Panama inspired gluten free crab cakes

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Panama inspired gluten free crab cakes

Just got back from a week in panama. I know I shouldn't brag, but just indulge me: 

It was awesome. Lots of surfing, hiking, eating, friending and Balboa drinking.

We stayed at this amazing B&B, steps from the ocean. The owners, Lauren and Ryan, moved to panama from LA a few years ago after a few painstaking years of legal runaround to secure a mortgage. Lauren is one kick ass chef with heavy Thai training. Her fish cakes at the Firefly put my crab cakes to shame, but I give her the inspirational credit for this recipe.

So, I'm home and all I want to do is cook seafood. I was at Trader Joe's last night and this chicken of the sea lump crab meat caught my attention. I tackled my first ever batch of crab cakes! I also made quinoa, lentil soup and mustard rubbed salmon. I like to mass-cook, so I'm ready for weekday lunch and leftover dinner.

Here's the crab cake recipe:

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9 Exercises to Find Your Life's Purpose

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9 Exercises to Find Your Life's Purpose

1. I think it's very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not defined by another person. - Oscar Wilde 

Spend some time alone. Be aware of what you want to do when you're alone. Do you want to write? Build a website? Brainstorm a brand? Research something? If you planned a trip by yourself, what would you do? Cooking classes in Italy? 24 Hour Startup Weekend? Historical tour? Workout? Free yourself of the identity that's imposed on you when you're constantly surrounded by others. Tune in to you.

2. Ask yourself this: What do you want to be remembered for? This is a great question if you have a hard time defining your passion. I want to surf when I'm 80. I worry I'll quit surfing. That's a good sign it's something I should continue doing. 

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3 Very Important Pieces of Advice for happiness in all relationships

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3 Very Important Pieces of Advice for happiness in all relationships

I have two moods: skinny and fat.

Yep, it's true. I sound like a crazy, weight obsessed lunatic. I can't believe I'm putting that in writing. But it's kinda true and plus, I don't think I'm the only person that feels this way. And sometimes you have to just get dressed, put on a pair of high heels, a little mascara and choose to feel good about yourself. (Even if they're Ugg wedge high heels that look like something your Grandma would wear. They're still heels and your legs will magically become this foreign set of stems, long and slender.) 

And sometimes, when you dump an entire almond milk latte down your shirt, onto your skinny jeans and all over your closed computer, you have to get up from the table, choke back the belly laugh, wipe it off. And give your friend a thumbs up as she takes black-mail pictures of you in the back of the coffee shop. 

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Easy + Healthy + Spicy KALE

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Easy + Healthy + Spicy KALE

I'm afraid of kale. There. I said it.

I'm so in love with spinach that I've chosen to ignore the hundreds of articles touting kale's superpowers. I've completely written it off. I told myself, there's no way kale is that much better for you than spinach, therefore, I'll carry on with the spinach and leave the kale to the real health freaks. I've purchased it a few times in the past, when i start to feel bad for it in all it's curly, green glory. Then I bring it home, and watch it's slow, painful death as it wilts away in my produce drawer. 

Until now...

I bought the flattest green variety I could find (I heard it tastes better than the curly kind) last night, and cooked it right away, before it had a chance to sag on me. 

And you know what? It was goooood. Really good. I'd make it again good.

So here's what I did:

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5 Lessons from My First Month of Blogging

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1. Apparently, people like to see pictures of me in my bra and underwear. Aside from the homepage and the About Me page, my hydrostatic body fat post is the most clicked on post thus far. Note to self: more undie shots.

2. Bloggers joke about their parents being their only two readers. Well, guess what? My Mom and Dad aren't even reading this blog. I guess that leaves ex-boyfriends?

3. I find the recipe posts effortless. They're like a part of my life that seem to just magically appear on screen without any thought whatsoever. Wasn't expecting that.

4. Blogging is kinda hard. But I think I'm going to keep doing it. I like putting text over pictures - it's fun :)

5. Accidentally posting an entry from my personal page on Facebook, and having it show up in my newsfeed elicited this sense of fear and embarrassment that was so strong I had the urge to delete the whole thing. I'm fairly terrified of what people think. Strangers reading this do not evoke the same response, it's only the people I know. 

