I said Thai not thigh.....

My version of a Thai Soup...
written by Linda Gauthier

I'm having a hard time getting back into routine this week, I'm not sure whether it was the holiday, the change in weather, my missing my family or what the heck, but today was a day of stopping myself as I headed for the fridge.  Strategy to keep hands out of the bread and butter put veggies in front of the toaster, fruit at the front of the shelf, put the cheese at the very back of the fridge, for the most part it worked, does it count if you inhale 3 handfuls of grapes for lunch?  I've got to get back into the routine though, I'm darn well not going to mess this weight loss up.  So I have now printed my menu off and put it on the fridge, the pantry and the cupboard door, overkill or what?

This evening's meal is real easy though, so I'll be in and out of the kitchen quickly, and away from temptation.  

Thai Chicken Soup

6 c Epicure Selections low sodium Chicken Broth
1 cup shredded left over chicken (no skin)
1 1/2 tsp Tom Yum Paste (I use Por Kwan brand from Thailand) 
1 sm pkg Chinese soup noodles (minus flavour pkg too much sodium)
3 baby Bok Choy
1/2 of a green bell pepper sliced into thin strips
mushrooms 3large sliced thinly

Bring broth to simmer, add shredded chicken and Tom Yum Paste, add noodles, when nearly cooked through, add Bok Choy, bell  pepper and mushrooms. The Bok Choy can hide a lot of dirt in it's leaves please be sure to wash carefully and cut in half before adding to soup.

I was also going to have rice and veggies with this meal, but decided it was not necessary after the grape fiasco.  In my original soup I was not going to add noodles.

I should however let you know, around 9 pm, I did have a small cranberry scone and black tea.  I lost the willpower battle.

Thought this was appropriate because of my cravings.

Struggles continue, but I will overcome...

Feel a bit like a freedom marcher singing "we shall overcome", and in a sense, I guess I am.  I'm trying to free myself from this prison of weight.  What I have to remember is that I did not put it on overnight, and it's not going to come off overnight either.  I've been trying to stick to it, and have been increasing my activity in the hopes those euphoric endorphin's will kick in that people talk about from strenuous exercise, but so far that hasn't happened!!! 

However, I guess pushing the exercise machine, my husband got for me on free Victoria, heavy though it may be, around the living room floor is not classed as exercise.  Don't get me wrong, I do use it but I seem to move it more to plug it in, to vacuum, to catch the cat, to remove the laundry drying on it, etc than I'm actually using it for its stated purpose.

This elliptical stair climber thingy works well, I can feel my heart beating after a short time, but I don't really do perspiration well. Could be another reason I have a lard a--.  Thought of attaching a long stick to it with a donut on the end so I could pursue it while on my quest for beauty, but the cat keeps jumping at it and getting far more exercise than I.  I have a skipping rope, which is great outside, in the good weather it keeps the wasps and flies away, but I think I need to attach the pictures to the wall a little better before commencing doing that in the house.  Gary also has a chin lift bar that attaches on the door, great for upper body work etc. but not so effective attached at chin height where I'd like to place it.  My bingo arms are impressive flying in the breeze, but not so much in trying to propel my body into the air and holding it there so I can rest my chin on the bar.  I usually do that after a few Chardonnay.  I hope you realize this was all said tongue-in-cheek and meant to be funny.  I'm not quite as hopeless as I make out.

Speaking of tongue, I cooked a tongue the other night.  Now don't go eew, if you didn't know what it was, you would think it tasted like any other piece of beef.  Why, you may ask, did I cook tongue? Well, it goes back to my childhood.  My mom used to cook it and this is the time of year she passed away just before Thanksgiving, and just about at my age.  So, feeling nostalgic, I decided to make it.
So tonight I used the rest of it up in an easy 1 crust beef pie.

Beef Pot Pie

1/2 lb of beef  (stewing beef, chuck steak or tongue if you have it)
vegetables I used are zucchini, carrots, eggplant, onions, shallots, celery, mushrooms, 2 small potatoes, all cut into cubes. Spinach leaves.
4 cups beef broth low sodium
2 tsp Epicure Selections Herb and Garlic 
2 tsp Epicure Selections Hamburger seasoning
salt and pepper
1 tbsp corn starch mixed with some stock to form a rue

1. Saute onion shallots until translucent in pan sprayed with non-stick oil.  If your meat is raw, add it at this time, if leftover pre-cooked, add at step 5.
2. add celery, carrots, potatoes, cook until starting to cook through
3. add most of the broth, save some aside for the rue.
4. add zucchini, eggplant and mushrooms.
5. add your spices and cooked meat 
6. heat through until potatoes are tender and the meat is cooked through.
7. add spinach at last minute.

