Spinach, herb and goat cheese frittata

Been a while since I've been able to cook from this cookbook. I've missed it.

I made the spinach, herb and goat cheese frittata for dinner this evening and served it with sliced tomatoes drizzled with Italian herb-infused olive oil and a slice of crusty whole-wheat bread. It was a delicious and beautiful way to get back into the habit of cooking from this wonderful cookbook. My photo doesn't really match the book photo but I attribute that to my lame-a$$ electric broiler. Other than that the recipe was fast, easy and earthy delicious. I was concerned I would leave the meal feeling hungry but not at all the case. All I need to know; If real men don't eat quiche; do they eat frittatas?

Meatballs with simple marinara

Been laid up with a bad cold since Thursday so my blogging came to a screeching halt. I made this dish for dinner this past Wednesday night for my teenage giant and myself.

You know, my favorite spaghetti recipe of all-time happens to be an Ellie Krieger recipe from one of her other cookbooks. It's so delicious that I make it for company from time to time. Needless to say, I expected that this recipe would be just as good! Sadly no...

Don't get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with this recipe. Easy and fast to make (like all the recipes in this book). The problem I had was with the flavor and I readily admit that my taste buds might have been compromised by my upcoming cold. I would liken the meatballs to more like meatloaf than meatballs. I think adding onions to the recipe might be a good idea. Broiling them until browned before plopping them in the sauce would also be a good idea. Might even consider adding some moisture-free chopped spinach to the meat. As they were, they just lacked interest and pop. I'll have to try this recipe once more to give it a better chance without a cold.

Back to cooking healthy this week upcoming. Cold is getting close to gone.

Ancho chicken salad with jícama, orange, and avocado

Right off the bat, write down the ingredients for the chicken rub and use it all over the place -- awesome! As a whole, this was another great Ellie Krieger salad. Her salads all rock!

We did a fair amount of substituting with this recipe. To begin, I used New Mexico pepper instead of ancho chile powder because I didn't have ancho powder and I wanted to use the New Mexico powder I had on hand. A relatively minor sub. The second substitution was yacón for jícama. They are pretty similar and not being able to find jícama made it a no-brainer. The third substitution did affect the flavor of the dish -- substituted grapefruit for the orange slices. (I really thought I had an orange!)

Even with my two minor substitutions, and the one major substitution, the dish was really enjoyable. I definitely think it would be better with the orange slices contrasting against the rubbed chicken -- but it was awesome as prepared. One thing is for sure - Ellie's salad recipes are going into my standard cooking rotation once I have cooked my way through the book. Thanks EK!

Note: I used a paillard of chicken for more predictable grilling and maximum flavor.

Pistachio-crusted tilapia AND Orange-balsamic green beans with basil

Starting with the Pistachio-crusted tilapia I find it interesting that the facing page to this recipe is last night's dinner! Let's just call these two facing pages "Night and Day". The tilapia was delicious although difficult to make. Getting the nut mixture to adhere to the sides of the fish fillets was nearly impossible. Also, I still wonder why the recipe called for 1 1/2 pounds of fish? That seems like an awful lot of protein. I'm sure Ellie Krieger knows what she's doing, but it did make me wonder. Cooking it in the pan and then transferring it to the oven did create a nice outside texture while preserving it in the oven made the fish flaky and moist -- five stars.

The Orange-balsamic green beans with basil was also just wonderful. I was fortunate to have some olive oil infused with blood orange so I got a major (welcomed) overdose of orange with my preparation. Sneakily, I scraped a few of the cooked pistachios that dislodged from the fish while cooking into the final product (post-photo) to add a bit of crunch. The shallots cooked down nicely and added a great element. The basil, added very little in my view -- it just sort of wilted away to nothing. All said, Ellie Krieger proves once again that her sides and her salads are always SUPERIOR.

