Secret Ingredient Pizza

Can you guess what it is? Your first hint is that they are very good for you--high in Omega-3s.

You second hint is that they are low on the food chain, meaning they don't get a chance to take on a lot of contaminants.

So what are they?

SARDINES!

Do you love them/hate them?

I was in the latter group, but then have read many positive things lately about their health benefits. Then I realized I don't think I've ever actually eaten them.
So tonight, I did. And they were good. Granted, I think I did a good job of masking their flavor, but I did eat them, they weren't fishy, and I liked what I ate.

I made Eating Well's whole wheat pizza crust, baked them sans toppings, then spread mashed avocado on top. The next layer was a mixture of the sardines (packed in olive oil), mashed with lemon zest, lemon juice, white balsamic, black pepper, crushed red pepper, Italian parsley, and mint.

This was very loosely based on Alton Brown's Sardine-Avocado Sandwich.

Now I need to find some other ways to try them. I want to start eating more fish, and am shooting for 3-4 days a week (not just sardines).

And here's one of the supporting articles I read about the benefits of sardines.

http://www.eatingwell.com/food_news_origins/food_news/what_s_in_your_fish?utm_source=EW_SlimDownSpecial_Blast_Apr10

Pre-Bento

I have some catching up to do! I have all of these pictures on my phone, but just have been so tired that sitting at the computer to post just hasn't been on my radar.

At any rate, here is tomorrow's lunch, but presented on one of my salad plates for tonight's dinner.

I used two Eating Well recipes. The first was for oven fried chicken fried steak. I'm a CFC purist. I like it thin, crispy, and fried to a golden goodness. Fortunately (or not?), I only make it maybe 1-2x a year. I had some leftover cubed steak in the freezer that I needed to use, so decided to try this recipe. Surprisingly, it didn't disappoint. It was crispy, flavorful, and tender. I did omit the cornstarch and just upped the quantities of the wheat flour and corn meal. Instead of making the gravy called for in the recipe, I made a mushroom-sherry sauce. It was good, but I doubt I'd repeat it. I served with roasted broccoli drizzled with avocado oil and fried garlic (from a jar). I don't like broccoli, so am proud of myself for eating it. Twice.

Two Meals or a Game of "What Doesn't Belong"

I made a quick visit to a local Asian grocery on Friday. There are two decent ones in the OKC. I like the other one better (Super Cao Nguyen to anyone local reading this). This one is OK, and is more on my way home from work so it'll do. I left with two bags of produce for $18 (and also a container of fried garlic from Thailand. Yum.). I hope I can eat it all before it goes bad!

Last night I made some Thai-Style Dumplings for the freezer. OK, linking to that recipe is a bit misleading. It's the original dumplings I made years ago, but I didn't follow it closely. I ground up some pork chops and then added carrots, baby bok choy, onion, lots of ginger and garlic, and of course soy sauce and sesame oil. I ran out of wontons, so tonight's dinner was made with the leftover meat mixture. I did spice it up more with ginger and soy sauce, because after eating a couple of dumplings last night, I thought they needed more seasoning. Yes, I have a seasoning problem. I like a lot of it.

So, the ground pork mixture was part of my dinner. I just slow cooked it in a touch of toasted sesame oil until done. I ate it with some brown rice, a pickled daikon radish and carrot salad, some garlicky sauteed green pea shooters, and some maple-dill caramelized carrots. Guess which doesn't belong? :)

I bought some dill at the market and the smell has been enticing me. I HAD to use it tonight, and I have a plethora of carrots, so there you have it. The recipe I linked to was my guide, but I used maple syrup in place of the agave nectar, and added a teaspoon of butter because well, I like butter. This was a good meal, balanced, and notice in the picture of my salad plate that most of the plate is veggies. That's good right? And yes, that is a salad plate. Read: Small.

On to tomorrow's lunch. It's not much different, except I have sweet potatoes instead of maple dill carrots. Guess which doesn't belong? Food pairing has never been my thing. I eat what I have and/or what I like. It's also topped with some Organic Garden of Eden Gomasio.

And there is Cosmo in the background, hoping I drop it.

Yum!

