midweek dericiousness

(sorry, kids...i've been slacking on the blogging. i know, i know. i'll be better, i promise!)

i was very disappointed to learn that there was no new lost this past week, but this was NO reason to not have a delicious midweek meal. jim was coming over for dinner, so it of course had to be something uber healthy. kiran was eating too, though, so it had to be something deceptively healthy. my solution?

turkey burger paninis & grilled asparagus

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 1/4 lb ground turkey (i used 99% lean for jimbo)

1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts

1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 whole garlic loaf (or any loaf of bread), sliced into 16 slices

8 slices muenster cheese, each slice cut in half

1 bunch asparagus

4 tbsp olive oil

nonstick spray

1 lemon

put 2 tbsp of olive oil in a saute pan over medium low heat. warm the oil for a minute, then place the onion in the pan. sweat them and toss around in the pan occasionally until all the slices are covered in the oil, then pop a tightly fitting lid on it and lower the flame. allow it to caramelize while preparing the turkey meat, checking on it occasionally and stirring. when the onions are soft and a light brownish color (about 15 minutes), add the balsamic vinegar and pepper to taste and stir into the onions. set aside.

preheat a grill pan over a medium high flame. combine the turkey meat, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, dijon mustard, and some salt & pepper. score the meat with your hand into 4 equal sections, then divide each section into 2 for 8 small patties. spray your grill pan with nonstick spray. form each patty to fit the shape of your sliced loaf and place on the grill. since they are small, they will only take about 2 minutes per side. in the meantime, set up an assembly line with your slices of bread, cheese on each piece and caramelized onion on each sandwich. once the turkey patties are cooked through, your assembly should look like this:

bread

1/2 slice muenster cheese

caramelized onion

turkey patty

1/2 slice muenster cheese

bread

use one side of the grill pan to grill and press the sandwiches to melt the cheese and toast the bread while you prepare the asparagus on the other side (or use a panini press and use the grill for the asparagus). the bread should have nice grill marks on both sides and the cheese should be slightly melty to bind the whole sandwich together.

while you're grilling the sandwiches, prepare the asparagus. toss with the remaining olive oil, salt and pepper and throw them on the grill for about 5-6 minutes while you grill the sandwiches on one half. when they're done grilling, squeeze the lemon juice on top and there you go...the perfect side dish to a healthy sandwich!

man, risotto is needy

there are many things that i have yet to make. most of these things are either labor intensive or take way too long. examples: a whole turkey, fresh pasta, and until last night, risotto.

i bought a pack of arborio rice at the store about a month ago, thinking that i would take a stab at it one night when i had some extra time. unfortunately, i didn't get that extra time until a month after it was purchased, but no matter. it was all good. i still had some leftover homemade stock, so i decided that this would be a great way to use it. since i'm still on my "don't be a fatass" plan, i was looking for a way to make it with minimal amounts of (read: no) cheese. also, i didn't have any cheese left in my place and was too lazy to go to the store to get any.

surprisingly, the risotto didn't even need the cheese! it still turned out super creamy and delicious. i added lots of pepper and some lemon juice to cut the extra richness of it and came up with something that i will definitely make again. it's even healthy, so you don't have to feel guilty eating it! guilt free risotto - i think my life is complete. if you decide to make this (which i recommend), just make sure you have a good book to read while you're stirring, because you will be hovering above your stove for at least 30 minutes making sure your risotto is cooked just right. (it sounds like a nightmare boyfriend.)


i've named this risotto in honor of the book i was reading:

harry potter's risotto of secrets (and by secrets, i mean it has no cheese!!!)
4-6 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of arborio rice
1 bundle of asparagus, tough stems removed and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 can of artichoke hearts, chopped
2 carrots, shredded
1 lemon
salt & pepper

pour the stock into a pot and bring it up to a low simmer. keep it heated throughout the process, but don't let it go crazy boiling.

