The Nervous System, Food Induced Comas and Pizza....

I napped today. Napped!! Nothing feels as good as a Monday late afternoon nap. Nothing. I don't know about you, but I'm a sleeper. I need to sleep. Maybe this is one clue that I'm not yet a mother. However, if I could, I would sleep all day. I don't even really have to be tired. Unfortunately, that never gets to happen.  Nonetheless, I have never ever laid my head down on a pillow and had a hard time falling to sleep. Even when I'm stressed or worried. 

I feel for those who have trouble sleeping. And those whose minds wont let them. 

A full belly always puts me to sleep. For physiological reasons of course. It has everything to do with your parasympathetic nervous system and insulins enzymatic pathway (and little to do with that well known amino acid culprit known as tryptophan. In fact, turkey contains the same amount of tryptophan as most meats). Scientists and the likes often refer to the parasympathetic nervous system as the rest and digest branch of your peripheral nervous system or autonomic nervous system. It's called this because it signals your body to rest and restore energy. It can cause the pupils of your eyes to contract, promote digestion of food and slow your heart rate, breathing rate and lower blood pressure. The mass of food in your stomach signals the parasympathetic nervous system and your body to slow down. And it's all involuntary so you can't even be like "hey, stop it, I'm not tired!"

Really, you should actually probably blame the copious amounts of mashed potatoes and rolls the next time you eat thanksgiving dinner or any meal high in carbohydrates. It has been shown that meals high in carbohydrates signal the release of insulin. Insulin then signals for certain amino acids (protein building blocks) to be taken up and turned into muscle. But tryptophan is not used for muscle building, so it's levels become elevated compared to the other amino acids present. So, the body says hey, I have an increased level of tryptophan and nothing competing against those levels or fighting against it to get to the brain. (Your body is a battle field of concentration/pressure/electrical gradients...and they duke it out using different types of diffusion). So, tryptophan glides right through to the fluid in the brain. And there it is converted into serotonin (Richard J Wurtman and Judith J Wurtman, et al. 2003. Effects of normal meals rich in carbohydrates or proteins on plasma tryptophan and tyrosine ratios. Am J Clin Nutr  vol. 77 no. 1 128-132). Ha, and from there you don't have a chance of fighting the tired feeling. Serotonin is further converted into melatonin and bam! Full blown food coma. 

THANK YOU mashed potatoes and gravy, I totally wanted to be unresponsive for the rest of the day.

Lucky for you I have the perfect food coma meal to share with you. French Bread Pizza. I promise, if you eat enough it's coma inducing. Thank me later.

I saw this recipe over at the Cozy Apron. It looked rather good, so I thought I'd give it a try with what I had on hand. 

Artichoke French Bread Pizza

1 loaf french bread, sliced in half

1 c mozzarella and brick cheese (just mix the two)

1/4 c black olives, halved

6 slices salami (I had genoa)

1 15 oz jar quartered artichoke hearts, drained and patted dry

6 large basil leaves, chopped

1 15 oz jar fire roasted tomatoes

1 15 oz jar crushed tomatoes

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 jalapeno, minced

4 garlic gloves, minced

1 tsp oregano 

salt and pepper

2 tblsp olive oil and some to drizzle

I made the tomato sauce first. It's the logical thing to do. Heat the 2 tblsp of olive oil on medium heat. Throw in the garlic, red pepper flakes and jalapeno. You want to be sure that the olive oil is not too hot or that you do not over cook the garlic (It is really easy to burn garlic if you ask me and then it tastes super bitter and well....gross). You just want to infuse the oil with the flavors, so cook until the garlic just starts to turn golden in color.  Then mix in the fire roasted tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer on low while you make the pizza.

Drizzle the french bread with olive oil and toast in oven for 5-10 minutes on 350 degrees F. You just want the pizza to start to get crusty. Once golden brown remove it from the oven and take a clove of garlic and scrape it against the toasted french bread. While the bread is toasting you can fry the artichokes and salami. I threw the salami in the skillet first on med to high heat, and then fried the artichokes in the fat from the salami. The salami will bubble up a little when finished and the artichokes will turn a nice brown color. 

Now you're ready to assemble your pizza.  Add a layer of your tomato sauce, the cheese, the salami, the artichokes and olives. Cover with foil and bake in oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted at 350 degrees F. I covered the pizza because I did not want the bread to toast any more, it was crusty enough. However, if you like it extra crusty leave it uncovered. Finish it with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the basil. 

