Montana beef stew -- It's what's for dinner

Dave just got back from a road trip to Montana, and he brought back a cooler full of Montana beef from his folks' ranch near Yellowstone Park. So, when I got up this morning and saw that it was a rainy, cloudy, stay-at-home day, I decided to cook up some of that delicious meat in a slow-cooker stew.

Dave's nephew is traveling through Wichita today on his way home to Montana after working the summer in Texas. Supper with us may give him a taste of home before he actually hits the Montana border.

Montana Beef Stew

2 pounds lean stew meat
2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
2 large sweet onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup chopped carrots
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
4 red potatoes, diced
1/4 green pepper, diced
1 tablespoon canola oil

Brown stew meat in canola oil over medium high heat. Put into a slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients. Add enough water to cover meat. Cook on high for 6 hours. Enjoy with a nice salad and crusty bread.

Eggplant tower makes a wonderful summer supper

I had such a light, lovely dinner last night at David and Deanna's house. They grilled farmers' market corn and made these delightfully simple eggplant tomato towers with fresh basil and balsamic vinegar (essentially an appetizing Caprese salad with grilled eggplant.) We had this with wonderful herb bread they'd also picked up at yesterday's farmers' market, and good wine: crisp, light Simonsig Chenin Blanc from South Africa.

I watched as my friends made the eggplant towers, though I didn't lift a finger to help:

Slice eggplant into 3/4-inch thick rounds. Brush or toss eggplant rounds in a bowl with a few teaspoons olive oil. Grill eggplant slices over medium high heat for about five minutes per side, 'til browned and cooked through. Slice fresh mozzarella in 1/2-inch thick rounds. Slice fresh tomatoes. On a salad plate, stack eggplant, tomato slices, fresh basil leaves and the mozzarella. Top with fresh basil leaves. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Origin unknown: Recipe for chewy blonde brownies

I'm having dinner with friends tonight and naturally, since I haven't been eating a lot of sweets lately, I offered to bring dessert. Not wanting to do anything too ambitious, I got to thumbing through my ancient index-card file of recipes and found this one for blonde brownies. The card is stained a little; I copied the recipe by hand probably more than 20 years ago, and I have no idea when or where I got it. These dessert bars are delicious, and very easy to make. Sorry I can't acknowledge my source.

Blonde brownies

2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2/3 cup butter
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup grated coconut

Mix flour, baking power and soda in a small bowl. Melt butter. In a mixing bowl, combine melted butter and sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture gradually, mixing well after each addition. Grease and flour a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Spread batter evenly in pan. Sprinkle with chips, nuts and coconut. Bake 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees, until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan. Cut into 48 bars.

Make healthy coleslaw with fresh berries and pecans

The New York Times recently included cabbage on a list of "The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating." Cabbage, the story said, is "loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes." I don't know what sulforaphane is, but I'm all for boosting any enzymes that might come in handy. On a related note, I've been trying to think of interesting things to do with berries. So I created this recipe, which calls for cabbage, fresh fruit and fat-free vinaigrette. It's yummy.

I'm marinating chicken in the same raspberry dressing to grill and serve with this salad for supper tonight. Should make for a pretty healthy dinner.

Fruit Coleslaw with Raspberry Dressing

1 10-ounce bag angel hair shredded cabbage
1 cup strawberries
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1 cup grapes
1 cup fat-free raspberry vinaigrette (I used Ken's Steak House Fat-Free Raspberry-Pecan dressing)
1/2 cup chopped pecans.

Combine all ingredients. Chill for an hour or until ready to serve.

Toss a nice salad with brown rice, beans, peppers

Yesterday I made a piquant bean and rice salad, loosely adapted from "WeightWatchers New Complete Cookbook." I say loosely because I made more than the recipe called for, and forgot to buy cilantro, and didn't use black beans because when I opened the store-brand can of black beans I had on hand-- guess what?-- inside were kidney beans. So buy the cookbook if you want the exact recipe. (It's a good resource, full of inspiring low-calorie recipes.) That said, here's how I made this salad and I have to say, it was wonderful:

Rice, bean and corn salad

2 cups cooked brown rice
1-1/2 cups cooked corn
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
2 celery stalks
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 sweet onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped. (The cookbook recommends wearing gloves to avoid irritation. I didn't do this, but I was real careful to wash my hands thoroughly when I was done handling the pepper. Above all, do not rub your eyes when you're working with jalapeños.)
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, combine rice, corn, bell pepper, beans, onion and jalapeno. In a small bowl, mix the vinegar, lime juice and olive oil. Pour dressing over the rice mixture and toss well. Cover. Refrigerate at least two hours.

Baked breaded catfish is a healthy way to go

We love catfish. Here's a healthy way to cook it, and you won't wind up with a big greasy frying pan to wash.

We had this last night with a nice salad and a bottle of cheap, quite agreeable Big House Red. I'll post a good (and healthy) recipe for a piquant rice and bean salad a little later today.

Baked catfish fillets

4 catfish fillets
3/4 cup skim milk
1 egg
1 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons dried or fresh chopped parsley

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. In a shallow dish, beat egg. Add milk. On a piece of waxed paper, combine cornmeal and parsley. Dip fillets into the milk mixture, then dip to coat them in cornmeal. Place onto the cookie sheet. Spray tops of fillets lightly with cooking spray. Bake 20-25 minutes until cooked through. Serve with lemon wedges.

