Sadly, no recipes...

Hey look, here's a buncha stuff I have made recently, and forgotten the exact recipe!

Sugar Free Sweet and Sour Chicken (Made with Stevia for sweetener)

 Pumpkin Hummus (regular hummus recipe, but added in an equal portion of pumpkin to gorbanzo beans, and upped the lemon and salt)

 Mashed Chipotle Acorn Squash topped with Fennel

Baked Tilapia over Red Bell Pepper and Fennel

Millet-Chicken Summer Salad

This is a terrific warm-evening summer meal.  Fresh and simple, the ingredients can really be played with.  Substitute the millet for quinoa, bulger, coucous, or wheat berries.  Make it vegetarian by using tofu instead of chicken.  Play with the vegetables.  There is really no way to go wrong with a dish like this when you are working this close to the bottom of the food chain.  Eat as a hearty side dish or as your main course.  I had mine on the side with a huge triple serving of collard greens.

Millet-Chicken Summer Salad
8 oz chicken breast, cubed, lightly seasoned and pan seared or broiled to your taste
1/2 c. millet, cooked according to package directions
2 cucumbers, peeled deseeded and diced
2 bell pepper, deseeded and diced
2 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1 handful fresh basil, julienned
juice of 2 lemons
salt and pepper

Prepare your chicken and millet. Allow 10 minutes of cooling time before you assemble the dish.  When slightly cooled simple mix all ingredients in a large bowl and season to taste.

.58 calories per gram.  Probably not helpful unless you use a kitchen scale, but an approximate 2c. serving ran 220 calories

Eric's Dinner: Nachos (seasoned ground beef and shredded cheese on tortilla strips. and nothing else. I don't think that truly qualifies as nachos, but then, I didn't eat it...)

BBQd Tuna Steaks and Charred Asparagus Salad

With the heat of the past couple of days (FINALLY!!) I didn't want to cook indoors and make the upstairs even warmer, so I busted out the trusty BBQ and the mesquite charcoal to cook up last night's noms.  Everything came out so good!  I think using the mesquite complete changed the taste of everything and I will not go back to using regular charcoal bricks ever again.  The salad is super simple, allowing the vegetables to  really sing their summer flavor.  It was a good night =)

(pictures coming)

BBQ Tuna Steaks

1-2 tuna steaks (about 1/3 lb each and 1 inch thick @157 calories)
marinade:
2 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
juice of 1 lemon
2-3 lemon slices
3 slices fresh ginger, about 1/8 inch thick
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Combine the marinade ingredients in a zip baggie.  Add the tuna steaks and let chill in the 'fridge for at least an hour.

When the grill is very hot, add your steaks to the grill over indirect heat. Discard marinade.  Sear only 3-5 minutes per side - you want the inside pink.  (I also suggest you add the fish to the grill just before you are ready to serve.  Overcooking tuna steaks is a deadly sin).

about 160 calories per steak.


Charred Asparagus Salad

1 bunch asparagus (the thinner the stalks, the better!)
1 ear of corn, in husk
1 basket cherry tomatoes
1/2 red onions, thinly sliced
6-10 fresh basil leaves, julienned
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Roast the asparagus on the grill (suggestions on how to do this follow the recipe) uncovered about 7 minutes or until they get charred, turning at least 3 times.  Remove from heat and set aside. At the same time, add the corn to the grill, direct heat, turning often until the outside gets slightly blackened, about 10 minutes.  Remove husk and return to grill, direct heat, for about 3 minutes, turning often to get a nice brown on the kernels.

Slice asparagus into 2 inch pieces and add to a large bowl.  Slice the kernels off the cob and add to the bowl, along with all the remaining ingredients.  Toss and serve.

235 calories for entire salad.

BBQ'ing Asparagus
There are a few ways to accomplish this:
1) The easiest / my way : use a metal vegetable basket made for bbq'ing vegetables.  You can pre-chop your asparagus this way. If you spritz down the basket with some High Heat Pam, your veggies won't stick and you won't need to add unnecessary fat.
2) Use wooden/ metal skewers.  This is the hard, but proper way.  Line up your asparagus stalks on a cutting board.  Pierce straight through the stalks at both the top and the bottom so you end up with a picket fence type slab of veggies.  This makes it very easy to turn.  Here is a completely awesome diagram I drew for you:

3) the lazy but nothing extra needed way : just throw them right on the grill perpendicularly.  Sadly, this is also the path to tears as they accientally fall through when you aren't careful.  Which I rarely am.

Eric's Dinner:  I made him home burgers on sliced white with cheddar and bbq sauce.  And that's it.  The trick  to perfect burgers is to add an equal amount of breadcrumbs and milk (Yes, MILK) to the ground beef and your choice of spices.  It comes out moist and delicious.  Trust me

Thai Basil Eggplant over Coconut Couscous

I got this basic recipe from a Thai recipe site, then changed it to suit my needs.  I don't eat rice, so the couscous was an inspiration.  The flavor combination was spot on!


Thai Basil Eggplant over Coconut Couscous
serves 1 for a main dish, or 2 sides

• cooking spray (or 1 tbsp cooking oil)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 jalapeno or Serrano peppers, fine chop
• 1 c. water
• 1 large eggplant, large dice
• 1 - 2  tbsp fish sauce (can use soy sauce instead, but this is certainly not as good!)
• 2 - 3 packets all natural sweetener (or 1 tbsp sugar)
• 1 large bunch basil, leaves only
• 1/3 c. dry, plain couscous
• 1.5 tbsp (about 10 grams) unsweetened coconut flakes

Lightly oil a deep saute pan.  Fry the garlic and peppers until just golden.  Add eggplant and water. Cover and allow to cook 7-10 minutes until eggplant turns translucent and most of the water has evaporated.  You may need to stir a couple times during the cooking process.

Meanwhile,  prepare the couscous by heating 1 cup water and the coconut flakes in a small pot.  Remove from heat when it comes to a boil.  Add dry couscous and cover.

When eggplant is completely cooked, add fish sauce and sweetener. Stir and allow to lightly simmer until most of the liquids have evaporated.  Remove from heat and add basil, stir lightly to coat basil and allow to wilt.

Fluff couscous with a fork.  Spoon onto a plate and top with the eggplant.

Enjoy!

455 calories for entire dish

Eric's Dinner: Shells and White Cheddar

Roasted Marinara over Spaghetti Squash

This is another "long-lost but definitely cribbed from someone else's blog" recipe.  A few days ago, someone on Reddit posted a link to a baked spaghetti recipe. I read it once and fell in love with it.  Of course, when I went back to find the recipe to make it, it was nowhere to be found.  So I improvised.

