My husband is a carnivore. He is a meat eater in a major way. Even if I could contemplate vegetarianism (my allergy to nuts plus my love of charred flesh gets in the way) it would be problematic because my beloved loves meat. He won't eat beans or tofu or alternative forms of protein. So, if I don't want to make two dinners I make something with some form of meat.
This presents a challenge. I easily tire of the usual chicken or ground turkey because I am big on variety. I make fish or seafood which he likes but if the truth be told, he would be happy if I made "hamburgers with beefy mushroom gravy" every night. It is easy to make but there is one big drawback: I-get-bored-easily.
I like to mix it up. I like beef, chicken, turkey seafood, fish, lamb and pork. Oh yes. Some people pooh-pooh pork because they think it is fatty. Think again! Have these people ever tried pork loin? So lean, so delicious and so easy to prepare... pork loin. Love!
Pork Loin Medallions with Onion and Mushroom Gravy
Serves 6
1 TB olive oil, divided
1 half onion, chopped
16 oz sliced mushrooms
1 pkg pork loin, usually 2 lbs of meat in 2 small loins
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1 TB prepared mustard
1 TB corn starch
2 TB minced fresh parsley (optional)
Drizzle 1 tsp of the olive oil into a large, medium hot frying pan. After the oil is nice and hot drop in the onions. Saute for just a couple of minutes, to take away the sharp aroma. Pour in the mushrooms and toss, for 5 minutes until the mushrooms lose most of their liquid.
While the onions and mushrooms are cooking slice the loin crosswise into medallions. Season them with salt and pepper. Once the vegetables are done spoon them onto a plate for later. In the still hot pan drizzle another tsp of the olive oil. Place half of the seasoned pork pieces into the pan. Sear them until very brown on both sides, placing them into another plate as they get done. Repeat with the rest of the olive oil and pork.
There should be a nice layer of dark brown goodness in the frying pan. Pour the white wine into the hot pan, scraping with a spatula, getting all the brown stuff incorporated into the liquid. Let it cook until the alcohol smell is gone and only the good wine smell is left. Whisk in the yogurt until combined then stir in the tablespoon of mustard. Let it bubble for a few minutes to thicken. Depending on the thickness, add anywhere from a teaspoon to a tablespoon of cornstarch to a small bowl and mix with water in an equal amount to how much cornstarch you used. Stir it into a thick slurry then pour it into the sauce, immediately lowering the heat to medium low. Stir until the sauce thickens into more of a gravy. Add the pork, onions and mushrooms back into the sauce and let simmer for 5 minutes, until the pork is done, no more than faintly pink on the inside. Sprinkle with parsley and serve!
It is meaty and hearty and enough to satisfy even the more hardcore of carnivores... like my husband... but still be healthy and better yet, low carb!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
I'm all about the flavor today...
You know, sometimes you just have to forget about any dietary restrictions and just think about the food. It just so happens that on this day I thought about the food, the flavor, the fullness factor and not the carbohydrates... and it just so happens that I came up with a very low carb meal. And it was damned delicious. So there.
Two days ago my husband (who trends towards the fatty, the salty, the processed) said he bought a carton of cioppino from a local gourmet grocery store. He was "jonesing seafood," he said. This is coming from the man who also made himself a "formed, pressed turkey roll" for dinner last night. I should trust his opinion?
Anyway, his comment about cioppino got me thinking... and jonesing. What is not to love about a good cioppino? It is made from a flavorful, spicy tomato broth enhanced with a variety of available seafood... clams, mussels, shrimp, crab, white fish, whatever looks good.
Supposedly, cioppino was invented by fishermen originally from Portugal, Italy, France and/or Spain who made their homes in San Francisco. Suffice it to say it is an American dish with Mediterranean accents. It has the herbs and the tomatoes and the seafood... it could fit in almost anywhere surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. I have always loved it and it is my gauge for restaurants around here (and I live in the Tacoma/Seattle area so I know my seafood). If their cioppino (or equivalent) is good... then they probably know their seafood. This is my recipe... inspiration taken from a bunch of recipes and my own tastes. The recipe is a LOT easier than it looks and after all, it is all about the flavor...
