Cod and Tilapia healthy cooking

I had a filet of cod and one of tilapia I had to cook. This recipe turned out to be delicious; very tasty and super healthy, low calories. It’s amazing how you can put some herbs together and get something so flavory. On a side note, I have been super busy with #FSU3DS, this event I helped organizing at FSU. It’s a 3 day workshop for students to start their own tech business. No joke!. It has been amazing and really motivated me to look into having my own business. But with business you need fuel for your brain so eat some fish!

I had some left over capper sauce which I used to marinate the fish. What you want to do get a cup of big or small cappers, add a cup of fresh parsley, add olive oil and one or two lemon juice. Mix everything with the hand mixer and place in a skillet with a spoon of olive oil and some toasted garlic. Add some water so the sauce does not stick and burn. At that point add the fish (you can use any type of fish). Cover the fish with oregano. Cover with 1/4 of orange juice. Cover with a lid and let cook for 20 minutes. Done.

This was truly a big surprise. The fish gets to be boiled in water and juice. It is tender and very light. Delicious.

Again, I have no time to take pictures so you get a tomato. Ahahahah

Frittata with onions

This is such an easy and rewarding recipe. I made it at night and brought it in the office. I also left half at home for late nights when I don’t feel like cooking. I am sorry I don’t have pictures. I have been cooking many dishes without taking pictures. I know it is not very appealing to a reader, but I guess suck it up because the food is good. I am definitely going to make this recipe again so I will update this page next time.

Frittata x 2 

6 eggs (if you are concerned about cholesterol use only white eggs)

2 small onions (the ones that look like scallions but are bigger)

Olive oil

shredded mozzarella (1/2 cup)

1/4 heavy cream organic of course and grass fed

Slice the onions/shallots (2 are enough for me) so that they are thin. Beat the eggs, add heavy cream, salt, pepper, and cheese. Heat the oil that needs to cover the skillet and place the onions until they are brown. Then add the eggs and cook on low heat. When one of the side is ready (brownish/gold) flip the frittata with a plate and cook the other side.

Cream with caramelized peach – crema pasticcera con pesche

A tasty dessert for a weekend or special occasion. It makes enough for 4 small bowls. I made it for my friends who came over Saturday night.

Ingredients:

2 peaches cut in half and peel them. Brush them with butter, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

5 yolks (organic and fresh)

one cup of organic sugar

a spoon of Brandy, or Marsala or Martini

200 g of heavy cream whipped

Watch the video to see how to caramelize the peaches. You can put them on a grill until they get soft and caramelized. Set on a side.

Place the eggs in a bowl to cook in a double boiler. Add the sugar. Keep whisking the eggs and sugar until it gets somewhat dense and double in size. It will take a while. I mean a while and your arm will be sore. It is like doing push ups. Add some Brandy or whatever you chose to. Add some organic zest. Once it is ready (this is crucial) place the bowl on a bigger bowl full of ice. Set to cool off.

When the cream is cooled off, slowly add the whipped cream. Move without whisking the cream. Place in the refrigerator to cool off.

When you are ready to serve, warm up the peaches in the microwave. Place the cream in the small bowls and the peach on top. Sprinkle grated dark chocolate (90%) and serve.

Please watch the video to see the finishing touch. Enjoy!

Crema alle pesche

Suck it up, don’t suck it in!

I have not really talked about working out or being physically active.  That’s because it is just more enjoyable talking about food and eating. Though, I do enjoy being active. I am not a big fan of the traditional concept of the gym advertised by Gold’s Gym or any of these types of business-oriented gyms. I feel uncomfortable and I can’t stand the smell of rubber.  When I think about working out I see fresh air, mountains, and the beach. Now, the gym is good because it provides structure and organization. The gym at school is awesome and the membership is included in tuition so that is one of the primary places in which I work out. I also jog by my house and do heat yoga at this cute place 5 minutes away from my house. Sometimes I do rock climbing, mountain bike, 5Ks, bricks and whatever I am exposed too. I like diversity because I get bored easily. I also noticed my body easily adopts to the same routine and hence I risk not seeing improvements.

For the first month I really concentrated on muscle building by doing Body Tone, steps, and abs classes. Those classes have been great. I am strong, have built resistance, but did not help me lose the 5 pounds of Christmas cookies that are comfortable sitting on my belly.

As a result, last week I finally decided to add cardio even thought it requires a lot of motivation because I am very lazy. I tried jogging for 20-30 minutes 3 times a week. On Sunday I do hot yoga. If you are not familiar hot yoga is a 90 minutes class of yoga in a room heated at 105 degree with humidity at 40%. It is not recommended for beginners. Actually it is very dangerous. I tried many years ago and almost puked and passed out. The only reason why I can handle it now it’s because I have built endurance by taking other yoga classes and body tone classes. What I like about hot yoga is that it detoxes you and RELAX you. I have never being that relax in all my life. Yes, you sweat and burn 900 calories if not more, but be smart: you are primarily losing liquids.

