Skinny Brussell Sprouts!

Mis en place

I love brussells sprouts but they tend to be the also-ran of the culinary world.  It may be because they're often boiled and can come out as a mushy, unappetizing mess.  That's a shame because not only are they delicious when prepared correctly - but they have strong anti-cancer properties that are lessened when they are boiled.  Research shows that grilling and roasting do not diminish their anti-cancer compounds.

  

Before becoming an avid tabletop griller, I roasted my Brussell sprouts, which is a great way to go, too.  This recipe does a bit of both.  If you don't have a grill (I've been using the George Foreman grill) you can use a cast iron skillet that has the lines so you get grill marks.  But if you're a serious home cook you should definitely buy an electric grill.  I may trade up to a better brand at some point, but at this point my George Foreman gets the job done.  And I bought it for $50!

 

Transfer from grill to oven-safe skillet

 

I start by cutting the Brussell sprouts in half. Baby Brussell sprouts do not work well with this recipe. You want the larger, meaty sprouts. Not only do they cook faster when you cut them in half, they don't roll around the grill.  I only grill them long enough to get the char marks on both sides.  Next, I transfer them to an oven-safe skillet and place them in a 250 degree oven.  If I want to serve them in short order, I'd put them in a 350 - 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Chopped cherry tomatoes and garlic for a topping

 

I like the slow method.  When I get home from work I like to get everything underway for dinner and then relax before dining.  The Brussell sprouts can stay in the oven at this low temperature for a half hour to 45 minutes.  This way, I can unwind and snap dinner up in minutes when I'm ready to eat.  It also frees up the grill so I can cook the rest of dinner on my single grill.  When I'm about 15 minutes or so from eating I grill chopped cherry tomatoes and garlic until they start to brown.  Then I put the mixture on top of the Brussell sprouts and return the skillet to the low heat oven.  I grill a lemon and toss that in the pan.  It looks good an infuses its lemony goodness into the dish.

 

 

My main course is usually fish or chicken breast which cook up quickly, so that element goes on the grill 5 or 10 minute prior to serving. 

And I call myself the Skinny Gourmet Guy?!

 

The meal pictured above was my New Year's dinner.  I ended the year with a bang by tossing aside the Skinny Gourmet Guy rulebook and grilling a ribeye steak.  However, I always say it's important to splurge and this fat, juicy steak was worth the extra miles logged in spin class to burn it off.  The Brussell sprouts with tomato and garlic side went very well with it.  But whether it be steak or chicken or fish, this Brussell sprouts recipe elevates the also ran to the star attraction!

 

Ingredients

 

1/2 cup Brussells sprouts cut in half length-wise

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half lenght-wise

3 - 4 garlic cloves smashed an thickly diced

1 tbspn canola or extra virgin olive oil

1/2 lemon

Salt & pepper to taste

 

Method

 

Pre-heat electric grill at 400 degrees, or warm cast iron skillet over medium heat.

Toss the Brussell sprouts in oil and add salt & pepper.

Put on grill or pan, cut side down.

Wait until they start to char (about 1 - 2 minutes depending upon size) and flip over and develop char on the other side of the sprouts.  I don't close the grill top.

Transfer to oven-safe skillet and bake in oven at 250 degrees. Bake for 30 - 45 minutes.

15 minutes prior to serving, grill the tomatoes.  After a minute or so add the garlic.  Grill for approximately 2 - 3 minutes.  I do close the grill top for this.

Add to Brussell sprouts and return to oven.

Grill lemon until it develops a char; add to Brussells sprouts, tomatoes and garlic.

Bake for anther 15 minutes or so.

You may want to pick out the garlic bits from the mixture, though I just serve the whole thing and avoid eating the garlic.

Serve and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Skinny Eggplant Parmesan

The finished product - easy, skinny and delicious!

 

I really love eggplant parmesan.  I love chicken parmesan, too.  But the classic versions call for deep frying the eggplant or chicken in oil.  Many recipes call for lots of grated parmesan.  No wonder it's delicious!  But my version is pretty tasty, too.  But it's not deep fried in oil - my recipe calls for no oil at all.  And instead of tons of parmesan there's just a little bit - along with lower fat goat cheese. 

Step one:  dry your eggplant

 

The problem with eggplant is that it contains a lot of water.  Unless you take steps to draw out the water, your finished product is going to be soggy.  I chop my eggplant into half moons a few hours before cooking.  I dry them as best I can with paper towels.  Then I cover them in coarse sea salt, wrap them in towels and place a heavy object on top, like a large can of tomatoes, to really squeeze out as much moisture as possible.  I let them sit in paper towels in a colander for a few hours. 

