kristen shoates – Luv Cooks

Food as FUEL.

One of my favorite things about food, honestly, is the way it makes us feel. Food is so healing, so special, such a gift- that it has the ability to literally make us feel better, and more in tune to, the world around us.

That’s why this week’s recipe is so tied into Kristen’s final two points about food. That, like we have talked about food is medicine, and art. But it’s also fuel and connection.

Hummus has become, in our household, a comfort food. Scooped up with a pita chip, or carrot, or even stray chunk of chicken, it adds a protein-packed, and rich, flavor to most anything it’s dunked in. I’m constantly adding it as a side item to weeknight dinner, or most recently, the beef soup I had to stretch to feed Jake and I for about 8 meals. It’s filling, its delicious, and now we both know that when I bust out the hummus, it’s officially time to chow down.

But the problem with a lot of store-bought hummus is that it has a tinge of the vinegary (instead of the creamy) to it. Some I’ve tried are chocked full of all kinds of chemicals that there is no way my great-grandmother would have ever known about. Or, they have an odd texture akin to that of a cotton ball blended with lemon in a Vitamix.

So, I’ve started making my own. Confession- there is one brand at Costco I love and buy on the regular. But if I’m in the mood for the good stuff- the type of stuff you only make for the people you realllyyy want to love on- then I make this recipe. I take the time to buy the beans, and roast the garlic, and use an actual food processor. I promise y’all it’s worth the effort.

And without further ado, Kristen Shoates ladies and gentlemen!!

“Food as fuel. Most of us, especially women, have an unhealthy belief that low calorie automatically means good and high calorie automatically means bad. But calories are not the enemy – in fact, they’re your friend. They’re the very reason we eat, the fuel that allows us to think, move, work and do the things we love. Yes, we live in a society where the amount of calories in our food is often off-balance, and it takes some work to make sure we’re consuming them wisely, but we have to stop fearing the calorie and instead love our food for the way it fills us with energy and life.

Food as connection. Throughout history, eating has been as much a social activity as a necessity. Though the reasons why are still mysterious, humans have always connected around food, from ancient rituals to celebratory feasts to the modern dinner date. Sometimes, it’s less about what we’re eating and instead how we eat and who we’re eating with. Enjoying a decadent meal and the company of those you love fills your heart as well as your stomach, and sometimes just being in the moment is far more important than what is on your plate.

While I am a huge advocate for being conscious of what we put in our bodies, I think we need a broader definition of health – one that is rooted in love instead of fear of our food. What if we treated food as an adventure, exploring the different flavors available to us in nature? What if we defined nourishment as the things that build up both our bodies and souls? What if we actually connected with our food, asking where it comes from and how it’s made – or actually making it ourselves? And what if we connected with each other, seeing eating not just as utilitarian, but a chance to share a moment – or even love?

For me, falling in love with my food has made everything else fall into place. I am motivated eat foods that heal instead hurt, to listen to my body and give it what it needs and to know when to treat myself without guilt. This New Year, as you make resolutions, I encourage you to focus less on a number on the scale or what food group you’ll restrict and instead resolve to eat real, whole, nourishing foods – and enjoy eating them. Not only will this help you achieve your health goals, but it could also be the start of a fun, artistic, spiritual, love-filled affair.

And as my Italian family would say, “that’s amore”.

Isn’t Kristen ahhhmazing?!! Preach, sister!

And here is a bit more of my take on what Kristen is saying:

In summary, my amazing readers, food is fuel, it is connection, it is love. Not only does it connect us to ourselves, and taking care of the bodies we have been given, but it also connects us to the world around us and to the Creator of all things good and wonderful and food-related.

As we round out the month of January, be encouraged. Be inspired. Go get in the kitchen and make some hummus if that makes you feel good! I love you dearly and believe that the best, in food and life, is yet to come in 2018.

Roasted Garlic Lemon Hummus with Golden Pita Chips

Roasted garlic gives a slight sweetness to a rich hummus brightened by fresh lemon juice and smoked paprika. Perfect for a party or holiday football game, this hummus is tastier than the store bought version, and can be adjusted in a myriad of ways to taste. Try adding chopped jalepenos or pimento for even more kick! You can also find this recipe in the January issue of Birmingham magazine.

Yield : 4-6 servings

What You Will Need:

6 cloves garlic, roasted
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, bean liquid reserved
1 tablespoon tahini
2 tablespoons chickpea liquid
1 tablespoon filtered water
3 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika , plus additional for topping
1 tablespoon olive oil

What You Will Do:

Blend all ingredients except oil in the bowl of a food processor until a thick paste forms, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, about three minutes.
Drizzle in one tablespoon olive oil and blend until smooth.
Enjoy topped with paprika!

*To roast garlic: Preheat oven to 400. Peel most of the skin off of the garlic. Cut top 1/4 off of garlic head; drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Wrap in aluminum foil, roast at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.Remove from oven to cool.

Golden Pita Chips

Yield: 40 chips

What You Will Need:

5 soft multigrain or white pitas, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

What You Will Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Toss cut pita in large bowl with spices and olive oil.
3. Place pita chips on aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.
4. Roast for 10 minutes; flip over, then roast 10 more minutes.

5. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Lovelies! Happy 2018!!

I hope you are having the sweetest start to your year!

To start this January off in the most loving of ways, I am HONORED to partner with Kristen Shoates, one of the most talented freelance Nashville writers I know, to talk about my absolute favorite topic in the world, HOW TO FALL IN LOVE WITH FOOD.

