Lunch:

Cabbage, carrots, stuffed baby eggplant, homemade pickled turnips and raw kohlrabi with tahini and red lentil, shiitaki miso soup with soy chunks.  524 calories of Yum!

The best part about taking control of my dietary habits again is that I get back into cooking, especially the experimental variety.  As I'm going for mostly vegan menu items, there is an extra added challenge.

Tonight, I'm going to attempt vegan stuffed kibbeh balls!

Back to the beginning

Let's do it all over again.

Fuck you, cancer.  I kicked your ass.

So fuck you, fat.  I'm going to beat you down again.

The same terms as last time:

0) Monitor and record all nutritional intake and physical activity
b) Make up tasty and filling recipes that adhere to a very rough set of guidelines
III) Blog about it every single day


No April Fool's here.

And now for something completely different

It's been a bit of a month and a half.

First, I go on a medication that literally begins changing my life like none other has before. It was amazing how well I was responding. Then I got the rare and deadliest side effect - a rash. I went to the hospital. Everything was OK, but I had to immediately stop the meds which really screwed with me and sent me into a fairly confused and physically stressed placed space.

During this time, I got a call from a recruiter and went through a very fast and very intense interview process with NPR. This was my dream job. 5 interviews later, they made me an amazing offer which I accepted. The offer was contingent on a background check. I wasn't worried. The background check took two weeks. While waiting for the background check, I started on a new medication. This one wasn't so great. It screwed with my body temperature and caused my appetite to go through the roof. I binged in ways I haven't binged in years. It also made me VERY angry. Not good, but I was starting to deal.

At the end of the two weeks, they called me to tell me that the offer was rescinded; my credit score didn't meet their standards. I tried to fight it; the hiring manager even took the issue to NPR senior management, but in the end, they said that my credit made me a "legal liability".

After NPR accepted then rejected me, I crashed for a couple of days. I focused all of my energy on my cycling. I was doing crazy 30-40 mile treks. But the meds were making me angrier and angrier, and I was binging to frightening levels, so I tapered off the meds.

That's when I started something new. I swore that if this one didn't work well, I'd go on a drug holiday. I started it three weeks ago and the last three weeks have been a blur. I've literally lost that time. I've faded and have been silenced. I've read many people's reports of going on this stuff and having their minds disappear until getting up to the correct dosage; that's where I am now - approaching the correct dose.

And all would be well but....

Last Tuesday I had an appointment with the ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat doc) to assess my tonsils for removal. I've been having obstructive breathing issues for awhile now and my doc said that my tonsils were huge, so lets see what the options are.
The ENT pokes around and says, "your tonsils are normal. Sure, they're infected. I bet this happens a lot." Yep. "Totally normal for some people. I'm more concerned about the large mass in your neck."

Large mass in my neck?

LARGE MASS IN MY NECK?
WTF?

So, I have a CAT scan scheduled for next Thursday. I can't do a damned thing but guess at what's up until then. I suspect it's my thyroid as the "mass" looks suspiciously like a goiter. And if it IS my thyroid, that could very well explain some of the unexplained mysteries of the last few years. No doc has ever checked my thyroid before and no doc has ever asked if it's been checked.

*crosses tentacles*

The day of amazing food!

Today has been the day of amazing food!

I was a bit too early to the farmer's market this morning, so I took a walk up Moody St. to Patel Brothers for some urad flour, sandwich masala and mustard seed.

Next, fresh tomatoes and a stalk of Brussel's sprouts from the Waltham Farmer's Market.

Then lunch with a new friend at the amazing Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown. He had a delicious looking medianoche (Cuban sandwich) and for me, Pastrami-spiced smoked salmon platter. Holy crap! Amazing!

Then on to one of my favorite shops, Arax Market for Mediterranean yummies like fresh dates, pistachios and, as always, more baklava than was necessary! (no pictures - can't get camera into my belly). I also did a mini spice refresh - more ground sumac, tarragon, parsley, tarragon, savory, mint and oregano. To keep me going, I also snagged some fine ground coffee with cardamom as well as a HUGE bag of yerba mate.

Now I'm on to dinner prep: smoking some eggplants and tomatoes! Dinner is going to be pretty awesome :)

Chicken Breast with Green Tomatoes and Onions

This recipe isn't so creepy, but it's delicious!

