Tag Archives for love to eat series

What I Love vs. What I Eat, vol. 6.1: MOAR BISCUITS

Wheeee! I made more biscuits! And I totally confirmed my suspicion that the coconut flour (and prevalent coconut flavor) can be pushed in one direction (sweet and delicious!) or another (coconut, what?!) depending on the additional ingredient combinations.

Here’s your starting point.

For savory biscuits, I swapped out the coconut oil for unsalted butter, removed the stevia and doubled the kosher salt. I added a CSA jalapeno pepper (very finely chopped) and some fresh CSA parsley, and baked for 17 minutes.

I also got 13 biscuits out of the batter, and they’re only 45 calories a piece. “Coconut, what?!”, indeed.

Nutritional information for one biscuit, approximate: 45 calories, 4.1 grams fat, 9.4 mg cholesterol, 1.9 grams carbohydrates, 1.3 grams fiber, .2 grams sugar. .5 grams protein.

For sweeter, coconuttier biscuits, I added finely shredded unsweetened coconut to the batter (made with coconut oil) and tiny bit of vanilla. I also topped the biscuits with larger pieces of unsweetened shredded coconut.

Next time I’ll probably use vanilla flavored liquid stevia for the whole batch so I can calculate the nutritional information and ingredient amounts. This was part of a larger experiment (you’re not seeing the complete failure of forgetting to sweeten unsweetened cocoa before mixing it in….right) so I can’t quite do the math with this tiny batch of four. It was just enough to whet my appetite to make some more this evening.

MOAR BISCUITS.

What I Love vs. What I Eat, vol. 6: Egg Salad & Biscuits. (No, really.)

(For more on this once-and-future series, see this post. Or find all the harebrained episodes via tag in the sidebar.)

Alternate title: What I’m Eating For Lunch Today (with homemade gazpacho) That Is Rocking My World.

There’s no need for exposition, the food speaks for itself.

We’ll start with the eggs. Plenty of people have done healthier, non-mayo-based egg salad. Most involve mustard and yogurt, but since I’m avoiding dairy the yogurt is a no go. Straight mustard doesn’t lend itself to creaminess very well, and the dijon mustards all have added ingredients I’d rather not use. I decided to go the mustard route but made two changes to get the consistency and creaminess that egg salad should have. I picked a “creamier” root vegetable, and I added an unconventional liquid.

I may have eaten this yesterday for lunch, too, with heirloom tomatoes and brocolli sprouts.

Very simple. Hard boiled eggs, celery, leeks (the creamier root), cilantro (favorite herb, though your mileage may vary), yellow mustard, kosher salt, pepper and…unsweetened almond milk. Weird, I know. But it worked. I made it for a baby shower and even non-x diet eaters thought it was great. I hard boil eggs almost weekly, and this could very easily be whipped up in single serving portions without the vegetables – though I highly recommend them for the texture. Heck, this may even become part of my weekly lunch repertoire.

But alas, with no grains (they’re an x) it is difficult to eat an egg salad sandwich.

I’ve been baking with raw almond flour, garbanzo bean flour and coconut flour. All have their uses, thought nothing really caught my eye as a suitable staple alternative until I came across this recipe on a gluten free site. I made it as written, with coconut oil not butter, and used this chart to convert to stevia powder. I also made my biscuit drops a little smaller, getting 11 to the batch. Ideally next time I’ll get 12. I prefer even numbers.

Guys, they’re so fluffy! It’s amazing. They taste like bready biscuits!

I think the batter itself will be a wonderful base for further experimentation. It’s very subtly sweet, almost like corn bread, which made me think immediately of adding chili powder or jalapeno peppers. I want to punch up the coconut in a future version as well, maybe with coconut extract and flakes. What a find. High five to Andrea Bijou for the recipe.

Soooooo back to my lunch.

Non-dairy egg salad + gluten free/sugar free biscuit =

daaaaamn close to an egg salad sandwich! And with my chilled soup and ice tea, I can eat like the weather is just warming up for summer instead of cooling down for fall.

As long as I don’t open a window or look outside.

What I Love vs. What I Eat, Vol. 5: “Toastless” French Toast

(For more on this once-and-future series, see this post. Or find all the harebrained episodes via tag in the sidebar.)

It’s a new dawn of eating and food preparation in our household. Cynically I call it the x diet, where x is anything I want but can’t have. Dairy free, gluten free, sugar free. There are other x’s but those are the big ones. Tons of fresh vegetables, many courtesy of our CSA, and lean protein. We feel great, and I can’t begin to express (without digressing more than I have already) how much easier and – dare I say it? – fun this is to do with your partner than attempting it on your own.

But of course I miss fancy desserts and sweet things in general, although honestly not that often. I sometimes crave them in the morning, and an egg white omelet loaded with spinach or kale and broccoli, tomatoes and white beans is pretty solidly in the savory camp. I found myself wanting the spiced, nutty, lightly sweet taste of good French toast – although never with syrup. Gross.

