Wingless

At the beginning of the football season, my boss and I began developing a tailgate menu to offer on weekends. Before we started he felt it necessary to remind that we needed "lots of man food" to make it relevant. Really?

First, may I state, that I have been tailgating for years and if it wasn't for the girls' planning, cooking, music and game organizing our tailgates would have sucked. Despite my resentment, I found myself having the same thoughts this past weekend. I know, I'm complex. Or just difficult.

My vegetarian, low fat diet was pitching a roadblock for a small gathering/indoor tailgate my friend, Brandie, was having. I wanted buffalo wings, cheese, clouds (I'll explain later) but I couldn't have it.  How could I make football fan-approved snacks within the confines of vegetarianism? Who knows? But I was definitely going to try. Proving people wrong is among my favorite things to do.

Snack food requires dippage. I made guacamole and bought salsa and low fat sour cream. Instead of using greasy tortilla chips I baked my own chips with very little oil and salt. I also baked sweet potato wedges to nibble. On a previous shopping trip I figured pitted dates might come in handy when I needed a sweet fix. So, there they sat in my cabinet next to pecans. Destiny calling. I put a little bit of light cream cheese on the dates to anchor the pecans. There's dessert. They aren't clouds (the most delicious, fluffy, iced-out, high calorie cookies ever) but they were tasty. My friend, Brandie, made a delicious grilled vegetable salad with sherry vinaigrette and herbs. 

I told myself all week that I wouldn't have alcohol for a few weeks but watching football and drinking anything other than beer seems like adultery. I caved and bought MGD 64's, they would have to do.

All in all, it was successful. I didn't feel bad about myself after eating a little too much because I figured nothing I consumed would do too much damage to all the hard work I put in during the week. A relevant tailgate menu without "man food." Groundbreaking.

My New Best Friend

In the fall semester of my first year at culinary school I made a butternut squash soup for a dinner party we threw as students.  It went over well; my mother loved it.

Always the advocate, she asked if I'd like to cook part of Thanksgiving dinner. Sure, soup it is. First, I would need an immersion blender. Enter: my new best friend.

Now, years later we are still thick as thieves. Tonight and last night, my best friend majorly helped with dinner. I.B. is making this vegetarian diet more bearable and whipping me up some warm, yummy soups. 

*Let me just put it out there that I know these aren't true vegetarian soups due to the meat stocks. Cut me some slack. 

Butternut squash:

1 butternut squash

1 quart chicken stock

1/8 cup light cream

2 bay leaves

6 thyme sprigs

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 red onion

2 carrots

1/4 red onion

Mushroom soup:

2 large portabello mushrooms

6 button mushrooms

3 garlic cloves

3 basil sprigs

1 quart beef stock

1/8 cup light cream

1 stalk celery

1/4 white onion

2 carrots

canola oil

salt

pepper

To make each of these soups: 

1-sautee vegetables is small amount of oil (for squash, you must roast it until soft then saute with other veggies)

2-once the veggies are translucent, add stock and herbs

3-introduce I.B.

4-add cream

5-adjust seasonings

No Meat for Me

I really never imaged this day would come. Especially not after I savoured so much of it on my Caribbean getaway. Thick strip steak with island-sized crystals of sea salt. Bacon blue burger. Jerk hash with boniato. Conch fritters. Foie gras topped with thin sheets of tuna carpaccio. Bracciole, Meatballs, Sausage. I ate a lot.

Which brings me to now. I'm hoping a week of fasting (sort of) will shock my appetite back into reality. So it's Day 2 and I haven't cheated yet, which is substantial for me. I'm a huge cheater when it comes to diets or any resolution dealing with food and drink. Anyone on a diet knows that weekdays aren't so bad, but the weekend is like the Bermuda Triangle and by Monday all is lost. 

Fruits and vegetables are spilling out of my refrigerator waiting to be chopped and cooked into something not as boring. Leftover holiday goodies are trash-bound and alcohol is tucked away. 

Vegetarian for a week? Give me strength.

No one-trick ponies

I usually buy frozen, cryo-vaced salmon from Whole Foods. It's a little cheaper than the fresh stuff and I can keep it frozen for a later date or defrost for immediate consumption. I bought two pieces for just under a pound at $8.57. 

Most of the time I grill the salmon in my grill pan, but this time I dusted it with seasoned flour and seared it in a pan with some olive oil. I love pan-seared fish because it has that crunchy top layer but also a softness underneath.

Every night we eat salad and to keep it from getting boring I buy lots of salad dressings and toppings. Nuts, dried fruit, cheese, vegetables and, my favorite, wasabi peas, are great to bulk up and spice up salads. These salad additions aren't one-trick ponies, they are versatile ingredients that I incorporate into lots of main dishes. For instance, tonight I grilled thick slices of eggplant ($2.49), topped them with goat cheese ($4.99) while they were still hot then sliced some red peppers ($3.99) to finish the dish.

Get this:

Roasted red peppers-1, chopped

Eggplant-1, use half and cut into 1/2 inch slices

Goat cheese crumbles-1/2 cup

Salmon-2 fillets

Flour-1/2 cup

salt-to taste

pepper-to taste

oregano-to taste

garlic powder-to taste

Spend this:

$10.73 

I only used half the eggplant, a few slivers of red pepper, 1/2 cup of goat cheese and a fraction of the herbs and flour I have on hand. 

