Summer Weight Loss- Week 13

You love food, that is why you are reading this website. Food is one of the things that brings you joy. To me food is definitely one of life's greatest pleasures! Funny enough, I became a lot more adventurous with it when I started my journey into healthier living. As much as I loved food, I was stuck in a box.

I only ate American, Italian and Greek Food. I knew what I knew and I ate in larger quantities. Food was great to me, but I didn't have much respect for it. I wanted lots of it and I wasn't that picky an eater.

Summer Weight Loss Challenge- Week 6

This week's Summer Weight Loss Challenge Tip is 80/20 RULES! Eat healthy 80 percent of the time, the other 20 indulge in whatever you love most!

This is my favorite philosophy and I like to explain it as 80% healthy and watching portions 20% bacon and beer! I mean you guys know following me on Facebook and Twitter just how much I love the tasty things in life and my passion for craft beer. A lot of people wonder how do you maintain your weigh loss when you love those things? The answer is I love them in moderation and I don't keep lots of things like that in my house.

I think this photo illustrates 80/20 pretty nicely, a well balanced portion controlled dinner after a workout with a pint of beer. A little indulgence with lots of veggies!

You can see 80/20 as weekdays are strictly healthy, weekends you loosen the reigns a bit. So usually during the week for me there is no beer. I mostly eat salads for lunch, a smoothie or Greek yogurt with fruit and granola for breakfast and a light dinner. On the weekend I may go to a brewery for a tasting, have a couple pints with friends, or eat a nice piece of cake. I choose my indulgences and don't beat myself up for them since I am in control. I decide when to indulge and how.

During the weekdays when you want some ice cream, think about it... DO I want this now? Would it taste sweeter on the weekend on the beach? Just think about when you indulge and how often. If you can remember you indulged in a Carvel Sundae the night before, you want to second guess indulging again for the next couple days.

When I was on Weight Watchers they gave us points. Every week you had an extra 49 points to blow on whatever you liked. Sometimes I would blow it all in one day, one meal or spread it out through the week. You can think of the 80/20 the same kinda way. If you go have a 12 course chef tasting you will need the count that as the entire 20% LOL! But if you wanna have a little chocolate every night you can do that too!

What is WONDERFUL about 80/20. It means I can each EVERYTHING I want, just not all at once. But knowing you CAN eat something doesn't make you obsess over that cake. You may have a sliver and call it a day and give yourself a pat on the back for having that cake!

What does 80/20 mean for you? How can you implement it into your life?!

Gyro Sliders with Creamy Dill Yogurt Sauce

Gyro meets slider in this epic yet small bite. No lamb needed, just regular beef spiced to perfection to match that gyro flavor, topped with a tangy dill yogurt sauce!

This may be my BEST creation yet! I have made them 3 times now, that is how much I LOVE them! I am pretty sure I have told you I don't make something more than once unless I REALLY love it- even my own recipes. I am like that way with beer too! (That is how I have amassed an impressive 315 beers on untapped)

It all started one night... I was talking to my husband over dinner about what kind of restaurant I would open (if I ever did) and I decided it would be American pub food with a twist. So in discussing what kind of burgers I would create for the menu I decided there should be a Greek burger- it would be like a gyro. It would taste like a gyro in burger form with some sort of yogurt sauce... so the words were spoken and so this was born!

I researched common spices in a gyro and developed this fantastic spice blend. Just the right amount of spiciness with 1 tbsp of cayenne for that kick to your taste buds. Then with the smoked paprika give it a little smokiness and also give the delicious dribbling fat juices an orange hue. The drippings are also delicious when the slider's bottom bun picks up some of the luscious fat juices- even the bun become a joy to eat!

A Vegan Foodgasm: Double IPA Braised Bean and Salsa Verde Bowl

This is one badass vegan and gluten free recipe that is sure to satisfy even the most carnivorous of friends kicked up with some California craft beer action!