• 6-8 Campari tomatoes (or 1 - 1.5 baskets larger cherry tomatoes), halved
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp Italian herbs such as: basil, parsley, oregano, marjoram, thyme
• 1/2 c. bread crumbs (or 1 slice of bread toasted and run through the Cuisinart)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 small spaghetti squash (or pasta of your choice)
• 1 tbsp fresh grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
• 2 tbsp fresh julienned basil

Preheat oven to 350

Place tomatoes, cut side up, in a small casserole dish or bake pan (2 qt).  Sprinkle tomatoes with the garlic, and seasonings. Cover with the bread crumbs. Drizzle the olive oil and vinegar over the top. Cover, and pop in the oven.

At the same time, halve the squash, scoop out the seeds and place face down in a second baking dish filled with 1/2 - 1 inch of water.  

Allow both to bake for 45 minutes, then remove from oven.

When cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh of the squash in a twisting motion to try to preserve the strings.  Moosh up the tomato mixture with a fork, add basil, then scoop onto the squash.  Add fresh grated Asiago or Parmesan over the top.  Mange!

1 large main serving (385 cals), or 2 side dish servings  (385 divided by 2. You do the math, lazyass.)

Eric's Dinner: (ok, here is a picture!)

Status Quo

I have been getting complaints from my fan that I have not made a blog entry in over 6 weeks.  It's true, I haven't.  I have been cooking, I can assure you. I just can't be bothered with the rigmarole of taking the pictures and uploading. 

I can tell you though, that the status quo is being maintained on a daily basis.  Observe today's lunch:

Mine:

(ginormous salad featuring carrots, cauliflower, beets, artichoke hearts, jicama, celery, spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, and some other stuff topped with a little salsa; whole grain crackers with fresh basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella; a pluot for desert)

Eric's:

(peanut butter sandwich [no jelly], wheat thins, oatmeal chocolate chip cookie)

Raise your hand if you are shocked...

Turkey Veggie Stuffed Bell Peppers & Homemade Tomato Sauce

These stuffed peppers came out SO good, and they are SUPER DUPER filling, yet there is no rice.  The trick here is to know your herbs and your favored seasonings, and use them, generously.  At a mere 350 calories for a whole pepper (that is, 2 halves over stuffed to the brim) plus whatever calories are in your sauce (mine was roughly 50 additional calories) you have a very reasonable dinner, that is super high in nutrients, low in fat, and 0 starchy carbs.  Win-win!

Turkey Veggie Stuffed Bell Peppers 

1/2 pound ground turkey
1 pound button mushroom
1 medium zuchini
1/4 head cauliflower florets (about 1 cup), lightly steamed and cooled
1 medium red onion
3 garlic cloves
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
2-4 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1.5 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder (omit chili if you don't want some kick)
1 tsp chili flakes
1.5 tsp thyme
1 tsp majoram
Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional)



preheat oven to 350

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray; sautee the turkey over medium heat. Add 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp thyme,and freshly ground pepper.  Taste!  You want the turkey to be well seasoned.  Set aside when done.

Run the mushroom, zucchini, onion, cauliflower, and garlic through your food processor with the "grate" attachment.  You can also hand grate everything if you are a glutton for punishment.  Spray a large skillet with cooking spray; add all your veggies and the remainder of the seasonings.  Stir well to incorporate, pat down the mixture to evenly coat the bottom of your skillet and let sit over medium-low heat for a good 5 minutes.  When the bottom starts to slightly brown, stir/flip the veggies, pat down, and let brown again.  Continue in this way until veggies have released their juices and juices have mostly evaporated.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Add the turkey to the veggies and toss.  Taste one more time.  Your stuffing is ready!

Halve the peppers the long way and de-seed. In the bottom of a baking dish or casserole, add tomato sauce (store bought or make your own which is way yummier and better for you and doesn't take too much effort I promise! See below) to cover the bottom, reserving enough to cover the peppers.  Lay your peppers in, cut side up.  Stuff with the filling, pressing and compacting as you go.  Use all the stuffing up! It will mound up. Add more sauce to the top of each stuffed pepper.  Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes.  Optionally, remove foil, and allow to bake an additional 15 minutes so you get the delicious crusty brown bits.

Add some shaved or grated Parmigiano-Reggiano over the top for that final touch. 

Of course, you can always add or subtract whatever veggies are in season or that you feel like having to the stuffing mix.  Try eggplant, yellow squash, carrots, fresh peas, spinach, chopped kale, or parsnips for example.  Play with the seasonings too!



Homemade Tomato Sauce
I always make my tomato sauce from scratch.  It is ridiculously easy, WAY tastier, and you know exactly what is going in it.  With a little variation in seasonings, the basic recipe can be used to make pasta sauce, pizza sauce, or the sauce used above.

 4 cups of tomato puree.  You can achieve this in several ways:

• 1 14oz can tomato sauce (check ingredients and make sure there is only 1 ingredient)
• 1 14 oz can pureed tomatoes
• -or-
• 8-10 roma or vine, or heirloom tomatoes.  Blanched, peeled, and pureed -OR- oven roasted and peeled (my preference). Make sure you save all the juices!

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBS salt
1 tsp each: oregano, basil (dried), thyme, marjoram
1 packet sweetener or 2 tsp sugar

Add everything to a saucepan and allow to simmer, uncovered for 20-30 minutes until sauce reduces and thickens.  The end.

For Pizza Sauce: add 1 tsp each of chili powder and chili flakes
For Pasta Sauce: slightly increase salt and sweetener
For Stuffed Bell Peppers: add 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp chili flakes



Erics dinner: I made him Chili Con Carne with BACON the first night (see, I am not entirely heartless);  peanut butter sandwich on the second night

Celery Root Lentil Soup; Tzatziki on Roasted Aubergine

While it will never win a 'prettiest soup' contest, this is a definite winner in the taste department.  Adapted from Yummy Supper, made slightly lighter and exchanged some ingredients for what I had on hand.Hey, it's what I do.

