A simple one--Lemon Grilled Asparagus

Lemon Grilled Asparagus
Dana Carpender’s Every Calorie Counts Cookbook Copyright 2006

1 pound asparagus
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

Snap the ends off of the asparagus where they want to break naturally. Discard the ends and place the spears in a plate with a rim – a glass pie plate will do nicely.

Mix together the lemon juice, oil, and garlic, and pour the mixture over the asparagus. Turn the asparagus this way and that, to coat. Let it sit.

Heat the tabletop grill. When it’s good and hot, lay the asparagus in a single layer. Grill for 10 minutes, and serve.

Yield: 3 servings Per serving: 61 cal, 5 g fat, 2 g protein, 4 g carbs, 2 g fiber
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Here's a quick one that wasn't planned. My mother-in-law gave me some asparagus from her garden on Sunday. The flavors in the recipe are simple but I was more interested in how it would come out using my Griddler. The Griddler gave it a nice grilled flavor since it really caramelized the asparagus. The stalks were quite thin and got pretty soft but I have to admit I like my vegetables cooked soft.

This was definitely faster than roasting the asparagus in the oven. I plan on using the Griddler to grill many more vegetables. My old George Foreman grill didn't work very well for thin items but the Griddler is great for them.

This is one of my newer cookbooks that was written by the same author who wrote many low-carb cookbooks but unlike many of those books, this one focuses on healthier recipes. Some of those other low-carb books are filled with high fat, high protein, high calorie recipes.

Okay, back to my little break.

Taking a bit of a break

I had to make some tough choices this weekend. Get work done around the house or work on blog material? The house won. I'm way behind and I only have about 10 weeks to go before the baby comes. We celebrated Russian Easter yesterday and we're stocked with leftovers to get us through one or two meals. I should have a few recipes later in the week. Or not. I do love my blog but I must pay attention to priorties right now.

Trying something different--Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnati Chili
American Dietetic Association Cooking Healthy Across America Copyright 2005

1 pound extra-lean ground beef, such as sirloin
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon allspice
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
12 ounces thin spaghetti, cooked I used Smart Taste
¾ cup finely shredded mild cheddar cheese I used 50% Light Cabot Cheddar
1 small onion, finely diced

Brown the beef and onion in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat, for about 5 to 7 minutes.

Add 2 cups water and the garlic, tomato paste, vinegar, chili powder, cocoa powder, Worcestershire sauce, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaves before serving. Adjust the cumin and pepper.

Serve over spaghetti. Add cheese and onions.

Makes 6 servings: Per serving: 320 cal, 12 g fat, 6 g sat fat, 40 mg chol, 520 mg sodium, 29 g carbs, 4g fiber, 24 g protein
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I've always been fascinated with Cincinnati chili. I've never eaten it before but I've seen it on many food shows. They ladle it over spaghetti for a 2-way, add cheese for a 3-way, onions for a 4-way and beans (cooked separately) for a 5-way. It always looked so damn good.

I knew the recipe traditionally had cinnamon in it but I figured it would meld into the other flavors, such as when you add chocolate or cocoa to chili which I've often done. It really doesn't though - the cinnamon stands out, which I found very off-putting. One of my two biggest cooking disasters since starting this blog involved a crab enchilada casserole that had cinnamon in a tomato sauce. I still get queasy thinking about it and we never even ate it - it went straight into the trash. The smell was enough to prompt it's dismissal.

When I smelled the cinnamon and allspice cooking in this chili, that was all I could think of but I was going to give it a chance. I compared this recipe to one I found on allrecipes and it looked similar enough that while this isn't completely authentic (it's a healthy recipe, after all), it looks like a fair representation of Cincinnati chili. It's probably not as fine textured and it's thicker but the flavor seems right. Cincinnati chili is loved by many so I figured there must be something to it. I made it the night before which I hoped would help.

In the end, with the cheese and lots of raw chopped onion (a 4-way), this wasn't half bad. I just don't know if I could get used to this kind of chili after 38 years of eating, I guess you would say, a Texas-style chili. I don't think I would make it again, although if I'm ever in Cincinnati, I might stop in at a chili parlor and sample the real McCoy.

Blast From The Past: Texas-Style Chili from January 2007. Yes, I think I'll stick to chili recipes in that style from now on.

Question of the Day: Have you ever had Cincinnati chili? Do you like it?

Spicy but not salty--Cajun Lemon Chicken Strips

Cajun Lemon Chicken Strips
American Dietetic Association Cooking Healthy Across America Copyright 2005

Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon cayenne

Spray a 9-inch square dish with the cooking spray. Add the chicken.

