the weight is over.

Foto: Isabelle Vigier

BTW, the hypothetical casual reader may jauntily skip past this entry as it is decidedly unentertaining and exists solely for my possibly eventual personal reference.

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If it ever stops raining again, it'll be beach weather soon, and this ugly-ass motherfucker has not really successfully found his seat on the fitness train yet in 2007. I've been eating like a 'tard for weeks now, if not months. So, unfortunately, it's crackdown time beeyatch.

The thing is, I can't even think of what I might want to eat that doesn't involve cheese, pork, bread, or pasta. So here are some things I should probably try to cook over the next couple of weeks to see if I can add any non-tuna recipes to my extremely small list of healthy morsels that I make regularly. All the members of this first batch are coming from Epicurious because I've been using their recipes for a very long time and kind of know what to expect. This was very difficult, none of these look remotely appetizing to me at the moment.

1. SPINACH SALAD WITH STRAWBERRY CHAMPAGNE VINAIGRETTE
2. BULGUR RISOTTO WITH PEAS AND ASPARAGUS
3. QUINOA WITH MANGO AND CURRIED YOGURT
4. TOFU- AND WALNUT-STUFFED MUSHROOMS
5. STIR-FRIED TOFU AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS IN SPICY BLACK BEAN SAUCE
6. FARINATA WITH SAGE, OLIVES, AND ONION
7. VARKENSHAAS (Ha...OK, I realize that this is a pork recipe)
8. BAKED BANANAS
9. ROASTED BEETS WITH CUMIN AND MINT
10. STIR-FRIED TOFU AND VINE-RIPENED TOMATOES (I know this sounds hideous, but the recipe looks interesting.)

And here are a couple useful ideas from eGullet:

1. Su-miso (Japanese Vinegar and Miso Dressing)
2. Makloubeh (Palestinian national dish...this is not quick or healthy, but it looks great.)
3. Pare Tumis (Stir Fried Bitter Gourd)
4. From-scratch Green Bean Casserole (Um, not healthy. But it'd be interesting to try a version without cream)
5. Duck Biscuits with Cilantro Jelly (OK, not healthy at all, but holy fuck!)
6. Lebanese Spicy Fish with Tahini Sauce (Samke Harra)
7. Macchi Fry Koliwada
8. Nobu style black cod without the 3 day marinade
9. Brinjal and Chickpea Gojju (Kathirikkai-kadalakka gojju)
10. Grace's Corn & Blueberry Relish (this would be nice with duck...)

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OK, so my list of healthy recipes contained roughly 75% healthy recipes. This bodes poorly, as making lists is normally the easy part of dieting.

Let's change the subject: I also need some new salads. We are actually pretty great salad makers, but they generally follow a now-familiar pattern: greens; dressing with acidic, barely sweet, and pungent flavors; cheese; nuts; maybe a dried fruit if I can sneak one past the mooperbird. All good when executedly carefully, but also a really overdone salad concept. So, here are some newish salad ideas/reminders:

1. Chicory, Caramelized Apple, Salted Pecan and Beenleigh Blue Salad with Mustard and Honey dressing (Um, yeah...that's the same salad as always.)
2. Radish, Cucumber and Apple Salad
3. Roasted Pineapple and Avocado Salad
4. Watermelon- Feta Salad
5. Tomato, Fennel and Watercress Salad with Fennel-Tarragon Vinaigrette
6. Pear, Arugula, and Pancetta Salad (Not really a new salad, is it.)
7. Honey-Roasted Pear Salad with Thyme Verjus Dressing
8. Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with Pistachios (Totally not a new salad.)
9. Arugula Salad with Manchego, Apples, and Caramelized Walnuts (OK, just stop...you've made all of these before.)
10. Goat Cheese Salad with Pancetta, Dried Cherry and Port Dressing (etc.)

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Some targets from an old Lebanese cookbook I stole from Andy (borrowed! I mean):

1. Kallaje: (grilled haloumi sandwich with garlic, lemon, and marjoram)
2. Courgette with walnuts and allspice
3. Honeydew with cardamom, yoghurt, honey, and lemon
4. Beet salad with cumin, mint, and ricotta
5. Avocado bi tahini

And, a mixed bag from FoodTV:

1. Arugula Salad with Grilled Tamarind Shrimp and Chile-Lime Vinaigrette
2. Duck Confit on Corn and Baby Butterbean Succotash with Smoked Tomato Ketchup
3. Marlin with Ginger Bbq Sauce
4. Tarragon-Dijon Tuna Salad on Mustard Rolls
5. Miso-Ginger Marinated Grilled Salmon

Some as-healthy-as-Louisiana-cooking-gets recipes from Louisianan John Folse:

1. Skewered Rosemary Shrimp with Louisiana Pesto
2. Crawfish Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
3. Pickled Mirliton Sticks
4. Crawfish and Green Onion Sausage Cabbage Rolls
5. South Louisiana Shrimp Rémoulade

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