Greek Salad with Sardines

I've never been a fan of sardines, but honestly, it's because I made my judgement based on how it looked in a tin - ick! I have never eaten them as part of a recipe before. But for the past year or so I've been hearing about how sardines are a healthy way to get omega-3-fatty acids. That and they are cheap. So I am on a quest to try, and learn to like, sardines.

This recipe for Greek Salad with Sardines which I found in the May/June 2010 issue of Eating Well magazine seemed like a good place to start. Greek salads themselves being one of my favorites, topping them with this fish seemed like a good idea. I used sardines packed in water which I purchased from Whole Foods. They looked really fresh when I opened the tin so I was kind of exicted to give them a try.

The dressing is super simple and healthy which was great. And the whole salad was made by things I already had in the house (except the sardines). I halved this recipe because I was eating by myself and didn't think the salad would preserve well for leftovers. It ended up being a super filling lunch! And I didn't really even notice the sardines too much - they added kind of a richness and nice balance. I will definitely make this one again.

Greek Salad with Sardines Makes 4 servings, about 2 cups each 3 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 2 teaspoons dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 3 medium tomatoes, cut into large chunks 1 large English cucumber, cut into large chunks 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion 2 tablespoons sliced kalamata olives 2 4-ounce cans sardines with bones, packed in olive oil or water, drained

Whisk lemon juice, oil, garlic, oregano and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. Add tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, feta, onion and olives; gently toss to combine. Divide the salad among 4 plates and top with sardines.

Mixed Wholegrain and Berry Salad

I love when I set out to make something healthy and it ends up tasting super yummy! For this one I headed to the bulk isle at Whole Foods to find the various grains. It was fun for me because I haven't ever tried most of these before so I didn't know what to expect. These grains are so good! Chewy and nutty. I did make a few changes... not sure what dinosaur kale is so I used regular kale. And I already had some dried cranberries so I used those instead of trying to find dried blueberries - but I bet the dried blueberries would be really great.

I ate this as a meal itself (and packed a few containers to take for lunch), but there is a note in the cookbook that "this makes an amazing side dish for roasted poultry during the autumn or holidays". The author also suggested substituting cracked wheat for the wheat berries or brown rice instead of kamut.

Mixed Wholegrain and Berry Salad Serves 4 1 cup wheat berries ½ cup kamut grains ¼ cup millet grains ¼ cup farro grains 1 head dinosaur kale (black cabbage), coarsely shredded ½ cup toasted sliced almonds 2 Tbsp. chopped candied ginger 4 Tbsp. dried blueberries or cranberries 4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar ½ tsp. ground cinnamon Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the wheat berries and all the brains in a pan of boiling water until just tender but still nutty, 15-20 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Tip into a large salad bowl.

Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to boil, add the dinosaur kale, and blanch for 1 minute. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Add to the grains with the almonds, ginger, and berries.

Whisk the oil, vinegar, and cinnamon together. Pour over the salad and toss gently. Season to taste and toss again. Serve at room temperature.

Garlic and Kale Soup

You wouldn't know it by the name, but this is one of my favorite recipes I have made in the past year! I think Rachael Ray would call this a "stoup" because it's nice and think, but I found this recipe for Garlic and Kale Soup in the February, 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine. It's perfect for a healthy and filling winter meal.

I was drawn to this recipe for two reasons: kale and wheat berries. In fact, I had never heard of "wheat berries" before... Wheat of course, but I was intrigued about the berry part. Ends up it just a raw form of wheat similar to barley. As for the kale, I know it is super healthy for you so I like to find ways to incorporate into the food I eat. And soup is perfect!

This soup is special because it's chewy. Now chewy isn't a term that I normally associate with soup, but I really like the texture of the ingredients. The wheat berries and kale both keep a firmness, almost al dente. Also, the light vinegar give the flavors an interesting tang, making it even more unique. The flavors are much more complex than one would expect.

So if you are looking for a simple, healthy soup to try out, I highly recommend this one. Don't let the ingredients scare you off.

Garlic and Kale Soup Serves 6 ½ cup wheat berries 2 Tbsp. olive oil 3.5 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced (1 cup) 10 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced ¼ cup brown rice vinegar 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 1 bunch kale (10 oz.), stemmed and coarsely chopped

Soak wheat berries in large bowl of cold water overnight.

Heat oil in 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, and season with salt, if desired. Saute mushrooms 10 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Add garlic, and saute 2 minutes more. Stir in vinegar; simmer until vinegar is almost evaporated, stirring to scrape up browned bits from pan.

