Rick's Favorite Fish

I've written about my desire to "get" Rick to like seafood because it is so good for you. I've been sticking mostly to delicate fishes with consistent textures, and according to Rick, this recipe is quite a success.

1 lb cod or other delicate white fish
2 - 3 T olive oil mayonaise
2-3 t dijon mustard
freshly grated parmesan cheese

Mix the mayo and mustard, and spread over the fish filets. Grate a nice layer of shredded parmesen over the mayo mixture - think of this as your flavored salt layer.

Bake the fish for 15 minutes at 350, or until opaque.

It's quite nice with roasted asparagus as well :)

Enjoy!

Jackie Warners's Protein Shake

Did you ever watch that show on Bravo - "Workout"? What do you think - do you like Jackie better with short hair or long hair? I say she looked fabulous in short hair, and she just looks contrived in long hair :(

Anyway - here is the protein shake Jackie uses for pre or post work out as she describes in her new show Thintervention.

1 scoop protein powder
1t Glutamine Powder (amino acid which breaches blood brain barior according to Jackie)
1t BCAA Powder (branch chain amino acid)
1T L Carnitine (fat burner)
1/2 T Flax Seed Oil (be sure to shake the oil first)
1 C frozen spinach
1 C frozen berries

Blend!

Sunday Funday II

For our football snacks today, I wanted some buffalo chicken, but nothing too heavy. I love the buffalo chicken dip I made in South Padre, but even cutting it in 1/2 or a 1/4, just makes too much for the 2 of us.

This something I've made a couple times - Rick ate the whole thing last time (kind of mindlessly) and he was in pain that night from just eating too much. So this time I only put out 1/2 the chicken or so to create some portion control! I found these cute little appetizer picks at Pearl River Mart. I don't know if you can buy them online, but this store is a fun one for dishes and kitchen stuff.
The dish goes a little something like this:

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into largish bite sized pieces. I usually get 6 - 8 bites per breast.
8 oz Frank's Hot Sauce
1 oz light cream cheese
2T Ranch dressing of your choice

Marinate the chicken breast bites in the hot sauce in your oven proof pan. I let it hang out on the counter for about an hour. Pop it into the oven at 350 for about a half hour, so your chicken is completely cooked.

Meanwhile, make your dipping sauce by melting the cream cheese and dressing together in the microwave. Try 30 seconds at 50% and go from there. You want the two ingredients to mix well to make the dip.

And serve! Go Patriots!

Rick's Favorite Cole Slaw

Rick loves my cole slaw. I will make a huge bowl of it, and it is one of the things he will actually get out of the refrigerator for himself as a snack (versus me getting it out for dinner). I base this cole slaw on my mom's version, just substituting splenda for sugar. Because Rick is so fond of it, I did try making it with lots of different types of vinegars, sweetners and ingredients. This is his favorite, and I'm glad it is one of those things you can keep in the fridge for a few days - easily - although he does tend to make it disappear pretty quickly :)

Here is how to obtain the perfect final result.

For the salad part:

1 small green cabbage, or half a big one (I used half of a 6 lb cabbage - I know, who knew they grew that big?)

3 medium carrots (about a 1/2 lb)

1/2 a baseball sized vidalia onion

Peel the outter limp leaves from the cabbage and toss. Cut the cabbage in to 8ths (or 4th's if using a half cabbage - you know what I mean - something so the strips are bite sized), and slice it as thinly as you can across the grain, to make thin ribbons.

Peel and nip the top and tails of the carrots, and grate them on the large holes of a box grater.

Chop the onion fairly finely, but don't go crazy over it.

Toss everything in to an extra large bowl. I have a big stainless steel one for making big salads like this - I'll guess it's 24 quarts - I like to have some room to toss everything around.

Dressing:

3 glops of mayo - I use the helmann's olive oil mayo (which in addition to tasting good, is almost 1/2 the calories). Each glop is about 1/4 cup.

3 glugs of apple cider vinegar - about 3 T

3 packets of splenda (or 3 T of sugar, or 2 T of honey or 1.5 packets of sweet 'n low)

Mix well with a fork - if you see what looks like curdles, don't be afraid - just keep mixing and they will go away :)

Toss the salad with the dressing - I use 2 forks - it moves all that stuff around and distributes the ingredients.