So proud, this is my very first attempt at a Vegan recipe and it is pretty badass at that! It also happens to be gluten free! Not just some normal meal with no animals harmed in any way... but it is filling and totally kick ass complete vegan meal busting at the seams from the flavor EXPLOSION! Did I also mention it is made with some BEER!

It is well known, there are two things I don't fuck around with, FOOD and BEER!

So yeah I went ALLLL the way over the top for this puppy! I have been talking to my friend The Beer Wench and she wanted to know if any good vegetarian recipes existed for beer, there is of course the obvious beer mac and cheese, maybe beer cheese soup. But I took this shit to a whole nother level and went straight to vegan.... did I mention I like a challenge?!

#Beermonth Begins with a Chocolate Stout Shake!

For those of you that have been following me for a while you will remember #Beermonth from last year. It is a month where I celebrate my love for craft beer with: recipes, articles, reviews and more from me and some of my blogging friends! This year I have my friend Lauren from Hall's Nesting, Jessica from Jessiker Bakes, Melissa from Drunk and Unemployed and Nicole from Nibbles by Nic.You can expect BIG recipe posts 4/16 and 4/30 from ALL of us and maybe some articles and general craft beer love coming your way!

The Story of Beer Month...

My love of craft beer started with The Gateway to Craft Beer, Pumpkin Spice. I think you ladies know what I am talking about. If not this is the magic that is pumpkin spice ale- It is ale brewed with pumpkin and spices and then in NY (as I understand this is not done everywhere) they rim the glass with pumpkin spice sugar. TO- DIE- FOR. I fell and I fell hard for the spice. The spice captured my heart and then I just had to know more about craft beer.

I moved on to other fruit beers. One of my first faves was Bluepoint Blueberry Ale, so delicious and perfect in the summer. Then I tried Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. Then I really started getting adventurous and ventured onto the dark side. Dark beers- dun dun dun **cue scary music**

I learned one thing- never to judge a beer by it's color. Just like with people, you should see what's happening on the inside. While I don't encourage you to lick a person to see if they're any good... I do encourage you to at least take a simple sip of a beer. At worst, you can easily spit it our if you don't like it.

Since I had my own blog I knew I had to incorporate cooking and beer together for a month of craft beer love.

Since my love of craft beer grew, it blossomed into a new direction for me. I write for 2 magazines about local craft beer and have become completely immersed with the craft beer culture here on Long Island. Beer month was born so I can share recipes with local craft beer and give you a little taste of the local scene and happenings.

Since I never drink alone- I always invite some bloggers to get in on the fun with me!
I have some surprises too! This month I will be brewing my VERY own beer with The Brewers Collective, a local group of home brewers. I strongly believe that homebrewers' creativity heavily influences the nano and craft brew market. With homebrew you can take those chances and you know I like to get creative!

Now for the reason you are all here- this drippy mess of deliciousness that I call A Chocolate Stout Milkshake...

I have been going to a local restaurant, Relish, for a while now. The food is always fresh, as local as it can be and inventive while still being incredibly comforting and inviting. No small portion or names you cannot pronounce or understand. This is down to earth, creative twists on classic comfort. A place that anyone can feel comfortable. When I heard they were serving beer, I was excited. When I saw they had a Guinness Milk Shake, I had to try it and WOAH it stopped me in my tracks, I clutched my chest to keep my heart still. It was way better than I ever expected.

Chocolate and Stouts are  not an uncommon combination at all. If you follow one of my faves, The Beeroness, You will see stout and chocolate are a "thing", basically mouth magic! The dark maltiness of a stout already had notes of chocolate present often, so to add it to a chocolate recipe further pushes the bounderies.

So I thank Relish in Kings Park, NY for this recipe! It rocks HARD!

Why is this a Foodgasm?

This is pretty easy to answer, chocolate ice cream + stout beer = MAGIC.
But to balance it out there is caramel and chocolate syrup for a little more sweet-ness as stouts sometimes have a bitter edge to them.