Cathy's Cioppino
Serve 4-6
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 fennel (or anise) bulb, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, according to taste
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried summer savory
(or 1 TB dried Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provence for the rosemary, oregano and savory)
1 cup dry white wine
2 cans fire-roasted tomatoes
1 6oz bottle clam juice
3 cups (or more) low-sodium, fat free chicken broth
Seafood of choice... here's where it gets weird. You can mix and match and add or subtract as you wish. Listed are my choices:
4 fillets of white fish, cod or tilapia or halibut, cut into bite sized chunks
1 lb. fresh manila clams, rinsed REALLY well
1 lbs shrimp; clean, deveined, tail left on
Small handful of fresh parsley
Heat oil in a large soup pot until a flick of water skitters across the surface. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the green pepper and the chopped fennel. Saute until the vegetables are tender but not browned. Add the garlic, the red pepper flakes and the other dried herbs. Saute another 5 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
Pour in the white wine. Scrape the bottom to release any delicious brown bits that might have formed on the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine does not have any more alcohol smell and is almost evaporated. Add in the cans of tomatoes. Stir and bring back to a simmer. Add the clam juice and the chicken broth. Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes.
Taste for seasoning... add salt and pepper if necessary.
Add the seafood. Bring back to a low boil then cover and cook for 10 minutes. Check to see if the clam shells have opened and the shrimp shells are pink. Do NOT eat any unopened clams. That would be bad. Serve in bowls with a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley.
This is some good stuff. It is all about flavor and spice and local ingredients. I hope you are local to seafood, if you are, you are truly blessed. Mmmm. Good stuff.
Two days ago my husband (who trends towards the fatty, the salty, the processed) said he bought a carton of cioppino from a local gourmet grocery store. He was "jonesing seafood," he said. This is coming from the man who also made himself a "formed, pressed turkey roll" for dinner last night. I should trust his opinion?
Anyway, his comment about cioppino got me thinking... and jonesing. What is not to love about a good cioppino? It is made from a flavorful, spicy tomato broth enhanced with a variety of available seafood... clams, mussels, shrimp, crab, white fish, whatever looks good.
Supposedly, cioppino was invented by fishermen originally from Portugal, Italy, France and/or Spain who made their homes in San Francisco. Suffice it to say it is an American dish with Mediterranean accents. It has the herbs and the tomatoes and the seafood... it could fit in almost anywhere surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. I have always loved it and it is my gauge for restaurants around here (and I live in the Tacoma/Seattle area so I know my seafood). If their cioppino (or equivalent) is good... then they probably know their seafood. This is my recipe... inspiration taken from a bunch of recipes and my own tastes. The recipe is a LOT easier than it looks and after all, it is all about the flavor...
Cathy's Cioppino
Serve 4-6
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 fennel (or anise) bulb, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, according to taste
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried summer savory
(or 1 TB dried Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provence for the rosemary, oregano and savory)
1 cup dry white wine
2 cans fire-roasted tomatoes
1 6oz bottle clam juice
3 cups (or more) low-sodium, fat free chicken broth
Seafood of choice... here's where it gets weird. You can mix and match and add or subtract as you wish. Listed are my choices:
4 fillets of white fish, cod or tilapia or halibut, cut into bite sized chunks
1 lb. fresh manila clams, rinsed REALLY well
1 lbs shrimp; clean, deveined, tail left on
Small handful of fresh parsley
Heat oil in a large soup pot until a flick of water skitters across the surface. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the green pepper and the chopped fennel. Saute until the vegetables are tender but not browned. Add the garlic, the red pepper flakes and the other dried herbs. Saute another 5 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
Pour in the white wine. Scrape the bottom to release any delicious brown bits that might have formed on the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine does not have any more alcohol smell and is almost evaporated. Add in the cans of tomatoes. Stir and bring back to a simmer. Add the clam juice and the chicken broth. Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes.
Taste for seasoning... add salt and pepper if necessary.
Add the seafood. Bring back to a low boil then cover and cook for 10 minutes. Check to see if the clam shells have opened and the shrimp shells are pink. Do NOT eat any unopened clams. That would be bad. Serve in bowls with a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley.
This is some good stuff. It is all about flavor and spice and local ingredients. I hope you are local to seafood, if you are, you are truly blessed. Mmmm. Good stuff.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Beans, beans, the magic fruit...
