugar to the mix). Add this to boiling water in single serving cup with cream and it's as quick as a package of the 'Miss, but way tastier. I like to add cream instead of milk because it's easier on folks who are sensitive to lactose, like me and many of my guests.

The cocoa pictured below contains a dollop of cream that had just barely turned to butter in the carton. Yum!

Serving Size: 1 recipe
Carbohydrates: 4.5 g
Fiber: 0 g

Cozy Cocoa (GF, low GL)

1/3 oz Mexican-style dark chocolate (that's 2 chunks if you're using TAZA)
8-10 oz water (to be boiled) plus hot tap water
2 tablespoons cream, coconut milk or alternative milk
vanilla, chipotle, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne or nutmeg (optional)

Put a pot or kettle of water on to boil. In the meantime, fill a mug with hot tap water and set aside. Once the water is boiling, empty the mug, place the chocolate into it, and pour boiling water over the chocolate. Stir with a warmed spoon until the chocolate has completely melted. Add the cream/milk and any other spices you'd like and enjoy!

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!

After bringing home this week's version of my beautiful weekly harvest from the Winter Green Farm CSA, I found myself in a slight panic. The produce was so beautiful, and barely fitting into the fridge. On top of that, our kitchen for two hadn't yet finished the harvest from the week before. We were on an unsustainable path, I'm sure a familiar one for many a CSA customer. Produce with more vibrance and promise than this city-dweller ever sees in a supermarket vegetable slowly waned in the fridge.

I am absolutely not complaining--this is an undeniably wonderful problem to have--but one that does send me straight into a frenzy to do right by the produce, semi-frantically stuffing vegetables into every nook and cranny of any given meal.

Thankfully I'm not alone in this huge task. My sweetie, Ryan, unwittingly inherited this blessing and responsibility when we moved in together two weeks ago, and so far has served as loyal cheerleader, reliable eater and occasional chef. I'm also pleased to have a captive audience in my sister's family, who just welcomed a new baby boy and seem to be up for any food-help they can get. Cha ching! More mouths for veggie eating!

I made this bake for everyone a couple days ago but didn't pay super close attention to the amounts of ingredients so you'll have to excuse my wishy washy recipe. Like a pizza it's cheesy, but unlike pizza, it's not too cheesy; like a quiche it's got lots of veggies, but without the requisite, cumbersome crust; like a scramble, it's eggy, but with a little less egg and without the "I'm a breakfast food" attitude. Also, as a huge bonus, it doesn't stick to the baking dish at all. Come to think of it, maybe I just described the glories of a fritatta. Anyway, it's delicious. Here's the recipe:

July Veggie Bake (GF, vegetarian, low lactose)

• Cups and cups of sliced summer squash and onions, salted and mixed with olive oil • A few handfuls of cashews
• Beet and chard stems, chopped and sautéed
• A half dozen eggs whipped with almond milk and salt
• A chunk of cheddar cheese, shredded; reserve some for topping
• A healthy bunch of chard and beet greens without stems, chopped

In a big baking dish, distribute the squash mix, cashews and chard stems. Into the egg mixture, combine some of the shredded cheese and all of the greens and pour over the veggies in the baking dish, spreading the greens evenly. Bake at 325 ˚F for the better part of an hour, checking on its progress periodically. Before the greens get too crusty, sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top and bake until your wily instincts tell you it's done, or until there is no liquid in the center.

As a side note, I also put up our outdoor lights this week and felt pretty dern accomplished afterward. An impromptu dusk photo shoot highlighted the dream we are living: my kombucha fermenting in oak, Ryan's vintage turntable (thanks Papa!) and our sweet outdoor patio.

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!

After almost two years of medical education, my cooking and eating has become increasingly informed by nuances of pathophysiology, nutrition research and herbalism. I'm not a master of the wonderful information that's been hurled my direction, but thankfully some of it makes its way into the food. I try to spare you the details, because I understand that not everyone is as into physiology and nutrition as I am, but if you are, holler at me and I'll have a jolly time converting dry medical lingo into something that actually makes sense.

This past couple weeks have been all about sugar, blood sugar and type II diabetes for me. A silent in-class vow to myself to keep the sugar spikes less spikey (and hopefully spare my pancreas some trouble and decrease my risk for diabetes) prompted this week's treat: low glycemic fruit salad! After all, ambrosia--food of the gods in ancient Greek mythology--was thought to impart immortality. Kinda fitting, I'd say.

With the assistance of this chart, a list of blood sugar-regulating herbs that I've been slowly assembling, and some lessons from our nutrition course this term, I've devised a little ambrosia that is easy on the ol' pancreatic beta cells. The fruit was chosen for its low glycemic load, and the toppings for their ability to help the body manage the sugars in the fruit.* The end result is pretty close to how I imagine Greek gods would have it: pure delicious food for the soul.

I also especially wanted to highlight fresh strawberries and blueberries because they are just about to hit the farmers markets here in Portland and I wanted you to have an excuse to buy them right away. Maybe bring this little number to a barbeque or picnic?

Refreshed Ambrosia Fruit Salad (GF)

Finely chop the apple, pear and strawberries and add them to a mixing bowl with the blueberries. In a smaller bowl, prepare the dressing by combining the yogurt, almond butter and coconut. Top the fruit with the dressing and fold the pile of deliciousness together gently until incorporated. Scoop the salad into your prettiest, travel-hardy serving dish and top with a little mound of freshly ground cinnamon, a few sprinkles of hibiscus flowers and a handful of almonds (soaked and dehydrated are so great).

* Hibiscus is an exception. It has its own special powers, but they are not directly related to blood sugar management.

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.

I know since you saw my last post about these charming little nut crunchies, that you wanted a little flair. Some color. A firework to help you understand why I would devote a whole post to some chopped up nuts.

Well, here it is. Pickled beet, avocado and something-that-reminds-me-of-bacon salad. It works for winter because California avocados are actually in season around this time of year, and it's a good time to finish up any canned food on hand, before the fields and markets become populated again with fresh local produce. Also, nuts are amazing, if you hadn't heard.

Here's the recipe, but the first step is to curry enough favors from your friends until someone eventually gives you homemade pickled beets. This is when you've finally made it in this world. (Thanks for the beets, Eric!) 

Pickled Beet, Avocado and Nut Crunchy Salad

3/4 cup chopped pickled beets, gifted by a friend
1 ripe avocado
2 tablespoons nut crunchies (see recipe here)

Combine the ingredients. Do your best to share if anyone else is around.