Celery Root Lentil Soup

1.5 bunches of green onions, sliced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 large celery root, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, zested
6g coconut oil
2 bay leaves
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp salt
2 cups lentils, rinsed
8 c. water
2-3 lemons, juiced, plus slices for garnish

In a large stew pot, add first 11 ingredients (green onions through salt), plus 1/2 c. water and allow to simmer covered, until veg softens, about 15 minutes.  Add lentils and water and bring up to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and allow to simmer 30 minutes, until lentils are soft.  Bust out your immersion blender, and liquefy the soup.  Add a genrous amount of freshly squeezed lemon, and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with extra lemon slices.

 

Makes about 13 cups; 141 calories per cup

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Tzatziki on Roasted Aubergine with Cherry Tomatoes

1 aubergine (eggplant)
8 oz greek non-fat yogurt
1 lemon, zested
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp dill
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 medium cucumbers, peeled and seeded
1/2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 packet sweetener
2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400.

Slice eggplant, about 1/4 thick, lengthwise.  You should get 6-10 slices depending on how big your aubergine is.  Make sure all slices are equal thickness. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking spray.  Spread your aubergine slices out so the do not touch.  Lightly spray the top with more  cooking spray, salt and pepper.  Allow to roast for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.

Meanwhile, peel, de-seed and grate your cucumbers (I used my food processor with the grater attachment, but a hand grater should work fine).  Line a colander with several layers of paper towel or a clean dish towel, and add your cucumbers.  Allow to drain for 15 minutes, then squeeze out all the excess water by bringing the ends of your towel together and squeezing.

While cucumber drain, add the remaining ingredients together in a large bowl.  You can substitute white pepper for the cayenne if you are not looking for such a kick.  Add drained cucumber to the mix.

Plating is simple: dollop the eggplant slice with tzatziki, and top with fresh tomato.

Makes 6-10 single-slice servings. Topped with about 1/4 c. (70 grams) tzatziki per slice, roughly 60 calories.

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Eric's Dinner: Nothing.  And now his tummy hurts this morning and he is wondering why.

Sweet & Spicy Wasabi-Yogurt Prawns

I found this really interesting looking recipe on my reader this morning.  The original comes from My Kitchen Snippets and while I am quite sure it is good just how the original author has it, deep frying shrimp then slathering them in mayonnaise is really not my idea of a good time. So, behold my version: much, much lighter and changed enough, I think, to deserve a new name.

Sweet & Spicy Wasabi-Yogurt Prawns
½ pound jumbo prawns, peeled and deveined
3 tbsp of corn flour
1 egg white
1/4 c. water

8g coconut oil for saute pan
yogurt dressing:
3.5 oz of plain nonfat Greek yogurt

1 tbs olive oil
1.5 tsp powdered wasabi

juice of 1/2 lemon
12g agave nectar (about 1.5 tsp)

1 red jalapeno, diced
1 mango, small dice
2 green onion, sliced thin

Season the prawn with a bit of salt and pepper (don't be like me and over salt at this point. I came really close to making it inedible). In a bowl, combine flour, egg white, and water. You are looking for a consistency that will coat, but not clump on the prawn.  If it is too thick add a bit more water. Add prawn and toss to coat.  Heat a small amount of oil in a saute pan.  Carefully add prawn.  Allow to cook at medium-high heat about 3 minutes, and flip. Sear for about 1 minute, then cover and turn off heat.  Allow to cook another minute or 2, then remove from heat and set aside.

Combine all the ingredients for the dressing.  Once prawn are slightly cooled, add to the dressing and toss. 

Makes 2.5 servings, about 5 prawn per serving. 293 calories.

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Eric's dinner: Box of Hamburger Helper Chili Cheese Mac

Black Bean & Quinoa Rainbow Salad; Carrot-Ginger Salad Dressing

I had an all-salad dinner tonight and revisited my old Spicy-Curry Slaw with some updated spices [new spices are added on the original recipe page], which I think is better by a long-shot.  Oddly enough (very very odd...) nary a clove of garlic in sight!

I wish I had a yellow or orange bell pepper on hand, then it would have really been rainbow...

Black Bean & Quinoa Rainbow Salad
 3 small broccoli crowns, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup fresh basil, chiffonade
1 small red onion, diced
3 small zucchini, diced
1/2 c. quinoa, cooked according to package directions
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
for the dressing:
Juice of 1 lime
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp agave nectar
1/4 tsp cayenne

Whisk the dressing ingredients together. Toss it with the remaining ingredients. Enjoy!

178 calories for a 1.5 cup serving (225g)

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I forgot where I got the original recipe for this (before I personalized it).  If anyone recognizes it, I'd love to give proper credit.  Look how beautiful the color is!

Carrot-Ginger Dressing
2 medium carrots, grates
2 tbs fresh ginger root, grated
2 tbs agave nectar
3/4 c. cider vinegar
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs dijon mustard
1 tbs sesame oil

Everythign goes into the blender.  Puree until well blended.

makes about 2c. of dressing.  15.05 calories per tablespoon (18g)

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For desert I had an awesome AWESOME bowl of Banana Nice Cream: I added organic, Ecuadorian cocoa powder and Stevia to the banana, served it over fresh strawberries, and covered it with almond butter and organic coconut flakes.  /dies

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Erics Dinner: Left over nacho's from last night.  More like, ground beef on chips with some melted cheese.  Technically, that IS nachos.  But wtf. seriously.

Squash, Bean, and Veg Salad

This is one of those "throw in what ya got" recipes.  I went through my veggie drawer and ended up with 4 more ingredients than what I envisioned when I was thinking about what to make for dinner tonight. Take a minute and do the same!

I seasoned this in a particular way as I thought it would be fun to have distinct flavor bites instead of doing a typical dressing with all the flavors mixed together and evenly doused over everything.  I am really pleased with the end result.

(picture to come)


Squash, Bean, and Veg Salad
1 acorn squash, peeled, and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
4 small sun chokes (Jerusalem artichokes), peeled and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
salt   to taste
1 TBS coconut oil
1 cup mushrooms, quartered (smaller if they are larger)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp each: red pepper flakes, oregano, cumin, thyme
1/2 tsp each: ginger, white pepper
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can hominy, drained
1 large bell pepper, chopped
2 large green onions, sliced
juice of 3 limes

Preheat oven to 425

roast your veggies
Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Lay the squash and coke slices in a single layer.  You may need 2 sheets.  Lightly sprinkle salt over the top. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork.  When done, remove and allow to cool, then chop into 1/4 inch cubes.

spice your mushrooms
Allow your coconut oil to melt in a skillet under medium heat.  Add all the spices EXCEPT the thyme.  Allow to cook until the spices start to get aromatic.  Add mushrooms and garlic.  Add 2 tablespoons or so of water. Mushrooms are done when all the water is gone.