My goal is to do some kind of cardio 3 times a week and do body training twice a week. So far I have lost 1 pound since January 1, 2012. I lost a Santa Claus xmas cookie;) ahahhaah Damn you Santa:) I think it’s pretty good and healthy.

ps. I am sick. Drinking a lot of ginger tea, fresh orange juice, and soup. Let me show you the earrings I bought from this amazing artist from Chicago. Her name is Laura Lombardi. Reasonably priced. Check her website.

Fried Oysters

I am tired. Here another recipe from the Romantic/Valentine’s dinner. It only took me forever to type all the recipes….and I am not even done….

Last night I had a total abandonment of healthy diet. I came back around 8 after having worked out for one hour and half and I was starving. It’s reasonable right? I had wished my dinner would have been ready, but it was not and everything in the kitchen required a lot of preparation. The intention was there. I started baking a sweet potatoe and had half a orange. But that was not enough. For dinner I had one chocolate cupcake that had been sitting in the fridge for one week and a mini chocolate mousse. I know. I did not even enjoy it, but I was hungry. So moral of the story. Rely on yourself for cooking and ALWAYS have a healthy ‘safe item’ in the house.

Fried oysters

8 fresh oysters (we buy them from teh gulf since we are only 40 minutes away)

2 eggs beaten and placed in a bowl

1/2 cup of unbleached flour

1/2 bread crambs or panko

canola oil or olive oil for frying (if you use the olive oil the oysters will have a bitter strong taste)

one lemon, salt and pepper

You will have 3 different bowls each filled with one ingridient (one for eggs, one for flour, one for breadf crambs)

Dip each oyster in flour, eggs, and bread crambs. Then place in hot oil and fry for 2 minutes or until crispy and gold on the outside. Sprinkle with lemon once the oysters are set aside on a plate.

We placed the oysters on top of the filet mignon

How to survive misleading green advertising

I am writing this entry purposely for my students. I am teaching a class on environmental media and this week we have discussed how companies mislead us in buying something that is not really “natural” or “green.” I felt very bad today, because some of my students are actually changing their habits and when they showed up with an egg carton labeled ‘natural’ I had to tell them that there was really nothing natural about those eggs. This is frustrating for somebody who wants to change because we feel we cannot make a difference. I remember when I started getting into green stuff and I was determined to be conscious. So after extensively reading Pollan, Nestle, Wendell Berry, etc. I went to the grocery store Earth Fare and then Publix. I was with Shawn. For each item we had a conversation from 5-10 minutes on whether it was the ‘right’ choice to make. I mean we ended up getting in heated arguments over everything: from eggs to chocolate, to toilet paper. There was also the money factor. Do I spend $5 for something that I can get for $2. Moral of the story? We ended up buying maybe 10 items. I was so frustrating that I stopped buying, consuming, which is totally what green marketing is not about. As a consumer I was supposed to buy or give up and buy more.

I yet have to find a solution to my shopping habits – One solution has been to have my own organic garden. It provides control. I believe consumers want control, just not empowerment, but feel in control of their destiny. For me it was having my own garden because it allows me to control production, distribution and consumption of what I eat. Of course, I cannot produce toilet paper, pens, chocolate, etc. And of course there are times when I buy the conventional product because of convenience or money. We are not perfect, but we can take small steps.

Here few things everyone can do:

Buy Organics (USDA controls organic farming so you know that usda certified organic is real organic) USDA Organic food labeling

Organic certifications are expensive so you might still have businesses that are organic but just cannot label – Shop locally and ask questions. It’s your right to ask questions.

Read the labels- if a product lists for ingredients things you can hardly pronounce than that product is not really “natural.”

To identify GMOs products: Organic products code number start with a 9; GMOs usually start with a 4 or 3. So if the code is anything but 9, then it’s probably GMO.

Greenwise section at Publix for meat is not GMOs free (they don’t claim to be and when I asked they could not provide a definite answer, but they do not use hormones.

Cook your own meals. Stop eating out, or buying those frozen pizzas or dinner. Prioritize your life. Make it fun. For example Publix sells pizza dough. It literally only takes 20 minutes to prepare a pizza. It takes Dominos’ 45 minutes to deliver a pizza and it’s more expensive. Also cooking at home saves money. A lot of money.

Make cooking a fun habit like shopping for shoes. Cooking is enjoyable.

You might think eating healthy is expensive. That depends. Ask yourself how much food you waste by getting that “buying one get another free.” You are wasting time, food and money. You could help decrease hunger with that salad that sat on your refrigerator for a month because you got it for free. Eat less, but well. You really don’t need that extra soda or extra free burger. You don’t. Your belly does not either.  It is that easy.

Pollan provides rules to follow when planning a meal on the Omnivore’s Dilemma (2006). Check it out it’s on page 392.

