Eating Italian
thanks Ryan for some more great advice. My choices for Italian-
actually any restaurant are limited because I live in the thumb of
Michigan. When I do eat out I avoid chains and eat at family owned
restaurants. I think the food is better and worth the drive. Ok my next
quest is Mexican- any suggestions?
Linda
April 19th, 2006 at 7:29 pm
Ah! Now you’re speaking my language! My dad owns Mexican restaurants,
Also,
(We do only live once, ya know!)
so this is easy. Primarily, we can eat Fajitas (beef, chicken, &
shrimp) with no guacamole, no cheese, no sour cream, extra pico de
gallo, extra romaine lettuce, rice, and black beans. Or, you can go the
Fajita or Taco Salad route with no cheese, no tortilla strips, pico de
gallo instead of tomatoes, sautéd bell peppers and onions (fajita
style), and extra MEAT!!! Use salsa for your dressing. Lately, I’ve
been getting Steak Ranchero (rareincreased to 12oz.) with a large
Shrimp Caesar Salad (no croutons, no cheese) instead of the enchilada
and taco. Of course, this is all quite specific to my Dad’s restaurant
(Frijoles on Brinker Ct. off of Ballpark Way in Arlingtonacross from
the Texas Giant and next to the Macaroni Grillfor those of you living
in or traveling to the Metroplex.). We also have a bunch of grilled
chicken dishes like Mesquite Grilled Chicken, Santa Fe Chicken, and
Arroz con Pollo that may be OK with some modifications, but I wouldn’t
know because I’m not a huge chicken breast fan. Make sure to tell the
waiter no cheese because Mexican restaurants love to put cheese on
everything! If any of you actually go to Frijoles, say hi to the
manager (either Jesus or Antonio) and tell him you know me. Maybe he’ll
give you a discount! (Probably not, but you can always try!
ignore the “Corn tortillas are a welcome addition to your diet.” comment
on the front of the menu. I’ve been trying to get my dad to take it off
for years, but he doesn’t listen to me. Imagine! A Mexican restaurant
giving you health advice! I also love the “Our Mesquite Grilled Chicken
ranks highly as a low cholesterol, high protein option.” He cracks me
UP! Anyway, a lot of Mex-Mex places have other meat dishes and even
fish sometimes, which can be quite good. The trick is to shop around.
Don’t expect to go to El Chico and eat right for your type.
Cheers,
Ryan
P.S. Don’t forget to try the Strawberry Margaritas! They are
DY-NO-MITE!!!
On Saturday, September 28, 2002, at 10:15 PM, BetsyWestie@…
April 21st, 2006 at 12:18 am
You have two options for tortilla chips.
Cheers,
1.) Cut up and fry the Rudi’s Spelt Tortillas in some olive oil. We
actually serve fried flour tortilla chips with our chile con queso. It
is kindof a unique Frijoles thing. They are quite good and receive rave
reviews, although they are somewhat thicker than corn tortilla chips.
2.) Make some quinoa tortillas, a la CR4YT (p. 251), and do the same
thing. Quinoa flour tastes much the same as masa harina when cooked
(IMHO). So, give it a try.
Sopapillas would taste the same when made with white spelt flour. Below
is a recipe. (I feel so evil recommending all of this fried flour!)
Disclaimer: Ryan’s fried flour recommendations will likely hinder any
weight loss effort and may be hazardous to your health.
There! I feel so much better!
Ryan
Sopapillas
1 package active dry yeast
11/2 cups rice, soy, or nut milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
1 large egg
4 1/2 cups white spelt flour
1 tablespoon quinoa flour or rice fiber
1 teaspoon salt
Olive oil or Ghee, for frying
Honey
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the
yeast, “milk,” sugar, and butter, and mix well for 2 minutes. Add the
egg, and mix well. Add 4 cups of the spelt flour, the quinoa flour or
rice fiber and salt. Beat at low speed until all the flour is
incorporated, then on medium speed until a ball of dough forms, adding
more flour as needed if too sticky.
Remove from the mixer, form into a ball, and place in a lightly oiled
bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled, about 1
hour.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a thick
rectangle, about 1-inch thick. Roll out until about 1/4-inch thick, and
with a sharp knife, cut the dough into squares, about 2 1/2 to 3
inch-square.
Heat the fryer to 360 degrees F.
Drop the dough into the hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd the
sopapillas as they are cooking, and turning them constantly to cook on
all sides until golden, about 3 minutes per batch. Remove the sopapillas
from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Serve the sopapillas hot, drizzled with honey.
Yield: about 3 dozen
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
April 21st, 2006 at 8:02 am
i have never seen those at my Albertsons, but please let me know if you can
remember the brand, cuz they sound so good !
deb
April 21st, 2006 at 12:44 pm
I have had “Terra “Sweetpotato chips, plain and jalapeno pepper flavored, if
that is any help. Got them at the HFS, they are good !
Emmi
April 29th, 2006 at 8:45 pm
Ecxcept that nonnies can eat the guac.