It is the Tuesday after a three day weekend (Memorial Day). I know it's Tuesday but it FEELS like a Monday.
I wasn't too bad this weekend as far as food goes. I managed to not eat any of the forbidden foods: bread, pasta, rice, potatoes. I did consume too much alcohol and we know that alcohol turns RIGHT into sugar. Bleah. No wonder I am draggin' ass today.
So, I need a restorative. What to do? Curry!
Yes, curry. I need something packed with vitamins and spiced to make me sweat out the toxins of an indulgent weekend. I don't pretend to be any sort of an expert on making curries. My curries are of my own devising. They are neither Thai nor Indian but I suppose they are based more on the Indian type. Loosely defined, a curry is a mixture of vegetables (and meat) cooked in a sauce of strong spices and turmeric. Seriously? That could be almost anything.
Curry powder can be purchased in most grocery stores. Or you can make your own garam masala (a blend of spices), which I have done and it beats the heck out of the store bought kind. Unfortunately, the homemade stuff flavor fades fairly rapidly once the spices have been ground so I go through it too quickly. I usually just use the store bought kind. The madras type of curry powder is extra spicy. Sometimes the situation calls for just a little more spice. This is one of those times.
Curry
Serves 6-8
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large handful sliced red chard leaves
1 Japanese eggplant, cubed
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 TBS grated fresh ginger
3 tablespoons curry powder
8 oz poached chicken meat
6 oz cubed firm tofu
1.5 cans reduced sodium chicken broth (or 2 1/3 cups)
1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Add onion to Dutch oven; cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add carrots, celery and chard. Saute another 5 minutes. Add eggplant cubes. Saute 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and curry powder. Cook, stirring, 1 minute more.
3. Add the proteins. Incorporate, making sure all the chicken and/or tofu is covered in the spices.
4. Stir in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil then immediately turn down to a simmer, cover and cook for at least 20 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft.
5. Remove from the heat. Stir in the yogurt incorporating well. Serve and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
** NOTE ** Play around with the ingredients. As with all my recipes, they are just a jumping off point. Add different types of proteins.. lamb is good, all chicken, all tofu, whatever. Add different vegetables Go crazy.
A big bowl of this spicy concoction will put you right and make Wednesday a lot better than Tuesday. Oh yeah.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Spice Goddess
Make me sweat, I'll be your friend. More on that later. The hardest thing for me is the lack of snack foods available. Think about it... all the good snack foods have carbs: chips, crackers, thin slices of party bread, popcorn. Sometimes all I need to get me through is a couple of bites of whatever. I don't need to stuff my face, I just need to take the edge off. So, what to do?
SPICE! (That's where the whole "make me sweat" thing comes in.)
Chilies contain a wonderful chemical called capsaicin. Capsaicin is a known digestion enhancer and natural appetite suppressant. Eating something spicy also tells your body you are eating something good, flavorful and satisfying. Chomping on a big, spicy pickle in the afternoon is all you need to get through until dinner. If you do decide to use pickles to soothe that jones, read the label. Make sure it is not a sweet pickle or one that uses sugar in the brining process. Otherwise that kind of defeats the purpose... you might as well have eaten a big slice of pie! Well, okay, maybe not but still, you get my point.
I also love hot sauces... Tabasco, Tabasco chipotle, sriracha. Make a low carb chicken soup, pack in lots of vegetables, use Mexican oregano and smoked chipotle powder as your spice then throw some Tabasco chipotle sauce on top right before serving. WOOO! Spicy, hot goodness. You will feel full and satisfied and ready to salsa. I swear.
Back to snacks, I also utilize fat free Greek yogurt. It has no fat, it's low carb and very filling. Greek yogurt has been strained so it is very thick in texture compared to American style yogurt. More on the virtues of Greek yogurt another day but right here I will just say I mix it with hot sauce and a tiny pinch of salt. Okay, I know, most people mix in sugar and/or fruit... I'm a more savory gal myself and I am convinced the spiciness makes me feel more satisfied.
So in conclusion, satisfy your spice tooth! I just made up that term. I need to patent it, stat.
SPICE! (That's where the whole "make me sweat" thing comes in.)
Chilies contain a wonderful chemical called capsaicin. Capsaicin is a known digestion enhancer and natural appetite suppressant. Eating something spicy also tells your body you are eating something good, flavorful and satisfying. Chomping on a big, spicy pickle in the afternoon is all you need to get through until dinner. If you do decide to use pickles to soothe that jones, read the label. Make sure it is not a sweet pickle or one that uses sugar in the brining process. Otherwise that kind of defeats the purpose... you might as well have eaten a big slice of pie! Well, okay, maybe not but still, you get my point.
I also love hot sauces... Tabasco, Tabasco chipotle, sriracha. Make a low carb chicken soup, pack in lots of vegetables, use Mexican oregano and smoked chipotle powder as your spice then throw some Tabasco chipotle sauce on top right before serving. WOOO! Spicy, hot goodness. You will feel full and satisfied and ready to salsa. I swear.
