Steak on a Diet?!?

This is Elissa, Kathleen's older daughter, again. I got some positive feedback from my last blog, so at least a few of my friends read it, and their approval is all I really need. Sarah mentioned in the previous entry that we started the 7 Years Younger Diet with our mom about a week ago. My mom found the plan and I agreed without a second thought... I mean just the title got me... Heck yes, I'd like to look 23 again! 

You see, I've done my fair share of dieting over the years. I've even had good success through both old-fashioned calorie counting and Weight Watchers, but there was one mortal flaw. I always ate the same food I had been eating... Just much, much less of it. Yes, I lost weight, but I was always hungry, and I'm sure very, very cranky.

So a couple kids and a full time job later I needed a change! I like the cookbook and pre-fabricated menus. I use them as a guide because I try to choose food that my husband and kids will also like. I must say, so far my kids have eaten, and the hubby hasn't complained that I'm starving him to death (at least to my face).

Here's his favorite so far:

Steak Sandwich with Grilled Onions

Ingredients

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional) I left it out, but I don't normally cook with it, either.

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Pepper

1 1/4 pound flank steak

1 medium red onion, cut into 4 thick slices

8 slices whole grain sourdough bread, toasted on the grill. I used whole wheat hoagies because the bakery was out of sourdough, gah!

2 tomatoes, sliced

1 bunch arugula, I used spinach, well, because I had spinach.

Steps

1. In large baggie, mix soy sauce, vinegar, sugar (if using), thyme and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add steak and marinade for 15 minutes at room temperature or an hour in the fridge.

2. Preheat gas grill and skewer the onions for easier handling. 

***Yeah, if you don't have a grill basket, go buy one immediately. YOU WILL NEVER SKEWER VEGGIES AGAIN!!! It's so much easier and carries less of a chance of burning yourself. I bought mine at Albertsons for like $10. Trust me and just say no to skewers! (see below).

2. Remove steak from marinade; pour marinade into 1-quart saucepan. Boil 2 minutes. 

**It smells amazing!**

4. Grill steak and onion 12-15 minutes until onion is browned and meat is tender. Brush both with marinade occasionally and turn each once. Grill bread last. Transfer steak to cutting board, separate onion into rings.

5. Thinly slice steak diagonally across the grain. Arrange onion rings and steak on 4 slices of bread; spoon any meat juices over onion and meat. Top with tomatoes, arugula and 4 remaining slices of bread.

Yes, it's as delicious as it looks. There is a suggested grilled banana dessert, but we were both too full. So ladies, if you want to fool your man into dieting, or just need a break from salad, indulge in one of these :-).

Fajitas Two Ways: Diet Indulgence

Hi, it's Sarah here, younger daughter extraordinaire. 

Here's the original recipe for fajitas as taken from 7 Years Younger, the diet/anti-aging program that our clan has undertaken to help us all look and feel better, especially since Elissa and I are both shedding postpartum pounds and our husbands may have gained a few themselves during our pregnancies.

Here are some things that I did differently and why:

• I crushed the garlic with my mortar and pestle because, oddly, I have that setup, but no garlic press.
• I made more than 12 ounces of chicken. I used one of the freezer packs (approximately 1.25 pounds) from Costco because, frankly, I already owned it. Furthermore, what grocery store sells 12 ounces of chicken? I don't own a kitchen scale, so I didn't get too wound up about it. 
• I used chicken tenderloins. Again, this was because I already had it. Would I do it again? Yes, because you get greater surface area for seasoning and browning during the broil. I think it gives it more of a skillet texture and flavor.
• I used normal chili powder because, let's be honest, I do my grocery shopping at Walmart, and Walmart just ain't classy enough for Ancho Chili Powder. It tasted great with McCormick's Chili Powder, which is actually a blend of spices. Here's an article with more details on the difference.
• I used two anaheim peppers instead of a green bell. Again, I had anaheim instead of a green bell, and I didn't want to go to the store unnecessarily. I would do it again, since anaheim peppers have a less bitter flavor and more heat. Here's more on peppers.
• I used lime juice from a plastic lime because its easier to get 3 TBSP that way. I didn't cut up the limes, which I did have, since I didn't think we would want them after tasting the dressing on the cabbage.
• I used full fat sour cream because I had some before we started the diet, and I didn't think a 1/4 cup would make or break the recipe's health.
• I chopped up the cilantro, stems and all. I've never prepared fresh cilantro before, and when it said leafs only, I thought, "Wow! What a pain in the ass!" So, I went ahead and just cut up everything. It took the better part of a bunch, and tasted just fine.