Combine veggies, mushrooms, and all remaining ingredients.  Make sure to scrape down the skillet to get all the spices that didn't make it in with the mushrooms. Give a good stir, and enjoy!  This can be served warm or cold.

Yield about 7 cups.  164 cals per

Red Bell Baba

I have this Mediterranean dipping sauce theme happening in my fridge right now what with a fresh batch of beet hummus, and now this ramped up baba ghanoush .  Much to Eric's chagrin, I also reek of garlic.  GOOD TIMES.

Red Bell Baba (Ghanoush)
1 large red bell pepper
2 medium eggplants
3 tbsp  Tahini
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
juice of 1-2 lemons
2 tbs fresh parsley

Pierce the eggplants all over with a fork.  Place the bell pepper and the eggplants on your BBQ or under the broiler; turn until all sides are blackened.  Remove and allow to cool enough to handle.  Remove the skin from the pepper and discard. Slice the eggplants in half, and scoop out the meat.

In a food processor, combine the tahini and lemon juice until frothy, 30 seconds or so.   Add the rest of the ingredients, the eggplant meat, and the pepper flesh to the tahini mixture in the food processor. Use a pulse method to combine everything as you don't want to liquefy this; you are looking for a well blended, but chunky texture - learn from my mistake and mince or fine chop your garlic before adding to the food processor or else you end up with garlic bombs.  Not necessarily a bad thing.

Yield: about 3.5 cups.  186 cals per cup.

So the rest of dinner was left over Quinoa Veg Loaf, baby artichokes (prepped, boiled, then broiled with salt and lemon) and some collard greens (boiled in water with garlic, salt and vinegar for 20 minutes, drained, topped with Tabasco) and celery for the eating of the baba. 

Eric's dinner: Juice.

Quinoa-Veg Loaf with Mashed Cauliflower

I didn't intentionally set out to make a "fake" meatloaf and mashed potato meal, but that's the way it turned out.


The loaf recipe came via my reader (in a round about way) and can be traced back to this Whole Foods recipe.  I made a few substitutions and additions as it didn't look like nearly enough flavoring for my taste ;)  The cauliflower I made a couple nights ago and had left over so just added to my meal.  It is not the same texture as mashed potatoes - no starch so it is not as smooth nor creamy - and it doesn't taste like potatoes, since its cauliflower (durka durr) it is actually better since there is so much more flavor. IMO.

I'm so full right now.  It was a lot of food. Nom nom nom.

Quinoa Veg Loaf
7g coconut oil
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
3 large green onions, sliced
1 TSB each: dried oregano, marjoram, thyme
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 (15-ounce) can  garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup rolled oats
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 16.5oz jar  sundried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, rinsed in hot water and chopped
1 cup (about 1 onion) chopped red onion

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Spray an 8-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray; set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, green onions, dried herbs,  salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, put beans, oats and 1/2 cup water into a food processor and pulse until almost smooth. In a large bowl, combine mushrooms, bean mixture, quinoa, peas, basil, tomatoes, onion, salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to prepared loaf pan, gently pressing down and mounding it in the middle. Bake until firm and golden brown,  1 1/4 hours. Set aside to let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.  Loaf will be slightly mushy when you slice.

Per serving (about 6oz/172g-wt.): 170 calories, based on the Whole Foods recipe, my version is probably a little less

Mashed Cauliflower
1 head of cauliflower, rough chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1/2 c. low-fat buttermilk
White pepper and salt, to taste
Parmesan cheese, shaved, optional

Microwave the cauliflower with a bit of water, about 5 minutes or so, or until fork tender. Add the garlic about halfway through. Drain. Using a hand blender, mash the cauliflower and garlic with the salt and pepper, and buttermilk.

That's it.  You can take it to the next level (like you know I did...) by transferring the mash into a casserole dish, and put under a high broiler until slightly browned, which takes 10 - 15 minutes.  Top with a sprinkling of Parmesan.

.28 calories per gram (pictured is about 150 grams)

Zucchini and Onion Stir Fry
1 Zucchini, sliced
1 cup red onion, sliced
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a saute pan.  Add zucchini and onion.  Allow to brown before flipping.  Add salt and pepper. Allow the other side to brown slight and stir.  Add your lemon juice.  Cover, and turn off heat.  Let steam for 2-3 minutes or until squash is done.

Eric's dinner : half a box of Safeway brand Beef  Stroganoff.

Banana Nice Cream

I have been reading around on some raw and whole food foodie blogs about the miracles of frozen banana ice cream.  Apparently bananas have some sort of bizarro-land properties to them that make them turn into the texture of soft serve if you prep them right.  I didn't believe it.  Then I did it for myself. Holy crap, it really does.

The trick is to cut your banana into chunks, and freeze them ahead of time.  In the food processor, blend the frozen chunks for about 3 minutes.  You will need to open the top and scrape down the edges every 30 seconds or so.  At first. the chunks will knock around, then it becomes a powder almost; when it starts to melt is when the magic happens and the substance comes together. It really is like soft serve.

The first time I made this, I did 2 bananas, and covered the top with a tablespoon of almond butter (about 300 cals), but the almond flavor was lost in the pure banana goodness.

Tonight, I did 1 banana, and after I went through the process and it was in ice cream form, I added 2/3 cup of frozen pineapple, and 2 oz. of frozen plain non-fat Greek yogurt and blended for a bit longer.  I think I have died and gone to heaven.  Over the top I spooned on 1.5 tablespoons of coconut butter, which hardened up on the cold surface, so it was like having Magic Shell

Calories on this bowl of fun were 341.

Gratuitous food-porn closeup shot:

Grilled Baby Artichokes with Caper Vinaigrette

This is an excellent side dish that would go excellently with some nice steaks thrown on the 'que next to them.   Most of the work is in the prep.


Grilled Baby Artichokes with Caper Vinaigrette
12 baby artichokes
for the vinaigrette:
2 lemons
2 TBS Dijon Mustard
2 TBS Capers
salt
pepper

Pre-heat your grill to med-high heat.

Prepping the artichokes: Snap off the outer leaves at the base.  Keep snapping off leaves until the inner ones are green on the top and fade to yellow towards the bottom.  Cut off the top 1/3 of the chokes, making sure you get rid of all the purple. Cut off the stems.  Slice the chokes in half.  Rub all cuts with half of one of the lemons right away to avoid discoloration.  Boil the chokes in well-salted water for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, pull the chokes out of the water immediately, and put into a cold water bath to stop the cooking.

