Deconstructed Salad Dressing

I have loved making some of the nut- and seed-based nutritarian dressings first inspired by the drfuhrman.com recipe collections and member posts, as well as Chef A.J.'s "Hail to the Kale" salad. My own versions of these dressings are available on this blog under the "salad ideas" tag. But in an effort to be more deliberate in my measurements of seeds and nuts, and to enjoy them fully, I have started "deconstructing" these dressings, including their components in their original form instead of blending them into a dressing.



Tonight, for example, I'm having a salad with a Middle Eastern spin:  dark lettuces, red onion, halved green grapes, diced cucumber, some pinto beans, one pressed garlic clove, the juice of a quarter of a lemon, a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, and some toasted pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds).

Yesterday I had a similar one with a California spin: dark lettuces, a few raisins, diced tomato, diced pepper, a mix of sprouted beans, one pressed garlic clove, a grating of fresh ginger, and toasted almond slivers.

The other day I did one with a Mexican spin: dark lettuces, Vidalia onion, diced tomato, diced green pepper, pinto beans, one mashed garlic clove, a dollop of salsa, and the juice of a quarter of a lime.  I saved the nuts for peanut butter on an apple on the side.

The key is to mix the "dressing" ingredients together with the beans and wet veggies (tomato) in the bottom of the bowl, then toss the leafy and hard veggie bits and fruits with this mixture and enjoy! I really like they way it helps me wean myself away from the idea of a dressing from a bottle or jar and to just enjoy the flavor that the fruits and vegetables give to the salad.

What are some other possibilities for this technique?

• Tropical/Jamaican:  tomato, hot red peppers, pineapple, green onions, black beans, coconut?
• Italian:  softened sun-dried tomato, fresh basil and rosemary from the garden, white beans, pine nuts and/or marinated olives
• . . .

Update June 20:  Today I'm having pinto beans, garlic, a squeeze of lime, a dash of blood orange vinegar, sweet cherries, toasted almond slices, lettuces, baby greens, onion, and yellow bell pepper. It's great!

Burrito/Tostada Bar

The other day I needed to make a hearty dinner for my hungry family, and I wanted it to be nutritarian-friendly but also mainstream for family members not on the boat with me. :-)  So I created a kind of burrito/tostada bar like this:

*

Burrito/Tostada Bar
(non-nutritarian items in parentheses)

(Ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning)
(Shredded cheese)
Black beans
Finely chopped mixture of dark lettuces, onion, tomato, and bell pepper
Greek yogurt (soy is fine) mixed with sliced garlic and fresh cilantro
Salsa
Corn tortillas (topped with reduced-fat cheese) and baked at 375 until crisp
Multi-grain flour tortillas

While I stood at the stove and heated the flour tortillas by sweeping them across the glass surface burner turned on high, family members assembled their own personal meals.  Mine was a corn tortilla with 1/2 oz. reduced-fat cheese used to dip up a mixture of the yogurt and salsa and beans as a dip, plus a warm tortilla with a single ounce of the meat mixture and a LOT of the veggies.  The versatility can keep everybody happy!

Of course you could use tempeh crumbles in place of the beef and Daiya in place of the cheese, though my own approach is to have very small amounts of traditional items instead of vegan items, and mostly to make the whole plant foods the major focus. You could make it even more festive with avocado and corn.

Verdict: Excellent!

* Not my burrito, but a cousin from Flickr.  Thanks, db0yd13!

My New Cookbook

Yesterday I had a lovely outing in a community about 25 miles away for supper and book-browsing with a group of lady friends. You see, we live in and on the outskirts of small towns and have to do without Target, Starbucks, interesting and healthy restaurants, and even Super WalMart!  So a trip to the exurb of Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania is quite a tame little adventure for us. And of course the company makes the outing--seven in an assortment of married, single, and widowed, with children ranging from toddlers to one about forty. Thanks, ladies!

We gathered at Aladdin's Eatery and had a wide range of things from hummus and falafel through soup and salads and lamb entrees to some take-home desserts (for those who were too stuffed to eat cake there).  I had V-9 soup, a clear-broth veggie soup in which we identified peas, celery, onion, pepper, yellow squash, tomato, parsley, and I've forgotten what else. I also got the almond salad--a bed of romaine, mostly, with mushrooms and cucumbers and some slivered toasted almonds, with a dressing of buttermilk, sour cream, almond paste, and sauteed almonds I just had to try. I had about half my dressing and brought the rest home to enjoy on something another day. It was very interesting, and creamy was good, but only in small doses for a nutritarian, don't you know!  I had a pita, two, which I wrapped up and brought home for a family member (whoever gets to it first). And since hubby was home alone for the evening, I brought him a little pastry I thought they called a baba, which is a sticky-sweet hard shell of phyllo-like dough around a filling of Turkish pistachios. I had a tiny fragment of this to taste, and it was very nice.

Anyway, when we got to Barnes and Noble, supposedly for coffee, though I skipped it after three mugs of herbal mint tea at Aladdin's, I headed back to the healthy/vegetarian cookbooks section and browsed through a few. I'm not into fake meat things like seitan and too much tofu, so some things didn't appeal at all because of heavy use of these ingredients. Others use a lot of syrups and other sweet things--nope, didn't want that, either. Nor too much of grains. I was not really wowed by the famous Veganomicon, but then I spied a winner: Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites.

