Divine Mushroom Marrow Vegie Gluten-Free Soup

This is a beautiful soup! I changed it up a little, but I got the basic recipe from a very generous and talented Venezulan woman who has a blog called "Mommy's Home Cooking." Oriana is amazing! Check her out!

As you know, recipes are a passion for me. I am always experimenting, looking for new things, changing them up, comparing them with other recipes, looking at healthy ingredients, and having something of a mad scientist in the kitchen approach! But also, for me, taste is paramount! My willing husband is my most favorite test subject. Some nights, he really deserves a medal. But, honestly, it is so much fun to study his expressions as he dives into my new concoctions!

I have made this soup twice now, my own way both times. And had so much fun learning about new things, like bone marrow!

But please prepare yourself. This, although not difficult, takes a few stages to make.

 Ready, Set, Go!

Ingedients:

-3 cloves roasted garlic 

-1-3 carrots, peeled slightly

-2 medium/large red potatoes, skins on

-1 lb. beef marrow bones

-3-4 T. unsalted butter

-3 packages mushrooms, thinly sliced (about six cups or more when sliced) (about six small mushrooms thinly sliced should be reserved raw for garnish)

-3 large zucchinis thinly sliced

-4 cups chicken "broth" (I go with the regular as unsalted leaves me wanting for flavor)

-1 cup whole milk

-1 cup heavy cream

-1 T. Worcestershire sauce

-1/4-1/2 t. dried thyme 

-salt and pepper to taste

-fresh parsley for garnish

-fresh cracked pepper for garnish

-bread to accompany  if you choose (I didn't - doesn't need it)

~~

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425

Place marrow bones (this was–and still is–new to me, using marrow bones!) set on end (up) on parchment paper on a baking rack, drizzle with a little oil (I use grapeseed oil, which I love because it is so HEALTHY, and also so light, and can take the heat, but olive oil is fine) and pepper, rub it in a bit.

On a separate, smaller oven tray or pan, place your carrots, drizzle with grapeseed or olive oil and salt and pepper and toss to coat.

Put them both in the oven for 25 minutes. Check the carrots, if they're bigger, they could take another ten minutes, and may need to be turned. You want them to slightly caramelize.

After 25 minutes take the marrow bones out, set on stove top and let cool. When carrots are ready, take them out and set aside as well.

Put a slice through each of the red potatoes, set in a little water in a (glass) bowl and pop in the microwave for 10-12 minutes.

Time to chop chop chop and thinly slice your mushrooms and zucchini, into separate piles. Remember to separate out the ones for garnish use later.

Regarding garlic: my take is to buy it pre-roasted. It doesn't last that long (never keep too long, look at the sell by dates), but it is less intense in the house for me this way and works beautifully.

Heat about 1 T. unsalted butter in a large Dutch Oven to medium and add in your 3 cloves of garlic (even the pre-roasted type). Depending on whether or not they are getting roasted for the first time or having a second round (about 3 minutes or so), roast until slightly browned and sizzling. Remove and set aside to later put through your garlic press.

Add another T. of unsalted butter to your pan, saute the mushrooms until browned. Remove to a plate or bowl, separating out about 2 cups.

Add the sliced zucchini into the pan, saute until soft and thoroughly cooked.

If you have enough unsalted butter, you don't have to use more, but I go with the 2 T. (above) for the garlic and the mushrooms and then add–in small increments– up to 2 more T. unsalted butter if the mushrooms or zucchinis require more.

When the zucchinis are cooked nicely, set aside about about 1/2 cup in a separate bowl for later, and put the rest on a plate.

Cut up your cooked red potatoes and toss them in the pan to give them a little brown in the remaining butter. Remove.

Okay, now you have to wait (or mess with putting your extra large portions of vegetables in ice water) for the vegetables to cool because it is DANGEROUS to put hot stuff in your food processor.

In the meantime, scoop out the marrow from the cooled bones into a bowl and set the bones aside separately. I know, lots of plates and bowls. But wait til you get to the results. (I do the dishes as they become free and it's all good.)

Chop one of the carrots into itty bitty pieces. Set aside.

Have a glass of wine now. Give your husband one of the other carrots as an appetizer and you have one too. You guys are getting hungry! But it won't spoil your appetite. Just a little tease.

When the vegetables (the larger portions only) are cool, add them together: the potato pieces (with the skin on), the mushrooms, and the zucchinis and mix with 1 or 2 cups of the chicken broth and then run (in batches if necessary) through the food processor until smooth (or relatively smooth), then put back into the Dutch oven.

Once that's all done, add the rest (4 cups total) of the chicken broth into the Dutch oven. Add 1 cup of whole milk, press the garlic in, stir in the bone marrow, add in 1/4 t. (or a tad more) dried thyme, and salt and pepper. Stir, then, when combined, add in the marrow bones.

Bring to a low boil, (while waiting, stir occasionally and I take this time to also load the rest of the  empty dishes into the dishwasher), then turn down and simmer uncovered for 20-35 minutes to combine, while you go back out and finish that glass of wine or whatever beverage you might be relaxing with.

When the timer goes off (and it's okay to let it keep simmering a little longer if you want so long as you keep your eye on it...about ten more minutes), stirring occasionally, then remove the marrow bones, add in the set aside 2 cups of sauteed mushrooms, the set aside 1/2 cup sauteed zucchini, 1 cup of heavy cream, 1 T Worcestershire sauce, the caramelized carrot bits, (for a bit of natural sweet!), and more salt and pepper to taste. Stir and then let it simmer another 3 or 5 minutes.

Serve in generous bowls, adding a few pieces of the raw mushroom slices and fresh parsley and cracked black pepper over the top of each serving.

You will NOT regret all this effort. Like I said: This is a beautiful soup!

It is thickened with vegetables, not flour, so it is gluten-free, and full of such flavor that culinary dreams are made of.

By the way, in case you don't have a LOT of people to feed, the reason I had you make the whole big batch of this is because you want your efforts to pay back. I separate my leftover soup, when it's cooled into three freezer bags, labeled and dated, for future soup that's already ready and waiting for when you desire it next! And you can always saute a few mushrooms and add them into the defrosted portions, in case you ate all the separated sliced ones because they were so good you couldn't help yourself!

It's very rich soup, but oh so healthy and oh so delicious!

Bon Appetit!

bbffair

 

Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice

Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice

small pineapple, courtesty Josch13, pixabay.com

Oh, the elegant, beautiful, and delicious Pineapple!

Here is a new recipe (that's sort of a mixture of recipes) that I tried out that was a  hit and tons of fun. It's another Thai based dish, so be sure and do all your prep ahead of time because once you begin, this goes fast.

As many of you know by now, I love spices and sauces and think that certain ones are just outstanding. I am always learning more. As my understanding and use of these expands, I try to name important or essential ones I use in my own recipes. I have listed the ones I used for this dish below in the ingredients.

Note: the recipe below is a big one, good for eight people and great for entertaining, but it doesn't reheat again well, so reduce the size to 1/4th if it's just for two.