Blend the remaining ingredients in a small bowl; pour over the chicken. Turn the chicken to coat both sides. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour, but overnight is fine.

Grill 6 to 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through or bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. If grilling, discard the marinade. If baking, the chicken can be baked in the marinade.

Serves 8. Per serving: 140 cal 1.5g fat, 65mg chol, 120mg sodium, 4g carbs, 0g fiber, 26g protein
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Once again, I thought something was missing in this recipe and something was - salt! Of course. This cookbook is put out by the American Dietetic Association and all of the recipes are written by registered dietitians, I believe. These recipes are healthy from all angles, which includes being lower in sodium. This had lemon juice and ketchup so it wasn't flat, it just didn't have that oversalted taste that I'm so used to. That is a good thing, by the way. My blood pressure has been really good since starting this gestational diabetes diet but I know it's something I need to work on since it was starting to creep up before I got pregnant this time. I need to start watching my sodium intake a bit more.

I got absolutely nowhere last night when I sat down to plan next week's menu. I drew a complete blank. I'm getting a bit tired of healthy eating to be honest but I have little choice right now. I'm just plain getting tired.

Blast From The Past: Crumb-Coated Dijon Chicken from September 2006. That's a personal favorite and I think I'll add it to next week's menu. That's a start. I have everything to make it too.

Question of the Day: Do you pay attention to sodium intake?

Another stir-fry from my favorite new cookbook--Pork Tenderloin, Sweet Red Pepper, and Asparagus Stir-Fry

Pork Tenderloin, Sweet Red Pepper, and Asparagus (Broccoli) Stir-Fry
American Dietetic Association Cooking Healthy Across America Copyright 2005

1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons dry sherry, divided
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
1 tablespoon rice wine or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon white pepper
1 pound fresh asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces I used broccoli
1 large red bell pepper, trimmed, seeded and thinly sliced
1 8-ounce package fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
4 cups cooked brown rice (about 1 1/3 cups uncooked)

Cut the pork crosswise into ½-inch slices, and cut the slices into ¼ inch strips. Place in a zip-top plastic bag. Add the soy sauce and 4 tablespoons sherry. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Combine the chicken broth, 2 tablespoons sherry, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and the rice wine, cornstarch and white pepper in a small bowl; set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the pork and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes until lightly browned. Remove the pork to a dish and keep warm.

Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet over high heat. Add the asparagus and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and mushrooms. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes until tender. Add the garlic and ginger; stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sit-fried pork and the chicken broth mixture. Cook and stir on medium heat until the mixture thickens, about 30 seconds. Serve with the cooked rice.

Serves 8: Per serving: 250 cal, 7g fat, 35mg chol, 230mg sodium, 30g carbs, 4g fiber, 17g protein
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I've been doing a lot of stir-fries lately. It's a easy way to fulfill my nutritional requirements since they're generally heavy on vegetables and meat and light on carbs, if you limit the rice. This particular recipe didn't excite me that much. I'm not sure why - it was flavorful but I felt like something was missing. It was too mellow. Maybe the sauce could have used a little soy sauce too.

I used broccoli since I wasn't sure if my husband would like the asparagus. I'm not sure that he's as big a fan of stir-fries as I am but I always make some egg or spring rolls along with them and I know he likes those.

I had to go to so many stores to find jarred ginger. I prefer the jarred variety and I always have trouble finding it. I was just about to give up when I moved a few things over and found one lone jar sitting all the way in the corner of the produce section.

I love this cookbook. I picked it up in Ollie's for under $10 (even used on Amazon it's over $20! - yay Ollie's!). It breaks down recipes by region which I'm never crazy about (recipes end up all over the book - you can't just flip to the chicken section for a chicken recipe) and there are no pictures but there are so many recipes in there I want to try. In fact, I'm cooking from this same cookbook the entire rest of the week.

It isn't just recipes either - the book includes other information regarding healthy eating. It's definitely one of my favorite finds.

I'm running out of steam. It's impossible to sleep through the night anymore (I have to get up at least once, usually twice to pee). I'll have to keep that in mind when choosing recipes for next week. I need simple, simple recipes.

Blast From The Past: Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes from February 2006. I really miss pancakes. I know I could work them into my meal plan but I think it's too dangerous. I want a HUGE stack of pancakes.

Question of the Day: What kind of ginger do you cook with? Dried, jarred or fresh?