I have loved the original Moosewood Cookbook since I think my sister gave it to me a decade or two ago, and, as a friend says, there's nothing bad in it--everything is delicious.

So I browsed through the Low-Fat Favorites book and saw some potential winners, though I was surprised at a fish section.  For Sunday dinner I'm going to make Fish Tagine with Chermoulla (this link is exactly the same recipe except  for the swordfish or halibut in the Internet recipe), white fish baked on top of a bed of carrots and onions, with a sauce of blended cilantro, garlic, ginger, cumin, lemon juice, chile, and tomato, then served on couscous, which I just happened to buy the other day.

Since we have a lot of peppers around, still, I think I'm going to try soon Middle Eastern Tofu-Stuffed Peppers, which include carrot, tomato, tofu, soy sauce, dill, lemon, couscous, and currants. Maybe I'll even skip the tofu. A Mexican stuffed pepper recipe uses corn and black beans. How about Garlicky Black-Eyed Peas 'N' Greens? To use some nice cauliflower in the fridge I might try Lentil Sambar, which includes some exotic spices like coriander (just harvested from our garden) and fenugreek (never used it--might look for a substitute).

I'm looking forward to this!

Ongoing Review : "Aggressive Weight Loss Plan (non-vegetarian)" Part Two

Go here for Part One.

The one-week plan is stretching out to about ten days for me, and I will not get to all the recipes, since the groceries I have on hand don't match and/or the remaining recipes don't look too great.  So I need to make a menu and a grocery list and start over today or tomorrow, and in the meantime I'm having a lot of leftover this and that.  What's great about the nutritarian recipes is that I know I can grab this or that and be confident that it's "on plan" for the most part. If it has a starch in it I'll skip it today, since I had oatmeal for breakfast. If it has nuts I'll consider how that fits with the other nut/seed things I have had for the day.  And after about nine days I've lost about seven pounds, so that's a nice aggressive start! :-)

I read somewhere recently that the new books (Eat for Health) have better recipes than the old one (Eat to Live).  But for those who are serious, ETL has the quick start and the more science-oriented discussions.  I really look forward to working through the recipes site at drfuhrman.com in the Member Center and getting great new ideas from others.

I'm definitely enjoying the leftovers, though I'm often "tired" enough of a recipe by the time I serve it that it doesn't appeal too much the first time around.

So, without further ado, here are my impressions of several more recipes from the "Aggressive Weight Loss Plan (non-vegetarian)" :

Excellent

• Roasted Mixed Vegetables (photo here, and it does look a lot like mine) (very tasty mix of cruciferous veggies and carrots and asparagus, with garlic, balsamic vinegar, and soy sauce roasted at 450 and finished at 350 to keep them from getting too dry -- and I added the asparagus late for just that reason. I even skipped the brown rice in the original recipe, because I was having butternut squash seasoned with pineapple tidbits and dates, plus a bit of plain potato with my Great Greens -- see below.)
• Tasty Hummus (went VERY simple on this one -- the recipe in the plan calls for the addition of soy sauce and horseradish, but no thanks -- mine is garbanzos, tahini [less than you might think], lemon juice, and garlic, and it is fabulous -- I'm craving it)

Pretty Good

• Great Greens (simple steamed mix of kale, chard, and spinach, dressed with garlic, wine vinegar or balsamic or similar, fresh dill, and basil)
• Rolled Eggplant or "Roulade" (eggplant slices marinated in balsamic vinegar and water, then rolled around a filling of red and green bell pepper., onion, garlic, tomato sauce and tomatoes, and herbs that have been simmered together for a while, with more of the sauce on top -- the whole thing baked for a while)
• Bean Enchiladas (I made this a layered casserole of corn tortillas with a simmered mixture of green pepper, onion, salsa verde [though the original called for regular salsa], black and white and pinto beans, frozen corn, cumin, and cilantro -- and I encouraged the family to melt cheese on top of theirs if they liked)

What I'm Not Making

• Chard and Vegetable Medley (onion, garlic, yellow squash, chard, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, balsamic vinegar -- just too much like the other stuff I've been eating, and I'm out of greens) 
• Cream of Asparagus Soup (steamed asparagus blended with soy milk [I'd use regular lowfat milk], soy sauce [or liquid aminos], raw cashews, cilantro for garnish, and -- really? -- four dates.  I may actually make this since I have the ingredients, but I'm not sure.)
• Dijon Pistachio Dressing/Dip (may try it later but just haven't needed it -- pistachios, lemon juice, ground flax, mustard, soy sauce, garlic, and a date)
• Lisa's Lovely Lentil Stew (just haven't gotten to it -- lentils, onion, basil, tomatoes, celery -- I'll probably be more adventurous)
• Russian Fig Dressing/Dip (blecch! pasta sauce, almond butter, sunflower seeds, fig vinegar)

Crock Pot Chuck Chili

I just have too much fun with titles, sometimes. Forgive me.  "Chuck" refers to method, not to meat. However, my version did have some leftover roast beef people didn't eat in their sandwiches earlier. I am convinced this would be perfectly wonderful without any of it, so I'm writing the "recipe" that way.  I just "chucked" things into the crock pot and let it bubble all afternoon. I made this a couple of days ago, so I hope I remember it well enough:

