What's on your plate?

[lylysa]

Hello there, ladies and gents!

Keeping in line with all the fun and interactive threads asking about your most recent halls, items you have your eyes on, what you're currently wearing, what's your hair routine, and more, I've decide to branch out and ask:

"What's on your plate?"

The beauty world doesn't just stop at skin care and cosmetics, it also goes hand in hand with your overall health and well-being, so with that, I'm curious to see what we're all chowing down and snacking on be it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, or inbetween!

For those with apps that help count calories or to those who just want to keep a log, here's a place to share, possibly find and share some recipes, and even tips on maintaining a balanced diet.

Don't just share food items, but even drinks! I'm a huge fan of tea and at least have a cup of green tea a day (anti-oxidants) and drink plenty of water.

For lunch today, I had:

-Brown rice

-Steamed egg

-Steamed red snapper with green onion, sesame oil, and black pepper

-Gai lan (it's a type of Chinese vegetable/greens)

Now, tell me, Beauty Talk world, what do you have? 😄

[DiVWA]

What????? never tried a parsnip??????????? LOL

There are good and bad parsnips, just as there are good and bad people. Some parsnips I've gotten from grocery stores are sort of gross--limp with discolored skins. Parsnips are a lot like carrots in how they look (except parsnips are white) and in how they can go limp and have discolored skins and whatnot. TJ's parsnips are so nice and clean and firm and just perfect!

Always try to choose parsnips that aren't too thick, because, like carrots, if they're too thick then the center tends to be woody. (I think the woody parts of thick carrots end up being those "baby" carrots, which really aren't babies at all!) I tend to look through TJ's various bagged parsnips to find a bag that has more of the skinnier ones.

Parsnips taste a little bit sweet and sort of like carrot. I usually don't peel my carrots but I do peel my parsnips because the peel can be slightly bitter. You can cook parsnips the way you cook carrots--steam, roast, etc.

No new recipes. We tried the fried-onion polenta and it was most divine. My husband made polenta for last Polenta Friday and he used fried bacon. Either of these add-ins is so yummy --if you've been scared off even slightly by my polenta recipe, try adding bacon or fried onion.

[EvangelineDamon]

Mmmmm....you've just sold me on the parsnip.

I want my dad and I to start eating healthier in the new year and having more vegetables on our plates.

Are parsnips vegetables?

I would rather meet a bad parsnip than another bad person.

I just came across a dirty parsnip joke but I cannot share it, so here is a PG rated one. 

Spoiler

 One day two parsnips, who were best friends, were walking together down the street.

They stepped off the curb and a speeding car came around the corner and ran one of them over.

The uninjured parsnip called 911 and helped his injured friend as best he was able.

The injured parsnip was taken to emergency at the hospital and rushed into surgery.

After a long and agonizing wait, the doctor finally appeared.

He told the uninjured parsnip, "I have good news, and I have bad news.

The good news is that your friend is going to pull through."

"The bad news is that he's going to be a vegetable for the rest of his life".

I imagine you can use this one with any vegetable..

[lylysa]

Bwahahaha! Love it!

[jozkid]

So bad it's good! 😄

[DiVWA]

Yes a parsnip is a vegetable.

My absolutely favorite vegetable =

Spoiler

Leafy greens. No, not spinach (which has oxalic acid in it that I try to avoid) but other leafy greens--kale, curly endive, chard, collards, etc. I used to make green smoothies every morning that had one leafy green in it with one fruit. But then I got super tired of the green smoothies. 

But for several years, for lunch almost every day, I eat a leafy green. Aside from the stronger ones like collards and mustard greens, most leafy greens can be eaten raw; I slice them thinly and then massage them with some olive oil. I put practically anything on top of my massaged leafy greens-- a protein of some sort (meat or egg or salmon), some other veggies (precooked or raw), some fruit (berries are particularly good), etc. I sometimes cook my leafy greens if other veggies I'm going to use need cooking anyway (like cauliflower, broccoli, etc.). But leaving the massaged greens raw and adding cooked items on top is fine because even if the leafy greens wilt, all is okay.

I try to make it so that my lunches are like this (with leafy greens, protein, other veggies, maybe berries) so that I don't have to eat a bunch of veggies for dinner (if I don't want to).

[jozkid]

Living in New England, my husband and I are staunch believers in the glory of the parsnip! 😄

[DiVWA]

LOL "glory?" How do you like to cook your parsnips, jozkid?

[jozkid]

I hate to admit it, but my husband does pretty much all the cooking in our house because of my crazy work hours. So, having said that, he usually will throw them into a stew or with a roast or into a crock pot. Or he will sometimes julienne them and saute. I find them to be very sweet myself. My kids are less than enthusiastic about them, however. They only know for chicken nuggets. What can ya say? 😄

[DiVWA]

Don't feel bad that your husband cooks, especially with your crazy hours. Cooking is a bit of experimentation and an art form too, and, unfortunately, for some people it's not second nature.

[DiVWA]

Today is "Polenta" Friday so I made my standard butternut-squash "polenta" recipe but added in some chopped carmelized onion.

[DiVWA]

Homemade pizza. Toppings were slightly sweetened tomato/BBQ sauce, thinly sliced fresh organic mushrooms, thinly sliced red onions, fresh organic arugala leaves, slices of Trader Joe's turkey-cranberry sausage, and fresh organic cranberries (unsweetened). 

