Roasted Cod

When I was at Central Market yesterday I picked up a pound of fresh cod, the special fish on sale for the week.  I enjoy roasted fish, a simple way to prepare fresh fish.  I turn my convection oven on "convect roast", 375 degrees, and spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray.  I dry the fish, sprinkle a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper on it.  At this point you can add a seasoning mix, spice blend, fresh herbs or a sauce, then put it in the oven for 15 minutes, a little longer for thicker fish.  This is a good recipe for salmon, halibut, snapper, cod, or just about any fish.  Tonight I sauteed some sliced garlic, capers, and kalamata olives in extra virgin olive oil and drizzled it on top of the fish before I roasted it.  I served it with a little freshly prepared brown rice and salad with balsamic vinaigrette, a little feta cheese, dried cranberries, and pecans.  I ended up putting my salad on the plate with the fish and rice because the flavors went together so well.

Roasted Cod

1 pound fresh cod fillets
Olive oil spray
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3 T Kalamata olive, cut in half
1 T capers
1 large garlic clove, sliced
herb blend (Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute) or any herb blend you like

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a sheet pan with olive oil spray.  Dry fish and place on sheet pan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and herb seasoning.  Heat 2 T olive oil in skillet on medium high heat.
Add sliced garlic, capers, and olives.  Cook 2-3 minutes on medium heat.  Drizzle over the fish.
Roast fish for 15 minutes or until cooked through.  Don't overcook.  You may have to remove thinner pieces sooner and let the thicker pieces cook longer.

Salad

Mixed Greens with Balsamic Vinaigrette, dried fruit, and cheese
A good salad has crispy greens, somethings sweet, something savory, something crunchy, and some acid. (I learned that in culinary school and it's so true.)

Ingredients

Lettuce: I always have organic red leaf lettuce, my personal favorite. Wash the lettuce and spin it dry.
If you don't have a salad spinner, it's a great gadget to have. You dry the lettuce in it and it you store your torn and dried lettuce in the container with the lid it will keep crispy and fresh for days. This is where I keep my week's worth of lettuce for lunches and dinners.
Cheese: I use feta or goat cheese, sometimes Parmesan. Feta and goat have less fat than regular cheese and a sharper taste that stands up to the dressing. When I have time I mix some fresh herbs into the goat cheese and make a log. This is also great in omelets or just on crackers. A few crumbles of cheese is all you need.
Nuts: I make spiced pecans a lot since I have a freezer full of fresh pecans from San Saba, Texas. Just take a handful of pecans and place in a baking pan. Add a tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle some sugar, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and salt and bake for 5-7 minutes at 350 degrees.

Just a few pecan halves is all you need. You could also use plain toasted walnuts or almonds.
Sweets: I usually have a bag of dried cranberries or raisins. I

Dressing:

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 clove garlic, minced and mashed into a paste
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 T honey
2 T red wine vinegar
2 T Modena balsamic vinegar
1 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 extra virgin olive oil

Mix the garlic, mustard, honey, vinegars, lemon juice and salt together in a bowl or food processor. If doing this my hand, add a few drops of oil and whisk briskly to combine the oil and vinegar. Keep adding a small amount of oil until the dressing appears emulisfied, otherwise it will separate quickly. You can also just do this in the food processor or shake it in a jar.

It will keep for 3 or 4 days.

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Treasure in my freezer

I found a bowl of Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup in my freezer tonight.  It was like finding buried treasure because I thought I had eaten all of it already.  You see,  I made the soup several weeks ago with some real Minnesota wild rice someone had given me.  It was a great soup and I was happy to freeze the leftovers.  I enjoyed a few bowls of it, even took it to work for lunch.
Frozen soup really tastes great re-heated, believe it or not.  Everyone in my house is sick right now and no one wanted dinner so my bowl of soup was just perfect.  Earlier in the day, my daugher re-heated Albondigas Locas soup and my husband re-heated a bowl of beef chili.  I still have piles of soup in there so there's never "nothing to eat" at home.  So if you want "treasure" in your freezer, make lots of soup and freeze it.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

1 T olive oil
1 cup lean ham, nitrate free, diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup carrot, diced
1/4 cup celery, diced
2 T all purpose flour (optional)
3 T dry sherry
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked wild rice*
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped**
2 tsp minced fresh thyme
salt and pepper to tast
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
toasted sliced almonds for garnish (optional)

Saute ham in olive oil for 3-4 minutes.  Add onion, carrot, and celery.  Cook until vegetables are softened.  Stir in flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Deglaze with sherry, scraping up bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add broth, cooked rice, chicken, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook 10 minutes.  Add milk and scallions.  Garnish with almonds.
Makes 8 cups, approximately 250 calories per cup.


*To cook wild rice:  Bring 2 cups chicken broth, 1 cup water, and 1 1/2 cups wild rice to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 50 minutes, until just tender.  Do not overcook.

**My favorite way to cook chicken for use in other recipes is to spray non stick spray on a baking sheet.  Place chicken breasts which have been dried off and seasoned with a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper on the baking sheet.  Place in a 375 degree oven and cook for 10 minutes, turn over and cook for 10 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Don't overcook it!  Use a meat thermometer and check the internal temperature to be sure.  Poultry should be 170 degrees, but remember it will continue to cook more after removed from the oven, so take it out at 165 or a little less.

