Tag Archives: Balsamic vinegar

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Week 32, Meal 2: Sweet and sour chicken

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Chef Brian’s pretty awesome at “magic tricks,” or at least that’s what I call them. Every once in a while, he’ll introduce a new technique to me that blows my mind. Some of my favorite tricks of his include corn pudding and salsa verde broth; Week 32, Meal 2: Italian Sweet and Sour chicken over sauteed kale with balsamic raisins and toasted pine nuts adds a new one to the repertorie: reconstituted raisins, plumped up fat and juicy with acidic balsamic vinegar.

Paired with a sticky glaze on skinless chicken thighs, the tart raisins provide perfect contrast in this sweet, sour and nutty dish.

Continue reading Week 32, Meal 2: Sweet and sour chicken →

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Week 32: Killer kale

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Off the top of my head, I can come up with a shortlist of foods we should all have regularly: blueberries, almonds, green tea, dark chocolate, salmon and … kale. I hardly ever ate it before, but the leafy green has been used a few times here on Fat Dude.

Full of vitamins and minerals, kale is a neutral green that goes well in a variety of dishes. That’s why Chef Brian decided to spotlight kale with our Week 32 menu:

Week 32, Meal 1: Honey-sherry marinated chicken over roasted butternut squash, kale and ciopolini onion

Week 32, Meal 2: Italian Sweet and Sour chicken over sauteed kale with balsamic raisins and toasted pine nuts

Week 32, Meal 3: Citrus and Adobo Marinated Tuna over roasted fingerlings, kale, and tomatoes with garlic-chile oil and adobo citrus sour cream

Each recipe makes two portions. Keep reading for the full shopping list.

Continue reading Week 32: Killer kale →

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Week 24, Meal 3: Veggie pizza sangwich

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Right behind sandwiches on my list of favorite foods is another carb-o-fave-o: the pizza pie.

The final meal of Week 24 reminds me more of pizza than a sandwich because of it’s sweet red sauce, gobs of creamy cheese and a thick layer of delicious toppings.

Here’s Week 24, Meal 3: Grilled vegetable panini with ricotta and roasted bell pepper puree. It’s doesn’t exactly fill the same void a nice slab of pizza would, but it’s a worthy substitute for the most part. Continue reading Week 24, Meal 3: Veggie pizza sangwich →

The Shopping List

Week 24: Sandwitches

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Chef Brian’s a good thinker-aheader.

He knew that I was ready to get back in the kitchen and thoughtfully put together an easy-to-make spread of one of my favorite foods: the noble sandwich.

Two of the meals are really quick to make and the finale to the menu isn’t bad either. Three cheers for an easy week in the kitchen. Here’s the menu:

Week 24, Meal 1: Prosciutto and goat cheese sandwich with fennel-apple slaw

Week 24, Meal 2: Roasted turkey with gruyere and cornichons

Week 24, Meal 3: Grilled vegetable panini with ricotta and roasted bell pepper puree

Each recipe makes two servings. Continue reading for the shopping list.

Continue reading Week 24: Sandwitches →

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Week 21, Meal 1: Sweet and spicy pork

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I asked Chef Brian to write a grilling menu because my skills on the grill are solid but the number of dishes I know is limited.

This recipe was good for a few good reasons: I never have pork chops on the grill, but these turned out delicious; I learned I was prepping cippolini all wrong; and I’m starting to love balsamic vinegar and this dish uses it to perfection.

I’m playing catch up. Here’s Week 21, Meal 1: Grilled pork chop with balsamic-glazed cippolini onions, mixed peppers and tomatoes with basil.

Continue reading Week 21, Meal 1: Sweet and spicy pork →

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Week 18, Meal 1: Another gussied up fish dish

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Sure, it’s rewarding to make great-tasting food at home, but there’s always an extra level of satisfaction when I put together something that looks like it belongs on some fancy restaurant menu.

Now, Chef Brian might disagree, but I think he’s at his best when he’s working with ahi tuna. There’s just something about the way he is able to contrast that neon pink flesh against eggplant, cous cous, beets … whatever.

Week 18, Meal 1: Fennel, black pepper, and parsley crusted ahi tuna over eggplant and pomegranate caponata with pomegranate balsamic drizzle is yet another stunner from his repertoire of  food that’s both beautiful to look at, and delicious to eat. Continue reading Week 18, Meal 1: Another gussied up fish dish →

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Week 7, Meal 2: Turkey burger with balsamic red onion, basil yogurt, tomato and greens

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I got sucker punched by a freakin’ turkey burger last night.

But this wasn’t the same ol’ onions, lettuce and tomato with mustard turkey burger that I’ve wolfed down on other weight loss attempts. This was Week 7, Meal 2: Turkey burger with balsamic red onion, basil yogurt, tomato and greens.

It’s a high-flavor take on the oft-overlooked turkey burg, which combines sweet and sour onions with a lemon-y basil yogurt. Dare I say it was as good, if not better than the previous night’s beef burger with bacon and egg? Continue reading Week 7, Meal 2: Turkey burger with balsamic red onion, basil yogurt, tomato and greens →

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Week 3, Meal 2: Whole wheat penne pasta with basil pesto, balsamic-marinated skirt steak, portobello mushroom, cherry tomato and fresh mozzarella

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I love love love beef and since we started this here blog I haven’t had any.

Surprisingly, I don’t quite feel like this guy, but I was very excited when I saw not only beef, but skirt steak — MY FAVORITE CUT OF BEEF — on the menu.

Meet Week 3, Meal 2: Whole wheat penne pasta with basil pesto, balsamic marinated skirt steak, portobello mushroom, cherry tomatoe and fresh mozzarella.

And it ain’t even my birthday … Continue reading Week 3, Meal 2: Whole wheat penne pasta with basil pesto, balsamic-marinated skirt steak, portobello mushroom, cherry tomato and fresh mozzarella →

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Week 2, Meal 3: Grilled pork chop with grilled asparagus over wild rice with a fig, port and balsamic reduction

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Even though we’re using some of the same ingredients for three full meals, I don’t ever feel like I’m getting bored with what I’m eating.

Case in point is the lovely grilled pork chop with grilled asparagus over wild rice with a fig, port, and balsamic reduction I ate for dinner last night.

By simply reducing the balsamic fig jam in some port wine, I was able to further d-lish-ify something already in my fridge.

And yeah, I just made up a word. So, whatever. Continue reading Week 2, Meal 3: Grilled pork chop with grilled asparagus over wild rice with a fig, port and balsamic reduction →

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Week 2, Meal 2: Thyme-crusted roasted pork panini with balsamic fig jam and bacon

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If you didn’t notice by the headline, there’s bacon in that there sandwich. If that ain’t an advancement in healthy eating, I don’t know what to tell you.

But bacon is low in calories (40-50 per slice, though high in fat) and a little bit can totally be a part of a healthy diet.

For our second meal of week 2, we’re dressing that bacon with a bunch of great ingredients for our thyme-crusted roasted pork panini with balsamic fig jam and bacon.

BOOYAH. Keep readin’. Continue reading Week 2, Meal 2: Thyme-crusted roasted pork panini with balsamic fig jam and bacon →

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