Isn't it funny how, if you implement enough teensy changes, after awhile, it turns into pretty big change?
So it's been in this kitchen, with a shift to gluten free in February, a shift to shopping (as much as possible) at Aldi in April, and a shift to a Mediterranean diet in June, and a shift to a phone with a better camera in July.
As I said, enough shifts, and one finds oneself headed in a sort of different direction.
So, expect posts of menus for 5 days of the week, that will allow for using up leftovers and/or (maybe) a night out and/or the inevitable craziness that happens when life collides with plans. Expect more pictures,more olives, more nuts, more fish,less beef, less pork, less bread, less cream, less frying. ( sigh. go ahead and accuse me of scarcity thinking, but I do miss popovers and biscuits and cream sauces)
Thurs: Frittata and salad.
Frittata has been taking the place of quiche around here- it's prepared without the half & half or cream required in a quiche, minimizes the cheese, and cooks in a pan on the stove top (usually) instead of in a crust in the oven. Leaving out the crust alone saves tons of fat, and as a bonus, a little money too. Does it taste as good? Well.....repeat after me: "different does not necessarily mean better or worse" Here's a recipe, it's pretty heavy on explanations of technique, but if this is your first frittata, it's worth a read.
I wonder if 2 cloves of garlic may overpower the relatively subtle tastes of eggs and zucchini, so I'll probably use less than the recipe calls for.
I'll be putting this together with a simple salad- dark green lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and feta, with a dressing of lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil. Friday: chicken and salad
Get thyself to a farmer's market or fruit stand and pick up some summer tomatoes, for goodness sake! that's what we did last weekend. tonight they get chopped up and tossed with some cubes of nice mozzarella, (thankyou aldi) some slivered fresh basil (thankyou teeny garden pot of basil) some olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. A simple, beautiful salad that can only live in summer.
I'm putting some chicken with that- I'll rub pounded chicken breast (more on that later) with a mix of salt, pepper, sugar, garlic powder and italian seasoning. Just rub the mix on, then fry (well, saute) in a little olive oil. Let the pieces sit still till they're nearly cooked until you flip them, then cook very briefly on the other side.
Now, about pounding chicken. I know. As if cooking it weren't hassle enough. And, it's certainly not crucial. But...
a. It makes the meat an even thickness- no more dried out edges and raw thick middle parts.
b. the even thickness really reduces cooking time.
c. It tenderizes like crazy
d. Depending on the type of day you've had, waling away on a piece of chicken with a heavy pan can be surprisingly....satisfying.
My sophisticated setup? a zip top bag, a flat bottomed pot, and a resilient garage floor:
smacked with a frying pan
Saturday:Salmon and salad
I've FINALLY learned how to cook a piece of salmon I don't mind eating. Besides grilling. Which it's too hot to do here. And I'm not very good at anyway.
So, that's what's for dinner.
Salmon together with a salad of lettuce topped with sliced avocado, cucumber and mango. This salad is SO yummy! really! If you want to get complicated, throw on some goat cheese if you want, or some walnuts or cilantro, and top it with a dressing of lime juice, a little honey, and some olive oil.
having trouble slicing the mango? pics on that soon.
Now, the salmon:
get a nice piece of salmon with the skin on (I wait till it's on sale for around 4-5 dollars a pound, then pounce)
put about 3 tablespoons of olive oil and about 1/2 cup of white wine in a flat bottomed skillet.
when the oil and wine are steaming, slip in the fish and LEAVE IT ALONE. The liquid in the pan should come a little bit up the sides of the fish. If it doesn't, add more wine,warming it up in the micro if it's cold. As the liquid evaporates, the fish fries in the remaining olive oil- that's good news for all you crispy skin lovers. Don't flip it over, just wait till the top is no longer the dark pink of raw fish. If that's not happening fast enough, put a lid on the skillet for a little bit, but resist the urge to flip it over! And remember- fish, chicken and eggs (and some other things) continue cooking even after they're taken off the heat, and overcooked fish is...well, overcooked fish is a reason I usually don't like fish.
the avocados for this salad are wonderfully cheap at Aldi, but, sadly, just as unripe as the ones in most grocery stores...Do you know this trick? Just buy them a couple of days before you need them, pop them in a paper sack, put them on the counter, and forget about them for a couple of days.
they go in aldicados, and wake up poshacados. this
makes them happy.
Sunday: Salmon and Pasta in sauce
Hmm. Will I actually cook on Sunday? maybe.
Maybe I'll take that leftover salmon and flake it into some warm pasta, then top it with some half & half (or, sigh, substitute that with a can of fat-free evaporated milk) that's simmered in a pan till it's nice and thick and stirred together with some dill, some asparagus, zucchini and/or mushrooms. maybe some parmesan or romano. There's Sunday. A sort of semi-sabbath from gluten free and cream free. Maybe.
Monday: Cashew chicken in lettuce boats
Another easy day- Don't these look fun?
I'll be using leaves of butter lettuce or romaine, whichever is cheaper.
Let's put those, if you want to, with some lime-cilantro rice
need some alternatives?
if you've still got leftover salmon, or you don't like it with pasta, how about salmon patties, or a nice salad nicoise?
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Salmon-Salade-Ni-oise-8
and, if you do cook pasta for the leftover salmon, and use a fun shape... say... bowties, you can turn the leftover pasta into a pasta salad- here's a nice one:
Happy eating, and have as much fun as you can feeding the tummies you love. Even if it's no one's tummy but your own.
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