Vegan Tostada

VEGAN TOSTADAS 4 Lentil crisps, Fresh-baked 1 cup Alfalfa srpouts, or broccoli sprouts ½ avocado, mashed 1 roma tomato, finely chopped ⅛ tsp. salt pepper, or cholula hot sauce Servings/Yield: 2 servings | 4 tostadas Difficulty:

1.Place 2 crisps on each plate: 2.Layer on top: mashed avocado, salt, sprouts, tomatoes 3.sprinkle: with cracked pepper and/or hot sauce Source Marie Dufour Rd Categories Ⓒ Low Cholesterol Ⓒ Vegetarian Ⓚ Crisp Ⓚ tostada Cuisine Latin American

Lentil Crisps

Lentil crisps   1cups lentil sprouts, 4-day sprouts ¼ cup almonds, 1 day soaked, peeled ¼ cup hazelnuts, 1 day soaked, peeled ½ cup garbanzo beans, cooked, canned 1 tbsp. sesame seeds 1.5 tbsp. Olive oil ¼ teaspoon salt 1.5 tbsp. Rice milk ½ teaspoons chili powder   Servings/Yield: 2 servings | 4 crisps Rating:  Difficulty:

1.Preparation: Pour all ingredients into a blender or food processor. Grind until you get a thick paste. 2.Spread onto a cookie sheet into a 2mm thickness. Press a round biscuit cutter (or inverted class or cup) to make 4 discs.: 3.Bake : Bake in the oven at 250 for an hour. Turn the oven off. Let cool in the oven. Save in a hermetic container.   Source Marie Dufour Rd Categories Ⓒ Breads Ⓚ Crisp Ⓚ lentil Ⓚ vegan Ⓚ almond Cuisine European : Mediterranean

Shrimp Belize   12 Shrimp, skin on 2 teaspoons ginger, Chopped 1 cloves, garlic, chopped 1 roma tomato, chopped 1 green onions, chopped 1.5 oz. white rum, (1 shot) salt Pepper 2 tablespoons Olive oil 1 tablespoon Seasame seeds   Servings/Yield: 2 servings | 12 shrimps

1.In a skillet: heat up olive oil, saute ginger and garlic. 2.Add shrimp: and saute on both sides. Add tomatoes, cook 3 min. 3.Pour rum and flambe.: Add chopped scallions. 4.Salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with sesame seeds.:   Source Marie Dufour Rd Cuisine Latin American

June 14, 2010 -
Marajo Island, Brazil

I first taste a "Salade Chouchoute" in the Seychelles. The sweetness of the coconut milk paired with the acidity of the lime juice gives the rather bland chayote an interesting aspect. Blanching (boiling for 1 minute) the chayote removes the unpleasant starchy taste. Paired with a mango, this makes a very refreshing vegetarian salad.

• 1 chayote
• 1 mango
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Peel the chayote and grate it.

Bring 1 quart of water to a rolling boil. Blanch the chayote for 1 minute. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Let cool in the refrigerator.

Peel a mango and slice it. Refrigerate.

Prepare the dressing: mix together the coconut milk, olive oil and lime juice. Add salt an pepper to taste. Toss the chayote in.

Dress 2 plates, each with 1/2 a mango, fanned, and 1/2 of the chayote salad.

Categories:

30 Minute, Basic, High Fiber, Low Calorie, Low Cholesterol, Salads, Simple

Keywords:

Chayote, chouchoute, salad, mango

 

NUTRITION FACTS

Servings: 2

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 176

• Total Fat: 9.90g
• Cholesterol: --
• Sodium: 5mg
• Total Carbs: 23.23g
•     Dietary Fiber: 3.62g
•     Sugars: 17.13g
• Protein: 1.69g

Fish Rillettes

We have been lucky on board DOMINO and have caught a lot of fish: yellow fin tuna, skipjack, dorado. We also find ourselves hosting "happy hour" on the aft deck. A refreshing appetizer is this fish rillette that we spread on crackers or on DOMINO bread. The rillettes will keep in the refrigerator 2 to 3 weeks. I haven't frozen any yet, but I think it's worth a try.
Keep in mind that 1 pound of fish will give you enough to make appetizers for 20 guests!

