Roasted Pears to the Rescue

I was lucky enough to come by some pears from a friends tree, the one in front of the house on the boulevard just didn't produce this year. I braised for the first time last week and needed a quick dessert. Roasted pears to the rescue. You can dolly this up as much as you would like but the concept remains the same.














Roasted Pears

You will need:

4 pears, or enough for 1/2 pear per guest cored but not pealed

1/2 cup sugar blend consisting of 1/4 cup brown sugar Splenda and 1/4 cup Turbinado sugar or raw sugar

2 oz good quality butter cut into cubes (optional) or butter flavor cooking spray (if you must)

Balsamic vinegar or cinnamon

Parchment Paper



Preheat oven to 350



Dust cut side of pears with sugar mixture. If you are using cinnamon mix into the sugar before dusting the pears. Place pear atop butter cube on parchment lined baking sheet. If you are using spray, apply a light coat to the parchment before placing the pears. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes depending on ripeness. Pears are done when they yield to gentle pressure but are not squishy. Flip pears and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Top with balsamic at this time if you so choose.

Even with butter each serving packs a mere 127 calories, go fruit. It even works with baking apples, although baking time may need to be increased.   I served these to my guests with a small dollop (less than a teaspoon)  of Pistachio Gelato

Weekly Update and Ode to the Tong

I know I have been yammering on about the cashew graham cracker. Initial tests yielded a product that tasted more of bran muffin than cracker. I will keep working on it and post a workable recipe shortly. I will leave you with a consolation prize at the bottom of today's post.


Fall has come to my little island, the rain and leaves fell along with the temperatures last night and I was faced with a dilemma. Last time it was this cold I was nearly 300 lbs and 10 sizes bigger than I am today. My coats fit like a tent and a none too flattering one at that. Luckily I bought a sweater on a whim when it was still warm and so I am snuggled up in a turtleneck on this cold and windy day in Minnesota. I am not looking forward to winter without that 100 lbs of extra insulation but that's what wool is made for and I will strap on as many sheep products as needed in lieu of gaining back the weight.

I digress. I have a confession to make. I am in love with my tongs. Oxo Good Grips locking tongs, you have my heart. A series of neighborhood get together left me momentarily tongless and I scurried out to replace them. They grab, they stir, they help me even at my height to get things I cannot reach. If you know me, I have most likely given you tongs and if I haven't yet, well I guess I just ruined Festivus for you. These, by the way are not the evil silicone tipped tongs that don't close and won't grab anything. No, these are the one thing that I swear everyone needs, along with a good knife and a 10 inch sauté pan. 
 
Now your consulation recipe; 
My beloved neighbor Peat has alot of city chickens, whom we feed scraps and get eggs in return.  So I give you the Frugal Gourmet's crustless quiche.  I grew up learning to cook from the Frug, may he rest in peace. 
 
Crustless Quiche
Adjust post WLS
 
5 eggs

1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (Rumsford)
1/8 teaspoon salt
16 ounce container large curd low fat cottage cheese (you could try fat free but I haven't tested it)
8 ounces low fat jack cheese, grated  or cheese of your choice, do not use fat free cheese it does not melt
1 T butter or olive oil (optional for sauteing the onion and optional veggies)  Cooking spray will do
1 medium onion, sliced into half rounds

Optional, you can add any protein or veg you would like, made sure to saute any veg before hand to cook off some of the liquid.  Gimme Lean is a great sausage substitute with tons of protein.  Make sure all of your proteins like lean ham or faux sausage are cooked before adding. 

Try using half eggs and half egg substitute, but I would not recommend egg white only. 
Preheat oven to 400º F



Sauté onion in until translucent, I prefer to go the extra step and caramelize mine.


Beat eggs in large bowl, add flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in cottage cheese and 1/2 the amount of jack cheese. Gently stir in onions and any other vegetables (if desired). Sprinkle remaining jack cheese on top.

Pour into 9" x 13" (or similar size) greased baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes at 400º. Reduce heat to 350º and bake for another 30 minutes or until top is golden and puffy. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting. 
 
Nutritional breakdown from caloriecount.about.com
 
1 six ounce serving has:
219 calories
77 from fat
24 grams of protein
 
If you mix egg substitute and whole eggs using substitute for 3 of the eggs:
216 calories
67 from fat
25 grams of protein
 
Using all egg substitute really only saves you 5 calories.  Enjoy the eggs. especially those with omega 3's, they are good for your heart and even your mood. 
 
 
 

Chicken Because I Can

In my quest to both cater to Mr. Wilson's love for as well as the rest of the worlds desire for chicken, I give you today's recipe.  Prosciutto Wrapped Breast of Chicken with Fresh Pecorino.    Alright, it's not a title but maybe you can suggest a name for it in the comments.  I modified this from a YouTube video of Jamie Oliver, he called it Chicken Parmesan and fried the hell out of it.  This would not be that. Served with whole wheat pasta this dish serves 8 with everyone getting half a breast.  The cheese and prosciutto give the sense of decadence without a huge surge in calories. 


There are countless ways to modify this, by using a different protein like a pork chop, chicken thigh, a small loaf of ground turkey or lamb.  Change out the cheese and you change a major flavor component.  I like the pecorino which also comes in a peppercorn format, because of its sheep's milk origins but Parmesan or even cheddar would be nice.  The addition of pineapple was even suggested. Two slices of prosciutto add 80 calories to a standard chicken breast.  Below is the nutrition for an one breast, which in my world serves two.  An entire breast has 239 calories and 41 grams of protein.   Make sure to buy good quality  prosciutto or parma ham with just a small ring of fat around the outside, stay away from Boars Head or other mass made brands. The ingredients should list salt and pork nothing else.  If you are sodium sensitive, this isn't a recipe for you, as prosciutto by its nature is merely a pig's leg cured with salt and air dried. 



