Recently, I decided that my teenager needed to pick four recipes that she feels comfortable cooking on her own, so that if I needed her to make dinner, she would feel prepared and not just go for frozen taquitos (which, by the way, are a really good quick meal on the liberal diet- I will eat them in a pinch, since I'm still on the strict diet. But, it's much better to cheat by going to the liberal diet than to just blow it all together.) She's not that comfortable cooking yet, has hypoglycemia herself, and isn't great at spontaneity- she likes a plan. So, my four-recipe plan for her came into being. This way, she doesn't have to get overwhelmed. She just picks one and does that.
That's kind of the point of this blog. Even though I'm a lot less hungry on this diet, when I am hungry, I'm typically hungry NOW; I think I let my blood sugar drop just a touch too much quite often, because I'm not craving carbs and snacking all the time anymore. So, I'd rather do stuff than eat most of the time (I NEVER would have guessed this was possible, by the way... so, if you are thinking that would never happen to you, I can tell you it will. I spent most of my life always thinking about food- even when I was young and thin- and wondering how other people didn't. It's because I had a cycle going with carbs that I didn't realize. My body apparently never functioned at that "normal" level that some others get to enjoy). As I've said before, if I let it go too long, I can't decide what to do about food.
Sometimes, um, often, this results in me grabbing food out, but the problem with that is that besides tacos and taquitos, there are very few things that are fully legal for me to eat, at least through a drive-through, so I end up eating a mostly-legal meal (or sometimes not at all), which means I end up in more pain. But, if I have a plan for the next meal, or at least have an arsenal of choices, I do much better.
Now, this is not to say I'm awesome at this all the time. Just yesterday, I ended up eating Hermie's onion rings and fried zucchini for dinner. And I woke up with my arms hurting and rolling my eyes at myself (it's almost always my arms and hands for some reason). The dumb thing is, I could sauté zucchini and onion in butter at home, and it would be just as satisfying, but I don't think to do it. Ever. In fact, I didn't think of that one until just now. Sigh.
So, here are a few good dinner options:
Mustard Chicken and Broccoli (or Asparagus)
This one is so easy and yummy, it's ridiculous. I never liked asparagus until I had it this way.
-Stone-ground mustard (read the label to avoid sugars).
-Olive oil (or mayo- remember that most mayos have sugar- see SF recipe on another post)
Mix stone-ground mustard and olive oil in a bowl- about 4/1 ratio. Spread this on chicken breast and roll the vegetables in it.
Lay everything on a baking sheet and cook at 350 until done- about 20 minutes or so.
Steak with Bleu Cheese
Steak is an easy option that is easily forgotten.
-Steak
-Bleu cheese
Cook your steak however you like it. Add bleu cheese to the top for a couple of minutes at the end.
Baked Onion
I haven't made this in ages, but I would periodically eat it for dinner. It doesn't have protein in it, granted, but if it hadn't been too long since I had some, I can get away with it. Or, it can be eaten with something else, like steak. This is kind of like sauteed onions, but it's a lot faster.
-Onion
-Butter
Take a whole onion and peel the skin off. Wrap it in paper towels, or you can buy a little onion-shaped plastic container at the store for this very thing.
Cook the onion on high in the microwave for 1-2 minutes- depending on your microwave. Cut into it to make sure it is soft all the way through.Put it in a bowl with some butter and/or salt. Eat with a fork and knife.
Braciole (pronounced "brock-YOH-leh" (or "brah-zhole" in my family)
I forget to make this, and it is really, really good. Of course, I'm avoiding tomato sauce because it seems to cause inflammation, so maybe that's part of it; I think it's just my memory, though.
-Tomato sauce (meaning Italian red sauce; many jar sauces have sugar. Hunt's has a SF version. I c
an add my recipe for Italian sauce if anyone likes. Just let me know.)
-flank steak, pounded to a 1/4 thick
-about 2-3 boiled eggs per steak
-pine nuts (pinoli)
-olive oil
-salt
-string
Optional additions: parsley, parmesan cheese, raisins (though not technically allowed), garlic, etc.; I've seen lots of versions of this.
Salt steak. Lay eggs and any other ingredients on the steak evenly and roll up (so it looks like a sushi roll) and tie with string. Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan and sear slightly. Heat tomato sauce in a pot. Put the braciola (singular roll; braciole- plural) slices in the sauce and simmer. I don't know for how long. You can keep it in there for hours or just long enough to cook the meat through. When (you're) ready, take it out and slice into 1/4 inch or so slices.
Red Lobster's Shrimp Scampi
If you want to make Red Lobster's Shrimp Scampi at home here is the recipe, straight from the master chef himself, Michael LaDuke. (My note: alcohol is not allowed on the diet, but I don't know if it is an issue when cooking it. I, personally, might cook with a splash of wine, but this much makes me think it might affect me, so I'd avoid it. You can cook scampi with no wine at all. I do it all the time.)
-1 Pound of Medium Shrimp - Peel it and remove the vein.
-1 Tbsp of Pure Olive Oil (don't use extra virgin oil)
-2 Tbsp of Finely Chopped Garlic (you can also use some already prepared chopped garlic from your local grocery store)
-11/2 Cups of White Wine (preferably a Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay will work fine)
-A 1/2 cup of Fresh Lemon (use the juice only)
-1 Tsp Italian Seasoning mix
-A 1/2 a Cup of Butter (preferably softened)
-1 Tbsp of Fresh Parsley (chop it up fine)
-Flavor with Salt and Pepper
-1/2 a Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese (if you want to garnish dish)
Instructions
1. Heat a heavy bottomed skillet and then add in the olive oil, and do not allow the oil to smoke. Add the shrimp and cook it until tender and it's no longer translucent.
2. Next remove the shrimp from the pan and decrease heat slightly. Add the garlic and cook it for 2-3 minutes. Try not to brown the garlic as this will render a slightly bitter flavor. Once the garlic is cooked, add the white wine.
3. Squeeze some juice from the lemon into the pan, and reduce the wine by half. After it is reduced, next add the Italian seasoning blend.
4. Now reduce the heat to low, and slowly add in butter, 1 Tbsp at a time. The butter should slowly begin to dissolve into the sauce and create a nice creamy texture. If the pan is too hot the butter will separate.
5. As soon as the butter is assimilated, add the shrimp back into the sauce, sprinkle the parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Serve the dish with the garnish of fresh cheese if so desired. For a great accompanying dish to Scampi add fresh pasta.