Drain wheat berries, and add to mushroom mixture with vegetable mixture and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes. Add kale, and cook 10 to 20 minutes more, or until kale is tender. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Egg & Salmon Sandwich

Apparently, this is what Mary Lou, or other Olympians, eat for breakfast. It's an example of a "pre-training" meal. This is according to the article in the July/August, 2008 issue of Eating Well magazine. And if it's good for them, the it should be good for me.

I don't usually do the egg whites thing, I'm just too lazy and I think they taste bland, but here it seemed like a good idea because salmon itself has a strong taste and I didn't need to mix in too much richness with the egg yolks.

I'm a sucker for lox and bagels with all the fixin's. This is a much healthier breakfast option but gives the same satisfaction.

Egg & Salmon Sandwich Serves 1 ½ tsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp. finely chopped red onion 2 large egg whites, beaten Pinch of slat ½ tsp. capers, rinsed and chopped (optional) 1 ounce smoked salmon 1 slice tomato 1 whole-wheat English muffin, split and toasted

Tilapia over Italian Asparagus

I love tilapia and since it's such a light fish, I always like to serve it with something healthy. It seems like a waste to smother it with some type of fatty sauce. Usually I'll just top it with salsa, but tonight, I decided to use the fish as the topper on top of some Italian-style asparagus.

Tilapia over Italian Asparagus
serves 4

8 tilipia filets
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound fresh asparagus
1 cup finely chopped plum tomato
¼ cup fat-free Italian dressing
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

Snap off tough ends of asparagus spears. Arrange asparagus in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover and steam 4 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender.

Meanwhile, pre-heat the broiler. Season tilapia fillets with salt and pepper on both sides. Place tilapia on a broiling pan and broil 3-4 minutes per side or until fish gets brown around the edges and flakes when you touch it with a fork.

Remove asparagus from steamer and place in a shallow dish; add tomato and remaining ingredients, and toss gently.

Place asparagus on dish and top with two tilapia fillets. Garnish with parsley.

Polenta with Baby Spinach

I confess, I made this healthy dish more low-cal by using some fat-free ingredients. But you can use the regular version if you wish with regular chicken broth and cream in place of the evaporated milk.

Polenta is great to eat in winter because it's warm and creamy. Putting this whole thing together takes less than 15 minutes, and that's including chopping the spinach and boiling the broth.

Polenta with Baby Spinach
Serves 4

3½ cup fat-free chicken broth
1 cup instant polenta
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
2 cups baby spinach, stems removed, chopped
½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
¼ cup fat-free evaporated milk

Heat broth to boiling over high heat in a medium-size, heavy-bottomed pot. Gradually add polenta, stirring constantly to prevent lumps; stir in salt, pepper, nutmeg and spinach.

Reduce heat to low and simmer until mixture is thick, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes; stir in cheese and milk. Simmer until cheese melts, about 1 minute; serve immediately. Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.

Kale-and-Avocado Salad

I never know what to do with kale. Last year I kept getting it my farmer's basket and always ended up throwing it out or giving it to my bird. I KNOW it's super healthy and I should incorporate into my diet, but I just haven't got there yet. Well, until this salad.

This recipe was on the same page in Food & Wine Magazine as the recipe for Strawberry-Almond Smoothie, which I had torn out. One day when I was flipping through all the recipes I had torn out of magazines, I read this one out of curiosity of what to do with kale. I was intrigued at the instruction to "knead the kale with salt" so I decided to try it.

So it ends up that I do like kale! Especially when it is smothered in avocado like in this salad. And I didn't realize it until I was preparing the salad, there really isn't any dressing. The avocado and lime juice serve as it, even though it is all mushed together. The end result is kind of like guacamole with an Asian twist (due to the sesame seeds).

Kale-and-Avocado Salad 1 serving 1 teaspoon sesame seeds 1 cup packed chopped kale leaves 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 Hass avocado, quartered 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1/2 cup packed arugula leaves 1 small tomato, coarsely chopped 1 radish, diced 2 large pitted green olives, diced 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

In a skillet, toast the sesame seeds over moderate heat. Transfer to a plate.

In a bowl, knead the kale with salt until it begins to wilt. Add the avocado and lime juice and mash until chunky. Add the arugula, tomato, radish, olives, cilantro and sesame seeds, toss gently and serve.

Mediterranean Tostada

I'm always looking for something to do with leftover rotisserie chicken and this is a good one. It's really healthy and super fast to put together. Chopping the tomatoes and cucumber is the most time consuming part.