Recipe

Ingredients:

10 ounces or large handful of uncooked, peeled raw shrimp –bite size–  or, if like me, you like jumbo shrimp, just cut up (each piece into three) for bite size pieces ahead of cooking

1-1/2 cups of cut pineapple 

2-3 Tbsps grapeseed oil (superior cooking oil)

3-4 cups precooked and refrigerated (24-48 hours) plain Jasmine Rice

Add and mix together:

3 Tbsps soy sauce ( I use gluten free low sodium)

1 Tbsp Red Boat Fish Sauce
(ONLY use Premium Fish Sauce)
(I use different brand Premium Fish Sauces for different dishes. This one is very good in this dish and available at Kroger's and Whole Foods)

2 tsps curry powder (Morton and Bassett is awesome - if you can find it,  keep it with your choices spices! I swear this spice makes this dish unbelievable!)

salt and black and white pepper and a tsp. sugar

Set Aside:

1-3 long sliced Thai peppers and seeds (include seeds with these peppers only)

1-3 Fresno Peppers* (optional) (cut up into thin pieces or chopped small)
(Important Note: Remove Seeds! They will make you choke!)
(*Can substitute with cherry chilis or 1/4 red bell pepper)  (NO seeds with any of these peppers!)

1/4 cup chicken stock or less as needed while cooking

fresh lime zest (1/2 lime)

fresh lime juice (1/2 lime)

1 egg (room temperature)

1 cup fresh bean sprouts

1/3 cup raw whole cashews

salt and black and white pepper


Cut and Prepare and Mix Together:

1-3 grated or julienned carrots

 plus

1-2 cups of assorted small cut vegetables (I used a combination of scizzor-cut fresh snow peas and sweet peas with stick-cut mushrooms and cilantro and added some of my julienned vegetables* in too.  (*see labels)  Whatever is in the fridge can work, some people add in frozen peas, but I like fresh whenever possible.

For Garnish:

Serve with extra Cut Cilantro and Soy Sauce

Prep

1.  Place shrimp (if frozen) in cold water bowl to defrost, then cut into bite size pieces
(or, if fresh, rinse, cut if necessary, and set aside)

2.  Run fingers through cooked rice to unclump with a little drizzle of grapeseed oil - set aside.

3.  Cut Pineapple into pieces and set aside

4.  Cut or Julianne fresh combined-vegetables (as described above)

5.  Assemble other ingredients separately (as described above)

Directions

1.  In wok or large frying pan heat grapeseed oil with liberal salt and black and white pepper at medium high, stir in cashews, turning quickly until light brown - remove with a screened or slotted spoon and set aside on separate plate (can place paper towels on plate to drain)

2.  In same pan, add Thai peppers and Fresno and red peppers stir and press until fragrant but do not burn (about 1 minute), remove with screened or slotted spoon set aside on separate plate.

3.  Add shrimp to the pan and cook until pink and push to side

4.  Crack egg into pan and scramble and push to side of pan

5.  Add vegetable mix to pan and continue quickly stir-frying (the little cut pieces will cook fast) –add a little more oil to the bottom of the pan as needed to keep from sticking or a little chicken stock 1 Tbsp. at a time.

6.  Now add in rice, pineapple chunks, lime zest, and lime juice and return the cashews and cooked peppers to dish and stir egg back in from side, stirring quickly (Note: don't use chicken stock in at this point, after rice is added, or it will become soft. If needed, add a little more grapeseed oil.) Add in bean sprouts.

7.  Add sauce mixture stirring quickly.

Check dish and, if wanted, add extra salt and black pepper to taste

Serve Immediately with Cilantro Garnish and Soy Sauce on Table

For Fun: Serve in Cut Out Pineapple Shells!

Enjoy!

-bbffair

Chicken Pho Fabulous! Hot and SPICY Vietnamese Soup!

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thai_peppers.jpg
By Daniel Risacher (Own work) [GFDL
(http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)
or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0
 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons

Beautiful Thai Pepper Bush! 
Wouldn't you agree?!

(And, BTW, after just a few days of R+R, my stomach is feeling better and way ready to resume a spicier diet! Yea! And, FYI, believe it or not, in spite of a lot of disbelief in this, a lot of chili peppers really are kinder to your digestion that you might have guessed.)









Chicken Pho Fabulous! Hot and SPICY Vietnamese Soup!

I am not a big fan of commercially pre-made soup base or soup starter. But I do believe in great chicken or vegetable stock and Pacific is a great brand and food producers are getting savvier. So, when I saw this:

www.pacificfoods.com

 "

Organic Chicken Pho Soup Base

"Inspired by the traditional Vietnamese Pho (pronounced ‘fuh’), our delicious Organic Chicken Pho Base makes it simple to prepare authentic Pho at home.

INGREDIENTS

• Organic Chicken Broth (Water, Organic Chicken, Organic Spices, Organic Garlic Powder, Organic Onion Powder)
• Organic Cane Sugar
• Sea Salt
• Organic Lemon Juice
• Organic Spice Extracts
• Organic Lime Oil
• Organic Rosemary Extract

SUITABLE FOR THESE SPECIAL DIETS

1. Low Fat
2. Gluten Free
3. Dairy Free
4. Corn Free
5. Soy Free
6. Wheat Free
7. Yeast Free                "

in my local grocery store's health food section, I thought, why not give it a whirl. I've rarely had a Vietnamese soup and I'm always up for a healthy culinary adventure!

But, as I cannot help myself, I did go wild with the ingredients. I followed some of the suggested directions and most (Okay, ALL of them except for onions) of the ingredients plus a few of my own and all I can say is:  WOW!!!  WOW!!! WOW!!!!

So here's the Ingredients I used:

1 box (4 cups) of Pacific Chicken Pho soup base.

I bought a 6.75 oz. package of Dynasty Maifun Rice Sticks (thin rice noodles). (Now this is important because some rice noodles taste like cooked cardboard (like the last ones I bought for my husband to use, that had a name I couldn't read in Chinese, and that ruined my husband's triple batch of Thai crab cakes). Others are awesome delicate and beautiful to behold. But I am still getting used to which ingredients work for my recipes and which ones don't, so I like to mention them.)

I cut up a package of three fresh full size boneless, skinless chicken breasts. (I am very fussy about my chicken. It has to be organic, fresh, no hormones or antibiotics, and it has to look good. I split my pieces in three piles: The gristle that I'll cook later with some rice for the dogs that I add, now and then, to their dog food, about 2-21/2 cups of quarter size pieces for the soup, and about 2 cups of medallions that I'll use in another dish later this week. I double bagged the two piles for later and put them away in the fridge.)

6 Tablespoons of hot chili sauce. I use Sriraja Panich Chili Sauce. VERY awesome.
(And note: in my experience,  hot chili sauces can vary widely. A wrong one can overpower or underwhelm or even ruin a good recipe, whereas a great one, like Sriraja Panich, can make your dish beautiful! Sriraja Panich has this lovely way of adding spicy and heat and dimension by blending with smokey undertones and doesn't stand out. I have tested about a dozen different hot chili sauces so far and thrown many of them out. The right ones, like this one, can make a huge difference to the success of so many of my Asian and Thai dishes that I have made a point of knowing where to buy this one locally, how it is shelved -which can be in a different location that other hot chili or "Sriraja" sauces in some stores- or how to get it online.)

3 Tablespoons of  House of Tsang Hoisin Sauce (Note; it has a little wheat in it,  so if that's out for you, I also have in my cupboard a gluten free brand, Sun Luck, but I confess I haven't used it yet and a little bit of wheat doesn't throw me off these days.)