All in all, this has been our favorite recipe from the diet so far. We'd definitely make it again, diet or not. I straight up loved the cabbage and cilantro salad. You could definitely eat it by itself as a side. 

As far as the prep goes, it was pretty easy and fast. I cut my fingers because my dull knife bounced off of my onion, which sucked, but can definitely be avoided by the more coordinated and sharp among us. The recipe only produced a few dirty dishes considering how many components there were: 1 large bowl, 1 jelly roll pan with foil, 1 cutting board, the mortar and pestle (could have been a garlic press) and a few knives and measuring cups. This makes my husband happy since he's in charge of doing the dishes when I cook.

Finally, if I were preparing this with my hubby during the summer, I might choose to have him prepare the meat and veggies on foil on the grill instead of under the broiler, to avoid heating the kitchen.

Chicken thighs Provençal

This recipe is called chicken but it is really all about the vegetables.  It is a French inspired stew that has been fine-tuned to be reduced calorie and low fat.  I took it from the Good Housekeeping,  Light and  Healthy Cooking cookbook.  I pretty much fixed it as written and liked the results without too much tweaking except for adding oregano and some red wine. BTW, the cookbooks says it is 30 minutes of active cooking time and a total of 1 hour 45 minutes, but since I started with bone-in, skin on chicken thighs, it took me longer.

2 pounds, skinless, boneless chicken thighs ( purchased that way, you pay about double the price for the convenience.), cut each thigh into 4 pieces..

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons olive oil ( I probably used a little more)

2 red peppers cut into 1/4 inch wide strips ( I used one red, one orange)

1 yellow pepper cut into 1/4 inch wide strips

1 jumbo onion, thinly sliced ( I used two medium/large yellow onions)

3 cloves garlic, crushed.

1 can (28 oz.) plum tomatoes ( the recipe is silent on whether to use the juice so I did add the juice.)

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme ( I used 1/2 teaspoon)

1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed (I used 1/2 teaspoon)

3 strips 3" by 1" orange peel ( I used 1  1/2 teaspoon dried orange peel)

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves chopped ( I left them whole)

I also used 1/4 cup dry red wine which the recipe doesn't call for. And added 1/2 teaspoon oregano.

 I guess I did modify it a good bit!

1 sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a non- reactive 5-quart Dutch oven, ( I used a really large frying pan.), heat a teaspoon oil and then add the chicken and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium, add to the pan 1 teaspoon oil,peppers, onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt. (I omitted this salt). Cook, stirring frequently until vegetables are tender and slightly browned, about 20 minutes.  Add garlic and cook an additional minute or two.

Return chicken to pan.  Add remaining herbs except the basil.  Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon. (I pulverized them with my hands as I added them. Here is where I added the tomato juice and the recipe is silent on that.)

Reduce heat and simmer until chicken loses its pink color throughout, about 15minutes.  Transfer to serving bowl and add the basil. If you add the basil too soon, it will lose the pretty green color.

This makes 4 servings at about 215 calories per serving.  In other words about 1 thigh per serving.

I served this with couscous.  It was delicious.

I changed more than I realized but I think that is the right of every experienced cook.

