Monday, May 10, 2004

UPDATE

Hello to all who read this,

As you can see, I've gotten pretty lazy about posting. Putting my menu online (and in my excel spreadsheet) every day has just gotten old, frankly. I'm down to 124 pounds, and I continue to lose, but at a slower pace because I'm simply eating close to maintenance. For me, maintenance calories seem to be about 1850 a day, and I'm eating about 1600. That translates to a half a pound of fat loss a week.

I look pretty good at this weight, and though I know I will look even better at 120, I'm just not motivated to get there full-steam ahead. I will get there eventually--at this pace, in about two months--and I've decided I'm just not going to worry about it.

I'm still doing the South Beach Diet, but definitely as Phase II (meaning I eat whole grains and fruits), and I don't worry about the occasional potato, white pasta, or even sweet treat. Just so long as, on average, I'm eating below maintenance in any given week, I'm happy.

So I will check back in and report my progress from time to time, and post a vegan recipe or two that I might come up with.

In that spirit, I bring you:


Gnocchi with Bitter Greens (loose Phase II, or Phase III appropriate)

1 pound potato gnocchi
1 bunch broccoli rabe/rapini (or your fave bitter green; kale or collards would do nicely)
1 leek
1 pound brussels sprouts
2 T fry-appropriate oil (like canola, grapeseed, or refined avocado)
1 t crushed red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
1/4 c lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Boil a big, heavy-bottomed pot of water. While it is heating, prepare the various greens: rinse and trim the thickest ends off of the broccoli rabe; rinse the brussels sprouts, cut off the ends and cut an "x" in the bottom of the stems; rinse and thinly slice the leek. The water should be boiling now; dump in the brussels sprouts and cook for 8 minutes. While it is boiling, put a heavy pan on medium heat with 1 T of the oil, and begin sauteeing the leeks. When the brussels sprouts are done, fish them out with a slotted spoon and put them aside. Dump the broccoli rabe into the boiling water, and cook for no more than a minute. Fish out the greens into a collander, and set aside to drain. Now dump the gnocchi into the boiling water, and boil until they rise to the surface (about three minutes). While they are cooking, dump the broccoli rabe into the pan with the leek, and continue sauteeing. Now drain the gnocchi and the water from the pot. Put the pot back on the burner, on medium heat, toss in the other T of oil, the drained gnocchi, and the drained brussels spouts. Sautee for a minute or three, then toss in the red pepper flakes, and the sauteed leeks and broccoli rabe. Add the lemon juice, stir it up well, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

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