Food Blog:
Cook In.
Eat Out.
Miss Tenacity.
New Mexico.
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Thursday, June 30
Off To See The Wizard....
...I will be on vacation for the next week and a half, during which time I may or may not be able to add any new posts.
For now, you will be left with a lunch salad I had the other day.
Steak & Mango Salad
(serves 1)
Salad:
3-6oz steak, any kind, seared rare (or leftovers of same)
1/2 head of romaine, torn into bite sized pieces
1 mango, cubed
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
Dressing:
1/2 red onion, sliced thin & steeped in: juice of 1 lime
1 t sesame seeds
1 t fish sauce or soy sauce
1 t chili garlic paste, or 1 small diced chili plus 1 minced clove garlic
1 t grated ginger
2 T buttermilk or yogurt
cilantro
Let the onions steep in the lime juice as long as you can (30+ minutes is best). Then make the dressing. Toss the salad stuff gently with the dressing. Eat. Smile.
Time posted: 14:45 [permalink]
Tuesday, June 28
Listening to the Body
Slugging down coffee this AM in the absence of a desire to eat. I seem to forget so easily the 12-24 hour deflation of hunger and inflation of belly that occurs after I go a little nuts on the ice cream.
But that's how it balances out - you eat a little (or a lot) more one day, and less the next. If you are in touch with your hunger signals, it usually works out just fine.
How to know when you are hungry: It doesn't take too much time to learn this skill, but it takes constant practice to hone it and keep it useful. And you'll have to get really, really hungry a few times to learn what that feels like. The easiest way to do this is to eat a hearty breakfast immediately upon rising for about a week - things that stick with you like a big bowl of oatmeal or granola with yogurt - and then, one day don't have breakfast. Have coffee if necessary, but don't eat food until late morning or even noon. You will likely be ravenous by that point. Monitor those sensations. I find they go like this:
1. After waking up you will already feel slightly hungry, a little hollowness in your gut.
2. Having coffee will quell that for a short amount of time, but think about your stomach - visualize what is in it - is it empty, hastily processing that coffee, or starting to growl already?
3. About mid-morning growling might have begun, and the hollowness should be noticeable. Your stomach itself may not be "hollow" as in concave, but it will feel like there is a void, just below your heart - not in your lower belly. This will be exacerbated if the coffee consumption causes you to have a morning bathroom break.
4. Later in the morning, approaching noon.... Food may be the prime thought in your brain, and feeling a little woozy is possible. That's low blood sugar, which has a much higher likelihood of happening if your usual breakfast was more sugary (like cereal instead of oatmeal). You may even start to get a headache. Observe all of these sensations, make mental notes, and ideally make actual notes - write down how it feels to be hungry, what your thoughts are, how long it has been since having food.
5. You can take this experiment as long as you want, but when you are actively observing your hunger, it will grow more quickly than if you hadn't even noticed the hunger due to distraction or an engaging project. But take it a full day, if you dare, even 24 hours. Just don't go completely nuts on the coffee - you are now in fasting mode and a far better thing to be drinking is water or tea.
Good luck with your hunger project. Once you can recognize true hunger, it is so much more pleasurable to eat in line with that hunger. You can ask yourself, 'what am I really hungry for?' and play out the possible answers in your head. Salty? Something crunchy and salty? Warm? Cool and sweet? Bitter? Tangy or spicy? Acidic? Meaty? Items that your body is actually craving will sound positively luscious, and things that are not really needed at this time will conversely just not appeal to your tastebuds. How much your body is able to tell you what it wants is truly fascinating.
Time posted: 08:58 [permalink]
Monday, June 27
Get that high-pro glow!
No, I haven't been reduced to eating Kibbles & Bits, thank you very much.
However... My quest to really ramp up the amount of protein I consume each day over the last 6 weeks or so has worked! My average daily protein used to be between 60 and 80 grams - far less than I really needed. My lean body mass (LBM) is 95-100lbs, so I should be getting at least 1 gram per day per pound of LBM.
