February 2008

WINTER

Whole baked Red Snapper with lemon and capers. This whole fish was bought at an Asian market. The fish monger will clean and cut the fish to your specifications. When choosing a fresh fish, I look for clear eyes and red under gills.



The red snapper was baked whole and then filleted just before serving. Simply cooked potatoes, tomatoes, and bok choy don't compete with the mild flavor fish. A dash of EVU on the veggies was all that was needed.


Shrimp and Scallops En Papillote with boiled fingerling potatoes and spinach. This dish is super easy and delicious. It was inspired by a great seafood dive in Atlanta, Six Feet Under, Approximately 30 minutes for prep and cooking. **







Oven Roasted Chicken with chestnuts and yams. Fresh chestnuts are very hard to peel but they are worth the effort. I made a slit on the back of the chestnut and baked in the oven for 30 minutes. When cool enough to touch, they were easier to peel.














Baked Flounder Fillet with mustard and bread crumbs. This quick dish made good use of frozen fillets and readily available ingredients. It's accompanied by a sauteed Buttered Leeks. Approximately 30 minutes.




An oval vegetarian meal, Hard Boiled Egg Appetizer with picked onion and salsa. For the main course, Red Curry Tofu with Rice and Beans.





Grilled Whole Chicken Breast with herb boiled potatoes and baked cabbage. The pomegranate seeds add interest and discussion to the meal. Pomegranate seeds have great antioxidant properties. However, the rind is poisonous if consumed in great quantity and was one time used to rid parasites from human intestinal tracks.

January 2008

WINTER

January 1, 2008. Happy New Year!To keep up with the age old Southern tradition on New Year Day, Salmon Croquettes with black eyed peas and collard greens. The croquettes are made from diced fresh salmon to avoid the excess salt from the canned product. They are deep fried and then topped with creme fraiche at serving. The cava adds happy bubbles to the once a year occasional treat.



Parmesan Talapia with steamed cactus pear. The talapia is baked in the oven with a coating of bread crumbs then topped with Parmesan shavings just before serving. It's extremely low carb and high in fiber. The prep and cooking time is less than 30 minutes.







Salmon "Salade Nicoise" with Vietnamese pork Pate on whole wheat toast.















An almost vegetarian meal, Vietnamese Spring Rolls and Lemon Grass Tofu with brown rice and bean.

These salad rolls are made in minutes. I always keep some rice paper in the pantry for these little treats. The rice paper is first dipped in water then rolled with any salad greens. You may want to add a little shredded ham and/or cooked shrimp for extra flavor, in my case, some store-bough shredded bi at a Vietnamese snack shop on Buford Highway. The dipping sauce is nuoc cham, a quintessential condiment in Viet cooking. This is a cheater's version: fish sauce, sugar, white vinegar, and chili garlic paste. If you are ambitious and want more information about Vietnamese Recipes and the Cooking of Vietnam , this site offers the real version of nuoc cham and more.

Ribollita, a Tuscan soup made with left over vegetables and bread. The common bread sold at bakeries in Florence is never salted. These day-old breads are then re-used in many other dishes. Add Parmesan cheese and some EVU before serving to heighten the flavors. Approximately 20 minutes.

Whole Wheat Penne with Roast Chicken and Broccoli. The chicken was previously roasted and added to the cooked penne. Be sure to save some of the pasta cooking liquid to "thicken up the sauce" when all major ingredients are added together at the last few cooking minutes. This is a hearty meal when you are crunched for time after a crummy, long day. To save time, the broccoli can be cooked with the dry pasta for only a couple minutes. Top with roasted walnuts.
Approximately 20 minutes.



Roasted Pork Loin with bok choy, caramelized apples and boiled purple potato. A pre-packaged Bechamel Sauce was used here; it did not add any value. In fact, it was rather sad. As a sauce, a splash of calvados to de-glaze the roasting pan then finishing with a little
butter would have been an improvement.
The combination of roast pork and apple brought memories of my cousin's wedding on an apple farm in Bretagne, France. The Lirac was irresistible. Approximately one hour, the time to roast the pork. All veggies are cooked in the oven at the same time.





Fine Herbs Omelet with Blue Corn Chips, it goes well with an Apple, Walnuts, & Blue Cheese Salad.











Pan Seared Salmon with julienned Carrot Salad and Stir Fried Bok Choy. The shredded carrot is marinated briefly in balsamic vinegar and cumin seeds. The crunchy, sweet and sour carrot offers a nice contrast to the supple, fatty salmon.***

Please don't "OCTOPUS" me just because I'm skinny!

Some of the simple rules that I use to help maintain a healthy weight:
1. No added salt in my cooking.
2. Eat a small amount of carbs and choose the ones with high fiber, i.e., brown rice and whole wheat products.
3. Absolutely no processed food.
4. Use seasonal produce whenever possible.
5. It's a cardinal sin to have seconds! The serving sizes are shown on photos.

Of course, rules were meant to be broken. I forget about "the rules" when I dine out or having dinners with friends.

As another way to maintain a healthy weight, I run for about 30 minutes two or three times a week and walk as much as possible. Vino and dark chocolate are my daily special treats.