Back to snacks, I also utilize fat free Greek yogurt. It has no fat, it's low carb and very filling. Greek yogurt has been strained so it is very thick in texture compared to American style yogurt. More on the virtues of Greek yogurt another day but right here I will just say I mix it with hot sauce and a tiny pinch of salt. Okay, I know, most people mix in sugar and/or fruit... I'm a more savory gal myself and I am convinced the spiciness makes me feel more satisfied.
So in conclusion, satisfy your spice tooth! I just made up that term. I need to patent it, stat.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Man, I'm hungry.
My stomach is growling. I suppose now would be a bad time to go grocery shopping but shop I must. I am out of protein. A really easy source of lean protein is chicken. I can't deal with chicken breasts though. No matter what I do, they end up dry and a little mealy (read: nasty and bad to eat).
At your local grocery store I will bet they have bargain packs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Poach those suckers:
Trim any blobs of visible fat. Throw the thighs in a pot and cover with cold water until the water is about an inch or two above the meat. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. Take them off the heat, cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Voila! You have a pot of poached protein just ready for preparing with a variety of foods. Drain them and put them into the refrigerator when they have cooled sufficiently. If you add a TBS of peppercorns to the water and a tsp of kosher salt before cooking and skim the foam after cooking, you can save off the cooking water for a tasty, homemade, low fat, low salt chicken broth. Oh... store it overnight in the refrigerator and skim the fat the next day. You can freeze it or keep it for a few days refrigerated to make tasty soups or whatever.
Easy Chicken Soup - Serves 4
Non-fat cooking spray
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 cup red chard (or other hearty green), leaves sliced into very thin ribbons
4-5 cooked chicken thighs, cut up into 1/2 inch chunks
6 cups fat free, low salt chicken broth or stock
1 package shirataki noodles
Saute the chopped onion over medium high heat in a large non-stick skilled, 5 minutes. Add carrots and celery, 5 more minutes. Add the ribbons of chard. Saute a few more minutes until the chard is wilted.
Add the chicken and toss around until the chicken absorbs some of the tasty goodness in the pan.
Pour in the chicken broth, bring to a simmer.
Dump the shirataki noodles straight into a colander. Rinse very well. You might also want to cut them into "egg noodle length" with scissors if they are the spaghetti or linguine kind. Once they are rinsed to the point of not having any sort of aroma at all, dump them into your soup. Continue to simmer for another 10 minutes. Serve.
*NOTE - I use this recipe as a template only. Sometimes I add chopped garlic or saute mushrooms with the other vegetables. If you trim the end of the stems of red chard you can chop those and cook them like celery. They add a pretty red color to the soup. Or I will use dried herbs, thrown in with the vegetables and tossed around right before I add the stock (good herbs are basil, oregano or thyme). If I want it to look fancy, I will sprinkle some fresh parsley over top before I serve it. Let your imagination be your guide.
Enjoy!
At your local grocery store I will bet they have bargain packs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Poach those suckers:
Trim any blobs of visible fat. Throw the thighs in a pot and cover with cold water until the water is about an inch or two above the meat. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. Take them off the heat, cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Voila! You have a pot of poached protein just ready for preparing with a variety of foods. Drain them and put them into the refrigerator when they have cooled sufficiently. If you add a TBS of peppercorns to the water and a tsp of kosher salt before cooking and skim the foam after cooking, you can save off the cooking water for a tasty, homemade, low fat, low salt chicken broth. Oh... store it overnight in the refrigerator and skim the fat the next day. You can freeze it or keep it for a few days refrigerated to make tasty soups or whatever.
Easy Chicken Soup - Serves 4
Non-fat cooking spray
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 cup red chard (or other hearty green), leaves sliced into very thin ribbons
4-5 cooked chicken thighs, cut up into 1/2 inch chunks
6 cups fat free, low salt chicken broth or stock
1 package shirataki noodles
Saute the chopped onion over medium high heat in a large non-stick skilled, 5 minutes. Add carrots and celery, 5 more minutes. Add the ribbons of chard. Saute a few more minutes until the chard is wilted.
Add the chicken and toss around until the chicken absorbs some of the tasty goodness in the pan.
Pour in the chicken broth, bring to a simmer.
Dump the shirataki noodles straight into a colander. Rinse very well. You might also want to cut them into "egg noodle length" with scissors if they are the spaghetti or linguine kind. Once they are rinsed to the point of not having any sort of aroma at all, dump them into your soup. Continue to simmer for another 10 minutes. Serve.
*NOTE - I use this recipe as a template only. Sometimes I add chopped garlic or saute mushrooms with the other vegetables. If you trim the end of the stems of red chard you can chop those and cook them like celery. They add a pretty red color to the soup. Or I will use dried herbs, thrown in with the vegetables and tossed around right before I add the stock (good herbs are basil, oregano or thyme). If I want it to look fancy, I will sprinkle some fresh parsley over top before I serve it. Let your imagination be your guide.
