Making friends and guinea pigs

I have been looking forward to having friends over for dinner since my return to Plano. This weekend, I invited Lori, Toni, Mike and Keith to come over.  At first I planned a Thai Curry, something much more in line with my “normal” meal choices.

One problem with me is in making commitments on my decisions. So, over time the idea went from a Thai Curry to a Greek Shrimp Scampi and on from there. The problem for me is that I try to pre-think what people will eat. Since I don’t eat meat, it is a little more difficult when carnivores are coming over. Well actually, since I am not a true vegetarian, it can also be a challenge when ethical vegetarians come over.

I really wanted to make Salmon or Scallops. That is something I do a lot. But I am on a budget since I haven’t had much work and lots of expense. Seafood is expensive, so I nixed that idea.

In any case, I finally wore myself out planning so decided to make Penne with Vodka sauce, a salad and who knows what else. I had made the Vodka Sauce before using fresh marinara I bought at Central Market and it was good. It was also easy to make.

I also wanted the meal to be in line with healthier eating. Vodka sauce has cream in it, a challenge.  I found a recipe on Jamie Oliver’s site for a light Caesar dressing using 0% Greek yogurt. I thought that might be interesting too and healthier. I have made his recipes with much success.

I recently came across this nifty site where you can put a recipe in and get a very cool breakdown of what you are taking into your body. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2356/2

 I put in the Vodka Sauce recipe and the outcome took all the color out of my face (which, with my white skin, isn’t really much of a feat).  The calorie count was out the roof. The fat count wasn’t far behind.

So now I had a dilemma. How to improve on it? So I tried. Less Vodka, ½ heavy cream and ½ fat free half and half, about 1/8 of the parmesan in the original recipe and measured portions of pasta.  I tried to find a good multigrain penne but didn’t find one that was right so settled on semolina.

I made the Light Caesar dressing http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/caesar-on-the-light-sideand it needed some fixing up. Instead of minced fresh garlic, I roasted mine. Fresh is so strong and cutting, I didn’t want to use it.  I added a little Dijon mustard and at the last minute threw in some chopped basil.

I added some steamed fresh broccoli to the menu too.  For dessert, I made a Red Wine Sauce to go over peaches and Ice Cream. I chose the ½ fat Dreyer’s Vanilla.

So you might wonder how it turned out. Well I had a fantastic time with my friends. It was so nice to have them and they seemed to have a good time. It lifted my spirits, which I needed.

My opinion on the food; I decided that my best meals are not planned dinner parties. Somehow I am never as happy with the outcome. I am really a “harried cook” when it comes to planned events.

 My girlfriend and fellow foodie Moira in Florida once said, she makes her best meals just cooking at home. I think the same is true for me. I do better when I invite someone for a dinner I had cooked for myself.

The outcome: The sauce was watery. I think the non-fat half and half isn’t the greatest product. I have read that before but took the chance.  The portions were not filling enough, though only one person mentioned that. I was hungry later.

I don’t know how anyone felt about the Caesar but I don’t think it would pass muster with “Real Caesar” lovers.  The yogurt was just a little too tangy.  If I did it over, I would use some non-fat mayonnaise with it to tone it down some, or add honey to cut the edge.   I think I would have preferred a basil dressing for flavor.

I slightly undercooked the broccoli.  For me it would be fine, but not for company. The Dreyer’s light was good. The peaches were flavorless so I added some partly defrosted frozen peaches. I don’t think that was a good idea. I am used to eating half frozen fruit in my cereal, but I don’t think it went over too well.  My friends much preferred Crème de Menthe topping to my home cooked Red Wine sauce.  Go figure. I could have just bought that.

Even though this meal was not on the 4 star list, it was not “bad” I don’t think.  I figure, at least I tried to make it tasty and healthier. Sometimes it works the first time. Other times it takes some trial and error.  

Maybe some recipes will never be as good without the fat. I remember hearing a popular nutrition guru say, if you are trying to lose weight, just because you ate one unhealthy meal doesn’t mean you give up. It would be like getting a flat tire and then slitting the other 3. You move forward from where you are.

