Fresh (no-cooking needed) Spaghetti Sauce and Getting Back-to-the-Basics and Eating Right!

This is going to be your NEW favorite spaghetti sauce!  We all know, pasta always makes a great year-round side dish.  My fresh, no-cooking-needed, sauce is pareve, quick, easy, fresh and points-friendly and perfect for our still-hot-days-to-come!

Yochi's Fresh (no-cooking needed) Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

1.   Whole wheat spaghetti. Half a box of uncooked spaghetti makes four to six portions of cooked spaghetti.   

2.   Large pasta pot

3.   Hand-stick blender

4.   Tomatoes (either two large tomatoes or ten or more cherry tomatoes)

5.   1 medium onion

6.   2-3 fresh cloves of garlic, (depending on how "garlicky" you want the sauce)

7.   Mushrooms

8.   Garlic powder

9.   Freshly ground pepper

10.                Paprika

11.                Chopped fresh parsley

12.                Oregano (fresh or dried)

13.                Basil (fresh or dried)

14.                Thyme (fresh or dried)

15.                Water

16.                PAM

How to work:

1.   Preparing the spaghetti: I'm sure you've heard this a million times: to make good el dente spaghetti you need to start with good quality spaghetti (in our case, whole wheat spaghetti), a large pasta pot and lots of water.

2.   Fill the pot with water, a little bit less than three-quarters full.  This should be enough water to cook the spaghetti.

3.   Bring the water to boil.  I no longer add oil or salt to my boiling water to prevent the spaghetti rom sticking; I shpritz the water with PAM before adding the spaghetti. 

4.   Measure out half of the spaghetti from the box and add a quarter or half that amount to the boiling water at a time, to avoid sticking.  Stir and then add another quarter or the second half of the spaghetti.  Stir gently to avoid further sticking.

5.   Cook the spaghetti until it is el dente: pliable, but not soggy. 

6.   Once the spaghetti is cooked; immediately take it out of the cooking water and strain; so it will STOP cooking.  You can rinse the spaghetti with warm water if you wish or just leave it as it is. Try to prevent the spaghetti from cooling completely. If the spaghetti gets too dry, spritz with a bit of PAM or pour hot warm over it.

7.   Now begin to make your sauce.

8.   Clean the tomatoes, onions and garlic and blend to a semi-chunky-saucy consistency using a hand-stick blender.  The consistency depends on how you like your sauce.  Ask yourself: do you like a sauce with pieces of vegetables or a smooth sauce? Blend to the consistency you like.

9.   Working with the mushrooms: you can either slice them and add them to the sauce “as is” or gently sauté the mushrooms in a bit of PAM and then add them to the no-cook vegetables.

10.                Add all the spices to the sauce.  If you are using fresh spices, I warmly suggest you mince the spices by hand and then add them into the sauce. Mincing the spices with the stick blender may turn them into a paste.  The spices should add a fresh aroma and distinctive taste to the dish.

11.                Mix the sauce completely and pour over the warm pasta.  Gently toss and serve.

Remember that portion control is the name of the game – watch your portion and you’ll watch your weight!

Portion size:

Spaghetti is a tough dish to portion out as tablespoonfuls.  I suggest using the plate method: a quarter of a plate, NOT PILED HIGH, is a sufficient amount.

How to store:

Always store in a closed plastic container in the fridge. 

Be’Tay a’Von and Chag Sameach!

Getting Back-to-the-Basics and Eating Right

I was recently talking to a close friend who wanted to lose weight and had heard about and tried just about every diet program out there.  She heard how much Sid and I lost weight and she wanted to UNDERSTAND how we did it.  Not the points – but the how we did it.  I began by explaining the general idea to her; but that was not enough for her.  She wanted and needed to hear the exact details – the “hows” and the “whats”.  I knew with whom I was talking: I know her lifestyle, how she thought and how she felt.

I told her exactly what I ate for each main meal and then what I ate for the small meals.  Except for the Chagim, I eat just about the same foods/combination of foods every day (including similar Shabbas menus). 

Then I got down to the basics and the emes - it was simple - you must never be hungry.  Your mind and your body must know that it will never starve.  Once that lesson is internalized, your body will not store fat and you can lose weight!   As I said this statement out loud, I realized it really made sense TO ME and I had internalized the message:  three main meals and the two-three small middle meals keep me at an even keel and a good weight. 