• 500 grams fish
• 1 onion
• 1 clove clove
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 leaf bay leaf
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tablespoons tomato paste
• 100 grams cheavy cream
• 100 milliliters coconut milk
• ¼ teaspoon saffron
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon piment d'Espelette
• ½ teaspoon wasabi
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

In a large pot, boil 2 liters of water with the onion stabbed with the clove, garlic, bay leaf, lime juice and tomato paste. Bring to a rolling boil. Add the fish. Bring back to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Let cool in the broth. Clean the fish of all remaining skin and bones.

In a large bowl, place the pieces of fish, well separated by hand. Add the cream, coconut milk, wasabi, saffron, ginger, salt and pepper. Grossly mix all the ingredients with a plunger-mixer or food processor. Take care to keep some texture to the mix. Avoid over-mixing. Adjust salt, pepper and coconut milk to taste.

Place in a container and refrigerate for 12 hours before serving.

Notes:

NOTE TO THE FISHERMAN --- I usually keep the best of the fish to grill or freeze. I'm always left with odd pieces: tail ends or raggedy head ends. If the day has been good, I'm likely to have a variety of fish: white or red tuna, wahoo, Cero, or dorado. I throw all the odd pieces in the broth, skin, bones and all and let them boil for 10 minutes. All I have to do then is retrieve the flesh and add the cream and seasonings. It's no problem to mix fish!

Categories:

Fish, Simple

Keywords:

fish, rillettes, pate appetizer

NUTRITION FACTS

Servings: 20

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 54

• Total Fat: 2.46g
• Cholesterol: 15mg
• Sodium: 361mg
• Total Carbs: 1.78g
•     Dietary Fiber: 0.41g
•     Sugars: 0.42g
• Protein: 6.23g

GAZPACHO DOMINO

June 12, 2010

June 12, 2010    Marajo Island, the Amazon Brazil THIS IS IT!  We have reached the EQUATOR on board DOMINO.  After 5 months of living aboard and traveling, I'm ready to write new recipes.  Fish, shrimp, refreshing and cool recipes...  the DOMINO Recipe Cards are coming to you.... Enjoy! GAZPACHO Living in hot climates and on board a ship, I wanted to have an easy recipe to make, to store and to serve. Gazpacho is a refreshing appetizer. Healthy fibers too! 1 white onion, chopped 1 red onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, chopped 3 tomatoes, chopped 2 cucumbers, chopped 1 red belle pepper, chopped 2 cups canned tomatoes 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 lime, juiced 1 tablespoon white vinegar ¼ teaspoon saffron 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped Put all the ingredients in a blender. Turn blender on high until well mixed. The texture should be soupy but not too liquid. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for 6 hours. Serve cold. Gazpacho can keep in the refrigerator 3 to 4 days. It is better on the 2nd day, when all the flavors have mixed. It's not very suitable for freezing: the texture gets compromised. Categories: High Fiber, Low Calorie, Low Cholesterol, Simple, Soups, Vegetarian Keywords: tomato, cold soup, summer soup    NUTRITION FACTS Servings: 6 Amount Per Serving Calories: 109 Total Fat: 4.60g Cholesterol: -- Sodium: 124mg Total Carbs: 15.86g     Dietary Fiber: 3.59g     Sugars: 9.04g Protein: 2.58g Until next meal  Domino Nini

Baked Bananas

Paraguay - What to do with ovre-ripen bananas? Flambé   or baked, of course.  Although we love "bananes flambées" the butter and sugar content has been scary to me for a number of years.  So, I switch to another one of the recipes I learned in Tahiti: baked bananas.  Very simple and kids love eating the "Bananas in a Blanket."  As for the adults, if they miss their pyrotechnics, they can flambe after the kids are served.

Ingredients: (for 6 people)

- 12 small ripe bananas

- 2 Tblsp. raw sugar

- 1 Tblsp. rum

- 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Production:

Heat up the oven at 375F - Peel only ONE strip of  each banana, on the inner (small) side. Place the bananas on an oven tray.  Sprinkle the exposed banana flesh with the sugar, and drip the vanilla and rum on top.  Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the banana, until soft.

