Broccoli and Rice Casserole, The I'm Trying to Lose Weight Way

When the weather turns cool and the trees are shedding their leaves and everywhere you look mums are abloom, that's when I start craving those hearty, creamy, cheesy casseroles that cook slowly and make the whole house smell like Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, those yummy, yummy dishes really pack on the pounds, and The Wifester and I are operating on a strict, Must-Lose-Weight platform, so I've really had to rethink and deconstruct/reconstruct some of our favorite foods. Broccoli, rice, and cheese casserole is one of our favorites, but all that cream, cheese, and butter make it a serious no-no right now. But I really, really wanted to use my broccoli, and I had brown rice...So I thought about that butternut squash and how creamy and delicious it was over macaroni pasta a couple of weeks ago. Here's what I came up with- First, I oven roasted the butternut squash, stuffing that little scooped out spot where the seeds used to reside with a garlic clove, a pat of butter, and half a red bell pepper. I let that cook at 425 for about an hour, maybe longer, till it was all soft and mushy. Set that aside for now. Then I cooked my brown rice in chicken broth. That's my favorite way since it infuses the rice with that rich flavor. While that was cooking, I sauteed a couple of stalks of celery, diced, some minced garlic, small diced sweet potatoes (because I didn't have any carrots) and a sweet, yellow onion. Instead of cooking those in butter, I used EVOO, but if you aren't desperately trying to lose weight, go for the butter. Once that is tender, turn off the heat and set aside. At this point I put some chopped up broccoli on to steam. The rice was still not quite done, so I began making my "cheese-ish sauce" by scooping out the mushy, roasted butternut squash insides and I put them in the food processor and pureeing until smooth. I added the roasted garlic, salt, pepper, a couple dashes of dried mustard, a splash of Worcestershire sauce, and milk to achieve a smooth, creamy consistency. Add a splash of lime juice to brighten up the flavors. I poured this into a deep saucepan and added about 1 1/2 cups of white wine and brought that to a boil. I needed more liquid, so I used some chicken stock to thin the sauce a bit. Once the rice was tender, I drained the excess liquid and added in the sauteed veggies. Then I poured the "cheese-ish sauce" (butternut squash) over the rice. By this point, the broccoli was tender and ready, so I added it to the rice/squash mixture and poured it all into a casserole dish. Then I topped it with half a bag of garlic and sea salt croutons since I didn't have any bread crumbs. I popped that baby in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes, until it was bubbly and hot, and HOLY CRAP! It was delicious! Next time I might consider adding a bit of parmesan cheese to the butternut squash, but honestly, it was delicious and had a rich, almost cheesy feeling and taste. If you are looking for a healthy alternative to broccoli, rice and cheese, give this a try. I promise, it's fantastic! Sorry I don't have pics of it, we gobbled it up before I thought to take any.

Green Apples, Sweet Potatoes, and Curry, Oh my!

We went apple picking last weekend, which is always less fun in reality than it sounds in your head, swarming with more bees than you remember from the previous year, and somewhat anticlimactic. But I'm a lesbian, and it is Fall, and so I do what I must do to fulfill my social contract.
That said, we then embarked upon making apple butter (which came out better than any I've ever made before) and canned it...
...And canned it...
...And canned more of it...

Yes, there was that much apple butter.
Then we made cinnamon spiced apple wedges, and canned them.
...And canned them...

And still, we have a huge bag full of apples, despite the fact that I've eaten apples every single day this week. And packed apples in The Wifester's lunch every single day this week. And given Miss. Sally Sue apple wedges with every single meal she's eaten this week.

Are we coming to an understanding of how many apples have been residing at my house this week?
So this morning I decided to try something a little different with some apples. It was risky, I've never cooked them in quite this way before, and the flavors - well, I admit that I was not 100% sure those flavors would meld just right. But as is often the case, you can't achieve a life changing breakthrough without stepping out there into new territory and taking a risk.