Of course there are some of those in my family that are astonished by the fact that I would put artichokes on pizza. So, the traditional french bread pizza, with just some cheese and pepperoni is shown on the left. You can see that this recipe is easily interchangeable and the topping possibilities are endless. 

I, consequently, loved the artichokes. I'm sure you will too. Enjoy!

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Spring is in the air. It most definitely is, because there are signs of life everywhere.

There are signs here.......

and here.........

and even here.....all just right outside my door.  

Which all made me in the mood for something a little on the lighter side. Something that would waken up my senses. And after some contemplating I decided on lemon. Whatever I made would just have to contain lemon. And chicken, because that's what was on hand. But something filling, because I was hunnnngry. So, pasta. Yes, pasta usually does the trick. And so I bring you lemon chicken and pasta. I also had Brussel sprouts on hand, so you'll need some of those for this dish too.

Lemon Chicken and Pasta

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken

1/2 stick of butter

1/4 c. chicken stock

1/2 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tblsp chives, chopped

2 tblsp parsley, chopped

2 tblsp thyme, chopped

1 package Brussel sprouts 

lemon infused grapeseed oil

linguine or spaghetti pasta 

parmesan cheese

Prepare Brussel sprouts for roasting. (If I buy unprepared Brussel sprouts I usually pull the first couple outside layers off and sometimes cut off the bottom tough part. Also, if they are large I cut them in half.) Once prepared drizzle them with lemon infused grapeseed oil, salt and pepper and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, layer them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven for 25 mins at 400 oF. 

Meanwhile, brown the chicken in a skillet with a tablespoon of grapeseed oil. (You want the skillet hot, the grapeseed oil does not really smoke like an olive oil would, so be careful that it does not get too hot). Once chicken is browned/cooked, remove and shred it. Deglaze the bottom of the pan with chicken stock and lemon juice. Then add the butter, garlic, chives, parsley and thyme. While the sauce is coming together -basically waiting for the butter to melt prepare pasta in salt water as the pasta package suggests. Once the butter is melted and the sauce is warmed through, add chicken back to pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the Brussel sprouts once roasted and then the pasta. Mix the chicken and sprouts through the pasta. Salt and pepper if needed. Serve topped with some big chunks of grated parmesan cheese.

A few side notes: I used a whole medium sized package of pasta-I honestly have no idea how much it was and I quite frankly think determining the amount of pasta needed to feed a family is one of the most difficult things to do in the kitchen. I generally use a handful, a generous handful.

I used grapeseed oil from WildTree. Their zesty lemon to be exact. They have a lot of infused oils that are quite good, but a little goes a long way. 

And voila! You get this lemony delicious chicken and pasta dish. 

Beef and Tomatoes over Pasta

House hunting can be overwhelming. It probably has a lot to do with my indecisiveness and/or pickiness. However, I'm pretty sure anyone would act the same way if they were going to be spending a ton of money broken up into preposterous monthly payments over the next 15 years. Plus, how does one really narrow down their list of wants and must haves to the absolute necessities? I want everything. I NEED everything on my list.

Anyway, this recipe is everything that house hunting is not. It is not difficult. It is not overwhelming. It takes very little time. It cost very little. So, it is absolutely PERFECT. Except that its main ingredient is ground beef and I don't really like ground beef. Nonetheless, everyone else in my family enjoys ground beef and apparently they all need a little red meat in their life once in awhile. Thankfully, they enjoyed this meal.

Beef and Tomatoes over Pasta

2 lbs ground beef

1-14 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes

1-14 oz can of black beans

1 container of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 medium green pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 jar of tomato sauce with red peppers

1 box of pasta of your choice (I would choose something with ridges or spirals so it will hold onto the sauce)

Brown beef in skillet until no longer pink. Remove excess grease if needed. Add the onions and green pepper and saute for 15 mins on medium heat. Add fire roasted tomatoes, black beans, cherry tomatoes, garlic and cook for another 15 mins. Add the tomato sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 15-20 mins or until all the flavors come together. In the meantime, prepare pasta as directed on package. Serve pasta topped with beef and tomatoes.

Winter Vegetable Soup

It is snowing. Really snowing. Luckily, I love snow. I love winter. Really, I swear. There is just something about big comfy sweaters and nights spent cuddled under a blanket that speaks to me. However, I'm pretty sure the rest of those in the area are tired of it. Spring is, after all, less than two days away.

