The Beauty of Thighs

This is one my cheap and easy (and not TOO bad for me) "go to" menu items.

Chicken thighs have very little fat, and actually a fair amount of white meat on them.  Call them the poor cousin of the chicken breast if you will, but I'm poor so I'll live with the label.  If you don't eat the skin, you consume less fat, but I can't resist. 

For some reason the Holly Farm brand chicken thighs at Kroger are considerably cheaper than the other brands so of course that's what I get.  Four thighs never cost more than $2.50.

I picked up a package of four this week for $2.01 and also a bottle of Kroger brand BBQ sauce for $1.17.  That's going to make two main serving of meat for $1.59 a serving and leave me a half a bottle of BBQ to something else with.

This is one of those things you either want to leave yourself time to make or do ahead and freeze for instant use.

Parboil those thighs for about 15 minutes.  [Parboil:  Put enough water in a pot to cover the thighs-bring it to a boil-add the thighs-keep at a low boil for 10-15 minutes] Then wrap those bad boys up in aluminum foil with a healthy dose of BBQ sauce and bake at 325 for about an hour and half.  The beauty part is that you can throw whatever kind of sauce you want on the chicken.  Or concoct something of your own.  I learned from one my Texas friends, Kandy Pople-Gill, that adding a little bit of cinnammon to the BBQ sauce varieties really adds "something" and it will make your house smell INSANELY good while they cook! 

You know they're done when you can easily pull the meat away from the bone with a fork.

Now dig in! 

Gettin' Freaky with Tzatziki

This works GREAT as a dip, or a sandwich spread, or on lamb burgers if you're "going Greek."  First, a simple recipe, then the story (and pronunciation) of tzatziki.

For a generous portion to put on four lamb burgers-
3/4 c. plain green yogurt
1/2 c. seedless cucumbers, shredded and drained of excess lidquid
1 clove fresh garlic
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice

(To make a dip for parties, double that recipe and serve with toasted pita chips)

This is so great, especially in summer, when you want something "light".  The cucumbers make it smell AWESOME. The Greek yogurt has tons of protein in it, and NO fat.

And, now, a history lesson courtesy of Wikipedia:

Tzatziki

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Tzatziki

Origin
Place of origin	Greece Turkey
Details
Course	Appetizer
Type	Dip
Main ingredient(s)	Strained yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, olive oil, salt and sometimes lemon juice, dill or mint or parsley

Tzatziki (Anglicised: pron.: /zɑːdˈziːki/; Greek: τζατζίκι [dzaˈdzici] or [dʒaˈdʒici]; Turkish: cacık [dʒaˈdʒɯk]; Albanian: xaxiq^{[citation needed]} ; Persian: ماست و خیار‎) is a Greek appetizer, also used as a sauce for gyros. Tzatziki is made of strained yogurt (usually from sheep or goat milk) mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, and sometimes lemon juice, and dill or mint or parsley.^[1] Tzatziki is always served cold. While in Greece and Turkey the dish is usually served as an accompaniment, in other places tzatziki is often served with bread (loaf or pita) as part of the first course of a meal.

Contents 1 Etymology 2 Variations 3 Preparation 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

Etymology

The name comes from the Turkish dish cacık, which contains many of the same ingredients but is considerably more liquid.

Variations

Tzatziki

Turkish cacık, the more diluted cousin of tzatziki, is usually served as an accompaniment to meat, though it is suggested as a soup or a salad also.^[2] Usual ingredients are yogurt (from goat's milk), cucumber, salt, garlic, and dried and crushed wild mint.^[3] When served as a meze (appetizer), it is of a thicker consistency, indistinguishable from tzatziki.
In Cyprus, the dish is known as talattouri^[4] (cf. tarator), and recipes often include less garlic and includes the herb mint, unlike the Greek counterpart.
In Bulgaria, Republic of Macedonia and Serbia, the same dish is known as "dry tarator" (Bulgarian: сух таратор, Macedonian: сув таратур, Serbian: сув таратор) "Snezhanka" salad (салата "Снежанка"), which means "snow white salad", and is served as an appetizer. During preparation, the yogurt (Bulgarian: кисело мляко, Macedonian: кисело млеко, Serbian: кисело млеко) is hung for several hours in a kerchief and loses about half of its water (drained yogurt, Bulgarian: цедено кисело мляко, Serbian: цеђено кисело млеко, Macedonian: цедено кисело млеко). The cucumbers, garlic, minced walnuts, salt and vegetable oil are then added.
Similar dishes in Iraq are known as jajeek, normally served as meze alongside alcoholic drinks, especially Arak, an Ouzo-like drink made from dates.
A variation in the Caucasus mountains, called ovdukh, uses kefir instead of the yogurt, thus creating a refreshing summer drink. This can be poured over a mixture of vegetables, eggs and ham to create a variation of okroshka, sometimes referred to as a 'Caucasus okroshka'.
A similar dish is made in Iran, called mast-o-khiar literally meaning yogurt with cucumber. It is made using a thicker yogurt, which is mixed with sliced cucumber, garlic, and dill (sometimes chopped nuts are also added as a garnish). Iranians take the dish a step further, substituting shallots, called mast-o-moussir.
Cacık may also be compared with raita and pachadi in India, all are served as a refreshing appetizer along with other dishes.

