Recipe: Italian Rainbow Cookie Cake

There is no better way to celebrate the end of a year or the beginning of a future than with a triple layer triple color ganache-covered cake.

(That's a fact.  Medically proven.*

*NOT.)

Or that your family made it to Christmas dessert without a single ounce of blood being shed.  And with a less than double-digit number of attempts to pay you to eat sausage. See, they're really trying to understand this whole vegetarian thing.

(I doubt it has anything to do with the fact that you threatened to withhold cake from them if they didn't stop.  And has everything to do with their growing compassion and the Christmas spirit deep within their souls. Right.) <-- DELUSION.



Seriously, though. They do say that the first day of the year really sets the tone for the other 364 that are to follow.

And well. Our rooms may not be clean and our clothes may not be folded.

Our experiments might never work.

And no matter how many times we put away all our cookbooks, they are still going to end up strewn all over our floors and under our pillows within 24 hours.

Whatevs.




But at least we can be totally rockstar cake bakers.



Maybe leave our ugly sweaters at home, though?  That's not really the tone we want to set for the new year.

(Note - Daniel wanted us to make serious faces. This was a "Joanne fail" type of situation.  Holly (the dog) was much more concerned about the wrapping paper invading her floor space.  Typical.)

But really.  Deliriously happy, cake-baking, skinny-jean wearing, rockstars.  Let's be those people in 2012.  I know we can.



I'm going to save my sappy "ohmygodanotheryearhaspassed" post for Monday because it will also happen to be the anniversary of the only New Years resolution that I have ever truly faithfully kept.

But have a safe and happy and wonderful New Year's everyone!

I couldn't do this without you.  You're my rock(star)s.

(PS - My run was awesome, by the way.  3.5 miles of heaven.  I'm still high on it.)



Italian Rainbow Cookie Cake
Makes one 9" triple layer cake, adapted from Always Order Dessert

Ingredients

• 3 sticks butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 12 oz almond paste, grated
• 1 tbsp pure almond extract
• 3 cups AP flour, sifted
• 3 tsp baking powder
• red, green and yellow coloring gels or liquid coloring (I used gels)
• 1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
• 1/4 cup apricot preserves
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 12 oz semisweet chocolate (I used Guittard)

Instructions

1. Grease three 9-inch cake pans and line with a round of parchment paper on the bottom.
2. In the base of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and continue to beat for 3 more minutes. Add the grated almond paste and almond extract and beat until well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder then slowly add to the almond paste batter and mix until combined.
4. Separate the mixture evenly into three bowls. Dye each bowl a different shade (one green, one yellow, one red).
5. Pour each color of the mixture into individual pans making sure to smooth out the top. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Remove the parchment paper and let cool completely.
6. While the cake is cooling, prepare the ganache by heating 1 cup of heavy cream in a small saucepan just until bubbles start to form around the edge. Turn off the heat and pour over the chocolate in a large bowl. Stir continuously until melted completely and smooth. Let cool to room temperature.
7. Start with the pink layer of the cake and spread with the raspberry jam until it nearly reaches the edges of the cake. Top with the yellow cake. Spread this with the apricot preserves. Top with the final green layer.
8. Use a spoon to pour the ganache over the cake, using an offset spatula to even the sides and make sure the cake is completely covered. Use as much ganache as you need. Let sit at room temperature in a cool spot for 1-2 hours until completely set.

Recipe: Frittata with Thai Red Curry, Broccoli, Shallots and Feta Cheese...Eat.Live.Be.

So, awkward but.

My brother gave me an ugly sweater for Christmas.  Okay wait.  That's not quite right.  He didn't give me an ugly sweater.  He gave me an "ugly sweater".

Do you see the difference?



I don't think I'm being clear.  Either that, or you guys didn't take the class in EatsWellWithOthers Semantics and Euphemisms 101 in college.  It's okay. I'll speed you up.

An ugly sweater is a sweater that just happens to be ugly in the eye of the beholder.  An "ugly sweater" is a sweater that was made to be ugly in the eye of every beholder.

Basically, the way my brother tells the story is that he went into a vintage thrift store and asked the owner for the three ugliest Christmas sweaters they had. 

