It’s Day 3 in leaning out for vacation.  Did I mention that there are 10 days of this?  You might ask, what the heck is this maniac thing you’re doing?  Well, it’s the Lean Jean Plan out of the 10-Minute Trainer.  If you ever execute this plan, on the 3rd or 4th round, you will find that Day 3 is the day you start to eye your meaty little forearm.

Kidding!

But I do feel like I can just binge sometimes when I’m on this lean plan.  This time, I have adjusted the plan and added back some normal fats.  The proper way of executing this plan is to “PAM” it all the way and not use any oils or anything.  Sorry, Tony Horton, but my body couldn’t handle it anymore after being on a leaner lifestyle for a few years now.  It used to be fine in the first 2 years of losing weight, but with the dizzy spells and low sugar shakes, I decided things couldn’t be that way.

Besides, why would I put cooking spray in my body??? Can you say “plastic fat” 3 times fast?

Trust me, go au naturel. You’ll thank yourself, so will your innards.  Just remember that you need to be conservative with your fats, and, of course, some gut killing exercises will put that fat to good use.

Black Bean Pork & Vegetables

Serves 2

8 – 9 oz. of lean pork rib chops, cut into ¼” cubes

1 cup frozen corn

½ cup shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 small cloves of garlic, finely minced

2 tbsp dried black beans

3 cups iceberg lettuce, sliced into strips

1 scotch bonnet chili pepper (or any chili pepper), seeds removed and thinly sliced

2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp dry white wine

1 tbsp sesame oil

4 tbsp grape seed oil

Green onions to taste, thinly sliced on a bias

Cilantro to taste, roughly chopped

Salt

Pepper

Do Ahead:  Soak the dried black beans in warm water for 2 hours or until soft.  Drain, but reserve the liquid in a bowl.  Roughly chop the beans and set aside.

Marinate the pork for 15 minutes with 1 tbsp of grape seed oil, the wine, soy sauce, salt and pepper.

Heat a skillet with 2 tbsp of grape seed oil over medium to high heat. Sear the pork until browned and set aside.  Keep the juices in the pan.

Over the same heat, add the garlic, black beans and chili.  Allow it to lightly sizzle until the garlic is lightly browned and the beans are cooked down.  Add half of the reserved black bean liquid to the pan to deglaze it.  Let it simmer until slightly cooked down and thick.

Add the corn and turn up the heat until everything is sizzling.  Toss for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and toss for another 2 minutes.  Add the remaining black bean liquid and a quarter cup of water.  Simmer until the liquid has evaporated and thickened again.  Turn down the heat to medium low.

Toss the lettuce with the sesame oil, salt and a sprinkle of green onions. Set aside.

Returning back to the pan, add the pork back into the pan and toss.  Increase the heat to medium and let cook for another 2 minutes until everything is heated through, coated and sticky.

Serve on a bed of the lettuce and garnish with more green onions and cilantro.

Ok, so you might find the up and down heat adjustments in this recipe is silly, but it isn’t.  Food, undoubtedly, cooks better at a lower heat. If you only turn it up when needed you will find your food will look like it was well loved.

Chris and I wolfed this dinner down like nobody’s business.  I mean, all we had today was scrambled eggs for breakfast, half a fruit, homemade pea soup and crackers.  So lean (and I swear it’s borderline starvation) but it works. My body was like clockwork because I became hungry every 3 hours on the dot.  Timing is everything though… 8pm rolled around and it was time to do my Body Remix workout courtesy of the Nike Training Club.

I love this iPod app, by the way.

But, yes, it was time to punch it at 8pm, but I was almost out of gas.  So I downed a half cup of grapes and hit the basement.  On a normal day, I’d make it through 30 minutes of non-stop butt-busting, but it’s Day 3.  I barely made it through my 30 minute Body Remix, but I winced my way through it. All at the same time, I winced through the shoddy Flames game tonight.  Talk about having a reason to complain, right? Right?

I love my team so much it hurts.

So we lost, 3 – 1 for the Senators, but I won my night with 30 minutes of sweat and a nice late dinner with my favourite man.

I don’t feel like going out.

I don’t feel like shopping (omg, if you know me, you know I love shopping).

I don’t feel like cooking (om-double-g, if you know me, you know that this is my all-time passion).

I don’t feel like blogging.

I don’t feel like working out.

I don’t feel like… anything.

I feel tired. 

I feel like a vegetable, let alone wanting to be one.