CROCK POT CHUCK CHILI

Into a large crock pot set on high, "chuck" the following:

2 large onions, chopped (ours are very strong, from the garden)
A dozen roughly-chopped roma tomatoes or smaller quantity of others
About 3 ribs of celery, chopped
Some leftover cooked-down tomato puree or paste (see previous entries) -- I think I had a cup or so
About 3 tablespoons chili seasoning (I had the last of a container of this to use up) or larger quantities of the following I also added
About 2 teaspoons each chili powder and cumin
About 1 teaspoon garlic powder (mellower flavor than fresh garlic)

Let this simmer for a few hours, and then in the last hour or two, add the following:

4-5 cloves garlic, chopped/smashed/minced
3 assorted fresh bell peppers, chopped (I used red and yellow)
2-3 16-oz. cans red kidney beans, mostly drained but not rinsed (One husband around here is only tolerant of kidney beans, so I kept the quantity smaller.)

Adjust seasonings and serve as is or over rice, or cook down further and use as a burrito filling. I provided for the family shredded taco cheese and a mixture of sour cream and yogurt to dollop on top, but these are certainly not necessary.

Verdict:  Excellent, and especially nice for a hardly-think-about it meal with lots of leftovers for later.  Of course you could do all sorts of additions--corn, black beans, fresh cilantro (Would you believe I was too lazy/tired to get any cilantro from the garden? But if I told you what I do all week, you'd understand.)

Amazing Eggplant Enchiladas

I just served Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas with Mole Sauce via Ali, the Vegan Epicurean.  Although I was forced to use ricotta instead of tofu for my family :-) , I followed the recipe pretty closely otherwise.  Hubby's verdict?  "Those are great!  That one's a winner!"  He will tell you that he likes vegetarian things when they're done right, which of course I try to do!  Still, they make fun of me if I do tofu for much of anything, unless I don't tell them. :-)  I doubled the recipe for five of us (including three men, essentially, since the 12yo is growing like a weed) and have about 40% of it left for another day. Yay!

Small details: I used some of the homegrown tomatoes that I'd cooked way down in recent weeks, so I didn't have to cook the sauce as long, and since I had no sesame seeds nor pumpkin seeds, I used some sunflower seeds and a bit of tahini for the sauce. My garnish was simply chopped tomatoes, and mostly just for me.  (I caught two of the guys melting some cheddar cheese on top of their second servings.) I think the idea of cooking the enchiladas on top of sliced fresh tomatoes is brilliant--thanks, Ali!

Vroom Vroom Vitamix!

I guess I've entered the ranks of the crazy folks -- I bought a Vitamix! I didn't get exactly the one in this ad, but similar, and I paid less (remanufactured) at the Vitamix site.  For $400 I was expecting a lot, so I couldn't help but be a bit concerned at the plastic container, after the nice glass one on my Oster Fusion (RIP). But I've decided to give it a chance and so far I'm getting more optimistic.

SALSA MEXICANO

In the instruction booklet they advise that you start with their recipes and branch out after that.  So I made their version of salsa, which consists of only tomatoes, a bit of tomato paste I omitted, cilantro, jalapenos, and some salt.  It was okay for what it was, but the machine didn't process the slightly leathery peppers I dropped in without getting to the point of liquefying the tomatoes, so I just picked out the big hunks of pepper afterwards.  I then used the chopping feature to do some onion and garlic since we like that in our salsa, then I did another batch (2 cups) of their recipe. Mixed all together, it's very nice.


SMOOTHIE

This morning I tried my first smoothie, with a frozen banana, about 1/3 cup frozen peaches from a local farm (our trees didn't bear this year), an orange, and about one medium windfall apple (Gala type) from down the road. I added a bit of water to get the right consistency, and then I added flax seed meal to my glass afteward. That was nice, too, and I saved about a third of it as a smoothie starter for another time. This was not their recipe, but quantities as in the Vitamix booklet recommendation.

After following the instructions for cleaning the container with warm water and a couple of drops of dish liquid, then running it on high for 30 seconds, I could still detect some apple residue (I'm guessing) on the sides of the container, so I'm a little concerned about getting it really clean between uses.

PESTO SAUCE
(My reduced-fat variation)

1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup parmesan, grated
3 cloves garlic
2-3 cups packed fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons toasted walnuts

We have a big crop of basil and I was looking forward to making some pesto once I had some kind of workable machine in the house. (My wedding-gift Sunbeam food processor has only the shredding/slicing attachments functional now, so it's limited, and the Oster Fusion blender died, so I was READY for a Vitamix!)  Of course I discovered that I didn't have any pine nuts left, but I did have walnuts, and they work just fine.  I reduced the oil and parmesan in the Vitamix booklet recipe by 30% or so and increased the basil, and the result was EXCELLENT, with no need for the salt and pepper in the recipe.  The texture is very smooth, which is fine with me, and the flavor is nicely balanced.  Now, to increase the nutritional value, I want to cut back even more severely on the oil and cheese and see how little I can get away with.  I have in the past frozen a basil puree that I use as I would pesto in some applications. 