Creamy asparagus soup

I suppose it's a safe bet that asparagus soup is generally a pretty healthy and low-calorie item in most recipes. In fact, taking a look at epicurious.com I see a version for half as many calories though not as much nutrition. The Ellie Krieger soup we made was just 180 calories (epicurious was 93) though the Weeknight Wonders version had twice the fiber and 50% more protein. Hey, it's not just about calories after all.

As for the taste...really nice. The lemon added at the end with the yogurt really lends a lot of flavor to the dish. It's easy to make even though EK seems hell-bent on making me wash my food processor on a daily basis! Grrr..... It was really good with the whole-wheat baguette. I rate this as very good!

Pasta in creamy tuna sauce with arugula

Admittedly, I like Ellie Krieger. We share a tweet here, and share a tweet there, and it's all good fun. I also like her approach to cooking, her credentials, and in general, her sweet disposition and quick mind. She's all good! Because of that, I have always wondered how I'd handle a review for a recipe I truly did not like. I guess the answer is: 1.) shower her with praise, 2.) write an honest review. Here goes...apologies to Ellie Krieger.

On the plus side, this dish is one of the easier dishes to cook in the book. You basically whip some fish with oil and capers, toss it with arugula and pasta, and done! That's good that it's so easy. On the negative side was the texture and the general taste. As I ate it, I just kept thinking to myself how mayonnaise was really missing. It was pasty and didn't smell overly good. It was also pretty darned bland.

I'm not Ellie Krieger, nor am I a trained chef or dietician. I am sure there are ways to make this better that stay loosely within the overall rules of good nutrition. I doubt mayo is one of them though, so...I won't be recommending this recipe to the people that have connected with me, but, if something like this sounds good to you, go for it. My palette is far from definitive.

This weeks menu (Feb 10 - Feb 14)

Monday Lunch
(Leftover) Savory Carrot-Cashew Soup

Monday Dinner
Pasta in creamy tuna sauce with arugula (page 208)

Tuesday Lunch
Whole-grain baguette
Creamy asparagus soup (page 62)

Tuesday Dinner
Orange-balsamic green beans with basil (page 244)
Pistachio-crusted Tilapia (page 209)

Wednesday Lunch
Ancho chicken salad with jicama, orange and avocado (page 56)

Wednesday Dinner
Celery, radish, and herb salad (page 34)
Meatballs with simple marinara (page 107)

Thursday Lunch
Penne with grape tomatoes, spinach, and toasted garlic (page 224)

Thursday Dinner
Individual tri-color salad pizzas (page 216)

Friday Lunch
Whole-grain bread
Mozzarella, tHomato and peach salad (page 42)

Friday Dinner
Chipotle beef-stuffed portobello mushrooms (page 105)

Beef and scallion "negimaki" stir-fry AND Parsley Potatoes

My sister beat me to making this one so we had high hopes. WE WERE NOT DISAPPOINTED!

The Beef and scallion "negimaki" stir-fry was incredibly flavorful We used portabello mushrooms instead of shiitake which was just lovely. The mushrooms were the tastiest part of the beef dish -- soaked up all that broth goodness and exploded in our mouths with flavor. All-in-all a really traditional recipe but who says traditional can't be delicious and healthy too!

The Parsley Potatoes were also simple to make and probably a pretty standard type of recipe too. I suspect the temptation to slather butter on them might be hard to resist for some people but we stuck with the plan. I have lost 13 pounds in the last three weeks by eating from this cookbook -- why fight it? Besides, they were just as good without the extra salt and butter.

If you need further proof that this meal was incredibly delicious, I'll quote from the teenage giant, "Is there more?"

Blog Viewership

I'm absolutely stunned by the reach of this humble little blog. Here is the list of countries this far:

• US
• India
• United Kingdom
• Kuwait
• Russia
• South Africa
• Germany
• Malaysia
• Canada
• Hong Kong
• Nepal
• Australia
• Russia
• Japan
• India
• Jamaica
• Ireland
• Cyprus
• Turkey
• United Arab Emirates
• Kuwait
• Belgium
• Ireland
• Latvia
• Ukraine
• Puerto Rico
• Portugal
• Poland
• Philippines
• Oman
• Norway
• Nigeria
• Namibia
• Malta
• Egypt

I wonder how many people have bought the book or at least googled the recipes? It's been a really fun experience. I've lost over 13 pounds and have now cooked 28% of the recipes in the book. I'll compile and share a list of our favorites at some point in time -- might wait until the very end.