Then bring the first bowl to Rick - he is always up for some good slaw!

Suzee's Leftover Casserole

Last week I made a casserole based on a recipe I got from a magazine - Cooking Light I believe. The original recipe was in a huge 9x13 pan, and contained low fat everything. I'm pretty sure it was less than 150/calories per slice. Feel free to go that route if you so desire - sub egg whites for some whole eggs. I figure those yolks have lots of good folate, and I am old enough to have seen eggs go from nutritional "perfect" food (seriously yes, they called them that in the 70's) to cholesterol craziness where everyone avoided them, to now, where if you want some eggs, great they are cheap and a great source of protien.

This is kind of like a crustless quiche, and the addition of the cottage cheese makes the end result so creamy, that it doesn't feel like left overs to me. Try it out :) Re-heats well too.

6 jumbo eggs
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
1.5 cups of shredded cheese (pick your flavor)
1/4 - 1/2 finely minced herbs (again pick your flavor - optional)
4 cups left over or pre-cooked veggies and meats

Mix the eggs in a big bowl.
Once they are scrambled well, add both cheeses and herbs and spices if using.
Fold in the left overs

Pour into a 2 qt casserole dish sprayed with Pam or the like.

Bake at 350 for an hour. If the egg is not set after an hour, add 10 more minutes.

Serves 6 at around 250 cal/slice

My flavors were sauteed vidalia onion, canadian bacon and american cheese blend. I didn't have quite 4 cups of the filling (more like 2.5) but it still worked fine.

My next one might be onion, spinach, zucchini, feta, mint...

Or perhaps onion, garlic, mushroom, crab and dill havarti.....

I know Rick will be looking for the sausage, pepperoni, meatball, mozzerella topped with pizza sauce before long....that will be more than 250 calories each though :)

Suzee's Tzatziki

I have been wanting to make a Tzatziki for a long time. I had the greek yogurt, and the cucumber, I figured I'd just whip it up!






1 16oz Fat Free Greek Yogurt
1.5 hot house cucumbers
5 fat cloves of garlic
a bunch of dill, or sub dried
Juice of 1 lemon
.5 t sea salt

I sliced the cucumbers in half lengthwise, and scooped out the seeds. Yes, these are supposedly "seedless" but not really. That gets most of the water out. Then I cut long thin strips of the remainder, and chopped them up finely in a cross cut.

I dumped the cuke, the yogurt, chopped dill and minced garlic together and tasted. Hmmm... needs something....I had a fresh lemon, so I put in the juice. That added a nice brightness. I also added about a half teaspoon of sea salt, and mixed it all up.

I wish I had some roasted lamb now!!

Suzee's 30 Minute Meals

I love watching Rachel Ray – I think she makes cooking very accessible for many folks who may not try some of the cuisines, spices or combination. Lots of people say that watching Food TV is Food Porn. I disagree. Life is to short to have meatloaf every Monday night of your life, and Spaghetti and Meatballs every Wednesday.

But her meals always take me longer than 30 minutes. Mostly because I count the very important part that she doesn’t. The Clean Up. I hate cleaning, but I hate a dirty kitchen even more. Cooking on a weeknight should be no more than 30 minutes of active time in the kitchen, and that to me includes what happens after you eat.
There are key pieces of equipment required for Suzee’s 30 minute meals.

The first is a heavy professional sheet pan. I almost always use the sheet pan for my 30 minute meals.

And I line my pan with tin foil. (note to self – I have now removed the need to wash my pan – that’s worth 5 minutes right there).

I also judiciously use my dishwasher. I will put everything that I think will possibly come clean in it. The good news is my dishwasher is freaking amazing. When I do the remodel the kitchen, I sure hope I’m able to afford a dishwasher that actually heats the water and steams the dishes prior to washing them. I hope they still make such a luxury.

