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January 19, 2008
Foods That I Am Thinking About
I got my nails done today... I am an ideological nail-doer. I believe in long, pretty nails. I am an unreformable nail-biter, so unless I have acrylics, I bite them to bits and the nurses look at my nails and shake their heads and decide not to organize the union. So I have acrylics. But work is only an excuse: I love the idea that at one minute you can be a pathetic nail biter and an hour later you are a woman with long, beautiful, perfectly polished nails. The instantness of the change. Perfection found quickly and cheaply, with minimal effort. My nails are clear, natural, but my toes are painted in a bright red/pink called "An Affair in Red Square." Marx is not amused -- having the money to get your nails done is so counter-revolutionary. Luckily, he is dead, and my nails are pretty.
I was at the salon when they had cooking shows playing on the TV. I hate TVs in salons but they all seem to have them. I'd like plain old smooth jazz or new agey music with no lyrics or silence. But if they're going to play the TV I have to deal with it if I want pretty nails. So... I watched a few cooking shows.
One of them showed the making of garlic bread. Do people really need a cooking show to teach them how to make garlic bread? I know how to make garlic bread. My step-mother made the world's best. I used to make it in college when I'd have boys (over) for dinner.
I mentally CR'd the recipe. It's something I've done for years: I read or hear about or eat a dish, I immediately pull calories out of it and figure out how to make it healthy. This one would be much better than the original.
Take mushrooms, portabello or even fairly large white ones. Remove the stems, reserve. Wash really well. Into each mushroom stuff a combination of 1/4 cup of nonfat ricotta, 14 grams of fat free mozzarella, a bit of fresh chopped basil, garlic powder, a dash of half salt. Top with pepper and another 14 g of fat free mozzarella. Microwave or toast until the cheese melts. Top with a teaspoon of oil. Mushroom Garlic "Bread." Who needs bread when you have mushrooms?
Other foods on which I think these days... it's tilapia night chez April CR and MR, and while I usually do our tilapia in white wine, lemon juice and garlic, tonight I'm adding fresh basil. I'm contemplating side dishes and thinking that some kind of basil infused something or other would be good. Broccoli with garlic and basil, a few shiitakes, cooked and really hot in just a dash of white wine so that the side dish echoes the wine and garlic basil in the main dish, and then a tiny tart fruit dessert, some of the kiwi I have perhaps with a drop of calorie-free chocolate sauce. MR says I am a genius of a cook but I think he is just very hungry. I am fast, I can cook healthy, I can take your favorites and turn them into things that will make you skinny, but I do not think of myself as a good cook.
But no one else is coming, so I will have to do.
On to make the tilapia...
Posted by april at January 19, 2008 4:32 PM
Comments
You, my dear girl, are a FABULOUS cook! Your creativity is something to behold. Anyone who has ever had your Shrimp & Mango 625, your Aubrey Stew, your Christmas Eve Shrimp dish or your Vegetarian Lasagne can attest to your cooking "genius". BTW, Frank has re-named your Shrimp & Mango 625 to "649", not because we've increased the calories but because "649" is the name of our big lottery and every time we have that dish, we both feel incredibly lucky that you found our Michael and as a result, we have been blessed with your recipes! So there, silly girl. MoMR :-)
Posted by: Judith at January 19, 2008 6:22 PM
another benfit to acrylic nails is that your nail polish doesn't get chipped.
thanks for the recipe ideas!
I've pretty much stopped watching the foodnetwork since practicing CR because they cook so much stuff thats fatty and rich.
Posted by: bethsheba at January 20, 2008 12:56 PM