FEBRUARY: EATING THE “WHOLE 28”

 Did you have a vegan January or no-alcohol  month? Maybe you dieted and lost 10 pounds. For me, January zoomed by with dinner guests and plenty imbibing. Here it is February, a slow month, so I’ve signed on for the Whole 30 diet. It’s a 30-day elimination diet but, as February is the shortest month, I’m doing 28 days! 

Elimination means not eating/drinking any of these categories of foods: No sugar (that’s easy—I don’t use sugar or honey anyway) and no sugar substitutes; no dairy; no grains or grain look-alikes (the list includes wheat, oats, quinoa, rice, corn); no legumes—beans, lentils, chickpeas, soy products, peanuts—(green beans and peas are exceptions); no baked goods, pasta, pancakes (not even if made with alternative flour or vegetables), chips nor fries (unless you make them at home); no alcohol, not even in cooking. And no weighing-in until 30 days are up. 

The “whole” signifies a whole month but it also means wholesome foods. No processed stuff, no labels with dozens of ingredients. 

Why? Eliminating foods can help you figure out what ails you by identifying food sensitivities. At the end of the 30-day elimination period, you reintroduce one type of food at a time and pay attention to whether any symptoms return. 

Is it easy? The regimen requires attention. Meal planning is rigorous with so many foods eliminated. But, I love a challenge when it comes to food. Divising ways to use the acceptable foods—fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, nuts, and olive oil—has been engrossing. I’ll share with you some of the dishes I’ve enjoyed.

These recipes are perfectly suitable for family members who are not on the diet. I tell them to cook their own rice or pasta to accompany my main dish.

Breakfast timbale with zucchini, spinach, eggs.

Breakfast, my biggest stumbling block. Without my usual non-fat yogurt with fruit, I don’t know what to eat in the morning. Eggs are allowed on the diet, but I sure don’t want to eat eggs before heading out for aerobics. Besides, if you eat eggs for breakfast, you can’t really eat them for lunch or snack as well. 

I made a pan of my favorite zucchini-spinach timbale. A slice of timbale is perfect for breakfast or segundo desayuno—a mid-morning snack. I make the timbale with almond milk instead of dairy milk and omit the cheese. 

Sauté a chopped zucchini, scallions, and spinach in olive oil. Beat 6 eggs with 1 cup almond milk. Season with salt, pepper, and chopped herbs. Bake in an oiled baking dish until eggs are set.

 

Chicken-zoodle soup for lunch.

Lunch. February is soup month, so lunch is easy: chicken-zoodle soup (pictured above), curried squash soup with coconut milk, fish and vegetable chowder, minestrone with green beans instead of cannellini, alioli instead of cheese. Zoodles are zucchini ribbons microwaved until crisp tender then added to any favorite chicken soup. For the zoodles, use a vegetable peeler to cut thin slices, then a knife to cut them into noodles of any width.  By the way, the technique works with potatoes and squash too. Pick the longest potato you can find.

Cauliflower fritters with mayo.

Snacks. I miss cheese so much! And I crave crispy crackers to put the cheese on. Nuts of all kinds somewhat satisfy the craving. I make guacamole to dip with endive leaves; black olive spread (recipe below) to scoop with red pepper strips, and homemade olive oil mayonnaise to go with cauliflower fritters.

Black olive spread.

I looked at the label on my preferred mayonnaise: soy oil, vinegar, egg plus sugar, starch, coloring agent, and antioxidant. That's why I made it homemade--egg, extra virgin olive oil, Sherry vinegar. 

To make 20 cauliflower fritters, combine 1/2 cup mashed potato and 1 cup cauliflower "rice" (see below for how to make the rice) with 2 tablespoons chopped scallions, 1/4 teaspoon each of cumin and hot pimentón, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, and 2 tablespoons almond flour. Chill the mixture. Scoop up by teaspoons and drop in hot oil. Fry until browned.

Happy hour. Much of eating is habit: at 7:45, while dinner is cooking, I pour a glass of wine and sit down to watch a cooking show on TV. No wine this month! Instead I enjoy grapefruit juice spritzer (with agua con gas (seltzer), hibiscus punch or a virgin Mary, half and half seasoned tomato juice and bubbly water. A handful of pistachios and I have a happy hour.