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Will's Hobo Breakfast

Visting my daughter in Houston and having her make my breakfast is a real treat.  She's a busy mom, working as Senior Manager of Communication, Houston ISD.  Her boyfriend, Will, is a pescatarian, so they eat a lot of vegetarian meals.
Helen made me Will's creation, we named the "hobo breakfast".  It was a delicious mixture of potatoes, Boca crumbles, egg whites and spices.  The Boca crumbles tasted like sausage and have none of the fat or cholesterol.  We had some bagels and Greek yogurt on the side.  My cup of Starbucks Via, the food cooked by my daughter, and sharing a meal with my granddaughter, Grace,  made it feel like a special occasion.
I loved the "hobo breakfast" and plan to make it when I get back to Fort Worth. 




Will's Hobo Breakfast

2 cups Ore Ida Crispy Crowns, defrosted by cooking 2 minutes in the microwave
1 T olive oil or vegetable oil
1/2 cup Boca crumbles
1 cup egg whites (in carton or from fresh eggs)
1/2 tsp Herbs de Provence
1/2 tsp Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning
1 tsp Mrs. Dash table blend
freshly ground black pepper to taste
salt to taste

Heat large skillet and add oil.  Add potatoes and fry, breaking into small pieces.  Add Boca crumbles and spices.  Cook for a couple minutes until everything is browned and hot.  Add egg whites and mix.  Cook until eggs are set.  Serve with Frank's red hot sauce.

Variation:  I will probably use real potatoes since I usually have Yukon gold or russet potatoes in my pantry.  Cook the potatoes in the microwave for 6-8 minutes, depending on size and power of your microwave.  Let cool, then cut into small pieces.

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PB 2 or Peanut Butter?

I recently read about a product hailed as a great way to get the taste of peanut butter without all the fat, called PB2.  I was shopping for groceries and saw it sitting next to the regular peanut butter and out of curiousity picked up a jar.  PB2 is mixed with equal parts water and 2 tablespoons has 45 calories compared to 200 calories for 2 tablespoons of my usual organic chunky peanut butter.  Sadly, I am not a fan.  The PB2 tastes flat and unpleasant to me.  I would rather have 1 tablespoon of the real stuff.  Now I have a jar of PB2 to give away.
Now, for a good way to use peanut butter, regular of PB2 if you like it, is for breakfast.  A quick breakfast is a slice of multigrain toast (I use Artisan Baking Company multigrain bread, my favorite bread and if you are fortunate enough to get some you'll see why.  Artisan Baking Company is on White Settlement Road, Fort Worth and at the Cowtown Farmers Market Saturday mornings.)
Spread the peanut butter on the toast and top with 1/2 of a banana, sliced.  I have several quick, standard breakfasts for workday mornings that I can make quickly and either eat at the counter or on the way to work. I will write about my top 5 breakfasts and lunches soon.

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Veggie Chili

 

Everyone in my family loves my beef chili so I make it from time to time and freeze bowls of it.  That way when I'm eating some weird dinner, maybe a strange fish, my husband can just grab a bowl of chili.  I made beef chile and decided to make an additional pot of chili last night, with half the calories of the beef chili and filled with fresh vegetables.  There are many ways to make veggie chili so don't feel locked into my recipe.  Basically you can take any fresh vegetables, stock, a few seasonings and beans and you have veggie chili.  I added a cup of cooked farro which has a meaty qualtiy.  Farro is a grain product available in the bulk section at Central Market.  You could also add "meat" crumbles. 

Vegetable Chili

1 onion

2 bell peppers, 1 red, 1 yellow, chopped

2 carrots, diced

1 zucchini, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, diced

3 cloves roasted garlic

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups pinto beans, cooked  (I used canned, rinsed)

1 16 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 quarts chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

1 T New Mexico red chile powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp cumin

freshly ground pepper and sea salt

1 cup farro, cooked

2 T cilantro, chopped

Saute onions and peppers in dutch oven sprayed with non stick spray until softened.  Add the other vegetables, beans, spices, and stock, and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Add farro at the end.

Serve with cilantro and shredded Cabot 75% reduced fat cheese.

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Divas' Dinner Party

Divas’ Dinner Party

January 21, 2012

Back in October I, along with a group of women who worked on the Azle Taste Tour, volunteered to help with a special dinner party that raised money for the Azle Community Caring Center. The Divas' Dinner Party, in which a group of women would decorate the table, drive guests to the dinner, cook, serve, and clean up after, was the brainchild of Dawn Zuilhof.  Dawn is the treasurer, Board of Directors, Community Caring Center.  She envisioned this event, described it in the live auction in October, and in the end two "Divas'" parties were sold.  The cook volunteers, Dawn, Jackie Barnes, Susie Bunch, and I got together to plan the menu.  We decided on a very special five course meal and divided up the various dishes.  The guests were picked up by the driver volunteers and arrived at 6:00 at the lovely home of Rebecca Freer on Eagle Mountain Lake.  The table had been beautifully set by the group in charge of decorating.  The volunteers who served the food would tell the cooks how guests responded to each of the courses.  Based on their reports I'd say the dinner was a big success!