I have kitchen shears which come apart and go in the dishwasher. I use these to cut open the vacuum locked meats I usually get from Fresh Direct, and to open veggie packages. I wash them after every use. I got them from my Cutco Sales Kit I bought at least 25 years ago when I was a kid trying to make a buck. Really good shears if you have a kid in your neighborhood trying to make a buck.

I have a pair of OXO tongs and an OXO spatula– both get tossed in the dishwasher and come out gorgeous after I’ve used them to remove roasted meats and veggies from the pan.

I have a porcelain oven to table dish – simple white, and whether I serve in it or bake/broil in it, the dishwasher always makes it clean. It may not be shatterproof like corning wear, but I’d rather have the easy clean anyday.

So those are my tools.

My 30 minute meals are simple, generally involving a 350 degree oven, some protein and some fresh vegetable.

Proteins include boneless, skinless chicken breast (25 min), pork tenderloin (20 min at 400) or white fish (10 min at 400). The point here is simple protein, off the bone for quick cooking. I add one of the myriad of spices out there to make it taste a little different from the last time. McCormick’s Montreal Roasted Garlic Chicken Spice is a favorite on Pork, Tarragon and garlic powder is tasty on chicken, and to fish I’ll add a bit of Jamaican Jerk seasoning. Or I’ll add a relish or sauce, such as salsa, cilantro cream sauce or jarred marinara sauce (heated gently in an easily rinsed out and dishwashed pan) at the end just before serving.

On my tinfoil lined sheet pan, I’ll add a veggie – lately it’s be asparagus, or brussel sprouts, or broccoli, or cabbage ribbons, or onion, or fennel, or zucchini – or some combination there of. Sprinkle a bit of olive oil on and roll it about a bit, and add either a dusting of parmesan cheese or sea salt. The veggies are done in 20 min in 400 degree oven or 30 in a 350 oven. Notice all these choices stay pretty well in the fridge for a few days. If I add a sweet potato or butternut squash, I pre-bake in the microwave so it’s at least ½ - ¾ of the way done (5 min on high or so), and bake them with the other parts of the dinner on the sheet pan.

So – most times I’m able to plop it all on the pan, and go enjoy a cocktail with my feet up for the next 30 minutes or so. Prep is less than 10 minutes. When it comes out, I let the meat rest while I set the table ( 5 min), and then I slice and serve on the individual plates for the meat, and add a home style bowl if there are more veggies than our luncheon plates can really hold.

After we eat, it’s maybe 5 minutes to rinse plates and fill the dishwasher, and put away anything ( like that sheet pan) that needs put away. This includes prepping the coffeemaker for tomorrow.

Should I rename this entry to Suzee’s 20 minute meals? Nah – I like it when you think you got a time bargain :)

Suzee's Asparagus, Zucchini, Onion and Feta Omelet

This morning I was really in the mood to cook. After work, cooking is not what I want to do. My feet hurt from the walk up hill home, and it's too warm to cook. (What a whiner I am! Ha!)

So today I made brunch - omelets which are one of Rick's fave's. I made him one with ham, american cheese and sauteed onions. I don't care for the deli ham in omelets - too salty I think. Usually I like sausage cut in small pieces - the flavor is good, but it's just so heavy - too heavy now that it's warm. I'd gotten our Fresh Direct order this morning, so I had some fresh veggies for dinner tomorrow. I took a couple of asparagus stalks and chopped them up, and a few coins of zucchini and made match sticks. I sauteed them all together with the remaining onions from Rick's omelet. I got it all omelet-y and crumbled feta cheese over it all over. Hhhhmmmmm :) Yum yum yum!

Suzee's Tuna Tartine

Tonight was a laid back supper night. Rick's been low-carbing it, so on Sunday I prepped some go-to snacks for us. And, believe it or not, he asked me to make some tuna salad with onion!

Tonight it's cold and wet out, so we probably would have ordered soup or something warm, but we weren't that hungry. I put together these tartines, and Rick decided he wanted some too. He liked the Wasa Crisp Bread cracker base, and the savory flavor of the fresh avacado, and the tomato and cucumber lighted it up.

