Loving fish....

I've eaten fish since being a kid -- I'll admit though I wasn't that big a fan.  First, the smell -- I've been told fresh fish should never smell fishy -- perhaps I've gotten less than fresh.

Enter my latest encounter.  I see the fish, the whole fish, the nice man behind the fish counter fillets it for me.

I'm loving this fish.  Taste light and fresh.

Simple --- ginger, scallions and wine and viola dinner...

Some times I do lemon and fresh tomato....

I went to the doctor today.  The doctor's assistant said should could hardly recognize me -- I had lost quite a bit of weight....  Hmmm, I guess it has been since last year that I was in -- I suppose the same way a pound or two just slips on and you notice your clothes are snug, when I lose weight I can only notice that my clothes are loose.

Mediterranean Salad

From none other than Whole Foods.  On their site, I got this recipe -- I've seen the salad for sale in their deli case.  Weird how we are attracted to the same things -- I had forgotten that I made this salad about a year or so ago.  When I went to save the recipe -- it said replace??  Yep.

It is chick peas, kale, tomato, broccoli, onion, olives, wine vinegar, garlic

I added sprouts, avocado and pumpkin seeds to mine.

wild rice salad

What to make with leftover wild rice?  Rice salad of course.  Yummy.  I used the same recipe basically as the kamut berry one.  I do add sunflower seeds, pomegranate kernels, feta cheese, white balsamic vinegar...

It's in a glass bowl on a granite counter.  Probably not the best photo.  Yummy though.

Tuna wrap

A simple and satisfying lunch.  I use a whole grain lavash bread -- I got the concept from the Overnight Diet book, but I made it "my own"

I put down the lavash, I layer some organic greens and sprouts on it.

On top, I put a tuna mixture.  1 can of tuna, 1 boiled egg, cranberries or pomegranate kernels, cherry or grape tomatoes, lemon juice, white balsamic vinegar, dill (fresh preferred), olive oil.

I'll even throw on some homemade salad dressing.  Looks and tastes delicious

Avocado,  and pumpkin seeds added.

Delicious passion fruit "soda"

I filled a glass 2/3 full with passion fruit juice (and ice).  Added about 1/3 cup of sparkling water -- I had Perrier.  Usually I have San Pellegrino on hand as I buy it by the case at Costco.

By the time I decided to take a picture, it was mostly gone!  Really good though.  I like that it's fizzy and refreshing without any added sugar.

Salad dressings....

I'll be honest, I never loved salad.  I eat it -- but not one of my favorites.  Now, I do love it.  The change -- the dressing.  I've tried almost every one imaginable.  What I've found -- nothing beats home made.  It is not always fresh (when I say that, I make it and store it in the fridge) -- It never lasts more than a couple days as I eat a lot of it.

My favorite is a concoction of apple, wine, mustard, white balsamic vinegar -- I got the recipe on line.  Here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pear-vinaigrette/   It calls for pear -- I didn't have pear, so I threw in an apple.  (Vitamix blender -- probably one of my favorite appliances. )  I throw in the ingredients and in about 2 minutes -- viola -- dressing.

Today, I tried something new Mango.  It is very good.  I poured it into an old vinegar bottle and it's ready.  It looks almost too yellow in the photo.  My pictures are terrible.  It doesn't seem that yellow in actuality.

It is just mango chunks, white wine, white balsamic vinegar, garlic, mustard, olive oil

Wine....Vinegar

It all started with a bottle of old (from the 80's) wine.  It was sitting (on its side) in my pantry, well since the 80's.  What a waste you say (yeah probably).  The cork got compromised... Somehow the wine had seeped almost through the cork turning it a brown/gooey looking top.  That meant that air has also gotten to the wine.

I went on line and read about making your own vinegar.  I guess the one thing you need is a "mother" -- which is like a starter -- I compare it to when people make yogurt and you need the live active cultures.

Anyway it takes a dark bottle or one covered so it doesn't get light.  A cloth cover so air gets in but nothing else. and the mother.

I didn't have a mother, so I went to one of my other vinegars and scooped out the left over mother in the bottom and threw it in.  Wine/beer making stores have "mothers" -- I'll have to check into it.... with more vigor -- this batch was kind of just a lark.

Now supposedly most vinegars are "dead" due to pasteurization.  Similar to yogurt cultures, vinegars are supposed to have beneficial bacterias.

Total time is 60 days for "brewing".

back it goes into a dark cool place....