You know the ones I'm talking about.  The ones you wouldn't be caught dead out of the house in because they remind you of something that your 90-year-old kindergarten teacher would wear that you thought was so cool back in the day. 



Right.  So Daniel thought it would be "so funny" if he got one for each of us (my sister, himself, and I) and made us pose for blackmail photos in them in front of the Christmas tree. 

And then we'd burn them or gift them to my grandmother or my mother would wear them to amuse her preschool class.

Except. His plan totally backfired. Because Dana and I wore them. All. Day. Long. 

They were the best. 

They were the best at keeping us warm since I had to keep the door open to prevent my lungs from closing due to dog allergies.  (Bonus shot of my parents' adorable puppy.  How could I possibly keep my hands off her?)



And they were also the best at hiding our burgeoning bellies after we ate Italian bread. And mozzarella.  And puffy pastry baked brie bites.  And rainbow cake.  And salad.  And buckeyes. 

Really...these things were big enough to fit two of me inside.  Maybe more.  And so I may or may not have attempted to eat for two.  No comment.

Anyway, as they say, you can't sweat the small stuff and you can't sweat Christmas cookie calories (at least not the ones that were eaten on Christmas Eve/Day).  All you can do is pick your butt off of the couch.  Cook up some super healthy food.  And go for a run.

Wait. What?  Run?

Oh. Yes. 

Tomorrow, December 29th, is my official "Return to Running" date.  I might try to convince my boss it's a national holiday and take off from work. You should do the same.

One would think that after two stress fractures and a whole slew of muscle injuries, I would have given up on running by now.  But the thing about running is that when it's good...it's the best.  (At least for me.)  I can't explain the feeling of lacing up my shoes and pounding out step after step, mile after mile.  It's like a high, but it's not just reserved for the endorphin rush after the run is over. No. It's every foot in front of the other.  Every hill.  All of it.  It makes me feel alive.

Hence the quote.  There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about or crave running.  And that's why I can't just give up or trade in my running shoes for a road bike.  Because living without ever feeling that elation...isn't really living at all.

This motto can be applied to lots of healthy living goals.  Eating right, losing weight, hitting the gym.  If you want it so badly that it hurts, then giving up isn't an option.  Even after an indulgent day or a bad run or a week off from the gym, just get back up and try again tomorrow.  It'll be worth it.

After all of that indulgent holiday fare, I made sure to get right back on track on December 26th.  Because let's be honest.  Although I do have a soft spot in my heart (and thighs) for that oversized ugly sweater...there's no way I'm wearing it to a New Year's Eve party.

So I picked up one of my favorite healthy eating inspiration cookbooks - Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day - and decided to make this frittata.  Amazing.Delicious.  The Thai red curry flavor was subtle and the hints of spice went so well with the sweet onions and broccoli.  Heidi as a way of consistently pairing simple ingredients and flavors and turning them into something miraculous.  And this was no exception.  Hence why it is my PRINT healthy living inspiration for the week (though we're really posting about TV today...but I may or may not have gotten my alphabetical order confused last week).

Before you dive into the recipe, you should know that I don't make the frittata the typical way by cooking it in a cast-iron skillet half on the stove and half in the oven. Instead, I took inspiration from Pam and baked it in a 10-inch tart pan.  Which worked out awesomely. 

So tell me, what are some of your favorite healthy cookbooks?  And be sure to check out Cate's, Sarah's, and Patsy's blogs today for some more Eat.Live.Be. inspiration!


Frittata with Thai Red Curry, Broccoli, Shallots and Feta Cheese
Serves 4, adapted from Super Natural Every Day

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 small onions or 1 large onion, chopped
• 8 oz fingerling potatoes, sliced into paper thin rounds
• 2 shallots, chopped
• fine-grain sea salt
• about 8 oz broccoli, chopped
• 8 large eggs, well beaten
• 2 tsp Thai red curry paste
• 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Stir in the onions, potatoes, shallots and two big pinches of salt.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are just cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the broccoli and cook for another minute or two, until they soften up a bit.  Set aside.
3. Whisk 1/2 tsp salt and 2 tsp curry paste into the eggs.  In a 10-inch tart pan, put half of the veggie mixture.  Pour in the eggs.  Top with the remaining vegetable mixture.  Sprinkle the top with feta cheese.
4. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until set.

