One day soon I hope to have the opportunity to make this for a bunch of guys who work too hard... I'd love to see them all sitting down to a piece of this and a coffee and just...stopping for a while... Trevor this is the one I was telling you that my grandfather used to make...
There is something very comforting about the smell of this particular cake baking..maybe it's memories from being very short in a kitchen that smelled just so, watching my grandfather's hands peeling apples and cracking eggs...he was a hard working man, too, always driving his tractor around, splitting wood for the fire, working in the bush... he had this old gray coat and a cap that he always wore and I can still smell the oil and woodsmoke that emanated from it when he hung it in the garage... I have the most wonderful picture of him, I'll add it to this soon... when he was in his 80's he had some vertebrae fused in his back and was supposed to stay in bed for a week after he came home from the hospital..my grandmother went upstairs to take him some soup and he was gone... into the bush on his tractor... he let me steer when I was a little bitty thing and I remember the rolling motion of it as it navigated the ruts in the bush road, and of never being nervous because he was there...
When he was 90 he had the house converted to wood heat from oil, and filled the woodshed to the brim, himself, the April before he died, at 94... he had a hug like a steel trap and a heart of gold, and Papa, I miss you... "Ohhh, guuurrrl..." he would say, in his thick Polish accent... his eyes twinkling and his dear old face creased into a big grin...
Apfel Kuchen Sehr Fine
( This is NOT a clean-eating or in any way diet-conscious recipe just so you know ahead of time! )
3 - 5 apples, peeled, cored... don't slice them up!!
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
powdered sugar
Preheat your oven to 350° F, and grease the bottom and sides of a 10 inch springform pan. It's always worth investing a little in a decent one of these, especially since the recipe for the BEST low carb cheesecake on the planet is coming up soon....
Prepare your apples..you can make concentric circles of quartered apples or create your own design.
Peel, quarter, and core apples. Thinly slice each quarter several times without cutting all the way through. Do this just before you place them on the cake. The apples "open" when they are baked.
In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar, eggs and lemon juice until creamy....it's tempting to lick the spoon because it smells really good at this point but don't!! Raw eggs = uncool physical reactions! ( You can also add 1/2 to 1 tsp. almond flavoring instead of or as well as the lemon juice)
Blend flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir this into your sugar mixture alternately with the milk
Spread the batter GENTLY in your pan and arrange your apples as you wish..
Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean
Cool this in the pan on a wire rack. Carefully remove the finished cake from pan and dust with powdered sugar... if you want to make it look really nice, don't forget to put waxed paper under the edges of your cake, on your plate, before you dust with the sugar, and then remove the wax paper along with the extra sugar so your cake plate is clean...
This cake is moist, flavourful, apple-y ( is that even a word?) and different and I love it... I haven't made it in ages but I will soon! Come East, boys... stop in and set for a spell...
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Onset of Misery...
This morning... 6:00am... my front door opened and I was presented with the world..covered in a sheet of ice. The salt trucks had gone by at 2:30am and so I knew something was coming...but.... yuk. My car was a dish best served cold and I had to run it for some time before the ice retracted her claws...
Ontario is a fickle wench though... you just never know...tomorrow morning it's supposed to be ten degrees and raining.. when the real snow sets in and insulates the world for sound, it's so pretty on sunny days and so miserable when you're tired and it's dark and you just got home to a driveway-full... I've lived in and around Ottawa for 36 years now so I suppose if I was really truly anti-winter I would have been long gone but there is something about the trees with their branches full of fresh snow, the 'puh' of a snow-lump falling off of the roof, the freshness of the winter air on a sunny day and the creaking of it under your boots... I've been telling myself all along that I'm not ready for it, but this year, I think I may just be.
But I can do without the freezing rain...
Clear roads and the wind at your back, boys... be safe out there..
A.
Ontario is a fickle wench though... you just never know...tomorrow morning it's supposed to be ten degrees and raining.. when the real snow sets in and insulates the world for sound, it's so pretty on sunny days and so miserable when you're tired and it's dark and you just got home to a driveway-full... I've lived in and around Ottawa for 36 years now so I suppose if I was really truly anti-winter I would have been long gone but there is something about the trees with their branches full of fresh snow, the 'puh' of a snow-lump falling off of the roof, the freshness of the winter air on a sunny day and the creaking of it under your boots... I've been telling myself all along that I'm not ready for it, but this year, I think I may just be.
But I can do without the freezing rain...
Clear roads and the wind at your back, boys... be safe out there..
A.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
These were the salad days...
Well there will be a super simple recipe this time and it's not even original to me.. it's just awesome... we got lebanese food for lunch today at work and Sue was over...the...moon....about the salad..we had fattoush with chicken on it, and garlic sauce... talk about an...aromatic office environment! Normally I don't make fattoush at home, because I don't put the pita chips in it..but the salad below is exactly that..fattoush without the pita chips..
You can put chicken on it, but it's also very, very good, nutritious and fresh tasting with a can of GOOD QUALITY white tuna tossed into it, nothing extra, just the tuna.
"The Salad Days.."
( this makes enough salad for 2 to pig out on.. )
1 romaine heart, try to keep the ribs of the leaves out, tear the leaves into chunks off of the ribs.. OR
1 small head green leaf lettuce or red lettuce
2 or 3 tomatoes, I use the Roma ones because I like the flavour and the flesh of them, and they cut into chunks so well - which is what you need to do.... cut them into big chunks
2 lebanese cucumbers or a third of an english cucumber, cut into fork-size chunks
As much onion, sweet onion, as you like, sliced thickly and cut so that you have half or quarter rings
2 cloves of garlic if you are going to be alone after you eat this, or 1 if you're not..for the sake of culinary excellence, please please please don't use garlic-in-a-jar or god forbid, garlic powder, for this.. take the time and trouble to use fresh garlic, trust me...
1 tsp of sea salt, ground
1 1/2 tsp of dried mint, fairly small... you can rub it between the palms of your hands when you make your salad so you don't get huge bits
very good quality olive oil
a big lemon
So! All you do to make this is grind your salt onto your cutting board and make a little pile. Crush your garlic cloves with the flat of your knife and one good shot with the heel of your hand, that'll loosen the skin and it'l practically fall off...and put your clove of garlic on the salt pile to chop it.. you'll notice it doesn't stick to your knife blade and stays put to get chopped... put all of that in the bottom of a big salad bowl and add your lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions. Pour olive oil over it, one pass around will do, the more you make this you'll get your own idea of how much oil you want... I don't put too much on myself, maybe 2 tbsp
Cut your lemon in half and juice it over your salad... start with half a lemon and see if you like it stronger than that for next time.. rub your mint between your palms, over the salad, and mix it, making sure to get to the bottom for the garlic and the salt... do NOT make this any more than 10 or 15 minutes before you're going to serve it, because it will wilt! If you need to make it ahead of time, leave the tomatoes, oil and lemon juice to the side until just before you serve...
I hope you are as pleasantly surprised by this as I was. Wonderful with a piece of fish, a steak, the tuna tossed right into it, or with nothing at all.
Thanks, Wils, for showing me this salad allll those years ago, it's been a lifesaver!
( If you want fattoush, just make the above and add either baked or fried pita chips in it, and toss it...again, do this just before you serve it!! )
I'm off to have some kidlet n' mom time today at the Canadian War Museum, he's been there and I haven't so he's going to give me the guided tour...should be fun, it's a beautiful day, the sun is out, the sky is blue, my soul is content, and my fingers are crossed... Trev that's for you babe... I hope I hope I hope... that your road will lead home sooner than later... xoxo
Thanks all, who read me, enjoy and have a wonderful day..
You can put chicken on it, but it's also very, very good, nutritious and fresh tasting with a can of GOOD QUALITY white tuna tossed into it, nothing extra, just the tuna.
"The Salad Days.."
( this makes enough salad for 2 to pig out on.. )
1 romaine heart, try to keep the ribs of the leaves out, tear the leaves into chunks off of the ribs.. OR
1 small head green leaf lettuce or red lettuce
2 or 3 tomatoes, I use the Roma ones because I like the flavour and the flesh of them, and they cut into chunks so well - which is what you need to do.... cut them into big chunks
2 lebanese cucumbers or a third of an english cucumber, cut into fork-size chunks
As much onion, sweet onion, as you like, sliced thickly and cut so that you have half or quarter rings
2 cloves of garlic if you are going to be alone after you eat this, or 1 if you're not..for the sake of culinary excellence, please please please don't use garlic-in-a-jar or god forbid, garlic powder, for this.. take the time and trouble to use fresh garlic, trust me...
1 tsp of sea salt, ground
1 1/2 tsp of dried mint, fairly small... you can rub it between the palms of your hands when you make your salad so you don't get huge bits
very good quality olive oil
a big lemon
So! All you do to make this is grind your salt onto your cutting board and make a little pile. Crush your garlic cloves with the flat of your knife and one good shot with the heel of your hand, that'll loosen the skin and it'l practically fall off...and put your clove of garlic on the salt pile to chop it.. you'll notice it doesn't stick to your knife blade and stays put to get chopped... put all of that in the bottom of a big salad bowl and add your lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions. Pour olive oil over it, one pass around will do, the more you make this you'll get your own idea of how much oil you want... I don't put too much on myself, maybe 2 tbsp
Cut your lemon in half and juice it over your salad... start with half a lemon and see if you like it stronger than that for next time.. rub your mint between your palms, over the salad, and mix it, making sure to get to the bottom for the garlic and the salt... do NOT make this any more than 10 or 15 minutes before you're going to serve it, because it will wilt! If you need to make it ahead of time, leave the tomatoes, oil and lemon juice to the side until just before you serve...
I hope you are as pleasantly surprised by this as I was. Wonderful with a piece of fish, a steak, the tuna tossed right into it, or with nothing at all.
Thanks, Wils, for showing me this salad allll those years ago, it's been a lifesaver!
( If you want fattoush, just make the above and add either baked or fried pita chips in it, and toss it...again, do this just before you serve it!! )
I'm off to have some kidlet n' mom time today at the Canadian War Museum, he's been there and I haven't so he's going to give me the guided tour...should be fun, it's a beautiful day, the sun is out, the sky is blue, my soul is content, and my fingers are crossed... Trev that's for you babe... I hope I hope I hope... that your road will lead home sooner than later... xoxo
Thanks all, who read me, enjoy and have a wonderful day..
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Dancing to a Different Tuna
What a day!! Work was chaotic...which, although it makes the day go by quickly, also makes one's brain cramp up... after work it was the kidlet's taekwondo class, during which I go to the gym... right now I'm just doing cardio because I"ve been advised that while I'm being this careful about what I eat, I shouldn't be doing resistance training..but it's so TEMPTING!!! I love it... the other problem is that my laptop, the one with the blue screen of DEATH has all of the weight regimen in it... the charts telling me to do this on this day and that on that day...
So anyways cardio it is, I get my house music/techno going on the mp3 and just go... I keep it at 3.9kms and do a varied incline, and I like to go for 45 mins to 55 mins with a 5 minute cooldown... I get a good sweat on doing that... feels awesome...
I do sort of have a recipe, actually it's just a mixture of things to make a better version of an old favourite...
"Dancing to a Different Tuna"
2 cans white tuna in broth or water, preferably water
1 can Cloverleaf Lemon&Dill tuna, don't squeeze the liquid out! ( The other flavoured tunas in that series are full of sugar and oil..gross.. watch the peanut satay one..FIRST ingredient..sugar... )
finely chopped celery 4 tbsp
finely chopped onions or shallots ( red onion is the best... in my humble opinion... ) 4 tbsp
fat free Miracle Whip
1/2 tsp celery salt
very generous grind of fresh black pepper, coarse ( I use the tri-colour peppercorns from Bulk Barn, they're really nice...white, red, black )
Mix it all up and leave it in the fridge over night...
