Protein Fluff Extreme

If you love ice cream but rather avoid processed sugars, this recipe will change your life! Double so if you work out because it is a great post workout meal. I usually make a very large portion. Most recipes I've seen on the Internet call for half the amounts, so just divide everything by 2 if you are going for a "normal" amount.

The most important ingredient here is the protein powder. I don't want to recommend any particular kind but it took some experimentation until I found some that work well. An ideal powder will dissolve easily and have the sweeteners that you prefer. I usually go for a powder that is naturally sweetened with stevia, not sugar and definitely not artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols. If you eat it at night (like me) and also work out then egg protein powder or casein protein powder are a good idea. They break down slower than whey protein so your body will be able to absorb them over the night.

Source: just google "protein fluff"
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 2-3 minutes
Yields: about a pint

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of your favorite frozen fruits in chunks (I like berries, mango, grapes, figs, pears, bananas...)
• 2 scoops protein power, about 50g
• ⅓ cup water, milk, or any liquid

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, put the fruits first, then powder, then water.
2. Mash thing up manually with an immersion (hand held) blender without running it. This is that the mixture won't go flying off.
3. After you mashed it up a bit, run the immersion blender for about 2 minutes. Blend more than you think. It should all be super smooth and all the feels from the fruits should be completely broken down.
4. If you are feeling extra fluffy, use the whisker attachment to fluff it out more! This has a tendency to increase volume so if you are hungry but don't want a full portion then this will make a smaller one more filling.

This recipe has changed my life. Seriously. You will know what I am talking about once you try it. If you like, please leave a comment and share your spin on this recipe!

No-Bake Low Carb Protein Bar

When I first saw this recipe I was skeptical, but now I am addicted. Another great thing is that it doesn't take much time to prepare!

Source: yummly.com
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 3-4 hours to cool in the fridge
Yields: 6 bars

Ingredients:

    •    ½ cup flax seed meal or almond meal.
    •    2 tablespoons coconut flour
    •    2 tablespoons sesame or chia seeds
    •    10 tablespoons protein powder (I mix some vegan, egg white and hemp. Experiment!)
    •    3 tablespoons raw cacao or carob powder
    •    ⅛ teaspoon stevia powder
    •    ⅓ cup almond butter
    •    2 tablespoons coconut oil
    •    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    •    ½ cup water (more or less, as necessary)

Instructions:

1. Mix all dry ingredients well.
2. Mix together almond butter and coconut oil in a small cup (it a good idea to melt them first).
3. Add almond butter and oil to dry ingredients and mix well with your hands. The mixture will be rather dry and crumbly.
4. Mix in vanilla extract and water. Add the water gradually so you don't overdo it.
5. Line a small pan with shrink-wrap and press in the dough evenly.
6. Chill in the fridge for several hours to set, then cut into approximately 6 pieces. Wrap each one individually for a quick snack, or store them with wax paper in-between.

Good substitutions for flax seed meal is any ground nuts or even quinoa flakes. If you are alergic to nuts then sunflower seed butter works just as well!

Hummus

This recipe is a work in progress. I am still narrowing it down. Personally I don't like lemon in my hummus, but if you do just add some at the end.

Source: mevashlim.com
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3-4 hours
Yields: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• Garbanzo beans, 1 lbs.
• Baking soda, 1 tsp.
• Tahini, 1 cup
• Garlic, minced, 4 + 1 cloves
• Onion, diced, 1 medium
• Parsley, chopped, 2 tbsp.
• Cilantro, chopped, 2 tbsp.
• Coriander seeds, ground 1 tsp. 
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Cumin

Instructions:

1. Soak the garbanzo beans in water over night in the fridge together with the baking soda, for at least 12 hours.
2. Drain and wash the beans, place in a large pot together with the onion, parsley, cilantro, coriander seeds, 4 cloves of garlic and little salt.
3. Bring to boil and cook for about 3 hours. The garbanzo beans should be very soft and easily squashed between your fingers.
4. Turn off flames and let stand for an hour.
5. Drain the liquids, but don't throw away. Also save a cup of the cooked garbanzos.
6. Put the rest of the garbanzo together with tahini, 1 clove of garlic, cumin, olive oil (generously) and salt in a blender and process until smooth. If too thick then add some of the cooking liquids.
7. Serve hot or cold. Pour the unprocessed garbanzos on top of the plate.

Braised Goat Shoulder with Sweet Paprika

I am very fortunate to live across the street from the largest farmers market in northern California, located in San Rafael near the Marin County civic center. It is a foodie's dream: tons of local organic produce, artisan chocolates, specialty cheeses and sustainably grown meats. A good friend of mine owns a booth there and turned me on to goat shoulders - such an excellent cut! The perfect combination of meat and fat, mmmmm...
I've been looking for different ways of preparing it and came upon a recipe which is the basis for the one below. My version is slightly different and adopted to a slow cooker instead of a dutch oven.

