roasted red pepper hummus and a milestone

this weekend was kiiiiind of a big deal because i officially reached the 50-pounds-lost benchmark.

so exciting, you guys!

here’s a picture:

me, almost 2 years ago; me 4.5 years ago on our wedding day

as embarrassing as is it to admit, i gained an even 50 pounds after i got married. crazy, right?

and it sucked.

all my clothes fit all wrong. i was always, always tired (and pretty depressed)… i got winded just taking the stairs in our loft. my doctor told me i had high cholesterol and high triglycerides. i felt awful! some people have asked what caused me to gain the weight, and i think it’s obvious here that i love food. i enjoy it — food is fun, it’s celebratory. that’s not a problem, exactly, but i also hated exercising, and without that foundation, i easily convinced myself to quit my gym membership not long after we got married. then i went through some personal stuff and started self-medicating with extra food. it went pretty quickly from there.

a couple years ago, i couldn’t take it anymore, and i finally went back to the gym; and found out that working out isn’t so bad, after all :) i made some mental health changes, too. i never should have waited so long! one of my gym’s mantras is “doing what we want, when we want.” and having the energy and ability to do that is pretty great!

it’s been a long road, and although each pound gone has been a victory, this particular milestone seemed so significant.

i have never been athletic and have always seen myself as the chubby kid. so i think one of my favorite moments of 2012 was coming in second place in the female burpee challenge put on by my gym over the summer. it was such an amazing feeling! i am good at burpees, man! and burpees are difficult!

every day that i walk out of that gym, i’ve done something i never thought i could do. i ran faster, i pushed more weight, i had better form. i squatted 300 pounds. i ran 150 sprints. i biked or rowed 10 miles. i helped pull a 3/4-ton pickup truck with a rope! things i never thought i would be able to do.

in the past, i’ve often celebrated my weight-loss successes with food. “let’s go out tonight to celebrate!” isn’t that bizarre? and ironic. i mean, to me food is festive — i celebrate every holiday, birthday, special occasion or get-together with friends with tasty food and plenty of it. i love that.

but this time — such as when i reached my 20-pounds-lost milestone and bought a new pair of jeans — this time, i went for a run. WHAT A TREAT RIGHT? it was 30 degrees! my hands and face were freezing. yikes!

but this was cool for me; because i used to despise exercise. i hated it, all of it. and to choose to do something like running, just because i CAN run, because it doesnt hurt the way it used to and because i have the strength now, to keep going — was a rad testament to how much i’ve really changed, mentally and physically.

so yay to that.

my husband, my friends and family, my trainers have been so supportive through my little journey, and i’m so grateful. my husband has encouraged me to keep going even if it means eating healthy (weird) stuff for dinner, or hanging out alone while i’m at the gym. he is amazing. once, my trainer took me aside and said “i know that you can do better.” i was tired from box sprints and kind of thought i was going to die, so his words angered me. i threw down my sweat towel and said “i’m TIRED!” but he was right! i did better, finished the sprints strong, faster than i thought i could have. i’m so glad he helped me believe that about myself.

anyway, i don’t eat right all of the time. but… most of the time. i eat sensibly and in moderation. i’ve started seeing food as a fuel for my body and not just something to enjoy. i work out hard, and afterwards i can splurge calories on dinner (and bourbon). usually when i want a cheeseburger, i have an apple. but sometimes, i have the cheeseburger — and fries. but i don’t let it stop me. i can sweat off that cheeseburger later! for me, i don’t want a life without cheeseburgers. it’s all about balance.

hummus is an awesome and tasty way to keep that balance… a delicious superfood! you can buy hummus at the store, but you haven’t really eaten hummus til you’ve made it fresh yourself, am i right? it’s amazing and my husband declared this the creamiest and tastiest i’ve ever made. (thanks, babe!) i like to spike a batch of homemade hummus with roasted garlic and roasted red bell peppers….the garlic flavor deepens and mellows as it roasts, and the bell peppers give a wonderful color and brightness.

for dipping, i like pita triangles, crackers, or vegetable crudites — carrot sticks or cucumber rounds, spears of fresh bell peppers, crunchy jicama sticks. hummus also makes an awesome spread on sandwiches or wraps, or maybe tucked in alongside some flafel in a pita pocket. yum!

i’ve been making hummus for so long that it almost seemed too boring a recipe to share. but it isn’t, and it’s easy and delicious! i like to add white beans to the garbanzos for a textural dimension. enjoy!

roasted red pepper hummus

yield: enough for a party appetizer and some for lunch the next day

 

note: we’re on a strict budget around here, so i started with dried chickpeas because they’re so inexpensive. this process takes some time, and since dinnersfowinners is all about easy and quick, i’ve included directions for using canned beans or dried. canned beans are a great time-saver — just make sure you rinse them well because they are packed in plenty of sodium.

