December 31st, 2014
On the last day of the year, I would like to begin a blog to share my cooking goals and other adventures in my life as a 21st. Century Housewife.
It was only after getting married to my wonderful husband and moving away from my home did I realize that I didn't have enough of a culinary repertoire for healthy cooking on a daily basis. Apparently my sole responsibilities in the kitchen as a single, career minded woman past the age of forty included Christmas cookies, bread, cakes and pastries and the traditional Mexican dishes I had growing up in my family.
I am from a traditional Mexican family living in the southwest deserts of Tucson, Arizona. As a child I learned all the typical dishes until my mother started her "good health" modifications on each dish and her recipes began changing. They were definitely healthier, but not necessarily tastier. (Incidentally, my mother is a FANTASTIC cook!) In her efforts to be calorie conscious our selections in meals became increasingly more limited until finally, these foods were reserved for special occasions and baked chicken became the strongest staple in our household... that and fajitas. Perhaps an online interaction will help me find modifications that will make these foods something I can eat everyday. For now, I'll concentrate on learning the necessary low fat techniques that I'll eventually be able to apply to all my cooking creations including old family favorites.
When I got married I kept resorting to these special occasion foods and before I knew it I had gained too much weight to mention... and that's when I found the Time Life Series Great Taste Low Fat Edited by Sandra Rose Gluck, Grace Young, and Kate Slate. My mom had purchased 4 books for me in 1996. I never used them until I unpacked them in my new home with my husband Brian after our wedding in June, 2013. When I first found them I noticed they had all the nutritional information I needed, pictures for each dish and clear and precise instructions. After trying a few recipes I was so excited about the books that I went online to purchase more. These books, regretfully, are now out of print, but I found a set on ebay and jumped at the chance to buy the series. I believe there are 16 in the series with each book having about 80 recipes... I decided to cook them all and in June began posting my pictures of each creation on my face book. I managed to make 266 recipes and have lost close to 25 pounds. I thought it would be nice to create this blog to talk about my adventure through what I believe will be 1280 recipes... (I didn't check the exact number) I figure that if I continue through the books, it will take me close to 5 years to do them all and my weight will naturally fall into a healthy range.
Here are a few of my favorite recipes that include pictures I have taken since June. I actually started using the books on October 12th, 2013. My husband and I have a rating system, (Like it, Love it, and Gotta Have it) and we have decided to include a "Never make again" but we try not to use it. We both figure that we have a very underdeveloped palate and are unfamiliar with many flavors and foods. How can we say for certain that something is intolerable and cannot be eaten if we haven't really given the dish a fair chance. Of the 266 recipes completed in 2013, only two had the "never again" rating and surprisingly we don't rate too much at "like it" because these dishes are very delicious!
Dijon Chicken Kebabs: GTLF Grilling P 17
1 pound small red potatoes, halved
3 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into 32 pieces
16 large mushrooms, stems removed
16 cherry tomatoes
1. Preheat the grill to a medium heat. (When ready to cook, spray the rack -off the grill- with nonstick cooking spray. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the potatoes for 10 minutes to blanch. Drain.
2. In a small bowl, combine the honey, mustard, lemon juice, thyme, and pepper. Add the chicken and mushrooms, tossing to coat well.
3. Alternately thread the chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, and potatoes onto 8 skewers. Grill the kebabs, covered, turning occasionally, for 8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Divide the skewers among 4 plates and serve.
Nutritional Information: 2 g fat; 305 calories; 4 g sat. fat; 40 g. carbohydrate; 31 g. protein; 66 mg. cholesterol; 270 mg. sodium.
When I made this dish I learned that it's very hard to push that much food onto those wooden, disposable skewers. Buy good grilling skewers or only fill each wooden skewer only half way. It'll be easier to remove the pieces if there are fewer pieces per skewer. Finally, make sure to try to make all the pieces (chicken, mushrooms, potatoes, etc) about the same size. This will ensure even grilling. As you can see in my picture, the pieces are funny sizes and that made a difference with even cooking.
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