Vinnie and Anna are joined by Andrea Anders to discuss Napoleon Hill, the dangers of vegetable juice, how to eat No Sugar No Grains as a vegan, Chris Christie, and Nigella Lawson.

Nigella Lawson

How to Be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking

Think and Grow Rich

Michael Tortorich sums up the podcast in the My Uncle Vinnie Blog Wrap Up:

Vinnie and Anna chat about the band Blind Melon as this episode kicks off. That leads to Vinnie talking about his favorite authors from way back when he was a kid. Later in the podcast, Andrea Anders joins for another appearance. The conversation includes mention of British foodie Nigella Lawson (picture above).

Chris Christie

Later, Vinnie weighs in (pun intended) on Christ Christie’s lap band surgery.

Vinnie and Anna talk to Paul Cappelli and Steven Crutchfield, owners and olive oil makers at Villa Cappelli (our new sponsor).

Michael Tortorich sums up the podcast in the My Uncle Vinnie Blog Wrap Up:

Early in this podcast, Vinnie talks about a common theme he has seen at the gym – going from “zero to a thousand” in a minute. “I take my time to break into it,” he says. Vinnie then gets into a photo shoot yours truly took on – the Baton Rouge 5K Foam Fest. “It’s perverts’ new way of doing a wet T-shirt contest,” as Vinnie says. Believe you me, there was plenty of foam…and mud. Later, Vinnie and Anna call Steven Crutchfield and Paul Cappelli to talk about Villa Cappelli (check out the link above). They go into detail about all things olive oil.

Vinnie and Anna discuss all sorts of fitness and diet bits and pieces, most of which are extremely illuminating. Buy Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease here.

Michael Tortorich sums up the podcast in the My Uncle Vinnie Blog Wrap Up:

This episode begins with Vinnie and Anna talking about blenders, such as the Vitamix and others. He even brings up yours truly, who recently bought a Ninja (and I love it!). Vinnie later talks haircuts. On a recent trip to the salon, he met Ron Jeremy. Later in the show, they talk about spinning and bike fits.

Vinnie and Anna talk health, fitness, and roach motels with Dr. X.

Michael Tortorich sums up the podcast in the My Uncle Vinnie Blog Wrap Up:

Vinnie leads off this episode by bringing up the “Do not abandon your baby” sign he saw on a coroner van. They then get the anonymous Dr. X on the phone. After introducing Dr. X, they get into a discussion of “boot camp” programs. Vinnie even tells my story about a boot camp I went to where the instructor was the heaviest person there, yelling at other heavy people. Later, they talk about being on time (i.e. Lombardi Time). That leads to discussion of heart rates. Stick around until the end because Dr. X talks about the weirdest things she’s found up people’s butts.

Creamy Asparagus Onion Mushroom Soup

Now that we’re all powered up with a Vitamix, what the heck do we make?  This soup is simple and delicious, so get crackin’.

CREAMY ASPARAGUS ONION MUSHROOM SOUP

1 1/2 cups chicken or veggie stock

1 bundle of asparagus, chopped into pieces, ends discarded

1 small onion, quartered

1/2 pack of mushrooms, I used baby portabellas

1/2 cup heavy cream

Pinch of Salt & Pepper

Fresh Parmesan or avocado, cubed for garnish (optional)

1.  Steam the veggies until soft, about 8-10 mins.

2.  Place stock and steamed veggies into Vitamix.  Run the “Soup” setting (takes about 5 minutes).

3.  Pulse in the heavy cream, salt & pepper for about 30-45 seconds.

4. Garnish as desired.  Eat.

More recipes at Gluten Free Anna.

Vinnie and Anna catch up with Hollywood’s most prolific writer-director Dean Lorey. Buy his Nightmare Academy
books!

Michael Tortorich sums up the podcast in the My Uncle Vinnie Blog Wrap Up:

Dean Lorey makes his triumphant return to the podcast, leading off with a comical retelling of a Vinnie recipe. Vinnie then talks about his disdain for words, preferring to simply point most of the time. He also talks about his inability to remember names, and how he falls back on “Pumpkin.” By the time the podcast ends, Anna and Vinnie realize they didn’t get around to talking about health and fitness since Dean was only supposed to be on for a few minutes.

Dean Lorey

I shoulda doubled the recipe as we finished the entire tray in one evening.  Low-carb comfort food at its best.  Hope you all agree. XOXO, Anna.