Now, how to capture that cinnamon-y, vanilla-y goodness without, um, the toast part?

Almond Egg White Rollups, or “Toastless” French Toast

1/2 cup liquid egg whites
1 large egg
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
8 drops clear liquid Stevia
1/2 teaspoonish vanilla extract
Cinnamon
2 tablespoons raw almond butter, unsweetened & creamy

Whip the egg with the egg whites and almond milk. Add Stevia, vanilla and cinnamon. Heat an egg pan over low-medium heat (on our stovetop, that’s about 4). Pour a thin, crepe-like layer of egg mixture into the pan. This recipe makes 2, so be mindful of how much you pour.

Be patient. Seriously. You want it to be almost done before you flip it, with no little egg droolies leaking out the sides. And when the time comes to flip, sometimes you do a great job, and sometimes you don’t.

You can usually rescue it when you slide the whole thing onto a plate. Place about a tablespoon of raw almond butter on one side of the egg, or smooth a thin layer across the whole thing. Gently roll it up.

I eat it plain, others prefer a garnish.

It’s just sweet enough to take the edge off, and the vanilla, cinnamon and almond are welcome flavors that I miss in a world of vegetables and lean proteins. The fat content might make you balk, but it’s healthy fats from the almonds so don’t be afraid of that number.

Gluten free, dairy free, sugar free. x diet, bring it on.

Nutritional info for 1 rollup (recipe makes 2): 178 calories, 11.1 grams fat, 46.5mg cholesterol, 3.3 grams carbs, 2.3 grams fiber, 1 gram sugar, 13.3 grams protein.

(It’s especially nice paired with a light kale and bean salad. For breakfast. I know, right?!”

What I Love vs. What I Eat, Vol. 4: Fish Tacos & Tomatilla Salsa

(For more on this once-and-future series, see this post. Or find all the harebrained episodes via tag in the sidebar.)

I love fish tacos. My friends love fish tacos. My friends still eat fish tacos (or any tacos, actually), but alas, I do not. Too many empty calories in the common taco delivery system, be it wheat or corn based.

But! (with a finger pointing, I think)

It turns out what I love about fish tacos is the fresh, crisp flavor combinations inside, not outside, the taco. Authentic delivery system be damned.

Oh, the old lettuce trick, you say. Probably skeptically. But take a closer look: thick, crunchy, stalky lettuce with a nice center rib much like a taco shell. Black beans. Fresh salsa (often homemade, but this time Trader Joe’s did the work for me). Scallops. Homemade tomatilla salsa on top.

Wait a second, you cry. Did you say ‘scallops’?! I did indeed. Lightly seared, and perfectly distributing fish (okay, shellfish) throughout my taco.

Tell me more about this tomatilla salsa, you say. Pshaw, it’s easy. And we put it on everything. Every. Thing.

Tomatilla Salsa

6 or 8 tomatillas (Farmer’s Market)
1 green pepper (Farmer’s Market)
1 jalapeño pepper
1 leek (CSA)
1 small bunch of kale (CSA)
About a half T. Of kosher salt

Remove the papery coverings on the tomatillas and boil them for ten to fifteen minutes (depending on size and quantity). They’ll turn a richer green. Immediately throw them into a powerful blender or food processor and smash them to smithereens. Add the rest of the ingredients, or modify to your liking. Garlic and/or onion is good. Additional jalapeño is, too. Fresh cilantro or other herbs, whatever. Blend the hell out of everything, transfer to a container and chill in the fridge for several hours so the salsa can set.

Enjoy with fish (or shellfish) tacos or anything else you eat. Or just eat it by the spoonful. I won’t judge.

What I Love vs. What I Eat, vol. 3: Banana & Coconut

(For more on this once-and-future series, see this post.)

You’ve been to Nicky’s, right? You’ve tasted the absolute best tom kha soup in the city, of course. Oh, good. We can still be friends.

My always-meal at Nicky’s starts out with That Soup, followed by the grilled beef mint salad and accompanied by a pot of astounding ginger tea.

But there’s something else on their menu, something that I covet, something that surprises me. It’s something that I’ve shared with several of you after a lunch or dinner at dear Nicky’s, the perfect conclusion to our meal. On the menu, simply “banana with coconut roll”. You probably never even noticed it.

The dessert itself is not perfect. The ratio of banana to coconut is never exactly right, and the wonton wrapper is messy. But the combination of flavors is what gets me every time. Banana plus coconut. Of course.

I didn’t want to make an alternative banana with coconut roll. It’s not practical for everyday consumption. But I could take those flavors and use them to make whole wheat mini muffins, oh yes I could.

Banana Coconut Mini Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour
5 ripe bananas
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon (or so) of vanilla extract
1 cup flaked coconut, sweetened
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Nutmeg to taste

Mash bananas and mix thoroughly with sugar, egg and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients (except coconut) and add to bananas. Stir completely, then add coconut and stir again. Spoon into lined mini muffin tins. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes 36 muffins.