Recipe: Lentil, Potato and Pumpkin Curry...and Top Ten Reader Favorite Recipes of 2011!

If you're looking for a skinny jeans friendly recipe to help you subsist from now until New Year's, then check out my recipe for Lentil, Potato, and Pumpkin Curry over at Marcus Samuelsson's blog! 

And now...I bring you...

...YOUR top ten favorite recipes of 2011!



10. Carrot Cake Cookies!  These are one of my most requested cookies, and with the flavors of carrot and ginger in the cookies combined with a dreamy cream cheese frosting filling...I definitely understand why.



9. Pumpkin Biscuits with Cranberry Curd I made these for my Eggland's Best Pink Party in support of breast cancer research and they were a huge hit.  Perfect for any holiday morning breakfast...or just because.



8. Peanut Butter Honeycomb Pie  My father declared this the best dessert I've ever made. He's probably right.  At least for us peanut butter addicts out there.



7. Chickpea Pot Pie with a Cornbread Crust  This vegetarian version of a winter classic tastes just like the frozen pot pies we all remember and love...but healthier!



6. Pad See Ew  Thai food is probably my favorite cuisine because of it's perfect balance of flavors...sweet salty spicy sour...it has them all in every bite.  And pad see ew is one of my favorite dishes to order! However, it's not figure friendly at all...but this at-home version is!



5. Maida Heatter's Johnny Appleseed Bars Part cake, part pie, these bars give you the best of both apple worlds.



4. Pecan Pie Bars Perfect to satiate those pecan pie cravings...even when they occur at seasonably inappropriate times. (Plus they're made with honey instead of corn syrup - major PLUS!)



3. Sweet and Salty Brownies These are far and above the fudgiest most delicious brownies I have ever had.  And once you make them, you will never need another brownie recipe again. Yup, the Baked boys have done it again!



2. Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables Essentially baked ziti but chock full of loads of veggies instead of meat.  Comfort food at it's best.



1. Pumpkin Swirl Brownies  With over 85,000 hits (and counting), these are far and above your favorite recipe of 2011!  I made them for a Halloween party and unfortunately only got to try one...but it was one heavenly pumpkin/fudgy brownie, that's for sure.

Recipe: Garlic-Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Wheatberry Salad with Pomegranate

My gift to my family this year was a week's worth of vegetables, a lifetime supply of antioxidants, and vitamin A levels that are through the roof. 

(And fiber.  Lots and lots of fiber.)

All in the form of a nice compact, user-friendly salad. 

This, my friends, is the epitome of the "gift that keeps on giving". 

It will give you lower cholesterol.  It will give you a smaller waistline. It will give you orange skin (if you eat it for every meal for a month on end.  Which some may or may not be wont to do).  It will give you the ability to eat two slices of rainbow cookie cake for dessert without even a hint of guilt.  And it will probably give you superpowers.**

**Results are not typical. Individual responses may vary.

**I am not a doctor.  Take everything I say with at least five grains of salt.
 

That being said, when you pull it out at Christmas dinner, it will likely be met with a mixed bag of reactions.  Let me prepare you.


Your brother, when you try to (force)feed him a forkful of it, will likely make a face at at it.  He will likely accuse it of looking like Thanksgiving.

(???)

And then he will even more likely pick all of the pomegranate arils off the fork that you so carefully set on his plate.  And eat them.  Like candy.





Your mother, when she finds out it is vegan, will likely shriek in disbelief.

She will ask in horror if you are vegan. 

(Note that this is after you served the brie-stuffed puff pastry that you made as an appetizer.  And ate five hundred thousand pieces of fresh mozzarella that was bought specially from Arthur Avenue in the Bronx.)

She will try to (force)feed YOU tomato sauce that was simmered for hours with large chunks of meat in it.  Proclaiming it to be vegetarian.

And then she will dutifully eat everything on her plate and even pack up a container of it to eat later this week.  (Success!!)

Your father will not even try it.  But he did glance at it a few hundred times.  Baby steps.



