Bison: Its what's for dinner?

Well, not for me, mind you - but the husband loves it. As discussed he's a meat freak, albeit one who needs to watch his cholesterol. He made the transition from regular burgers to bison burgers a couple of summers ago and has never stopped singing its praises. Much like a missionary, he's on a quest to get everyone on board and here's why: its low in calories, has far less fat than even skinless-boneless chicken breasts and is nutrient rich. He's gone so completely crazy for it that he's now demanding Buffalo Dogs as well. Will the madness never stop?

I'm content to stick with my turkey burgers, thankyouverymuch. But, he swears its even better and more flavorful than a regular hamburger - and given his passion for burgers, that's saying something. I'm offering the nutritional stats and the recipe here at his suggestion. I figure by letting you in on his secret I'll be doing us both a favor. You'll benefit health-wise, and I'll be preventing him from donning a white robe and preaching about it in the subways. Win/win.

Bison Burger:

• 1 lb. ground bison
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 2 tbsp. ketchup
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• a couple of shakes of hot red pepper flakes
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine all of the above in a medium sized bowl and mix to ensure the ingredients are evenly distributed. Shape into patties and grill.

When cooking bison, its important to use indirect heat. Because the fat content is so low there will be very little shrinkage, and you don't want your burger to turn into a hockey puck. If we're in the burbs, the husband pre-heats the gas grill on high, then turns it down to medium when cooking the burgers. If we are at home, he'll heat the grill pan, and then cook it low and slow over medium-low heat. Bison will cook more quickly than ground beef, so adjust your cooking time accordingly.

Here's a useful link on bison cooking tips, do read it if you're going to try the burgers. If you're on the South Beach, substitute 2 tbsp. of high quality tomato paste (such as Luigi Vitelli) for the ketchup and results will be the same. Give 'em a go and let me know what you think. If you're a convert to the Church of Bison, shout it out in the comments so the husband can update his database.

Housekeeping: Sporting Edition

I'll be roasting in the heat at the Yanks v. Mets game this afternoon so you're on your own in the kitchen today ... make something fabulous! The balance of the weekend will be spent grillin' and chillin' chez Mama & Papa Diva and I'm hoping to bring back some fresh produce from my bro's garden. Sweet!

As regards the blog, I've added a widget for my Shelfari "favorites" at the bottom right, below the sitemeter. Hover your cursor over the book jackets and you'll see my review, etc. If you're a reader and haven't heard of Shelfari, check it out. Its a virtual bookshelf - perfect for apartment dwellers and no need for dusting.

Enjoy the weekend and see you on Monday. Ciao!

Vote Early and Often

If you're here reading, hit up my poll on the top right of the blog. Contrary to the title, its one vote per customer. You can choose more than one answer ... but don't choose them all ... this is highly scientific stuff, no hanging chads allowed.

Product Review Times Two

Oddly enough, I don't paint my nails. I spend roughly two and a half hours a week in a pool, and between that and doing dishes, its just not worth it ... too much chipping and I can't be bothered with the upkeep. I do, however, like to keep my toes looking pretty - particularly in the summer. I prefer hot pink for the Diva toes and here's a shock ... I do them myself. Horrors! I'm kind of a germophobe and nail salons squick me. Fungus anyone? ~brrrr~ I learned the perils of paronychia back in cosmetology school and I've never gotten over it.

I'm always on the lookout for a new nail color or polish product - so I was pretty excited when I read about Sally Hansen's new Color Quick - Fast Dry Nail Color Pen. While I'm happy to be my own best pedicurist, doing so takes time and I hate waiting around for the polish to dry. I like the quick dry stuff and its increasingly hard to find. Both L'Oreal and Maybelline seem to have discontinued their quick dry lines and I'm bitter about it.

Earlier this week I happily snatched up a tube of Hot Pink Color Quick and gave it whirl. Since my toes were freshly polished and I couldn't wait to try it, I painted my fingernails. Here's my review: horrid! The brush is stubby, oddly shaped, and overly wide. (Not unlike myself.) The polish itself is kind of dry, kind of sticky, and very streaky. Controlling the amount of polish on the brush is damn near impossible. One is supposed to "click" the pen to dispense "the perfect amount" ... that's a nice theory but in practice there was either too much or not enough. Feh.

