Goal 110

Orange-Pistachio Wild Rice Salad

I really like this salad!  I don't' make it very often though - I should.  It is a great pot luck dish because you can make it the night before.   It will easily last a few days in the fridge.  The only thing I don't like about the salad is the wild rice is expensive!

Cooking time: about 1 hour.  Prep time: 15 minutes (You also need to allow time for the rice to cool)  it's best if you make the rice ahead of time, then you have a tasty salad in about 15 minutes.)

Salad:

• 2/3 cup brown rice
• 2/3 cup wild rice
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 orange, peel and pith removed, segmented and sliced (about 2/3 cup)
• 10 large basil leaves, sliced into ribbons (about 1/3 cup)
• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• 3 tablespoons chopped pistachios, lightly toasted
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine brown rice, wild rice and chicken broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until all water is evaporated and rice is fully cooked, about 45 to 55 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.

When rice is cool, add orange slices, basil, red onion, pistachios and orange zest; mix to incorporate.

For the dressing:

Combine the red wine vinegar, olive oil, orange juice, mustard, honey and salt in a metal bowl and whisk to incorporate.

Pour over rice mixture and toss to incorporate.

Nutritional Facts
Makes 6 Servings
Calories	300
Total Fat	14 g
Saturated Fat	2 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	170 mg
Total Carbs	37 g
Fiber	3 G
Protein	8 g

Another GREAT Ellie Kreiger recipe!  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/orange-pistachio-wild-rice-salad-recipe/index.html   Have you got her cookbook yet??

Chickpea and Spinach Salad with Cumin Dressing and Yogurt Sauce

• 15 1/2 ounce(s) beans, garbanzo (chickpeas), preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed
• 2 Tbs parsley, flat-leaf, chopped, fresh
• 1/4 cup(s) onion(s), red, diced
• 2 Tbs oil, olive
• 2 Tbs lemon juice, fresh
• 1/4 tsp lemon zest, finely grated
• 3/4 tsp cumin, ground
• 1 pinch pepper, cayenne
• salt, to taste
• pepper, black, to taste
• 2 oz(s) spinach, baby, (2 cups lightly packed)
• 3 tbs yogurt, fat-free plain
• 1 tbs orange juice
• 1/4 tsp orange peel (zest), grated
• 1/4 tsp honey
• 1 tsp mint, fresh, coarsely chopped

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the chickpeas, parsley, and onion. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, cumin, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Pour the dressing over the chickpea mixture and toss to coat evenly. In another small bowl, stir together the yogurt, orange juice, orange zest, and honey. Serve the chickpeas salad over a bed of spinach leaves. Top with the yogurt sauce and mint.

Serving size: 1/2 cup chickpea salad, 1/2 cup spinach, and 1 tablespoon yogurt sauce

Nutritional Facts
Number of servings	4
Calories per serving	175
	% Daily Value
Total Fat	9 g
Saturated Fat	1 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	147 mg
Total Carbs	20 g
Fiber	5 g
Protein	6 g

Another great Ellie Krieger recipe! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/chickpea-and-spinach-salad-with-cumin-dressing-and-yogurt-sauce-recipe2/index.html

I did lots of updates to my blog today - added a recipe page and added lots of different categories to make it easier to navigate. Let me know what you think!

Day 25! Finally Got Some Smoked Salmon! It is delicious!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

 

Breakfast: Banana

Snack: Mixed nuts

Lunch: crab and baby spinach salad

Snack: walnuts and raisins

Crazy leftover dinner: Mango BBQ Chicken, Lima Beans and Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese

Marie came over and I had probably 5 glasses of wine

(That’s my guess.) I had fun!  I didn't go to bed until late, drank too much and STILL, I'm not tired.  There really is something to the no sugar thing!

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese ~ Pick Your Toppings!

This is an all occasion sort of dish – I’ve had it breakfast, snacks, side dish, dinner... you get the idea.  There are four basic ingredients and then you can add whatever after that! Oh and only 143 calories!!  (This leaves room for a glass of wine later!)

Base Ingredients:

• 1 piece of toast (I used Ezekiel Bread – great on rye or pumpernickel too!)
• 1 tablespoon of whipped cream cheese
• smoked salmon (enough to cover it – about 1 oz)
• fresh pepper

Things you can add:

• cucumber slices
• fresh dill
• red onions
• green onions
• tomatoes
• sesame seeds (Did U know they have calcium & iron in them!)
• chives
• hard boiled eggs
• fluffy scrambled eggs

You get the idea! Wait - let me clarify, I would add 3 maybe 4 items max – you don’t want it to get too weird.

Do you really need directions to put this together??? If you do, imagine an open face sandwich and go for it!

Nutrition info only include the base ingredients.