in a deep pan (i used my deep skillet), heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. add the garlic and onions and sweat them, being careful so they don't start browning. if they do, knock back the heat. when the onions are translucent, add the rice and coat in the oil. cook for 1-2 minutes, until the rice is lightly toasted.

once the rice is toasted, add 1/2 a cup of the heated stock. stir the stock into the rice and continue stirring until the stock is absorbed. when all the liquid has been absorbed, add another 1/2 cup of stock and the asparagus. remember the stir the rice frequently. (if you don't...i'm not sure what will happen, but i bet it won't be as good as mine. so listen!) once the liquid is absorbed, add another 1/2 cup of stock. repeat until the risotto is a nice, creamy consistency. it will take between 30-45 minutes. about halfway through the process, add the artichoke hearts & season the mixture with salt & a good amount of pepper. when the risotto is about ready, add the carrots and zest & juice of the lemon. test the seasonings and see if it needs more salt & pepper.

enjoy the healthy, creamy goodness!!

protein overload

in an effort to make the most of my dieting nonsense, i've been incorporating more protein into my daily caloric intake. i've come across a goldmine that's helping me accomplish this:

[enter SHIRATAKI NOODLES] (cue heaven music)

these bad boys are made from soybean and yams. they're only 40 calories per serving and can be used as a substitute for regular noodles in just about any dish. that includes stir-fries, pasta dishes...you name it! i ended up making the most protein-licious dish ever with these.

protein-o-rama stir-fry

16 oz. shirataki noodles, fettucine style
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp sriracha (or more; i like it spicy!) - i call this cock sauce, but it's the asian hot sauce with a green top
1 block firm tofu, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 inch ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, grated or minced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup broccoli, cut into florets
1/2 cup frozen corn

in a large, deep nonstick pan or wok, heat up the vegetable oil over high heat. while the oil is heating, drain the noodles in a colander and rinse with hot water. allow it to drain while you're preparing the rest of the dish. when the oil is hot, carefully put in the tofu in a single layer. do not disturb the tofu for at least 2 minutes - allow it to develop the oh-sooo-yummy golden crust. it generally takes about 5-7 minutes to get most of the sides nice and golden brown.

while the tofu is cooking, make your sauce. mix together the peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sriracha until combined. set aside.

when the tofu is golden on most sides, put in the crushed red pepper, garlic, and ginger. increase the flame to high again. cook for a minute. put in the onions and peppers and move them toward the bottom of the pan. allow them to sit undisturbed for a minute so they caramelize. put in the rest of the veggies and stir frequently. cook the veggies for about 2-3 minutes, then add the drained noodles. cook the noodles for a minute, then turn off the heat and add the peanut sauce. incorporate the sauce through the noodles and veggies thoroughly. serve and feel buff!

*update: i've been told that this is actually a vegan dish! look at how inclusive i am.

lean cuisine disaster

an impromptu celebration with the office on monday night made for a not-so-fun tuesday morning. in an effort to save money, i've been packing my lunch to work. however, packing lunch while hung over was not something that interested me in the least. i resorted to my emergency lunch stash: a lean cuisine.

i rarely buy lean cuisines, mostly because i would much rather cook my own food than just heat up something frozen. however, ralphs had them on sale for $1.50 each, so i decided that they would be good for emergencies. apparently, emergencies = hangovers in my book. anyway, i grabbed the lean cuisine and headed out the door.

in true hungover fashion, i couldn't stop eating all day. i gave in and heated up my lean cuisine pizza at 11:15 am.

first mistake: creamy alfredo sauce. i should never trust anything "creamy" in a frozen meal. second mistake: diet deep-dish pizza?? what was i thinking?

needless to say, the crust was flavorless (unless you count cardboard as a flavor), the sauce was weak and bland, and the only thing that made it tolerable was the copious amount of crushed red peppers i put on it and the need to shove every edible thing within arm's reach into my mouth.

lesson learned. lean cuisine, you will fool me no more!!!!