Jessica

A Million Reasons to Try Lamb Kofta

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Oh the goodness. I cannot even begin to tell you how delicious this recipe is. From the intriguing flavor of the spiced lamb, to the cooling effect of the tzatziki, and the light fluffy texture of the pita there is so much awesomeness going on I can’t even describe to you.

It’s surprisingly not spicy, I say surprisingly because Middle Eastern food makes me think spice, but maybe that just goes to show that I need to step out of my box more.

Don’t leave out a single spice, they blend together so well that I can’t imagine any of them not being together. Also don’t skimp on the spices, they are completely necessary to make this thing work. Though you can use whole ginger (about ½ inch piece peeled) I opted for Penzys Dried ginger because I never use up a whole root before it goes bad, and it’s a waste. Also Penzys cinnamon is the bomb just saying. In fact you should probably just go check out the entire store and stock up on everything there. Here is a store locator. No this is not a sponsored post, I just love that place.

You could potentially use beef if lamb scares you, or is too expensive, but honestly I think the flavor of the lamb is what makes the spices work so well, and it the perfect vehicle, so really don’t mess with that either.

Tzatziki is awesome, enough said.

As for the pita, please, please don’t break them open. Simply toast them up a bit and fold that beautiful round thing like a fluffy taco to hold all of your lamb-tzatziki goodness.

Toppings are simple, a bit of tomato, and arugula for a bit of brightness and crunch. Then go right ahead dig on in. Let the juices run down your hand and make a big old mess. It’s good. So good. Go ahead and enjoy it. You know you want to.

Kofta Kabobs (Recipe Adapted from TheBlackPepercorn.com)

1 lb lean ground lamb

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 ½ tsp dried ginger

3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp coriander

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and hand knead until well
combined (Note: if using wooden skewered soak them in water for 15-20 minutes
before using them). Break the meat into 4 equal sections and form long thin egg
shaped balls. Thread them onto a skewer and place them onto a preheated grill.
Cook for 12-15 minutes, turning regularly until the center is no longer pink.
Remove from heat and serve with pita, and tzatziki. (Serves 4)

Tzatziki (Recipe Adapted from Food Network)

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, shredded, & drained

1 cup of Greek yogurt

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp fresh dill

sprinkle fresh ground pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until well combined.
Serve chilled.

So maybe I didn’t actually list a million reasons, but I think I praised it all well enough to make you see the light.

Changing My Diet the Facts & How I Feel 7/21

By Jessica

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I’m replacing today’s usually scheduled fitness update to talk about the whole Part Time Vegetarian thing that I am trying out. I want to preface this by admitting to you all (as if you didn’t know before) that I am a total nerd and I’m probably going overboard here but that’s me, so feel free to skip to the bottom where I talk about how the effects this whole thing has had on me.

Since the beginning of this experiment I have been tracking my diet in excel (again dork status). I don’t plan on doing this forever especially if I decide to stick with this diet, right now it’s important to me to make sure I am getting everything my body needs nutritionally and spiritually (ie. I’m not craving anything major) to function properly. It has also helped me keep track of how I feel after I eat certain types of food. Already after only a few weeks of tracking I have a good idea of how to balance my diet.

To begin with I made sure I was getting the right volume of macro nutrients (fat, protein, carbs) in my diet. For a base I used .35-.5 g/lb fat (or .4g/lb @ my body weight = 56g/day), 1-1.2 g/kg protein (so roughly 1.1g/kg @ my body weight = 69.85g/day) and the rest is carbs. Where did I come up with these ratios? Lots and lots of research and experimenting with my own diet since college. Yes I’m such a dork I have kept spreadsheets and note books on this kind of thing for years.

We are both dorks, and he was a vegetarian. Clearly kindred spirits.

