purplewiz
-
Posts
1,033 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by purplewiz
-
-
That is the way I see it. When pizza/subs/pasta suddenly pretty much leave your menu, you have to get creative. Were it not for jumping onto Atkins I would have never gained an interest in Indian cuisine, nor making my own sashimi, nor lots of cool thai dishes, brasies, and great composed salads.
This has been one of the unexpected but wonderful benefits of changing how we eat- all the new things we've been discovering. I realized I'd gotten to be a lazy cook - instead of actually making something interesting for dinner, I found myself more often than not just tossing some pasta in pot, throwing some sauce over it (and not from scratch, either!), and calling it dinner.
I think in the last 10.5 months, I've made more new recipes than I made in the last three years combined. I've found out I really like kale, that green beans cook up really nicely on the grill, that stinky blue cheeses are wonderful, that radishes are a vegetable and not just for on top of salads, and that the more I make reduction sauces, the better I get at them.
And as I was explaining to my mother today, who still doesn't get this "weird diet", I LIKE the food I'm eating. It's not penance, as most "diet food" seems to be. It's stuff I'd happily eat anyway because it's good and tasty and enjoyable.
Speaking of which, I need to come up with some ideas for creative football food for tomorrow night. First official game of the NFL season calls for good eats.My parents always used to serve cooked sausage, cut into rounds, with a variety of mustards for dipping into.
Marcia.
-
Marcia, I have to admit that I have a hard time visualizing the benefits one would receive from a reduced carb diet without ketosis.
Ending binging/mood swings, permanent weight loss, improved triglycerides, improved cholesteral, suppressed appetite, increased metabolism, conserved lean body mass...
Actually, that sounds pretty much like what is going on with me -on top of that, I had another chronic medical condition clear up that my doctor had previously told me I was just going to have to learn to live with.
I have a strong suspicion that the amount of carbs a person can eat regularly and maintain the benefits is an intensely individual thing. Part of what makes this process so interesting is changing the intake variables and watching the results to zero in on what's optimal for me.
Low carb is a big umbrella. And, in your own way, you are under it. Please don't let my zealotry prevent you from sharing your reduced carb cooking experiences with us. I have no doubt that you have something valuable to contribute to this discussion.Thank you - I also look forward to hearing what you have been cooking and eating! There are so many good things to eat out there which have few to no carbs, and I'm always interested in new ideas and recipes.
Marcia.
-
Whether your doing your own thing or following an established program, you really won't get the benefits of low carbing by consuming an occasional small amount of sugar and knocking yourself out of ketosis. Find a halfway decent commercial product or make something yourself. If you're going to do it, do it right.
I guess I need to ask the question: is this thread only for the very low carb diets that result in ketosis, or for any diet that is markedly reduced in carbohydrates from the standard American diet?
If it's the former, I'll bow out quietly, because I've never been in ketosis and I won't be in the future - this is on doctor's orders, the same doctor who recommended drastically reducing my carbohydrate intake. This is in no way meant to cast any aspersions on those who are following a diet which includes ketosis -my being medically forbidden to do so is due to other personal physiological reasons.
However, I have a number of friends who are on Atkins, South Beach, etc., and I've found we do share a lot of the same challenges - and a lot of recipes. But I really don't want to cause any problems.
Marcia.
-
I would be very interested in if they change texture much, i.e., soften up a bit like a potato would when cooked.
The radishes did indeed soften and become much less peppery in the sautee last night (snow peas, radishes cut in about sixths, tossed with some butter/evoo, then dressed with a dash of sesame oil and soy). In fact, in retrospect, they didn't taste like you'd expect radishes to at all - they worked nicely, though. I'm thinking a home fry preparation could be really interesting.
Marcia.
-
We've been on a "roll your own" reduced carb diet (as opposed to "low carb") for going on a year. I'm also an inveterate chocoholic - I've told my doctor if it's give up chocolate or die early, well, it's been a nice life. My current favorite is Lindt 85% cocoa solids - 4 large squares are only 8 grams, and one square is usually enough. I have yet to find a "sugar free" chocolate I like - they all taste fake or waxy to me. I think I just don't like maltitol. Like the previous poster, I'd rather have a little real chocolate than lots of the other.
I've also been using a lot of radishes - in salads, freshly pickled, smashed radishes, sauteed. When I was growing up, radishes were only eaten on sliced on a tossed green salad, and it's been a great deal of fun exploring other possibilities.
This has been one of the unexpected benefits of changing how we eat - basically being forced to look beyond the obvious and experiment. We've found all kinds of new preparations and new foods we really like that we simply wouldn't have thought of otherwise.
