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the underwear diet

shaved asparagus and pine nut salad

March 19, 2014
somethin' on the side, the underwear diet
4 Comments

With these 40- and 50-degree days, I am getting ready for spring. This salad takes advantage of crisp, raw asparagus, both shaved with a vegetable peeler and thinly sliced for both texture and presentation. Served alongside stewed chicken to lighten the fare.

1 bunch asparagus (the thicker the stalks, the better)
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup pecorino, shaved (using a vegetable peeler)
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel and discard the rough, bottom inch or two of the asparagus stalks.
2. Peel half the asparagus stalks over a bowl. Do not peel the tips: leave them whole.
3. Thinly slice the other half of the asparagus on a bias, again, leaving the tips intact.
4. Add pine nuts (I left them raw out of sheer laziness, but feel free to toast), shaved pecorino, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Gently toss to combine.

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flourless black bean brownies

March 10, 2014
sweet thang, the underwear diet, yup. i bake now.
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I used this recipe from Whole Foods. Changes I made: subbing coconut oil for butter, going just shy of 1/2 cup for the sugar, omitting the walnuts, increasing chocolate chips to just under 1 cup (mixed in the batter and sprinkled on top). Overall, not bad for a brownie made with black beans. Slightly grainy in texture, and a little too cakey for my taste. Plus, they stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Next time, I will under-bake, and consider swapping mashed banana for the sugar. Perhaps will omit eggs and use a ground flaxseed slurry to make it vegan (with the coconut oil). Needs work.

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raw broccoli and grape salad

March 9, 2014
somethin' on the side, the underwear diet
1 Comment

Served alongside crispy avocado fries, and adapted from this recipe for Broccoli Carpaccio with Grapes and Watercress, from Food & Wine magazine. Bright, tangy, crisp. Got leftovers? Just stir it all together and the broccoli will soften slightly and make for a great lunch the next day.

For the dressing:
3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt (not Greek–you want it to be thin enough to drizzle)
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the salad:
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 cup seedless red grapes
1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

1. To make the dressing, combine all ingredients and set aside.
2. For the salad, thinly slice broccoli florets and arrange on 4 plates or a large platter.
3. Cut half of the grapes in half, and then divide among the plates, or scatter on top of the platter.
4. Sprinkle the salad with seeds, and then drizzle with the dressing.

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avocado fries with chipotle aioli

March 6, 2014
appeteaser, the main event, the underwear diet
3 Comments

The ultimate healthy TV dinner. I served this with a raw broccoli and grape salad (recipe to follow).

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2 avocados, sliced
1 cup all-purpose flour (can use gluten-free all-purpose flour)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs (substitute with gluten-free to make it, well, gluten-free)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain, non-fat yogurt (or Greek yogurt)
3 chipotles in adobo, roughly chopped, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce (feel free to scale down or up, depending on how spicy you like it; this makes it pretty spicy but not overpowering)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Set up a breading station: Combine flour with salt and pepper and place on a plate. Beat the eggs in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Combine breadcrumbs with salt and pepper and place on another plate.
3. Dredge the avocado slices in flour, then shake off excess and dip in the egg mixture. Allow excess egg to drip off before dipping in the breadcrumbs.
4. Place breaded avocado slices on a baking sheet.
5. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
6. Make the aioli by combining mayonnaise, yogurt, chipotles, and adobo sauce. Season with salt, to taste.

Generously serves 2 hungry people.

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Notes: Very tasty, but next time try a shallow fry in oil, which will lend tremendous flavor to the breadcrumbs.

miso chicken soup with shiitakes and snow peas

March 4, 2014
the main event, the underwear diet
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This is ridiculously easy, and can be altered in many ways. Don’t feel like making the broth? Use store-bought chicken or vegetable broth instead. Are you vegan? Omit the chicken altogether, or replace with tempeh or tofu, and omit the fish sauce. Feel free to substitute the shiitakes with any other mushroom, or the snow peas with snap peas. Don’t like miso? Well, that ingredient I suggest not to mess with; it adds a sweet-salty, mild “funk” that is hard to achieve with other products. If you follow a gluten-free diet, choose a miso paste made with soy beans and/or rice (not barley; they even make miso out of chickpeas!), and use Tamari soy sauce, which is made without wheat.

2 quarts Thai-inspired chicken broth
1/2 cup white miso
1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 chicken breasts, shredded (reserved from the Thai-inspired chicken broth)
8 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced (tops only)
9 oz snow peas, thinly sliced
Sriracha, for garnish (optional, but recommended)

1. Bring Thai-inspired chicken broth to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low.
2. Stir in white miso, fish sauce, and soy sauce.
3. Add chicken, shiitake mushrooms and snow peas and cook for about 5 minutes, or until heated through.
4. Garnish with sriracha, if you feel so inclined (and you should).

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