Mental Musings & a Nice Pork Chop recipe!

I am finally walking without assistance and feeling more stable. I am looking to get some good shoes to start doing a light amount of Zumba to continue losing weight and strengthen my whole body, not just my right leg. My brother gave me the training DVD's for a birthday present, but of course I couldn't do anything then because I was still in the cast and wheel chair. I have started using the starter disk just helping my brain to remember the dance steps. This is why I chose the Zumba for working out since I loved dancing when I was younger. So we will see how it goes.

So today it rain, not a little sprinkle but a big old, late winter soaker. Thankfully, it stopped around 2 in the afternoon. Some days, I love rain, but this has been such a wet winter I am really over it. Needless to say, I slept in. And when it came time to fix our dinner, I was having trouble getting inspired. Then I had a little nudge that pushed me to try something different and yet, not too much of a change.

Richard had picked up a Family Pack of Pork Chops the other night at the store. I divided the pack and put 4 of the chops in 2 vacuum seal storage bags in the freezer. The last two I put in the fridge. Richard said he would love chops today. So I stood and stared dumbly in the fridge for a few. I pulled out a zucchini and then said "nope" and put it back. I looked at the eggplant and decided I didn't have the time. I thought about spinach and saw we only had a small amount left. But we had a ton of cabbage. Richard really loves cabbage. 

Suddenly I thought about giving it a bit of a German Country flavor and I had Granny Smith Apples. And inspiration struck. I don't know if you have ever tried Apples with Cabbage, but it's a wonderful combination. Gives that slight tart flavor without being salty or too strong. Add some Rice and the pork chops cooked on the George Foreman Grill and voila, a simple and delicious meal that really took just 25 minutes between prep and cook time.

Grilled Pork Chops with Cabbage & Apples over Rice

2 Pork Chops (Season with Garlic Powder, Black Pepper & Meat Tenderizer)

1/2 head of Cabbage chopped up into medium sized pieces.

1 Granny Smith Apple, cored & sliced

1 Tblsp Anise Seeds, crush lightly with your fingers as you add to the cabbage.

1 Tblsp Oregano

1 Tblsp Oil (I used a nice Wok oil made with Safflower Oil infused with Lemon Grass and Thai Basil)

1 cup Brown Rice

2 cups Water

Salt to taste

First I seasoned the Pork Chops and set them aside.

Then I cut up the apple and put it in the Fry Pan with the Oil and let it start to cook on Med Heat. While this is starting to cook I cut up the Cabbage adding it right away. I added the Oregano and Anise Seed. And sprinkled just a bit of Lime Salt. Stirring a bit to get the apples turned so they don't burn. I covered with a lid and turned the heat down to Medium Low.

I put the water on to boil adding a small amount of Sea Salt to taste and added the rice. Since it takes brown rice longer to cook I add it before the water gets to a boil which helps to soften the hulls quicker.

At five minutes before time to serve I put the Pork Chops on the George Foreman Grill. They were nice and thin so they cook fast.

The Cabbage with Apples so complimented the Chops, I plan to do this again.
(Made this again, but forgot the Anise Seeds, added garlic and Green onion instead. Good, but missed the seeds.)

Okay, I am sorry to say I didn't last on that diet program. Not for a lack of effort. But I am already so limited with food allergies. This just limited me beyond my ability to feel satisfied.

So, even though I am not sticking to the letter of the diet, I am still losing. Mostly due to the fact I am watching the carbs and fats. But occasionally, I take a break and make something a bit fattier because it just tastes so good. And it isn't fair to stick Richard to such a strict diet when he doesn't need to lose like I do.

Today was a looser interpretation of the diet day. True I made fish, a very low fat white fish called Swai. Similar in flavor to Catfish, but very lean. Here is the recipe I created and Richard raved over. In fact his words were, "You need to make this often. And you should publish the recipe too!" So here it is.

Swai Florentine

Half a bag of Fresh Spinach
1 tsp- Trader Joe's 21 Season Salute
Garlic Powder to taste (I used approx 1 tsp)
2 Swai fillets
1 can - Cream of Shrimp Soup (Campbell's)
1/3 cup Mayo (Or yogurt to lessen the fat content)
1/4 cup chopped Green Onion
1 tsp Dill
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tblsp - oregano
1 tblsp - cilantro
1/3 cup prepared roasted peppers (see earlier recipe)
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

I used herb scissors to cut up the spinach and covered the bottom of the 9x13 baking pan that I had lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

I sprinkled the Trader Joe's and Garlic Powder over the spinach.

I washed and dried the fish and put the two fillets side by side over the top of the spinach.

In a mixing cup I mixed the can of soup with the mayo and remaining spices. I spooned and spread this mix over the top of the fish.  Over this I sprinkled the roasted peppers and topped all of it with the bread crumbs. I lightly sprayed the crumbs with oil to brown them.

I put the pan into a preheated 375 degree oven and baked for 15 minutes then lowered to 350 degrees for another 5 minutes.

