Fried Riced Cauliflower

This dish is absolutely amazing, you would never miss the rice or oil and it tastes just like real fried rice. On top of that 1 serving clocks in at only around 200 calories.

Servings: 4

• 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 package lite firm tofu, drained and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1/2 onion chopped
• +Any other veggies if desired - I sometimes add zucchini
• 1 cup snow peas
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 egg lightly beaten or 1/4 cup liquid egg whites or egg beaters
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• About 1/2 cup vegetable broth for sauteing and extra flavor

Mexican Pad Thai

A work in progress but turned out good nonetheless. A traditional Pad Thai recipe with added taco seasoning, avocado, black beans, corn and Mexican Rotel tomatoes. It will get there some day...

'Naptown: Annapolis, MD

I took a nice long weekend up to Maryland, Virginia and DC a couple of weeks ago, and my god I didn't think you could fit so much into a weekend!

First stop on the trip was Annapolis, MD, where my bf considers "home." I'd been hearing since the day we started dating how much better the crab cakes are in Maryland so there was a lot of anticipation and suspense leading up to the trip.

My boyfriend was the master tour guide this weekend and made the most of our 18 hours in the town. We stayed at the Marriott Annapolis Waterfront, probably one of the best places to stay if you really want to see everything Annapolis has to offer (one of the nearby bed and breakfasts would also be an excellent choice). From there, you can pretty much walk anywhere and one of the prime watering holes, Pusser's, is located within the hotel.

This is how we spent our time in Annapolis:

McGarvey's Saloon & Oyster Bar, 8 Market Space: bf worked as a bus boy and bar back here. Supposedly great any time of day for food and late night for drinking. I had my first vegetable crab soup here which was good. We also had the steamed shrimp which is a long time fav of the boy, but shrimp really isn't my thing.

Pusser's Happy Hour: live music, on the water, great crowd and $6 for two beers!

Bodybugg: Estimating your daily calorie burn

I won a Bodybugg calorie management device through a work fitness competition a few weeks ago and have been excited to try it out. I probably never would have bought something like this since a heart rate monitor just seems to make so much more sense for me but hey, it was free!

The device is worn around your left arm throughout the day and it uses sensors to measure 4 points: your motion, heat flux or the amount of heat your body gives off, galvanic skin response or your skin's conductivity and your skin temperature. The product is used in conjunction with a web-based application that allows you to enter in information about your body's parameters, your goals, activity levels and lifestyle. In addition, the web account allows you to enter in your meals for the day to track the calories consumed, gives you meal and nutritional suggestions based on the parameters you entered and offers resources to help you achieve your goals.

Villa Azur, Miami Beach

Unfortunately for Villa Azur, I think the fine dining snob in me was stirred up by my experience at Pied a Terre the other week (which was absolutely phenomenal!). Living in Miami there is no shortage of high-end restaurants but what you end up becoming accustomed to is the horrible service that goes along with your $40 entree. Pied a Terre reminded me of what it's like to actually have decent service, actually probably some of the best I've had.

This last weekend we decided to try Villa Azur, one of the restaurants on our notorious "list." The restaurant is located in the Palm Court building, where the Miami Beach Parking Authority formerly held their offices. Built in 1926 and renovated in the 80's, the last time I was in this building I must say it was a dump. With Villa Azur, they did a complete remodel of the interior which is very impressive - light and airy yet warm and comforting, the type of atmosphere I could come back to over and over again.

Entryway: Before and After*

Boozy Watermelon Lemonade

A refreshing cocktail perfect for summer & adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Watermelon Lemonade recipe. This cocktail has made it to the beach, a pool party, family gathering and as of Sunday, a Marlins game. Let me forewarn you though, the booze in this will sneak up on you as evidenced by the fact that I lost my apartment keys, had the MLB logo spray painted across my stomach (so classy), conned my way into the Clevelander to avoid a $10 cover and proceeded to eat half of a full-sized bag of potato chips. My roommate's experiences weren't nearly as fortunate.

The Ingredient List: Soy Lecithin

You hear from plenty of nutritionists and nutrition enthusiasts to read the ingredient labels on food and "don't buy anything with ingredients you can't pronounce or know what they are." Sounds easy. But the fact is that just about any food that goes through a decent amount of processing is going to contain ingredients we aren't quite familiar with. (On a side note, just about every food is "processed," what really matters is the degree of processing to get that final product. For example, frozen vegetables are processed in the sense that they are washed, cut and frozen. Bread is processed by combining ingredients, allowing the dough to rise and baking. Cheetos obviously go through a more complicated process to get their final form.)

