Buttery Herb-Rubbed Pot Roast with Brown Gravy

Whenever our family has potluck dinners, my signature contribution is almost always a savory, but very simple, roast made by dumping a package of dry onion soup and a can of mushroom soup onto an uncooked beef pot roast. Cover, slow cook, and the end result is well-seasoned, gravy-steeped meat that is so tender, a knife literally glides through it.

After going on the J.J. Virgin diet, to my dismay, I discovered that both the dry and canned soups in this recipe are loaded (and I mean LOADED) with various forms of corn, soy, sugar, and gluten.  Not to be outdone, I tweaked and tweaked this “Buttery Herb-Rubbed Pot Roast with Brown Gravy” recipe until I got it just right--unbelievably delectable and tender from the first bite to the last. I admit that it’s nowhere as easy as the other one, but the “Yum Factor” is through the roof. In fact, double yum!

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Buttery Herb-Rubbed Pot Roast with Brown Gravy

Ingredients:

Makes 10-12 servings

2 ¼-pound hormone/antibiotic free boneless pot or chuck roast with generous marbling

½ teaspoon sea salt

Buttery paste

2 ½ tablespoons ghee

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 ½ teaspoon olive oil (not extra virgin)

1 tablespoon finely chopped or dried basil flakes

½ tablespoon finely chopped or dried rosemary

1 tablespoon finely chopped or dried cilantro

2 tablespoons dried minced onions

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

Gravy

1 cup meat drippings

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos

3 ½ tablespoons brown rice flour

1 tablespoon dried minced onions

1 ¾ cups hot water

Sea salt to taste (very lightly)

½ teaspoon Xylitol sweetener (OPTIONAL; do not substitute stevia, as I don’t think it will work with this recipe)

Gently water-wash the roast and pat it dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle on ½ teaspoon of sea salt.  Rub to ensure even distribution on all sides.  With a dinner fork, pierce the meat throughout. Put it in an open dish and place it in the refrigerator for 3-6 hours (overnight if possible).

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 325 degrees (or prepare slow cooker).  In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients for the buttery paste.  Let it rest for 5 minutes. Rub the paste onto the roast.  Put the meat a tightly sealed oven dish, or wrap it in heavy foil and place in a roasting pan, or put it into your slow cooker, 

When roast has cooked for 1 ½ hours in oven (or 2 hours 45 minutes in slow cooker), scoop drippings into a saucepan.  Continue to cook meat in oven .  Bring the drippings in the saucepan to medium heat on the stove top.  Add bay leaf and pour in coconut aminos and minced onions.  As the drippings come to a slow boil, add in about one-third of the brown rice flour.  Stir until smooth.  Add about one-third of the water. Stir.  Alternate stirring in flour and water until gravy is slightly watery and smooth.  Drizzle gravy over roast and bake in oven uncovered for about 35 minutes (or until gravy has slightly thickened). Turn off oven and let meat rest for about 20 minutes before serving.

Disclaimer: I'm an amateur cook whose skills were learned from and honed by my mama, an amazing cook of old school southern fare. And because I'm no expert, recipes featured in my blog will NOT include caloric or nutritional information. 

Skinny Sweet Potato Bread

If you're from the south, you know that sweet potato bread is a delicacy reserved for the tables of Sunday dinners or other special occasions. Although called "bread", its flavor and texture are more akin to pie.  Because of that, it's just as scrumptious eaten along with a main entree or simply as a stand-alone dessert. Whichever way you choose to eat my skinny sweet potato bread, you're sure to go, "Yum!".  

SKINNY SWEET POTATO BREAD

Ingredients:

Makes about 8 servings

1   15-ounce can of sweet potato puree

3/8  cup of brown rice flour

3    tiny scoops of Stevia (4 if you’d like it sweeter—careful don’t make it too sweet)

2   teaspoons of ghee

1   teaspoon of coconut oil

1   teaspoon of pure vanilla (no alcohol, dextrose, corn syrup, etc. added)

A  pinch of salt

½  teaspoon of lemon juice (optional)

In a bowl, mix all ingredients together and then place the mix in the refrigerator.  After 1½ hours, remove the mixture from refrigerator and preheat oven at 360 degrees. Stir the mix well and then pour it into a glass or metal baking pan greased with regular olive oil (not extra virgin).  Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a golden crust forms on top and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool.

Disclaimer: I'm an amateur cook whose skills were learned from and honed by my mama, an amazing cook of old school southern fare. And because I'm no expert, recipes featured in my blog will NOT include caloric or nutritional information

Snacks Part II--SWEETS, My Sweet

Hi, my name is Hall-Crews and I am a sweetaholic.  

Seriously. When I started the J.J. Virgin diet, besides other sweets I regularly devoured, I had a three bag-a-day gummy bear habit (2 oz. bags).  Those little guys absolutely plagued my very existence and became the first thing I ate to start my day and the last thing I nibbled before retiring at night.

So, needless to say, I was more than a little troubled when I saw sugar on J.J. Virgin’s list of 7 foods to avoid. As I read more about it, I found that rather than being a no-sugar regime, J.J. Virgin describes her plan as more of a VERY low-sugar diet.

With that in mind, here are some of the ins and outs of satisfying your sweet tooth:

IN

• Fruits on the lower end of the glycemic index (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and most other berries) Cherries, apples, peaches, pears, and several others in the moderate range and okay, too—all fruits should be eaten in moderation

• Stevia (look for pure stevia with no additives like dextrose)

• Xylitol (from birch trees)

OUT

• Fruits on the higher end of the glycemic index (bananas, papaya, watermelon, pineapple, mango, and grapes)

• Dried fruit and fruit juices (check out the sugar content on the labels—wowzer!)

