Last Minute Pasta Just in Time for Presto Pasta Nights

Wow...where did the week go?! It's Thursday and tomorrow Pam of Sidewalk Shoes is hosting this week's Presto Pasta Night and I haven't a thing to wear...oh wrong...I HAVE things to wear, I just haven't made any pasta this week.

It's a good thing I had some Dreamfields pasta on hand...they make the "good" carbs I can eat on The South Beach Diet Phase II. It's also a good thing I roasted a chicken this morning before it got hot in here. And since I always have onions, garlic and mushrooms...the rest was easy and came together in the time it took to boil water plus the ten minutes to cook the penne

Roasted Chicken & Mushroom Penne

I don't think there's anything better than pasta for that "throw together" meal. So what are you sending Pam? You still have some time left. Just email your entry to morefromscraps (at) comcast (dot) net and cc me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com

What to do with Zucchini?

Last week at the Dartmouth Farmers Market I couldn't resist these adorable fat, round zucchini. Ben and Anna called them Coca, but google search as I may, I couldn't find any reference.

My dilemma was how to use these cute treasures. I had seen a fantastic looking recipe for Zucchini Pancakes with Tzatziki from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA)

They really look like my zucchini latkes, but with a twist, naturally. And I can't wait to try them.

But then I bought a copy of this month's Food & Wine for a recipe that just called out for my chubby little zucchini. The pancakes will definitely have to wait.

Shrimp & Feta Stuffed Zucchini "Boats"

Seriously...not only are they cute, they are the amazing...the sweetness of the fire roasted tomatoes and red bell peppers, the saltiness of the feta, the heat of the chili pepper flakes...Heaven on a plate. Oh, and it's a good thing I had extra filling, since I just discovered that my Honey (after 19 years) doesn't like zucchini (at least not ones he can identify - wink, wink). I stuffed some yellow and orange bell pepper halves as well.

And check out this morning's omelet...

I just beat one egg with a touch of olive oil and some fresh chives and in my hot non-stick pan, I poured the mixture, tipped the pan until the egg formed a pancake and the middle was dry. (about 1 minute) and removed the pan from the heat. I zapped some zucchini boat filling in the microwave, placed it on half the pancake, crumbled a little feta on top and covered this with the other half of the pancake.

Best part of this tasty breakfast and dinner, of course...it's perfect for The South Beach Diet , Phase II.

Local Markets=Heaven on a Plate

Truly there is nothing more delicious than fresh produce, and I mean - right from the garden served with local Nova Scotian lamb. And having been to not one, but two markets this past Saturday...I really scored some tasty treats. Just check out last night's dinner - Marinated Grilled Lamb Chops with veggies, steamed and lightly sauteed.

The lamb (my favorite meat, especially when it's from Nova Scotia) chops, marinated and grilled (even if it is on my indoor grill) came from Wood 'n' Hart Farm in Tatamagouche. One of these days, I really must go and visit Bill Wood on his farm to have a more in-depth chat about all things lamb. Bill breeds his own lean sheep, and feeds them grain, hay and grass and is extremely popular with local chefs and Saturday Market goers. I know it's one of my favorite stalls at the Halifax Farmers Market.
I also couldn't resist these gorgeous yellow and purple beans at the Elmridge Farm stall or were they from my other favorite farmers over at the Hutten Family Farm stand. I knew, standing there exactly how I'd prepare them and started drooling (all before 9am!)

But how come the deep purple faded to such a dull colour? They sort of looked like my mother's mushy grey broccoli (sorry mom) from my childhood. Although they were crispy and tasty. If you have any ideas for keeping them purple, let me know.

And one of my new finds over at the Dartmouth Farmers' Market, where I met Anna and Ben Wall (mentioned yesterday) were these precious little tomatoes. I naturally couldn't resist popping one in my mouth when I got home - WOW!!! they are like candy! In fact, if I didn't know better, I'd swear they'd been injected with honey.