I saved about a quart (four batches) of the Vitamix (but reduced-fat) pesto in four snack-size Ziploc bags in a quart-size Ziploc bag in the freezer. I hope to use it in those quantities or even clip the corner of the bag and squeeze out what I need--I expect that's going to be messy.  I even saved a little in the fridge so we can use it in the next few days.

I was concerned that I couldn't get all the pesto out of the container beneath the blades, and the Vitamix people want me to remove the blade assembly only if absolutely necessary (and they'll then sell me a tool to do it with). To be fair, since I used less oil I created a bit more of a problem for myself. But I solved it in part by adding water to the container at the end and swishing it around by hand, then dumping it into a bean/pasta soup I was making for my lunch. It was perfect!  After the soapy cleaning routine I thought I could feel a bit of oil residue, so I'm not crazy about that.

This afternoon I need to start processing some other produce--mostly tomatoes and green beans. I'll report back if I decide to use my Vitamix for any of it. :-)  I also had fun browsing through the 3-ring recipe book they included--some good things in there!

Nutritarianizing Supper: Burrito Burgers and Tropical Smoothie Fizz

I've been trying to eat more in the nutritarian way the last few days, and though I've not been as purist with it as I should, overall it does make me feel better even done modestly!

Today I had leftover steel-cut oatmeal with pears and apples mixed with some other steel-cut oatmeal I made another day with apples and sour cherries I preserved last summer in a bit of light syrup. I put leftover toasted pecans and a few cashews on top.

For lunch I had "beans and greens" at an Italian restaurant--a bowl of spinach (pretty sure about that) and white beans and chicken stock that didn't seem to be very fatty. I also had a couple of ounces of hubby's stromboli.

For supper I needed something quick for the family, and I had some Costco sirloin burgers, so I cooked them in the oven with some taco seasoning sprinkled on top. For the regular servings I made a "Burrito Burger" for each person, centering the cooked patty on a flour tortilla, topping the patty with a slice of good cheddar and then folded over the tortilla so just a bit of cheese peeked through the hole in the middle. I then flipped the package into a hot, dry skillet, open side down, and toasted it until I heard the cheese melt enough to sizzle, then I flipped it over and toasted the other side. I slid each of these onto a plate and people could dress them as they liked with the side items.

I modified mine as follows, and this recipe could easily be adapted to a veggie burger:

BURRITO BURGER

1/3 cup refried beans, heated
Hamburger patty, cooked and sliced crosswise into a thin patty
OR whole veggie burger, cooked
Whole wheat flour tortilla large enough to wrap around the sides of the patty and meet in the middle (or almost)
One third slice of cheddar cheese (or weird veggie "cheez" if you must)

Preheat a dry skillet. Spread the refried beans in the center of the tortilla, topping them with the burger and then the slice of cheese, then wrap the edges of the tortilla around to meet in the middle. Holding the package carefully, place it open side down in the hot skillet and toast until desired brownness, then flip and toast the other side. Transfer the package to a plate and surround with "fixings."

Verdict: Very Good. No, I should say Excellent since my 12yo said this new experiment (his was the full-burger version without beans, plus a full slice of cheese) should win the Nobel Prize of cooking. Well! :-) I topped my package with salsa and then built a salad to the side of shredded romaine, purple onion, chopped tomato, and a few dollops of guacamole. It was very satisfying to cut into the toasty package to get a bite followed by a bite of the salad.

On the side we had . . .

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE FIZZ

One frozen banana
One cup frozen strawberries (home grown from last year!)
One cup fresh pineapple and a bit of the juice from the container (Costco special)
Juice and flesh of one lime
Can of diet 7-Up or, for purists, perhaps some club soda?

Combine fruits and juice in the blender with water as needed, then pour enough into glasses to leave room to add the soda to the remainder, then top each glass with the soda/smoothie mixture. For adults, add a splash of Cointreau. :-)

This is a beautiful blush color and retains a fizzy top until each serving is gone. It makes enough for four LARGE servings or six medium ones.

Verdict: Very Good. It's a biting recipe, not terribly sweet (except for the addition of the soda), but celebratory and refreshing, which is what I was going for on a Saturday night with salsa in the main dish.

I'm Back

I'm heading off to bed with a compelling book, but first I want to get back into the groove here:

TODAY'S MENU

Breakfast--Smoothie of frozen banana, small cara-cara orange, 3/4-1 cup frozen blueberries, handful of fresh spinach, tablespoon or so of flax seed meal, and water to blend

Lunch--Dry-sauteed large zucchini, half an onion, clove of garlic, and several mushrooms, with a half cup or so of garbanzo beans, several garlic-stuffed olives, and 1/3 cup or so pasta sauce; golden apple with peanut butter

Snack--Small handful (ounce or so?) roasted almonds

Supper--Half grapefruit (in chunks before supper); iceberg lettuce (all we've got!) topped with refried beans, sauteed green peppers and onion (picked out of the fajita mix I made for everyone with beef), a stray sliver of beef here and there, raw onion and pepper and tomato, mix of guacamole and plain yogurt for dressing, topped with some salsa, and a single corn taco shell on the side

Snack/Dessert (because I'm hungry at almost 11 p.m.)--130 calories or so of roasted edamame and another apple (I need to do some grocery shopping soon)

Cooking Saturday

We have a dinner at church tomorrow, and I was asked to bring a crock pot of chili, so I asked if I could do a vegetarian version. To save time and effort, I also made a vegetable-beef soup at the same time, so all my vegetable chopping and seasoning could go both ways. The soup is seasoned with garlic, onion, worcestershire, bay leaf, and chili powder, with stew beef and tomato juice for the base--I will add frozen mixed vegetables and additional water the day we eat it, but the "guts" are ready to freeze. The chili is below.