I saw these at my local health food store, and just had to try it. YUM! I got the mint variety. It was a bit of a splurge, ($3.79 for a 4-pack), but since I am about to go OFF the diet soda, I'm entitled. The mint soda I am drinking now is not sweet, is bubbly, and has just a hint of mint. It would also be good with rum. :) The big draw to this is that I know what everything on the product list is-all natural ingredients!

As for the details, these are made by the R.W. Knudsen family. I'll look forward to trying out more of their products.

Bright and Cheerful

Tomorrow's lunch provides some splash of color that I desperately need to see! The weather has been so dreary and gray/white. I'm sick of it. I'm ready for spring. Until then, I can at least pack some colors in my lunch!
On the top, I have baby carrots and about 1 T. of goat cheese seasoned with some lemon juice, lemon rind, and pepper. On the bottom, I have some cucumbers marinating in rice vinegar and some crispy spicy pork (usually the filling for my pork carnitas) topped with cilantro/onion and a squeeze of lime juice. I put the cheese in a divider cup so I can easily remove it to heat the pork.

This lunch is sort of light on carbs, but I will probably eat a granola bar in the afternoon before I go run so should be in good shape there!

I Love My Lock & Lock!

I really do love these containers. They make me think twice when filling them-this is all I can have for lunch, so what can I pack in it that will be nutritious and filling? I don't want to fill it full, as that would be too much (seriously--it holds like 800 ml).
My lunch today consisted of leftover brown rice with leftover filet mignon, some baked sweet potato with cinnamon and cayenne, spicy garden mix with a pickle, and a tamagoyaki. This was perfect. Just a few bites of steak (YUM), a bit of rice, a compartment packed full of sweet potato--it's so good for you, and then the omelet and veggies. I didn't feel guilty; it really was just enough.

Have I mentioned that I love my Lock & Lock?




Tomorrow's lunch is very similar, except I made some fried rice with egg, broccoli, enoki mushrooms, and soy sauce. I have a little bit more steak, the same spicy garden mix with a pickle added in, and for "dessert", some new trail mix I saw at Sam's made by Back to Nature called Bar Harbor Blend. I've bought their products before and am really impressed by their ingredients. This blend is vanilla almonds, chocolate covered almonds, and dried cranberries. A serving is 3 T. I packed just under two. I think it will be a nice sweet finish to my meal.





And again, I love my Lock & Lock!

Tri-Color Bento

I finally cooked something from my new cookbook, Bento Love. I wanted something with meat, but only had thick cut pork loin chops in the freezer. The recipe I used called for ground chicken; I just ground two pork chops in my food processor and followed the recipe. I actually doubled the recipe, as I prefer to cook for more than one meal. I actually got THREE meals out of this double recipe. Yay me!

Anyhow, it just involved mixing your ground meat with a broth made of soy sauce, mirin, and lots of ginger. You then cook it on low heat until most of the broth has cooked away and the meat has browned. Stirring regularly is required to keep the meat from clumping.

The next color of this bento is from scrambled eggs. You beat the egg with some water, sugar, and a dash of sesame oil. When scrambling, use chopsticks moved vigorously in the pan to create small "scrambles". The third color is snap peas. I subbed green beans that I stir fried with some garlic and olive oil. This meal was dinner last night, lunch today, and dinner tonight. I served it over brown rice. Healthy, hearty, and flavorful--this is something I will make again!

The really surprising thing is that no one at work made a comment about it. I guess it looked too normal and boring. :)

The other layer of my bento consisted of some Kashi Stoneground 7 Grain crackers and a feta cheese spread from Central Market. These might be my new favorite crackers. Check them out!

Beans and veggies!

I made a weekend trip to Dallas w/ my dear friend Anna to hit some stores, see some people, eat some good food, etc. Unlike last time, I don't think we took any pictures this time around. Odd.
Anyhow. After all of that shopping, I couldn't decide what to make for dinner or lunch tomorrow. I finally went with the "minimal effort" path.

On the top left and moving clockwise, I have some pickles from Central Market as well as a spicy veggie mix that has some peppers and olives, then a grape-blue cheese-walnut salad, then some great Northern beans heated with garlic, lemon zest, crushed red pepper, s&p, then drizzled with balsamic syrup. Yum. Finally, a tamagoyaki (Japanese egg omelet).

