An Indian-Inspired Feast

After seeing "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" (excellent film), I knew Indian food was in our near future. I could practically smell everything they were eating through the screen. While the theater was just a few blocks from one of our favorite Indian restaurants, I knew we could eat more healthily at home and still be satisfied. I missed having roti (whole wheat flat bread, similar to naan) as part of the meal, but that was a little more starch than I should be eating in one sitting with samosas and rice, so I left it out this time.

On the menu:

• Baked root vegetable samosas with grapefruit chutney
• Summer squash and bok choy paneer
• Chicken tikka masala (A vegetarian modification would be to substitute chickpeas for the chicken to make chana masala... it's delicious!)
• Brown rice with cumin and fresh peas
• Gulab jamun (baked, then placed in a cardamom-infused agave nectar syrup)

The rice was easy and straight forward. I was out of brown basmati rice, so went with regular brown long grain (sprouted, if you have it). I mixed in some cumin seeds in with the rice (approx. 2 tsp. per cup of dry rice) and steamed in my rice cooker. Once done, I mixed with some freshly-shelled peas (you can save the pods for another dish). If using frozen peas, you could add them before cooking. I would just skip the peas in that case, but you may feel differently. The cumin seeds add a wonderful fragrance.


The chicken tikka masala was the only real "cheater" dish. I would have made my own sauce, but I've had a jar of Trader Joe's Masala Simmering Sauce in our pantry for a while and was curious to try it. I was doing enough that I figured jarred sauce was justified. It tasted pretty good. For nights when I want to throw something together quickly, I may use it again (though the nearest Trader Joe's is hours away). I like that they don't add a bunch of unnecessary, unpronounceable ingredients. The only thing I added aside from chicken, the sauce & water (the sauce is concentrated) is some sliced scallions (white and light green only). The sauce is very easy to make, though. Google for recipes, if desired (I kind of wing it and haven't paid much attention to proportions of ingredients... next time I'll make a note of it as I'm doing it).

Here's a little trick: If the sauce is too thin, a little pumpkin or other winter squash puree is a great way to thicken without adding oodles of cream or fat. I usually keep a can of pumpkin puree (not pie filling) on-hand, just for those situations. And you then have an excuse to make muffins out of the remaining puree (mmm...).

One of my only complaints about this dish in restaurants is that the chicken is often dry. It seems an insult to the lovely, velvety, sweet/savory sauce it usually accompanies. Prolonged cooking can kill white meat chicken. Fast cooking can also do the same, if you're not careful. The muscle tenses with harsh heat and, in that process, can squeeze the moisture right out.

One tip for getting the most moist chicken breast you've encountered... poach it! This is especially gentle if using boneless, skinless breasts. I pulled the skin off, then de-boned the breast and used the bones for added flavor in the poaching liquid. Fill a pot with cool water, add aromatics & spices (I used an onion, a few sprigs of thyme and tarragon, along with a cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, salt, pepper) and bring the water until just below a simmer (approx. 170 F, poaching is between 160 F & 180 F). Once the water is up to temp, add the chicken breast (whole). Check with an instant read thermometer after 15 minutes. Remove from heat when the internal temp reaches 160 F. It will come up to 165 F while resting. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Cube and add to the preheated sauce just to warm everything through.


The gulab jamun (one of my most favorite desserts on the planet) was good, but not great. The flavor was spot on, but the texture and leavening was slightly off. This was my first time making it, so I'd like to make a few more tweaks before posting the recipe.

Homemade Extracts and French Toast

A while back, we were running low on vanilla at my boyfriend's house (before we moved in together and he became my husband). Since this can be a slightly expensive replacement if you buy the real stuff, and I was baking a lot, I thought about it for a few moments. I've made infused oils and vinegars, why not extracts?

We did just that! We found a few cool-looking glass bottles and set out to make our own vanilla extract. We used a dark rum base, because it's something we would actually consume outside of the process, but bourbon or brandy or such would work well, too.


It's an extremely easy process. Economical, too! Slice the side of a vanilla bean to allow the rum access to the more flavorful bits, place it into a glass bottle, cover with rum (you'll need a funnel for small-neck bottles) and place it in the back of a cool, dark cabinet for a while. Within a couple of months, it was wonderful. It only got better as it steeped further. As it gets low, we start another batch. You can see by the bottle on the left, we need to start some more vanilla soon.

Tip: Our grocer gave us a good hint when it comes to buying vanilla. It can be less expensive in the "ethnic foods" area. We got quality Madagascar vanilla beans for a song. It was about 3x the price in the baking aisle.

We didn't stop with vanilla, however. We also made cinnamon extract! This was the real prize hit. It was the same process, only we used cinnamon stick instead of the vanilla bean. Oh. My. Goodness. I love adding it to yogurt when I'm making a sweet dipping sauce for, say, baked sweet potato fries (amazing).

