Spicy Tomato Shortcut Soup - Another Giada Video

     I like soup. I like shortcuts. I like shortcuts to making great soup. The fact it is presented by my husband's future wife Giada doesn't bother me as much as does the fact I'm kicking myself I didn't think of this first - and believe it or not, the shortcut works - really, really well.

How Diet Soda Makes You Gain Weight

      If you have had trouble freeing yourself from diet soda...if you don't do anything else for yourself today, take the next 9 minutes and watch this video.Watch it. It will really clarify all kinds of questions you might have as to exactly why soda is bad for you.

I'm asking, please. Please watch this.

Note: Since this video is 2 years old now, the Food Target mentioned at the end of the video is no longer freely available. You can buy them at the link above for $5 if you want - but I'm not sure it is terrible necessary. Just knowing truly acidic foods aren't good for the body's machine should be good.

I drink at least 2 cups of coffee a day, but no soda at all. I need to think on this.

Video & Recipe: Greek Style Lamb Burgers

     Try something new this week - pick up some ground lamb and prepared tabbouleh, and make Greek style lamb burgers. If your store doesn't have ground lamb, pick up a large piece of lamb and ask the store's meat department to grind it for you ( they actually will! ) Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern "salad" comprised of parsley, bulgar wheat, tomatoes, red onions, olive oil, and spices. It is delicious on it's own; marvelous when added to meat.

 

Tabbouleh ( below )

After seeing the above video last week, I decided to make these myself. I bought prepared tabbouleh and ground lamb. I added a good dose of powdered Greek seasoning to my burgers because I like it so much - and the results were fantastic. It was a wonderful change of pace from beef and turkey burgers I've been eating. The lamb burgers were cooked perfectly medium well on my table top grill, and were incredibly juicy and flavorful. The prepared tabbouleh I bought was a great addition - and I will be making these again. Lovely!

How to Peel a Lot of Garlic All At Once

I love learning kitchen short cuts - little things that shorten my time in the kitchen. I prefer not to use pre chopped garlic; I think the flavor is more pronounced in freshly chopped garlic. Many people don't realize that an untasteable/unsmellable bacteria can grow in large jars of chopped garlic that have been in a fridge for a long time - so if you do buy your garlic pre-chopped, buy small jars, not econojugs it will take you a year to get through.


If you make 40 Clove Chicken or regularly roast garlic - you need to know this technique!

Clever!

Chamchijeon - Korean Tuna Pancakes

I was waiting for my son's Tae Kwon Do class to be done last week when I smelled a faint tuna fish odor in the air- it was coming from the Master's office. As I had to pay my bill, I was headed that way, anyway. I entered and saw the Master and his assistant ( they are both native born Koreans ) eating these flat, grilled cakes. They put the food aside, I paid my bill - and I couldn't help but ask about what they were eating. 

The Master explained his wife had made him chamchijeon (cham-chi-jon ) - a small fried tuna fish cake. As I'm always looking for new ways with tuna fish. I was instantly intrigued - and saw the possibilities of tweaking the recipe I found online.  Don't shy away from these because they are lightly fried in oil. You aren't deep fat frying them - but lightly browning them in a few teaspoons of canola oil. 

I would use high quality solid white tuna for this; the expensive stuff. Lower quality tuna tends to have a really unappetizing odor when heated, which solid white albacore does not have.  


Note: the sesame oil is an important ingredient to the taste profile, so if you don't have any, hold on on making this until you can get some. It is easily purchased from the "Asian" section of your grocery store.

Here's a fun little video of a woman with crazy pink hair making chamchijeon. Pretty easy! 

Chamchijeon

Ingredients (for 2-3 servings):

1 can of tuna - solid white (5 oz: 142 grams)
onion
garlic
salt
ground black pepper,
sesame oil
1 organic egg
whole wheat flour
canola oil
chives

Directions:

1. Strain out the liquid from a can of tuna and place it in a bowl
   
2. Add ¼ cup chopped onion, 1 minced garlic, 1tsp salt, ¼ ts ground black pepper, 1 eggs, 1 tsp sesame oil, choppedchives and 2 tbs flour to the tuna and mix it well.
3. Heat up a non-stick pan and spread 1-2 tbs canola oil.
4. Scoop a spoonful of the tuna mixture with a spoon and place it on the heated pan.
5. Press slightly and round the edges with the spoon.
6. Make 6 small size pancakes with the tuna mixture.
7. When the bottom is cooked golden brown, turn it over and cook until both sides of the pancakes are golden brown. Total cooking time is 3-5 minutes.
8. Transfer the cooked pancakes to a serving plate and serve with rice.   

