Today’s Haiku:
Lowfat cottage cheese,
your expire date is May.
But that was last year.
Today’s Lunch spot: Java Green for salads, rice bowls, and other veggie stuff. 15 million online reviews can’t be wrong.
Today’s recipe: Lowfat Chinese Eggplant – Really, it can be done. I wouldn’t kid about this.
1 large Eggplant
1 bunch Scallions, sliced
2 Tbsp Hot Szechuan sauce
2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
1/4 c Cold water
Peel the eggplant and cut into 2-inch thick wedges. Saute in water (or broth if you have the urge) in a non stick pan, turning to cook the wedges evenly for about 3-5 minutes per side, or until they’re tender. Add the scallions. Mix the sauces and water and pour into the pan. Stir, munch.

Thursday night found me with shrimp to use up and a craving for Jaleo-style garlic shrimp. Unfortunately, no one bought me the Jose Andres cookbook for Christmas, despite all my not-so-subtle hints. Instead, I decided to improvise, and came up with this pseudo-Spanish meal:
Garlic Shrimp:
Some shrimp, peeled and deveined
half a lemon
red pepper flakes
a couple crushed garlic cloves
olive oil
cilantro, chopped.
a bit of red onion, chopped
salt and pepper
Sautee red onion, then garlic, in olive oil. Squeeze lemon over shrimp. Toss with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Add shrimp – cook until opaque. Add a bit of cilantro, and you’re done.
Paprika-scented potatoes
Red potatoes, cut into small pieces
Olive oil
salt and pepper
paprika (I used Hungarian sweet, b/c it’s what I had)
Smoked garlic (Not sure how hard this is to find – I found it in the big market when visiting Philadelphia).
cilantro, chopped (just a bit).
Toss potatoes with other ingredients, and just a light coating of olive oil. Bake at 400 for about 50 minutes or so.
Spinach and mushrooms in sherry vinegar
Note: What I’d hoped to make was a spinach sautee with pine nuts, as I’d had at Jaleo recentlyr, but I couldn’t find my pine nuts. I improvised with the vinegar, but it was a bit stronger than I’d hoped. Perhaps a bit less (didn’t measure) and some brown sugar?
Some baby spinach
some red onion, chopped
a clove or two of garlic, minced
some mushrooms, chopped
sherry vinegar
Sautee onion for 10-15 min on low, to let out some of the sugars, add garlic, then mushrooms, then spinach. Add a drizzle of sherry vinegar to finish.

Today’s Haiku:
One hundred-ten cals
can’t make up for the limp taste
of a skim latte
Today’s Lunch spot:
Asylum on Sats and Sundays only for Ova, Lacto, Vegan-friendly stuff. If there’s nothing in it, it must be good for you
Today’s recipe: Chilled Strawberry Soup
ZAF is on a cold soup kick, so everyone’s just gonna have to deal with it.
1 quart strawberries, stem tops removed
12 ounces fat-free vanilla yogurt
A pinch of ginger
Juice of 1 orange
4-6 mint leaves
Place ingredients in blender and puree until smooth. Chill and serve with a small dollop of yogurt and a mint sprig as garnish. Feeling un-diet-y? Add a shot of Grand Marnier or sweet champagne.

As traditionally happens once a year, zaf has realised that summer’s arrived and she no longer fits into her Awesome Yellow Wrap Skirt. This sucks! There’s only one thing to do- our Annual 2-week Diet Roundup. That’s right, two weeks of healthy food, healthy restaurants, and bitchy haikus (you’d be would too if you’d been eating this stuff for two weeks)
So, to belly flop right in.
Today’s Haiku:
My iced tea’s not sweet
Splenda can make it better
And more cancerous!
Today’s lunch place:
Marvelous Market for their “No Guilt Turkey Sandwich”- turkey, no fat coleslaw, on some kinda bread.
Today’s recipe: Green Gazpacho Soup
1/2 large green bell pepper
3 cups romaine lettuce
1 large cucumber, peeled
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 cups chicken broth
3 green onions,
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large clove garlic
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. sea salt to taste
light sour cream
Place ingredients in a food processor and puree. Chill, and serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Happy Tuesday! I think Tuesdays are the longest, more boring day there is in the week. I’m willing to debate anyone about this subject too, Tuesdays take forever.
In order to make this Tuesday a little more interesting to me, I thought I would write my first post on DCFUD, and start it off with a SMASHING good recipe for Curry Cashew Chicken Salad.
I love this recipe, and I’ve changed a few steps from the original (don’t ask where that is!) but it’s definately better this way. The original writer didn’t know what they were talking about.

Curry Cashew Chicken Salad (In 10 Simple Steps)
To make a decent size batch, you will need….
1.) 2 cans of canned chicken (Usually found next to the canned tuna, you can use real chicken, but then you have to cook it, and that takes too long for me. I don’t like to be patient.)
2.) Red Grapes
3.) Cashews (usually just two scoops from the nut bin at the store will be fine)
4.) 1 or 2 cans of water chestnuts
5.) Celery (However much you want. I used a small bag from the salad section to dice up)
6.) Oranges or a Small thing of Orange Juice (I squeeze fresh juice, but it doesn’t matter. I’m perfect, like Martha. Wait, Martha wouldn’t use canned chicken though I bet….Hm….)
7.) Curry Powder (yellow)
8.) Ranch Dressing (I suppose you can use Mayo, but Ranch gives it a good taste).

