Salmon Endive Poppers

 Sometimes the easiest, healthiest dishes are the ones that you don't need to cook. Meal ready in minutes. Just slice and mince, put it together, and you're done. 

 

Ingredients:

• 1-2 heads endive
• Slices of smoked salmon
• 1/2 red onion, minced
• 1  avocado, sliced (can substitute/include cream cheese, sour cream, or creme fraiche)
• sea salt or soy sauce to season
• freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil

Directions, just place the endive leaves onto a plate. Top with a slice of smoked salmon and a slice of avocado.  Sprinkle on some onions on top.  Drizzle with olive oil, soy sauce, or season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Miso Soup (as an excellent breakfast)

Once in a while, we here at the clinic get asked: "What can we eat for breakfast? I was so used to having milk and cereal."

Cereal is quick and convenient, but for the purposes of health or losing weight, the majority of store bought breakfast cereals will just spike your blood sugar, make it easier to gain weight. Adding cold milk doesn't help either.  Drinking anything cold (including cold water) deactivates enzymes in your body that are necessary for your metabolism and digestion. You'll feel bloated, slow, and perhaps sleepy. Not the best way to start your morning.

I know many times, other cultures will observe Asian people like the Japanese and wonder: "How do they stay so slender?"

A traditional Japanese breakfast will usually include miso soup.  Everyday.  So much such that it is an old-fashioned, round-about way of making a marriage proposal to someone (Will you make miso soup for me every morning?)

It's hot and soothing. Low in calories, high in quality protein, a good source of fiber and B-vitamins, and various other nutrients.  Plus the tryptophan in miso soup can be beneficial for possible depression and anxiety.  Studies done at Japan's National Cancer Center has shown that consuming miso can help reduce risk of breast cancer.

You can buy miso at the Japanese market such as Marukai, Mitsuwa, or Nijiya.  99 Ranch Markets also tend to carry miso paste.  

Ingredients:
4 cups water
3 Tablespoons miso paste (can be white miso, red miso, etc)

Add to taste:
Sliced scallions/green onion
Minced garlic
Sliced mushroooms
Kimchi
Wakame
Eggs
Diced tofu 

Directions:
Just bring water to a simmer, and mix in miso paste.  You can put mushrooms in, wakame, or add an egg to poach in the simmering broth.  Add the minced garlic, kimchi, or scallions at the end once you take it off the heat.  Quick and easy.

Poached Eggs over greens with Matushisa Dressing (smoked salmon optional)

This is more a less a great vegetarian dish (not vegan though), made up of eggs, salad greens of your choice, and Matsuhisa dressing.  Very fresh, very tasty, and free of refined carbs; so eat yourself to a thinner you.

Poached eggs are great as they are not heavily cooked, allowing for rich, runny yolk with plenty of nutrients intact.  Fresh greens are a nice, raw accent.  The Matsuhisa Dressing is a specialty from celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa, as served at his high-end restaurants.  It could be noted that Japanese Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto was working as Executive Chef for Nobu in New York, while he was also the active battling Iron Chef in Japan.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 tsp vinegar
Spinach (or choice of romaine, mixed baby greens, kale, etc)
Optional: smoked salmon

Matsuhisa Dressing:
3/4 cup finely chopped shallots, or Maui onion, or red onion, etc.
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons water
Pinch sea salt
1/4 teaspoon powdered mustard
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons grapeseed oil
4 teaspoons sesame oil

Crack open an egg, and place into a strainer. Let the excess water in the egg drip away.  In a pot of boiling water, gently slip the egg into the water, bring down the heat.  It will cook in about 4 minutes, when you can remove the egg with a slotted spoon. Do this for both eggs.

For the dressing, mix all the ingredients together except the oils. Once mixed, add the oils at the end and mix some more. Then you can mix and toss the dressing into the salad/greens. 

Plate the greens, and place the poached eggs on top. Season with salt and black pepper. And you're done! Ready to serve.  If you have trouble poaching eggs, cooking the eggsunny side up in butter will also work as a substitute.