Kristen has had an incredible journey with food- and without giving too many details away, let me just say she went from Lean Cuisines to now functioning as a total, holistic girl boss in the kitchen.

You can find Kristen at www.kristenshoates.com!

I also know that January is the month of resolutions. And whatever decisions you have made on ways to better your life- I honor that! But I’m also wondering what would happen if we all decided to, instead of seeing food as bad or dirty or evil- to flip the light switch on and see it as GOOD, HEALING and NOURISHING. To focus first on the way we THINK about food, which will then affect our motivation to cook- and creativity in the kitchen!

Vegan snickerdoodles before the oven... — Vegan snickerdoodles before the oven…

Also, in partnership with Kristen’s amazing writing, I’ll be posting a YouTube video over on the Luv Cooks channel about each reason she gives. I can’t wait to share this content with you!

So without further ado, here’s Kristen:

I remember the first time I went to the grocery store in college, with my first apartment to stock and the purchasing power of my first debit card in my hands. It felt exhilarating to walk through those automatic glass doors into a store filled with thousands of options and get to buy whatever I, the new boss of my refrigerator, wanted.

But as I aimlessly wandered the aisles, I quickly realized I had absolutely NO idea what to buy. Going from my parent’s table to college dining halls, the question of what to eat had always been an abstract one – until at age 19, I found myself standing bewildered beneath the fluorescent lights of the Chapel Hill Food Lion, filling my cart with sugary yogurt and processed crackers and Lean Cuisine. After all, these were the foods the skinny girls ate on commercials, and as women, wasn’t our primary dietary objective to choose food that makes us skinny?

After school, my supposedly healthy diet of low-fat microwave dinners and prepackaged snacks took much of the joy out of food and cooking. Preparing a meal was a chore, eating it a necessity. Half of my meals were consumed in a car or at a desk, barely registering as a conscious act. When I started dating my now-husband, I very proactively warned him that I.did.not.cook. It wasn’t that I had never seen what it looked like to spread love through a meal – I was raised half Italian and half Southern Baptist after all – but my lifestyle and our food system had so greatly disconnected me from my food that I lost a sense of the purpose and power of it.

As simple as the question of “what do I eat for dinner?” might be, far too many of us don’t really know how to answer it. Our parents fed us, but often didn’t teach us why they fed us what they did, sending us out into a food jungle of additives and artificial flavors and abstract health claims, with little knowledge of how to truly fuel our bodies. As a result, many of us have a twisted relationship with our food. Perhaps you see it as the enemy, something to be feared and restricted in an attempt to fit into society’s beauty standard du jour. Maybe for you it’s all business, a transactional relationship focused on efficiency rather than substance. Maybe yours is volatile, or lifeless, or passionless.

But I want to propose a new kind of relationship with food. I want to propose that you fall in love with it.

My love affair with food began slowly, the kind of love that begins with a small spark and deepens over the years. Pre-packaged snacks were slowly replaced with fresh produce, to-go orders swapped for nights spent creating over a stove. As I filled my body with real, whole foods, I became healthier, more aware and more connected to everything around me. And as I discovered new flavors and varieties and foods I didn’t even know existed, I became enamored with the beauty and diversity of food available to us – and in turn, fell in love with eating and believe it or not, cooking (you’re welcome, hubs).

So as you and your food sit down for a much-needed DTR, here are four reasons to fall head-over-heels with your next meal:

Food as medicine. The greatest catalyst in changing my relationship with food was recognizing that what I ate actually had a real impact on how I felt, looked and lived. Though it wasn’t always an act of consciousness, eating was an act of consequence, and recognizing that my choices mattered turned eating well into a joy rather than a burden. Real, whole foods have the power to build up our bodies, enhance our beauty and even restore and reverse disease. Food truly is medicine, and eating something that you know is bringing wholeness to your body makes eating a richly positive experience rather than a fear-based one.

YES and AMEN!! Isn’t Kristen amazing?! And stay tuned! We have THREE more reasons to come in January!!

APC_1132 — Snickerdoodles, featuring neat egg, after the bake!

Gluten Free Vegan Snickerdoodles

Y’all! This week I was honored to post these gluten free and vegan snickerdoodles on Neat Foods page! Their vegan egg replacement is my favorite EVER. Just click HERE to find out more info about neat egg!

What You Will Need:

8 oz. superfine almond flour
1/4 tsp organic cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp gray salt
5 dates, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, drained and de-skinned
1/4 cup light brown sugar
6 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil, room temperature
1 neat egg, prepared according to package instructions
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup toasted sweetened coconut

FOR BROWN SUGAR TOPPING:

1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

What You Will Do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, use a spoon to mash dates into a paste.
In a separate bowl, whisk together brown sugar topping.
In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat dates, brown sugar and coconut oil together on medium high for three minutes.
Add neat egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Add almond flour mixture to the mixer slowly on low speed until incorporated. Beat on medium speed until a dough forms.
Stir in shredded coconut until combined and dough re-forms.
Roll 1 to 2 tablespoons dough into a small ball. Roll dough ball in brown sugar topping until covered.
Place dough balls evenly spaced on baking sheets, about 10-12 to a sheet. Use a fork to flatten each ball into a cookie shape.
Bake cookies one sheet at a time for 13 minutes. Remove from oven; rest for one minute on sheet then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!