Sunday, February 26, 2012

I guess I should clarify...

By no carbs I mean no bread, potatoes, rice or pasta.  

Because vegetables and fruit do have a carb component but I'm not doing without those.  

Just sayin'

Yes, I'm back!

Yes, it's been awhile.  I kind of lost interest in posting over here but now I'm doing something that I think might be aided by writing out my thoughts here. 

I decided to do a "Lent" thing.  That is, no carbs for lent.  I always do a little something for Lent.  Not that I am especially religious but I think it is a way of keeping me centered.  Reminding me that there are a lot of things more important than me and the "day to day".  

So about the food aspect of this thing.  I have done without meat for as long as 3 months.  After that I saw that it wasn't that important to me.  And as I continued my regular eating habits I tended toward eating less meat to no meat.  When I didn't think about it I ordered salads and hummus and veggies and rice and pasta.  I naturally did without the meat in my diet.  But apparently I am "insulin resistant" so these foods I loved (rice mostly) kept me from losing weight.  I figured I would do the no carb thing for Lent for spiritual reasons but also to help me lose a few pounds.  

In 2001 I had a gastric bypass and lost 105 pounds.  I've managed to keep most of that off.  I have put back on about 10 pounds.  That's what I'm trying to lose.  I'm not going to go into the menopause song and dance here, but being 56 and where I am in life losing 10 pounds is soooo much more difficult than it has been in the past.  It's just metabolism and stuff.

Anyway - that's my rant.  And I have 42 more days to go.  I know that once I'm done with this I am going back to my semi-vegetarian/flexitarian diet.  

And as usual, advice, words of wisdom and encouragement are always welcome :) Have a great day!

Monday, May 9, 2011

Social Eatz

I wanted to tell you all about a wonderful new restaurant where I had my Mother's Day lunch this weekend.

It's called "Social Eatz" and the owner/chef is Angelo Sosa of Top Chef/Top Chef All-Stars fame.  The restaurant is located on East 53rd Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues in Manhattan.  The menu is a wonderful mix of eclectic Asian fusion burgerz and sandwiches.

We sampled three appetizers;  The Crisp Spring Rolls, the Smoked Ribs and the Hot Wings.  All simply delicious!

Mike had the Tomato Curry Soup which we all tasted.  Flavors like I have never experienced before!!

For our mains I had the Bulgogi burger, Regina sampled the Hanoi burger, Gino had the Bibimbap burger (topped with fried egg!) and Mike had the Kung Pao Sandwich.  I ordered one of the Imperialist Hot Dogs for everyone to try and we shared two orders of their Crispy Fries.

We ended by sampling their Yuzu Cream Puffs and Chocolate Toffee Brownie which were served with a shot glass of what tasted like some type of seasoned soy milk.

I cannot sing their praizes enough!  This place is a must try for everyone.  There is nothing over $15 on this menu.  You have never experienced flavors like this anywhere.  It's new, it's different, the decor is pretty and the bar is wonderful as well.  Lots of interesting beers on draft and bottle as well as non-alcoholic drinks of the ginger beer variety.  Wait staff is wonderful too - very pleasant and very helpful!

I urge you to have a meal there - you will not be sorry!  I know that I will be back!

Long Time No See

Yeah it's been awhile since I've posted.  I'm going to make an effort to get here more often - really!

I actually have prepared a recipe for tomorrow that I learned how to make in Madhur Jaffrey's class at the DeGustibus Cooking School.  That was a wonderful class that I enjoyed sooo much!  In fact, I bought a used copy of one of her vegetarian cookbooks so I could try some new recipes.

The recipe I've prepared for tomorrow's dinner is called "Baked Pate Kebabs" - and really it's like an Indian meatloaf.  If it comes out good I'll post photos and the recipe here later in the week.

Ms. Jaffrey was wonderful to listen to and wonderful to watch her cook.  She told a lot of wonderful stories as she prepared her dishes.

 I really enjoy going to the DeGustibus classes.  I received a gift certificate for Mother's Day for two classes!  I'm going to save them for the next series.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

This week's Sunday Meal

I've decided that today I'm going to fill some lettuce cups with stir fried chicken and peanuts.  How does that sound?  Sounds good to me!  Will post photos and recipe later!

Enjoy your Sunday folks!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Ahhh...Wednesday

Yes, it's my day off.  I usually take this day to make a few meals for the days that I work the rest of the week.  Really going the easy route today - hot dogs!!  I never think of them as just hot dogs - I always like to dress them up with lots of goodies like salad and relish!  I'm really unsure about what to make for Thursday's dinner - have to think on it.  Maybe a crock pot roast?  If so, I better get that thing out of the freezer NOW!!

Have a great day everyone!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Sunday's Recipes - Zucchini Cups

I have to give props to Kalyn's Kitchen for this recipe!  It was so easy and super delicious!  Kalyn's photos are better than mine!


Meat, Tomato, and Mozzarella Stuffed Zucchini Cups
(Adapted from a recipe created by Kalyn)

2 large zucchini or yellow squash, about 12 inches long
2 tsp. + 2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 T finely minced fresh garlic
1 lb. ground beef (10% fat or less)
2 C diced tomato
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Season All, salt and pepper to taste
2 cups low-fat mozzarella or other mild white cheese

Preheat oven to 350F. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a non-stick pan and saute onion and garlic minced garlic until soft - don't burn your garlic!  Add diced tomato and continue to saute.
 
Crumble in the ground beef and cook over medium heat until the meat is well browned. Add tomato sauce and simmer until the mixture has thickened and liquid has cooked off, about 10 minutes, then turn off heat.

While meat cools, cut zucchini into 2 inch thick slices, discarding ends. Use a sharp spoon or melon baller to hollow out a cup in each zucchini slice, leaving just over 1/4 inch of zucchini flesh. Be careful not to cut through the bottom of the zucchini or they'll leak! 

Spray baking sheet or casserole dish with nonstick spray and stand up zucchini cups, open end up. Stir 1 1/2 cups grated cheese into the cooled meat mixture (it doesn't need to be completely cool), then spoon the meat-cheese mixture into zucchini cups, pressing down with the spoon and mounding it up a little over the top of the zucchini.

Bake zucchini cups for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and crumble mozzarella cheese on top of each zucchini cup generously. Place in oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes until the zucchini is slightly soft when pierced with a fork and cheese is melted and lightly browned. 
 
Thanks Kalyn!  They were delicious!