I use mini bretons to scoop it up ( only 10 of them though! If I still have tuna left I switch to celery, but if you weigh out 100g of the tuna salad it works perfectly for the 10 mini brets ) and it is nothing short of extraordinary...I'm not sure I would like the Lemon&Dill tuna straight up..but mixed into the 2 bigger cans of white? Wowsers... it's flavourful without being overpowering, and it's different enough to keep tuna salad from getting boring...
My thoughts tonight are with a certain hardworking man who's on the road for days and days on end, and would probably kill for something homemade, anything homemade..even some wierd tuna salad. Sometimes simple is best...
OH and this morning, I was .6 pounds away from having lost FIFTY pounds since July 12... which in case I haven't mentioned it and I don't think I have, was the date of the Expulsion... rendering me blissfully single again... and life changed for the better...
Good night all, I'll write again soon...
A.
So anyways cardio it is, I get my house music/techno going on the mp3 and just go... I keep it at 3.9kms and do a varied incline, and I like to go for 45 mins to 55 mins with a 5 minute cooldown... I get a good sweat on doing that... feels awesome...
I do sort of have a recipe, actually it's just a mixture of things to make a better version of an old favourite...
"Dancing to a Different Tuna"
2 cans white tuna in broth or water, preferably water
1 can Cloverleaf Lemon&Dill tuna, don't squeeze the liquid out! ( The other flavoured tunas in that series are full of sugar and oil..gross.. watch the peanut satay one..FIRST ingredient..sugar... )
finely chopped celery 4 tbsp
finely chopped onions or shallots ( red onion is the best... in my humble opinion... ) 4 tbsp
fat free Miracle Whip
1/2 tsp celery salt
very generous grind of fresh black pepper, coarse ( I use the tri-colour peppercorns from Bulk Barn, they're really nice...white, red, black )
Mix it all up and leave it in the fridge over night...
I use mini bretons to scoop it up ( only 10 of them though! If I still have tuna left I switch to celery, but if you weigh out 100g of the tuna salad it works perfectly for the 10 mini brets ) and it is nothing short of extraordinary...I'm not sure I would like the Lemon&Dill tuna straight up..but mixed into the 2 bigger cans of white? Wowsers... it's flavourful without being overpowering, and it's different enough to keep tuna salad from getting boring...
My thoughts tonight are with a certain hardworking man who's on the road for days and days on end, and would probably kill for something homemade, anything homemade..even some wierd tuna salad. Sometimes simple is best...
OH and this morning, I was .6 pounds away from having lost FIFTY pounds since July 12... which in case I haven't mentioned it and I don't think I have, was the date of the Expulsion... rendering me blissfully single again... and life changed for the better...
Good night all, I'll write again soon...
A.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Then and Now...
Well, I haven't been on here on a long time, really...except to clean up some of the posts and look for recipes that I wanted to make again.....Eat Clean Magazine was cool enough to publish "Thai One On Chicken" in the July/August 2010 issue, with a little picture of me and a blurb, so that was fun....
Anyway there have been some big changes over here! I've moved into a much better house in a much better location, but unfortunately the kitchen is...well..horrendous. haha I make do but my big island is gone and I loved that... necessity is the mother of invention, I will prevail!
Also broke up with the guy I had been dating, in July... that's been a refreshing and liberating, new lease on life. You never realise how much stress you're under until you're out from under and the world is fresh and new again.... I"m enjoying my son, loving my job ( also new in June ) and feel that all is right in the world these days...
That said, I'd love to start blogging again....I had taken time off from the gym and from eating properly...anyone who has been in a horrid relationship knows how easy it is to compensate with Haagen Daas... and to not want to feel sexy or loved or special even to ourselves...well that's over with baby and I'm back on track! Since I have been single agan I"ve lost JUST shy of 50 pounds, I'm back at the gym, I"m eating properly and I feel like a million bucks..I have work to do but the difference is the work is fun and I"m looking forward to it...
I have also made some wonderful gal pals recently and they're all awesome...thanks, girls, for being amazing women who make me laugh and let me be me, even if I"m a little wierd...
That said, I'm off to make dinner....I'm making Bo Nuang Xa again and came up here to get the recipe ( I knew I was forgetting something! ) and felt inspired to add my thoughts for today...
Have a wonderful night and I will write again soon!! Hopefully with a new recipe or two!
Amy
Anyway there have been some big changes over here! I've moved into a much better house in a much better location, but unfortunately the kitchen is...well..horrendous. haha I make do but my big island is gone and I loved that... necessity is the mother of invention, I will prevail!
Also broke up with the guy I had been dating, in July... that's been a refreshing and liberating, new lease on life. You never realise how much stress you're under until you're out from under and the world is fresh and new again.... I"m enjoying my son, loving my job ( also new in June ) and feel that all is right in the world these days...
That said, I'd love to start blogging again....I had taken time off from the gym and from eating properly...anyone who has been in a horrid relationship knows how easy it is to compensate with Haagen Daas... and to not want to feel sexy or loved or special even to ourselves...well that's over with baby and I'm back on track! Since I have been single agan I"ve lost JUST shy of 50 pounds, I'm back at the gym, I"m eating properly and I feel like a million bucks..I have work to do but the difference is the work is fun and I"m looking forward to it...
I have also made some wonderful gal pals recently and they're all awesome...thanks, girls, for being amazing women who make me laugh and let me be me, even if I"m a little wierd...
That said, I'm off to make dinner....I'm making Bo Nuang Xa again and came up here to get the recipe ( I knew I was forgetting something! ) and felt inspired to add my thoughts for today...
Have a wonderful night and I will write again soon!! Hopefully with a new recipe or two!
Amy
Monday, February 15, 2010
Mission: Um...Possible!
Well, folks, no recipe today unfortunately, I haven't been doing anything too adventurous in the kitchen this week, just salads, tuna on lavash flatbread, smoothies, etc...all pretty standard fare! I thought I had better check in though, as I hadn't written in a few days...
Today for lunch we had tuna on a salad made with romaine, red peppers, cucumber, chopped dried ( unsweetened! ) apricots, raisins and tzatziki dressing...very refreshing...we had a couple of Suzie's kamut flatbreads with it...
This morning at the gym was HARD again, back and calves...the workout itself wasn't terribly overwhelming but we were both tired heading into it...yesterday we didn't go to the gym at all, but we did take the dogs to Bruce Pit for a good long walk, and fresh air...it was beautiful and sunny, cold but not unpleasantly so...I'm sure looking forward to spring! Some days it doesn't feel like it's far off...other days it feels like it'll never get there...
I did my once-a-month weigh and measure, I'm happy with the inches but disappointed in the weight number..HOWEVER, it's how you look and feel that counts, right? And since I started this particular adventure I'm down 21 and a half inches in total, 4 and a half of those off of my waist alone, so that's awesome...I do feel much much better, and although my arm measurement hasn't changed since I started, it used to be fluffy, dimpled and pudgy inches, now it's rock hard muscle inches...so that's awesome...I have striations in my chest and shoulders also and my quads are like rocks when I'm using them, so I realllly shouldn't care so much about that number on that &@#%$# scale....
Anyways i'm off to do something useful, have a nice day and I'll write again soon....I picked up some things called "Eddoes" at Produce Depot yesterday and am looking for information on cooking them, I'd never bought them ( or paid any attention to them quite frankly ) before so they're new to me!
Bye for now....
Today for lunch we had tuna on a salad made with romaine, red peppers, cucumber, chopped dried ( unsweetened! ) apricots, raisins and tzatziki dressing...very refreshing...we had a couple of Suzie's kamut flatbreads with it...
This morning at the gym was HARD again, back and calves...the workout itself wasn't terribly overwhelming but we were both tired heading into it...yesterday we didn't go to the gym at all, but we did take the dogs to Bruce Pit for a good long walk, and fresh air...it was beautiful and sunny, cold but not unpleasantly so...I'm sure looking forward to spring! Some days it doesn't feel like it's far off...other days it feels like it'll never get there...
I did my once-a-month weigh and measure, I'm happy with the inches but disappointed in the weight number..HOWEVER, it's how you look and feel that counts, right? And since I started this particular adventure I'm down 21 and a half inches in total, 4 and a half of those off of my waist alone, so that's awesome...I do feel much much better, and although my arm measurement hasn't changed since I started, it used to be fluffy, dimpled and pudgy inches, now it's rock hard muscle inches...so that's awesome...I have striations in my chest and shoulders also and my quads are like rocks when I'm using them, so I realllly shouldn't care so much about that number on that &@#%$# scale....
Anyways i'm off to do something useful, have a nice day and I'll write again soon....I picked up some things called "Eddoes" at Produce Depot yesterday and am looking for information on cooking them, I'd never bought them ( or paid any attention to them quite frankly ) before so they're new to me!
Bye for now....
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Dinah Moe Hummus
The following recipe is for the hummus I made last night, we have this on lavash flatbread or Suzie's Kamut Sesame flatbread, or we put it on cucumber slices or baby carrots, celery...we use it instead of mayo for spreads, it's reallly good with a good handful of alfalfa sprouts in a flax wrap with some turkey or chicken or a chopped egg... sounds like hippie food but it's actually really good!
If you don't get the name, then you don't listen to Frank Zappa. lol I don't either, I only ever heard 3 songs but they were all....interesting?
Dinah Moe Hummus
1 can chick peas, rinsed
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
3 - 4 cloves garlic
1 grind sea salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
3 tbsp lemon juice
hot sauce or cayenne pepper to taste, I usually give it about 4 shots of Texas Pete or similar hot sauce
This makes about two cups or a little more of hummus...
Place all in the food processor and let it whip for a while, until it looks uniform and smooth. You shouldn't ever see any lumps when you spread it. This one has a really nice light texture, a lot of flavour and a little bit of a kick...definitely NOT boring hummus!
That's it folks...oh and if you've never tried hummus because it looks....well...a little wierd, not very appetizing to some...and the whole chickpea thing throws a lot of people off, trust me, it's awesome...I put off trying it for 34 years and those are 34 non-hummus-eating years I'll never get back! *sob*
Have a great day, all!!
If you don't get the name, then you don't listen to Frank Zappa. lol I don't either, I only ever heard 3 songs but they were all....interesting?
Dinah Moe Hummus
1 can chick peas, rinsed
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
3 - 4 cloves garlic
1 grind sea salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
3 tbsp lemon juice
hot sauce or cayenne pepper to taste, I usually give it about 4 shots of Texas Pete or similar hot sauce
This makes about two cups or a little more of hummus...
Place all in the food processor and let it whip for a while, until it looks uniform and smooth. You shouldn't ever see any lumps when you spread it. This one has a really nice light texture, a lot of flavour and a little bit of a kick...definitely NOT boring hummus!
That's it folks...oh and if you've never tried hummus because it looks....well...a little wierd, not very appetizing to some...and the whole chickpea thing throws a lot of people off, trust me, it's awesome...I put off trying it for 34 years and those are 34 non-hummus-eating years I'll never get back! *sob*
Have a great day, all!!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Guack-a-Mole!!
I'm off to make breakfast, but the following is today's recipe...modelled after one of everyone's favourite carnival games...
Guack-a-Mole!
Guack-a-Mole!
Ingredients:
2 avocados 1/2 lemon, juiced 2 tablespoons chopped onion | 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons olive oil |
Directions:
| 1. | Cut the avocados into halves. Remove the seeds, and scoop out the pulp into a small bowl. Use a fork to mash the avocado. Stir in lemon juice, onion, salt, and olive oil. Cover the bowl, and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. |
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Steak-holders Meeting
So, below is the most basic recipe ever, but it was really good!! Sometimes uncomplicated is just as good as fancy schmancy...