Luckily, my brain seems to still function somewhat when I’m vegetating.  And, an idea came one day while I was being a lazy bum.  It was time to change this blog.  Time to refocus and turn it into the thing I wanted from the start.  I really want to tell you what kind of food I love to make (which I have been) and how it has really played an important part of my daily workouts (which I have not been).  Given that I’m getting my body ready for a vacation, this is perfect timing.  I rushed home today in the afternoon from a coffee social to make lunch for Chris and I… something lean, clean, but still tasty.

Tuna Salad

Serves 2

2 cans of light, water packed tuna

2 tbsp liquid from tuna

¼ red onion, finely diced

¼ cup fresh dill, finely chopped

1 tsp caraway seeds, lightly pounded in with a mortar and pestle

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Spinach leaves to taste

2 whole wheat pitas

Toss the onion, dill, caraway seeds together in a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Drain the tuna and reserve the required amount of liquid.

Add the tuna, liquid and oil to the bowl.  Flake up the tuna and then mix everything gently until coated.  Taste and season again if needed.

Set each pita on a plate and layer with spinach leaves.  Divide the tuna evenly between the two pitas and serve.

“Did you drain this?” My husband inquired.  I think sometimes he might still prefer the standard mayo-laced blend.

“Yup, but I left some in.”  I replied, because what I love most about my tuna salads (because this isn’t the only one I make) is that I don’t use mayonnaise.  I prefer not to. 

Ironically, I have a vat of the fat-free stuff in my fridge that I rarely use unless if we’re having burgers.   There it sits though whilst I pilfer my stock of good oils and drizzle them with gladness over my food. 

This thought makes me smile.

Warning though, oils are still fats so watch your measurements.  This recipe could probably use 1 less measurement of oil, but I love my tuna salads moist enough to go down easy; the third measurement is sort of a bonus for flavour.  There’s nothing worse than having it taste like sawdust, which canned tuna usually does.  With some help though, canned tuna can be transformed into something bright and glistening.

So, I’m back.  I’m even back into the full swing of working out.  Work is getting under control and I’m returning to normal.  The unfortunate part is that I hurt myself recently.  I felt good exercising the last couple of days, overdid it and strained my back.  It’s sore and not cooperating.  I brazenly started my morning with the 10 Minute Trainer yoga workout.  It was a grunt workout (meaning, lots of grunting from back spasms between vinyasas).   By noon though, I decided that I wasn’t going to leave today with just a yoga workout. 

Yeah, I was still feeling good.

I threw in the 10 Minute Trainer 2 upper body workout and ended the day off feeling accomplished, biceps popping, face grinning. 

And so does my belly. 

But the last time I had some potato chips I felt sick.  I dare not pick up another chip again.

This leaves me to be a bit creative to please my inner snack junkie, and my snack junkie’s partner in crime, the Cookie Monster.   After all, junkies need companions.

Baked Tortilla Chips & Hummus
Yields 6 – 8 servings 

8 flour tortillas
4 cups chickpeas, cooked or canned
4 scallions, trimmed and roughly chopped
3 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
¼ cup of fresh oregano, roughly chopped
¼ cup of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
2 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp caraway seeds
1 tsp paprika
¼ cup of olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Water 

Preheat the oven to 430F.  Cut the tortillas into small wedges with a knife or kitchen scissors.  Lay them out on a baking sheet.  In batches, bake for 6 minutes until crispy.  Remove from oven and let cool.  They will harden more as they cool.

Heat a non-stick skillet over high heat and toast the cumin, caraway and paprika until fragrant.  Set aside.

Blend the chickpeas, scallions, garlic, oregano, parsley, cumin, caraway, paprika and olive oil in a food processor.   Add salt and pepper to taste.  Process well by adding ¼ cup of cold water to help thin the mixture without adding more oil.  Adjust with salt and pepper.  Serve in a large dipping bowl with the tortilla chips on the side.

Chip Queen, out.

Cheers and enjoy what you find at Love. Food. Cook!

So I have to turn to my trusty stove and oven to make a good steak, which is good, but not as good a charbroiled steak from a barbeque grill.  Calgary is known for their beef.  I know my beef.  There are steakhouses here that I skip in favour of the old boy’s club downtown that still grills steak in a glass enclosed barbeque showcase.  You just can’t beat the flavour.

At home though, I’m not that snobby.

Or, I try not to be. Or, more like, I can’t be.  At home, I have to make do with what I have and do well with it, hence my trusty stove and oven.  There’s a simple method to making a good steak at home without a grill or barbeque and that is a pan-fried steak.  You can choose to finish it off in the oven but I, like Chris tells me, like my cow still moving, somewhat.  The oven isn’t always needed.  Today’s entry is about a New York strip, seared over a hot pan accompanied with some nice bark, which is cause for you take a few bites of the strip of fat that usually gets discarded.

