Mission: Healthy(er) Meals

mathmom
Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:13:32 +0000

My favorite easy cooking method is to take my pork chop, my piece of steak, my chicken breast coat it with salt and pepper and some spices and saute it in a little butter or olive oil. Then when it’s cooked take a little wine or juice, saute some onions or mushrooms,or some fruit and serve the meat topped with the sauce. The combination of spices can take you to Italy, France, North Africa, Mexico your choice…

I serve every meal with a separate vegetable and a big salad. Rice, potatoes or bread are rarities.

Alternatively, I often cook British style curries. Sometimes I follow recipes, but often I just do what my Mom did. You start with curry powder (or a mix of cumin, coriander, cardomom, cinnamon, tumeric and cayenne chili powder in proportions that appeal to you) that you saute with some onions and garlic (and ginger if you like it). Add tomatoes, a potato, cubed meat. Cover with water and cook till the meat is tender. Serve on rice. My Mom used to also have chopped bananas, chopped nuts, chutney and maybe some cucumber. Later I learned about raitas (fruits or vegetables in a yogurt sauce).

For a vegetarian option if you can find paneer cheese it’s much lower calorie than European cheeses and it’s great with spinach and curry spices. I also really like cauliflower and chickpeas and curry spices.