There is a lot of debate about how much protein we should actually be getting. FDA recommends .8g/kg of bodyweight, however this is for a
typical sedentary person with 20-25% bf. This is not for everyone, and doesn’t account for active people (active being a relative term, and again another debate for another day). There are a million articles that debate a million different ratios of protein to bodyweight, or LBM (lean body mass). Right now I feel the best on a 60-100g range of protein a day. What I mean when I say my best is that I have high energy while still feeling strong and being able to make slow gains in weight lifting. If I eat more protein I tend to feel more sluggish, and crave fats, whether that comes from a decrease in fat intake on
those days or an over abundance of protein I haven’t figured out yet, but maybe that will be the next experiment.

When I refer to fats I try to keep it to the healthy fats, EVOO, avocado, dairy, eggs, etc. I know there is a lot out there that says you should have a low fat diet, but in truth you need fats for proper brain function
and hormone production. A diet too low in fat can have disastrous effects. I’m not saying you should go crazy with the fried food, just be smart.

Carbs I have found it pretty easy with these, since I already made a change by trying not to get them through starches (pasta, white rice, etc..) I have been eating a lot more vegetables, which it great for my
energy and the antioxidants. I have been loving bean burritos, and potatoes, like totally and completely craving them. I hope this isn’t a phase because for the first time in my life I’m not dreaming about mounds of cheese covered pasta, and it feels good.

So far I have only slipped three times and I’m on week 5. I originally planned to only do this for 2 weeks, but the first two weeks went so
well I decided to extend it for a month, and now until the end of July. I’m going to reevaluate how I feel, and what my goals are then and see if I need to make any changes. By then I’ll have had 6 weeks under my belt.

As far as cravings go it’s been cheese pizza, and ice cream. These are two of my favorite things, and I think I will always crave them, so I
guess I’m not craving anything weird.

Things I have noticed: My abs are more visible. I didn’t expect this so I never took a picture of my stomach before, and now I wish I had. I think it has to do with bloating more than body fat but either way I will take it. The dark circles under my eyes that I have had FOREVER are way lighter!! I have been taking a multivitamin for years and it never did much, so maybe getting more “stuff” out of my food is helping. There have been a few others, but I’m going to wait until the 6 weeks is up to discuss them.

I think this is a long enough post now. Thank you for those of you who made it through!

What are your thoughts on vegetarianism, veganism, flexitarianism or pescatarianism? (did I miss any?)

How would you describe your diet?

Do you think this is the kind of diet you could do?

The Reasons I Blog

By Jessica

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Someone asked me recently why I blog; shortly after laughing at
the fact that I have made less than $100 at this thing so far this year. I’m
sure I came back with something snarky, but since I was slightly inebriated at
the time I’m not exactly sure what I said, but that comment and laugh will stay
with me for a while.

People it’s not about the money. Really I just think it’s cool that I can
make anything at this thing, even if
I don’t see a dime of it, which I don’t because the pennies I make go right
back into buying cook books, camera gadgets, blog sponsorships and all that
other fun stuff. Actually when you add all that up I’m probably a couple
hundred dollars negative.

The thing is that I would be buying that stuff anyway. I would be writing here anyway. I would be churning out new
recipes anyway. I would be learning
to use my fancy camera anyway. These
are things I enjoyed and started doing years before I was told I should start a
blog.

The best part of this blog is that it gives me an outlet for all of
it as well as a place to record memories, and big events. It’s a place I can
look back on my thoughts and feelings and remember it all.

Yeah I have plans to take my blog further. Yes I would love more
followers, and to make more money. However I wonder if anyone doesn’t feel that
way, I mean we all just want to be liked right? What’s so bad about that?

I experiment with different ways to accomplish this but at the end
of the day this blog is still about me, and my interests, and stories, and
feelings. I can only hope that those things shine through to you above all
else. I’ll never try to be a sellout, though I may try to be a comedian or
Martha Stewart from time to time, but even after 2+ years I’m still a newb, and
still trying to figure out my own voice. Hell I’m still trying to figure out
what I want out of life, and my career, how can you expect me to have this blog
thing down perfectly?

What are your feelings on those who make money from blogging?

Kchidhi – Easy, Clean, Vegan, and Delicious

By Jessica

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This is a easy and healthy recipe based on traditional Indian Kchidhi.

