O Salmon with Wilted Greens

O Salmon with Wilted Spring Greens is light and flavorful - perfect for spring and summer. Here is how I made it.

(4) salmon filets without skin
(2) tablespoons of butter
(1) tablespoons of olive oil
(1) tablespoon of juice from Spanish olives
(2/3) cup of thinly sliced purple onion
(30) grape tomatoes
(4) servings of mixed spring greens

Place mixed greens into 4 shallow bowls and let sit.

With a medium flame, put butter, olive oil, olive juice, purple onions, and salmon in wok or large frying pan and saute until salmon is cooked with a little brown edge.

Place the salmon, onions and tomatoes on top of the greens and let them wilt for (5) minutes and serve (4) servings.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

I have been running around getting ready to go on my trip to France. I would like to share a little problem I have been having, not sure how many people have experienced this, but, when I am walking long distances, my socks pull on my toes and they begin to hurt after about a mile or so. I have been trying different socks, to see if that makes a difference. Since I wear New Balance shoes, I have tried their socks as well. So far, they seem to be the best. Then last night I found "Foot Alignment Socks" I have attached a photo for your reference. I will let you know how it works for me.


I have not had the time to be very adventurous with my cooking so there are no new recipes, however, I do now have a favorite breakfast that I will share. I saute onion and make myself 2 scrambled eggs. I take a Spelt flour tortilla, put a slice of Mozzarella cheese in the center, cover the cheese with the scrambled eggs while still hot allowing the cheese to melt. Roll up the tortilla and enjoy with a half of grapefruit and green tea. I don't eat this everyday because of the flour and the cheese, but do enjoy it a couple of times a week.

As far as my weigh goes, I have stayed the same for a couple of weeks now. I have increased my exercise and decreased my consumption, so I am sure it will move eventually. It's really important not to stress out about it, cause that doesn't help. I have begun to only weigh myself once a week, just to keep an eye on it and will keep you posted on my progress.

Tandoori on the Barbee

Last night I had a request for my Tandoori Chicken (see recipe on April 13th). Instead of baking the chicken in the oven, I cooked it on the barbecue - the flavors were richer and I definitely recommend it.

O Shrimp Pad Thai

OMG, this was so great and totally worth the effort. Here is how I made my Shrimp Pad Thai

Mix the following in a bowl and set aside:
(1) tablespoon of strained tamarind paste
Note: if not pre-strained, place in covered dish with boiling
water and set aside for 20 minutes. Then press through a
fine mesh strainer and add to balance of contents.
(2) tablespoons of clam juice
(2) tablespoons of raw brown sugar
(1) tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
(2) raw eggs
(2) tablespoons of canola oil
(2) teaspoons of minced garlic
(1) teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Prepare Noodles:
(1) cup of boiling water
(4) ounces of rice stick noodles
Place noodles in a casserole dish (spread out)
and cover with water. Cover and set aside

Stir Fry the following in a wok for one minute on high:
(15) pea pods
(4) chopped baby Portabello mushrooms
(1/2) cup of julienne carrots
(1) cup of chopped scallions
(2) cups of bean sprouts
(2) tablespoons of canola oil

Add mixture and stir. Toss in (1) pound of cooked-peeled large shrimp and drained noodles for a minute or two. Ready to serve (3-4) servings.

Tortillas Are For More Than Wraps!

I discovered Rudi's Organic Bakery's Whole Spelt Tortillas at Whole Foods today. I had such a taste for a chicken and vegetable wrap that I couldn't wait!

The product is wonderful!!!!

Later, I thought about a friend of mine who was visiting from Chicago and she had made tortilla pizza. This can be used for lots of quick and tasty dishes, just experiment and have fun.

If you don't have a Whole Foods near you, their web address is http://www.rudisbakery.com/products/tortillas

Please share your uses for these wraps on this blog.

______________________________

Tomorrow I am working on a Shrimp Pad Thai recipe, if it turns out well, I will be happy to share it. If the vision is out of sync with the reality, it won't be posted.

Getting Started

A friend of mine just found out she's lactose intolerant and needs to change some of her food choices.  She told me she is having trouble finding information.

I told her for each person it's different - as far as dairy, I can use butter, mozzarella cheese, feta cheese, farmers cheese and goat milk products on a limited quantity.  On cereal I use almond and rice milk.  There are also soy milks, cheeses and yogurts available, but too much of that bothers me as well.

I have other issues though and need to also eliminate gluten from my diet.  Many of the recipes take both conditions in account.  Most people are one or the other, leave it to be to have both :-)

I am not a doctor, but for me, I eliminated everything for several days until I was no longer inflamed. After that, I tested one food at a time to see if there was a reaction.  For example, I added mozzarella cheese into my diet for 2 days, when I was sure I was okay, I substituted something else.

I also suggest reading food labels.  Many times they hide things that could cause a reaction.  It is a long process, but this journey is going to add quality of life in the future, and that's important. Hope this info helps you.