I told her that I eat breakfast EVERYDAY.  I don’t “wait” to eat until I am starving.  I make the time to eat.  I eat lunch on Fridays!  Believe me, each of these little steps is a minor miracle. 

I shared with her another important step: portion size.  I explained to her that a tablespoon of food is one tablespoon – not two, not two and a half and not some kind of rough measurement. That you need to treat losing weight and changing your eating habits as a semi-religion where you set the rules and framework and you work within it.  Not following your framework – only hurts you.

Exercise is another big step.  I always exercised, but if you never did or do not at this moment, then it is time to introduce yourself to the concept.  Start moving.  Start walking up and down stairs.  Start walking around your neighborhood. 

I know that there is a common theory that walking/exercising with a partner is a great way to exercise and I say – maybe – it depends on your exercise buddy.  If you choose a friend who is - how should I put this – as exercised-challenged as yourself - you may never get into the “shvung”.

So listen to Tante Yochi: find an exercise that suits you, that is: it's reasonably easy to do on a long term basis.  I warmly recommend WALKING.   Walking suits everyone and every body shape, take music along as your exercise buddy and just get out there.  No excuses.  Your body will thank you!

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NEW! Want to change your eating habits and change your lifestyle? I now provide one-on-one weekly mentoring meetings and weekly group classes.  Learn to cook healthy meals, set your own goals and learn to love yourself! Contact me today!

yochi.eisner@gmail.com     052-3413249

Chicken in Parchment Paper and Good Snacking Choices

It’s been a crazy few weeks and I have not published a recipe in almost three weeks – shame on me!  

Here’s a great recipe that can be dressed up for a “special” Shabbat or Chag meal, plated and presented to each guest or served anytime you want to “do something different with your chicken"! The colors of the vegetables and the tenderness of the chicken make it a special treat!

Yochi's Chicken in Parchment Packages

Ingredients:

·                        Chicken quarter, skinless and halved. One quarter chicken per diner.

·                        Vegetables, thickly sliced:

o   Onions

o   Carrots

o   Peppers

o   Onions (red or white)

o   Zucchini

o   Mushrooms

·                        Spices:

o   Garlic (freshly chopped or minced)

o   Paprika

o   Freshly ground pepper

o   Freshly chopped parsley/dill and/or basil

·                        Parchment paper – one piece per portion

·                        PAM spray

·                        Optional: Balsamic vinegar or wine

What to do:

·     Remove the skin from the chicken quarter.  You can cut the leg from the thigh if you wish, to shorten the baking time (by a bit).  You can make this dish with chicken breasts or the top quarter of the chicken and get the same wonderful results.

Each parchment package will contain a quarter chicken and several slices of each vegetable.

·     Slice the vegetables into roughly the same size and shape.  I like thickly sliced vegetables, so that the cooked vegetables are still a bit crunchy and not too soft and wilted.

·     I do not recommend using eggplant, spinach, or even cauliflower; as I believe these vegetables can be too bitter for this delicately spiced dish.

·     Take out enough parchment paper sheets to match the number of diners.

·     Prepare a baking tray that is long and wide enough to comfortably fit the number of parchment paper packages you will make.  If your tray is not big enough, cook these portions in two or more batches. 

Cover the baking tray, so it does not get dirty and also to make your clean-up quick and easy.  I always cover my baking tray witha layer of tin foil and then on top of that I place parchment paper.  This double-protects the trays and I can re-use the tin foil to cover my dish later on.

·     On a clean surface, set up all your ingredients: parchment paper, chicken, vegetables and spices.

·     Place a quarter chicken in the middle of the parchment paper, pile an equal amount of vegetables on each piece of chicken. These piles should not be too high or it may tear the paper or not allow the chicken to cook properly.

·     Sprinkle with spices, PAM and Balsamic vinegar or wine (optional).

·     Fold the paper over the chicken and vegetables:

o   First fold the left and right-hand sides.

o   Then fold the bottom half up and then the top half down over the bottom half. 

I used to tie string around the packages – but there is no need to!  If you close the packages and place then correctly, they will bake just fine without the string. 

·     Simply and carefully place the chicken packages on the prepared baking tray with the FOLD SIDE DOWN.

·     Bake in a preheated oven to 180°C for about 45-55 minutes.  Baking time may vary according to oven.  

·     How do you check if the chicken packages are done? You can carefully open a package and then insert a fork into the chicken at its thickest point.  If the juices that flow from the chicken are CLEAR, then the chicken is done.  If they are pink, the chicken still needs to be cooked a bit longer. 