Lightly spray the chokes with cooking spray.  Place on the grill, cut side down and grill for 5 mins, flip, and grill another 4-5. 

Combine the vinaigrette ingredients and whisk.  Toss the grilled chokes with the vinaigrette.  Tastes great right away, and better an hour or two later.

About 20 calories per half choke.

Eric's Dinner: I made him burgers on the grill.  On sliced white bread.  With Cheddar. And nothing else.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Broiled Cod

This is super delicious, terribly easy-to-the-point-of-criminal recipe.


Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Broiled Cod
skin on deboned cod fillets, about 4 oz each
for the marinade:
juice of 1 lemon
2-3 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Put everything in a gallon zip lock bag for 2-3 hours. Spray a pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Lay your cod skin side down in the pan.  Dispose of left-over sauce. Broil under high heat, 6-8 inches from the flame for 10-15 minutes.  Eat.  Yes, it is that simple.

Cod is a mere 30 cals per cooked ounce if you don't eat the skin, and the marinade is about 0. Eat up.

Eric's dinner: Box of mac 'n' cheese.

Whatevs BBQ Veg Salad over Black Beans

This is one of my go-to meals.  Use whatever you have in your veggie drawer and follow the general idea here.  This particular mix is super good as is though!

BBQ Veg Salad over Black Beans

1 medium squash, sliced into 1/4 inch slices

2 large red bell peppers, large slices

2 Japanese eggplants, cut the long way into 1/4 inch slices

1 oz non-fat feta

for the vinaigrette:

1 TBS olive oil

3 TBS red wine vinegar

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 TBS Dijon mustard

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

Combine your vinaigrette in a large bowl, whisking ingredients thoroughly.   Toss your sliced veggies in the vinaigrette. Reserving the remainder of the dressing one you remove them, BBQ your veggies over medium heat for about 15 minutes, turning after 10. Veggies will be slightly blackened when done.  Allow to cool, then chop into 1/4 inch pieces.  Return veggies to reserved vinaigrette, toss with feta.

Served over warmed black beans seasoned with garlic, salt, and pepper.

Calories will vary with veg used, but you are looking at about 110 per cup, not including beans.

 

Eric's Dinner: Juice.

New York Strip Steak with Cardo y berza con garbanzos, Roasted Salsa, & Spinach Tortillas

Dinner was awwwweeeesome.  I have a pic to add later, so for now, just enjoy my drivel.

I was in a south o'the border mood already, so when this recipe came through my reader, originally called Espinacas con garbanzos (Spinach and Chickpeas); I knew it would  satisfy the craving and I could avoid  nachos or something equally blase.  Once I figured that much out, the rest pretty much fell into place.  Since my tortillas involved spinach, and I had a bunch of collard greens (berza) that were getting wilted and a fresh bunch of chard (cardo) come in my organic delivery, I decided to do some substituting, which at this point is less a decision and more a force of habit :)  From the original blog post, apparently this is a Spanish comfort food; I'd never heard of it (being about as whitey McWhite White as they come...) but I am so happy I it gave it a try!

Cardo y berza con garbanzos
6g coconut oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp of cumin
3/4 cup all natural tomato sauce
1 bunch collard greens, stems removed and chopped
1 bunch chard, any variety, stems removed and chopped
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
juice of 1 lemon
few dashes of Tabasco, to taste
salt, pepper

In a large, deep, sauce pan with fitting lid, sautee onion and garlic in the coconut oil, until just translucent.  Add cumin and saute until fragrant. Add chard, collards, chickpeas, and  tomato sauce; cover and let greens wilt.  Add some water, and continue to saute, covered, checking frequently for doneness.  When greens are tender, saute uncovered until liquids have all but evaporated.  Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice over the top before serving.

Yields 5 cups, 140 calories per cup

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I can't believe I made my own tortillas, but I did it! This is another great recipe from VeggieWiz, and I changed very little; I also tweaked the directions slightly to reflect my personal experience with the dish.

Spinach Tortillas
1/2 cup corn flour (NOT corn meal)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
4 cup spinach, boiled and drained, reserve the liquids

Puree the boiled spinach in a blender; you will need about 3/4 cups puree.

Mix the corn flour, wheat flour, salt and baking soda together. Knead into a dough by slowly adding the spinach puree. Add the reserved liquids if needed. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 6 balls and pat each ball into a thin roundish tortilla using the corn flour to help with sticking. Make as thin as you can.

Heat a griddle or skillet over high heat (do not use oil). Gently place a tortilla on the hot pan, and cook for 40-50 seconds on each side; longer if your tortillas are a little thick. You should see little bubbles forming, and it should get lightly toasted. Eat them fresh; for leftover5s, wrap in aluminum foil and refrigerate,

Yields 6 tortillas, 79 calories each.
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Salsa is a pretty simple affair, but I made a pretty good batch, so figured this would be a good time to report it.

Roasted Salsa
4 jalapenos
8 plum tomatoes
2 Anaheim chilies
1 large red onion, rough chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4c. lime juice (about 4 small limes)
2 tsp. cumin
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Place jalapenos, tomatoes and chilies on a cookie sheet. Roast in the oven under a high broil turning once until blackened and blistered on all sides. Allow to cool. Remove skins taking care with the jalapeno to avoid getting spice on your hands.

In a food processor, take turns chopping onion and garlic to a fine chop; chilies jalapenos and tomatoes to a chunky consistency. Add all remaining ingredients together and toss. Season to taste.

Yields 4.5 cups / 65 calories per cup
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I'll go ahead and assume you know how to grill a steak...

Eric's Dinner: Box of White Cheddar Shells Pasta-Roni

Mango Ahi Ceviche with Black Bean Plantain Fritters

I swear something must be aligning in the universe for me in the kitchen the past few weeks.  I made another amazing yummy dinner, and another first.  I have never made Ceviche before, but I have had it, so I know what the general point is.  I went online and read 4 or so recipes in random places and got the main idea for what to do.  The following is the result of cobbling together what I thought would work best, and then threw in two surprises: mango and avocado. So frakkin good!

I needed a side that wasn't tortillas or rice or chips. I started thinking about beans, and plantains, and didn't really just want a pile on my plate, so figured I would try some sort of bean patty situation.  I think that had I not been watching the fat and calories, I would have fried these which I encourage you to do if calories aren't an issue for you. Through trial and error, I figured out that baking these were a good alternative.  They are really yummy and are really really tasty next to the Ceviche.