Nutritional Facts
Serving Size	1 slice
Calories	143
Total Fat	4.7 g
Saturated Fat	2 g
Cholesterol	16.5 mg
Sodium	692 mg
Total Carbs	15 g
Fiber	3.5 g
Protein	9.7 g

I put this recipe is on Sparkpeople.

Flourless Chocolate Torte with Cream Cheese Filling and White & Dark Chocolate Ganache - Oh 8 More Days....

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

2 Cups black coffee

Breakfast: Steel cut oats with toasted hazelnuts and figs (about 2 teaspoons of maple syrup)  

Snack: Banana & Nuts

Lunch:  Crab & Baby Spinach Salad with Lemon Shallot Dressing – YUM!

Snack:  Walnuts and raisins

Dinner: Chicken Chop Suey – (Sorry no pic – but we will have it again! It’s a regular meal around here.) I'll try to get the recipe up soon - we LOVE this stuff!

Snack: Red Pear

So last night I went to my parents house, opened the fridge and saw this:

 

I wanted a piece of that cake soooo bad! It is a Flourless Chocolate Torte with Cream Cheese Filling and White & Dark Chocolate Ganache.  Rumor has it that  4 sticks of butter and 8 eggs went into this bad boy.  And boy did I want some!  BUT I was s good kid and didn't eat any. 

It is moments like this that I don't know if this is a good thing or I'm just plain crazy.     You see, I really do feel better than ever! (I'm socked, I have to admit.) But realistically, I will be eating sugar again.  And one of my reasons is that picture above.  My best thought is to try to eat less sugar and maybe "save up" for special occasions like that cake.

 

Crab & Baby Spinach Salad with Lemon Shallot Dressing

Total time: 1 hour cooking  10 minutes prep  (1 hour can be done in advance)

The key to this salad is the make the rice and dressing ahead of time. They will will last for days in the fridge and you can use the rice in lots of things, not just this salad!

Lemon Shallot Dressing:  

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

The Salad

• 1 cup uncooked short-grain brown rice
• 2-3 cups chicken stock (you need however much your rice recipe call for. Mine is 2 1/2 cups to 1 cup of rice BUT read the directions.)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
•  zest of 2 lemons (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 8 cups fresh baby spinach
• 2 medium ripe avocados
• 12 ounces cooked crab meat
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I love it with this but if I don't have it the salad is still good!)

Directions

For the Vinaigrette:

I put everything in a small mason jar, screw on the lid and shake shake, shake. (Really difficult I know.)

The salad:

Combine rice, chicken stock and garlic.  bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low and let simmer until stock is absorbed.

In the meantime, plate the spinach, crab meat and avocado.  

After the rice is cook immediately add the frozen corn, stir the mixture, replace lid and let set of 3 minutes.

Add a scoop of the rice corn mixture to the top of the salad, sprinkle with cilantro, ad dressing and enjoy!

This recipe calls for fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.  If you don't have fresh lemons you can use regular refrigerated lemon juice and skip the zest.  I have done this before and it is still good but it is better with fresh lemons!

Nutritional Facts
Serving Size	¼ of recipe
Calories	516
Total Fat	31 g
Saturated Fat	4 g
Cholesterol	50 mg
Sodium	600 mg
Total Carbs	38 g
Fiber	9 g
Protein	26 g

 

 Also an excellent source of vitamin  A, B-12, B-6, E,  Copper,  Folate,  Iron, Magnesium, Maganese,  Niacin., Riboflavin, Phosphorus Selenium Thiamin and Zinc.

This recipe is on Spark People and Springpad!

23 Days With No Sugar! I'm Feeling Great!

I way behind! I’m so sorry – how do people blog every day?  So I haven’t blogged about what I am eating the 5 days!  So I’m doing an abridge version so I can catch up and hopefully stay on top of it.

I want to let everyone know that I have officially gone 23 days with no sugar and I feel great!  I have to admit I was a skeptic but I’m not any longer.   I never seem to get tired in the afternoon and I am actually sleeping LESS and waking up feeling more rested  WEIRD!  

With all that said, I am really looking forward to some sugar.  To say not eating sugar is inconvenient is an understatement.  It is near impossible to eat out and just as hard to eat at friends houses. 

Good things that have come out of this are (besides I just plain feel better):

• ·         I discovered dried plums again!  I used to eat them all the time when I was a kid.
• ·         I am reading even more labels (I thought that was impossible)
• ·         I learned to make homemade mayo and salsa!
• ·         I have learned to handle my sugar cravings constructively (A few raisins and I’m good to go.)

 

Ok so here is the summary of the good stuff I’ve been eating and some of the recipes I wanted to share with you.

Hot Chile Grilled Cheese and a fresh pear.  I made this for lunch one day.  Took me about 30 minutes  the first time BUT I had leftovers for 3 days!.  This sandwich is amazing!  Tons of fiber, protein and vitamin C.  This is a sandwich that will keep you going!  I should admit my dad had one and he thought it was “ok.”  It definitely has the “healthy” food taste.  The original recipe calls for sourdough bread which I think would be better.

