Food for Real

It’s the first weekend in a few weeks that I’ve had the chance to stay home! And as always, when I have a little time on my hands, I cook.

Yesterday, I decided it would be nice to treat myself to a manicure. While I sat in the nail salon, I noticed that one of my favorite channels was on the flat screen right in front of me: The Food Network. Score. I usually hate sitting through manicures, not only because the smell of nail polish gives me a headache, but also because it can be very, very b-o-r-i-n-g. (No pain, no gain I suppose). So when I realized that I could watch some cooking during this necessary task (if you know me, you know I struggle with painting my own nails), I was pretty excited.

I couldn’t hear what was being said, but I became completely immersed in Ina Garten’s Country French Omelet. Of course, I didn’t look up the recipe before I decided to cook it this morning, so I had to adapt my own recipe based on what I saw on TV. But luckily, I found the actual recipe for you, which you should totally give a try!! Or you can try mine if you’d prefer. Here is it (btw, not the healthiest breakfast in the world, but in my opinion, it’s all about moderation and enjoying yourself):

The Spread

*Sidenote: Sorry, these pics aren’t the best b/c I have to use my phone. New digital camera coming soon.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• Turkey Bacon
• Low-fat milk
• Chives
• 1 small yellow potato

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cook bacon over medium heat and lay on paper towel to drain. Don’t pour out fat from pan.
3. Add chopped potatoes to pan and cook in bacon fat for about 8 minutes or until tender
4. Break up bacon into small pieces and put in a bowl. Add the potatoes.
5. Crack the eggs, add just a little bit of the low-fat milk, salt & pepper to taste.
6. Pour out bacon fat from pan and lower heat to low. Add some butter to pan until it melts. Add whisked eggs & milk
7. Add bacon and potatoes to eggs.
8. Chop up some chives and add those in too.
9. Turn off the heat and stick that pan into the oven for about 8 minutes.
10. Take it out of the oven, cut in half, and serve! So good.

Or you can follow this recipe from the Food Network which was my initial inspiration for the dish. You’ll see it’s pretty much the same thing. Enjoy!

Last weekend was so memorable! After a fun night with friends after work on Friday, I spent Saturday afternoon and night surrounded by some amazing women. First, I attended the first Massachusetts Student Dietetic Association (MSDA) potluck event on the Boston Common. It was truly one of the most beautiful days of the season, and everyone brought stand-out culinary creations. The MSDA is an organization of dietetic students from all over Massachusetts, and I write the newsletter and do a little marketing for the group. The other officers, Nathalia, Nikita, Erin, Alex, and Elizabeth worked seamlessly together to make the event successful and fun and full of delicious lunch foods.

It was really nice to meet some new local RDs-to-be, and I think everyone had a good time. After the event, I headed out to Cape Cod to meet some of my life long friends Katy and Donna and two wonderful new friends Monica (also a future RD!) and MK. The five of us drank wine, danced up a storm, and made one of the best dinners I’ve had in a while (No thanks to me! I simply sat on the porch with MK and a couple of glasses of wine while the other girls whipped up dinner. How unlike me! But it was totally worth it to sit back and relax).  We had salad, fish, edamame salad, grilled veggies, pasta salad! All my favorite things!

"Grillin' Things" Photo Credit: Katy Rais

Cheers to Monica - our grillmaster that evening!

Cheers to good friends

Next week on Guiltless, I’m writing about Kelly Valen’s new book/research called Twisted Sisterhood. It’s about how many women treat each other badly and tear each other apart in a petty rage for no reason at all. Well actually, this book examines the reasons and the science behind why “frenemies” exist. During my research on this topic, I’ve gained such an immense appreciation for not only my amazing friends, but also my profession. I am surrounded by women who are truly supportive of one another! Did you know that female/female friendships have actually been scientifically shown to boost immunity? Pretty cool.

Having lunch with my colleagues and new friends followed by dinner with my besties made me remember how important it is to have good friends and good food in life. It’s a simple formula for happiness. Be well, and enjoy the day!

So much of who we are and what we enjoy comes from our families. With every year, I see more of my parents in myself. Some of the characteristics are tangible, like my love for food, music and yoga, while others are harder to pin point. I try to visit my parents for dinner at least one per month if I can. I love to explore the house in which I grew up; looking at old pictures of my loved ones, playing the old piano, looking out my old bedroom window, visiting my childhood pets,  realizing how much has changed since I lived there…and being thankful for the things that didn’t.

