Gouda and the Chocolate Box

That is THE lamest blog title of ALL time. It's a reference to an old Cat Stevens album: Buddha and the Chocolate Box (my favorite Cat Stevens album, by the way). But this week we discovered the smoked gouda at the farmer's market, and a chili-infused dark chocolate. So it seemed appropriate.

From a culinary standpoint, this week was very successful! I'll get right to it...

This, is our new favorite:

What is it, you ask? It's just the best portobello burger in the world! It rivals a beef burger. In fact, I prefer this over a beef burger (believe it, or not!).

The "Marinade":

2 T brown spicy mustard

3 T balsamic

1/2 C olive oil

1 t sea salt

1/2 t black pepper

1 t Worcestershire (it was supposed to be hot sauce...but use this, it worked!)

dash of red pepper flakes (because we didn't have hot sauce)

The "Spread":

2 T of the left over marinade

1/4 - 1/2 Cup of light mayonnaise

Clean and dry the portobello mushrooms, marinate on the counter for about 30 minutes. Grill for 4-5 minutes per side, (make sure that for the last few minutes, the bottom of the mushroom is on the grill to allow juices to run out), top with smoked gouda for the last few minutes, toast some ciabatta rolls and voila...you will not be disappointed! We added lettuce and red onion, no tomato - it was juicy enough!

Serve with a side of Kale Chips or oven baked sweet potato fries!

I hate to mess up a good thing when I've found it, but next week we're going to try the grilled onion and blue cheese portobello burger recipe I found in Clean Eating magazine.

This is one of my all time favorites:

Weight Watchers Hearty Turkey Chili. I didn't use turkey though. Instead, I added a half cup of wheat bulgur. Ground turkey is somewhat flavorless anyway, so why use meat at all? I'll tell you why...it absorbs the spice! I will need to tone down the heat on this one - 2 T of Chili Powder and 1 T of Smoked Paprika, PLUS red pepper flakes....it was HOT. We topped it with yogurt, which cooled it down somewhat, and the next day I added more apple cider vinegar, a little sugar, a can of vegetarian refried beans and some extra organic chicken broth. It was even better the 2nd day!

Another Weight Watchers favorite is:

Wheat Bulgur Salad with Feta and Mint served with:

Oven "grilled" tandoori chicken skewers with red onion and a cucumber, yogurt, mint sauce. So good, even Jacob ate it!

All of these recipes are "clean", or "whole foods" adaptable - I did my best to use all natural, organic, local ingredients. Oh, and guess what? I lost another 1.5 pounds this week. How 'bout that? I'm now down 14.5 lbs. and it feels great.

Maybe it's the combination of whole foods, weight watchers, yoga, intuitive eating, the stars being in proper alignment, etc. etc., that have finally culminated to create a recipe for success? I hope so.

I want to dedicate this post to three of the most wonderful people in the world. This past year has been a tough one for the family. We lost my beloved Grandmother, "Grandma Ile" (Eline - I was named for her), her beautiful sister Gunhild, and Joe Mesmer - their brother in law. They were the last of our "elder" generation and were truly a strength and inspiration for the rest of us. They all lived well into their 90's (the sisters) and 80's (Joe). I think their passions for life, laughter, family, and just that certain "something", maybe it's wisdom, that this generation seemed to posses had a little to do with it. They were strong, active, intelligent, full of love and compassion, and most of all, full of life! They are an inspiration to be the healthiest and happiest that I can possibly be; because, you see, I'll need a long life in order to "practice". And maybe...just maybe, if I'm lucky, I can become just like them.