Shrimp Ceviche! I could eat this stuff every day.  We ate it with tortilla chips, mmmmmm yum! It made a GREAT snack.  We even had friends over to play cards that night and pull this out as a snack.   You have to eat it within about 24 hours because the acid from the fruits really deteriorates and the veggies.

Curried Fish – This was the first time I made this dish and it was done in 20 minutes.  I’m assuming I could do it in 15 minutes next time. (The first time I make something it always takes longer) I really liked this but next time I think I’ll use a spicier curry.  (Yes, there are lots of different curries out there)  I played it safe and used a sweet curry.  It had a  kick but I could handle more.  I cooked some brown rice ahead of time so it would be ready when I needed it.  (Brown rice refrigerates great!)  I usually make rice with chicken or veggie stock instead of water to give it a little more flavor.

Mango BBQ Chicken – this is probably my favorite all time dish.  I made 2-3x the amount of sauce I need so I can  freeze it and use it later.  The chicken is always moist and had an amazing sweet spicy flavor. 

Last thing I am sharing tonight is my version of cleaning out the fridge!  I had a little less than one serving of brown rice left in the fridge.  So for lunch today I made fried rice (No, not the kind you get at the take out)  This is soooo easy and you can make it with just about anything!  I put a teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet, threw in garlic, ginger, edamame, zucchini and chopped jalapeno.  cook that for about 3-5 min, threw in the leftover rice, green onion, tofu, imitation crab and low sodium soy sauce.  Cook for another 3-5 minuted and ate!  Everything in my rice either came from leftovers in the freezer or the fridge.   It's my version of the leftover casserole my mom used to make. lol

Chicken with Mango Barbecue Sauce

My all time favorite healthy dish!  It takes a little planning because of the marinade but it's worth it! 

Prep Time: 8 mins

Cook Time: 22 mins

Total Time: 1 h 30 mins

• 2 tablespoon oil, olive
• 1 small onion(s), diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 medium pepper(s), red, bell, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
• 3 clove(s) garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pepper, black, freshly ground, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice, ground
• 1/3 cup(s) vinegar, red wine
• 3 tablespoon molasses
• 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoon lime juice, fresh
• 1/4 cup(s) tomato sauce, low sodium
• 1 medium mango(es), peeled, pitted, and diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 pepper(s), jalapeno, seeded and minced, can use 3 peppers if you prefer
• 8 chicken breast halves, skinless, boneless, pounded between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to 1/2-inch thickness
• cooking spray

Directions

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring a few times, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the bell peppers, garlic, salt, black pepper, and allspice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. Stir in the vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire, lime juice, and tomato sauce and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer the mixture into a bender and add the mango and jalapenos. Blend until smooth.

Put 2 cups of the barbecue sauce in a large sealable plastic bag with the chicken and marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Reserve the rest of the sauce for serving.

Prepare the grill or spray a grill pan with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the sauce, discarding the sauce in the bag. Cook the chicken just until cooked all the way through, about 4 minutes per side. Serve the chicken with reserved sauce on the side.

I always double the sauce recipe and freeze half of it so I'll have it ready the next time I want it!

Nutritional Facts
Number of servings	8
Calories	220
Total Fat	3 g
Saturated Fat	.7 g
Cholesterol	100 mg
Sodium	237 mg
Total Carbs	5 g
Fiber	.5 g
Protein	40 g

 

 Also an excellent source of vitamin C, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Selenium and Phosphorus

A good source of: Vitamin B12, Potassium, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Thiamin, Riboflavin, and Zinc

Another fabulous Ellie Krieger recipe!  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/chicken-with-mango-barbeque-sauce-recipe/index.html

Curried Fish

Total Time: 20 Minutes - Not including the brown rice I served it with (That took and hour but can be made ahead)

I think curry is one of those love it or leave it sort of things.  I love it and I don't get it very often so this was fabulous! 

Scientists are currently studying curry and finding it could have lots of possible health benefits like, reducing joint swelling, preventing Alzheimer,  and lower rates of breast, prostate and colon cancer!  So eat up!

• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced Scotch bonnet chile pepper (I couldn't find these so used serrano peppers)
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
• 1 14-ounce can “lite” coconut milk
• 2 pounds mahi-mahi fillets, skinned, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, chile pepper and thyme. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Stir in fish and scallions; cover and cook until the fish is just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in salt and serve immediately.

I served this witch brown rice and had lots of leftovers.  It re-heated great!  I did not use Mahi-Mahi, I used Cod - it was more than half the price!

Nutritional Facts
Serving Size	1 Cup
Calories	265
	% Daily Value
Total Fat	13 g
Saturated Fat	4 g
Cholesterol	110 mg
Sodium	541 mg
Fiber	2 g
Protein	30 g

From Eating Well Magazine: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/curried_fish.html