So I lightly steamed the beans with a sprig of fresh basil (also from Ben & Anna) while I was sauteing the tiny tomatoes, cut in half to allow their juices out, in a touch of olive oil and Olivina (instead of butter, which the rest of you should enjoy for me) (probably 2 minutes) and then added the steamed beans along with fresh mint, basil and garlic scapes, a little salt and pepper, toss and plate over the lamb chop. Fantastic!

Where do you shop for your favorite local food? If you're not eating local, you can't imagine what you're missing out on. And if you live in Canada, please check out EatRealEatLocal to find out how you can do more in your neck of the woods.

Sad Story of Eating out on South Beach Diet

This Dai Grilled Steak and salad was actually supposed to be last night's dinner. But The Tall Ships are in town and that's a spectacular site, so I met my Honey for a stroll on the Harbour Front and perhaps some grilled calamari and a glass of wine to nibble on while we people and boat watched.

We found lots of places to buy, fried onion rings, clams, calamari, chips...in fact, just about everything seemed to be fried or served on a bun. And the line-up for any restaurant with a terrace (even for fried food) was long. So we walked a little further afield...similar story and I really wasn't in the mood for salad.

In the end, we found a Greek restaurant - not our best meal, so I won't share the who or where of it (remember, I only say good things or nothing at all), I did get my grilled calamari served with a salad and my Honey had his with a lamb skewer.

What we did decide, was that perhaps we stick to eating at home for a while. I know I won't be disappointed. And tonight's dinner of steak and salad was because my Honey has been craving a steak for days. He usually likes his with Montreal Steak Spice, which I find too salty. Actually, the real Montreal Steak Spice served first at Schwartz' Deli was/is awesome, but the kind in the bottles I find are not nearly the same.

I decided to try the fantastic rub called Dai (after the Province in China that it comes from) that I used to make Dai Chicken. It's from the most fantastic book - Beyond the Great Wall. The Sichuan peppercorns add a unique flavor - sort of woodsy as well as peppery. I'm pleased to say, it worked beautifully on the steak. Good to know.

So what do you do when eating out on a diet? Or do you?

Day Two - South Beach Diet, Phase II

Well we did survive The South Beach Diet , Phase II - day two. The challenge was to go slowly. I sort of felt like holding on to the reins of a galloping horse, trying to get control of the beast. Melodramatic, you say? True, but... seriously, folks...a quart of fresh strawberries in the fridge and...
I made these lovely looking Oat & Pecan Muffins NOT for yesterday, but rather for this morning's breakfast. NOT for yesterday because I was planning on a pasta dish for dinner and we're only allowed one serving of good carbs. (Note: Quite tasty and I probably will make them again. I bet they'd be really awesome with some dried cherries or some chocolate chips - fine for later in the program.)

Lunch was an afterthought. I know it shouldn't be, but I was caught up in writing and research, so I had a bowl of Yoplait Source 0% vanilla yoghurt (I admit it...fake sugar anything leaves an aftertaste in my mouth, so it's nice to find one no fat version with 0% fat and ...more importantly...0% aspartame) and more delicious strawberries. It is with great self-restraint that I only added the 3/4 cup daily allottment. But I did savor every bite.

Dinner...what can I say except that I'm heading out to buy one of those pasta measures. I wanted to use the multigrain linguine. It's easier to measure 1/2 cup portions when you use little pastas, but I wanted to go with that and naturally, didn't measure it once it was cooked. Oh well, at least I didn't have seconds.

What I should have done was to FIRST eat the lovely salad I made - mixed greens with sweet red peppers and lots of herbs and a lemony pesto vinaigrette. But I couldn't resist a mouthful of the pasta....

Multigrain Mediterranean Linguine with Shrimps

...because one bite led to another and another and...well, before I knew it the plate was close to clean and I was full. So...no salad (which probably would have been healthier to start with) and more pasta than I think I was entitled to....sigh.

At least I get to send a pasta dish to Joanne of Eats Well With Others our lovely Presto Pasta Night host this week. Please join in the fun and end your entries to jhbruno87 (at) gmail (dot) com and cc me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com - after all, I need some inspiration for next week's South Beach adaptation.