In my vegetarian adventures lately I have been stumbling across some really interesting new blogs that I will definitely be sharing with
you guys in the near future. This recipe is one that I adapted from one of these blogs, Holy Cow. It’s a super simple rice dish that I made for my lunch
at the beginning of the week. It was actually filling and satisfying enough to get me through the entire week without getting bored. That is something that never happens.

This recipe actually serves 4-6 people, but I’m sharing it here today because I think it’s a great vehicle for the single person to eat
all week. I just added whatever leftover veggies we had the night before, or steamed up some new ones and I had a complete meal that varied a little
throughout the week.

The version you see here is a simpler version, I guess you could say I “Americanized” it, but I wanted it to be an approachable recipe. The
original recipe isn’t difficult by any means, but I opted not to use a pressure cooker, and frozen veggies, to speed up the whole process.

Note: Garam Marsala was not available at my regular grocery store, however I did find it at whole foods.

(Original Recipe)

Kchidhi – Easy, Clean, Vegan, and Delicious

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 60 mins

Total time: 1 hour 5 mins

Serves: 4-6 Servings

Ingredients

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
¼ tsp turmeric
½ tsp cayenne
1 tbsp coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp dried ginger
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 ½ cups brown rice
1 cup moong dal (lentils)
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Place the moong dal in a bowl with 1 cup of water and let it sit for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile heat oil in a large thick bottomed sauce pan, saute the onion for 5 minutes or so, until it is translucent and begins to carmelize.
Add turmeric, cayenne, coriander, and ginger stirring for an additional minute.
Stir in tomato paste for one minute then add rice moong dal (with liquid) and then 4 cups more water. Stir well and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 35-40 minutes or until the rice and lentils are soft.
Stir in the frozen vegetables and garam masala. Then remove from heat. There should be some liquid left in the bottom of the pan so that the consistency is similar to a risotto. Serve warm.

Summery Citrus Tilapia

By Jessica

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The thing about the summer is that it’s hot. Sometimes it’s so hot that the idea of eating food actually makes my stomach flip. How could I possibly be hungry when the rest of my body feels all floppy and in coherent?

But then hungry and floppy almost instantly becomes hangry, like seriously hangry. When you are already uncomfortable little things seem 10 times worse than they actually are.

This was one of those days.

Luckily for me we can’t open our freezer without a landslide of food falling on us. I like to keep stocked up on good sales, and quickly defrosting stuff to help curb out Chinese takeout addiction. Tilapia is one of those things that defrosts pretty quickly, and cooks just as fast, saving time away from the super hot oven.

I basically tossed the fillets into parchment with some herbs, and citrus zest from whatever we happened to have on hand. Did I mention it was hot? I wanted fresh and bright flavor, and very little work. My plan worked because the tilapia came out moist and bright, and in only 20 minutes. I paired it with some leftover wild rice pilaf, and raw broccoli. Our veggies tend to be raw when I am feeling lazy. I’m told they are better for us that way, which is just an added bonus to the energy I’m saving, and dishes we don’t have to wash.

At least this is what I tell people instead of just “yeah I was lazy”. I’m sure they totally buy it. At least Chuck likes most vegetables raw anyway, sans dip.

He is weird I know.

This recipe is super easy and perfect for summer, or in winter when you are dreaming of summery beach days.

Summery Citrus Tilapia

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

3 tilapia fillets (about 1 lb)
1 clove of garlic, minced
Zest from one orange
Zest from one lemon
Zest from one lime
1 tablespoon fresh parsley coarsely chopped
Slat & pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Place 1 tilapia fillet on a large piece of parchment paper and top with 1/3 of the garlic, zests, parsley, salt & Pepper. Repeat with the remaining fillets. Fold up the sides of the parchment to create a pouch and seal in the fish.
Place in the oven on a baking sheet and cook for 12-15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
Carefully remove from the oven and open the packets slightly. Let cool for 3-5 minutes and serve.

Jessica

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