Steak-holders Meeting
THICK steak, at least an inch or more, if you like it rare or medium rare, as I do
Salad makin's...( tonight was just romaine, lebanese cucumbers, tomato, red cabbage VERY thin...much more basic than my usual salads! )
Tzatziki, preferably homemade, zipped in the Bullet with a bit of extra nonfat yogurt and a bit of extra lemon juice...OR....finely chop cucumber with the skin on and squeeze in paper towels til you get most of the water out. Mix the cucumber with plain nonfat yogurt, garlic, lemon juice and some cilantro....
Get the grill HOT, and get the steak good and charred on the outside, leaving the inside rare...trim the fat off of it and slice it so that it shows the red on the plate...
Make up your salad and drizzle your tzatziki over the top of it...the cool, fresh flavour of the tzatziki contrasts with the smoky, robust flavour of the steak, and while the steak is hot, the salad is cold, and it's just a really nice contrast...
Enjoy!!!
Steak-holders Meeting
THICK steak, at least an inch or more, if you like it rare or medium rare, as I do
Salad makin's...( tonight was just romaine, lebanese cucumbers, tomato, red cabbage VERY thin...much more basic than my usual salads! )
Tzatziki, preferably homemade, zipped in the Bullet with a bit of extra nonfat yogurt and a bit of extra lemon juice...OR....finely chop cucumber with the skin on and squeeze in paper towels til you get most of the water out. Mix the cucumber with plain nonfat yogurt, garlic, lemon juice and some cilantro....
Get the grill HOT, and get the steak good and charred on the outside, leaving the inside rare...trim the fat off of it and slice it so that it shows the red on the plate...
Make up your salad and drizzle your tzatziki over the top of it...the cool, fresh flavour of the tzatziki contrasts with the smoky, robust flavour of the steak, and while the steak is hot, the salad is cold, and it's just a really nice contrast...
Enjoy!!!
The Cabbage Catch, Kid!
Yes, it's Catch...as in Catch of the Day, yes, you guessed it, the other salmon steak!
Tonight I wanted to do something different with the salmon....the first salmon steak, which is in Salmon to Watch Over Me, a couple of days ago, was good...rather yummy actually, but who wants to eat the same thing twice in one week? Not me, says I! I started rummaging in the fridge and the following is what resulted...it was actually reallllly good and totally guilt free!
The Cabbage Catch, Kid!
1 large salmon steak ( each person gets half )
1 1/2 c coarsely chopped red cabbage
one apple, skin on, coarsely chopped
small handful sultana raisins
1/4c lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
small amount white sugar ( maybe 2 tbsp max ) or agave syrup or stevia
sea salt and black pepper
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a heavy skillet and add the cabbage and the apple...keep it moving over medium heat until all is shiny and the cabbage is less stiff...the apples will pick up the colour and get rosy and you'll start to smell it....add the lemon juice, sugar, raisins and a good grind of sea salt, and keep it moving until it cooks down a bit and is soft....turn the heat way down and let it sit while you do your salmon and steam your veg ( we had asparagus )
Heat the other tbsp of olive oil in another heavy skillet and sear the salmon on both sides...using a fork, remove the skin from both sides of the salmon and split the salmon steak down the middle. Sear each side of the steak halves and then cover to finish cooking...give it a good grind of sea salt and black pepper
Serve a small pile of the cabbage/apple mixture with the salmon on top and steamed veg on the side...
I hope you enjoy it! I'm going to SLEEP...g'night!!!
Tonight I wanted to do something different with the salmon....the first salmon steak, which is in Salmon to Watch Over Me, a couple of days ago, was good...rather yummy actually, but who wants to eat the same thing twice in one week? Not me, says I! I started rummaging in the fridge and the following is what resulted...it was actually reallllly good and totally guilt free!
The Cabbage Catch, Kid!
1 large salmon steak ( each person gets half )
1 1/2 c coarsely chopped red cabbage
one apple, skin on, coarsely chopped
small handful sultana raisins
1/4c lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
small amount white sugar ( maybe 2 tbsp max ) or agave syrup or stevia
sea salt and black pepper
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a heavy skillet and add the cabbage and the apple...keep it moving over medium heat until all is shiny and the cabbage is less stiff...the apples will pick up the colour and get rosy and you'll start to smell it....add the lemon juice, sugar, raisins and a good grind of sea salt, and keep it moving until it cooks down a bit and is soft....turn the heat way down and let it sit while you do your salmon and steam your veg ( we had asparagus )
Heat the other tbsp of olive oil in another heavy skillet and sear the salmon on both sides...using a fork, remove the skin from both sides of the salmon and split the salmon steak down the middle. Sear each side of the steak halves and then cover to finish cooking...give it a good grind of sea salt and black pepper
Serve a small pile of the cabbage/apple mixture with the salmon on top and steamed veg on the side...
I hope you enjoy it! I'm going to SLEEP...g'night!!!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Smoothie Operator...
Smoothie Operator
2/3c frozen berries, frozen fruit salad or any frozen fruit...make sure it's JUST fruit, no syrup or added sugar
1c orange juice or skim milk, totally different experience....I prefer the juice when I'm tired and want refreshment, I prefer the milk when I'm in a hurry and have to gulp it...wierd but true
1 scoop of whey protein..no added sugar and preferably no sucralose but good luck finding one without the sucralose OR sugar!
(You can also add 1 scoop PhytoBerries or Chia Nutra or ground flax seed or omega 3 oil...)
Blend it all or put it in your Bullet and buzz it...it's so awesome...it's the most basic thing but we just never get tired of them....we don't generally have more than 5 or 6 a week, each, so it's not like a meal replacement, but there is absolutely nothing better to a) revive you after the gym or b) satisfy your ice cream or sweet craving...if you put more berries and less juice, you get almost a sorbet thing happening...
Tomorrow is a BUSY BUSY day, hanging flat panel tv's, doing some programming on an audio system, finding out why my cable splitters are getting hot, stuff like that...enjoy your day all, and Dad, I hope you had a good visit today and that you're warm and turning brown....Hi to you also, Marcia, if you're reading this! Soak up some sun for me, I could use it...I'm white as turkey meat, but I did get two free tanning sessions from the gym people...
I'll never be a perpetual tanner, I've seen too many women who look like they're wearing leather jackets and they're NOT, but a couple of doses can't hurt, can it?
Good night, Ma...Good night, Pop, Good night, John Boy....
2/3c frozen berries, frozen fruit salad or any frozen fruit...make sure it's JUST fruit, no syrup or added sugar
1c orange juice or skim milk, totally different experience....I prefer the juice when I'm tired and want refreshment, I prefer the milk when I'm in a hurry and have to gulp it...wierd but true
1 scoop of whey protein..no added sugar and preferably no sucralose but good luck finding one without the sucralose OR sugar!
(You can also add 1 scoop PhytoBerries or Chia Nutra or ground flax seed or omega 3 oil...)
Blend it all or put it in your Bullet and buzz it...it's so awesome...it's the most basic thing but we just never get tired of them....we don't generally have more than 5 or 6 a week, each, so it's not like a meal replacement, but there is absolutely nothing better to a) revive you after the gym or b) satisfy your ice cream or sweet craving...if you put more berries and less juice, you get almost a sorbet thing happening...
Tomorrow is a BUSY BUSY day, hanging flat panel tv's, doing some programming on an audio system, finding out why my cable splitters are getting hot, stuff like that...enjoy your day all, and Dad, I hope you had a good visit today and that you're warm and turning brown....Hi to you also, Marcia, if you're reading this! Soak up some sun for me, I could use it...I'm white as turkey meat, but I did get two free tanning sessions from the gym people...
I'll never be a perpetual tanner, I've seen too many women who look like they're wearing leather jackets and they're NOT, but a couple of doses can't hurt, can it?
Good night, Ma...Good night, Pop, Good night, John Boy....
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Milestone Vs. Tombstone
Hi, I forgot to mention that as of yesterday I'm officially down TWENTY pounds since November 20, 2009...December sucked because I hardly budged, but I have only myself to blame for that...holidays and such...*sigh* but we're back on track...my jeans that I could NOT inhale in on December 8 are now loose enough I need a belt to wear them, so that's a cool feeling...
Thank you Tosca Reno, you're always present in my kitchen and on my shoulder, like those little cartoon angels...my old habits and tendencies are on the other shoulder, dressed in red, with a little pitchfork and horns, and all...
To anyone reading this and either already Eating Clean or thinking about it...GO FOR IT...Tosca's books are not just a fad or a cash grab, if you don't have them, GET THEM and keep them handy. They will truly inspire you to create change, and trust me folks...if I can...YOU can....
Have a wonderful day.....
Thank you Tosca Reno, you're always present in my kitchen and on my shoulder, like those little cartoon angels...my old habits and tendencies are on the other shoulder, dressed in red, with a little pitchfork and horns, and all...
To anyone reading this and either already Eating Clean or thinking about it...GO FOR IT...Tosca's books are not just a fad or a cash grab, if you don't have them, GET THEM and keep them handy. They will truly inspire you to create change, and trust me folks...if I can...YOU can....
Have a wonderful day.....
Maresy Dotes and Dosey Dotes, and Little Lamsie Divey!
A Kiddley Divey too, wouldn't you? Of course it's really
Mares eat Oats and Does eat Oats, and Little Lambs eat Ivy...A Kid'll Eat Ivy, too....but breakfast is our recipe today, and it's Maresy Dotes And So Do I
Maresy Dotes and So Do I
1/2 c steel cut oats
1 c water
1/4 tsp sea salt or one grind from a salt grinder
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Put all in a pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for half an hour, or until the water is not sitting on top of the oats anymore...give it a stir now and again so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
Serve topped with a dollop of really cold plain yogurt and some fresh blueberries, and sprinkle that with a bit of nutmeg...
OR, top it with strawberries and a SMALL drizzle of pure maple syrup
OR.....use your imagination and put any combination of things on top, or nothing at all...it has a wholesome flavour and the texture is just wonderful...and it's glycemic index is rock bottom while it's fibre content is very high...it'll keep you satisfied all morning and keep sweet cravings at bay...talk about sticking to your ribs!!
Enjoy...I'm off to work, it's only -6 degrees Celsius here today so that's nice, beats the heck out of -33 last week!! That was horrid...
Tonight we're having salmon again but I'll try to be original and not make the same thing I did last time...
Have a wonderful day, all, keep safe and warm, and if you live in Ontario, keep in mind that the new Handsfree Device law is now in full effect as of yesterday, and yes, you can get a $500 to $1000 dollar fine if you're caught chatting, texting, checking email, whatever, while behind the wheel...
Amy
Mares eat Oats and Does eat Oats, and Little Lambs eat Ivy...A Kid'll Eat Ivy, too....but breakfast is our recipe today, and it's Maresy Dotes And So Do I
Maresy Dotes and So Do I
1/2 c steel cut oats
1 c water
1/4 tsp sea salt or one grind from a salt grinder
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Put all in a pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for half an hour, or until the water is not sitting on top of the oats anymore...give it a stir now and again so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
Serve topped with a dollop of really cold plain yogurt and some fresh blueberries, and sprinkle that with a bit of nutmeg...
OR, top it with strawberries and a SMALL drizzle of pure maple syrup
OR.....use your imagination and put any combination of things on top, or nothing at all...it has a wholesome flavour and the texture is just wonderful...and it's glycemic index is rock bottom while it's fibre content is very high...it'll keep you satisfied all morning and keep sweet cravings at bay...talk about sticking to your ribs!!
Enjoy...I'm off to work, it's only -6 degrees Celsius here today so that's nice, beats the heck out of -33 last week!! That was horrid...
Tonight we're having salmon again but I'll try to be original and not make the same thing I did last time...