Here is how I made them
3 Wasa Light Crisp Bread, Multigrain
3 heaping tablespoons of tuna salad
1/2 an avacado sliced
1/2C or so chopped tomato and cucumber

Layer the ingredients as listed, and enjoy.

Suzee's Steak and Cheese Omelet

This morning Rick and I did laundry and had coffee, but didn't really eat anything. When noon came along, I figured it was time to do something about that! We had some left over steak from a previous dinner, and I always try to keep eggs and american cheese in the house. Rick's doing the atkins again and you can always make something low carb with eggs and cheese.

I used my new circulon fry pan that replaced my last teflon pan. I really try to replace non-stick pans annually - having bits of teflon in your food is probably not too good for your health. Perhaps this one will last longer. So, this 10" circulon pan really runs hot, so I cook my omelets on the lowest flame I can fathom on my gas stove.

Ingredients:

2 jumbo eggs

2 oz cooked steak, warmed in a skillet and cut into a pretty small dice

1 slice of american cheese

1t butter

1T sugar free ketchup

Whisk the eggs in a bowl until the whites are yellows are all the same. Melt the butter in the pan, and add the eggs. When the eggs are setting a bit on the bottom, but the top is still liquid, use your fork to scootch back the edge of the eggs, and tip the pan to allow the raw egg contact with the pan (please note - scootch is a very technical term!). Do this all the way around the pan until the egg is mostly set. Add your steak pieces and scatter them fairly evenly. Break the cheese slice in half and place it over the steak. By the time your egg is cooked, the cheese should be starting to melt. Fold the omelet, and serve on a dinner plate with ketchup.

Bon Appetit!

Suzee's NYC Style Steak

Rick and I love a good steak with some veggies and a nice California Cabernet, preferably one aged in our wine cellar so it's at least 6 years old, but not more than 8.

Moving to Manhattan, we gave up the grill (I miss you my lovely Webber!) and we gave up the wine cellar. So it took me a while to find a way to cook beef that would satisfy us in a similar way, since nothing is like grilling, but grilling.

First, I like to buy thick cuts of meat. The thicker, the better in my book, because in order to get a nice caramelization on the outside, and still have your meat medium rare, you need that thickness. If your steak has a bit of bone still in it (like this bone in shell steak pictured here), all the better. The bone adds flavor, and you can pop the bone in the freezer for stock later.

Second, I gave up liquid marinades. I pull the meat from the fridge around 2 hours prior to cooking to allow it to come to room temperature. When I take it from the fridge, I dry it with paper towels, and season it liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then I let it sit until it is time to cook.

Third, I always use my magic All Clad 12" pan. I set it on the stove, with nothing in it. Then I turn the burner to high to heat the pan, and using a timer, I leave it there for 15 minutes.

Yes. 15 minutes. Very important!

I also turn on the oven to 350.

Next I place the beef in the pan, and do not touch it again for 5 minutes (timer again). Yes, keep that heat as high as it will go. Then I turn it, and leave it there for another 4 or 5 minutes. Once the second side is caramelized, I pop the magic pan into the heated oven for 10 minutes or so. When the beef comes out, I allow it to stand for 5 or 10 minutes, and then slice it to serve. If we are cooking smaller sized steaks, like a filet mignon, I just serve as is.

Enjoy!

Flounder with Fennel and Garlic

Tonight I made comfort food. I know - who thinks of fish as comfort food? I do!

When I was growing up, my parent's idea of fun was to go deep sea fishing, dig clams, pull oysters, catch lobsters, go smelting and once, even go scalloping. And you know what? It was fun :D

In the warm weather we'd go out on the boat, and sometimes we'd get cod, and once we got big mackerel. Usually we got flounder. So when it comes to fish, I'm used to cooking it the same day you catch it. That's the best :)

I ordered some flounder from Fresh Direct that was delivered today. They advertised it as 4 out of 5 stars in quality. I don't think I've seen anything advertised as 5 star on their site, but I've seen plenty of 3 star, so I figured I'd give it a try. It's guaranteed after all. If it's not good, I just email them for a refund.

