The Best Gazpacho Soup on Earth (honest!) and Weighing yourself – when is it too much?

This is absolutely the BEST Gazpacho soup recipe on earth. My sister-in-law, Helen, gave me this recipe, after tasting her Gazpacho soup at her home one long summer Shabbat years ago.  With her kind permission I am happy that I can share it with all of you!

Did I hear you say you don’t like cold soups?  Nonsense!  Taste this soup just once and I guarantee you will love cold soups from this moment on!

Gazpacho soup is wonderful for our hot-hot summers since it is cold, crunchy and the absolute perfect soup for summer Shabbat meals!  You can have it on Erev Shabbat and again for Shabbat lunch. It is also insanely points-friendly and a cinch to make!

Just a warning: the way I make it – it is a soup and a salad and meal all-in-one!

Helen’s  Best Gazpacho Soup on Earth

Ingredients:

·        Tomato juice 1 liter container

·        1-2 cups tomatoes – diced into very small cubes

·        ½ to 1 cup red peppers – diced into very small cubes

·        1 to 1½ cups celery – diced into very small cubes

·          1 to 1½ cups cucumber – diced into very small cubes

·        ¼ to ½ cup onion – diced into very small cubes

·        2-3 cloves of garlic – mashed in garlic press

·        Fresh parsley – finely chopped 

·        2-3 tablespoons red wine or balsamic vinegar

·        Freshly ground pepper

·        2-3 jiggers of Tabasco sauce or Worcestershire sauce

·        Water

·        Very large bowl

Portion size: Two full ladlefuls of this great soup in a bowl.  Enjoy it – cold and crispy!

How to work:

1.   The first and most important thing to do is to buy a container of tomato juice and PUT IT IN THE FRIDGE the minute you get home!  This way the soup starts out cold and will only get better!

I usually buy more than one container at a time, so I can make this soup whenever the mood strikes me.

I also believe that this soup tastes much better the next day!  So if you can, make this soup on Thursday!

If I make this soup on Friday, this is the first thing I make, so that it has enough time to get really COLD in the fridge.

2.   The quantities I listed are for a dense and thick with vegetables soup, the way I like it.  You can halve the vegetable quantities if you like a more soup than vegetable ratio.

3.   Dice all the vegetables into very small pieces.  I use the chopping attachment to my hand blender to chop up all my vegetables except:

·        Tomatoes  The hand blender turned the tomatoes to near sauce.  Tomatoes must be cut by hand.

·        Garlic  Pressing the garlic, as opposed to chopping it, produces a garlicky flavor and gives the soup that extra kick!

·        Parsley  You can use your hand blender/chopper, just be careful you do not over chop and create a paste!

4.   Place all the vegetables, including the mashed garlic and parsley, in a very large bowl. The bowl you use should be large enough to easily and comfortably mix all the ingredients without spilling. 

5.   Pour in the tomato juice.

6.   I feel you should add some water to the soup.  The best way to add the water is to pour cold water into the empty tomato juice container – this way you “clean out” the container of any left over juice - and then pour it into the bowl.  You can add between a quarter to half a container of water.

The amount of water you add, as always, depends on how you like your soup.  If you prefer a thick, chunky soup, add only a quarter (or even a bit less) container of water.  If you prefer a looser soup, add half a container of water.  Do not add more than these amounts as you will dilute the tomato juice and diminish the taste of the soup.

7.   Tabasco or Worcestershire? So which sauce do you add?  Helen’s original recipe lists Worcestershire.  If you want a mild soup use this.  If you want more kick or heat, then add Tabasco.  You can try a combination of both to see what taste you and your family prefer.

8.   Add the vinegar. I have found no real difference in taste between the two, so add whatever you prefer.

9.   Add freshly ground black pepper.

10.        Mix very well.  Once it is completely mixed, I usually pour the soup into a regular soup pot with a lid, to prevent spills and put in the fridge.

Be’Tay a’Von!

Weighing yourself – when is it too much?