3 to 5 cups of fresh bean sprouts

1-1/2 to 2 organic limes

Fresh Basil

Fresh Cilantro

Black Pepper to Taste (about a teaspoon)

1 Hot Red fresh Thai Chili Pepper with the seeds (cut up into tiny pieces with a scissors, I am getting cleverer, but still wear cooking gloves. Warning: chili peppers are hot!)

1-1/2 - 2 Fresh Red Fresno Peppers (These are about 2 inches long.) Note that on these chili peppers: Don't use the seeds or inside meat. These I cut with a knife into strips and then into pieces. These peppers look like this:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fresno_pepper_7.jpg
By Nadiatalent (Own work)
[CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons

And here's how I made it:  i.e., The Directions:


1. I boiled about 3 quarts of water while I cut up the chicken. After it came to a full boil, I turned it off and let it sit a few minutes.

2. The rice sticks come in three bundles. I took two or 2/3's of the package and put them in a metal bowl and poured the hot water over them, covered them and let them sit for 10 minutes.

3. I drained the noodles in a colander. Then I cut them up with a scissors and put them back in the metal bowl.

4. I rinsed the beansprouts in the colander and cut those with a scissors and left them there.

5. I scissor cut my Thai chili pepper including the seeds into pieces and knife cut 1-1/2 of my (cleaned of inner skin and seeded) Frenso chili peppers all on the same plate.

6. I poured the whole 4 cup box of Pacific Chicken Pho soup starter into the deep soup pan I boiled my water in. At first I didn't like the smell of the soup so much, but if that happens to you, just wait until the soup is brought to completion.

7.  When the soup starter mix came to a full boil, I threw in the 2-1/2 cups of cut up chicken, covered and turned the heat down to medium low. The chicken was cooked thoroughly in about 2-4 minutes.

7. Then I threw in my rice noodles, about 3 cups of my beansprouts, the chopped peppers and scissor cut a few fresh basil leaves, zested about 1/2 of a lime and squeezed 1-1/2 lime juice into it. I added 3 Tbsp. of Hoisin sauce, 6 Tbsp. of the Chili Sauce and black pepper to taste. Swished it around on simmer for about 1-2 minutes and served with fresh cilantro.

Yummmmm!

Now for the calorie countdown:

If you cook it like I just described above, 1/4th of the whole batch (a pretty big serving amounting to about two cups worth between the broth, the vegetables, the ingredients, and rice noodles) is about 194 calories. (1/8th is abut 97 calories.)

If you add in the extra two cups of beansprouts,  1/4 of the whole batch (a pretty big serving) is about 211 calories. (1/8th is about 106 calories.)

If you cook it using the above recipe, but use only 1/3 the package of rice sticks, then 1/4th of the whole batch is about 136 calories. Again a pretty big serving. (1/8th is about 68 calories.)

If you cook it with the extra two cups of beansprouts and don't use the rice sticks, a 1/4th serving then amounts to 93 calories. (1/8th is about 46 calories.)

If you use the gluten-free hoisin sauce, add 15 calories to 1/4th serving (or 8 calories to 1/8th).

You CAN have your rice and awesome taste and keep your diet too!

I can't wait to test drive this soup on my husband when he comes home tonight!

Bon Appétit!

And Kindest Regards from,

bbffair 

Note: 
This recipe is good for about eight servings, which can be perfect for a guest party first course. However, if you're not going to serve it on the first and second day, I'd recommend going with 1/2 of the above recipe as a better choice, because (due to the delicacy of both the bean sprouts and the rice sticks) it has a shorter refrigerator life than other soups.

Soup To Sooth A Delicate Tummy

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AIll-3-victoria.jpg

For The Delicate Stomach

Ever have some of those unhappy tummy days or nights?

They can be brought on by stress, too much acidic food or drink, and any number of things that might upset the balance we need to live well and happy lives.

Well, I have been having just so much of this the last month that I've looked into what I might do to sooth my tummy ache.


Here is what I've come up with. I am foregoing many of my favorite (and if you've read my posts, you know I love it spicy!) foods. Not forever, but just until I get my digestion and my stomach (and its distress) back in balance.

I am limiting my intake of acidic foods, spicy foods, dairy, gassy foods, heavy foods, gluten, wheat, sugar, and, (sigh), wine, and, (shaking my head), coffee. Just for a while.  I am upping my intake of probiotics to daily, along with my good fish oil, vitamin D, and other good vitamins and supplements that my health provider likes me to take.

And today, I needed a very digestible chicken-type soup and I came up with two very soothing, actually nicely satisfying soup recipes that can be made together. (I did anyway).  Easy to make, easy to digest, nourishing, and low in calories (so a good diet or detox soup too). (Always yea for that!).

Ingredients To Make Both Soups:

1-1/2 boxes of Pacific Organic Chicken Stock or Broth

2 cups of water

2 stalks of lemon grass

2 Tbsps of fresh grated ginger

1 handful of sliced  shiitake mushrooms

1 fresh zucchini

1 fresh yellow squash

pepper


 Soup #1:   Chicken Ginger Lemongrass Shiitake Soup

Preparation:

Peel the two lemon grass stalks by peeling and tossing out the outer layers to reveal the soft inside layer. Cut the buttery inside pieces from the base or root of the stalk upward into little, thin pieces. When you hear the "crunch," stop cutting. Throw the thin soft cut slices into a Magic Bullet and give it a few chops there. Add a half cup of water, shake it all up and set aside.

Cut the crunchy tops of the two peeled lemongrass stalks into thirds and bend.

Cut about two-three inches off a piece of fresh ginger. Peel by scraping the entire piece with the edge of a spoon until all the skin is removed. Then, over a bowl, grate the piece so that the stringy pieces stay on your side of the grater (that you will throw away) and the soft edible juice and pieces go into the bowl. You should have about 2 Tbsps.

Cut the stalks off the shiitake mushrooms and slice thin.

Cut up the zucchini and the yellow squash. Add pepper. Add about a cup of water and a cup of chicken stock and mix together in blender until it's all a thick liquid. Add a bit more chicken broth if it it resists blending.

Cooking Directions:

Bring one box (4 cups) of Organic Pacific Chicken Stock to a boil

Add in the big lemongrass pieces that you bent. (If you have one, use a Chinese strainer underneath.)  Boil for 4 minutes. Then Remove. (These pieces are too crunchy to be edible but add flavor.)

Add in the cut pieces and juice from your Magic Bullet. Boil another 4 minutes. You can add up to a cup of water and another cup of the chicken stock as it boils down.

Add in the grated ginger, medium boil another four minutes.

Add in the shiitake mushromms and simmer about 4 minutes on low.

Cover and keep on low.



(Time to start the second soup.)


Soup #2:   Soothing Squash Soup

You've already prepped so this will be very simple.

Cooking Directions:

Pour the zucchini and squash mixture into its own sauce pan.

Using a strainer and a soup ladle (that is typically a half cup in size), pour 2 cups (or four ladles) of the first soup into the squash soup.   Return the strained pieces and mushrooms to the first soup.

Mix the broth in. Bring to a boil, then immediately return to simmer and cover. Set the timer for 10-15 minutes.

Voila!


Now you have two extremely soothing soups that are both gentle and nourishing as well as tasty.

The mushroom soup has about 60 calories in the whole batch or 15 calories a cup.

The squash soup has 40-60 calories in the whole batch or about 10-15 calories a cup.