NOTE:  Murphy’s Law took over in the photography and for some reason, all but one photo turned out crisp and clear.  I solidly promise though that the one picture that survived is going to at least make you imagine. J

Steak & Lentil Salad
Yields 2 servings (extra for the lentil salad)

Steak
2 New York Strip steaks, 5 – 6 oz
2 cups of rapini, washed, trimmed and cut in half cross wise
Salt
Pepper
Sunflower oil

Lentil Salad (Adapted from this original recipe)
2 cups of cooked lentils (or canned)
4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp of mint, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium tomato, chopped
½ cup of sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
4 green onions, finely sliced
1 cup of light feta cheese, crumbled (optional)
Salt
Pepper

Pat steaks dry with paper towel.  Rub salt and pepper on both sides of the steak.  Set aside on a plate at room temperature.

In the meantime, make the lentil salad by whisking the oil and vinegar in a large bowl.  Season the dressing with salt and pepper.  Taste and adjust.  Add all ingredients except for the cheese.  Toss to coat.  Taste and adjust with more salt and pepper as needed (careful not to over salt the salad since the feta will be salty).  Set the salad aside to marinate at room temperature.

Heat a skillet over high heat.  Brush the steaks with sunflower oil on one side.  Once the skillet is hot sear the oiled side for 2 minutes.  While searing, brush the top side with oil as well.   After 2 minutes pass, flip the steaks to sear the other side for 2 minutes.  When finished, use a pair of tongs to sear the side fat until crispy (use the tongs to hold up the steaks one at a time).  Set the steaks on a cooling rack to rest.

NOTE:  If you want a medium to well done steak cook both sides for additional 2 – 3 minutes. 

Using the same pan, add a tablespoon of sunflower oil and sauté the rapini over high heat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the chicken broth and simmer until the broth is completely absorbed by the rapini.  Saute the rapini until they are bright green and tender.  Remove the pan from the heat.

Plate half a cup of lentil salad sprinkled with 1 – 2 tablespoons of feta.  Place the warm steak on top of the salad and top with half of the rapini.

Monday is such an insolent day.  If each day of the week was a child Monday would be the runty rebellious one bent on proving a point in control.  I suppose that I let it get to me too easily sometimes, but my defense is that when a series of events occur out of my favour it will undoubtedly lead to some upturned lip.

To stop stewing about Monday I went for my second run of the year and knocked out some yoga afterwards.  I felt good.  It’s “Spring” in Calgary after all.  The crisp air is fresh with copious amounts of snow everywhere.  You can tell everyone, including me, has cabin fever because people have been trickling out of their homes more frequently to walk the dogs they rarely walked during the winter, cart the babies they rarely carted in the snow, stroll with their spouses that they rarely strolled with in the freezing weather.  Two weeks ago when I went for my first run of the year, I came home and not even 1 hour later, I spotted four other people jogging along the street next to my house.  Like minds.  I was pretty sure they were sick of being inside too.  Even the winter can give people cause for better health because of being cooped up for 4 months.   I know in the back of my mind, and yours, that good habits like that die hard and quick, but at least it gets people out.  I dedicate this one to the ever faithful sun, joyous to me in colour and beam, for motivating me ever more every day.

Sunny Lemon Pea & Parmesan Risotto
Yields 1 serving

1 large egg
½ cup of Arborio rice, uncooked
½ cup of frozen green peas
1 cup of rapini, washed and trimmed
1 tbsp of lemon zest
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 – 3 cups of chicken broth or water
Salt
Pepper
Parmigiano reggiano

NOTE:  Normally, hot broth or any kind of liquid is the key to making a fast risotto but don’t worry, we’re only cooking ½ cup of risotto for one.  It’s pretty quick, you just need to babysit it.

Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil in a medium saucepan over high heat.  Sprinkle salt into the butter and oil.  Stir in the rice and cook until the butter and oil is absorbed and the rice appears to be lightly browned.  Add ½ cup of broth and stir until the liquid is absorbed.  Keep adding more broth by ½ a cup each time it gets absorbed.  Continue to do this until the rice is cooked through and tender.  Turn the heat to medium low. Taste and add salt as needed. 

Add the peas and lemon zest to the risotto. Stir until the peas are cooked through.  Remove from heat and drizzle a bit more liquid into the risotto to keep it from settling and congealing.

