#NOMEAT

Recently I decided to eliminate meat from my diet, not because I'm trying to become vegetarian but simply to get my "house in order."  Today marks a week of not consuming any meat and I have to say it has been a very positive experience.  My girlfriend and I had fallen off the wagon, so to speak, and to kick us back into gear I suggested that we take meat out of our diet for a little while and  implement more veggies, fruits, and grains.  Immediately I felt a difference mentally; I started feeling more confident about myself and felt more attractive as well.  It feels so good not to have a feeling of lethargy due to over-eating because I now exercise portion control.  The effect this change has had on my self-esteem alone is enough for me to make this a life long commitment and I believe by me viewing this as the "glass half full" it has been even easier to make the adjustment.  Different things work for different people but I will say that if you aren't feeling your best about your health due to food intake find something you think can benefit you, adopt a positive outlook towards it, and JUST DO IT!

-Theresa

Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays.  I love it because I not only get to be around those that I care most about, but I also get to nosh on some of my favorite traditional Thanksgiving dishes like baked macaroni and cheese, yams, dressing, etc.  This year I volunteered to host Thanksgiving for the first time EVER.  Now, deciding to do this wasn't  hard at all but I have to admit, there has been some anxiety since I've made the decision.  Majority of the dishes I will be preparing will be my first time doing so so there's a lot of pressure (self imposed) for things to turn out wonderful.  Being that cooking comes so naturally to me, there are very few times where I become nervous at the prospect of preparing a new dish.  Surprisingly, creating the menu was extremely easy; the ideas came to me as if I had prepared them several times over.  I've finally gotten pass the nerves and I am looking at this as an opportunity to express to my family how thankful I am for them.

What about you, what are your plans for Thanksgiving 2011?  Have you hosted a holiday on your own, what was your experience?  Do you have recipes you'd like to share?  Be sure to leave your comments/words of encouragement (lol).  Below I've included my 2011 Thanksgiving menu.


Thanksgiving 2011 Menu

• Dressing w/ baked in chicken
• Buttered Rosemary Lamb
• Baked Yams
• Green Beans w/ Smoked Turkey
• Truffle Macaroni & Cheese
• Creamed Spinach
• Ham w/ a sweet & savory glaze
• Brandy spiked Cranberry Sauce
• Cake w/ homemade Caramel frosting

To do: Soulard Chili Festival

The season is changing and we are inching our way into cooler weather.  The changing of seasons brings about the change in seasonal cooking; for example, the warm weather of Summer made way for barbecues and dining al fresca.  Now, with Autumn here, many of us find ourselves in the mood for more warming/comfort foods such as pot roasts, soups, and chili!

On October 15th Soulard will be hosting it's 1st annual Chili Festival.  There will be chili tasting and judging, along with musical entertainment and a wine and beer garden.  There will also be crafts and a children's area for kids to enjoy, so bring the whole family!

What: 1st Annual Soulard Chili Festival
When: October 15, 2011; 11am-5pm
Where: Lift for Life Academy (across from Soulard Market)
Cost: Unknown

1,000+

Woohoo, I just noticed that my blog has reached 1,000 views, 1,030 to be exact.  Thank you to every one of you that have taken an interest in TheMinimalistPalate, I appreciate your support and look forward to sharing more with you through the medium of food!

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

I've been preparing Tilapia this way for a while and a friend recently reached out asking for a good fish recipe and this was the first to come to mind, so I decided to post it here and share it with all of you...Enjoy!

Ingredients 

• 1/2 lb Tilapia
• 1 1/2 cups Bread Crumbs
• 2 cups Grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup Shredded Parmesan
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Tbsp. Parsley
• 2 Tbsp. Granulated/Powder Garlic
• 1 tsp. Oregano
• 2 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil

Preparation

1. In an elongated shallow bowl, add eggs, 1 Tbsp garlic, & 1 tsp. sea salt and beat thoroughly, set aside.
2. In an elongated shallow bowl, add remaining ingredients except for olive oil and mix together, set aside.
3. Add olive oil to a medium size frying pan and heat over medium temperature.
4. One piece at a time, add fish to egg wash and coat both sides.  Then add to Parmesan mixture and coat both sides.
5. Place in frying pan and cook on both sides for 6 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove and set aside.
6. Repeat steps 4 & 5 until all the fish has been cooked. Serve. 