 

Weighty subject - a large can of San Marzano

Tomotoes helps squeeze out extra moisture

 

Before drying the eggplant, I partially peel them.  This is personal preference: you can take all the skin off, leave it all on, or peel ribbons so you have half and half as I did.  Your eggplant looks striped when you're done. I peel about a half inch, leave a half inch, then peel a half inch or so until I'm done.

 

Grill in batches

 

Once the eggplant has dried I grill them in batches.  If you don't have a George Foreman grill you can just saute them in a frying pan using a non-stick spray. (The George Foreman grill has a non-stick surface so you don't need oil, and you're not supposed to use non-stick cooking spray on them.)  Cook them until they start to brown.   

Layer in casserole dish

 

You can make your own marinara or buy it in a jar - just make sure it's a good marinara.  I bought a tomato basil marinara at Trader Joe's and it was AWFUL and ruined the dish.  That's what I get for using a $2.99 jar of spaghetti sauce!  I prefer to make my own, but when I'm in a hurry or feeling lazy, I like Citarella's Spicy Arrabiata sauce.  Mario Batali's Cherry Tomato Marinara is also very good.  For this version I simply used chopped San Marzano tomatoes from a can - the same can I used to weigh down the paper towels and eggplant!  Talk about multi-tasking!

Grilled cherry tomatoes on top

 

What makes my recipe "skinny" - besides the fact that I don't deep fry the eggplant - is that, for the most part, I use goat cheese in the layering.  I make sure the goat cheese is a room temperature, and I dollop spoonfuls among the layers.  A little goat cheese goes a long way.  I use about 5 teaspoons throughout the casserole.  This translates to 102 calories, 75 from fat.

Ready for the oven!

 

As a final touch I grill cherry tomatoes that have been cut in half and add to the top layer of the eggplant mixture.  I don't put the cherry tomatoes throughout as it will make it soggy.  About 20 minutes before it's done I grate parmesan cheese on top, increase the oven temperature, and cook until the cheese is melted and starting to brown. 

Et viola!

 

This is a dish that gets better with age.  In fact, I usually cook it on a Sunday afternoon and have it for dinner on Monday and Tuesday nights.  I had no food in the refridgerator during Hurricane Sandy but fortunately had made this eggplant dish on the prior weekend.  I had it for dinner for several nights while I waited for the grocery stores in my neighborhood to re-open and re-stock.

 

Ingredients

 

1 - 2 medium to large eggplants

Approximately 2 cups homemade marinara or a good store-bought in a jar

5 teaspoons goat cheese

3/4 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half

3 teaspoons parmesan, grated

Coarse sea salt to taste

 

Method

 

Prepare eggplant - I peel 1/2 inch ribbons off, leaving the rest of the skin intact

Slice into rings, then half-moons

Dry with paper towels as best you can

Sprinkle sea salt over the eggplant, wrap in paper towels and place in colander

Put something heavy on top - like a can of tomatoes

Let sit for a few hours

Wipe off excess sea salt from the eggplant

Pour some of the marinara in the casserole dish

Arrange eggplant slices

Dot with the goat cheese (leave the goat cheese on the kitchen counter for the afternoon so it's soft and easy to spread)

Continue until eggplant and goat cheese are used up

Lightly grill or saute tomatoes - they'll cook in the casserole so only grill for a minute or so - don't overcook!

Place in pre-heated 350 degree oven for one hour

Grate the parmesan over the top - increase heat to 450 degrees

Cook until hte parmesan melts and starts to brown - only a few minutes

Let rest and enjoy!

 

 

Skinny Soft Shell Crabs - Get Them Before the Season Ends!

The simpler the better

Marinate in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sriracha

and Teryaki Sauce with sesame seeds

 

Where does the time go?  It seems like it was just Memorial Day, and here we are on October 1st and the summer has come and gone.  One of the last summertime treats that are still available are soft shell crabs.  But you better hurry - they will disappear from your fish monger's shelves any day now.

Here today . . .

 

In the past, I always prepared my soft shell crabs by dredging them through flour, egg white and panko and frying them in hot extra virgin olive oil.  While delicious, that method can obscure the taste of these little gems.  Mark Bittman published an article in the New York Times with many variations of soft shell crab recipes.  But he said "less is more" and he's right. 

 

Step one: dry off with paper towels

 

I started by drying off the crabs in paper towels.  Next, I marinate them in teryaki sauce with sesame seeds, shriracha and extra virgin olive oil.  I just put them in the plastic bag they came in, put in the ingredients and let stand on the counter for about an hour. 

 

I served with grilled baby eggplant

 

I cook them on my George Foreman grill at 400 degrees for two - three minutes each side with the door open - I used the grill as a griddle.  If you don't have an electric grill just cook on the stovetop over medium heat in a non-stick pan with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. 

