What to cook everyday.

When I want to create something new, what do you think I do?
1. read cookbooks to get ideas
2. go out to expensive restaurants to taste something new.
3. travel

I do all of the above. A simple bowl of fresh pea pods will then be transformed by a Julia Child's recipe , or a new treatment by the chefs at Portland's Ava Gene's Restaurant, and a perfect setting in a comfy place that always impresses me such as Marche' in Eugene, Oregon. Yes, indeed, a trip to a wonderful place out of the ordinary will do wonders in transforming your own repertoire.

This bowl of peas will join a fresh fall salad I adapted from Ava Gene's Restaurant in Portland.

Ingredients:
Fresh or frozen peas
Sauteed peppers and onions
Almonds
Feta cheese cubes

Combine and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a touch of honey.




  

Count your bites?

No matter what, Thanksgiving is bound to make you gain weight. How much? A lot.
That wouldn't be so bad if after the meal, you went right back to a balanced diet.
Nah!
From now until the new year, people will gain weight without really trying. So, how do you cope if you have dietary restrictions and need to watch your carbs or sugar and help your digestion absorb the onslaught of sweets and calories presented to us with a loving smile.

Here are some coping techniques:
1. Est regular meals each and every day. No starving before a banquet.
2. Switch to smaller plates at a big meal to keep your servings small.
3. Start and fill up on greens and salad helpings.
4. Drink wine diluted so a glass becomes 1/2 a glass
5. Provide sides that feature unusual combinations of greens so everyone is attracted to the new dish.

Taste the real thing

To know what you like it's not enough. You need to taste the real thing. That means that you need to be familiar with each ingredient enough to tell the real thing from the adulterated item.

So, start your cooking experience in the vegetable isle. Pick produce that has not been wrapped and eat it raw.

Making salads is a good way to have nutritious and tasty meals.

Buy: a variety of greens, lettuces, red and green fruit or vegetables.
Soak the greens in cold water; rinse, and dry with a clean towel. Store them wrapped in a kitchen towel until you are ready to eat them.

Chop your greens, and add chopped fruit or chopped vegetables in contrasting colors and textures.
Make your own dressing.

Simple dressings have three parts oil and one part acid, such as vinegar or citrus juice. Try the first one with lemon or orange juice. You're adding plenty of vitamins on your plate, including the benefits of citrus.  Mix the oil and lemon juice with a teaspoon of mustard and a teaspoon of honey. Adding those last ingredients will allow your dressing to blend better. Taste, then add salt and pepper, a few grains at a time.


A salad is a simple meal. To add protein, cube some cheese, or sprinkle some nuts.

If your greens begin to wilt too much, don't throw them away. We'll keep them wrapped up until we have enough to make a soup.

Keep changing ingredients, trying new fruit and vegetables.
If you use sesame oil, minced ginger and lime juice, you have just made an asian dressing.
I bet you can improvise and make your own with the same pattern: three parts oil, one part acid.

Farro and squash salad.

These are real squash, a variety I grew last summer that turned out too big, too thick and too interesting for my eyes and my stomach.  It took me a long time to get the courage to try cooking them.

This is what I did:
I washed and cut the squash in half, removed and cleaned the seeds; then, drizzled some olive oil, and sprinkled salt, pepper and sage leaves all over  it. 
Baked it for 40 minutes at 375F.

I then skinned and cubed the squash.
While the squash was cooking, I cooked the farro according to the instructions on the package.

Then I assembled the salad.

Ingredients:
1C cubed, cooked and cooled Delicata squash or any other squash.
1 C cooked and cooled Farro.
1 C mint or parsley
1/2 C red onions, chopped
1/2 C chopped and toasted nuts, pine nuts preferred
1/2 C olive oil
1/4 C lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Mix, and place in the refrigerator to absorb all the flavors.

Note: Farro is whole  wheat grain. You cook it the way you cook pasta. Look for it in specialty provisions store, or order it via a whole grain provider.

A heartful menu for today, for ever.

Breakfast: one whole-wheat pancake, half a sausage, fruit, coffee.

Lunch: salad greens with feta and lemon vinaigrette, tuna and crackers.

Dinner: lentil soup with cheesy toast.

My secret logistic:

1. Make enough soup to last a few meals. Freeze individual servings for another day.

2. Never, ever skip breakfast! I offer variety and balance each morning. Hubby never ate breakfast until he was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. This is an important meal for keeping him healthy.  We used to have two pancakes, two eggs, sausage and toast.  Look how breakfast has been slimmed down to a MINI MEAL.

3. Serve as much salad as you can.  I combine fresh greens and cooked ones.  I've talked about how I pickle eggplant, peppers.  I fish these out and chop and sprinkle on top of salads to add color and contrast.  The cherry pepper on the tuna is a good example.

4. I use a variety of breads, crackers, muffins, for the starch component.


Valentine,  everyday!


(p.s. notice that I vary the serving pieces too!)