VEGETARIAN CHILI
(All measurements are approximate--I can't be absolutely sure of the number of cans of tomatoes, for example.)

Tablespoon of oil
2 green peppers, chopped
1 very large onion, chopped
Three cloves of garlic, sliced
Two to three ribs of celery, chopped
Two large cans chopped tomatoes (might be three)
2-3 tablespoons McCormick chili seasoning
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
Additional garlic powder and dehydrated onion to taste
Chopped hot peppers to taste--my homegrown "Anaheims" are too hot for the name, so I put in a handful and then tasted the chili and quickly removed most of the pieces of those peppers!
Spoonful of sugar and dash of salt if needed to correct seasoning
Two large cans kidney beans, drained (I used one dark and one light)

Saute the onion, peppers, celery, and garlic until soft, then add tomatoes and seasonings and cook down for an hour or so. Check seasoning, add beans, reheat, and taste again. Refrigerate overnight and reheat for best flavor.

Verdict--Excellent. I had a cup soon after it was all put together, and it's got a nice hotter-than-medium kick to it. It's a little on the "tomato-ey" side, but I'll taste it again tomorrow before serving to be sure that's still the case.

TODAY'S MENU

Breakfast--Leftover apple/raisin oatmeal with toasted almond slices (burned two batches and barely salvaged the third--shame on me!)

Lunch--Amy's Black Bean Enchiladas (yes, I ate both of the ones in the package, for a total of 6g fiber and 100 calories of fat out of 360 calories total) over a salad of spring mix and romaine; larger half of a giant Harry and David pear; sliver of ciabatta sub and of banana coffee cake, about three potato chips, and three chocolate-covered cashews

Snack--Cup of VEGETARIAN CHILI

Supper--Chicken drumstick (baked in the oven with a soy/ginger/honey marinade); 2/3 cup of Lundberg Jubilee Gourmet Blend of Whole Grain Brown Rice cooked in my rice cooker with chicken broth (canned), adding near the end canned sliced mushrooms and a dash of sherry--this was EXCELLENT!; green beans steamed over the rice near the end of cooking time

Snack/Dessert--Will probably have something because we had supper early, but we'll see.

The Never-Ending Smoothie

This morning I used the last third of the GRAPEFRUIT-BERRY SMOOTHIE I made the other day, but it wasn't going to be enough for my breakfast, so I added a navel orange and more flax seed meal. Too tart and "weak" (navel orange wasn't the best quality). So I thought to add a few frozen blueberries and accidentally tipped too many into the blender. But I blended away and wound up with too much for today's breakfast. So I wonder how many incarnations this smoothie will have before I'm done with it! What should today's be called? Maybe 2X2 SMOOTHIE, having two citruses and two kinds of berries. But that doesn't account for the flax, spinach, and banana in there, too. Whatever.

MOTLEY CHILI SOUP

I started with a desire to make white bean chili, but I didn't have enough flavorful ingredients to make it work, and then it ended up thinner than I intended and we didn't have time to let it cook down sufficiently. So here's what I did, one step at a time.

tablespoon canola oil
small onion, chopped
half a green pepper, chopped
three cloves garlic, sliced
about three or four cups cooked navy beans with a bit of liquid
half a large can diced tomatoes
two teaspoons cumin
quarter cup sliced home-canned jalapenos (briny, not too vinegary)
two tablespoons chicken soup base
two tablespoons chili seasoning
water as needed (probably a pint to a quart)
small bag frozen corn
can chili beans with their liquid

Sautee the chopped veggies in the oil and then add the other ingredients, letting water come to a boil before adding the corn, then the chili beans. Adjust seasoning.

Verdict--Very Good for just thrown together at 9pm. I put a pinch of shredded cheese on top of mine and had a toasted corn taco shell (45 calories?) with it.

TODAY'S MENU

Breakfast--Smoothie described above, handful of nuts and raisins

Sunday Dinner--Pink lady apple, 2 oz. lean pork chop with cranberry sauce, leftover Indian rice and lentils from last night, cup of cauliflower (seared, steamed, and dressed with a bit of tomato relish), huge salad of dark greens and other veggies with low-cal balsamic dressing and a touch of ranch, square of chili-cherry dark chocolate. :-)

Snack--I succumbed to a number of emotional pressures this afternoon and had probably a third cup of chocolate chips and pecans, then about four bites of a chocolate chip cake my daughter made. Sigh.

Supper--Navel orange, MOTLEY CHILI SOUP, pinch of shredded cheddar, toasted corn taco shell (45 calories?)

Progress Report, and Very Monday

Some leftovers are definitely better than in their original. My MINESTRONE SOUP tasted much better to me Sunday evening than it did Saturday, when I made it. And today I found the ENCHILADA CASSEROLE I made last week, when I didn't enjoy it, and it's really good for lunch. That's a nice surprise.