Marcia.
-
I like the idea of going to the grocery store with the sale flyer and making a meal out of that. Very useful for your average home cook who may be cooking the same 10 things but may also be too intimidated to try anything tooooo exotic. At the same time you could maybe sneak one new item or technique into each meal.
Most people I know change their menus around if there's something good on sale - heck, so do I. I ran into New Mexico chiles and pork on sale two days ago - sounds like green chile stew to me!
And I like the idea of new techniques - for example, most people steam cauliflower, or maybe serve it with cheese sauce (those were the only two presentations in my family when I was growing up) - but roasting it is so good and so easy, and it's the kind of thing so many people wouldn't even think of.
If were you were going to sneak in new stuff, this would be a great place to go after the "weird" produce or cuts of meat that are often cheaper (remember the lack of budget!), like kale, or pork arm roast. I feel somewhat confident in calling them "weird", because at least once when I was buying each, someone else asked me "so, what do you do with that?".
Marcia.
-
Honestly? I'd probably put together a show called something like "grocery store cooking" - minimal kitchen set (heck, use my kitchen), and ingredients that I bought that day at the local Safeway/King Sooper/whatever. Emphasis on what's in season and what's on sale. No truffle oil, foie gras, haricots verts, Asian chilies, or bok choi - just stuff that the average Joe Schmoe might actually be able to find in a semi-reasonably stocked grocery store. Which is really all you need to make some pretty amazing meals.
Marcia.
-
I had long had a "food fantasy": to be well-known enough at a restaurant - any restaurant - to be able to walk in, hand them my credit card, and say "feed me".
One of my online friends used to be a cook at a little bistro in Kansas City, and I had told him about this ages ago. Through a long series of circumstances it turned out that I would be passing through Kansas City on a road trip, so we arranged that I he'd cook me a meal at the restaurant.
I arrived early afternoon, after lunch rush, and was shown to the best table in the house. My friend came out from the kitchen and presented me with a printed menu of the 6 course meal he had planned. I still keep the menu right here - the meal consisted of:
Chocolate truffles served with wild ripened cheddar cheese
Yellowfin tuna, medium rare, topped with Green Death (see below)
Salad of mixed organic mesclun greens tossed with sherry shallot vinaigrette
Creamy polenta topped with flashed morel mushrooms in demiglace
Green apple sorbet intermezzo
Filet of pork tenderloin marinated in plum wine and jerk spice, served with baby asparagus and
rosewater-orange couscous
Dark and white chocolate napoleon with raspberry and lime coulis
Green death: take a quart of hard cider, reduce to 1 cup or so, and use this liquid to reconstitute wasabi. Eat with caution. Delicious, but will clear your sinuses.
Each course was presented beautifully, and the taste was out of this world. The only problem was that I had to start asking for boxes with the first course, or I KNEW I wouldn't have any room for the rest of them. (My husband and I both were able to make a meal of the leftovers - my friend is nothing if not generous!)
It was a wonderful experience - being served exquisite food tailored to my likes and dislikes, the few other patrons in the restaurant wondering just who I was and why I was getting the VIP treatment, being able to eat at a leisurely pace - and with the morels, being served a dish I would have NEVER even thought of ordering had it been on a menu, but which has ended up being one of the top 10 dishes I've ever eaten, period.
After the meal, I received a tour of the kitchen, had a chance to meet and thank the rest of the staff, and then spent several hours chatting and drinking coffee with my friend.
Sadly, he's no longer in the food business, having gone through the computer business and now looking at law school, but I will always thank him for giving me one of the best experiences of my life.
Marcia.
-
I keep a running list. If I use up the last of something or notice we're running low on something, it goes on the list. I also explicitly list things I absolutely don't want to forget, like "cold cuts" or "cheese". I usually see what's on sale before deciding exactly what to buy.
I'll also list "unusual" ingredients that I just wouldn't think of if I'm planning to make something new.
It's also for my husband - he used to have a habit of saying "oh, I need X", which I would then promptly forget, causing all kinds of issues. Now the rule is: Put It On The List. If It's Not On The List, I Don't Know About It.
But for things like fruits and vegetables, I never bother to list them (unless they fit a category above), because 1. I know we always need them and 2. I buy what looks good/is on sale. I like to be able to take advantage of seasonal buys - I just went grocery shopping today, and didn't plan to buy string beans, but they were .99/lb, and looked good, and we've been enjoying them grilled.
I remember the list because the notepad is kept directly next to where I keep my purse, and the folder of coupons is kept right next to that. So when it's time to go shopping, I grab my purse, tear off the list, and grab the coupon folder.
