Dirty Pans

Mostly my take on healthy cooking and eating. I try as much as possible to follow the South Beach Diet (good carbs and fats), so a lot of recipes and menus are Phase 1 and Phase 2 if you are familiar with this lifestyle.

I try to eat as much organic food as possible while making it affordable and fast for working adults, college students and anyone trying to get organized in meal planning (including cost per meal and shopping lists).

Because I'm a serious foodie, this is also where I share everything else I know about food (recipes, plans, equipment, tastings). And yes, fatty, delicious temptations from time to time.

I consider myself a good cook and a courageous eater (I'll try everything and cook it myself at home when possible), so these years of cooking gave me some knowledge on how to deal with the most diverse foods.

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Not exactly a vegetarian Meatless Monday idea, but with summer just one month away, I couldn’t wait to start on ceviche. That was our Saturday dinner, actually, but why not do it any day of the week? It does require some marinating time, but every minute is worth the effort. This recipe yields five appetizer portions or around two or three dinner entree portions. You’ll need: 1 lb of tilapia fillets, cubed  1/2 lb of bay scallops (the really small ones) 1/2 lb of popcorn shrimp (or any shrimp chopped to popcorn size) 1/2 lb of calamari rings and tentacles, cut into bite-size pieces 1 medium red onion, chopped small 1 medium green or red bell pepper, chopped small 2 medium jalapenos, chopped small and divided into two portions 1 cup of chopped cilantro Juice of two limes, but have some more on hand Three tablespoons of rice, red wine or apple cider vinegar (Choose the one that tastes milder for you; vinegar is a very personal choice in my opinion) Salt and ground black pepper to taste Boil about 4 cups of water. Place in a large bowl: calamari, shrimp (if raw), and bay scallops.  Pour the boiling water over the calamari, shrimp and scallops and let it stand for no more than 2 minutes. Drain the seafood and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Place the seafood back in the bowl with the chopped raw tilapia, red onion and bell pepper. Add about a teaspoon of salt, 1/2 a teaspoon of ground black pepper, the juice of two limes and the vinegar. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (I like to leave it for about 2 hours, but don’t leave more than that or it can become a little bitter). After an hour or so, take the bowl out of the refrigerator, add one jalapeno, finely chopped, no seeds or ribs, unless you like really spicy ceviche. Leave another chopped jalapeno in an small bowl so you can add heat to your personal taste. Add the cilantro, mix well. Taste to adjust salt, pepper and acidity. I like my ceviche a little on the sour side, so I always add a little more lime to my personal portion. You can eat it on its own for a very healthy, low carb and gluten-free meal, or you can eat it with toasted bread to soak up the juices that stay on the bottom of your plate (or glass). Hope you enjoy. Cheers!

Not exactly a vegetarian Meatless Monday idea, but with summer just one month away, I couldn’t wait to start on ceviche. That was our Saturday dinner, actually, but why not do it any day of the week? It does require some marinating time, but every minute is worth the effort. This recipe yields five appetizer portions or around two or three dinner entree portions. You’ll need:

  • 1 lb of tilapia fillets, cubed 
  • 1/2 lb of bay scallops (the really small ones)
  • 1/2 lb of popcorn shrimp (or any shrimp chopped to popcorn size)
  • 1/2 lb of calamari rings and tentacles, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped small
  • 1 medium green or red bell pepper, chopped small
  • 2 medium jalapenos, chopped small and divided into two portions
  • 1 cup of chopped cilantro
  • Juice of two limes, but have some more on hand
  • Three tablespoons of rice, red wine or apple cider vinegar (Choose the one that tastes milder for you; vinegar is a very personal choice in my opinion)
  • Salt and ground black pepper to taste
  1. Boil about 4 cups of water.
  2. Place in a large bowl: calamari, shrimp (if raw), and bay scallops. 
  3. Pour the boiling water over the calamari, shrimp and scallops and let it stand for no more than 2 minutes. Drain the seafood and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Place the seafood back in the bowl with the chopped raw tilapia, red onion and bell pepper.
  4. Add about a teaspoon of salt, 1/2 a teaspoon of ground black pepper, the juice of two limes and the vinegar. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (I like to leave it for about 2 hours, but don’t leave more than that or it can become a little bitter).
  5. After an hour or so, take the bowl out of the refrigerator, add one jalapeno, finely chopped, no seeds or ribs, unless you like really spicy ceviche. Leave another chopped jalapeno in an small bowl so you can add heat to your personal taste.
  6. Add the cilantro, mix well. Taste to adjust salt, pepper and acidity. I like my ceviche a little on the sour side, so I always add a little more lime to my personal portion.

