What's Healthy For Dinner?: October 2011

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?!!

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Brazilian Shrimp Soup

It was a cold, snowy night in October.....wait, OCTOBER? Sounds crazy, right? Too early for cold weather, let alone snow. I should still be grilling my dinner, not thinking up something warm and comforting to eat! So, after grumbling a bit about the wonders of nature, I decided upon this tomato-based shrimp soup, and whole-wheat biscuits. It definitely hit the spot, and warmed me up!

I diced an onion, a few little red and orange peppers, some thai red peppers from my garden (I miss my garden!) and 5 cloves of garlic and sauteed it all in olive oil. Then I added a can of crushed tomatoes and 2 cups of water, brought that up to a boil, and covered and simmered for about 20 minutes. I stirred in a can of light coconut milk and about a pound of peeled whole shrimp and cooked until the shrimp pinked up, about 2 or 3 minutes. Finally, I added the juice of 1/2 lime and a generous handful of chopped cilantro, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste, and served. According to various recipes I found, Brazilian shrimp soup is served with rice, so you can always add a cup of cooked brown rice to this.

This was surprisingly tasty for such a simple recipe. The coconut milk gave it a nice creamy consistency without an overpowering taste of coconut. As I was writing this, I was wondering how it would taste with about a half a cup of tequila cooked down after the crushed tomatoes and before the coconut milk and shrimp. Also, a handful of arugula tossed in at the end might be nice. Since this recipe is definitely a keeper, I will experiment next time and keep you posted!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Baked Fried Chicken

This is a much healthier way than the traditional deep frying. I removed the skin from chicken thighs, then rubbed spicy brown mustard on both sides of each thigh. Then I rolled each piece in a mixture of cornmeal, turmeric, smoked paprika, cumin, salt and black pepper. To give it a nice crust, I heated a SMALL amount of oil in a skillet, then browned each piece on both sides. Finally, I placed them in a baking dish and baked at 350 for about 40 minutes or so.

Of course it doesn't have that luxurious greasiness of real fried chicken, but this version is nice and crispy on the outside, and moist and juicy on the inside. The "breading" has a nice flavor, too. The best part is how much fat and cholesterol is eliminated by removing the skin and baking instead of frying!