The original story I wrote for today's column has been sauteed with some onions, leeks and garlic and eaten with a glass of good wine.
I was really hungry.
This year I got a head start on my New Year's resolutions. Before the season of feasting began its annual lease, I adopted a new lifestyle.
I've traded in my sugar, carbs and fat-laden flavor enhancers for lighter portions, nutritional supplements and frequent jaunts around Lake Ella.
Dieting through the holidays was a challenge, yet I've managed to drop about 30 pounds in two months.
Creating food that tastes good enough to keep me focused on this diet is my current culinary challenge de jour. Fortunately, my mind is never idle and frequently rewards me with tasty solutions.
During fruit and veggie shopping adventures to the nearby farmer's market and the produce aisle of the grocery store, my imagination blooms with bouquets of ideas on how to marry the season's fresh and vibrant bounty in exciting new ways.
Butter, olive oil, cream and heavenly sauces have always been among the supportive ingredients that lend the rich velvet-like texture to food. Unfortunately, these flavorful additions are the bad guys that need to be eliminated from the diet, or at least used in extreme moderation.
What is a gourmet to do?
Flavor is everything to me! So these days I'm on a fabulous adventure to not only lose a significant amount of weight, but also to accomplish my objective without sacrificing taste.
By substituting heart-healthy homemade stocks and purees, creating unusual depth and intrigue to delicious meal-time adventures is a snap.
Farmer's Market Vegetable Broth is a delightful way to season food. Cook it up in the crockpot and allow it to simmer over low heat for a couple of hours or do it stove top in less than an hour. Once the broth is cooked, strain it through a fine-mesh strainer. Let cool briefly, then pour the broth into ice-cube trays and/or quart-sized freezer bags for frozen storage. Since the majority of cooking I do is for one person, the ice-cube-sized frozen stock is perfect. If you cook for a larger group, perhaps a quart bag would be more appropriate.
With the broth as a base, you have the beginning of a great vitamin-rich meal that can be served alone or used in synergy with other favorite ingredients for interesting chicken, fish, seafood or vegetarian meals.
Vegetable broth is also a perfect fat-free and salt-fee complement and flavorful springboard to adventures into all types of regional and international cookery. The possibilities are unlimited.
This recipe is very forgiving. You can add, subtract and alter the ingredients based on your own taste preferences and availability of ingredients.
Experimenting with new combinations is the fun part - at least it is for this flavor-hungry former caterer who has decided to tackle the challenge of losing weight in 2007.
Farmer's Market Vegetable Broth
1 gallon water
2 onions, sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 garlic cloves
Fresh tomatoes, chopped
Plus lots of your favorite chopped vegetables, chopped fresh herbs and gourmet peppercorns.
Simmer on stove for about an hour or in a crockpot for a couple of hours. Strain and freeze in ice trays or freezer bags.
Well, I'm off to the kitchen to experiment with a Florida Seafood Stuffed Artichoke with Lemon, Citrus and Dill Vinaigrette for tonight's dinner.
From The Entertaining With Kathi Newspaper Column ~ originally published Jan. 3, 2007
For more recipes and ideas visit http://www.dietwithkathi.blogspot.com If you are in the Tallahassee, Florida area, come join us for a cooking class taught by Kathi Dameron at Winner's Weight Loss on February 6, 2007. The class is free but seating is limited. Kathi can be reached at askkathidameron@aol.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathi_Dameron |
Obesity Surgery Can Lead To Memory Loss, Other Problems
Weight loss surgery, such as gastric bypass surgery, can lead to a vitamin deficiency that can cause memory loss and confusion, inability to coordinate movement, and other problems, according to a study published in the March 13, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The syndrome, called Wernicke encephalopathy, affects the brain and nervous system when the body doesn't get enough vitamin B1, or thiamine. [click link for full article]
Organic Foods: How and Why to Make the Shift
What are organics, and why are they so important in helping us to maintain good health? Dag Falck, Organic Program Manager for Nature's Path Foods Inc., talks about how to consumers can make the shift to a primarily organic diet. He also describes the issues facing organic farmers, and how Nature's Path is working with them to maintain the integrity of this rapidly growing industry.
Is Subway Better Than McDonald's?
Subway have taken aim at McDonald's with their new "Fresh Fit" meals. The combo meals are compared side-by-side against a Big Mac meal. Subway's meal comes out at 265 calories, while the Big Mac meal hits a gluttonous 1230 calories. But there's more to it than that......
The Nutritional Accuracy of Popular Magazines
The ACSH (American Council on Science and Health) have completed a large review of many popular magazines. Their goal was to evaluate the quality of nutritional information presented. Apparently 42% of US consumers make diet-related changes on the basis of information from health and fitness magazines. So - who do you trust?...
Food: Can Variety Breed Indulgence?
Every morning I have the same breakfast. With the exception of a few minor variations I have been eating the same breakfast day in and day out for years. Some people believe that too much variation can lead to indulgence. Is this really true?...
Fuel for the Race of Life with Dean Karnazes
What does it take in food, training and conditioning to 350 continuous miles, foregoing sleep for three nights? What does it take to run accros Death Valley in 126 degree temperatures, and run a marathon to the South Pole in negative 40 degrees. What kind of body does one need to have to swim across the San Francisco Bay, scale Half Dome in Yosemite and mountain-bike for 24-hours straight.? Dean Karnazes knows. He has done all this and more.
Men's Fitness Magazine says "Dean Karnazes might just be the fittest man in the world!"
On seven different occasions, he's run a 200-mile relay race solo, racing alongside teams of twelve. Dean is a Ten-time Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run Silver Buckle winner, has competed across the globe, and is the 2004 Badwater Ultramarathon champion, considered: 'The World's Toughest Footrace.'
We talk with Dean about these extrodinary accomplishments and how he fuels his body and mind to do what he does. Dean is sponsored in part by Nature's Path Foods and he consumes Nature's Path foods for energy.
Patients Should Be Alert For Obesity Surgery Complication
It is important for obesity surgery patients to take their prescribed vitamin supplements and to be alert for symptoms such as vomiting, confusion, lack of coordination and visual changes signs of a serious neurological condition that can develop after the surgery. [click link for full article]
Singapore To Cancel Anti-Obesity Program
Singapore plans to end a 15-year-old anti-obesity program in schools after complaints from parents that overweight children, in particular, were being singled out and teased by classmates....
Obesity At The Time Of Prostate-Cancer Diagnosis Dramatically Increases The Risk Of Dying From The Disease
Obese men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer have more than two-and-a-half times the risk of dying from the disease as compared to men of normal weight at the time of diagnosis, according to a study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The findings by senior author Alan Kristal, Dr.P.H., and colleagues appear online and will be published in the March 15 print edition of the journal Cancer. [click link for full article]