Restaurant Widow

Living the Pyramid - Day 4

Here is a list of foods eaten on Day 4 of Living the Pyramid (Thursday, November 16):

Breakfast: Brown Cow Low Fat Maple yogurt (yum!), Asian pear, and a banana
Late Lunch: Carryout sushi (eel, tuna and crab) from Tensuke Market, along with tomago (Japanese sweet omelet), miso soup with tofu, and a dish of edamame (green soy beans)
Evening: Low Fat yogurt and an apple
Exercise: Does doing the laundry count?

I consumed 3 of 3 fruits, 2 of 6 veggies (yikes!), 4 of 6 proteins, about 2 of 6 servings grains, 2 of 3 milk milk servings.  1154 calories, 25 grams of fat, 187 grams of carbs, 57 grams of protein, and 20 grams of fiber.

Thanksgiving Recipes I've Known & Loved

Well, it's about that time of year again.  I realize I posted this same think last year, but, as Thanksgiving comes every year, it's that time again.  Here are a few of my tried and true recipes (they are not, of course, all original to me, I just mean I've made them all a hundred times and they never fail me):

Party Potatoes
Sweet Potato Casserole (don't let the term casserole scare you - I promise, even lifelong sweet potatoe haters will love this)
Lisa's Perfect Sprouts
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Bon Appetit's Creamed Corn Gratin
Alton Brown's Turkey
Alton Brown's Cranberry Sauce
Lisa's Green Beans with Bacon

Happy Eating!

Living the Pyramid - Day 3

Wednesday got off to a good start, but I hit a road bump when Husband got a surprise night off (not that I wasn't thrilled, of course) and wanted to go to Alana's (not that I don't love Alana's, you all know I do).  I suggested maybe getting sushi, but it was cold, rainy and dark (at 6pm).  We were both in the mood for something a little more comforting.  I still did well by smart ordering and controling my portions.  Of course, no matter how good you think you are in restaurant ordering, you never know for sure.  I plan to write a post dedicated to this topic, but believe me: the reason everything tastes so good in good restaurants is because no one cares how much fat - especially butter - goes into the food.  I am constantly amazed to see our line cooks cooking side dishes and putting in giant hunks of butter.  There's a reason Brussels sprouts in my restaurant are delicious, and that reason is butter.  I try to get to them before they are fatted and cook them myself.  Of course, I don't have that luxury when dining in someone else's restaurant, so I just nicely asked if the Beef Burgundy was loaded with butter.  It doesn't have to be, and Alana said it wasn't, so I took her word.  The Brussels sprouts tossed with Boursin (a soft French cheese, usually flavored with herbs; they actually make a lowfat one which is quite tasty), on the other had, a completely different story . . . (but oh, were they ever good, and still, Boursin has half the fat of butter, so it's better for you, right?  Right?)  I bent my wine rule by having 2 glasses of red wine with dinner, but I did make it to the gym for a good workout.  Let's count the black beans as a veggie (they can go either way - meat or veg).

And so, here's the food list for Day 3, Wednesday, November 15th:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with dried cherries & pecans, latte
Lunch:  3 ounce pork chop with refried black beans and rice (white, alas)
Dinner:  (at Alana's) one fabulous shrimp as amuse bouche, beet stack salad with black walnut yogurt, 1/4 quail, 1 cup (roughly) beef burgundy with root veggies, which was delicious and perfect for the weather we were having, 1 cup Brussels sprouts, smothered in (hopefully no more than) one ounce Boursin cheese.  2 glasses red wine.

I consumed 8 of 6 proteins, 4 of six grains, 1 of 3 fruits (yikes!), 6 of 6 veggies, and 2 of 3 milk products.  I consumed 1905 calories, 57 grams of fat, 183 grams of carbs, 118 grams of protein, and 21 grams of fiber.  I also burned 385 calories, doing 45 minutes of the 30-60 recommended minutes of exercise.

Contributing Writer Husband on Beaujolais Nouveau

Well, it is November 16th, and it's the third Thursday in November.  That means it's Beaujolais Nouveau (heretofore referred to as BN) time.  Aren't you excited?  While discussing this last night over dinner at Alana's (yes, I made every attempt to stick to my pyramid guidelines,), I asked Husband if he would like to share his BN opinions with my readers.  Of course he would!  Don't come crying to me if BN day is your favorite wine day of the year.  I will forward your complains to Husband.  As a side note, BN is a traditional accompaniment to Thanksgiving dinner.  If you would like to read other thoughts on what to drink on Turkey Day, please stop by your local newsstand tomorrow and pick up next week's issue of Business First Columbus and flip to the Lifestyles section.  Yours truly has a blurb on this subject.