Samoa Energy Truffles

So I have been seeing a lot of these great recipes that replicate a cliff bar or to make your own cereal bars, etc. It intrigued me, mostly because most of those bars you buy at the store have preservatives, chemicals, high fructose corn syrup etc. At the start of my healthy eating and weight loss journey, I looked for anything as long as it was low fat and now that is starting to change for me. I learned of all the crap that is put into processed food. So now I try and eat very little processed food (food in a box) or stick to Trader Joe's stuff (which has no preservatives, chemicals, GMO's etc.). With all these energy bars and protein bars out there, I thought I would give making my own a shot. Looking over some recipes I was inspired by these almond joy bites by Gimme Some Oven. I wanted mine to be a little indulgent and also fun like these, so I made a Samoa version.

Little chocolate salty balls that are just the right balance of what you want and what you need! You need energy that won't make you crash and you wanna eat a Samoa cookie to get it. This is not as good as a Samoa- it's better!

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Fudgey, soft, round balls covered in toasted coconut and drizzled in caramel and melted dark chocolate- 'nuff said there. But this texture doesn't come from fat- in fact you won't believe what gives it this texture. Dates! Okay don't be grossed out and think I'm tricking you into eating some nasty health food. Give it a shot and you will taste the magic and fall in love with these balls! 

These balls are da shit! Whole foods for the win! If you want these gluten or grain free just sub the graham crackers for more nuts of your choice.

To be clear these are healthy, but not a diet food. Eat 1 or two for some hunger fighting power to get through to dinner or before a workout. But definitely don't eat many since there's sugar and fat in these- HEALTHY sugars and fat. But I want to make sure if you are trying to lose weight you won't eat a ton of these! LOL! That said they have LOTS of fiber, some protein and natural sugars that won't make you crash!

Bonus about this post- ball jokes! Gotta love it! Especially balls you can put in your mouth. OMGeeee the jokes are endless!

What you need

12 oz mejool dates (unpitted) You can also sub regular dates, but you may wanna soak them so they become soft.
1 cup pistachios (Other nut if you like)
1 cup crushed graham crackers
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons melted dark chocolate
1/4 cup toasted coconut

To finish em off you need:
1/3 cup toasted coconut (to roll the balls in)
caramel sauce to drizzle (I used Trader Joe's Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce)
Melted Dark chocolate to drizzle ( I used 1/4 bar or 1 oz. of dark chocolate in all including what I put in the balls)

How to make them

1- So I put in the dates in the food processor first and I added about 1/4- 1/3 cup warm water to help them combine.
2- Add in everything else and let 'er rip. It may take some negotiation and you may need to scrape the sides time to time
3- Roll balls in your hand and roll in toasted coconut.
4- Drizzle with caramel and melted chocolate

Nutritional Information

Bangers and Mash- Featuring Long Ireland Celtic Ale

So this past weekend I was Jamming out to a Celtic Rock Concert- the first official party of St. Patty's Day. I am not Irish in any way, but I love beer. (You guys know this, I know). Anyways the name of the band was Bangers and Mash and the featured Beers were from Long Ireland Brewing Company. That concert basically designed mu St. Partrick's Day post for all of you!

The band was awesome (I love me some Celtic rock) and so was the beer. I've had Long Ireland's Breakfast Stout before but they make a great Celtic ale and that trumps the stout for me. I LOVE it. Nothing fancy, just a great Irish Red Ale, but done really well. Way better than Killian's Irish Red. So I researched some classic Bangers and Mash Recipe and I think this is a great twist on it.

Super easy and super delicious. I threw in plenty of onions so you could justify it by saying you had one serving of vegetables.  After the onions caramelized I threw in some Celtic Ale and that is when the magic happens. Add just a little vinegar and let it reduce and you got yourself a kick-ass St. Patty's Day meal. Bonus points for pairing it with a pint of Long Ireland Celtic Ale!

