(no subject)

[titusnowl]

So I have to go on a low-cholesterol diet.  However, I HATE HATE HATE trying to make food for just one person while Justin has nothing but cheese toast for dinner, so I have to try to find healthy, inexpensive meals to cook that both of us will eat.   This means that the meals may contain:

- Chicken breasts (no dark meat)
- Beef of any kind
- Salmon, perhaps, if it's prepared a certain way

It may not contain:
- Cooked tomatoes
- Peppers (bell or hot)
- Carrots
- Mushrooms
- Any sort of sauce that gets poured over top of a meat
- Cheeses other than cheddar and possibly mozzarella, but again, the cheese can't be on top of the meat

So basically we're just going to be having sautéd chicken every night and some vegetables that I cook on the side (except that I don't know what to do with a vegetable besides put butter on it, and the butter is bad for me).

Comments

[emmycantbemeeko.livejournal.com]

Two extremely tasty ways to prepare fish which are just about impossible to mess up:

1. Pesto/Butter rub.

step one: Make pesto (you can find a bajillion recipes by googling.

step two: blend together butter and pesto.

step three: rub the butter/pesto all over the top of the filet.

step four: bake.

It's not health food, but it isn't wretched for you, especially if you're sparing with the rub, and it's a good way to acclimate anti-fish people to the Joy of Fish.

2. olive oil and black pepper

step one: brush olive oil on filets.

step two: sprinkle with black pepper. Substitute lemon pepper seasoning if you prefer.

step three: bake.

This works best on a light, mild fish like tilapia. It's so, so delicious- flaky and faintly sweet and just wonderful. It probably wouldn't be enough flavor for a strong fish like salmon, but for anything mild, it's perfect. If it isn't quite strongly flavored enough for you, squirt with lemon juice after preparing.

For healthy veggies, try steaming them and then eating them with salad dressing. Use the fork method- put the dressing in a little bowl or cup, then dip your fork into the dressing before stabbing the veggies. This way you get the flavor without massive amounts of the dressing. This is how I always eat salad, and am now so accustomed to it that pouring dressing directly onto salad is appallingly rich for me- I can't stomach it.

Stir-fried veggies in olive oil are also delicious, and you can use all sorts of seasonings to spice them up. Once you get away from the powerful, dulling flavor of butter, you can really taste other flavors, and you come to appreciate them more. And do experiment with spices- they can bring up the flavor of a dish drastically without adding any calories at all.

Good luck!

[emmycantbemeeko.livejournal.com]

Also, remember that dinner does not have to automatically equal cooked meat+veg. Fruit salad or a smoothie (which is a really good way to utilize sale and cheap frozen fruit- buy a few pounds of bananas on sale, peel and chop them, and freeze them for later smoothie use etc) make a good side, or you can make the whole meal a sandwich with whatever sorts of weird condiments strike your fancy- bean sprouts, cucumber slices, fresh tomato, onion, whatever.

Soups are also a REALLY cheap way to get excellent nutrition- a hearty bean and veg soup with lots of spices can be delicious and it's a well-rounded meal without a speck of meat in it. You can also use soup to utilize the last parts of a cut of meat that you won't eat alone- rather than buying just chicken breasts, get a whole chicken or a bag of assorted cuts and use the ones you don't like for chicken soup (which I hear is best homemade, although I have to leave the room in queasiness when my mother makes it, because, well, boiling carcasses does that to me). And those ingredients which are squicky to you (personally I can't deal with cooked tomato bits) in texture can be pureed in a thick soup and served with crusty bread. In the summer you can make lighter soups and serve them cold to deal with the heat. ALl very yummy.

[chikkiboo.livejournal.com]

Also, remember that dinner does not have to automatically equal cooked meat+veg.

Well, it does have to equal cooked meat, if Justin's going to have anything. He won't eat sandwiches for some reason, and he's also not big on soup. He'll eat braised & simmered beef tips in gravy, though, which is pretty much stew without the veggies - but he never lets me just put the damn veggies in it and make a stew, even though he could pick them out if he didn't want to eat them. In some ways it's like trying to feed a toddler - the foods can't touch, you know? Now that it's an issue of my health, rather than just my personal preference (I discovered yesterday that I have really high blood cholesterol, at least partly because everything Justin eats is fried), he might be a bit more willing to bend on the issue.

Question regarding tilapia: Does it have a strong "fish" flavor? I haven't eaten many different kinds of fish - mostly cod, in fact. I've been trying to get him to take a bit of a fish stick to prove to him that fish does not necessarily taste like a fishmarket smells, but he's been sticking to his guns. If I'm going to get him to try fish at all, it has to be something that doesn't taste too fishy, if you know what I mean. Maybe I'll luck out and some awesome show about how wonderfully delicious fish is and how to cook it will come on Food Network tonight and I can convince him to try something.