I served over white rice.
The next time I make this I will take pictures and or video tape the process.
Video is now published on YouTube.com. You can find it at:
http://youtu.be/AX-pZ8yKLeA
I made a slight variation to the recipe, added Broccoli Florets, I didn't have the Green Onion or the Roasted Pepper in the dish this time. And I home made my bread crumbs as I was out of the Panko. I hope you enjoy the video!

2 Dressings for Salads and More!

So, this week I started a "6 Week Body Makeover" plan. The program is found at http://www.provida.com. This program is really a way of changing the way you eat for your body type. For me, Body type A, I have to cut out all Salt, Oils, Fats, Refined or pre-processed products and no Dairy, no Red Meat. With my already limited diet due to food allergies, this is really limiting me on protiens I can have. Egg Whites, Chicken Breasts, and fish like Halibut are my choices for protiens. And since no Salt or Oil, that means no mayo or salad dressings. So I got online and looked for recipes. I found two that sounded interesting but they were not truly complete. They left out measurements. So I did some playing with the ingredients and this is what I came up with.

To replace Salsa, Ketchup, etc I now make:

Roasted Pepper Dressing:

Ingredients:

1 Roasted Red Pepper (skinned)
1/2 Roasted Yellow Pepper (skinned)
5 cloves of Roasted Garlic (Instead of using oil I put a bit of Basalmic Vinegar on the garlic before roasting it. Flavor is great.)
3 - Plum Tomatoes - diced
tsp - Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute
1/2 tsp - Smoked Paprika
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/4 Cup - Basalmic Vinegar

Was Peppers and place on baking sheet.
Clean the Garlic Bulb of outer paper skin and cut the top just a bit to reveal the cloves. Drizzle with a small amount of the Basalmic Vinegar. Wrap in aluminum foil making a pouch.

Roast the peppers and garlic in a 350 degree oven. You will need to turn the peppers at least once.
Remove Peppers after 20 minutes. Let Garlic Roast for another 20 minutes until it's soft.

Put the Peppers right from the oven into a container and cover to sweat them. After about 10 minutes you can take them out and the skin peels off very easily. Once peeled cut up removing the seeds and put into a food processor. Add the cloves of roasted garlic, the tomatoes and all spices and blend until almost smooth. Add the Vinegar and put in a container. This is a wonderful sauce for topping chicken or fish. I love it for a bit of a kick in my salads too.

You can refrigerate for about a week.

I made extra peppers when I did this and the other peppers and the rest of the garlic I cut into smallish slices and put into a container with a bit more vinagar. I use this in my egg white omlets.

The other sauce is more a salad dressing and also a great fish marinade.

Cilantro Lime Dressing:

1 cup Fresh Cilantro roughly chopped
2 Limes Juiced & Zested
1/2 tsp Coriander
1/2 tsp Cumin
2 Tblsp Fine Herbs (I get this herb blend at Fresh Market)
3 Cloves Roasted Garlic (see above recipe)
2 pkgs Stevia (I use one I get at Whole Foods, but Truvia works)
I added about 2 oz water to make it a better salad dressing.

Mix all ingredients in the food processor. Store in a well sealed container.

This is a nice topping for chicken dishes too. But fabulous on fish.

As I get further into this diet I will add more recipes. And I will update pictures as I lose weight.
Here is my "BEFORE" Picture:

Uno's antics !

I just had to share this. Uno doesn't wolf howl at sirens like King did. But he does start talking whenever he hears the "Piggy Commercial" ... all we have to do now is ask "What does the little piggy say?" or go "Weeee, wee wee weeeee!" and he starts talking. I caught it with my phone the other night and posted it. Hope you get the same laugh I get. If the video doesn't show, here is the link.

Oh and I need that laugh right now. I am finally walking, slowly, but without the ugly boot. But today my Mom was rushed to the hospital. Hoping they can help her, but I'm afraid she has given up. Please keep her in your prayers!

Thank you!

Well, this cast was taken off on Thursday, Dec 1, 2011. Thank heavens. When it came off it was such a relief and then I was dismayed at how much tone I had lost in my right calf, and I feel my foot looks terrible. Maybe it is just me.

You can see where the doctor injected my ankle with Marcaine over 2 weeks ago. And my little toe has been so crimped into the cast that it isn't moving. My toes are sort of shriveled looking to me also. But that's just me being critical.

Now my fibula is still healing, so they have given me a walking boot to give my leg support while it continues to heal. And I still can't drive since my foot is too weak. Honestly I can't see trying to do anything much as it still hurts to put any weight on it. But they insist I need to, and from how thin my calf looks I agree. I mean honestly, look at this boot, I feel like I have a frankenstein's Monster boot on. LOL

All in all, another 4 weeks before I get to drive, and I start physical therapy on the 6th. Thank heavens they are just 2 blocks up the road from home, so driving me won't put Richard out too much. It's so close he can go home for an hour and come back for me.