I'm bored. Bored, bored, bored. I came very close to eating an enchilada the other day, that is how bored I am. Dogs and cats are happy eating the same things every day. Their little digestive systems get upset if you change up their food all the time. Humans are different. We like variety. Without variety, depression sets in, then you eat an enchilada and that's all she wrote. So, what do we do about boredom? We find something new!
Beans. Do they have carbs? Yes... BUT they are really high in fiber (13g per cup - which can be very beneficial for someone who is eating a high protein diet), high in protein (15g per cup), are naturally low in fat and packed with beneficial healthy stuff like antioxidants, folic acid, vitamin B6, potassium and magnesium. (Prevention.com). Even though they are higher in carbohydrates than the other more common sources of low fat protein, beans are not a bad thing when eaten in moderation. And they help keep me sane in terms of varying my food intake so I don't succumb to boredom (read: eat enchiladas).
Canned beans are supposedly as good for you as dried beans. Granted, they are convenient because they don't need to be soaked and cooked for a long time to make them edible... but, most brands add a lot of salt (I am now a rabid label reader) and I am sorry but the mucous-y looking goo in the can is not appetizing. They can be rinsed and all that but it is also rinsing away some of the nutritional value. My new habit is to prepare a 1lb bag every week, which lasts me all week. That way I only need to go through the whole soaking and cooking thing once a week.
The cooked beans are delicious in all kinds of ways... I mix them with cooked turkey meat and serve over shredded cabbage with pico de gallo for taco salad. I add a scoop to soups or stews for flavor, protein and texture. Sometimes for breakfast I heat up a small bowl of it, add some chipotle sauce and a little shredded 2% cheese and serve with an over-easy fried egg on top. Mmm, breakfasty goodness. If you're concerned about gas, either take some Beano before you eat or chew a couple of Papaya enzyme pills afterward. Works like a charm. Believe me, I had to learn the hard way. No one needs that, even for the superior health benefits of beans.
My recipe was derived from the one posted by Rancho Gordo, an excellent source for dried heirloom beans (Rancho Gordo New World Specialty Foods).
Beans, Delicious Beans
1 lb. dried beans (pinto, kidney, black or almost any other variety)
Chicken stock - low sodium or homemade (amount varies)
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, de-ribbed, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
Spice of choice (optional)
Pour the bag of beans into a sieve or colander. Rinse well and pick through the beans in case there are any small pebbles or other foreign matter that doesn't belong. Pour the rinsed beans into a large bowl. Cover with chicken stock until the stock covers the beans by 1 inch. Cover, put in the refrigerator and leave 4-6 hours or overnight.
Next day, in a large soup pot, heat the oil on medium-high heat until a bead of water skips across the surface and the oil shimmers. Start to saute the vegetables... onions first until they start to get translucent, adding each vegetable one at a time until all are incorporated. Finally, add the minced garlic and toss with the vegetables until you can start to smell the garlic aroma.
Pour in the beans AND the chicken stock to the vegetables. Conventional wisdom used to say to discard the soaking liquid but now the thought is that we might be discarding some of the nutrient value down the drain. That is why the beans are thoroughly rinsed and picked through before the soaking process begins. Add more stock to ensure that the beans and vegetables are still covered by about an inch of liquid. Bring the beans to a boil then cover and put on the lowest temperature possible while still maintaining a simmer for at least 2 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste or any other seasoning like cumin or curry powder. Test the beans at that point and add more stock if it seems low. Beans should be slightly soupy as they will continue to absorb liquid. Continue cooking at the low simmer until you deem them perfect.
I also add sauteed greens, more sauteed vegetables and experiment with different spices to keep the flavors interesting. Black beans take really well to Mexican type spices, cannellini are especially good with Italian spices and lots of garlic. They can be left whole, partially mashed or creamed completely for a satisfying vegetable dip. Beans help keep those boredom blues away.
Beans. Do they have carbs? Yes... BUT they are really high in fiber (13g per cup - which can be very beneficial for someone who is eating a high protein diet), high in protein (15g per cup), are naturally low in fat and packed with beneficial healthy stuff like antioxidants, folic acid, vitamin B6, potassium and magnesium. (Prevention.com). Even though they are higher in carbohydrates than the other more common sources of low fat protein, beans are not a bad thing when eaten in moderation. And they help keep me sane in terms of varying my food intake so I don't succumb to boredom (read: eat enchiladas).