Now, get this: original dessert is fried, and definitely not diet-friendly. But these little guys clock in at about 50 calories a piece, and they’re perfect with an egg for breakfast. Next time I might really let my hair down and add coconut extract, too.

Nutritional information for one mini-muffin (1/36 of recipe): 51 calories, .9 grams fat, 6 mg cholesterol, 94.3 mg sodium, 10.4 grams carbs, 1.1 gram fiber, 5.7 grams sugar, .9 grams protein.

What I Love vs. What I Eat, vol. 2: Kale Chips

(For more on this once-and-future series, see this post.)

I enjoy snacking. Usually lightly salty, though I’m picky in this like all else.

One of my favorite things in the world is a really really good, fresh salsa (preferably homemade) with tortilla chips (preferably homemade). I can eat buckets of salsa, which is not actually the worst thing ever since it’s mostly tomatoes and I never make it with oil.

Buckets of chips on the other hand? Not so much. I mean, sure! I can eat them. But should I? Of course not.

So how can I enjoy snacky, sorta salty things that aren’t tortilla chips? I make green chips instead.

Maybe you’re already doing this, and you learned from an expert. If not, I urge you to try it. You need thick dark greens, like collards or kale. A tiny TINY bit of oil or toxic spray or better yet one of these. Kosher salt, pepper, maybe a salt-free seasoning mix or some Parmesan cheese. Baking sheet, silicon liner optional. 300 degrees. Ten to twenty minutes, depending on your personal green-chip-texture preference. Boom.

You can make a lot at a time.

They shrink a little in size, and can brown along the edges if you leave them in too long. They also taste better than they look, especially in my terrible photos.

(But remember, for your tummy’s sake, that you’re eating a bag of greens. In other words, don’t eat a bag of greens.)

I like the curly texture of the kale out of the oven, but I often prefer the flavor of the collards. They also stay flat like chips if you’re into that. Neither are substantial enough to hold up to salsa, so that is a challenge I will tackle at a future date.

Nutritional information for 190 grams of kale (above, raw): 95 calories, 1 gram fat, 19 carbs, 6 grams protein, 82mg sodium, 4 grams fiber. Nutritional information for 259 grams of collard greens (above, raw): 78 calories, 1 gram fat, 15 carbs, 6 grams protein, 52mg sodium, 9 grams fiber.

(But seriously, don’t eat that all in one sitting. Trust me.)

What I Love vs. What I Eat, vol. 1: Buffalo Blue Cheese

I love food. Duh.

And food loves me. Duh.

(Especially my hips, thighs and tummy.)

So as I re-evaluate, re-establish and re-structure my eating habits, I’m finding ways to enjoy some of what I love without completely going off the deep end. I cook with fresh, whole ingredients so I certainly don’t  like the idea of swapping one processed food for another processed food. That means sites like Hungry Girl – which is all about finding healthier ways to eat the stuff we all really want to, often by way of fat-free or lite versions of pre-packaged foods – aren’t usually my go-to. Instead, I’m trying to really be thoughtful about the *tastes* I enjoy (novel concept, I know) and then find alternative ways to acquire them.

(That being said, I don’t make everything from scratch. As you’ll see below, condiments are one area where I’m usually fine with starting with a purchased product. Especially if it’s full of magic.)

First up, what I love: boneless buffalo wings with blue cheese dressing.

I’ll be honest, I’m really picky about boneless wings and I don’t eat regular wings at all. Ever. I guess it would be more accurate to say I’m very picky about chicken. I’m a white-meat only kind of gal.

But I love LOVE the buffalo bites at Sharp Edge. Please do not ever take me there during a Penguin game because they’re only .40 a piece and that’s just cruel. I also like the boneless wings at Mad Mex quite a bit, although I recently discovered that it’s actually the dressing that I really LOVE. Seriously, I could eat it with a spoon. (Side note: this is awesome. Kudos to Big Burrito.)

Anyway, the dressing. It’s blue cheese with buffalo sauce, basically. Same combo as my favorite bites flavor. So why not take what I have at home and recreate it?

I’ve written about my dressing before. Bolthouse Farms Yogurt Dressing Chunky Blue Cheese. Why aren’t you buying this stuff yet? It’s magically delicious. AND! No preservatives, no artificial anything. 50 calories for two tablespoons. It still Blows. My. Mind.

Add some Sriracha hot chili sauce (negligible caloric impact). Serve with pulled chicken.

So, what I eat:

Nutritional information for 3.5 oz pulled chicken: 164 calories, 4 grams fat, 0 carbs, 31 grams protein. Plus the 2 tablespoons dressing: 50 calories, 4.5 grams fat, 1 gram carbohydrates, 1 gram sugars, 1 gram protein.

Total savings: about a million calories and two million grams of fat. At least.