- For the kids: wait until slightly cooled down, scoop the syrup at the bottom of the tray and pour over the exposed flesh.  Serve.

- For the adults:  pour another 2 Tblsp. of rum over the bananas and flambé, scooping the sauce with a serving spoon and pouring over the banana flesh.  You should be getting a nice golden caramel.

Serve.  No need for vanilla ice cream, guys.  This is rich enough as it is.

Variante:  I add fresh passion fruit juice to the rum-vanilla mix: Cut a passion fruit in 2, scoop the inside and press through a tea strainer to get the juice.  

Nutrition Facts (tomorrow, my new computer and I can re-install the program!)


Until next meal

Domino Nini

Ten-Minute Salad

Paraguay - Does it seem to you that I have a tendency to cook with the same ingredients over and over again?  

Sure!  and there are several reasons for that.

1. The food choices are rather restricted around here: virtually no fish, no lamb, no turkey, and a limited choice of fruit and vegetables.  All fresh and in season, however.
2. I've simplified the pantry: this makes shopping easier and cheaper with small shopping lists and bulk buying.
3. To demonstrate that you can come up with a great variety of dishes using only a few ingredients.
4. Time consideration is part of a healthy cooking strategy.  I only have on hand things that cook quickly.  After all, this is Nini's EASY recipe website, no?

Today, a quick salad for lunch, using the staples I almost always have around: lettuce, carrots, cabbage,  tomatoes, and some protein food (canned fish, roasted meat, hard boiled eggs, beans).  Always lots of variety in texture and color to be pleasing to the eye and satisfying to the belly (yes, we eat with the eyes too!) - TEN MINUTES is all you need...

Ingredients:  (for 2 people)

- 1 carrot

- 1/2 head small red cabbage

- 1 tablespoon vinegar, heated

- 2 Roma tomatoes

- 1/2 head lettuce

- 1/2 cup hummus or beans (black, white, red....)

- 1 stem green onion

- 6 oz of roasted pork loin (or canned tuna, or 4 hard boiled egg whites)

- 2 tablespoon home-made vinaigrette (1Tbsp. vinegar, 3 tbsp. olive oil, salt, pepper)

Production:

Peel and grate the carrot; wash and slice the cabbage, pour the heated vinegar on top (the cabbage will become bright purple); wash and slice the tomatoes; wash the lettuce leaves; slice the roast;

Arrange it all on a serving platter.  Sprinkle veggies with vinaigrette and scallions.

DONE!

Until next meal

Domino Nini

Homemade Hummus

Paraguay -  Hummmm...  How much are you paying for a box of hummus these days?  I've left the US 3 years ago and at that time I was paying about $6.00 for a pint-size container.  Ridiculously expensive!  Sure, it's great stuff, healthy and all, and I love to have hummus-dipped veggies while chatting with JP over a drink (or green tea) at the end of the day.  In fact, I've been known to have hummus for breakfast, or to use it to line the bottom of a pizza or onion tart (that's really yummy!).  But paying that much money for something I can fix for 50 cents, forget it!

So, here is my basic recipe for homemade hummus.  Usually, you're supposed to use sesame paste.  And where, please, would I find this in Paraguay, uh?  Forget that too, and follow my simple recipe to prepare enough hummus to last you a week.  This is the basic recipe.  Then, you can flavor it any way you want: the world of spices is wide open!

To cut down on cooking time, I use a pressure cooker.  But you can also use a slow cooker overnight, or the regular stovetop method.

Ingredients: (yields 7 cups of hummus.... that's more than 3 times that little pint-size container!)

- One 400g package of dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

   (you can also use canned garbanzo beans, but more $)

- 1 medium onion, peeled

- 1 head of garlic cloves, peeled

- 1 tsp. coriander grains

- 1/2 cup olive oil

Production:

Soak the dried chickpeas overnight. Drain them.  Put them in a pot (or pressure cooker), well covered with water.  Add the onion, garlic, and coriander.  Boil for 20 min. with pressure cooker (1 hour on stovetop, 12 hours in slow cooker.)