Are natural products natural? Most likely not. According to the USDA, ”

1. Are natural and organic foods the same?

No. The term “natural” is not regulated except for meat and poultry. It applies

broadly to foods that are minimally processed and free of synthetic

preservatives; artificial sweeteners, colors, flavors and other artificial additives;

hydrogenated oils; stabilizers; and emulsifiers. Most foods labeled

natural are not subject to government controls beyond the regulations and

heath codes that apply to all foods” (“Natural and Organic Food,” 2011)

Time for spring garden and fresh herbs

It has been an abnormal warm winter in North Florida. My cucumbers are growing back and my parsley never died from last year. Today, I prepared my garden for planting. I have planted a little bit of everything but this year I want to focus on herbs because they are expensive and I use them regularly. Also they require little attention. While working on the garden I found: (1) a snake; and (2) ants nest inside my compost. Look at the video. You get the impression that something is moving….yes thousand of fire ants. If you live in FL you know how dangerous fire ants are. They are everywhere and will attack you like in the Indiana Jones’ movie. If you want to subscribe to my channel on Youtube go head and thank you!

Ants (http://youtu.be/-K09Sjp9i60)

What’s the big deal with HFCS High Fructose Corn Syrup

Every time I watch the TV guide channel (I don’t have cable, so I rely on the TV guide channel to entertain myself) I get stuck watching the commercial sponsored and paid by the Corn Refiner Association (surprise!) where they assure that HFCS is “fine” in moderation. Too bad they don’t tell you that HFCS and corn syrup in general is not consumed in “moderation.” It is impossible because it is pretty much in everything we eat (bread, yogurt, cereals, cookies, chips, etc).

Corn Syrup (http://youtu.be/W40yHDFxkAY)

So in response to this campaign, this video was made explaining why indeed HFCS is not that “fine.” It’s a parody to the previous commercial.

Response to Ad (http://youtu.be/hYiEFu54o1E)

 

 

 

 

Salad World

I had a super busy and long week. But before I get into that I just want to share my passion for good salads and good dressings. Whenever I get invited to someone’s house I like to bring something fresh and green. I have noticed that we tend to bring heavy dishes like casseroles or desserts and you end up filling up with sugars and fats. So for that reason and because it takes no time I always bring a salad – a magic salad. I have to admit my friend Sophie got me into salads because she is vegetarian. For Thanksgiving she made this amazing everything salad. Here it’s my take.

Feta cheese (one block)

shredded carrots

lettuce (whatever you like)

sunflowers or pumpink seeds

dried cherry or cranberries

grapefruit (one diced)

green pepper (diced)

red onion (optional – less than half)

fresh mushroom (small package)

tomatoes (one big one)

Avocado (diced -one)

Olives (one big spoon diced)

(pretty much anything that you like)

Dressing (This is my own creation from yesterday)

Olive oil (extravergine – 1/3 cup); orange juice (half cup); 2 lemons; (1 table spoon mustard- the one made in France- can’t remember the name now); Balsamic Vinegar (2 tablespoons); salt and pepper. Mix all ingredients together and then mix with the salad.

I always, always use mustard for my dressing. Sometimes I just mix it with vinegar, without the orange juice. It’s a very healthy and light version of traditional dressing.

You can see now how great it looked on the table of the party. Every year we get invited to this fab Rattle Snake party. You might wonder what it is….There is a festival in Cairo Georgia, where for one day you get to chase rattle snakes….I usually just go to the after party organized by some friends where we just eat and drink and engage in delightful conversations.

 

Indian Vegetarian Chili

I had a busy day today so I will get to the basics. It is the third day of low carb diet and work out regime to become strong and healthy and energized. In terms of energy I have plenty. I am amazed. I am not fatigue.
In terms of eating and recipe today I had the following:
Breakfast: I can’t remember. Is that bad?
Lunch: Greek yogurt with nuts and granola and dried fruit and honey, left over meatloaf.
Snack: apple
Dinner: I am excited and scare about dinner. You need to realize or at least I am realizing that being on a decent diet can be expensive because you eat mostly fresh produces and that can quickly add up. I am also a student so my budget is limited. Even thought I spend most of my money on food. So we spent $200 at the grocery few days ago and the fridge is getting empty quickly. I can t afford to spend other 200….. The solution is to find ways I can make good meals with whatever is left at home. I usually start using fresh produces because they go bad quickly and then I pass on to cans (I know cans are bad but again we need to be practical, to take small steps toward a better eating habits). Tonight I figured I would make a vegetarian chili with Indian spices. First I salted garlic, onions and left over fresh mushrooms with olive oil. I added my special blend of spices and Japanese rice vinegar. Next I added three different types of beans, one can of tomatoes, some tomato juice and herbs! I also added some frozen veggies that I had to use. I am cooking it for at least two hours, until it absorbs some of the liquid. I will serve it with a spoon of Greek yogurt. I hope it is good. It is the first time I make it.

My husband is having carbs withdrawal—:)