Málaga-style seafood stew.

Dinner. Mostly I've been adjusting favorite dishes to comply with the diet rules. For my Málaga fish stew (above) I needed only to eliminate the bread and use almonds to thicken the sauce (recipe follows). Potatoes are allowed! They are my main carbohydrate this month. 

Chicken curry with mango served with cauliflower "rice."

I get a lot of mileage from a roast chicken, using leftovers for curry or stir-fry. To accompany chicken curry with mangos, I prepared cauliflower “rice” (shown above). 

To make cauliflower rice, cut out and discard the center stalk of the cauliflower. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Place them and small stems in a food processor and pulse until they are chopped to about the size of grains of rice. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave for 1 or 2 minutes more until cauliflower is crisp tender. Add salt. The "rice" can be prepared in advance and reheated in the microwave or in a steamer.

Meatballs with zoodles.

These chicken meatballs in a Southeast Asian curry sauce (shown at right) are served with zoodles, those aforementioned zucchini noodles, instead of rice noodles. In place of bread, the meatballs are mixed with chopped onions and mushrooms.  

Stir-fry with cauliflower "rice."

More leftover chicken in this stir-fry served with cauliflower "rice." Luckily snow peas are exceptions to the no legume rule, as I have lots of snow peas in the garden this month.  Instead of soy sauce (not allowed on the diet), I smash some anchovies into the stir-fried veggies and chicken. 

Sweet potato mousse with walnuts.

Dessert. A piece of fresh fruit is always good. Or sliced mango embellished with grated ginger and a spoonful of thick coconut milk. I got fancy with this sweet potato mousse.

Soak 2 pitted and chopped dates in ¼ cup almond milk, then blend until smooth. Mash 1 medium cooked sweet potato with the date milk. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and cardamom, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon grated orange peel, and 1 tablespoon orange juice. Separate 1 large egg. Mix the yolk with the sweet potato. Beat the white until it holds stiff peaks. Fold it into the sweet potatoes.  Spoon the mixture into 4 oiled oven-safe cups. Place them in a pan with boiling water and bake in preheated 375ºF oven until set, about 20 minutes. Serve with chopped walnuts.

Seafood Stew

Cazuela de Pescado

I used fillets of gallineta, rockfish, for this stew. Monkfish or grouper, both firm-fleshed, would be good also. Add squid, clams or mussels if you like.

Serves 2 to 4

Firm-fleshed fish fillets for the stew.

1 pound fish fillets

Salt 

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled

¼ cup almonds

½ cup chopped onions

½ cup chopped green pepper

½ cup peeled and chopped tomato

½ teaspoon pimentón (paprika)

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar

1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut in pieces

1 cup + fish stock or water

Shelled peas or blanched snow peas

12 peeled shrimp

Parsley to garnish

Cut the fillets into 2-inch pieces, salt them lightly and allow to come to room temperature.

Heat the oil on medium-high in a cazuela or deep skillet. Fry the garlic and almonds until they are golden. Skim them out and reserve.

Add the onions and green pepper to the pan. Sauté, stirring occasionally, on medium heat until onion is softened, 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and continue to fry a few minutes.

Place the fried garlic and almonds in a blender with the pimenton, ¼ cup of water, and vinegar. Blend until smooth. Stir this mixture into the pan. Add 1 cup of the stock. Bring to a boil and add the potatoes. Lower heat and cover the pan. Cook until potatoes are tender, 20 minutes. Add the fish and shelled peas to the pan. Cook until fish flakes easily, 10 minutes. Add the snow peas, if using, and the shrimp. Cover and remove the pan from the heat. Allow to set 5 minutes. Serve garnished with parsley.

Black Olive Spread

Olivada Negra

Make this umami-rich spread with the wrinkly kind of salt-cured black olives. (Mine are home-cured Manzanillas.) If Spanish ones are not readily available, substitute Kalamata olives. You will need to pit the olives. Serve the spread with crudités for dipping—I like endive leaves and red pepper. It also goes well with hard-boiled eggs. Or, obviously, toasts or breadsticks if you are not avoiding bread.