 

Weighing yourself!  When is it too much?  Ah, this is one of those issues.  I am tempted to say that if you are asking when something is “too much” - it usually is.  Well, ok, maybe that is true, but again - like everything else – is it working for you?

Sid and I like boundaries and we also like goals.  When we first began our diets, we ONLY weighed ourselves at WW once a week and were either surprised and happy or just surprised.  Listen, we lost every week and never gained, so we were lucky.

We did own one of those old fashioned scales that kind-of worked if you moved the cute little dial and kind-of gently rocked back and forth on the scale.  Also moving the scale from room to room gave you a different “reading”.

Once we were within spitting distance of our goals we did break down and buy ourselves a new digital scale.   This scale begat a second scale when we found that we needed to change the scale’s batteries every other day to get the first one to behave (that is, actually showed us how much we weighed).  Well as happens in the best of families: once we brought home a second scale, the first one began to behave. 

Now we have two scales and have this insane “let’s see what the other scale says” ritual.  We weigh ourselves on one scale and then the other and see what the weight difference is – sometimes half a kilo, sometimes a kilo and a half.   What should I tell you, it keeps us busy, out of trouble and off the streets.

I could tell you that we have some ten clocks in our home, each showing a different time; and according to how panicky you are, you can look at a clock that shows you are ten minutes late, five minutes early or still working on winter time (an hour late).  You can also just take an average of all the clocks and figure you are ahead of the game, but that’s another story.

So, how often do we weigh ourselves?  I could tell you we still only weigh ourselves once a week, but that would be a lie.  We weigh ourselves every day, in the morning and the evening.

Excessive you say?  Over-the-top you say?   Maybe, but it works for us.  We stay within the range we set for ourselves and keep a close watch on our weight.  Will we always do this?  Probably not.  One day we may need to have a seeing-eye dog or a really big magnifying glass help us see the numbers.  But again, for now, it works for us. 

Find what works for you and go for it!

NEW! Healthy Catering Services

I am so happy to announce that I am now providing Healthy Catering Services!

Are you planning a get-together, party, Shabbat or Chag meal and want to make sure it is kosher*, delicious and healthy?  I now provide full milchik and fleishik health- and points-conscious menus. Delivery available.

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* All foods have Rabbanut Hechsher.  Kitchen does not have a Hechsher.  

The Five-Minute Fish Dish – Perfect for the Nine Days and for the long hot summer days ahead and Surviving the Pre-fast and Post-fast meals!

It’s the Nine Days and I want to give you my PERFECT Five-Minute Fish Dish for the Nine Days and for the L-O-N-G hot summer days ahead.  

The truth is that once you make this dish, you will want to make it every week! This dish contains THREE ingredients that you can keep on hand all year long!

Yochi's Five-Minute Fish Dish

Ingredients:

·        Cheap filleted fish: cod, sole or any cheap, skinless (obviously boneless) fish. 

·        Broccoli

·        1-2 small onions, sliced

·        PAM

·        Water

·        Garlic powder

·        Freshly ground pepper

·        Paprika

·        Grilling pan with grooves

Portion size: Two pieces of fish and two to three heaping tablespoons of vegetables.  You can have a small serving (one to two tablespoons) of whole brown rice on the side.

How to work:

1.   I buy a big bag of filleted sole or cod – which has some 10 – 15 pieces of fish.  I usually prepare two fish fillets per person/per portion.

2.   When do you defrost the fish?  I am so glad you asked.  I used to take out the fish an hour or so before I planned to cook it.  However this fish is small and thin, so you can even place it in the pan frozen.  The water that will be released as the fish defrosts will help the cooking process.

3.   Cut the broccoli and the onions into the same size pieces – long and thin or chunky.  Slice in a way that is appealing to you.

You can use frozen broccoli flowerets, if broccoli is no longer in season – but be careful not to overcook and kill the innocent broccoli.

4.   Spritz the grilling pan with grooves – my personal favorite – with PAM and turn on the heat.

5.   Once the pan begins to sizzle, throw in the onions and the broccoli and toss/mix gently with a wooden spatula.  In this recipe the wooden spoon protects not only the fish and vegetables, but also the pan from scratches!