Have a wonderful day, all, keep safe and warm, and if you live in Ontario, keep in mind that the new Handsfree Device law is now in full effect as of yesterday, and yes, you can get a $500 to $1000 dollar fine if you're caught chatting, texting, checking email, whatever, while behind the wheel...
Amy
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Salmon To Watch Over Me
Hello all...it's been a while, I know, but it's been an eventful and very busy week this week, and yes, my blog fell by the wayside...I really do enjoy writing it and I do have faithful readers, thanks guys, so I'll try to do better...
Tonight's recipe, which we had for dinner, is...
Salmon To Watch Over Me
Salmon with spaghetti squash and mango salsa
Serves 2
Salmon...
1 spaghetti squash
handful baby spinach leaves
1 salmon steak
Minced garlic, 2 cloves
lemon juice
salt and pepper
1 tsp butter per person
Prick the spaghetti squash all over with a knife and place it in a shallow baking dish containing an inch of water. Bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees and then let rest until cool enough to handle. This can be done the day before. You can also microwave it for 14 minutes but it's not as nice...
While that's going, make your mango salsa, see below.
For the salmon, get a pan good and hot and put about 1 tbsp of olive oil and the minced garlic in. When the garlic starts to brown, lay the salmon over the garlic and squeeze lemon juice over it, with salt and pepper. When you can see the edges start to brown on the salmon, turn the fish over and squeeze more lemon juice over it, and add salt and pepper on the top side. Turn the heat down to between medium and low.
Cut the squash in half and take out the seeds and stringy inner fibres. Using a dinner fork, dig out the insides of the squash, it will separate into strands. Lay these strands around the salmon in the pan, and put the baby spinach leaves on top. Cover and let cook on the lower heat until the spinach wilts and the fish is done.
Serve half of the salmon steak onto each plate and lay the squash and spinach leaves alongside. Top the salmon with the mango salsa, below, and top the squash with salt and pepper, and a tsp of butter.
Enjoy! It's awesome, awesome, awesome...
Mango Salsa
2 mangoes, diced into 1/2" cubes
2 green onions, diced
2 tbsp of red onion, finely chopped
1 thai chili, chopped fine
juice of 2 limes
1/4c coarsely chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all and let it sit for at least 20 mins before serving. It's nice if it's good and cold...
And that's it...it's very pretty, it's Clean, it's good for you...in case you're wondering about the salt, I typically have rock bottom blood pressure so yes, I do eat a reasonable amount of salt to keep it up in normal ranges. If you're on a low sodium diet then just lay off the salt a bit...
Enjoy....
Tonight's recipe, which we had for dinner, is...
Salmon To Watch Over Me
Salmon with spaghetti squash and mango salsa
Serves 2
Salmon...
1 spaghetti squash
handful baby spinach leaves
1 salmon steak
Minced garlic, 2 cloves
lemon juice
salt and pepper
1 tsp butter per person
Prick the spaghetti squash all over with a knife and place it in a shallow baking dish containing an inch of water. Bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees and then let rest until cool enough to handle. This can be done the day before. You can also microwave it for 14 minutes but it's not as nice...
While that's going, make your mango salsa, see below.
For the salmon, get a pan good and hot and put about 1 tbsp of olive oil and the minced garlic in. When the garlic starts to brown, lay the salmon over the garlic and squeeze lemon juice over it, with salt and pepper. When you can see the edges start to brown on the salmon, turn the fish over and squeeze more lemon juice over it, and add salt and pepper on the top side. Turn the heat down to between medium and low.
Cut the squash in half and take out the seeds and stringy inner fibres. Using a dinner fork, dig out the insides of the squash, it will separate into strands. Lay these strands around the salmon in the pan, and put the baby spinach leaves on top. Cover and let cook on the lower heat until the spinach wilts and the fish is done.
Serve half of the salmon steak onto each plate and lay the squash and spinach leaves alongside. Top the salmon with the mango salsa, below, and top the squash with salt and pepper, and a tsp of butter.
Enjoy! It's awesome, awesome, awesome...
Mango Salsa
2 mangoes, diced into 1/2" cubes
2 green onions, diced
2 tbsp of red onion, finely chopped
1 thai chili, chopped fine
juice of 2 limes
1/4c coarsely chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all and let it sit for at least 20 mins before serving. It's nice if it's good and cold...
And that's it...it's very pretty, it's Clean, it's good for you...in case you're wondering about the salt, I typically have rock bottom blood pressure so yes, I do eat a reasonable amount of salt to keep it up in normal ranges. If you're on a low sodium diet then just lay off the salt a bit...
Enjoy....
Thursday, January 21, 2010
A Grill's Best Friend...It Ain't Diamonds!
Hello all!!
Well, after a long and fruitful day at work, Day 4 of the Cooler 1 plan, I went to the grocery store on the way home and picked up some bits and pieces...the cart was entirely loaded with healthy stuff except for a few items, which were for the kidlet...he's a salad eater and loves raw veg, doesn't eat a lot of crap...we haven't had white bread in the house for who knows how long, he eats the 12 grain and flaxseed and all of that, no problem..
But he does like a lot of the things every kid likes...he likes to make himself Kraft Dinner sometimes, maybe once every couple of weeks. He has a thing for Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. Tonight he had Bagel Bites ( those little mini pizzas) for dinner...with cut up green and red peppers mind you... so at what point do I say to him, Hey, kid...we're a Clean Eating household, so you can't have those Pepperidge Farm Goldfish or crescent rolls, you'll have to have this healthier version? Or do I continue to keep on the way I am? Like for lunch today, he had turkey breast ( actual, not deli meat..left over from Turkey-ish Delight ) on 12 grain bread with romaine lettuce, celery sticks, 2 100% juice drink boxes, a banana, a cheese string and some multigrain vegetable thins...for breakfast he had 2 poached eggs on a slice of 12 grain bread, a glass of orange juice and a yogurt...so if the kid wants bagel bites for dinner, is it a big deal?
You know what the annoying thing is? He does eat well, granted...but he also eats things I can't, sometimes...and he has six pack abs, awesome calves and a bicep like half a tennis ball..and he's 13! I sincerely hope for his sake that his metabolism or whatever's working for him stays in gear the way it is until he's at least 98...
As far as I'm concerned, it's still Cooler 1! I left a jobsite today and left my cooler there..DOH! So I was on the road when my alarm went off ( I have daily alarms set on my Blackberry to go off when it's time to stuff my face...every 3 hours or so...) and I wasn't going to get back to it for a while, so I popped into a grocery store and got lebanese cucumbers, a pear, a rotisserie chicken breast, a bottle of water and a fork. lol Had my wierd grocery store lunch in the parking lot...took the skin off of the chicken of course...
Tonight we used the barbeque again, since there isn't 2 feet of snow on it anymore, everything tastes better on the barbeque! I grilled a couple of little steaks, gorgeous little things that were on sale tonight when I stopped in to Metro ) and made a grill pan of veg....the veg is tonight's very basic, nothing fancy recipe...
A Grill's Best Friend...
2 small zuchinnis
1 small onion
8 white mushrooms,, halved
1 red pepper, chunked
sea salt and pepper to taste
garden seasoning ( I got it at a flea market years ago, I'm almost out and I don't know what I'll do without it!! It's fine and green and awesome....but you could add your own...)
1 tbsp olive oil
Get the grill pan hot and add the olive oil, then the onions. Once the onions start to brown, add the other veggies and seasonings. Keep them moving, til you have nice grill marks and crispy edges...
For a really nice flavour combination, try putting a dollop of Astro Balkan Style plain yogurt on top when you serve it...realllly nice combo, you wouldn't think so but I'm serious!
Good night all, thanks for reading!
Amy
Well, after a long and fruitful day at work, Day 4 of the Cooler 1 plan, I went to the grocery store on the way home and picked up some bits and pieces...the cart was entirely loaded with healthy stuff except for a few items, which were for the kidlet...he's a salad eater and loves raw veg, doesn't eat a lot of crap...we haven't had white bread in the house for who knows how long, he eats the 12 grain and flaxseed and all of that, no problem..
But he does like a lot of the things every kid likes...he likes to make himself Kraft Dinner sometimes, maybe once every couple of weeks. He has a thing for Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. Tonight he had Bagel Bites ( those little mini pizzas) for dinner...with cut up green and red peppers mind you... so at what point do I say to him, Hey, kid...we're a Clean Eating household, so you can't have those Pepperidge Farm Goldfish or crescent rolls, you'll have to have this healthier version? Or do I continue to keep on the way I am? Like for lunch today, he had turkey breast ( actual, not deli meat..left over from Turkey-ish Delight ) on 12 grain bread with romaine lettuce, celery sticks, 2 100% juice drink boxes, a banana, a cheese string and some multigrain vegetable thins...for breakfast he had 2 poached eggs on a slice of 12 grain bread, a glass of orange juice and a yogurt...so if the kid wants bagel bites for dinner, is it a big deal?
You know what the annoying thing is? He does eat well, granted...but he also eats things I can't, sometimes...and he has six pack abs, awesome calves and a bicep like half a tennis ball..and he's 13! I sincerely hope for his sake that his metabolism or whatever's working for him stays in gear the way it is until he's at least 98...
As far as I'm concerned, it's still Cooler 1! I left a jobsite today and left my cooler there..DOH! So I was on the road when my alarm went off ( I have daily alarms set on my Blackberry to go off when it's time to stuff my face...every 3 hours or so...) and I wasn't going to get back to it for a while, so I popped into a grocery store and got lebanese cucumbers, a pear, a rotisserie chicken breast, a bottle of water and a fork. lol Had my wierd grocery store lunch in the parking lot...took the skin off of the chicken of course...
Tonight we used the barbeque again, since there isn't 2 feet of snow on it anymore, everything tastes better on the barbeque! I grilled a couple of little steaks, gorgeous little things that were on sale tonight when I stopped in to Metro ) and made a grill pan of veg....the veg is tonight's very basic, nothing fancy recipe...
A Grill's Best Friend...
2 small zuchinnis
1 small onion
8 white mushrooms,, halved
1 red pepper, chunked
sea salt and pepper to taste
garden seasoning ( I got it at a flea market years ago, I'm almost out and I don't know what I'll do without it!! It's fine and green and awesome....but you could add your own...)
1 tbsp olive oil
Get the grill pan hot and add the olive oil, then the onions. Once the onions start to brown, add the other veggies and seasonings. Keep them moving, til you have nice grill marks and crispy edges...
For a really nice flavour combination, try putting a dollop of Astro Balkan Style plain yogurt on top when you serve it...realllly nice combo, you wouldn't think so but I'm serious!
Good night all, thanks for reading!
Amy
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Full Metal Packet
Hi all! Busy day today, but it's our day off from the gym today, and tomorrow we step up the workouts...WHOO! I'm pretty excited...but for tonight it's paperwork and work stuff, and just being...home. Which is nice, sometimes, when it's Ontario, and cold and miserable out..
Tonight's dinner, pork tenderloin with no visible fat, and veg...see below....
For the tenderloin, I preheated the barbeque on high on both sides, and when it was hot, I put the pork tenderloin on one side, rubbed all over with spices, turned down to medium...
On the other side, I put the following ( This makes enough for 2... )
Full Metal Packet
Lay out 2 sheets of tinfoil and spray with cooking spray.
Thinly slice half of a red onion and put half on each sheet
Chunk a small green zuchinni for each and lay it on the onions
Add 8 or 10 grape tomatoes or 5 cherry tomatoes, we used the grape tomatoes, whole
Pile fresh baby spinach leaves over top of it all, a good handful
Put some sea salt and coarse black pepper, and a little drizzle of olive oil over it all, then fold the two short edges together and roll them and then crunch the ends together to seal it all up. Bend up the ends a bit so that the liquid, if any, stays inside. Poke a very small hole in each side to let steam out and put them on LOW on the other side of the barbeque.