Check out how beautiful the ramp is coming along! Richard has really outdone himself. The hand rails are going up and as you can see, he is using plenty of Brackets to ensure it is very safe. I am so tickled with what he has done for me here.

 So that is todays update.  I'll let you know how the physical therapy goes. I'm such a wimp I am sort of dreading it. We will see how it goes.

Rolled Oat Cookies from Moira Glavan

This recipe comes from a dear friend from Florida, Moira. She now lives in Wisconsin and she is very talented and inventive in the kitchen. Check out her wonderful creation of Rolled Oat Cookies. She had some left over bananas that were getting too ripe, so she thought, "Let's make cookies!" and that is just what she did. Here is her Recipe:

Moira Glavan

I will tell you exactly what I did..:

 

Smashed up 5 ripened bananas, added in 2 tsp of cinnamon and 2 teaspoons of nutmeg, added in 1 tsp of vanilla extract, added in about 2 tbs of honey, then stirred in 4 cups of rolled oats, and 1 1/2 cu...ps of applesauce and 1 cup of diced dates...stirred well all together....preheated oven to 350, spoon dropped mix on ungreased cookie sheet (flattened them out) and baked for about 25 minutes each batch.

 

I want to try them again now still using the bananas as the base along with the applesauce, but may try cranberries or blueberries instead of the dates...They do turn out more of a moist chewy cookie rather then crispy, and if you wanna make it more desert like, you can always dab them with fat free cool whip.

 

Now, I have to add, these would be Gluten as well as dairy free. If you have my allergy to Tryptophan, there is some in the bananas. But I find if baked into something, or in a smoothie, I can tolerate them to a degree.

Cool whip is made with Soy, which is high in Tryptophan, so try a Rice Whip if you can find it. I have gotten it at Good Foods and Whole Foods in the past.

And her idea of substituting Cranberries or Blueberries for the Dates is great. Just remember, Dates, are high in sugar and are somewhat starchy, so they don't add liquid when cooking. The berries will. I would go with Fresh Cranberries in the winter and then you are not adding sweeteners that are uneccessary and only raise the calories.

 

Thank you Moira for a wonderful new recipe. Happy eatings everyone!

Leek & Potato Soup

I have had a few requests for the recipe for my Leek & Potato Soup. It's really super simple. And I did it in the Crock Pot, even easier.

Leek & Potato Soup

3 large Leeks

1 large sweet onion (I like Vidalia or Mayan Sweets) (Diced Up)

5 Cloves of Garlic (Peeled and minced)

2 Tblsp Goat Butter & 1 Tblsp Olive Oil

8 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes (Peeled and Diced)

1 Cup of Goat Yogurt

6 oz of Chevre (I used basil garlic to give a bit more flavor)

2 cups of Chicken Stock (Or Vegetable if you prefer)

3 cups of Whole Milk (I used Goat due to my allergies to Cow)

1 tsp salt

Black Pepper to taste

The hardest part for this is prep work. Leeks by nature are gritty, so you have to really wash them well. You will use the white part only (Going into the very pale green) Do not use the dark green parts as that is too strong in flavor. You will cut the bottom root ball off of the Leek, then cut thin rings, approximately 1/6 of an inch. Cut all the way up to the light green and stop. You will then take those rings and seperate them by sticking a finger in the middle and causing all the layers/concentric rings to pop out. Put into a colander and run under cold water. Get your hand in there and toss and make sure they are all clean.

Once clean you can put them in the crock pot with the chicken stock and turn it on High to start. I warmed the chicken stock in the microwave so the pot gets warmed up from the inside helping to prevent it from cracking as it heats up.

While the leeks start to cook in the Crock, I started the onions in a large skillet with 2 Tblsp of Butter (I use goat, you can find it at Fresh Market, Whole Foods and some of the larger Kroger Stores) and 1 Tblsp of Olive Oil. I happen to have some Olive Oil that has garlic and Oregano in the oil to flavor it. This just adds to the flavor of whatever I am cooking and I used this. I found it at World Market.

I cooked the onions until starting to get translucent and a bit of golden on edges, then added the minced garlic. I continued to cook for another 3 minutes and then poured all of this into the crock with the Leeks in the stock. I stirred well and then added the potatoes. (Hubby had peeled and I diced them up.) Also I rinse the potatoes well in cold water. This helps to remove some starch and they cook smoother.

I stirred the potatoes into the Leek mixture and put the lid on. I let this cook for about 2 hours. At this point I got out the Stick Blender, or as Alton Brown says "The Boat Motor" and I blended everything in the pot until it was creamy smooth with no lumps. I add the Yogurt, Chevre & Milk at this point and stir until smooth and well blended. I let continue to cook on low for another hour.

I like to serve with a spoon of Chevre or more Yogurt on top and chives sprinkled on for color. You can also serve it cold on a hot day. It's a real delight.

This soup can be used as a base for making other soups too. I like it for making homemade seafood chowder. Just heat, add seafood and maybe some cut up carrots or corn and serve.