TODAY'S MENU

Breakfast--The last of the AMBROSIA (waah!) with flax seed meal

Lunch--Harry and David pear (I get these at a good discount at the outlet mall), leftover ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

Snacks--Four leftover BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH LEMON (I like these better the next day, too.), apple, half ounce of roasted peanuts

Supper--Tough to report: I made Crockpot Thai Chicken for the family (using boneless, skinless chicken breasts) and a Teriyaki veggies and noodles frozen thing, with sauce, but augmented with about a third of a head of sauteed cabbage and half a red onion. On my plate I put nearly a cup of baked spaghetti squash, and over that some of the veggie/noodle thing, and over that a couple of ounces of the Thai chicken and sauce. I had a half ounce of peanuts on the side. Sometimes it's just a tired evening and too much trouble to be persnickety. And then I am having those two bites of Toll House pie.

PROGRESS REPORT

FOUR pounds down this week (after one pound up last week) for a total of fifteen pounds down in seven weeks. I'll take it!

The Day After . . . Comfort Food

For lunch I made a nutritarian version of comfort food: instead of a big bowl of mashed potatoes with all the rich trimmings, I had a half a cup of them (and the recipe modified--see yesterday's post) tossed with two whole cups of steamed broccoli. All the warmth, the creaminess, and health to boot--that's real comfort food!

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

large can red enchilada sauce
9 small corn tortillas
2/3 can refried beans
1/3 cup kidney beans
small can Mexican corn, drained
small onion, half shredded or finely chopped, the other half in rings
1/4 red bell pepper, shredded or finely chopped
Optional: salsa and chopped tomato and pepper and onion to garnish

Pour enough enchilada sauce into a 9x13 glass dish to cover the bottom. Spread each tortilla with refried beans and then add kidney beans, corn, onion, and pepper. Fold up the sides of each tortilla and put open side down into the dish, over the sauce. Mine fit better at a slight angle. Cover with remaining sauce and onion rings and bake at 350 for about 30-45 minutes, until bubbly.

Verdict: Good. I'm not a big fan of red enchilada sauce, but I needed a quickie casserole to use up leftovers (thus the odd amounts of beans). I put too much salsa on mine, too, so it was hotter than I would have liked. It would be nice to refine this recipe in the future, maybe with green enchilada sauce (what I intended to buy) and other fillings.


TODAY'S MENU

Breakfast--Banana eaten in part at 3 a.m. and in part at 8 a.m. for the purpose of taking ibuprofen; AMBROSIA with flax seed meal

Lunch--2 cups steamed broccoli with 1/2 cup (maybe a bit more) of mashed potatoes left over from Thanksgiving, a snipped scallion added for bite

Snack--Apple

Supper--ENCHILADA CASSEROLE (I had two tortillas, about 90 calories, with the fillings and sauce), green beans (frozen from our garden)

Snack--Clementine, pear

Simple Sunday

TODAY'S MENU

Breakfast--Smoothie of pear, banana, tangerine, spinach, flax seed meal, and water and ice to blend

Snack--1/2-3/4 cup leftover WHITE BEAN CHICKEN CHILI

Lunch--Green beans cooked with about 1/2 a smallish red potato, 1-2 oz. bbq rib meat (lean), 1/3 cup leftover cole slaw (vinegar-type dressing), 1/2 cup fruit salad (canned peach, apple, banana, canned pineapple), about one bite chocolate chip pound cake

Supper--Red leaf and romaine salad topped with 1/3 cup kidney beans, 1/4 cup leftover red chili with beef, chopped bell pepper, tomato, and onion, and salsa (too much--hot!); 1-1/2 corn taco shells (75 calories); orange; 1/2 oz. roasted cashews

Chili for Company

Today we have guests for supper, so I made two pots of chili, beginning with dry beans. One is a white chili, below, and the other is a traditional beef and red bean chili with lots of tomato and celery and peppers and chili seasoning.

WHITE BEAN CHICKEN CHILI

2 quarts chicken broth/stock
3 chicken thighs, skin removed
1 small bag dry navy beans
2 anaheim chili peppers, sliced into rounds, seeds removed
1 small onion, chopped
1-2 large cloves garlic, sliced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon coriander (mine is home-grown and home-ground)
2 teaspoons cumin
bouillon or salt to taste

Cook beans as directed on package, drain from soaking liquid but keep cooking liquid. Prepare chicken broth/stock ahead and cook chicken thighs in it. Combine beans and their liquid with stock and chicken, and then add chopped vegetables and seasonings and simmer until nicely done. Better the next day. This was a little runnier than I would like.

Verdict--Excellent. This seems like more a white bean and chicken soup than a "chili," but I enjoyed it. There is more chicken in it than I would normally make for myself, but we had company. Probably won't have any animal products tomorrow to be sure the three ounces or so here doesn't become a habit.

TODAY'S MENU

Breakfast--Smoothie of frozen honeydew and blackberries, fresh pineapple and a bit of its juice, two handsful of fresh spinach, flax seed meal, and water to blend.