Canned beans are supposedly as good for you as dried beans. Granted, they are convenient because they don't need to be soaked and cooked for a long time to make them edible... but, most brands add a lot of salt (I am now a rabid label reader) and I am sorry but the mucous-y looking goo in the can is not appetizing. They can be rinsed and all that but it is also rinsing away some of the nutritional value. My new habit is to prepare a 1lb bag every week, which lasts me all week. That way I only need to go through the whole soaking and cooking thing once a week.
The cooked beans are delicious in all kinds of ways... I mix them with cooked turkey meat and serve over shredded cabbage with pico de gallo for taco salad. I add a scoop to soups or stews for flavor, protein and texture. Sometimes for breakfast I heat up a small bowl of it, add some chipotle sauce and a little shredded 2% cheese and serve with an over-easy fried egg on top. Mmm, breakfasty goodness. If you're concerned about gas, either take some Beano before you eat or chew a couple of Papaya enzyme pills afterward. Works like a charm. Believe me, I had to learn the hard way. No one needs that, even for the superior health benefits of beans.
My recipe was derived from the one posted by Rancho Gordo, an excellent source for dried heirloom beans (Rancho Gordo New World Specialty Foods).
Beans, Delicious Beans
1 lb. dried beans (pinto, kidney, black or almost any other variety)
Chicken stock - low sodium or homemade (amount varies)
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, de-ribbed, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
Spice of choice (optional)
Pour the bag of beans into a sieve or colander. Rinse well and pick through the beans in case there are any small pebbles or other foreign matter that doesn't belong. Pour the rinsed beans into a large bowl. Cover with chicken stock until the stock covers the beans by 1 inch. Cover, put in the refrigerator and leave 4-6 hours or overnight.
Next day, in a large soup pot, heat the oil on medium-high heat until a bead of water skips across the surface and the oil shimmers. Start to saute the vegetables... onions first until they start to get translucent, adding each vegetable one at a time until all are incorporated. Finally, add the minced garlic and toss with the vegetables until you can start to smell the garlic aroma.
Pour in the beans AND the chicken stock to the vegetables. Conventional wisdom used to say to discard the soaking liquid but now the thought is that we might be discarding some of the nutrient value down the drain. That is why the beans are thoroughly rinsed and picked through before the soaking process begins. Add more stock to ensure that the beans and vegetables are still covered by about an inch of liquid. Bring the beans to a boil then cover and put on the lowest temperature possible while still maintaining a simmer for at least 2 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste or any other seasoning like cumin or curry powder. Test the beans at that point and add more stock if it seems low. Beans should be slightly soupy as they will continue to absorb liquid. Continue cooking at the low simmer until you deem them perfect.
I also add sauteed greens, more sauteed vegetables and experiment with different spices to keep the flavors interesting. Black beans take really well to Mexican type spices, cannellini are especially good with Italian spices and lots of garlic. They can be left whole, partially mashed or creamed completely for a satisfying vegetable dip. Beans help keep those boredom blues away.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Slightly pickled...
Yes, I know, it has been a whole month since I posted last. I've been busy! I've been working mostly from my sister's house trying to watch her kids and mine and do my work at the same time. Money saving, to be sure, but nerve wracking as well.
Anyway, I've been doing really well. I bought jeans yesterday a size smaller! Yay! They are a tad tight but at the rate I am going they should feel great before long.
I am into my fourth month of eating essentially carb free. I thought I would get tired of it by now so therefore, commencing to eat a loaf of bread or a pie or something but not so! I am treating it like I would alcoholism or an extreme food allergy. I can't just have a little, I can't have any at all. That strategy seems to be working for me so I am going with it.
One of the most difficult issues for me is still snacking. Sure, I can have cheeses and salami, etc. but they are high in fat. Chips are right out. Vegetables and dips are good but you have to be careful about the dips, that they are not too high in fat. I have spoken before about pickles. Pickles are good. Pickles are tasty and spicy and satisfying. Pickles have no fat. Although some pickles contain sugar! Yes! Demon sugar. Not good.
I love bread and butter pickles, you know, the sweet cucumber slices that taste so awesome on sandwiches. Unfortunately those kind of pickles are loaded with sugar so I set out to find a way to make some at home that were just as tasty but not so carb heavy. I tweaked the recipe some to add some additional vegetables and the Splenda. I don't remember where I found the original recipe so I will send some "I'm sorry" vibes out to the internet. If I could remember, I would credit you, oh writer of easy and delicious pickle recipes.
