This is tasty, easy to make. Aaron loves it, Kennedy not so much.

The big difference between this recipe and the linked orignal is that I use non fat milk (because that’s what we drink) and it seems to always need an extra five minutes in the oven.

Ingredients:

• vegetable cooking spray
• 1/2 pound fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup non fat milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 5 slices turkey bacon , cooked and crumbled
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Coat a 9 inch pie plate with vegetable cooking spray.
3. In a saucepan, place asparagus into boiling water and cook for 4-6 minutes, or until tender but still firm. Drain well.
4. Sprinkle crumbled bacon and asparagus into pie plate.
5. Top with cheese.
6. In a bowl, beat together, eggs, milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and garlic powder. Pour egg mixture on top of cheese.
7. Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes or until golden and just set in the center. Makes 8 servings.

Adapted from Linda’s Eating Well, Living Thin

This is my little sister Tina’s recipe.

It’s an especially delicious Arabic treat and goes good with the chicken skewers and tabbouleh salad.

Watch out! Tahini is very calorific (but it’s just a dip so it can’t hurt you).

Thank you Tina!

Ingredients:

• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of tahini sauce (You can get this in the organic section of grocery store.)
• Appx 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice
• Water (to taste)
• (optional) 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

Steps:

1. Crush the garlic and salt together to a paste. 
2. Mix in the tahini and beat in the lemon juice.  Gradually mix in enough water to make the mixture the
   consistency of very thick cream or mayonnaise. 
3. Add parsley and adjust salt and lemon to taste.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 cup chopped red pepper
• 2 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
• 2 cups fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cups shredded cooked turkey
• 6 ounces andouille sausage, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons sliced green onions

Steps:

1. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add chopped onion and garlic, saute 6 minutes or until lightly browned.
2. Stir in bell peppers and next 5 ingredients (paprika through black pepper) and saute 1 minute.
3. Add rice, saute 1 minute.
4. Stir in chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil.
5. Cover, reduce heat, simmer 15 minutes.
6. Add turkey and sausage, cover and cook 5 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with green onions. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup).

Calories 249 (27% from fat); Fat 7.6 grams (sat 2.4g, mono 3.4 g, poly 1.3 g); Protein 17.3g; Carbs 27.4 g; Fiber 2.7g; Chol 42mg; Iron 2.7mg; Sodium 523mg; Calc 37mg

Kebabs are a good protein you can build the rest of the meal around. You have to get Syrian bread (pita) and hummus (Sabra makes a tasty spicy hummus). 

It’s not a Lebanese meal without them.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh or dried oregano
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 24 strips
• 18 (1/2-inch thick) slices of zucchini
• 1 fennel bulb, cut into 12 wedges
• 12 garlic cloves peeled
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• cooking spray (for grill)

Steps:

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a zip-top plastic bag; seal and shake well. If you get more than two pounds of meat, keep the same number of strips and vegetable pieces, but increase the amount of marinade proportionately. Marinate in refrigerator 20 minutes. Remove chicken and vegetables from bag; discard marinade.
2. Cook garlic cloves in boiling water to cover 3 minutes; drain and cool.
3. Thread 4 chicken strips, 3 zucchini slices, 2 fennel wedges, and 2 garlic cloves alternately onto each of 6 (12-inch) skewers. Sprinkle with pepper.
4. Place kebabs on grill rack coated with cooking spray or onto a tray to broil. Grill, turning once, 8 minutes or until chicken is done. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 kebab).

Calories 238 (25% from fat); Fat 6.6 grams (sat 1.1g, mono 3.8 g, poly 0.9 g); Protein 36.3g; Carbs 7.4 g

Tabbouleh is a bulgur wheat salad that doesn’t take too long, tastes great on pita, and gets even better if you let it stand overnight.

Ingredients:

• 1 heaping cup bulgur
• 1 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice

Steps:

1. Combine the bulgur, water, lemon juice and olive oil. Mix well and set aside for 30 minutes at room temperature. Eventually the bulgur soaks up the juice, but this can take longer if the bulgur was in the freezer. Let the bulgur soften up. Fluff with a fork.
2. While the bulgur is soaking up the oil, I combine the mint, parsley, red onion, garlic, pepper, and salt in a second bowl. When the bulgur is ready, combine both bowls and toss with a fork.
3. Add the tomatoes and cucumber and toss again. Adjust the seasoning if necessary and allow to stand, loosely covered, for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to come out.

I like this over brown rice. The rice isn’t included in the calorie count below. I typically use two bags of frozen shrimp, and let it thaw in the fridge before I make it. The hardest part is chopping up the tomatoes, but it’s worth it.

