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Zone Living

Breaking down the latest research on Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition
Written By: Dr. Barry Sears, Ph. D | Creator of the Zone Diet

Written by Sue Knorr
on May 12, 2015

 

One of my passions is experimenting in the kitchen, and being “in the Zone” for the last 20 years hasn’t changed that a bit. What has changed are the ingredients I use, and the amount of time I have to spend cooking, which is limited at best. 

 

Both of these recipes are fast and easy to whip up with no real cooking skills needed. Give them a try. Your family will love you for it!

 

Grain-Free Grilled Cheese

Makes 1 fully balanced meal

The inspiration for this recipe came from one of the current cauliflower hacks circulating online. It’s amazing what folks can come up with from a simple head of cauliflower. This one took some changes to be Zone worthy, but it was well worth the effort. The result is a delicious and very filling meal. To balance the meal, serve with a colorful cabbage slaw and some berries for dessert.

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups steamed cauliflower, white or the colorful type (steamed just until tender but not mushy)
  • 2 egg whites, lightly beaten with a fork
  • 2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella
  • 2 1-oz. slices reduced-fat cheese (I use part-skim mozzarella because it melts nicely)

 

Directions:

  1.  Preheat oven to 450°.
  2. Grate cauliflower to a fine consistency in a mini food processor. Take care not to puree it.
  3. Press the grated cauliflower between paper towels to squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
  4. Transfer cauliflower to a mixing bowl and combine with the egg whites and grated mozzarella.
  5. On a parchment-covered baking sheet shape the mixture into two squares the size of bread slices.
  6. Bake until golden.
  7. Assemble the cauliflower “bread” and cheese slices as you would a grilled cheese sandwich and heat in a skillet on the stove top over low heat to melt the cheese.

 

Beths Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Yield 28 mini muffins, each containing 3 blocks fat

This recipe makes a surprisingly tender, light and fluffy muffin, each one containing approximately 4.5 grams fat and negligible amounts of protein and carbohydrate. This is based on a recipe my daughter makes, and my grandkids love. I changed a few things to make it fit the Zone. Consider one muffin to be the dash of monounsaturated fat in the average-size Zone meal.

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 bananas
  • 1 cup of a combination of almond butter and peanut butter (I use mostly peanut butter in the mix)
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
  • Optional: 1 small squirt of agave syrup

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°.
  2. Prepare a 24-cup mini-muffin pan by wiping a small amount of olive oil into each cup or use muffin papers instead of oiling the pan. Place 4 additional mini-muffin paper baking cups in a baking dish to yield a total of 28 muffins.
  3. Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well with an immersion blender.
  4. Spoon the mixture into the 24-cup mini-muffin pan plus the 4 additional paper mini-muffin cups.
  5. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes.
  6. Remove from the oven and cool for a minute or two before removing the muffins from the pan.

Enjoy!

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