Lot's of things taste better than skinny feels . . .

Carbs are, by a landslide, my favorite category of food.  Granted - strawberries are great; the stench of cooked brussel sprouts is surmountable by their incredible taste and I recently forfeited a ridiculous amount of cash for a big hunk of guyere cheese.  But if I were ever forced to embrace only one food group for the rest of my life – I’d give away my first born child for ANYTHING from the gluten-rich, belly-fat enducing, non-paleo group that makes up the bottom row of the food pyramid.*  Based on sound science or government conspiracy – when my health class tells me that, more than ANYTHING, I need to stock up on bread and pasta, I’m in.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read the literature and I firmly believe the research around the negative effects of gluten**.

But, on the other hand, whiskey is poison, my body CERTAINLY doesn’t know what do with the butterfingers I swipe off of my co-workers desk and I’m sure coffee ain’t really the first thing my stomach wants to see in the morning.

And I would hazard to guess that the folks who are able to lose weight on the atkins diet were more burdened by the alfredo sauce they load onto their pasta, the mixing bowl they use to determine portion size and the layers of cheese and mayo that accompany their roast beef and dual slices of wonder bread.  If you cut out carbs, you also cut out cake, cookies and candy bars.  You cut carbs, you cut calories, and you cut out a lot of processed food options.  It’s the basis to a healthier lifestyle – just easier than portion control or calorie counting.

And while it’s effective – it’s also been noted that my personality plunges from unnecessarily cynical to outright mean when I try to eliminate carbs.  And after an extended stint in carb-rich veganhood and a much shorter stint playing a caveman, I’ve noted one obvious similarity in any lifestyle that makes you skinnier and healthier – make it harder to grab crap off the shelves, make it harder to order anything you want at a restaurant and become more conscious of what you’re jamming down your throat.

So to that – I preach the one nutritional motto that I try***to live by.  COOK!  Don’t buy oreos but do keep the stuff to MAKE cookies in the cupboard.  If you’re hungry enough for cookies to physically cook them – it’s junk food well spent, in my book.  Don’t consume prepackaged garbage every night – spend the extra 30 minutes to cook something with whole ingredients.  And, for the love of god, don’t buy the expensive packages of buttoni pasta – make it! (no pasta maker required. I promise.  but if you're so obliged, I'm sure they'd still be delish)

Wonton Sweet Potato Ravioli

I specifically love this recipe because it lends itself so well to modification.  I’ve got the barebones listed below – but last night I added some roasted almonds, substituted some leftover potato leek soup for most of the broth, and added some fish sauce and srirarcha.  Plain and simple its delish – but go nuts on doctoring it up because it’s a pretty simple basis.

1/2 tbs olive oil
½ - ¾ of an onion – chopped
1-3 cloves of garlic mushed
½ inch piece of ginger - chopped
1 medium sweet potatoes – chopped into ¼ inch(ish) cubes (bigger just means you’ll have to cook ‘em longer)
½ cup of broth
6-9 oz bag of spinach
½ tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
dash or two of ground cinnamon
2-4 oz of goat cheese  (parmesean is delish too!)
a package of wonton wrappers

Preheat oven to 375

Heat the olive oil in and sauté the onion, garlic and ginger for 3 minutes.  (I always use a stockpot – that way when you throw the spinach in you don’t have to worry about messing up your stove top as you work it into the mix.)

Add the sweet potato – cook for another 2.

Add the broth – cook for another 8 (or until most of the moisture is absorbed and the sweet potato is soft enough to not give the food processor any hassle)

Add the spinach – stir in until its wilted. 

Throw ½ to ¾ of the mixture in the food processor.  Puree until its fairly gooey.

Sidenote:  You don’t NEED food processor . . I don’t always use it . .if you don’t . .  make sure you give your spinach a few rough chops and adhere more closely to the ¼ inch sweet potato cut.  You’ll just mush in the cheese with a spoon or your fingers.

Add goat cheese – start with a little less and add more until it’s the consistency and taste that you like.

Sidenote:  I always let the mixture cool quite a bit before adding the goat cheese . . I worry, probably needlessly, that if it gets too melty the goat cheese will gum up my food processor.

Return the mixture to the un-food processed portion and give it a quick stir.

Grease a cookie sheet.  Grab a wonton wrapper. Throw a spoonful of the mixture in the middle.  Grab a bowl of water and, using a finger, trace some water around the edge of the wrapper.  Place another wrapper on top, and pinch the edges together with your finger or fork tines to effectively glue the two layers together and creating your own little ravioli pocket of heaven.  Lay it on the cookie sheet.  Complete with the rest. 

Spray or brush a little oil on top.

Cook for 8-10 minutes – until the edges start to brown.

This recipe makes about 20-25 ravioli  (depending on how much you fill) and will probably take an hour

I serve it with a smokey tomato sauce – sage butter would be delicious as well I just never have sage on hand.

*that said, I’d probably give up my first born child for far less – a free drink token, a $25 gift card to target, a new pair of smart wool socks, a donut . . 

** We’re all at least a little allergic to it and our bodies really don’t know what to do with it:: Whole grain or not, it spikes your blood sugar::The processing that goes into transforming wheat into an edible product eliminates any nutritional value it would have had:: blah blah blah.

*** ignore the frozen pizzas in the freezer