I'd seen a recipe for curried green apples online, and thought, "Hmmm...that sounds interesting." But it was rather dull, and I wondered how I could add some panache to it. Sweet potatoes immediately popped into my mind. I love curry and sweet potatoes. And that sounded great with those green apples. But what else, I thought? Lime. And cilantro, and ginger, too.
Let me tell you this, I was literally licking the skillet when I went back to clean up the kitchen. Literally, actually licking it.
It was that good.

In case you are feeling adventurous and wanna give it a go, here's what I did:

Green Apple, Sweet Potato, and Tofu Curry

3 medium green apples, cored, wedged, and cubed
2 large sweet potatoes peeled, and cubed
1 block extra firm tofu, frozen, thawed, drained and cubed
1 medium sweet yellow onion
2 cloves garlic minced
2 Tbsp brown sugar
juice of 1 lime
fresh minced ginger
yellow curry powder
dash of tarragon
salt
pepper
2 or 3 pinches flour
2 Tbsp butter
cilantro

First, prep your tofu. Then stir fry it in a bit of EVOO. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove it from heat, drain any excess oil, and set aside.
Next, heat EVOO in skillet, add minced ginger and garlic, add butter, flour, tarragon, lime juice, and curry powder to make a roux/paste. Add cubed sweet potatoes and brown sugar, stir to mix well. When sweet potatoes are beginning to soften slightly, add cubed apples. When apples and potatoes are both tender, and sauce is thickening, add tofu back into skillet, toss and mix well. Add more curry powder, salt, pepper to taste. Top with chopped cilantro. Serve hot.

Meatless Mondays - Summer Veggies Bake

All of this healthy eating is paying off. I'm wearing clothes that I had tossed into the Give it to Goodwill piles in the farthest recesses of my closet. And I'm feeling like I have more energy, too. Another thing I've began to notice: when I go up the stairs my knees don't ache as much as they used to. 

We had a pretty good weekend of eating whatever the hell we wanted, chicken wings, cookies, all sorts of craziness. We even had our sister in law and her sister over on Saturday,and instead of deep fried, or gravy coated snacks, I opted to do fresh spring rolls with sweet chili sauce, chopped veggies with home made dill/cream cheese dip, and onion and garlic stuffed naan with hummus for dipping. The food was fantastic, the company was delightful, and much fun was involved. See, you can have a party without gaining sixteen lbs. But by Sunday, we were eating queso laden nachos and Mexican rice, so come Monday, we were not feeling alright. You just don't realize how much that food weighs you down until you step back away from it for a while. With both of us feeling sluggish, weighted down, and overall a bit icky, we knew that we needed to get back on track come Monday. I had lots of zucchini and tomatoes, (of course I did, it's summer, everyone has an abundance of zucchini and tomatoes) and I had some red potatoes, mushrooms, and a nice, big, sweet onion. Looking through the fridge, I also found some kale that needed to be worked into something pronto, or it was gonna soon be a gonner, having given its life without ever fulfilling its need to provide sustenance. It was my duty to help that kale to have not died in vain. So I thinly sliced all my veggies, I dredged them in flax seed meal because we're doing that now to help with The Wifester's blood pressure (it works! down from 180/100 to 140/90 in less than two weeks!) and then I set them in the greased casserole dish in this order: potato, onion, kale, zucchini, mushroom, onion, kale tomato, potato... but you just put them in there whatever order you see fit. Sometimes I use sauteed leeks, but they didn't have any when I shopped the other day, so I made do with onion instead. Once the dish was filled, I sprinkled some salt and pepper, and then a healthy dose of chopped basil, parsley, and rosemary over it all. I still had more kale, so I chopped it and spread it over the top and tucked more in between the sliced veggies. I drizzled a bit of extra virgin olive oil over it all, dashed a small dash of Parmesan, sauteed some minced garlic then sprinkled that over the top, covered it and baked it in the oven preheated at 425, for about 25 minutes. I tested the potatoes with a fork, once they were tender, I left the lid off and returned it to the oven for about 10 minutes, to let the top crisp up just a bit. I served this with 1/2 steamed brown rice 1/2 quiona mixture, and trust me, it was a-ma-zing! And filling. The protein from the quiona really helps you feel well nourished and full. I'm wishing there were leftovers to munch on right now, but we ate the whole thing last night. See there, we ate until we were stuffed to the gills, and still we're losing lots of weight. It really does matter what you eat, more so than how much of it.  