I prefer to use pocket-less pitas for this because it ensures and crispy bottom, but you can also use the regular pocket pita. The hummus I prefer is Cedar's Artichoke and Spinach Hommus. And Krazy Salt with cucumber is one of my favorite combos, but use regular salt if you can't find it.

Mediterranean Tostada
Serves 1

1 pocket-less whole wheat pita
2 oz. shredded chicken breast
2 Tbsp. hummus
1/2 cup diced tomato
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1 oz. crumbled feta cheese
4 kalamata olives (optional)
Jane's Krazy Mixed-Up Salt (optional)

Pre-heat over to 350 degrees. Place pita on a baking sheet and toast in oven for 15 minutes. Spread hummus on pita. Sprinkle chicken, tomato cucumber and feta. Top with olives and Krazy Salt if desired.

Rachel's Yogurt

Has Rachel's Yogurt shown up yet in your grocery store? It is my new obsession. I've been trying to eat healthy and low-fat yogurt is a really good way to include dairy in my diet. But it has never been so much fun before! I discovered Rachel's Yogurt in my local Whole Foods and there were a whole bunch of interesting flavors.

The Essence Collection comes in flavors that inspire different moods:
Refresh: Pink Grapefruit Lychee
Glow: Berry Jasmine
Relax: Vanilla Chai
Calm: Plum Honey Lavender
Revive: Peach Green Tea
Vitality: Pomegranate Acai

The Exotic Collection is inspired by different world flavors:
Marionberry Guava
Kiwi Passion Fruit Lime
Cherry Black Currant
Mango Pineapple Passion Fruit
Pomegranate Bluebarry
Orange Strawberry Mango

As you can tell from the list above, it is like a little treat each time I go into the refrigerator and grab my daily yogurt. Which fun flavor will I get? They are all so unique and while I have still not tried them all yet, I have not tasted one that I do not like.

Steamed Eggplant with Spicy Miso Dressing

This Steamed Eggplant with Spicy Miso Dressing from the Japanese Light cookbook is a quick and healthy meal. And it was fun for me because I have never made anything with miso before.

I am not sure from the recipe if I was supposed to use regular or Chinese eggplant. I happened to be at the Asian market so I bought two Chinese eggplant because I have not tried them. They are much smaller in size and I had a bunch of extra dressing so I think that I should have purchased regular Italian eggplant.

Didn't I have a really healthy dinner? I had this eggplant and the Shimeji Mushrooms and Ginkgo Nut Parcel. I ate the entire recipe full of eggplant and one parcel of mushrooms. It was neat to eat veggies in a way other than stir-fry.

Steamed Eggplant with Spicy Miso Dressing 2 medium eggplants 1 garlic clove, peeled and grated 1 (1-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated 1 shallot, minced 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon medium-colored miso paste 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

Cut off and discard the eggplant stems and quarter them lengthwise. Soak them in water for 10 minutes to reduce the bitterness. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Steam the eggplants for 12-15 minutes or until they are soft in the middle. Lay them out flat on a chopping board and fan them to cool down.

Mix together all other ingredients for the dressing. Transfer the eggplant to a serving dish, drizzle with the dressing and serve.

Shimeji Mushrooms and Ginkgo Nut Parcel

I chose to make this Shimeji Mushrooms and Ginkgo Nut Parcel from the Japanese Light cookbook just because it looked like fun. I love mushrooms and the recipe includes photographs of wrapping up the little tin foil parcels. I haven't made anything like that in a while. The only problem was, I had no idea what shimeji mushrooms were. Long story short, they are also known as beech mushrooms. I found them in a package in the refrigerator section of the Asian market.

I wasn't all that impressed with these. It is a simple recipe with pure and simple flavors. Everything tasted fresh and healthy. I just wanted . . . something. Maybe more garlic or some soy sauce. After I ate half of my parcel I mixed them in with the Steamed Eggplant with Spicy Miso Dressing so that they could have some of the dressing on them. Maybe they would have been better if I ate them with a stronger flavored main dish.

Shimeji Mushrooms and Ginkgo Nut Parcel 2 packets shimeji mushrooms 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed with the side of a knife 12 ginkgo nuts* (sold ready to use in vacuum packs or cans in Asian markets) 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 thick slices lime 4 (12-inch) squares of aluminum foil *if using the canned variety, rinse off the brine

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the base off of the mushrooms and separate them (or if desired, keep them in little clumps). Heat a skillet over a moderate heat and add the garlic to the olive oil to flavor. Remove the garlic when it turns golden. Increase the heat and quickly saute the mushrooms and ginkgo nuts; season with the salt.

