Hi countingdown,
thanks for the reply - actually the mushroom barley risotto wasnt anything special - but what I cooked with it was fantastic! Great recipe for all the pumpkins that are around at halloween!
Chili roasted pumpkin (fat free!)
I small pumpkin, a butternut or any other kind of winter sqash would work well. I used a local australian pumpkin call a jap.
4 Tbs tomato paste
4 Tbs sweet chili sauce (or use a bit of hot sauce and honey)
1 Tbs curry powder
1 tsp cinnamon
cut up the pumpkin into chunky slices, do not peel as the skin softens and can be eaten. Mix ingredients together and rub all over the pumpkin. I cleaned the seeds and scattered them around as well to bake alongside. I roasted the pumpkin in a baking pan at 200'C (400'F) for 45 minutes covered, then turn, and then 15 minutes uncovered. To save time I am sure you could precook in the microwave, in fact the original recipe called for just microwave cooking, but I loved the roasting effect. .
Of course this made a ton but we will have some more tonight and then also for lunches during the week. I am sure it would freeze well as I often freeze regular roast pumpkin.
Oh, sounds delish! I agree - roasted vegetables are so much better than microwaved. When I replaced my broken microwave we bought a "half-time" oven. It has a microwave, convection oven - and in-between setting where it uses both. I LOVE it for roasted veggies. Half the time, and still - a nice caramelized roasted flavor. I need to add pumpkin to my shopping list
Here I am again, writing from Berkeley. Last night we had dinner at the home of my old boss. They live in a fabulous house in the Upper Market-Twin Peaks area of San Francisco. An incredible view of the Bay, and I'm sure the house must be worth something in the seven-digits... They have redone the inside with inlayed wood floors and tile, some of which they had made for the purpose. Every corner is an artisan's delight. The kitchen had Italian marble all over the place--absolutely amazing! Nice to see how the "other half" lives.
Dinner was simple. A salad of roasted red and yellow peppers tossed with a bit of dressing on a bed of butter lettuce, and a bowl of a chickpea-and-greens stew with pork. My boss's husband had baked bread and had made a fruit tart for dessert. Delicious, and not highly caloric. Did I mention that these two people are on the thin and fit side? Not hard to see why.
Yesterday and today are mostly take-it-easy days. Time to reconnoiter. Tomorrow we drive up to Mendocino for a couple of nights.
africanaussie, I like the sound of that pumpkin dish! Something to try when we get back home.
Jay - sounds wonderful - the houses in that area are spectacular! I know what you mean about "other half" Staying with my cousin in the UP - a lumber baron's mansion - turn of the century - 8 bedrooms, 6.5 baths, four stories, private tennis court, deck, hot-tub, just off Lake Superior. We thouroughly enjoyed ourselves
I am amazed by how many thin and fit people there are in SF. I do believe that culture can help/harm fitness and obesity levels. All of DS1's friends, and most of the people in his church are slender and fit. Some are more athletic than others, and maybe 15 percent are overweight - but compared to where I live - WOW - what a difference.
Still crazy here - but at least I'm home at a reasonable hour tonight. And, I did fit in 45 minutes of exercise It felt good after a few days off. I really do miss it when I can't fit it in.
Where IS everybody? C'mon, I know you are out there! Let's see some posts or I'll start roll call...
We just got back from our two-night stay in Mendocino. It was a wonderful time! We went up the coast to the Mendocino Botanical Gardens and hiked around all day--saw many beautiful plants (lots of rhododendrons, though not blooming quite yet) and gorgeous view of the ocean off the headlands. Lots of walking and hiking on this excursion, and lots of delicious food as well! And I have enjoyed every bit of it.
Back in Berkeley now--just got back from dinner at Chipotle, which is nice in that you can choose your own ingredients, so if you don't want a lot of rice, you don't have to have it. Tomorrow is our last day here, and we're going to a meditation group in the morning, and then to dinner and a play in the evening. And then Monday it's back to Fla.
Jay - you are making me long for the bay area! I'm bummed that we can't go until after the first of the year. Hope you are taking lots of pics!
Have a safe journey home. I hope it is uneventful
A typical Sunday here. Church, then shopping, now cooking for the week. There was a HUGE bag of colored peppers on the clearance rack - they all looked good - so I'm making stuffed peppers.
We have an outlet store in town that gets merchandise from Amazon - still in-date. They got a shipment in on Friday. I was able to pick up some oddities that I can't get locally. Black quinoa, Freekeh, WW couscous, buckwheat groats, etc.
Welcome back Jay! It's just hard to keep up with all of the threads ....
DS#2's youth group had a soup/salad fundraiser yesterday at church, so I spent Saturday making chili and pies. I was very very good and managed to stay completely away from the dessert table!!
We FINALLY got a cold front and had Sunday morning temperatures around 60 degrees! My running buddies and I vowed that we were not going to complain about the cold ... while we shivered through the first couple of miles of our long run. My hands never did get warm, but we did our scheduled 12 miles in record time!
MBN - had to laugh. I walked to work in 19 degree weather with a windchill of 12 degrees. Please, send that cold weather up here!!!!
Jay - welcome home! Pictures? Details? I need my bay area fix since we aren't going for months yet!
Speaking of going, I did get Priceline tickets for Thanksgiving. I'm thrilled. Airfare was climbing and, even though I started searching and bidding months ago, I hadn't been successful finding tickets to TN in my price range. We were beginning to think that we would have to drive - something we really don't like to do.
But, the latest bid was successful - so we will be leaving on Nov. 19th - only a month away
Hey everyone, I'm wiped out, so only a short message. The good news, I didn't gain any weight on vacation, even though I ate quite well. I did not count a single calorie, and there was no scale to be had. There was no gym--the only exercise was all the hiking and walking we did. I didn't lose track of my mindful eating, and I think that is what helped.
Hope you're all doing well... I had to go to the eye doc this morning because my eyes have been all inflammed. She thinks it's allergy, but it's gotten out of hand. I guess it was something in California, even though I haven't been allergic before there. Oh well! I have medicines now to get it under control.
Not even unpacked all the way yet! But, time to call it a day.
Well, I'm unpacked now, but laundry is still to be done. Went to the gym, and it felt really good! Must be the steroids... (I'm taking a short course of steroids for an allergy flare-up... The downside of my vacation.)
CD, what do you think? Shall we throw the towel in on this thread? Seems like that new thread has everyone's interest...
It felt good after a few days off. I really do miss it when I can't fit it in.
on your weight control on vacation. I know all too well how easy it is to overeat in SF!
(I'm taking a short course of steroids for an allergy flare-up... The downside of my vacation.)
Namaste!