Oh steak fries how Ive missed you!

Okay so they werent quite steak fries but they were close enough. These sweet potato fries were out standing and I cant thank our friend Lindsay enough for blogging about them (she posts a lot of good simple recipes from a variety of cookbooks, you should start reading her right away.) It wasnt until I reread the rules for eating on high fiber days that I realized sweet potatoes count as a high fiber, low GI ingredient. The exact second I found that out I remembered these fries and put them on our list of recipes for this week.

Combined with portobello steaks, a baby spinach salad, and a California red wine made for a very happy making meal. I even went the extra mile and made spicy ketchup by mixing half jerk sauce with half organic unsweetened ketchup. This made an extraordinary dipping sauce that perfectly contrasted the sweetness of the fries. That with the well marinaded tender portobellos almost made me forget I was on a often complex frustrating diet. Figuring out fake out recipes that make me stop missing things I wish I could eat it what keeps this diet from making me crazy. That and the wine.

Ive read about the Red Truck wine several times this week so when a long day at work drove me to knowing I needed wine I decided to stop into the grocery store across the street from my 40 hour a week job and find it. This wine isnt super special but its a very drinkable blend of Syrah, Petite Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Mourvedre all from California. Its big and tannic with hints of chocolate and licorice. Nothing intense but some nights I want something that doesnt blow me away and this did the trick. Besides I was just drinking it with dinner to whet my appetite to go out to a Shiraz/Syrah tasting. They were all bargain wines but I still had a blast.

Sweet Potato Fries

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons fructose
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425°. Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise, then into wedges. Toss wedges with oil. Combine fructose, salt and pepper, shake onto sweet potatoes, toss again.

Put on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil spreading out wedges as best as possible so they dont over lap and bake for 15 minutes. Pull them out, turn them over, and bake for another 10-15 minutes until they’re golden brown and crispy on the outside. Sprinkle with more kosher salt and/or cumin or your favorite fresh herb.

Original recipe from Lindsay at Fork Full of News.

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This lasagna is evil. Usually I say that and mean its so good it needs to be locked away so that one isnt tempted to eat the whole thing. This time I actually mean it, this recipe is evil.

Several times while making it either the fella or I have had to leave the room or house, tensions run that high while trying to make it. It is a complicated little bugger. Getting the sauce the proper consistency, the noodles cooked just right, and zucchini grilled is enough to make the best cook rip out their hair. We learned after the first time not to bother making the roasted pepper ourselves, it just adds to the stress.

Ive made much more intense and complicated recipes without losing my head so Im not quite sure what makes this recipe so irritating. Probably doesnt help that the original recipe is written in confusing language bordering on gibberish, which is a problem with all the recipes in this particular book. Unfortunately the recipes in High Flavor Low Fat Vegetarian Cooking are so good we keep going back to it even after being tortured by it time and again. Its just we let 6 months or so go before we attempt to cook anything in it, which is about the amount of time it takes for me to forget how frustrated the recipes make me and decide its a good idea to create one of them again.

The good news is the end result is almost worth all the effort. For a dairy free vegetarian recipe it does a very good job of faking the taste of a big cheesy high fat lasagna full of grease and other bad things. Its surprising what well seasoned sauce and grilled vegetables can achieved. Its rather filling and satisfying and went really well with the Cline Syrah. Then again Im biased and have loved everything from Cline.



Cline is solar powered and self sustaining though not certified organic (they arent all natural and that certification process is damn expensive.) Last summer the fella, his two sisters, and I went on a trek through Sonoma and had the best time at Cline. They had a farmers market of veggies grown on the grounds and the garden they do their tastings in is beautiful. I cant wait to go back soon.



Sadly only their very basic wines are readily available in Madison. Their Cool Climate Syrah is to die for but I havent found a bottle of it since Sonoma. Their basic Syrah was a decent substitute, nice fruit and tannin balance. It was everything I expect out of a $10 California Syrah, it was easy to drink and not too big though I do love a fruity Australian monster Syrah just as much. When Im in the mood for a particular varietal but cant make a decision I go for the Cline, all of their wines are winners. And they help take the edge off after waiting endlessly for dinner to finish cooking.

Grilled Zucchini Lasagna

RED PEPPER SAUCE
4 roasted red peppers (homemade or from a jar)
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup bread crumbs (we skipped this)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon saffron, soaked in a tablespoon of hot water
2/3 cup vegetable stock (1/3 cup if not using bread crumbs)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

LASANGA
6 medium zucchinis
2 teaspoons oil
9 whole wheat lasagna noodles
20 basil leaves


Roast, peel, core and seed the red peppers if roasting them yourself. Set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat, cook onion and garlic until soft but not browned, about 4 minutes. Combine peppers, onion mixture, and bread crumbs (if using) and puree to a smooth paste in a food processor. Add vinegar, saffron, and enough vegetable stock to make a thick sauce (it should be the consistency of soft ice cream.) Correct the seasoning, adding salt, pepper, cayenne and vinegar to taste.

Preheat a grill pan to high heat. Cut zucchinis lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick slices. Brush zucchini slices on both sides with oil and grill until limp, about 2 to 4 minutes per side.

Cook the lasagna noodles in rapidly boiling salted water for about 8 minutes or until al dente. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water.

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil a 8 by 11 inch baking dish. Spread 3 of the noodles over the bottom. Arrange 1/3 of the zucchini over the noodles. But 1/3 of the basil leaves over the zucchini, then 1/3 of the red pepper sauce on top of that. Make a second and a third layer in this fashion.

Bake the lasagna for 30 to 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated through.

Original recipe from High Flavor Low Fat Vegetarian Cooking.

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Some girls like to be surprised with jewelery or flowers. I think both are a waste of money. Nothing thrills me more than being surprised by food. Especially coming home to a house than smells delicious when I thought I was coming home to an empty refrigerator.

The fella and I still havent recovered from Easter and therefor havent had time to go grocery shopping. I thought I was going to be eating whatever cheese was left over, a can of black beans and an apple for lunch between jobs today since there was no other food in the house. Instead I came home to the scent of spicy poultry and the dog laying on the floor near the door in a puddle of her own drool.

Amazing boyfriend that he is, the fella had gone out and bought a roasting chicken at 7AM and found a recipe for cooking it in our new programmable crockpot before he went to work. I was blown away. Having something tasty to eat made my day and made me fall in love with him a little bit more. Ill take surprise chicken over roses anyday.

The combination of sweet and spicy make a perfect chicken with very little work. It was tender and flavorful. The meat fell off the bones and by flavoring it differently on the inside and outside it added depth to a really simple recipe.

Crockpot Funky Chicken

1 lime, halved
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fructose
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 pound whole chicken
1 clove garlic
1 serrano pepper, halved

In a bowl, juice half of the lime. Stir in the soy sauce, fructose, coriander and cayenne. Rub this mixture into the skin of the entire chicken.

Place the other half of the lime, the garlic, and the serrano in the chickens cavity. Truss the chicken and place in slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours.

Original recipe from How to Make Love and Dinner at the Same Time.

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