You will need:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts *
1/2 lb very thinly sliced prosciutto or parma ham
3 oz fresh pecorino
salt and pepper to taste
parchment paper or cling wrap  

Preheat oven to 425

Shred cheese and set aside.  Using a piece of parchment paper,  lay out two pieces of prosciutto overlapping slightly.  Pepper your chicken breast, given the saltiness of the prosciutto I would leave out the salt.  Lay a tablespoon or two of cheese across the ham and place your breast on top.  Wrap the ham around the chicken and lay seam side down on a baking dish.  Repeat with the remaining breasts and top breasts with any remaining cheese.  Allow to set for 15 minutes if your chicken and ham were cold when you started.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes and remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes more.  Photo notes are below

I have a convection oven so meat cooks faster.  The  most effective way to ensure your meat is cooked to your liking is to get a digital meat thermometer and place it in the breast when you place them in the oven.  

*A few technique notes: 
I mentioned this in a post last week but part of the reason chicken cooks unevenly is the size and shape of the breast

Pounding yer breast:
You can use a meat mallet for this or a heavy bottomed pan or pot.  It's a good stress reliever.  The photos illustrate the process, but you simply sandwich the breast between two layers of parchment paper and apply five or six good whacks to the breast with your bludgeon of choice. Try and concentrate on the thicker end of the breast and if necessary repeat until your breast is more uniform in thickness.  

 

Photo notes:

 

Tasty Tasty Murder

My awsome friend Matt purchased this Tshirt for me a month or so ago.  Since I am lovingly known as the Queen of Meat I found this even more touching.  I got great feeback when I wore it Saturday. 

I looked at some earlier pictures of me and I have to say I am a little taken aback by how much I have changed.  I have a neck.  There is a picture below from the 10 week mark to illustrate.  I really miss my pink hair.  I did have some hair loss after WLS so bleaching the bajasus out of it seemed ill advised. 

I also went and saw the Julie and Julia movie, it warmed my heart not because of the whole setup of the movie but because Julia is in good part part of the reason I love to cook.  I will post a few old segments from her PBS show later this week.

My Market and Me

I often talk about going to the farmers market, which for me is pretty much an every Saturday occurance.  I drag Mr. Wilson out of bed and we drive across the river to the Mill City Farmers Market.  Mill City hasn't always been my market, but now that she is near by, I have made her my own.
I understand that chances are good you don't live here in lovely Minneapolis, so if you don't go here or here to find a market to fall in love with.  So with that in mind, come along with me on a little photo tour of a few of my favorite places to stop at Mill City.

Sylvan Hills Farm produces some of the most beautiful certified organic produce.  Their carrots always amaze me.  A little factoid, orange carrots are a thing of fashion in the last 50 years.  Check out these heirloom variety's I snapped today.  Yes, those are all really carrots.

After we have oogled the veggies, Mr Wilson usually wants a snack, so we head over to see Neil Nguyen at Dim Sum Street.  He rocks out  bao and black sesame ice cream to name just a few things in a little tent on the plaza.   Today it was bbq pork bao and tiny spring rolls.  I met Neil years ago when he was my nail tech, all we would do was talk about food, where we had eaten and where we were going to eat.  I always admire his commitment to his food and his customers.

I have mentioned this next stop before but Sunrise Flour Mill does something special.  They grind the grain to make the flour so the flour you buy is fresh.  I finally got my graham flour from them along with another bag of whole wheat to experiment with.  They are working on mail order so keep an eye on their website.  They even carry the grain and the supplies so you can mill your own grain at home.











I will post more of the photo tour next week.  I hope you find a market to to feed your body and your soul.  Even after WLS I walk through the market and my mind is whirling. What can I do with this veg or that cheese that will be full of flavor, healthful and interesting.  After a trip to the market I come away nourished, a new bit of knowledge for my mind, a new food I hadn't thought about cooking.  The nourishment for my belly if often the tiny single egg "nomlet" that my island friends and neighbors who own Black Cat Natural foods make with only local in season ingredients like roasted peppers and local goat cheese. 

Behold the Power of Hungry

The honeymoon was over nearly two months ago, after 4 months away from the land of hunger, I am now once again a visitor. Funny thing about taking an organ that holds nearly a gallon of material and making it the size of a golf ball, it doesn't know if it is coming or going, let alone if it needs to signal the brain that it needs filling and you are hungry.

This works wonderfully in the beginning because you and food have to work out a new relationship with each other, its time for the two of you to see other people and explore your options. Feeling hungry would be like food drunk dialing you at two in the morning, it only makes both of you feel weird.

Here is how I deal with hungry, first make sure its really hungry, not bored, a habit or most importantly thirsty.  Secondly, don't ignore it, letting it go can let things get out of hand.  Make sure you have your go to snack handy if you aren't in a place you can eat.  I know thou shalt not snack, I have broken my daily intake into my morning dairy, two snacks and two meals, do what works for you.  I always make sure I have a high protein cracker around and some cheese, could be a low fat brie or something as basic as one of those cheese sticks.  I love Dr Krackers or Kashi's line of crackers, the rosemary garlic is fantastic.  Dr. Krackers currently has a rockin coupon on their website.  My favorite the seeded spelt is a pretty substantial cracker and I usually break on in half but 1 25g cracker has 5 grams of protein, is organic and has a big dose of whole grains.

Chicken, Why?

The modern chicken breast, it is touted as the harbinger of health for those who eat meat and are looking to stay healthy. "Oh I don't eat red meat, I will have the chicken breast" is a phrase uttered a gazillion times daily all over this land. Red meat has gotten a bad rap, but more on that later. I however am here to indict the chicken breast for perpetuating the crime of flavorless-ness.
We could launch into a discourse about the life of a meat chickens but lets leave that to other bloggers. I asked my local chicken guy, Peat who teaches classes on raising chickens in the city about why the modern meat chicken has little flavor. it appears that flavor increases in a bird as it ages, and given that meat chickens are harvested young, they really don't have time to build a lot of flavor.

So what is the modern cook to do? Well, here is my dilemma, I love a man and he loves chicken. Unless its braised, I normally don't have a lot of time for chicken. The breast I find to be as appealing as noshing on a foam pillow and dark meat while better in flavor is still unthrilling to me.
So dear reader I have two options for you, one starring our beloved chicken breast and one starring the cornish hen or occasionally known as the cornish game hen.

