Sylvia's Scenario

Summer has finally arrived in Seattle and we've been enjoying lots of my summer salad recipes.  This is a new one I made last night and I will definitely be making it again.  It is a whole meal in itself, made with chicken breast and lots of chopped veggies.  Bruce and I both loved it.  It is from  Hannah Freese, RD  who continues to send us recipes every month since I am an alumni member of her eating program.   I joined her program during my knee replacemen t rehab because my first knee replacement was a brutal experience so I decided to change my diet to a more "anti- inflammatory diet".  Her plan did wonders for me and I noticed changes right away.  I also like that she is a dietitian, just like me so I can relate to her.  She is up on all the latest research and I totally trust everything that she says. Since I am retired now, she is my little connection to the world of nutrition and she is a very good connection. Most of my recipe...

Since we've been home from Hawaii, it's been a sloooooooooooow process getting back into my regular eating routine by following  Hannah Freese, RD's  eating plan.  I was very proud of myself in Hawaii by sticking to the plan most the time.  I felt the best I've felt on a vacation in a long time, full of energy and very active swimming and going for daily walks with no aches or pains like I usually have.  I can tell my joint replacements are working well and I felt so strong and healthy in Hawaii  until I got covid.  Yep, I got it.  Darn it.  First, my sister and her husband tested positive and three days later I tested positive so I had to isolate for 5 days by not leaving our condo.  My sister and her husband both had coughs so they checked into a new condo to isolate.  Bruce, mysteriously never got it for some reason...lucky guy!  My brother and his wife were also there in another condo and they never got it, either.  Th...

This recipe doesn't look like much but it's super easy to make, super healthy to eat and amazingly delicious.  It's the special dill sauce that does it, I think.  You bake the salmon on top of the cabbage and kale so all the juices cook into the vegetables which adds such great flavor and softens the texture.  I've never been a big kale fan but since I started  Hannah Freese, RD  diet, I've been surprisingly eating a lot of kale and don't really mind it.  I've been buying Trader Joe's packaged kale that will last 2-3 meals and then I don't have to mess with cleaning it.  Unlike lettuce, I don't think packaged kale tastes any different that fresh kale but I can really taste a difference with lettuce so I always buy fresh lettuce.  The cabbage in this recipe is a lot like my  roast chicken with cabbage  recipe that is so simple, yet so tasty.  This salmon recipe is good enough to serve to guests or for a special occasion, it's that go...

I think I finally found my favorite coleslaw recipe.  Bruce told me I should make this recipe every time we have coleslaw.  Usually, I just chop up some cabbage, add some mayonnaise, sweet pickle juice, salt and pepper and be done with it.  This recipe is a non-mayonnaise version of coleslaw so it's lighter and has an Asian flare to it with the addition of tamari and sesame oil.  Tamari is the Japanese version of soy sauce so if you don't have tamari, you can easily substitute soy sauce.  Tamari is darker, less salty and has a strong umami flavor to it.  You may have heard of umami being our fifth taste sensation in addition to sweet, sour, salty and bitter.  Umami is described as a meaty, savory, broth-like flavor and it sure tastes good in this recipe!  I made this recipe last week and then took some to Nick's house to share with them for dinner and they also loved it and immediately asked what was in it.  The recipe also calls for topping ...

We had a lovely low-key Mother's Day this year due to our "stay-at-home" orders in our state for the coronavirus.  Thankfully, it was 86 degrees so we could sit outside and enjoy the warm evening.  Lauren came over and I marinated a pork tenderloin with my  teriyaki  marinade and then made this new Asian cabbage salad recipe. We all loved this recipe, especially the ginger peanut dressing. I got it from a blog called Well Plated by Erin  who blogs on healthy, wholesome, from-scratch recipes, the type of recipes I'm always eager to try out. I also loved this recipe because it is so colorful and full of all kinds of healthy vegetables. I'm trying to make recipes to keep our immune system strong so that includes eating lots of vegetables and this recipe certainly fits that category.  This could actually be a main dish salad by simply adding some grilled chicken breast to it.  I think I will try that next time.  It would also be good...

This recipe is so easy with hardly any ingredients, it baffled me how good it tasted when I first made it.  Basically, all you do is take a whole chicken, put it on top of some sliced cabbage and roast it in the oven and it is SO GOOD!  There is something about that crispy, roasted cabbage soaked in buttery, salted chicken juice that is so irresistible.  I got this recipe from Smitten Kitchen  and she got it from Helen Rosner , who is a roving food correspondent for The New Yorker and James Beard Award winner.  She reported on Instagram that she didn't have her usual vegetables to put under her roasted chicken and all she had was cabbage and BAM! A new recipe is born.  It doesn't sound like much but it was good enough that I must share it here for you all to make and see for yourself how this extremely, simple chicken recipe is good enough for a special occasion or to even serve to guests coming for dinner.  But since that won't be happening for awh...

You will never want to eat regular tacos after you try this recipe. We perfected our corn tortillas  and now we've perfected the fixin's for inside of the tacos. This recipe doesn't include the usual cheese or lettuce that is normally put in tacos. Instead, we made a cabbage slaw with a beef mixture and a little guacamole. I got the recipe from Cooking Light which always has very good recipes. I'm pretty sure that we will always make our tacos like this from now on. To keep it compliant with my Plant Paradox diet, I used my grain-free tortillas that I've found from Siete Foods.  These tortillas are perfectly acceptable if you are gluten-free or avoiding grains like I am. I am buying "regular" food for Bruce, mainly because my "special" foods are a lot more expensive and Bruce doesn't really care. I have made a few grain free recipes that didn't taste all that great so now whenever I say I'm trying a new recipe, Bru...

I make this salad at least once every summer so today I made it to take to a barbecue tonight.  It's popular with everyone and one of our family favorites.  I think I originally got the recipe from Cooking Light but I think there are many versions of it.  I like this recipe because it does not use Top Ramen noodles - a food I despise because the product has no nutritional value and I see so many unhealthy people eating them!  I refuse to buy them.  Are there good foods or bad food?  Yes and Top Ramen is definitely a bad food!  But this is a good Asian Pasta Salad recipe!   Makes 12 servings 2 Tbsp. sliced almonds 2 Tbsp. unsalted sunflower seed kernels 1 (8-ounce) package Chinese noodles, crumbled (such as KA-ME) I use these which are actually Japanese but they work great: 1/3 cup white wine vinegar 1/3 cup beef broth 1/4 cup sugar 2 Tbsp. oil 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper 1 cup chopped green onions 1 (10-ou...

Makes 4 servings 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts 4 ribs celery, cut into large pieces 1 carrot, peeled and thickly sliced 1 medium onion, quartered 1 large bay leaf 2 cups chicken broth 2 Tbsp. sesame oil 1 head Napa cabbage, chopped 2-3 heads of baby bok choy 12 ounces mushrooms, sliced 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced on an angle 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 fresno chili pepper, thinly sliced One 1-inich piece fresh ginger, grated 2 Tbsp.  tamari or soy sauce 1-14 oz. package fresh yakisoba noodles a handful cilantro, chopped 1.  Place the chicken, celery, carrot, onion and bay leaf in a pot.  Cover with 1-1/2 - 2 quarts water, bring to a boil and let poach for 12 minutes.   Remove the chicken and let cool.  Shred the chicken meat.  Strain the poaching liquid.  Mix together with the store-bought chicken broth.   3.  Heat the sesame oil in a dutch oven or medium soup pot over medium-high heat. ...