Ingredients:
1 3lb Angus Beef Eye Round Roast
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp Espresso Rub

Gravy
1 14.5oz can Cottage Inn low sodium beef broth
1 tsp Espresso Rub
1 Tbsp Emeril Italian Essence
1 Tbsp Worchestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp steak sauce (A1 is fine, I used HP)
1 Tbsp Gravy Master
1/4 cup flour (to thicken gravy)

Set slow cooker to high, add all Gravy ingredients EXCEPT flour.

Massage roast with about 2 Tbsp Espresso Rub (I didn’t measure) while a large skillet set to medium-high heats up with a tablespoon or so of oil (I used grapeseed oil but I suppose it doesn’t matter much). Caramelize the roast by browning in skillet but careful not to over-do it. You’re not cooking the roast, just sealing in the juices.

Add roast to slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours. It could actually be fully cooked by then but I like to cook mine a really long time. I then set the cooker to low for a further 4 hours.

Then remove roast, slowly add 1/4 cup flour (I use Aunt Jemima’s pancake flour, but regular flour will do nicely) and whisk to blend. Check gravy consistency, if you like thicker, slowly add to prefered thickness. I like really thick, so I ended up using 1/2 cup. Re-place roast and set cooker to warm until ready to serve. Cut into slices (could almost use a butter knife) to serve with its gravy.

Corn on the cob and mashed potatoes go really nicely with this.

Enjoy!!

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1 lb. tomatillos, husks removed
6 cloves garlic
1 Tablespoon olive oil
8 oz. dry whole wheat linguine or spaghetti
4 cups loosely packed fresh spinach (3 oz.)
2 Tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
2 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon each sugar, kosher salt, and red pepper flakes
10 cherry tomatoes halved
Pecorino Romano cheese shavings

Preheat oven to 400º.

Combine tomatillos with garlic in a bowl; add oil and toss to coat. Transfer mixture to a baking dish; roast for 35 minutes.

Cook linguine in a large pot of boiling water according to package instructions.

Place roasted tomatillo mixture in a food processor; add spinach, broth, oregano, thyme, sugar, salt, and pepper flakes. Process until sauce is blended.

Drain linguine; transfer to a bowl with cherry tomatoes. Add sauce and toss to coat linguine and tomatoes. Garnish each serving with Romano shavings

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 296 cal; 6g total fat (1g sat, 3g mono, 1g poly); 0mg chol; 527mg sodium; 56g carb (11g fiber, 9g total sugars); 11g protein, 4mg iron, 73mg calcium.

Beanie’s Critique:

A very, very yummy sauce even of you don’t make it quite as written. For those who know me personally, you know my first attempt at this we had a little flake red pepper/ground cayenne pepper fiasco which Auntie LOVED is super-spicy. So I made it again tonight leaving the pepper for last (still ground cayenne). I also seem to have forgotten the teaspoon of sugar, but I didn’t miss it. I will say picking the leaves of the herbs is slow and dragging (especially the thyme), it helps to have a little 3 year old assistant chef who’s happy to sit watching Elmo whilst picking leaves. I also used, instead of the whole wheat linguine, Buitoni’s spinach and cheese tortellinis. If you’re making this for yourself to separate and store, I’d make 5 servings rather than 4. It’s a more diet-friendly size and calorie count. If you’re not on a diet, knock yourself out! Oh, and very green for St. Patrick’s Day, though very Mexi-talian. Auntie likes the super-spicy version, Pip and I like the less cayenne version. Gem didn’t try it. Big surprise there.

For Dough:

1 package Pillbury Reduced Fat Crescent refrigerated dough
16 sprays I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! spray

For Filling:

1/4 cup dark brown sugar (not packed)
1/4 cup Splenda no calorie sweetener
1/2 tablespoon light whipped butter or light buttery spread, room temp
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt

For Icing:

1/4 cup Cool Whip Free, thawed
3 tablespoons fat-free cream cheese, room temp
1 tablespoon Splenda no calorie sweetener (granulated)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To make filling, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well to make sure the butter gets mixed in evenly. Set aside.

To make icing, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix until smooth and blended. Place in the fridge to chill and set.

Prepare a dry surface by sprinkling it with a small amount of flour to prevent sticking. Remove dough from package and kneed into  a ball.