I was able to make 4 small pies and have some leftover for my husband's lunch tomorrow.  We ate 2 pies and froze the others for a later date.  I served it with a Brocollini Slaw.

The pastry I used was the Weight Watchers Pastry, it came out tender and flaky.

For the pastry:

5 1/2 oz plain flour
pinch of salt 
2 1/4 oz low-fat spread.  I used a vegan butter substitute, you could use Becel or other diet margarine.

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl.  Rub in the low-fat spread until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Add just enough cold water to bring the dough together.  Shape into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.

Moving on to new a new week, new adventures..

A weekend of Thanks
written by Linda Gauthier

I love the colors of fall and the wonderment of where this lane goes

Whew!!  made it through the Thanksgiving  weekend.  It was fun and had a great time, and truly recognized all the reasons I'm grateful for my family and friends.  We are truly fortunate for all that we have and all those we love.  This weekend also brought home the reality that so many of our neighbors and people we pass daily on the street do not enjoy some of the comforts we take for granted.
Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be setting up a fundraiser for a local organization that does so much to help our homeless and working poor in the Victoria area.  My husband and I, for the last couple of years, chose not to exchange gifts at Christmas and donated the money we normally would spend on each other to 
"Our Place" an outreach and support agency for people less fortunate than we are.   Please watch for the information I will be posting as to how you can help, if you'd like to join me in this effort.

On Saturday, after my husband and I had been to brunch and were enjoying our day, walking and window shopping taking pictures of our city I spotted  this fellow.  He sat without saying a word, with great dignity,as others rushed by on their way to their dinners, jobs, family, invisible to many, and possibly to myself, if I had not taken the time to notice and remember I had seen him there the previous week .

I'm not trying to be preachy or say we should feel guilt for what we have but I'm thankful I do have a warm bed, a full tummy and family and friends to support me.  It could be anyone of us out there and at one time I did believe that is where I'd end up.  I had a vision of myself being one of those ladies we see in the park, wearing layers of clothes and pink slippers surrounded by cats and birds and a shopping cart near by with all her belongings in it.  It was not a future I looked forward to.  As do, I believe, many of these people.  Through government cuts, economic downturns, and misfortune we have a growing population of the invisible people on our streets and sleeping in our parks.  It is my belief that we can all work together and share what little we do have to help the few, who in turn may be able to help another. 
  
So any way on to the business I started to write about, this week's menu.

I can't believe it I'm starting week number 6, it has gone by fast.

  





I leave you with fall on your mind, cool nights and glorious days, wishing you comfort, good food and good friends.  Have a great day.  

Mouthful of Yummy Pumpkin Spice Cakes

For the finale of the day we had these yummy Pumpkin Spice Cakes, I say we but it was more like he. I left the plate unattended, came back to find that my hubby decided he'd save me from the guilt of eating these yummy things and he had devoured all but one.  "My Hero", she says with a sad smile. He grins as he wipes the crumbs of his chin, looking like a naughty little boy, but I am glad he enjoyed them, besides it is his tummy that will see the results not my thighs she thinks with a big smile.

Almost guilt-free treat, with all the flavour I crave at this time of year. 

Here is one of my solutions for Thanksgiving;

To avoid having to make a pumpkin pie, which I love, but would be too much for just my husband and I, I made small spice pumpkin cupcakes and iced them with the Epicure Chai Tea Icing.

For my miniature cupcakes, I used a Duncan Hines spice cake mix, to which I substituted 1/3 of a cup of pumpkin pie filling for the oil being called for in the mix.  The mix originally called for 3 large eggs, 1 1/3 c water and 1/3 c oil.  

The cake was moist and flavourful,  I was able to make 3 small loaf pans plus 24 miniature cupcakes. 

Epicure Chai Tea Icing:

A perfect topping for cupcakes, carrot cake and Epicure's Chai Tea Loaf.