Through deliberate effort and monitoring, my average grams per day now is about 90-95, and continues to rise. Based on the maintenance level weight training I am doing, this can only be good, and it will probably mean that even doing maintenance weights I will gain some definition OR strength but probably not both. No matter. Near the end of the summer I will re-start a genuine strength training program and will need 120 grams of protein per day or more, plus tons of water so my kidneys don't complain.
Over the weekend I tweaked my luscious banana-walnut ice cream to give it a more athlete-friendly protein count. No offense intended to those who make frozen treats out of cottage cheese - as is common on bodybuilding forums - but YECHHHH! This recipe is for those who like having your genuine ice cream and eating protein, too.
Here's the nutrient breakdown, to get you interested (very similar to a protein energy bar, but with double the fat due to having both half & half and walnuts present - and that 'extra' fat will also mean a smaller serving will fill you up):
Per 1 cup serving, or half a pint, or half the whole recipe...all the same:
279 calories
14.4g fat (6.9g saturated; 3.5 mono unsaturated; 3.1 poly unsaturated)
22.3g carb (2.4g fiber, 9.9g sugar: 1.9g sucrose, 3.7 glucose, 3.6 fructose)
15g protein
Omega-3: 685mg
High-Pro Banana Walnut Ice Cream:
3/4 cup half & half
1 extra-large banana, so ripe the skin is black (about 150g net weight)
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 large walnut halves
1 tsp dark rum
1 serving ON's 100% egg protein, vanilla custard flavor (22g protein)
[Instructions: note that 2 items are critical to good texture of the finished dish - the scalding and the aging overnight. I have put them in ALL CAPS to beat home the point even more strongly....]
Heat the half & half up in a small pan to SCALDING (180 degrees or just get it really hot but not boiling). Take off the heat and let it cool to nearly room temperature. Add the vanilla. Put the peeled banana in a container and pour the half & half over it. Chill OVERNIGHT.
[Toast the walnut pieces until they get slightly browned and very fragrant. Let them cool, chop finely, and reserve for later.]
Next day, blend the chilled ingredients with the protein powder until well combined, add the rum, and freeze in your usual ice cream way (with a machine is preferable for good texture).
When the ice cream is soft serve and ready to pack into a storage container for further hardening, fold in the walnuts.
As with all homemade ice creams, this is best the day it is made, but it will hold for a few days just fine.
This tastes like actual ice cream, not like a cold sweet protein mix that you try to tell yourself is 'ice cream'. It is truly awesome, and no sacrifice whatsoever. Plus those Omega 3's from the walnuts is a nice bonus. Enjoy!
Time posted: 09:37 [permalink]
Thursday, June 23
Home Food.... Recently
Just catching up on some of the food I've cooked at home in the last week or so, lest ya'll think that I just eat out or stuff my face with protein bars and pudding.
STEAK SALAD (with skirt steak, baby greens and gorgonzola):
WILD MUSHROOM TOFU STIR FRY (showing that I am not afraid of ANY good food, regardless the hippie implications):
GREEN SALAD W/ TURKEY & MANGO:
Time posted: 13:43 [permalink]
Tuesday, June 21
Preventing Foaming In My Afternoon Snack
...or what passes for my afternoon snack, at the moment.
I am eating something with these ingredients, mostly but not necessarily in this order:
WHOLE ORGANIC SOYBEANS, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SEA SALT, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, MALTODEXTRIN (FROM CORN), TETRASODIUM PYROPHOSPHATE AND DISODIUM PHOSPHATE (FOR THICKENING), CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SKIM MILK, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SALT, CALCIUM SULFATE, XANTHAN GUM (FOR SMOOTH TEXTURE), MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES (PREVENT FOAMING), ASPARTAME AND ACESULFAME POTASSIUM (SWEETENERS), YELLOW 6, YELLOW 5, ARTIFICIAL COLOR, NATURAL FLAVORS, CARRAGEENAN, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2, Riboflavin (B2), Vitamin B12.