First Day of South Beach Diet Phase II

Well...so far so good. It's day two of South Beach Diet, Phase II and I haven't quite succumbed to overdoing the new additions to the diet. Supper was delicious - simple grilled salmon steak (here's one recipe to play with) over a salad of mixed greens, cucumber, sweet red pepper, arugula and...a version of Chimichurri which is very Argentinean and one of my favorite ways to perk up the ordinary. It's always a mixture of herbs and hot peppers or pepper flakes. This time around I added garlic scapes to the cilantro, parsley, green onions, jalapeno pepper, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice.

Wait a minute...doesn't that look alot like SBD, phase one dinners? It does and let me explain.

Dr Agatston advises adding the one good carb and one serving of fruit during the day and advises against breakfast (it increases the sugar cravings). Doing it slowly allows your body to adjust to the new (again) addition of sugar to your system.

Breakfast was a hard boiled egg and more V8 juice because I knew I was going to try a new Latin restaurant in the neighborhood with Sharron (in for a day off of nannying) because she's a serious fan of Latin foods. I had a small Doblada - folded corn flour tortilla filled with beef - so that was my carb for the day. No photos because I left my camera at home, genius that I am.

But lunch was my real treat... yoghurt and ...wait for it...wait for it....

STRAWBERRIES and I savored every mouthful. (Okay, this is a photo from last summer, because I was too busy eating to stop and take a picture). Three quarters of a cup of juicy, red, sweet, fresh strawberries and 4 oz of vanilla yoghurt. Wonderful!

Most of our dinners will be very SBD, Phase I friendly, but tonight I am planning for my first pasta and I still haven't decided what that will look like. Stay tuned.

And don't forget that Joanne of Eats Well With Others will be doing the honors. Send your entries to jhbruno87 (at) gmail (dot) com and cc me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com

Guidelines to share your pasta dishes.

And if you'd like to host a Presto Pasta Night Roundup yourself, just send me an email. September 25th is available as well as lots of dates in October and beyond. What are you waiting for...it's great fun and a fabulous way to get introduced to other awesome bloggers.

South Beach Diet Phase II Begins

I know I should be excited...it's been two weeks of mostly sticking to the The South Beach Diet Supercharged , Phase One. I was hoping to lose more than the 7 pounds and 1 1/2" around my tummy, but I feel better - more energetic, in fact. I've even gotten into the rhythm of eating breakfast - hard boiled egg & V8 juice most days. Lunches are easy as are the fantastic dinners....including last night's roasted Lamb Roll stuffed with spinach and served with pristine yellow beans - not one brown mark in the bunch! - mostly steamed and then lightly sauteed for a minute with garlic scapes and half teaspoon of my freshly made pesto.

My challenges have been the snacks and desserts. Pre diet days...the only snacking was after dinner...a GIANT no-no. And dessert was often just some dark chocolate...fine on phase two, but not phase one and not everyday. Seriously, how much chocolate pudding can a person stand?


But we're done...we're done and I'm scared. A new world has opened up with all my favorite things....

fresh, juicy, local ripe strawberries...
Homemade Dakota bread with all those healthful seeds and I'll just up the whole wheat & rye flour...
Sweet potatoes a million different ways...a favorite is the lime roasted recipe.

All are welcome on Phase Two....but...and it's a very BIG BUT...
as Dr Agatston says on page 249...

"While you're excited to be on Phase 2, don't go wild over the additional choices"

The book is very helpful in guiding us through this torturous phase...week one: add one good starch and one piece of fruit (make that 3/4 cup of strawberries, in my case) per day. How little he knows us...moderation is not a word that comes easily. So wish us luck.

More South Beach Eating

I must confess, I've never been much of a breakfast person so most of the time during the week, it's hard boiled eggs. Not terrible, just not very creative. Frankly, I can barely do more than brush my teeth and make coffee except on the weekends when breakfast is more like brunch.