First the breast

The key is twofold, first cook the chicken with the bone in.  This actually saves you some money at the market and you can easily remove the bone after cooking if you are adverse to meat on the bone.  Second marinate that sucker.  You can use a commercial marinade or make your own.  The advantage to making your own is that you can control the sodium, take a look at that bottle of commercial marinade next time and you will be shocked at the amount of your daily sodium is in it.  I have also found that when marinating vaccume packing the meat while it marinates really allows the marinade to penetrate the meat.  You can do with a home machine or for those of us who don't have them, you can buy the Ziploc type vacuum bags at Target or large megamart. I have listed a basic marinade recipe at the bottom of the page.

Now for the cornish hen.  I came across a local poultry farmer who had a special on these birds a week before last and we feasted on them over Labor Day weekend.  The best way to cook these birds is to spatchcock them and either roast them in the oven or as I did on the grill.  I have included a video for how to spatchcock a bird below.  On the hens however you should be able to simply use a knife as the flesh is a little more yielding.  The Labor Day hen recipe follows as well.

The nutrition rundown on both of these types of poultry is surprisingly similar. 
1/2 a boneless skinless breast has 140 calories, 5 grams of fat and 26 grams of protein.  1/2 a bone in hen with the skin has 150 calories, 5 grams of fat and 26 grams of protein.  I did a comparison with a marinated breast and the hens and hands down the hens won.  They were more full flavored and offered the moisture and deeper flavor of dark meat.  So don't be afraid of trying something beyond the breast.

Basic Marinade for Chicken
This can be adjusted in an infinite number of ways.  You simply need 2 parts acid to 1 part oil and flavoring agents.

1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup red wine vinegar
3 T of brown mustard
1 t thyme
3 cloves of garlic crushed
2 t crushed black pepper
salt to taste

Combine ingredients in a blender and pour over chicken, a baggie works great for this or vacuum pack as I recommended.  Marinate for at least 3 hours or overnight. 

How to Spatchcock


Labor Day Hens
You will need 1/2 a hen per person or if you are feeding extremely hungry people 1 per person.

Spatchcock the hens and allow to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.  No this will not make you sick, it allows the meat to cook more evenly and will actually keep your meat from being undercooked in places and overcooked in others.

Using a charcoal grill place your coals to one side and when they are all white they are ready to use.  I soaked apple wood chips in wheat beer for 3 hours to impart a smoke flavor but this is optional.  Just before placing your hens on the grill add the wood chips on top of the coals.  The soaking keeps them from bursting into flames and allows them to smoke your meat. 

Salt and pepper the hens just before placing on the grill.  Begin the hens away from the coals skin side up. Place the lid on the grill and allow the hens to cook for 6 minutes.  Flip the hens skin side down and cook for an additional 6 minutes.  Continue to flip your hens every 4 minutes until the thighbone come easily out of the joint, which for my hens was around 18 minutes.  You can finish the hens by placing them directly over the coals for a few minutes to really crisp the skin.  Remove hens to a platter or bowl and allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting.  Serve with corn on the cob and a fresh vinaigrette dressed slaw. 

Summer Slaw
2 cups red cabbage
1 large kohlrabi
1 small apple
salt and pepper to taste
enough of your favorite vinaigrette to coat

Shred the cabbage, kohlrabi and apple, toss with vinaigrette.

Updates

Sorry for the delay in posting dear readers, more health stuff cropped up that kept me from blogging and out of the kitchen. A few updates, the cashew graham cracker is coming next week when my flour provider Sunrise Flour Mill will be bringing some graham flour to the market. Sure, I could have gone and purchased it at Whole Foods but if I can buy local, I do. The same is true for the parsnips that make up the crispy parsnips, they haven’t quite come in yet to meet my standards so we wait, trust me the crispy parsnip recipe is worth it.

This week I am trying out whole wheat pastas to find one that meets my cravings for spaghetti (or pasketti in my house). Also check the comments for reports back on the cracker recipes and I finally discuss the chicken breast v. bison. Later this week read about the results on all the tomato roasting I have been doing and working them into a sauce for that whole wheat pasta.

Cheese of La Mancha

Earlier I talked about the increased calcium and protein in sheep's milk cheese. Given that here in Minneapolis we are lucky enough to have lots of cheese producers, I take for granted that artisinal sheep's cheese isn't found around every corner. I headed over to my local grocery which has a pretty awsome cheese counter very much in part to its cheesemonger Liz.  I asked her for a readily available sheep's milk cheese and she suggested Manchego. According to wikipedia "Manchego is produced in La Mancha and is made only from the whole milk of Manchega sheep. The rich, semi-firm product is aged in natural caves for three to six months, imparting a zest and exuberant flavor".  I find it great just eaten straight up or with the wonderful apples that are coming in with the fall.

1 ounce of Manchego packs 7 grams of protein, 30% of your daily calcium and 120 calories.  Not a food for those just starting out but if you are trying to get the all important protein and calcium into your diet with some great flavor its worth a shot.

I have marinated cheese before but hadn't made a crack at Manchego, here is a recipe I found that looks promising from grouprecipies.com.  I made a few adjustments to the recipe including correcting the authors misstatement that Manchego is goat cheese.  Simply cube the cheese with the rind on and  combine the remaining ingredients.  Mix the cheese with the marinade and allow to sit overnight.  Garnish with herbs and Viola! 
Adding some olives would also be wonderful. 

5 oz Manchego
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 tarragon sprigs, chopped
3 thyme sprigs, chopped
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
olive oil (extra-virgin, or otherwise)

Cracker Backer II

First, I have to say I am in love with my new Kitchen Aid.  Wow, to think I have been mixing by hand all this time.  Apparently some good deals can be had on refurbished models on Amazon.  Check it out if you have been lusting after one.  

My local flour miller was out of graham flour so we will have to save the cashew butter graham until next week.  This week I bring you olive oil crackers.  I based this recipe on a few different ones I found researching books and the web.  The formula is pretty flexible but in my tests I found the type of flour used did make the baking time vary but more on that later.  Olive oil and flax are a good source of good fats with flax bringing omega 3 to the party. 

