These are my older 2010 blog posts. They are archived to help you to find newer posts more quickly. The recipes are still delicious and useful so I hope you still try them out.
For over a year, I’ve been enthusiastically exercising 5-6 days a week but about a month ago something changed. I got bored. My spinning, boxing and kickboxing routine became, well, routine. Instead of looking forward to my classes, I was trying to work out how to avoid them. I needed to dispel my ennui quickly.
After reading one of Jillian Michael’s daily newsletters, I decided to try a new class at Gold’s Gym. I didn’t want to change when I exercised so I picked a Zumba class to replace one of my regular spinning classes. It was just the change I needed.
I felt intimidated and awkward walking into the packed aerobic studio so quickly hid in the back row. The music was infectious. The choreography was complex. The instructor was incredibly limber. I was the most uncoordinated, least wiggly person in the room but was too focused on learning the dance steps to notice the hour passing by. Everyone left class smiling and thankfully, I can only get better.
So when you find yourself dreading your next workout, how are you going to liven things up?
I have taken up Belly Dancing and love it. It is much harder than it looks. It strengthens up your core muscles and loosens up your hips. The best part is the jangly coin scarf that is a "must have" for any Belly Dancer in training!!
I agree that when boredom sets in, it is time to ring the changes. I tried Belly Dancing. The first few times, I found it surprisingly hard. Moving your rib cage from side to side without moving your shoulders or any of your lower body is harder than it sounds. Moving your hips from side to side while keeping your upper body completely still is just as hard. I am still working on trying to do both these moves together while making snake movements with my arms! Anyway, I am persevering, and I love it. The music is so sensual and catchy. I especially like the brightly colored hip scarves trimmed with fringes and coins that move with you when you sway and shimmy. Also, it is a whole new way of using your core muscles in ways you had never imagined possible!
Orange-marinated lamb with watermelon, avocado and minT
I had a dinner party this weekend but because it was so hot and humid outside, I needed a meal that didn’t require heating up the kitchen. This lamb recipe was a perfect mix of my favorite summer flavors. It was adapted from a recipe from the July 1996 issue of Good Housekeeping (UK).
Ingredients (serves 6)
Leg of lamb (butterflied, 3 lbs)
6-8 garlic cloves (roasted, from the supermarket olive bar)
4 oranges (zest and juice)
Sherry (8 oz)
Balsamic vinegar (8 tbsp)
Honey (4 tbsp)
Olive oil (4 tbsp)
Watermelon (1/2 “personal”-sized/small)
Avocado (2)
Spring onions (1/2 bunch, optional)
Mint (1/2 cup, chopped plus some leaves for garnish)
Salt
Pepper
Start the marinating process the day before you want to serve the lamb. Cut 3-4 garlic cloves into slivers and insert them into the lamb. I used roasted garlic from the deli bar because I don’t like handling raw garlic. Feel free to use raw garlic if you prefer. Mince the rest of the cloves and mix them with the orange zest and juice, sherry, balsamic vinegar, honey, and olive oil. Submerge the lamb in the mixture and leave it for 18-24 hours. I poked the lamb with a fork and flipped it every 6-8 hours.
Salt and pepper the lamb before cooking on the grill/barbecue for about 10-15 minutes on a medium heat (450 degrees) then reduce the heat (350 degrees) and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Keep about ¼ of the marinade to baste the lamb while it’s on the barbecue. Boil the rest of the marinade until it starts to thicken and serve it at the table as a sauce.
Make the salad while the lamb is on the grill. Cut the watermelon into bite-sized cubes and sprinkle with about half of the mint. Slice the avocado into cubes, tumble it over the watermelon and sprinkle more mint. I find it easiest to cut avocados in half, score the flesh into cubes being carefully not to cut through the skin, and use a large spoon to scoop the flesh out of the skin. Use scissors to snip the green onions over the watermelon and avocado then drizzle balsamic-basil dressing sparingly over the top.