To get to my point, while deciding between two snack bars today I was looking at the list of ingredients on each package and noticed that soy lecithin was an ingredient they both had in common. I am always up for learning something new, so here it is quick and dirty:

Dictionary definition of lecithin: "A substance widely distributed in animal tissues, egg yolk, and some higher plants, consisting of phospholipids linked to choline." (Note on choline: it's B vitamin that has been linked to brain development, reducing risk of heart disease and numerous other health benefits.)

Body Composition and Calorie Burn

Interesting estimates on the effects of body comp on metabolism...

Estimates for my height and age - 5'3" & 25 years old

The Body Mass Index (BMI) obviously has it's flaws and does not account for muscle mass and other body composition factors.

The Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) assumes you did nothing but rest all day, it is purely supposed to represent the calories required to maintain your body functions (i.e. breathing). (Here the Mifflin-St. Jeor equations for BMR were used)

At 110 pounds:
BMI: 19.5 (Healthy)
BMR: 1,213 calories/day

At 120 pounds:
BMI: 21.3 (Healthy)
BMR: 1,258 calories/day

At 170 pounds:
BMI: 30.1 (Obese)
BMR: 1,485 calories/day

At 250 pounds:
BMI: 44.3 (Obese)
BMR: 1,848 calories/day (Picture this: laying in bed all day and eating about 14 pounds or 28 heads of broccoli to maintain your weight)

[Indian] Homemade Paneer

Whenever I ordered a paneer dish at an Indian restaurant (that tofu-like cheese curd) I always imagined it was made by some mysterious complicated process. That was until I asked my Indian coworker who exclaimed that it was in fact one of the easiest things to make. She explained it to me like this: boil milk, add lemon juice, allow to curdle and press in a cheese cloth. Now doesn't that sound easy?

Ingredients:

• Half gallon milk (whole or 2% reduced fat will give the best flavor)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Dried spices of your choice (you can get creative here, I used parsley)
• Cheesecloth & strainer

Modern Communication: Technology and the Human Connection

I haven't listened to many TED Talks but I found this one to be very interesting and thought provoking. Sherry Turkle considers how technology is changing the way we form and manage our relationships with one another and also how we are so afraid of being alone that we neglect to make time for solitude.

A Calorie is Not Just a Calorie

In the news this week there has been a lot of talk about the study released by JAMA and how the type of calories you consume, in addition to the amount, affects your weight. It's an interesting topic that I definitely think is worth considering, especially for those who are interested in maintaining their weight.  The results of this study showed that a low-carb, high fat diet helped people maintain their weight by reducing the caloric expenditure of their bodies the least.

Food Politics: Does Where Calories Come From Matter to Weight Maintenance by Marion Nestle - Marion's summary of her interpretation of the Journal of the American Medical Association's (JAMA) study published June 27th.

Low-Carb Diets May Burn the Most Calories on MSNBC Today.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Just about every recipe for roasted brussels sprouts uses oil so I decided to try out half of the recipe using just a little non-stick spray and a non-stick pan and the other half with olive oil. The result was very little or no difference in taste or texture so save yourself the calories and nix the oil altogether.  In short: You don't ALWAYS have to use oil when you cook as recipes would have you believe.

Based on a recipe from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• salt
• pepper
• Balsamic vinegar

Recent Culinary Explorations - 6/2012

Enchiladas

In this post: Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas - Low Carb Cauliflower Pizza Crust - Pistachio and Cranberry Biscotti

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas - Adapted From Penzy's Spice Catalog

The first time I made this I stuck to the recipe (which was horribly written & hard to follow - I'm surprised they actually published it that way in the catalog). The second time I changed it up a little by using butternut squash instead of potatoes and I made half with baked tofu and the other half with ground beef for the non-veggie head. I also used 2 minced canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and some canned enchilada sauce. Unique and tasty, it can be a very healthy meal. Cook the squash/potato chunks in the microwave to save time.

Carrot & Apple Soup

Served with Sun Dried Tomato Cream Pasta

This soup was light, sweet and savory and incredibly simple to make. I reduced the amount of butter called for but I would imagine replacing it with a quick spray of non-stick cooking spray would do just fine as well. Using sweet potatoes or butternut squash in place of the carrots would probably be an excellent variation of this soup.