Divide the mushrooms into four equal portions and transfer each portion into the center of an aluminum foil sheet. Add a lime slice to each one and gather up the corners to make parcels. Make the parcels as roomy as possible so as not to crowd the ingredients. Put them on a baking sheet and bake them for 5 minutes. Serve unopened and let your guests enjoy the fragrance as they open them at the table.

Spinach with Black Pepper and Garlic

I had a bag and a half of spinach leftover from a complicated recipe I never had time to make last week. This morning I was flipping through cookbooks and found this recipe in Quick & Easy Thai by Nanci McDermott. Spinach with Black Pepper and Garlic (pank spi-naht paht gratiem prik thai) is really easy to make so I threw it together for a quick lunch in between errands. I normally don't sit down to a big plate of spinach, but it actually was quite filling.

Spinach with Black Pepper and Garlic pahk spi-naht paht gratiem prik thai 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic 8 to 10 cup loosely packed fresh spinach leaves (about 20 ounces) 2 tablespoons fish sauce 2 teaspoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 cup water

Heat oil a wok or large skillet for about 1 minutes. Add garlic and toss well in the oil. Add the spinach and gently toss to coat in the oil. Add the fish sauce, sugar, pepper and water. Toss well and keep tossing until all the spinach is wilted and tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn onto a deep plate, sauce and all. Can be served hot, warm or at room temperature.

Leftover Fish and Random Pantry Salsa

David over at Cooking Chat has challenged us with Leftover Tuesdays. The concept is simple: use your leftovers in a creative way to make a new meal.

The idea is sound and even seems like fun. My problem is that when I eat leftovers, I am use to just reheating the same meal. That is why I only like to eat leftovers one time and then the rest goes to the dogs. However when I was cooking this weekend, I looked at each meal and tried to come up with ways to change it up and make some creative leftovers.

I decided to work with the fish leftover from the Red Snapper Alicante I made on Saturday night. I wanted to use this because I had two large fillets left and, besides the fact that it was expensive and I didn't want to waste it on the dogs, re-heating fish for lunch in the microwave does not appeal to me. The fish was cooked simply with rings of onions and peppers so it was nicely flavored but there was no sauce.


Now I had to figure out what to do with the fish. At first I thought of making a taco but I thought that seemed kind of boring. I'm sure it would have tasted good but I didn't want to cover up the delicate taste of the red snapper with lots of filling. I racked my brain for flavors to compliment fish and I settled on doing something with fruit. I was thinking about some sort of mango salsa.

The only problem was that I didn't have any fresh mangoes. And this being a leftover challenge, I didn't want to make a special trip to the store to get some. So I turned to my pantry. I used a cup of Dole's Mixed Tropical fruit. I drained out the juice and placed the mango, pineapple and papaya fruit pieces in a bowl. Then, back to the pantry . . .

I received an order last week from Casa Oliver. I had ordered several items from Matiz, a company from Spain. I found them because the peppers are on the list of 100 foods I have to try in 2007 that Food & Wine magazine put together. I grabbed the peppers and Sweet Garlic.


I also grabbed some Banana Ketchup that I bought while in the Caribbean last year. It tastes so good but I have not found anything to eat it with. Since I was feeling creative I decided to toss that in with the fruit, garlic and peppers. I mixed it all together and poured it on top of the fish.

It turned out great! The peppers didn't really contribute that much because I probably didn't add enough, but every once in a while I'd get a vinegary crunch from them. The fruit and the banana ketchup both definately go well with the fish. I'm going to have to find some more creative uses for that banana ketchup.

I have to thank David for this challenge because I am usually a recipe follower. I rarely put random things together. But tonight I completely stepped out of my comfort zone and it was really fun. I'm going to have to do this more often.

#9: Corn Bread, Some Good Grub

This Corn Bread with Scallions recipe is probably one of the easiest recipes every published in Food & Wine Magazine. It was featured as an example of #9 Updated Chuckwagon Recipes on Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try. This recipe was created by Paula Disbrowe and will be published in her Cowgirl Cuisine cookbook due out in March, 2007.

The ingredients are simple so the only special thing I needed to get for this recipe was the green onions. I did not have any corn oil so I bought a small bottle of organic corn oil as well. The only problem was that I do not own a cast-iron skillet. Instead of trying to improvise, I decided to call in the help of a friend.


