There comes a point in every Cook’s life where our pants get just a touch too snug. Where the jovial meals with loved ones catch up to us. And muffin-top and tight zippers crash our happy post-holiday selves. This is when Dean and I know it’s time to “TurboCharge.” To recover our healthy bodies and clean systems.
I’ve been posting lots of yummy pictures of quick Salads and Proteins on Instagram and Facebook recently. Many of you asked for my salad recipes yesterday but one reader wrote “why all the salads lately?” Before I give you the recipes, I wanted to be honest, it’s because I’ve grown too “curvy”. My influx of “curves” adds strain to my already-torn L5 disc and I’ve been flat at least once a month since October. Then Anni asked me on Monday, “Mommy when we come back to Hawaii, can you not have a herniated disc? I miss piggy back rides.” That sucked. No four year old should know medical lingo. And so dear foodies, I am scheduling my 2nd epidural and committing to losing 15 lbs. maybe 20. Now, I don’t feel fat. At all. I actually feel more bombshell “va-va-Voom”. But a slimmer frame will help me be a better, more active Mom. I can’t keep icing my back 2x a day… That, and I miss my heels… Candidly.
You will thus be seeing lighter fare here on the Blog in coming months as we stick to “TurboCharging”. We normally eat “clean” most of the time but it’s the mixing in of grains and pastas in our Italian-WASPy household that creeps on the pounds. And my love of fine Cheese… I’m kind of intense about eating and drinking “Clean” — no processed foods and no processed wines. I’ll skip my rant in favor of Clean Wines but suffice to say anything less than $25 per bottle will generally be a simulated beverage full of sugars, food dyes, wood particles and chemicals. Like eating McDonalds? It’s not Real. Which is why drinking Annadel Estate Wines is so great — our wines are made with just fruit. They are “Clean” not dirty with additives. Healthy! <end rant>
But the recipes will remain delicious and fresh. “TurboCharge” is just a simplified way of eating and grouping foods pioneered by nutritionist friend Tom Greisel and his PhD sister, Dian Greisel. Hence all the salads and minimalist meals you’ve been seeing from me will continue along with soups and entree proteins (minus the carbs and grains.) I aim to easily lose 2-4 lbs a week with short 2 minutes strength workouts, drinking 10 glasses of water a day and eating either all vegetables, all proteins, or all fruits, zero grains or processed anything, the 90:10 rule (90 veggies/10 meat and vice versa). No sweets, no grains, no flours. For now.
Salad 1: BABY KALE, RADICCHIO, ENDIVE, and KALAMATA OLIVES
Chop 3-4 cloves of garlic. Place in a small bowl and add 3-4 tablespoons EVOO and S/P. Let stand.
In a large, pretty bowl hand shred baby kale into more elegant sized bites. Then thinly shred 1/2 head of radicchio and cut shreds into thirds. Add to bowl. Thinly slice one whole endive and hand separate slices into bowl. Then course chop 15 Kalamata Olives. Toss the salad
Back to the dressing, using a fork whisk in 1 tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar. Then add to salad and toss. Serve with a medium bodied red wine. Something dry and bright. The acids in the salad greens like a drier, more French style of Cabernet or Merlot. Nothing too fruity!
Salad 2: ARUGULA, RADICCHIO, CELERY, ARTICHOKE HEARTS, BLANCHED ASPARAGUS, and CHEESE GARNISH
Chop 3 cloves of garlic. Place in a small bowl and cover with 4 tablespoons of EVOO. Add S/P. Let stand
Clean exterior of two artichokes (remove the outer 1-2 layers of bottom leaves). Slice in half. De-stem. Using a sharp pairing knife, clean out the inner “fur” of the artichokes. Place quickly into a steamer basket (fitted in a medium pot over tepid water). Cover. Bring to a boil and reduce to medium-high and steam 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and fork out the artichokes to cool.
Take 4-8 stalks Asparagus. Snap off the coarse ends. Place into empty saucepan and cover with cool water. Place on the stove and bring the water to a boil. The very second the water boils? Remove and DRAIN hot water. Place asparagus on a cool plate immediately. Drizzle with EVOO and a sprinkling of coarse salt. Let stand. Asparagus should retain a crunch.
In a large pretty bowl, hand shred the baby Arugula. Slice and then course chop the remaining half head of Radicchio. Add to the Bowl.
Clean 2-3 stalks of celery. Cut off the coarse tops and bottoms. Slice each stalk into three long strips and finely chop. Add to bowl. Then slice the endive horizontally and hand spread the slices into the bowl. Hand toss all.
Return to the salad dressing: Whisk Garlic/EVOO mixture with a fork. Then add 1 teaspoon of Dijon Mustard. Whisk. Add 1-2 tablespoons White Balsamic Vinegar and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Whisk whisk whisk. And toss into the salad.
Serve Salad in wide, shallow bowls. Place 3-4 stalks of the asparagus over the top of the Salad. Add two wedges of fine Cheese to eat with bites of salad along the way. Tonight, it was Cowgirl Creamery’s “Red Hawk.”
I learned to eat salad from a very fine French Chef. When he came to eat lunch with us and our toddlers! Here is a short story about that dinner and the Cheeses I now still Love to eat with salad! https://abisfarmhousekitchen.com/?p=400
Happy Eating! And should you want to learn more about TurboCharging, here is the website with more recipes. It may look like a tax guide but for foodies? It’s the only way to happily shred weight and not be hungry: http://turbocharged.us.com/