Monday Monday

The weekend goes by all too quickly. My allergies have been at an all time high and I woke up in the middle of the night sans pants with the Spartan's old man hat next to me. Did I do a striking rendition of "You Can Leave Your Hat On" and not remember it? I think it's time to put down the wine for a bit...

I feel a tiny bit of sickness creeping in, but I'm hoping it's just allergies. I'd like to stay in this week and just sleep and eat healthy food. It's time for another detox I think.

I've got my new hair in full effect but no new pant size. Meh. I envisioned the day I went all crazy color cool with the hair I'd be able to wear some of my skinny jeans too, so that bums me out.

I subscribe to Self magazine's email newsletter and they usually have great recipes during the week. I think I'll make this one sometime soon.

Avocado-Mango Chicken

Ingredients

* 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from canned chipotle chiles)
* 2 limes
* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 oz each)
* 1 large mango, coarsely chopped
* 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
* 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
* 2 tablespoons sea salt
* 4 white-corn tortillas

Preparation

Mix Worcestershire, soy and adobo sauces with juice from 1 of the limes in a bowl. Place chicken in a sealable plastic bag and pour in marinade. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine mango, avocado, cilantro, onion, salt and juice from remaining lime in a bowl, then refrigerate. Transfer chicken and marinade to a baking dish and cook until tender and no longer pink, approximately 20 minutes. Remove chicken from oven, place each breast on a plate and top with 1/4 of salsa. Serve with 1 tortilla each.

Mango mango mango. Mmm.

The babbling of bacon

I've been making turkey bacon as of late, and I must say, I really don't love it. I now it's heart healthy and less fat, less sodium, and well, less bacon. It's dry, it makes me sad and I'm tempted to just eat the Morning Star veggie variety...but that doesn't go well with the cobb salad I made for lunch. Sometimes you have to take the sh*t with the sunshine I guess.

In other news, I've decided to give my hair a makeover this Saturday. It's been so long since I've been pampered, regarding the follicles that is. I think hair knows when it's about to go to the chopping board. It starts acting all cute and coy again and soft and falls just so. Oh, nevermind the past 8 weeks of tangles and flatness and downright homely vibe I've been giving off, this week my hair knows what's coming. It's like a significant other or a child who knows they are in trouble for something, and well, they better shape up fast or cover their tracks in hopes of not getting punished. Too bad for you my fine, lame friend. Your look is over.

I've been a redheaded heathen for years...years I say! It's become a part of me, my character, hell, even my burlesque name, Scarlett Fever. Tomorrow I'll be embarking on a journey back to myself with some not so natural highlights. Think, crayola red. I may end up looking like a pale goth girl, a wannabe hipster, or a runaway from the Donnas, but change is good. Then again, look how I felt about the bacon.

At least I'm not crazy enough to wear a bacon bra though. That's just nasty.



But I would still like to try Baconaise.

Ride 'em Cowboy

Alright, so that sounds a little dirty, but who cares.
This post goes out to my salad buddies at Mixt Greens in SF. Sometimes they let me down, sometimes they give me a glorious afternoon culinary orgasm that makes me full til dinner. Today's was, the "Cowboy" salad.



How come when I make my salads, they never look like this? The Cowboy comes with: romaine hearts, herb marinated grilled chicken, roasted red peppers, black beans, sharp cheddar, red onion, point reyes blue cheese dressing with a chipotle honey drizzle--although I substitute the ranch for blue cheese...tummy no likey.

Being Earth Week and all, I figured I'd patronize the tasty and classy Mixt Greens for their "Eco-Gourmet" and organic wonder. It's not something I can do everyday though...a girl's got to budget.

In other news, I worked out this morning BEFORE work (I'll wait for you to pick up whatever you dropped or stop screaming and clapping)...

So I worked out this morning and it felt good. The hardest part is just getting out of bed. Allergies are a real buzz kill when you're up an hour earlier than you need to be (5am), so waking up at 6:15 wasn't easy. I pushed snooze til 630, got dressed in my sweaty finest and left the house. Pros of leaving earlier include less traffic to dodge and avoiding death on bicycle, more seats on BART, and less people at the gym! Who would've thought!?

I worked out for about an hour and indulged in a low carb breakfast burrito for my post workout protein meal. I'm tempted to go to yoga tonight, but that's just being crazy.