For the last week, I'm been preparing these intricate Indian-inspired dished for dinner; things that would easily take 3-4 hours of preparation (more on these in another post). Last night, I want something quick and easy. What did I have in the fridge? Chicken breast, onions and green tomatoes.

The end result of this combination (along with a touch of sherry and a bit of black pepper) made for one of the most flavorful dishes I have ever tasted! My newfound love of tomatoes (again, another post) has led me to all sorts of tomato-y experimentation. This dish is equal parts sweet and savory and would probably go very well with rice or even a pasta (maybe orzo?)

1/4lb chicken breast
2 medium green tomatoes
1/2 spanish onion
red cooking sherry
pepper to taste
olive oil as necessary (I use spray)

Butterfly the chicken breast and soak in the sherry while performing the next steps

Slice up onions and tomatoes and cook on medium in a large frying pan until onions are browned and tomatoes are losing their structure (use oil as needed/wanted)

Shift the tomatoes and onions to make space for the chicken. Lay down a light layer of fresh black pepper in the pan and lay the marinated, butterflied breast on top. Cover the breast with the onions and tomatoes and let sizzle away until the top is mostly cooked (3-4 minutes or so).

Clear off top of chicken and flip. The piece should be a lovely golden orange. Press-fry until cooked through.

Deglaze pan with whatever sherry remains from marinating and cook down.

Serve!!

Like I said, I wanted quick and easy, so I served it atop of savory rye crackers with a side of brussels sprouts (yum!) The tomatoes were so tangy and delicious! MMMM!

Lies, cilantro and hammer-pounded chicken

I have a terrible habit of making up recipes on the fly and recommending them to people without having actually tested it. The recipe is ALWAYS a success, though.

Yesterday, while at a farmer's market with a friend, and she asked me if I like cilantro, and I blurted out: "yes! I love it! In fact, I have a dish that I make that involved thinly sliced chicken breast covered with cilantro leaved, a bit of garlic, onion, salt and pepper, then I fold it over (think cilantro sandwich), pop it on the grill and eat!"

Sounds delicious! A woman nearby asked me to repeat while she wrote the recipe down - she was excited to try it.

The problem? I've never made this before. Ever. The idea just popped into my head.

To make things right, I prepared it last night:

1 chicken breast, butterflied. Coat the surface with cracked black pepper, little onion powder, garlic and salt followed by a dense layer of fresh cilantro. COver with saran wrap and beat with tenderizer, ensuring that the chicken is well pounded and the cilantro is properly bruised.

Remove the plastic, fold chicken over on itself, wrap and pop in the fridge for a couple of hours (not sure how necessary this is)

When ready, throw the chicken on the grill (I used my George FOreman grill) and cook until done.

I served it with garlic scapes sauteed with spinach and mushrooms and a side of thin sliced, raw kohlrabi.

It was amazing!

I'm going to try a variation tonight:

To the center mix, I'm going to add some basil and pine nuts (pesto!) and then coat the outside with my homemade spicy chick pea flour. Another possible variation will add peppers and onions for a salsa flavor.

I made dinner a little late, but better late than never. Spicy, oven fried chicken, sweet potato and sunchoke fries, chickory salad, topped off with more watermelon than was necessary. *urp*

Sunchokes are my new love, but they may also be the source of my recent gastrointestinal distress, due to the large quantity if inulin they carry.

Revampings

I'm in the process of revamping, so expect changes soon!
eatcreepy
a compendium of creeptacular culinary chaos

Well toss mah salad!

I accidentally created a delicious salad:

Sweet onion
Chopped celery
tomato
lettuce (your choice)
fresh cilantro
fresh parsley
ground sumac

I tend to go heavy on the sumac, for I in in lurvs with it. (I should dedicate a post to sumac; maybe later.)

Mix well and pop in the fridge for 20 minutes or more.
Take out, give another toss and serve.

Another tasty and bold variation:

chop a whole onion
liberally coat with sumac
let sit for 15-20 minutes and eat.
The sumac cuts the harshness of the raw onion, and the two flavors merge so spectacularly that you may begin to rethink intelligent design. Or not, but it IS delicioso!