Source: shepherdsongfarm.com
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours
Yields: 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

• Goat shoulder (~ 2 lbs.)
• Salt, pepper, sweet paprika
• Cooking oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 small carrots, diced
• 3 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 cloves of garlic, chopped
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 2 tbsp. sherry vinegar, or white wine vinegar
• 3 cups bone broth
• 1 tbsp. ghee

Instructions:

1. 2 hours before cooking, sprinkle the goat liberally with salt, pepper, and a light (but thorough) dusting of sweet smoked paprika. Place in the fridge and bring out about 30 minutes before cooking.
2. Start the slow cooker on 'high'.
3. Heat oil in a large pan and brown the goat generously on all sides until very brown. Remove from the pan.
4. In the same oil fry the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots on medium-low for about 5 minutes.
5. Add white wine and sherry vinegar and cook for 3 minutes.
6. Add the broth and bring to boil.
7. Place the shoulder in the slow cooker and cover with the hot broth.
8. Don't be tempted to add salt! It's okay if the broth is a bit bland at this point.
9. Let cook far about 2 hours, then turn over the shoulder every hour or so. It should be very tender after a few turns, about 4-5 hours from the start.
10. Take out the shoulder and move it to a covered pan so it stays warm and moist.
11. Strain the broth and pour into a sauce pan. Bring to boil.
12. Turn the heat to 'low' and reduce the sauce until it is quite thick. It should take about 30 minutes and you should have about ½ cup left. Mix in the ghee. Add salt if necessary.
13. Cut shoulder into slices, place on a warm plate, cover with sauce and serve.

Vipassana Sunflower Soy Dressing

I was recently fortunate to visit the North California Vipassana Center again and help a bit in the kitchen. While there I made sure to get the recipe for the famous Sunflower Soy salad dressing which I've named years ago "Sunflower Crack". It's funny how so many students that undergo the retreat remember the salad dressing of all things as one of the highlights. To put in perspective: the other type of dressing they serve is a pretty yummy Italian Dressing, but the instructions in the kitchen are to prepare FOUR TIME more of the sunflower soy than the Italian because it is so popular. I've only seen one other website out there that shared the recipe, but the quantities were all wrong and it came out super salty. Here is the original and correct one:

Source: dhamma.org
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: N/A
Yields: 8 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups sunflower seeds
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 3 cups canola oil (non-GMO)
• 1 cup cold water + 1 after blending

 Instructions:

1. Combine all (except last cup of water). 
2. Run in blender (Vitamix works best) until there are no traces of seeds, but don't over blend as it will get syrup-y.
3. Pour into container and whisk in the last cup of water.

For gluten-free option try substituting the soy sauce with tamari sauce and/or Bragg's aminos. If you're not into canola oil then go with another type of gentle flavor oil. Olive oil is probably not the most ideal for this dressing.

Raw Dairy Free Chocolate Drink

This drink is based on a product I found at the local farmer's market. I am trying to reverse-engineer it and I think got the recipe pretty close now. I won't say the name of the company because I don't want to affect their business., but they have really good raw chocolate products.

Source: Undisclosed
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Yields: 2.5 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 cups filtered water
• ⅓ cup raw cashew butter
• 4 tsp raw cacao powder
• 3 tsp raw coconut sugar or your sweetener of choice
• Vanilla extract or vanilla bean
• Pinch of salt

 Instructions:

1. Use a blender to mix everything.
2. Store in the fridge. Will stay good for about a week but if you are like me it will be gone the same day.

Chicken Gizzards in Paprika Sauce

This is a dish I remember from my childhood in Israel. It's great to see how gizzards and other organ meats (offal) are regaining popularity in the U.S.

Source: ocheltov.co.il
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs. chicken gizzards, cleaned and halved.
• 5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed into 2" OR a basket of small mushrooms cut in quarters
• ½ tsp. cumin powder
• ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
• ¼ cup coconut oil, or lard, or tallow.
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper

 Instructions:

1. Place gizzards in a pot, cover with water and bring to boil. Cook on low for 30 minutes, strain, move to a bowl and mix with some pepper and salt.
2. In a separate bowl mix the potatoes/mushrooms with cumin and turmeric until they are evenly covered.
3. Melt the oil in a pot, add the onions and fry until translucent. Add the gizzard and fry on low for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the paprika and immediately 3/4 cup water so it won't burn and become bitter.
5. Pour the potatoes/mushrooms over the gizzards, bring to a boil, cover the pot and cook on low for an hour.
6. In the last 5 minutes add the garlic and if necessary more salt or pepper.