Pour the chickpeas in a blender with enough liquid to blend to a thick paste.  Add the olive oil and salt to taste.

Seasonings: Once you have a basic paste, you can vary the seasoning by adding the following:

- sundried tomatoes in oil

- cumin

- fresh coriander

- curry

- sesame paste and seeds

- harissa

  and anything else you want to try.

COST?  how do you feel about it now?  Almost nothing! and you have hummus for a week... or to gift your friends!


Until next meal

Domino Nini

Baked Apples Crown

Paraguay - I've said it often: 

NO BIRTHDAY CAKE! 

 Actually, that ban came into effect some 20 years ago, enacted by my family physician of a husband.  With a staff of about 50 women, our medical clinic was sure to have a birthday celebration every week.  This meant cake, of course!  Dr. JP, concerned for the health of his employees as much his wife's and his own, banned birthday cakes and soda.  Good for him!  Of course, we were all upset-who's-HE-to-tell-us-what-to-do sort of attitude.  But, little by little, we learned to celebrate without the fat and sugar of pastries and soda.  We came up with fabulous fruit salads, mini sandwiches, trifles, fruit baskets and flavored coffees.  We also banned from the clinic all vendors of chips, crackers, pretzels, and even --yes, even-- Girls Scout Cookies.  RADICAL? Perhaps, but the point was well made and well taken: healthcare workers need to be leaders in caring for our own health.  I now look back at pictures of our staff then: wow!  what a group of healthy-looking women!

One of the celebration dish is the Baked Apples Crown: looks like a cake, has individual portions, can be eaten warm or cold or very-very-cold.

Ingredients: (for 8 portions)
- 8 small apples (no bigger than a tennis ball)

- 8 teaspoons of sugar-free apricot preserve

- 8 pitted prunes

- 1 tablespoon rum

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

Production:

Core the apples and place them in a baking dish.  Drop a teaspoon of jam at the heart of each apple and insert a prune in the center.  Bake at medium heat for 30 minutes, until tender.  Remove from the oven, place the apples in a serving dish.  There should be a fair amount of juice left in the bottom of the dish: this is the base for your syrup.

Syrup: in a small pot, pour the baking juice, add the vanilla and the rum.  Reduce on high heat until thickened but not caramelized.  Pour the syrup over the apples, making sure to fill the heart of each apple.  Do this slowly to give the apples time to absorb the liquid.

Nutrition Facts (for 1 apple)
Servings: 1 - Calories/serving: 80
Total Fat: 0g - Saturated: 0g - Monoinsaturated: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg

Until next meal

Domino Nini

Grilled Ham & Watercress Lunch

Paraguay - One of the challenges of weight loss is to overcome boredom.   Here, in Paraguay, watercress is a staple.  They call it  Berro.  It has a spicy taste, not bitter, and I use it by itself or mixed with other greens.

Yes, food boredom can derail any diet.  Solutions include:

• trying new foods (today: watercress)
• mixing cold and hot
• mixing textures 
• making it colorful
• fixing it yourself

Today, I used a trusted classic: the grilled ham sandwich, and revived it with texture and color.

I like watercress.  Growing up in the Marais Poitevin, a swampy area of France AKA "The Green Venice," watercress was on the weekly menu: in salads, soups, or added to mashed potatoes.  With 4 calories per ounce, a zero glycemic load, and 1g of protein per ounce (Amino Acid Score 47), it has mild anti-inflammatory properties.  

By the way, where do I get all this nutritional data from and what does it mean?  Check it out at http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2718/2 

Ingredients:

- 1 slice cracked wheat bread

- 2 slices boiled ham, low sodium

- 2 cups watercress

- 1 tsp. red vinegar 

- 2 tsp. olive oil

- 3 slices Roma tomato

Production:
Toast the bread, spritz 1 spray of olive oil on one side. Add the ham, slice diagonally, fold.

Wash the watercress several times.  Drain well.  In a bowl, toss the watercress with oil and vinegar.

