"Fit for Summer" Meal Ideas

[smokey]

Jael--thanks for the quinoa reminder! Here's my stupid quinoa question. Everything I read about it talks bout needing to rinse of the (bitter-tasting) saponin (have I got that name right? I hope you know what I mean). So, I do.

But, then you read these recipes for more of a pilaf-type preparation with quinoa that have you toast the quinoa, or briefly saute it, prior to adding water too cook it. So, how do I rinse it then do this? (hard to image toasting wet quinoa)

Any quinoa experts want to weigh in (yuck, yuck, fit for summer, yuck, yuck!)?

[Anna Blume]

Since chilly weather is upon us, I've been taking advantage of the fact by making soups whose flavors do not depend on a lot of fat. While I'm not giving up on roasting vegetables with a little olive oil or even sautéing them first in a little butter, I like the idea of getting 200 calories from shredded smoked ham as opposed to a tablespoon of oil.

With that in mind, I made a huge pot of snert, a Dutch pea soup with hoards of vegetables. I just went minimalistic on the meat in preparing half of Klary's recipe with a single smoked ham hock and trimmings from some pork chops I used to make ragu over the weekend.

While that was simmering, I made a single portion of lemongrass chicken soup, improvising after reading a number of recipes online. I was going for something without coconut milk for obvious reasons.

I feel sheepish to admit that I have never cooked with lemongrass before, but the novelty of slicing into the root and being hit by all that fragrance was a delight. I found a nice, no-name fresh red chile at Whole Foods that also served me well.

Here are two recipes that guided me and might inspire you:

Asparagus added

otherwise, this is the more appealing, savvy recipe, minus the tomato.

[goldenticket]

Since chilly weather is upon us, I've been taking advantage of the fact by making soups whose flavors do not depend on a lot of fat.... While that was simmering, I made a single portion of lemongrass chicken soup, improvising after reading a number of recipes online. I was going for something without coconut milk for obvious reasons.... I feel sheepish to admit that I have never cooked with lemongrass before, but the novelty of slicing into the root and being hit by all that fragrance was a delight.[\guote]Great minds think alike - I made Tom Yum soup last night. It is one of the fastest, easiest, and tastiest meals I can think of on a night when arriving home late from work. In 10-15 minutes, it's ready.

I've been using a recipe that I think came from an article by Nigella Lawson in the New York Times a couple years back. Grand Mart makes it easy to have all the ingredients on hand - and that fresh lemongrass is wonderful. I can't find a link to the recipe, but it's something like this:

3 c. chicken stock/broth

1 scant Tblsp tom yum paste

2 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped

2 Tblsp fish sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

1 stalk lemongrass, roughly chopped - tender inside part only

1 small red Thai chile, finely chopped

juice of half a lime (I just use the whole thing)

Combine all of the above in a saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium heat and add about 2 oz of enoki mushrooms (trimmed) or sliced button mushrooms (1 cup). Simmer for 1-2 minutes, add about 8-10 raw shrimp (peeled)* and 2 scallions (I don't always include these) and simmer until shrimp is cooked - usually just a minute or two more. I garnished with fresh chopped cilantro and Thai basil. Last night we soaked some rice stick noodles and threw them in to make it slightly more filling.

*Those frozen uncooked shrimp are great and only take about 5-7 minutes to thaw under cold running water.

Now if I can just find some other uses for the huge bottle of fish sauce I have in my cupboard!

[Al Dente]

Do yourself a solid and make some beef stock. Make sure you give it time in the fridge after it’s finished so you can skim all the fat off easily. Then just make a soup by heating up some broth, adding some sliced mushrooms and greens, or caramelized onions, or a few tortellini.

This recipe makes a rich satisfying stock...

[jparrott]

Asian supermarkets sell beef bones for $1-$1.50 a pound based on quantity. They're not meaty (you'll want to supplement with some chuck and shank), but they're cheap. Also, most sell split beef feet, which you can add for gelatin. I usually add about 20-25% (by weight) of feet to the stock bones (chicken feet do the same for chicken stock).

[jparrott]

*Those frozen uncooked shrimp are great and only take about 5-7 minutes to thaw under cold running water.

I usually just throw them in frozen.