Umami-rich ingredients for the olive spread.

1 cup pitted black olives

2 pitted prunes, dates or figs

1 clove garlic

3 sun-dried tomatoes

3 anchovy fillets (from a can)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons walnuts

1 tablespoon drained capers

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of dried thyme 

Endive leaves to serve

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until nearly smooth. Store refrigerated but bring to room temperature to serve. Serve with endive leaves.

Endive leaves with black olive spread.

Fish and vegetable chowder, no flour, almond milk instead of milk or cream.

 

Pan-fried fillets of sea bass, dipped in beaten egg and dredged in almond flour.

Curried squash soup with apple and coconut milk.

Beef stew with artichokes, carrots, and potatoes. A touch of Sherry vinegar replaces the wine. (Original recipe is here. )

CUTTING CARBS AND COOKING SPANISH

If it’s January, it must be diet season. The diet is going just fine—I´m down a pound or two (not yet a kilo!). My problem is how to cook and write about Spanish food while dieting. Is there anything in Spanish cuisine that doesn’t require bread, potatoes or rice?

Even if those favored carbohydrates are not part of the recipe—think gambas al ajillo, ibérico ham, boquerones en vinagre—they are essential as an accompaniment. How can you just eat the shrimp and not sop up the sizzling garlicky olive oil in the cazuelita of gambas al ajillo?

For a couple of weeks, I’m “doing Atkins,” so it’s low, low, low carbs. As a food-centric person, dieting is engaging—planning what to eat and how to cook it is as challenging as planning a dinner party!

Kernels of chopped cauliflower stand in for rice in this paella with typical ingredients.

So, I’ve managed to come up with a dish with real Spanish flavors—paella—but without the carb-heavy rice! Cauliflower, chopped to rice-size kernels, takes the place of rice. Most of the other ingredients are typical to Spanish paella.

While it may not rate highly on anyone’s paella list, let me tell you, it’s probably the best cauliflower in the world!

Chicken, shrimp, mussels, squid, chorizo, artichoke--and saffron-tinted cauliflower "rice."

Cauliflower "grains" have a slight crunch.

Low-Carb Paella

Ingredients similar to traditional paella.

Serves 4 to 6.

1 ½ -2 pounds cauliflower (to make 5-6 cups “rice”)
1 pound boneless chicken thighs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup green beans, cut in short lengths
6 mussels, scrubbed
½ teaspoon saffron, crushed
¼ cup hot water
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 large, unpeeled shrimp
1 small artichoke
1 small squid, cleaned and cut in rings
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup chopped tomato
3 ounces chorizo sausage, sliced (or 1 teaspoon pimentón)
Bay leaf or sprig of rosemary
½ cup chicken stock
Canned red pimiento
Lemon wedges to serve

Process cauliflower to kernels.

Cut out and discard the center stalk of the cauliflower. Cut into florets. Working in two batches, add the florets and small stems to food processor and pulse until they are chopped to the consistency of rice grains. Reserve.

Cut the chicken thighs into three or four pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the green beans in salted water until crisp-tender. Drain and reserve. Steam the mussels open. When cool enough to handle, discard empty shell. Reserve mussels on half-shell. Place the crushed saffron in a small bowl and add hot water.

Heat  oil in a paella pan or large skillet. Sauté the whole shrimp, turning once, until they have changed color and cooked through. Remove and reserve for garnishing the finished paella. (Sauteeing the whole shrimp flavors the oil.)

Add the chicken pieces to the pan on medium-high heat, turning them to brown both sides. Strip outer leaves from the artichoke. Cut it in quarters. Scoop out the fuzzy choke and place the artichokes, cut-side down, in the oil. (If added to the pan immediately, no need to soak them in lemon water.) Sauté the artichokes, turning them occasionally.

Sofrito of chicken and vegetables.

Add the cut-up squid, green pepper and garlic to the pan and sauté 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and sliced chorizo. Cook chicken, artichokes, squid and vegetables 10-15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Add the saffron-water and stock. Taste the liquid in the pan and add more salt if necessary. Add the bay leaf or rosemary. Bring to a boil and add the cauliflower “rice.” Stir to combine all the ingredients, arranging them in the pan. Add the reserved green beans. Place the cooked shrimp on top and the mussels around the edge of the paella.