Happy, healthy eating!

"Falafel" salad

Admittedly, when I first leafed through the book the "falafel" salad was not one of the recipes that sprang forth declaring, "try me, try me"! Let's chock that up to my own lack of adventure? This salad, like all of Ellie Krieger's salad recipes, was rock-on good -- even great!

The recipe was infused with all the major healthy spices (cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper) which served as a dressing with toasted pita bread, tHomatoes, cucumbers and chickpeas. There are other ingredients too but these are the main ingredients. The one thing probably not found in most US pantries is tahini (sort of a peanut butter made from sesame seeds?). Anyway, the recipe was easy. Chop, whisk, toast and go. A full meal by itself and a perfect lunch entree.

Julie, the teenage giant, and I all raved about this one. A real keeper and such a bonus to get outside of the normal taste palette we've eaten for so long. Awesome job EK.

Wok-charred lettuce and spinach noodle with shrimp

All snowed-in in Portland (I know, right!) so we had plenty of time to prepare and enjoy this wonderful dish. I made portions for 4 (Julie and I plus the teenage giant [ double servings ] ) and found the recipe to be easy to follow for sure. We all rated it "very good" and really had no complaints.

I was lucky enough to find some fresh-made spinach fettuccine which was delightful. Oregon fresh shrimp were also amazing - so juicy in this preparation they were something to truly look forward to eating. If you want it spicier you can always add more sriracha, either as part of the preparation, or just dashed on top. We didn't. There was enough of an undercurrent of heat by following the recipe closely. This dish was really good - will definitely make it again and again.

Guinness and beef skillet stew (THom's FHavorite)

We thought this was a good stew. It wasn't "awesome" but it was delicious and only 430 calories. Julie is not a huge fan of pearl onions so that was the source of her angst; I thought it wasn't quite thick enough so I'll make a note to cook it down a bit before adding the carrots, potatoes and onions.

This was very easy to make and took all of the 30 minutes. Reviewing the nutrition this dish is seriously healthy. I was able to knock out the dishes while the stew simmered which made clean-up after dinner a breeze --- that's a bonus! One suggestion, weigh the ingredients to keep the flavor balance in check. After all, Mrs. Krieger has gone to a lot of trouble to keep us healthy and happy. ;-)

Pumpkin seed pesto wraps

Not quite sure how Ellie came up with this recipe? Whipping pumpkin seeds in a food processor with other savory ingredients? Well, it mostly worked.

For us, it needed a bit more kick or something to make it special. It was certainly good, but it was crying out for something extra -- hot sauce maybe? extra tomatoes? more salt? Not quite sure. It was definitely easy to make (even though messing up my food processor is always low on my priority list) and it was certainly unique. I'd make it again and serve it with a bowl of soup. I have a feeling I am going to be hungry in a few hours

Final note: I bought red lettuce but couldn't find it. It's probably rolling around in the back of my car somewhere. We substituted romaine lettuce leaves. I bet the crunch and flavor of the cabbage would elevate this recipe to a higher level

Amaretti-Peach Parfait

I'd eat this on Thanksgiving instead of pumpkin pie! Unbelievably good and only 260 calories? WOW! WOW! WOW! We couldn't locate Amaretti cookies so we substituted "Newman's Own Vanilla Alphabet Cookies" in the recipe. Of course, that might affect the calorie count but at only 140 calories total for this recipe for 4, I doubt it

This was so good it defies description. BY FAR the best dessert recipe we've had from the book. Thanks Ellie

Steak Fajitas

The power outage meant no home-cooked lunch but we got the lights back on in time for this awesome version of Steak Fajitas. Julie, the teenage giant, and I, all really liked the flavors and the ease of cooking -- love the one pot! The fresh tomatoes, semi-carmelized onions and peppers, refreshing avocado and cool sour cream made it all sing!