My friend Julie invited me over and we made this recipe together. It is a perfect thing to make as a team not because it is complicated, but because it is so easy we didn't mess anything up with our gabbing. Julie picked up a roast chicken from the grocery store and she also made sweet potatoes which her husband mashed for us. It was a perfect meal. Before we ate we finished up the bottle of 2003 Tandem Porter-Bass Vineyards Chardonnay which I had brought over.

I am kind of picky when it comes to cornbread. I like it sweet and can't stand it when it turns out bland. There is only a little bit of honey in this recipe so I was a bit concerned. It did not turn out to be sweet corn bread, but it did turn out to be good corn bread. I was surprised how well the green onions added amazing flavor. They were not over powering but they contributed a homey quality and we all liked it. I had some the next day for breakfast and it did not dry out.

Corn Bread with Scallions 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup coarse, stone-ground yellow cornmeal 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt Pinch of freshly ground pepper 1 1/4 cups low-fat milk 2 tablespoons honey 2 large eggs, beaten 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon corn oil 8 scallions, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°. Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven to heat. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk the milk, honey, eggs and 1/3 cup of the oil. Add the wet ingredients to the cornmeal mixture and whisk just until combined. Stir in the scallions.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the hot skillet and swirl to coat. Pour the batter into the skillet and bake for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool slightly, then turn the corn bread out onto a plate. Invert it onto a rack to cool. Alternatively, serve the corn bread hot from the skillet.


note* with nine servings (a big slice), each piece of corn bread is 6 Weight Watchers points.

Doggie Burgers (and birdie burgers too)

My guys got a treat yesterday. I made them Isaboo's Bacon-Cheese-Barley Burgers from the December/January issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine.

These are pretty easy to make. And what I like about them is that even though they take about 30 minutes to complete, you can do other things most of the time. It takes about 20 minutes for the barley to cook. The ingredients are really healthy: barley, chicken stock, cheese, and a little bit of bacon. The only problem I had was that they fell apart a bit while I was cooking them.

I kept telling my dogs that they were getting special treats and Charlie Bird got jealous. He wanted to see what all the fuss was about. It's so healthy so I gave him some too. Cheese is one of his favorites but he really liked the barley too.


This recipe make four patties. I gave my two dogs one each and brought the other two over to my friend's house for her two dogs. All four of them snarfed it down and were very happy.

Isaboo's Bacon-Cheese-Barley Burgers 1/2 cup pearl barley 2 cups fat-free chicken broth 2 slices lean bacon 1 large egg 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

Instructions
In a medium saucepan, bring the barley and chicken broth to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the barley is tender, about 20 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid. Transfer to a medium bowl and let cool.

While the barley is cooking, in a large nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp, about 4 minutes. Reserve the fat from the bacon for cooking the burgers. Finely chop the bacon and add to the cooled barley. Mix in the egg, bread crumbs and cheese. Combine thoroughly and score into 4 equal pieces. Wet your hands and form the pieces into patties.

Reheat the bacon fat and cook the burgers over medium heat for 4 minutes on each side.


Check out the round-up of Weekend Dog Blogging hosted each week by Sweetnicks.

"Healthy" Four-Cheese Macaroni

Seriously Good is hosting a Mac-n-Cheese Off blogging event. This Friday night everyone is making Macaroni & Cheese for dinner. I really wanted to make a Paula Dean recipe I saw on Paula's Party. She made Deep Fried Mac & Cheese. Yup, it was cut up and submerged in a deep fryer. And it looked so amazing and interesting to make.

However, I decided to forgo the heart attack and take a healthier route. Tonight I made Four-Cheese Macaroni, a recipe I found in Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook. The recipe looked reasonable, just exchanging regular cheese and milk for low fat versions. However, I have never made Macaroni and Cheese before (except out of a box) so I have nothing to compare it to.

The cheeses never seemed to melt together very well for me. It ended up alot stringier than I thought it should be. Not too bad, but not like Boston Market's version. It tasted good though. It's pretty light. If on a diet, you can get your fix off of this version however I'm sure it won't stand up to some butter and cheese filled recipe.

My taste-testers approved. Of course they are of the canine and avian descent and they are happy with almost everything I make for them.

note* each serving has 7 weight watchers points

Four-Cheese Macaroni (6 servings) 2 1/4 cups elbow macaroni 1 cup fat-free milk 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp Monterey Jack cheese 1/3 cup shredded American cheese 1/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper Instructions Cook the macaroni according to package directions; drain and return to the pot. Add the milk, cheddar, Monterey Jack, American cheese, mozzarella and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the cheese melt, about 5 minutes.