Mum and Dad at the dinner table

It was a beautiful night last night, so I decided to ride my bike to my parents’ house for dinner. On the way there, I took a few detours around the familiar neighborhoods, smiling at the memories around almost every corner. I got to my parents’ a little early, and decided to have a snack while I chatted w/my mother. I poured myself some tangerine orange zinger iced tea and filled a bowl up with fresh organic red cherries. I showed my mom some pictures from when I lived in New York this summer, we talked about my nieces and nephews, we remembered my grandfather, we called my grandmother to say hello. My mom showed me the beautiful garden out back that she and my dad have been working on,  we played outside with the dog (Herbie!),  she told me about the novel she is currently reading, explained her latest yoga-revelation, showed me her fabulous new shoes, and offered to let me borrow a skirt. And of course had a moment of wisdom that will most definitely stick with me for the rest of the week, “Being kind to yourself and being kind to others is a balancing act.” This is our routine.

Tangerine orange zinger iced tea and a bowl of cherries

Mum making iced tea

Herbie waiting patiently for me to throw the tennis ball

Baby watermelon

Corn

beets

Basil

family of ducks I saw during the ride over there

My father got home around 6 p.m. and the cooking began. Dad was sent to the grill to work on the Sweet Italian Sausage, while Mom whipped up rice noodles with Italian tuna, garlic & lemon, capers & olive oil with a side of steamed broccoli. I joined Dad outside for a little chat while he fired up the grill. We talked about my upcoming trip to California, the upcoming triathlon I’m registered for, school, my apartment, my car, and we tried to plan a trip to the Cape before the summer ends. This is our routine.

Dad firing up the grill!

Where I always want to be

Mum snipping fresh oregano

There’s always two options at the Horton dinners. My mom is mostly vegan (though she does eat fish), and my dad is most certainly not vegan. Growing up I always had a choice: Veggie burger or Cheeseburger, chickpea stew or beefstew, Tofu & greens or grilled chicken and salad. I learned to just have a little bit of everything, because I didn’t want one parent to feel left out! Plus everything is always so good, it’s hard to pass up!

My plate: a little of everything as usual

Dinner with mum and dad, as always, was a lot of fun. Everything was delicious! Check out the recipe for the Rice noodle dish as well as the iced tea below. When dinner was over (and after a lecture about riding my bike at night), my mom loaned me Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Mineral (no, I haven’t read it yet!) and my dad showed me that he got me a Food Network Magazine for my plane ride to LA this Thursday. I headed home feeling a lot of gratitude. It’s nice to step back and take a look at how the people you call your parents are people too, and they have shaped who you are in ways you will never understand. The dinners and routines and pictures and disputes and the things they give you to read or listen to…I used to hardly give these things a second thought, but now I realize they are all part of who I am, and that makes me smile.

What’s one of your favorite family meals? How do you feel your family has influenced your food likes and dislikes?

Be well, and enjoy the day!

RECIPES:

Tangerine Orange Zinger Iced Tea

• 6 Tea Bags
• One pitcher of water

Fill a pretty pitcher up w/cold water, add tea bags to water, cover and refridgerate. You never have to take the bags out of the pitcher, because it doesn’t get bitter…simply flavors the water more.

Rice Noodles w/Italian Tuna, Capers, Lemon, Garlic and Olive Oil

• Rice noodles
• Italian tuna packed in olive oil
• Capers
• Fresh Oregano
• Lemon
• Garlic
• Black pepper

Boil the rice noodles for 2 minutes. Then turn off heat and allow the noodles to soak for 20 minutes. Brown garlic in olive oil on a skillet over very low heat. Add tuna and cook for 2 minutes. Add capers and lemon and heat for another minute or so. Add rice noodles and oregano and heat for about 5 -10 minutes on very low heat, stirring occasionally. Add black pepper to taste and serve hot.

Lori, Christina, Ricky, and Becky at the Doris Family Dinner!

Tuesday evening was a perfect summer’s night. I was invited over to the Doris house for family dinner, and wow, it was really incredible. My good friend Lori Doris lives with her two sisters Christina and Rebecca in Somerville with their adorable cat Sydney. Lori is a culinary master and Christina is an incredible baker, and the two of them work  at Mooo in Boston – Lori in the back of the house and Christina in the front…What a team! The three girls (and Sydney of course) were joined by myself and Grillmaster Ricky for a delicious summer dinner: Rosemary and thyme grilled chicken w/fava bean puree and Israeli cous cous with summer squash, zucchini and pine nuts followed by a dessert of avocado panna cotta with chocolate butter cookie, chocolate chip cherry sorbet, and vanilla bean whipped cream. Amazing.

