Saturday, October 20, 2012

Fall

Fall is here!

Well it was for a little while. 

Not today.

The high was around 90 degrees.

I was in the mood for a meatloaf like dish so I made a lentil loaf. It was actually much tastier than a meatloaf and even James really enjoyed it. I used a recipe from Oh She Glows.

Typically when making food that required me to use my hands to mix raw hamburger I would get really grossed out. Practically gagging.  I'm happy to say while making this dish that didn't happen!

Time for a little update. Today I weighed myself and the scale read 262.6. I've lost exactly 12 pounds since I started this blog! It's been slow going but I'm happy that I'm making progress. And it's pretty amazing that I've lost that much almost completely through diet. 

*Raising my glass of water* 
Here's to the next 12 pounds!



"I pray to be like the ocean, with soft currents, maybe waves at times. More and more, I want the consistency rather than the highs and lows." - Drew Barrymore 

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Cauliflower Steak with Mushroom Gravy and Rice

I was feeling adventurous the other day and I tried my hand at making a gourmet steak dinner. Yes the 'steak' was cauliflower but it sure hit the spot! Out of all the dishes I have made in the last 3 months this one is my favorite.

This dish was very simple to make but I do need to get better at slicing the 'steaks'. I was only able to get 2 out of my head of cauliflower. The ends crumble anyway but I also had a couple 'steaks' that fell apart. The trick is to make sure you're slicing them thick enough, too thin and they fall apart. To use the bits that didn't turn into steak I chopped them up and cooked them in a similar fashion to the Cauliflower Steak and stirred in the leftover gravy and served it over rice. Basically the same meal just a different presentation.

To make my Cauliflower Steaks with Mushroom Gravy I, of course, started by slicing the cauliflower into steaks. I then drizzled them with a little olive oil and seasoned them with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In a hot pan I seared them on each side making sure they looked golden and very crispy. After transferring them to a baking dish, they went into a 350 degree oven for 20-30 min.

While the steaks were in the oven I use the pan I seared them in to make the gravy. I started by sauteing some button mushrooms and then I added veggie broth, flour and the same seasoning I used on the cauliflower plus some parsley and cooked it till it was a beautiful thick gravy.

Served over rice it turned out to be a very satisfying meal. I'm a little embarrassed by the amount of joy I got from using a steak knife to slice into it. And then on top of that to taste the rich velvety gravy I felt that I was truly being decadent. But this dinner was only around 300 calories per steak.... with the gravy and rice!

The only thing that made me sad about this meal was that James couldn't enjoy it with me. :( He can't stand mushrooms or cauliflower. But on the bright side it did leave more for me to enjoy! And don't feel too bad for him I always make sure he has something tasty to dig into as well........Until next time......Happy eating!!




"It is what we think we know already that often prevents us from learning." - Claude Bernard

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Lemon Bars

As a kid one of my favorite desserts was lemon bars. I can still remember the first time I had them. When I was about 7 my Mom had hosted a pot luck and one of her friends had brought them. I tried one and was in love. I really wanted a second one but wanting to be a good girl I thought I would wait until everyone had left before having another. After the last person had left I went running to the table only to find that the woman who had brought them had taken them home with her.

My Mom found me in tears and asked what was wrong. After I explained to her what had happened she called her friend and got the recipe. She took me to the store the next day to get all the ingredients and then we came home and made them together.

Lemon Bars have always held a special place in my heart and every time I taste them I'm taken back to that day. A couple of months ago when I had hurt my back and my Mom came to town to help she brought with her a big pan of Lemon Bars. The first thing she did was dish some out and bring it to me in bed.  

These, pictured above, are my first attempt at dairy and egg free lemon bars. They were very, very tart but still close to the original. So I will just have to keep trying.

 Even with them being tart they didn't last long :) 




 "All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better." – Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Zucchini Mushroom Sandwich

Today for lunch I was in the mood for a sandwich. I thought about it for awhile and came up with this zucchini mushroom sandwich.

First, using my mandolin, I sliced some zucchini into long strips. In a saute pan I cooked the slices for a few minutes on each side. While the zucchini was cooking I sliced some mushrooms and onion. After the zucchini was done I removed it from the pan and added the mushrooms and onions. I sauteed them until the onions were tender. Instead of cooking in oil for both the zucchini and the mushrooms and onions I used a small amount of vegetable broth.

Next, it was time to assemble the sandwich on two slices of fresh bakery bread. I started with a little Vegenaise (a vegan mayonnaise) on each slice and then added the zucchini, mushrooms and onions and topped that with clover sprouts and lettuce.  

Because the bread slices were much bigger than processed bread and the fact that I love to pile up the veggies on my sandwiches, I was only able to eat half of my sandwich (barely). My mind does keep wandering and thinking of the other half still in the fridge. If I manage to stay away until dinner I'll make a soup to go along with it. 

Happy Eating!!



"All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them" - Walt Disney  

 

Friday, October 5, 2012

Texas Hash and Pesto Flat Bread

Work has been hard on James lately so last night I made his favorite meal, Texas Hash. As a side dish to the Texas Hash I tried something new...a Pesto Flat Bread.

After coming home from vacation I noticed, in the fridge, a huge bag of spinach that would need to be eaten soon. As I looked thru my pantry I started to brain storm ways I could use it and I noticed I had some raw almonds.

Typically pesto is made with fresh basil and pine nuts but I figured spinach and almonds would substitute for them nicely. After getting the dough started and putting it off to the side to rise, I started in on the pesto. Plenty of spinach and almonds with lots of garlic all blended in a food processor with olive oil, salt, pepper and lime juice. I baked the bread flattened out on a cookie sheet then topped it with the pesto and caramelized onions. Popped it back in the oven for a few minuets and it was ready to be devoured!  

Dinner was a big hit with James and it will be one I repeat in the future. The spinach and almonds worked perfectly and the sweetness of the onions on top was a perfect complement. As we were eating the bread I told James the one thing that would make it perfect would be to add mushrooms. He replied "Yes, cheese would be nice".  :)
 (He doesn't like mushrooms and I don't eat cheese) 



"Peace begins with a smile."- Mother Teresa

Thursday, October 4, 2012

MIA

I've been MIA the last two weeks because I've been spending time with family. First my cousin came all the way from Wisconsin with a friend to visit me. We spent 5 days running all over the Las Vegas valley having a great time. 

We went hiking in Red Rock Canyon....
Photo by Andrea Posner


 We drove out to Hoover Dam....
Photo by Andrea Posner
 Spent lots of time on the strip....
Photo by Andrea Posner
 And much, much more.

After my cousin and her friend left I spent a couple days recovering (I was exhausted) and got some house work done. Then James and I drove up to Utah to visit his parents for 3 days. I love going up there to visit. It's only 2 hours away but it feels like a different world. It's nice to get away from the bustle and noise of the city, let my hair down and relax.

Now that I'm home I'm looking forward to getting back into my routine. I've gone to the store, wrote out my menu for the next week and I'm ready to get to work!



"Your power is proportional to your ability to relax." - David Allen