Emeril tries to cook healthy on the Food Network

Thank God the holidays are over. I can finally have my Food Network back. Ever since Halloween, they have been airing a month's worth of cooking turkey in preparation for Thanksgiving and then another month of all sorts of holiday food geared toward Christmas. It was definitely overkill for me.

This week the Food Network seems to be focusing on healthy eating and dieting. It makes sense since so many people start diets at the beginning of each year. I get a kick out of watching Emeril Lagasse try to make diet food. He's the king of pork fat! While his recipes featured on the Fit for Life episode of Emeril Live may have healthier titles than his normal recipes, they should not be considered diet food!

Jorge Cruise, author of The 3-Hour Diet, was a guest on the show as the diet and health expert. The two of them played off of each other. Emeril made his version of a "healthy" pizza with sliced potatoes, pepperoni and truffle oil while Jorge made chicken on pita bread mini-pizzas. They both looked good but of course Emeril's looked better. However he never claimed that both recipes were comparable calorie-wise.

It got comical as they each made a lasagna recipe. Jorge made a traditionally healthy turkey and spinach lasagne and Emeril's had lobster and crabmeat. They both sound healthy, but Emeril's contained 6 Tbsp of butter as the first ingredient!

To check and see if my suspicions were correct, I ran each of the recipes through the Weight Watchers recipe builder. I know many people don't understand the Weight Watchers points thing, but I like it. It's way easier than figuring out calories and all that. You usually get 24 points a day. Based on this, you can understand that if one serving of a recipe has 12 points, that portion of food is half the food you are supposed to eat for the entire day. A typical meal is 5 to 7 points. (You get to eat more food than that but to explain that would to be to explain the entire Weight Watchers plan.) I adapted Emeril's recipe to use fat-free milk and cheeses.

Emeril's Fresh Crabmeat and Lobster Lasagna
11 Points

Jorge's Turkey and Spinach Lasagna
9 points

I was surprised that both recipes were close, but I'm sure there would have been a much bigger difference if I didn't change everything to fat-free in Emeril's recipe. And let's be honest, fat-cheeses usually change the consistency of things. And I can't image how a bechamel sauce made with skim milk would work out.

Even though I didn't get any diet-friendly Emeril recipes (he couldn't stop with the butter!), the discussion between Emeril and Jorge was very informative. Jorge made suggestions on how to lighten up the recipes and provided information about why certain food are good for our bodies.

tula's country-style greek salad

i made tula's country-style greek salad from i like you: hospitality under the influence by amy sedaris. when i received two joy of cooking cookbooks for christmas, i exchanged one for this "unique" cookbook. i read most of it on the plane ride home from chicago. she is a comedian, but the book itself is just strange (more on that later). i think because it's so random. the recipes look great though. amy sedaris mentions that she knows greek cooking very well so i was attracted to a few of her greek recipes. i love cucumbers, tomatoes and feta cheese so this salad seemed like a great place to start.

And it was . . . this salad is super refreshing. the kalmata and feta give it some substance and the salad by itself is quite filling. it is very simple to just chop up some veggies and whisk together a quick dressing. i like it with lots of fresh ground sea salt sprinkled on top. And to my surprise, the salad lasted. i actually made it last night but forgot to add the olives and pine nuts. it is a very large salad so i barely finished half of it. i just left it in the bowl and covered it with tinfoil. there was some extra juice tonight, probably due to the tomatoes, but nothing got soggy. the feta is firm enough not to soak everything up. so i just added in the olives and pine nuts and was good to go. there was so much left that i ate it as the majority of my meal with a little bit of leftover soup.

Tula's Country Style Greek Salad 3 medium tomatoes 1 large cucumber 1 small red onion 5 oz crumbled feta a handful of kalamata olives a handful of pine nuts salt, fresh ground pepper and oregano to taste 1/4 cup olive oil 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar (i used balsamic)

Instructions (serves 6)
slice tomatoes and onion. peel and slice cucumber. arrange tomato, cucumber and onions in bowl. top with feta and olives and sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano to taste. toss in pine nuts.

mix olive oil and red wine vinegar. add salt and pepper to taste. beat olive oil and vinegar mixture and pour over vegetables.

note* if you make this with fat-free feta it will only be 4 weight watchers points.