Mango Ahi Ceviche
1.5 lbs of sushi grade Ahi Tuna, cut into chunks
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin (whites only)
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
1 tbs fresh ginger root, minced
2 serrano chilis, roasted, de-seeded, skin peeled, and minced
3 small tomatoes, roasted, skin peeled, and chopped
1 tsp soy sauce
4 limes, juiced
2 lemons, juiced
1/2 bunch of cilantro, leaves only, minced
2 tsp salt
1 packet sweetner
1 fresh mango, peeled and cubed same size as the tuna
1 fresh avocado, peeled and cubed same size as the tuna

Place everything in a bowl EXCEPT the mango and avocado. Mix well. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for 3 - 4  hours.   Add mango and avocado just before serving and mix again.

1058 calories for the whole batch.  0.66 calories per gram (pictured: 2/3 cup serving at 101 calories)

Black Bean Plantain Fritters
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well
1 plantain, peeled, cut into chunks
1 jalapeno
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
3 egg whites (or 1/3 c. of egg whites)
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Cut plantain into chunks and boil for 20 minutes, or until softened.  Blend everything in your food processor until all chunks are broken down, and a relatively smooth paste is formed.  Form pattied on the cookie sheet by plopping down a large spoonful of the mixture, and spreading out slightly so each patty is no more then 1/2 an inch thick.  Bake for 10 minutes, flip over, and back an additional 10-15 minutes.  Dollop the top with non-fat Greek yogurt.

This whole batch is 782 calories.  1.18 calories per gram (pictured is two 3-inch patties at 142 calories )

Eric's Dinner: nothing, he was still full from his pizza at lunch

Ruby Tostada with Jicama-Mango Salsamole

I was feeling south of the border and decided to make a veggie version of a taco, which morphed into a tostada.  These recipes came out terrific; one of those things where I sit back and wonder how the hell I come up with stuff.  Needless to say, both me, and my belly, are quite happy!

Ruby Tostada
2 c yams , peeled, and diced
2 c beets, peeled and diced
2 TBS water or veggie broth
7g coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 c red bell, diced
1 c green bell, diced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp each: cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne, onion powder
2 tsp salt
makes 5 c/ 161 calories per cup

In a microwave safe casserole dish with lid, add yams, beets, and water/broth.  Cover and nuke for 3-8 minutes, until just cooked, but still a bit of crunch left.  Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan, add garlic and saute for a couple minutes.  Add peppers, and allow to slightly caramelize.  Drain off any liquid from beet/yam mixture, and add remaining ingredients.  Heat through.

Assemble whole wheat tortilla, filling, Jicama-Mango Salsa (recipe below), and a dollop of n/f Greek plain yogurt.

Jicama-Mango Salsamole
1 jalapeno, deseeded and diced
1/2 c red onion, diced
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed
1.5 c jicama, peeled
1 mango, peeled
2 avocado, destoned
2 lime, juiced
2 lemon, juiced
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp each: cumin, chili powder
makes 4 cups / 204 cals per cup

In your food processor, blend each fruit and veggie individually, then add to a large bowl - I preferred mine a little chunky.  When all is blended, mix together with the citrus juice and seasonings. 


Eric's Dinner: chicken strips from Safeway, on a Safeway Asiago bagel, with bottled BBQ sauce.

Beet Hummus

This recipe came courtesy of VeggieWiz, a great blog for fun vegetable recipes. Check it out :) I made only very small changes, mainly to slightly lower the calorie count, and upped the flavor somewhat (extra garlic and lemon).

Beet Hummus
1/2 c. tahin
1 16 oz can garbonzo beans
1.5 c. beets, peeled and chopped (2 medium)
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice - 1.5 small lemons
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
2 TBS EVOO
4 TBS water (if needed)
salt to taste

makes 721 grams = 1.9 calories per gram. I had about 3/4 c. serving at 289 calories


Roast beets in oven for 20-30 minutes at 350, or until softened. When beets are done and slightly cooled, add everything into your blender or Cuisinart. Add water as needed to loosen the mixture; this is a less oil version than the original and needs the moisture. Serve with fresh crunchy veggies or pita bread.

 

Eric's dinner : Sponge Bob Square Pants mac'n'cheese.

Shepard's Harvest Pie

In my PlanetOrganics delivery this week I ordered some ground beef from the fabulous Eel River Ranch .

I am still sitting here stunned by how good my crazy concoction came out.  I took the typical Shepard's Pie, reduced the fat, and the starchy carbs, and added loads of veggies (hence the 'harvest' part).

Let me say I have never made Shepard's pie before, nor have I ever eaten it.  In fact, the closest I have come to a Shepard's Pie in the past was an episode of Kitchen Nightmare's where the Pie was, "just a big ball of grease" and then Chef Ramsey vomited...  DRAMA QUEEN.

After eating my version, I really don't know that a traditional version could be better.  My mouth and tummy are so happy right now, I am bouncing in delight.  This can also really easily be changed to a vegan version, just by substituting tofu and/or mushrooms for the beef, or made even lower cal by using ground turkey or chicken.

Shepard's Harvest Pie
topping:
2 cups winter squash, peeled, de-seeded, and cubed
5 small cloves garlic
2 TBS broth
1 tsp each: salt, white pepper, paprika, horseradish
1 c. corn kernals
6 oz n/f greek yogurt
1TBS coconut butter, warmed
1/2 oz shaved parmesean

filling:
1c. onion, chopped
1/2 TBS coconut oil
1lb ground beef 90/10
2 TBS wheat flour
1 TBS tomato paste
1 c. veggie broth, plus water as needed
1 tsp each: salt, thyme, marjotam, paprika, parsley
2 c. baby brocoli, chopped
1 bunch Chard, chopped

preheat oven to 350

For the topping: Put squash, garlic, broth and seasonings in a microwave safe dish and microwave for 10 minutes, or until cooked and softened.  Meanwhile, saute your corn kernels until they are slightly browned.  Add corn, squash mixture, yogurt, and coconut butter to a large mixing bowl and use hand blender to puree (or use a Cuisinart or blender).  Set aside.

For the filling: saute onion in coconut oil.  When slightly caramelized, add beef. Cook until browned. Add flour, tomato paste, broth and seasoning.  Boil until broth is a gravy consistency.  Add broccoli and chard.  Cover and let simmer until chard is wilted.  Adjust seasoning as needed. Uncover and let simmer until much of the liquid has evaporated.