A word on flour and oil for this recipe.  I used spelt, semolina, millet, and brown rice flour in various combination.   I was attempting to find a good balance of texture, protein and nutrition.  You could make these crackers entirely with whole wheat flour if you chose to.  You could also use a starch like tapioca or almond flour if you are trying to go gluten free.  The millet flour contains no gluten. You can find all of these at your local Whole Foods or co-op or at most megamarts.  The oil flavor really does come through so use good oil.  This is a good time to bust out a flavored oil you like as well.  I used both good olive oil and a blood orange infused avocado oil in my tests. 

A word on this whole recent surge in gluten free.  If you are worried about being gluten intollerant, do not diagnose yourself, go and see a medical professional.  Sorry, it's a bit of a rant, every celeb these days is magically gluten intolerant, its the new carb free it seems.  Nutrition on these is ball park given the size you choose to cut your crackers and what type of flour you choose to use.  It works out to be 1g of protein per cracker with 40 calories for a 10g cracker. 

You will need:

1 c spelt  flour
1/2 c millet flour
1/2 c semolina
1/4 c flax meal
1 T salt
1/4 c warm water
2 T olive oil
1 T apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 450

Mix flax and warm water together and let stand for at least 15 minutes.  It will look kind of like peanut butter when it is ready.  You can increase the amount of flax up to 1/2 cup by adding the additional flax meal to the dry ingredients. Once the flax has hydrated add your flours and salt and mix to combine.  Add all the wet ingredients and mix until the dough begins to look like gravel.  Need together to form a ball in the bowl and cover with a barely damp towel for 20 minutes to allow the ingredients to hydrate.  If your dough is not coming together add more water 1/2 tablespoon at a time.  If it is too sticky add more of your main flour.

Its cracker making time.  Divide the dough into thirds.  The easiest way to do this is to use a silicone baking mat, if you don't have one you can use parchment paper or plastic wrap.   Place your dough on the mat or parchment and dust your your rolling pin with semolina.  If you are using parchment paper place a second piece of paper on top of your dough to prevent sticking and omit flouring your pin.  Work the dough until it is at least 1/8 inch in thickness.  What this works out to is work the dough until you think it is thin enough then roll over it a few more times.  See the photo notes for details.  At this point you can use a cutter and make cute shaps or simly randomly break your dough up and place on  one of the pieces of parchment and bake.  The jury is out on whether docking these crackers makes a lick of difference.  I think it improves texture by keeping the cracker flat, tasters didn't notice. 

Bake your crackers for 10 minutes in the middle rack of your oven at 450.  I have a convection oven so I lowered my temp to 400. Ovens vary, so check after 8 minutes as your mileage may vary.  Crackers are done when they are golden and crispy. 

Variations on the theme:

In batch two I used semolina as my main flour and augmented with brown rice and millet flour.  As an oil I used a blood orange infused avacado oil.  I used a smoked salt for half of the salt content.  These changes resulted in a cracker that was more crisp than the first version and cooked more quickly, in my oven it was only 8 minutes. 

You can add seeds as I did in batch one or add whatever kind of flavoring you might like, like tandori spice or garlic.

Preliminary tasters said that batch one was a good basic cracker but they really liked the orange flavor of batch two.  They would have also like more salt, smoked or otherwise on top of the cracker.

Photo Notes:

 Silicone mat and rolling pin

Work the dough in thirds

Parchment meets dough

Thanks for the recipe wherever you are

One of my most go to cookbooks is the All Around the World cookbook by Sheila Lukins, who died today. Thank you for great Feijoada recipe wherever you are. The recipe is below, its not WLS friendly but I will work on making it so. I began making it over 10 years ago when we would have Brasilian Saturday Night Special at my house, this dish is often considered the national dish of Brasil and is oft served with rice. The meats here are good suggestions but it can be whatever kind pig you want to put in the pot.

Rio's Feijoada from  All Around the World by Sheila Lukins

1 1/2 lbs of dried black beans rinsed and soaked in water overnight to cover
1 pork knuckle ( I use a ham hock for this)
8 oz of slab bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces
8 oz Keilbasa (I substitute what ever looks good in the sausage case at my butcher)
8 oz Spicey franks (was never really sure what she was getting at here so just used whatever spicy pork sausage looked good)
8 oz uncooked sausages like bratwurst (you can see a theme here)
12 oz lightly smoked ham in 2 thick slices
1 to 1 1/2 lbs of boneless pork chops
4 medium onions
1 lb pork belly
1 orange
3 bay leaves
course ground black pepper to taste
4 T olive oil
8 cloves of garlic
1 large bell pepper diced

Drain and rinse the beans and add into a heavy bottomed dutch oven or casserole with the meat half the onion the orange bay and black pepper.

Cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil skimming foam as needed. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until beans are tender and meat is cooked. About 1 1/2 hours.

While the beans are cooking saute the pepper and onion in oil with the garlic for about 10 minutes. Set aside.

When the beans are tender remove about 1 cup and puree. Sheila calls for the food processor here but I always use a blender or go after them in the pot with my trusty potato masher.

Add the onion mixture and serve

Kitchen Gadgetry or Hells yes, I am getting a Kitchen Aid for my birthday!!

Mr Wilson was bouncing various ideas for birthday gifts off of me the other day, would I like a season ticket to the opera or how about a Kitchenaid. I have only had the heart to pet the mixer of all stand mixers at various cookware stores but now, I will have my very own 33 lbs of mixerificness in pearl grey on my doorstep this Thursday, Happy Birthday to me. I was going to do crackers today but I think I will wait until the machine gets here. So crackers on Friday folks!


Friday's cracker recipes:
Cashew Butter Graham
Olive Oil Cracker

As a note, cashews are actually not nuts but seeds, a droop more precisely that grows beneath the cashew apple. Cashew butter can be substituted ounce for ounce with butter and provides more nutrition with fewer calories from saturated fat and more protein than butter. It also provides some iron and zinc.

To market to market to buy a fat PARSNIP??