A protein sandwich

I had to post this tonight, as I found so much joy in it. It was even funnier when the Spartan actually suggested it first. "Here, take a picture of my creation so you can make fun of me on your blog". How could I resist? May I introduce to you, the open faced protein sandwich:


It's not pretty, but the Spartan was proud. In light of my recent Atkins fail, he told me this was his version of an Atkins meal. It's simply two fake chicken breasts (Quorn again), avocado, bbq sauce and cheese. Truthfully, the bbq sauce makes it not so carb low, heh. I'd be happy using meat for buns any day. Now that just sounds filthy.

That is all.

Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day, folks. I've been gone a few but I'm back, trying to regain momentum in the social networking/blogosphere.

I've started to get a little greener myself, and knowing my love for salads and lettuce, here's a quick little article from Epicurious.com showcasing a visual guide to salad greens. How puurrty.

It's not secret that I have a brown thumb. In fact, anything I try to grow usually dies within a month or so, no matter how easy or popular it is to grow. I've tried to grow herbs, I've tried to plant poppies, I've even tried to keep an already grown basil plant in my kitchen...and all seem to leave this world very soon. My latest adventure though? Tomato plants. A few planties and some sweet basil were brought to the backyard this weekend. We'll see how they are doing in this heat wave, and if my treasured tomatoes can actually come from the yard instead of Trader Joes from now on. How exciting!

Pretty Penne

I know I've been holding out on you. I've been too busy enjoying the sunshine and dining out and drinking wine in various establishments (like my front porch or the park) to really cook. You know the old saying, if "it's too damn hot, get yo' ass out the kitchen". So I did.

I did, however, come up with a nice lower-in fat-dinner the other night. I decided to get off this crazy no carb wagon because it's just not realistic for someone like me. "Someone like me"...what does that really mean? It means that I like food, I like to cook, experiment, take joy in finding new recipes or ingredients and sharing them with people. Abstaining from carbs does not lead to any new and exciting adventures, unless you want to wallow in cheese and deli meats for the rest of your life.

I can't deny myself the basic nutrients in fruit or legumes and stare wistfully at a piece of bread or whole wheat pasta from afar. It just doesn't work. I fell off the wagon, and hit my head hard, so now it's back to just smart eating. I blame it all on the vegan red velvet cupcake I had at Mariposa Bakery a few weeks ago. Quick tip: It's an awesome gluten-free bakery right down the road from me with wonderful snacks and fresh baked treats. Highly recommended.

For some reason, I had an abundance of Quorn chicken tenders in the freezer, as pointed out to me by the Spartan. Well, I couldn't let that go to waste. I also had a bag of whole wheat penne I've been meaning to dive into as well. It's quick, cheap and easy. To some that may be an insult, to me it's dinner.

I cooked the pasta as directed and sauteed the Quorn in some garlic olive oil/crushed red pepper with some sliced shitake mushrooms. I then added a few chopped garlic cloves, a cup of white wine and a tablespoon of butter. I cooked the wine down about half way, added a cup of low sodium organic veggie stock and a tablespoon of flour to thicken. I threw in some frozen chopped spinach, the penne and some shredded parmesan cheese and instant deliciousness occurred. Not bad, not bad at all.

Not a carb on this plate...

Well, I've been getting lazy lately, just steaming veggies and eating Trader Joes frozen chicken...or salads...or the occasional sushi cheat, but this no carb thing is pretty boring. I've reached the point where booze is more exciting than food (is that a bad thing?) and I'm totally over eggs. Totes.

Tonight, the Spartan and I had our bottle of zin on the porch, and of course, immediately after, I wanted a bowl of pasta or just godforsaken sandwich. But those were a no no.

I raided the fridge and found some veggies that needed to be eaten before they went bad, and you guessed it, more chicken strips. The Spartan had some quorn and I managed to saute some kale and spinach and...cauliflower mash. For me, cauliflower masquerading as potatoes is the best thing for me since...D batteries.

I boiled a bag of cauliflower in some broth, then drained it when soft. I added a tablespoon of cream cheese, a tablespoon of creme fraiche, a splash of cream, a tablespoon of butter and some salt and pepper. I used a hand blender and made heaven in a pot. I had seconds. And you know what? I didn't care. i got my veggies in for the day.

