The other day a fellow blogger linked to a post here with accolades, but the exact nature of the link had me laughing.  Her words exactly:

Jerry always has great meat recipes.  He is such a freaking carnivore.  But this Roast Beef, Sun dried Tomato, and Basil Taco recipe is …just… well…bloody good.
From BlissTree.com

While I love the comment and I am most definitely a carnivore, I realized that I’ve been neglecting our good friend the vegetable, and that’s a crying shame. It’s not that I don’t eat them or love them, it’s just that they are usually a side note to the star of the show in most cases.  What an injustice!

With new determination to feature more veggie recipes, both for the vegetarians out there and for my waistline (which seems to grow in direct proportion to how happy I am with my life), I rattled a few ideas around, checked to see what I had in the house and freezer and came up with a plan.

It seems that I managed to overstock my larder with cauliflower.  While I love this veggie, I usually use it as a filler ingredient in other dishes or as a simple side for fish or pork.  Only once before have I featured it here as an ingredient in its own right, and that dish is where I took the inspiration for this soup.

I can’t think of a better pairing than cauliflower and curry.  I’m not a fan of really hot curries or massively competing flavors and cauliflower’s neutrality makes the curry shine without the need for a lot of spice.  It’s almost a zen thing.  This soup does not disappoint.

In the end this dish packs a lot of flavor in a satisfying package.  It’s a great starter but could work equally well as a very light lunch in its own right.  The flavor is both delicate and aggressive at the same time, making for a wonderful contrast.  I definitely recommend giving this one a try.

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From the archives: With much of the nation buried in snow, what better meal to present than a piping hot bowl of great stew.  Enjoy!

If there is one food associated with Irish cuisine, it’s the ubiquitous Irish stew. Love it or hate it, it’s Ireland in a dish. Every Irish family has their own distinct recipe and every Irish child will probably tell you that his Mam makes the best Irish stew there ever was, though she would probably say that her Ma made a better one.

Irish stew is also known as stobhach gaelach, which is just Gaelic for “Irish Stew”.  The dish was traditionally made with just meat (usually tough meats such as kid), potatoes and onions and if made this way is very bland.  More modern versions use varieties of root vegetables and different tough cuts of meat depending on what is available at the time, but potatoes and onions should always be the primary ingredients.

I chose lamb for this stew simply because I adore it, but you can certainly make the dish with beef or pork if that’s what you have available.  It will certainly be a lot less expensive than this version, which racks in at well over $16.00 per pot full in my area.  Not that I’m complaining, mind you.  It was well worth the added expense.

And just so you know, for those following the Weight Watcher’s system; This dish is only 4 points per bowl, so have at it!

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The year’s focus on eating healthier continues right along with a renewed focus on fusion cooking, my favorite means of taking flavors and textures to new heights.  Our weather has been unseasonably warm and the market had the most beautiful baby bok choy, so I had to find something that would go well with it and salmon just seemed to fit the bill.  Add some pan fried noodles and not only do you have yourself a wonderfully healthy and filling meal, but one you can feel good about eating.  no compromises here!

The inspiration for the salmon came from an episode of Gordon Ramsay’s F-Word, but only loosely, as I couldn’t remember exactly what he’d done to his salmon, just that he’d used soy to glaze the fish, which sounded wonderful.  The rest of the dish was whipped up on a whim with ingredients I had on hand, but the combination was perfect for a firly warm evening and a lovely meal with my wife.

The recipe may sound complicated, but in actuality it doesn’t get much simpler than this.  There are only three primary ingredients and a few accompaniments that can be found at nearly any supermarket in the Asian section, so even if all you have access to is a BigScaryMegaMart, you should be able to get everything needed for this recipe in a single trip and for just a few dollars.  It really is worth it, trust me.

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Chicken and apple is a pretty common combination and is made often all across the country.  The pairing is simple and it works well in a variety of situations.  Like any other very simple combination, the exact amounts of either chicken or apple and the method in which it is prepared are open to interpretation by the cook and really should be played with until it becomes the perfect representation of an individual cook’s style.  This version is very nearly what I would consider perfect.

I don’t remember what inspired me to try this exact combination.  More than likely it’s a mish-mash of several different recipes I saw while watching Gordon Ramsay’s kitchen nightmares, the F Word and the other cooking programs I bounce around the channels to catch, along with the 20 or so food blogs I visit on a daily basis.  Whatever planted the original seed of an idea, it was firing up the smoker a few days ago that prompted it to grow to fruition.

I don’t like smoking just one thing at a time.  smoking anything requires a lot of time and an investment in fuel, so in my mind, it’s the perfect excuse to use the smoker to make as much as I possibly can while I’ve got it fired.  that way it doesn’t feel like a total extravagance, but rather a chance to have a ready supply of smoked meats, cheeses or anything else that I think should have a nice smoky flavor on hand.  just smoke, then freeze whatever you aren’t going to use in the near future.  Preperation is key, and this is prep at its easiest.

The chicken for this round were smoked for about 3 hours, then finished off in the oven, but a good store bought smoked chicken would work just as well.  If you either do not own a smoker or can’t buy smoked chicken locally, just add a few drops of liquid smoke to a bit of water, brush over a few pieces of chicken, wrap in foil and bake at 275 degrees until the chicken is done and you’ve got yourself a fair imitation without the work.

Please note that I do not season skin-on chicken that’s bound for the smoker.  The seasoning won’t do anything for the chicken since the smoked skin is rubbery and rather inedible.  I would definitely season a skinless or boneless-skinless cut however, since the seasoning would then have the opportunity to really affect the end product, rather than being peeled of and discarded.

