Nutmeg – from Wikipedia

In case you were now wondering about Nutmeg:

In low doses, nutmeg produces no noticeable physiological or neurological response. Large doses of 30 g (~6 teaspoons) or more are dangerous, potentially inducing convulsions, palpitations, nausea, eventual dehydration, and generalized body pain BMJ. In amounts of 5–20 g (~1-4 teaspoons) it is a mild to medium hallucinogen, producing visual distortions and a mild euphoria. Nutmeg contains myristicin, a weak monoamine oxidase inhibitor.

A test was carried out on the substance that showed that, when ingested in large amounts, nutmeg takes on a similar chemical make-up to MDMA (ecstasy). However, use of nutmeg as a recreational drug is unpopular due to its unpleasant taste and its side effects, including dizziness, flushes, dry mouth, accelerated heartbeat, temporary constipation, difficulty in urination, nausea, and panic. A user will not experience a peak until approximately six hours after ingestion, and effects can linger for up to three days afterwards.

A risk in any large-quantity (over 25 g, ~5 teaspoons) ingestion of nutmeg is the onset of ‘nutmeg poisoning’, an acute psychiatric disorder marked by thought disorder, a sense of impending death, and agitation. Some cases have resulted in hospitalization.

Fatal doses in children are significantly lower, with approximately 15g being sufficient to cause one of only two recorded nutmeg toxicity deaths, in an eight year old child.BMJ.

Nutmeg is an abortifacient, and as such any significant doses should be avoided by pregnant women.BMJ.

Are bay leaves poisonous?

I was told a few weeks ago that bay leaves are poisonous to humans. I had a hard time believing it since they are called for in recipes and I can’t be the only who…well…has forgotten to remove it and pureed it into a soup (or two). But, on the Food Network I learned that nutmeg in large doses is poisonous, so perhaps this is also true with bay leaves?

This is what I found out:

Mountain laurel leaves are poisonous to certain livestock and are not sold anywhere as a spice (cousin species to the bay leaf). This has led to the mistaken belief that bay leaves should be removed from food after cooking because they might poison humans. Bay leaves are safe to eat, however, a person may accidentally swallow a leaf, and the leaves remain stiff even after several hours of cooking. This sometimes causes cutting of the throat and should be avoided.

Pumpkin and Apple Soup with Chestnuts

Got this one from O Magazine and made it tonight in honor of Halloween. It was very, very tasty. Doesn’t taste super Pumpkin-y, it actually has a very unique flavor. I plan to make it again for Thanksgiving.

2 TB unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut into eighths
2 cans (15 oz each) pure pumpkin
4 cups vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
5 TB drained 2 percent Greek yogurt, for garnish
10 fresh chestnuts, roasted, peeled, and coarsely chopped, for garnish
2 TB chopped fresh chives, for garnish

In small pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and apples; cook, stir occasionally until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in pumpkin, broth, 1 1/2 cups water, bay leaf, coriander, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook covered, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft, about 30 minutes.

Remove from heat; discard bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, puree soup in pot until smooth. Stir in cream and return to stove. Cook over medium heat until heated through, about 4 minutes.

Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish each with 1/2 TB dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of chestnuts and chives.

Makes 10 cups.

(I could not find chestnuts at the store, apparently they don’t carry them until further into November. I also didn’t add coriander, red pepper flakes or chives.)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I am such an emotional eater. Today I knew I had to bake muffins. HAD. TO. BAKE. MUFFINS. So I did, two batches, and they are fabulous! I posted this recipe on my old blog and thought I’d move it over here for all you new readers. Trust me, it’s THE best. (Lisa, I’m bringing some this weekend so you can try them for yourself!)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 2/3 cup Flour
1 cup Sugar
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp salt
Mix together

2 eggs
1 cup canned Pumpkin
1/2 cup melted butter
Mix together then add to dry ingredients

Add 1 cup Chocolate Chips

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Amazing site with bread recipes that look AMAZING

Check out this site.

I plan to make the Chocolate Tea Bread, Mississippi Mud Bread, Applesauce Cocoa Bread and Pumpkin Chocolate Loaf…yes, all this week. I have company coming and it’ll be nice to pull these out of the freezer for breakfast.

Carrot Soup

I am trying to create meals this week out of food I already have in my house, and since last week organic carrots were on sale for $1 a bag, I have a bunch of carrots. So I made Carrot Soup.

