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 |
High BMI Associated With Lower Likelihood Of Being Discharged Home After Hospitalization For Stroke
Individuals with a higher body mass index (BMI) tend are less likely to be discharged directly home after hospitalization for an ischemic stroke, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. An ischemic stroke occurs when the flow of blood to a part of the brain is blocked or reduced and sufficient amounts of oxygen cannot be delivered to brain tissue. [click link for full article]
How to Display a Picture in Your Comments
I've finally enabled avatars / pictures for commenters. Here's how you do it. Go to a site called Gravatar. Follow the instructions by entering your email (make sure it is the same email address that you use for your diet-blog.com comments!). Once registered you can upload a picture. From then on your picture will display next to your comment (see...
Belly Fat May Drive Inflammatory Processes Associated With Disease
As scientists learn more about the key role of inflammation in diabetes, heart disease and other disorders, new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that fat in the belly may be an important promoter of that inflammation.Excess fat is known to be associated with disease, but now the researchers have confirmed that fat cells inside the abdomen are secreting molecules that increase inflammation. [click link for full article]
Obesity Surgery Can Lead To Memory Loss And Movement Problems
A new US study suggests that obesity surgery such as gastric bypasses can cause vitamin deficiency that leads to memory loss, confusion, co-ordination, and other neurological problems.The study is published in the journal Neurology.A neurological sydrome called Wernicke encephalopathy occurs mostly in patients who vomit a lot after they have had weight loss surgery (also known as bariatric surgery). [click link for full article]
Red Pepper: Hot Stuff For Fighting Fat?
Food scientists in Taiwan are reporting new evidence from laboratory experiments that capsaicin - the natural compound that gives red pepper that spicy hot kick - can reduce the growth of fat cells. The study is scheduled for the March 21 issue of the ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication. [click link for full article]
First UK Study To Determine How General Practice Professionals Can Tackle Adolescent Obesity
Academics at the University of Hertfordshire are conducting the first UK study to investigate how health professionals based in general practice can help adolescents who are obese to lose weight. [click link for full article]
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]
Obese Patients Run Higher Risk Of Post-Operative Complications
Obese patients have a significantly higher risk of complications following surgery, including heart attack, wound infection, nerve injury and urinary tract infection, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Health System. [click link for full article]