The one issue we had was with the whole-wheat tortillas. Every one of them had a hole in it, or teared while we were trying to separate them, so we went with corn instead. Again, we didn't miss the whole-wheat tortilla at all.

Thanks Ellie for a great alternative to steak fajitas.

No lunch today

Power outage in our high-rise due to nearby construction left us with soup and salad nearby.  Sorry blog followers. Hopefully dinner can still happen!

Parmesan-crusted chicken breasts AND Pan-steamed broccoli with lemon, garlic, and parsley gremolata

I seem to recall Ellie Krieger telling someone (on TV) that Parmesan-crusted chicken breasts are one of her favorite go-to meals at home. It's no wonder! First of all, can we all say in unison "healthy recipe with fried cheese"? I'm the first to admit that my first try at this dish was weak (there must be an art to getting enough cheese on each breast) but even weak, the chicken was awesome. I loved it! Fast. Super-easy. Delicious!

Julie and my teenage giant (Connor) actually preferred the Pan-steamed broccoli with lemon, garlic, and parsley gremolata. A little disagreement over varying degrees of excellence is a healthy thing, don't you think? For me, the broccoli was a little too lemony which is something that can be easily controlled. I'll make a note and maybe toss the dish with less lemon juice/zest, but serve it with lemon slices for anyone so inclined.

Side note: This blog is starting to explode (modestly) with 25% of my total page views coming today. I am now 22 countries strong with heavy trending in the UK and Canada. It's kind of fun to watch. Hope people are buying the book and enjoying the very healthful recipes. I know we are!

Mushroom sloppy joes

The blog is starting to gain some steam. Thus far we have been visited by 20 countries (US, India, United Kingdom, Kuwait, Russia, South Africa, Germany, Malaysia, United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Nepal, Australia, Russia, Japan, India, Jamaica, Ireland, Cyprus, Turkey) and today alone has had more than 400 visitors. That's pretty amazing. I hope Ellie is selling more books because of this...she deserves it.

For lunch today we had mushroom sloppy joes. "Sloppy" and "mushroom" certainly belong in the title. Not really sure where the "joe" comes from.... At any rate, this was a decent version of a sloppy joe. I thought it lacked something...more vinegar maybe? less molasses? fewer mushrooms? I can't really put my finger on it. While it was definitely a tasty dish, it was a bit muddy to me.

I'll make this again and toy with the ingredients a bit. Probably do a little less mushroom, a little more vinegar and half as much molasses. I'd love to hear feedback from anyone else...

Buy the way, the cool and crisp shredded romaine salad was a nice accompaniment.

This weeks menu (Feb 3 - Feb 7)

Monday Lunch

Mushroom sloppy joes (page 93)
Cool and crisp shredded romaine salad (Page 28)

Monday Dinner

Pan-steamed broccoli with lemon, garlic, and parsley gremolata (Page 253)
Parmesan-crusted chicken breasts (Page 134)

Tuesday Lunch

Chinese vegetable soup with pork (Page 74)
Sesame quinoa (Page 260)

Tuesday Dinner

Steak Fajitas (Page 98)
Amaretti-peach parfait (Page 278)

Wednesday Lunch

Pumpkin seed pesto wraps (Page 87)

Wednesday Dinner

Guiness and beef skillet stew (Page 108)
Crusty bread

Thursday Lunch

(Leftover) sloppy joes
(Repeat) cool and crisp shredded romaine salad

Thursday Dinner

Wok-charred lettuce and spinach noodle stir-fry with shrimp (Page 179)

Friday Lunch

"Falafel" Salad (Page 51)

Friday Dinner

Pasta in creamy tuna sauce with arugula (Page 208)
Coconut-date truffles (Page 290)