You can sip it or have several bowls of this throughout the day and keep your stomach happy, coated, nourished, and thus also more able to repair a tummy distress.

I added a cup of unsweetened almond milk to my afternoon for a little, gentle protein boost (1 gram) and 30 more calories and felt greatly healed.

Enjoy and here's hoping this makes even the most delicate stomach feel loved.

Kindest Regards,

bbffair

Yummy Summer Health Drinks! Wheat Grass and Strawberry Almond Smoothies

    

Yummy Summer Health Drinks:  

Wheat Grass  and Strawberry Almond Smoothies

I have a fab health drink that gets me balanced again on those days that I feel somewhat off, like I can't quite figure our what I need: fruit? more greens?  protein? missing vitamins? You know that feeling where there is sort of a hole or a need and you don't know what it is, but you definitely need something!

Well, I have a perfect solution for that, as well as a great low calorie pick-me-up:  It's my simple, handy-dandy (drum roll please):

"Strawberry Milk" by Rawich @  http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/agree-terms.php?id=10086166

 

Wheat Grass Smoothie:

It calls for 1 Cup of chilled Unsweetened (gluten free) Almond Milk (40 calories) 

and 

1 scoop of Amazing Grass (gluten free and raw) Wheat Grass Powder (another 35 calories)

  

 (+ sometimes some probiotics for good measure)

 

Give it a shake, throw it in the Magic Bullet and Voilà!

or

(Since it's SummerTime!)

"Pile Of Strawberries" by Ambro courtesy of http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/agree-terms.php

A Nice Strawberry Almond Smoothie:

 

This is such a pretty, as well as tasty, summer drink! 

 

Just add a half cup of fresh strawberries (23 calories) 

to

 1/2 cup of cold Almond Milk (20 calories)

Toss in the old blender

and  

Voilà again!

Hint: About 3 big strawberries = 1/2 cup, but I like to chop up three more (another 23 calories) to much along with my  smoothie)

 

Total Calories:  Wheat Grass Smoothie: 75 calories

Strawberry Almond Smoothie: 43 calories

Strawberry Almond Smoothie with 3 extra big strawberries to munch on too:  66 calories

and

!ALL OF IT IS GOOD FOR YOU!

 

Bon Appétit!

-bbffair

 

Note:  You can add the strawberries into the wheat grass smoothie if you want, but the strawberries will get lost in there, so I'd eat them on the side if you want a combo.

Indian Spicy Lemonade

Experimenting With Lemonade


About lemonade: it can get interesting.

It doesn't always have to be the sugary high-calorie version or the oddly vacant diet formula.

Recently, I found this very different recipe for spicy Indian lemonade.*






The Ingredients:

1 tsp. fennel seed

1 star anise

1 tsp. fresh grated ginger

2-3 whole lemons, squeezed

1/4 cup of fresh mint leaves loosely packed

2 Tbsp. sugar (you can add two more Tbsp. to taste)

2 cups of water

2 cups of ice


The Recipe:

In a frying pan, stir the fennel and the star anise and toast them dry -without oil- constantly stirring until they are nicely browned.

Then ground them up in a Magic Bullet or coffee grinder

Then get out your blender and toss them in with the ginger, the juice from the squeezed lemons, the fresh mint, sugar, water and blend.

Pour through a strainer to get out the bits.

Put it back in the blender and add in the ice and hit the blender until the ice is crushed.

It makes about 4 servings, each of which is about 31 calories in the 2 Tbsp. sugar version and about 51 calories in the 4 Tbsp. version.

Enjoy!

-bbffair


* For a version of this and other wonderful lemonades and drinks, as well as many awesome dishes, visit:
http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/search/delegate?searchString=lemonade 

~~ 

The beautiful picture above is "Lemonade" by Suat Eman courtesy of http://www.freedigitalphotos 

 http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Other_Drinks_g65-Lemonade_p10832.html

My Tom Yum(m) Soup - Very Spicy

Tom Yum(m) Soup

Where have I been? You guessed it! On an adventure into Thai cooking!

OMG! I LOVE Thai food! And now I have  just a few beautiful recipes to share that I have made my own.

For today, here is my Tom Yum(m) Soup! The picture on this post is of my lunch. Isn't it beautiful!

I make it extra, extra hot and spicy!


Okay, here goes:

My Tom Yum(m) Soup

Ingredients List:

6-8 cups (1-1/2 to 2 boxes ) Chicken Stock (Organic Pacifica brand is very good)

2 stalks of lemon grass

Zest of 1 medium lime
       (Note: Some recipes call for Tafir (lime) leaves. They are hard to find for me right now, but lime zest works great as a substitute.)

5-6 red Thai chili peppers (wear gloves for handling these -they WILL burn you or your eyes!)
      Take off stems and slice lengthwise into 2 or 4 strips and then chop and put aside, keep seeds for cooking too

2-3 tiny fresh red cherry peppers (the size of a cherry tomato) (do not use these seeds - they might make you cough) -or 1/4-1/5 of a fresh red bell pepper - sliced thin

Generous handful of Shitake  mushrooms (can be substituted with brown mushrooms) sliced thin

1 lb. package of frozen large raw peeled and devined shrimp (thawed in cold water while you prep recipe)
      (or fresh raw peeled and devined large shrimp)

Juice of medium lime

1/3 cup fresh cilantro

1-3 T. of high quality fish sauce

Broccoli - one large stalk chop up the stem into thin pieces and also the flowers into little pieces

1-4 short dollops of Chili sauce* (I use Sriraja Paniich or Taste of Thai Garlic Chili Sauce)
(*Note: I like this better than regular garlic which I don't really like to handle and find it integrates very nicely and doesn't "stand out" if you know what I mean.)

1/2 package of ripe fresh cherry tomatoes
 
 ~~

Prep:

Prepare all the ingredients as directed above and in step 2 below before beginning.

~~

Directions:

1.  Pour chicken stock into a pan and bring to boil.

2.  Cut off the bulb and any brown tops of the lemongrass and peel the outer layers. Chop the good (edible) white portion of the lemongrass into tiny pieces. Cut the upper stems in 3-4 places slightly (not all the way through) and then bruise (hammer and bend) and add the pieces and the bruised stems into the now boiling chicken broth for about 2 minutes

3.  Add the garlic sauce dollops to taste (I use 4 good ones). Add the cut up Thai peppers and seeds, the red peppers, lime zest, and mushrooms. Reduce heat to medium-simmer for 2 minutes.

4.  Add shrimp and broccoli and simmer medium for 4 minutes until shrimp is pink and done.

5.  Reduce heat to med-low. Add fish sauce, juice from one whole medium lime, and tomatoes.
Can cover, if desired. Cook about 3 minutes. Stir well -gently simmer.

(Usually this is about perfect for my tastes. But test it for yourself. If too salty, add more lime juice. If too sour, add 1/4 t. sugar. Not spicy enough for your taste, maybe another dollop of chili sauce will take it there!)


*Options:   1/4 t.  sea salt
                  1/4 t.  sugar
                  1/2 can evaporated milk or coconut milk

(Note: I don't add milk to mine or sugar)


6.  Remove lemongrass stalks and discard. (They add flavor to the soup but are not edible like the chopped parts.)

7.  Serve with fresh cilantro and/or Thai chili sauce.

~~

As you can see above, I make mine VERY spicy! I swear by this soup! It will clean you up, clean you out, make your eyes water, wash out your sinuses, possibly helps prevent cancer (yes. really! see this link!), and fill you up, satisfy your hunger and appetite, and for almost no calories.  Let me repeat: almost NO CALORIES!