Et voila! Spicy soft shell crabs

on a bed of baby grilled eggplant

 

Soft shell crabs were really pricey this year.  They consistently cost $7.99 per crab all season long.  I can recall past seasons when they were between $3.99 - $4.99 each.  To keep costs down I just bought one and served on a big bed of grilled baby eggplant.  But it's worth the splurge - and I don't think I'll ever cook them using flour/egg white/panko again.  You really taste their delicious flavor this way.  You could even just cook them in oil if you're a purist!  Definitely with soft shell crabs, less is more.

 

Ingredients

 

1 - 2 soft shell crabs person (depending upon your budget!)

1 tbspn extra virgin olive oil

1 tbspn teryaki sauce with sesame seeds (or just plain old soy sauce)

1 tbspn sriracha

Method

Marinate crabs in evoo, sriracha and teryaki sauce for about an hour on the counter
Pre-heat electric grill at 400 degrees (or pre-heat a skillet over medium heat)
Grill the crabs for 2 - 3 minutes on each side (not closing cover of grill)
If using an electric grill, close the cover for the final 30 seconds
Serve and enjoy!

Grilled Poor Man's Lobster

Grilled monkfish with baby eggplant

 



Monkfish is a very dense, moist fish.  Up till now, I've steamed it and done a sweet and sour take on it with ingredients like apricot jam and Asian sour figs or have gone more Mediterranean by roasting it with sun dried tomatoes, lemon and basil.  Both excellent options, but I recently heard about grilling it - and the results are delicious!

 

Who'd have thunk?

 

Monkfish is called the "poor man's lobster" because it has the consistency of a lobster tail but is much less expensive.  Citarella's sells it for $14.99 a pound.  So we're talking $7.50 per serving.  I never considered grilling it because it's very thick in addition to being moist.  But if you get your fish monger to butterfly the fillet you solve the problem of it being too thick to grill.

Step 1: Dry with paper towels

You can tackle the moistness issue by drying the fish off with paper towels, then covering it with coarse sea salt, wrapping it in more paper towels, and letting it dry out for a few hours in the fridge.

Step 2: Cover with coarse sea salt

and wrap in paper towels.  Let stand for a few hours.

 

Don't worry about all that salt.  It's there to draw the moisture from the fillet.  When you are ready to start grilling shake off the salt and wipe off any residual salt with paper towels. 

 

Step 3: Marinate in garlic, lemon zest and extra virgin olive oil

Hopefully you buy your paper towels at Costco because this recipe uses a lot of them!  But it's worth the investment.  Never have I had monkfish that really tasted like lobster tail. 

After you marinate toss on a sizzling hot grill

 

Next is the marinade.  I use chopped fresh garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.  I use the oil mainly so the monkfish won't stick to the grill.

Love that char!

 

I use my George Foreman grill for this recipe but if you don't have one, a cast iron skillet will do the trick (but put on your list of things to do: buy an electric grill).  If you have an actual outdoor charcoal or gas grill, fire the baby up. Grill for 2 - 3 minutes on each side.  Note for electric grill users: I don't put the top down and cook both sides at once.  I grill each side on its own and put the cover down at the end for about 30 seconds.  It's very easy to overcook this dish so be careful and err on the side of undercooking.  You can always toss it back on the grill if you have to - but once it's overcooked, that's it.  

Poor man's lobster

 

Et voila!

Yum!

 

I serve the grilled monkfish with grilled baby eggplant - a match made in heaven!  Grilled asparagus would go nicely, too.   So even if you aren't a poor man, check this dish out!

 

 

Ingredients

 

1/2 lb monkfish per person - have the fish monger butterfly 

2 tbspns coarse sea salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbspns extra virgin olive oil

Juice of one lemon

1 tspn lemon zest (zest the lemon before cutting and juicing) 

Salt & pepper to taste

 

Method

 

Dry monkfish with paper towels

Cover fillet with the coarse sea salt

Wrap in paper towels and transfer to fridge for 4 - 6 hours

Remove fish from paper towels and shake off the sea salt

Remove any excess salt with paper towels

Marinate for at least 30 minutes

Grill for 2 - 3  minutes per side depending on thickness

Serve and enjoy!

 



The fillet in the center actually looks like lobster tail

Summer Heirloom Tomato Salad!

Nice and simple!

As we approach the one month mark with no gas in my building I've been branching out on recipes that don't require a stovetop or oven.  I'm lucky that this happened in the summer because there delicious alternatives that require no cooking at all.  Topping the list is heirloom tomatoes.

Colorful deliciousness

My friends Bobby and Holly have a house in upstate NY.  They have a few acres of property - more than enough to have a garden.  This year they had a bumper crop of heirloom tomatoes and they were nice enough to give me a bagful of heirloom tomatoes, but Japanese eggplant and zucchini as well.  The New York Times published an article today about the crop of heirloom tomatoes this season.  The oppressive heat we've suffered through this summer and the relatively small amount of rain are the perfect conditions for growing tomatoes.