Add filling mixture to the bottom of an oven safe casserole dish. Top with the squash mixture and carefully spread, completely covering the beef.  Bake for 20 mins.  Switch to broiler, and broil for 5 mins, or until browning starts.  Cover with the shaved Parmesan and broil a few moments longer until cheese starts to brown.  Let rest before serving.

The whole dish is 1569 kc. Split into 4 meal-sized serving s= 392 calories per serving

Eric's dinner: juice (2nd night in a row...)

Also, look how pretty all the colors are:

Whispers from the East Slaw & Salmon Veggie Bake

I know, I know, it's been ages.  I have 6 or 7 recipes lined up, it's just a matter of getting them from there to here... transported (sorry, I just channeled Dr. Horrible and I think I am gonna leave it as it happened).

Anywho!  I had a cabbage left over from last week's PlanetOrganics delivery and knew I needed to eat it before tomorrow when my next delivery arrives.  So I came up with the following slaw.  Super yummy!  I also had another Salmon-Veggie bake (yellow squash, shitake mushroom and red bell) which came out so good, as it always does.  And a big ol' bowl of mixed veg salad - I even took the time to cook up a couple of yellow beets to add to it mmmmmmmm

Whispers from the East Slaw
1 small head cabbage (6.5 cups), shredded
2 large carrots, shredded (1 cup),
6 green onions, sliced
dressing:
2 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 TBS cashew butter (or other nut butter)
1 TBS ground fresh ginger
1 sweetner, or 4 drops stevia, or 2 tsp sugar
1/3 c. rice vinegar


Add your cut veg into a large mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients until incorporated.  You may find microwaving the cashew butter helpful.  Add to your veg and toss.  Enjoy.

Makes  7.5 cups / 68 calories per cup


P.S.  I don't think I have ever dissected what my mixed veg salad's consist of.  For the record, tonight's salad had; baby spinach, arugula, cherry tomatoes, snow peas, yellow beets, baby carrot, shitake mushroom, Japanese black radish, fresh basil, cucumber, red bell pepper. My dressing was half a lemon's juice (my usual dressing), and a dollop of fresh chipotle salsa I got from the health food store. Yes, this is typical, and I eat it twice a day, pretty much every day.

Eric's Dinner: he actually let me cook for him tonight!  I made Chicken (free range) Alfredo (from a jar) and topped it with shredded Parmesan and added some Parmesan wafers (from a box). Behold:

Dog Food

Yes, we cook for our dogs.  Twice a month we make large batches of fresh food following the best we could find as as far as nutritionally appropriate foods for our pups, which are the only children we have any interest in.

The ratio of meat to vegetable and starch for a dog food is 40-30-30.  We generally add organ meats (liver, gizzard and hearts) every other time, and since taking this picture a few months ago have switched their starch to a pasta and oatmeal mixture. 

And then to top it all off, we add about a tsp of olive oil to their bowls at each meal (they get 1/2 cup of food, twice a day).  The result is that 1) we have peace of mind (we KNOW what they are eating - and if you did a moments searching into what is actually in commercial, cheap dog food, you would vomit), 2) we have no fear of dog food recalls 3) our dogs are super healthy 4) they smell terrific, even when wet; they simply don't have that "dog" smell or the yucky wet dog smell at all 5) their fur is soft as a bunny, and they don't shed nearly as much and 6) they don't poop copious amounts.

I have had discussions with people about using the RAW diet, but for us that is not an option;  the dogs sleep in our bed (and Fuji sleeps on my pillow, at my head) and there is the danger of bacteria and other nasties leaving the body when you feed uncooked meats. 

Chard & Tomato Egg White Omelet

I didn't think to take pictures of this, but I assure you it was pretty, what with the whiteness of the egg and the pinkness of the chard and tomato juice :)

Chard & Tomato Egg White Omelet
1/2 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 head red chard, rough chopped
1 TBS capers
1 c.  tomato, diced (I used campari's)
juice of 1/2 lemon
7 grams coconut oil (reserve half for egg pan)
3 egg whites
4 grams coconut oil
S&P to taste

freshly shaved Parmesan, to taste

In a saucepan, heat oil; add garlic and onion and saute until carmelized.  You may need to add a tablespoon of water or broth. Add chard and lemon juice; saute until wilted. Remove from heat, add capers and tomatoes; toss and set aside.  In a separate skillet, add remaining oil and egg whites.  Season with salt and pepper; allow to cook through.  Add your chard mixture to half of the egg layer, slide that half onto plate, and flip the empty half over the top, forming your omelet.  Lightly shave Parmesan over the top.

1 serving, 257 calories

Eric's Dinner : can of chicken noodle soup, and half a grilled cheese sandwich.

Greek Inspired Pasta Sauce over Cabbage & Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I saw a really intriguing post on /r/cooking for eggplant "noodles" last week.  I am in the process of trying to give up pasta and white flour products in general (why did a lone bugle playing Taps start playing softly in my head...) and figured this would be a terrific substrate replacement for a hefty sauce.  When thinking of eggplant I think of Chinese and Greek food, so I set out to find a dense pasta topper with one of the two cuisines in mind. I landed at allrecipes.com and a Greek pasta sauce.  I had to make very minimal changes to get this where I wanted it to be flavor- and calorie-wise so below is my version.

The sauce came out fanfrakingtastic... really an exceptional find.  Full of flavor, great texture, and very filling.  You could eat this in a bowl as a stew if you so desire.  That is the good news.

The bad news, however, is that the eggplant pasta SUCKED.   I am about to post over in the Cookit thread and share the information that I used a lot of salt - as in, at an epic scale equal to an amount more suited to the process of creating funazushi.  And while I am tongue in cheek about it this morning (and in retrospect feel like a complete noob), last night I was seriously frustrated.  No amount of rinsing, or soaking and rinsing, was getting the salt level down to an edible level.  So I scrubbed it.   Why yes, that is, in fact, giant kosher sea salt crystals that my eggplant is drowning in.

Luckily I had a head of unclaimed cabbage in the fridge (I plan my meals 3-5 days in advance and had just gone shopping for the entire week) leftover from last week.  I sliced about half the head into thin strips, and popped the pile in the microwave for a minute and a half.  The cabbage came out perfectly al dente and about half-steamed.  I am happy to report that it was the perfect accompaniment to the sauce.  I actually think the cabbage ended up being a better match than the eggplant would have been, or that real pasta could have lived up to (Shush. Let a girl dream).