So, I will either try these recipes again or find some better healthy choices. I find it a worthy and healthy pursuit.

Eat your beans, help each other

I haven’t posted anything lately because I am busy organizing my temporary move to S. Florida from Plano. The whole idea of moving away has been pretty overwhelming and I have been going back and forth trying to decide what to bring with me and what to store for my return.

For a foodie, the idea of leaving behind “ my kitchen” is the hardest. I have a lot more than the normal apartment dweller. Should I take the pasta maker which I haven’t used in 18 years?  What about the multiple crock pots? They are super when used at my annual tree trimming party.  Do I take the blender or will the stick blender suffice?

These are difficult decisions and I have realized how much I depend on the “extras” that make my time in the kitchen easier and more enjoyable.

I thought I would try out living with just “the basics” for awhile before deciding. I have done pretty well but only because I haven’t cooked anything of substance but a piece of salmon. I have given up smoothies. The stick blender just didn’t sound right for that.

No more pitting olives or cherries, not that I did that much anyway. How do I French cut green beans without my green bean frencher? You might ask if I really use these devices and the answer is, yes, I do.  I love these little extras.

So cooking with “the basics” is…well…basic. My diet has gone to heck. Toast with peanut butter for breakfast, lunch is leftovers from last night’s dinner out, who knows what for dinner….cereal maybe?

What I have made that is not only healthy but benefits a great cause, is black bean soup. My friend Nancy gave me some soup mixes from the “Women’s Bean Project” in Denver. The non profit organization has been helping women gain self sufficiency and employment since its inception. http://www.womensbeanproject.com/whatwedo.html

I normally make my soups from scratch, so I wondered how this would turn out.  I must admit it was really easy to make and the soup is wonderful. I did find it needed a little umph…so I added some Picante sauce (I used Pace) to each serving, some shredded low fat cheddar and chopped avocado. That is all it needed.

So, I have been eating the soup for dinner and feel I have improved my “basics” diet considerably this way.

I would highly recommend you try the soups from the Women’s Bean Project. They make great hostess or holiday gifts too. 

You can “eat you beans” and help those women who have been chronically unemployed or living at the poverty level, to develop the skills and training to support themselves and their families. That should taste pretty good going down!

Relief for Breakfast Boredom

I don’t know about you, but I get pretty bored with the same old breakfasts. During the week I usually hit on a theme and go with it until the idea is a burn out. For a while it was Smoothies with different fruits and a supplement called Lean that my sister distributed. It was very addictive, filling and good on the waist.

She stopped selling it so I moved on to cereal until I went to the store and a box of cereal worth about a dollar now costs five. I refused to pay it.

Next I switched to grains, grits, whole wheat cereal, quinoa etc. made every which way. In the summer that is just too warming, so I moved on to yogurt or toast and nut butters.

On the weekends I am ready for something more interesting. My sister, Shirley often stays over on Friday nights. We have “our show” on TV or a movie. In the morning, I usually come up with an idea, make our favorite blueberry crumble coffee and while she “comes alive” with her first cup, I head to the store to get what ingredients I need.

Although the daily grind gets boring, breakfast is my favorite meal to have with others. I usually go to Fresh Market, a local gourmet grocery for my ingredients, mostly because it’s quieter than the groceries so I don’t have to “look alive” when I get there. Other times, I walk to the local Publix and pick up a paper to bring back with the needed ingredients.

One week I picked up a juicy, sweet Mango and some fresh baked Tropical Coconut Bread to go with some Liberte’ yogurt. That was pretty tasty but not all that filling.

One of the easier meals that we found surprisingly good was from a recipe in the cookbook, “The Good Egg”. 

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know, it is an egg recipe, Eggs with Beurre Noir (ok if you don’t have a handle on the French language, that is Black butter), Capers and Parsley.  Amazingly enough I had all the ingredients, no store trip required.

Another morning I decided to do the vegetarian thing and made a Tofu Egg Salad.  I know, I know you non veggies may balk, but I wasn’t too excited about the idea either. I am not a big Tofu lover. It turned out to be an easy breakfast, nutritious, and tasty, a nice change from the norm.

