Currying favor

So ugly yet so good.

When I signed up for Dr. Fuhrman's Healthy Holiday Challenge, I knew one of the key things would be not only planning my lunches but finding creative meals that fit the plant-based lifestyle and, more importantly, my tastes.  I didn't want to eat kale salads, though delicious, every day. I wanted hearty dishes that were full of flavor.

Dishes like this Indian buffet-inspired rajma.

There's nothing like hitting the Indian buffet - and hitting it hard. Saag paneer, rajma, chicken tikka masala, basmati, daal, naan. Oh, and that rice pudding and mango lassis. It's utterly delicious but a complete calorie bomb, and you leave feeling like you're going to birth the next Dali Lama. Not quite the goal of the Healthy Holiday Challenge.

These Indian-Spiced Kidney Beans bring home the flavors of your local Taj Mahal without the fat and calories. There's warmth from the cinnamon, a smokiness from the cumin and heat from the chili powder and cayenne. The beans are soft without being mushy and the sauce is perfect to soak up with a piece of whole grain naan.

Even better - it's in the slow cooker. Make it on a Sunday night, and you have lunches for the week come Monday morning. Wait. There is something - it used items I already had in my pantry, and probably cost a whopping $2 to make. Far cheaper than the buffet.

Slow Cooker Indian-Spiced Kidney Beans

1.5 cups red kidney beans, rinsed but not soaked
1 medium onion, diced
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1-inch piece ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon tumeric powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
3 whole cloves
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups water
1/8 cayenne pepper, or more to taste
Chopped cilantro, to taste

Place all ingredients except the cilantro in the slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 8 to 10 hours, or until the beans begin to break down and become thick.

Remove the cloves. Stir in cilantro.

If you wish, use an immersion blender or masher to break up some of the beans to create a thicker sauce. To make it non-vegan and a bit creamier, stir in 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt.

Serve with basmati rice and naan, if you are so lucky to have it. I managed to time this perfectly with a shipment of Stonefire Naan, which included a whole grain variety.

Core values

The sound of bacon sizzling crackled in the air, eggs cracked on the kitchen counter and grease popped in the cast iron skillet. Shouts of "Get out of here" and "Is it done yet?" filled the small galley kitchen of my childhood home.

Saturday morning breakfast was underway.

Nearly every weekend morning, my mom would make a big breakfast. It was her favorite meal and ours, as well, as we got the time to connect as a family after a busy week of sports practices, scout meetings and multiple jobs. It was also one of the regular occasions where I don't remember my family fighting. There would be any combination of fried eggs, bacon, sausage links, hash browns and, what I looked forward to the most, biscuits and sausage gravy.

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No one made sausage gravy quite like my mom. It had just the right ratio of gravy to sausage and the sauce was white - not that gray you sometimes see at a restaurant. The sausage was definable, not overly crumbly and not too chunky either. The spice was nice, letting the flavor of the fresh-from-the-butcher, full-fat sausage shine through.

Even to this day, I have not found a gravy like the one I ate on so many Saturday mornings. While I have made many of my own versions, I know I didn't do it justice by trying to make it too healthy - skim milk, turkey sausage, low-calorie margarine.

So this morning, I didn't try. Even as I have thought about her breakfast specialty for days.

But I did make biscuits and gravy.

Pumpkin biscuits with apple gravy.

I had leftover Pumpkin Biscuits from the BODYPUMP launch, and I have been enjoying them since with Earth Balance and honey. But I wanted something more. Something different.

And that's when I began thinking of my mom's biscuits and gravy. I was sure the flavors of sage often found in sausage would complement the biscuits but I didn't feel like going to the store. And thus laziness breeds ingenuity.

Made with apples sauteed in Earth Balance, cinnamon, stevia and almond milk, the gravy is sweet and creamy. Perfect a top the soft pumpkin biscuit.

I enjoyed this for breakfast with a side of egg whites but I'm sure it would be nice with some whipped topping or ice cream for dessert.

Apple Gravy

2 teaspoons Earth Balance or butter
1 apple, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 packet stevia
1.5 teaspoons whole wheat flour
3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze

In a skillet over medium heat, melt Earth Balance. Add in chopped apple, cinnamon and stevia, cooking until the apples are soft; about 4 minutes. Sprinkle flour on apples, tossing to gently combine; cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in almond milk to prevent lumps. Cook over medium heat until the mixture bubbles; turn down heat and cook for 3 minutes more. Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional stats per serving: 111 calories, 7 grams of fat, 12 grams of fat and 2 grams of protein.

