In searching for food that might not send me into a spiralling Sugar Crash of Doom, such as the Pop-Tart that made its way into my mouth, I came up with this quick recipe. It's good as a snack or a light breakfast. It has the Husband Seal of Approval. And it is gourmet delicious.
For the Ham with Caper-Avocado Spread, you will need (2 small servings or one very large one):
6 or so slices of Black Forest ham (I think that's what I pulled out, but I'll never know, since it shredded as soon as I touched it)
1 oz cream cheese (soft goat or farmer's cheese would be tasty too, or even Better Than Cream Cheese if dairy is not an option)
Half a Hass avocado
Thinnish slice from the middle of a red onion (substitute other alliums freely)
2 teaspoons capers
2 teaspoons lemon juice, or a couple good squeezes
Salt
Shred the ham onto as many plates as you want servings. Scoop avocado flesh out of the skin with a spoon, and put in a small bowl along with the cream cheese. Use the edge of the spoon to cut the ingredients into small chunks, and the back of the spoon to smash them together. Blend them together, then add lemon juice, several shakes of salt, and capers. After distributing the new ingredients through the avocado cream paste, spoon onto the ham and spread almost to the edge of it. Sliver your onion slice into smallish pieces and sprinkle over the top. Eat with a fork.
If you had ham slices with more structural integrity, you could use a single ham slice, spread the avocado mixture on it, and roll it up. That was actually my intention. But the ham shreds were tasty, so who am I to complain?
I'll be trying some recipes from The Low Carb Gourmet later on today, so look for my report!
Friday, July 4, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Recipe Trial: Mini Meatloaf Wrapped in Bacon
So I tried this recipe last night, because my original plan of using my ground meat in a sauce for low-carb pasta (Dreamfields is amazing) was foiled by my use of tomato puree in....something else that I forget, but which was probably not very good.
I had to make a few changes, so don't let this be a complete review of this recipe for ya! I had a pound of ground chuck and a pound of ground pork, so that is what I used. I substituted the last of my almond meal (drat, now I have to go to the store again!) for the breadcrumbs. I don't think that there was quiiiiite a cup of it. I used eggs, which is in the recipe but the author does not use. I used a scant cup of the optional cheese. And I made my own ketchup out of the bit of tomato puree in my fridge, apple cider vinegar, salt, and cloves.
It proved to be relatively easy to make, although having someone else there to wrap the bacon around your squishy ball of meat mixture is extremely helpful. Unlike the author's, my meatloaf was greasy--I had to wipe the top of my muffin tin with paper towel before I grabbed it, hoping to save my oven mitts. Luckily, there was no grease fire, thanks to my poor pizza stone, which lives in the oven. I sense a gruelling scrub session in my future.
The meat was moist, cooked through, and nicely flavored, although not very firm. We are pretty happy to eat our little meat-muffins (you should have seen my husband's look of disbelief when he saw them), but the Best Beloved votes for just beef next time. I may also try to make some low-carb breadcrumbs, in hopes that they will firm this up. This recipe intrigues me and I wish to know more. I may also put them on a rack in a roasting pan, and see if I can cook more of the grease out of them. When I finish redacting this recipe for low-carb deliciousness, I will post it.
I had to make a few changes, so don't let this be a complete review of this recipe for ya! I had a pound of ground chuck and a pound of ground pork, so that is what I used. I substituted the last of my almond meal (drat, now I have to go to the store again!) for the breadcrumbs. I don't think that there was quiiiiite a cup of it. I used eggs, which is in the recipe but the author does not use. I used a scant cup of the optional cheese. And I made my own ketchup out of the bit of tomato puree in my fridge, apple cider vinegar, salt, and cloves.
It proved to be relatively easy to make, although having someone else there to wrap the bacon around your squishy ball of meat mixture is extremely helpful. Unlike the author's, my meatloaf was greasy--I had to wipe the top of my muffin tin with paper towel before I grabbed it, hoping to save my oven mitts. Luckily, there was no grease fire, thanks to my poor pizza stone, which lives in the oven. I sense a gruelling scrub session in my future.
The meat was moist, cooked through, and nicely flavored, although not very firm. We are pretty happy to eat our little meat-muffins (you should have seen my husband's look of disbelief when he saw them), but the Best Beloved votes for just beef next time. I may also try to make some low-carb breadcrumbs, in hopes that they will firm this up. This recipe intrigues me and I wish to know more. I may also put them on a rack in a roasting pan, and see if I can cook more of the grease out of them. When I finish redacting this recipe for low-carb deliciousness, I will post it.
Lemon-Basil Zucchini Soup
So as soon as I resolve to eat healthily and all, I go from my delicious egg francaise salad over to visit a friend. My very kind friend buys me food and drink stuffed with high-carb goodness. Who am I to refuse delicious, thoughtful food? Sigh. Oh well, it was a special occasion, and I will continue to do better.