You can eat it on its own for a very healthy, low carb and gluten-free meal, or you can eat it with toasted bread to soak up the juices that stay on the bottom of your plate (or glass).

Hope you enjoy. Cheers!

On Fridays, we allow ourselves to indulge. This Friday was Burger Friday. I didn’t go crazy. Still lean beef, still whole wheat bun. This time around we “adorned” our burgers with Nappa cabbage and blue cheese. Different, but no less delicious! Cheers.

On Fridays, we allow ourselves to indulge. This Friday was Burger Friday. I didn’t go crazy. Still lean beef, still whole wheat bun. This time around we “adorned” our burgers with Nappa cabbage and blue cheese. Different, but no less delicious!

Cheers.

Weekday simple dinner that took me all but 20 minutes to make. Buying a large cast iron pan was one of the best decisions I’ve taken. The whole meal was done in it. I don’t even know what to call this meal, but below are the ingredients I used and how I prepared it.  2 organic portabella mushroom caps A bunch of organic carrots 4 chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat 1 tsp of herbs de provence 1/2 cup of light cream 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese Salt and ground black pepper to taste 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil Heat the oil in the cast iron pan. Season the chicken with herbs de provence, salt and pepper. Place the chicken, mushroom caps and carrots in the pan. Cover.  Let the chicken and vegetables cook for about 6 minutes under medium heat. Turn everything over. Cover again and cook for another 6 minutes. This will take care of the cooking. Uncover the pan and and turn the heat to high. Leave it for an extra 2 minutes on each side to brown the veggies and chicken. Take the veggies out and cover them with foil to keep them warm. Add the light cream and Parmesan to the pan with the chicken in and let it all heat and thicken a little. Done!  You can always skip the cream and cheese for an even healthier version, but the chicken flavors the veggies and vice-versa, so it all comes out pretty tasty!

Weekday simple dinner that took me all but 20 minutes to make. Buying a large cast iron pan was one of the best decisions I’ve taken. The whole meal was done in it. I don’t even know what to call this meal, but below are the ingredients I used and how I prepared it. 

  • 2 organic portabella mushroom caps
  • A bunch of organic carrots
  • 4 chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
  • 1 tsp of herbs de provence
  • 1/2 cup of light cream
  • 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
  • Salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
  1. Heat the oil in the cast iron pan. Season the chicken with herbs de provence, salt and pepper. Place the chicken, mushroom caps and carrots in the pan. Cover. 
  2. Let the chicken and vegetables cook for about 6 minutes under medium heat. Turn everything over. Cover again and cook for another 6 minutes. This will take care of the cooking.
  3. Uncover the pan and and turn the heat to high. Leave it for an extra 2 minutes on each side to brown the veggies and chicken. Take the veggies out and cover them with foil to keep them warm.
  4. Add the light cream and Parmesan to the pan with the chicken in and let it all heat and thicken a little. Done!

 You can always skip the cream and cheese for an even healthier version, but the chicken flavors the veggies and vice-versa, so it all comes out pretty tasty!

Dinner, alone, while your husband is in Hawaii at a conference (yes, I’m green with envy) doesn’t have to be boxed cereal or leftover pizza. For these, I just sliced some eggplant, filled it with cheese and ham, grilled for about 5-6 minutes on each side, topped with marinara and Parmesan. It’s Italian made even easier. Cheers!

