Recipe #7 - Indonesian-Inspired Chicken With Snow Peas & Baby Corn

Indonesian-Inspired Chicken - before & after

My background is Asian, so stir-fry is a very comfortable way for me to cook.  In addition, stir-fry dishes can be made to include both your protein & non-starchy veg in a very time efficient preparation.  The majority of your time will be spent in chopping everything up.  If you don't mind the added expense, buy your meat already skinned, deboned, & chopped to save even more time.  I serve this to my kids with steamed brown rice; for the grown-ups, with a side of another non-starchy veg or salad.  One note on Asian cooking sauces: they frequently contain sugar in various forms, so use with a bit of caution!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs chicken breast & thighs, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp ginger, cut into chunks which can be removed easily or grated for a spicier taste
1 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped
1 tbsp ketjap manis
1/2 tsp sambal terasi
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp corn starch
1 cup snow peas, de-stringed & chopped on the bias
2 cans of baby corn, drained & rinsed, chopped if desired
olive or canola oil for frying
1 tsp oyster sauce + 1 tsp ketjap manis for each batch*

Combine all the ingredients up to & including corn starch (the corn starch acts as a meat tenderizer & will thicken the final sauce).  I usually do this before I prep the veggies so that the meat has some time to marinate.  Heat the wok on high heat.  Add oil enough for frying (~1.5 tbsp) then half of the marinated chicken & snow peas.  Stir constantly until chicken is cooked through.  When the chicken is half done, add the tsp oyster sauce & tsp ketjap manis and 1 can of baby corn.  Rinse & repeat!  ;-)

*after marinating the meat, it will be cooked in two batches for an average sized wok; if you've got a giant wok & a stove with a massive burner to keep the wok hot a la Panda Express - one of my family's fave restaurants, go for the one big batch!

Recipe #6 - Slow Cooker Saag Kabob Loaf

Meatloaf - before & after

Two of my favorite Indian foods are saag paneer (creamed spinach with homemade cheese) and beef kabob.  Both are fabulous low carb meal items.  And both take quite a bit of effort & time in the kitchen to prepare.  You could order take-out, but good Indian food tends to be expensive.  This became my inspiration for a low prep-time, self-tending entree with great flavor.  Serve it with diced cucumbers, tomatoes, & red or white onions marinated for a few minutes with lemon juice & a sprinkle of salt.  Or roasted veg (see Recipe #5)!  Dee-lish!

Saag Kabob Loaf

1 lb ground beef

1-10 oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained in a colander then pressed in paper towels to remove all excess water

1 egg, beaten

Splash of cream

2 tsp onion powder

1 tbsp garam masala

½ tsp sea salt or to taste

¼ cup reduced sugar tomato ketchup + more to top loaf

1 small onion cut into thin rings

Layer onion rings on the bottom of a slow cooker pot.  Mix well all other ingredients in a bowl then form into a loaf.  Place loaf on top of the onion rings.  Then top loaf with a layer of ketchup, as much or as little as you like.  Cook in slow cooker on the ‘high’ setting until meatloaf interior temperature is 160+F (~ 2 ½ hrs).

Blood Lipids

After my father died, I felt a driving need to get a hold of my health.  Since both my parents were hypertensive and diabetic and had cancer, I sensed an impending doom being overweight.  So I embarked on the quest to lean down.  I don't say 'lose weight' because it is possible to be normal or even under-weight but still have a high percentage of body fat.  In the weight-lifting world, this is known as 'skinny fat'.  In the medical world, this is known as 'normal weight obesity'.  See this link for more information on the condition: http://advanced-fitness-concepts.com/articles/1010TM.pdf  Skinny fat people as well as conventionally obese and overweight people may experience insulin resistance or prediabetes.  BMI-wise, I was technically 'overweight' on the cusp of 'obese'.  Not a healthy place to live. 


Enter the low carb lifestyle change, which truly worked to lose bodyfat (check out previous posts).  But enter criticism & concern from others who hold on to the 'eating fat makes you fat & unhealthy' dogma.  There was a sincere concern from family members about cholesterol and heart health since low carb eating is also high fat.  To allay concerns, I got a physical done complete with bloodwork.  I had results from my last physical in 2007 with which to compare.  Keep in mind that four years ago I ate a typical "healthy" diet: whole grains many times daily (oatmeal or whole grain cereal at breakfast, whole wheat bread for sandwiches at lunch, brown rice with dinner); low fat or fat free snacks (baked, low-fat crackers/chips, raisins, fruit); fat-free/ reduced fat dairy (skim milk in coffee & cereal, reduced fat cheeses, heart healthy spread instead of butter).


Note on VLDL & LDL levels: VLDL & LDL are not directly measured but rather calculated based on your triglyceride level.  See the following link for an explanation: http://www.livestrong.com/article/30831-calculate-ldl-cholesterol/  Step 3 in the link is your VLDL number, although it does not state that on the webpage (VLDL = triglyceride/5).