You will eat a larger than life bowl of it for dinner. 

Because not only is it the perfect mix of all your favorite fall vegetables and flavors, but it is also the only vegetarian option on the table.  (Regardless of what your mother says about that sauce.)

And because it's so darn good for you, you won't feel bad about eating the leftovers every.day.this.week.

The perfect combination of rainbow cookie cake detox food and holiday fare.  Right here.  Priceless. 



Garlic-Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Wheatberry Salad with Pomegranate
Serves 8-10, adapted from The Taste Space

Ingredients

For the butternut squash:

• 1 medium butternut squash, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• a few pinches of sea salt

For the kale:

• 1 bunch kale, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
• pinch of sea salt
 

For the salad:

• 1 pomegranate's worth of pomegranate arils
• 1 lb brussels sprouts, halved and roasted at 400 for 15 minutes
• 1 cup wheatberries, soaked overnight and simmered for 1 hour
• 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and simmered for 30-40 minutes or until tender

For the dressing (adapted from Closet Cooking):

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
• 3 teaspoon dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400.  In a medium bowl, combine butternut squash cubes with the oil, minced garlic and sprinkle with sea salt. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Roast until fork-tender, but not falling apart (around 30-40 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, mix the kale, lemon juice and salt with your hands, massaging it together. It should wilt into half its volume after 3 minutes or so.
3. Make dressing by whisking olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, and dijon together.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. When the butternut squash has finished roasting, remove from oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Add to the kale, along with the pomegranate arils, Brussels sprouts, wheat berries, and chickpeas and gently toss together. Toss with the dressing.  Season to taste.

I am submitting this to Souper Sundays, hosted by Deb at Kahakai Kitchen.

Recipe: White Chocolate Gingerbread Cake Balls

When I brought these into lab meeting last week I definitely called them cake pops so that I wouldn't have to say balls in front of my boss.

And so that he wouldn't giggle like a twelve year old boy.

And so that the entire rest of the lab, with our collective maturity of prepubescent children wouldn't be compelled to make ball jokes for the next hour when we were supposed to be talking about science (or how some of us *ahem me* are completely unable to repeat other labs' published findings).




My baked goods are disruptive enough with everybody reaching over everyone else to grab one while some sad sorry soul is presenting their week's worth of data.

We really don't need to be adding ball jokes into the mix.




Thankfully, you guys are totally mature enough to handle the word "balls" without breaking out into a total ridiculous uproar.

You know that they imply dense delicious little spheres of cake truffle deliciousness covered in some kind of chocolate that, upon looking at them, make you want to squeal with unbridled passion and delight.

(That's what she said.)

(Okay, that last part was gratuitous, I know.  But I couldn't write a post about balls and not throw in a "that's what she said".  Michael Scott would not be proud.)

And not anything to do with any sort of male genitalia.



Alright, so maybe we're not that mature around here.

But you shouldn't let that stop you from making these cake...spheres...for Christmas or, more non-denominationally, for a random Friday night, perhaps.  Because they truly are delicious.

Since we're already on the subject of science and data and such...let's analyze: gingerbread mixed with cream cheese frosting and then covered in white chocolate.  I'm not even a huge fan of gingerbread (I actually truly do NOT love molasses. At all. In any way.) and even I could barely resist having just one.

So if you're still looking for that holiday dessert to wow your guests with. These are it.

Just, um.  Use your own discretion when deciding which name to go with. 

And how many ball jokes you want to infiltrate your wholesome family dinner with.  Given how much tequila will be drunk at mine...I could call them "white chocolate gingerbread cake penises" and no one would notice.

And on that note.

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas to all of you!  I'll see you back here on Monday with some super healthy detox food. But in the meantime, look below the recipe for some other holiday dessert suggestions in case you're still searching for that perfect treat.  And remember, calories don't count on Christmas or any of the nights of Hanukkah.  So eat up and eat well.