Cowboy Steak With Coffee Rub

I love steak. I love coffee. Heck, I even love cowboys. What's not to like about a steak with a coffee rub?

This nice little rub by Ellie Krieger ( Food Network's resident "Clean Eating" cook / nutritionist ) is getting tucked away as a future go-to for rubs! Coffee rub is a classic preparation for steak and the addition here of a medium chili powder will give the meat a subtle, sweet spiciness.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ancho chili powder, or other chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine ground espresso coffee
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

White Bean and Steak Salad

Here is a nice quick little video on a white bean and steak salad I think you'll enjoy. I think it would be a good thing to make with leftover steak from the grill, too!

Classic Vegetable Scapece

Scapece ( ska-pech-ay ) is an Italian term meaning "pickling". This zucchini and carrot saute is marinated in a red wine vinegar for 8 hours or more and is absolutely delicious. Mind the salt; Giada is generous with her "pinch of salt." However, I recommend finding the fresh mint - it will definitely make the dish light and fresh tasting with the strong pickling vinegar.

Now, if I could just get Giada to my house to distract my husband for a few hours...

Clean Eating Video : Baked Penne with Vegetables

     Use what you know about Clean Eating to make this the cleanest recipe possible... make the penne whole grain / whole wheat, keep the salt to a minimum, and use the Cleanest ingredients possible. My husband watched Giada again last night ( if you are new to CE Eve, my husband is a big fan of hers, mainly for the view... ) and this inspired me to post one of her videos.

Words of Wisdom From Tosca Reno

Whether you are just beginning Clean Eating or have been on your CE path for quite some time, this short 1 minute video from Tosca will help you as you soldier on. She's been there, and has been successful with CE for a long time. She's a role model and mentor to many.

It IS worth it. It IS doable.

Veracruz Tilapia

I've been really liking tilapia lately, and went digging for something to serve on it besides my lime infused olive oil. Mind that canned tomatoes normally have a lot of salt - so try and get salt free to balance the capers and olives.

Healthy Cooking Lesson : How to Cook a Tuna Steak

Cooking tuna steaks is relatively easy, yet few people try it at home. Don't mistake this for the tuna you get from a can; it is much , much different.  A neutral oil like canola or a light olive oil, a little seasoning...and you are good to go. Don't overcook your tuna; it's really not as flavorful when cooked all the way through.

Sweet Corn Vegetable Soup

This Indian soup is very, very popular - I've had it at Indian restuarants, and it is delicious, and simple to make.
Be aware, the "ajinomoto" he talks about is MSG. Mind the salt content; canned corn has a decent amount, so you as a Clean Eater probably won't want to add more.

What's in Tosca's Cooler???

And now a quick glimpse into Tosca's lunch cooler. Looks like that tuna fish isn't solid white, Tosca...no wonder it is stinky!

Just a quick little video - she walks the walk!

Guy Fieri - Chicken Patty Burgers

What it is about a short cool guy that can cook? *sigh*
And I say "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner" all the time :-D

Guy Fieri's chicken burgers are a nice start if you are looking for a CE burger - however...you know how to clean up this recipe a bit, don't you? The veggies don't need extra salt - the artichoke and olive has more than enough, thankyouverymuch.So ignore him putting salt in the veggies to sweat, and then again in the burger mix, and then even more in the celery salt he adds!!! I'd think about using a flavor infused olive oil too - garlic, or maybe lime. His technique for making a chicken patty in the little plastic cup is neat, though! Make that egg organic, and if you use store bought crumbs, look for whole wheat kind, and make sure you look at the ingredients to ensure you are buying a brand without added salt and no filler starchy junk.

A Quick Tosca Video

Here's a very quick ( 1 minute ) overview from Tosca about eating clean. She speaks rather quickly, and then hawks her book at the end - but we'll forgive her. :-D

You may need to play it a few times to get everything she says.