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food and add some great sausages atop that with a beer and onion gravy- well you just hit the jackpot at the end of the rainbow. I reduced the fat in the mashed potatoes with a little light butter and some nonfat Greek yogurt and lowfat milk. You will not be able to tell the difference. Remember reduced fat is always better than fat free. As for the bangers, I can't help you there, not making my own sausage. But I used Trader Joe's Bangers you should be able to find them in store right now! So this is not the lowest of fat dinners, so eat with caution and try and control yourself even though this is seriously delicious! 

Who wouldn't wanna be Irish for this dish?! Erin go Foodgasm!

So a brownie and a pound cake walk into a brewery....

So you're probably seeing and expecting lots of wing recipes, nachos and all those other classic Super Bowl Snacks this week. That was the plan until I was snowed in and decided to experiment with some brown ale and developed my first ever scratch cake recipe. The results and response to the pictures were so amazing that I couldn't make you guys wait. It was delicious, fudgy madness! It also happened to be low in fat.

Well..... actually I made it that way. When I cook and bake I NEVER EVER add all the fat. My conscience just cannot allow me to do it. 3 sticks of butter?? 4??? Ouch! Unless of course I just need to learn how a recipe works in order to then find my own way to reduce the fat, LOL. 

Technically this is not a superbowl meal, but ummm who makes those rules as to what goes with football? If it were up to me, football would be a cake occasion and it DOES have beer in it after all, specifically some local Brooklyn Brown Ale. You need beer for your party and doesn't every party need cake?!

But if you don't want cake for your party (perish the thought!), fret not, I gotcha covered with some great healthy super bowl snacks from Peanut Butter and Peppers!! She has a TONS of recipes you are gonna LOVE! Check out more info at the bottom of the post!

Why is this a Foodgasm?

This is like a fudgy brownie and a pound cake walked into a brewery, had a threesome with some brown ale and they had a baby. Yeah that is totally what happened here. Totally fudgy while still holding the pound cake shape and could be cut into slices. But if that were already not good enough for you I decided to make a brown ale glaze to top it with. In this case the pics, totally speak of this magical texture!

I am proud of these photos, all the drippy deliciousness and really fudgey texture smack you in the mouth and say "Eat me". Yeah no caption needed. Just instant desire for putting it in your mouth!

How did I do it?

I used pumpkin puree to take the place of most of the fat, adding only a little coconut oil for some fat so it had a better texture overall. If you dont have coconut oil feel free to sub with some canola oil. It will work just as well. This also has 1 egg, but if you want to make this vegan you can try it without it, I am sure it would work, but may change the texture slightly.

What you need

1 can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling- this has added spiced and sugar)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup brown ale
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

For the brown ale glaze

3 tablespoons brown ale
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

How to make it

Preheat oven to 350º
1- In a mixer combine together 1 can pumpkin puree, 2 tablespoons coconut oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 large egg with the paddle attachment.
2- In a separate bowl combine together:
1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 cup brown ale, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3- Slowly and gradually add in the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredinets in the mixer until well combined (give it a couple minutes).
4- Grease a nonstick loaf pan (I used Trader Joe's Coconut Oil Spray) and pour in the batter.
5- Bake for about 1 hour and let it cool. (the toothpick method doesn't work too well here, it still comes out sticking due to the texture, but an hour should do it)

To make the brown ale glaze: Whisk together 3 tablespoons brown ale and 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar.

Pour over the top of the cake and ENJOY!

Nutritional Information 

Lots of Vitamin A and Potassium and very little fat!  AMAZING!! Yes you can have your cake and beer and eat it too!

Peanut Butter and Peppers Superbowl Recipe Round Up!!

Does my girl Jennifer have you hooked up?? Hell yeah, just look at all these! YUMMMM!

Get her recipes HERE!

Replace Black Friday with Friendsgiving!

Every year the holiday season starts sooner and sooner! Is it because Americans love to do good will toward men? Nope- tis the season that makes corporations some serious cash. A few years ago a woman was trampled to death in Wal*Mart on Black Friday. Seriously. To me it was a complete visual metaphor for what this greed had made the holiday season into. Greed on the part of corporations and American shoppers. I am not here to stand on my soapbox and look down on those that shop on black Friday, but I do want to be here as a agent of change. To be the change and offer a substitute.

