• 24Jun

    I’m on a no grain low carb menu for a few weeks – need to lose the muffin from the cupcake binge I went on…

    I notice that I actually had to put some thought into changing what I reach for during meal times – it’s just reprograming as my snack and meal making is so automatic.
    No grains, ok -but low carb means cutting some veggies and fruits off the list. I didn’t want to eat big hunks of meat all the time so I made a list of protein foods and veggies that I can incorporate into my daily snacks and meals…I wanted to make the list for 3 reasons – show all the possibilities so I don’t feel deprived, reassure myself I will not starve and make sure I have the ingredients I need. Also, knowing what is not on the list will prevent me from inadvertantly bringing home the “do not eat” list foods.

    The lastest snack light / meal munchie…Tonnato

    Tonnato is a sauce of Italian origin made from canned tuna that is traditionally served with veal. I’m skipping the baby cow and enjoying it with cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes and celery sticks.

    Tonnato

    (based on a recipe from Food and Wine, August 2003)

    2 Tb extra virgin olive oil
    2 Tb Italian flat leaf parsley
    1 – 3 ounce can of tuna packed in olive oil
    1/4 cup mayonnaise
    1 tsp capers, drained
    1 Tb lemon juice (more or less to taste)
    2 anchovy fillets
    1 clove garlic
    1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper

    Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

    ENJOY!

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  • 07Jun

    Had a little slider party yesterday – it was tiny burger rama. (got a nice sun burnt neck too – talk about well done…ouch) Any way, I didn’t want the herbivores to feel left out so made a bunch of tofu burgers – not just a boring plain bland tofu burger but one gussed up with mushrooms and truffle oil. Here is the recipe…

    Truffled Tofu Mushroom Burgers

    1 pkg of Firm Tofu (I used organic Hinoche brand, House is also nice – use organic to avoid GMO)
    1 cup of sauteed mushrooms (any combination of sliced mushrooms, probably about 1 1/2 to 2 cups raw)
    1 egg
    3 scallions, thinly sliced
    3 Tb italian parsley, chopped
    1/2 cup grated parmesan (or romano or guryere)
    2/3 cup of bread crumbs (home made is easy to make – toast slices of bread and toss into a food processor or blender…I used half a Semifreddi ciabatta roll)
    1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
    generous pinch of ground black pepper
    1 tsp or more to taste herb garlic salt or store bought
    1 Tb truffle oil
    Extra Virgin Olive Oil for frying burgers

    Remove tofu from package and let sit on a double layer of a clean dish towel to soak up extra moisture.
    Meanwhile, chop up mushrooms (I used a food processor :). Prepare the parsley and scallion.
    Take the tofu block and smash it up – use a fork or potato masher. Mix this with the mushrooms, then add the remaining ingredients – bread crumbs last. Taste for seasoning – I like the mix to be well seasoned to hold up against the bread.

    Let sit for a half hour or so – the mix will firm up (you can make the day before and refrigerate). Form into patties and saute in a medium hot pan with EVOO until browned on both sides.
    I used a 2″ biscuit cutter to form the patties (you can use a bigger or smaller ring so the patties fit your buns) – take ring and put on a flat surface. Spoon in enough mix to form a 1/4″-1/3″ thick patty. Use the back of the spoon to press the mix in firmly. Remove the ring carefully. Transfer to the saute pan using a thin metal spatula.

    Use your favorite bun or bread with all the fixins (mustard, mayo, relish, tomato, onion, lettuce, pickles, etc…).
    Yesterday we used the seeded rolls from Neldam’s Bakery in Oakland – cute 2″ egg rolls with a buttery taste. I’ve made bigger burgers and used Alvarado Baking’s Sprouted Wheat Buns (available at most grocery stores, at least in the SF Bay Area)

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