Dieting makes my life and my blog kinda boring

So far, I've lost 7.5 pounds on the diet I started a few weeks ago. Considering that I spent last weekend in Philadelphia eating gnocchi, soft pretzels and dessert from this aptly named bakery in Chestnut Hill, I figure I'm doing pretty good.

A typical day starts with Weightwatchers yogurt stirred with a couple spoonfuls of cardboard-flavored Kelloggs' All-Bran with extra fiber. Lunch is a big spinach salad with no-fat Italian dressing topped with a little tuna fish or chicken. Dinner is usually grilled pork or chicken or a turkey burger and veggies. It's very boring. But it's working. I reward myself with treats only if I make time to hit the gym. When I go to restaurants I only eat half of whatever I order, and I just say no to bread, though this makes me unhappy.

I will keep this up for about another month, I figure and then try to get back to eating good food I love -- in moderation. Expect my outlook and my blog posts to improve at that point. In the meantime, I am planning to bake some catfish to have with a nice brown rice, corn and black bean salad for dinner tonight. That'll give me something healthy to blog about.

The perfect Philadelphia breakfast

Just got back from a visit to the City of Brotherly Love, where I spent six years of my life before moving to Wichita. Philly may be famous for its 1,000-calorie cheesesteaks, but as far as I'm concerned, the quintessential Philadelphia delicacy is a soft pretzel. Covered in yellow mustard. For breakfast. Mmm.

Broccoli is my best friend these days

I'm still subsisting on pretty much just grilled chicken, broccoli and peppers. And for dessert, Weight Watchers yogurt. Once I lose just a few more pounds, I'll start cooking again, I promise.

Sauté zucchini with tomatoes, onion and fresh basil

Yesterday I made my first farmers' market run of 2008. It's early in the summer-- pickings were a little slim. But I bought zucchini, hothouse tomatoes, onions and a fresh basil plant to put in a pot on the patio.

Still trying to eat as right as I can, tonight I used those ingredients to cook up a veggie dish that I figure has three Weightwatcher points per serving. We had this with a nice spinach salad for dinner:

Zucchini, tomatoes and onion sauté

2 cups chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1 cup diced onions
1 clove crushed garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
2 thin slices Italian dry salami

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a sauté pan. Cook onion with crushed garlic clove until onion pieces are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add zucchini and tomatoes. Cut salami slices into small pieces, add to pan. Heat 7 minutes longer. Toss with fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 3.

Summer diet calls for abundance of strawberries

Sorry I've been remiss about my food blog. I've been watching what I eat for about three weeks, just trying to lose a bit of weight, and it's working, though I miss bread, brie, potatoes and Tootsie Rolls.

Fortunately, I can eat all the strawberries I want. Last night for dinner I had a spinach salad with green onions, carrots, cucumber slices, a spritz of fat-free dressing, a handful of imitation crabmeat and a generous pile of strawberries. All of two Watchwatchers points. Summer's a good time to diet. Grilled vegetables with chicken, turkey burgers, salads, salads, salads, all easy to do this time of year.

A few other things I've come to enjoy -- Sargentos 50-calorie low-fat string cheese, 4-ounce containers of Dannon's fat-free yogurt, Propel flavored water, Special K 90-calorie breakfast bars. And strawberries.

You can join Weight Watchers these days without signing on for meetings. The Web site provides recipes, and allows me to keep track of daily menus and exercise. The system provides good motivation to exercise-- going to the gym or taking Bella for a long, long walk is the only way I can rack up extra food points. http://www.weightwatchers.com/.

Quick quesadillas provide meat-free protein

Dave's been cooking a lot lately, and making really delicious, healthy dinners. I'm so grateful; I'm trying to hit the gym before I come home from work, and it is so nice to arrive home after some treadmill time to find something righteous for dinner. One night this week he made pork chops with apricot glaze, and couscous with spinach. Another night he made these excellent quesadillas, which are only about 420 calories per serving. Corn and beans provide plenty of protein and a few minutes under the broiler make these nice and crunchy.

Quesadillas with black beans and corn

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup cilantro (I love cilantro.)
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 8-inch flour tortillas
3/4 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 cup frozen corn
Commercial picante sauce

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, stir and cook for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, cilantro, beans and corn. Cook five minutes. Place tortillas on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Top each tortilla with 1/4 of the bean mixture and 3 tablespoons cheese. Fold in half. Spray tops of tortillas with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes, until tortillas begin to brown. Let cool about 3 minutes before cutting each tortillas into three wedges.

Top with a dollop of salsa. Mmm.

Cheese strata with spinach is easy brunch fare

Sunday brunch is an easy party to have. You have Saturday to shop, Sunday morning to get everything ready. I invited friends from church for brunch today and made blueberry lemon muffins in mini-muffin tins (perfectly bite-sized!) along with this cheese and egg casserole. Very tasty.

Cheese strata with spinach and red pepper

6-8 slices high-fiber whole-grain bread
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup low-fat shredded cheese (a combination of Colby and Monterrey Jack works well)
6 eggs, slightly beaten
1-1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup uncooked spinach leaves
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

Trim crust from bread; place bread in a buttered 11-by-13-inch casserole to cover the bottom of the dish. Brown sausage; drain fat. Add onion and red pepper to skillet with sausage; cook an additional 5 minutes, 'til vegetables are soft. Stir in mustard. Spoon evenly over bread. Top with spinach leaves. Sprinkle with cheese. Combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour over cheese. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes or until set. Serves 8.