Cook on a medium heat (liquid just bubbling) until cauliflower is done to your liking—7 minutes for a slight crunch, up to 15 minutes for soft (you may need a little more stock). Move the pan around on the stove, so it cooks evenly, but don't stir.

Discard bay leaf or rosemary. Garnish the top of the paella with strips of red pimiento. Let set 5 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges. Guests peel the shrimp at the table. To eat the artichokes, pick them up by the tip and bite the thick heart. Discard the leaves and tips.

Recipes for paella with rice:
http://mykitcheninspain.blogspot.com.es/2011/06/paella-made-in-usa.html
http://mykitcheninspain.blogspot.com.es/2014/07/cooking-class-paella.html
http://mykitcheninspain.blogspot.com.es/2011/12/paella-for-meatless-sundays.html (vegan)
Paella with pasta:
http://mykitcheninspain.blogspot.com.es/2010/05/noodles-cock-and-bull-story.html
And, more diet suggestions:
http://mykitcheninspain.blogspot.com.es/2015/01/good-intentions-diet.html

GOOD INTENTIONS: DIET

Weighing in.

I won’t call it a “New Year’s resolution.” But, it’s my INTENTION this year to shed a few pounds/kilos.

I got the results of my year-end health checkup—all good, happy to report. Cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, all in high-normal range. But, on the accompanying report, the doc listed, along with hypothyroidism, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, sobrepeso. Excess weight.

I used to barely control my weight by sticking to a low-carb diet—with the occasional paella on special occasions. But when tests showed incipient kidney disease, the doctor advised low-protein eating. Chicken or fish, every other day. “What do I eat on the other days?” I wailed. “Pasta, rice,” he replied.

I must say that I have enjoyed every-other-day vegetarian meals. I love eating toasted whole grain bread with olive oil and tomato. Potaje of garbanzos and veggies. Pasta with pisto. But, I started putting on the pounds/kilos.

I put together a diet plan for myself, based on a basic low-calorie diet prescribed for diabetics.

• No sugar whatsoever (easy for me, I stopped with the sugar several years ago).
• No alcohol (this is hard—I love drinking wine).
• Small portions of high-carb foods, preferably whole-grains. (Potatoes, carrots, peas and legumes count as high-carb foods.) Example, ½-cup measure of cooked rice OR 1 slice bread per meal.
• Small portions of protein food (meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy, tofu). Example: 100 grams of meat or chicken per meal, or a portion about the size of a deck of cards.
• Large portions of low-carb vegetables, both lunch and dinner. From 250 to 500 grams (½  to 1 pound), raw and/or cooked.
• Two fruit servings per day. (No fruit juice.)
• Olive oil as the only fat (limited to 4 tablespoons per day).
• Reduced salt.
• More exercise (I go to aerobics three times a week—not enough).

100 grams chicken = deck of cards.

Don't have kitchen scales handy? You can eye-ball it: a 100-gram serving of chicken or meat is about the size of a deck of cards. For seafood, allow 150 grams.

The key in meal planning is reduced portion sizes for both high-carb and protein foods. (A kitchen scales is essential.)

On the plate, low-carb veggies make up two-thirds of the serving; meat and starch together, only one-third.

Diet on a plate--A heap of broccoli, some salad, a tiny piece of chicken breast, a little mound of rice. It's a well-balanced meal, but not very interesting. Mix up the vegetable ingredients, add a few spices, change the cooking method, add a saucy side dish (grated cucumber and yogurt) and the meal is much more exciting.

Spicy chicken kebabs, grilled veggies and rice.

Pinchitos Morunos
Mini-Kebabs with Moorish Spices

Ready-mixed pinchito spice, especia para pinchitos, contains lots of cumin, coriander, red chile, turmeric and ginger. It usually also contains salt. Use instead a spoonful of curry powder combined with ground cumin seed.

The meat—here, chicken thighs—must be cut in quite small pieces, so that it cooks in the few minutes it takes to brown.