Now, to cook it so Rick is not dreading dinner. Unlike me, Rick hated everything to do with deep sea fishing when he was a kid, and he usually fed the fish over the side rather than with a pole and bait. Seafood was not a usual occurance at his house, and overall, he prefers not to eat it. I'll keep trying to get him to like it, though, because it's so gosh darn good for you!! That's how I came up with the shaved fennel. Usually I'd make fish topped with chopped onion sauteed in butter, and he doesn't mind that as much. And get this - he actually let me serve him a second piece and he ate it! Woo!

Here is what I did.

Preheat the oven at 375 or 400. Shave one bulb of fennel with a mandoline, and toss it in a pan to sautee with 1T oil and 1T butter. Peel and chop 2 or 3 fat cloves of garlic, and add them to the pan. Rinse the fish, and lay it in an oven to table dish. When the fennel and garlic have softened and started to color, spread it over the fish. Add another 2T of butter to the pan and let the residual heat melt it. Pour this over the fish. Pop the fish in the oven for 10 minutes. Slice a lemon if you like it, and chop some fresh parsley. When the fish is done, top it with the parsley and serve it with lemon slices on the side.

DELISH! The fennel adds a sweet tarragon flavor, and you know how much I love tarragon ;) Enjoy!

Suzee's Chicken Pepperoni Bites

Oh my Patriots, you are missing Mr. Welker so much. You aren't supposed to show him that you miss him by how bad you are without him. You are supposed to play hard and do your best! What are you thinking???

After being entirely disgusted in the first quarter, I decided it was time to make some snacks. I wanted to make some buffalo chicken fingers, or buffalo chicken dip, but I was totally out of ranch dressing and bleu cheese dressing.

I had wanted to buy some pepperoni from fresh direct, ad all they had was sandwich pepperoni. I can't imagine making a sandwich with pepperoni - way too sharp for me. So, I ordered it so I could make pizza And actually is it milder than the small circles I usually use. Today I thought, hmmmm I could use those extra large slices to wrap some cheese around chicken! Better than watching the Pats embarass Wes. And I can still hear the game. Here's what I did:

1 lb boneless breast of chicken, cut in bite sized pieces
1/4 lb sandwich pepperoni (about)
1/4 lb provalone slices
14 oz can of pizza sauce (btw - I find pizza sauce to be lower in carbs than regular sauce sometimes)
1/2t McCormick's pizza seasonings from their grinder
1/4t garlic powder
tooth picks

Sautee the chicken breast to cook through
Warm the pizza sauce and add spices.
Wrap each piece of chicken in a 1/2 slice of provalone, and then a piece of pepperoni.
Secure with a tooth pick and place in a baking dish. Snuggle them all up next to each other.
Cover in warm pizza sauce.
Add a couple slices of provalone on top.
Bake at 350 for 10 or 15 minutes to make sure it's all nice and hot.

Enjoy, and be mindful of the toothpicks :) Maybe my Pats will find a way to win yet. Keep the faith!

Suzee's Parsley Veggie Dip

I am falling in love with parsley lately! I know! How could that be? I am totally a cilantro queen! But this fresh, herby, almost spicy sweet flavor has made me feel like spring isn't quite so far away.

I was going to make this Tangy Lemon Caper Dip today, but I was out of capers! It turned out fine as it turned on the creativity. I had cut quite a few crudite for the weekend, and a dip was a non-negotiable.




Here is what I used to make it:

16 oz Low Fat Sourcream (I really like Breakstone's)
3/4C minced fresh parsley
zest of 1 lemon (I use a microplane so the pieces are teeny tiny)
1/2C minced raw sweet onion
1/2t sea salt
1/4t fresh ground pepper

That's it! Now, if I read this recipe, the raw onion would scare me away, but the key is that this is *sweet* onion, and it really adds a nice dimention. Pro bowl is on Sunday - you could serve something remotely healthy with those buffalo wings :)

Suzee's Chipotle Pumpkin Soup with Beef

I made a pot roast last night - one like my mom used to make. Put the meat and cold water in a dutch oven, bring to a simmer, pop into a 350 oven and leave it there for 2.5 hours or so, then add green beans (she used whole fresh beans and I used frozen french cut beans, and cook until the beans are done. The beef fat coats the beans in a way unlike anything else. Sprinkle them with salt and they are devine. Do try it :)