6.   Once the broccoli begins to turn a deep green add the fish.  You have to be a bit careful with this step, as the cold/frozen fish has a habit of curling up on itself as it gets heated. 

I put the fish in the pan and GENTLY hold it flat with the wooden spatula, as it heats and then place the vegetables on top of it – so it will not curl.

7.   Add the spices and another spritz of PAM.

8.   Gently move the vegetables around the pan, being very careful not to cut or mash the fish.

9.    After a few minutes of cooking, you can turn the fish over. I usually turn the fish over twice.  You can add a bit of water if the dish is too dry.

10.                Once the fish turns a light golden brown the dish is ready. The vegetables will be crisp and the fish will be light and luscious.

11.                You can serve over a small portion of whole brown rice.

Be’Tay a’Von!

Surviving the Pre-fast and Post-fast meals!

Fasts are an interesting issue when it comes to a diet.  Sometimes the “old way” of thinking and eating kicks in as we plan the pre-fast (seuda mafseket) and post-fast meals. 

Planning is still key here but somehow, the long fast does something to our thinking.  Yes, I am aware that the fast is exactly as long as Yom Kippur, but somehow the long summer day seems to make the day seem longer.

So how do we handle this situation?  I am sure that by now, you know that I will tell you that you can just go with the flow and get back “on the wagon” or should I say “get back on the scale” after the fast.  But I believe that our new eating habits should help us survive the fast better than our old eating habits. 

All our low-sodum (ok, no sodium), high fiber and protein food choices should help us feel full longer, maybe less thirsty and give us more energy throughout the fast.

What to eat before the fast:  Well there should be no surprises here: whole brown rice, fish, vegetables and fruits that are soft and satisfying.  No heavily spiced foods that will leave you thirsty.  Also try to keep yourself hydrated with plenty of water and coffee-free (gasp!) for two days before the fast.

Sometimes, I feel that the problem is not the pre-fast meal, but rather the post-fast meal. Sid and I used to break our fast on fattening cakes/ Croissants, orange juice and yogurt.  We would wait half an hour or so and then I would inevitably make blintzes and we would eat them with sour cream and top that little repast off with ice cream. 

This year I plan to break the fast with something sweet, like one of my cakes, and some orange juice and coffee (I need it, honestly!).  Then we’ll either have a light meal of either fish or eggs and salad.  Enough protein to feel good, but also light enough to be able to rest and go to sleep on a not-too-full stomach.

Wishing everyone a Tzom Mo’eyl!  

A great chunky chicken salad sandwich and How to enjoy eating at a restaurant - At least until you get the bill!

Am I allowed to use the “L” word?  I am talking about leftovers.  In some homes (our own, for instance, when the kids still lived at home) leftovers was considered a four-letter word.  One of my sons still considers leftovers as food that has passed its expiry date. Even today, when he asks if a dish is made of (gasp!) leftovers, I would smile and say “Of course not”, in my best academy-award winning voice and smile.

The truth is that as none of the kids live at home, we rarely have any leftovers, but when we do, this is a great, points-friendly chicken salad sandwich!  This sandwich will make a satisfying Sunday lunch or supper after a long lazy Shabbat of food. With this kind of sandwich, it may even be worthwhile to make extra chicken for Shabbat, just so you have (enough) leftovers to prepare this dish!

Yochi’s Chunky Chicken Salad Sandwich

Ingredients:

1.   Leftover chicken.  Any part of the chicken is fine for this dish.

2.   Green onion

·        Basic spices:

o   garlic powder

o   freshly ground pepper

o   paprika

o   chopped fresh parsley

3.   Dijon mustard

4.   Mayonnaise (low-calorie version)

5.   Other sandwich fixings:

o   Lettuce or spinach

o   Tomato

o   Pickles

6.   Light, whole wheat bread

Portion size: The number of sandwiches you can prepare with this recipe depends on the amount of leftover chicken you have at your disposal.  Basic rule of thumb: One quarter chicken should be enough for two chunky chicken salad sandwiches.