What can I say, I am lucky. I live in an area up to it's ears in farmers markets. From May to October nary a day goes by without a market. I enjoy watching as the seasons progress and noticing the changes as the asparagus comes and goes and the tomatoes come on the scene. Soon it will be pumpkins and gourds and here in Minnesota it's apples. A little bit of trivia, the much loved Honey Crisp apple, you have Minnesota to thank for it.

There is a thought post gastric bypass that you will begin to crave healthier foods. Samuel T. Stanley talks about this and his journey in the Atlantic Monthly. While I agree with him that the brain is really not rewiring itself, in my case my body is tapping my brain on the shoulder reminding it what happens when we eat more than half a slice of pizza. I still indulge in a few potato chips but I listen to my body and stop at a few. That is the gift of WLS, you have to listen to your body as it is screaming in your ear.

With all of this healthy food around how could I not want to eat it. Removing the demon squash from the equation I have always liked veggies and have loved cooking. So last weekend I headed off to the Mill City Farmers Market for inspiration and contemplation.

First and foremost I was stunned by the tomatoes. Beefsteak and Green Zebra, they were everywhere. Then the corn, just picked and sweet and tender enough to entice the on the cob disliking Mr. Wilson into wanting another ear. First stop at the market is for sustenance. A single organic egg omelet with market fresh produce provided by Phil of Black Cat Natural foods. Filled with local veg and goat cheese it packs a pleasant punch of flavor as well as calcium and protein. Speaking of cheese. I headed down to Shepard's Way Farms to pick up some cheese. Now I understand if you live outside where I live you unlikely to come all this way for their cheese, which you should, its fantastic. My point is that Shepard's Way makes wonderful sheep's milk cheeses. A note about sheep's milk. Sheep's milk while it is slightly higher in fat than cows milk packs a wallop in the calcium category with nearly 2/3 more calcium than cows milk. In addition it also has more protein. I picked up their garlic sheep cheese spread and enjoyed it later with friends. The cheese is full flavored and with the addition of garlic a little dab will do you. Check out your local market and give sheep milk cheese a try. As always, eat responsibly.

But what about the parsnip? Stay tuned for that later this week as we explore Hanger Steak with Crispy Roast Parsnip.

Recipe for today:

Marinated Summer Cherry Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a good source of all kinds of goodness but try to buy them fresh and keep them unrefrigerated as once they get into the chill chest there flavor decreases and their texture suffers.

You will need:
1 lb of cherry tomatoes sliced or pierced with a fork
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar or red wine vineger
2 cloves of garlic
large handful of basil chopped plus 10 large leaves
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
whiz the entirety minus the cherry tomato up in a blender and add with the tomatoes to a bowl. If you choose to guild the lily you can add bocconcini, tiny balls of mozzarella to the mix.
Let the mixture stand on the counter for at least 2 hours or overnight in the fridge and add torn basil leaves just before serving and adjust salt and pepper if needed.

Things in the works and Click here.

Sorry dear reader for the delay in posts, eye surgery tends to slow a girl down in the kitchen. My lovely mother Connie came to visit to take care of me and as all moms do, she cooked for me and Mr Wilson while she was here. I should say that my mom is perhaps not like your average mom unless like my mom, your mom was a chef, working in kitchens for over 20 years. Mom is nearly 70 and after a glorious 2 weeks of retirement, still gets up every morning to make the biscuits at a local fast food place in her small town.

My mom and public television chefs are truly the foundation of my foodie nature. Mom, who grew up on a farm, was always encouraging us to try new things and by things I mean new foods. While the neighbor kids were having macaroni and cheese from a box it was lasagna with 4 cheeses and stir fry at our house, which for the early 80's in central South Dakota was pretty experimental. There were 7 people to feed for dinner at minimum which might explain even my comfort in making dinner for a crowd. She still cooks in quantity however and after WLS, I find it a little humorous to see how much she makes for Mr. Wilson and myself.
Steaks on Tuesday night became hash and biscuits on Wednesday. As you can see mom is still adjusting to my life after WLS. I now own a biscuit cutter and mom has learned that whole wheat is the way to go.
Enough nostalgia, onto a food related topic. Let me talk briefly about my love of the coffee drink and Click. I have my coffee drink order down to a science. I am a grande non fat decaf 2 pump 2 Splenda mocha kind of girl. Yes, I do get endless shit for ordering this drink, from friends and Batista's alike. Enter Click. I won't go on extolling the endless virtues of Click, I will leave that to Melting Mama but I will say that for someone who greatly dislikes protein drinks, this is one I can say I will drink willingly. It tastes not like protein powder but coffee. Woot!! If you are looking for a quick protein boost or for my non WLS readers a breakfast in a cup, give it a whirl. To the folks at Click though, perhaps a decaf version for those of us who avoid the buzzy stuff?

Upcoming this week we have another cracker recipe and a chicken breast vs. bison smack down.

I am a Cracker Backer

When I was a teenager when all the other girls were at the mall, I was at home with a borrowed cookbook making bread. I ate my last bagel a week before surgery and had heard all the stories, no bagels after bypass. Well it is true, bread is hard for some to digest and is a space waster after bypass. Out goes bread and enter my love of crackers. They also provide crunch which is a great reminder to chew. I have tried every spelt, quinoa and whole grain cracker I can get my paws on in the name of crunch and finding a source of protein. Are you not the queen of meat you might be thinking, meat is protein.
I am the QoM, but only so much will go in and isn't that really the point of bypass to eat less? Imagine if you will the following scene (cue monster movie sound track, the part just before Godzilla takes out Tokyo) In comes my dietitian with the protein drink recommendations. She has accessorized these recommendations with a look of horror when I tell her I have tried most of them and I hate them. Muscle Milk, blech. How about the 15 others on this list, double blech. The only one I can tolerate is Click, which manages to do the smart thing and cover up the whey taste with coffee. I have, I tell her found a high protein cracker I like but it has seeds. Wrong thing to say. It seems there are two camps in post WLS circles. There is the camp who says eat nuts and seeds in moderation because they are a great source of protein and then my dietitian's camp who says don't because of the fat content and in a slightly veiled manner goes on to say basically that fat people clearly couldn't eat just a few nuts so we tell them to skip them all together.
As the picture clearly shows I have continued to eat high fiber and high protein crackers but I thought, I could do this myself and supplement my protein intake and up the flavor at the same time. So I present you cracker experiment number one.