• 1 head of garlic
• 1/2 of a 15 oz jar of roasted red peppers (and some of the liquids)
• 2 cans garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained and rinsed
• 1 can white beans (such as canellini), drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
• juice from two lemons
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper

if starting with dried chickpeas: place 1 1/4 cups of dried chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with twice the volume of water. let it sit overnight. drain, and then saute the chickpeas and 1 teaspoon baking soda in a large skillet for about 3 minutes (the baking soda helps reduce the gasseous effects beans can have on us!) add 1.5 quarts of water and cook at a simmer anywhere from 20 – 30 minutes, maybe longer, depending on freshness. they’re ready when tender, but not mushy.

wrap the head of garlic (unpeeled) in foil and place in a 450-degree oven for 30-40 minutes. (i like to do this while i’m already roasting something else in the oven.) once cool, remove foil and peel cloves. pop them into a food processor and let them get finely chopped.

add the remaining ingredients and process until very smooth, seriously like at least 4 – 5 minutes. taste and adjust seasonings: more salt and pepper? more lemon? sometimes i add more liquid if the hummus is too thick — more roasted red pepper liquid, or even some water.

store in an airtight container in the fridge, though i find it best served at room temperature.

white bean, sausage and kale stew

 

my normal work schedule is 7 – 4, but lately i have been working more like 6 – 5 to try to catch up. my brain is melting a touch, i confesss. the learning curve is steep, and while i am adjusting, it takes time. most days, i am behind. but yesterday, i was realllllly done at eight hours.

i wanted to cook.

for me, cooking readjusts my head to where it feels straight. it’s what i needed to refresh my spirit. i recently read a tempting recipe for some stew that called for a slow-cooker, and i got really excited because i love using my slow-cooker and coming home to a wonderful aroma of a hot meal, waiting for me! don’t you? but, the recipe said to slow-cook for 2.5 hours. and that just isn’t going to fly when i am away from home for so long during the work week. 8 hours, sure, but 2.5, really?

so i made my own stew. slow-and-low, but not too slow. just long enough to bake a loaf of the best bread ever (if you’ve been reading food blogs for any length of time, i dont need to tell you about Jim Lahey’s no-knead bread method…. but, if you haven’t tried it before, you really should. making professional-looking and totally delicious bread is fail-proof and absolutely a sinch!! here is the simple recipe to guide you — try it!).

to be honest, this stew isn’t all that pretty. but who cares, winter food has never been about good looks. we’ll leave that for Spring and Summer eats. the truth is that this stew feeds your soul, and your eyes will forget their lustfulness. i promise. the kale shares its earthiness through the body of the stew, and each bite is hearty with beans and sausage. i love the fennel seeds here that really make the tomato flavors sing. i also had a little fresh basil and parsley on hand, so i added some for a wonderful brightness. but this slow-cooked stew will really work beautifully on dried herbs, which are so much more budget-friendly, am i right?

if the holidays have left you frazzled, or if you need something healthful to fill your family up, or maybe you invited dinner guests who are notoriously late and you’re unsure if you will have 10 minutes or two hours to keep the food warm — here is a perfect and simple dinner. let it simmer away for a while on the stove, unattended. or eat it just after it’s become hot– it’s delicious either way. don’t let cooking rule your schedule. make it work for you, yes?

(what you might expect to see in the coming recipes here at DFW are recipes more on the healthful side, with budget-conciousness at the forefront. a lower cheese-intake and a lower income is what 2013 is bringing us so far, and we hope you’ll enjoy experiencing some of our realities with us!)

–oh, and i’ll be honest, this stew makes fantastic leftovers. if it becomes too thick when reheated for lunch the next day, a little water helps — the flavors havent gone, just some of their moisture, so add a splash and off you go, making your coworkers envious as they smell your lunch.

enjoy.

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 lb chicken spicy Italian sausage, bulk, or casings removed
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large cans (28-ounce) whole tomatoes, juices of one can drained and reserved for another use
• 2 cans (14-ounce) white beans, such as canellini
• 1 teaspoon dried fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 gigantic bunch kale, washed and stems removed, chopped
• fresh herbs, such as parsley and basil, chopped (optional)

heat the oil in a large skillet over medium and brown the sausage, breaking into crumbly pieces with a spoon as it cooks.

once browned, add diced onion and minced garlic and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. add the can of drained tomatoes and the can of tomatoes with their juice, and carefully (they might squirt at you!) mash the tomatoes into chunks with a potato masher, or your instrument of choice, until broken into bite-sized pieces. then add the white beans, fennel and oregano. stir everything occasionlly while this bubbles for at least 20 minutes, but an hour if you have time.

as canned tomatoes are usually salted, i found this stew did not require seasoning, but make your own salting determination after taste-testing.

about 15 minutes before serving, add the chopped kale and stir and simmer. remove from heat and stir in fresh herbs, if using. you could top each bowl of stew with grated parmesan, if you like, but i found it hearty and rich enough without it! yes, this stew had me saying “no” to cheese. now that’s something.