Heat the last tablespoon of sunflower oil in a skillet over high heat.  Add the rapini.  Sprinkle salt over them to taste.  Sauté them until they are bright green and tender (about 2 – 3 minutes). Remove from heat.

Poach the egg.  Transfer the risotto to a deep soup bowl. Arrange the rapini over top and grate fresh parmigiano reggiano over the rapini and top with the poached egg.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over the egg.  Break open the egg and enjoy the sun.

Going out for pasta can be over-rated.  Think about it.  Why would you pay $19 for a plate of pasta that you could make easily at home? 

If you’re like me, I am drawn to non-creamy pastas. They are better for your health and waistline.  Besides, you don’t need that Alfredo sauce and pasta has got to be the easiest dish ever.  All you need is the pasta and the stuff you want to toss it in.  Easier said than done?  Maybe, if you hate cooking, but if you love it and have a knack for it then this is an easy 15 minute deal that leads to a good lunch on a Sunday or a sophisticated dinner on date night.

Smoked Salmon Linguini
Yields 4 servings

1 fistful of dried linguini
½ cup of capers, roughly chopped
½ cup of dill, finely chopped
4 cups of spinach leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Parmigiano reggiano (optional)
12 oz of sliced smoked salmon lox 

Boil the pasta in salt water in a large pot until al dente.  Blanch the spinach with the pasta until they just wilt and are bright green.  Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta and spinach in a colander.

Using the same pot, warm the olive oil over medium low heat.  Working quickly, add the capers, lemon juice and pasta (including the spinach).  Toss the pasta thoroughly.  Add 2 tablespoons of the pasta water to thicken the slight sauce that is forming.  Add the dill and toss thoroughly.  If the pasta is drying out, add another 2 more tablespoons of the pasta water.  Add the zest to the pasta and toss again.   

Taste the pasta. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Arrange the smoke salmon around the edge of each plate.  Serve the pasta in the center of each plate topped with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.

How does health get side-tracked all the time?  Other than remembering that we must sleep, we don’t place the same emphasis on doing those push-ups , squats and ab crunches.  The number one culprit for this is me.  The last 3 weeks have been the first time I’ve ever sloughed off my daily workout routine where I ended up peppering my workouts over the weeks with totally laziness and exhaustion.  I’ve have finally recuperated though.  The only problem now is that I feel somewhat out of shape, especially in today’s full workout where I kicked my own butt in the basement. There is nothing more humbling then crawling back upstairs afterwards totally out of breath.   Oh well.  It’s good to recognize where I am and face it. It’s no sweat, ha, ha.

I finally cooked something substantial and more up to par to what I normally do.  This whole recipe is based on a recent trick I picked up with preparing meat, which is brining meat before cooking it.  Oh my, does it ever add flavour and sort of gives meat a cured texture.  The pork I had in the fridge had been brining since Sunday.  It was time to take the merchandise out for a spin in the spice rub and hot oven. 

Roasted Spiced Pork
Yields 6 servings

Brine
¾ cup of white granulated sugar
¾ cup of salt
¼ cup of whole black peppercorns
4 dried bay leaves
2 tbsp of dried oregano leaves
3 cloves whole garlic, roughly chopped
2 pork tenderloins
Cold water

Spice Rub
4 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp dried oregano leaves
2 tsp dried thyme, grounded
1 tbsp dried cumin, grounded
1 tsp black pepper, grounded
2 tsp dried mustard
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
Olive oil

The first thing to do is to brine the pork. This has to be done at least 24 hours in advance before you plan to roast the pork.  Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large 2 -4 litre Tupperware container.   Add the pork tenderloins and fill the container with cold water until the pork is just covered.  Stir between the pork to dissolve any sugar and salt.  Cover with an airtight lid. Refrigerate for 24 hours.

After at least 24 hours of brining, remove the pork from the container and rinse thoroughly with cold water.  Set aside and pat dry.  Discard the brining liquid.

Preheat the oven to 440F.

Heat up a non-stick pan over high heat. Mix the first 8 ingredients thoroughly.  Toast the spices in the pan until aromatic (about 1 – 2 minutes).  Careful not to burn the spices.  Transfer the spices to a bowl to cool.  When cooled, rub the spices onto the pork tenderloins on all sides.  No additional salt is required since the pork has been brined in salt.  Place the pork in a roasting pan and lightly drizzle olive oil over the top.  Roast for 10 minutes and then turn the heat down to 350F. Roast for another 50 minutes.