How to work:

1.   Take the chicken out of the fridge and cut the meat away from the bone.  You do not have to wait for the chicken to become room temperature before preparing this dish.  In fact cold chicken is easier to handle and in my opinion a cold chicken salad sandwich is tastes better than a sandwich at room-temperature.

Cut the chicken into small chunky pieces. 

The following amounts of ingredients apply to the one quarter of chicken measurement for two sandwiches discussed above.

2.   Mince one green onion and add to the chicken.  Lately, I prefer to use only the white bulbs of the green onion for chicken/tuna salads and other dishes.  I use the leftover (there’s that word again!) green “leafier” parts of the green onion stalk for vegetable salads.

3.   Add one teaspoon of Dijon mustard.  Mix well.

4.   Add one tablespoon of low-calorie Mayonnaise.  If the salad is too dry, add an additional half to one tablespoon.  Mix well.

5.   Add spices.  I recommend adding freshly chopped parsley to this dish, it truly adds to the taste!  Mix well.

6.   I am not going to tell you how to make a sandwich – except to say that you should add two really heaping tablespoons of the salad to each sandwich.

7.   Serve with a good filling salad.

Be’Tay a’Von!

How to enjoy eating out - At least until you get the check!

Eating out can be dangerous to your health and to your wallet.  

Allow me to illustrate: You’ve heard about a certain restaurant forever! You read about it online.   You’ve made a reservation, you’ve cleared your schedule.  Got a baby sitter.  Got all dressed up: shaved, put on clean, freshly laundered (maybe even new) clothes, worn new shoes that may not have been completely broken into yet (another story for another blog), used a small purse that can only hold your phone, keys, cards and a lipstick and ... well you get the picture.

You get to the restaurant and now begins the HARD work.  No joking!  How do you order in a restaurant that will enable you to 1) enjoy your food  2) enjoy the restaurant’s atmosphere and 3) enjoy yourself afterwards, without fretting about points/calories/guilt?     

The simplest solution is to enjoy yourself, eat any and everything the menu has to offer and “begin again tomorrow” (for the innocent: restart your diet tomorrow). 

This is one way of dealing with eating out, if this works for you, more peace to you.  I don’t like it and I don’t recommend it; especially if eating out is part of your regular living and/or working pattern.

I believe you can fulfil both numbers 1 and 2 above by following the tried and true method: advanced planning and a bit of forethought.  How you ask? Simple! 

As far as I know, and you can correct me if I am wrong, there are no “Surprise! restaurants”.  That is, there are no restaurants where the waiter seats you, asks for 65 shekels and puts a covered plate of something in front of you and then skips off into the rear of the restaurant with a laugh. You need to read the menu, ask a question or ten, order and then are served (all hopefully within a reasonable amount of time). 

Certain dishes/ingredients will give you the cues and clues needed to know how “bad” or “good” the offered restaurant food will be for you and your diet.  Just recently I saw a news clip about the surprisingly large quantities of salt found in so-called ‘healthy’ salad dishes at well-known restaurant chains. Everyone was shocked BUT not me!

So let me tell you one of my carved-in-stone beliefs: IF your health and what you put into your mouth are REALLY important to you – then you would EAT ONLY IN YOUR OWN HOME; where you know EXACTLY what ingredients and what quantities of said ingredients are found in each dish you serve.

So let’s cut the act, eating out means more flavor enhancers such as monosodium glutamate, salt, sugar, colorings and flavorings, butter and oil than you need; because the simple truth is that without these goodies your food would not taste or look as delicious and appetizing as it does!  And if the food doesn’t look and taste really good, you would not be willing to PAY (a lot) for it!  That’s the truth and don’t let anyone tell you any differently. 

The plebian tuna sandwich tastes a thousand times better in a restaurant than at home.  Why? Flavor enhancers, otherwise why, why for the love of everything, would you spend 45 NIS on a sandwich that costs six shekels to make at home (and that includes the bread, lettuce and tomato)?