Enjoy!
Monday, May 23, 2011
In Praise of Tofu
My main sources of sustenance are low fat proteins, vegetables and fat free dairy. One thing I have noticed is a lack of... something. I can't put my finger on it. Is it a texture? A taste? Does it subtract from that full feeling I want to have at the end of a meal? I don't know. What I do know is that some of that freaky, elusive feeling is mitigated with TOFU NOODLES. Yes, tofu.
There has been a lot of scary stuff on the internet lately about how bad OD-ing on soy is. My thoughts are... it is bad to OD on anything. All things in moderation. Besides, a couple billion Chinese and Japanese have been eating tofu for a few thousand years and culturally, they are some of the healthiest people on Earth. A couple billion people can't be wrong (okay, I guess they can be but I am just rolling with it.) Anyway, I know other folks have been using this stuff so it might not be a surprise to some people. My personal new and fantastic discovery is the Shirataki noodle.
Shirataki noodles are made from tofu. Here is some information right off the House Foods web page (House Foods makes the brand I like best). I recommend giving them a try. They don't bake very well (don't make a baked pasta dish because they don't absorb liquid like a wheat based noodle would... the dish ends up being very liquid-y). They work great in soups, as a base for spaghetti sauce or a stir fry. I made a jambalaya type soup using Shirataki instead of rice and it was delicious and filling.
There has been a lot of scary stuff on the internet lately about how bad OD-ing on soy is. My thoughts are... it is bad to OD on anything. All things in moderation. Besides, a couple billion Chinese and Japanese have been eating tofu for a few thousand years and culturally, they are some of the healthiest people on Earth. A couple billion people can't be wrong (okay, I guess they can be but I am just rolling with it.) Anyway, I know other folks have been using this stuff so it might not be a surprise to some people. My personal new and fantastic discovery is the Shirataki noodle.
Shirataki noodles are made from tofu. Here is some information right off the House Foods web page (House Foods makes the brand I like best). I recommend giving them a try. They don't bake very well (don't make a baked pasta dish because they don't absorb liquid like a wheat based noodle would... the dish ends up being very liquid-y). They work great in soups, as a base for spaghetti sauce or a stir fry. I made a jambalaya type soup using Shirataki instead of rice and it was delicious and filling.
- VARIETY OF SHAPES:
- Spaghetti
- Fettuccine
- Angel-Hair
- LOW CARB - only 3g of carbs per serving
- LOW CALORIE - 20 calories per 4 oz serving
- NO CHOLESTEROL
- NO SUGAR
- GLUTEN-FREE
- DAIRY-FREE
- CONTAINS 10% CALCIUM
- VEGAN
- GUILT-FREE
Mission Statement
I am a high carb girl living in a low carb world.
I love bread. There, I said it. I love bread. Good bread; chewy, fresh bread with a crust for which teeth are required; bread that will hold up when dunked into soups or used as a mop to sop up a sauce. I also love pasta, rice and potatoes. See where I am heading?
I discovered not too long ago that eating these foods make me retain water. So much so that my blood pressure is way too high and by an evening's end, my ankles look like softballs. My love of all things carby also contributes to my weight. I need to lose weight. The weight thing is also a main factor in the blood pressure issue... so I am resigning myself to a life without these things. It ain't gonna be easy.
I've been working on this for a month now. I've lost 20 lbs. My fingers have lost most of their "little smokey sausage" appearance and my ankles look much better at the end of the day. I saw my doctor a couple of days ago and he says my blood pressure had come down a good bit. What was I doing differently?
In this blog I will chronicle my journey. Oh man, I hate myself. After watching "The Biggest Loser" for 6 seasons in a row I swore I would kill myself if I ever used the term "weight loss journey." Damn. Oh well, killing myself would be counter-productive at this point. I was slowly killing myself with unhealthy food and carb loading.
Here we go...
I love bread. There, I said it. I love bread. Good bread; chewy, fresh bread with a crust for which teeth are required; bread that will hold up when dunked into soups or used as a mop to sop up a sauce. I also love pasta, rice and potatoes. See where I am heading?
I discovered not too long ago that eating these foods make me retain water. So much so that my blood pressure is way too high and by an evening's end, my ankles look like softballs. My love of all things carby also contributes to my weight. I need to lose weight. The weight thing is also a main factor in the blood pressure issue... so I am resigning myself to a life without these things. It ain't gonna be easy.
I've been working on this for a month now. I've lost 20 lbs. My fingers have lost most of their "little smokey sausage" appearance and my ankles look much better at the end of the day. I saw my doctor a couple of days ago and he says my blood pressure had come down a good bit. What was I doing differently?
In this blog I will chronicle my journey. Oh man, I hate myself. After watching "The Biggest Loser" for 6 seasons in a row I swore I would kill myself if I ever used the term "weight loss journey." Damn. Oh well, killing myself would be counter-productive at this point. I was slowly killing myself with unhealthy food and carb loading.
Here we go...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)