I wanted to do something different with the left overs. Good beef broth is tough to find and impossible to buy in my opinion. I thought about it a lot of the day today (oh the joys of unemployment), and came up with this absolutely delicious soup! I can't wait for Rick to come home and try it too ;)

About 6 cups of beef broth
a 28 oz can of pumpkin puree
2 or 3 cups of shredded beef (not long shreds - short enough to fit on your spoon)
a cup of green beans in bite sized pieces
1t ground smoked chipotle pepper
1/2t fresh ground black pepper
1/4t ground cayenne pepper
1t cumin
1/2t sea salt
1/2t cinnamon
4 packets of splenda (you know, what you use in your coffee)

Heat the broth, and add in the pumkin puree (you know better than to use pumkin pie filling - I trust you!), and mix/melt it together. Once the consistency is smooth, add all other ingredients, and heat everything through. Taste and enjoy the smokey, sweet, spicy goodness! Good amount of fiber too!

Suzee's Buffalo Chicken Dip

On Thanksgiving this year, we joined the folks at Indian Lake a pot luck holiday. We brought this dip, and people really seemed to like it!

1 lb chicken breast, poached and shredded (I use 2 forks)
1/2 of a 12 oz bottle of Frank's Hot Sauce (don't use tobasco)
1 8 oz brick of light cream cheese
1 8 oz bottle of light ranch dressing
1 package of celery (1/2 C chopped and the rest cut horizontally to scoop the dip)

Mix the shredded chicken with the hot sauce, and spread in the bottom of a 8x8 dish.

Melt the cream cheese into the ranch dressing, and pour over the chicken mixture. Top with chopped celery.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, until bubbly and hot. Serve with celery scoops.

Suzee's Low Carb Zucchini and Rice Casserole I

I found a couple recipes that inspired this one. I made it for Rick and it was pretty good, but much better a day or 2 later :) I have some ideas for the next version, which is why I named this one version one! Even if you are not eating low carb, this is a nice low calorie dish too.

4 cups sliced zucchini
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup "riced" cauliflower
1/2 cup 2% cheddar cheese
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1/4 cup parmesean cheese
1 clove garlic minced
1 egg and 2 egg whites beaten
cooking spray

Preheat oven 350.
Put the zucchini and onion in a pan and sautee until tender.
Use a potato masher to mash slightly.
Combine the "rice", cheddar, sour cream, 2T parmesean and eggs.
Stir some of the zucchini mixture into the egg mixture to temper it, then add all of it.
Spray an 8x8 pan, and pour the mixture in.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle the remainder of the parmesean on the casserole.
Serves 4 :)

Suzee's Cilantro Cream Sauce

So - the Patriots are on tonight, and the are playing the Jets, so we actually get to see the game! Woo! One of the things that Rick misses is being able to watch the Patriots. We had a nice little routine where he'd watch the game and I'd read my magazines, and when he cheered, I'd look up and catch the play on the instant replay which invariably happened :)

Occasionally I would make some special appetizer (like Dana Carpenter's Heroin Wings - this recipe is worth the price of the book - really!) or some other dip or something. (mostly those wings - they are so good.) So tonight I decided to make a special app for the game. I'm not up for making the wings after working all day (especially since I would have to haul all the ingredients home), but a dip I figured I could do.

I searched on line for low carb dips - this one is relatively low calorie too. Of course I took poetic licence and created my own dip. It's quite nice :)

1 8 oz pkg of light cream cheese (neufetchel)
1-2 T sour cream ( I used breakstone's light)
1 Cup tomatillo taco sauce (if you can't find this, use some mexican green sauce)
1/2 t ground black pepper
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground chipotle pepper
1 t cumin
2 t garlic powder
1 big bunch fresh cilantro
1-2 T fresh lime juice

Use the S blade of your food processor, and puree this whole thing. Stick it in the fridge for an hour or 2 to let the flavors meld.

Great dip with veggies and great sauce for chicken - I'll be trying other dippers and sauce accompaniments too :)