Feel free to add cherry or heirloom tomatoes, or other ingredients of your choice like red onions or cheese.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

  

 Allowable for the weigh-loss menu.  The thin asparagus can be relatively affordable from the market or Wal-Mart in bunches.   Just wrap the asparagus in bacon, and bake.  Alternately, you can just simply roast the asparagus in the oven, drizzled with olive oil, a bit of salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese, if you don't have any bacon on hand.  

Asparagus is great because it helps with circulation and heat in the body.  Good for high blood pressure and cholesterol, so it balances out with the bacon.  Asparagus by itself is beneficial for the lungs, and may help against bronchitis.

Ingredients:- 1 lb. of asparagus, (cut off the chewy, fibrous ends)

- 10 pieces of  bacon, cut in half
- 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- Ground black pepper
- 1 lemon, in slices.

Directions:1. Preheat oven to 400F. Wrap one half-slice of bacon tightly around each piece of asparagus and place on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil.
2. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the asparagus and sprinkle with a few dashes of ground black pepper.
3. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip each asparagus over and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the bacon is crispy
4.Serve with lemon slices.  You can squeeze lemon juice for freshness and acidity, and some good Vitamin C.

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Fish Ceviche for taste and health.

Again, another dish for those who complain there is nothing healthy and delicious to eat that'll help you lose weight.  Ceviche in particular is especially ass-kicking awesome, as it is pretty much a "raw" dish.  There is no use of heat to burn and kill the inherent nutrients.  So you get plenty of Vitamins, protein, etc.  The only "cooking" done is through the use of the acidity in lemon and lime juice. 

A market like Vallarta or going to El Taco Nazo, they sell it for relatively not too expensive if you don't have time to prepare it.  



As follows

• 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced (or 3 shallots, minced)
• 1 cup of chopped fresh seeded tomatoes
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 serrano chili (or aji amarillo), seeded and finely diced
• 2 teaspoons of salt (preferably sea salt or kosher salt)
• 1 1/4 pounds fish fillets (red snapper, ahi tuna, sea bass, sole, or flounder) cut or dice into 1-inch pieces
•  One bunch cilantro, minced

In a glass or ceramic dish/bowl, place the fish, onion, tomatoes, chili, salt. Cover with lime and lemon juice. Let sit covered in the refrigerator for an hour or so. then stir, making sure more of the fish gets exposed to the lime and lemon juice.  If you only have lime or lemon juice to work with, the recipe will still come out well. Just use a good amount.  Let it sit in the refridgerator for 4-6 hours, and it'll be ready to serve.  Sprinkle the minced cilantro when ready to serve. Can be used in salads, wrapped in red cabbage leaves, atop romaine, etc.  Very versatile.  Good with hot sauce such as Tabasco, Tapatio, Cholula, Sriracha, etc.

Roast Chicken, like a 3-star Michelin Level Chef

Chicken is a great lean protein for those of you on the weight loss program.  For those of you who have little time to cook, it can be quite affordable to get a whole rotisserie chicken from the super market.  The Superior supermarket across Maine Blvd from our clinic sells a whole chicken for as low as $5.  Quite affordable to eat healthy, with no time or fuss.

For those of you that do have time to cook at home, I suggest following the directions in this video by Heston Blumenthal.  His restaurant in England, The Fat Duck, has the highest rating of 3-Michelin Stars, and at one point, was being called "The Best Restaurant in the World."  For roasting chicken, watch the video from 2:48 seconds in, to the 7:00 minute mark.

Succulent, moist, and full of nutrition.  Seasoning with cracked black pepper or various other favorites to taste.  Or eat with past sauce recipes on this blog.  Eat deliciously and lose weight~

Home Made Ranch Dressing for Salads and Dipping

Sometimes here at the clinic, we get asked what salad dressings are okay, or if buttermilk Ranch dressing is okay for the weight-loss program.  It is fine, if you make it yourself.  The problem with most bottled ranch dressing from the supermarket is that it is laden with preservatives, chemicals, sugar, or high-fructose corn syrup and the like.