Lunch--Tasty Bite Multigrain Pilaf (see yesterday's post--same amount today) with shredded carrot, chopped red and green bell pepper, green onion, and lite raspberry vinaigrette dressing; later a pear and a small cup of raisins, cashews, and dried apricots

Snack--Apple

Supper--WHITE BEAN CHICKEN CHILI with tomatoes, onions, and salsa for toppings; orange, carrots; very small slice chocolate chip pound cake with decaf coffee

Satiety Trumps Reward

Definitely. The genius behind nutritarian eating is the double-benefit of eating high-nutrient-low-calorie foods--the nutrients satisfy the body's nutrient needs more fully than do low-nutrient foods, and the quantity of nutrient-dense food it takes to get enough calories more than meets the body's need for a sense of fullness and satisfaction. Click on the title of this post to see a scientific study that proves this not even from subjects' eating experience but just on their thoughts about pictures of foods and how much they'd fill them up. Think how much more they could recognize the principle if they were actually eating in a nutritarian approach!

The recipe below is my nutrient-intensive version of what I made for my family tonight. I plan to enjoy the slaw leftovers in the days to come, as well.

BARELY-FISH SOFT TACO

Slaw (makes about eight cups)
Six cups shredded cabbage
1-1/2 cups shredded carrot
1/2 chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons rice vinegar (unseasoned, though seasoned would be fine if you left out the sugar)
1 teaspoon sugar
1-2 tablespoons cucumber dressing (mine has 60 calories per 2 tablespoons, 50 from fat)

2 ounces cooked frozen breaded cod fillet (mine is about 80 calories, 25 from fat)
1 South Beach Living whole grain wrap (110 calories, 8g fiber)

Combine slaw ingredients and let stand for an hour or two, then warm the wrap (I like to pass it over my stove burner, back and forth, until it starts to brown a bit) and fill with a good cup of the slaw and the fish fillet, broken into little pieces.

Verdict--Excellent! I really enjoyed this, a healthy variation that inspires me for how to deal with some restaurant items. By the way, I've never had a fish taco before! :-)

TODAY'S MENU

Breakfast--Smoothie of elderberries, banana, peach (I freeze dud peaches in the summertime if they're too mealy to eat out-of-hand, as long as the flavor is decent.), orange, blueberries, and flax seed meal. This was sweeter than my usual smoothie--nice deep berry flavor, too.

Snack--Pear, about 1/2 ounce roasted edamame

Lunch--Leftover EGGPLANT ALMOST-PARMESAN (two slices) with CHUNKY PASTA SAUCE and no pasta, leftover QUINOA-MUSHROOM SOUP

Supper--BARELY-FISH SOFT TACO; one corn taco shell toasted and divided and one part spread with refried beans and salsa, the other with black beans and dried onion, both topped with diced tomato; honeydew and blackberries .

Though this supper felt really filling and perhaps "dangerous" to me, I realize the soft taco had no more than 250 calories, the other crunchy stuff under 200. And I'm really full! (However, about three hours later I was hungry, even a little dizzy, so I had . . . )

Snack--Golden delicious apple and <1 ounce roasted cashews

Hungry Morning

OATMEAL WITH APPLE AND PECANS*

1/3 cup (dry) steel-cut oats (pellet-type grains, not flakes like regular oatmeal, which should cook less time)
1 cup water
1 apple, chopped finely or coarsely
a dozen pecan halves, toasted
dash of salt
sprinkling of cardamom

*This is just today's version--there are many variations, including with regular oats, or quick, if you like those (I don't)

Put oats and water together in a saucepan and bring to a boil, turning down to a simmer, then adding chopped apple according to how "done" you like it. Add salt and cardamom. Toast the pecan halves on a foil-lined tray in the toaster oven, on lightest setting, then stir and toast them again. (Or do it in a dry skillet if you prefer.) Break up the nuts with your fingers as you scatter them across the top of the oatmeal.

Verdict--Excellent. I really wanted this this morning, after a light day yesterday.

SKINNY SPINACH OMELETTE

1/4 onion, chopped
clove garlic
small handful fresh spinach
1 egg and 2 egg whites
Creole seasoning
1/2 teaspoon parmesan cheese

Dry-saute onion and garlic in skillet until slightly browned, then add spinach and cook until wilted. Beat egg and whites with a fork and a teaspoon or two of water, mix in seasoning, and add to skillet. Either scramble eggs or let set into omelette form, sprinkling on parmesan at the end.

TODAY'S MENU

Breakfast--OATMEAL WITH APPLE AND PECANS

Lunch-- Compadres Restaurant--Mexican Salad (lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onion, avocado, and lime, and I added salsa for more "dressing," as well as a couple of bites of Glenn's burrito, mostly beans), a dozen chips or so, and salsa

Early Supper--<1/2 can Progresso Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup with 2/3 cup light red kidney beans, 1/6 giant honeydew melon with half an orange squeezed over it

Later Supper--SKINNY SPINACH OMELETTE, leftover salad from previous day with low-cal Italian dressing (1 tablespoon = 13 calories, 10 from fat)

NUTRITION DATA

From Fitday.com, an analysis of the day comes up with about 1400 calories, 53g fat (9g saturated)--this is more than usual, from the chips and avocado at lunch, 53g protein, 200g carbohydrate (44g fiber).