Bread and Butter Mixed Vegetable Pickles
3 kirby cucumbers (about 1 lb.), trimmed and thickly sliced
1 small yellow or red onion, thinly sliced
1 small head cauliflower, broken into florets
4 small carrots, quartered then cut into 3" lengths
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 1/4 cups white wine vinegar
1 1/4 cups Splenda
3 tsp. mustard seeds
3 tsp. celery seeds
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1. Put cucumbers, onions, carrots, cauliflower and salt into a large bowl and toss well. Add 3 cups ice cubes, cover bowl with plastic wrap, stir occasionally and refrigerate overnight.
2. Drain cucumbers and onions well, discarding the salty water; set aside.
Put vinegar, Splenda, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric into a very large
pot, stir well, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the cucumber–
vegetable mixture and stir well. Allow liquid to return just to a boil. Stir several times
about 5 minutes then remove pot from heat. Transfer pickles and their liquid to a
large, clean plastic container. Set aside to let cool to room temperature, then cover
and refrigerate overnight. Serve pickles the next day or store for up to 1 week.
Delicious! You can eat these as much as you want and not feel guilty one bit. I chop them up and put them into salads, put a heaping chopped pile onto a bowl of chili with my fat free Greek yogurt. Of just eat them out of hand as a part of a deli tray.
Low carb does not mean snack-free.
Thank God. Amen.
Anyway, I've been doing really well. I bought jeans yesterday a size smaller! Yay! They are a tad tight but at the rate I am going they should feel great before long.
I am into my fourth month of eating essentially carb free. I thought I would get tired of it by now so therefore, commencing to eat a loaf of bread or a pie or something but not so! I am treating it like I would alcoholism or an extreme food allergy. I can't just have a little, I can't have any at all. That strategy seems to be working for me so I am going with it.
One of the most difficult issues for me is still snacking. Sure, I can have cheeses and salami, etc. but they are high in fat. Chips are right out. Vegetables and dips are good but you have to be careful about the dips, that they are not too high in fat. I have spoken before about pickles. Pickles are good. Pickles are tasty and spicy and satisfying. Pickles have no fat. Although some pickles contain sugar! Yes! Demon sugar. Not good.
I love bread and butter pickles, you know, the sweet cucumber slices that taste so awesome on sandwiches. Unfortunately those kind of pickles are loaded with sugar so I set out to find a way to make some at home that were just as tasty but not so carb heavy. I tweaked the recipe some to add some additional vegetables and the Splenda. I don't remember where I found the original recipe so I will send some "I'm sorry" vibes out to the internet. If I could remember, I would credit you, oh writer of easy and delicious pickle recipes.
Bread and Butter Mixed Vegetable Pickles
3 kirby cucumbers (about 1 lb.), trimmed and thickly sliced
1 small yellow or red onion, thinly sliced
1 small head cauliflower, broken into florets
4 small carrots, quartered then cut into 3" lengths
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 1/4 cups white wine vinegar
1 1/4 cups Splenda
3 tsp. mustard seeds
3 tsp. celery seeds
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1. Put cucumbers, onions, carrots, cauliflower and salt into a large bowl and toss well. Add 3 cups ice cubes, cover bowl with plastic wrap, stir occasionally and refrigerate overnight.
2. Drain cucumbers and onions well, discarding the salty water; set aside.
Put vinegar, Splenda, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric into a very large
pot, stir well, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the cucumber–
vegetable mixture and stir well. Allow liquid to return just to a boil. Stir several times
about 5 minutes then remove pot from heat. Transfer pickles and their liquid to a
large, clean plastic container. Set aside to let cool to room temperature, then cover
and refrigerate overnight. Serve pickles the next day or store for up to 1 week.
Delicious! You can eat these as much as you want and not feel guilty one bit. I chop them up and put them into salads, put a heaping chopped pile onto a bowl of chili with my fat free Greek yogurt. Of just eat them out of hand as a part of a deli tray.
Low carb does not mean snack-free.
