Being restaurant smart.

This blog is mostly about cooking, but it's also a little bit about my weight loss journey.  So if you're looking for a recipe, you'll have to wait until next week.......

I've been back in Alberta for nearly two weeks now, and while I've been able to enjoy many delicious home cooked meals I've also been going out for dinner rather often.  I'm not complaining of course...I love it when other people cook for me.  However, for a girl on a "diet" going out for dinner poses two unique challenges: first, you have no control over how much butter/oil there is in your food, and second, restaurants tend toward large portions.

Consider this for comparison.

I make a rather delicious penne alfredo.  One serving is just under two cups of pasta and amounts to just over 500 calories (with 10g of fat).  This is more than enough food for me...and even when I add salad, a slice of garlic toast, and a glass of wine (which I often do) I can keep the total calorie count between 800 and 900.

At a popular Italian food chain they make a similar dish (only they use a different kind of noodle).  Their dinner portion of pasta alone contains 1220 calories (and 75g of fat!!!!!!!!!!!!!)....if you take into consideration the salad, the wine, and the basket of breadsticks it is easy to walk out of that restaurant having consumed over 1500 calories (more than 3/4 of your recommended daily allowance).

Also important: that's the entree alone.  The 1500 calories just quoted does not take into consideration additional appetizers or dessert.

When going out for dinner it's important to eat smart.  Now this doesn't mean ordering only salad or ignoring that basket of bread...I, for one, love the bread basket.  Here's the best tip that I can offer: when your entree arrives, tell yourself immediately that you will be taking half of it home.  This simple move cuts out 600 calories and brings the restaurant entree more in line with the one that you might cook at home (even though the fat content is still much higher...but that is something that you can't control).  If it helps try thinking about it this way: not eating half your entree leaves room for dessert!

Finally: don't forget to enjoy yourself while you're on your "diet".  It's okay to cheat once in awhile, as long as that "once in awhile" doesn't end up being every night.  Food is supposed to be delicious, and it's supposed to be something that you enjoy.  So order that appetizer and have the decadent entree.....just don't eat it all at once.

You'll thank me when you get to have delicious leftovers for lunch.  Which is what I'm about to do......

Grill interrupted.

I'm back in AB for a visit, and cooking at my parent's place.  The last time I blogged from here is was all about making a dessert with whatever I could find in the panty...this time, my goal was to blog about the joys of BBQ (a cooking implement that I do not have access to at my apartment in Montreal).

Unfortunately, for an as yet unknown reason, I could not get the BBQ to light.

Plan B: steak, done in the oven.  I started doing steak this way a year or so ago, and found that it's a pretty foolproof way to cook the meat to the desired internal temperature.  Admittedly it doesn't give you that same "fresh from the grill" taste, but the meat you end up with is still pretty delicious.

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

While your oven is heating, take your meat out of the fridge and bring it to room temperature.  The key to making the meat taste great is to season it well: all you need is a little oil (canola or olive), salt, and pepper.  Don't be shy about the seasoning...use just a touch more salt than you think you need.  This is also the point where you can add a little bit of extra flavour to your meat: take a look at your spice rack, and rub your favourites into the meat along with the salt and pepper.

Before putting the meat in the oven it is important to sear both sides (locking in the flavour and moisture).  Preheat a pan over high heat, and cook for 1 minute on each side.  Remove the steaks from the hot pan and place the steaks on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet  (this is, of course, the ideal...you can also place the steaks directly on a baking sheet).

Finally, bake at 400 degrees F.  For steaks that are on the thinner side, start by cooking for 10 minutes.  Check for doneness, and if they're not cooked enough throw them back in the oven for 5 more minutes (continuing to cook in 5 minutes intervals until your steaks reach the desired internal temperature).

Try cooking with sauce (like I did) or make a Michael Smith-inspired cheese crust!

Tis the season for salad

Lately it's been warm in Montreal, and when it's warm out I don't really relish the idea of heating up my  apartment further by cooking something hot.  The answer is making a salad for dinner.

It's actually quite easy to make a salad into a meal.  One way is to add cooked grains to bulk it up...quinoa is one of my favourite choices in this case, but it does require some stovetop cooking time (couscous is another great option).

Another good way to make a salad into a meal is to add protein.  For this reason I usually keep a tin of chickpeas on hand...no cooking required, just rinse and add!  And, of course, you can also add meat, which is what I did to make this Thai-inspired salad.....