My recipe comes to about 78 calories a cup or 155 calories for a 2-cup serving.

For a more traditional recipe with coconut milk where I got my inspiration (I don't like coconut and like mine spicier.):  http://thaifood.about.com/od/thairecipes/r/tomyumkung.htm

1-2 cups equals a very nice serving. I save the extra soup right in a sauce pan and reheat it and have lunch for three or four  days.

It is grrreeat for detoxing and dieting as well as hot Thai taste and great nutrition!

Enjoy!

-bbffair

My First Adventure With The Mysterious Eggplant

Stuffed Eggplant

I believe in letting certain foods call out to me and, while shopping last week, these beautiful baby eggplants drew me close. They were perfect with unblemished, shiny skins and radiated health.

I have often loved eggplant in restaurants, but never knew how to cut or cook it. It seemed a very mysterious plant to me. But these called my name. It was time for me to delve into that mystery and go on an eggplant adventure.

I bought five of these small creatures and spent a few days admiring them in my kitchen. They seemed succulent and full of the promise of delight.

So, it was off to the internet, where I perused numerous sites, recipes, and youtube videos. I gleamed enough information to dare to try a recipe of my own and see where it might take me.

I decided to make stuffed eggplant.

I began by cutting the tops and ends off of two. Then I cut them both in half the long way. There were, to my surprise, no seeds to speak of. So I scooped out a cavity in each half but kept the pieces too.

Next –and this is important to preparing eggplant and something I didn't know but that the internet advised me on– I salted both sides of each piece and each half of the little creatures and left them on a paper towel covered plate for 40 minutes. This is to remove any of the potential bitterness. I have since learned that more seeded and thicker skinned eggplants are more bitter, that some eggplants with thicker skins need to be peeled. that some thinner skinned eggplants have delicious skins, and that there are over a dozen varieties. From what I now understand, they all will benefit from this salting which causes them to weep fluids and remove any bitterness.  At this point, I confess I was just getting introduced to an eggplant that hadn't yet told me it's kind. (When I looked up varieties on the internet, I thought the kind I had were too large to be baby eggplant. Later, I discovered that they can vary and that these were indeed baby eggplant, just a little larger than the internet examples, and grown hydroponically in Canada by Pure Flavor (www.pure-flavor.com). The picture -above- is from their website too.)

After 40 minutes, I rinsed my halves and pieces well in cold water. I am not a salt eater generally, so I wondered about this, but they washed very clean. I patted them dry and placed them in the refrigerator.

Next, I threw out my old olive oil. I smelled it and it seemed off. I think it is always important to smell the foods and ingredients you use. So I used my sunflower oil and about two teaspoons of Earth Balance soy free blend (from the health food cold section in my store). I heated this up hot in a skillet and chopped two big white button mushrooms into bits and threw them in and cooked them until they were very small and very browned. I added black pepper, lemon pepper, parsley flakes, and paprika as I cooked these.

I added one chopped fresh tomato and several tablespoons of DelMonte original stewed tomatoes (both pieces -that I chopped in the pan with my spatula- and juice).  I threw in bits of fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme and shook three shakes of cinnamon into the mix. Then I cooked and stirred this concoction for a while. When it all reduced, I threw in a couple of good splashes of vegetable stock (chicken would have worked too) and stirred all the reduced flavors back up from the bottom of the pan and cooked this until it was thick.

At this point, I removed it from the heat and stirred in a big handful of fresh baby spinach leaves, wilting them. I then added a handful of pine nuts and a handful of grated Romano cheese.

I pulled my baby eggplant halves and pieces out of the fridge, coated a round glass pan with olive oil Pam, took a spoon and amply stuffed the halves (but not packing it down) with the mixture and put the remainder over the pieces in between the halves.

I took an open jar of Paul Newman's Sockarooni spaghetti sauce from the fridge and topped each half and piece with a big spoonful.

Then I put the pan, -without a top- into a preheated 400 degree oven for 50 minutes.

I served these with grated Asiago cheese sprinkled over the tops with a few fresh cilantro leaves.

OMG!!!!!  It was delicious!!!!!!!  It was Dinner!!!!

Yeah Adventures in Foodland that make you feel Awesome!

-bbffair

Ingredients List:

2  (five to six inches long or the equivalent) baby eggplants
salt
Olive Oil and Soy Free Earth Balance
2 big fresh white button mushrooms
black pepper
lemon pepper
parsley flakes
paprika
1 medium fresh tomato
Del Monte original stewed tomatoes
fresh rosemary
fresh sage
fresh thyme
cinnamon
chicken or vegetable stock
fresh baby spinach
pine nuts
grated Romano cheese
Paul Newman's Sockarooni spaghetti sauce
grated Asiago cheese
fresh cilantro

Orange Juice With Squeezed Lemon! - Yumm!

Boost Your Health With Fresh Lemons!

As many of you know, I love to start my day with an 8 ounce glass of fresh orange juice!

Another great way to break your fast is by drinking fresh lemon juice squeezed in water, a drink that is thought to be very good for digestion and weight loss as well as other health benefits.

Lately, I've been squeezing about 1/3 of a fresh lemon (or between 1-2 Tbsps. of fresh lemon juice) along with the pulp into my orange juice.

It is superbly delicious! And healthy! And a simple way to up the healthy benefits of citrus! Try it and let me know what you think!


-bbffair

<p><a href="http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1499">Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net</a></p>

Omelet Béarnaise

Fresh Baby Spinach and Mushroom Omelet with Béarnaise Sauce


This is my favorite omelet.





  

[Spinach Farmers Market Baby by mcolletterogers courtesy of photobucket.com]

Grocery List:

-eggs
-whole milk
-Sunflower Oil
-Soy Free Earth Balance Spread or Unsalted or Lightly Salted Grass Fed Butter

-Pam Olive Oil

-dry Béarnaise Sauce package (like Knorrs or other dry package, some are better than others, I like mine less salty)

-fresh ground pepper

-fresh baby spinach
-fresh brown and white mushrooms
-one tomato

~~

Slice a tomato on your plate and set aside.

In a small sauce-pan mix the Béarnaise sauce altering the directions by using 2TBSPs of Soy Free Earth Balance or 2 TBSPs Butter (in place of 4 TBSPs of richer butter or margarine, you don't need that much). Set-off the heat when cooked, but leave the burner on.

In a small skillet or frying pan, sprayed with Pam Olive Oil and 2 teaspoons of Smart Balance saute a whole pan of sliced mushrooms until browned. Move them to a small plate.

Beat 2 eggs in a bowl with a splash of whole milk.

Add another teaspoon of Smart Balance or butter to the pan and, on medium heat, add in the eggs.

When a bottom has formed on the omelet cover the egg mixture with fresh baby spinach (it will wilt) and all of the mushrooms. (If you have too many for this to cook right, put them on the plate with the tomatoes, but I love mushrooms. More is better!)

When ready, and slightly browned, flip egg over and cook the rest and rewarm the Béarnaise sauce.

Put omelet on the plate and cover with about 1/4 of the Béarnaise sauce.