This week, I decided to get a little decadent. I found a recipe in a book I have “Breakfast in Bed” called Divine Filled Croissants. I am on a diet restriction now from food that is acidic or spicy, so this was something I could eat (for a salty, spicy, acid loving foods girl it has been a challenge!)

It is extremely rare for me to eat a croissant. I don’t love them. I once took a class on making croissants and after seeing them incorporate what looked like 10 pounds of butter, I figured it might not look good on my heart or hips.  The recipe looked interesting and the croissants seemed to be the best choice, so there you have it, croissants were on the menu.

I didn’t sleep well Friday night. Lots of things on my mind so I wasn’t the “Bright Sunshine” I normally am on the weekend. This time Shirley and I both went to Fresh Market for the ingredients, one of which was Monterey Jack Cheese.  I wanted to find it in a block but they didn’t have it. Not wanting to go from store to store, I bought packaged slices.

Upon arriving home and starting to prepare the ingredients, we noted that the cheese was supposed to be grated, but I had slices. Being the genius and iron chef I am I came up with the solution. I grabbed about 4 slices and rolled them together then tried to grate them. I actually didn’t expect the outcome to be too great, expecting the cheese to crumble, but it didn’t. It was grating just fine. 

I was so proud of my genius until I got about halfway through the cheese. It was at that point that I realized the reason the cheese stayed together so well. It had paper between the slices which I had so nicely grated in with the cheese! So much for my iron chef status! Lucky I had enough cheese to start over, this time throwing it into my mini food processor and crumbling it.

The breakfast was easy to make and it was a nice change. We used wild caught smoked salmon that was of very good quality.  The only change I would have made (besides taking the paper out from between the cheese slices) would be to add some spinach in with the eggs next time.

Today, I spent a little extra time at the gym, hopefully working off the added calories and fat.

Here are the 3 new breakfast ideas. I hope you will try and enjoy them!

Divine Filled Croissants-Serves 4

4 large croissants                    4 Tablespoons butter

8 eggs                                      ¼ cup milk

1 Tablespoon minced fresh

(best) Dill or 1 tsp dried          ½ cup finely chopped mushrooms

1/3 cup finely chopped

Smoked salmon                       ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Optional: Spinach cut in small pieces

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Warm croissants in oven for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile melt butter in a medium skillet. In a bowl, beat eggs and milk together; add dill, mushrooms (spinach) and salmon. Pour into skillet and scramble until creamy.

Remove croissants from oven and slice lengthwise ¾ of the way through. Preheat broiler.

Fill the croissants with the scrambled egg mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Broil croissants open faced until cheese is melted. Serve immediately

Eggs with Beurre Noir, Capers and Parsley- Serves 2

4 tablespoons unsalted butter            4 large eggs

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice          2 teaspoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley (don’t leave                                                                 out!)

1 tablespoon small capers,

Rinsed and drained                             2-4 slices of good quality bread, toasted and buttered.

 Warm two plates in oven on the lowest setting (not that I did this!) Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium low heat. When the butter sizzles, break the eggs one at a time into a cup and slip into the skillet (or like me, just go for it and put them straight in!) Reduce the heat to low and fry until the whites begin to set (1 minute) Cover and cook until the yolks are cooked to the desired doneness, about 5 more minutes. Transfer the eggs to the warmed plates.

Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter to the skillet and heat over medium heat until the butter browns, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and swirl to blend. Pour the sauce over the eggs, sprinkle with parsley and capers and serve with the toast. Yum!

Tofu Egg Salad-Serves 1

4 ounces firm tofu

1-2 tablespoons each, chopped celery and chopped onion

Mayonnaise (light, canola or olive oil is good)

Prepared mustard, dill, curry powder to taste

Chopped or sliced, avocado (optional)

1-2 slices a good grain bread toasted.

Dice tofu as you would hard cooked eggs for salad. Add the chopped celery and onion to taste (can add chopped green pepper if you like).