NOTE:  You can prepare vegetables for the bottom of the pan and use them as a rack for the pork to rest and cook on.  In my case, I used a bunch of whole peeled garlic cloves, onions and carrots.  The vegetables will absorb the drippings from the pork and contain a lot of flavour.  When the pork is finished, you can finish off the vegetables by crisping them up in the oven for another 20 minutes at 430F.

Serve pork sliced with a side of roasted vegetables, rice, herbed couscous or lentil salad.  This also has great sandwich potential when sliced thinly and stuffed into a soft bun with julienned carrots, cucumbers, radishes, savoy cabbage, green onions, Dijon mustard and mayonnaise.

While normalcy settles in and I cut into my roasted carrot and inhale the spiced aroma from the roasted pork I realized that limits needs to be set for my body.   Since my slumber priorities are still intact I’ll start with no more crappy take-out food.  What are you going to start with?

Oh, but it was so delicious, this salad that I had at Earls last summer.  Sadly, they removed it and it is not to be.

That won’t stop me though.  I made my own version of it and I just love the savoury, briny, shrimpy and peppery citrus taste.  In the spirit of March, and given that it’s still snowing where I live, here’s to Spring, a rare occasion, and to trying something new and adapting to new fresh and healthy flavours.

West Coast Salad
Yields 2 servings (or 4 small servings)

20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 cups of mixed baby greens
½ cup of walnuts
½ cup of light feta, crumbled
¼ cup of blueberries, washed
¼ cup of raspberries, washed
¼ cup of strawberries, trimmed and sliced (optional)
1 tbsp sunflower oil (or any light cooking oil)

Grapefruit Vinaigrette
2 tbsp fresh grapefruit juice
1 tsp grapefruit zest
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper

In a large bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette until emulsified.  Taste and add more salt and pepper as desired.  Careful with adding salt since the feta will be salty as well.  Set aside.

Pat the shrimp dry with paper towel.  Heat a non-stick skillet with the sunflower
oil until the oil just starts to smoke.  Add the shrimp to the pan and spread them out without overcrowding.  Sprinkly salt and pepper over the shrimp and sear them until lightly browned on both sides.  Transfer the shrimp to a bowl to let cool.

Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel.  Heat the pan until hot.  Break up the walnuts into halves and add them to the pan.  Toast the walnuts until they start to brown.  Pour the walnuts into the vinaigrette.

Add the shrimp, greens, fruit and feta to the bowl.  Toss when ready to serve.

In my version I cheated and used a grapefruit infused olive oil instead of the homemade grapefruit vinaigrette.  Both methods yield a very tasty and robust salad that is both light and pleasing in all ways sweet and salty.   I learned a lot though through this one lovely salad and that while trying to stay healthy and in tip top shape, don’t knock new flavours that don’t seem all that normal at first.  For me, flavour has become an obsession after embarking on my lifestyle change.  This was a favourite for me while I was leaning up for the summer last year for my beach vacation.  I hope you enjoy it!

Soupe au Pistou
Yields 8 servings 

Soup
2 medium onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch half rounds
1 sprig of fresh lemon thyme (or any thyme will do)
1 small potato, skin on, diced
1 ½ cups of frozen corn
3 cups swiss chard, trimmed, stems diced, leaves sliced into ½ inch strips
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
2 tbsp sunflower oil
5 tbsp acini de pepe (or any other type of pasta)
Salt
Pepper 

Pistou
1/3 cup fresh sweet basil
¼ cup almonds, ground
1 clove of garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper

First, make the pistou by adding the basil, almonds and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until just blended. Turn the processor on and drizzle in the olive oil until the basil becomes smooth. Turn the processor off and season with salt and pepper.  Pulse the mixture a few more times and taste. Adjust the seasoning as needed.

NOTE: I made my pistou a little saltier since it would enhance the seasoning in the soup later on. If you approach it this way, make sure not to over season your soup.

Transfer the pistou to a bowl and set aside.Heat oil and butter in a large crock pot over high heat.   Add the onions into the pot and cook until lightly caramelized.  Add the carrots and celery to the pot and cook until the carrots start to brown on the edges.  Add the potatoes and cook until the potato begins to break apart and sticks to the bottom of the pot.  Add the thyme and stir in with the vegetables for 1 – 2 minutes to allow the herb to become fragrant. Add the chard to the pot and cook until the chard begins to turn into a vibrant green.  Add both types of broth and the pasta to the pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.   Check the pasta for doneness.  When the pasta is done, add the corn and season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.  Let simmer for another 2 minutes and serve topped with a teaspoon of pistou and bread on the side.  Store remaining soup in Tupperware (it will taste even better the next day).