Yumm.

375 calories and lots of flavor and vegies!

-bbffair

Note:
Béarnaise sauce (French: Sauce béarnaise) [be.aʁnɛz]^[1] is a sauce made of clarified butter emulsified in egg yolks and flavored with herbs. It is considered to be a 'child' of the mother Hollandaise sauce, one^[2] of the five sauces in the French haute cuisine mother sauce repertoire. The difference is only in their flavoring: Béarnaise uses shallot, chervil, peppercorn, and tarragon, while Hollandaise uses lemon juice.
In appearance it is light yellow and opaque, smooth and creamy.
Béarnaise is a traditional sauce for steak*.     (*But I love it on eggs too!)

[copied from wikipedia @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9arnaise_sauce]

Southwestern Hit-It-Hot Omelet

I'm Hungry! This is no time to mess around. I need nourishment now.

Here is one of my sure fixes. It's a Southwestern Hit-It-Hot Omelet.

[Orange Bell Pepper by Sirenne Courtesy of Photobucket.com]

For your Grocery List, you will need:

-2 Eggs
-2 TBSP Soy Free Earth Balance (cooler health food section) or Fresh Butter
-2 Big Fresh Brown Mushrooms (or 1 white, 1 brown)
-Slices from 1 red or orange and 1 yellow sweet pepper
-1 Tomato
-Baby Spinach
-1/8 Avocado
-Fresh Black Pepper
-Dried Parsley Flakes
-Chi-Chi's medium thick and chunky salsa
-Shaken Cold Tropicana Orange Juice

~~

In a small skillet or frying pan sprayed with Pam Olive Oil, add 1 TBSP Earth Balance or Butter and heat up pan hot to about level seven (medium high).
Cut a 1 inch section from each of your two peppers and cut into thin strips and toss into the pan.
Cut the 2 mushrooms into thin strips and then again and throw the pin size pieces into the pan after the pepper. Make sure the peppers really, really cook while sauteing the mixture. Let the mushrooms get good and brown too. Pepper and add dried parsley flakes.

Chop 2/3 of the tomato into small pieces and 1/3 into bite size pieces. Put the 1/3 part on a plate along with 1/8 of an avocado wedged.

When the peppers and mushrooms are nice and tender and browned, throw in the 2/3 tomato pieces and add another TBSP of Earth Balance.

Beat two eggs with a dash of whole milk in a bowl.

When the liquid reduces from the tomatoes, throw in a big handful of fresh baby spinach. Fold in and cook for another 30-60 seconds. Then throw in the beaten eggs over it all and let it sort itself out and do what it's going to do. Reduce heat to medium (about level 6) once you've added the eggs.

Pour your orange juice. Put fresh cracked or ground pepper on the table and the salsa and wait for it.

The bottom will brown nicely and then flip it. When it looks fully cooked, slide it onto the plate with the 1/3 tomato and the avocado wedges. Go ahead and cover it over with Salsa because there are only 10 calories in 2 TBSPs. You can have 6 TBSPs if you love salsa like I do.

Enjoy.

This filling meal, orange juice included, with 6 TBSPs of salsa will cost you 632 calories.

You can even have a big mug-sized cup of freshly brewed coffee with 1/4 cup of whole milk and call it 675.

You will be out of the danger-zone and feeling no hunger pain and have worked your flavor well. You'll have used your calories where they added flavor but did the least amount of harm, all while taking care of your appetite and eating a balanced and balancing meal.

-bbffair

Notes:

1.)  I can't usually eat sweet peppers because they give me kick-back, but once in awhile, when I just have to indulge, I have discovered that if I cook them nice and tender and browned that they are no problem at all.

2.)  Sometimes you just have to have a 700-800 calorie meal to get rid of the "I'm hungry's!" It's better that you have a few ideas of where to run for the right meal than taking a more calorie costly turn, (i.e., a "plan-of-action" :-D )!

Sweet Summer Seared Sea Scallops - Dinner!

Seared Sea Scallops! And so many ways to enjoy them!


I love this combo because it offers such a variety of taste sensations. It is tasty, light, and fast.






From the grocery list:

-Pacific Natural Foods All Natural Thai Sweet Potato Soup (Small box - 2 servings a box.) (Note: This soup is divine!)

- fresh big sea scallops (1/4 pound a person is good about 3-5 each)

-fresh limes
-fresh cucumber
-fresh radishes
-fresh avocado
-fresh baby spinach


-fresh ground pepper


-Pam Olive Oil
-Soy Free Earth Balance or Sweet Fresh Butter (from grass fed cows)
-Korean Sweet and Spicy Sauce (*There are a number of brands. I'm still experimenting. One has 100 calories and another 45 per serving. I like the spicy, less sugary variety and, so far, nothing beats the kitchen-made sauce that our local Thai restaurant puts together. Grin!)

~~

Heat the soup up on the back burner.

Cut up limes for the table and put out small saucers by each plate with about 2 TBSPs each of the Korean Sweet and Spicy Sauce.

Cut up thick wedges of avocado.
Cut up slices of cucumber and radishes.

Arrange on each plate a small pile of baby spinach, about 1/4 avocado wedges, and the cucumbers and radishes slices to be eaten raw or dipped in the Korean Sweet and Spicy Sauce.

Spray Pam Olive Oil in a frying pan and add 1 TBSP of Butter or Soy Free Earth Balance. Heat up nicely, about medium high. Throw in the rinsed fresh scallops. Pepper to taste. Let sear, cooking until brown on one side then turn and brown the other.

Put on the opposite side of the plate of the vegies with lime squeeze garnish and serve the soup at the same time on the side.

All of these tastes together are wonderful. And it's so quick! I can make this during a commercial break while watching a television show. Total calorie count = about 475 delicious calories

Please let me know how you liked this one!

-bbffair

[photo courtesy of liveruralnl.com]

Eggs and A Sort of Greek-Inspired Omelet

Eggs

Not all eggs are created equally. After buying too too many tasteless, boring eggs, I decided to investigate a little deeper. I am still learning.

But here are a few of things I am learning about buying eggs:

1. The BEST choice is to buy pastured eggs from your local farmer or farmers' market. This

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

means the chickens were raised with significant outside time in fields, just like farms used to keep them. I have read that non-soy feed is apparently best if they are fed anything other than what nature provides, but talk to the farmer. He or she would know more about that than I do.

2. If you have to buy eggs in a store, you will find your better choices in the cooler in the health food section. Look for Grade A Eggs (not AA or AAA or B). Then look for: Omega-3, grain-fed, organic, hormone-and-antibiotic-free, and cage-free. ("Cage-free" is often a questionable claim though because what matters is the hens are significantly outside in the sunlight on the earth, not on a cemented "chicken-patio" with a window, but they probably won't make that distinction.)

I have learned to write a date on the top of the carton and tear it off and put it in my egg bin. I toss old eggs. I only repurchase egg brands I have been really pleased with.

Better, healthier eggs have much higher nutritional values, less fat, and they taste better, MUCH better.

~~

Now Let's Cook!