Quick Tips: 

• You may have to add more olive oil as you start a new piece of fish, just enough to coat bottom of the pan.
• If you cook fish often, investing in a fish spatula would be a great idea.  It helps to keep the fish in one piece while flipping and transporting.

*Makes 3-4 servings

*Total time: 37 minutes

Pictured here with Smothered
Potatoes & Steamed Broccoli

Review: Ari's Greek Restaurant

This weekend turned out to be "date weekend", never mind date night, for my girlfriend and I.  To kick off the weekend's festivities we decided to go with Ari's Greek Restaurant, picked from our  2012 Entertainment book.  Driving down Hampton Avenue, I've always seen Ari's and had settled in my mind that one day I would give them a try.  The ambiance of the restaurant is very unassuming; it's a quaint place that has a nice-homey feel to it.  While it doesn't have much in the way of Mediterranean style decor, the flower-scape that welcomes you upon entry definitely makes up for that.  The wait staff at Ari's was great, very inviting and personable which is a always a plus.

Now let's get to the food.  I have to tell you, I've only had Greek food from a real Greek restaurant once in Chicago at Pegasus, so my exposure to the cuisine has been minimal.  I did expect the menu to be more extensive than it was.  Rachel even commented that it felt a little Americanized to her, but we put all reservations aside and found some great dishes.  We started dinner with an appetizer of Saganaki a.k.a "Flaming Cheese."  Saganaki is Greek cheese that is lightly breaded and flash-fried served with a side of bread or Pita.  It is brought tableside where the waiter pours a shot of Brandy over it and ignites it with a lighter yelling Opa!  If you ever get a chance to visit any Greek restaurant, you must try it just for the theatrics alone.  Ari's Saganaki did not disappoint.  it was nice and crusty outside while remaining rich and creamy inside.  For our main dishes, I ordered the Chicken Slouvaki with sautéed Greek Potatoes and Rachel ordered Ari's Famous Gyro Sandwich with a traditional Greek salad.  The Slouvaki consisted of marinated & grilled chicken breasts with feta, tomato, onion, and tzatzike sauce all rolled inside an amazingly fresh pita.  This sandwich was nothing short of fantastic for me.  All of the ingredients were fresh and complimented one another perfectly.  The potatoes, omg!  From now on, whenever I prepare sautéed potatoes I will have to add black olives to them.  The potatoes tasted as if they weren't seasoned which is a good thing in this case because the black olives added just the right amount of saltiness; accompanied with red bell pepper and onions, those were some of the best potatoes I've eaten.  The Ari's Famous Gyro was pleasant as well; prepared traditionally with lamb carved from the spit.  Believe it or not, we had plenty food leftover so we did not have room for dessert.

I highly reccomend Ari's Greek Restaurant, especially to those that are newbies to Greek cuisine.

Ari's Greek Restaurant

3101 Hampton Ave.

St. Louis, MO 63139

Fried Corn

This past weekend I attended a pot-luck reception where guests were asked to bring a dish and I opted to bring my famous Fried Corn.  The guests at the reception loved this dish.  Try it out!

Fried Corn

Ingredients

• 5 Bacon strips (browned & crumbled)
• 1 cup Leeks (chopped)
• 1 1/2 cups Bell Pepper (diced)
• 3 Tbsps. Butter
• 5 ears of Corn (shucked & cut from ear), or 2 bags fresh-frozen corn
• 1 Tbsp. Granulated Garlic
• 1 Tbsp. Sugar
• 1 Tbsp. Black Pepper
• 1 tsp. Salt, or to taste 

Preparation

1. In a large frying pan brown bacon over medium heat 3-4 minutes each side.  Remove bacon, crumble, and set aside.
2. Using rendered bacon fat, add leeks & bell pepper to pan and saute for 5 minutes.  You don't want the pepper to cook thoroughly, just soften. 
3. Add butter & corn to pan with leeks and bell pepper.  Add seasonings and incorporate.
4. Turn temperature to medium-high and brown corn slightly, stir frequently.
5. Once corn has browned, mix in crumbled bacon and corn is ready to serve.

Quick Tips:

• If using fresh-frozen corn, let thaw before cooking.  This lessens the water content so that the corn doesn't become soupy.
• Leeks are a type of onion so if your local grocer is out, a sweet yellow onion will do.
• Tri color bell peppers add great color to this dish.

*Makes 6 servings