To add a little more substance to the meal, I also boiled some small potatoes, drained them, and tossed them with baby arugula leaves and more balsamic dressing. This side dish isn’t pretty (especially when you overcook the potatoes like I did) but it’s delicious either warm or at room temperature so you can make it an hour or so before you want to eat.
Once the lamb is cooked, slice the meat across the grain and serve it with the reduced marinade, watermelon-avocado salad, and arugula-balsamic potatoes.
We had some leftover marinade so I’ve been using it to flavor a couple of other meals this week. Last night, I simmered the marinade into syrup then reheated the last pieces of lamb. The syrup was tasty but lamb doesn’t really reheat very well. Unfortunately, not every meal is a complete success!
Tonight’s concoction was much better so look out for a post later this week.
I don’t like the taste of store-bought salad dressings and never have. With the amount of salad I consume, this dislike could have been problematic had my Mother not taught me how to make French vinaigrette. I’ve been experimenting with a number of tasty variations to complement any meal. The basic ingredients are very similar so to save time, I made five different dressings in about 10 minutes last week: Balsamic-basil, Tarragon-Dijon, Lemon-Dijon, Asian-ginger, and Mexican honey-lime.
I often use these dressings as marinades on beef or chicken. The balsamic-basil dressing is essentially the sauce for the Balsamic-basil chicken with red pepper recipe I posted previously.
Ingredients
5 clean jam jars (8-12 oz)
Olive oil
Canola oil (optional)
Balsamic vinegar
Tarragon vinegar
Rice wine vinegar
Lemon juice
Lime juice
Dijon mustard
Gourmet Garden ginger
Gourmet Garden basil
Cumin (ground)
Coriander (ground)
Honey and/or sugar
Salt
Pepper
For all of these dressings/vinaigrettes, leave about an inch of space at the top of every jar so you can shake the ingredients together really well.
Balsamic-basil dressing:Add equal parts balsamic vinegar and olive oil then about 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp of basil puree, 1 tsp of ground pepper, and ½ tsp of salt. Shake everything together and taste. If it’s too acidic, add a teaspoon of sugar or honey. You can also add more mustard if the dressing starts to separate – or pepper, salt and basil if it’s too bland.
Tarragon-Dijon:Add equal parts tarragon vinegar and olive oil, 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 1 tsp of pepper, 1 tsp of sugar and ½ tsp of salt. I love a spoonful of this dressing in half an avocado.
Lemon-Dijon:Add equal parts lemon juice and olive oil, 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 1 tsp of pepper, 1 tsp of sugar and ½ tsp of salt.
Asian-ginger:Add equal parts rice wine vinegar and oil (canola if you have it, olive if you don’t), 2 tbsp of mustard, 1-2 tbsp of minced ginger (try just one first), pepper and salt. If you like garlic, you could add a teaspoon of that too.
Mexican honey-lime:Add equal parts lime juice and olive oil, 1 tbsp of honey, 2 tbsp of mustard, ½ tsp of cumin, ½ tsp of coriander, pepper and salt. Increase the honey, cumin and coriander if it’s not sweet or spicy enough but keep the cumin and coriander in proportion.
Dressings improve as the ingredients mature so if you aren’t sure about the flavors, wait a day and try them again. You might also want to label them as all but the balsamic-basil look similar. Finally, you'll have to keep them in the fridge due to all of the fresh ingredients. The oil will congeal but you can run the jars under hot tap water or place them in the microwave when you need to use them.
I agree that nothing compares to homemade salad dressings.
I make an Asian-ginger dressing recipe which is very similar, but I add juice from a fresh ginger root (yes, make sure it's fresh, as otherwise it's like trying to get water from a stone) and add a small proportion of sesame oil and a splash of mongolian fire oil. Delicious.
Your tarragon dressing sounds like it would be great over fresh poached salmon.
Your Asian-ginger dressing sounds tasty. I think I have a bottle of ginger juice in the fridge -- and some chili oil -- so it should be easy to try out.