NOW,
1.) Chop the cashews.
2.) Chop the water chestnuts (drained).
3.) Chop the celery.
4.) Mix into a big bowl.
5.) Add a splash of orange juice
6.) Drain the chicken and add the two cans.
7.) Mix all of that goodness.
8.) Slice the grapes in half each (looks nicer, easier to eat).
9.) Add some ranch dressing to coat (want the chicken to still be flaky, no clumps, and not a thick dressing).
10.) Add the curry (I like to add a lot).
Keep tasting, and adding whatever you want. Ranch, curry, orange juice.
Enjoy!
If you don’t like it, you’re crazy! 🙂

Last weekend I was asked to bring dessert to a party and I had neither the time, money nor inclination to make much of an effort.
So I dredged out of my memory an old ruse I had used before and was amazed at how good they were. Brownie cookies. Cookies out of a doctored box of brownie mix.

They are really cheap – a box of mix makes a ton of cookies – or at least several dozen and costs about $2, plus the trivial cost of the rest of the ingredients. Best of all they make a grown-up kind of cookie. Mildly chocolaty, moist, crisp at the edges yet chewy in the middle, not overly sweet, and rather versatile, (more about that later). Don’t use the recipe on the box. Here’s the technique:

Brownie Cookies

1 large box fudge brownie mix. Brand doesn’t matter but should run about 19-21 oz
2 large eggs lightly beaten
1/4 cup oil (not olive – I used canola)
3 TB water – may need a drop more or not
1/4 cup flour (essential)

• Preheat oven to 350
• Dump everything together in a large bowl. Mix until smooth. If it has some dry mix still, add a tiny drop more water. Dough will be like a thickish, stretchy batter – not clumpy like regular cookie double. That’s fine
• Line flat cookie sheet with baking (parchment) paper. You can get this at any grocery store where they have foil and plastic wrap, or sometimes in the baking or even the gadgets aisle.
• With a teaspoon drop a 1/2 dollar sized dollop of mix. It will spread after a minute into a nice circle. These cookies REALLY spread in the oven so give them room.
• Bake about 10 minutes until edges are very slightly browner than the rest of the cookie. That may not happen but 10 or 11 minutes seems about right.
• When they come out of the over let them sit a moment on the cookie sheet to firm as they will be delicate, and then carefully remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

They make a prefect round flattish circle and have a very flat bottom. This makes them good to eat but also good to fill! Make your own Oreos with vanilla icing (canned or your own) between the cookies, or even better, ice cream sandwiches. Just put a small scoop of ice cream between two cookies and freeze on a sheet until firm!

-This is a guest blog by longtime fudder MHF. Thanks mom!

…and I am not talking about that silly doll from the 80’s either. I was down in Southeastern Virginia last weekend and stumbled across an amazing farm with HUGE produce selection. They had fresh strawberries picked right off their farm, and I felt compelled to pick up a quart without an idea of what to do with them.
I got home, stared at the berries for a bit, and realized that it was time to crank out my moms favorite Strawberry Shortcake recipe – it’s easy, fresh and takes only 10 minutes to put together:
Enjoy:
The What:
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
¾ cup milk
¼ cup butter
The How:

• Mix dry ingredients, sift twice, work in butter with tips of fingers, and add milk gradually.
• Toss on floured board, divide in two parts.
• Pat, roll out, and bake twelve minutes in a hot oven in buttered Washington pie or round layer cake tins.
• Split, and spread with butter.
• Sweeten strawberries to taste, place on back of range until warmed, crush slightly, and put between and on top of Short Cakes

