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Really, she’s just like you and me. She struggles with losing the baby weight and cries when she misses her kids. And she… oh, wait. The similarities end right about there. Because she is Gwyneth Paltrow, award-winning actress and A-list jet-setter married to a rock star. And the rest of us are not.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not one of the Gwynnie haters. I’m more bemused by her. Why is she so determined to prove that she’s just one of the girls? A "working mommy" who’s also a "foodie" who happens to have a cookbook coming out next spring? Goop, her chatty website, is full of everyday tips for regular gals who, you know, just might be grocery shopping in London or Marrakesh. When she recommended a coffee joint as “perfect for a full day of freelancing,” I nearly choked on my own coffee. The last time Gwyneth Paltrow spent a day freelancing is the last time I waltzed down the red carpet to pick up my Academy Award. Maybe her concern is real: She does sincerely seem to want us to get enough vitamin D, eat more kale and beware of "frenemies."
My boys are the same age as Apple, 6, and Moses, 4, (again, Gwyneth and I are so alike) and dinner must be served, so I decided to chuck the attitude and try a recipe from Goop. The choice was easy enough. There are nice tips and recipes for school lunches, and nice tips and recipes for detoxing your liver in the spring, and not a whole lot in between. My family opted for "Mexican Dinner, Family Style," which is grilled shrimp tacos with pico de gallo and guacamole, plus black bean tacos with brown rice for the kids. In preparation, I watched the accompanying video.
We started with canned black beans, which suggests that Gwyneth does live on the same planet. We simmered them briefly with a garlic clove and cilantro stems for flavor. The cilantro leaves went into the guacamole (along with avocado, onion and lime) and the pico de gallo (along with tomatoes, onion and lime). She sliced up grape tomatoes, which are always more flavorful than grocery store tomatoes. And I appreciated that she spooned some salsa into a dish for the kids before adding hot chili to the rest.
Her knife skills were admirable. Gwyneth griddled tortillas in a dry pan over high heat with practiced ease, and then she grilled shrimp. In moments, she was making a well-filled taco and (gasp!) taking a big, satisfied chomp.
My family ate with equal pleasure. My 4-year-old beat his fork on the table and shouted, "Yummy tacos! Yummy tacos!" (Moses probably does the same.) It was a very tasty and practical weeknight dinner—in fact, it's the kind of thing I cook all the time, and from the looks of it, so does Gwyneth.
And if her kids truly eat her Goop recipe for chunky beet dip with celery and broccoli, then she deserves more than an Oscar.
What celebrity would you like a recipe from? Chime in below!
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