Dressing:
-1/3 cup fresh lime juice (2-3 whole limes)
-1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
-1 tbsp grated ginger
-1 tbsp fish (or soy) sauce
-1-2 tsp chile paste with garlic (less if you like your salad mild, more if you prefer spicy food)

Combine all five ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

Salad
-julienned carrot
-chopped cucumber
-fresh basil leaves (using a couple different varieties of basil really makes the salad delicious)

Exact quantities here are not important.  Basically...just cut as many vegetables as you like in whatever style you want (I, for instance, use julienned carrots because I have a vegetable peeler that does the julienning for me).  Feel free to add your favourite baby greens...cilantro and mint also go very well in this salad!!  Once you've chosen your salad ingredients, combine them with the salad dressing.

Steak
-flank steak, trimmed
-salt and pepper

Season steak on both sides with salt and pepper.  Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat; add steak to pan and cook for about 6 minutes on either side (or until the steak reaches the desired degree of doneness).  Remove from the pan and rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes (this seals in all the juices).  Cut the steak diagonally across the grain in this slices, drizzle with some of the salad dressing.  Arrange over salad and enjoy!

As always, I serve my salad with bread :)

Try this on the side...

The next time you're trying to decide which side dish to have with your dinner, consider polenta.  Polenta is basically a porridge made with corn meal, but it tastes better than that sounds.  It has a rich and creamy texture, is easy to make, and is good for you...making it the perfect companion for any number of dinners.  Once you've got the technique down it can be ready in about 20 minutes.

Also, for the cash starved students among us, corn meal is quite inexpensive. :)

There are only two requisite ingredients for polenta: coarsely ground yellow cornmeal and some variety of liquid.

I use the Bob's Red Mill...that way my polenta counts as a serving of whole grains!

When making polenta add 4 parts of liquid for every 1 part of cornmeal.  The liquid can be whatever you want...the only thing that will change in the taste.  I like to use half chicken stock and half skim milk to give my polenta a rich flavour and creamy texture, but you could also use: all milk, all chicken (or vegetable) stock, or even plain old water.

Step 1: measure out the necessary quantity of whatever liquid you choose (remember, 4 cups of liquid for every 1 cup of cornmeal) and bring it to a boil.

Step 2: Add the cornmeal in a slow steady stream, stirring constantly to prevent clumping (don't worry if it does clump...just keep stirring and crush any large clumps that you see.  The others will disappear as the polenta cooks).  Lower the heat and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture really thickens.

What does it mean for polenta to be really thick?  That's hard to describe, but basically you will know that your polenta is done when the trail left behind by your spoon doesn't fill in as quickly as it did in the beginning.

Thickened: now it's ready for more flavour!

Step 3: Stir in any additional flavours.  I almost always add cheese...whatever kind I have leftover in the fridge.  I also like to add frozen corn to sneak an extra helping of vegetables onto my plate, along with whatever fresh herbs I happen to have on hand that day.

Step 4: Serve!

Polenta goes great with anything...here I'm serving it with peas and grilled fish.

Alternate step 4: make a polenta "cake".  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and pour the polenta into a loaf pan or other baking dish.  Bake for 15 minutes then refrigerate until firm.  This makes the polenta into something that can be sliced and grilled (or seared in a pan), giving it a crispy crust and a creamy interior.  Perfect for polenta fries!

Simple, delicious, and just a little bit fancy

It's always tempting to take the easy way out when preparing weeknight dinners, but sometimes it's worth it to do something just a little bit fancy.  Here's an idea: stuffed chicken.  All it takes is three simple steps.....

Step 1: Behold, the chicken!

Trim any excess bits off of your boneless, skinless chicken breast.  Then, hold the knife horizontally and slice the chicken in half almost (but not!) all the way through.

The breast should open like a book with the long (straighter) side as the spine.

Step 2: Stuff!

You can basically stuff a chicken breast with whatever you want, but regardless of what you choose I recommend incorporating some kind of cheese.  Some stuffings will require a bit of pre-cooking: spinach, for example, should be wilted, and onions are better caramelized.  On this particular evening I chose to stuff mine with spinach (wilted with a little bit of white wine) and goat cheese.  The instructions are the same regardless of the stuffing you choose: put a healthy spoonful of it on the larger side of the "chicken book" and then close (you can use a little flour to seal the edges together).

Other great stuffings include leeks, sun dried tomatoes, ham, and just about any cheese you can think of.