The Garlic Chickpea and Flax Cracker
The recipe has been adapted from the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen Blog gluten free chickpea cracker

You will need:
1 cup chickpea flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking powder*
1/4 cup of milled flax seed
1 T of olive oil
1/4 cup of water
For the garlic cracker substitute roasted garlic oil for the olive oil and add 6 cloves of finely chopped garlic or to taste.
This cracker makes a great vehichle for any type of seed you may want to press into the dough in addition to adding spices to the mix for added flavor.

Preheat oven to 350

Combine dry ingredients and mix to combine. If you are making a garlic cracker add the garlic at this time. Add oil and half of the water. Continue working the dough and adding water until it forms a ball. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for 15 to 20 minutes to allow all the ingredients to hydrate.

Dust work surface with chickpea flour and coat rolling pin. Cut dough into thirds and roll out each ball to a thickness of 1/8 inch or thinner if possible. Test batches showed that thicker crackers baked up crisp but had a denseness that tasters did not care for. Cut the dough into shapes, squares or a dodecahedron if you like and poke each square with a fork to keep from puffing. I broke the dough once rolled into random shapes which also worked well. You can also press the flax into the top of the crackers before baking for added texture.
Place on baking tray and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Tips and Tricks:

I like to use a linen or tea towel to roll my dough out on. It keeps the flour in place and makes for easy clean up.
Docking the dough, by poking it with a fork was helpful but not essential as I learned when making crackers and gabbing with my neighbor Peat.
* Use Rumford or similar aluminum free baking powder. The other type of double action powder will give your crackers a weird metallic taste.

Photo Notes:

The winning Pot Roast Pie

Just a quick rundown of the Pot Roast Pie recipe. After the standard recipe I have added a few possible suggestions on making it more WLS friendly. Keep in mind this pie was designed for a special occasion and yields 10 portions which works out to be closer to 15 pouch sized portions. The nutrition information is for the standard portion. Experiment and find out what works for you using the suggestions below the standard recipe.

Makes 10 standard size portions.

You will need:
3-4 lbs of thick cut chuck roast
10 cloves of garlic
4 ribs of celery
1 medium yellow or red onion
4 shallots
pot roast seasoning mix (optional)
baby carrots
frozen peas
1 medium red onion
1lb new potatoes skin on boiled until tender
1 pkg Simply Organic brown gravy mix
1 pkg Pepperidge Farm puff pastry
1 32 container beef stock preferably low sodium.
Kosher salt and pepper
1 pkg Whole Foods Savory Chicken Seasoning Mix
Olive oil
1 egg plus 1 tablespoon water, beaten well
9 inch square baking dish

Normally I would use fresh herbs for the pot roast but a good salt free mix that contains thyme, oregano etc is a good starting point in a pinch. If you choose to use the pot roast packet mix, omit the chicken mix and watch any additional salt additions. You can also make your own gravy with the pan juices but I found the mix makes for a thicker sauce.

For the pot roast:
Roughly chop the yellow onion, shallot, 6 garlic cloves, carrot and 3 of the celery ribs. Set aside.
Heat slow cooker to high and set timer for 3 hours. Discard the veg from the slow cooker after the roast is finished cooking. Oven Method: Follow all of the steps using a heavy bottomed dutch oven and bring liquid and roast to a simmer before placing tightly covered in a 325 degree oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Add half of the container of stock into the pot with the seasoning mix/ herbs.

Put a saute pan large enough to accommodate the roast over medium high heat. Once your pan is good and hot, you can check by adding a drop of water and if it bounces and dances upon hitting the pan, it's hot enough. Add your chuck roast which you have sprinkled with salt. Lower the heat to medium and allow the meat to sear for 4 minutes without disturbing it for maximum browning. After 4 minutes is up check your meat, which should be a lovely caramel color, if not give it an additional 2 minutes and turn, browning all sides of the meat. Resist the urge to turn or flip the meat during the first 4 minutes.

Remove meat to slow cooker and add a teaspoon of olive oil to the pan. Toss in the roughly chopped veg and saute for 2 minutes. Add the remaining stock and allow the pan to deglaze for 2 to 3 minutes making sure to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.

Add veg and stock mixture to the slow cooker and make sure that the meat is covered by either liquid or veg. Place lid on cooker and allow to cook for 3 hours. Meat should be fork tender when done. Remove to plate and allow to cool. Reserve 2 cups of cooking liquid. After meat has cooled, trim off any visible fat or gristle and cut into bite size pieces.

Assembly:
Chop remaining veg except peas and set aside.

Remove pastry from freezer and allow to thaw according to package directions.

Chop potato into large chunks and place into large bowl with meat and gravy mix. Add 1 cup of cooking liquid and stir to combine.

In a medium saute pan over medium high heat, add oil and chopped red onion, celery, carrot and finely chopped garlic. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes until the carrots have brightened in color and the onion has begun to brown. Add frozen peas and saute for 1 minute more. Allow mixture to rest off the heat for 10 minutes before adding it to the meat and potato mixture. Mix gently to combine and if the mix appears a bit dry add more of the cooking liquid. You may not need all 2 cups of the cooking liquid. The meat and veg should be coated with gravy but not swimming in it. Salt and pepper to taste. Any additions in veg can be done during the saute process. Add any frozen veg such as edamame with the frozen peas.

Preheat oven to temperature indicated on the package and place the first sheet of pastry in the bottom of your baking dish. You will be par baking the bottom crust to ensure that it does not get mushy. Once the crust is in the dish liberally poke with a fork, docking the crust and preventing it from puffing up. Place in the oven for 10 minutes and remove to a rack when the crust is a light golden color. This may take more than 10 minutes depending on your pastry and oven so check it after 8 minutes and then every few minutes after.