I love omelets and have a few specialties, most of which involve the vegetables I love in them. Today, while perusing sites about fresh seasonal vegetables, I decided to be adventurous and try something different. I came across a few Greek recipe sites and I had to try something similar, ala my own version:

A Sort of Greek-Inspired Omelet

Remember my julienned vegetables? You'll need a big handful.
Tomatoes.
2 fresh eggs
2 TBSPs milk
fresh ground pepper
dried parsley flakes (from the cupboard)
Pam Olive Oil nonstick spray
Fresh Sweet Butter or Soy Free Earth Balance or sunflower oil

(All of these things should be in your kitchen if you've been following my grocery lists, except the dried parsley flakes, that I have never known a kitchen cupboard to be without.)

One small regular frying pan.
One small non-stick frying pan.

Put aside about 1/5 of one tomato, cut into bite-size slices and put on a plate.
Chop up the rest of the tomatoes.

Spray your regular frying pan with the Pam Olive Oil spray and put in 1 tsp. of butter or soy free Earth Balance or sunflower oil. Heat up the pan nicely.
Throw in one big handful of the julienned vegetables and all of the chopped tomatoes. Start out hot, tossing constantly. Add pepper and parsley flakes.
After about five minutes, lower the heat and keep cooking, turning occasionally, until the juice from the tomatoes is all reduced. This will take about 30 minutes. (Really.)

While it's cooking, add a little more pepper and parsley flakes. Do this a couple of times or to taste. It'll get very soft and gushy looking.

Whip your eggs and 2 TBSPs of milk in a bowl.

Then spray the non-stick pan with Pam Olive Oil and 1 tsp. of Earth Balance.

(Believe me, you will be glad you went to another pan for this part. I didn't and got a sort of scrambled–but still tasty :-D–version the first time, because in my recipe I'm not working with much oil.)

Heat to medium.

Toss your gooey cooked vegie mixture into the egg bowl and fold it all together. Then pour the whole thing into the non-stick pan. Cook until brown and then carefully flip it and cook the other side.

Serve on the plate with the cut up tomatoes.

It really doesn't look like your ordinary omelet and it takes a bit long to do the vegies right, and I was sure they would taste overcooked, but this was pretty tasty.

Total Calories: 340

Let me know if you tried it and how it worked for you or if you came up with any variations. I'd love to know!

-bbffair

Salmon

I love salmon. Fresh, succulent, healthy, delicious. The recipe below is one of my husband's variations that are always good.

For your Grocery List:
-Salmon: we like a piece that is even, thicker, from the head (more so than the tail which is thinner) like the one in the picture.
1 lb is about perfect for 2 people and so good for you, but if you want, you can eat less (but why?).

[salmon_filet by Dr. McGuire, courtesy of photobucket.com]

-seafood magic
-McCormick Asian Seafood Sauce (Asian food section Kroger's)
-JFC Ginger Dressing (Kroger's)
-soy sauce (I like gluten free)

-sunflower oil

-Soy Free Earth Balance (Kroger's health food section cooler) or grass fed sweet butter

-lemons
-white mushrooms
-tomatoes
-zuchini
-yellow squash
-carrots

-tinfoil

(*Note: I try to separate my grocery lists into groups of items that can be located in the same section when possible.)

I prepped this dish by cutting up my julienned vegetables that I like for the week (or pulling them out if I've already done that).

My husband doubles up a tin-foil pan with edges (like a squarish pan with sides) and puts it in the middle of a small broiler pan. He washes the fresh salmon and sets it in the middle. He uses this with the grill too, but tonight it's in the oven.

He slices mushroom and surrounds the fish with the pieces. (He thinks this helps keep the fish moist.)
For this version of his salmon, (this varies), he sprinkled seafood magic over the top of the fish, the McCormick Asian Seafood Sauce sauce and sliced over that with a marbling of the Ginger Dressing.

He put it into the broiler for about 7 minutes or until it got bubbly.
Then he turned the oven to 350 degrees and checked it at five minutes and then five more minutes. (This piece was thicker- but it slices open nicely in the middle when it's done and you can see how it is cooked.)
(*Note: on the grill, it is about 15 minutes with the cover closed over the tin foil "pan" itself, without the broiler pan, although the broiler top is nice to carry it back and forth as it's not flimsy.)

When the salmon is about five minutes out, I spray Pam Olive Oil in a big frying pan, then I put 1 TBSP of fresh sweet butter or soy free Earth Balance and 1 TBSP of sunflower oil in it and get it hot. Then I throw about four or five handfuls of the julienned vegies in and toss with a spatula constantly. I like the vegies to be somewhere between cooked and raw or half and half.

I cut up tomato pieces for each plate.
I mix in servings of the vegetables with the raw tomatoes for each plate.

My husband removes the top salmon from the bottom skin that I don't like and serves it.

I like lemon slices and the gluten free soy sauce on the table: lemon squeezed over the fish and a tsp. of soy sauce or two mixed over my vegies.

If you want a full meal*, (i.e., a half-pound salmon each), your calories intake for this meal is about 765 including sauces.

If you go for 1/3 pound of salmon for your serving, it's 573 calories total for this meal.

If you go with 1/4 pound, it equals about 473 calories for the salmon and vegies.

*(By the way, I do really well with my OJ/milk and coffee mornings at 260 to 400 calories, lunch at about 400 calories, a possible 100 calorie snack, and a dinner that falls between 600 and 800 calories, so for my system, this is perfect. But adjust, of course, as needed.

And there are always nice variations to keep in mind like light dinners in between more filling ones, but I think if you do too many light dinners, your body may end up feeling deprived and hold onto its extra weight too, so every now and then, a more filling, healthy, dinner–i.e. still in line with your healthy eating objectives–is very reassuring to the body for a sense of well-being and for staying with a fitness program.)

Anyway you enjoy it, it is a healthy dinner and, in my humble opinion, even the bigger serving will do no harm to your diet because it's ALL good for you! And it is so succulent, that I have trouble eating salmon in restaurants that too often ends up being served dried out or overcooked or tough.

-bbffair

PS As someone has already mentioned over on Tracy Anderson, sometimes you have to offer rice to the people you eat with, but I try to stay away from rice for my own plate except for occasional treat dinners because on a regular basis, it can stall your results.

-bbffair

South of the Border Sunday

Meet my dogs! Who (as you will learn) approved this dinner, though not for the obvious reasons of their getting the leftovers.

On Sunday, my husband picked up some freshwater shrimp, which are wonderful. We get them with the shells cracked-open and they broil up like little lobster tails and the meat easily pulls out of the shell. (Cook the same way as I described for grilled shrimp, except these you don't have to flip.) He had the dip in mind too, but forgot to buy the buttermilk.

But it was Sunday and he didn't feel like another trip to the store, so we did a little survey. Sometimes you look in the fridge and you need to eat one of those meals working with what you've got before your next shop.

So I pulled out that box of Cuban Black Bean Soup with 2 cups still in it (Note: You really have to cut the box open at this point, the soup is so thick!), threw in the leftover half-can of the stewed tomatoes and chopped up two white mushrooms and put it on the stove. I grilled the freshwater shrimp just the way I like (above link), then chopped the meat up after taking it out of the shell (These guys are big!) and put the pieces in two bowls and poured the soup mix over the shrimp. Then I dolloped out 2 TBSPs of salsa and 1 tsp (it really does go a long way - you could use even less, but why?) of sour cream in each bowl, and on the side of the plate, I tossed the last of my leftover fresh baby spinach, lime wedges and pieces from 1/2 an avocado (1/4th on each plate) (all of which we ended up tossing into the soup too). :-D

It was wonderful with a nice glass of red wine. A very hearty meal with a lot of zest in a few inspired moments. Healthy and about 445 calories (or a little more with a glass of red). Then, instead of an extra trip to the store, we threw the Frisbee with the sheepdogs.