Menu

First course

Canapes

Greek Salad Skewers by Susie Bunch

 

Smoked Salmon in Puff Pastry by Julia Dunaway

Gancia, Prosecco

Second Course

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup with Chile Cheddar Croutons by Jackie Barnes

 Mini Muffins and Rosemary Bread Sticks by Susie Bunch (not pictured)

Primarius, Pinot Noir

Third Course

Crab Cakes with Frisee, Mango Salsa, and Jalapeno Remoulade by Julia Dunaway

Intermezzo

Lavender sorbet by Susie Bunch

Fourth Course

Roasted Stuffed Tenderloin of Beef with Cherry Wood Smoked Bacon, Mushroom Ragout, and Cabernet Reduction (by Julia Dunaway)

(for one guest, Stuffed Chicken Breast with Cabernet Reduction)

Creamy Mashed Potatoes (by Dawn Zuilhof and Jackie Barnes)

Sauteed Haricots Verts with Roasted Red Bell Pepper, and Pine Nuts (by Jackie Barnes)

 

Silver Palm, Cabernet Sauvignon



Lovely table setting done by the decorators!

Fifth Course

Dessert Trio

Bailey's Irish Cream Mini Cheesecake (by Susie Bunch)

Key Lime Parfait with Raspberry Coulis (by Dawn Zuilhof)

Banana Cream Pie Parfait with Chocolate and Caramel Sauces (by Susie Bunch)

Robert Mondavi, Moscato D’Oro

Susie Bunch, Rebecca Freer, (hostess), Chef Julia

 

Chef Julia and Jackie Barnes

Susie putting the finishing touches on the sorbet

almost all the guests about to sit down to dinner

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Albondigas Locas Soup (Mexican Meatball)

I stopped for a quick lunch last week at Sweet Tomatoes on W 7th St. in Fort Worth.  I like the fact that I can choose from a variety of fresh vegetables.  I skip all the heavy stuff and enjoy my salad with some light dressing.  I also selected a cup of soup from their big selection, called Albondigas Locas, and was pleasantly surprised.  It was spicy and had a mixture of vegetables and rice along with some little meatballs, but although it tasted good it was waaaay oversalted.  I decided right then and there that I would make my own version of that soup soon, which I did last night.  My soup, pictured, was absolutely delicious, however in my first recipe I used a lot more tomato.  I have changed my recipe to decrease the tomato because I will like it better, but you can't go wrong if you change this recipe to suit your own taste.  Roasting the meatballs on a rack allows the grease to drain before you put them in your soup.  This soup was not oily or oversalted like so many restaurant soups.  I hope you try it.  My husband ate 2 huge bowls and my picky daughter who says she doesn't like soup enjoyed it too.

Albondigas Locas Soup

For the meatballs:
1 pound ground sirloin (or turkey)
1/4 cup fat free milk
1 slice whole wheat bread  (or sub 1/2 cup cornmeal for gluten free)
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to Convect Roast 375, or bake 400
Place the bread in a large bowl.  Pour the milk on top and let it soak for a minute or tow.  Add the rest of the meatball ingredients, except the beef and mix well.  Add the beef and mix gently.  Form into 1 inch or smaller meatballs and place on rack on top baking sheet sprayed with non stick spray.
Bake until browned, 20-25 minutes.  Set aside to cool. 

Soup

2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups chicken stock or a combination of chicken and beef stock ( I use Swanson reduced sodium)
1/2 cup long grain rice (or sub brown rice)
2-3 tomatoes, diced or 1 cup tomato puree or canned tomatoes
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce with 1 T sauce
1/2 tsp cumin
2 bay leaves
1 zucchini, peeled, diced large
1 red bell pepper, diced
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
fresh limes
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

In a large stockpot, heat the oil.  Add the onion, carrots, celery, and saute until onion is tender.  Add the garlic and stir about 30 seconds.  Add 8 cups of stock, rice, tomatoes, chile, cumin, and bay leaves.  Boil, stirring frequently so rice doesn't stick.  Lower to simmer and add the zucchini and red pepper.
Add the meatballs to the soup.  Simmer until the rice and vegetables are tender, 20-30 minutes.
Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime and chopped cilantro.
My husband wanted it to be like tortilla soup so he put crushed tortilla chips and grated cheese on top of his.

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Great Grilled Shrimp

I was so busy yesterday getting ready for a big event tonight--a "Divas' Dinner Party" where a group of us are putting on a fancy 5 course dinner that someone won in a live auction to benefit the Azle Community Caring Center.  I am making a few dishes so getting ready is a little hectic, however I am excited about the fabulous food we are preparing and I know it will be a lot of fun. While I was shopping at Central Market I noticed Texas Gulf shrimp, the large ones, on sale so I picked up a pound to prepare for our dinner last night. Grilled shrimp is easy to prepare and low in calories if you make it yourself and don't slather it with tons of butter and oil.  I marinated it in lime juice, jalapeno, garlic, soy sauce and cilantro, tossed it on the hot grill for a total of 5 minutes and we were ready to eat it.  I served it with a brown rice quinoa blend and salad.  The shrimp was sweet and juicy and my husband devoured about 8 of them.  My entire dinner had a total of 300 calories and it was a lot of food!