Chef Lori Doris! Holding a fava bean and the fava bean puree

Christina's avocado panna cotta was out of this world! Check out the recipe below

The cooks! Love the aprons

Grill Master Ricky grilling the Rosemary & Thyme Chicken

I met Lori about 8 years ago (whoa – time flies). A few years later, she came to the realization that not only does she love cooking, but she is also really good at it. So she decided to go back to school for culinary arts, and I must say, I am so happy she did! It’s so much fun to watch Lori cook. In all the years I’ve known her, it wasn’t until Tuesday that I really got to see her in action. The Fava bean puree is one of the tastiest, most unique dishes I’ve ever had. Try it out! Here are the dinner recipes courtesy of Lori:

Fava bean puree

• 3.5lbs Fava beans
• 4 cloves garlic
• Olive oil
• 2 sprigs Thyme
• 2 sprigs Rosemary
• Water
• 2tbls Butter
• Lemon juice
• Heavy cream
• Salt
• Pepper

Peel fava pods and remove beans.  Blanch the beans, cool them in ice bath and then peel.  Sautee garlic in olive oil.  Add the fava, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper, and partially cover with water and simmer for about 15 min until fava are cooked.  Add butter.  Puree mixture with oil, cream, water, and lemon juice until desired consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Israeli Cous Cous with Squash, Zucchini and pine nuts

• 4 cups Israeli cous cous
• 2 tbsp butter
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 summer squash – diced
• 2 zucchini – diced
• 2 shallots – small dice
• Lemon juice
• Lemon zest
• Toasted pine nuts
• basil
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Toast the cous cous in butter.  Add stock, bring to boil, and simmer for about 12.  Add some oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper.  Sautee shallots in oil then add squash and zucchini.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook until tender.  Add cooked cous cous, basil, and pine nuts.  Season with salt and pepper.

Chicken

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Lemon juice
• 4 cloves of crushed garlic
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Mix everything together and marinate.  Grill chicken until it’s done!

Grilling the chicken

Cooking the Israeli cous cous

Pine Nuts - Lori's favorite!

Check it out - Lori was in the Improper!

Grilled Chicken over Fava Bean Puree w/veggies and pine nuts. There's no way you're not having seconds.

Thanks, Bill. You're the best

And as if I wasn’t impressed enough, dinner was followed by dessert. Incredible cooking runs in the Doris family, without a doubt. (As does humor, check out Becky’s blog: If I am a Wild Beast)! Here are the dessert recipes courtesy of Christina:

Avocado Pana Cotta

• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 2 cups cream
• 1 avocado
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 packets gelatin
• 1 lemon zest
• 1 vanilla bean, halved w/seeds

Sprinkle the milk with gelatin and let sit for 5 minutes. Boil 2 cups of milk, cream, lemon zest, sugar, and vanilla bean for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Whisk in gelatin/milk mix, and puree until smooth. You peel and puree the avocado and then add half of the cream mixture to it and puree again until smooth. Then you add that puree to the remaining cream mixture and whisk to combine. Fill molds and cover. Chill for 2 hours. Then enjoy!

Chocolate Butter Cookie

• 3/4 c butter, soft
• 1 c powdered sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 c flour
• 1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder

- sift flour, cocoa and set aside
- cream butter and sugar until fluffy
- add yolk and vanilla, mix until combined
- on low speed slowly add flour mixture and continue beating for about 5 minutes
- form dough to disk, wrap, and chill 30 minutes
- roll out, cut to desired shape and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes

Avocado panna cotta, chocolate chip cherry sorbet, vanilla bean whipped cream, chocolate butter cookies....heaven!

Wine goes with everything

The Hulk really wanted some more (He and Bill are regulars at the Doris Family Dinner)

When I first told Lori I wanted to blog her, I think her first reaction was “oh no, now I have to cook something ‘healthy.’” But I told her, “Lori! I think all eating is healthy. The only stuff I try to avoid is the  stuff I can barely pronounce.” Clearly, I’m about real food. And that’s exactly what the Doris family dinner was made of. I admire how Lori was able to take some staple kitchen items (chicken, beans, vegetables, grains) and turn them into a gourmet, flavor packed, four star meal. In my opinion, culinary and dietetics really go hand in hand, but for some reason, in academics, they are separate. I’ve never been enrolled in a culinary class, yet, as a dietitian, I am responsible for telling people what to eat! There’s a disconnection here!

I asked Lori what specifically she loves about cooking, and she responded with, “It relaxes me, and it makes me happy. I love when other people like eating what I created, and  I love when things look beautiful.  Overall, I think it’s fun!” Awesome! There is nothing better than working at something  you love that also relaxes you. Cooking together and sharing a meal is one of my favorite ways to spend time with friends and family. Thanks to the Doris sisters, Rick, Sydney, and Bill Cosby for such a wonderful night!