The container I used is something I picked up at H-Mart, but could find here. Each section holds about 1/2 cup if packed (I measured the beans). You can't tell, but the grape section is just over 1/2 full, as is the egg section. The other is packed, but it's veggies. Hopefully this will be another aid in portion control!

Two Bentos=Three Meals

Tomorrow will be a long day-one of those that make you wonder if it will ever end. To help me get home quicker, I am taking my dinner with me rather than waste time stopping somewhere.

The lunch bento is some pork carnitas meat I made this weekend (it's cold here, hence the yucky look) and sweet potatoes in the big layer. The bottom layer had the cilantro/onion mixture for the meat, a quarter lime, some dried blueberries with a few dried cherries, and some Kashi Stoneground 7-Grain crackers. Looking at this now, I think that's too much meat! Haha.

Mr. Bento has my breakfast, the usual Fage yogurt. The preserves of the day are pineapple/mango. The main course is peanutty noodles with broccoli slaw, onion, garlic, ginger, and some thin sliced pork. It's topped with fresh cilantro. I ate it hot tonight, but tomorrow it will be cool after being in the 'frig all day and then in my cold car.

I have some cheese (Dubliner Cheddar and another Dubliner that is similar to Gouda), some Back to Nature sunflower and basil crackers, pecans, and a couple of Hershey's mint truffles for good measure.

Super Pho'

When the weather gets miserably cold, and my house is so chilly that I just want to cuddle under a blanket, I crave Pho'. It is one of the BEST.FOODS.EVER. The Pho' I can get here in my little town isn't quite as good as what is in the Vietnamese area of OKC, but it will do in a pinch. What is Pho'? Well, I describe it simply as a beef noodle soup. The depth of flavor is so much more than what comes out of my kitchen. Try it!

I was able to make two meals out of tonight's Pho' and pack it in my Mr. Bento, so I have it to look forward to tomorrow. However, I ate all of the beef tonight. The beef is very thinly sliced and added to the broth raw. The simmering broth cooks the beef quickly. You can then add whatever garnishes/spices/vegetables you want. My lunch tomorrow will be the Pho' broth with the noodles, vegetables, a shrimp spring roll (with yummy peanut dipping sauce), and sweet potatoes. Also yogurt with jam for breakfast. I really think this is more than I will be able to eat--so much food but oh so good!
I realize this doesn't look that appetizing, but it really is! I promise! :)

Back to Work, Back to Bento

Happy New Year! 2010. That just sounds so weird. And, since it is the beginning of the year and the holiday binging is over, it's time to get my fat a$$ back in gear. OK, it's not really fat. At least, it's not the area where the extra cushion goes when I over indulge. Anyhow, maybe bentoing (that can be used as a verb, right?) will get my back on track with my lunches. Now if only the Bentos could exercise for me, because that's my real issue. When it's cold outside, I just want to bundle up and hibernate!

Tomorrow's lunch:

Top layer: Baked sweet potato mashed with cayenne, cinnamon, salt, and a drizzle of olive oil. As much as I wanted to, I skipped the brown sugar and butter. :) Also, some beef stewed all day in red wine, broth, onions, garlic, etc. It looks gross because it's cold, but is oh so yummy.
Bottom layer: Fage yogurt with Morello Cherry Preserves (which I am running low on--fortunately a trip to Central Market is in my NEAR future), and some True North Almond Berry Crisps. I'm sad because I can't find the Berry Crisps anymore. The lady at Sam's said it was limited edition. Bummer. The plain almond ones are good too though.

Mr. Bento

I got a Mr. Bento last week! It is so cool, and will be great to take my lunch along on our many work road trips. This really holds A LOT. This is my lunch and breakfast. From the top left, I have garbage bread, sweet potato salad and olives, Fage 0% Greek yogurt with mango butter, and tamajoyaki.