 

 

 

Carrot & Apple Soup 

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 3 large golden delicious apples, peeled and chopped into 1" chunks
• 2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2" chunks
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp sweetener such as Splenda (or sugar, agave nectar, etc.)
• 1 tsp peeled and minced or grated fresh ginger
• 2 cups water
• chives, chopped for garnish, optional
• half & half or creamer for garnish, optional, I used one of the individual half & half tubs compliments of my office :)

The Western Diet

"The number of people with cancer is set to surge by more than 75 percent across the world by 2030, with particularly sharp rises in poor countries as they adopt unhealthy "Westernized" lifestyles... said the paper from the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France." From the article: Cancer cases to surge 75 percent worldwide by 2030

Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse

Another OMG YUM! dessert. I'm starting to think that there's no such thing as a bad dessert for my taste buds. But what makes this one even better is that it is super low calorie (113 cals/slice - not including the chocolate shavings) and has many potential options for greater yumification.

Be sure to thaw for about half an hour before trying to cut or serve.

Ingredients

• 1 container fat free whipped topping (Cool Whip), thawed & divided
• 1 1-oz package Jell-o sugar free, fat free chocolate fudge pudding
• 1 1-oz package Jell-o sugar free, fat free cheesecake flavored pudding
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk

Newport, RI

The Inn at Castle Hill, Newport, RI

We recently attended a wedding in Newport, RI just as the town was awakening in preparation for the busy tourist season which gets it's official start Memorial Day weekend. With a large group of rowdy South Floridians it's impossible not to have fun, but it also cuts out a lot of the sightseeing. I look forward to going back again for a real visit as we hardly had the chance to scratch the surface of everything to do and see here.

Dinning

• Annie's - 176 Bellevue Ave: great hole in the wall breakfast spot if you want something quick. Bring some cash as it is cash only.
• Benjamin's - 254 Thames St, make your way to the 2nd floor: this ended up being our go to spot for breakfast during our visit as well as watering hole one of the nights. Decent food and most impressively, three cocktails in highball glasses will cost you $16, a steal for us South Floridians!
• 22 Bowen's - Bowen's Warf: It's hard to accommodate a group of nearly 20 people, but Bowen's handled us impressively well and there was not one person at our table who did not rave about their meal. I had the grilled yellowfin tuna (the tuna steaks here are huge!) with sweet red chili glaze, pan fried singapore noodles & fried lotus chips with a side of the truffled lobster mac 'n cheese, yum!

[Indian] Vegetarian Tikka Masala

After a disappointing attempt at tikka masala a few weeks ago, I decided to try again this time pulling from numerous recipes. This adaptation came out so well I swear I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a week straight. This can be made with any kind of protein or meat substitute you prefer, even paneer which is extremely easy to make at home (I will post a recipe soon).

Tikka masala with homemade naan bread

Vegetarian Tikka Masala

Marinade

• 1 package Quorn Naked Chik'n Cutlets (cut into bite sized cubes), or 1 bag Quorn Chik'n Pieces, thawed [sub real chicken breast for a non-vegetarian dish]
• 2 Tbsp plain, nonfat greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground red cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp fresh minced ginger

Sunday Dinner: Tomato & Cheese Pie with Bean & Corn Chowder

I swear my bf thinks I'm a nut but I can't help myself. I love holidays, special occasions and festivals and everything themed that goes along with them. I was completely unprepared for Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby this year but who says you can't celebrate after the fact? And pardon me for bragging but I did call the winning horse so even more reason to make a feast. The menu: Bean & Corn Chowder, Tomato & Cheese Pie and a Coconut Ambrosia Salad for dessert. The Tomato & Cheese pie was the biggest hit, but I really liked all three. I would normally make a lot healthier, lower cal versions of these, but I went with what was on hand and we made this our lunch/dinner for the day.

Bean & Corn Chowder

A dairy free "chowder" that's very healthy and excellent as leftovers!

Servings: 8

• Non-stick cooking spray
• 3 carrots, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into 1/4" pieces
• 1 large celery rib, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into 1/4" pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large can pink beans, drained and rinsed (Rinsing canned beans reduces the sodium content by up to 40%)
• 2 packages frozen corn
• 2 cups water
• 32-oz. container vegetable broth (approx. 4 cups)
• 2 tsp no-calorie sweetener
• 1 1/2 tsp seafood seasoning such as Old Bay
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper 
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, if desired

Sloppy Joe "Meat" Loaf & Eggplant Fries

I would put this into the "fail" category. While it definitely did not taste terrible and it was in fact a very healthy meal, it just didn't have anything special to it. I may even try these again, just with some more experimentation. I'm only including a brief description of the recipe for future reference on what can be improved upon.