Greek Inspired Pasta Sauce over Cabbage 
1 small yellow onion, diced
6 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 TBS water or vegetable broth
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 8oz can tomato sauce (no added sugar)
2 TBS capers
15 Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
3 TBS Balsamic vinegar
2-4 tsp crushed red pepper (to taste)
S&P to taste
1 oz per serving of crumbled light feta cheese

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray, add onion and water/broth. Cook until it starts to turn translucent.  Add garlic and cook an additional minute.  Add the rest of the ingredients, except feta.  Let simmer for a minimum of 30 mins.  Meanwhile, slice the cabbage into thin strips and microwave for 1.5 mins with a small amount of water.  Ladle a hearty amount of sauce over cabbage, and top with 1oz of light feta per serving.

Makes about 4 c of sauce, 119 kcals per cup.  Light feta adds 35 kcal per oz.  Cabbage is about 13 kcal per cup.


Roasted Brussels Sprouts
1 lb Brussels Sprouts
1/2 lemon
s& p to taste

Toss everything to coat.  Add to a casserole dish that has been treated with cooking spray.  Bake for 30 mins until the sprouts start to brown.  Don't do what I did and leave them in the oven after turning it off or else they dry out and look yucky but still taste awesome.

Eric's Dinner : half a pound of breaded chicken strips from the Safeway deli

Salmon-Veggie Bake & Beet and Blood Orange Salad

The salmon bake is the easiest, fastest, and most flexible way I have found to cook fish that turns out delicious almost without fail.  You can use pretty much any fish (although oily seems to be better) and any veggie / herb combination you can dream up.  You don't even need to watch proportions; as long as your foil will close, you are set.

I said "almost without fail" above as I came really close to failure last night.  I didn't plan ahead for this meal, and  was just using what I had on hand for the veggies: leeks, scallions, lemon, and fresh thyme.  Sounds amazing, right?  Not so much.  For whatever reason (am I supposed to pan fry leeks first??) the leeks were bitter as all get out - just simply inedible.  And sadly, as you can see from the image below, I had my leeks right on top of the salmon flesh.  Luckily, a little scraping and the meat was fine.  But let that be a lesson to you from me. 

Salmon-Veggie Bake
1 salmon steak, skin on (or any other fish you fancy)
1-2 cups chopped and sliced veggies
fresh herbs
salt, pepper, other seasonings to your taste

Preheat oven to 350.  Tear off a rectangle of foil, making sure it is big enough to wrap all your ingredients with some wiggle room.  Spray foil with a bit of cooking spray.  Lay your fish in skin side down (I like to put a couple slices of citrus down under the fish).  Season the fish with salt, pepper, garlic salt, Mrs. Dash, whatever, just be sure to season it. Lay your cut veg on top and on the sides.  Finish the pile with fresh herbs.  Bring up the two long sides of the foil and fold over twice  to make airtight-ish, leaving a bit of space on the top. Roll and fold the remaining sides to make a packet.  Place the packet on a cookie sheet, and pop the whole thing in the oven 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the cut of fish.

calories depend on the size of fish and what veg you use

Beet and Blood Orange Salad
4 small blood oranges, peeled and segmented
2 bunches of beets, greens removed (save em for later, or you can use them as the base of a salad)
for the dressing:
juice from 1 navel orange (1/2 cup)
1 tsp mace
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp mustard

Boil your beets for 20-30 minutes until a knife slips in easily.  Allow to cool, then cut into segments about the size of your orange slices.  Mix your dressing and simply pour it over your beets and oranges.  Enjoy the pretty colors :)

makes 5 cups.  70 kcals per cup.

Eric's Dinner: nothing.  He ate lunch at 2:00 and apparently that means he doesn't need food at 8pm...

Roasted Roots 'n' Wheat Berries

I had a version of this recipe come through my reader courtesy of David Lebovitz's blog.  This is my take on his basic recipe.

Roasted Roots 'n'  Wheat Berries Salad
1 1/2 c. wheat berries (also called farro)
1 bay leaf
2 c. (.5 lb) sunchoke, scrubbed and cubed
2 1/4 c. (1 lb) parsnips, peeled and cubed
2 1/2 c. (1 lb) rutabaga, peeled and cubed
2 1/2 c. (1 large) red onion , diced
2 TBS fresh thyme, destemmed
1 c. (2 medium) carrots, grated
1 c. (1 large) red bell pepper, diced
1 c (1/2 bunch) parsley, choped
2 lemons. squeezed for juice
S&P

Preheat oven to 425.  Heavily salt a 2 quart pot of water, bring to a boil and add wheat berries and bay leaf.  Allow 40 minutes to an hour for cooking, checking for desired consistency.  Remove from water and allow to cool.  Meanwhile, cube the root vegetables and onion, about 1/4 - 1/2 inch cubes.  Toss root veggies, onion, thyme, salt and pepper (to taste) in a bowl to distribute spices; transfer to a baking sheet that has been treated with cooking spray.  Allow 20-40 minutes for vegetables to cook thoroughly and start to brown.  Allow to cool.  Toss wheat berries, roasted root mixture, and the remaining ingredients.  Season to your taste and enjoy. 

makes 12 1-cup servings. 129kcal per cup

Erics Dinner: the other half of my chicken breast with some cheese for a sandwich.

Creamy TurkeyBacon-Lentil Soup

Another recipe I pilfered from myrecipes.com that I built better than what it was before. Bigger, stronger, faster.  Ok maybe not that bionic, but definitely half the calories and as far as I can tell through various tastings along the way, a hell of a lot yummier.

Creamy TurkeyBacon-Lentil Soup
6 cups fat-free vegetable broth
8 slices lean turkey bacon (about 8 oz), thinly sliced
1/2 lb dried lentils, rinsed
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped red bell pepper
1 c. chopped celery
2 gloves garlic, chopped
1 Serrano chili, minced
2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 TBS Spike (or any other all-purpose seasoning you fancy)
juice of 1 lime
2 oz fat free plain greek style yogurt (like Fage)

Toss everything except  the lime and yogurt in  your crock pot.  Let it cook on low while you are at work, or goofing off for 8 hours while the rest of us hate on you.  Add your lime juice, and stir well before serving.  Add a dollop of yogurt (2 oz) to each 2 c. serving just before eating. So good!  A dash or two of Tobasco is great in it, too.

Yields 9.5 cups.  80 calories per cup.

Eric's dinner: nothing as nothing sounded good to him that we had in the house.