What is garbage bread you ask? Well, it's pizza dough- I prefer whole wheat-rolled into a rectangle, topped with whatever ingredients you like, rolled up, baked at 350 for about 40 minutes and then sliced. True to it's name, mine had ingredients I had to really get creative to put together. I started with sun dried tomatoes and bacon, but thought it needed more substance. I then smashed up a can of great northern beans, added some fresh garlic and just a tiny bit of water to thin it. I first spread this on the dough, then topped with the tomatoes and bacon. I also added some black pepper and crushed red pepper.

Surprisingly, the beans "disappeared" in the final product. I couldn't see them or taste them, but I didn't feel as guilty knowing that bit of healthy goodness was hidden away.

I've already made my bento for tomorrow. I doubt I have time to post again until next week, so I am posting it here. Tonight after visiting a sweet little old lady and then some last minute Christmas shopping, I decided that cooking was not in my plans, so I called in an order to O' Fusion, one of my favorite new restaurants in town. I tried something new--Garlic Pork, which was described as "fragant vegetables with meat of your choice (pork!) in a spicy red garlic sauce." Now, I like vegetables. I do. But this was the first dish from there that I have been disappointed in because those fragrant vegetables consisted of broccoli. Had I eaten in, I would have complained, but didn't realize until I was home. Oh well. I ate some anyway, and have enough for two meals left over! I also got an order of Tom Kha Gai soup. This is chicken in a coconut broth with vegetables. Very rich and flavorful. However, mine is better.

Here is tomorrow's breakfast and lunch. Garlic pork with broccoli and garlic rice, yogurt with pineapple/mango preserves, more sweet potatoes and olives, and Tom Kha Gai soup.

Three in a Row!

Wow, three days in a row to Bento AND to blog? Amazing! So for tomorrow's lunch, I have some broccoli and bok choy cooked in a bit of sesame oil with garlic and soy sauce, marinated flank steak, brown rice, more sweet potato goodness. Have I mentioned that I LOVE this salad? Have I mentioned that I bought 8.5 lbs of sweet potatoes yesterday? Also some more cranberry salad and a couple of my favorite blue cheese stuffed olives--pure goodness.

About the flank steak. Remember the sweet potato/peanut butter sauce I made for the noodles for Bento #1? I have some left over. I HATE wasting food. So, I thinned it with water, added sesame oil, lime juice, Sriracha, a bit more peanut butter, and marinated the steak overnight. Then I pan broiled because my grill is out of gas for the time being. I like my flank stake on the rare side of medium. Not quite rare, but more so than medium well, otherwise is gets too tough and is difficult to eat.

I got several interesting comments on my Bento today. The cold tamagoyaki turned one person off. Truly, I would have me too until I tried it. Something about adding the tiny bit of sugar makes it taste so much NOT like an egg. Not that that makes any sense. You just have to trust me on this. Try one. You'll like. I'm not crazy about eggs, and I actually LIKE this.

Another Bento!

So, two days in a row! I have the same sweet potato salad, but made with white balsamic vinegar and not as much so hopefully I don't drown out the sweet potato flavor again. In the silicone cupcake cup, I have a simple cranberry salad. The bottom layer is roasted broccoli with a dusting of Parmesan, blue cheese stuffed olives, and another tamagoyaki that is sort of hidden under the broccoli. I have to admit-I don't like broccoli. I buy it because I know it's good for me and with hopes that I'll find a way to incorporate it into my diet. I ate some tonight for dinner, along with an egg tamagoyaki because what is easier than a two minute egg?

Bento!

OK, so it's been a while. I'm back. I don't know if it will be permanent, but as for right this instant I am here.

I made my 2nd Bento tonight. The 1st really shouldn't count though, because it was more of a snack/breakfast. Not lunch. Tonight I made lunch. For tomorrow. I may try to do this a couple or three times a week. We'll see.

So. What did I put into my bento? Sweet potatoes. Lots and lots of sweet potatoes. I shredded a sweet potato, mixed it with a homemade balsamic viniagrette spiked with some cayenne and chili powder, added some chili-toasted pecans and golden raisins. Next, I shredded a sweet potato (do you see a pattern here?). I boiled it until tender. I pureed it with some peanut butter, garlic, S&P. I mixed this with some organic brown rice udon noodles. It looks ugly, but it tastes good so I am happy. That is the big layer. The small layer is made up of 5 blue cheese stuffed olives (my latest guilty pleasure-I can't get enough of them), some Food Should Taste Good sweet potato tortilla chips, and a 1 egg tamajoyaki (Japanese omelet). There was also room for one hershey's kiss mint truffle.