Pimpkin Pie: Gluten & Sugar Free

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Pimpkin Pie: Gluten & Sugar Free

My Mom and I were chosen for dessert duty for Thanksgiving this year. We had a group of 15 extended-family members this year, so we thought one super-unhealthy pumpkin "cake" (Mom) and one "healthy" pumpkin pie sans gluten and sugar (me) would be appropriate. I hunted down a Paleo pumpkin pie recipe from Mark's Daily Apple. I'm definitely not Paleo, but I thought the recipes would be grain free, low carb and allow eggs (which I don't mind.) I think the Paleo baking community might be on to something. 

I made this one exactly to recipe. which you can find here. But I'm going to adapt the recipe below to how I would do it if I made it again. It was really good, and surprisingly welcomed by my family of normal eaters. I was worried about the consistency, but it was perfect. Fluffy, soft, not-too-soft in the middle. Really good. 

Sure, pumpkin has it's health benefits (you can read about them in my pumpkin protein shake recipe) but I'm not even going to go there with a dessert recipe. No need to pretend this is anything other than what it is... dessert. To be enjoyed on occasion and never in excess.

(Note: I wrote that paragraph above and then calculated the nutritional content of this recipe and I was SHOCKED. One piece of filling, sans crust, has only 70 calories, 5 g of fat 5g carbs AND it has 2g protein!  With crust, it's only 250 calories with 6g protein per slice. So go-ahead. Have seconds on this one. It isn't going to kill you! OR bake it without the crust, and call it a custard.)

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10 Natural Ways Increase Libido (Without Pills)

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10 Natural Ways Increase Libido (Without Pills)

(I hardly feel qualified to write about such a controversial issue, but I'm going to anyway.)

I came across this infographic from skinnyscoop.com and felt the need to share.

If you didn't catch it in the image above, an astonishing 86% of women think they have a low sex drive. 86% of women!?!?!!! Wow. That's a lot of women wishing and trying to want to have sex more than they want to now. That's a lot of "shoulds" being placed on the never ending self-improvement list: I should have more sex. I should want to have more sex. That's a lot of feelings of inadequacy. That's a lot of desperation.

A fried of mine recalled a recent Dr. visit of one of her friends; she told the Dr. that she was worried about her libido. He replied, "You're the 4th woman who's said that to me this week. You're a mom. Don't worry about it." Ha. I"m sure her husband loved that response. Personally, I don't think Mom's should be exempt from fulfilling sex lives. (At least I hope they shouldn't or I might rethink that whole Mom thing.) (Just kidding.) (Maybe.) Anyway, that's ridiculous. If anyone needs the de-stressing benefits of sex, it's the Moms.

I'm assuming a lot of my girlfriends feel this way. I know I have. But it seems to be this hush-hush thing. Only to be brought up at Dr.'s appointments I guess. If my friends aren't talking about it to me (one who really enjoys talking about sex and makes sure to do so at every opportunity) I don't think many of the 86% are talking about it to their friends. So we've got a lot of internal contention that no one's really talking about. They're bragging, worrying, complaining, justifying their sex lives... but no one's admitting to this "want" to want it more. 

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Nighttime *HOT* Maca-latte (Warning: May Increase Fiestiness)

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This is my new favorite 70-calorie dessert. It tastes as awesome as it is good for you. More, interestingly, though, I crawl in bed full of *achem-cough-cough* energy, instead of collapsing from a double-scoop-coffee-ice cream-induced food coma. Seriously. Give it 30 minutes. For all you maca skeptics out there: I'll admit it. It very well may be the placebo effect (and not the maca) that's causing this libido boost. And you want to know how I feel about that? Perfectly fine. I'll have my maca placebo effect, over and over again, thank you very much. 

So, back to the health benefits.

In case you haven't read any "chocolate is good for you" headlines in the last year: chocolate is now good for you. And the best way to eat it is in it's most unrefined, unsweetened state. Which is why I buy raw, organic cocoa powder and recommend you do too. Cocao has been praised for increasing cardiovascular health, improving insulin sensitivity, aiding in cholesterol management and protecting skin from UV damage. 

Maca, though not as scientifically studied as cocoa, is known for multiple health benefits as well. I buy powder which comes from the maca root -- it's a tuber like the potato. It has calcium and magnesium, which are great for PMS, in addition to all essential amino acids and B-vitamins. It's nicknamed "nature's viagra," though some take it for an energy boost or to balance their hormones.