Gingerbread Muffins
Makes 14-16, adapted from Confections of A Foodie Bride

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups AP flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp allspice (I omitted this because mine decided to go AWOL at the exact second that I needed it)
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 3/4 cup nonfat greek yogurt
• coarse sugar for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Line a muffin pan (or two) with paper liners or spray with nonstick spray.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, black pepper, and salt.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter with the brown sugar until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the mixer after each addition, until well mixed.
6. Add the molasses and mix until well blended.
7. Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing on low only until just incorporated.  Add the yogurt, mixing until well distributed.  Add the remaining dry ingredients, mixing only until just incorporated.
8. Scoop into the prepared muffin tins, until about 3/4 full (two large cookie scoops worth!) and sprinkle coarse sugar over the tops of the batter.
9. Bake 5 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 350.  Bake another 15 minutes until a skewer comes out with moist crumbs attached.
10. Cool 5 minutes in the pan.  Turn out onto a rack to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.

White Chocolate Gingerbread Cake Balls
Makes ~22 from 7 muffins, an Eats Well With Others Original


Ingredients

• 7 gingerbread muffins
• 8 oz reduced fat Philadelphia cream cheese
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1-2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 12 oz white chocolate (NOT chips)
• red sanding sugar, for decoration (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, crumble the gingerbread muffins into small pieces.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy.  Stir in the confectioner's sugar until desired consistency is reached (something akin to frosting out of a jar).
3. A half cup at a time, mix the cream cheese frosting into the gingerbread crumbs with your fingers. Add enough so that the gingerbread is moist and readily sticks together to form balls, a truffle-like consistency.
4. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out the dough into little balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Once all dough is used up, place sheet in the fridge and refrigerate for 1 hour.
5. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler, stirring frequently.  Allow to cool for a minute or two and then dip each gingerbread ball in the white chocolate, turning to coat.  Place back on parchment lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle with sugar as you go.  When all balls are dipped, place back in refrigerator for 15 minutes or until white chocolate is hardened.

I am submitting these to Bake with Bizzy!


Some of my favorite holiday desserts!


Mint Chocolate Cupcakes
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Apple Spice Layer Cake with Caramel Swirl Frosting
Chocolate Cake with Raspberry-Nutella Filling and Chocolate Ganache



Italian Rainbow Cookies
Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
Chocolate, Cranberry and Pecan Rugelach
White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Peppermint Cookies



Grasshopper Bars (Creme de Menthe Bars)
Sweet and Salty Brownies
Cranberry Ginger Bars
Cookie Dough Truffles



Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie
Cranberry Blueberry Pie
Caramel Pecan Hand Pies
Bailey's Irish Creme and Vanilla Tiramisu

Recipe: Curried Eggplant Soup...Eat.Live.Be

There are days like today when I remember that the sweet success of self control can taste better than two slices of pumpkin cake with butterscotch filling and brown sugar icing snuck from the fridge when no one is looking.

Better than spoonful after spoonful of peppermint brownie batter from the stand mixer bowl when you find yourself baking for lab meeting at 10pm on a cold and kind of rainy Tuesday night.  (How else are you going to distract everyone from the fact that absolutely zero of your experiments are working?  Here's to crossing our fingers for scientific success in the new year.)

Better than Hershey's candy cane kisses that you always somehow manage to eat twenty of even though you swear to yourself up and down, every time, that you'll only have one.  (Why do you ask the impossible of yourself when it's so much easier not to start than it is to stop?)

All of which are absolutely delicious, don't get me wrong (and are all coincidentally going on my kitchen. Right. Now. Save. Me.)

But.

The feeling of waking up and knowing that you held the reins.  That your stomach isn't crying out in sugar overdose.  That you actually are capable of doing this.

Tastes way better than the transient pleasure that a slice of cake can afford.  And it'll stay with you for much longer.

(NOTE - Remind me of this in a few days when I'm knee deep in flour, butter and sugar again and that container of cream cheese frosting in my freezer sounds like the cure to any and all holiday baking stress. Mmkay?)

(NOTE x2 - Why do I even do things like freeze cream cheese frosting?  I'm totally asking for it.  How is that a good idea?  Ever?)



As you may have guessed, I'm on a bit of a high at the moment.

A I-have-three-kinds-of-cake-in-my-fridge-right-now-and-didn't-eat-any-of-them-last-night-though-I-really-wanted-to high.