Spicy Grilled Shrimp

1 pound large Gulf shrimp, peel and deveined, tails left on
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 T low sodium soy sauce
freshly ground sea salt and pepper
2 tsp olive oil

Place all ingredients in a bowl or zip loc bag for 10 minutes.  Heat the grill (or use a skillet) to medium high.  I oil the grill with a paper towel and tongs to keep food from sticking.  If using a skillet, spray with non stick spray.  Cook shrimp for 2-3 minutes on each side, being careful not to overcook or it will become tough.  Sprinkle cooked shrimp with a little chopped cilantro.

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Soleil Omelet

We once had a little cafe in Azle for called Cafe Soleil.  Chef Paula Ambrose made fantastic omelets and I loved to get her "Soleil omelet", filled, as I remember, with sun dried tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, and goat cheese. It had a brown buttery taste, so I imagine she used real butter in the pan.  My lighter version uses egg and whites and a little olive oil.  The combination of assertive sun dried tomatoes with the creamy goat cheese and a little crunch of the greens is irresistable.  A piece of Gwin Grimes' Artisan Baking Company Harvest 9 grain toast on the side makes this one of my favorite breakfasts.

Soleil Omelet

1 egg, 2 whites beaten
2 small crimini mushrooms, sliced thin
1 T chopped sun dried tomatoes (I use Bella San Luci brand in a jar)
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 handful baby spinach
1 ounce goat cheese, cut into small pieces

Heat skillet on medium high heat and spray with non stick spray.  Saute mushrooms and scallion for 4 minutes.
Remove and set aside.  Wipe out skillet.
Heat 1 tsp olive oil or use olive oil spray in same skillet.  If using olive oil, spread around pan with paper towel.  When pan is hot and drop of water sizzles, add eggs.  Move eggs around to cook evenly, but do not overcook or brown the eggs.  Reduce heat if necesssary.  Add cooked mushrooms, tomatoes, scallions, goat cheese and the spinach.  Fold over, cook briefly and remove to plate.

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Soup's On

There's nothing like a pot of homemade soup on a cold day.
I prefer to make my own soup because I know what's in it.
I have purchased soup from restaurants and grocery stores and find them to usually be way oversalted, greasy, or suffering from being kept hot for too long.  Making soup is not too hard and well worth the trouble.  One of my favorites is butternut squash soup.  You can use fresh whole butternut squash or buy a package of already cubed squash at Costco.  If you use a whole squash, prick it with a fork and place it in the microwave for a minute.  The skin will soften enough to cut it easily.  I learned this trick from my mother when she made Japanese kabocha, a very hard pumpkin/squash.
Here's my simple recipe for Spicy Butternut Squash Soup, the lightened up version.
I have a more complicated gourmet version I will post another time.

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup
Olive oil spray
1 cup onion, diced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 T minced garlic
2 tsp fresh sage, minced (or use 1 tsp dry sage)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
8 cups roasted butternut squash
4 cups reduced sodium fat free chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup skim milk
Freshly ground sea salt and pepper to taste

To roast the squash, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place cut up squash with seeds removed, on oiled sheet pan.  Roast for 35 minutes, turning twice during coooking. Cool slightly and scoop out of skin.

Saute onion, jalapeno, garlic, sage, red pepper and cinnamon in large pot sprayed with olive oil spray over medium heat.  Cook until vegetables are softened, approximately 5 minutes.  Add squash and broth and bring to boil.  Reduce to simmer for 20 minutes.  Puree soup with immersion blended or transfer soup to blender in small batches.  Mix in milk at the end.  Salt and pepper to taste.

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End of the week stir fry

I always have a lot of vegetables in my refrigerator since I have salads every day and use a variety of vegetables in other dishes as well.  My favorite way of using up all the "ends and pieces" of these vegetables is to cut them up and stir fry them with some type of meat or tofu.  This weekend I made stir fried chicken and vegetables.  I have posted this before but it is worth repeating.  My private student, Linda Johnson, makes versions of "stir fry" frequently and she has developed quite a reputation for her delicious stir fry.

Master Recipe for Stir-Fried Vegetables and Meat

Step 1:
Choose a protein
3/4 lb. steak, pork, or chicken thinly sliced
3/4 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
12 oz extra firm tofu, cubed
Freeze meats first for easier slicing. Place cut meat in bowl and drizzle with 1 T low sodium soy sauce or Tamari, 1 T wine, sherry or Sake, if desired. Set aside.

Step 2:
Prepare 3 cups of any vegetables:
Sliced carrots, celery, bell peppers, onions, shallots, quartered mushrooms, sliced bok choy or cabbage, whole snow peas, sliced asparagus, baby spinach, halved cherry tomatoes, blanched brocolli or cauliflower florets, thawed or fresh peas or edamame, fresh or frozen corn or baby corn, cubed eggplant, sliced or cubed zucchini or yellow squash. If it can't be cooked in a couple minutes pre-cook it by blanching in boiling water or a couple minutes in the microwave. For a spicy stir-fry slice up some jalapeno peppers.  If you don't feel like making a sauce, just use the very simple "sauce", which is just some garlic, ginger and soy sauce, then drizzle a little sriracha on top.

Prepare garlic and ginger by mincing 2 cloves of garlic and 1 T fresh ginger.

Prepare garnish: Thinly slice scallions, chop peanuts, slice up some jalapenos, chop some cilantro and set aside.

