Nouvelle Soul….Oven Fried Catfish Nuggets and Spaghetti Squash

Currently in Chicago its that time of year for food festivals like Taste of Chicago, and family picnics/cookouts. In the Black(or to be politically correct African American) community one will find the usual standard fare of rib tips,burgers, hot dogs,potato salad,macaroni salad, some fried chicken or catfish served alongside with a spaghetti dish . It s good eating and tradition . The younger generations may try to infuse some healthier alternatives. I remember when I introduced my family to grilled salmon with a brown sugar teriakye sauce. Its a staple now at every Fourth of July.
I got to thinking about health today, OK ,I always think of it. But when my doctor was concerned with the weight increase in just a year I started reviewing. All in all its work, inactivity, and the food blogging doesn’t help. But I love it. I like to think I eat healthier or at least a more diversified diet than my parents. They were successful professionals who had genetic time bombs ticking away.African Americans have higher rates of heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes . My mother passed away from ovarian cancer at the age of 54 and my father was a diabetic who in the last decade went downhill with strokes, heart attacks, and eventually ended up on dialysis.He developed adult onset diabetes when he moved from Nigeria to the West. Natural diet and sugars to refined processed foods. I was the sole care giver of both parents . Did I mention my step father had Parkinson’s? Lets just say illness has hovered around like a bad penny all my life. Then I read Giz’s story and got to thinking some more.If you haven’t thought about Organ Donation, start.Its a personal subject, but one we can’t ignore.This will impact you one way or another in your lifetime. So here is my entry for Tried ,Tested and True Two.Its my healthier lower fat version of a fried catfish and spaghetti dish. Call it Nouvelle Soul. There is a lot going here with flavors and influences. Certain Someone said it was OK for healthy. He would have preferred the real spaghetti, but he liked it.That’s just him . I thought it was great and full of spice.Of course I added hot sauce to my fish.Enjoy.
Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 3
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 292.6
Total Fat: 10.8 g
Cholesterol: 67.5 mg
Sodium: 299.0 mg
Total Carbs: 23.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.1 g
Protein: 24.3 g

Oven Fried Catfish
1-2 lbs catfish nuggets
1 cup reduced fat milk
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup Panko
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper ground
1 teaspoon chili flakes
Maldon Salt
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1 teaspoon Lemon Pepper
Cooking Spray
Soak catfish for 1/2 -1 hour. In a zip lock bag mix all dry ingredients and spices. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.Take fish and drop in bag. Shake until evenly coated. Place on a baking sheet which has been pre sprayed with the the non stick cooking spray. Bake for approx 30 -45 minutes.
Spaghetti Squash
Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 96.0
Total Fat: 2.6 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 312.6 mg
Total Carbs: 15.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.5 g
Protein: 2.3 g

1 Spaghetti Squash
1 can plum tomatoes
1 bell pepper chopped
1 half cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt
pepper
Italian Seasonings
Pierce the rind of Spaghetti Squash and Microwave 5-6 minutes per pound.Let stand for 5 minutes when complete. Spilt ope length wise and scoop out seeds. Take a fork and scoop out pulp which resembles spaghetti.

In a sauce Pan heat the olive oil. Brown onions and bell pepper, Italian seasonings, and salt/pepper Add crushed plum tomatoes and their juices and lower heat. Cook for approx 20 min.
Toss in spaghetti squash.
If your looking for a nice salad to add your cookout inspired dinner try this.
Basically I took my leftover lean pork loin and tossed with spinach leaves and and cubed sweet potato. The dressing is Rice vinegar, honey, and olive oil.

Toasted Pecan Chipolte Pesto….A Taste of the Mediterranean Event

OK, so this is not so Mediterranean. Antonio is hosting a monthly event devoted to all things of a Mediterranean influence. And he has some great prizes. This months theme was to create a Pesto. The only rules were that it have ground nuts,oil, and cheese. Now this is affordable event for me. With the change of seasons a lot of Bloggers are taking breaks or focusing on lighter foods. If you have noticed I have been a canning binge. I can still cook , but don’t have to eat it all at once. Along this line,condiments fascinate me. So with my pantry ingredients I created this powerful, fragrant pesto that’s burst with flavor!I can also store it the fridge for a few weeks, but by that time it will be gone.I served my pesto up with a simple pan fried chicken breast light;y seasoned, as the pesto would would be the focus. Boy was it good.I’m not a huge nut fan, but I have come to love pecans used in crusts for savory dishes.When you examine the benefits of this nut you can see why Glamah is in love. Vitamin E and anti oxidants! I could double this as facial mask(you can tell I have been in the Cosmetics industry too long).And the big fat cloves of garlic used are known as a antibiotic . So here it is quick and simple.