On the down low...carb

Well, I'm almost on two weeks of no carbs...I say almost because I did have a few cheats, but I needed to slowly get ready for the carb free time in my life. And hey, I'm not perfect. I had a few almonds, I had some beer on St. Patrick's Day and a few pieces of bread while I drunkenly followed a waiter around for his free meatballs at a Yelp event. *gasp*

This week I'm starting again, along with the gym. Of course, as that special time of the month comes my way and cravings are out of control, I needed Italian food. And I needed it bad. I've managed to do without chocolate and sweets outside of sugar free Jello and whip cream, but when I want cheese and sauce and something naughty, do not get in my way.

Of course, the extra pounds around my waist loooove getting in my way, so I try to behave and make something delicious and satisfying and nutritious instead. I've been doing pretty well not having wheat in my diet. I have more energy, less stomach problems and I'm definitely not as bloated. That being said, what's a girl to do when she wants eggplant or chicken parmesan and can't have flour or bread crumbs? SOY!

I bought soy flour for the first time this weekend and used it as a substitute in my eggplant parm dinner today. I was pleasantly surprised. It allowed me to drink my wine, eat some hearty and healthy grub and get my cheese on after a 2 mile run at the gym. I earned it. It appeased the veggie man, who doesn't like eggplant by the way, and is good for gluten free folks.




Low Carb Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients

1 large Italian eggplant
1 small onion chopped
1 cup mushrooms chopped (fresh or canned)
Kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried Italian herbs
1 can crushed tomatoes (you can use the ones with seasoning or without)
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cup garlic olive oil (regular is just fine)
1/2 cup soy flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cut eggplant lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Let them drain a bit on a paper towel.

2. Prepare tomato sauce. Saute onions, mushrooms and herbs to taste. Cook until onions are translucent. Combine tomatoes, garlic in the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

3. When eggplant has dried, press down on it to remove excess water. In a shallow bowl, combine soy flour and a multitude of spices. I like to throw in salt, pepper, 21 seasoning salute from Trader Joe's, garlic powder, dried Italian seasoning and paprika, have fun with it. Mix well. Pour beaten eggs into another bowl. Place a skillet over medium heat, and pour in a a half inch of olive oil. When oil is shimmering, dredge the eggplant slices first in the flour mixture, then in the beaten egg. Working in batches, slide coated eggplant into hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Drain on paper towels.

4. Preheat the oven to 375°F. In the bottom of a baking dish, spread 1 cup of tomato sauce. Top with one third of the eggplant slices. Top eggplant with half of the mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with one third of the Parmesan.

5. Make a second layer of eggplant slices if you have any left, topped by sauce, remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. I sprinkle some more herbs on top of the cheese.

6. Bake until cheese has melted and the top is slightly brown, about 25-30 minutes. Allow to rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving. Serves 2.

Soups On...again

The rains have hit us again for a bit, and I'm lookin' for a cure in the form of soup.

This time around it was cauliflower and kale with creme fraiche, totally veggie, and no potatoes this time around!

Low Carb Cauliflower and Kale Soup
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 leeks, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large head cauliflower, chopped (I get a bag from Trader Joes)
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup of chopped kale
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup heavy cream (optional-if you want it creamy)
1 dollop of Creme Fraiche

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat, and saute the leeks and shallot for about 10 minutes. Toss in the garlic and add the kale and cauliflower, saute for about 5 more minutes. Stir in the vegetable broth, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer til cauliflower is nice and tender.

2. Remove the soup from heat. Blend the soup with an immersion blender or hand mixer. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in the heavy cream, creme fraiche and continue blending until smooth.

I usually serve it with another dollop of creme fraiche, because I'm decadent like that.

The Spaghetti Incident

Don't ask, but for some reason that G&R album name is on the brain today. I think it's because I lugged a heavy spaghetti squash home in my book bag among other groceries from work last night. Now I'm researching ideas for recipes on the sucker.

The week is almost over, and I've pretty much succeeded (sans one bite of a tortilla, blasted!) in not eating any pasta, rice, bread or white starches. Sugar has been at an all time low and I just need to up my water drinking. I know vast amounts of chamomile tea and Crystal Light do not cut it. And thank god for Hansen's Diet Soda.