About a year ago I posted about the holiday I created Friendsgiving (seems I am not the only one that celebrates it). It all started when I was broke and unemployed, this darkest of times made me realize that money and career are a distant second to friends and family. Since Thanksgiving is typically a family holiday, I wanted to create my own holiday the day after to celebrate those I do not share DNA with, but share everything else. It is the perfect day for a celebration: it's a Friday, you still have leftovers and food to share and you didn't get to celebrate the day before with your friends! 

So would you rather freeze your butt off for a cheaper laptop or stay toasty and cozy with your friends and some awesome food at home?  Come on...

Friendsgiving is celebrated with a Turkey dinner and all the trimmings, NY Foodgasm style of course. There is always a twist and I always lower the fat. I send out the word to my very closest friends, the ones that mean the most. I ask everyone bring a dish or a drink to contribute and the dining table turns into a buffet of amazing food! Great food, amazing company and I always like to give a little speech.

This is a time to show how much you really love all of your friends. To show gratitude and to be really serious for a minute and really tell people from the heart how you feel and what they do for you. Many days we are light hearted and rarely REALLY say how we feel and let people know how they affect us and make our lives better. This is the time. The time to make it all real.

My friends actually have come to look forward to this tradition. They expect it and enjoy it more than Thanksgiving itself. No drama, no repressed anger that is sometimes present with family. You can just sit back and enjoy.

This year I have chosen to give thanks to all my fellow chefs and foodbloggers I am most inspired by. Here is the menu.

Beer Brined Turkey- The Beeroness. She beerifes everything, she is cool and she knows her craft beer YAY!)
Thanksgiving Nachos- Inspired by Half Baked Harvest. I have tried at least 5 recipes by her and they ALL rock!
Italian Stuffing- my man Fabio Viviani, He's the BEST! He's seXXXy, he was on Top Chef, he makes me smile and I love his fresh food with an Italian spin!
Maple Pumpkin Brulle cheesecake- Baker's Royale. Her photos have made me swoon since I started blogging, they are gorgeous!

Stay tuned for more details!

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Quiche with a Sweet Potato Crust

Why is this a Foodgasm?
The sweetness of the caramelized onions and sweet potatoes combined with the creaminess of the goat cheese comes at you like a savory and sweet symphony on your tongue! No joke! This is where it's at. You need this in your mouth!

I came up with the idea since I have been on a goat cheese roll lately and I just knew I had to try this! I made a Pesto Quiche with a potato crust before and I knew I had to try this ideas of caramelized onions and goat cheese but with sweet potatoes. Then I thought since this crust doesn't cover the sides I am gonna try and use a springform pan and hot damn it worked! Like all my foodgasms this is pretty damn easy to make and low in fat! Not to mention this is loaded with vitamins. So not only is this a trip to delicioustown, but a one way ticket to a healthy life! Score!

Greek Gyro Pizza

Why is this a Foodgasm?

So you like gyros? Well I took that gyro I laid it down and made it a guilt free pizza. Yup that gyro is my bitch! You got a crispy whole wheat crust topped with ground lamb, cucumbers, red onion, diced tomatoes, salty feta cheese and a tangy fat free tzatziki! Will you miss the fat? Hell no, this is a Foodgasm and that is my promise!

Meatloaf Melt Panini

Ahhh yes the simple pleasures in life! I was in the mood to indulge and I am at The Airport Diner in Bohemia, NY. The waitress is kind enough to ask the cook to make this piece of foodgasmic art: A Meatloaf Melt Panini with caramelized onions and mushrooms with sweet potato fries. This delectable delight has the comfort food trifecta: carbs, melted cheese and meat! The sweet potato fries were the perfect blend of salty and sweet with a crispy coating. If you are ever in the neighborhood I recommend asking for this little number. Maybe I can inspire them to add it to the menu!

-Foodgasm score 4 out of 5 bites