Supper, Saturday March 10: stir fry (cubed pork, shiitake, oyster mushroom, black fungus, carrot, green pepper, water chestnut, onion, sesame seed, soy oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, hot banana chili, mirin); wild rice and quinoa. 

So we are still going with the low carb thing. just 1/2 cup of the wild rice and quinoa. It would have been jasmine rice but I had this in the fridge. You gotta watch that black fungus when it is in hot oil. It pops rather explosively. A spatter screen is a good idea. I have seen that stuff launch itself out of the pan. 

Where's The Cranberries?

Lunch, Saturday March 10: cranberry beans (home canned cranberry beans, salt, pepper, ground habanero, roasted garlic powder, horseradish cheddar, yogurt); onion strings; slaw.

That's cranberry BEANS. They are awesome. Earthy like a pinto (which they kinda look like), creamy like a cannellini, with some floral high notes. They can be found with dry beans in a store that has a large selection. We grow them every year. They are a great producer and the fresh beans have more of the floral and grassy notes. (Who'da thunk you could talk about beans like wine).

I've made my yogurt routine more complicated. I had been straining plain nonfat yogurt to make "greek" yogurt. I read recently that a moderate amount of dairy fat is a good thing. So I decided that Low Fat yogurt would be the ticket.

NOPE.

Not available, at least for a reasonable price. So now I get nonfat and whole milk, strain and blend. Tadarrrr. Low fat "greek" yogurt.

Just Half

Breakfast, Saturday March 10: salsa eggs, bagel, apple. 

I'm s'posed to cut back on the carbs. I am not eliminating. I'm not into that level of self-denial. So HALF a bagel and HALF an apple. Plus I'm going to the gym after breakfast.

It's Just Gonna Have To Be An Occasional Treat.

Lunch, Friday March 09: monkfish medallions (fresh monkfish, salt, pepper, clarified butter); lima beans; slaw.

Lemme tackle the sides first. The limas are about as simple as they get: a little pork stock, diced onion, butter, salt, pepper, and soaked large limas. There is a special something that happens when well soaked dry limas are simmered. They make a sort of gravy that is as good or in my opinion better than the beans themselves. They are really easy to make. They just require planning. Soak the beans overnight with a little salt. Next day saute onion in butter. Drain the beans. add the beans and pork stock (I suppose chicken or a vegetable base would also work) Simmer til tender. Watch for scorching as that gravy develops.

What can I say about slaw? Nothing actually. Slaw is one of those small class of foods that is regional down to the resolution of family tradition. It is very much like the meat that it often accompanies, namely barbeque. In both cases, one persons delicacy is the next's unpalatable refuse. So all I should say is: We had slaw.

Now for the sad news of the day. I went to the grocer 2 days ago. While cruising the seafood counter for no particular reason I saw they were offering monkfish at a moderate discount. I love monkfish. Alexis loves anything that has the word fish in it or near it. Add to that the realization that I have not eaten any for many years then the offering was to great a temptation to resist. I purchased about two thirds of a pound with the intention of sauteing medallions in clarified butter with some salt and pepper. One important note about using butter to saute: even clarified butter is not temperature stable enough to get hot enough for a proper saute. One should add some flavorless high temp oil like canola or soy to stabilize the butter. Also don't overpower the fish with seasoning. let the flavor shine on its own.

So what is the sad news? In seeking a little more info in the actual fish. (I like to be able to recognize my food.) While reading up on them I learned the current fishing technique is not sustainable. Dammit! Harvesters use the "beam trawling" method which damages habitat. Monkfish will have to remain a rare treat. 

I Got Told

Breakfast, Friday March 09: savory oats (steel cut oats, vegetable base, sausage, habanero cojack); egg; fruit. 

I thought that this was a fairly balanced meal, mostly grain, some protein, fruit. It loosely fits in the FDA guidelines. Then I went to the doctor.

I  must qualify by stating that I have a condition for which I take prednisone. It has helped my condition BUT at a cost. It has given me diabetes and I have put on a lot of weight. I need to lose quite a bit. 

I was told to get rid of the oats. 

But wait, isn't oatmeal good for you? Sure. I need to lose weight though, not maintain. I was told to reduce or eliminate carbs. Important note: This should not be interpreted as "eat more protein." That is the mistake many people make. The message is "eat less carbs." This is an important distinction. Eat less carbs means lowering overall calories as well as those that are easily converted to glucose. That is the culprit with respect to diabetes, pre-diabetes, and obesity in general. 

Dammit.

They Were On Sale

Breakast, Thursday March 08: salsa eggs (green pepper, scallion, salsa, eggs, cream, habanero jack);  hashed browns (with onion); sausage; guacamole-ish substance, yogurt.

It was the Avacados. It's their fault. Funny thing is that they are a small part of the meal. just the inspiration. They have been pricey lately, three bucks apiece. Yesterday they were 4 for 5. Alexis loves avocado so. . .

I make this guacamole-ish thing that is not quite guacamole and more like a pico. I use a commercial salsa that we like, add some more heat from one of our sauces, throw in some extra cilantro, onion, olive oil, maybe garlic powder, whatevs. Finally, add a bunch of DICED avocado. You want to be able to bite into unadulterated avocado. This means of course that you have to catch the avocado during the 15 seconds in which it it perfectly ripe.

I've taken to buying avocados when they are green and hard as the countertop. I keep one or two around to let them ripen at home. This prevents the "5 people squeezed this avocado in the store to test or ripeness and bruised it" phenomenon. This does mean that you are now in a long term commitment. 

Anyhoo, the rest o the meal just developed because of the avocado purchase.  I am rather proud of the sausage. Boston butts were recently deeply discounted. I bought a couple. I canned some, cubed and froze some, and made sausage. The nice part is I can control the spices, lower salt and hot.

I know the potatoes look burnt but they were just VERY brown. Alexis likes then very dark and crispity.

Jalapeno Relish is Da Bomb

Breakfast, Friday February 23: french toast (home made multi-grain, egg, milk, cream, toasted pecan); yogurt and marmalade swirl, apple, jalapeno relish.

Two important things to emphasize: orange marmalade and jalapeno relish. Orange marmalade is not like other jams or jellies. Its preparation is even easier. That is a little surprising in that jellies are not that complicated. I will allow that they are tedious, timing is important, but the steps require no special skill. Just follow that instructions in the pectin pack. The instructions for marmalade on the other hand are basically: slice; boil; sweeten. Obviously I am oversimplifying, but the point I meant to make is that precise timing and measurement are not as much a concern. Making marmalade is not as tedious as other jams. A great treatment of the details is delivered by Chef Brown. Just follow this link.

I wish I could claim the jalapeno relish 'cause it is REALLY good. It is a gift from the mother of dear friends of ours. Sweet, but not overly, a touch of heat but accessible to nearly anyone, big pepper flavor, deep rich color. I used it for the first time last night to make thousand island dressing for reubens. Best Dressing Evar! I only hope that she is willing to share the recipe.