This is from The Big Book of Soups and Stews by Maryana Vollstedt. Her cookbooks are some of my favorites. This recipe is healthy and sooo yummy. Two great reasons to love it.

1 TB butter
1 cup chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, sliced (about 2 cups)
1 medium russet potato (about 1/2 pound) peeled and cubed
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp pepper
3 1/4 cups broth or stock
2 TB Pesto (optional)
2 TB sour cream for topping (optional)

In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and garlic and saute 2 minutes. Add carrots, potato, sugar, salt, thyme, paprika an dpepper and saute about 5 minutes until vegies are tender. Add 1 cup of stock. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until vegies are soft, about 20 minutes. (This always takes longer for me, more like 30 minutes.)

Transfer batches to a food processor or blender and puree. Return to pot and add remaining stock. Ladle into bowls and top with pesto and sour cream.

(I always use my handheld immersion blender to puree soups. Makes the entire process much easier.)

Serves 4.

Rachel Ray’s Cauliflower Soup

This is one of my favorite soup recipes for fall for two reasons:

1. It’s soooo stinking easy and requires few ingredients (read: cheap!).

2. My entire family lurves it.

I promise you that this soup tastes so much like Cream of Potato that you could probably fool your family into believing that it actually is.

4 TBS butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large or 2 small heads of cauliflower, finely chopped
5 cups vegetable broth (ok yes, you can use chicken broth)
s & p to taste

Melt butter in soup pot. Add onion and cauliflower and cook until onions soften but not brown. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until cauliflower is softened, about 20 minutes. Puree the soup until smooth. Season with s & p. (We like to sprinkle grated cheese on top…)

Enjoy!

Chewy Granola Bars

This is a good granola bar recipe. I’m always looking for things like this to make for snacks and lunches. I plan to adjust the recipe in the future to hopefully include less sugar.

2 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt, divided
2/3 cup chopped dried apricots (I used cranberries)
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 and spary 9×13 glass dish with cooking spray. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and 1/4 tsp salt in bowl. Stir in apricots, chocolate chips and walnuts.

Beat brown sugar, maple syrup, almond butter, oil and egg whites with electric beater until smooth. Stir in oat mixture.

Spread mixture in prepared baking dish and pat down firmly. Sprinkle top with remaining salt. Bake 30-35 minutes or until firm. Cool 20 minutes before slicing into bars. Unmold and store in airtight container.

Spinach Quinoa Salad

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes. It might sound a tad odd, but trust me, it is fabulous and always a huge hit when I make it for a party. I am currently eating it right now, leftovers from dinner last night, and it is making me happy. The spinach does not get soggy so you can make it ahead of time, I’ve even made it the night before and it has been fine. And if you aren’t familiar with quinoa, you should be.

1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups spinach leaves
1 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/3 inch dice
1 15oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 small red onion, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
3 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 350. Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast 7-10 minutes until brown. Let cool.

Bring 3 cups salted water to a boil in a pot over medium-high heat. Stir in quinoa. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and cool covered in pot.

Finely chop spinach into small shreds. Toss quinoa, almonds, spinach, cherries, cucumber, beans and red onion in large bowl. Whisk yogurt, oil, lemon juice and garlic. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving.

I usually double the dressing. It makes a pretty big salad. I’d say it serves 4-5 adults.

Classic Crepes Suzette

This is a Weight Watchers recipe that I tried today for the first time. It is excellent! There is something quite therapeutic about flipping crepes…and fun, too.

1/2 cup flour
4 T sugar
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs beaten
2 tsp grated orange zest
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 oranges, peeled and cut into segments

Combine the flour, 1T of the sugar and salt in a medium bowl.  Combine the milk, eggs and orange zest in another bowl. Gradually whisk the milk mixture into the flour mixture until blended. Let stand 15 minutes. Spray a small nonstick skillet set over medium heat. When a drop of water sizzles, stir batter and pour a scant 1/4 cupful of batter onto it. Swirl to coat. Cook the crepe until the underside is set, about 1-2 minutes. Flip and cook through on the other side about 15 seconds. Slide onto a plate.

Combine the orange juice, orange segments and their juice and the remaining 3T sugar in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Dip each crepe into the hot juice mix, fold, and transfer to a plate.

This makes about 6 crepes. I doubled it today. I also sprinkled the top with powdered sugar which made it even tastier, but a little less of a Weight Watchers recipe I’m sure.