I don't think I've lost any weight, but I do feel a bit lighter and less bloated. I often wonder if it's really wheat that I have an allergy to. We'll see how this period pans out. I'm sure you're all very interested in what my digestive track has to say.

I was thinking a lot back to the time when I first did a low to no-carb diet. It was back in Los Angeles, probably around 2003 that my roommate and I decided enough was enough. I think we had planned to do it for about a month or so, just to see what happened. This also may have been the time of the "Colon Blow" experiment. (Shudder) If my memory serves me correct, I think we lasted an entire summer!

I have vague memories of fajitas wrapped in lettuce, lots of canned tuna, Slim Jims and deviled eggs. Oh, and whip cream and Jell-O. This reminds me I have to go out and get some sugar-free goodness later...there's always room for it.

It was a period in my life that was a blur. I was in my mid 20's and working a crap job, living the Hollywood life. This means, nothing was really important, my apartment was the center of my social universe and living and working among stripper shoe stores, head shops and tourists really had no affect on me. It was a tight budget lifestyle, so 99cent hot dogs and tuna for meals were not embarrassing or depressing for me. I honestly don't remember exactly how long I did it for, but I know I lost close to 20 pounds. I never noticed it until I had to fly home to CT for my grandmother's funeral in early Fall of that year.

It was so strange, being back amongst family and friends that always knew me to carry a little extra curve. I was never "fat", but I have cushion. When I arrived at the funeral home straight from the airport, I was greeted with a strange string of sentiments ranging from "I'm sorry, I'm sorry for your loss, but you look GREAT!" "We'll miss her too, but you uh, look fantastic". It must have been that fancy outfit from the Express that really highlighted my frame. The first time I saw my friend Mike, he commented right away that I had "lost a Backstreet Boy!" and that my ass was no longer visible. He jumped out of the car to make sure it was really me. Sure, I was also wearing my super thin roommate's "fat jeans" but they were skinny jeans to me!

I remember standing in my kitchen, my cousins in awe, my father asking me if I had been eating, and I said sure, just not a lot of carbs. As I said this, they were ordering many pizzas for the post-funeral gathering. I think that was the beginning of the end of the potential skinny me. That, and holiday season was right around the corner. I gave up on the no carb lifestyle and slowly but surely, the weight crept back up on me.

The entire time I was "thinner", I was still normal. I was probably a size 8 or on a good day, a 6. I also lived in skirts and flip flops, so that's not a really good judge. I look back at old photos, and sure my face isn't as round, but it wasn't shockingly apparent I had starved myself or subsisted entirely on coffee grounds and pickles. I just remember a lightness about me, more mental than mid-section really, and it felt better. I had more confidence. I wanted to go out, rather than having to mentally force myself out of the house for a night of self-judgment and pain.

One night, I had met someone I had gone out with once before, probably about 4 months prior. Even he noticed I had "disappeared" a bit, literally and physically. It didn't really phase me, and neither did the date, lol.

I'm not sure how long I'll do this to myself, but I know opinions and criticism people have about Atkins or low carb lifestyles. I'm under NO illusion that I'll be this way forever. There will be Italian food and sushi and pancakes in my life once more, but not for the time being. Perhaps pastas in the future will be a side dish for me, and no longer a main meal for example. I won't spend my afternoons snacking or planning my next deep dish pizza run.

I don't plan on hiking up my fat count or cholesterol levels either. I know low-carb means high-fat and high-meat to some, but I'm eating lots of veggies, salads, turkey (no red meat) and lean fish. I drink water and green tea throughout the day and I take vitamins. I won't end up looking like or smelling like a Slim Jim, don't worry. I also live with a vegetarian, so I will be making more meals that are friendly to the both of us.

It's a little sad to me, the long road ahead. I start and stop so many times with diets. Generally, I'm a healthy person, I just like to cook, and I like to eat. I like to watch food, learn about food, share it with people, make it for people, compare it etc...so you might say I'm a little obsessed, but that's what makes me who I am. I can't just shut the door on throngs of people who want a meatball grinder or lunch at a sushi buffet. I just don't have to say yes every time.

Day 1 Down

I guess typing keeps me from eating, so that's a good thing.