Can you guess what it is? Try not to Google it, please - go from the ingredients list. I know you can do it! Don't forget, this product has a "smooth texture"!
Mmmmmm.... tetrasodium pyrophosphate....
Time posted: 14:41 [permalink]
Saturday, June 18
Tenabar: Almond Cocoa
(a protein bar)
First of all, what is the difference between a protein bar and an energy bar (and why the hell should I care)?
The first question I can answer quite easily.... if you don't already know the answer to the second, go ahead and skip this whole post. It won't do much for ya.
1) In my mind, the protein bar must contain a protein to carb ratio of no lower than 3:4. If there are 15 grams of protein, there can be no more than 20 grams of carbs. A protein bar is eaten with a specific purpose - to make up for a deficit in protein consumption in a moderately convenient form. A common brand name in protein bars is Balance Bar. Uber protein or bodybuilding bars usually contain the word "protein" or "ultra" or "mega" in their name, and they can taste like chocolately cement mix when done badly, as they can contain more than 50% protein by calorie count (**see note in next paragraph).
2) An energy bar is all of the other bars out there. Powerbars fit into the energy bar category, Clif, Luna, et cetera. They are primarily carbs (50-60% or more), with some protein and usually not much fat. The ratio for the classic Powerbar is 75/14/11% carb/protein/fat. **Strangely enough its the protein bars that tend to break the 20% fat level with some regularity. If its healthy fat, this is a good thing and fat can also make the bar more palatable.
One of the best tasting energy bars I have found is Larabar. I have even waxed poetic about them before, and recently Wild Oats lowered their price from $1.79 to $1.49. Yay, Sow Yer Oats!
[Second of all, why the "Tenabar" nonsense? Well, I am Miss Tenacity, and there are already Lara and Luna bars out there, so this is just a quasi-creative spin on those brands...]
Inspired by some demented reading on a weightlifting website, I was convinced I should have another go at making my own tasty refuel treats. After all, how else will I break my addiction to Balance Bar Cookie Dough flavor? Its shameful the amount of those things that I eat....
I found a recipe that looked like it had good ratio of c/p/f calories, and then tweaked it to lighten the carb count.
Here's the formula (makes 8 small or 4 large bars):
Almond Cocoa Tenabar
1/2c skim or soy milk
1/4c almond butter: (reduced fat slightly by pouring off oil from top of jar)
1/2t vanilla extract
1t molasses
2T cocoa powder
66g "worth" of unflavored protein powder (3 scoops of most brands)
1/2c rolled oats
few teaspoons of splenda (to taste)
Combine first four ingredients in microwaveable bowl and heat slightly to soften the nut butter. Mix well, then start adding the dry ingredients, combining thoroughly between each addition. Finally, add the oatmeal and get in there with your hands - your spatula will whimper at this task! Combine, shape into forms on/with saran wrap. Chill overnight, or at least for a few hours.
Per 1/8 recipe:
136 cal
11g carb (2g fiber)
12g pro
5g fat
32/35/33% ratio carb/pro/fat
What do they look like? Not to be to timid about it, they look like either like oatmeal-studded dark fudge, or something else that is dark brown and log-shaped. Your choice. For those of us who are fitness/health freaks, this wouldn't even cause us to hesitate on the way to the kitchen. We truly are demented that way. Note that they do SMELL really nice, like nutty chocolate, which in a way is what they are.
Ate one today (day after making them) and it was pretty tasty, for a protein bar. Meaning, its barely edible by normal food standards. I need to use better quality protein powder to cut down on the cement mix effect. I was trying to emulate the Balance Bar "Almond Brownie" flavor and I'm definitely on the right track, but have a ways to go. The texture at room temperature is like fudge - very soft but still holding together, and pieces break off cleanly with no stretch factor. It is not sticky at all due to the high fat content, but due to the same it is a bit greasy.
