Simple Sunday Lunch and Special Seasoning

As we get closer to our Kauai trip, we have re-embraced a carb free diet.  Sunday breakfast was poached eggs, bacon, and cheese but, lunch was all about handling a craving that I have had for a burger. Burgers as most Americans know them require buns and buns, unfortunately, have carbs...

There is a way around this and we gave it a go for lunch today.  The last thing I was to do is work hard today (killed myself yesterday and am not inclined to apply myself today). While the turkey burgers were on the grill (lightly seasoned of course), I grabbed some cheese, leaf lettuce and tomatoes from the fridge.  Slice the tomatoes, salt lightly and place on your plate.  Add whatever condiments you want to one face of the lettuce leaf (mayo in my case). Once off the grill, allow the patties to rest for three or so minutes. Add the cheese (cheddar in this instance) and wrap in the lettuce leaf.

On another subject, I found a steady supply of Cavender's seasoning at Wal-Mary of all places.  y father used to use this on the London Broils he would grill but, I have come to love it on just about everything you might use salt on. It adds a depth of flavor that salt alone cannot bring.  If you are watching your salt intake, there is a salt free version that isn't too bad...

Nutrition Label Makeover

Reading nutrition labels can be confusing and involve a bit of serving size conversion.  Today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that they would like to make some changes - I am all in support of what they propose.

The FDA is proposing several changes to the nutrition labels you see on packaged foods and beverages. If approved, the new labels would place a bigger emphasis on total calories, added sugars and certain nutrients.

The most visible change is that calorie counts are bigger and bolder, to give them greater emphasis. In addition, serving sizes start to reflect the way most of us really eat. The current serving size is a half-cup. Under the proposed new label, the serving size would become 1 cup. A 20-ounce bottle of soda would be labeled as one serving. And with that, the calorie count at the top would come closer to reality.

The FDA says it will accept public comment on the proposal for 90 days.  For more information, visit the FDA website.

Trying Turkey "Steak"

Decided to try something different this evening for dinner...Turkey Breast "Steak". I will confess, I nearly passed it by. The "containing up to 12% of a flavoring solution" note on the label scared the hell out of me.  That solution has ingredients that I am pretty sure that I need a chemistry degree to understand what they are...

Regardless, we decided give it a whirl. While the grill was pre-heating to medium heat, I opened the package and drained away all the fluid that was likely generated in close quarters to the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating station.  For extra measure, I blot dried with a paper towel before placing on the grill. Cook ten minutes each side on medium heat.  I would suggest that you add a bit of salt and pepper as well.  The taste of the cooked product was not bad, i just have an issue with food having faux food components.

Better yet, avoid the student loans for the chem degree and stick with something that has 0% of a flavoring solution.

Sensational Chicken Noodle Soup

Rose is sick so, with a little bit of effort, I was able to cobble together a version of chicken noodle soup that was much better for her and a canned option.  Here is what you will need.

• 96 ounces of chicken broth. (I suggest using organic or low sodium versions).
• Two large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Two carrots, peeled and chopped
• Two celery sticks, chopped
• Four Dorot garlic cubes
• Four Dorot basil cubes
• Two Dorot cilantro cubes
• Whole wheat pasta

Grill the two chicken breasts.  Once cooked, bring inside and allow them to rest for 5 minutes.  In a stock pot, combine the chicken broth, basil, garlic, and cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste and slowly bring to a light boil. Cover, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.  Pull chicken apart, add pasta, carrots, celery and cook covered for another 8 minutes.  Stir before serving.

While not as easy as a can, it was certainly worth it.  Bonus points awarded for having enough for Rosie to take to work for lunch Monday.

Lemon Pepper Tilapia with Brown Rice Asparagus

Lemon Butter Sauce with Garlic and Basil

Since I started the workday at 6:30 am and was on back-to-back calls through 11:30,  I decided to work from home. The bonus of this opportunity was that I decided to grill some turkey burgers for lunch. While flipping the patties, I noticed that some of our lemons were ripe for the picking and was inspired to make lemon pepper tilapia for dinner.