Preparation

The cucumbers used for tzatziki are usually salted, squeezed, and drained to eliminate excess water.^[5]

The BAT sandwich

I wanted a BLT. Problem was, didn't have any "L" or any of the "traditional" "T." Necessity being the mother of invention and all.... I ended up with toasted mulitgrain bread w/ some low fat mayo on it, some fresh parmesan melted on both sides, Bacon, Avocado, and sundried Tomatoes. I call it the BAT Sandwich, in honor of Barry Wiseman. Tee hee!!!

The sharpness in the fresh parmesan and the tang of the sundried tomatoes jazzed up the avocado.  

Except for the bacon, it was a healthy meal.  (Insert sheepish grin here!) 

I typed this with an "avocado" color background, because I can!

Oh Deer!

I love dear meat, and I'm fortunate enough to have  friends who occasionally donate some to me (Props to Debbie and Garry Hale!).  Most recently, I took the last hunk of it and prepared it thusly....

Thawed it.  Soaked it in cold water overnight (this gets the "gamey-ness out of it, I think), tenderized it with Adoph's meat (not meet) tenderizer and salt and pepper.
Marinated it in red wine, balsamic vinegar, and put it in the fridge in a sealed Tupperware.  By the time I remembered it three days later, it was well tenderized. 

Semi-cooked some bacon (God, I love bacon!)....then used the same cast iron fry pan and got that bacon grease real hot.  Wrapped chunks of that deer in bacon, stuck 'em with toothpicks, and smacked those bad boys in the frying pan til they were done to my excellent taste.

Served on a bed of brown and wild rice (from the "Fiber is our Friend" chapter), voila!  A really good din din that's pretty low in fat, fairly high in fiber and definitely has plenty of protein.  

Eggplant, and Eggplant Part Deux

Preparation seems to be the key.......

So remember how I taught you to make a bunch of hamburger patties then freeze them?  What???  You don't???  Prepare to be flogged!!!  But since chances are I can't get to you quick enough, just read back a bit to my chapter called "Getting Preppy" from 08/06/11 (wow!  I've writing in here off and for a long time!)  

A couple of nights ago, I thawed out one of the hamburger patties and melted plenty of cheese on top.  Garnished with some bread and butter pickles.  Since there was plenty of cheese, I let some just cook "flat" the pan so I could have like a big "cheese chip" with which to garnish the burger and to put in mah belly!  But the eggplant part...pretty stinkin' clever of myself if I do say so myself (flashed on Austin Powers as I said that.  Whoa).

I chopped up an eggplant into about one inch cubes (that's one inch by the ruler, not one inch by "man" measurements) and rolled them in some Italian bread crumbs and Old Bay.  No egg wash, just the breadcrumb mixture.

Roasted them for an hour-ish at 350, till the breadcrumbs seems a little crispy.  Sprinkled some fresh grated Parmesan on top and it was pretty dadgummed good!  I just love it when I impress myself!

Part Deux:  So what to do with the leftover eggplant.....taking a lesson from one of besties, I figured I make a healthy version of a sammich with it.  Took a whole wheat sandwich wrap (see "Fiber is our Friend" from a few entries ago.  Synchronicity, man.  Awesome album from The Police and a good thing in general).  Spread that bad boy with some of the low fat/garlic/cilantro/lime spread in that same chapter, pile on the eggplant and a little bit of bacon that just HAPPENED to be leftover from getting for a potluck.  :grin:  Wrap it up, I'll take it.  YUMMALICIOUS!  

Eggplant is good for you.  Looky here if you don't believe me:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=22

 

Fiber is our Friend!

I recently put together this list for a friend, and thought it was so good I should just share it with the world.  

Fiber is our Friend-yes it is!