Keep the tenderloin turning, so it cooks evenly. When the tenderloin is cooked, simply bring it all inside, give each plate a packet and slices of the tenderloin...the steam coming from the packet is very aromatic and the spinach imparts a wonderful flavour...doing this on the barbeque somehow makes it taste more awesome also...how, I do not know... it's one of life's mysteries...
If you make this I hope you enjoy it!!
Have a great night, stay warm and cozy, and it's only 13 days til Groundhog Day!
Amy!
Tonight's dinner, pork tenderloin with no visible fat, and veg...see below....
For the tenderloin, I preheated the barbeque on high on both sides, and when it was hot, I put the pork tenderloin on one side, rubbed all over with spices, turned down to medium...
On the other side, I put the following ( This makes enough for 2... )
Full Metal Packet
Lay out 2 sheets of tinfoil and spray with cooking spray.
Thinly slice half of a red onion and put half on each sheet
Chunk a small green zuchinni for each and lay it on the onions
Add 8 or 10 grape tomatoes or 5 cherry tomatoes, we used the grape tomatoes, whole
Pile fresh baby spinach leaves over top of it all, a good handful
Put some sea salt and coarse black pepper, and a little drizzle of olive oil over it all, then fold the two short edges together and roll them and then crunch the ends together to seal it all up. Bend up the ends a bit so that the liquid, if any, stays inside. Poke a very small hole in each side to let steam out and put them on LOW on the other side of the barbeque.
Keep the tenderloin turning, so it cooks evenly. When the tenderloin is cooked, simply bring it all inside, give each plate a packet and slices of the tenderloin...the steam coming from the packet is very aromatic and the spinach imparts a wonderful flavour...doing this on the barbeque somehow makes it taste more awesome also...how, I do not know... it's one of life's mysteries...
If you make this I hope you enjoy it!!
Have a great night, stay warm and cozy, and it's only 13 days til Groundhog Day!
Amy!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Turkey-ish Delight!
Helloooo! *gobble gobble gobble*
Turkey-ish Delight
One turkey breast, skin on
Butter flavoured cooking spray
Finely minced garlic
Sage
Parsely
Sea Salt
Coarse black pepper
Sweet potatoes/yams, peeled and cut into very thick slices or big chunks
Preheat the oven to the hottest it will go.
Spray the turkey breast lightly with the cooking spray and rub in the garlic, parsely, sage, light sprinkle of sea salt, and black pepper, Give it another light shot with the cooking spray.
Put the turkey breast ON A RACK in your roasting pan ( a metal one, or it could crack! ) and surround it with the sweet potatoes.
Put it in the oven and let it sear for about 10 to 12 minutes. Turn it down to 350 and cook it the rest of the way at the lower heat.
You'll never have a moister turkey breast in your life...the searing seals in the juices. It's delightful, truly...
Tomorrow we'll take leftover turkey for one of our meals,
See you tomorrow, g'night John-boy...
Amy
Turkey-ish Delight
One turkey breast, skin on
Butter flavoured cooking spray
Finely minced garlic
Sage
Parsely
Sea Salt
Coarse black pepper
Sweet potatoes/yams, peeled and cut into very thick slices or big chunks
Preheat the oven to the hottest it will go.
Spray the turkey breast lightly with the cooking spray and rub in the garlic, parsely, sage, light sprinkle of sea salt, and black pepper, Give it another light shot with the cooking spray.
Put the turkey breast ON A RACK in your roasting pan ( a metal one, or it could crack! ) and surround it with the sweet potatoes.
Put it in the oven and let it sear for about 10 to 12 minutes. Turn it down to 350 and cook it the rest of the way at the lower heat.
You'll never have a moister turkey breast in your life...the searing seals in the juices. It's delightful, truly...
Tomorrow we'll take leftover turkey for one of our meals,
See you tomorrow, g'night John-boy...
Amy
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Trailmix Park Boys
Hey all, I missed a day! Argh! I have been feeling grossly under the weather and so I've been pretty much sleeping and working and sleeping, feeling pretty gross...
I felt pretty good this morning, up and at 'em, and then my first client of the day had THREE cats that I didn't know about til I got there, so although I left there at 12:30pm and it's now 11pm, I'm still sniffling and having trouble with my stupid asthma...argh! Normally if I know ahead of time that a client has a cat or cats, I'll take a Reactine before I go..
SO, anyhoo, I went to Bulk Barn and got the bits and pieces for another wierd trail mix...I like to take small bags of this on the road so if you get the munchies you can have this instead of being tempted to stop...a half a cup of this and an apple is a nice snack....it's different every time but this is the latest version...
Trailmix Park Boys - Version 1
1 c virginia peanuts
1 c cashew pieces
1 c pumpkin seeds
1 c south african golden raisins
2 c multigrain pretzel bites
4 c Kashi Go Lean Crunch
1/2 c. peanut butter chips, mini ones
Just mix it and go...you can make it out of anything you want, but we like to have nuts, something salty, something sweet, and something with a different texture ( raisins, currants, no sugar added Craisins, stuff like that.. ) the sweet goes with the salty and it all works together really well...and if you have a sweet craving, it satisfies it without eating a pile of sugar.
So that's it.....good night, faithful readers! I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow! And Dad, if you're reading this, I hope your weather is better than ours, freezing rain and snow tomorrow, YUK!
Bye! Amy
I felt pretty good this morning, up and at 'em, and then my first client of the day had THREE cats that I didn't know about til I got there, so although I left there at 12:30pm and it's now 11pm, I'm still sniffling and having trouble with my stupid asthma...argh! Normally if I know ahead of time that a client has a cat or cats, I'll take a Reactine before I go..
SO, anyhoo, I went to Bulk Barn and got the bits and pieces for another wierd trail mix...I like to take small bags of this on the road so if you get the munchies you can have this instead of being tempted to stop...a half a cup of this and an apple is a nice snack....it's different every time but this is the latest version...
Trailmix Park Boys - Version 1
1 c virginia peanuts
1 c cashew pieces
1 c pumpkin seeds
1 c south african golden raisins
2 c multigrain pretzel bites
4 c Kashi Go Lean Crunch
1/2 c. peanut butter chips, mini ones
Just mix it and go...you can make it out of anything you want, but we like to have nuts, something salty, something sweet, and something with a different texture ( raisins, currants, no sugar added Craisins, stuff like that.. ) the sweet goes with the salty and it all works together really well...and if you have a sweet craving, it satisfies it without eating a pile of sugar.
So that's it.....good night, faithful readers! I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow! And Dad, if you're reading this, I hope your weather is better than ours, freezing rain and snow tomorrow, YUK!
Bye! Amy
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Yolk's On Me...
Wow, do I ever have egg on my face...well, not really...my son had a bug last week and guess what...the nurse always gets it! And I've got it...absolute energy drain...it's amazing, I can't seem to stay awake for more than 10 minutes at a time...
The thing is, we're so used to feeling great ALL the time now, that when I am sick as I am today, and I feel dopey and lacking in energy, it's a really huge difference! I'm not sure that I would have even noticed this as much before
So, I did tons of research and material acquisition today, paperwork etc...between naps, that is, and ate bits and pieces but no actual meal to speak of...I'll give you my recipe for THE best scrambled eggs ever, as that's what I had for 'dinner' with a piece of whole grain toast and several cups of tea...it's not exactly culinary genius but they are good scrambled eggs...
Then, I'm off to bed with my hot water bottle, hopefully to feel better tomorrow...the kidlet was feeling gross for 2 days and this is my second day of feeling off so hopefully tomorrow I'll feel more up and at 'em!
Scramble High Score
Eggs, as many as desired, in a saucepan, NOT a frying pan.
1/2 tsp butter per egg
1/2 tsp milk per egg
salt and pepper to taste
Over medium heat, stir the eggs, milk, butter, salt and pepper together without beating the eggs.
Once the whites aren't clear, near the bottom of the pot, give it a stir every minute or so until you have a gorgeous fluffy mixture. Remove from the heat BEFORE they seem quite ready, and do what you need to do with toast and tea, letting the eggs finish up in the pot, then serve...awesome, fluffy, soft, moist scrambled eggs...a personal favourite of the kidlet. True comfort food.
If you cook them too long over the heat, til they look like they're actually ready while still on the burner, they tend to overcook while resting for any time in the pot.
Simplest recipe on the planet but I have had so many simply horrid scrambled eggs! Especially in restaurants and once had them cooked for me in an aluminum pan. GRAY eggs...awful things...
Good night, all, my hot water bottle beckons....
The thing is, we're so used to feeling great ALL the time now, that when I am sick as I am today, and I feel dopey and lacking in energy, it's a really huge difference! I'm not sure that I would have even noticed this as much before
So, I did tons of research and material acquisition today, paperwork etc...between naps, that is, and ate bits and pieces but no actual meal to speak of...I'll give you my recipe for THE best scrambled eggs ever, as that's what I had for 'dinner' with a piece of whole grain toast and several cups of tea...it's not exactly culinary genius but they are good scrambled eggs...
Then, I'm off to bed with my hot water bottle, hopefully to feel better tomorrow...the kidlet was feeling gross for 2 days and this is my second day of feeling off so hopefully tomorrow I'll feel more up and at 'em!
Scramble High Score
Eggs, as many as desired, in a saucepan, NOT a frying pan.
1/2 tsp butter per egg
1/2 tsp milk per egg
salt and pepper to taste
Over medium heat, stir the eggs, milk, butter, salt and pepper together without beating the eggs.
Once the whites aren't clear, near the bottom of the pot, give it a stir every minute or so until you have a gorgeous fluffy mixture. Remove from the heat BEFORE they seem quite ready, and do what you need to do with toast and tea, letting the eggs finish up in the pot, then serve...awesome, fluffy, soft, moist scrambled eggs...a personal favourite of the kidlet. True comfort food.
If you cook them too long over the heat, til they look like they're actually ready while still on the burner, they tend to overcook while resting for any time in the pot.
Simplest recipe on the planet but I have had so many simply horrid scrambled eggs! Especially in restaurants and once had them cooked for me in an aluminum pan. GRAY eggs...awful things...
Good night, all, my hot water bottle beckons....
Baby Bok, Baby Bok, Baby Bok....Choy!
No Chilis tonight...just a simple stir fry with ginger, garlic ( of course..) baby bok choy, julienned carrots, bits of steak and an orange ginger sauce...truthfully not the most flavourful thing I've ever put together but I was cooking for one and still trying to use up fridge-bits, so on that score it was successful!
Did NOT want to go to the gym earlier but I went anyways, worked hard, got sweaty and gross, and felt better for having gone...as it's very very VERY late I"m off to bed, had a lovely walk with the dogs today at the dog park and had a relatively successful day at work, so all told it was a good day!
Good night all, sweet dreams and I'll see you tomorrow...
Did NOT want to go to the gym earlier but I went anyways, worked hard, got sweaty and gross, and felt better for having gone...as it's very very VERY late I"m off to bed, had a lovely walk with the dogs today at the dog park and had a relatively successful day at work, so all told it was a good day!
Good night all, sweet dreams and I'll see you tomorrow...
Saturday, January 9, 2010
The Pot Luck Club - Tortellini Brocolli Salad
Have a great evening, folks, see recipe below!
The Pot Luck Club - Tortellini Brocolli Salad
1/2 c. mayo ( non fat mayo-type dressing )
1/2 c. sugar ( or Splenda )
2 tsp. cider vinegar ( you reallly can't leave this out.... )
3 stalks of brocollli cut into tiny florets and blanced for 30 seconds max
20 oz/ frozen cheese tortellini cooked to al dente and rinsed in cold water
3 strips bacon or 3 pieces back bacon, cooked and chopped or crumbled
1 c. sunflower seeds
1 c. raisins or chopped dates
1/2 red onion chopped FINE
Mix it all and let it rest for 2 hours before taking it to your potluck, it's sooooo good....not exactly a diet salad so not for every day but also not bad, not like full fat potato and egg salad or sugary coleslaw...