Cheesy Zucchini Casserole

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 shallots chopped
1 red pepper chopped
pinch garlic salt
pinch dried oregano
3-4 zucchinis, sliced into disks (I use this: Progressive International HGT-11 Folding Mandoline Slicer)
1/3 cup full fat ricotta
8 oz (2 cups) grated colby jack cheese
1/4 cup whipping cream
Butter to grease the pan
Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat up olive oil and butter in non-stick fry pan at medium-high heat.  Throw in shallots and cook 3-5 minutes until they start to caramelize.  Add in red pepper and the pinch of garlic salt and oregano.  Cook a few more minutes until shallots are caramelized and the red peppers are soft.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Grease a 9 x 12 pan with butter.  Place zucchini disks, one layer at a time, spreading them apart fairly evenly like you would do with scalloped potatoes.  Salt and Pepper each new layer of zucchini.  On the first layer of zucchini, spread out the ricotta cheese.  On the second layer, sprinkle a handful of the grated cheese.  On the third layer, evenly pour the whipping cream, and on the fourth layer spread out the shallot and pepper mixture.  Top with remainder of grated cheese.

Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees, or until the top is slight browned and bubbly.

More recipes at Gluten Free Anna

Vinnie and Anna discuss this ridiculous article, how to control carb cravings, and the Celebrity Cougars Vinnie loves.

Michael Tortorich sums up the podcast in the My Uncle Vinnie Blog Wrap Up:

Leading off this episode, Vinnie and Anna talk about vitamin products and how some have fillers. Vinnie talks about the possibility of selling better vitamins. Anna then reads an article about eating less. As Vinnie frequently says, we’re the only animal on the planet that thinks it’s a good day when we have less to eat. Vinnie then begins to lose his mind as Anna reads more. Anna reads an article that says surgery and drugs are the most effective treatment for obesity. This causes Vinnie to go nuts and practically give up on podcasting. Vinnie then talks about his now infamous appearance on Oprah. Vinnie was doing the cougar thing before it was cool. He was also wearing pink pants, which was never cool. This leads to a discussion of celebrity cougars. They talk about Jennifer Coolidge (Stifler’s mom from The American Pie series), Jane Fonda, Helen Mirren, and of course, Sophia Loren (Vinnie’s all-time favorite cougar). They then take questions about dealing with carb cravings.

Vinnie and Anna discuss running 5Ks to increase speed, how to make nut butters, and interview loyal listener Chelsea Boore about her successes and concerns with No Sugar No Grains.

Michael Tortorich sums up the podcast in the My Uncle Vinnie Blog Wrap Up:

Vinnie and Anna start the show by talking about Vinnie’s adventures in getting his book published. He won’t take the Jillian Michaels approach, so he’s looking into the possibility of self-publishing it. Anna then tells about her personal record in her recent 5K. That leads them to discussing Dean Lorey and his son. They then move on to a question about making peanut butter in the Vitamix. This leads to the Andrea Anders nut butter segment idea being born. Longtime listener/first time interviewee Chelsea Boore gets a call for some free advice. She’s been doing no sugar and no grains. While she lost weight right away and has been strict, she’s noticed some weight gain. They investigate the possibilities that may be the problem. Aside from diet, they talk about the types of exercises she’s doing as well. As they wrap up the show, they talk about how Anna will be posting more recipes. And, for good measure, Vinnie calls himself the King of Fitness for, like, the 80th time before the show ends.

It’s high time we start posting some recipes from Gluten Free Anna right here for all you lovely podcast devotees clamoring for the No Sugar No Grains Cookbook!  So here goes Anna with Crock Pot Short Ribs.  These are easy.  Make them.

 I am obsessed with short ribs.  They are tender and flavorful.  They go with any kind of sauce you can dream up, usually perfected after hours and hours of braising.

I decided to come up with an easy, quick(ish) recipe using the crock pot on a high setting.  Using boneless short ribs cuts down the cook time, and the crock pot keeps you from having to fire up the oven for several hours on a hot summer day.

This recipe is also very low carb.  A lot of short rib recipes call for sugar, honey, molasses, etc., and the only sugar in this recipe is found in the ketchup.  This is tangy, melt-in-your-mouth, low carb short rib goodness.

Crock Pot Short Ribs

2-4 lbs boneless short ribs, trimmed of excess fat

Salt & Pepper to season ribs

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp minced garlic (or 2 garlic cloves, minced)

1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped (ok to use 1 tsp dried oregano)

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (or substitute Trader Joe’s orange muscat champagne vinegar)

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon mustard

1 tsp GF soy sauce or tamari

Pinch smoky hawaiian black salt (found in specialty markets, sea salt is great, too)

3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme

Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Place ribs in crock pot.

In a bowl, whisk remaining ingredients into a sauce.  Pour over ribs and dredge ribs in the sauce.  Cook on high in covered crock pot for 3 hours or until ribs are fall-apart tender.  Remove thyme sprigs before serving.