Thank God. Amen.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Working Girl
No, no, no, not THAT kind of working girl. I am a wife, mother and a full time employee of a large, unwieldy corporation. I know I haven't posted in a while but I've been busy. Luckily for me, I work from home or as some call it "virtual office." I wish I were "virtually working." I still have meetings and deadlines and such but I take care of those things with the aid of a laptop and a cell phone, no cube-farm environment required. This is both good and bad.
It is good because my schedule is a little more flexible. I work on the west coast but my office is on the east coast. I have only met my current boss once and he wasn't even my boss yet at the time. The last time I was required to come into the office was 5 years ago. I work in sweats and t-shirts, no shoes, no makeup. I can kiss and hug my daughter goodbye before school and I can pick her up afterward.
It is bad because I am very close to my refrigerator.
When I am frustrated at work (often) many times I will turn to my refrigerator for comfort. My refrigerator comforts me, it understands me, it loves me and feeds me. (Is this too much information?) Anyway, as we all know, I should not be so friendly with my refrigerator due to the "mad love" fallout that is currently my stomach and my ass. Me and my refrigerator need to break up.
So far, I have been making giant pots of soup and chili and curry to aid in my curing my heartbreak. Unfortunately, some of that has come to an end. While working from home I could carve out a half an hour to chop and dump ingredients into a big pot for simmering but I AM NOW A COMMUTER... well, sort of. During the summer I am bringing my daughter to my sister's house. I'll work from here while keeping an eye on her kids and mine to save us from child care costs.... but now I am far away from my new lover, my soup pot.
Now my soup/stew/curry making has to be relegated to Sunday afternoons. I bought a bunch of single serving sized semi-disposable storage bowls so I can freeze my concoctions. I've been bringing one over to my sister's every day. Chicken wings. Don't knock 'em. Hot wings are not that high in calories and hot sauce has almost no fat at all. About 6 wings is very filling and about 250-300 calories. Cook up a big batch and freeze them (once cool) in freezer storage bags. They take 20 minutes to re-heat in the oven or 5 minutes in the microwave. Make the teriyaki sauce I used for my stir frys and use that on the wings for a change of pace. There are also low-fat cheeses that come in handy 1 ounce sticks to be found in the dairy section of the grocery store.
So, today, my point is... even if you can't be at home, all is not lost. Just plan ahead. I doubt my refrigerator even misses me.
It is good because my schedule is a little more flexible. I work on the west coast but my office is on the east coast. I have only met my current boss once and he wasn't even my boss yet at the time. The last time I was required to come into the office was 5 years ago. I work in sweats and t-shirts, no shoes, no makeup. I can kiss and hug my daughter goodbye before school and I can pick her up afterward.
It is bad because I am very close to my refrigerator.
When I am frustrated at work (often) many times I will turn to my refrigerator for comfort. My refrigerator comforts me, it understands me, it loves me and feeds me. (Is this too much information?) Anyway, as we all know, I should not be so friendly with my refrigerator due to the "mad love" fallout that is currently my stomach and my ass. Me and my refrigerator need to break up.
So far, I have been making giant pots of soup and chili and curry to aid in my curing my heartbreak. Unfortunately, some of that has come to an end. While working from home I could carve out a half an hour to chop and dump ingredients into a big pot for simmering but I AM NOW A COMMUTER... well, sort of. During the summer I am bringing my daughter to my sister's house. I'll work from here while keeping an eye on her kids and mine to save us from child care costs.... but now I am far away from my new lover, my soup pot.
Now my soup/stew/curry making has to be relegated to Sunday afternoons. I bought a bunch of single serving sized semi-disposable storage bowls so I can freeze my concoctions. I've been bringing one over to my sister's every day. Chicken wings. Don't knock 'em. Hot wings are not that high in calories and hot sauce has almost no fat at all. About 6 wings is very filling and about 250-300 calories. Cook up a big batch and freeze them (once cool) in freezer storage bags. They take 20 minutes to re-heat in the oven or 5 minutes in the microwave. Make the teriyaki sauce I used for my stir frys and use that on the wings for a change of pace. There are also low-fat cheeses that come in handy 1 ounce sticks to be found in the dairy section of the grocery store.
So, today, my point is... even if you can't be at home, all is not lost. Just plan ahead. I doubt my refrigerator even misses me.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
If two people reek like garlic is there still a stink?