Dinner, alone, while your husband is in Hawaii at a conference (yes, I’m green with envy) doesn’t have to be boxed cereal or leftover pizza. For these, I just sliced some eggplant, filled it with cheese and ham, grilled for about 5-6 minutes on each side, topped with marinara and Parmesan.

It’s Italian made even easier. Cheers!

I don’t do a lot of dessert, but once in a while I’ll try my hand at it. I was watching one of the many food shows I like the other day, and this recipe of panna cotta caught my attention for the simplicity of it. My ancestry is Italian and my grandmother in Brazil used to do many classics at home. As a child, I thought they were extremely complicated, but as I grew older I realized Italian food is actually simple. It may take some time, but with the right ingredients you can make a lot of things ahead of time and enjoy them for days, saving you some time in the end.  The recipe below is the original, and, yes, there are endless variations, which I plan to try. I hope you enjoy. Cheers! Panna Cotta 4 cups of heavy cream (or 4 cups half and half, or 3 cups of heavy cream and 1 cup of 1% milk) 1/2 cup of sugar 6 tbsp of water 2 tsp of vanilla extract (of course it tastes better with vanilla beans) 2 packs of flavorless gelatin (or any other thickening agent in the amount you’re used to to make it not as hard as jello and not as soft as pudding) Heat the heavy cream, and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Turn off the heat. If you’re using vanilla extract, mix it in and reserve the mix. If you’re using vanilla beans, scrape the seeds and put them (and the pod) in the hot cream. Let it stand for about 30 minutes to extract all the flavor and toss the pod. Dissolve the gelatin in a medium bowl with the 6 tbsp of water. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes for it to bloom. Mix the cream with the gelatin, divide into 6-8 servings (depending on how big you want them to be, and put it in  the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving. Toppings can be as varied as you like. The one on the photo is just some cherry compote, which worked with the sweetness of the cream. You can do passion fruit, chocolate sauce, or even port wine. You can also do just one pack of gelatin for a creamier dessert. The panna cotta itself can have some white chocolate added, or you can replace some of the cream with orange juice (mango juice, strawberry puree, really anything…).

I don’t do a lot of dessert, but once in a while I’ll try my hand at it. I was watching one of the many food shows I like the other day, and this recipe of panna cotta caught my attention for the simplicity of it.

My ancestry is Italian and my grandmother in Brazil used to do many classics at home. As a child, I thought they were extremely complicated, but as I grew older I realized Italian food is actually simple. It may take some time, but with the right ingredients you can make a lot of things ahead of time and enjoy them for days, saving you some time in the end. 

The recipe below is the original, and, yes, there are endless variations, which I plan to try. I hope you enjoy. Cheers!

Panna Cotta

  • 4 cups of heavy cream (or 4 cups half and half, or 3 cups of heavy cream and 1 cup of 1% milk)
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 6 tbsp of water
  • 2 tsp of vanilla extract (of course it tastes better with vanilla beans)
  • 2 packs of flavorless gelatin (or any other thickening agent in the amount you’re used to to make it not as hard as jello and not as soft as pudding)
  1. Heat the heavy cream, and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Turn off the heat. If you’re using vanilla extract, mix it in and reserve the mix. If you’re using vanilla beans, scrape the seeds and put them (and the pod) in the hot cream. Let it stand for about 30 minutes to extract all the flavor and toss the pod.
  2. Dissolve the gelatin in a medium bowl with the 6 tbsp of water. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes for it to bloom.
  3. Mix the cream with the gelatin, divide into 6-8 servings (depending on how big you want them to be, and put it in  the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.

Toppings can be as varied as you like. The one on the photo is just some cherry compote, which worked with the sweetness of the cream. You can do passion fruit, chocolate sauce, or even port wine. You can also do just one pack of gelatin for a creamier dessert.

The panna cotta itself can have some white chocolate added, or you can replace some of the cream with orange juice (mango juice, strawberry puree, really anything…).