Note: I've never had any adverse reactions, but this can be a concern, so pay attention to your body and don't go taking 1/2 cup of it in place of your little blue pill ;)

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What Eddie Vedder and I Have in Common

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What Eddie Vedder and I Have in Common

There was this rare cosmic alignment where a work trip of mine happened to collide with the Eddie Vedder + Glen Hansard tour. We debated whether or not to squeeze it in: plane tickets to buy, hotel to book, 4 hour drive from Houston to Dallas, logistics to be mis-handled (see below), details to be tended to... And then FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) took over and thoughts like: "You only live once." "What else are you going to?" "You're going to regret it if you don't go." "Fuck it, life's short." started filling my head. So, we bought plane tickets 6 days pre-concert. Why not?

Not only were we lucky enough to catch the tour, but we had 2nd row, center stage seats. To say the evening was inspirational, filled-with-awesomeness and all around kick ass would be a total understatement. 

I took care of booking the rental car and hotel -- Morgan style. Which means out rental car was waiting for us at George Bush International -- perfect... if we didn't fly into Houston Hobby AIrport. If that wasn't enough, I allegedly never pressed confirm on the hotel booking page, so we scrambled to grab a room at a nearby B&B. Oops. The day wasn't lacking drama and excitement. We were supposed to stay at the Lancaster Hotel, across the street from the concert, and later found out that they had a sprinkler incident and some of their rooms flooded. So, we were initially bummed, but chalked one up for good karma. 

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Quinoa + Brussels Sprout Fall Dinner

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Quinoa + Brussels Sprout Fall Dinner

Quinoa is the only "grain"-like substance I cook. It's like my momento from my Latin America love affair. It's really not a grain, though it's treated as one in most dishes. It's a member of the same family as spinach, beets and swiss chard. It contains all essential amino acids and more protein than any of it's competitors (white rice, wheat, etc.) People in South America, who have been eating quinoa for centuries, will be pleased to know that 2013 has been officially declared as "The International Year of the Quinoa" by a division of the United Nations.  Researchers have recently been intrigued with the especially concentrated amounts of phytonutrients and 2 particular flavanoids - quercetin and kaempferol. It's anti-inflammatory, and awesome and filling and versatile and I love it. 

Combine all of that with brussel sprouts, pear and apple and this is one kick-ass dinner. Plus, as you may have guessed by the name, this one passed the boyfriend test. I got a, "I dont know about this one...I'm kinda nervous" before dinner. And then after dinner it was, "I like that better than the pesto version." (WHAT?!?) So, anyway, don't be sacred. And I hope you're lucky enough to cook weird food for someone who always likes what you make :)

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Super Fast + Healthy Green Bean Salad

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Super Fast + Healthy Green Bean Salad

Here's why I love green beans: green beans contain cartenoids in some cases equivalent to the amount present in carrots and tomatoes (surprisingly, huh?) They're locavore friendly, with 60% of them grown in the United States. They supply the mineral silicon - important for bone and connective tissue health and if that wasn't enough, they even contain antioxidants. Add some health avocado fat and nutrient-rich almonds and you're set!

So, here's my adapted version of a recipe my Mom introduced me to. I love it because it's healthy, but I make it over and over again because it takes 20 minutes and it's damn good. Some men I know wouldn't agree with this, but I think it's great cold.

Tons of options: add grilled chicken, salmon or a can of tuna, leave out the hard boiled egg, add more veggies, etc. This is the first time I made it with hard boiled egg and I'm a huge fan.

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Ana's Cucumber Salad

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Ana's Cucumber Salad

I found myself lost in Whole Foods (this happens to me at least once a week) wandering the aisles and talking on the phone with one of the greatest people I know, Ana. The problem with Whole Foods, compared to say your local drugstore, is that when you get lost at Whole Foods the items you throw in your basket aren't $1.50, they're like $9.99. Forty-five minutes (and $95 dollars) later I was still there.

I wanted to make something new but I couldn't think of anything. She brought up cucumber salad which warranted a conference call with her Dad who's an awesome chef. He counseled me on the myriad of rice vinegar options available. He had it down to the color of the cap. 

I've made this recipe multiple times in the last month and I love it. It lasts a while in the refrigerator too.

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Quote of the Week

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“If we eat the wild, it begins to work inside us, altering us, changing us. Soon, if we eat too much, we will no longer fit into the suit that has been made for us. Our hair will being to grow long and ragged. Our gait and how we hold our body will change. Our words will start to sound strange and nonlinear. Emotion. Unpractical. Poetic. Once we have tasted this wildness, we begin to hunger for a food long denied us, and the more we eat the more we will awaken.”

– Stephen Harrod Buhner, The Secret Teachings of Plants

(This is another pic I took at the Del Mar farmer's market. I love it, but I have a bit of a blueberry obsession.)