Makes 2 cups (500 ml)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1/4 cup (60 ml) water

1 Tbsp (15 ml) Epicure's Chai Tea

1/4 cup (60 ml) butter

1 x 8 oz (250 g) pkg light cream cheese

2 cups (500 ml) icing sugar, divided

Instructions

1. Bring water and Chai Tea to a boil in Epicure's Multi-Purpose Pot. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Strain, reserving liquid, and let liquid cool. 

2. Beat butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer on medium speed until combined. Add steeped tea and half the icing sugar. Continue beating until smooth. 

3. Slowly add remaining icing sugar in stages until desired consistency and sweetness is reached.

Per Serving (2 Tbsp (30 ml)): Calories 120, Fat 5 g (Saturated 3.5 g, Trans 0.1 g), Cholesterol 15 mg, Sodium 85 mg, Carbohydrate 16 g (Fibre 0 g, Sugars 16 g), Protein 1 g.

The loaves and extra cupcakes were wrapped and frozen for future use,  this was done immediately because I know if I leave them in my kitchen iced and looking so yummy I will succumb to their temptress ways.  Frozen and out of sight requires more work.  I only iced what we need, and put the left over icing in an airtight container in the fridge, to use later. 

On wards and Upwards, she said as she trudged to the bathroom scale...

Today is weigh-in day, and I just know I'm not going to have lost as much weight as I wanted.  I have had a wonderful week, but it did include a lot of food and drink that was not on my diet.  My niece Jen had a party at her restaurant, and who can pass on a night filled with laughter and food for a strict diet, not me! Besides, part of the idea of this diet is to learn to live a fulfilling but healthy life, so I have to learn how to live within certain constraints and not treat life like it is one continuous Bacchanalia.
They sold their restaurant and she's moving on to a different career.   Her restaurant was, and is a wonderful place, food was great, customers were wonderful and loyal and sorry to see them go.  She and her partner Sam had created a wonderful business, but they both felt it was time for a change and when the opportunity arose they took it.  She is such a talented young lady, she and her partner are now opening a photography business.  We are all very happy for her.  Congratulations you two and good luck in your next adventure, we know you'll do great.
However, the party meant lots of wonderful food and beverages, combine that with a week with holiday food prep, an ego that is getting a little too lax in the vigilance department, and I can bet I have either gained some weight or at the very least have not lost any.  So lets see what I've done.

Nope!!!



No matter how I look at it, it stays the same, I did not lose this week.  Oh well, I did not gain either.  So there I go looking on the sunny side of things :)

So what am I going to do this weekend with Thanksgiving and pumpkin pie and turkey and wine oh my!!  I'll tell you what I'm going to do.  I'm going to enjoy the weekend.  I'll make recipes that include all of my favorite tastes and smells, all the flavour I think I'll be missing, but won't and it will be in my diet plan.  So say I.  I will make this work.  I know I can, because it's not all that hard when you stop and think about it, and remember what passes over the lips goes directly to the hips. 

Have a great weekend everyone and enjoy!

The fable of the ant and the grasshopper is playing itself out in my home...

Written by Linda Gauthier

As I've said, I have had a busy couple of weeks,

so I thought I'd show you some of the fruits of my labour.

This is only some of what I've been doing. I have made frozen fruits and veggies, frozen purees: peach, pear and concord grape,  (oh so good) for Sorbets.  In this assortment, we have peaches, plums, pears, all sweet and some pickled, some flavoured with Sea Cider(brand name), Rum-Runner Apple Cider (a local cider) or Epicure Selections Rum Butter.  I've made Vanilla Vodka Pears, Rum Butter Peaches.  Spiced Crab Apples using Epicures Selection Mulling Spices in the syrup.  I have also made Jalapeno Plum Jelly. Yummy!!!. Salsa, both tomato and fruit, used Epicure Poco Picante Salsa Mix, or the Fresh Salsa Mix. I've also made flavoured vinegars. 

As well as pickled peppers, and candied peppers. Great on Brie.
Pickles galore, jams and jellies, and all sorts of tomato preserves.   You'll be hearing about them in the coming months.  This is all part of my strategy to eliminate food additives from my diet.  If I can't pronounce it, I'm trying not to eat it.  I'm also trying very hard to eat as many local foods as possible.


