February 1, 2010 also known as Day 1 of Veggie Me

February 1, 2010

First day of the Vegetarian experiment. So far, so good. We haven't had a craving for meat since we've had our fill over the weekend (read: PIGGED OUT; forgive the pun....hehe). For the past week, I've been thinking of possible menus that will be delicious and nutritious. I have some exciting ideas and I am looking forward to sharing them with all of you so keep on reading!!!

For lunch today, I tried a recipe from my favorite nutritionist Ellie Krieger: Tabbouleh. It's a nutritious and refreshing salad/side dish made from bulgur wheat. The first time I had Tabbouleh, it was made by a friend of ours during our rafting trip. She packed a lunch for us and it was this amazing Tabbouleh wrap that was so tasty, healthy and refreshing on that hot summer day! My mouth still waters when I think about that meal. No kidding! Even though this is a great summer dish, it still works perfectly for winter, so I encourage you to try it.

For the Tabbouleh wrap, I simply toasted a flour tortilla on a dry pan, slathered on some store-bought hummus on it, and piled on the yummy Tabbouleh. Rolled it like a burrito and that was lunch! For half a cup of Tabbouleh, that's only 175 calories. Add the Tortilla (100 calories) and hummus (30 calories/Tablespoon). That's 305 calories for a filling lunch!

I've tried many recipes, but Ellie's is by far my favorite. Click here for Ellie's Tabbouleh

My plan for this blog is to include a recipe of mine per day. I'd like to do more than one if time permits. I'll also make sure to include recipe links (if the recipe isn't mine) so that credit is given to the appropriate person/people. For the calorie trackers like me, I've indicated calorie count per serving. Feel free to comment, suggest, or ask questions.

Here's the recipe of the day:

Thai Coconut Soup (a.k.a Tom Kha Gai Soup)
Serves 4
1-14 oz. can coconut milk
7 oz. vegetable stock (low sodium)
5 thin slices of galanga (Thai ginger) or substitute with regular ginger
1 stalk lemongrass, cut into thirds
5 lime leaves (if you can't find kaffir lime leaves, just use the rind of 1 lime)
3 Tablespoons Fish Sauce
3 Tablespoons Lime Juice (about one large lime)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
13 oz. tofu, cut into 1/2" cube
salt and white pepper to taste
cilantro for garnish
red chili paste (for a spicy soup-optional)

Procedure:
Combine the first 8 ingredients together in a stock pot and let it come to a boil. Once boiling, add the sliced mushrooms and tofu cubes. Reduce heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.Remove lemongrass stalks and lime leaves before serving. Add cilantro on top as a garnish.

Calories per serving: 205