My husband has decided to go low carb with me. Now this is a good thing, in general. It is a good thing because he could stand to lose about 50 lbs. His cholesterol is too high. He likes gigantic super-tankers filled with sugary soda fountain drinks which will rot his teeth, make the rest of his hair fall out and probably pickle his brain into the next millennium.
It is a bad thing because he is somewhat of a picky eater. I'm not complaining! Honest! He just won't try some of the things I have embraced to make my low carb quest easier... like tofu, shirataki noodles, low fat cheese. I married a straight-up carnivore. He will eat vegetables within reason (his reason, not mine). So, my quest is to come up with manly, meat-filled dinners that will satisfy his need for lots of charred flesh and my need for low fat/low carb/low calorie meals.
I follow a lot of celebrity chefs on Twitter. Okay, yeah, I am a cooking show junkie and always on the look out for tips and tricks in the kitchen. One of my favorite cooking shows is Alton Brown's "Good Eats." He presents a lot of the science behind cooking which I find fascinating. Anyway, Alton tweeted about a dinner he was making his family which included "40 Cloves of Garlic and a Chicken." It sounded delicious but when I looked up the recipe it had way too much fat. My version is not strictly low fat (I confess a love for crisp chicken skin) but it has a lot less fat than Alton's version. I also changed it to chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken... I might have mentioned my general aversion to chicken breast meat.
Here is Alton's version:
Food Network - Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic
Without further ado, here is my recipe for:
40 Cloves of Garlic and Some Thighs
Serves 4-6
8 skin on, bone in chicken thighs
Cooking spray
10 sprigs fresh thyme
40 peeled cloves garlic
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Trim any obvious big globs of fat off the chicken thighs. Heat a non-stick frying pan to medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, spray with cooking spray. Lightly spray the skin side of the chicken thighs with cooking spray. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown on both sides. You may have to do this in two batches. Don't crowd the chicken too much or it won't brown properly.
Line a half sheet baking pan with aluminum foil. Spray the foil lightly with cooking spray. Place the browned thighs on the pan skin side up. Sprinkle the garlic in and around the chicken. Lay the thyme sprigs across the chicken. Cover the whole pan with more foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove chicken from the oven, let rest for 5 to 10 minutes and serve.
**NOTE** Many mainstream grocery stores have peeled garlic in jars in the refrigerated section of the produce department. It sure beats peeling all that garlic! The garlic gets soft like butter... mmmm. Eat some of the garlic with the chicken. If you have any left over save it and toss with steamed or stir-fried vegetables. Delicious! I served the chicken with roasted cauliflower sprinkled with a third of a cup of 2% shredded cheese. My husband (and 6 yr old daughter) scarfed this down with nary a complaint.
It is a bad thing because he is somewhat of a picky eater. I'm not complaining! Honest! He just won't try some of the things I have embraced to make my low carb quest easier... like tofu, shirataki noodles, low fat cheese. I married a straight-up carnivore. He will eat vegetables within reason (his reason, not mine). So, my quest is to come up with manly, meat-filled dinners that will satisfy his need for lots of charred flesh and my need for low fat/low carb/low calorie meals.
I follow a lot of celebrity chefs on Twitter. Okay, yeah, I am a cooking show junkie and always on the look out for tips and tricks in the kitchen. One of my favorite cooking shows is Alton Brown's "Good Eats." He presents a lot of the science behind cooking which I find fascinating. Anyway, Alton tweeted about a dinner he was making his family which included "40 Cloves of Garlic and a Chicken." It sounded delicious but when I looked up the recipe it had way too much fat. My version is not strictly low fat (I confess a love for crisp chicken skin) but it has a lot less fat than Alton's version. I also changed it to chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken... I might have mentioned my general aversion to chicken breast meat.
Here is Alton's version:
Food Network - Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic
Without further ado, here is my recipe for:
40 Cloves of Garlic and Some Thighs
Serves 4-6
8 skin on, bone in chicken thighs
Cooking spray
10 sprigs fresh thyme
40 peeled cloves garlic
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Trim any obvious big globs of fat off the chicken thighs. Heat a non-stick frying pan to medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, spray with cooking spray. Lightly spray the skin side of the chicken thighs with cooking spray. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown on both sides. You may have to do this in two batches. Don't crowd the chicken too much or it won't brown properly.