And so, without further ado:

Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé…quand va t'il partie?
For the past for few weeks wine shops and restaurants around the world have heralded the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau.  With much hoopla and gaudy-colored fanfare, this wine - the northern hemisphere’s first of the vintage - arrives on shelves and tables.  Restaurants and retailers stack cases of this purple punch…but what is the flower-labeled phenom all about? 
The Beaujolais region and its vines lie in the area just north of France’s culinary center of Lyons.  Despite flanking the epicenter of serious cuisine, Beaujolais is a decidedly un-serious.  Here, the humble Gamay grape is king and carbonic maceration* accents the grape's naturally fruity character.  The result is a fruit driven wine of great charm and glee…the sort of wine “you can drink under the shower.”  But what about this Noveau stuff?
Nouveau started innocently enough.  Imagine a 19^th century French farm…it’s late fall and the last of the crops have finally been harvested. The farmer and farm-hands sit down for a celebratory meal.  To slake their thirst they drew off jugs of wine from the still-fermenting vats.  The cloudy, bubbly and slightly sweet “wine” was low in alcohol and full of cheer.  Their hard work was celebrated with mugs of the “new” Beaujolais.  This exuberant brew and the cheer surrounding it soon spread and the citizens of Paris were soon clamoring for the newest wine possible.  In the 1930’s, the government stepped in and set the earliest date at which this wine could be considered wine.  In 1985, the government set the official release date as the third Thursday of November.   This was an effort to protect the “integrity” of nouveau, but in reality it set the minimum boundary for how bad the wines can be. 
Let’s be frank, the grapes for this wine were harvested between the middle of September and the middle of October.  They undergo lightning-fast vinification, brutal filtering and fining, slamming into a bottle and are shipped around the world…all in about six weeks.  There is no possible way that this “wine” can be anything better than gulpable.  More often than not they are course, slightly sweet and a little volatile with a strong character of bubblegum. But, who cares?  People drink it and people love it…what’s the harm?  Because Beaujolais does better and deserves better.
Nestled among the seas of uninteresting wines are hundreds of honest people make honest wines.  These are inexpensive, delicious wines with none of the sickening, cloying vapidness of the Nouveau.  They are fruity, fresh and above all else, drinkable.  But there is also a hierarchy within Beaujolais. Amongst the seas of vineyards are 10 ten regions that are considered unique.  These ten Crus, or growths, represent the finest that Beaujolais has to offer.  They all possess mind-altering levels of fleshy fruit and richness with each Cru adding its own unique flavor or character.  Fleurie offers lightness and a fresh floral character, Morgon offers depth and richness and Moulin-a-Vent complexity balance and, in the best examples, age-ability.  All of this and they rarely sell for more than $20. 
2005 was a banner year for Beaujolais and most of them have only recently hit the market.  So do yourself a favor, pass on the Nouveau this year and go for the real McCoy.  They may cost you a couple of extra bucks, but the quality will more than make-up for it.

-2005 Domain de Vissoux Beaujolais-Villages “Pierre Chermette” $15.99 unfiltered, unfined, un-chaptalized and au naturel.  Striking intense and blue-purple. The nose is pure, but discrete; the palate expresses itself fully, with both vivacity and a beautiful persistence of ripe fruit.
2005 Georges Dubouef…the 2005s from Dubouef are remarkable…some standouts $11.99-$24.99 
- 2005 Fleurie “Domaine des Quarte Vents”
- 2005 Moulin-a-Vent “Prestige”
- 2005 Regnie “Domaine des Chaponnieres”
- 2005 Morgon “Domaine Jean Descombes” (particularly fine)
- 2005 Brouilly “Domaine Combillaty”
- 2005 Beaujolais-Villages “Chateau de Varennes”
-2004 Nicols Potel Fleurie “Vieille Vignes” $22.99 Some earlier inconsistencies in early vintages seem to have been ironed out.  The 2004 is exuberantly floral with sleek purple/blue fruit and refreshing acidity.  Top notch.
-2004 Jean-Claude Lapalu Brouilly “Cuvee Vieille Vignes” $22.99 Unusual and unique Beaujolais.  Old vines and low-yields make for wines of incredible concentration and suave complexity.  Difficult to find, but well worth the search. 

