I decided to make some Mac and Cheese tonight because once again I had too much cheese in my fridge that I was never going to get around to eating. I also had some goat butter I did not feel I was going to get to using either, so I used it in my roux. Try it. It’s epic. I really have no other words of wisdom.
Did I miss the memo? Is nutcracker no longer a PC term? Is our culture getting a little too sensitive? I don’t care how lovely this design in, I refuse to buy it just because the company pussied out on what it is called.
A friend of mine had a “Lean and Mean” Party last weekend. The intent of the party was for every guest to bring a healthy dish, complete with recipe and nutritional info. Work has been a bit hectic, so I didn’t really plan my dish or have much time to put it together. I went to an old stand-by that I did some sort of variation of back in my nutrition class in culinary school – carrot soup. It is essentially a low fat version of cream of carrot with a lot less cream and a lot more flavor, attributed from curry powder and ginger. And at 66 calories a cup, a guilt-free option.
I have been totally slacking with my posts during lent. I have not been cooking as much at home and without meat my diet has not been super varied and probably less healthy than when I do eat meat. I have been having a lot of cheese( what else is new?), pizza, pasta, and fish, especially shrimp. I have experimented with mock meat, like Morningstar farms chik’n patties. At work I’m at a loss very day because most places don’t have good salads or vegetarian soups. Saint Patrick’s Day does not help matters as one of my favorite meats is corned beef. April 15 is still a ways away…sigh…
Williams-Sonoma, why doth thou forsake me at times? And Calphalon, I love your products, why would you create something like this? Someone please explain to me why I need this? And try hard, I’m ethnic!
Continuing with my meat-free Lent, I’m cheating a bit with seafood – keeps me from eating just carbs.
I recently ate Shrimp Oreganata at Biggie’s Clam Bar in Carlstadt. Just tasting it I felt I could do something similar to replicate the herbed bread crumb topping, of course using my beloved Ritz Cracker Crumbs.
I thawed some medium sized shrimp that I had in my freezer, and removed the tails. I greased the bottom of a pie dish and arranged the shrimp in a layer kind of near each other.
In a small bowl I mixed cracker crumbs, lemon juice, garlic powder, oregano, pepper, cayenne pepper, Italian seasoning, some nutmeg, and a bit of oil to further wet the mixture. I pressed the crumbs over the shrimp and baked everything at 400 degrees until golden brown, about 12 minutes. My tummy was quite satisfied with the results.
As Lent marches on, I’m cooking more vegetarian meals at home as well as being selective with what I order out. OK, I’m not so selective about ice cream or cheese, but it has been a challenge avoiding meat.
I really enjoy black beans as a side dish and from my culinary nutrition days I know a meal of rice and beans is considered a complete protein and a good meat substitute. So I attempted a simple Mexican style black bean recipe. It was tasty, but I’m not going to be competing with any restaurants soon.
One silver lining in my less than stellar attempt, I used my beloved pilaf recipe for the rice.
The Accidental Chef 