Oh, and here is a picture. I must say--it doesn't look appetizing. The pretty sweet potato orange is covered up by other things. Oh well. As long as it tastes good, right?

And many thanks to Avie at Avie's Bento for giving me my very first bento and answering all of my questions.

Grilled PIzza

The best thing I've tried in a LONG time.

I use Eating Well's Whole Wheat Pizza Dough. It's a quick and easy one to make, even on a busy week night. The only things I do differently are to use honey instead of sugar, and I also don't use the quick yeast. I use Fleischman's Active Dry yeast. I dissolve it in the water with the honey before adding it to the other ingredients.

I wanted simplicity, so made a Pizza Margherita. It's divine! Plump juicy tomatoes (unfortunatley not home grown), fresh basil, mozzarella, olive oil, a dusting of finely grated fresh Parmesan. Did I mention that this was most excellent?

The method? Use your favorite pizza dough recipe. Roll it out thin. Get your grill super hot (mine was fluctuating between 450-700). It would have been hotter but I work I slow. Put it on the grill, close the lid for a few minutes. I used direct heat. For a thicker crust, use indirect, but I'd put the dough on the hottest part of the grill, turn that part off and then turn the other burners on (assuming a gas grill).
Flip dough--it should have some little bubbles forming.



Quickly add toppings. Shut for 2-4 minutes or until cheese is melted. I added the basil and Parmesan after turning the heat off.

If you are using vegetables, cook and/or drain them first to prevent a soggy pizza. I drained my tomatoes--they were juicy! I prefer the mozzarella that is in little balls-bocconcini.

I can't wait to make more grilled pizza!

Sorry about the picture quality. They were taken w/ my phone.

This is how pizza should be--thin and crispy so you can hold it!

Beautiful!

Simplicity

First of all--Tammi got it right, and no wonder since I know we've both been making this cake for years! The green cake is made that way by the addition of Midori Melon Liquor. It's good stuff. The recipe also calls for a box of instant pistachio pudding. I forgot to add it and it was still good, just not as green as it normally is.

On to today's entry.

Simplicity.

The weather is getting warmer. I'm yearning for more fresh vegetables. One of my favorites is the simple tomato (OK, it's really a fruit. I am aware of this). These days, it's difficult to find farm fresh tomatoes, which saddens me greatly! I am growing some myself this year. If that is a FAIL, my dad has some started that look incredible. At any rate, I took a gamble last week and bought a couple at my local grocery store.

Tonight, I coarsely chopped one of them, along with a peeled and seeded cucumber. I added a handful of chopped mint (that grows profusely next to my hosue), some basil, the juice of a lemon, the zest of half a lemon, toasted pine nuts, freshly ground pepper, and parmesan cheese. Heaven in a bowl!

If you are cooking for someone who needs a bit more protein, add some leftover chicken. Mix and match your herbs. I used mint and basil because that what I have, though I don't yet have much basil. Add some garlic or other vegetables. You can't really go wrong. I intended to use chickpeas instead of pasta, but realized I am out. I like the Barilla Plus pasta because it has fiber and protein in it and tastes good too. You could also omit the pasta and just make a veggie side salad to go along with your main dish. I love spring/summer and the bounty of fresh produce that comes along with this time of the year!

Here is the recipe.

Pasta, Tomatoes, and Cucumbers with Lemon and Fresh Herbs
Barilla Plus Rotini, 4 oz dried (2 servings)
Red Ripe Tomatoes, 1 large whole (3" dia)
Cucumber (peeled), 1 medium
Parmesan Cheese, grated, 15 grams
Lemon Juice, 1 lemon yields
Pine Nuts, .5 oz
Lemon Zest-from 1/2 of lemon
Basil, 8 leaves
Fresh Mint, handful
Freshly Ground Pepper
Salt

Peel and seed cucumber.
Toss with chopped basil and mint, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper.
Chill.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Run under cool water.
Toss with vegetables. Top with toasted pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and more herbs for garnish.