Anyway, a day spent snowed/iced in calls for a wintery soup that warms the soul. Perhaps next week I'll be able to start thinking about spring, but until then enjoy this recipe.

I saw this recipe one day while flipping through the channels. It comes to you courtesy of Alton Brown and his Good Eats show. Generally I follow the basic recipe but you could really put any sort of hearty vegetable in it you want. You could switch in sweet potatoes, swiss chard or anything your little heart desires.

I am going to take a moment though to persuade you to believe in the benefits of kale. Kale is one of the most nutritious vegetables on earth. According to Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD,
just "one cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus (Webmd article, 2010)."

Although all the other vitamins and minerals are great, the 1020% vitamin K is the kicker here. To put it simply, vitamin K is essential for the modification of a number of our proteins (the building blocks of all life) during their synthesis (Furie et al., 1999). Decades ago Vitamin K antagonists were implicated in pharmacologic agents for anticoagulation (Campbell and Link, 1941). More recently, scientists have found that vitamin K intake has been associated with a reduced risk of and fatality from cancer (Nimptsch et al., 2010). Generally we get our vitamin K as the synthetic version found in cheese, but kale is stocked full of the vitamin naturally. So, if that isn't enough to persuade you to enjoy kale every once in awhile, I don't know what is.

At least give it a go in this soup :)

Winter Vegetable Soup

1/4 cup olive oil

2 medium carrots, finely diced

2 ribs celery, finely diced

1 large onion, finely diced

1 tablespoon kosher salt

One 35-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes

2 teaspoons fresh sage leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 quarts filtered water

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

One 2-by-2-inch piece Parmesan rind

7 ounces butternut squash, cubed

5 ounces curly kale, chopped

Two 15-ounce cans great Northern beans, undrained

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Shaved Parmesan, for serving

In a large stock pot add oil, carrots, celery, onion, salt and cook on low until soft; about 20 mins. Add the tomatoes, sage, rosemary, garlic, water (sometimes I substitute 1/2 the water for chicken stock), soy sauce and parmesan rind and bring to a boil. Let cook for roughly 20 mins, then lower heat and add the squash and kale. Cook for another 30 minutes or until squash is soft. Then add the northern beans (I usually substitute chick peas instead because I enjoy them more), red wine vinegar, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for another 15 mins. Serve with parmesan shaved or grated on top.

Grilled Vegetable Sandwich

One of my favorite past-times during the summer is grilling. I love grilled food, especially grilled vegetables. It takes so little to make food taste so good when it's coming off the grill. Olive oil and salt and pepper is all you really need to perfectly season your food of choice. Which is why I love this recipe.

It's everything great about summertime wrapped up into a little sandwich and I promise you wont even miss the meat!

What you need: zucchini, yellow summer squash, red onion, tomato, cheddar cheese, dijon mustard, mayo, basil and garlic.

Look at all that lovely basil just waiting to be picked. I tend to use basil a lot in all sorts of things. So, it saves so much money just for me to grow my own.

Chop basil and garlic and add it to mayo. Refrigerate until ready to prepare your sandwiches. This mayo gets better with time and goes great on about anything, including hamburgers. chicken, and tomato sandwiches!

You'll need these veggies. We tend to have an over abundance of squash during certain times of the growing season. Sometimes, it's hard to keep up with eating it all. So, this recipe helps you use up all those veggies, and with a twist.

Slice your onion and squash as shown. I like the onion slices thicker so that they hold up to grilling. Drizzle with olive oil and add some salt and pepper. 

I wrap my veggies in foil and grill until they start to get that great grilled color and the onions carmelize, about 1/2 hour on medium heat. I throw my buns on the warming rack in my grill for ~5 mins so that the get nice and toasty. To assemble, put a layer of your prepared mayo on the bottom bun and a layer of dijon mustard on the top bun. Layer on your vegetables and add the cheese immediately on top of the grilled veggies so that it has time to melt. Add tomato and voila, you have this incredible sandwich packed full of flavor, without the meat. I promise one will fill you up and only take up ~513 calories of your daily caloric intake.

Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

1 medium zucchini

1 medium yellow summer squash

1 large red onion

1 large tomato

3 slices cheddar cheese

3 tbsp dijon mustard

3 tbsp Garlic Basil Mayo

3 submarine/steak rolls

yields 3 sandwiches

Garlic Basil Mayo

1/2 c mayo

~15 basil leaves (4 tbsp chopped)

4 cloves garlic (3 tbsp chopped)