Choose a sauce:

Very simple
2 cloves garlic
1 T fresh ginger
1 T reduced sodium soy sauce

Spicy
1/2 c chicken broth (low-sodium canned is fine)
1-2 T soy sauce or tamari (I use reduced sodium.)
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp hot red pepper flakes or chili sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
Mix together

Sweet and Sour
3/4 c chicken broth
1/4 c ketchup
2 tsp soy sauce or tamari
3 T rice vinegar
1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sesame oil
Mix together

Simple sauce:
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp cornstarch
1 T soy sauce or tamari
1 T hoisin or Oyster sauce
1 T Chinese rice wine or sherry
(or leave out the Hoisin or Oyster for a clear sauce)

Drain marinade from the protein. Have all ingredients by the pan. Heat pan until very hot, then add 1 T vegetable oil. Cook the protein for a couple minutes. For tofu, brown on both sides, don't stir. Remove from pan and set aside.
Wipe out the pan, heat again, add another T of oil. Add the garlic and ginger, 2 minced scallions, a pinch of salt and sugar. Stir fry 30 seconds. Add the vegetables and cook until tender/crisp, then add meat an sauce and heat for 3 minutes. Add this point you can add some cooked noodles, either wheat or rice noodles which were previously cooked and drained well.
Garnish with the scallions, peanuts, cilantro. Don't forget the garnish--it really adds something.
Serve with rice if you didn't use noodles.

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Guiltless Quiche

I'm always looking for something special for Sunday morning breakfast.  I was thinking about a quiche I had years ago at Angelsgate B & B in Bryan, Texas.  The owner called it "picante quiche".  I looked in my recipe collection and found the recipe which called for lots of cheese and sour cream.  Hmmm, how to remake this.....
So here is my new version which has 215 calories as opposed to the original version which I made for my husband with cheddar cheese and a serving of crumbled breakfast sausage which had 466 calories.
Be sure to place the ramekins on a baking sheet before you put them in the oven or it will be hard to handle them when they're hot.  You can make customized versions of this dish to meet all the preferences in your family.




Picante Quiche
makes 1 serving

1 egg
2 whites
1 T sour cream
1 ounce 75% reduced fat Cabot cheddar
1 T finely minced scallion
1 T Joe T Garcia's medium salsa
dash of garlic powder
freshly ground salt and pepper
dash of paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a ramekin with non stick spray.  I used an 8 ounce size.
Beat egg and whites well.  Add sour cream and mix until light and well incorporated.
Add dash of garlic powder and freshly ground sea salt and pepper.
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it in the bottom of the ramekin.  Add the salsa and scallions.
Pour the egg mixture on top.  Sprinkle top with paprika.  Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, checking after 20 minutes.  It's done when the center is set, but take it out before it's completely set or it will be dry.
I had it with a slice of Applegate Farms turkey bacon, 35 calories, and a small piece of Artisan Baking Company Harvest 9 Grain toast, 50 calories, so my 300 calorie goal was met and it was very large, satisfying and delicious dish.

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French Toast

French Toast can be a nightmare if you're trying to lighten things up.  An order of Sonic French toast sticks has 500 calories and restuarant plates of stuffed French toast can be close to 1,000.  I wanted French toast this morning that fit within my breaksfast calorie range of under 300 calories for grains, fruit, and protein.

Yesterday I picked up my weekly loaf of bread of Artisan Baking Company on White Settlement Road.

It is open from 9-1 on Fridays, so if you want artisan bread made with the highest quality ingredients that tastes like bread is supposed to taste, then make a trip there, or go to the Cowtown Farmers Market on Saturday mornings where Artisan has a stand.  I had a loaf of Harvest 9-grain bread, one of my two favorites, the other being Multigrain bread. 

Recipe
4 slices Harvest bread (or multigrain bread of your choice)
2 eggs, 2 whites, beaten

1/4 cup soy milk

1/2 T Sun Crystals (stevia and sugar product)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients and place in 13 x 9 pan.  Add bread slices and allow to soak up the liquid. Turn bread a few times.

Heat a large skillet on medium high. Spray with non-stick spray and add bread.  Brown on on side, flip, and continue cooking. Reduce heat so bread cooks all the way through.

Serve with a little maple syrup as you can.  I used 1/2 T, 25 calories, which I prefer over fake or sugar free syrups.

My delicious serving of French toast was 185 calories. Although I didn't I could have added a piece of chicken apple breakfast sausage from Applegate Farms.  I had some fruit and was satisfied.

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A salad a day.....

Salads don't have to be boring. Taking a salad for lunch nearly every day is a lot simpler if all the ingredients are prepared ahead of time and ready to go.  On Sundays I wash and dry a head of red leaf lettuce and a bag of mixed field greens using a salad spinner.  If you don't have one I highly recommend it.  If your lettuce is not dry it will wilt and turn brown quickly but dried in the spinner and placed either back in the salad spinner as a bowl (without the insert) or in a zip loc bag lined with a paper towel, the lettuce will keep for several days.  Now I know you can buy big tubs of already washed lettuce or bags of it and it can be good or not so good, depending on the brand and how longs it's been on the grocery store shelf.  I prefer to choose the lettuce myself and only buy it for a few days at a time.  I find the big tubs start tasting icky way before I'm done with them.  I buy a bell pepper, cucumbers and carrots. I get the fresh organic carrots with the greens still attached at Central Market--they are so sweet. Yes, you can buy the bags of carrot type things that are already washed and ready to eat, but I find them to be bland.  If you don't love your salad you will not want to eat it frequently and salads are very filling and satisfying IF they are made with quality ingredients.
Add some sliced red onion, avocodos, black beans, feta cheese, tomatoes, and pecans or almonds and you have a complete meal.  Don't be afraid to use an avocado.  You can use a quarter of it at a time and tightly wrap the rest, seed and skin, in plastic wrap.  I buy a container of feta cheese or a log of goat cheese to use in salads or omelets.  I use my low fat balsamic vinaigrette for dressing.
So this weekend I will buy a new supply of salad ingredients for next week and I hope you will too.