Yes, I use a lot of coupons. I just checked the receipt from this afternoon, and I saved $12.30. An average week for me is about $10 in coupons, which is $520 a year - pays for the newspapers and a number of other things :-).
Marcia.
-
What more should she have done? Come out and burden her guests by telling them some tale of woe about someone from the kitchen calling off, or another who has car trouble or one of the line cooks is freaking out?
Guests don't want to hear about that. They really don't seem to care and are only interested in the quick arrival of their food and not the excuses.
Perhaps some guests don't want to hear it, but as a frequent restaurant customer, I *do*.
Granted, I'd prefer not to hear the long, drawn out version of it, but I'd really rather know that there's a delay in the kitchen than sit there, playing with the breadsticks, wondering if they had to send out for my dinner or not.
I understand that things go wrong, things get backed up, crap happens - hey, it happens to me, too. If I know what you're up against, and what to expect (like when I can expect dinner), I can understand. Maybe if I'm in a rush, I might need to punt, but at least I have the choice.
An example: my husband and I went to a local restaurant, and as we were being seated, the manager came over and explained they had a fire in the kitchen that morning, and one of their ovens was destroyed. She then listed the somewhat long list of items on the menu that they couldn't cook, and explained that she would understand if we didn't want to eat there after hearing this, and hoped we'd come back.
It wasn't a problem for us, since we'd wanted something not on that list, and apparently, from the number of other customers, it wasn't a problem for a lot of people. If she hadn't been up front about it, there would probably have been a lot of angry people - instead, we were all on the same page.
Getting back to the original poster, I'd've been ticked, too, if the server disappeared so that they couldn't even catch her eye.
Marcia.
-
I don't hide things so much as "out of sight, out of mind". My husband is a creature of habit, and if the snack foods aren't in the regular places he's used to looking for them, he will assume we don't have any and won't look any further.
The stuff I'm "hiding" is in the drawer right next to the one with the nuts and wasabi peas, but he never goes into it. I think this all falls under the category of "know your spouse".
Marcia.
-
-
If it doesn't taste good, I ain't eatin' it.
Marcia.
-
How about grilled on the BBQ?
I took some fresh beans, cut off the tips, tossed with olive oil and some seasoned salt, and cooked them on the grill. If you put them down perpendicular to the openings on the grill, they don't fall through :-).
I let them go until they were starting to char, about 2-3 minutes, rolled them over, did about the same on the other side. Tossed them with a little more olive oil and served.
My husband, who basically doesn't like green beans, has requested them again. Soon.
Marcia.
-
Three bottles:
The ubiquitous Hidden Valley Ranch. Yeah, I like it, and so does my husband.
Marie's Super Blue Cheese. Very blue cheesy.
Someone's chipotle cheddar stuff I bought on a whim because it sounded like it could be interesting. Not enough chipotle to taste, not enough cheddar to taste, and WAY too sweet. I don't know why I'm saving it - it's probably going into the garbage.
One bottle in the pantry: Annie's Goddess. Will get opened as space and whim permits.
Do I get any bonus points because I also have a small container of leftover homemade balsamic vinaigrette that I served over heirloom tomatoes and mozzarella tonight?
Marcia.
-
Made carnitas tonight...yum! Thanks for the inspiration. I forgot to get tortillas so I'll be having mine with black beans and rice.
Hey, I did, too!
Ok, so ti was really my second run through the recipe, since the first time I did not use a fatty enough cut of pork. This time I used the boneless country style ribs currently on a good sale at Safeway, and oh yes, they gave off enough fat to fry properly.
I served them over quesadillas with a little salsa and a salad on the side.
I HAD leftovers for about 3 hours....then my husband polished them off.
If he hadn't, I would've.
Marcia.
-
Beef jerky. If I'm lucky, the gas station in the Middle of Nowhere in a Big Square State will have a local brand, and I'll get to try something new.
Otherwise, it's diet vanilla Pepsi or Coke and Breath Savers. I try to stock up at full grocery stores along the way.
Marcia.
-
Expanding on the topic of blue/bleu cheeses, I've been having a great deal of fun working my way through the wide variety of blues at our local upscale market. (I'm also working my way through the cheddars and everything else, but concentrating on the blues lately.)
Would you recommend some varieties to look for? I've worked through the names I recognized (Humboldt Fog, Maytag, Cabrales, Point Reyes) and while the adventure of just picking what looks interesting is sometimes fun (found a Bleu de Causses which turned out to be delightfully pungent and wild), it's always useful to have some direction!