I don't know why it took me until yesterday, however, to realize its power in french toast. I remember as a kid trying to put cinnamon in the batter, only to have it float on top, so would only really work for a piece or two. Since then, I've always just given the toast a little sprinkle on each side once it's battered.

As I made french toast for breakfast yesterday, however, it hit me when I went to add the vanilla. Instead, I grabbed the cinnamon extract. I have to say, it was a pretty genius move. For more depth, you could add both, but I stuck with just the cinnamon.

I planned on doing spearmint last summer when it was growing on the side of our house, but for some reason never got around to it. I'm guessing it'll happen this year.

Have you made extracts? What's your favorite?

The Incredible Edible...

Four exams down, one more to go. I had a quick snack when I came home from this morning's exam, but it finally dawned on me that I needed to eat something of substance. I've been craving egg salad for a few days, so finally gave in (of course, in the most healthy way possible).

First, I had to hard boil the eggs. If you haven't hard boiled eggs, or if the yolks come out dry, crumbly or with a green sulfurous ring about them, there are better methods out there. If you love your eggs and make them perfectly, feel free to skip this one. I'll walk through the egg salad in the next entry.

Eggs, Part 1 (Hard Boiled: Easy and Foolproof):  



I should point out that just because "boiled" is in the name, this does not mean the eggs need to be boiled! If they are, they're likely going to come out poorly. Fear not! This method is pretty fail safe.

1. Place your eggs in a pot. Careful not to crowd them! They like a little elbow room. That doesn't mean, of course, that you need to place 4 eggs in a big dutch oven, just give them a little room between them so that they don't go crashing into each other and they can be surrounded by a bit of water.

2. Add enough cold water to cover them. You don't need to go much higher than that. Add a pinch of salt. Yes, salty water can raise the boiling temperature, but a pinch isn't going to do a thing other than give the eggs a little seasoning through its porous shell. (If you don't do salt, easy, don't add it.)

3. Cover and bring them to a boil. Don't stick it on "high" and walk away! Depending on the stove, I'd use medium to medium-high heat. Stay close by so that you can hear when the water is boiling.

4. As soon as it boils, turn it off! Leave the cover on to retain the heat. If you have an electric stove, move the pot to another (cool) burner or off the stove completely. If it's gas, you're pretty much done.

5. Start a timer for 15 minutes and walk away. When the timer is done, so are the eggs! (no need to run, an extra minute won't hurt)

6. Place in a bath of ice water to stop the residual cooking.

You will have perfectly creamy yolks and firmly set whites. Enjoy!

Note: If you have older eggs vs. super-fresh, use them. They're easier to peel.

Not Your Grandma's Tuna Casserole

The other day, while planning meals and putting together a grocery list, I got a craving for tuna casserole. I figured I could deconstruct it and make a more "grownup" version.

First, I figured I'd bring out the essential (to me) ingredients: Tuna, mushrooms, egg noodles, a green vegetable (my mother used frozen peas, but I'm not a huge fan), and something salty/crunchy (which, in our family, was always crushed potato chips).

I sauteed thinly sliced garlic in olive oil, keeping a watchful eye so it lightly toasted, but didn't burn. I then added fresh, sliced crimini mushrooms. Once the mushrooms were sauteed, I then added canned, water-packed tuna to the mixture (since I wanted it cooked through, it seemed it'd have been a sin to do that to a good piece of fresh tuna) and plenty of lemon juice and black pepper.

Since there was lemon juice in the mixture, I sauteed fresh green beans separately, to be added in when combining the pasta. (Tip: Acids can cause a loss of color in green vegetables.)

Once the pasta was done, I added it and the green beans to the tuna and mushroom mixture. I gave a splash of milk, to add a slight bit of creaminess, and let the dish absorb it. I didn't want anything too gloopy, a la canned cream of mushroom soup (eew), just a little something. I finished it all by adding whole wheat panko bread crumbs, for the crunch factor. I seasoned each component very lightly with kosher salt and added a little more in the end, to ensure I didn't over-season.

The end result was a good, flavorful, healthful dish. I liked the interaction of the pepper and the mushrooms and the bite of the sauteed green beans, vs. the mushy vegetables that usually come out of the traditional casserole. With minimal cooking, the tuna stayed flaky and held its structure instead of getting mushy. The dish held up well for lunch today, too. P even enjoyed it cold.



Lunch was leftovers from the day before (yay, spaghetti squash) and snacks were a tangelo and seedless red grapes. Do I need to say I had raisin bran again for breakfast? This time I did add banana.

Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries

Edit: Even though there was quite a bit of splurging going on today, I still managed to burn approximately 680 calories more than I ate. So, in the big picture, not so terrible!


Breakfast:
Home made oatmeal (1/3c. oats, water, cinnamon, ginger, agave nectar) with sliced bananas.


Lunch:
I was bad. Very, very bad. Know what? It felt gooood (and tasted even better). I was out running errands and the smell of Ray's pizza got to me. After months and months of ignoring its existence, I thought, "What the heck?". I figured I deserved a splurge. I had one plain slice (weighing in at approximately 577 calories). I ate it up as soon as I got home, long before I thought about picking up my camera, but this is the gist:


Afternoon snack:
A handful of fresh cherries I picked up from a fruit vendor yesterday. Juicy and sweet!


Dinner:
Tonight, I few friends and I are seeing a show and have reservations at a nearby restaurant. I've already *scoped out the menu and plan on having either the Salmone alla Contadina (Fresh salmon sautéed with capers, sun-dried tomatoes, and white wine served with a fresh vegetable medley) or the fish of the day.

Edit: I started with the caprese salad. It's one of my favorites. There was something extra zesty in the tomatoes, almost like they were marinated in something acidic. My friend (at another table) had commented on it, too. Whatever it was, it worked. Pardon the photo quality- they dimmed the lights and I didn't want to use the flash.


I went with the fish of the day. It was Black Sea Bass with roasted tomatoes, garlic, small potatoes on a bed of spinach. It tasted wonderful! I was so busy cleaning my plate, the camera was the last thing in my mind (the piece of fish was massive, so I held back from eating the whole thing. I practically licked the rest of the plate, however).

If we do dessert, I'll have what I always have there-- their berries and cream. Simple, somewhat healthy, and absolutely delicious.

Edit: I did go for the berries (strawberries and raspberries), though it didn't occur to me until half way through to snap a picture of their beauty. They tasted amazing, though.


The show we're seeing is cabaret-style, which means lots of flowing calorie-laden drinks. Here's where having both liver and blood sugar issues is a blessing in disguise. My club soda with a nice squeeze of fresh lime is not only non-impact, but good for me!

*Tip: Whenever I'm going out to dinner and know about it ahead of time (and, face it, I'm in NYC, so often have to make reservations ahead), I always take a peak at the menu online ahead of time. This helps Menu-Overwhelm Disease, as well as ensuring they have foods I'm willing to eat (or how specific I'll need to be when ordering slightly off-menu). It goes against my Foodie core, but it's all in the name of health and still generally nets a nice meal.

Cold

I've been fighting a cold (still putting up the fight), so food isn't something on which I wanted to expend much energy today. Breakfast was grab-n-eat, but I did get out for some air in the afternoon. I packed my lunch for a nice walk. I ran a few errands and ate my lunch as I sat in the park for some people watching.

Breakfast:
2 of my homemade KaPow Protein Cookies and a banana

Lunch:

Tuna salad (tuna, light mayo, green onion, granny smith apple) on grainy bread and a juicy, ripe pear.

Snack:

Mango orange smoothie with a dose of immunity vitamins. It felt great on a sore throat. 

Dinner:
Whole wheat ravioli en brodo, cheater style. I had some stock in the freezer (in ice cube form) from a previous batch and some frozen whole wheat low fat ravioli into which I'll toss in some added veggies. I wish I had some fresh herbs on hand, but when not feeling 100%, I'm less choosy. I just want the comfort food aspect. Tip for a sore throat (from my ENT doc): add some extra salt, if sodium isn't a problem. It saves the gargling with warm salt water.


Edit: Now that I've finished my dinner, I'm really going to have to remember this one. Not only is it a healthier soup than deli chicken soup (a usual default when not feeling up to making it myself from the ground up), but when in the mood for pasta, broth is so much more filling than a smattering of tomato sauce, and no need for parmesan cheese. I got in two large bowls of soup for only a single serving of pasta and lots of al dente veggies. And since there's no added fat to the soup, the broth itself has minimal caloric impact.

Waaater

This afternoon's subject is hydration. Some have noticed I don't generally list beverages consumed. That is correct. Much of the time, it's just plain ol' water, though I also like sparkling water, when available. I also drink quite a bit of herbal or decaf tea (I stay away from caffeine most of the time). When I drink anything else, it's usually non-nutritive or very low calorie (less than 10 calories). Diet sodas happen, too, but not very often. On those rare occasions I drink anything with a caloric impact, it's likely a cocktail, a glass of wine or a glass of milk (soy or dairy).

I also eat a lot of things with high water content (raw fruits, veggies). That adds up, too! It all helps us get the recommended amount of fluid intake per day. I definitely feel it when I haven't been eating a lot of fresh produce.