I have to get over being embarrassed about being on a diet. But I really am...I always swore that I would never diet, having seen the futile struggle of so many of my friends and family. Anyway, back to being virtuous.
The original incarnation of this recipe was from Food Network. It seems to have been taken down, and I hadn't bothered to mark who came up with it, so unknown but brilliant chef, I am sorry. (Never mind, I found it here. Apparently, the recipe is from Curtis Aikens.)
I tried this for the first time several summers ago, when the zucchini of my friend's garden overflowed blissfully onto my counters. Well, my parents' counters, at that point. As my grandmother was growing sprawling bushes of basil at the time, it was perfect. Everyone was in love with the fresh zingy flavor, and its inexpensive, home-grown characteristics.
Then, I lost it. And however many times I searched Food Network's site, using the obvious key words of 'lemon', 'basil', and 'zucchini', it would not come up. Finally, in desperation, I started searching the internet. Google found the recipe. It was on the Food Network page still. It just does not come up, even if you search for basil in the soup category. I don't know why this is, but I figure that means this recipe needs to be shared even more.
I have changed a few things about the recipe, as you can see, but feel free to change them back.
Lemon-Basil Zucchini Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 pounds-ish zucchini, roughly chopped (you may use other summer squashes, but what I need to use up is always zucchini)
1 large onion, chopped
5 cups chicken broth (I use boxed lower-sodium, but again, to taste)
1/2 cup julienned basil
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons almond meal or other flourlike thickening substance of your choice
Salt to taste (this needs a fair amount of salt. I'd add at least a teaspoon to the soup, and if your soup tastes un-amazing at the table, a good shake of salt will make it sparkle)
Juice of 1 lemon
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or stockpot, and add zucchini and onion. Saute for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent and zucchini is crisp tender. Then add broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat and partially cover and cook for 25 minutes. Add basil during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Mix the butter and almond meal together into a paste. Remove 1 cup of simmering stock and whisk in butter mixture until smooth. Add back into soup, stir until thickened. Remove soup from heat to a blender or use a handy dandy stick blender and puree until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice and serve.
FitDay tells me that the entire recipe has 590 calories, 48 grams of fat, 21 grams of protein, and 24 grams of carbohydrates. Since this is at least eight portions, and possibly more, that means three carbs or less a serving. And that makes me happy.
The original recipe calls for sour cream or yogury as a garnish or accompaniment. This could be pretty good (I'm too lazy to try it, plus half the time serve it to my mother, who is allergic to cow's milk). However, I found that the soup becomes ten times more amazing if you put your hot soup into a bowl and put a slice or two of goat cheese (the kind that comes in a log in the fancy cheese section of Kroger or similar stores) in it. It halfway melts into the soup, making it rich and creamy and fabulously tangy. I like two slices per small bowl; my husband, who is not as big of a fan of goat cheese, likes one.
You are welcome to add pepper. I am pretty sensitive to the stuff, so I let people add it at the table.
You could also use another solid-at-room-temperature oil, like coconut, or the lactose-free tastiness of ghee, and skip the goat cheese, giving you a dairy-free soup.
And now I'm going to go eat the last leftover bowl. Did I mention it keeps quite well in the fridge in a tupperware container? Mmm, goat cheese....
I have to get over being embarrassed about being on a diet. But I really am...I always swore that I would never diet, having seen the futile struggle of so many of my friends and family. Anyway, back to being virtuous.
The original incarnation of this recipe was from Food Network. It seems to have been taken down, and I hadn't bothered to mark who came up with it, so unknown but brilliant chef, I am sorry. (Never mind, I found it here. Apparently, the recipe is from Curtis Aikens.)
I tried this for the first time several summers ago, when the zucchini of my friend's garden overflowed blissfully onto my counters. Well, my parents' counters, at that point. As my grandmother was growing sprawling bushes of basil at the time, it was perfect. Everyone was in love with the fresh zingy flavor, and its inexpensive, home-grown characteristics.
Then, I lost it. And however many times I searched Food Network's site, using the obvious key words of 'lemon', 'basil', and 'zucchini', it would not come up. Finally, in desperation, I started searching the internet. Google found the recipe. It was on the Food Network page still. It just does not come up, even if you search for basil in the soup category. I don't know why this is, but I figure that means this recipe needs to be shared even more.
I have changed a few things about the recipe, as you can see, but feel free to change them back.
Lemon-Basil Zucchini Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 pounds-ish zucchini, roughly chopped (you may use other summer squashes, but what I need to use up is always zucchini)
1 large onion, chopped
5 cups chicken broth (I use boxed lower-sodium, but again, to taste)
1/2 cup julienned basil
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons almond meal or other flourlike thickening substance of your choice
Salt to taste (this needs a fair amount of salt. I'd add at least a teaspoon to the soup, and if your soup tastes un-amazing at the table, a good shake of salt will make it sparkle)
Juice of 1 lemon
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or stockpot, and add zucchini and onion. Saute for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent and zucchini is crisp tender. Then add broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat and partially cover and cook for 25 minutes. Add basil during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Mix the butter and almond meal together into a paste. Remove 1 cup of simmering stock and whisk in butter mixture until smooth. Add back into soup, stir until thickened. Remove soup from heat to a blender or use a handy dandy stick blender and puree until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice and serve.