Now if I can just find some other uses for the huge bottle of fish sauce I have in my cupboard!

I put dashes of fish sauce in most broths and marinades.

[jm chen]

Jael--thanks for the quinoa reminder! Here's my stupid quinoa question. Everything I read about it talks bout needing to rinse of the (bitter-tasting) saponin (have I got that name right? I hope you know what I mean). So, I do.

But, then you read these recipes for more of a pilaf-type preparation with quinoa that have you toast the quinoa, or briefly saute it, prior to adding water too cook it. So, how do I rinse it then do this? (hard to image toasting wet quinoa)

Any quinoa experts want to weigh in (yuck, yuck, fit for summer, yuck, yuck!)?

I actually forgot to rinse mine the first time and it didn't taste bitter at all, so I haven't tried rinsing. Using the Trader Joe's brand. I did try sauteeing it first and it only seemed to change the texture (got mushy faster) and not the taste.

I guess to rinse and then toast you could leave it in the strainer for a while to dry before toasting? Just a guess, though.

Having some right now topped with mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, white beans, carmelized onions, and a whole lot of garlic. Good stuff.

[smokey]

I made this last night

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/salmon-...ice-salad---qfs

with a few modifications. I used rice noodles instead of rice. To 'bulk up' the veggie quotient, I added some steamed spinach and some thinly sliced red pepper to the mix. I found the recipe a bit odd (it wasn't entirely clear to me what temp the rice salad should be, but the salmon gets cooked immediately prior, so is obviously supposed to be hot), but I liked it. And, in the parlance of WW, it was roughly a 10pt. meal but was quite filling. It's certainly derivative (I mean, it's F&W after all, not some Thai or S.E. Asian cookboook!), but the flavors were good. It's certainly more of a summery dish than wintery (I agree with porcupine, this is the time of year to eat polenta covered with something warm and spicy), but it hit the spot last night.

I've already made the bilrus tofu dish twice (thanks again to whoever posted it, laniloai?). This dish is a real winner, easy to make without pork and throw in lots of veggies. I'm planning on keeping it in the regular rotation.

[clayrae]

In the oven: Easy Baked Applesauce (use less sugar)

On the stove: Potato Leek Soup (wanted something without cream)

In the pan, cause I got hungry waiting for the soup: Tilapia in Mustard Cream Sauce

Bring on the ice...

[Anna Blume]

Just a tip: Jicama is extremely filling and has few calories. While I've used it in salads before, I discovered that a generous amount can be sliced into thin batons and tossed into a stir-fry.

While soaking up a light sauce of stock, citrus, etc., it remains crisp. Doing this is a good way to save yourself the time it takes to make rice--and eliminate the calories they add.

[Anna Blume]

Here's something else to do with jicama: recipe for slaw.

While it looks as if they're not always stocked, I've managed to find nice small ones at Whole Foods in Georgetown. You have to be careful, though, since the skins are very thin when they're young and moisture causes them to spoil quickly. Leave them out to dry thoroughly and then store in the refrigerator shelf naked--not inside a plastic bag which encourages the growth of tiny mold spores.

After peeling mine, I used the larger of two shredding blades on my Benriner for the jicama and carrots. Instead of using cabbage, I added thin slices of red bell pepper. I recommend leaving out the Jalapena and cilantro since the salad is much prettier without flecks of green. Maybe whirl them in a blender first with the rest of the ingredients in the dressing. Just a tiny bit of oil works fine since the chilies and the lime provide most of the flavor.

* * *

While I am not crazy about huge strawberries from Driscoll's with hollow, white cottony centers, strawberries are about as caloric as cucumbers. It's nice to have them back.

[Scott Johnston]

Veggies!

[RaisaB]

Has anyone tried Steve Raichlen's High Flavor, Low Fat Cookbook for inspiration? They have it at Costco for 7.99 . I have made a few things from it in the past two weeks and it is astonishingly good! I think he has other's in the series also. They include all nutritional breakdowns also.

[Erin11]

This weekend I made a recipe for a carrot salad I saw on the food blog Chocolate & Zucchini. Basically it consists of shredded carrot, diced avocado and either chicken or tofu tossed in a dressing made from orange or lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and mustard. I thought it was delicious and a great way to get in some veggies!

Grated Carrot Salad with Avocado