Toasted Pecan Chipolte Pesto

 

3 oz pecans halves( half a 6 oz bag)
3 large cloves of garlic
1 dried chipolte pepper
4 tablespoons Reggiano cheese
Sea Salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil ( about 1/4-1/2 cup depending on texture)

 

Lightly toast your pecans in a dry saucepan. Because of the high oil content , toss frequently and do not burn.In a spice grinder , grind the chipolte pepper.Add pecans and pulse . Do not turn to a butter. Add Chipoltes and pecan mixture to your blender of food processor. Add cheese and salt to taste. Pour in olive oil gradually and blend, occasionally scrapping down sides, until all is incorporated.Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
A few side notes…

 

Marie over at Proud Italian Cook asked me for my watermelon martini recipe. I made a lot of these last summer for a family party. Due to large size of guests it was the perfect drink as I could pre make my ‘watermelon juice’. The trick is to strain it so your shaker doesn’t get all clogged up. I also used frozen bits to keep it cold. As I have a freezer bag of watermelon this week( also makes great smoothies people!) I came up with this for Marie.This is based for 1 drink.
2 parts frozen or non frozen watermelon
1 part citrus flavored vodka
1 part pomegranate juice( optional or lemon juice if you use regular vodka)
1 part triple sec or Cointreau.
Blend all the ingredients in a blender. Pour in Shaker to strain as you pour into chilled martini glasses.
And last but not least…

Swati of Sugar Craft India gave me this award. I admit I’m horrible with the award and meme thing. I know I have let some go unanswered ,but I truly appreciated it. I’m more of a voyeur than doer. If you haven’t seen Swati’s blog check her out. Shes amazing and I wish Certain Someone would suggest we fly to India to visit this amazing woman so I can take some classes from the Sugar Craft Master!Please honey? Anyway Swati says I make her day and I just want all of you to know you make Mine!So consider this award passed on to all of you fun, bright , creative people.

Figuring It Out Myself…Bok Choy and Squid Soup

This weekend I totally hibernated. I had some events projects to work on.In my perusal of blogs I noticed one of my favorites Jen had a link to recipe calculator. I always wondered how people calculated the nutritional information especially if they made up the recipe themselves, like I always do.Most of us has seen thinner days and watch what we eat. However in shunning packaged processed foods, I have only a vague idea of what I’m really getting.So I decided to play around. On Sundays I like to a make a big pot of something to eat off all day. But I wasn’t really hungry. I had some leftover frozen squid defrosting in the fridge . I immediately though of a light soup to go with some Bok Choy I purchases. My veggie box is postponed until tomorrow due to my travelling. Squid was cheap and low fat, so why not? Plus Certain Someone doesn’t return until tomorrow.Here is a link to this great site called Sparks Recipes. You can share or keep your recipes private. But the Nutritional tool is invaluable.
Ingredients
2 cups shredded Bok Choy

Squid( cleaned and sliced) and its tentacles

1 tsp olive oil

1 cup chicken broth( homemade preferably but if not a low sodium one)

2 tbsp white vinegar

Chili Pepper Flakes

3 cloves minced garlic

1 can whole Tomatoes

1 tsp salt

3 cups of water

Wilt Bok Choy in a pot with olive oil. Add garlic.Add tomatoes with juice and chicken broth.Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Add squid which has been sliced into rings,spices( chili pepper flakes, cayenne pepper,) salt.Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.Number of Servings: 6

Nutrition Facts
Bok Choy and Squid Soup
Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories
85.7
Total Fat
3.0 g

Saturated Fat
0.5 g

Polyunsaturated Fat
0.5 g

Monounsaturated Fat
1.7 g
Cholesterol
110.1 mg
Sodium
623.9 mg
Potassium
336.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate
6.2 g