Number of Servings: 2

I even entered this into a recipe calculator. Not too bad. . .
Per serving:
Calories 329.6
Total Fat 9.6 g
Saturated Fat 1.8 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.6 g
Monounsaturated Fat 2.0 g
Cholesterol 5.9 mg
Sodium 175.4 mg
Potassium 427.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate 47.7 g
Dietary Fiber 6.1 g
Sugars 4.2 g
Protein 15.6 g

(I actually got 3 servings out of this--220 calories, 6 grams of fat).

GREEN???!?!?!!

What could this be? Any guesses?














It's a GREEN cake! OK, this was back in February I think. Or March. Any guesses on what flavor it is? Why is it green?
I forgot to add one of the "green" ingredients, so it wasn't quite as bright as it usually is. The ingredient wasn't missed, so I'll omit it from now on.

What Do You Get When You. . .

Mix 2.25 lbs of ground beef, 1+ lbs. of Italian sausage, 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, 1 lb. of mozzarella, onion, 2 eggs, lots of garlic, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and crackers for binding?

Homemade meatballs, which I made for my mom for Mother's Day today! I haven't made them in quite some time, and totally winged it, but they turned out pretty darn good. I put a tiny piece of mozzarella in the middle of each for a bit of cheesy goodness in every bite. Of course, I made about 100 meatballs (so it seemed). I was feeding six. We had plenty of leftover, so I brought home at least 2 more meals worth.

My only negative? I didn't have time to make the marinara. I used the jarred variety. However, it was good. Classico is my jarred brand of choice, for those time like today when there is no time to do it the old fashioned way. We decided on meatballs at 1, and still had to go to the store to get the ingredients.

This makes me want to make a big batch of meatballs here at home and freeze them. Of course, if I do that, I'll also have to make a big pot of marinara. YUM.

Oh, and I almost got enough protein today. Yes, I had a meaty dinner, but I skipped lunch because I was either driving or cooking.

At any rate, tomorrow I have leftovers, plus I bought more cottage cheese to dig into for breakfast.

Food Watch and More

So, I realized today that if I eat 1 cup of cottage cheese a day, I'll get almost half of my daily protein needs! I do like cottage cheese. Do I like it enough to eat a cup most every day? We'll see. Tonight I had it as my part 1 of dinner with a cup of pineapple chunks (drained). I had been working outside after running errands, and after I came in the house and showered, I realized I was shaking because I was so hungry. That was the fastest thing I could find (that was also healthy). Never mind that the cottage cheese was a full 8 days past its expiration. It passed the smell test, so I ate it.
The rest of dinner, after I scarfed this down? Two homemade corn tortillas, heated in a cast iron skillet until crisp, then topped with a very slight drizzle of melted butter and about 1/3 cup of avocado salsa each. Quick, easy, and very tasty. I had some salsa that I made last week-more like a hot sauce actually, in that it only has jalapenos that are boiled until tender, and processed with a can of fire roasted tomatoes with salt and garlic powder to taste.
The tortillas came from this little tortilleria in the old Capitol Hill neighborhood of Oklahoma City. They were hot when I bought them! Yum, so fresh. I also got some flour ones.
Anyone have any more ideas for how to eat cottage cheese? I also like it with salt, pepper, and fresh tomatoes. I've still got a bit of time before I'll have fresh tomatoes, and supermarket tomatoes just won't do (yes, I'm a "tomato snob"). I suppose I can try it with just s&p. But every day?

On another note, here is a super COOL website that Mark Bittman wrote about in his blog (see a link on the right side of this page for his blog). It's called Food and Water Watch. You visit a virtual supermarket, click on any food you like, and find out, for example, that processed garlic is just as likely to come from China than from the U.S. Avocado that you buy in the U.S. is more likely to come from Mexico--3 out of 5 avocados consumed here are imported. The odds that apple juice that so many kids love is from here in the U.S.? One in five. It's much more likely to come from China. Interesting stuff. I try to eat local as much as I can, but I know I don't do enough. And there are some things, like the pounds of apples I eat in a week, that I can't get local, and I am unwilling to give them up!