Heirloom tomato with fresh chopped garlic

 Today for lunch I chopped one of the tomatoes into eights.  I diced a fresh bulb of garlic from the Farmer's Market.  I drizzled extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top and I was good to go!

You can also serve with arugula and basil

Even if the gas were working I'd still opt for a delicious tomato salad served at room temperature.  Though there should be an abundant supply, it's still a short season.  Head to your Farmer's Market and take advantage while you can! 

Ingredients

1 medium heirloom tomato cut into rings or into eighths
1/2 clove of garlic minced
1 tspn extra virgin olive oil
1 tspn balsamic or champagne vinegar (optional)

Method

Place tomato on plate
Sprinkle minced garlic
drizzle with oil and vinegar
Season with sea salt and pepper

Enjoy!

Gas Leak!

Man the hatches!

About three weeks ago upon coming home from work and waiting for the elevator, I noticed a sign.  It said that our building had a gas leak and that for the time being there is no hot water, no gas for the stoves and ovens, no working dryers in the laundry room because they are also powered by gas.

The Cottage has free wine

The Chinese restaurant called The Cottage on the ground floor of my building, aka "room service" was closed for about a week. My friends who visit from outside of NYC love going to The Cottage because they serve free wine.  It comes from a box.  It gives you a headache the next day.  But it's free! 

A thing of the past?

The hot water was out for about 5 days.  I didn't mind this so much as I shower every day at the gym.  Washing dishes was the worst part of that.  The dryers in the laundry room were the next to be fixed. But I am told by people who have been through this, that it can take months to find the source of the gas leak and repair it.  Granted, I'm grateful our building didn't blow up, but months without a stove sounds a bit daunting.  

George Foreman grill to the rescue!

You may have read my recent posting that I got a Groupon offer for a George Foreman grill and took advantage of it.  Thank goodness.  While my neighbors are paying a fortune on delivery, I've been grilling up a storm over the past weeks.  While I can't wait to vary my meals by roasting asparagus in an actual oven and cooking pasta on the stovetop instead of a hot plate, I've got to say I can still cook a variety of things on the grill quickly, and cleanup is very easy. 

Monkfish on the grill!

So stay tuned for some summer grilling recipes.  If you don't have an indoor grill most of the dishes can be made using a cast iron skillet on the stovetop.  That is, unless your building has a gas leak too!

Fish 'N Chips!

Delish

Having grown up just outside Cape Cod in a seashore town called Scituate, deep fried fish 'n chips were a mainstay of my diet as a child.  It was served every Friday at the school cafeteria.  I think my mother thought it too pedestrian to serve at home.  But as an adult I have my own version that tastes great but doesn't involve deep frying.

Mise en Place: get everything ready

to go before you start cooking

I make my fish 'n chips by drying a piece of cod in paper towels, dredging them through flour, dipping in egg whites and the dredging through panko with Herbs de Provence.  Meanwhile, get a nonstick skillet nice and hot - then add extra virgin olive oil, and if you're feeling really decadent you can add a pat of butter.

Ready for the skillet

For the "chips" part of the equation, in place of french fries I substitute roasted string beans.  When I took these photos I had plain old string beans and garlic.  But if you like a crunch with your fish and chips you can scatter string beans on a sheet pan, douse with extra virgin olive oil (less is more), salt and pepper and put in a pre-heated 450 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes.  You have to keep an eye on them because they can burn quickly.  Toss them about half way through so all the sides get roasted.

Cod is the fish of choice for Fish 'N Chips

Anne Burrell has an interesting take on chips.  She cooks kale in a warm oven for about 20 minutes with just a little oil and salt and pepper.  You get the crunch without the calories!

Ingredients

For the "Fish"

1/2 lb cod for each serving
3/4 cup flour
1 egg white
3/4 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 tbspn herbs du provence
Salt & pepper to taste
1 lemon, sliced
1 tbspn extra virgin or conola oil
1 pad butter (optional)

Method

Place the flour, egg white and panko in 3 separate dishes
Mix the herbs du provence and salt & pepper in the flour
Dry each cod filet with paper towels
Dredge through flour, shake off excess
Dip in the egg white
Dredge in panko mixture making sure it's well covered
Meanwhile, heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat
Add a tbspn of oil in the pan - and butter if you're using it, swirl around
Place cod in the pan - cooking for 2 - 3 minutes each side until golden brown
Squirt with lemon juice

For the "Chips"

1 head kale, washed and thorougly dried
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive or canola oil
sea salt to taste

Method

Pre-heat oven to 275 degrees
Remove teh ribs frm the kale and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
Lay on baking sheet and toss with oil and salt
Bake until crisp, turning halfway through, about 20 minutes
(pictures to follow!)