Purple, Confetti, and 'Shrooms

DEEP PURPLE GREEN SMOOTHIE

1/2 cup frozen homegrown blackberries
1/4 cup frozen homegrown sour cherries
1/3 frozen banana
A dozen or so frozen strawberries
A tablespoon or so flax seed meal
Smallish handful fresh spinach
Water to blend

Blend all together. I added a teaspoon or two of sugar because it was quite tart. Another banana would have fixed that. Half of this is a tall glass.

Verdict--Very Good. I love using our homegrown stuff!

MEXICAN CONFETTI SALAD

One whole romaine heart, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cucumber, chopped
1/2 can black beans, drained
1/4-1/3 can corn
Tablespoon dehydrated onion
1/4 cup or more salsa
Tablespoon guacamole
Tablespoon-plus plain yogurt

Combine chopped vegetables in a large bowl, and heat beans, corn, onion, and salsa together to put on top. Garnish with a "dressing" of the combined guacamole and yogurt. I "guesstimate" this whole salad is about 400 calories. Note: I recently purchased single servings of salsa and guacamole in a combo pack at Costco. This makes them very convenient to use for a take-along salad of these ingredients!

Verdict--Excellent, and a very filling lunch. The sweetness and "bite" of the corn work nicely in the combination. It would be great with diced tomato and perhaps raw onion, but I just didn't make it that way. :-) By the way, I've taken to making my salads in the serving bowl that goes with my everyday dishes--a regular bowl just won't hold it all!

QUINOA MUSHROOM SOUP

Tablespoon olive oil
2 sliced medium onions
2-3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup quinoa
1 pint beef stock or broth
1 quart water (these two ingredients in appropriate proportions for flavor)
1 pound portabella mushrooms, sliced
Tablespoon or so dry sherry
Seasoning as needed

Saute the onion and garlic in oil until browned and softened, then add quinoa and brown slightly. Add broth and water and bring to a boil, adding mushrooms and then simmering until quinoa grains burst and release their curly threads and mushrooms are tender.

Verdict--Good. I have never cooked with quinoa before, and I started it before I added the mushrooms and overcooked the quinoa. The recipe above reflects the adjustment that should be made. The nutritional value of it is good because of the higher protein content than with grains (it's actually a seed), but I'm not sure what I think. I'll try something else with it soon. I think this soup would be very nice with barley, too, or even brown rice.

TODAY'S MENU

Breakfast--DEEP PURPLE GREEN SMOOTHIE (half the recipe)

Lunch--MEXICAN CONFETTI SALAD

Snack--Adorable little cookie tart Betsy created for me from ground raw almonds and oats, a dab of cream cheese and butter to hold it together, egg white, a dash of Cointreau, and frozen peaches from our trees. She wanted to experiment with Nutritarian-type ingredients, and the firm-but-crisp little wafers were wonderful, especially with the juicy peaches on top. Two small ones totaled probably about 125 calories at most. I felt pampered. :-)

Supper--QUINOA MUSHROOM SOUP (about a cup, representing about 100 calories of quinoa); 1/2 cup butternut squash with a tablespoon of raisins and cinnamon and ginger; green beans; large pear

Sunday Chili, Pesto Skillet

Today I made crock pot chili for lunch for after church. As with most crock pot (slow cooker) recipes, it's very flexible, including in the timing, but I'm just reporting what I did.

CROCK POT CHILI

1 lb lean stew beef in chunks
2 large cans diced tomatoes (with their juice)
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium-hot anaheim peppers
3 ribs celery
1/4 cup McCormick chili seasoning
1 teaspoon cumin
2 cans kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
salt to taste

Start beef and tomatoes with juice on high in the crock pot. After two hours, add chopped veggies and spices, and after a half hour more, turn pot down to low. After three hours, turn to high again and add beans, drained or undrained, as desired.

My family ate this over rice, as we like to do, and I had it over shredded romaine and spring mix salad, with chopped bell peppers and onion and tomato as a garnish. I picked out the beef chunks and left them for others. :-)

Verdict--Very Good. Ours, with the liquid from the pintos but not from the other beans, was a bit on the watery side, but it will probably be fabulous as leftovers.

PESTO SKILLET

1 zucchini, sliced into finger-size pieces
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup sliced onion
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 lb bag frozen Italian vegetables (my mix has broccoli, cauliflower, Italian beans, lima beans, and carrots)
1 tablespoon homemade pesto (heavy on basil, light on oil)

In a heavy iron skillet, heat olive oil and then add zucchini, garlic, and onion and saute until browned on the edges, then add bag of frozen vegetables and stir frequently over medium heat until tender. Stir in pesto.

Verdict--Good. The carrots in this mix, as well as the fresh zucchini, really appeal to me today. About half of it is a good supper serving and about 200 calories.

TODAY'S MENU

Breakfast--Banana spread with peanut butter and sprinkled with flax seed meal

Sunday Dinner--CROCK POT CHILI over shredded romaine and spring mix salad, with chopped bell peppers, onion, and tomato as garnishes (I added a couple of teaspoons of a yogurt-sour cream topping just because); honeydew melon.

Snack at a Party--small handful salted almonds, apple I brought along to eat in the car before church (I passed up nice bakery cake, tortilla chips, and a kind of open-faced banket!)

Supper--PESTO SKILLET, pink grapefruit, one bite of potato-crusted cod the rest were eating