[EvangelineDamon]

nom nom nom nom....

That looks awesome.

Did you make the dough yourself?

We had pizza too, but it was from the Sausage Factory on Castro

The only place I get pizza in the city...

If any of you head out to San Francisco, two things can happen, I can either take you here or you can find it yourself!

[DiVWA]

MMMMMMMMMMM

Yes I did make the dough. It's a bit like a cracker -- thin and crispy. Flour- and gluten-free.

[EvangelineDamon]

Recipe...please

I know somebody who is super gluten free and she loves pizza...

[DiVWA]

I have several gluten-free pizza crusts. My favorite one (taste wise) uses eggplant but I apparently don't have it typed up (just have the copy from a recipe book). This crust is more involved anyway and I don't recall if it can be eaten like normal pizza (with hands) or if it can't handle a lot of toppings.

The one I've been making lately uses tapioca flour (or starch), which I have quite a bit of because of having to buy it off Lucky Vitamin in a larger (10# !) bag. The only brand of tapioca flour/starch I can get locally is Bob's Red Mill, and the recipe writer says that brand is dirt awful. The brand I use is Now Foods. Here's the recipe:

Spoiler

Pizza Crust – crunchy tapioca flour                             makes approx 14-inch pizza crust

1 cup tapioca flour or starch (any brand but Bob’s Red Mill)

1/4 cup potato flour or starch

Small amount of ground flaxseed, set aside

1/3 cup filtered water plus additional for getting right consistency

1 teaspoon powdered gelatin (e.g., Knox brand)

1 slightly beaten egg

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for pan

Italian seasoning to taste (or other dried seasoning(s))

Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a one-half sheet baking pan with some olive oil.

In a large bowl, stir together tapioca flour, potato flour, dried seasonings, and salt.

In another bowl, sprinkle the powdered gelatin over the water. Add egg and oil, and whisk to combine.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir until combined. The consistency will be like thick sticky peanut butter. Add additional water (in small amounts) until the consistency is runnier, like frosting that is a little runny. If too much water has been added, then add a little bit of ground flaxseed for the right consistency. The dough will still be sticky.

Lay dough onto greased pan and spread it around with a frosting spatula or palette knife until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Be sure there are no holes.

Prebake the crust until it is crispy and slightly brown (it doesn’t really brown much), about 20 to 22 minutes. Large bubbles may develop (from the gelatin) which is okay. Remove from the oven and loosen the crust from the pan with a spatula.

While crust is prebaking, make tomato sauce and prepare toppings. If the crust is done before the sauce and topping preparation are complete, turn off the oven. Once sauce and toppings are almost complete, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake crust containing sauce and toppings for about 25 minutes.

Suggested sauce: heat in a small pan 6 oz can tomato paste, diluted with some water but still pretty thick, seasoned with dry seasonings like Italian seasoning, and condiments like Worcestershire sauce, smoke flavoring, etc.

Suggested toppings (all thinly sliced): raw red onion; raw mushrooms; roasted red bell pepper; Italian salami; pepperoni; pepperoncinis; black olives; canned artichoke hearts; etc. Be sure wetter ingredients or ingredients that emit moisture (such as mushrooms, artichoke hearts, roasted red bell, olives, etc.) are placed on top of the sauce, and leave drier ingredients (such as onions and meats) for applying to the very top of the pizza.

Adapted from recipe in Primal Cravings book.

[EvangelineDamon]

Thank you very much, sweet DiVWA.

[vegchililover78]

Totally not all I had to eat for dinner...

[DiVWA]

Yummmmm.  Are you sure this wasn't your whole dinner? 😉 Not that I could blame you...

[vegchililover78]

These things are too good! 

[DiVWA]

Homemade plantain chips. Some seasoned with smoked chipotle chili powder and salt; others seasoned with garlic powder, smoked paprika powder and salt; a few seasoned with ground cinnamon powder and salt.

[EvangelineDamon]

How interesting.

Those look and sound very tasty..

In Puerto Rico, we have a few ways to prepare platanos (plantains.).

Tostones are so delicious. I used to watch my grandmother (Nana) make them and fortunately, she's taught me many of her recipes before she passed away this year.

There's salty versions, sweet ones and even garlic-y ones..

Both of these recipes are from online. One of these days, I'll break out my Cocina Criolla cookbook..

Spoiler

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Place the plantains in the oil and fry on both sides; approximately 3 1/2 minutes per side.
2. Remove the plantains from the pan and flatten the plantains by placing a plate over the fried plantains and pressing down.
3. Dip the plantains in water, then return them to the hot oil and fry 1 minute on each side. Salt to taste and serve immediately.

Garlic

Spoiler

• Peel the plantains and cut them into 1-inch thick disks. Place the garlic in a bowl with the water and set aside.
• Heat enough oil in a large skillet so that the disks will be half way submerged in the oil. When the oil is shiny and a drop of water sizzles across the top, add the plantains. Fry for 3-5 minutes on each side until the plantains are lightly softened and browned. Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate.
• Place the plantains on a cutting board, smash with the back of a wooden spoon to make them half as thick, and let them soak in the garlic water for about a minute.
• Remove, dab them dry and wipe off garlic pieces so they don't burn, and return to the frying pan. Fry for another 2-3 minutes on each side or until they take on a deep golden color and a crispy texture. Drain again on paper towels, sprinkle with ground sea salt, and serve with rice and beans.