I have a very hot oven, so many times I will cook chicken or meat for a bit less time than is called for and I then let the chicken or meat sit in the closed oven for another half an hour or so.  The converse is also true, if I am afraid of burning or drying something out – I will take it out of the oven immediately – since it will continue to cook in the oven even when it is turned off.

Portion size:

One wrapped chicken quarter and vegetables is one portion size.

How to store:

In the fridge, like any other perishable.

Be’Tay a’Von!

 

Good Snacking Choices

You know that we always talk about good and bad choices.  In life, as in eating, there are good and bad choices.  Sometimes there are only bad choices and really bad choices.  Sometimes the choices are obvious; sometimes there are only subtle differences between the choices.

Snacking

So let's talk about snacking.  You may note that I am not using the word “nosh”, which in my book is always ends badly.  Noshing has no good value.  Let's cut the word from our vocabulary and use the word “snack”. 

Let's think and calculate snacks as PART OF THE MEAL – yes, you heard it here first (!), treat snacking as part of your meal.  This part of the meal is eaten and enjoyed a few hours after the meal, but I really believe that by taking the negativity out of the concept and out of the word, we will do ourselves a world of good.

Good Snacks

Do I really have to list 'good' snacks?  Yes!

·        fruits

·        vegetables

·        a portion of high fiber cereal

·        a no-bread sandwich  (I’ll talk about that later in this article)

So choose your poison: sweet?  salty?  chewy?  crispy?

The key to success is to work within the confines of your craving.  Don't wait for your next meal, give yourself a small amount now, relax and go from there.

Several good tips:

Fruit and vegetables

Always keep on-hand snacks that are cut, peeled and ready-to-eat, like fruits and vegetables.

If fruits and vegetables are as easy and accessible as snacks (packaged and ready to eat) - you will eat them!  Do I have to tell you to NOT BUY any junk foods - I hope so - I hope we are way past this point.

Keep on hand foods you like.  Don't keep carrots and celery, if you detest them (I don’t know why you would, but that is for another time).

Chocolate and Energy Bars

I have mixed feelings about keeping “special treat” foods in the house, such as chocolate.  To paraphrase a line from that famous movie – “if you bring it home, you shall eat it”. 

Want to treat yourself, then work for it!  Walk down and up the stairs, walk to the store and then buy chocolate or ice cream.  Don't have a store close enough to walk to?  I guess then G-D did not want you to have the chocolate or ice cream in the first place!

Have an energy bar.  When I have an energy bar, I make eating this snack into a coffee break.  I’ll eat the energy bar with a coffee or with ice cold water or seltzer.  I sit down and enjoy it, somewhere other than my computer or work area!  I give myself 10-15 minutes to enjoy it.  I drink more water and then go about my business.  I make the snack WORTHWHILE.

Back to vegetables and fruits!

Cut and peel vegetables, such as carrots, celery, peppers and cucumbers, into easy-to-eat bites or long sticks.  Cut only enough for one day - these vegetables will not be as crisp and appealing the next day.

Cut fruits, such as apples, pears, melon, watermelon and peaches, into quarters or squares.  Grapes are great - perhaps a bit heavy on points - but lovely ice cold.

High Fiber Cereal

A small plastic cup (or two) of a good fiber cereal- is incredibly filling.  It is great for any time you have a hankering for “something”.  Usually this cereal is pareve as well, which is a plus!

Popcorn

Did someone mention popcorn?  If they didn't they should have.  Popcorn popped in an air popper is a GREAT snack. Personally, this is my favorite winter snack.   Did you say that without the oil it is tasteless?  Nonsense (and get used to it!)!  Just for the record: microwaved popcorn should be considered a sin against humanity!

Breadless Sandwiches

So breadless sandwiches?  They are a snap to make: prepare tuna or egg (whites-only is even better) salad with a bit of low calorie mayo and spices.  You can cut up pickles or just about any vegetable and mix into the salad.  Then fill lettuce or spinach leaves with the salad - roll up and eat - yum!!! 

By the way, filled spinach leaves, along with a good salad and a bit of brown rice is an excellent meal all by itself!

So snack - think of it as the desert part of your meal - eaten a bit late.  Already had desert?  Don't confuse the issue!  Enjoy and get over it! There is going to be another meal in a few hours!

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!