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 large cloves garlic, minced
• 30-40 jumbo or tiger shrimp, peeled and rinsed
• 10 small fresh tomatoes, diced (~4 Cups)
• 12 ounces low fat or non fat crumbled feta cheese (~2 Cups)
• 1 to 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (to taste)
• 2 teaspoons dried dill
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Steps:

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in skillet; add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
2. Add shrimp and saute on each side for 1 minute or until they are pink on the surface.
3. Add the tomatoes and feta to the pan and stir until sauce begins to form, about 6 minutes.
4. Stir in lemon juice, dill, and salt; cover and simmer for 4 minutes or until sauce thickens. Yield: 8 servings (serving size ~1 1/2 Cups)

Calories 246; fat 12 grams; protien 31 grams; carbs 7 grams. Adapted from a recipe by Karina Tanguay.

My kids love the gumbo.

Last time I made it, I used okra for the first time and nobody complained. If you can’t find okra, frozen green beans are a family favorite. I rarely have time to grill the chicken before, so I either buy already grilled at the deli (expensive) or I cut up the chicken and blanch it in chicken or vegetable stock. 

Gumbo is great the next day for lunches. 

Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons flour
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Cups chopped onion
• 2 Cups chopped green bell pepper
• 2 Cups frozen cut okra (omit if not available and use 2 C of carrots OR frozen green beans)
• 2 Cups chopped celery
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 4 Cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)
• 16 oz. turkey kielbasa, cut into pieces
• 2 (14 1/2 oz) cans diced tomatoes
• 4 Cups cooked brown rice

Steps:

1. Combine flour and oil in a Dutch oven; sauté over medium-high heat for 3 minutes.
2. Add onion and the next 6 ingredients (onion through ground red pepper); cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.
3. Stir in chicken, kielbasa, tomatoes and broth; cook 6 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve over rice. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups gumbo and 1/2 cup rice)

CALORIES 369; FAT 11.3g; PROTEIN 24.9g; FIBER 3g; CARBOHYDRATE 37g

As it turns out, spicy mulligatawny isn’t a good meal by itself. Not enough protein. Tonight Holly grilled up some chicken sausage to go with it. We had hot dog buns, but a tasty sourdough bread would be an excellent addition.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil, divided
• 1 lb. skinless, boneless, chicken breast
• 2 (medium size) peeled, chopped Gala or Braeburn apples
• 1 1/2 C chopped onion
• 1 C chopped carrot
• 1 C chopped celery
• 1 C chopped green bell pepper
• 4 Tablespoons flour
• 2 Tablespoons curry
• 2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 (14 oz) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2/3 C mango chutney
• 1/2 C tomato paste
• chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Steps:

1. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add chicken, saute 3 minutes. Remove from pan; set aside.
2. Heat remainder of oil (1 Tablespoon, 1 teaspoon) in pan. Add apple and next 4 ingredients and saute for five minutes. Stir in flour and next 4 ingredients and cook for 1 minute. Stir in broth, chutney, and tomato paste; bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat; simmer 8 minutes. Return chicken to pan, cook 2 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Yield: 8 servings (serving size 1 1/4 Cups)

Calories: 242 (20% from fat); Fat: 5.4 grams; Protein: 16.6 g; Carbs: 33 g; Fiber: 3.3g; Chol: 31mg; Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.

Omnivore’s Dilemma is a look at the food industry. I got through the first part about corn, but then I had to put it down. He’s a great writer, but the market forces he describes bearing down on the food industry just became too depressing for me to bear. If you want something a little more upbeat, go with In Defense of Food, which describes how best to eat in a world as depressing as the one described in Omnivore’s Dilemma.

But what I like best about Pollan’s work has less to do with food and more to do with his ability to clarify economic and sociological forces that come to bear on an industry. In Botany of Desire he describes how the War on Drugs inadvertently gave us better and more potent marijuana. I haven’t smoked pot in ages, but I remember when it was light green flakes and often cost less than $20 an ounce. Pollan offers an entire history of pot and how the drug crackdown forced pot growers underground, where they tinkered with hybrids until they were able to grow incredibly potent pot indoors. A lot of the hooligans pulling these underground shenanigans were people right here in the Pacific Northwest (Matt Briggs’s, Shoot the Buffalo has characters in the PNW that make a living growing pot indoors).

Fascinating stuff.

Somehow all my Michael Pollan library requests came through at the same time. I just finished his most recent book, In Defense of Food.

Something about this book touches the part of me that naturally mistrusts doctors (and varying degrees of eggheads all over). I have only just recently learned some of the nutritionist lingo, but who hasn’t been skewered by some smug nutritionists at some point in their life? Pollan’s big idea is to steer clear of foods (what he would describe as pseudo-foods) more than five ingredients, long chemical names, and (especially) any food with a health claim on its label. Why? Because you’re better off. The whole process of getting food to your table is highly politicized, with big business looking out for shareholder interests, instead of yours or mine. Trans fats anyone?

So I was totally onboard with Pollan’s smackdown of the nutritionist until I came to the part where he suggest we should make our meals more of a social event. He wants us to engage with food in ways that foster community and ritual. Yeah, yeah.

Sounds good until I realize this means we can no longer eat meals at our desks. What? That’s where I draw the line.

It’s funny how you don’t realize how important something is to you until someone tries to take it away.