I gave in and had some wine tonight--only a few carbs--but I guess I'm doing more of a limited carb than no carb regiment. I wanted something sweet, and instead of going for the chocolate mochi or apple sauce, I opted for booze. It's gonna take time.

Today was somewhat successful.
Breakfast: Morning Star Veggie Sausage patty, green tea, 2 egg omelette with scallions. About 4 carbs
Snack: Hard boiled egg, vanilla almond tea
Lunch: my chili con cranky with half an avocado About 6 carbs
Dinner: I snacked on some tuna I made for the week, 1 asian marinated chicken breast from Trader Joes, one small yellow squash sliced, mushrooms and baby broccoli. 8 carbs

I don't think I drank 64oz of water, more like 30 if I'm lucky, so I have to work on that.

I did, however, find this great low carb fun breakfast idea on Slashfood. I'm totally going to make these little mini quiche like goodies.

Chili con Cranky

Well, day one has commenced on the low carb wagon. I'm only mildly cranky. I'm sure today I wasn't supposed to eat a Morning Star veggie patty, or some sugar free cocoa, but hey, it's a start. I made some bean-free chili last night (and boy was the boy happy!), in hopes it would last me through a few days lunches and not make me feel sad and forlorn for missing out on beans. It's always hard to find ingredients without hidden sugars, or ones that taste relatively close to your favorite meal. I think this chili recipe makes a mean comfort meal on these windy SF days and it's my inaugural lunch on my first day back at the job. It tastes better after having sit for a bit.

It's strange getting back to the old grind. Everything that's old is new again, sort of. The alarm going off insanely early...only this time, a doggie snore follows it. We have a new tempurpedic mattress that makes it oh-so-hard to leave the bed. It literally hugs my ass in a sweet slumber.

Back to getting ready to face the cold and bike to BART, huddled amidst the throngs of other commuters--which feels doubled since the economy took a crap. The peaceful camaraderie yet isolation of a ride in a cramped train. Monday morning malaise and I'm excited to graze and get a pay check again. Now if only I can stop hacking up a lung and get this sickness over with.

It may not be a "new" job, but something has to be said about not having to replug oneself back into a cubicle city or icy cold office with strangers. My previous job had the robotic cacophony of clacking fingernails, keyboards and printers buzzing. Yet not one word, and barely any conversations could be heard. Here, familiar faces, old patterns, old office, new desk and my green teas still in the cupboard make for a good welcome.

Now back to the chili...it's really up to your individual taste or level of spice on this one, but it's got less than 10 carbs, so whoopieee!

Chili Con Cranky

1 lb ground turkey (or beef, but turkey is leaner)
1 small onion chopped
1 can of mushrooms chopped or a cup of fresh chopped
1 can of Rotel diced tomatoes with peppers (or just tomatoes)
1 can of diced jalapenos
2-3 small peppers of your choosing. I opted for the combo of green bell and mild chilis
1 can of tomato paste (6oz)
1 clove of garlic
1 tbs of olive oil
Hot sauce to your taste
Red chili flakes to taste
1 tbs of chili pepper
1 tbs of paprika
1 tsp of oregano
1 tbs of garlic powder
salt, pepper to taste

1. Sautee the ground turkey in olive oil and red pepper flakes for a bit. Add a bit of salt and pepper.
2. I like to sautee the onions, peppers, and mushrooms together til the onions are transulcent. Toss them in with the turkey when done.
3. Add the garlic, sautee for about 2-3 minutes.
4. Empty the tomatos, peppers, and paste into the mix. Stir well.
5. Add your spices, and let simmer for about half on hour on low to medium heat. I usually play with the spice levels, add more hot sauce etc... You can also add the tomato paste one tbs at a time, if you think it may be too sweet to your preference. Find the right balance of salty, sweet and spicy and voila! Comfort in a bowl.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye

Well, even though I am embarking on a lower carb lifestyle, I still had some leftover banned items in my fridge to work with this weekend. Of course, one thing folks miss the most when doing a no carb regiment is the dearly beloved pizza. I found a healthier option with Trader Joes ingredients and it was just as tasty, just as satisfying and chock full of veggies.



What you can do is take a whole wheat pita, layer some low fat goat cheese or mozzerella if you will, add some sun dried tomatoes (the oil in them helps moisten the crust) and pile on veggies. In my case, I used yellow peppers, onions, mushrooms and fresh basil.