Good night folks!!!
Amy
The Pot Luck Club - Tortellini Brocolli Salad
1/2 c. mayo ( non fat mayo-type dressing )
1/2 c. sugar ( or Splenda )
2 tsp. cider vinegar ( you reallly can't leave this out.... )
3 stalks of brocollli cut into tiny florets and blanced for 30 seconds max
20 oz/ frozen cheese tortellini cooked to al dente and rinsed in cold water
3 strips bacon or 3 pieces back bacon, cooked and chopped or crumbled
1 c. sunflower seeds
1 c. raisins or chopped dates
1/2 red onion chopped FINE
Mix it all and let it rest for 2 hours before taking it to your potluck, it's sooooo good....not exactly a diet salad so not for every day but also not bad, not like full fat potato and egg salad or sugary coleslaw...
Good night folks!!!
Amy
Banh Trang-Spotting
Good MORNING!! I didn't write last night as I got a little distracted but you'll have two recipes today, count'em, TWO!!
The first is what we made for dinner last night ( Well, I made...the boys enjoyed immensely... ) and the second is my contribution to the enormous family potluck tonight...
The first, is
Banh Trang-Spotting
The first is what we made for dinner last night ( Well, I made...the boys enjoyed immensely... ) and the second is my contribution to the enormous family potluck tonight...
The first, is
Banh Trang-Spotting
Banh Trang is only ONE ingredient here, the rice paper wraps. We found them at T&T Supermarket but you could most likely find them at any Asian market or even bigger grocery stores...they are stiff, white and circular and very inexpensive.
The rolls themselves are called Goi Cuon, and when you see them on a restaurant menu those two words are followed by a variety of other words, depending on what's inside, meatwise...shrimp, pork, beef, chicken, just veggies, it's all good...I made beef ones because I had a gorgeous little piece of steak in the fridge...
Grill your meat ahead of time, and slice it super super thin....
Thinly slice cucumbers, julienne carrots, shred some lettuce, have some fresh mint, basil and/or cilantro on hand, and either make some rice vermicelli ( you won't need a lot ) or I made these with basmati rice since that's what I had. You need to have all your stuffin's ready ahead of time so that you can just load them and roll them before the rice paper dries. You don't have to have anything in there that can't be easily bitten through, as the rolls are a bit delicate and you want to be able to bite through it in one go or it will fall apart.
I make my peanut sauce ahead of time, too, the recipe is below
In a food processor or blender..
1/2 c water or broth
2 tbsp smooth or crunch peanut butter ( I prefer the crunchy )
2 tbsp Hoisin sauce
( you can add 2 tsp sugar but the Hoisin is sweet anyways )
chopped roasted peanuts for garnish
If you find the sauce too watery, just add a bit of peanut butter and Hoisin in equal parts until the thickness is something dippable...
Fill a flattish bowl with warm water, it has to be big enough to fit the rice paper sheet. Dip ONE sheet at a time, if you put more than 1 in, they will stick together and by the time you get to the second one it'll be gross.
Dip the sheet in and feel it with your fingers as it's in there. You'll feel the texture on the sheet disappear and the sheet will become soft and very limp. Remove the sheet and lay it out on a board, plastic or glass works better as it doesn't soak up the water. Lay out a very small handful of rice or noodles along one side and fold the sheet over and tuck it under, then lay your meat and veggies, herbs and lettuce along the side. Bring the sheet up and over, capturing everything inside. Flip the sides up and over and then finish rolling.
Look on YouTube for Salad Rolls or Goi Cuon and you'll find a wealth of videos showing you different ways of rolling them.
And that's it! They're served room temperature or cold, and the peanut sauce for dipping, it's awesome...
I'll post the potluck recipe when I decide what I'm making! Aaarrgghhh...everyone always wants to make sure their dish is emptied fast...
Enjoy your day!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Scone with the Wind...
Today I had some trouble getting started as I wasn't particularly looking forward to my tasks of the day...but I went, I did, I conquered, somewhat, and was very grateful to be home again, even though I didn't get here til 8pm...TIRED...
My son is not feeling well so I made him a batch of his very favourite thing in the world, fresh baking powder biscuits...he just loves them...while I was making his, with the white flour, I thought to myself, Hmm...those look good, I should make some whole wheat ones...so I did, as you'll see below, but I added some other stuff in there too, I'm having one now, they're very nice, not as fluffy and light as the white flour ones but the whole wheat things never are, really, are they?
So, a short one tonight but as I said I'm beat, but here you go, these would be awesome with either a cup of hot tea or a glass of peach iced tea on a warmer day than THIS one...brrr!!!
Scone with the Wind
2 to 2 1/2 c whole wheat flour
3-4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
small handful dried ( unsweetened!) apricots, chopped
small handful roasted unsalted almonds, pulverized a bit in the mini-processor
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
About a half a cup of vegetable shortening
Mix all, make a well in the middle and pour in 2/3c of buttermilk or 1% milk, make sure it's nice and cold...
If it's too dry, add a little more milk, but if you overwork your dough your scones will be like rocks so be gentle...
Pat it out into a 3/4" thick patty and cut. I cut mine in squares because I thought it looked nice and I didn't want to re-pat my scraps...
Place on baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
***Just a note...if you push straight down with a circular cutter, when making biscuits, scones, whatever, they will rise up nicely, straight and even. If you push and twist on the downstroke, they will rise much higher on one side. Sometimes that's the look you're going for, but not today!
Enjoy!!
My son is not feeling well so I made him a batch of his very favourite thing in the world, fresh baking powder biscuits...he just loves them...while I was making his, with the white flour, I thought to myself, Hmm...those look good, I should make some whole wheat ones...so I did, as you'll see below, but I added some other stuff in there too, I'm having one now, they're very nice, not as fluffy and light as the white flour ones but the whole wheat things never are, really, are they?
So, a short one tonight but as I said I'm beat, but here you go, these would be awesome with either a cup of hot tea or a glass of peach iced tea on a warmer day than THIS one...brrr!!!
Scone with the Wind
2 to 2 1/2 c whole wheat flour
3-4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
small handful dried ( unsweetened!) apricots, chopped
small handful roasted unsalted almonds, pulverized a bit in the mini-processor
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
About a half a cup of vegetable shortening
Mix all, make a well in the middle and pour in 2/3c of buttermilk or 1% milk, make sure it's nice and cold...
If it's too dry, add a little more milk, but if you overwork your dough your scones will be like rocks so be gentle...
Pat it out into a 3/4" thick patty and cut. I cut mine in squares because I thought it looked nice and I didn't want to re-pat my scraps...
Place on baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
***Just a note...if you push straight down with a circular cutter, when making biscuits, scones, whatever, they will rise up nicely, straight and even. If you push and twist on the downstroke, they will rise much higher on one side. Sometimes that's the look you're going for, but not today!
Enjoy!!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Legal Tender-loin
Hello all....
I'm feeling a little tired today...smoothie for breakfast, turkey salad on flatbread for lunch, an apple and some trail mix on the road, and then dinner, which was, I have to say, incredible...I wanted it to be different, and I wanted to include homey, comforting and memorable flavours that would go together....it should be ILLegal it was so good...I'm absolutely not bragging here, just so pleased, it's exactly what I wanted and it was a gamble all the way, most of my experiments are...
Legal Tender-loin
1 pork tenderloin, trimmed of any surface fat
Glaze:
2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 c honey
2 pcs. candied ginger chopped fine, or 3/4" fresh garlic, grated. Don't use dry ginger, you'll appreciate the bits when you get one...
2 tsp. cornstarch
4 cloves garlic, minced fine
Zest and juice of one medium orange
Combine the soy sauce and honey, whisk until combined, and add everything else...heat on LOW, do not let this boil.... Give it a stir now and again and your kitchen will smell really nice....
Pork Filling:
1 apple peeled and finely chopped, then soaked in 2c. water with 2 tbsp. lemon juice
small handful of loose pack dates, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Drain the apples but leave them wet, mix with the dates and spices, and set aside. Make sure the spices are evenly distributed, there isn't much but you really wouldn't want any more...
Use a meat tenderizer or mallet to flatten out your tenderloin until it's about 1/2" thick and big enough to contain your apple stuffing.
Lay your apple mixture out in a line down the middle of your tenderloin and either bring up the sides to meet and slightly overlap, or roll it if you can...I used skewers to secure it but you could use hooks, string, whatever you would usually use...
Get your oven reallllly hot..over 500 degrees...
Put your tenderloin in ( on a rack, don't let it rest on the bottom of the pan, and make sure to use a metal pan, I broke a stoneware baking dish getting it that hot...) and let it sear for 10-13 minutes...remove it from the oven and turn the temperature down to 350 degrees... spoon sauce over it until it's covered, but be sure to reserve sauce for your second glazing coat during cooking, and about 1/2c for drizzling...it will reduce in volume as you let it sit on low heat while your meat cooks...the reduction is flavourful, glossy and smells amazing...
Cook it for about another half hour, glazing once more about 10 mins short of being done.
Slice it into coins almost an inch thick and drizzle the remainder of your sauce over it...the apples will be very tender and the dates will be soft, it looks like it's not healthy at ALL but it really is!
I served it with baby carrots and cauliflower, but it would have been very very nice with yams and something green and linear, green beans maybe, or asparagus...I had to go with what I had on hand..*sigh*
Have a good night and if you make this, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Amy
I'm feeling a little tired today...smoothie for breakfast, turkey salad on flatbread for lunch, an apple and some trail mix on the road, and then dinner, which was, I have to say, incredible...I wanted it to be different, and I wanted to include homey, comforting and memorable flavours that would go together....it should be ILLegal it was so good...I'm absolutely not bragging here, just so pleased, it's exactly what I wanted and it was a gamble all the way, most of my experiments are...
Legal Tender-loin
1 pork tenderloin, trimmed of any surface fat
Glaze:
2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 c honey
2 pcs. candied ginger chopped fine, or 3/4" fresh garlic, grated. Don't use dry ginger, you'll appreciate the bits when you get one...
2 tsp. cornstarch
4 cloves garlic, minced fine
Zest and juice of one medium orange
Combine the soy sauce and honey, whisk until combined, and add everything else...heat on LOW, do not let this boil.... Give it a stir now and again and your kitchen will smell really nice....
Pork Filling:
1 apple peeled and finely chopped, then soaked in 2c. water with 2 tbsp. lemon juice
small handful of loose pack dates, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Drain the apples but leave them wet, mix with the dates and spices, and set aside. Make sure the spices are evenly distributed, there isn't much but you really wouldn't want any more...
Use a meat tenderizer or mallet to flatten out your tenderloin until it's about 1/2" thick and big enough to contain your apple stuffing.
Lay your apple mixture out in a line down the middle of your tenderloin and either bring up the sides to meet and slightly overlap, or roll it if you can...I used skewers to secure it but you could use hooks, string, whatever you would usually use...
Get your oven reallllly hot..over 500 degrees...
Put your tenderloin in ( on a rack, don't let it rest on the bottom of the pan, and make sure to use a metal pan, I broke a stoneware baking dish getting it that hot...) and let it sear for 10-13 minutes...remove it from the oven and turn the temperature down to 350 degrees... spoon sauce over it until it's covered, but be sure to reserve sauce for your second glazing coat during cooking, and about 1/2c for drizzling...it will reduce in volume as you let it sit on low heat while your meat cooks...the reduction is flavourful, glossy and smells amazing...
Cook it for about another half hour, glazing once more about 10 mins short of being done.