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New Zealand King Salmon at Pappadeaux

My usual behavior is to let eating out at a restaurant throw me off track, gain back the pound or two I struggled to lose all week and I'm back to square one.  Well, I made a decision to quit doing that this year and figure out how to enjoy restaurant meals even while I'm losing weight. I was tested in this decision last night when we had dinner at Pappadeaux Restaurant on our way back from a long trip to Love Field to pick up my son, Glenn. I know what's on their menu so it's not a big challenge to figure out what to eat (or not to eat!)

They do have a new section called, "naked fish" where you choose a plain fish and a sauce, however you can also just choose a fish with no sauce.  I had the New Zealand King Salmon, chargrilled with spaghetti squash.  Knowing there was probably a big ladle of butter on the squash, I asked to have no butter on it.

I ordered the house salad and a side of light Greek dressing which I drizzled on the salad, very lightly.

Although I normally have a glass of wine, share the Ceasar salad with Steve,  have at least one piece of bread, fish with a  rich sauce and dirty rice, and maybe even a bite or two of dessert, I did not feel deprived.  I am losing weight, feeling good, and not about to get off track after my commitment this year.
The formula for any restaurant meal if you're really serious about losing weight is simple, but I don't have time this morning to go into details.  More to come later.

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Ultimate Healthy Breakfast Sandwich

Start with a whole wheat Rudi's organic muffin (120 calories), brown a slice of Applegate Farms nitrate free turkey bacon (35 calories), add an egg cooked in the non-stick pan with Pam (80 calories), sprinkle on an ounce of Cabot's 75% reduced fat cheddar (35 calories) and there you have it--a 270 calorie delicious breakfast sandwich.  If you want to lower it even more use an egg white instead of the whole egg and it would be 220 calories.  I use the whole egg for the vitamin D in the yolk.  Contrast that to a McDonald's bacon, egg, cheese biscuit with 420 calories, 1160mg of sodium and 23 grams of fat. 

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My meatless Monday lunch

Trying to cut back on meat is a good way to eat lighter and I really like the Amy's "burgers".  I've tried the Texas burger and yesterday tried the California burger for the first time.  I usually have a package of whole wheat tortillas on hand.  Using the wrap idea again I defrosted the burger for 30 seconds on high in the microwave, browned it and cooked it for a few minutes in a skillet sprayed with Pam.  I cut it into 3 sections and lined the section down the middle of the tortilla, added a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, rolled it up and wrapped it tightly with saran wrap since I was taking it to work for lunch.

I made a salad of mixed greens (already washed on Sunday), cucumbers (already cut up on Sunday), and tomatoes.

I also tried a new salad dressing that is simpler and lighter than my signature balsamic vinaigrette.

1 T Extra Virgin olive oil

1 T water

1 tsp Balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

                                                                 1/2 tsp honey

I simply put all the ingredients in a small plastic container, added some freshly ground sea salt and pepper, a dash of Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute (you could also add some fresh herbs such as thyme or other dried herbs on hand), shook it up and put it in the bag with my wrap.  At lunch time I mixed up the salad with about half of the dressing above and placed a generous portion inside the wrap and re-rolled it. 

Outstanding, and only 300 calories.  A snack of hummus and carrot sticks later was all I needed.

By the way, another great find from my new favorite store, Costo, is their prepared hummus.  Now, of course I can make fantastic hummus anytime I want, but it's not something I feel like doing at 6 AM before work.  The hummus comes in prepacked containers, 50 calories each, and tastes pretty good, and I'm pretty picky about eating any pre-made foods.  Give it a try sometime.  Eat it with cucumber or carrot sticks to get more vegetables in your day.

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Chirashizushi in honor of my mother



New Version

My mother's version

Today was the annual Fort Worth Japanese Society New Year Party, a day when over 100 society members gather to celebrate the New Year, share Japanese food in a pot luck, win raffle prizes, and see old friends.  My mother always loved to go and tried to talk me into going with her.  I usually said I was too busy with church, children, or something.  Now that I'm on the board of directors I go to almost all the events and seeing her old friends, all the little 80 something year old Japanese ladies, I smile to myself and know that my mother would be so happy that I'm involved.  Whenever my mother went to pot lucks she had some often requested favorite dishes.  I watched her make her version of Chirashizushi, scattered sushi, many times.  Today I made two versions, one with brown rice, shrimp, salmon, and imitation crab, the other exactly like my mother's, with vegetables only.  Truthfully, parts of her version were much better, and some elements of mine were better, so I have combined the best of both parts for this recipe.