Makes 4 mini-kebabs, serving 2.

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
Cayenne, if desired
200 g / 7 oz boneless chicken thighs, cut in 2-cm / ¾-in cubes
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Combine the cumin, curry powder and cayenne, if using. Place the cubes of chicken in a non-reactive bowl and sprinkle with the parsley, garlic, salt, spice mixture and lemon juice. Combine well. Marinate, covered and refrigerated, for 3 hours. .

Thread 4 or 5 pieces of meat onto thin metal skewers. Cook them on a hot plancha (griddle), turning until browned on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes.

Verduras a la Plancha
Griddled Vegetables

Cooking time will vary for each vegetable, depending on thickness, but all should cook in 8 minutes or less. Grill the eggplant very tender, but allow zucchini and onion to stay somewhat crisp. Other vegetables, such as asparagus, can be added to this mixed grill.

Two servings of veggies--600 grams (1 lb 5 oz)

To serve 2.

2 (¾-inch thick) slices eggplant
2 (½ -inch) slices zucchini
Coarse salt
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
2 slices onion or spears of spring onions
2 mushrooms, sliced, such as portobello, oyster, or boletus
2 firm plum tomatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Place the slices of eggplant and zucchini in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and allow to stand for 30 minutes. Pat the slices dry. Spread them in a shallow pan.

Cut the peppers into quarters, discarding stem and seeds. Place them in the pan with the eggplant. Add onion slices, mushrooms and tomatoes. Brush all the vegetables with oil. Turn them and brush the other side.

Heat a ridged grill pan or flat griddle very hot. Cook each of the vegetables until tender, turning them with tongs to grill both sides.

Divide vegetables between two plates. Sprinkle with additional salt. Serve warm or room temperature.

Here's another way to serve up lots of vegetables and small portions of carb and meat.

Luella’s Basura

Basura means “garbage”. That’s what my friend Luella called her meal-in-a-pot that she cooked in huge quantities to eat, sometimes twice a day, for a week. 

Lots of veggies, a tiny bit of meat and pasta, go into this meal-in-a-pot.

Luella was a diabetic who hated to cook. Her doctor’s orders prescribed fixed amount of meat (100 grams), pasta or rice (20 grams) and vegetables, raw and cooked (300 grams) per meal, lunch and dinner. So, she measured it all out, multiplied by 10 and dumped it all in two big pots. After cooking and cooling, it was stored in the fridge, providing 10 ready-cooked meals that she never had to think about. Because she also was on a salt-free diet, she used whopping-big amounts of curry powder to flavor the stew, sometimes varying it with chili powder mix that I made for her. When Luella was cooking basura, you could smell it throughout the barrio where she lived.

The garbage-pot is not a soup, but a vegetable-rich stew. Rather than adding the carb—pasta—to the pot, as Luella did, I like the stew better ladled over a half-cup serving of brown rice. She didn’t mess around with “garnishes,” but I like snipped herbs or green onion to serve.

Tips: Don’t peel the eggplant—its skin has cholesterol-reducing properties. Add cinnamon and turmeric to the spice blend—they help to regulate blood sugar. A splash of vinegar or lemon juice will accent flavors without adding salt.

Luella's basura. OK, you give it a better name!

4 servings.

Pasta for 4 servings.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
400 grams (14 oz) lean ground beef
1 heaping tablespoon curry powder
½ cauliflower, cut into florets
½ eggplant, cut in cubes
1 can (2 cups) chopped tomatoes
1 cup water
Salt (optional)
½ zucchini, cut in cubes
Package frozen green beans
80 g/2.8 oz pasta
Chopped green onions to garnish

Heat the oil in a large stew pot. Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper. Sauté until onion is golden. Add the ground beef and brown it, breaking up the meat with a fork. Stir in the curry powder. Add the cauliflower, eggplant, canned tomatoes, water and salt, if using. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Add the zucchini, green beans and pasta. Cook until pasta is barely tender, 6 minutes. (Both zucchini and pasta will continue to cook in residual heat.)

Serve hot garnished with chopped onion.

Add some chopped herbs to the basura.

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