FitDay tells me that the entire recipe has 590 calories, 48 grams of fat, 21 grams of protein, and 24 grams of carbohydrates. Since this is at least eight portions, and possibly more, that means three carbs or less a serving. And that makes me happy.
The original recipe calls for sour cream or yogury as a garnish or accompaniment. This could be pretty good (I'm too lazy to try it, plus half the time serve it to my mother, who is allergic to cow's milk). However, I found that the soup becomes ten times more amazing if you put your hot soup into a bowl and put a slice or two of goat cheese (the kind that comes in a log in the fancy cheese section of Kroger or similar stores) in it. It halfway melts into the soup, making it rich and creamy and fabulously tangy. I like two slices per small bowl; my husband, who is not as big of a fan of goat cheese, likes one.
You are welcome to add pepper. I am pretty sensitive to the stuff, so I let people add it at the table.
You could also use another solid-at-room-temperature oil, like coconut, or the lactose-free tastiness of ghee, and skip the goat cheese, giving you a dairy-free soup.
And now I'm going to go eat the last leftover bowl. Did I mention it keeps quite well in the fridge in a tupperware container? Mmm, goat cheese....
Monday, June 30, 2008
I Don't Want To Be On A Diet
I love food. That's the first thing that you need to know about me. I enjoy eating it, I enjoy making it, I even enjoy looking at it. I like to read recipe books in my spare and not-so-spare time. And I adore trying new things.
This is why I hate the idea of being on a diet. It means that a large portion of food is out of my reach. I don't care too much for prepackaged stuff--that doesn't bother me--but losing basic ingredients and unique flavors bothers me a lot. Substitute away, but every ingredient has its own taste and its own properties, and when you eliminate it from your food, you've lost those possibilities.
Unfortunately, I don't have much of a choice. I'm hypoglycemic, and if I'm going to remain functional, I have to take out the foods that are draining my energy and destroying my life. It took me a while to figure this out. I also have to lose the weight I gained attempting to control my symptoms before I knew what they meant. It is so difficult to know what and when to eat when eating really does make me feel better, at least for a little while.
After consulting with a couple of dietitians, I think what is necessary is to drastically reduce my consumption of carbohydrates. When I do consume them, it needs to be with protein and fat. A once-a-month treat eaten on its own will mess with the blood sugar/insulin/adrenaline cycle nearly as much as eating it every day.
I hate these constraints, but my life is going to revolve around food no matter what I do. I want to ditch the shaky, nauseous, depressed, food-coma life that I have, and be happy, healthy, and energetic. It is way too early in my life to be dragging. I have things to do, and things I want to do. I need to have more energy than average, not less.
So I am trying to convince myself that these restrictions and constraints are like writer's guidelines. (Writing is a passion of mine as well.) I find that narrowing my options there inspires and challenges me. It is much easier to be creative when you have parameters--in fact, the more stringent the requirements, the more your innovations shine. I need to delight in the limits, and not allow them to depress or frustrate me.
I can do this.
This is why I hate the idea of being on a diet. It means that a large portion of food is out of my reach. I don't care too much for prepackaged stuff--that doesn't bother me--but losing basic ingredients and unique flavors bothers me a lot. Substitute away, but every ingredient has its own taste and its own properties, and when you eliminate it from your food, you've lost those possibilities.
Unfortunately, I don't have much of a choice. I'm hypoglycemic, and if I'm going to remain functional, I have to take out the foods that are draining my energy and destroying my life. It took me a while to figure this out. I also have to lose the weight I gained attempting to control my symptoms before I knew what they meant. It is so difficult to know what and when to eat when eating really does make me feel better, at least for a little while.
After consulting with a couple of dietitians, I think what is necessary is to drastically reduce my consumption of carbohydrates. When I do consume them, it needs to be with protein and fat. A once-a-month treat eaten on its own will mess with the blood sugar/insulin/adrenaline cycle nearly as much as eating it every day.
I hate these constraints, but my life is going to revolve around food no matter what I do. I want to ditch the shaky, nauseous, depressed, food-coma life that I have, and be happy, healthy, and energetic. It is way too early in my life to be dragging. I have things to do, and things I want to do. I need to have more energy than average, not less.
So I am trying to convince myself that these restrictions and constraints are like writer's guidelines. (Writing is a passion of mine as well.) I find that narrowing my options there inspires and challenges me. It is much easier to be creative when you have parameters--in fact, the more stringent the requirements, the more your innovations shine. I need to delight in the limits, and not allow them to depress or frustrate me.
I can do this.
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