*In the carbonic maceration process, whole, uncrushed grapes are placed into a sealed fermenter.  The weight of the grapes begins to crush the grapes below; intracellular fermentation begins and, in the absence of oxygen, color and flavor is extracted without developing harsh tannin.  The lid is lifted and a quick fermentation follows.  This process creates a bright, fruity wine whose aromas are typically accented with a crayon-bubble gum smell (no joke) which is a tell tale sign of wines produced in this manner.

A Year Ago Today . . .

It was a year ago today when I dined at The French Laundry.  I kept wondering why the date "November 15th" kept ringing a bell - considering that's all I thought of for about a 3 month period last fall!  I have no such plans for this evening's dinner, alas. 

Oatmeal - Give it Another Try

Nothing instilled fear in my heart as a child like waking up to the smell of oatmeal cooking (sorry, mom).  I don't know if it was the horrid texture or the fact that Dad thought we should eat it straight (sorry, dad), I simply hated it.  For a brief while, however, when I was a starving college student, I ate a lot of instant oatmeal.  These days, there's just no telling what they're putting in those packets, and let's face it, quick-cooking oats only take about 4 minutes longer than their instant cousins, and you can control what goes in.  Of course, there are also the slow-cooking pinhead oats, but for today's post, let's just talk quick oats.  They're available in the familiar tubular box with the smiling Quaker man on the front, but the least expensive way to purchase them is in bulk.  I purchased mine recently at Whole Foods for around 70 cents a pound - see, there are a few deals at Whole Foods.

Oatmeal is good for you, of course, we all know that.  It lowers cholesterol, it's good for your heart, it's full of fiber, etc.  It's good for those of us who have a hard time feeling full or satisfied when trying to be healthy (that feeling goes away, by the way, just give it time).  Because it is high in fiber, it sticks with you for longer than some other cereals, and if you add a little fat, fruit and sugar (yes, I said fat and sugar - you need those, people, stop thinking they're bad words), you have a nice little meal with will keep you going until lunch. 

I use palm sugar in this recipe because I love its savory, rich sweetness, and a little goes a long way.  Palm sugar is available in Asian grocery stores and usually has to be grated on a cheese grater or zester; it comes in cake form.  If you don't have any palm sugar laying about, I would use nice dark brown sugar. 

Don't shy away from nuts, even though they are full of fat.  Nuts are very good for you, and the fat they contain go a long way in satisfying the typical human urge to consume fat.  It may as well be a good fat.  There's a lot of research to support this, which maybe I'll look up and link later . . .

Oatmeal With Fruit & Nuts - Serves 1

1 cup water
1/2 cup quick cooking rolled oats
pinch salt
2 tbsp dried cherries, currants or raisins, roughly chopped
1 tbsp toasted pecan pieces
2 tsp palm sugar (grate and then pack down - it's about 1 1/2 tbsp fluffy) or 2 tsp dark brown sugar

Bring the water to a boil and stir in the oats, along with a pinch of salt.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, then taste for texture - you might want to add another ounce or 2 of water and cook a little longer; add the cherries and stir for one minute and then place in bowl.  Top with pecans and sugar.  Yum!

This recipe satisfies two servings of grains, one serving of fruit, and one serving of meat/nuts/legumes.  It contains 380 calories, 13 grams of fat (remember, it's good for you!), 9 grams of protein, 63 grams of carbs, and 8 grams of fiber.

Housekeeping Notes

In the interest of my computer operating at a reasonable (read: instant for impatient people like me) speed, I will be moving my thousands of photos to an external hard drive; please cross your fingers with me in hopes that nothing is lost, or I will cry and maybe throw things.  Hopefully you will not see any changes as this happens, but I just thought I'd warn my dear readers in case anything scary happened.  Later this week, I will attempt to move much of my content to a shared hosting service since I am vastly exceeding my allotted bandwidth, and I'd like to figure it out before Typepad figues out how to charge me for it.  If anyone has done this, any advice would be helpful.  Thanks!

+Eating the Pyramid, Day 2

Well, Day 2 has come and gone with, I think, good success.  I broke a rule by meeting Husband and his coworkers out for a drink after work.  Because I don't typically drink any kind of wine in a neighborhood bar (no offense, I just can't drink Corbitt Canyon), I opted for ONE light beer.  Good job, Lisa.  I even resisted one of my favorite work treats: double fried french fries with truffled mayo, made by one of our evil line cooks (just kidding, you know I love you all).  I chose to have a salad and bowl of Brussels sprouts instead.  Hurray.  What's more, I even made it to the gym for the required "vigorous exercise"! 

Although I stayed within my calories, I am finding it a little challenging to get in my veggies but I'm working on that.