Once your bottom crust has cooled, about 20 minutes, add your filling and brush the sides of the bottom pastry with the egg mixture. You can add the top crust at this point or you can get creative and make shapes and combine them to make a crust, I used triangles which puff up and make a nice visually interesting top crust. Make sure to brush all pieces with the egg mixture (egg wash) to ensure that they stick together and brush the top of the finished pie with the egg wash to ensure it becomes golden brown. Make sure to cut a vent in your pie or leave a space between your pastry pieces for steam to escape to prevent boiling over.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the crust is golden and the filing is bubbly.

Possible Variations on this theme:

Substitute half the stock for 1 bottle of stout beer and 1/3 cup maple syrup for a Guinness Maple pie. Add turnips or parsnips in place of celery and/or carrot. Use real maple syrup for this as anything less will create off flavors in the final product. Meadow Brook Farms creates superior wood fired maple syrup made by the Johnson family in the lovely Catskills of New York.

You can swap out the protein for chicken but I would recommend using thighs instead of breasts as they have more flavor and are much less likely to dry out. Cook with skin on or off but cut the cooking time for the meat in half. Bone in meat will provide more flavor than bone out. Remove skin before combining into pie filling. Adjust the gravy to a poultry or cream type gravy and use chicken or vegetable stock in lieu of beef.

Tips and Tricks:

For all variations, defatting the cooking liquid will lower the fat content and provide a better finished product. Simply pour off the liquid into a defatting cup or if you don't have a defatting cup place in a coffee cup and put in the coldest part of the fridge for 2 hours until the fat congeals at the top and remove fat cap with a spoon and discard. Reheat in the microwave for 45 seconds or until the liquid is lukewarm.
If you choose to use a crust and the corners begin to brown before the center is finished, simply cover with aluminum foil and continue to bake until the center is golden.


WLS Friendly Variations:

Omit the bottom crust and use shapes cut with a biscuit or cookie cutter to create a crust on the top of the pie only using 1/2 a sheet of pastry.

Decrease the amount of meat and supplement with additional veggies, keep in mind to avoid high moisture veg like zucchini. Good options include green beans, edamame, parsnip, turnip, celery root and kohlrabi.
Eliminate both crusts and potato pieces from pie and top the pie with mashed potato made with minimal or no fat like olive oil or fat free sour cream.

For the potato mash crust, bake at 450 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Brush the mashed topping with egg wash to create a golden brown and slightly crispy crust.

You can go vegetarian on this dish by supplementing with squash or root veg cut small and steamed ahead in addition to the other veg to give it body and use a vegan gravy mix.

Nutritional Lowdown

All nutritional information is calculated using Recipe Calc V4.0.

Standard Pie
657 Calories
276 from fat
65 grams of protein

WLS options
Without 1 or both crusts
Top Crust
561 Calories
217 from fat
63 grams of protein

Crust decoration equal to 1/2 a sheet of pastry
466 Calories
158 from fat
62 grams of protein

Half the meat and double the veg with mashed potato crust
276 Calories
65 from fat
33 grams of protein

There is "I" in Pie, or When Eating is Tasting.

First I would like to thank my lovely friend Ms Fledermaus for pointing out the I in Pie. See, I live on a magical island, to clarify, the island really exists, the atmosphere is magical. It rests in the middle of the Mississippi and its like a small town. A small town where I can go door to door with jam and meat pie. But Foodiegrrl, you have had WLS, what's with the pie?

I am a bit of a competitive sort and when my partner in domestic bliss, Mr. Wilson came home and announced a pie contest at his work, my immediate response was "time for a pie victory". Besides I have lots of leftover puff pastry in the freezer from a party in July and I can't eat much of the stuff. "So sweet or savory" I ask and it is determined that savory wins. Goodie for me, I tend to make lovely fruit pies or crusts full of soupy bubbly goo that makes the oven smoke with no rhyme or reason as to which will come out after 45 minutes. Could be blackberry tart or Mt Pele in fruit.

I think I am a bit of a mutant in that most of the joy in cooking for me is not in the eating, but in the making. Don't get me wrong, I love to eat. One does not sashay up to the nearly 300lb mark but not enjoying food but I have found that post WLS I have been able to tap into a peculiar habit and make it work to my benefit.

You see I love cooking for friends. Taking a day to cook and prepare, visiting farmers markets and mining my brain for new twists on old ideas. Here is where the peculiar habit comes in, I tend to not eat much at my parties. I have always taken a small plate after everyone else is finished serving themselves and sat down with my guests. This works wonderfully for me post WLS.

I focus my enjoyment on tasting as flavors develop during the cooking process and savoring the final product but being mindful of the process. Does the braising liquid need more salt, are the onions caramelized enough? I have to chew well and experience all the flavors, which is a little treat for me as the cook. The guests get the final product, but I get to taste the magic as it happens. Like a mechanic, I tweak and tinker with the flavors and how they mix and marry. I take my joy in watching my friends faces as the conversation dies down and they forgo talking for eating the tasty new dish I have provided.
This is where the "I" in pie comes in, I put myself into what I make, I cook with love and care. It is not about quantity or eating until one is uncomfortable but breaking bread and sharing part of yourself with those you care about.

So, I did a dry run on the meat pie, which has been deemed as successful and I will help Mr. Wilson bring pie pride home to our little island when the meat pie wins the contest. Presumptuous yes, but you haven't had my pie.

UPDATE: The Pot Roast Pie was a winner for "most original". All the judges wanted second and third helpings. Woot!!

In a Jam

We have a local retailer that I like to think of as the last chance food shelter called Mikes Discount Foods. This is basically a place to get food that is still good but has issues that your local megamart will not accept. So I am up to my eyeballs in blueberries and peaches and thought, well its pie or jam time. So I am in a jam for jam. I have found a basic jam recipe, done some research and called my mom for advice and have given it a whirl with no sugar using Splenda and half raw sugar and half Splenda. I am not planning on canning this jam but freezing or refrigerating it.