Line a half sheet baking pan with aluminum foil. Spray the foil lightly with cooking spray. Place the browned thighs on the pan skin side up. Sprinkle the garlic in and around the chicken. Lay the thyme sprigs across the chicken. Cover the whole pan with more foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove chicken from the oven, let rest for 5 to 10 minutes and serve.
**NOTE** Many mainstream grocery stores have peeled garlic in jars in the refrigerated section of the produce department. It sure beats peeling all that garlic! The garlic gets soft like butter... mmmm. Eat some of the garlic with the chicken. If you have any left over save it and toss with steamed or stir-fried vegetables. Delicious! I served the chicken with roasted cauliflower sprinkled with a third of a cup of 2% shredded cheese. My husband (and 6 yr old daughter) scarfed this down with nary a complaint.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day
No, seriously. I would not jive you. Yeah, yeah... "they" have been telling us (they starting with your mother) that we need to eat a good breakfast in order to have the most productive day. Well, they weren't kidding. Maybe mother did know best.
I actually start the morning with a good multi-vitamin. If I have been dragging ass, I'll take another one in the afternoon for a few days. Just in case. I eat my breakfast about an hour or two after I wake up. If I eat too early by the time I really reach consciousness I have forgotten I already ate then I eat again. Not a move that is conducive to weight loss.
Eating low carb poses a problem at breakfast time. What are all the best breakfast foods? BREADS AND POTATOES! Toast, English muffins, cereal, pancakes, hash browns, French toast... oh God, I love French toast with bacon... wait, I digress. Now that I no longer eat any of those things for breakfast I actually... have... more... energy. Carbs give a sugar rush, a high that lasts a couple of hours. That is why I used to crash and burn hard around the hour mark before lunch. Protein and the few carbs you get from vegetables give energy but the energy is released more slowly, thereby preventing that nose dive into your keyboard late morning.
I have eggs for breakfast just about every morning. Some might say, "Eggs are super high in fat and you will get cholesterol globules coming out your ears." That is why I use an egg substitute. You can find several types by the regular eggs. I just use my grocery store's house brand. Its actually not a substitute at all... its egg white. I saute some chicken sausage or an ounce of thinly sliced dry salami with a quarter cup of chopped onions, throw in some sliced mushrooms and a handful of thinly sliced chard or spinach. Once the vegetables are mostly cooked I drizzle in the egg substitute and let it cook, like a frittata. Then I sprinkle on a third of a cup of low-fat shredded cheddar. Let it melt and VOILA, Bob's your uncle and you have a delicious, filling breakfast for about 350 calories and about 13 carbs.
Eat your breakfast! Believe me, it helps. I mean 4 bazillion mothers can't be wrong, can they?
I actually start the morning with a good multi-vitamin. If I have been dragging ass, I'll take another one in the afternoon for a few days. Just in case. I eat my breakfast about an hour or two after I wake up. If I eat too early by the time I really reach consciousness I have forgotten I already ate then I eat again. Not a move that is conducive to weight loss.
Eating low carb poses a problem at breakfast time. What are all the best breakfast foods? BREADS AND POTATOES! Toast, English muffins, cereal, pancakes, hash browns, French toast... oh God, I love French toast with bacon... wait, I digress. Now that I no longer eat any of those things for breakfast I actually... have... more... energy. Carbs give a sugar rush, a high that lasts a couple of hours. That is why I used to crash and burn hard around the hour mark before lunch. Protein and the few carbs you get from vegetables give energy but the energy is released more slowly, thereby preventing that nose dive into your keyboard late morning.
I have eggs for breakfast just about every morning. Some might say, "Eggs are super high in fat and you will get cholesterol globules coming out your ears." That is why I use an egg substitute. You can find several types by the regular eggs. I just use my grocery store's house brand. Its actually not a substitute at all... its egg white. I saute some chicken sausage or an ounce of thinly sliced dry salami with a quarter cup of chopped onions, throw in some sliced mushrooms and a handful of thinly sliced chard or spinach. Once the vegetables are mostly cooked I drizzle in the egg substitute and let it cook, like a frittata. Then I sprinkle on a third of a cup of low-fat shredded cheddar. Let it melt and VOILA, Bob's your uncle and you have a delicious, filling breakfast for about 350 calories and about 13 carbs.
Eat your breakfast! Believe me, it helps. I mean 4 bazillion mothers can't be wrong, can they?
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