And so, without further ado, here's the list of food consumed on Tuesday, November 14:

Breakfast: One banana, one latte
Lunch:  3 ounces whole wheat spaghetti with 1 can diced tomatoes, tomato paste and 4 ounces shrimp
Work/Dinner:  one latte, one orange, one salad with mixed greens, one ounce pecans, one ounce gorgonzola with a little extra virgin olive oil and vinegar, 1.5 cups Brussels sprouts, sauteed in 1 tsp olive oil, one tablespoon Jeni's goat cheese ice cream with cherries (research purposes only)
Snack: One banana
After work: One light beer
Exercise:  25 minutes elliptical, 15 minutes on treadmill, walking briskly uphill

By pyramid standards, I consumed 3 out of 6 grain servings, 5 of 6 meat servings, 3 of 3 fruit servings, 5 of 6 veggie servings - 6 of 6 if regular mesclun mix lettuce counts, 3 of 3 milk servings, both servings of olive oil (of course), and a few free calories squandered on the bite of ice cream and the beer.  For the day, I had 1740 calories, 55 grams of fat, 232 grams of carbs, 80 grams of protein, and 21 grams of fiber.  In addition, I burned 336 calories and performed 40 minutes of the 30-60 recommended.

Ponzu Braised Monk Fish, Beet Stuffed Squash

Monk fish is a great "beginner" fish, because it is relatively easy to prepare, is mild and delicious, and it tolerates overcooking better than most fish (not that I think you'll overcook it on your first try, of course).  Unfortunately, it isn't the most beautiful fish in the world, which is why it's kind of hiding behind the prettier squash.  This meal is very healthy and, although the side dishes take a little time in the oven, the hands-on time is very low.

Ponzu is a Japanese vinegar-based citrus marinade, sometimes mixed with soy sauce.  The ponzu I used has no soy sauce, making it light and tangy in flavor.  It's the perfect partner for fish, and it has virtually no calories.

Ponzu-Braised Monk Fish - serves 1

1 4-5 ounce monk fish fillet (or any firm white fish)
olive oil spray
1 cup ponzu, or water with juice of one lemon and 2 tbsp rice wine thrown in
Salt & pepper

Heat a medium-sized non-stick skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray.  Carefully add the monkfish and brown for a minute or 2 on all sides, then add the ponzu, turn the heat to medium-high and simmer for about 8 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.  If the pan runs dry, add a little water.  Remove the fish to a plate, season with salt and pepper, and reduce any remaining ponzu to a tablespoon or so; pour over the fish.

Beet Stuffed Sweet Dumpling Squash - serves 1

2 small or 1 medium beet, scrubbed and trimmed of root and stem end
1 sweet dumpling or other small squash, top cut off and innards scooped out
cooking spray
salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 350.  Place beets in a baking dish with one inch of water.  Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes, or until they are almost soft, remove to a cutting board to cool.  Place the squash in a separate dish, cut sides down, in 1/2 inch of water and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until squash is soft.  When the beets are cool, the skins should slip off.  Cube the beets.  Heat a medium nonstick skillet over high heat and spray with cooking spray.  Toss the beets in the pan with a little salt and pepper until they begin to brown, about 4-5 minutes.  Sprinkle the inside of the squash with salt and place the beets inside the squash.  Simple and good!

This dinner (fish, squash and beets) contains 362 calories, 9 grams of fat, 39 grams of carbs, 11 grams of fiber, and 35 grams of protein.  It satisfies 4-5 ounces of protein and 3 servings of veggies (including the important orange veggie category!)

Mizuna Salad with Cherries

Mizuna is a Japanese green - sometimes called Japanese mustard - which has a slightly bitter flavor.  It is great alone in salads or mixed with other greens (it's a common mesclun mix ingredient), and can be stirfried (very briefly).  If you don't have mizuna, try dandelion greens or another bitter green, such as endive or radicchio.  If you are following the pyramid with me, don't forget to measure!

Mizuna Salad with Cherries - serves 1

1 tsp good extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp sherry vinegar
salt and pepper
1 bunch mizuna tops or other bitter greens, washed and dried
1 tbsp dried cherries, roughly chopped
1 ounce shaved cheese, such as Swiss or Gouda

Combine olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and whisk.  Add greens and toss to coat, taste to check for seasoning.  If the greens are too bitter, add a little more salt.  Place on plate and top with cherries and cheese.  Yum!

This salad contains 230 calories, 12 grams of fat, 23 carbs, 3 grams of fiber and 10 grams of protein.  It satisfies one serving of dark leafy vegetables, 1 fruit, 1 serving of milk, and 1 serving of olive oil for the day.