Three cooks, one recipe, three variations

Last evening, Elissa, Sarah and I did something we have never tried before.  We all cooked the exact same recipe in our individual kitchens and then compared our results and impressions.  Selecting the same recipe was a coincidence but it was fun.  Sarah's husband liked the generous portions and Elissa's one-year old thought it tasted great.  I generally don't serve the grill master meatless meals for dinner but even he didn't seem to mind.  (Cleaned up his plate) As you might expect, we each improvised a little depending on our kitchen and I'll let you in on all that too.  Here is the basic recipe:

Big Fusilli Bowl

12 oz. Whole-grain fusilli or rotini pasta

12 oz. fresh broccoli florets

1pint grape tomatoes

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

1 1/2 tablespoons Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1/2 cup (2oz.) diced, part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

1 1/2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 450.  Toss tomatoes with garlic, oil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a bowl.  Spread mixture on a jelly roll pan  and roast for about 8 minutes or until the tomatoes wrinkle and begin the burst.  Stir the mixture and return to oven and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes.

Cook the pasta according to package directions, when three minutes remain, add the broccoli to the boiling water.  When the pasta is finished, retain 1/2 cup pasta water and then drain the pasta, broccoli  mixture. Return the pasta to the sauce pan and add the tomato mixture.  Pour the 1/2 cup pasta water to the jelly roll pan and scrape the browned bits up and then add the liquid to the pasta mixture. Add the Romano cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper.

Sprinkle with mozzarella, basil and pine nuts.

 

The casserole  pictures is Elissa's.  She used veggie rotini pasta so hers was more colorful than the casserole that Sarah or I made since we both used whole wheat pasta, again rotini which tends be be an unattractive shade of brown.  I purchased name- brand pasta because it came in a 12 oz box, but Sarah used the generic version which was in a 13.5 oz box so her dish was slightly larger.

I didn't have block mozzarella cheese so used grated so it melted in and I didn't get the festive results that Elissa's dish had. Sarah used basil in a tube and Parmesan Romano instead of Pecorino Romano Romano cheese.  

My casserole had to sit in the warming drawer so I added a 6.5 oz V-8 juice. I also used frozen broccoli since I already had it and minced garlic instead of smashed.

If I needed to have a vegetarian dish for a potluck, I would definitely consider making this because it has such a wide appeal.  The caveat is that if you actually purchase pine nuts, fresh basil and Pecorino Romano cheese for the expressed purpose of preparing this recipe, meat would probably be cheaper.

Also, if you aren't watching your weight, or even if you are, this would be a good side dish with roast beef.

Jalapeño and Cilantro Dip

This is Elissa, Kathleen's oldest daughter, in my first ever blog entry! I'm actually pretty jazzed because about a month ago I was telling my husband how much I'd love to write a food blog, but don't have the time... or know if I'd be any good at it. So now I can drop in when I have the time (and remember to take pictures) and contribute to my Mom's blog. I've been an avid blog reader for years, and have recently discovered a few new ones thanks to the magic of Pinterest. So here we go...

I really love Mexican food, and have been privileged to learn many of my sweet mother-in-law's amazing family recipes. I won't post any of those without her permission, but I am fairly certain that she will enjoy this dip when I see her at Thanksgiving. I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest, and unlike so many recipes you find there, it needed very few tweaks to be amazing.

Jalapeño and Cilantro Dip

Ingredients

6-8 jalapeño peppers

1 bushel of cilantro

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt (I recently unknowingly fed my kids recalled Chobani yogurt so I'm still a little iffy towards it and used sour cream)

1 package Ranch dressing (3 tablespoons if you buy it at Costco like many good southerners)

Directions

1. Wash cilantro and jalapeños. Remove seeds from jalapeños and roughly chop. The original recipe says to include the seeds if you want a spicy dip.

**Word to the wise - REMOVE the seeds. Raw jalapeños are plenty hot without them. You can always add "heat" to a dish later, but you'll destroy the cilantro flavor if you leave the seeds in. I cook with fresh jalapeños a lot, but the only recipe that I leave seeds in is my MIL's hot sauce, which is so good that it's life-changing, but not for the faint of heart. I also recommend wearing gloves while you handle the peppers.**

2. Food process jalapeños and cilantro until it forms a paste. 

3. Mix the paste, mayo, sour cream and dressing mix.

See? I've read a lot of food blogs. Mad props to those bloggers who make the ingredients look so beautiful in these pre-mix photos...