To cut down on the calories, use a light butter or margarine. Earth Balance, which I use because I'm dairy free, has 100 calories per serving - compared with 45 calories for a popular light margarine.

{The obligatory early fall pumpkin post}

Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere. And not a bite to eat.

Aww, baby Miles!

Natch.

I lied.

Big time.

Evidence: I am currently in the depths of an early fall pumpkin coma. Pumpkin oatmeal for breakfast, pumpkin pie sans crust after lunch. Pumpkin coffee mid-morning, with a taste of a pumpkin biscuit.

Yes, pumpkin biscuit.

I am hosting a Keurig Vue party via House Party this weekend, and I'm tying it together with the launch of BODYPUMP 83 at the gym. The theme is "Fall into Fitness - As Seasons Change, So Can You," and I've promised participants some healthy fall-inspired treats. There's going to be Chai-Spiced Apple Oatmeal Muffins and maybe some homemade granola in addition to what is now called a biscuit.

My original plan was to make a pumpkin scone, offering a lower-calorie alternative to Starbucks' 440-calorie behemoth, but what came out of the oven looked - and tasted more like a biscuit. Dense but flaky and not overwhelmingly sweet. Served with some cinnamon butter and maple syrup (and a cup of coffee), there's not much better on a crisp morning.

Pumpkin-Maple Biscuits

Adapted from MyRecipes.com

1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup Earth Balance or butter, cold
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup vanilla almond milk, divided
1 teaspoon maple extract
1 tablespoon turbanido or granulated sugar

In a bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt. Add Earth Balance or butter and, with a pastry blender or your fingers, cut or rub in until pea-size crumbs form.

In a small bowl, whisk pumpkin, 1/2 cup almond milk and maple extract until well blended. Add to flour mixture and stir just until dough is evenly moistened. Scrape onto a lightly floured board, turn over to coat, and gently knead just until dough comes together, 5 or 6 turns. Pat dough into an 8-inch round about 1 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter or drinking glass, cut into circles. Gently fold together dough bits, forming new round and cut more biscuits. Be mindful not to overwork the dough.

Separate biscuits and place on a lightly buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheet.* Brush lightly over tops of biscuits with remaining milk. In another small bowl, mix granulated sugar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over scones.

Bake at 375 degrees until scones are golden brown, 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack; serve warm or cool.

*At this point, if you want, you can put the biscuits in the freezer. To bake, remove tray from freezer, allowing biscuits to thaw as oven preheats. Bake as directed.

Necessity breeds ingenuity

War is bad. Living through a war is even worse. Living through a war without coffee and bacon? Well, that sounds downright disparate.

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My grandma discusses it as if it were just yesterday that Pearl Harbor was bombed and the men of her west-side Cincinnati neighborhood left on ships and boats for battlefronts in Europe and the Pacific. She talks about making first aid kits at the American Red Cross and her sister working in a factory, a real Rosie the Riveter. (More like Edna the Riveter but it doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?) She talks about getting letters from my grandpa with pieces cut out and visiting her future in-laws on Sunday afternoons.

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And she talks about rations.

She is always quick to say that her family was almost lucky - it was just her parents, her sister and herself. There weren't a lot of mouths to feed. My grandpa's family was big with eight children, many of whom were still at home, and lots of boys. Their ration cards didn't go far, and my grandma's family often gave them cards for coffee and bacon so the boys would be well fed.

It's hard to imagine a time where you couldn't just go to the grocery and pick up a gallon of milk or dozen eggs because you felt like baking. And yet that's exactly what it was like during World War II. Instead of just taking up knitting (though I'm sure they did plenty of that), the ladies got creative. They found ways to make cakes and pies that didn't take away from the things soldiers needed.

Cakes made without butter, milk or eggs. Cakes with baking soda and vinegar for rising and vegetable oil to help bind the ingredients. A cake that has pumpkin for moistness and richness but because it's pumpkin latte season. In other words, a vegan cake before it was even remotely cool to be vegan.

In a different set of words, this cake is as crazy as the name implies but only because it allowed me to attend a party, bring the requested dessert and get lots of compliments without having to compromise my way of eating or bring something special just for me.

Crazy Pumpkin Spice Cake

Barely adapted from veronicascornucopia.com

For the cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
1.5 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Maple-Cinnamon Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon maple extract
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour a 10” bundt pan and set aside. In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until thoroughly combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake for an hour, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Place on a cooling rack and allow the cake to stay in the pan for five minutes, then invert onto cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Once cool, put on a plate, blend the glaze ingredients together and pour over the cake.