A I-lost-1.2-pounds-this-week-even-though-I-went-out-to-eat-and-ate-the-creamiest-butternut-squash-soup-of-my-life-and-dessert-times-three high.

A yay-my-pictures-of-eggplant-soup-don't-look-quite-as-much-like-vomit-in-a-bowl-as-I-thought-they-would (!!!) high.

A I-tried-on-a-dress-on-Monday-and-didn't-need-to-medicate-myself-with-chocolate-afterward high.

This is the good stuff, people. Inhale.  Deeply.



This week was yet another reminder for me that every day does not have to be perfect in order for me to be successful.  Which is so hard for me to internalize because for some reason, I've ingrained this idea that being healthy is black or white.  Either I am or I'm not and once I indulge for the day, I might as well throw in the towel and go all out.

But it doesn't have to be that way.  Because it's not the one slice of cake that's going to do the damage.  It's all of chocolate and the cookies and the peanut butter I'm going to eat afterward that do.

To combat that, this week. I planned.

I planned light dinners on days that I knew that there would be lunch out.  Lots of exercise on nights that I knew would involve birthday cake.  And it worked.  Fancy that.

One of those light dinners was this curried eggplant soup.  It's sweet and spicy and has a lot of staying power due to the white beans that are pureed into it and all the fiber from the eggplant and apple that are mixed in there as well.  (Yes, there's an apple in it.  Trust me. It's a good move.)

And, um. Minus the feta I threw on top for photogenic-izing purposes. It's vegan.

Speaking of veganism (and inhaling), let's talk Bill Clinton.  Whatever you feel about his reign as president or political ethos or sexual antics, I think we can all agree that it's pretty amazing that the man who was a total burger/steak/cholesterol fiend has lost 24 pounds by switching to a vegan diet.  (I realize this is old news by now, but to some of us who don't own a tv and sit in lab staring at glowing cells all day...it's pretty much front page stuff.  So humor me.)

This week at Eat.Live.Be. our theme is to find inspiration from television and to my non-tv-owning-self, YouTube is television.  So here's a clip of Clinton talking about his weight loss and dietary change.  Proof that eating plant-based meals, even if not all the time, is such a great and easy way to help you get healthy.  Load yourself up with veggies and that piece of cake (or two) you ate after dinner aren't quite as bad as if you ate them with after a burger and fries.

So tell me, what are you guys doing to counteract all of the indulgent food we are inevitably going to be eating this week?  What is your damage control plan-of-action?

And here's your daily dose of inspiration.  Love this.  Because while the going (and the sacrifice) isn't always easy...it'll be worth it when we get there.

Curried Eggplant Soup
Serves 4, adapted from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 tart apple, Granny Smith or Braeburn, diced
• 15 oz canned diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 1/2 tbsp good quality curry powder
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp honey
• 15 oz can great northern or white beans, drained
• 4 cups vegetable broth, divided
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• cilantro and feta cheese, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Peel the eggplant and slice it 1/4-inch thick. Place the slices on a sprayed baking sheet and cover with foil. Roast until eggplant is very tender, about 30 minutes.
2. Remove the eggplant from the oven and allow to cool. Put the slices into a large pot. Add 3 cups of the vegetable broth and bring to a low simmer.
3. Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray and get it hot. Add the onions and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the diced apple and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato, curry powder, cayenne, soy sauce, and honey and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the reserved 1 cup of broth and cook another minute. Pour this mixture into the pot with the eggplant.
4. Add the beans to the pot.  Puree using an immersion blender (or put in a food processor/blender and process).  Stir in the milk.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper.  Simmer on very low heat for 15 minutes.
5. Serve hot or chilled, sprinkled with parsley or cilantro and/or crumbled feta.

I am submitting this to Souper Sundays hosted by Deb at Kahakai Kitchen.

Recipe: Garbanzo Beans with Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Vegetarian Sausage

Want to avoid the holiday fifteen this year?  Check out my recipe for garbanzo beans with shredded brussels sprouts and vegetarian sausage on Marcus Samuelsson's blog!  It's so quick, easy, and healthy that you'll have no excuses not to eat right in the days leading up to the big day!

Also, check out the guest post I wrote over at Confessions of a Chocoholic!