Slice it into coins almost an inch thick and drizzle the remainder of your sauce over it...the apples will be very tender and the dates will be soft, it looks like it's not healthy at ALL but it really is!
I served it with baby carrots and cauliflower, but it would have been very very nice with yams and something green and linear, green beans maybe, or asparagus...I had to go with what I had on hand..*sigh*
Have a good night and if you make this, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Amy
Monday, January 4, 2010
Yippee Cayenne Tex Mex Chili
Howdy, y'all!!
For lunch we grilled bison burgers and put onions on it, and made a green salad, and a gorgeous fruit salad for dessert ; pomelo ( our new citrus friend, which tastes like a cross between oranges and grapefruit), oranges, dragonfruit, cactus pear, apple and a bit of banana...very refreshing after the savoury flavours of our bison and salad..
Today's recipe:
Yippee Cayenne Tex Mex Chili!!
1 can black beans ( low or no sodium, rinsed and drained )
1 can kidney beans ( low or no sodium, rinsed and drained )
1 19oz can of corn, drained
2 med. white onions, coarsely chopped
3 cans diced plum tomatoes
1 1/2 lbs top sirloin, cubed small
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp dried chili flakes
pepper
1c. water
1 tsp. sea salt
( toast all the dry spices in a dry frying pan, until you can smell the aroma of the spice mixture and it's colour changes to a little darker...the flavours will be more complementary to the chili if you toaast them like this...don't let them burn, if you see any smoke at all get them off of there, and keep them moving as much as you're able while you do this... )
Add the spices to the cup of cold water and mix them before you add to the chili ingredients!!
In a little oil in a heavy saute pan, saute the onion chunks until they start to brown and go clear...add the beef and sear it, don't cook it all the way through...put the onion and beef in a crock pot and add your other ingredients...
Let it all perk away for a couple of hours at least before serving...the meat should be cooked through IN the crock pot, and the smell of awesome chili will fill your house...my 13 year old son came in and said "What smells good?" I showed him the contents of the crock pot and he said "I'll be eating a LOT of that...."
We're serving it with a little grated cheese on top ( not a thick greasy coating, just a sprinkle ) and I also made Super Simple Corn Muffins from Tosca Reno's Clean Eating Cookbook, page 280. They're yummy and crunchy and a wonderful companion to the chili....I hope you enjoy it...
K, pardners, ah'm off tuh git mah vittles dished out tuh ma cowpoke...yeeeeeee haaaaah!!!
For lunch we grilled bison burgers and put onions on it, and made a green salad, and a gorgeous fruit salad for dessert ; pomelo ( our new citrus friend, which tastes like a cross between oranges and grapefruit), oranges, dragonfruit, cactus pear, apple and a bit of banana...very refreshing after the savoury flavours of our bison and salad..
Today's recipe:
Yippee Cayenne Tex Mex Chili!!
1 can black beans ( low or no sodium, rinsed and drained )
1 can kidney beans ( low or no sodium, rinsed and drained )
1 19oz can of corn, drained
2 med. white onions, coarsely chopped
3 cans diced plum tomatoes
1 1/2 lbs top sirloin, cubed small
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp dried chili flakes
pepper
1c. water
1 tsp. sea salt
( toast all the dry spices in a dry frying pan, until you can smell the aroma of the spice mixture and it's colour changes to a little darker...the flavours will be more complementary to the chili if you toaast them like this...don't let them burn, if you see any smoke at all get them off of there, and keep them moving as much as you're able while you do this... )
Add the spices to the cup of cold water and mix them before you add to the chili ingredients!!
In a little oil in a heavy saute pan, saute the onion chunks until they start to brown and go clear...add the beef and sear it, don't cook it all the way through...put the onion and beef in a crock pot and add your other ingredients...
Let it all perk away for a couple of hours at least before serving...the meat should be cooked through IN the crock pot, and the smell of awesome chili will fill your house...my 13 year old son came in and said "What smells good?" I showed him the contents of the crock pot and he said "I'll be eating a LOT of that...."
We're serving it with a little grated cheese on top ( not a thick greasy coating, just a sprinkle ) and I also made Super Simple Corn Muffins from Tosca Reno's Clean Eating Cookbook, page 280. They're yummy and crunchy and a wonderful companion to the chili....I hope you enjoy it...
K, pardners, ah'm off tuh git mah vittles dished out tuh ma cowpoke...yeeeeeee haaaaah!!!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Bo Nuong Xa and Biceps!
Tonight? Bo Nuong Xa...Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef grilled on bamboo skewers and served on a little basmati and some romaine lettuce...Whoo!!!
I took the dogs to the dog park for a looooong walk, it's gorgeous there with all the fresh snow and the trees, there are long paths through the woods and everyone was all bundled up and loving the fresh air and sunshine, it was really nice...and Toby, the 6 month old puppy, never stopped running once, and is now asleep...very nice day..I didn't take Foxy along as she's only 8 pounds and would have been a pup-sicle a third of the way in...
Below is the recipe for our dinner, which I won't give a silly name since it already has a name I can't pronounce! The marinade smells soooooo good...and our new produce for this week, lemongrass!! What an amazing aroma from what looks like a giant piece of grass...yum! And our fruit choice for something new, Pomelo...a massive ( the biggest, actually... ) citrus fruit going...we havent cut into it yet, we'll have it tonight probably...
So here is the recipe!
Bo Nuong Xa
Brush grill grate with oil or spray it with cooking spray BEFORE you heat it up. Arrange skewers on the grill. Cook 5 minutes per side. Serve hot from skewers, or remove from skewers and serve on lettuce leaves. Garnish with cilantro, mint, basil, and sliced green onions.
You can also serve it over a little basmati or brown rice, which I like.
Have a good night!!
I took the dogs to the dog park for a looooong walk, it's gorgeous there with all the fresh snow and the trees, there are long paths through the woods and everyone was all bundled up and loving the fresh air and sunshine, it was really nice...and Toby, the 6 month old puppy, never stopped running once, and is now asleep...very nice day..I didn't take Foxy along as she's only 8 pounds and would have been a pup-sicle a third of the way in...
Below is the recipe for our dinner, which I won't give a silly name since it already has a name I can't pronounce! The marinade smells soooooo good...and our new produce for this week, lemongrass!! What an amazing aroma from what looks like a giant piece of grass...yum! And our fruit choice for something new, Pomelo...a massive ( the biggest, actually... ) citrus fruit going...we havent cut into it yet, we'll have it tonight probably...
So here is the recipe!
Bo Nuong Xa
2 teaspoons white sugar (or agave syrup or Splenda )
2 tablespoons soy sauce (we use the reduced sodium one )
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks lemon grass, minced
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 1/2 pounds sirloin tip, thinly sliced
skewers (dont' forget to soak them first! 30 minutes or so! )
12 leaves romaine lettuce
fresh cilantro for garnish
fresh basil for garnish
fresh mint for garnish
thinly sliced green onion for garnish
2 tablespoons soy sauce (we use the reduced sodium one )
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks lemon grass, minced
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 1/2 pounds sirloin tip, thinly sliced
skewers (dont' forget to soak them first! 30 minutes or so! )
12 leaves romaine lettuce
fresh cilantro for garnish
fresh basil for garnish
fresh mint for garnish
thinly sliced green onion for garnish
In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, soy sauce, pepper, garlic, lemon grass, and sesame seeds. Place the meat in the dish, and stir to coat. Cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Preheat grill for high heat. Discard marinade, and thread meat onto skewers accordion style.
Brush grill grate with oil or spray it with cooking spray BEFORE you heat it up. Arrange skewers on the grill. Cook 5 minutes per side. Serve hot from skewers, or remove from skewers and serve on lettuce leaves. Garnish with cilantro, mint, basil, and sliced green onions.
You can also serve it over a little basmati or brown rice, which I like.
There you have it!! Enjoy immensely...in the crock pot right now is a tex mex style chili which I will post the recipe for tomorrow, I want to make sure my spice proportions are right before I post and I won't know til it perks for a bit...it'll be called "Yippee Cayenne Tex Mex Chili"
Have a good night!!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Thai One On Chicken
This recipe can also be found on page 21 of Eat Clean Magazine, July/August 2010 edition, with a little picture of ME beside it! Whoo!
Thai One On Chicken
( Soak your bamboo skewers 30 mins before grilling, so put them in now! )
2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless, cubed into skewer size pieces
1 can lite coconut milk
1 1/2 tbsp red curry paste ( it comes in an envelope at the grocery store.. )
1 bell pepper ( I used an orange one )
2 green zuchinnis,
10 or 12 white mushrooms
1 c. basmati rice
Bring the coconut milk to a boil and add the curry paste, whisk it in and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes until it thickens a bit...remove from the heat, let it cool a bit and then pour it over your chicken cubes, put all in the refrigerator and let it soak up the flavours...Oh, and keep some sauce in the pot to brush over your veggies and chicken while it cooks...
Make your basmati as your normally would, according to your package directions, I use the covered pot method so it's 1 3/4c water, brought to a boil, add 1 c. basmati rice and simmer 20 mins or so until the water is absorbed, I add 1 grind of sea salt from a sea salt grinder ( Costco! ) and I don't add any other seasonings if I'm putting something flavourful on it...
Cut your veggies into chunks the same size as your chicken chunks so it will grill evenly, and thread them onto the bamboo skewers with the chicken...I do about 1/3 chicken and 2/3 veggies on my skewers but that's totally up to you...
You can use a contact grill for this or an open grill, if you're actually barbequing, keep the heat moderate so the chicken doesn't burn before it cooks through....
Grill your skewers until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are tender-crisp, brushing sauce over it as it cooks...
I serve this over a shallow bed of basmati...its awesome and guilt free...
If you make this I hope you enjoy it....
Cheers!
Thai One On Chicken
( Soak your bamboo skewers 30 mins before grilling, so put them in now! )
2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless, cubed into skewer size pieces
1 can lite coconut milk
1 1/2 tbsp red curry paste ( it comes in an envelope at the grocery store.. )
1 bell pepper ( I used an orange one )
2 green zuchinnis,
10 or 12 white mushrooms
1 c. basmati rice
Bring the coconut milk to a boil and add the curry paste, whisk it in and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes until it thickens a bit...remove from the heat, let it cool a bit and then pour it over your chicken cubes, put all in the refrigerator and let it soak up the flavours...Oh, and keep some sauce in the pot to brush over your veggies and chicken while it cooks...
Make your basmati as your normally would, according to your package directions, I use the covered pot method so it's 1 3/4c water, brought to a boil, add 1 c. basmati rice and simmer 20 mins or so until the water is absorbed, I add 1 grind of sea salt from a sea salt grinder ( Costco! ) and I don't add any other seasonings if I'm putting something flavourful on it...
Cut your veggies into chunks the same size as your chicken chunks so it will grill evenly, and thread them onto the bamboo skewers with the chicken...I do about 1/3 chicken and 2/3 veggies on my skewers but that's totally up to you...
You can use a contact grill for this or an open grill, if you're actually barbequing, keep the heat moderate so the chicken doesn't burn before it cooks through....
Grill your skewers until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are tender-crisp, brushing sauce over it as it cooks...
I serve this over a shallow bed of basmati...its awesome and guilt free...
If you make this I hope you enjoy it....
Cheers!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Happy New Year!!
A very Happy New Year to alllll of my faithful readers...all three of you! haha We went to a BIG Asian market today, T&T Supermarket here in Ottawa, what an incredible place...really neat selection of produce, seafood, meats and teas, cooking and kitchen utensils, frozen veg and sauces to die for...black bean garlic sauce for instance...and really baby bok choy, the tiny ones that are really hard to find elsewhere....yay! I stir fry those with garlic and some lemon and they're awesome....