My ignorance of fish is rendered somewhat ironic given that I spent several months working in the fish market of a grocery store. Then again, all I had to do was weigh, package and store the stuff, not eat it. (Although I was given express permission to make my own dinner on Friday nights if I wanted to, all I had access to was the deep fryer and the lobster steamer, so I ate a lot of fish and chips that fall.)

[emmycantbemeeko.livejournal.com]

Re: tilapia- not at all. It's one of the mildest fishes there is. I was not a big fan of it because I LIKE fish and fish flavors, but I've since come around to the fact that it takes the flavors you prepare it with really well, and is sufficiently inoffensive that even most fish-haters can tolerate it.

Though to be honest I find that for most people, dislike of fish is a mental thing, often based in little or no experience of actually tasting fish. If you can pin them down long enough to get them to try it, they usually find they like at least some sorts. I mean, it's not like "fish" is some monolithic category of foods that all taste the same- a nice tuna steak, a salmon filet, and a kipper are not identifiable by taste as part of the same category of foods unless you already know that they are.

Which reminds me- a good quality tuna steak, well prepared (I like it seared and medium rare, with a little drizzle of some sort of herby lemon oil on it- is very unfishy. It's quite like eating meat. Or so I remember- it's been a lonnnnng time since I ate meat.

[tiny-nomad.livejournal.com]

We've been on a big vegetable kick recently, here are a few things you might enjoy that are low in cholesterol:

Roasted veggies:
Throw some asparagus and cauliflower in a pan with some sliced garlic and a bit of oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Pop them in the oven for 30-40 mins on 450 until brown and crispy. Enjoy!
My favorite veggies to roast are asparagus (it gets really crsipy) and cauliflower (it absorbs the garlic well) but you can do with all sorts of vegetables.

Homemade sushi:
You can get some of the seaweed wraps at the grocery store to use. Before cooking the rice, be sure to rinse it thoroughly to get all the excess starch off. Cook it and drain it, make sure it dries well (we use a fan over it which helps). Dash a little rice wine vinegar on the rice and spread it out over the seaweed sheet. Then you can place bits of sliced cucumber, carrots, avocado or whatever you like. We use a bit of smoked salmon or crab meat (very small amounts). Then you roll the whole thing up, and cut it into pieces.

Hummus:
Get a couple cans of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), a can of tahini, a lime (or lemon, your preference), garlic, salt, cumin, and paprika. Drain the chickpeas and set the juice aside. Mix both cans of chickpeas with about half a cup of tahini. Pour in about half the remaining juice, and squeeze in one entire lime/lemon. Chop up a couple cloves of garlic, and add that along with a dash of paprika and about a half teaspoon of cumin. Mix the whole deal up in a food processer or with a hand blender and voila! Nice tasty snack spread to eat with crackers or pita bread.

Also, here's a great site that shows how much is in stuff: http://www.calorie-count.com/

thank you for the hummus recipe and the veggie idea

[chikkiboo.livejournal.com]

I remember having had hummus back in fifth grade - we did a study of the Middle East, and we each had to do something to help illustrate the culture. I took clothing, because my mom had some friends from Jordan who had given my sister a full traditional ethnic outfit as a present some years before, and I got to wear it to school that day. Somebody else did food, and brought in hummus to share with everybody. It was really yummy. The only problem with making it at home is that I have no idea what what tahini is.

I've never had asparagus. I should try some. Your method is similar to something I do with potatoes, only I use the microwave and put too much butter on them. I think I'll try both with your example veggies and with potatoes brushed with olive oil and thyme.

Sushi is too exotic for Justin, unfortunately - although I don't care for the taste of the seaweed wrappers, either.

Re: thank you for the hummus recipe and the veggie idea

[tiny-nomad.livejournal.com]

Tahini is just pureed sesame seeds. Doesn't have a whole lot of flavor on its own but it's got a good consistency and makes the hummus nice and creamy.

Asparagus is a bit tough if you don't eat it cooked, and if you eat a whole lot of it, well, let's just say you'll notice when you go to the bathroom later. But it's oh so tasty when you steam or roast it!

Re: thank you for the hummus recipe and the veggie idea

[zyada.livejournal.com]

Personally, I prefer asparagus raw or only very lightly steamed, just cut into smaller pieces. Great addition to a salad.

Re: thank you for the hummus recipe and the veggie idea

[up-a-creek.livejournal.com]

As mentioned already, tahini (also spelled tahina) is simply ground-up sesame seeds. Think of it as peanut butter, but made with sesame seeds instead of peanuts -- it'll come in jars just like PB, and some people actually use PB instead of tahini in their hummus. Depending on how good your grocery store is, it may have it in the ethnics aisle. Or, get a jar next time you're in Dallas; it'll keep in the fridge a good long time.