Start by preheating you oven to 375 degrees. Place the tilapia fillets on an oiled baking sheet - I used a foil wrapped ceramic flat (the foil is my fail-over to make the clean-up easy) pan. Slice a lemon into thin strips and place on top of the lightly salted fish.  Take a 1/4 stick of butter and gently melt in a small saute pan. Add pepper, the juice of one lemon (two if you want it really tart), two cloves of finely diced garlic (for which I used two Dorot garlic cubes) and some finely diced basil (also two Dorot cubes in my world). Gently stir over medium-low heat until all the components are mixed together.  Once completed pour over the fish and place it into the oven for 12 minutes.

Easy Prep for a Tasty Meal

I tried something different with the asparagus tonight. I had a some leftover turkey bacon that I decided I wanted to use up so that got diced and thrown into the stir fry pan. Add a 1/4 stick of butter (at least I am consistent on the butter tonight), two cloves of diced garlic (again, in my world that is two Dorot cubes) and asparagus tips. Saute covered for ten minutes over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until done.  To further jack things up, I added a package of fresh & easy microwave brown rice (don't judge, seriously, three minutes in the microzap - it is kind of hard to screw up rice) to the wok and mix it all up.

Plate the rice and pull the fish from the oven.  Remove lemon slices and pour the baking pan drippings over the top of the fish. In a little less than fifteen minutes you will be enjoying a great dinner. 

Lemon Pepper Tilapia with Brown Rice Asparagus

Quality Eats Made Simple

Well Seasoned Salmon Fillets

Since I have taken up the cause of cooking at home more, I have fallen in love with a couple of things that might shock my mother...fish and Brussels Sprouts.

I find that I really enjoy the taste of skin on Salmon fillets. Many cooks get a bit freaked out about these but, they should not be if they follow a couple of easy steps. Start by preheating your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  I like to cook mine on a foil line stone tray (even heat transfer and easy clean up) that has been spritzed with olive oil.  Place the fillet skin side down and lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake until the salmon is cooked through, which should take 12 to 15 minutes.  Using a pair of tongs and a gentle touch, rock the fillet back-and-forth to release it from the skin.  Once plated you can add some lightly herbed butter and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Bacon really does make everything better. I am confident that, if my Mom had added bacon to the sprouts, I would have loved eating them. She did not but, I have come to appreciate them nonetheless.  My version starts with buying some bacon trimmings from Trader Joe's. These are not pretty enough for your breakfast table but, they are perfect to add some flavor to the much maligned veggie.  

Mmm, Bacon!

At the risk of alienating anyone who enjoys the goodness that is all things bacon, I do spend some time pulling the fully fat parts out of the mix (remember, these are trimmings so the package includes pieces that have zero meat).  Cook the remainder down as you normally would in a large skillet. Once cooked, drain off excess fat and dice the cooked pieces.

Add the sliced (I used pre-sliced) sprouts to the large skillet, season with salt & pepper, and stir in the bacon bits that you just made. Cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently until caramelized. Toss in a bit of lemon juice and serve.

No Driver Tipping Required...

I have so been craving pizza. Maybe it is the fact that I live just down the road from an Oregano's and drive past it at least twice a day. Maybe it is just the reaction of being uber-productive today and getting a bunch of things done around the homestead. Regardless, tonight is pizza night in our house but, we aren't calling Domino's or driving down to our favorite Italian haunt. Nope, we are making our own.  We had the cheese in the fridge so we just grabbed some pepperoni, pizza sauce, and whole wheat pizza dough from fresh & easy. 

Pull the dough out of the fridge and start preheating your oven to 450 degree about 20 minutes before you want to start cooking. While the oven is warming and the dough is coming up to room temperature, slice four Dorot garlic and four Dorot basil cubes into paper thin slices. Once the 20 minutes is up, roll out the dough into a circle...be sure to use flour or lightly oiled parchment paper so it doesn't stick to everything it touches. Laddle out the sauce into the center and spread out across the dough in a circular motion.  Sprinkle oregano onto the sauce, add the thinly sliced basil and garlic randomly on top. Now evenly layer on the cheese and put the pepperoni on evenly.

The trick is even layers of everything - dough, sauce, toppings, etc so you don't have uncooked parts (which is not good eats).  Place into your oven for 12 minutes - allow to cool a bit before cutting and you are all good to go.

No tipping of drivers needed - you are, however, welcome to send me money.