I’m truly enjoying a bit of Sunday morning quiet. I slept in, and really have nothing scheduled for the day. It’s the first Sunday like this in quite some time. So today, I’ll be taking some time for a short hike, and then perusing my cookbooks to planning for some ‘lighter’ meals.
By ‘lighter’ I mean, lighter on the meat protein.
We’re sending Grayson back to Miami this weekend, so the ‘demand’ for meat-based meals will be lowered significantly. And, because one of Addison’s goals for the new year is to have one meat-free week a month, the opportunity is here to find some new recipes to add to our rotation. Keely is all in for the change as well.
I have a few go-to cookbooks for seeking recipes including the Oldways Make Everyday Mediterranean cookbook, and of course my Blue Zones cookbook is great, as well as the classic, Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. And lately, I’ve been in search of a few new cookbooks to add to my collection — those that will give me even more inspiration for preparing delicious, meat-free (or less meat) meals.
Transitioning to a New Way of Cooking
I’ve been on this journey for some time, and through the years, and I’m finally ready to go a bit further. Making the transition to even more meat-free meals can feel daunting. After all, 90 percent of our list of favorite meals are recipes with meat. So, it will take an effort, and some finger-crossing, as I prepare new recipes (with greater frequency) that my family look forward to eating.
(You can read about our eating more meat-less meals in this 2013 post, Channeling my Inner Vegetarian)
On a Similar Note
I remember listening to The Food Chain podcast, “Sleep, eat, repeat?” which focused on the link between sleep, food and our overall health. It is truly amazing how the lack of sleep affects our health in so many ways — our brains, our bodies, and of course, our moods. The lack of sleep triggers certain chemical reactions in the brain which affect our cravings — and oftentimes those cravings are for high fat, salty and sugary foods. There is so much research and great insight packed into this podcast, I recommend giving it a listen.
As for tonight, I’m working with the food I have in my house, so we’ll be enjoying crispy sweet potatoes and Quinoa Cakes. I did indulge on the dessert side of things, making the Chocolate Pecan Pots de Creme, from La Tourangelle.
Afterwards, I’ll look forward to having a good night’s sleep.
Chocolate Pecan Pots de Creme
- 9 ounces high-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 6 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons La Tourangelle Roasted Pecan Oil (can substitute olive oil)
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar (add an extra tablespoon if using bitter chocolate)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Place the chocolate and the pecan oil in a blender.
Whisk the milk, 1 cup cream, egg yolks, granulated sugar and salt in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spatula and almost boiling, 5 to 6 minutes.
Immediately pour the milk mixture over the chocolate in the blender. Cover and hold the lid with a thick kitchen towel; blend until combined and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed.
Divide the chocolate mixture among ramekins or small cups and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
Garnish with fresh berries and sea salt before serving. Enjoy!