Also, tahini isn't a required ingredient in hummus. This is what Claudia Roden says in The New Book of Middle Eastern Food in the introduction to a recipe:

[Pureed chickpeas] combined with tahina has become ubiquitous in the West, but this one, without tahina, called "hummus habb" or "sada," is nice too, if you dress it with plenty of lemon juice and olive oil.

Here's her recipe:

1.25 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp ground cumin
2 large cloves garlic, crushed, or to taste
4-5 tbsp (or more) lemon juice
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Whiz everything together in a food processor or blender with some of the cooking water to the consistency you like. OK, that's my abbreviated version of her instructions, but really, that's all you need to do. One cup of dried beans typically yields about 2 to 2.5 cups after cooking, so use that as a guide if you have to buy canned beans.

Re: thank you for the hummus recipe and the veggie idea

[up-a-creek.livejournal.com]

Oops. This is what you get for being too abbreviated. You're supposed to cook the beans first before putting them in the food processor. Chickpea flour isn't what we're after.

[tiny-nomad.livejournal.com]

Also:

Variations on ceviche should be low on cholesterol. You can look up specific recipes but the basic idea is you use the acids in lemons and limes to cook the fish. Get a filet you like, cut it up into small bits and put it in a bowl with some chopped up veggies, cilantro, onions, and lemon/lime juice. Is very tasty!

[zyada.livejournal.com]

Ok, who has a problem with which?

[chikkiboo.livejournal.com]

The meat limitation is his. I'll try many things once, but he's less adventurous, and prefers to keep to the short list of things he knows the taste of already. I MAY be able to get him to try fish, and he's ambivalent regarding pork. He's also said he's willing to try buffalo and venison, but those are hard to get. He does not like turkey, neither of us will eat duck (I'm too fond of them when they're alive to want to eat them when they're dead), bacon is too fatty so I have to cut it out of my diet now, and although I love baked ham he won't try it.

The vegetable preferences are mine. He doesn't eat vegetables at all, so it doesn't matter what I make as a side dish for myself.

The "no stuff touching the meat" is him. He'll make and eat gravies, au jus and reductions, all of which are made from the meat itself (via pan drippings, etc), but if the sauce is a new ingredient which is introduced to the meat, then no dice.

Also, things have to be served separately on the plate so he can pick out what he won't eat. No casseroles, etc. For example, I can make chicken'n'rice'n'corn'n'peas for myself, but I have to mix it after it's cooked, not cook it all together - that way he can eat his portion of the chicken without it getting rice on it.

Neither of us is fond of cheeses other than cheddar and mozzarella. I'm actually not sure how HE feels about mozzarella, but I think it would be acceptable, since I'm pretty sure he eats string cheese. I'm actually not very acquainted with alternative cheeses, but I have a rather sensitive nose, and I can't eat the cheeses that have an odor.

We are both very picky, but he is an order of magnitude pickier than I am.

Tabbouleh

[up-a-creek.livejournal.com]

Tabbouleh is basically a parsley salad. No cooking (that is, heating things up) involved. Pretty good stuff. This recipe comes from Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Eastern Food

1/2 cup bulgur wheat
Juice of 1-2 lemons, to taste
4 firm ripe tomatoes, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
4 scallions, chopped
2 cups finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (aka Italian parsley)
2/3 cup finely chopped mint leaves
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

My abbreviated instructions again:
1. Soak the bulgur in at least 1 cup of cold water for 10 minutes. Drain in a colander or strainer for another 10 minutes and press out the excess water.

2. Combine the bulgur with the remaining ingredients. Let sit for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to combine.

Bulgur wheat (spelled in about a million different ways) is parboiled cracked wheat grains, and so can be eaten with very little or even no cooking. Your best chances of finding it is probably at the bulk aisle in a natural foods store. It has a shelf life of approximately forever, so that's something else you can load up in Dallas if you can't find it in Greenville.

I believe that flat-leaf parsley is traditional to this dish, but regular parsley can probably be used, too (I haven't tried that myself, though). Parsley and mint will both chop down to almost nothing, so you'll need more than you might at first think. One bunch of parsley and one package of mint is probably a good place to start.

[davew0071.livejournal.com]

Seasonings and cooking methods can go a long way to making the same ol' entree seem different. Try cutting the chicken breasts into thin strips and stir-frying them (canola oil is good for this, as it's low in cholesterol and withstands high temperatures). Then serve with brown rice and a veggie on the side. Very tasty, especially if you get creative with seasonings, like ginger and Chinese five-spice and such.

Find a cookbook especially for low-chol diets. It'll give you good ideas.

And buy some Molly McButter. Sprinkled on steamed vegetables, it's delicious.