Add enough mayonnaise to make mixture creamy and season with any or all of the above seasonings or others of your choosing (I used mustard and a small bit of curry as I don’t love curry plus a little salt and freshly ground pepper)

Serve on toast topped with avocado if you like or with a slice of avocado on the side.

Have a great week and ….don’t forget to exercise!

Avocado and another great breakfast idea

I have been trying to include more avocados in my diet.  Avocados are actually a fruit. They have a lot of fat. In fact, 75% of their calories are from fat most of which is monounsaturated fat. The fat in avocado is made up of several nutrients, phytosterols, carotenoids, non-carotenoid anti-oxidants and omega 3 fatty acids. Studies have shown these nutrients help keep inflammation under control.  The carotenoids are most concentrated in the dark part of the fruit, closest to the skin. The best way to preserve them is to slice then peel the avocado by hand.

Oleic acid, found in avocados have shown in studies to lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol. Avocados are also high in potassium (great for workout recovery) and Vitamin E. All and  all avocado is a fantastic fruit and you can use any leftovers for your skin. http://www.natural-skin-care-info.com/avocado.html

In Texas we found mostly Haas California Avocados at the stores. Haas avocados are the only variety of avocado that is produced year round. The Haas Avocado was patented in 1935. It was the first tree to be patented. The avocados in California prior to Haas were Fuerte. Haas originated from grafting . Today all Haas avocado trees are descendants from the original tree planted in 1926. Haas avocados are small and get very soft and creamy when ripe.

The Florida avocados are bigger with a smooth skin and a more fruity flavor. They are also less creamy than Haas because they are quite a bit lower in fat and calories.  In contrast to the California avocados, Florida avocados only produce from June through February. They are more perishable than the Haas when ripe.

I like to use the Haas for guacamole due to their creamy softness. The Florida avocadoes are great for filling due to their size and sturdier texture. I also like them for slicing.

This week I tried a recipe I found on another blog. It was for Poached Egg on Toast with Chipotle Mayonnaise, Bacon and Avocado. Of course I don’t do bacon so I left that part out. The blog is Closet Cooking written by a guy from Canada.

I tried the recipes, sans bacon and I really enjoyed it. I used California avocado since the Florida avocados have been hard to come by.  I liked it so much that I made it again this weekend for my sister and me. We both enjoyed it.

The only unusual ingredient is the chipotle peppers in adobo. Chipotle peppers are smoked jalapenos. The peppers in adobo are in a tomato sauce. In Texas you can find them in the Mexican section at the grocery store. Here in Florida, I think I found them at Whole Foods Market.

This is an easy breakfast to make but if you are stressed about poaching eggs, a fried egg would substitute just fine.  Mark used to like a store bought salad dressing I found by Marie’s.  I saw it at the store the other day so they still make it. It is Chipotle Ranch. If you are not real motivated to make the sauce or can’t find the chipotle’s in adobo, this dressing is very similar. I might add the lime to it though. The lime is what gives it that extra kick.

I made the sauce using light mayonnaise. That will cut the fat a bit and you can make it up by enjoying the fat in the avocado!

Here is the link to the recipe:http://www.closetcooking.com/2011/07/poached-egg-on-toast-with-chipotle.html

There are other great recipes on the Closet Cooking blog and the pictures are fantastic!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did.

Have a great week….and…don’t forget to exercise!

Hummus and the Lemon Secret

You might assume since I am a vegetarian that I love hummus. Actually, I don’t always love it. In fact, had I not dated Sam, a Lebanese man, I could have done without hummus for the rest of my life. Garbanzo beans have never floated my boat.

There are some good things about Garbanzo beans, they are high in fiber. The beans are also high in molybdenum, manganese and folate. They have a healthy dose of of tryptophan an amino acid known, among other things,  for making you sleepy. Still, I wasn't much of a fan,

I find them somewhat grainy. In my opinion, there are much better tasting legumes than garbanzo beans

Then I started dating Sam. Both having family roots in the Mediterranean, we shared a love for similar foods, similar but not exactly the same. For instance, I love Kalamata olives. Sam had me try his favorite black olives. All I can say about that experience was, YUK.  I guess you just had to be Lebanese to really appreciate those salty and extremely bitter olives.