Using a rolling pin dusted lightly with flour, very firmly roll out dough into a thin sheet about 8 inches by 12 inches. Spray the dough’s surface evenly with butter spray.

Spread filling out evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges.

Starting with the long side of the dough, roll it up tightly, forming a log. Once dough is completely rolled up, pinch along the seam to seal.

Turn the log over so that the seam is facing down. Using a very sharp knife, cut log into 8 even pieces. pinch the side seams to seal if necessary.

Cover pan with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes.

Remove foil and return pan to oven. Bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until cinnamon rolls have risen and are slightly browned on top.

Evenly distribute icing over cinnamon rolls and then enjoy!

Makes 8 servings. Nutritional value per serving: 126 calories; 5g fat; 308mg sodium; 18.5g carbs; ‹0.5g fiber; 6.5g sugars; 3g protein.

Beanie’s Critique:

A great starting point of a recipe. I don’t always follow every direction as my attention span is limited. I did not knead and re-roll the dough, I just rolled the dough straight from the package as much as I comfortably could, pinching the seams as I went. I also skipped the 1/8 tsp of salt.

As I cannot have soy, I used light whipped butter where Ms. Lillien asks for I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! spray but I have to find an alternative to the Cool Whip Free. The only other bone I have to pick is the icing. It’s just a bit weird and has a funny after-taste. I’m going to try to fix this while keeping the calorie count as close to original recipe as I can by using less brown sugar in the filling and making the icing out of Splenda and regular confectioners sugar. I’ll let you know how it goes. All in all, this is a pretty yummy recipe and a nice alternative to the bajillion-calorie Cinnabuns and Pillbury Cinnamon Buns. So far the only ones who have tried this is myself and Auntie (who took most of them home with her).

For those who don’t know me I’ll tell you a bit about myself and why I’ve started this blog. Well, I’ll be 41 at the end of this month, I have a wonderful husband (we’ll call him Pip as he’s English and reminds me of the South Park character) and a stunningly lovely little 3-year-old girl we’ll refer to as Gem. I’ve bounced between “festively plump” to downright fat and back again my whole life and am currently on Nutrisystem which has brought my weight down from a staggering 208lbs to 188lbs and counting, but one can’t be on one of these plans forever and must find a way to live without blimping up again. At the same time there are a few exceptional cooks in my family but unfortunately great tasting food is generally really fattening. I’m also a bit tired of hearing from people who have never been fat in their lives telling us chunkies how to live. If you haven’t been in our shoes, I hardly think you’re the one to help. Also for those who are obese and yet for some reason think they have the secret for weight loss. If you have the secret, use it yourself and lead by example, but don’t go calling this kettle black.

I’m on a quest for yummy food that won’t make me fat! I will be testing out recipes from many different sources and am more than happy to take suggestions. Some I will try as written from the source, some I will alter. My guinea pigs will be myself, Pip, Gem, my nanny Auntie, and my Mom. I will share with you the source of the original recipes, any alterations I may make, calorie count where possible, and our true, unbiased opinions. I will share any effect on my weight once I’m fully off Nutrisystem and, you gotta give me ball credit for this, a regular account of my weight loss or gain. As it stands now I’m 5’7″ and 188lbs. I hope that this blog will help my fellow chunksters deal with the myriad of  cookbooks out there and maybe even help some of the “How do those people let themselves get that big?” people get a little insight and understanding of our situation.

On that note, I will give my first insight. If food is an addiction, it is unlike a drug, alcohol, gambling, etc addiction. One can live one’s whole life without ever touching an alcoholic drink, but one cannot live without eating. It is not a “one day at a time” choice. It’s a several times a day set of choices. When to eat, where to eat, what to eat, how much to eat for every meal of every day for the rest of your entire life because once a fat cell is created in your body it’s there forever unless surgically removed. Oh, you can loose weight and that cell shrivels up like a raisin, but it’s always there, waiting for you to slip up. Waiting for that birthday party or the drinks out with the girls (or guys) or Easter or Halloween… and it will plump up to full grape again.

Anyway, that’s the end of my serious, lecturing, un-fun part. Tomorrow I will share a couple of my first attempts in the kitchen.

Oh, did I mention? I’m a totally, completely inept in the kitchen? This oughtta be fun!