Pizza Crust Review

A Big Hurray for the Gluten Free Pizza Crust from Still Riding Pizza. It arrived today and could not wait to test it out. They gave easy to follow instructions. I added my favorite toppings, baked it and almost cried it was soooooooo good.

You can order from their website: http://www.stillridingpizza.com/ or, you can call them at (203) 683-7238. Either way, it is totally worth the effort.

Let me know how you top yours - post a comment on this blog.

A picture is worth a thousand words!

Since April of 2004, I have lost a total of 142 pound. In the past two months, I have lost 29 pounds. So many of the symptoms I was feeling in February, have subsided to a minimum. I remember my grandfather saying "We should eat to live, not live to eat." Those words have a whole new meaning for me now, and I just wanted to share this with you.

Devil Wears Prada

There is a line in the "Devil Wears Prada" when Emily Chalton (Emily Blunt) says to Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathaway) "I'm only one stomach flu away from my goal weight. If only it was that easy! I barely lost a a quarter of a pound with my episode the last couple of days. Although to be truthful, I feel so good again, I really don't care about that tiny loss because I have lost 13 pounds since I started this blog, and I feel really good about that!

New Erwhon Cereal

I discovered a GREAT tasting new cereal. Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice - 100% Whole Grain Cereal that is Gluten Free and Organic. This is brand new and not on their website yet - I found it at Whole Foods, but here is their website for their other products: http://www.usmillsinc.com/usmills/search.php?brand=1

Picnic Escape

Today we escaped and had a little picnic in the park. I can't even remember the last time I did this, but it won't be that long before our next one. Simple fare: sandwiches, my Brown and Wild Rice Salad, and my finished with my Amazing Oatmeal Cookies (See recipe on March 20, 2010).

Here is how I made my Brown and Wild Rice Salad:
(3/4) cup of cooked brown rice
(1/2) cup of cooked wild rice
(1/4) cup of dried cranberries
(2) tablespoons of slivered almonds
(2) tablespoons of parsley flakes
(2) tablespoons of chopped chives
(1) tablespoon of melted butter
(1/2) teaspoon of sea salt

Mix all the ingredients and refrigerate - served cold

Good Earth Restaurant

Tonight we went to The Good Earth at 12345 Ventura Blvd in Studio City, CA 91604

I had their Pad Thai with chicken and shrimp. They use Thai brown rice noodles, carrots, bean sprouts and other type O friendly ingredients. I started with a salad with olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon and a cup of their amazing cinnamon tea. I rate the meal A+ and would recommend it to locals or visitors to the area. Their website is http://goodearthla.com/

Other locations can be found at http://www.goodearthmn.com/

Tandoori Chicken - YUM!!!!

OMG - a little piece of heaven. Here is how I made my O Tandoori Chicken:

(8) skinless/boneless chicken breasts - wash, prick the flesh of the chicken with fork and put several slashes in the flesh with a sharp knife to allow the marinade to penetrate. Set to side.

Mix the following in a glass bowl:
(1/2) cup of soy or goat yogurt
(2) tablespoons of lemon juice
(1) tablespoon of minced garlic
(1) tablespoon of ground ginger
(1) tablespoon of ground cumin
(1) teaspoon of ground coriander
(1/2) teaspoon of cayenne pepper
(1/4) teaspoon of ground cardamom
(1/4) teaspoon of ground cloves
(1/4) teaspoon of saffron
(2) teaspoons of sea salt


Dip and coat each of the prepared chicken breasts in the mixture and place in a non-reative covered glass dish. Marinate chicken in refrigerator for not less than 8 hours and no longer than 2 days. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking.

Preheat oven to 450º

Remove chicken from the marinade, pressing lightly to extract excess marinade, then brush with canola oil on both sides. Place the chicken on a oiled rack in a pan. Cook for 30 minutes until juices run clear when pierced with knife.

I am serving with brown rice. Garnish suggestions: cilantro sprig, red onion, tomato and lemon.

ENJOY!

Left Over Day

I know I have said this before, but leftovers are GREAT! That means I don't have to cook. And it's a good thing, I have been running around all day and got absolutely nothing done - ever have one of those days? Anyway, I am working on a new recipe for Tandoori Chicken - hopefully it will work out better than my last pizza. If it works out, I will share the recipe with you soon.

Cold Day, Warm Friends

Tonight friends are coming for dinner and serving my favorites. I will be making my Apricot Chicken Divine(See recipe on March 30, 2010). Served with Caesar Salad (See dressing recipe on March 18, 2010), brown rice and steamed Brussels sprouts. Finishing with my Amazing Oatmeal Cookies (See recipe on March 20, 2010) and coffee. Bon Appetite!

A Waste of Two Hours

Tonight I attempted to make a healthy, low fat, gluten free pizza. The topping was okay, but OMG, the dough was HORRIBLE!!! This is one recipe that will never make it to the blog. Boy I wish my Grandmother was here, she use to make incredible bread and pastry.

But there is hope! I found this website http://www.stillridingpizza.com/ they have gluten free pizza crust. I will order and let you know how it tastes.