Re. the tarragon dressing, it would probably liven up an meaty fish. Thanks!
I love the Thai dish larb gai. It is time-consuming to prep – because of all of the fresh mint and cilantro – but the vibrant flavor makes it worth the fuss. I’ve found many larb gai recipes online but my version suits my family’s taste buds – and my preference for low-carb meals.
Ingredients
Mint (3/4 to 1 cup)
Cilantro (3/4 to 1 cup)
Minced chicken (about 1 pound)
Bean sprouts (1 bag)
Boston or romaine lettuce (cups or shredded to suit your mood)
Carrot (shredded)
Green onions (1 bunch thinly sliced)
Lemongrass puree (1½ tbsp)
Lime juice (3 tbsp)
Fish sauce (3 tbsp)
Start sautéing the green onion with some spray cooking oil. Mix together lemongrass puree, lime juice and fish sauce and put aside. Add the minced chicken to the slightly caramelized onion. Once the meat is browned and completely cooked, mix in the lemongrass/lime juice/fish sauce mixture. Reduce the liquid so it’s a little thicker then add half of the mint and cilantro. Add bean sprouts and toss for a minute before turning off the heat and adding the reminder of the mint and cilantro. Serve in Boston lettuce cups or over sliced romaine with shredded carrot and sliced cucumber.
I found tubes of pureed herbs (basil, ginger, lemongrass, dill, etc.) refrigerated in the fruit and vegetable department at my local grocery store. Here's the store locator for the Gourmet Garden brand that I like best: http://www.gourmetgarden.com/us/contents/view/store-locator
There are some good recipes on the site too. Let me know what you think!
This recipe has been a low-cal staple in my family for about 20 years. It has remained a favorite because it offers masses of flavor with very few ingredients. The original recipe came from a Reader’s Digest cookbook that my Mother has.
Ingredients
Chicken (one breast or 2-3 tenderloins per person – whole or cut into chunks)
Red peppers (I do one per person, sliced and diced however you like)
Basil (1/2 cup of fresh chopped, 1 tbsp basil puree or 1-2 tsp of dried)
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil (tbsp person)
Black pepper
Parmesan or low-fat feta (optional)
Coat a frying pan with spray cooking oil and brown the chicken. Make sure it’s cooked through then remove it from the pan. Spray a little more oil and add the red peppers. I like to leave the peppers undisturbed until there are some browned bits, then I toss them around and grind in some black pepper.
Once the red peppers begin to soften, splash a generous amount of balsamic vinegar into the bottom of the pan and let it boil off a little as you toss around the peppers.
Put the chicken back in the pan and flip it over so it gets a good coating of vinegar. Spoon the olive oil into the pan and add the basil. I have a tube of basil puree (found in the grocery department at the supermarket) so I move the chicken and peppers to the edge of the pan, squeeze in a good tablespoon of basil into the center, and mix the reduced vinegar and basil before tossing the sauce back over the chicken and peppers.
Sprinkle a tablespoon of parmesan or feta crumbles over each portion. I like to serve this dish over spinach, broccoli or courgette because the green contrasts with the red peppers.
Tonight, for variation and more substance, I sautéed a can of artichoke hearts then the red peppers, before adding the vinegar, basil and oil. Delicious.
Thank goodness for the versatility of chicken. It’s not always possible to make dinner from scratch so for those mid-week nights when you’re just too tired, use the weekends to cook ahead. There are a number of great chicken recipes that I have in my repertoire but who wants to handle raw chicken all of the time? I defrosted a 4-piece bag of chicken breasts overnight so I’m in the midst of sautéing them in spray cooking oil with a little pepper and salt. They might sound bland but I didn’t move them much so they’re crisped on both sides to maximize favor. I’ve also scraped the tasty brown bits from the bottom of the pan and kept them with the cooked chicken so I can add it to any sauces later.
Tomorrow, I’m making balsamic-basil chicken with red peppers. But more on that later.
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