Ham Roll Ups

Today we have two big whole wheat & ham roll ups with low fat mayo, some of Mom's yummy eggplant, tomato, low fat ricotta and Italian cheese bake in the roll up, and romano lettuce.

Steamed broccoli (do you have a microwave steamer yet?), granny smith apple rubbed with lemon, and grapes.

You could make this vegetarian by skipping the ham.

Souffle

This actually is today's lunch. I can't say it was a particularly large lunch, but T was quite happy with the souffle.

Parmesan Souffle, sauteed yellow squash, stir fried asparagus with lemon, eggplant baked with tomatoes, low fat ricotta and mixed Italian cheezes (and plenty of garlic).

Don't chuckle about the souffle. It's so much easier than you've been led to believe.

The reason we think it's hard is because restaurants can't do it. They can't do it because it requires last minute beating of egg whites and they don't want to deal with that in the kitchen. If beating egg whites is just too hard, then forget it, but for most people, especially guys, this is a cinch. Remember, this is farmer's food. Truly. Have a good, clean whisk and go for it.

There are only three things to remember with eggwhites: the bowl and whisk must be completely free of oil and yolk, it's easier with a tall-sided bowl and a big whisk, it must be done right before you mix and cook.

It's a bechamel. You've had this as a base for your milk gravy, or mac and cheese. It's just oil and flour in equal parts sauteed to cook the flour. This keeps it from making lumps when you add cold liquid.

I doubled the recipe in The New Joy of Cooking. I cheated and used 4 T of butter and 6 T of flour because a thicker sauce is better for this. The New Joy has good technique, but I'd never use warm liquid. I warmed half the measure with the 2-3 T minced onion, 2 cloves and 1 bay leaf till the onion was soft, strained it and put it in the freezer when it was done, then mixed it with the remaining measure of milk from the fridge when it was time. I also left the minced onion (I was out of shallots) in the pan, threw in the butter and flour, sauteed, then poured in the 2 1/2 cups milk and whisked till it was thick.

While that cooled I separated the eggs, shredded the Swiss and measured the grated Parmesan (any combo you like), and also buttered the souffle molds and sprinkled them with Parm to coat.

By this time the bechamel had cooled, I whisked in the 6 egg yolks one at a time, added the 2 1/2 cups cheese, dash of nutmeg and 1 t salt, and turned on the oven to 375. Cleaned the whisk, beat the whites, stirred some into the bechamel mixture roughly then carefully folded the rest, poured, baked, puffed, ate! They were lovely. It took about 40 minutes. Of course they fall very quickly, but are no less delicious, and it makes left over souffle easier to pack. If you reheat a slice, do it in the toaster oven, like toast, but it's just as nice cold.

Light Summer Lunch

BLT with low fat turkey bacon, mayo and red onion. T really loved this.

Mesclun with blueberries and honey key lime dressing.

Cheese tri-color tortellini with grated parmesan.

Boiled firm tofu with tahini and tamari.

Mustard greens, beets, quinoa. (What on earth is quinoa? Technical info, and the short version with recipes.)

Cherries.

Shrimp & Sausage

There was a taste-test meal plan at the grocery store (Publix) involving Shrimp and Smoked Sausage, Okra, and Rice. That had been dinner. I made jasmine rice instead, did the okra without tomatoes and added garlic, and I made a sauce for the meat, which I stir fried, using honey, apricot fruit-only jam, white wine, and a dash of tamari.

I topped all this off with steamed collard greens, chick peas, yams, tempeh cooked in cabbage and sauerkraut, and a salad with grapes, tomatoes, sunflower and hemp seeds with a balsamic dressing. Little Afrika chocolate cookies topped it off.

Macro Lunch

Photos of macrobiotic meals never do the flavors justice. This was really so delicious! All the main recipes are from Changing Seasons Macrobiotic Cookbook.

There is barley and shitake mushroom congee, tempeh cooked in sauerkraut and purple cabbage, mustard greens, arame and sunflower seeds, and apple, currant and lemon kuzu. The kuzu is more tart than sweet, and very refreshing. T packed the extra container. I guess he liked it!

The salad is greens with a left over falafel and tahini sauce, red pepper and a piece of yam. The red pepper is not macrobiotic, but it looks pretty.

T's comment: "It's delicious. So clean!"

Back On The Horse

This blog is getting off the ground in fits and starts. I'm posting the following meals long after the fact on the premise that late is better than never. I made them individual for the sake of keywords.

Motto #1: We have to live in the world!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These have some healthier ingredients, for what it's worth. I'm inclined to think every little bit counts. They also have half the sugar, which really makes a difference. They're definitely sweet enough without it.

1 c. Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/4 c. unbleached white flour
1 1/4 c. rolled oats, Bob's are really good, Quaker will do (not instant!)
1/3 c. oat bran
1 t. aluminum-free baking soda
1/2 t. mineral sea salt
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 c. packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 t. high quality vanilla (like Mexican, or Madagascar Bourbon)
2 c. Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. In a medium bowl whisk the flours, soda and salt together. In a larger bowl cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the creamed mixture. Mix the dry into the wet, then fold in the chips and nuts. Drop by tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9 minutes for chewy, 11 minutes for crunchy. Remove from the sheet to cool on a rack or flat plate. Store in an airtight container.

Falafel, Cookies

Know thy customer.

Mine is much less likely to eat an apple whole. If I cut it up, it goes in. I suspect old Rugby tooth injuries from school days.

He also must have chocolate, or at least something sweet. I try to make that thing contain at least one or two "healthy" ingredients. These are chocolate chip cookies. (Recipe to follow in another post).

After that, the rule is to have plenty.

I baked the falafel, steamed the orange cauliflower (pretty!) and yam, briefly toasted the whole wheat pita, used red leaf lettuce and some red peppers. Tomatoes would be good, but I didn't have any. I don't tend to buy them because I'm allergic.

The third container has some big chunks of chicken, wild rice and peas (frozen and thrown in at the last minute). I cooked the chicken as part of making a stock, so it was handy, but any would do. It would be good over some white or brown rice, too.

Snapper, Black Beans

The secret of a good lunch is often in the previous night's dinner. (And the secret to good photography is lighting, which I can't focus on in the morning rush. For now.)

Some broiled filet of snapper on mesclun with asparagus and honey key lime dressing wouldn't be as likely if the snapper hadn't been cooked the night before. The same is true of the black beans and rice. The berry cobbler is easy enough to make with berries, maple syrup, a little kuzu or cornstarch, and some pie crust. Or buy one for fun, but know your fat won't be as good and the sweetener will be white sugar.

The fast version: saute some fish in a skillet with olive oil, lime juice and garlic, use canned Cuban black beans over some already cooked rice (you could even use instant. Heat left over rice briefly or it will be crunchy and not good), and throw a yam in the microwave for five or ten minutes. I happened to have some steamed spaghetti squash, too. This is another easy microwave item. Skip the asparagus, or throw it in the skillet with the fish (at the end).

When I make black bean soup, I put the soaked, rinsed black beans in the slow cooker with a bay leaf or two, several cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half, and several pieces of smoked turkey parts. Over night on low is ideal and it can be packed hot in a thermos. Garnish with lime juice, check the salt, add raw onions, peppers, tomato, avocado, cilantro, cheese if you like.