One of the smartest things I ever did was convince six of my closest friends, all of whom know much more about food and wine than I do, into coming over to make dinner one night about a year ago. Rather than preparing dishes in advance, everyone brought their own ingredients and we all cooked together. (This was mostly a selfish move on my part–I wanted to learn how to make these dishes, not just eat them, but it turns out that cooking together is so much more fun anyway. Plus, you have help when you need it, and freshly prepared food when you sit down to eat.)
Anyway, that’s my Supper Club. I’ll be talking about it a lot. There are ten of us now, and usually three of us bring wine and champagne, while the rest of us take care of the food. Our most recent theme was Spanish foods, which are especially lovely when eaten on the patio on a warm April night. Some sample recipes:
Wendy’s Patatas Bravas (Fierce Potatoes)
2 lbs potatoes
Half a large onion, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
olive oil
2 or 3 tablespoons paprika
3 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 red or green chile, diced
Spanish thyme
Boil whole potatoes for 15 minutes. Drain and cool. Dice into 1″-1.5″ pieces. Fry, or “oven fry” until crispy, or until you’re sick of waiting for the potatoes.
In a saucepan over medium high heat, saute onion and one clove of garlic in a smidgeon of olive oil. When they’re translucent and sticky, add paprika and stir and cook for a minute or so, until it starts looking like paste. Red paste. Mmmm. Add tomatoes and chile and Spanish thyme, and cook until the tomatoes have broken down (if you have a stick blender with you, this takes less time). Taste. Add more paprika if you have it and want to. Hold over low heat until ready to serve.
Either toss to combine potatoes and sauce, or pour sauce over individual portions of potatoes. Great served with a garlicky aioli to take away some of the heat.
Karen’s Chorizo with Figs
1 lb chorizo
Half a large onion
2 cloves garlic
Splash olive oil
1/2 c red wine
1/2 c red wine vinegar
1/2 c sugar
cinnamon
cloves
1 cup dried figs
Chop up chorizo into 1-inch sections, slice onion lengthwise, and chop up garlic. Heat up olive oil in a saucepan, add the chorizo, onions, and garlic, and sautee it until the garlic is golden brown. Add red wine, red wine vinegar, sugar, three shakes of cinnamon, and a pinch of cloves. Stir it up all, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for thirty minutes. While it’s simmering, roast figs in the oven (I brushed them with olive oil and put them in at 400 degrees, then drank cava until Wendy finally told me take them out already. Maybe five minutes?), and right before serving, stir the figs into the chorizo. This is smoky and spicy and sweet.
Kristen’s Sangria
3 bottles Spanish red wine (the wine guy at Whole Foods on P St has some great recommendations)
2 cups lemon-lime seltzer
juice of two oranges
juice of one lemon
juice of one lime
1/2 cup triple sec
two apples, cut up into small bites
one lemon, same
one lime, same
one orange, same
Combine everything, add sugar to taste, stir, and let sit in the fridge for hours. Add one basket of strawberries, cut up into small bites, just before serving, so they don’t get too mushy. Add some cava if you want to lighten it up.
This is a guest entry from Karen over at jitterbugparfum.livejournal.com. Thanks, Karen!

This is my maiden Cinco de Mayo here in the DC area. Living in Texas gave me an amazing appreciation for such a day of celebration. The margaritas were flowing, the tortillas soft and warm, and the guacamole good and fresh. Now that I am significantly “North” of the Border, I have planned a menu for this night with a twist.
Mango Key Lime Margaritas*
This tropical margarita is much fruitier and easier to drink than a genuine Mexican margarita…not that anyone has any problems drinking Jose in the hot summer nights…
1 shot (1 ounce) tequila
1 shot (1 ounce) Cointreau
1⁄4 fresh mango, peeled and chopped
1⁄2 cup fresh orange juice
juice of 1⁄2 Mexican or Key lime
1 cup crushed ice
2 Mexican or Key lime slices, for garnish
Combine the tequila, Cointreau, mango, orange juice, lime juice, and ice in a blender and blend until slushy. Serve in large cocktail glasses. Makes 2 margaritas.
For your starter course- why not try take some of the tequila left over from the rita’s and toss in some shrimp:
Tequila Shrimp Cocktail
2 lbs. fully ripened fresh Florida tomatoes (about 4 large)
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, finely chopped (about 1 T)
1 T grated lime zest
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 T tequila
2 T lime juice
1 T orange-flavored liqueur (optional)
1-1/2 lbs cooked large or jumbo shrimp, cleaned
Remove stem ends from tomatoes and finely chop. In a small bowl, combine tomatoes, jalapeño, lime zest, salt, pepper, tequila, limejuice and liqueur (if using) until blended. Chill. Spoon an equal amount of the tomato salsa into 6 margarita or wine glasses. Surround with chilled shrimp, dividing evenly.
Moving into the main course- at this point its time to crank up mariachi music and make the following:
Seafood Pozole
1 sm Onion
1 cn Yellow hominy (15 oz.)
3/4 lb Rockfish fillet
2 ts Olive oil OR salad oil
1 Lime
3 c Low-salt chicken broth
1 can Diced tomatoes and juice (14-1/2 oz.)
1 can Chopped green chilies (4 -oz.)
2 ts Ground cumin
Salsa or hot pepper sauce
Preparation:
Thinly slice onion. Rinse and drain Hominy. Rinse fish, pat dry, and cut into 3/4 inch cubes (discard any bones you discover while cutting fish). Slice lime into 6 wedges.
Cooking:

1. Stir onion and oil in a 3-4 quart pan over medium-high heat until onion is tender, about 5 minutes.

2. Add hominy, chicken broth, tomatoes and their juice, chilies and cumin. Cover pan and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
   
3. Add fish; simmer and stir gently until fish flakes when prodded with a fork, 2-4 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls. Squeeze juice of 1 lime wedge into each bowl of soup. Serve salsa or hot pepper sauce alongside to season to taste. Makes 6 servings.

This post thanks to Guest Blogger Kate over at http://notquitemartha.typepad.com. Thanks Kate!