Making buttermilk ranch salad dressing is quite simple, fresher, better tasting dynamically, and much easier on your waistline.  One thing of note, try to get an all-natural mayonnaise.  Trader Joe's brand of mayonnaise is probably the most affordable compromise, while being mostly good ingredients (olive oil or grapeseed oil is much more preferred over canola oil when making mayo.  They use canola oil in Trader Joe's mayo).

Because it is natural, it will last about 3 days, refrigerated. 

• 1 cup  buttermilk
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 3 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
• 2 tablespoons minced chives
• 4 teaspoons white wine vinegar or lemon juice
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, can add to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

You can put all the ingredients in a bowl or jar, and mix.   Plus, you can substitute different greens/herbs if you like, such as changing out the parsley for dill instead. 

Roasted Mushrooms (add over arugula or watercress optional)

Roasted mushrooms are sumptuous and very healthy, while being non-fattening.  No sweeteners or sugars needed.  Different mushrooms have different health benefits.  Consuming shiitake mushrooms are very good for lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.  In Chinese medicine, they are said to promote healing and help fight cancer.  Button mushrooms help wake the appetite, while reducing phlegm or helping against diarrhea.  White mushrooms may also help lower blood pressure and detoxify the body.  Wood ear/black fungus is chewy with supple texture.  These are also good for cardiovascular health, anti-cancer, high blood pressure, and may even help anemia to a point.

Ingredients:

2 lbs Fresh Mushrooms (button, shiitake, white, oyster, etc)
4 Garlic Cloves, chopped and minced
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Chopped Fresh Rosemary
1 Teaspoon Chopped Fresh Sage
1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
1 Teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and black pepper to taste.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Wipe the mushrooms. Use a clean and damp cloth. Trim stems.
Slice the mushrooms into small pieces.  An inch to an inch-and-a-half will do, in size.
Mix the olive oil with the garlic and herbs, then season inside an ovenproof dish.
Add the mushrooms, and mix well, coating the mushrooms with the flavored oil.
Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes. 
Remove from the heat. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar.

If you want to add this to fresh arugula or watercress, you can do so as a kind of salad.  Add lemon juice to taste. It is possible to not use rosemary and sage, and just add fresh minced chopped cilantro and minced basil at the very end, after done cooking.

Thai Chili Garlic Fish Sauce

Thai Chili Garlic Fish Sauce is very easy to make, very tasty, and goes well with so many dishes, vegetables, meats, and proteins.  It can be reasonably healthy as a condiment, as long as you don't abuse it for its saltiness. Since there are no sugars or simple carbohydrates, it is a sauce that won't make you fat. It takes about 5 minutes to make.

All you need are:
2~4 tablespoons of fish sauce
1 Thai bird's eye chili, minced (remove seeds to reduce spiciness)
1 clove of minced garlic
1 minced shallot
2~4 tablespoons of lime juice

All that needs to be done is chop, mince, and mix into a bowl.

Other notes:
A bottle of fish sauce can usually be found in an Asian supermarket.  Tiparos is one of the more affordable brands. Some chefs I have spoken to have noted that 3 Crabs and Red Boat brands for fish sauce are more better quality, with more of a "first-press, unfiltered quality" to it.

Some variations can be made, such as using red onions in the place of shallots, or jalapenos instead of bird's eye chilis.  Adding minced cilantro/coriander or mint to the mix can also add more dimension to the flavor. 

Raw minced garlic are natural anti-microbial (anti-virus/anti-fungal), and help fight food poisoning.  Onions can help disperse internal phlegm in the body.  Both garlic and onions are hot to warm nature.  Limes are sour, astringent, and help nourish body fluids.  Fish sauce is salty, where salty tastes stimulate and nourish the kidneys.