At this point you can either proceed to step three, or you can refrigerate your stuffed chicken breast for up to 24 hours...making this a great recipe for nights that you have people over.  They go straight from the fridge to the oven, just add an extra 5 minutes onto the cooking time.

Step 3: Roast

Place the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet (or other suitable roasting vehicle).  Brush the top with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then roast at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes until the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear (20-25 minutes if you have gone the make ahead route).

A weeknight meal that looks like a weekend meal.  I served my chicken with a spinach and roasted beet salad.

Cooking with friends=Love

One of my best friends recently hopped on a plane to come and see me, which was awesome.  Of all the things that we were looking forward to doing together one in particular stood out: we wanted to cook.

Some context perhaps.  We used to live together, and while living together enabled each other's desire for good food and baking.  Having now lived apart for awhile, we miss that.  We still enable from a distance, but it's just not the same.....

Anyway.  We spent some time at a coffee shop the other afternoon, and when we were leaving we contemplated taking home some of their brownies to enjoy later...until we saw the price!  Five bucks a brownie after tax!!  So we said no thanks and headed out the door and talked about what we could do to satisfy our chocolate craving.

Simple: we would make brownies instead.

Here's the math.  One brownie from this particular coffee shop was $5 after tax, and so take home two would have set us back $10.  Making brownies only ended up costing us $7...because I had flour, eggs, butter, cocoa and the rest of the basics in my pantry back at home.  The $7 cost was for a bag of dark chocolate chips and some reese's peanut butter cups that completed a recipe yielding 16 good sized triple chocolate brownies.

Conclusion: $7 for 16 is better than $10 for 2.

Here's what you need to satisfy your own chocolate brownie craving:
-250g of dark chocolate
-1 cup butter
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 cup cocoa powder
-1 tsp baking powder
-pinch of salt
-4 eggs
-2 cups brown sugar (I used 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup of splenda to lighten these up a touch)
-1 tbsp vanilla
-1 cup chocolate chips (or, in this case, chunks of reese's peanut butter cups)

The brownies are simple to construct.

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2) Melt butter and dark chocolate chips together.  The cookbook that I got this recipe from suggests a heat proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water...but the microwave works just as well.  (If you go the microwave route heat for about 30 seconds at a time to prevent the chocolate from burning.)

3) While the chocolate/butter mixture cools slightly, mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl.

4) Add the eggs, sugar, and vanilla to the chocolate/butter mixture and mix well.  Add the flour and chocolate chips (or peanut butter cups, or chocolate covered peanuts, or just plain nuts.....) and stir until well incorporated.

4) Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake for 25 minutes.  They're done when a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with some crumbs still attached.....

Fudge-y, peanut butter-y, goodness.

Fear not the size of the pan: brownies freeze well.  Makes a great treat....and costs a lot less than buying them one at a time!!

What I'm eating now: Beets

As you know my parents were recently in town, and one morning while I was studying they took a trip to Jean Talon market to buy some ingredients for dinner.  I suggested that they purchase some beets for us to roast....so they did: several pounds in fact.

Red AND yellow!  Oh the variety.....

Luckily I happen to really enjoy beets.

Roasting beets brings out their natural sweetness, and it's one of the easiest ways to cook them.  All you need to do is:

1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
2) Clean the beets thoroughly.  No need to peel!
3) Wrap them in a large foil packet to make sure that they roast evenly (if you don't have any foil don't worry...the beets roast just as well naked.  If you do choose this method, make sure you turn them so that they cook evenly).  Roast until tender...time required varies.  The beets are ready when they pierce easily with a fork.
4) Remove from the oven and let them sit until they're cool enough to handle.  Once they are cool you can peel them easily...their skins should slide right off!  (If you have any trouble just pull off the peels with a small paring knife.)

I usually like to serve my roasted beets on the side seasoned with just a little bit of salt and pepper.  But they're also delicious in salads...they go well with roasted nuts, creamy cheeses, fruits, and slightly bitter greens.  I combined a number of those elements in this particular salad: roasted red and yellow beets, mixed greens, sliced pear, and toasted pecans.

Tossed with some blue cheese dressing...delicious!

While delicious, roasting is not your only option.  If you're looking to be a little more creative, give beet gnocchi a try.  It takes a bit more effort, but is a stunning dish if you're having people over for dinner.  You can also eat beets raw (though you will want to slice them thinly if you do)...alternatively, try giving them a quick pickle!