June 30, 2013 – Pork tenderloin with Brussels sprouts and couscous

Last week was a confusing eating week. It was really hot, like in the 100’s. Sarah was over a lot because her apartment is not air conditioned. There was Fourth of July and a family party on July 6. All of these things conspired to make it a bad eating week. I also conspired.

So I am just posting a couple of meals from last week.

We kept on intending to have this pork tenderloin. We got it defrosted and decided on a new way of cooking it. Then we kept putting it off because it was too hot and Sarah was not a big fan of the meal idea. We saw a recipe in Cook’s Illustrated where the tenderloins are tied head to tail and grilled. This is supposed to facilitate more even cooking because the thickness is more uniform. I made a pesto-ish thing to put in the middle between the two tenderloins. John cooked it on the grill using indirect heat. By the time the middle was cooked, the pork was dry. Oh, well, the couscous and the Brussels sprouts were good.

Pork tendrloin with couscous and sprouts

Pork tenderloin with couscous and sprouts

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June 27, 2013 – Store-bought chicken with couscous salad

We spent all of Wednesday up in the Napa Valley with our friends from the China trip, Cathy and Brad. We ate at their country club last night. Both John and I had scallops. Yum. Tonight it seemed like way too much trouble to make dinner. It’s also been getting hot and I don’t want to heat up the kitchen. Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store is a fine way to make a quick dinner. We will eat part of the chicken and then save the rest for Friday night at the park. In addition I make some whole wheat couscous and add some vegetables to it that I’ve cut up in very small pieces. The chicken and the couscous are served room temperature.

Store-bought chicken with couscous salad

Store-bought chicken with couscous salad

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June 25, 2013 – Lentils with turkey sausage and vegetables

Tuesday, as you know, is GBOF (giant bowl of food) day. the GBOF we created today was made with lentils, turkey sausage and chilis, onions, mushrooms, carrots, celery, kale, parsley and scallions. Adding all the vegetables makes it possible to eat a GBOF without suffering the consequences of too many calories.

We are off to Wine Country tomorrow to spend the day and overnight with friends that we met on our trip to China. It is always difficult to eat properly in Wine Country what with the wine and good food. Especially if one is not motivated to do so. Here’s hoping I don’t have a busted motivator.

Lentils and turkey sausage GBOF

Lentils and turkey sausage GBOF

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June 24, 2013 – Chicken Monday

My original thought was to change Chicken Monday into Shrimp Monday. I thought a little change up might be good for my dieting psyche. But when push came to shove, I just couldn’t go without chicken on Monday. I had a couple of baking potatoes so decided to make a lo-cal version of mashed potatoes with some faux butter and a little milk. They came out quite yummy. It’s important to remember, though, if you want potatoes to taste like anything, salt the cooking water heavily. Then add salt to taste as you mash them. The green beans were made with some mushrooms and sage and John pan-roasted the chicken. We had our usual lo-cal chicken gravy from a packet and tossed in a few mushrooms. This was a very delicious dinner. A dish of blueberries was for dessert.

Pan-roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans

Pan-roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans

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June 20, 2013 – Shrimp tacos

Well, here it is Thursday and I haven’t posted anything since Sunday. However, that doesn’t mean I’ve been on the eat-nothing diet. Let me think about the week…Monday, BBQ chicken, leftover potato salad and Texas caviar; Tuesday – trofie with pesto; Wednesday, John worked and we went to the Fish Market for dinner where I had broiled scallops, parsley potatoes and roasted vegetables. So it hasn’t been a great week but it hasn’t been terrible either. I remain excellent in breakfast and lunch choices.

Today we made shrimp tacos. John cooked the shrimp and I prepared the sides. We had reheated rice combo that we ate with cod last week and I made an arugula and cilantro salad with a yogurt and salsa dressing.

Shrimp tacos with Mexican rice combo and arugula and cilantro salad

Shrimp tacos with Mexican rice combo and arugula and cilantro salad

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June 16, 2013 – Happy Father’s Day

Today we celebrated John. Sarah was at our house for a breakfast of bagels and a German BBQ main meal. She brought along John’s favorite beers. Since John was grilling our chicken sausages, I felt that I should make something. I decided to make German potato salad. I found a recipe on the internet and improved it by using less oil. There is no mayonnaise in German potato salad. We also had sauerkraut and some crusty bread.

Chicken sausages, sauerkraut, and German potato salae

Chicken sausages, sauerkraut, and German potato salad

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June 15, 2014 – Cafe Lucia

On Saturday we drove Sarah up to Healdsburg to attend a wedding. While she was enjoying the wedding and reception, we ate at Cafe Lucia, a Portuguese restaurant in Healdsburg. John had tripe and bacalhau and I had scallops and a vegetable plate with polenta. John’s liked his tripe but found the bacalhau dry and salty. My scallops were yummy but the vegetable plate, especially the shredded collards, was way too salty. So not a great dining experience.

Mmmm, John's tripe

Mmmm, tripe


John's dry and salty bacahlau

John’s dry and salty bacahlau


My delicious chorizo crusted scallops

My delicious chorizo crusted scallops

My way too salty vegetables with polenta

My way too salty vegetables with polenta

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June 10, 2013 – Chicken Monday

Tonight we have pan roasted chicken breasts, mashed butternut squash and green beans with mushrooms and sage. Also chicken gravy. We are getting ready to go home so we are trying to use up all the stuff we have in the refrigerator. That’s the reason for the fancy green beans tonight. They also taste really good. It’s Monday. It’s chicken. What more can I say.

Pan roasted chicken with butternut squash and green beans with mushrooms and sage

Pan roasted chicken with butternut squash and green beans with mushrooms and sage

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June 9, 2013 – Seared (!) scallops on collard greens and fresh corn with steamed new potatoes

Last night we ate at the Club. It was not good. Butter basted monkfish was tasteless and ill-portioned. The quinoa and lentil “risotto” was not risotto. It was mush. It is too bad that we have to spend a minimum amount there each quarter. We need to go back to just ordering steak and potatoes. That they can do.

So on Sunday we have a reprise of the scallop dinner that we had on Thursday. I ask John to get a better sear on the scallops. He is afraid he might overcook them. He tries using a different pan which is not non-stick. The results are spectacular. The scallops are nicely seared and perfectly cooked. The collards and corn are great. The steamed new potatoes are also very tasty.

Seared! scallops on collards and corn with steamed new potatoes

Seared! scallops on collards and corn with steamed new potatoes

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June 7, 2013 – Curried shrimp on brown rice with broccoli

We decide to try a new recipe. A couple of weeks ago we made shrimp with banana sauce. It was not a success. This time we try shrimp with a coconut curry sauce. It is also not a success.

Our dish turns out unbalanced. The lite coconut milk curry sauce seems thin and, duh, lacking fat. Plus I put in some fresno chilis that really overpower the shrimp. Mostly it just tastes hot. While we will never attempt the shrimp with banana sauce again, maybe this one will improve with a little tweaking. Some days I am just sick of eating the usual repertoire and need something new and exotic.

Coconut curried shrimp, brown rice and broccoli

Coconut curried shrimp, brown rice and broccoli

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