4. Refrigerate dip for at least an hour and enjoy! It's great with chips, as a dressing on burgers, as a dressing on salad, or veggie dip. Seriously, today we had it with burgers and chips. Tomorrow I'm making a southwest chicken and black bean salad and using it as the dressing. Yum!

 

So there you go, whip this up sometime and see what you think :-) EV

Thai- style Cucumber Salad

Thai-style cucumber salad is my husband's favorite salad.  If I would keep it in the house, he would eat it every single day.  And why not, it is cool, refreshing, crunchy, crisp and best of all extremely low in calories and completely non- fat.  I actually learned this recipe in Thailand at a cooking school although I will give you one modification that does not affect the flavor yet cuts the caloric count by 30 to 50 calories per serving.

First a word about cucumbers.  This versatile fruit can be used in so may ways.  I'll be including more recipes as I go along.  The common American garden cucumbers are abundant starting in early summer and running to first frost.  Living in Texas, you have to watch out because hot weather causes bitter cucumbers.  If you end up with a bitter one, slice it and soak the slices for about 20 minutes in cold salt water.  Then taste again.  The bitterness should be gone.  If it isn't, you really just have to discard the cucumber.  Because I find the wax that growers put on cucumbers disgusting, I would peel a cucumber that has been waxed even though it is safe to eat.

I prefer this recipe with Persian cucumbers also known as English cucumbers.  They re longer and thinner than regular cucumbers, with a ridged skin.  Since they are usually hydroponically grown and shrink wrapped in plastic wrap, bitterness and wax are not issues.  However, choose carefully, the plastic wrap can disguise a spoiled cucumber.

So here goes the recipe:

 

2 Persian cucumbers sliced thinly (horizontally)

1/2 large sweet yellow onion sliced thinly longitudinally (roots to stem)

Sauce

1 cup sugar (I replaced the sugar with Splenda to reduce calories, no adjustments needed!)

1 cup white vinegar

2 Tablespoons fish sauce

Stir until dissolved

Bring to a boil and remove from the heat.  Add six to seven slices jalapeños. You can use fresh or canned.

When the sauce cools, remove the jalapeños,  pour over the cucumbers and onions. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  This salad will keep in the refrigerator for about one week.

Don't call the dishes sides!

For the next few blogs,I am going to concentrate on the lowly "side" dish.  Often when I ask what people want for a meal, they will name a meat, but meats should really be considered the sides and the vegetables, fruits, and starchy foods that we serve should be the show stoppers.  

Growing up in the Midwest, in the 60's and 70's, well that wasn't so easy three seasons out of four.  No wonder I preferred canned green beans to fresh into adulthood and am still suspicious of green peas, unless I know exactly where they came from and how they were cooked.

Truth is, I love vegetables, but I am no where near a vegetarian.  Fruit has been a struggle since I suffered through salads made with marshmallows, whipping cream, and canned in heavy syrup fruit as a child.  The only food I liked less was fruit in flavored gelatin salad with cottage cheese.  As an adult, living in an urban area, I now know that there are apples more delicious than Red Delicious Apples and that you can get Mandarin Oranges and pineapples fresh, not just canned.

So tonight I will show you one of my favorites from my childhood, the acorn squash.  Although it is called a winter squash, you can find it almost year around in stores and farmers markets.  It is genetically in the same family as zucchini and yellow crooked-neck squash. They are dark green and deeply ridged.  Choose one with a smooth skin and you will want one that feels heavy for its size.

Cut each squash in half.  Scrape out the seeds and discard. One squash will easily serve 2.

You can cook two ways.

Grandma Donna's Method

Preheat oven to 350

Place a pat of butter (about 1 tablespoon) in the bowl of the squash and generously salt and pepper each half.

Place on a cookie sheet cut side up and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender.

Remove from the oven and serve.

My Method

Preheat oven

Spray the cut side of the squash with a high quality cooking spray and place cut side down on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender.

Remove and scrape the cooked flesh from the green skin into a casserole dish.  Mash into a uniform consistency

. Add about 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (Tabasco Sauce) or more to taste.

The taste differences are subtle.  It is really in the appearance.  My husband prefers not to fight with the tough skins and I think most children would prefer not to see the green skins either.