Steamed Fish

I've really loved fish ever since my gastric bypass surgery. I crave fish. I eat fish so often, frankly I'm surprised I haven't grown fins! Tonight at support group we were talking about fish and I talked about my little microwave steamer. I bought it at World Market and it was only $5.00! I've actually got two and the second one was on sale for $3.00. Bob even told me tonight that I should really go back and get a couple more just to make sure I always have one clean and ready since I use it so often! LOL! But I think he might be right...LOL! I love fish just about any way I can get it, but I especially love it steamed. No oil or anything else to interfere with the good fish taste.

Steamed Fish

1 filet (I use frozen tilapia or cod...if you use fresh you'll need to adjust your cooking times)

frozen vegetables (I like mixed green beans or garden mixes)

frozen sweet peppers, sliced

seasoning of choice (I like all different seasoning mixes...Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime, Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning, Italian Salad Dressing dry mix are a few of my favorites)

salt

With a little water in the bottom of the steamer, place the basket on top. Place the fish and veggies then sprinkle everything with seasoning to taste. Cooking time really depends on your microwave and thickness of your fish. My frozen tilapia normally takes about 6 minutes and frozen cod normally takes about 7 minutes. Let the food rest in the steamer for about a minute before serving. Serve with a small side salad and you've got a great meal!

Restaurant Review - Al Amir Bistro

My daughter and I were out walking at the Village at Sandhills and passed by this restaurant. We both love Mediterranean food so we stopped to look at their menu. We had been planning to stop for lunch at Moe's and get a taco salad, but quickly changed our minds! So when we were finished with our walk (a nice long one, by the way!) we stopped and had lunch at Al Amir Bistro. It's directly across from Moe's and next to The Blue Marlin.

We were seated quickly and our server was very friendly. After looking at the menu (and probably drooling) for a few minutes we ordered kabobs. Janet got the lamb and I got the chicken. We also ordered tabbouleh for our salad choice. Our food got there in good time and looked and smelled delicious! Then our sweet little waiter (I think he "might" be 16) brought us a small Damascus bread. We hadn't ordered it (it does not come with the meal) but he wanted us to have a sample. Good salesman! I had a few small bites and had to remind myself that it was bread and I don't normally eat that! So we moved the plate to Janet's side of the table! LOL!

Their tabbouleh is some of the best I've ever tasted. We've bought the mix and have made it at home and it was good, but Al Amir's is really good. It's a must have.

The kabobs come with grilled onions and peppers and yellow rice. The rice is no temptation for me so Janet was happy to eat my share! The chicken and vegetables were seasoned perfectly. I was a little concerned that the chicken would be too spicy because of the way it looked, but it wasn't. It was just so delicious and very moist and tender...easy on the pouch. I don't care for lamb, but I did taste a piece of Janet's and it's was very well seasoned without being spicy and was also moist and juicy.

A few nights later I took Bob to Al Amir's. He got the tabbouleh and loved it. I got a salad called Fetoush. Oh my goodness...it was so good! It looked like a regular green salad, but it had that Mediterranean taste. Incredible!

Bob got steak tips and I had chicken. Dang it...I can't remember the name! Arghh! Well, next time I go I'll write it down and edit this. Anyway, our food was wonderful! And Bob actually liked my chicken better than his beef! Wow! Both the chicken and the beef tips came with tzatziki sauce on the side (very good) and could be served over rice or pita bread. We chose pita bread. I know most people would eat it or use it to stuff the chicken in, but we just let it sit under our meat and soak up any cooking oil that may have been there.

As you can tell, we really enjoyed eating at this restaurant and will certainly eat there again. Highly recommend Al Amir. One note of warning though...the dinner menu is about double the price of the lunch menu.

Ground Beef "Hash"

This is a wls variation of a pre-wls comfort dish. I don't eat that anymore but sometimes a girl needs comforting! Ya know? Anyway, I made hamburger steaks in my George Foreman grill last night and had some ground beef left over. Bob and I have problems with leftover meat so I just put the raw, seasoned meat in the fridge. Today at lunch I knew just what I wanted to eat!

Ground Beef "Hash"

4 ounces seasoned ground beef (I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin and McCormick Hamburger seasoning)
1 1/2 teaspoons cooking oil
frozen onion
frozen mixed pepper slices
frozen corn

Start browning the ground beef in the oil on medium low heat in a small saucepan. Add the onions, peppers, and corn. You don't need to add any broth because the moisture from the defrosting veggies will add all the moisture you need. Cover and cook until the ground beef has lost it's pink color. Uncover, break up any large bits of meat and raise the heat to medium. Let the food pan fry for a few minutes until the ground beef is cooked through to your satisfaction. Put food in a bowl and enjoy! I like to add a little ketchup stirred in and Bob likes a dab of mayo on the side.

Cottage Cheese

Okay, I know. But just read on okay?  I grew up watching my mother eat cottage cheese with pineapple and just about gagged every time I saw her put that stuff into her mouth. But now I've had wls and my tastes have changed. It happens to all of us! Not long after my surgery I started craving cottage cheese. Believe me...I fought that craving! But I finally caved in and tried some with pineapple and sweetener. Oh my goodness...I was in heaven! Cottage cheese is really good for you and is a wonderful, refreshing summer breakfast or snack.

Cottage Cheese

2 ounces cottage cheese (I use Breakstone's 2% small curd)
1 ounce crushed pineapple in juice
sweetener, to taste

Mix it all up together in a small bowl and enjoy!

Banana Popsicle Shake

Have you ever had a cold banana popsicle on a hot summer day? They're so cold and refreshing...I just love 'em! This isn't a popsicle, but very cold and refreshing! Hmmm...I wonder how this would freeze in a popsicle mold? Or maybe make it into ice cream!

Banana Popsicle Shake

1-2 cups ice
1 tablespoon sugar free banana cream pudding mix
2 drops vanilla extract
sweetener, to taste (optional)
4-6 ounces milk (I use soy or almond milk)

Place ice in blender. Add the rest of the ingredients, ending with the milk. Set blender to crush ice, then blend on lowest speed and building up to highest speed until shake is thick and frothy.