Thanks - I've been enjoying reading all your responses.
Marcia.
-
Where does one go to get a knife sharpened?
We have a knife/sword/sharp objects store in the local mall that also does knife sharpening. I wish I had the time to learn to do it myself, but there are other priorities. I did learn to use a steel, though - makes a large difference between sharpening.
Marcia.
-
I like my chicken overcooked.
There, I've said it, I feel better.
Don't give me that stuff that's cooked just until the "juices run clear" - I want my chicken COOKED. In fact, my favorite part of the grilled chicken breast is the somewhat solid, usually golden brown and chewy thin tail end. Yum.
And the one truly awful food I would like to try again is the pizza from my first grade school cafeteria. It was a long, thin rectangle, the crusts on either end making somewhat of a sleigh bed for a bright red sauce and small oval of cheese. It was completely unlike any pizza I've ever had before or since, and I would pay good money just to taste it once again, to see how it compares to my memories.
Marcia.
-
I hate the self-checkouts. They are SLOW - because every single person using them has to read the instructions and learn how this particular one wants things scanned/bagged....instead of training ONE person, the checker, to do it. I won't use them if there is a line, because 99 times out of 100, the same sized line at a register with a checker will move 10 times faster.
This is also why I hate the "swipe your own" credit card machines. Every stupid one is different and takes 10 times the amount of time a checker could swipe it. And then I have to hand it to the checker to check the signature anyway. Stupid stupid stupid.
And never mind that the self-check stands have this "sensor" thing going so they know that you've put another item in your bag, so there's NOWHERE to put down your purse to get out your wallet and credit card. (Side note: if I could carry a smaller purse, I would, but then my husband would have no place to have me carry all his things
.)As for those who run their carts into my behind, I have perfected the "stare of death". It is a facial expression that conveys the message: "Do that one more time, and I will rip out your throat." It works surprisingly well. The stare, that is. Not the throat ripping.
Marcia.
-
I've been reading MFK Fisher lately and tucked away in a chapter on soup is a brief section on cold soups. She gives a recipe for Vichysoisse (really a recipe for cream of potato with a "chill thoroughly and serve next day as Vichysoisse" footnote), a Gazpacho, and best and oddest of all, a Cold Buttermilk Soup. I made it a few days ago; was easy, unique, and I really liked it:
1.5 lb shrimp, cooked and chopped
1/2 med. cucumber, fine dice
1T minced fresh dill
1T prepared mustard (dijon worked well for me)
1t salt
1t sugar
1 quart Buttermilk
Mix together shrimp, cucumber, and seasonings; stir in buttermilk; chill thoroughly. 6 servings.
Thanks VERY much for posting this recipe - I made it for a light supper last night, and it was outstanding. If anything, the leftovers this morning were even better - the flavors had really blended nicely. I served it with a spinach salad.
Marcia.
-
I know you're probably looking for a more traditional-style chicken salad, but this is one of my favorites.
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 whole roasted almonds, chopped very roughly
1/2 cup tamari
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
The secret to this is to let it sit for at least an hour, preferably overnight, so the dressing is absorbed by the chicken. It's a very loose salad, so it's best served in pitas.
This is based on a chicken salad they served at Harmony Farms in North Carolina, where I first had it and fell in love with it.
Marcia.
-
i love spam
Oh, I'm SO glad someone said it first! I was afraid I was going to have to let my dirty laundry hang out alone...
In fact, one of my current favorite meals is to fry up cubes of spam, stuff them in an omelet with cheese, and topped with some of Jaymes' salsa and a dollop of sour cream. It's remarkably tasty.
I also love kale. When I mention this, the reaction most of the time is "ewwwwwww". (Not here, though!)
Peanut butter and lettuce sandwiches. The lettuce adds crunch, and just enough moisture to keep the peanut butter from sticking to the roof of your mouth.
Marcia.
Low and lower carb ways of eating
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
Cheap and low carb seems to be an oxymoron *sigh*.
But when I want a cheap meal, and eggs are out, I go for canned tuna. I don't know how cheap it is in Japan, but for $0.99/can, I can get pretty good chunk light stuff. Tuna salad, tuna bean salad, tuna vegetable casserole, tuna combined with cream cheese on zucchini rounds (or in zucchini cups).
Overall, though, I shop sales. We have a chest freezer, and when the stores have their semi-annual loss leader sales, I stock up.
And yes, in season vegetables. Lots of in season vegetables. Again, if I can freeze them, I will. Just froze a lot of green chiles (on sale for next to nothing right now) for future pork green chile stew.
But sadly, it's just not cheap.
Marcia.