Dietary Fiber
0.8 g

Sugars
2.5 g
Protein
9.3 g
Vitamin A
22.5 %
Vitamin B-12
10.2 %
Vitamin B-6
5.9 %
Vitamin C
27.2 %
Vitamin D
0.0 %
Vitamin E
5.5 %
Calcium
4.6 %
Copper
48.2 %
Folate
2.2 %
Iron
6.5 %
Magnesium
6.8 %
Manganese
5.8 %
Niacin
8.1 %
Pantothenic Acid
3.8 %
Phosphorus
12.2 %
Riboflavin
13.8 %
Selenium
30.7 %
Thiamin
3.2 %
Zinc
5.7 %
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Black Irish Cake…St Paddy’s Day Pub Crawl Event

This cake is a tasty, yummy, mess of a cake .

Emiline over at Sugar Plum has come up with a great event in honor of St. Patrick’s Day! She has challenged us to come up with either sweet or savory dishes incorporating booze.Immediately I conceptualized a Black Irish Cake. A Black Irish Cake is a chocolate cake with mashed potatoes( hey it works!) soaked in 3 boozes( Baileys Irish Creme,Chocolate Liqueur, and Whiskey) in a riff of a Tres Leches Cake. Are you feeling me?

I remember reading about cakes made with mashed potatoes so it would be perfect for a Irish themed cake. I basically followed this recipe. However she used no dairy, and I added left over evaporated milk to the mashed potatoes( no more than 1/4 of a cup) and it turned out fine .You can use your own chocolate cake recipe and experiment.

I really wanted to use my authentic Feckin Irish Whiskey that was signed by the maker, but we agreed not to open the bottle.So I purchased some Jack Daniels instead along with some Baileys Irish Creme.

Black Irish Cake

1 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of evaporated milk
1 cup of Baileys Irish Cream
1/2 cup of whiskey
1/4- 1/2 cup of Chocolate Liqueur

Whipped Cream Topping (make your own with heavy cream , confectioners sugar,vanilla, etc. or cheat and buy a Non Dairy Whipped Topping. I used a Wilton Whipped Topping Mix).

Make your cake in a dish that you will serve the cake in. I used a 81/2 by 81/2 Plexiglas dish. I had leftover batter so I made 12 cupcakes as well to serve in individual ramekins. Take cake out of oven.Pierce all over. While still warm drizzle cake with Whiskey and Chocolate Liqueur.In a blender mix heavy cream,evaporated milk, and Baileys. Pour this cream mixture over warm cake. It may take several attempts for the liquids to sink into the cake.I still had leftover cream, but I soaked three times. Let cake cool, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for several hours until chilled.If you have leftover cream and you feel the cake can take on more liquid, add it. Top off with Whipped Topping and serve.

Be sure to let it set well. I cut mine after a few hours, but it could have chilled some more to hold some shape.For a more perfect presentation serve it up in the individual ramekins. Regardless the flavors merge well and it gives you a sweet light light headed feeling. Certain Someone declared it was rich!

* Warning: Don’t eat this and operate heavy machinery or drive.

Avoiding The Dark Side

Today was one of those days where I craved a pack of cigarettes and a drink or two. Bad for me I know, but I’m under a tremendous amount of stress right now. The past few weeks I have been fighting to retain my job or land a new one in our restructured company. To say we are all on edge is an understatement. I got to thinking about stress and its consequences. I saw all to well what stress did to cut my parents life short. How does this relate to food you ask? Well I have always been a green tea fan. I love to buy the gunpowder green tea pellets in China Town for cheap prices. I have been seeing Matcha pop up in blogs all over. Primarily it’s been used for dessert in the food blog world. Another dessert is not what I need right now, no matter how tempting. I ordered a tiny can from ITO EN in New York City. This stuff is expensive and so precious. I am not familiar with the tea ceremonies and rituals and accoutrement that go with it, but judging by the price no wonder it’s revered! Before I plunge into ways to use it, a little voice said wrap up the crazy day with some stress reducing cup of Matcha.My mother always told me trust my instincts. I feel those stress busting anti oxidants plugging away.