So, now, boys and girls, let’s discuss restaurant menu choices and how to enjoy ourselves (at least until we get the check).

Remember the MOST IMPORTANT RULE OF ALL: never enter a restaurant hungry!  (I know Jewish mothers around the world are shedding tears…)  Eat a small meal an hour or two before you plan to arrive at the restaurant.  This way you will be less likely to order everything on the menu as soon as you sit down and/or eat everything in sight as soon you are served.  Take it easy.  Take a deep breath before you begin to order and to eat.

When discussing your average steakia (steak/meat restaurant) (not the pricey ones) keep in mind that the never-ending parade of starter salad dishes you are served at the beginning of the meal – many times even before you actually order your meal – are full of mayonnaise, salt and oil.  They may come in tiny bowls, but more often than not, the restaurants refill these bowls several times during the meal.   Don’t be fooled by the bowls’ small size – every bite equals heavy points and calories.

Most “steakiot” offer the same fair: meat, lamb, chicken and fish.  These standard items are served as ‘steaks portions’ (with or without a bone), on skewers (called shi’pudim.  The word ‘Kabob’, by the way, usually signifies a chopped meat and spice dish that is moulded onto a skewer) or in a pita or laffa (large pita).   In general the best choices are either pargeet (Cornish hen) or chicken on a skewer or as a ‘steak’ (boneless), rather than the fattier meat choices. 

What should you eat: one to two skewers of chicken, some of the least mayonnaise-y/oily salads and a green salad.  If you must have any of the meats – at least these restaurants traditionally prepare the meats on an open grill and not fried.  However, be careful with the fish, many times they are offered either fried and then grilled or just fried.  Try to get the fish grilled only.  Skip the pita, fries and chumus and you’ll be fine. 

Dairy salad restaurants/”Italian-style” dairy restaurants. These restaurants usually offer a wide selection of salads.  But be careful, the salt and oil content of these salads can reach dangerous levels.  Ask the waitress if you can have all dressings put “on the side”.  Cooked cheesy dishes are another matter.  Cheese really is not our friend and I am not telling you anything new.  If you really enjoy a cheesy dish – go for it.  My only advice is to listen to what your mother always said and share!  Share the heavy dishes with a friend.

Now to my favorite: the pricey restaurants.  What do I mean by that? I mean the restaurants you visit to celebrate special occasions. Today nearly every restaurant (including many steakiot) have website where you can review the menu, pricing, etc.  Do your homework and plan your meal.  Look for the menu items you would love to eat and will enjoy, otherwise WHY are you going to the trouble of going to this restaurant in the first place? 

For me, the best plan of action is to skip the starters and order only a main course and fruit and coffee or tea for desert.  If you are with a crowd and everyone is ordering a starter, you can order a starter salad so as to be able to eat with them.  You could of course order water and make fun of everyone eating their points-wasteful dishes, but that’s me.

Sid and I always order a large pitcher of water when we first sit down at any restaurant.  I drink a lot of water during the meal.  I know there are those folks who do not drink at all during the meal.  I don’t believe it in and think it is counterproductive to easy eating.  By the way, in restaurants where we are told that we can only get “glasses” of water and not a pitcher, well let’s just say that the waiters get tired of bringing us glasses after glasses of water throughout the meal and we rarely return to these “wonderful” establishments.

I believe that the better the restaurant the easier to order dishes that can be “disassembled”. I take out what I do not want and put in what I would like.  I do this with nearly every restaurant, but in this case you usually have more options.  I am always removing olives, corn and a host of other “non-edibles” from my dishes, salads, etc.

If you must have “something sweet” at the end of a meal – you can go the fruit and coffee route; it’s watermelon season folks and a juicy, thinly sliced watermelon at the end of a good meal is wonderful!  But if you must have something sweet and points-heavy, you know the golden rule SHARE IT! But before you order, honestly ask yourself if it is REALLY WORTH THE POINTS.  If it is: ENJOY IT!

Shabbat Shalom!