Mount the watercress on a colorful plate.  Add the Roma tomato slices on top.  Place sandwich on the side.  You now have a pretty nice lunch that won't derail your diet.  Enjoy.


Nutrition Facts

WOOHOO! 200% of your daily needs for Vit. C and Vit. A !
Servings: 1 - Calories/serving: 250
Total Fat: 13g - Saturated: 3g - Mono/Polyunsaturated: 10g
Cholesterol: 22mg
Sodium: 717mg - Calcium: 356mg - Iron: 4mg
Carbs: 18 g - Protein: 15g  - Dietary fiber: 3g
Vit.C: 150mg - Folate: 25mcg

Until next meal

Domino Nini

Apple Spinach Salad

Paraguay - Of the low-calorie, high-nutrition lunch choices, I put spinach and watercress to the top of my list.  

Raw spinach score a 91 on the nutrient balance chart, zero glycemic load, and with a 119 amino acid score it's a complete protein.  For only 7 calories per ounce and zero fat, it's a fabulous diet food.  

Today, I added half an apple and 2 oz of chicken for a complete salad.

Ingredients:
- 2 cups raw baby spinach

- 1/2 apple, sliced, with skin

- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

- 2 teaspoons olive oil

- 2 oz cooked chicken breast, skinless

- 7 walnuts (optional)

  No salt needed, a pinch of fleur de sel if desired

Production:

Wash and drain the spinach.  In a bowl, pour the vinegar and oil over the spinach, add the walnuts if desired, toss.  

Pile up the spinach on a small plate, place the sliced apple on top, and add the chicken breast.

Nutrition Facts - Waiting for my computer to get fixed.....

Until next meal

Domino Nini

Chicken Wings Tomato-Beet Casserole

Paraguay - Looking through the grocery stores aisles, the only racks that can rival the sodas and cookies are the tomato sauce displays.  Paraguay must have the corner on tomato processing.  Most sauces come in soft packs or bricks, easy to store and use.  I love tomato sauce because of the lycopene content of cooked tomato.  This antioxidant is only active when cooked, therefore more available in tomato sauce than fresh tomatoes.

The problem I've had with most tomato sauces is that they contain added sugar to balance the acidity of the tomato.  NO MORE!  Here, they sell a tomato-red beet combination sauce.  The sweetness of the beet balances out the acidity of the tomato, with an added bonus of even more antioxidant.  I love it!  If you can't find it in your grocery store, just get a can of cooked beets and process a few slices with your tomato sauce in the food processor.  It's really worth a try!

For a complete meal, I include brown rice in the dish.  Here, we call it "guiso." 

Ingredients:  (serves 3)

- 1 pack of chicken wings, skinless (about 9 wings)

- 1 large onion, chopped

- 2 zucchini, medium

- 3 garlic cloves

- 1 tblsp. olive oil

- 1 sprig rosemary

- 1 pack tomato-beet sauce (or 1 pack tomato sauce blended with 3 slices of canned red beets)

- 1/2 cup brown rice

- 1 cup water

Production:

  In a large skillet, heat up the olive oil, and glaze the onions.  Add the zucchini and garlic, then the chicken and the rice.  Toss until all the rice is glazed.  Add the tomato sauce, water and rosemary.  Cook 30 minutes, until the rice is tender.  No need to add salt: enough in the sauce.


Nutrition Facts: since my other computer is still out of commission, I have to estimate a portion to about 350 calories, more if you load up on the rice, less if you select to eat mostly the chicken and zucchini.  This is a complete meal, with protein, starch, 2 servings of vegetable per portion.


Until next meal

Domino Nini

Filet Mignon Putanesca

Paraguay -  Cooking Italian food in Paraguay is pretty easy.  Onions, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, basil, garlic, and olives are plentiful.  Canoli beans and polenta are easy to find.  My latest discovery on the shelves are cans of olive paste (green and black).  While I find the paste a little too salty to just spread on crackers, I find that black olive paste makes a great addition to sauces.   So, I wanted to try it, and since beef is king here, I had to serve the thick sauce with grilled filet mignon medaillons.  