And lunch is another meal I don't (make that didn't) bother much about. Once I'm into my day, time flies by and I forget to eat. So hopefully, I've made enough of a dish for the previous dinner and I can munch on that. When we lived in Toronto, it was easier...especially in the summer. I'd take my lunch break on the back porch, watching birds in all the trees, enjoying the peace. Now...no lawn, not even a balcony so I usually forget. I could, make a picnic...but I would only go to all that trouble for someone else.

Anyway, I'm rambling, but look how cute yesterday's lunch was (top of post)....and it was inspired by my flipping through one of my newer cookbooks - The Flavors of Asia. I came across a beautiful looking Northeastern Thai Shrimp Salad wrapped in a lettuce leaf and Vietnamese Shrimp & Cucumber Salad. So...no rice, no rice paper wrapping, but a lovely combination of strips of sweet red peppers & cucumbers, sprinkled with a little fresh cilantro, a drizzle of rice wine vinegar (just a drop) and all wrapped up in sliced chicken breast from the deli counter.

Dinner is never a problem, and last night was no exception....except for the fact that I didn't have enough baby bok choy. You should definitely see more green than what the photo shows. And I thought I had dried shitake mushrooms to rehydrate for even more flavor (I should have read Notes on Cooking again)...naturally, I didn't so I improvised by using mushroom flavored soy sauce from my local Asian market.

Shrimps & Digby Scallops Stir Fry with Baby Bok Choy.

This week the dish was served on its own - but the future holds promise ...it's going to be awesome over multigrain pasta.

No Pasta, But a Great Chicken Dinner Anyway

Tomorrow is Presto Pasta Night #121 and I still have one more week to go before cooking up any of my own. So what did I do...I took a journey on the web looking for delicious pasta dishes. How ridiculous is that!

Don't feel sorry for me though. Really, yesterday I had more of the most awesome soup for lunch....so good it's worth repeating.

Provencal Bean & Herb Soup

And an insanely delicious dinner of Moroccan Grilled Chicken over my very inspired "Handful" Arugula Salad with Lime Vinaigrette. (phota at top of post).

But enough about me...what are you sending to Graziana of Erbe in Cucina , this week's Presto Pasta Night host? You still have time to send your entries to scrivi (at) erbeincucina (dot) it and cc me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

Guidelines to share your pasta dishes.

And if you'd like to host a Presto Pasta Night Roundup yourself, just send me an email. September 25th is available as well as lots of dates in October and beyond. What are you waiting for...it's great fun and a fabulous way to get introduced to other awesome bloggers.

And for all you South Beach Dieters out there....have no fear, there's lots of room for pasta once we hit Phase II. Keep up the good fight, it's worth it!

South Beach Diet Rocks!

Hooray for us! As Boaz would say....We did it! We did it!

We each lost more than five pounds and one inch in one week of The South Beach Diet Supercharged ! I've written about it here. The meals are great, the exercise very managable...even for me. What's twenty minutes a day, afterall.

Last nigh't dinner was a very fun Chicken Meatloaf with Mushrooms & Beans served with some steamed broccoli (my Honey's lunch today)

And my awesome lunch today...(his tomorrow) was Provencal Bean & Herb Soup (top of post) that took no time at all to prepare....Five minutes to throw it together and less than 20 minutes to cook! How easy is that...not to mention absolutely delicious.

Spicy Sauteed Shrimp with....

IF we weren't on The South Beach Diet Supercharged, these luscious Saffron Shrimps would be served over my favorite buttery Garlicy Rice...tons of butter and even more garlic make it special. In the meantime, it tasted very delicious over Cauli-"fried" rice and no one was the wiser.

OR.....since I would really, really, really love some pasta...at least a week away...that's been the hardest for me...no pasta, no bread. Oh well, the end of phase one is near - I've lost 4 pounds and 2" around my tummy, so I'm not really complaining. Well, okay...I am complaining, but not ready to jump ship either.

Graziana of Erbe in Cucina is hosting this week's Presto Pasta Night...so this is my entry...just close your eyes and pretend it over some Fettuccine with Olive Oil, Basil and naturally...garlic! because in South Beach Diet, Phase Two, healthy carbs, like multigrain or whole wheat pasta is perfectly fine once a week.

