Magic Vegetables

Okay, so that whole 5 vegetables a day isn't just government propaganda. (please know I'm being tongue-in-cheek.) I am convinced vegetables are magic when it comes to weight loss. And not just in terms of straight calories. I think they eat up some of your other calories, too.

(Keep in mind, I still think that electricity works by magic, too.)

I am losing weight, without really trying. I'm still eating cream, butter, chocolate, etc. But on the days when I eat vegetables -- in addition to whatever else I eat -- I lose weight.

Magic vegetables.

I made chicken and dumplings last night -- fabulous. Not low-fat, and pretty low-vegetables. But I'd had veggies earlier in the day.

Hmm ... what a concept. If I eat 5 servings of vegetables/fruit* a day, maybe I can eat whatever else I want to? Within reason, of course.

*I'm weird. I don't like fruit. Raw apples. That's it.

Homemade Yogurt and Homemade chocolate syrup

This is funny. What my two older daughters LOVE ... for breakfast or for dessert, is homemade PLAIN yogurt, topped with a little chocolate syrup. I started making my own of the latter when I read the ingredient list on the back of Hershey's. I use Alton Brown's "Cocoa syrup" recipe. You can find it at FoodTV. It calls for a little corn syrup, to keep from crystallizing. Next time, I'm going to experiment with agave and sugar. Not sure agave will have the same effect.

Anyway, I'm amazed by this. It's just plain, unsweetened yogurt, with just a swizzle of chocolate syrup. But they love it.

Come to think of it, I should have said all three daughters. Little Warrior has been eating it the last two mornings.

As for me: generic grapenuts, topped with a spoon of wheat germ and a spoon of ground flax seed. Skim milk and a drizzle of agave nectar. Surprisingly satisfying. Oh, and I was going to top it with some toasted walnuts this morning, to up the protein ... but I forgot about them til I smelled their aroma and the cereal was already gone. Good snack, though.

Double Chocolate Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins (cupcakes)

My kids fuss at me when I call these muffins. "They're cupcakes!" Well, whatever they are, they're healthy and my kids scarf them up. So do I.

The muffin itself is not very sweet, but the chocolate chips add the sweetness. Sprinkle them on top -- more bang for your buck.

Makes 2 dozen muffins

* 1/2 cup yogurt
* 1/4 cup melted virgin coconut oil
* ¾ cup agave nectar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1/4 cup buttermilk or milk soured with 1 teaspoon vinegar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 Tablespoon flax seed, ground
* 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
* 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 cups finely diced, peeled zucchini
* 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Optional: teaspoon ground cinnamon

Stir yogurt and oil with nectar, then add eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk. (Coconut oil will stiffen up – just break it up a bit with a fork.) Sift together flour, flax seed, cocoa, baking powder, salt and soda. Add liquid mixture. Stir in zucchini and turn into 2 greased and floured muffin tins. . Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or til done.

Virgin Coconut Oil -- fine in baked goods

Made my zucchini chocolate muffins with the coconut oil last night. Tasted fine. So I'll use it for cooking, just not straight-up.

Vegetable Curry

Just made this for lunch. Fabbbbulous. Would have been much better eaten over some brown rice, but was fine just by itself.

Curry
1/4 cup vegetable oil ( or canola oil)
1 medium onion , sliced thin
4 large cloves garlic , pureed in a minichopper with 1 tablespoon water (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon ginger paste
2 Tablespoons Homemade Curry Powder (see below)
Table salt
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
2 cups water
1 jalapeño chile , stemmed and cut in half through the stem end
5 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Splash cream

1. Heat oil in large deep skillet or soup kettle, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking. simply add onion to skillet; sauté until softened, 3 to 4 minutes, or browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

2. Stir in garlic, ginger, ground spices, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and yogurt; cook, stirring almost constantly, until liquid evaporates, oil separates and turns orange, and spices begin to fry, 5 to 7 minutes, depending on skillet or kettle size. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until spices smell cooked, about 30 seconds longer.

3. Stir in cilantro. Add the water and jalapeño and season with salt; bring to simmer. Reduce heat; simmer about 15 minutes.

4. Add vegetables, cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Serve.

Homemade Curry Powder
object2=">3 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
object2=">2 teaspoons ground cumin
object2=">2 teaspoons ground fennel seed
object2=">2 teaspoons ground yellow or brown mustard
object2=">2 teaspoons ground red pepper
object2=">1 tablespoon ground coriander
object2=">1 tablespoon ground turmeric
object2=">1 teaspoon ground cardamom
object2=">1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
object2=">1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Combine all of the ingredients.

Virgin Coconut Oil -- eww!

Well, I've been using some expeller-pressed coconut oil, but I've been reading about how "great" virgin coconut oil is. Bought some at my local health food store. The smell was wonderful -- I love coconut -- but the taste! Sharp and kind of acidic. I used it to make my "fudge" and it was inedible. To be blunt, it tasted like vomit.

Am trying it out in my zucchini muffins right now. If that doesn't work, I'll just use it on my feet and hair. :P

I'm pretty sure it's not rancid, since a) the date is in 2008, b) it's hard for coconut oil to go rancid and c) it doesn't smell rancid. I'm a cook -- I know from rancid.

Product Review and Lunch

For breakfast, I tried a new bar: Zoe's Peanut Butter Bliss. I know that there are healthier ways to have breakfast than eating a bar, but I wanted to find a decent one for those 'can't stop to eat' mornings.

I'm pleased with it. The taste isn't quite as good as a Luna Bar, but I didn't feel hungry by 10 am, either, which I do with the Lunas.

Lunch: sauteed some garlic in a little olive oil, added in some fresh spinach leaves and a spoonful of capers. Tossed, covered, turned off heat. Let sit about 5 minutes. Squeezed a bit of Meyer lemon over it, decided that grating a little Parmiagiano Reggiano over the top would be gilding the lily. Personally, I like gilded lilies. Put the Parm on.

Absolutely delicious lunch.

For dessert: a spoonful of Coconut Oil fudge. Ingredients: coconut oil, cocoa powder, smidge of agave nectar. Melt, mix, refrigerate. Tastes delicious and is -- oddly -- satisfying. I say "oddly" because anything chocolate, I'd be having seconds or thirds. No desire to, even though it tasted great.

I don't know if I believe all the hype about virgin coconut oil. But see, I don't entirely trust anything. My journey is to eat things and see how my body responds.

So far, so good.

Dinner Tonight

Well, first, I made some veggie-marinara earlier in the day, in an attempt to get more vegetables in all of us. Cooked up some canned tomatoes, tomato paste, fresh broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, parsley, carrot, onion and garlic. (Had to add the tomato paste to get more of the traditional tomato sauce in there ... it tasted a little too "vegetal" for marinara.) And spices, of course. Whizzed it through the blender, added some leftover champagne. I prefer red in a marinara, but white is fine, too.

Okay, so dinner: Whole wheat calzones with aforementioned marinara, dab of skim-milk ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan and turkey pepperoni. They were good, but they burst a tad bit, leaking sauce and cheese. Hmm. And they needed more sauce. Maybe will try cutting them on top and see if venting helps.

Dessert: chocolate pudding made of silken tofu, cocoa powder, splash of Frangelico and sweetened with agave nectar. YUM.

I just received the agave nectar today. Calorie-wise, it's the same as sugar. The main benefit is supposed to be that it's sweeter than sugar, so you can use less. And it's less processed. And of course, it's not High Fructose Corn Syrup.

It is very sweet, but not cloyingly-so, and has little taste. Much less than maple syrup or honey. I'll try it in my coffee tomorrow.