• Sugars, honey, agave, syrups, glucose

• Artificial sweeteners

Quick Fix Snacks:

 Fruit slices 

Apple slices dipped in unsweetened almond butter

Mashed raspberries or blueberries (sweetened with Stevia and/or cinnamon) on a thin brown rice cracker

Three peach slices, a dash of Xylitol or Stevia, and a thin layer of So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Ice Milk on a thin brown rice cake

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Not much to say here--Coconut ice milk and fresh strawberries.  A picture can speak a thousand words or just one:  YUM!

Mini Strawberry Sundae

Ingredients:

Makes 1 serving

3   tablespoons So Delicious Unsweetened Dairy Free Coconut Ice Milk
2   medium strawberries cut into quarters

½ teaspoon strawberry powder

Disperse strawberry powder and strawberries between scoops of ice milk.

Snacks Part I--MORE SALTY

Snacks Part I--MORE SALTY

So, here's the skinny on most packaged salty snacks:  They contain one or more of the 7 foods (or derivatives thereof) that the J.J. Virgin diet recommends you avoid--peanuts, corn, soy, eggs, dairy, sugar, or gluten.  Not convinced?  Okay, let's test it. Grab the package of your favorite snack. Read the INGREDIENTS list.  Most likely, hiding among what you think you are eating may be soy, soybean oil, peanut oil, maltodextrin, citric acid, corn, vegetable oil, dextrose, cheese, whey, lactose, artificial flavors, natural flavors (likely corn), monosodium glutamate, tamari, or a host of others. Sneaky, sneaky, right?

If you're like me, these are all ingredients that you largely overlook. Don't.  And don't take for granted that snacks touted as being "healthy" are any better off.  Read the label before grabbing that handful of chips.  It may literally astound you.

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Healthier snacking will require a paradigm shift. Even though you may eventually find a snack with a clean label, get used to the fact that, aside from a few packaged nuts, these are few and far between. 

All hope is not lost, however.  Many companies offer a variety of hummus flavors, which, when eaten sparingly, can effectively take the edge off of that occasional snack attack. Use it as a dip with raw veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, or celery.  There are also a few prepackaged guacamole and salsas which are as healthy as they are satisfying.  If you are really adventurous, try pickling your own green beans or olives in gluten-free vinegar and herbs. 

Personally, when I'm jonseing for something spicy and pickley, I find that these flavorful cucumber chips to be the perfect combination of tartness, crunch, and YUM! 

                                               Crunchy Cucumber Chips

Ingredients:

Makes about 6 servings

1 large organic cucumber 

1 teaspoon sea salt 

1 teaspoon basil flakes

1 teaspoon cilantro flakes

1 teaspoon oregano flakes

1/3 cup Coconut Secret Coconut Vinegar

Wash the cucumber.  Peel off the outer skin (optional).  Cut the cucumber into medium slices and put them into a large bowl.  Sprinkle the slices with sea salt and dried herbs.  Stir to distribute evenly.  Cover and refrigerate the cucumber chips for about 10 minutes.  Remove from refrigerator and add in vinegar.  Stir. Pour entire mixture into a zip top plastic bag.  Seal and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Disclaimer: I'm an amateur cook whose skills were learned from and honed by my mama, an amazing cook of old school southern fare. And because I'm no expert, recipes featured in my blog will NOT include caloric or nutritional information. 

Snacks Part I--SALTY

Snacks Part I--SALTY

In this blog post, I'm going to tackle the number one diet buster--snacks!  Let's start with the salty ones: chips, crackers, pretzels, and peanuts--no, no, no, and no. Now that we're clear about that, here are a couple of simple snacks that won't expand your waistline.  

• Keep lots of nuts on hand.  Almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, pecans, Brazil nuts, and pistachios are all okay in moderation. Be sure to check the ingredients first, as many packaged nuts contain bad oils (vegetable, corn, canola, safflower, sunflower, soybean) or soy or corn derivatives that are counterproductive to the success of this diet. Labels, for example, should read "almonds", "almonds, sea salt", or "almonds, olive oil, sea salt".  You get the idea.

• Back To Nature brand offers great almonds, cashews, and a cashew, almond, and pistachio combo in unroasted/unsalted, roasted only, or roasted/salted options.

• Tillen Farms has a product line that will fit in nicely with your J.J.Virgin regimen:  Crispy Asparagus, Crispy White Asparagus, Crispy Dilly Beans, Hot & Spicy Dilly Beans, and Hot & Spicy Crispy Snap Peas. 

• Hummus is a creamy paste made from ground chickpeas, olive oil, garlic and a variety of other yummy flavors (I've even found sweet potato hummus).  Serve cold by itself, or as a spread or dip for veggies. Just remember to watch out for those sneaky ingredients that can make hummus unhealthy (see my next blog) 

• Rice cakes and rice crackers are always winning snacks.  Edward & Sons makes Onion Garlic Brown Rice Snaps that are crispy and quite tasty with hummus.

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With the Superbowl coming up, multiply this scrumptious Mexican-style recipe to give your party guests a healthy snack that is as flavorful and fun as any other--yum!

Effortless Hummus Guac & Salsa Snaps

Ingredients:

Makes 1 serving

4  Edward & Sons Onion Garlic Brown Rice Snaps

Flavored hummus

Guacamole

Trader Joe's Spicy, Smoky, Peach Salsa or plain salsa

Place brown rice crackers on a plate.  Layer dollops of hummus, guacamole, and salsa on each cracker.