Next tweaks: figure out a way to eliminate splenda altogether, use chunky nut butter to have better texture in bar, grind up some of the oats to allow them to incorporate better.
Time posted: 17:16 [permalink]
It's 3pm - Do you know where your Appetite is?
So far today I have been awake for 10 hours, run up and down a mountain for 4 hours, and have eaten a grand total of slightly less than 500 calories. Yikes.
Off to re-load....
Time posted: 15:01 [permalink]
Wednesday, June 15
Jicama "Slaw"
Cabbage, as a class of vegetable, is tasty. Crunchy, tangy, assertive even when cooked to oblivion, it can do much. However, its effects can also "do much", and not in a Martha Stewart Its-A-Good-Thing kind of way.
Enter the jicama. A homely little specimen, this Mexican Apple can be intimidating at first encounter. But peel it, slice or cube it and then tart it up with lime, peppers and a little sweetness and you've got yourself an addictive little salad.
This is at least the 10th time I've made some kind of cold dish with jicama, and variation is the key. Protein and earthiness finally make an appearance in the form of Egyptian fava beans, a lonely can of which is no longer languishing on my lazy susan.
The salad is dressed with a typical yet tasty blend of lime juice, jalepeno pepper, salt, honey, and marinated red onions (sliced thin then allowed to sit in the rest of the dressing for at least 30 minutes).
In the end, the salad was very nice. The fava beans did start to fall apart after a few days, but the flavors worked well together so if the beans just ended up as part of the dressing, that's fine with me. :-)
Jicama Fava Slaw
1 small red onion
2 limes
1 small or medium jicama (think grapefruit dimensions, rather than cantalope)
3 jalapeno peppers
1 t aleppo chile powder
handful of dried date pieces
1 can of Egyptian fava beans, or whatever bean is festering on YOUR lazy susan
salt
Dice the red onion; squeeze the juice of the limes over it and let steep while you proceed. Peel the jicama and cut away any soft or funky spots. Dice into 1/2" cubes, or julienne if you're in that kind of mood. Dice the jalapenos finely, and chop the date pieces down to about raisin size.
Combine everything so far and mix really well. Drain and rinse the beans, then gently mix them into the salad. Check for salt level and add some if needed.
Allow to steep for at least 30 minutes, but the next day or two for lunch it will be fine - with the exception of the beans, which will gradually get mushy. Just be aware of that, but the salad will still taste great.
Time posted: 14:55 [permalink]
Sunday, June 12
On Balance & Godiva
I had a perfectly complemented set of dishes to eat today, a lazy Sunday at home working on the computer, working out, and reading books: a luscious and satisfying muesli for brekkie, goat cheese and chive omelet for lunch, some freaking KITCHAREE for a snack to tip the scales way over into "she's so healthy she makes me want to puke up patchouli oil", and then, this for dessert:
....but now I'm on an incredible sugar and chocolate high, its quite fabulous, really. Dark chocolate rules.
Time posted: 21:29 [permalink]
Friday, June 10
Anticipatory Rapture
Tomorrow, at long last, the Albuquerque Grower's Markets open for the season. There are 2 in the city of ABQ proper: one at Central near Louisiana, in the Caravan parking lot; the other at Central & 8th downtown in a city park. Other markets are already open in the greater area, such as in Los Ranchos (north valley), Corrales, the south valley, and Santa Fe (which is the ONLY year-round market in the state - for shame!). To see the full list, there is a helpful website with New Mexico farmer's markets, as well as one for the ABQ Growers Markets only.