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	2007	2011	healthy range
total cholesterol	175	195	100-199 mg/dL
triglycerides	94	42	0-149 mg/dL
HDL cholesterol	53	87	>39 mg/dL
VLDL cholesterol (calculated)	19	8	5-40 mg/dL
LDL cholesterol (calculated)	103	100	0-99 mg/dL

As you can see, on the low carbohydrate high fat diet, my triglycerides dropped more than 50% to less than 1/3 of the maximum healthy range.  Keep in mind that triglycerides and good cholesterol (HDL) are greater predictors of future coronary events (ie heart attacks) than are total cholesterol.  You want triglycerides low & HDL high.  In my case total cholesterol increased because my HDL increased to a level more than double the recommended minimum value, which again is what you want.  VLDL & LDL (aka bad cholesterol) both dropped for me in response to the low carbohydrate high fat diet change.  Here is a useful link for understanding blood lipids: http://www.everydayhealth.com/heart-health/high-triglycerides-versus-bad-cholesterol.aspx  But to really get the science & politics of blood lipids, I recommend reading Gary Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories.


Here's something 'fun' that could also be very enlightening.  It's a heart attack risk calculator from the American Heart Association:  https://www.heart.org/gglRisk/locale/en_US/index.html?gtype=health

So to sum up:  we have been lead to believe that eating fat turns into 'bad fat' (triglycerides, LDL, & VLDL) in the blood which then clogs arteries.  Contrary to that, most recent science shows that eating carbohydrates increases triglycerides ('bad fat') and eating smaller amounts of carbohydrate along with increased percentage of calories from fats boosts your good cholesterol (HDL) while lowering your 'bad fat'.

At this point, being the wife of an attorney, I feel compelled to say that I DO NOT work as a medical professional, and my writing should NOT be construed as medical advice.  Consult your regular health care provider before making any changes to your diet, exercise regime, or medication regime. !!!

Recipe #5 - Roasted Haricots Verts

Beans - before & after



Haricots verts - that's green beans, y'all!  This is the easiest side dish recipe you will ever make.  I promise.  You can actually roast any kind of non-starchy veg with fantastic results - artichoke hearts, asparagus, zucchini, summer squash, turnips, etc.  Just watch your veg & adjust the time to make sure that it doesn't burn.  Fresh veg roasts faster; frozen veg takes longer.   Turnips are actually an AWESOME substitute for potatoes (yes, I'm that old that I learned to spell it T-O-E-S).  This preparation is SOOOO good with cauliflower; it becomes a close facsimile of deep fried Mediterranean/Middle Eastern cauliflower which is so addictive and with a lot less effort/mess.  Not so great with broccoli, though.  Don't know why.  It just seems to burn up rather than caramelize.

Ingredients:

• non-starchy veg, frozen or fresh
• olive oil
• sea salt

1)  preheat oven to 400F
2)  fill 8"x13" baking dish with frozen haricots verts to the rim (young green beans, which are more tender - tenderer??? - than the grown-up version, but they'll do, too)
3)  drizzle olive oil & spinkle with sea salt to your taste
4)  toss the beans to distribute oil & salt (I use my hands)
5)  bake in the oven until beans are soft & toasted on some edges, tossing once after ~15 minutes, i.e. half way cooked (this time use tongs, please)

Recipe #4 - Pimento Cheese Spread

Pimento Cheese Spread - A Thing of Beauty

I've just about gone broke buying Whole Foods pimento cheese spread.  It's so good!  Hence the necessity to make it myself.  Enter Paula Deen's recipe, which I tweaked to replicate that WF flavor.  I enjoy it piled half an inch thick on a slice of Wasa Crisp'n Light 7 Grain Crackerbread (3.7 net carbs per cracker).  It sort of scratches that Cheetos itch...sort of.  J   Why do I have a Cheetos itch if I'm eating low carb, do you ask?  My husband says that I cheat too much because cravings go away after 'induction'.  I say it's a woman thing - don't go there!  Purists could easily enjoy it on celery or slices of cucumber.

Ingredients

• 1 - 3 oz package cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar
• 1 ½  cups grated Monterrey Jack or other white cheese (white cheddar, mozzarella, pepper jack, etc)
• ¼  cup mayonnaise
• sour cream to taste/ desired smoothness
• ½  teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ tsp salt or to taste
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 2/3 – 4 oz jar of diced pimentos including juice
• ¼ - ½  finely minced white or red onion
• Black pepper to taste

Directions

Combine cream cheese, ¼ cup mayo, onions, pimentos, & spices in a large bowl until smooth.   Add grated cheeses plus sour cream to your taste or until you get your desired smoothness for the spread.  I end up using about ¼ cup sour cream total.  Chill at least one hour to allow the flavors to marry, if you can wait that long! 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/bobbys-pimento-cheese-recipe/index.html