Chirashizushi Recipe

2 1/4 cups Japanese Rice
1/4 cup sushi vinegar (seasoned rice vinegar)
8 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated in 2 cups of warm water
1 T soy sauce
1 T sugar
1 tsp mirin
3 eggs
1/2 T sugar
1 cucumber, julienned (1/8 by 2 inches)
1/2 lb. sushi grade salmon
1/2 lb. sushi grade tuna
4 ounces lump crab
2 sheets of nori, toasted and cut into thin strips, julienne size
1 avocado, diced

Prepare the Japanese rice by washing it well with cold water.  .Place rice and 2 1/2 cups water in a rice cooker, or pan and soak for 30 minutes.  If using a pan, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked.. 
Spread the hot rice in a large bowl  and add the vinegar.  Fold the rice gently with a rice spatula and fan it until it cools off.
Meanwhile remove stems from the shiitake and slice thinly.  Heat 2/3 cup of the water used for rehydrating shiitake in a medium pan.  Add shiitake and soy sauce, sugar, and mirin.  Simmer shiitake on low heat until liquid is almost gone.  Set aside.
Beat eggs in a bowl and add 1/2 T sugar, a dash of salt and a dash of soy sauce.  Oil a medium skillet and pour a ladle of egg mixture into the skillet and made a thin omelet-like a crepe.  Turn over, remove to a plate.  Make several of these thin omelet sheets and then cut into thin strips.
Cut the salmon and tuna into uniform, thin slices.  Break the crab meat into uniform pieces.
Cut the avocado into 1/2 inch squares.
Spread the rice in an attractive serving bowl.  Artfully arrange the shiitake mushrooms, fish, crab, cucumber, omelet strips and avocado.  Top with strips of nori.

Feel free to use any type of fresh fish, cooked shrimp, or even stips of teriyaki chicken for your chirashizushi.  If you order this dish in a sushi restaurant the chef will prepare it with a wide variety of fresh sashimi, some vegetables, and egg.  I order it at Sushi Axiom and Japanese Palace and it's always wonderful.

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Goat Cheese Salad with Grilled Salmon at Gogo Gumbo

Goat Cheese Salad with Grilled Salmon at Gogo Gumbo in Boyd, an unassuming little place with some of the best seafood around.
It's not far from Azle so we are fortunate to be able to dine there often, however since their food is so good it's hard to eat "healthy".  That's because I am often tempted to taste my husband's seafood rigatoni in jalapeno cream sauce, or start watching people getting desserts that are housemade and award winning, such as the 2 die 4 or the banana cream pie with chocolate and caramel sauces and suggest Steve order a piece so I can have a "bite".
But last night  I had the Goat Cheese Salad, a salad of mixed greens with thinly sliced Fuji apple, dates, and a pecan crusted slice of warm goat cheese dressed in the house balsamic vinaigrette.  I added the grilled salmon.  Every bite was perfect. There are other healthy dishes on the menu such as the cedar plank salmon with fresh vegetables and whole grain medley.    I strongly suggest you head to Gogo Gumbo at the earliest opportunity no matter how far way you live.  It will be worth it.  Bring your own wine or beer.  They have a Facebook page so look them up.

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Spinach is my friend

I like raw spinach in salads mixed with other salad greens, but I much prefer it cooked, but not overcooked.  Overcooked spinach is awful and maybe why a lot of people think they don't like cooked spinach.  You can buy washed, ready to eat  spinach anywhere now and it's usually in huge plastic bins, or my preference, a bag of local, ready to eat spinach from Central Market.

If you take it out of the bag where it's been pressed to take up as little space as possible it looks like an enormous amount, but once properly cooked it will shrink down before your eyes.  The best way to prepare it is by heating a small amount (2 tsp) of olive oil in a large skillet, adding a few slices of garlic until it sizzles for a minute.  Remove the garlic, unless you want to eat it, which is fine.  The pan should be very hot--don't be afraid.  Add as much spinach as you want, pile it up high, and then using tongs start turning if over a few times.  When it's wilted, but still bright green and doesn't even look cooked all around, get it out of the pan.  Sprinkle a little freshly ground sea salt and pepper, a few red pepper flakes and enjoy!
I served it for dinner with polenta, roasted mushrooms, and chicken sausage.  This morning I will use my leftover spinach and mushrooms in an omelet made with 1 egg and 2 whites, with feta cheese and a small portion of brown rice.  I always have brown rice in my freezer, stored in sandwich size ziploc bags.  This is something I learned from my mother, who ate Japanese rice nearly every day.  When she lived alone she would cook rice and freeze it, which I thought was weird at the time since I had a big family and there were never enough leftovers to freeze much of anything.  But, it is a great way to always have fresh brown rice on hand and only takes 1 minute to heat up in the microwave.

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Sandwich cravings

Sandwich cravings come along sometimes, especially after seeing a giant flatbread wrap filled with turkey, cream cheese spread, and vegetables in a magazine.  Of course I'm not going to make myself a 1,000 calorie sandwich, but I was able to get the craving out of my system by making my own version.


One whole wheat tortilla (Central Market)
2 ounces 3 pepper turkey breast (Deli at Central Market roasts turkey breast daily--always good)
1 ounce reduced fat swiss cheese
organic red leaf lettuce
Texas hothouse local tomato
whole grain mustard

I held it together with toothpicks and it was a fabulous lunch, along with a Gala apple.