The Caravan location opens at 6am, and the atmosphere there is a little more "hard core" - larger farmers, more serious shoppers, little to no merriment involved. I like it best in the late summer and early fall, when the 0600 hour means near-darkness, cool temperatures, and me with a steaming mug of coffee to warm my disposition and welcome the sunrise. Downtown, on the other hand, opens at 7am - an hour which normal mortals can at least aspire to. Further, downtown boasts at least one or two coffee and pastry purveyors, and often there is even live music to further perk shoppers up. The atmosphere downtown is funkier, more bohemian, more expensive, and even more touch-and-go with the availability of produce. Overall, its a toss-up: you might get potatoes dug out of the ground that morning for $3/lb downtown, but at Caravan you could get similarly fresh cantalope for $1 or less each.
Which one shall I go to? Probably downtown, at least this weekend. At least I can sleep an extra hour and greet the dawn with coffee in my own kitchen.
Time posted: 11:11 [permalink]
Monday, June 6
Best Ugliest Food Site
The colors make my head hurt, but still I keep going back to Baking 911 for great well-rounded content about all things baking. Once you've visited, maybe drop them a line about toning down the visuals. Perhaps we can exert change with heartfelt begging....
Time posted: 10:47 [permalink]
Thursday, June 2
Accomplished: Fresh Pasta
Put a little check mark next to the item on the culinary "to do" list that reads:
#35. Make fresh pasta.
I had intended to use a classic Batali formula, but ended up using the semolina I already had in the cupboard, whose previous purpose was for rolling out pizza dough and rolling it on and off the paddle. Semolina is shaped like little ball bearings, so it lets things slide quite well.
When you moisten it with egg, however, it actually can be made into a dough, and thusly I made pasta tonight. Being in the desert required some serious tweaking of the moisture I added, and unfortunately making a small batch with already roly-poly flour I had to mix the ingredients in a bowl instead of using the infamous well method so beloved on Molto Mario.
Here is my modified take on the formula:
Fresh Semolina Egg Pasta (serves 4-6)
1 cup semolina (fine grain, it should say on the bag it is meant for pasta)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 large eggs
drizzle of olive oil (optional)
Mix the flour and salt, and then gently beat in the eggs & oil with a fork until the dough gets rag-like in consistency. Turn it out onto a clean and large surface and start working it into a dough mass that you can knead. Once it has come together, knead for 3-5 minutes, until it feels a bit more loose and moist. Bring it together into a tight ball.
Wrap in plastic and let it sit on the counter for at least 30 minutes, but up to several hours.
Unwrap the ball and place it on a heavily floured surface (this time AP flour is going to make the work easier - you don't want the ball bearings at this stage). Flatten it out just a little and then start rolling it with your burliest rolling pin. [You obviously could use a pasta machine, but since I don't have one, you get the manual instructions....] It might be a bit rubbery - as you roll it out it will seem like it rolls a half inch and then retracts a quarter inch. Keep working it, letting it rest for a minute now and then to let the dough relax into its new shape. Keep rolling and rolling and rolling until it is as thin as you dare, but still strong and rather dry.
At 1/16" or less in thickness, you are ready to cut it. Get a large pot of salted water on to boil, and proceed with the slicing.
Rolled out, my ending shape was like a tornado, elongated but pointy. No matter....I trimmed into fettucine shape, just running my paring knife down across at a more or less consistent width, all the way down the long yellow pancake.
Once the water is boiling and the pasta is cut, drop it into the water and cook it 4-5 minutes. You will need to test a few times to make sure you don't overcook, but you also don't want it to taste like raw flour.
Drain it when ready, don't rinse, and toss with a simple sauce. The raggedy nature of manually rolled pasta will allow sauce to adhere beautifully, so a carbonara would be great or a bright green pesto. I happened to have some leftover arribiata with sausage, so I used that.
The flavor was excellent - no comparison to any dried pasta I have ever had. It was a little bit chewy, which may have been unacceptable to a pasta purist, but I liked it just fine.
Time posted: 21:27 [permalink]
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CONTACT ME: tenacity -at- gmail.com
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