This dish would work perfectly as a starter in a smaller portion if served with croutons or crostini, but it works just as well as a light main course when served simply as shown above.  I highly recommend this one to anyone looking for a healthy light meal that won’t weigh you down for the rest of the day, and if you’re following Weight Watchers, you can enjoy a single portion at just 3 points, so definitely not a bad deal!

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After two months of heavy braises, rich sauces and gravys it’s nice to be eating on the lighter side again.  My palate had almost forgotten the joys of great ingredients cooked and served simply.  With just a few ingredients and a very short cooking time, this dish was an homage to simplicity and the preservation of the flavors that the ingredients bring to the party.

Fish should be served simply.  It’s far too easy to mask the delicate flavor of the fish itself with any type of sauce or glaze, and in the case of tuna this is especially true.  For this dish I took inspiration from both Western and Asian cuisine with striking results.  The flavors were subtle, pleasing and a perfect match from start to finish.  Plating could be done in any manner you choose, as all of the components are far better eated together than they are seperately in this case.

The best part is that this is a complete meal that carries absolutely no guilt.  The entire plate is low in everything that you want it to be low in and high i the things you need, like fiber, Omega 3’s and vitamins.  Quick, simple, healthy and Weight Watcher’s friendly as well at only 9 points for the entire plate!

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The holidays have passed and it’s time to start looking closely at what we’re eating again. For the next several months at least there will be little in the way of heavily buttered sauces or creamy casseroles.  It’s time to shed some of the pounds that copious amounts of Holiday dinners, desserts and alcohol have helped to put around our midsections and with that comes the return of counting points, at least for my wife.

Personally, I don’t worry about points values or Weight Watcher’s scales. I just make lighter foods with less of the bad stuff and more of the good stuff. That way I can eat more, still be quite full and enjoy the weight loss.  My wife on the other hand, prefers to regimen her diet, and if it makes her happy, I’m all for it, so I look to the weight watcher’s site for inspiration, then do my level best to keep her within her prescribed daily points.

This is the year’s first Weight Watcher’s dish, and I’ve got to say that I was very pleasantly surprised with the outcome.  The recipe is my own, but resulted in a heaping plate of food with a points value of only 8, which kept her well and truly within daily limits while still leaving me quite happily stuffed until dinner, which happened to be at 8:00pm that evening due to work schedules.

So to all of you who are craving a new low point recipe, have at this one, It’s sure to please without adding too much to your daily total points value and I’ll be the first to say that it won’t leave you hungry.

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, simple flavors are usually the most profound.  The art of great food is not necessarily about the number of ingredients, the amount of spices and flavorings, or even the technical knowledge of the person preparing the meal.  It’s about a perfect balance of flavors, textures and aromas.  This is true of the perfect serving of escargot as much as it is in the perfect plate of simple southern greens.  They are both beautiful experiences in their own right, and neither one is complicated.

The same holds true of this simple little dish.  It could be used as a tappas, an appetizer, a snack or even a great little brunch dish.  The ingredients are simple, straightforward and complimentary in ways that would not be possible had any other ingredient been added. In this case minimal is better, and if you try it, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Not only are these tiny tidbits a wonderful taste sensation, they are healthy.  Packed with Omega-3 fatty acids and lean proteins that we are all supposed to get more of. The cream cheese is low fat and so provides calcium without too much guilt. Of all the ingredients, only the bagels may cause worry for some, but they souldn’t.  The tiny addition in carb count is more than worth it. Top it all off with the fact that this dish weighs in at only 4 Weight Watcher’s points, and you’re golden.

Even my wife approved, and she’s not a salmon fan!

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Popularity: 2% [?]

After a weekend of wanton excess, both at the Grapevine Texas Grapefest and visiting one of the best burger joints in the country, last night was all about light, healthy fare. Since my wife has been using Weight Watchers, I figured I’d try for something she could eat to her heart’s content without guilt. This soup is the result.

While this may have Zero Weight Watchers Points, it gets a full ten from us when it comes to flavor and its ability to leave you feeling more than full. The flavors are full and robust and there’s just enough heat in the background to leave you wondering if a glass of tea was enough, or if you should have had milk instead. Even without added meats or proteins, the mushrooms give the soup a deep meaty flavor that lingers on the back of the tongue in a very pleasant way.

This is modified slightly from the original Weight Watchers Recipe, but still contains no points as far as my calculations can determine. (OK, it has one point, but so does the original recipe when I run the numbers. The number refers to the fact that as far as Weight Watchers is concerned, these are all zero point foods, hence zero point soup.) I’ve added bit more liquid so that one batch will last a good long time.  Great for guiltless snacks and lunches.

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First of all, my wife and i are headed out to GrapeFest in “Historic Grapevine Texas” this Friday. We were originally planning to go for both Thursday and Friday’s festivities, but with me coming off the first cold of the year and our son coming off his 2 year old shots, it seemed a much better idea to just make it a day-trip.

From what I’ve been able to see, it looks like a heck of a fun time.  Check out the official commercial:

On another note, my wife is really pushing her weight Watcher’s and physical exercise regimen, and has been doing wonderfully! (Applause, everyone. Applause!) So expect a lot more healthy dishes to be springing up and if I can find the time, I’ll be adding nutritional information as well as Weight Watcher’s points to some or all of my recipes. (There’s nothing like adding a ton of work to my life just before the Holiday season, right!?!)

And there you have the most recent slew of updates from we at CbsoP! Be looking for pics and observations on GrapeFest on Saturday or Sunday.

Will anyone else be attending? If so, wanna have a glass of wine?

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