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Roasted Green Beans

I picked up a 32 ounce bag of green beans, "hand-trimmed haricot vert" at Costco the other day (same day I bought the seaweed snacks) and decided to use them tonight with my simple meal of salad and chicken burger. Don't laugh, but the chicken burger was a sweet caramelized onion chicken burger, gluten free, no preservatives, 150 calories and also from Costco.  Hey, if I don't make this easy it won't work!   Chefs can't make gourmet meals every day, especially when there has to be time for exercise.

The green beans were tossed with some smashed garlic, a little mustard, tarragon, olive oil and freshly ground salt and pepper.  They were roasted in a hot oven and developed nice caramelized areas and the flavor was outstanding.  Only 1 tablespoon of olive for the entire pound of green beans, and that could even be reduced.  Next time I'll post a photo.

Oven Roasted Haricot Vert
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
1 pound haricot vert (or regular green beans) trimmed
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 cup water
1 T EVOO
2 tsp chopped tarragon, or any herbs
2 tsp whole grain mustard
Freshly ground sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Toss green beans with all ingredients.  Place on a large sheet pan and roast for 20 minutes. If they are still too crunchy for your taste,  reduce heat to 325 and continue roasting until desired tenderness, about 5 more minutes.

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Seaweed-my all time favorite healthy snack

Here's the best one money can buy--seaweed.  Yes, that's right.  A case of roasted seaweed snacks can be found at Costco for abour $6.00 for 12 packs.  Only 30 calories, 0 fat, 50 mg sodium and it's even good for you.  Funny thing is I was eating Korean roasted seaweed for years, buying it in the Korean store and eating it from a big sheet.  My family thought I was weird, and then I saw cases of the same seaweed at Costco.  Who's laughing now?
Try it and see if you like it.  If you don't like seaweed I found lots of other good snacks at Costco, Lara bars, Clif Mojo bars, dried fruit, etc.  Just don't eat the whole thing at one time because those bars have about 200 calories each.  I eat half and save the other half for another time.
I worked out on the treadmill earlier and now I'm on my way to meet Sandra at The Barn for an hour, then off to the Tri County Dog Club to train my boxer, Mochi.  Somewhere in there I'll have a salad with red pear, a little blue cheese and my signature balsami vinaigrette with a few spiced pecans.
I'll post that recipe later.

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365 Days of Healthy Eating Challenge

September 2006

I have been overweight for ages, sometimes losing a few pounds and then gaining them back.  It's been a big struggle and harder in recent years to get weight off.
I worked really hard in 2011 to get healthier.  In April 2011 I started working out at a private weightlifting club, The Barn, in Azle, with Sandra Kidd, a personal trainer.  She is a competitive body builder and is very serious about what she does.  I have been meeting with her 2-3 times a week since April and managed to drop almost 14 pounds and get into much better shape, necessitating smaller work clothes and a new wardrobe of skinny jeans and more fitted clothes.  My BMI dropped into the normal, not overweight zone, for the first time since 1997 when I went through the Phen-fen phase and got down to a few pounds lower than what I weigh now but felt terrible.  I feel great now, full of energy, sleep well, normal blood pressure, strong, etc..  Over the holidays, however, I got back into my usual routine of overdoing it.  I made way too many sweets for "gifts", indulged in rich foods, and exercised less.

October 2011

As a result, I gained a couple pounds back, no surprise.  A few weeks ago I told Sandra my goal for 2012 was to be at my ideal weight by April, a year after starting with her.  There is no reason for me to still be struggling with these few extra pounds after have 8-12 private sessions every month with her.
As you can see from my photos, I have trimmed down quite a bit, but I would really like to lose 20 pounds and keep it off. 
There is absolutely no reason for me, a trained chef, to be overweight since I am capable of preparing any type of healthy food.  My children are grown so I can come home and exercise.  They used to to be my excuse for not being able to exercise regularly.
I will be posting daily recipes I've either created or found as well as successes and challenges on my endeavor.
This morning I made a delicious frittata, inspired by one I saw in the fall at the Santa Fe Farmers Market.  That frittata was filled with peppers, corn, and green chiles.  Mine has some mushrooms and goat cheese as well.

Santa Fe Frittata

2 green chiles, roasted, seeded and diced
5 egg whites and 1 whole egg, beaten
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced onion
4 crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 T corn
3 T cilantro, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
dash of cumin
2 T goat cheese

Saute vegetables in non stick pan sprayed with Pam until tender, 3-4 minutes.  Set aside.  Saute mushrooms in non stick pan sprayed with Pam, 3-4 minutes.  Clean pan with paper towel.
Heat and spray with Pam.  Add eggs and all vegetables and crumbled goat cheese.  Add 1/2 the cilantro.  Cook on medium low heat until set.  But under hot broiler to brown top, just for a couple minutes.  Sprinkle the rest of the cilantro on top.
Serves 2

I tried an Ezekiel Sprouted Grain tortilla with this but found it too be inedible, way too chewy and weird.  The frittata was fantastic and I enjoyed it immensely.

The show Hungry Girl was playing on Food Network in the background : )

Sandra Kidd, far right

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