Today's new fruit, kumquats! They're small, about the size of a walnut, and firm, mostly orange with some green on them...you start the peeling with your thumbnail or a small knife, and when it's about half peeled, you just eat it out of the other half of the skin...there were a few seeds in the one I had so far, like orange seeds...it's a bit pulpy and tastes a bit like a tangerine and a peach together...nice, pleasant sweetness without being overbearing...
We also got some more dragonfruit, literally half the price! My dad and my son's friend also had a piece, they'd never seen one before, and they both liked it a lot...
Happy New Year again!
Today's new fruit, kumquats! They're small, about the size of a walnut, and firm, mostly orange with some green on them...you start the peeling with your thumbnail or a small knife, and when it's about half peeled, you just eat it out of the other half of the skin...there were a few seeds in the one I had so far, like orange seeds...it's a bit pulpy and tastes a bit like a tangerine and a peach together...nice, pleasant sweetness without being overbearing...
We also got some more dragonfruit, literally half the price! My dad and my son's friend also had a piece, they'd never seen one before, and they both liked it a lot...
Happy New Year again!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Quince-Essential Crumble...guilt free JOY
Quince-Essential Crumble
Peel and core 1 quince, and cook it in water with 1 tsp lime or lemon juice
(I used lime because I'm out of lemon. I had mine on for 1/2 an hour, bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 mins or so...a number of websites I went to said that when it's pink it's ready, but mine never went pink...it stayed yellow but the flavour mellowed and it was tender, so I went with it...not the colour contrast I was hoping for in my crumble but who knows!! )
Peel and core 3 apples and set aside in water with lime juice in it ( I used 2 granny smith and a Gala this time )
I might make this with 4 quinces and no apples at some point...
Topping:
2/3 c. large flake oats
2 tbs. ground flaxseed ( this actually has a reallly nice flavour )
2 tbs. fruit sugar ( get this at Bulk Barn, much less expensive )
1/4 c. fine unsweetened coconut
2 tbs. finely chopped candied ginger ( Bulk Barn again )
2 tbs. butter or non-hydrogenated margarine ( I used butter )
1/4 tsp. sea salt
Mix with fingers, with so little butter it's impossible to get a good even mix with a spoon or pastry blender...
Spray a small baking dish with cooking spray and put the apples and quince in, and the topping over..don't pack the topping down, leave it nice and loose...Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until apples are tender but not mushy and the topping is browned...
When my mother made apple crisp she used butter, brown sugar, quick oats and a bit of white flour, and the apples had a 1/4c of sugar over them also...and of course it tasted great, she's a really good cook....this version is pleasantly sweet, crispy, and the coconut and ginger flavours show themselves in turn as you savour each bite...really interesting...and you can have some without feeling badly about it! This would be a really nice dessert if you had a roasted pork tenderloin for dinner or something like that...I'm doing a turkey breast for dinner tonight with fresh young carrots and pearl onions, and spinach...this should be a nice finish....
Peel and core 1 quince, and cook it in water with 1 tsp lime or lemon juice
(I used lime because I'm out of lemon. I had mine on for 1/2 an hour, bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 mins or so...a number of websites I went to said that when it's pink it's ready, but mine never went pink...it stayed yellow but the flavour mellowed and it was tender, so I went with it...not the colour contrast I was hoping for in my crumble but who knows!! )
Peel and core 3 apples and set aside in water with lime juice in it ( I used 2 granny smith and a Gala this time )
I might make this with 4 quinces and no apples at some point...
Topping:
2/3 c. large flake oats
2 tbs. ground flaxseed ( this actually has a reallly nice flavour )
2 tbs. fruit sugar ( get this at Bulk Barn, much less expensive )
1/4 c. fine unsweetened coconut
2 tbs. finely chopped candied ginger ( Bulk Barn again )
2 tbs. butter or non-hydrogenated margarine ( I used butter )
1/4 tsp. sea salt
Mix with fingers, with so little butter it's impossible to get a good even mix with a spoon or pastry blender...
Spray a small baking dish with cooking spray and put the apples and quince in, and the topping over..don't pack the topping down, leave it nice and loose...Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until apples are tender but not mushy and the topping is browned...
When my mother made apple crisp she used butter, brown sugar, quick oats and a bit of white flour, and the apples had a 1/4c of sugar over them also...and of course it tasted great, she's a really good cook....this version is pleasantly sweet, crispy, and the coconut and ginger flavours show themselves in turn as you savour each bite...really interesting...and you can have some without feeling badly about it! This would be a really nice dessert if you had a roasted pork tenderloin for dinner or something like that...I'm doing a turkey breast for dinner tonight with fresh young carrots and pearl onions, and spinach...this should be a nice finish....
Let me introduce myself....and today's recipe is Quince-Essential Crumble, by the way....
Hello, world....This is my first entry so I'll start at the top and tell you what I'm going to do here...
*sigh* Let's start at the beginning...
I've struggled with my weight since I was about 20 or so, 15 long years ago. Up and down, mostly up...draggy metabolism, 2 kids, office job for a while, and sheer unadulterated laziness coupled with a 'I feel like crap so I'd best eat some" philosophy...a series of unsatisfying relationships on top for a perfect parfait of pitiful pathos!
What I have found this time around is Tosca Reno's Eat Clean program...what a joy...all she wants is for you to eat fresh produce and lean meats, whole grains, and eat more often...she used to be a big girl when she was in an unhappy marriage and when that didn't work out she got busy and made herself look unbelieveable and her outlook on life is awesome...I feel like I can relate to her and she just turned 50 this week...you would not beleive this woman's visible health and vitality....I have the journal book also which is awesome, you don't have room to write down "3 oz. fish, 2c. spinach leaves, 1 tbs dressing" etc, which I tend to do and then give it up, you have no room...you can just write something like 'tilapia, spinach salad, asst.veg'....just the personal accountability and a memory tweaker without the sordid details...I have been doing this since November 20 and I can NOT believe how amazing I feel...I'm down 12 pounds so far
I took a night off from Clean Eating and ordered chinese food with a friend and I felt like GARBAGE all the next day, like a junk food hangover...upset stomach, headache, draggy, horrible.....I drank tons of water all day, went to the gym, had a smoothie and some salmon and a big spinach and fruit salad and by the next day felt great again...
(My smoothies consist of frozen berries, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder and orange juice )
So anyways another thing Tosca said in her book is that to keep things interesting, try some fruits and vegetables that are in season, things you've never tried before....I've always considered myself to be fairly adventurous in a culinary sense so off we went to Produce Depot and we tried several new things...
Cactus Pears - interesting, a little bland flavourwise and watch the tiny white spines! But really nice in a fruit salad if you put something else on the spoon with it, like kiwi or a piece of orange...it's colour is just gorgeous, like deep raspberry...really pretty inside...
Dragonfruit - possibly the coolest naturally occuring fruit ever, it's just a work of art on the outside, pink with artichoke-like protuberances...and you would never ever guess from looking at the outside,what the inside is like...it's got no core, no sections, no visible divisions inside, it's a big round ball of white flesh peppered with tiny kiwi-like seeds...you cut it top to bottom into two halves and scoop out the inside with a spoon...it's so cool!! then you just eat it...it tastes a bit like a cross between a kiwi and a Bosc pear...not too sweet...and it looks awesome in a fruit salad....
Quince - that's today's experiment...you have to cook it, you can't eat it raw...( I looked up each of these new fruits before I cut into them...) and apparently the yellow flesh turns crimson when you cook it...so I'm going to make a Quince and Fuji apple crumble, Eat Clean style...there are better 'versions' of a lot of things in the Eat Clean cookbook, you use different flours, grains and sweeteners than Grandma or even Mom did, so you don't get the Junk Hangover...
Wow, this went on much longer than I thought it would...
This week? Vietnam! I'm going to make Bo nuong xa, a skewered and grilled beef dish with Lemongrass, served on Romaine leaves...awesome....indoor grilling is a problem, I can't seem to find a grill that gets HOT so we'll just bundle up and grill outdoors for this one...
I'll post again when I make it and put a picture up....
Have a wonderful day, and if anyone at all besides me reads this and has a suggestion for an unusual fruit or veg, or a country to try, please do let me know...
I'll put up the recipe for Quince-Essential Crumble when I've figured out what's in it!!
Have a wonderful, wonderful day...
Amy
*sigh* Let's start at the beginning...
I've struggled with my weight since I was about 20 or so, 15 long years ago. Up and down, mostly up...draggy metabolism, 2 kids, office job for a while, and sheer unadulterated laziness coupled with a 'I feel like crap so I'd best eat some" philosophy...a series of unsatisfying relationships on top for a perfect parfait of pitiful pathos!
What I have found this time around is Tosca Reno's Eat Clean program...what a joy...all she wants is for you to eat fresh produce and lean meats, whole grains, and eat more often...she used to be a big girl when she was in an unhappy marriage and when that didn't work out she got busy and made herself look unbelieveable and her outlook on life is awesome...I feel like I can relate to her and she just turned 50 this week...you would not beleive this woman's visible health and vitality....I have the journal book also which is awesome, you don't have room to write down "3 oz. fish, 2c. spinach leaves, 1 tbs dressing" etc, which I tend to do and then give it up, you have no room...you can just write something like 'tilapia, spinach salad, asst.veg'....just the personal accountability and a memory tweaker without the sordid details...I have been doing this since November 20 and I can NOT believe how amazing I feel...I'm down 12 pounds so far
I took a night off from Clean Eating and ordered chinese food with a friend and I felt like GARBAGE all the next day, like a junk food hangover...upset stomach, headache, draggy, horrible.....I drank tons of water all day, went to the gym, had a smoothie and some salmon and a big spinach and fruit salad and by the next day felt great again...
(My smoothies consist of frozen berries, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder and orange juice )
So anyways another thing Tosca said in her book is that to keep things interesting, try some fruits and vegetables that are in season, things you've never tried before....I've always considered myself to be fairly adventurous in a culinary sense so off we went to Produce Depot and we tried several new things...
Cactus Pears - interesting, a little bland flavourwise and watch the tiny white spines! But really nice in a fruit salad if you put something else on the spoon with it, like kiwi or a piece of orange...it's colour is just gorgeous, like deep raspberry...really pretty inside...
Dragonfruit - possibly the coolest naturally occuring fruit ever, it's just a work of art on the outside, pink with artichoke-like protuberances...and you would never ever guess from looking at the outside,what the inside is like...it's got no core, no sections, no visible divisions inside, it's a big round ball of white flesh peppered with tiny kiwi-like seeds...you cut it top to bottom into two halves and scoop out the inside with a spoon...it's so cool!! then you just eat it...it tastes a bit like a cross between a kiwi and a Bosc pear...not too sweet...and it looks awesome in a fruit salad....
Quince - that's today's experiment...you have to cook it, you can't eat it raw...( I looked up each of these new fruits before I cut into them...) and apparently the yellow flesh turns crimson when you cook it...so I'm going to make a Quince and Fuji apple crumble, Eat Clean style...there are better 'versions' of a lot of things in the Eat Clean cookbook, you use different flours, grains and sweeteners than Grandma or even Mom did, so you don't get the Junk Hangover...
Wow, this went on much longer than I thought it would...
This week? Vietnam! I'm going to make Bo nuong xa, a skewered and grilled beef dish with Lemongrass, served on Romaine leaves...awesome....indoor grilling is a problem, I can't seem to find a grill that gets HOT so we'll just bundle up and grill outdoors for this one...
I'll post again when I make it and put a picture up....
Have a wonderful day, and if anyone at all besides me reads this and has a suggestion for an unusual fruit or veg, or a country to try, please do let me know...
I'll put up the recipe for Quince-Essential Crumble when I've figured out what's in it!!
Have a wonderful, wonderful day...
Amy
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