Pumpkin Pudding (gluten free, dairy free)

 2 cups almond milk + 1/4 cup apple butter,  scalded

2 eggs, beaten. Mix with 2 T. cornstarch + 3T sugar and a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice.

Gradually add scalded milk to egg mixture.

Stir in 1 cup pumpkin to egg/milk mixture.

Return to pot and stir until mixture boils.

Serve three ways.

This recipe yields a slightly sweet pudding that is woefully short on creaminess. It needs more fat. Substituting 1 cup of the almond milk for 1 cup coconut milk would be a start. 1 cup of coconut cream would be the smartest choice yielding an increase in fat and sugar. I demolished all three in a matter of minutes. The full fat whipped cream topped version easily dominated the lonely dairy free pudding.

Heck with it, just use 2 cups of heavy cream for the whole recipe. 

Sweet Asian Glazed Beef and Salmon

My mental state was in  a nose dive. I had committed the dual sin of skipping lunch and doing my grocery shopping in the same afternoon.  As my blood sugar yo-yo-ed back and forth, dipping closer and closer to full-on crabiness; I was desperate for the glaze to thicken, the steak to sear, and the rice to cook.

Dinner could not be served soon enough.

I devoured my first helping like a dog sneaking Kibble from the food bin. As I reached for seconds three simple words written by David Kessler climbed up the memory ladder in my brain: Sweet, salt, and fat.

In his book "The End of Overeating",  Kessler pounds those three words into your subconscious.  Salt, sugar and fat. Repeat after me. Salt, sugar, and fat. Or was it fat, salt, and sweet. Or perhaps salt, sweet and fat? Your get my point.

According to Kessler, If your food is layered with sugary sweetness, comforting fat, and nerve tingling saltiness; chances are you will eat. And eat. And eat. This is a technique mastered by ingenious food manufacturers and industry marketers. If you want to end the overeating in your life then the obvious conclusion seems to be: restrict the fat, the sweet, and the salt.

Perhaps it's not that simple.

I normally avoid sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or any other sweetener in my savory food preparations. Except for today. Needless to say my senses were abuzz as I enjoyed the devilish trio

Not worried about a bulging waistline, strained pancreas, or high blood pressure?

Asian Glaze - Modified from Cooks Illustrated

• 3 T brown sugar
• 2 T soy sauce (gluten free)
• 1 T  Dijon mustard
• 1 T rice vinegar
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 T mirin
• pinch of red pepper flakes

Green Bean, Carrot, and Coconut Curry

I'm addicted to coconut milk. Toss is frozen green beans, carrots, and rice and I've got lunch on the table before running of to work.

1 Onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, diced
Spices: cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, curry powder, tumeric, mustard seeds, bay leaves, salt, pepper.
1 can coconut milk.

Heat coconut oil, saute onions and spices. Add garlic. Stir in green beans and carrots. Add coconut milk. Simmer for a few minutes.

Serve with rice.