400-calorie dinners (i)

I'm still counting calories.  (Nice to know one can stick with something for longer than a couple of weeks, isn't it?)  What have I learned so far?

400 calories, or more specifically, 400 high-quality, nutritious calories, is a LOT of food.

Here are a few 400(ish) calorie dinners we've enjoyed these past few days:

Indonesian Sweet Potato and Cabbage Soup from Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers.  What did this soup recipe teach me?  Sometimes soup for supper is enough.  (Especially when the soup is loaded with healthy veggies, filling sweet potatoes, pungent spices, and creamy peanut butter!)  I had a hard time finishing all 397 calories worth of this spicy, creamy goodness in one sitting!

In my opinion, there is definitely room for a slice (or two) of pizza even when you're eating healthfully!  How?  I've managed to keep my homemade pizzas around 200 calories a slice by making my own (half whole-wheat) crust, by limiting the amount of cheese I use to 8 ounces, and going heavy on the veggies as toppings.  Lately, I just cannot get enough green olives on pizza -- what's your favorite pizza topping?

The most filling 400ish calorie dinner I've made to date: Baked Barley Risotto with Butternut Squash!    Incredibly, I enjoyed this delicious risotto almost three hours ago, and I'm still comfortably full!  John adored this dish as well, since he loves butternut squash, greens, and cheese, the three main ingredients in this recipe, and the creamy, starchy, soft and comforting texture reminded him of one of his favorite meals, mac and cheese.

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Okay, so, maybe this whole calorie-counting thing isn't as awful as I originally thought . . . I'm really enjoying the meal-planning aspect, and have been finding tons of new recipes to try!  What new recipes/techniques/ingredients have you tried recently?

"chicken" risotto

I used the rest of the Chicken of the Woods mushrooms last night to make a very tasty risotto:



So delicious! I followed a very basic risotto recipe, rehydrating some dried mushrooms in the hot vegetable broth, before chopping them finely and adding them back in to the nearly finished risotto. The Chicken of the Woods were the bright-orange star, of course, and we all loved this (including Dan's brother, who stopped by to collect his CSA, and decided to stay for dinner!) The mushrooms were less "chickeny" this time, I believe because they stayed much more moist in the risotto than the ones on the pizza did -- either way, it was an interesting texture.

Hooray for wild edibles!

baking and dinners

Courtney and I got together for another baking party this past Saturday! We made two delicious things:

1. Maple-Pecan Snack Cake:

We veganized a glazed maple cake recipe from Cooking Light for this treat -- sweetened naturally with maple syrup, full of whole-grain pastry flour, and just plain tasty!

2. Carrot-Spelt Mini Muffins:

This is Courtney's own recipe, and a great one! The muffins remind me somewhat of loaded bran muffins -- dark, rich, moist, with tons of raisins, carrots, and other good stuff. (Also, sweetened naturally with agave and stuck together with some flax and applesauce!)

I've also made a couple of exciting dinners this week. Sunday Night:

TACOS! Homemade tortillas (I pressed, Dan cooked,) homemade refried beans (from my freezer,) grape tomatoes, greens, Monterey Jack cheese, tofutti sour cream, tomatillo salsa, a squirt of sriracha (Dan only,) and chips and guac on the side. YUMMMMMMMMMMM-UM!

Tonight:

A mushroom-barley risotto (from Eating Well,) loaded with TONS of arugula. Baked sweet potato on the side.

Happy eating, everyone!

risotto = yum

Dinner tonight:

"Risi e Bisi" (i.e., rice and peas,) made risotto-style. I only make risotto like, once a year, but I'm not quite sure why -- it tastes so darn spectacular!

Has anybody had any luck making a brown rice risotto?

kitty, avocado, risotto, waffles, muffins . . .

First, the Oliver update:

I bought a bunch of new toys for Oliver at the pet store the other day, and he is in love with this catnip-filled sock. He totes it around the apartment like a security blanket, and cradles it between his paws while he sniffs and licks at it. Silly cat.


Also, while Oliver has not warmed to Dan yet, he is improving. While he does typically hide most of the time while Dan is here, Oliver has also moved towards sitting somewhat near Dan on the couch, while looking incredibly irritated, meowing in protest, and occasional hissing. I'm starting to wonder whether this is all for show!


AND NOW . . . on to the food!

Teeniest avocado pit I've ever seen:


Last night's dinner: two-mushroom risotto with a balsamic vinegar reduction drizzled over the top. YUM.


This morning's breakfast: homemade waffles (half AP flour, half whole wheat pastry flour,) with peanut butter and real maple syrup, and a side of kumquats. Dan bought these for me to try . . . and I tried them . . . and I don't much care for them. (Yet! I hear they are an acquired taste. Not giving up on the kumquats yet!)


And, last but not least . . . what to do with three nearly-black bananas? Well, make banana-oat muffins, of course!


And that's all, folks. For now, anyhow!