Thick sauces based on onions, garlic and tomatoes are as healthy as you can get, filled with antioxidants.  Add a little olive oil and basil and you're set for a healthy meal.

Ingredients:  (for 2)

- 6 oz of fillet mignon (3 0z is the normal portion size)

Sauce: 

- 1 large onion, chopped

- 4 garlic cloves, minced

- 4 Roma tomatoes (or 2 large Beefsteak tomatoes), chopped

- 1 tablespoon black olive paste

- 1/2 cup green olives (optional)

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 1 bunch basil, chopped

- 1 sprig fresh rosemay

Production:
- Sauce:  In a deep skillet, heat up the olive oil.  Add onions and cook them until translucent.  Add chopped tomatoes, garlic and rosemary.  Let reduce for 20 minutes.  Add olive paste and basil.  Pepper to taste.  Salt is not necessary: the olive paste provides all the salt needed.

- Meat: while the sauce is reducing, grill the steaks on a hot grill, with sprigs of rosemary.  

- Serve with mashed potatoes, pasta, or polenta.

Nutrition Facts - oops, my other computer is out of order... 
But I'd say this will run you about 300 calories a portion (including the 1/3 cup of starch), and loaded with selenium, iron, omega 6, lycopene and fiber.   It's a complete, healthy meal in 30 minutes!

Until next meal

Domino Nini

POLENTA de la TIA ROSA

Paraguay - With all the muchachos working on the boat, I've had to feed what sometimes looks like an army.  Getting vegetables into this group used to "carne asada" has been a mission of mine in the last 3 years.  But never fear, Nini's here!

*** Don't be afraid by the list of veggies... get everybody in the kitchen and start chopping... really easy dish to prepare and beautiful golden curst with peeking jewels result... kids love it! ****

POLENTA is traditional dish from Northern Italy and the Alps region of France, Swiss, Austria, but I find it around South America a lot: Argentina, and here in Paraguay.  Even found it in Zimbabwe under the name of "Sadza." It is made of boiled cornmeal, either yellow or white. Once prepared, it can be served as is or baked.  I can find a hundred different ways of serving Polenta...

This dish will feed a group of hungry men. It's a power feeder. Good carb base, with olive oil and a bounty of summer vegetables, all held together by a couple of eggs. It can be prepared ahead of time and warmed up last minute when you have a big family dinner or group gathering. Nothing better to take to a BBQ, and one sneaky way to have kids eat veggies.

The greens I use here may be basil leaves, swiss chards, spinach, or green onions. As for the bell peppers and tomatoes, I choose a variety of colors: green, orange, yellow, red.. and also of flavors: chili peppers if you like it hot.

Ingredients: (If you grow your own veggies, use whatever is in season!)

• 2 cups onions, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups bell peppers, chopped
• 2 cups zucchini, chopped
• 2 cups greens, chopped
• 3 cups tomato, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
• 3 cups polenta
• 9 cups water
• 1 tablespoon pepper
• 1 bunch basil leaves

Production:

- Heat up the oven on high.
- Wash and chop all the vegetables.
- Prepare the polenta as directed. The one I chose asks for 3 cups of boiling water per 1 cup of dry polenta.
- In a large pot on the stove, heat up the olive oil and pour the onion and garlic. Stir for a minute, until the onion becomes translucent.
- Add the bell peppers. To make it colorful, choose a mix of yellow, green and orange peppers. You can add some hot peppers if you like it hot. Stir for 2 minutes.
- Add the zucchini and chopped greens. Stir until reduced, for about 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and stir for another 2 to 3 minutes.

In the big pot, mix the polenta to the vegetables. Add the eggs, salt and pepper if you like (I don't salt) and mix well. Decorate with basil leaves.

Coat a 2" deep oven pan with olive oil. Pour the mixture in it. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake in hot oven for 30 to 45 minutes, until top and sides are crispy.

Nutrition Facts

Servings: 12

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 95

• Total Fat: 3.65g
• Cholesterol: 36mg
• Sodium: 65mg
• Total Carbs: 12.08g
•     Dietary Fiber: 2.56g
•     Sugars: 4.41g
• Protein: 3.79g

Until next meal

Domino Nini