(aka food that tastes decent, but has lots of fiber, and other stuff)

So here’s the thing-although I’m carrying to many pounds around, my cholesterol levels are both perfect.  I attribute that to the fact that I push fiber through me every chance I get.  Here are some of the “tricks” I use to get fiber in me without feeling I’m eating a piece of lumber:

Kroger lite mayo-half the fat of regular may but tastes right. 

Kroger’s Mediterranean bar has diced garlic gloves marinated in olive oil.  These are better than ANY garlic in a jar or can.  Keep some on hand at all times.  They have a very “sweet” flavor to them.

Take some of that mayo, add some chopped up garlic and chopped up cilantro and lime juice.  This makes a great alternative to just mayo for your sandwiches.

Minute Rice Ready to serve brown/natural grain rice.  Only at Kroger I think.  Make sure you get the package that comes in two ready-to-nuke cups.  That seems to be the only version of it that has that combination of grains.  This is great for a quick lunch (it’s okay to add a little butter) or on wraps, which I’ll get to in a minute.  Also is just the right size to have as a side dish at dinner.

Progresso high fiber soups.  Yes, they are.  But be careful as most of them are pretty high sodium too.

Wraps-“Ole” brand and “Flat Out” brand are the highest fiber brands (36 and 31% of the daily recommended value of fiber).  I’ve only found them at Food Lion, but haven’t looked too hard anywhere else.  Example of use:  I spread some of the garlic/mayo stuff on one of these for dinner tonight, added some chopped up cilantro (another great thing to keep around) and some heated-up black beans, then sprinkled some fresh lime just on it.  Filling lunch/dinner, about 250 calories, lots of fiber and practically no fat. 

Black beans-another great thing to keep around as they are ridiculously high in both protein and fiber. 

Kroger brand oat and honey granola-on the cereal aisle, on the top shelf in a “yellow” box.  You have to look for it.  High in fiber and yummy.  It also has sliced almonds in it. And for about $2 a box, it’s cheap too.  I’m addicted to it.  For your afternoon snack, put some in some fat-free vanilla yogurt.  Lite and Lively makes a good one, but to get the most possible protein, get Chobani non-fat vanilla yogurt.  I don’t know why, but it has more protein than any of the others.  Yes, I’ve stood at the grocery store shelf and studied this. 

Kellogg’s frosted mini wheats-yummy, and high fiber.  You may rot your teeth out, put you’ll poop like a champ.   I like to munch on some (dry) on my way to work for breakfast.

Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal Cups.  It’s got a lot more “body” than other instant oatmeal.  It’s got big “flakes” of oatmeal and things like apple chunks, cranberries and nuts in it. 

“Active Lifestyle” instant oatmeal.  The highest fiber one of them all, also the best.  It has more “texture” than other instant oatmeals.

Bread-“Arnold” makes a “double fiber” whole wheat.   It’s not as good as the Pepperidge Farm version, but seems to be easier to find.

Greek Islands restaurant-Missing my Moussaka

Greek Islands

(9503 West Broad Street, next to Blockbuster)

I’d like to say I loved it, but I just can’t.  

$7 for a glass of wine just seemed too greedy for dinner mate and I, so we opted for cheaper alternatives.  I had moussaka for dinner; I LOVE moussaka.  The standard by which I judge this dish is that of Zorba’s-before the fire, not after.  It just wasn’t the same on my two attempts after they rebuilt the restaurant.  Having heard that Greek Islands is better than Zorba’s, my taste buds and I were ever so excited.  Oh the Heaven that is the luscious mixture of béchamel sauce, sliced potatoes, eggplant, and wonderfully seasoned meat.  Unfortunately, what I had was something more like purgatory.  It wasn’t awful, but it was indeed disappointing.  Where was the nutmeg?????   For the love of GOD, where was the nutmeg????  The only eggplant I saw were a few slices of eggplant skin.  People, they put YELLOW SQUASH in my moussaka.  WTF?  This, in my book, falls in the “crime against nature” category.

Ever the hopeful one, I ordered baklava for dessert, figuring that would be a  no-brainer.  Again, disappointment.  On the bright side, there was plenty of the yummy cinnamon/nut filling.  Not so bright side-the dough was, well “blah.”  It hadn’t been brushed with egg wash and heated.  It was just a big lump of sweet, room temperature,  HEAVY dough material. Seriously, it really weighed a lot.  

While the atmosphere was quite pleasant (no TV’s, thank God), our service was less than awesome. At one point I tried to ask for more water, but our waitress was done paying attention to our table at that point so no H20 for moi. 

 

Would I recommend it to a friend.   Well, no.

Still searching for a great Greek place in Richmond…..