Nutritional Lowdown
For the Sugar/Splenda Version
1 oz equals 51 calories
Splenda Only
1 oz equals 16 Calories

Recipe Revelations:
Both recipes yielded a tasty full flavored blueberry jam. Adding raw sugar makes the jam taste like, well jam. The Splenda tastes like Splenda and Jam. If you can hack the 51 calories from sugar, go for the low sugar version. Yields 3 16 ounce containers.


For this you will need:















Foodstuffs:
3 pints of blueberries
4 cups of sweetener such as Raw Sugar/Splenda
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1 package of either liquid or powdered pectin

Equipment:
measuring cup, both liquid and dry
silicone spoon or spatula
metal spoon

heavy bottom pot or pan, large enough to hold mixture plus at least a few extra inches
mixing bowl
Mashing device such as potato masher, blender or food processor.
Jars or tightly sealing containers

Start by adding blueberries to bowl and smashing the bajezus out of them. Add sweetener, water and juice and let sit for around 10 minutes. If you are chunk adverse you could whiz them up in the blender after they have mingled with the sweetener/liquid mixture. I like chunks so after their soak they went into a non reactive heavy bottomed pan.

Before adding the entire mixture I strained off about half a cup of the juice and mixed the pectin into it. Following the directions on the package, I let it boil with the pectin for 1 minute before adding the rest of the blueberry goo. Put the metal spoon in the freezer or in a glass of ice water at this point.

After the pectin and entire blueberry mixture comes to a boil set a timer for 5 minutes. Do not wander off to answer the phone or find the cure for cancer while waiting for it to boil or while it is boiling. The mixture can and will go Vesuvius on you and the stuff is like napalm on bare skin, so use caution and keep the kiddies out of the kitchen. After 5 minutes insert the cold spoon into the hot liquid and check to see if it has set to your desired consistency. It should hold a line down the back of the spoon and not drip when it is ready. For the half sugar/half Splenda mixture I found that I needed another minute before it got to a jam like consistency. With the Splenda only mixture I found 2 things, first that the whole mixture took longer to come to a boil and that I needed a full 8 minutes before it got to the same consistency as the half and half mixture.

To be safe, check at the five minute mark and then every 2 minutes until the desired consistency is reached. As a warning, do not simmer this mixture in lieu of boiling as you will render the pectin ineffective and also do not boil it too long as with boiling all sugar syrups, the more you boil it the harder it will set. I was once given a jar of jam the consistency of rock candy, not good.

After the mixture has come to the desired consistency, follow directions on the link above for canning or place in containers that can be tightly sealed. I like the Ziploc 16 oz. screw top containers or a large commercial plastic container.

I am letting the jam set out on the counter until cool then will refrigerate and report back with the results. Some recipes I researched said to leave the jam out over night but that seems to be a bit dicey food safety wise if you are not canning it.

Photo Notes:








Adding blueberry and liquid pectin together



















Waiting to Boil













As the Blueberry Boils, Caution!!










The Spoon Test

Meet the Foodie Grrl

Just in case you might be interested in who is in charge of this crazy place and what motivates this grrl, here are a few FAQ and a few caveats.




My name is Liz. I am creative spirit with training as an art historian and make my living when the economy allows as an administrative assistant. I am known as the Queen of Meat to my friends and began cooking at the tender age of 7 for my large family and whom ever else stumbled into our always open kitchen. I love art, considering my time in the kitchen as some of my best creative experiences and I collect cookbooks for fun and inspiration. I began spending my Sundays watching Julia Child and the Frugal Gourmet as a kid on public television and I consider that the beginning of my foodie journey.


How did you get fat?


Other than simple math, taking in more than you burn, everyone has their own journey in weight and in life. I began gaining weight as many do after traumatic incidents as a child and adolescent. The pounds were a way to keep unwanted attention away and when I began to get well they no longer had a purpose. I did not use food as medication or binge eat. I did eat more calories then I needed and for long periods of time did not exercise. I did and still do find food as part of a pleasurable life experience and a way to show love to my family and friends. I am on a journey to do this in a way that is healthy for all of us and still allows me to continue on my weight loss journey.


How much did you weigh, how much have you lost, when was your surgery etc.?


I reached a top weight of 293lbs and have spent time in the 270’s more than once. I had a Roux en Y bypass on February 26th 2009 and as of this writing on August 9, 2009, I weigh 205 lbs with a starting weight on surgery day of 276.

Before surgery I was borderline diabetic, had high blood pressure, joint and cardiac issues and I have Sticklers Syndrome. After surgery I still have joint issues but those have a genetic cause. The rest have gone away completely or minimally affect my life (cardiac issue)


What is WLS?

WLS is short for Weight Loss Surgery; it can be any thing from lap band to a full gastric bypass.



Foods you love, foods you hate?

As mentioned previously, I am known as the Queen of Meat, and I even have a cookbook inscribed by Lynne Rossetto Casper to the QoM, so it must be true. ;)

I love meat, luckily I am not intolerant to animal protein after surgery. I am not a terribly picky eater but I do have sensitivities to tree nuts and NutraSweet. I am not a fan of the squash family, strongly fishy fish like mackerel, and overcooked veggies. I love cheese and post WLS, I strangely like bitter flavors more than before. I tend to be more of a salty crunchy person versus a sweets person.

Now for the Caveats:

1. I am not a dietitian, nutritionist or weight loss expert. I am an avid home cook and food lover. Follow the advice of your medical or nutrition professional.
2. Know your limits and listen to your body. Blog posts are only that, posts and are not to be seen as advice or permission to do things that would put you away from your personal goals. If you are not comfortable living within limits then do not push them.
3. If you dump on sugar and or fat then listen to your body and avoid those things. I only dump on sugar and not so much on fats so my posts will be from that point of view but I will try to address both sides.



And finally, there may be misspelling, errors in punctuation or other grammar issues in blog posts. If you find one, good for you grammar sleuth! Don't email me about them, email me about a great cheese find or recipe. Thank you and have a nice day.


Photos from L to R
Vegas 5/29/09, Surgery Day 2/26/09 , 2 1/2 months post surgery, Working the grill 7/4/09, with Mr Wilson June 2009 and France July 2007