The reason I agreed to review the book is on two fronts.
The author writes about the history of spices (something I am very interested in).
Talks about the struggles with weight loss. I’ve had personal experience with the weight loss failures and successes. In 2010, I lost 60 lbs, but two years later I gained 40 of it back, and am fighting it again and have lost over 20 lbs of my 40 lb. goal.
That being said, I really enjoyed reading Klein’s book. Although fairly easy to read, it was educational and interesting. I will probably keep my copy in my reference library to go back to for additional information as I prepare my own articles and presentations.
The spice blends are very diverse with international and domestic (U.S. influenced) flavors. The e-book creates a lot of links to recipes that any culinary enthusiasts would welcome. Each recipe also contains the nutritional data and nutrient exchange that many are looking for when planning their meals and are very Weight Watcher/Nutrisystem/Medifast/Slimgenics friendly.
As a cook, I am looking forward to trying many of the featured recipes and recommended spice blends. If you have a chance, take a look at the book. It’s worth the read!
As a note, this review was not a paid review nor am I endorsing any weightloss plan.
On a whim, I cooked this dish up. It is very reminiscent of a French dish I’ve enjoyed on the coast of France. I hope you enjoy it.
Lobster with Caramelized Brussel Sprouts
Ingredients: 2 raw lobster tails, shells removed and cut into 1” cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
8-10 fresh Brussel sprouts, cored and quartered (do not use frozen)
2 shallots, sliced
1 clove of garlic minced
1 pinch of dried red pepper
1 tsp of dried thyme
½ tsp of fresh lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste
Begin by heating up a large fry pan to medium to medium – high heat and then add the oil. Begin by Brussel sprouts and keep stirring and shaking the pan, so that the oil completely covers the sprouts and they begin to cook evenly. The goal is to have them cook quickly at a hot temperature as we do not want to overcook them, but to caramelize them.
After about 2 minutes, add the shallots, garlic, and dried red pepper. Continue to stir or toss the ingredients and add the thyme, salt and pepper. After about 4 minutes, the vegetables are starting to caramelize (the edges are browning). Add the cut up lobster tail to the dish.
The lobster tail will cook very quickly (2 minutes). Once the lobster is done, remove the pan from the heat and serve, garnishing with the fresh lemon zest.
2.25 lbs of shallots, peeled and cut into half and large ones in quarters 6 cloves of garlic 3 sprigs or fresh rosemary 3 sprigs of fresh thyme 1 tbsp of raw sugar 6 tbsp of olive oil 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar Salt and black pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl toss together the shallots, garlic, rosemary, thyme, raw sugar, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Season with the salt and pepper and toss (mix well).
Place items in an oven proof dish with cover. Cover the items and bake for 20 minutes. Pull it out, stir well and place back in the oven uncovered for another 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. After 30 minutes, most of the liquids should have reduced to a nice glaze.
Transfer the items into a serving dish. When served hot, it makes an excellent relish for steak or chicken. When served cold, it complements cheese and crackers.
I’ve also added it to scrambled eggs and fried potatoes as well. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.
After years of being asked what I do, I created a video from the photographs supplied by my fans. They are each recognized for their kindness at the end of the video and I received written permission from the band, Misplaced, to use “Tell My Ma” for this video. Please be kind with the comments, I am a cook and not a videographer.
Thank you all for your continued support. I look forward to seeing many of you in 2013.
1/2 lb of red potatoes (baby ones work best), cubed with skins on
Roasted Garlic Red Potaotes
4 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, minced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
5 green onions, diced
1 sprig rosemary
sea salt
black pepper
Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
Heat up a sauté pan on medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the shallots, garlic and half of the rosemary. After a minute, add the cut up potatoes. Sauté, stirring occasionally to avoid burning and to make sure the potatoes have been thoroughly covered in oil, shallot, garlic and rosemary. Sauté for about 5 minutes and transfer to an oven safe bake pan.
I usually recommend putting down tin foil to minimize the sticking. Once in the pan, add the green onions and cover it up and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Pull out of the oven, flip potatoes over and add salt and pepper. Turn up the oven to 400°F and continue cooking the potatoes uncovered until browned.