Note this:

I really try to use only what I need so that I can parlay the remaining ingredients into a dish for the next night. Waste not, want not.

The Real Housewives of the 1950's

Yesterday, I found an all-natural pot roast for $4.99/lb and bought it. I've never made a roast at home. It seems like a meal for a large dinner party. It seems so crock-pot. It's like a visit from the 1950's.

I picked up some carrots and celery. I knew I had an onion at home so I skipped on that. We are taking it easy on carb consumption, so I didn't buy potatoes either. My purchases cost me a total of $11.66. I got a nice sized roast weighing in at a little over 1.5 lbs-that was the bulk of my purchase.

When I arrived home, I rummaged through the fridge. Wine! Thyme! Fantastic finds both left from a party I had thrown two days prior.

I heated my pot (right about now I'm wishing I had that huge Le Creuset oval casserole pot) and added some oil. I heavily seasoned then seared the meat on both sides. Once the meat was dark brown and crusty, in went the wine. I covered the meat halfway with it. After the wine reduced for a few minutes I added water and the vegetables and herbs. It simmered on medium heat for 1.5 hours then we feasted.

Get this:

canola oil-1 tbs.
pot roast-1 or 2 lbs.
onion-half, chopped
celery-2 stems, chopped
carrot-2, peeled and chopped
thyme-4 sprigs
red wine-enough to submerge half of the roast
salt-to taste
pepper-to taste
garlic powder-to taste

D-Day

Literally it is D-Day.

Delivery, Destruction, Disgust, Disapproval, Delight, Dinner.

Today is the day we moved into our new townhouse. As the day progressed, the aformentioned described the range of emotions and series of events that took place.

Destruction caused by the delivery men. Disgust over the amount of damage. Disapproval of how our things were arranged. Delight that it was all over. Dinner is demanded.

But in the kitchen, there is so much I need. Yes, there are 5 other rooms to fill and an unfinished basment, but my main concern is getting dinner ready. As I unpacked box after box I found one unmarked. Inside lay practically everything I had been scheming to buy for my kitchen: food processor, fish spatula, microplane grater, Le creuset grill pan, hand-held immersion blender, ladles, saute pans, stock pots, small pots, a blender. I couldn't believe it.

My parents recently had their very own D-Day and what they did not want they left in storage for me! Amazing. Now all I have to do is food shop and dinner is served.



My very first solo shopping trip purchases:

chicken breasts, parsley, 1 tomato, Boca burgers, 1 cucumber, milk, eggs, 2 lemons, 1 head of garlic, cream cheese, 1 bunch of scallions, 1 zucchini, 3 green apples, coffee creamer, coffee, oregano, rosemary, cumin, chili powder, paprika, onion powder. celery salt, low-fat buttermilk, wheat bread, peanuts, olive oil, cereal, 1 bag spinach, 3 heads romaine.



Tonight's dinner: Buttermilk baked chicken breasts

2 chicken breats
tsp. garlic powder
tbsp. salt
tsp. black pepper
tsp. oregano
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
flour, for dusting
breading: grind whatever bread you have. soft bread won't break down to breadcrumbs so let it stale or toast it slightly in order to grind it. (the easy way out is to buy breadcrumbs)

Preheat oven to 375. (most recipes call for 350 but every oven is different. you will find which temperature works best for your recipes in your oven as you cook more often.)

Using the 3-step method (flour, moisture, breading) we will coat the chicken breasts:

Place seasoned (salt and pepper) flour on a plate.
In a bowl or high-rimmed plate, pour 1 cup buttermilk
On another plate, combine seasonings from ingredient list with parsley and breadcrumbs.
Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. Dip both sides into 1-flour, 2-moisture, 3-breading
Place coated chicken onto foil-lined baking sheet.
Cook for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees.


This recipe is low in fat. I didn't fry the chicken, I baked it. I also used low-fat buttermilk. Serve this with a quick chopped salad and fresh veggies on top and you have dinner even on a day as hectic as this one.
Let me know how this one turns out for you!

3 Peanuts and a Cheese Stick

This is a familiar scene, no? For all of us twenty-somethings who are just setting off without parental guidance/supervision/bank accounts we know what "dinner" means now. It means whatever is left post-Saturday night party which really left a dent in our food stash. Most of us are standing in front of our empty refrigerators wondering how so much money can buy us so little food.

I have been there. I am still there but with a bit more education on the matter. My education is two-fold. First, there is no substitute for first-hand experience. In July I moved out from under my parent's gigantic, protective umbrella (thanks mom and dad!) and began cohabitating with my girlfriend. I also have a culinary degree. I can see the possibilities presented by those three peanuts and singular cheese stick.

So check back daily to read how I have learned to shop, what to buy and how to use it. I will show you how to stretch all food supplies. Read about my culinary experiments in which I turn random ingredients into a noteworty meal.
We can learn from each other. This can be like a support group for all of the novice foodshoppers and dinner-makers of the world.