Send your entries to scrivi (at) erbeincucina (dot) it and cc me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com. Guidelines to share your pasta dishes. That way I can start planning my SBD friendly versions.

Herb & Citrus Grilling is Great for South Beach Diets

A fantastic thing about summer...lots of fresh herbs that actually smell and taste awesome! How perfect for adding some zip and zing to a diet. Even on The South Beach Diet Supercharged, Phase One you don't have to skimp on flavor. The photo above is some romaine hearts, arugula, fresh parsley, mint, cilantro, basil and spicy green onions/scallions. I just added some toasted pecan pieces for crunch and a light vinaigrette like this one, but with white wine vinegar instead of rice wine vinegar for Phase One

This morning's breakfast....Herby Egg "Pancakes" ...no recipe, really, just whip some eggs, add a tablespoon or two of chopped fresh herbs (today was chives & cilantro/coriander). I made two - serving one per small non-stick pan for a thin pancake like omelet.

This time around I served them plain with just a sprinkling of salt and pepper, but hiding some shredded cheese in the folds would be delicious too.

Last night's dinner...Herb & Citrus Grilled Chicken, served with steamed lima beans, (I needed room in the freezer for our cute new ice cube trays), tossed with fresh mint and lime juice.

I wonder what I'll do today.....

South Beach Diet is Officially Back at our House

It's official...we're very serious about losing all that excess weight we've put on. Back in Toronto, we really were living the South Beach lifestyle...lots of grilling, lots of healthful foods, lots of exercise. And then we moved...no BBQ, so not nearly as much grilling, and somehow a reversal to lots of starchy comfort foods and less exercise....no excuses, just suffice to say...this last trip to visit family really was the tipping point.

Before I even get into this year's The South Beach Diet Supercharged journey, I've already received some comments about others doing the same. All I can say to you....Excellent choice!!! and good luck. I will be posting lots of delicious South Beach friendly recipes, but just to jump start your journey with tasty treats....

here's what our first time on SBD Phase I looked like

But back to this time around...Normally, I'd start the diet in the morning after getting on the scale and being horrified and needing cardiac resuscitation, but we were travelling and frankly, it's practically impossible to find a carb free airport breakfast, so we had a Montreal bagel (they are the best in the world, even at Starbucks kiosks), skipped lunch altogether (another SBD no-no) and did some healthful grocery shopping on the way home.

Finally....a healthy dinner....

Pecan Crusted Tilapia (who says you can't have "breaded" fish/chicken on SBD?)

Roasted Cauliflower
(this time sprinkled with turmeric & cumin, but you'll find lots of options here)

Hearts of Palm "Potato" Salad

Cyndi's Mocha Cappuccino Pudding (our usual, go-to dessert)

Because we're still on vacation, and went to visit the kids at camp (about an hour and a half from Halifax, so we'll be visiting often through the summer), eating SBD takes on a different spin...

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with fresh chives and a spoonful of roasted red pepper tapenade (I really wanted roasted red pepper strips, but ...well...they're on my shopping list) and a handful of chickpeas for protein (deli turkey is also on the shopping list)....and some V8 juice with a little Worcestershire sauce for kick.

Lunch at camp: salad bar and tuna & more egg (okay, we know that's too many in one day...but...limited choices when everyone else is eating sandwiches). It's day one and the campers were just arriving...so they needed to make a lunch that could be staggered and easy to have ready for the 300 or so campers and counsellors.

Dinner in Lunenburg: we thought we'd stay over in Lunenburg, home of the Bluenose II and see fireworks, but... fireworks were in Bridgewater not Lunenburg

This photo was from an earlier trip to Magnolia Grill when we were still eating rice. This time around, we just had more salad with the oh-so-fantastic, just-off-the-boat scallops . We did not stick around for dessert, although it was truly hard to resist their key lime pie or the ice cream parlor across the street....SIGH!...and head home for fireworks in Halifax...which didn't happen for us either. We just listened to it from our flat and avoided the misty rain.

Stay tuned for more of our South Beach Diet adventures.