-bbffair

Grilled Shrimp

This is one of my favs.

First I make my trusty Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing with just a tad less mayo and the buttermilk and I put it in the fridge to get nice and chilled. And I keep it in a non-see-through container because I don't want to be too tempted to use this except sparingly for treats like this. Or, you can make a partial amount. It's also best fresh and leftover amounts should be tossed after a week.

Use very fresh shrimp or prawns, raw, and divined, and peeled (tail optional).

And, by the way, fresh water shrimps that have been cracked open with the shell are amazing, like mini-lobsters. Again, buy very fresh.

I put them in a low pan and spray the shrimp with Pam Olive Oil and coat them with Chef Paul Prudhomme's seafood magic, both sides. No oil! No bad calories. Just yumm.

Then, it's a couple of minutes under broil or (skewered) on the grill, turned half-way.

I love the Ranch Dressing as a dip for these. I have these cute little chicky bowls that I put a little personal dip in for each plate and you can measure it to be certain about the calories. (There are about 110 in two TBSPs so I keep mine to four TBSPs when I'm making a whole meal of it. That still keeps my total calorie count for a half-pound of grilled shrimp and dip to about 460 calories).

Okay, there ARE calories in the dip, but it balances out, does not wreck my diet, and, there is NO oil on the shrimps, so it's a nice, neat-o trade.

-bbffair

Black Bean Soup

-Imagine Bistro Organic Cuban Black Bean Bisque

You have to taste this soup. It is my opinion that this soup can do no wrong. It is thick as mud and smooth and beautiful to behold and heavenly to the taste buds.

I've been perusing recipes and there are many to choose from.

Today, I made my husband a bowl with two tablespoons of salsa and a teaspoon of sour cream.

For myself,
I chopped up two big fresh white mushrooms,
2 ounces of the Boarshead low-sodium turkey I like, (I like a good protein boost)
cilantro (:-D),
and a half-can of DelMonte stewed tomatoes.

I cut it all up and mixed it and poured my hot black bean soup over it.

Now, let me say a word or two about soups and sauces.
They are divine.
They are not evil.
You can look up their calorie content and decide which and what amount to go with.

(My husband's soup was 170 calories soup + 10 calories salsa + 50 calories sour cream = total calories of 230. Not a full lunch for him, but he just stopped in the house and had to have some!)

(My soup had a BIG protein boost. It included 170 calories soup + 120 calories turkey + 70 calories stewed tomatoes + 10 calories mushrooms = total calories of 370 all good for me and now I am good to go all afternoon.)

You can also make adjustments in some recipes without loosing any flavor.
Sauces and dips and things do not have to be loaded with fat or flour or evil preservatives or sugar.

AND...
Eating right should be delicious!

-bbffair

Grocery List - Continued /AKA The Basic Spices

Meet Chef Paul Prudhomme, one of my heroes!! Yes, the originator of Seafood Magic, one of my most indispensable spices. I LOVE this spice! I love cooking with it on shrimp and seafood and chicken too (better even than the poultry seasoning by far).

And if I ever get a chance, I'm going to eat at Chef Paul's restaurant down in Louisiana and thank him personally! And I LOVE that it's available everywhere!

Get some, cook with it. It is awesome! And, oh, did I bother to say it has a calorie count of one big fat 0, zero-bazero calories. Yep, my kind of hot and spicy!

Okay, back to:

The Grocery List - Continued
(AKA: " The Basic Spices!")

-Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic

-(If you're out and about and can get to a William-Sonoma store, they also have a Potlatch Seasoning, a rub for salmon and seafood that is really, really good too. The only problem for me with that is that the store is not my corner grocery store and I am not a mall girl except when I am on a shopping spree.)

-McCormick Lemon and Herb (I like this so much better than lemon peppers that get too gritty and I like my peppers fresh and separate. This is a very nice lemon herb, but sometimes hard to find.)

-Original Spike gourmet seasoning (Although I don't use this as much as I used to, it is wonderful on fresh corn or on some sandwiches.)

-fresh ground pepper (There IS a difference between fresh pepper and old pepper, so buy it in smaller quantities and more often!)
-fresh pepper-mill black pepper
-fresh four-peppercorn pepper-mill (great on eggs!)

-Pam Olive Oil nonstick spray

-Original Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Packets

-small container of buttermilk (When the recipe comes up–very soon!–for spicy shrimp/but not a regular household item as it will not keep.)
-small jar of Hellman's Mayonnaise (Sometimes you have to go there.)

-fresh cilantro
-fresh big white nice looking mushrooms
-a fresh cucumber
-fresh red radishes
-a nice fresh avocado or two
-fresh lemons

-one seedless watermelon (Oh come on, it's summertime!)

(Note: make sure you still have Del Monte's original recipe canned stewed tomatoes and Freshlike canned small sliced beets in your cupboard from an earlier list too.)

-Imagine Bistro Organic Cuban Black Bean Bisque (You'll find this in the health food section and, OMG! A long time ago, my husband and I passed through Asheville, North Carolina and had the best darn bowl of black bean soup I've ever had in my life and it also happened to be my first too. It was sooooo delicious that, four years later, we went out of our way on another southern trip and back to Asheville with another bowl of that very same black bean soup in mind. Alas, in spite of Asheville being a very good stop altogether, the soup was no longer to be found. Many, many years and many samplings later, finally, this is IT! This is incredible, back-to-Asheville fine fine fine!) (4 servings in a box.)

-Pacific Natural Foods All Natural Thai Sweet Potato Soup (Small box - 2 servings a box.)

-tin foil

-ginger sauce (we are always on the hunt for good ginger sauces and they always seem to come and go. Please let us know if you find one that is worth hunting down. I am talking about the orangish-yellow colored sauce that doesn't have any stand-out onion overtones. Right now, we are settling with the Whole Food's 365 Soy Ginger Sauce.

-soy-ginger sauce (same story as above - only this one is the dark, thick, black colored sauce. Right now we are going with Annie Chun's.)

(If you can find it, the Ginger People sauces are top! Buy the Lime Ginger (it is awesome all by itself over sea bass on the grill!) and the Spicy Ginger Teriyaki Sauce. The store locator is found here: http://www.gingerpeople.com/storelocator/location/map/
They were everywhere in our town and then they all but disappeared with only one or two of their unbelievable sauces to be found! Why is ginger such a fleeting find???)

-Korean Sweet and Spicy Sauce (There are a number of brands. I'm still experimenting. One has 100 calories and another 45 per serving. I like the spicy, less sugary variety and, so far, nothing beats the kitchen-made sauce that our local Thai restaurant puts together. Grin!)

Okay, you are set up nicely with this list.

For the soon-to-be-following recipes, you will also need on the day you plan to cook it:

-fresh peeled and divined raw shrimp
-fresh thick even piece of nice salmon
-fresh (or still frozen with the ice crystals still on them in the fresh fish department) big sea scallops

NOTE: You will want to get your fish fresh daily. (Always do that! And smell it too. Old shrimp stinks. Fresh fish never does. If it doesn't look good to you, keep shopping.)

-bbffair