Summer Veggie Bake

Ingredients: 

1 large zucchini

1 lb white mushrooms

2 large tomatoes

1 sweet onion

1 bunch kale

4 red potatoes

fresh basil

fresh parsley

fresh rosemary

minced, sauteed garlic

salt

pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425. Grease a deep casserole dish or spray it with non-stick cooking spray.

Slice all veggies to be about the same thickness, about 1/4 in. Chop kale and herbs. Mince garlic. Sautee minced garlic in EVOO or a tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and herbs. Drizzle with EVOO. Bake covered at 425 for 25-30 minutes, when potatoes are tender remove lid and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Serve hot. 

Chillin' With My Brussels

"My pants are getting looser!"
I wasn't surprised one bit by The Wifester's discovery yesterday. We've been eating primarily plant based diets for supper for the last two weeks. We have only allowed ourselves poultry at supper, and confined that to twice a week. It has been a good couple of weeks, too. Only a couple of times did we go to bed and say, "I'm still hungry." But we weren't hungry enough to eat more of anything.
We found a few truly keeper recipes, too, like the Marinated Brussels & Kale Salad. And seriously, don't let the kale deter you. I hate kale. I've hated it with a passion every single time I've tried it. My sister in law, who is a phenomenal cook, made kale chips and swore that they were wonderful, and that is the only time I've honestly felt like she bold faced lied to me. I've always found kale to be bitter and disgusting, until now.
OH. MY. GOD!
I mean, I've loved brussels for as long as I can remember. I've talked about my love of the little, round, bundle of yumminess time and time again. Even after bouts of illness that I associated, or attributed to having eaten tainted brussels, I've come 'round and been jumping back in the saddle with the little boogers. I can't keep myself away from 'em. I'll gobble those little pillows of deliciousness every chance I get. But, oh sweet mother of all things edible, I never knew they could be so fantastic cold! I've eaten them steamed and roasted and grilled and broiled, but never in my life did I think to chill them.

On Mother's Day, The Wifester and I went to a Mother's Day picnic with The Wifester's mom, our sister in law, her mom, her sister in law, and a host of aunts. It's a yearly thing, and it's great. All the non-moms host it for all the moms, and it truly is a wonderful way to celebrate all those mothers.

Anyways our contribution was this super fantastic dish, whose recipe was requested more times than I can count, and then asked for again, and again. And since it was in such high demand, I thought I'd share it with you.

Marinated Brussels and Kale

Ingredients:
2 lbs Brussels sprouts
1 large bunch of kale, center stem discarded, leaves thinly sliced
3/4 cup olive oil
2 lemons,zested and juiced
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp honey
2 large shallots, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup parsley, chopped fine
1 small sweet onion chopped
½ each red, yellow, green peppers
4 large garlic cloves, minced
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
*this recipe also called for 1/3 cup almonds, coarsely chopped – I used roasted sunflower seeds instead, due to The Wifester's nut allergy

Directions:
Combine lemon juice, honey, vinegar, shallots, garlic, sweet onion, and ¼ teaspoon salt + a pinch of pepper. Stir to blend well. Set aside.

Prep Brussels and slice the larger ones in half. Toss with kale. Bring ½ inch water to boil in a large pot, add Brussels and kale, cover pot and steam for 3-5 min. until just barely tender. Drain the sprouts and plunge them in a bowl of ice water. Leave them there for 1-2 min., then drain.

Whisk in the olive oil with the lemon juice mixture. Toss Brussels and kale with the vinaigrette to coat well. Add almonds or sunflower seeds. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving, best if made a day in advance. Stir mixture occasionally to ensure even soaking.

There you go. Enjoy!