Eggplant Fries: (just like the zucchini fries only the zucchini were better) Dunk cut eggplant pieces into egg whites and then into a mixture of bread crumbs and Italian seasoning to coat well. Bake at 450 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden, turning once during baking. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

Sloppy Joe "Meat" Loaf: Gimme Lean sausage style, zucchini, onion, egg whites, quick oats, garlic, salt and sloppy joe sauce (+cooking spray). Mix together and top with some reserved sloppy joe sauce. Baked at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until hot.
Nutrition facts per serving (makes 8): 113 cals, 16g carbs, 2g fat, 9g protein.

Chocolate Peanut Butter "Ice Cream"

One of my favorite combinations is peanut butter and chocolate. We make this one at our apartment at least once a week and they almost never make it through the night.

Chocolate Peanut Butter "Ice Cream"

• 1 Tbsp peanut butter 
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder, we use SEI Pharmaceuticals Max Chocolate Protein Powder
• 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 medium ripe banana 
• 1-2 packets stevia 
• 4 oz. water 

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. 
2. Pour into 4 small cups (or any small container such as ice cube trays, popsicle trays,  muffin tins, etc.) and stick in the freezer for a couple hours until near solid. (If left to freeze too long it will become too hard to eat without first thawing)
3. Enjoy with a spoon!

Nutrition facts per serving (makes 4): 83 calories, 9g carbs, 3g fat, 7g protein

*Note: the type of protein powder you use is going to have the biggest impact on the nutrition facts. The SEI powder is one of many lower calorie options & very good in my opinion but find one that you enjoy and will actually use.

Source:  Another adaptation from a post on the MyFitnessPal forums

Peanut Butter & Jelly Parfaits

Amazingly tasty and healthy dessert. Made with fat free Greek yogurt.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Parfaits

Yield: 2 servings

• 1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp strawberry jam
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 fresh strawberries, cut into small pieces
• 3 mini dark chocolate bars (optional)

1. Heat peanut butter in the microwave for about 15 seconds.
2. In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, peanut butter, jam and vanilla. Whisk together until well combined.
3. Divide chopped up strawberries into two bowls, top with yogurt mixture and shavings from one chocolate bar. Top each bowl with one chocolate bar each.

Nutrition facts per serving (makes 2): 232 cals, 24g carbs, 8g fat, 17g protein (not including the chocolate)

Quinoa Mac & Cheese Muffins

Vegetarian comfort food made light (and with more protein). The soy bacon really gives this recipe a rich flavor & baking them in the muffin tins portions them perfectly.

Quinoa Mac & Cheese Muffins

Yield: about 20 Muffins

• 2 cups dry quinoa
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups 2% milk shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 2 egg whites
• 6 slices Morningstar Farms bacon strips, chopped
• 1 leek, thinly sliced
• 3 Tbsp chipotle chilies in adobo, minced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp whole wheat panko bread crumbs
• Dried ground chipotle and garlic powder for panko dusting (optional)

Slender Blondie Brownies with Figs

Three of my sorority sisters just moved into the building last week and it also happened to be Batman's 2nd birthday, so we had plenty of excuses to bake some sweets. Original recipe came from the Secrets of a Skinny Chef cookbook by Jennifer Iserloh.

The recipe called for white whole wheat flour which I did not have so I used a combination of all purpose flour and whole wheat flour. A whole wheat to AP combo of 2 to 1 yielded a heartier consistency almost that of corn bread and 50/50 mix created a much softer texture. Both were good & it depends on your preference but I think I liked the 50/50 better.

I later discovered the rule of thumb substitution for all purpose flour in baking is:

...Would have been nice if I had seen that first!

Our preferred, sweeter adaptation of the recipe (without the nuts) follows.

Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Soup

"Holy sh*t!"

Pardon my French but that was my honest reaction when I tasted this. I was dying to have the vegetable soup from World Resource Cafe on Lincoln Road, which closed down over a year ago & I couldn't seem to find any other restaurant that had a vegetarian soup with that exact taste. On this occasion I set out to recreate it myself. The sweet, sour and hot flavors are incredibly satisfying. The best part about this recipe is that it took hardly any time at all. Whether or not this soup would be considered Vietnamese, Thai or whatever, I'm really not sure, but the most similar recipe I found called it Vietnamese.

Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Soup

Yield: 6-8 servings

• 1 1/4 quarts (5 cups) water
• 1 quart (4 cups) vegetable broth                                   
• 1 tsp ground peppercorn
• 2 tsp sea salt                                   
• 7 tsp Thai Tom Yum powdered soup mix (found at an Asian grocery store, although you may be able to find in the ethnic food section of a regular grocery store, I haven't looked)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 Tbsp lemon grass paste (found in a tube  next to the fresh herbs in the produce section) 
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 20-oz can pineapple chunks, with syrup
• 1 8-oz package bean sprouts
• 1/2 large sweet onion, chopped into about 1" square pieces
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced 
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 tsp tamarind paste concentrate* (My mom picked it up for me at an Indian grocery store. Can likely be found at an Asian grocery store as well; if you use the powder I believe you are supposed to triple the amount, but do some trial and error)
  

[Indian] Potato & Seitan Curry with Peas and Carrots

Indian food really is not the most attractive to look at but this recipe turned out surprisingly pretty. I took a lot of liberties with the original recipe trying to find the right flavor while stripping it down into a lower calorie meal.

 Mis en Place: to "put in place." Probably the most important lesson I've learned about cooking.

Potato & Seitan Curry

Yield: 6 servings

• Non-stick cooking spray
• 1 package seitan chunks, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced  
• 2 large onions, chopped 
  
• 8 oz. carrots, thinly sliced  
• 2 medium potatoes, cut into 1" chunks  (leave skin on for added nutrients)
  
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
• 1 1/4 cups frozen peas  
• 1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder 
• 1-2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper  
  
• 1 tsp ground coriander  
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger  
• 1/4 tsp garam masala *not required, but I thought it added a nice, more complete flavor
• 1 14-oz. can coconut milk  (used Iberia brand - 300 cals per can)
• 1 cup (or more as needed) water 

Favorite (Free) Foodie Apps

These are a few of my most used apps & more reasons I love my iPad!

MyFitnessPal - I know I mention & will mention this non-stop (kind of like those CrossFit people that talk about NOTHING BUT CrossFit!) but it really is my most used app. Available on the iPad, iPhone, Android Market and from your browser. It's simple and reliable and I use it to track my daily food and exercise and calculate recipe nutrition facts. You can save your own recipes and create reports on your fitness and nutrition progress. There is also a forum where people can submit their own healthy recipes.

Pepperplate - a recipe box for your iPad. Access from the iPad app or through your browser. It allows you to upload a photo, create shopping lists and menus and share recipes via email, Facebook or Twitter. Also has cooking timers in case you need an extra in the kitchen.

Carrot Cake Pancakes & Gazpacho Bloody Marys

While I try to stick with a simple, healthy breakfast, I couldn't help myself when I saw this pancake recipe on Smitten Kitchen. I actually ended up throwing away some of the leftovers (gasp! so much for not wasting food, but I swear this was before I had a renewed interest in making the most of my food!) because I knew I would eat them all otherwise & I had no one else to finish them off for me. One serving of the pancakes with topping as I made them came out to about 300 calories (not bad!), but try having just one serving ;-)

As for the Gazpacho Bloody Marys, I had one a a local restaurant recently and have been craving one ever since. I am a bloody mary fanatic and am known to mix up a virgin BM because I am just that obsessed. Mine did not turn out quite like the one at the restaurant, so I will be making a trip back there to have a little chat with the bartender to get their secrets.

Tuna & Quinoa Burgers and Zucchini Fries

Recently I was reminded how much food ends up going to waste in our homes and it motivated me to take a closer look at the way I use the food in my kitchen (to be honest, it's mostly for personal budget reasons - thanks for the frugal gene dad!). I decided that this week I would avoid the supermarket and stick to what I already have.

Yesterday I browsed for recipes based on the ingredients next in line to go bad in my kitchen: 1/2 an onion, 2 zucchini, spinach, half a jar of marinara sauce and a box of matzo meal (though not about to go bad, I need to use it up). With only slight alterations and additions, these recipes were the perfect fit (adapted from postings on the MyFitnessPal.com community forums).

 

Tuna & Quinoa Burgers

 This "burger" without a bun was definitely a healthy choice although could have used a little more spice. Next time add some Old Bay seasoning, chopped up pickled jalapenos (they would have been in there trust me, but I was out!) and maybe even add some goat cheese into the actual mix.