They also list restaurants everywhere that use their crusts. While in New York on our way back from France, we'll go to Bistango on Third Avenue. You should check this out.

Crustless Quiche Me Lorraine

Today is a full day - work on VO demo reel, present 1 of my paintings to the Honorable Paul Krekorian at City Hall, and run errands via bike. Oh almost forgot - I made brunch for friends.

O Crustless Quiche Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350º

Saute in a skillet with canola oil:
(1 1/2) cups of chopped purple onion
(6) chopped baby Portabella mushrooms
(4) chopped cloves of garlic

Toss in and set aside:
(2) chopped hard boiled eggs
(2) cooked, dried and crumbled turkey bacon strips
(1) cup of cubed, grilled chicken breast

Mix the above with:
(5) beaten eggs
(1) teaspoon of sea salt

Grease casserole dish with butter and pour in mixture. Bake for 40 minutes. Serves 3 to 4.

Another Great Day to Ride

Ahhhh, Southern California ... Went to the bank, grocer, pharmacy and filled my saddle bags again. When home, I couldn't decide the treat I wanted, then it occurred to me: Apple, Almond Butter and Mozzarella - yum!!!

A Great Day for a Bike Ride

The sun is shining. The temperature is 72º. I decided to run errands via bicycle today, hardware store, costco, health food store, etc. By the time I got home, both my saddle bags were filled to the rim, almost couldn't zip them up :-) I also felt this great sense of accomplishment! Today was a GREAT day.

O Garbage Salad

Today my friend came over for an impromptu lunch. I made us an O Garbage Salad Here is what went in it.

Cut up Romaine Lettuce
Left over thinly sliced purple onion, soaked in Spanish olive juice
A few cut up Spanish olives with pimento
Left over chicken breast, cut up into chunks
Feta cheese crumbles
A couple of chopped, hard boiled, eggs
A couple of chopped, baby Portabella mushrooms
A couple of chopped, small, asparagus spears
Tossed with my Caesar Dressing Recipe (see March 18)

Then I served it with plain rice cakes topped with almond butter and a slice of Mozzarella cheese. It made a GREAT lunch.

Too Busy to Eat!

Today I spent all day finalizing Phil's and my trip to France - I started at 9am and before I knew it, it was 5:30 p.m. Now I am too tired to make a dinner so I am going to have left over chicken soup and a salad.

Baked Scallops in the Shell - YUM!

I adapted Baked Scallop Normandy recipe so that I could eat this - OMG - it is a wonderful appetizer or side dish.

You will need (12) 2-3" clam shells that are oven safe.
Preheat the oven to 350º
(8) finely chopped scallops
(4) finely chopped baby Portabello mushrooms
(1) tablespoon of finely chopped chives
(1) tablespoon of finely chopped purple onion
(1) tablespoon of finely chopped parsley
(3) pieces of Manna bread or Ezekiel 4:0 100% sprouted bread that crust is removed, bread dried out (not stale) and finely chopped into bread crumbs - yields about a cup
(1) tablespoon of Merlo

Mix the above ingredients and spoon mixture into each of the 12 clam shells.
Place one each of (12) additional whole scallops on top of mixture.
Mix (1) teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder and sea salt and put in a shaker and season each of the shell's contents. Take (3) tablespoons of butter cut up into 12 pats and put on top of each scallop.

Bake for 25 minutes, then broil for 5 more minutes. Ready to serve.

Baked O Onion Soup

Leftovers are great. After a wonderful bike ride today I made some Baked O Onion Soup

Take a crock or deep bowl that is oven safe. Preset oven to 350º. Cut the crust off of a piece of Manna Bread or Ezekiel 4:9 100% sprouted bread. (1) slice of Mozzarella cheese.

Pour (1) to (1-1/2) cups of O Onion Soup (see March 28), put the bread on top and soak it. Place the Mozzarella cheese on top and bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and slightly brown and bubbly.

I served it with a salad of Romaine lettuce, thinly sliced purple onion, (2) ounces of cut up chicken breast, (1) chopped hard boiled egg, and 2 tablespoons of Creamy Caesar Dressing (see March 18).

A Beautiful Day for a Bike Ride

Between Passover, meetings, work and weather, I have not had a chance to ride my bike this week ... soooooo TODAY IS THE DAY!!!!

Oatmeal, Carob, Almonds, Oh My

O Oatmeal Carob Almond Muffins

Preheat oven to 400º. Grease muffin cups with canola oil.

Mix dry ingredients:
(1) cup of oatmeal
(1/2) cup of spelt flour
(1/2) cup of oat flour
(1/3) cup or brown raw sugar
(3) teaspoons of baking powder
(1) teaspoon of sea salt
(2) tablespoons of carob powder
(1/4) cup of slivered Almonds

Mix wet ingredients separately:
(1) egg
(1/2) cup of canola oil
(3/4) cup of almond milk (vanilla flavor)

Thoroughly stir in wet mixture into dry mixture. Pour into greased muffin cups and bake until done for 15-25 minutes depending on size of cups.

Immediately remove from pan and enjoy.