In spite of the olive experience, I agreed to try Sam’s hummus. He told me the secret was the lemon in it. Secret or not, it was delicious.  I dated Sam many years ago and since that time, I have tried a lot of hummus, but none that compares to his. Ziziki's in Dallas had some good hummus but the best part of it was the grilled and garlic buttered pita bread.

My mother and I stopped in a Greek restaurant in  Royal Palm Beach after shopping one day. With our meals, they served hummus as a starter and there it was, a hummus as good as Sam’s.

Now, let me mention that I have made more than a few attempts to make a hummus like Sam’s without much luck. One reason was that the hummus was never smooth, always grainy. Then there was the garlic. It was always too strong.

Since I tried the hummus at It’s Greek to Me, I have gone there many times with my sister. We both love the hummus. Interesting enough, when talking to the owner, he mentioned his secret was the lemon. There it was again, lemon!

I really wanted to make my own hummus that was as good as those I have liked. I spent a lot of time looking at other recipes, trying to find “the secret” to a smooth hummus.  I found a recipe that stated that when it was made from fresh cooked garbanzo beans rather than canned, the hummus was much smoother. I printed the recipe and tried it myself.

Now, as always, I didn’t really follow the recipe exactly. I only made a small batch of hummus and used the recipe as a template. I really loved it.  I didn’t use fresh garlic, but I did want some garlic flavor, so I added powdered garlic to taste.  The Himalayan salt is not really required. I happened to have some Pink salt, so I used it, but normal salt or kosher should work just fine.  Oh and one other change, I didn’t use paprika because I didn’t have any. What I did have was smoked paprika. It is very strong and smoky flavored so I just used a little bit. If you can find it, it does add some depth to the flavor of the hummus but I am sure the paprika will be fine too.

I bought some nice flat bread, chopped up some radish, grated some carrot, cut a few slices of avocado and sliced some romaine. I topped the flatbread with the veggies and hummus folded it over and thoroughly enjoyed eating it. Of course, had I had some Kalamata olives, I would have probably sliced some up and put them on the sandwich as well.

The garbanzo beans were not really hard to make after they were soaked. Rather than sit around for 2 hours watching the beans cook, I brought them to a boil in a saucepan with water, then dumped the whole batch into a small Crockpot and let it cook on low for hours until they were cooked.

Here is the original recipe. It costs very little to make and you will have a tasty healthy food and it’s lemony! I hope you will get the chance to try it. I am not sure where the recipe came from, so I am unable to give credit to the author.

Classic Hummus Recipe using Dried Beans

Hummus is one of the easiest snacks, appetizers, dips, or spreads to make. Just throw all your ingredients in a food processor and blend.  I love hummus and I make it using both canned garbanzos and dried garbanzo beans. However, if I have the forethought I always use dried because the hummus turns out smoother, fluffier and tastes better. It’s really not much more work than using a can, it just takes a little more preparation and advanced planning since you have to soak the beans overnight and boil them. Plus there isn’t any added sodium or preservatives when you used dried beans. The recipe has just a hint of spiciness and no garlic because I don’t like to have garlic breath, of course if you want garlic or more spice go ahead and add. Here’s the recipe:

6 oz organic dried garbanzo beans soaked overnight

1/4 cup organic cold pressed olive oil extra virgin

1/4 cup organic tahini (no salt added)

1 Tbsp organic ground cumin

1/2 Tbsp organic ground paprika

1/4 tsp organic cayenne pepper

3/4 tsp himalayan crystal salt

1 – 2 Tbsp fresh organic  lemon juice (~1/2 a lemon)

1/4 cup of water + more if needed

After you soak your beans overnight, bring them to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for about 2 to 2.5 hours or until the beans are soft and tender (which is whenever I remember that they’re sitting on the stove). Turn heat off and cool slightly. Add beans to food processor with slotted spoon, add all other ingredients, blend until smooth. Add more water if needed. Serve however you see fit.