I have dehydrated plums for prunes and grapes for raisins.  Quick yummy snacks, frozen grapes for sweet treats when the need arises. 
This next week I'm canning salmon and baked beans and soup for quick meals.  I'm using a pressure cooker for the vegetables, such as tomatoes and tomato sauces, and of course for the fish and soups etc.

It is always best to preserve these items in this manner, rather than risk spoilage by processing in a water bath.  A water bath just   does not reach a high enough heat to ensure the food will not spoil.
Canning with sugar or sugar syrups or vinegar with at least a 7% acidity, or salt, all help to preserve the food and the heat of a water bath is sufficient.

However, vegetables, soups, fish, meat, etc, are not high in acid, do not usually have a high salt content, or high quantities of vinegar in them when canned, hence the need for pressure cooking.

So onto what I was originally going to talk to you about, the recipe for Tom Yum Goong Soup.

In an earlier blog I mentioned a lot of my cooking is influenced by Asian tastes.  Right now, I'm mad about Lao or Vietnamese cooking.

I believe a part of this, is the fact that the flavours are so fresh and the recipes are very easy, but the taste is complex.  Another reason is the area I live in. It has an abundance of Asian style restaurants, with wonderful food, but I can't afford to eat out everyday, and I can't afford to hire a cook either, so whats a girl to do -- learn how to do it herself, of course!

With a few simple ingredients, you can have dinner on the table in a few minutes, and your stomach full with a healthy, and very flavourful meal.

Tom Yum Goong Soup (my version)
I added some chicken meat balls along with the prawns

Tom Yum Goong soup is a traditional Asian soup.  The flavour is fresh with the mild taste of fish, curry, and limes.  It is the result of  the combination of the fish stock from the shrimp bodies, lime leaves, and the Tom Yum Curry paste, which you can find in most supermarkets' Asian or foreign food sections.

The recipe for Tom Yum Curry paste is here, if you can't locate any, or feel like making your own.

As you can see, I've added to my recipe, as I always do.  I feel a recipe is your guide, but not a hard and fast rule.  I always add my own embellishments, such as bean sprouts, cilantro, sometimes meat, etc.  

Recipes in baking use hard and fast rules because it is more chemistry than flavouring to taste, as in cooking.  Cooking is an adventure and if you have fun with it, you never know where you'll end up.

The following are the Epicure Selections products I used in this recipe.  I didn't mention it in the recipe earlier, but at the last minute I used some Lemon grass to help with the flavour.

The following could also be used:

These are the products from Epicure selections which I used in my canning:

Well I'm going to sign off on this and I'll talk to you soon.

Happiness is trying something new...

Written by Linda Gauthier

It has taken me a long time to learn to dance in the rain when it comes to most of my life's experience, but when it comes to cooking, I'm an accomplished dancer.  I am so happy, I've finally come to the point in my life when I can truly dance in the rain.
The following dish is an example of how I often take an idea through to a recipe, and I must say I was pleased.  This dish turned out better than expected.  (a recurring theme, my husband insists)  This was just an idea I had and built upon.


 Sweet Chili Chicken

Serves 2

• 1 chicken breast, skin off. Cut chicken as if you are butterflying it, then cut into two pieces.
• Bread in crumbs mixed with spices. I used Epicure Selections Indonesian Seasoning with Panko Japanese style crumbs.
• Brown in non-stick fry pan, sprayed with non-stick oil. Watch closely as they will cook quickly because they are thin.
• remove from fry pan when browned, let rest while you prepare the rest of meal.

Sweet Potato Mango Curry

• 1 med sweet potato, washed and peeled, chop into chunks
• 1 apple. I used a Honey Crisp apple, don't peel, but do core. cut into 8 slices

Place sweet potato into Epicure Selections Silicone Steamer.
Steam for 3 minutes, add apple, steam for 1 more minute.

On stove:
Place in saucepan
1 cup of  buttermilk, 
1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon coconut milk, 
1 lime leaf, 
1 tablespoon Epicures Mango Curry Dip. 
Bring to simmer. 
Add potato and apple, simmer.

Deglaze chicken pan with chicken stock or apple juice. Add  2 tablespoons jalapeno jelly, return the chicken breasts to the sauce, cook for approximately 5 mins until warmed through.

Sweet Chili Chicken and Sweet Potato Mango Curry.

Products I used in this recipe:

This is served with steamed zucchini strips, snap peas and sweet jalapeno peppers. (my own recipe)