I treated this meal as a sub for my veggie-unlimited lunch (my schedule had been shifted back to much later nights, due to the late-evening work-outs, and the fact that I'm on vacation and can sleep in). I probably went a *little* overboard (see photo #1--beer), but not too much. Ethiopian is, compared to standard American fare, generally healthier. And the plate above was shared with my folks. Sadly, it's not just the fresh veggies that make it taste so good; it's also the salt and butter (in the berbere sauce) and the carbs (in the injera or sour, spongy bread).
So, as evidenced by the devastation wreaked upon my third of the plate, I was definitely not in "black-belt" form. But I noticed that afterwards, though I felt a little more bloated, I was otherwise no more or less satisfied than I would after any PCP meal. One happy side-effect of the PCP, then, is that my palate and gut have evolved a more Zen-like ambivalence towards salts, sugars, and carbs. They're nice to taste, but far less important to my ultimate dietary fulfillment.
Otherwise, the diet is on-track. Here's the snack the evening before--Pac Choi with diced ginger vinegrette and egg white (yogurt not pictured, but readily consumed):
And breakfast--tortillas with garlic scapes, sorrel, avocado, egg, and milk:
Good stuff!
ReplyDeleteGarlic scapes? Description please.
ReplyDeleteAll that food looks so tasty! Especially the Ethiopian food. Yummy!
Garlic scapes are, I recently learned after joining a CSA--community sponsored agriculture program, the stem and flower of the garlic plant, which is snapped off in the weeks before harvest in order to send more nutrients--and flavor--to the bulbs. Tastes great steamed and, from what I've read, even better tossed with a touch of olive oil and grilled.
ReplyDeleteAs for the yumminess of the food, you'll learn to take it or leave it--or, better yet, prepare it in a much healthier way. Love the steam!
Ah, garlic stems -- never knew they are called scapes.
ReplyDeleteThey are SO. GOOD. Just chop them up, drop in a non-stick frying pan with the tiniest drop of oil (I always use sesame; love the taste) and brown for a couple minutes.
Throw in some rough-cut spinach pre-steamed pumpkin, toss around in the frying pan until the spinach wilts and gets shiny green and the pumpkin is browned a bit.
Flavors will simply EXPLODE in your mouth!