What's cookin'?

I love to cook. I have always loved being in the kitchen, first as a child where it was the center of the family; later, I enjoyed creating my own recipes and recreating meals I had enjoyed in restaurants. Growing up in the '60s and '70s in an Italian family, macaroni was dinner at least twice a week. We also learned to love Jiffy-Pop, Cheez-Whiz and other assorted "healthy" fare. Vegetables were never center stage, and salad was often just iceberg, cukes and tomatoes. Weight was never a problem for me either, but as the years go by,I find that the old metabolism isn't what it used to be. In my twenties, I could skip a few Twinkies and lose 5 pounds to get into that cute outfit for a weekend date. Now, in my very, very, VERY late 20's, losing 5 pounds takes nothing short of a miracle! I used my love of cooking and interest in healthy eating to cultivate a repertoire of healthy and delicious new recipes, as well as healthier dishes inspired by old favorites. My project last summer was to research and develop ways to increase my collection of vegetable recipes. Not vegetarian, but vegetable-centered, I have tried to use spices, herbs, and various cultural styles to keep dinner interesting, exciting and worth going back for seconds. I am not a nutritionist, but I have done a good amount of reading, and think I have a handle on what's good for me and what should be avoided. Welcome to my first blog. Feel free to try any recipes that interest you, and share your own! Together we can answer the question....What's healthy for dinner?!!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Fried Green Tomatillos

Last weekend I had picked up a bunch of tomatillos, not really sure what I was going to do with them. I didn't get around to making salsa verde, so I thought I would try something new instead.  I sliced them into 1/2 inch rounds, then breaded them.  Since tomatillos have a tangy, almost lemony taste, I tried to offset it by adding some spice to the breading.  I mixed cornmeal with a generous amount of chili powder, cayenne pepper and salt.  First I dipped the sliced tomatillos in the breading, then in an egg bath, then in the breading again.  Finally, I heated some olive oil in a skillet and sauteed until brown and crispy. For a dippping sauce I mixed a little mayo with dijon mustard, hot sauce and a splash of lemon juice to pick up the tanginess of the tomatillos.  They were actually quite tasty, but not as spicy as I had hoped.  They had a little bit of a kick, but next time I may add hot sauce to the egg bath in addition to the cayenne in the coating. In fact, I may skip the egg altogether and dip them in buttermilk and hot sauce for a thicker, crunchier coating.

Since my little tomatillo plants in my garden are starting to flower, I am glad to now have three different ways to use them when I harvest my crop!

Although they are fried, I only used a few tablespoons of olive oil, much of which I discarded afterwards. I was watching a cooking show the other day, and the restaurant they were featuring insisted on calling their fried food "deep sauteed".  I thought that was pretty funny.  I could call myself a size 4, but that doesn't mean I am squeezing myself into anything that small! 
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