Given the quality of the enamel, I was dubious about it's durability - and this morning's swim proved me right. Most of the polish had left my fingertips by the time I exited the pool. Sorry fellow swimmers! I've never seen polish disappear so fast. Absurd. Save your money and skip this product. Its lame.

On a related note, a friend of mine hipped me to sally Hansen's Dries Instantly 30-Second Top Coat - and this one's a keeper. It does exactly what it says. I'm giving it two sparkly Diva Crowns.

So, what color are your toes today? Got a favorite nail product that rocks your world? Shout it out in the comments.

Breakfast - Its What's for Dinner

Farm fresh eggs are one of life's great pleasures. If you've never had them, you are really missing out. Obviously I don't live on or near a farm ... and likely never will. Its my understanding that farmers often arise before noon and engage in some form of manual labor. I don't think I like the sound of that. I'm all for local and organic eating, but I don't need to form a relationship with the chicken bearing my eggs. The carton will do just fine, thank you, and I'm happy to procure the fresh eggs from some wonderful farmer's markets - both here in the city and away.

We were fortunate enough to spend this past weekend in Rhinebeck, New York. I had a delicious - and South Beach friendly - lunch at Calico Restaurant & Patisserie on Saturday afternoon. Much to my surprise, I was strong-willed enough to forgo their marvelous assortment of pastries ~swoon~ but it took some effort. We shopped along East Market Street afterwards and the husband and I were delighted to find a new specialty meat market there. Fleisher's sells locally grown, grass-fed, organic meats and their selection was amazing. They also had a variety of fresh, local dairy products, including: butter, eggs and artisanal cheese. Oh how I wish this store was in my neighborhood! We were both very sorry that we hadn't brought a cooler along and will definitely do so on our next trip.

We did pick up a carton of fresh eggs from Fleisher's and they are as beautiful as they are delicious. Each one a different hue, much like the above picture, and their yolks are so bright they're nearly orange. I also stopped at the Rhinebeck Farmer's Market and picked up some organic zucchini and summer squash - and thus were the makings of last night's dinner.

The husband is in charge of egg-cookery, chez Diva. He's a breakfast master and I defer to his expertise. Omelets were on the menu last night and in terms of recipe - I really can't do better than Alton Brown's. Its as perfect an omelet recipe as I've ever seen and the results have been flawless every time. I will repost it here, but want to give credit where its due.

Alton Brown's Omelet:

• 3 eggs, warmed in hot water for 5 minutes
• Pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon room temperature butter, plus 1/2 teaspoon for finishing omelet
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped chives

Crack warm eggs into bowl, add salt, and blend with fork. Heat a 10-inch non-stick aluminum pan over medium-high heat. Once pan is hot add butter and brush around surface of pan. Pour eggs into center of pan and stir vigorously with rubber spatula for 5 seconds. As soon as a semi-solid mass begins to form lift pan and move around until the excess liquid pours off into pan. Using your spatula move around the edge of the egg mixture to help shape into round and loosen edge. Let omelet sit in pan for 10 seconds without touching.

Shake pan to loosen omelet from the bottom. Lift up the far edge of the pan and snap it back toward you. Using your spatula, fold over 1/3 of the omelet. Slide omelet onto plate and fold over so that omelet is a tri-fold. Coat with remaining butter and sprinkle with chives. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes: As written, this recipe is for one, unfilled, omelet. I like mine filled. Last night we added some diced red peppers, shredded Emmental cheese and Crimini mushrooms, which I had sauteed in olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper and some fresh thyme. Fresh chives are a must, but we do not finish the omelet with the additional butter - for my purposes, it just isn't necessary. And lastly, because I never make a recipe without changing it - I prefer two eggs per omelet, not three, and we use olive oil for cooking - not butter. YMMV, of course.

Serve with a beautiful side salad, some steamed zucchini and breakfast makes a fine dinner. So, thanks, all you hard working farmer's out there!

Breaking News

Deprivation can be a marvelous thing. In fact, it often leads to appreciation. Such is the case regarding my breaking news ... Alert the media! ... Film at 11 ! ... I'm going to eat some brown rice. Can you at all sense the excitement here?

Maybe my news flash doesn't sound like a big deal to you, but I've thought about, planned for and dreamt of this day for nearly a month. Why its been looming like a holiday ... I may even declare it such, chez Diva, and wear an extra sparkly crown. Having gone without most starches for so long, it is possible that I am, perhaps, over estimating the news-worthy-ness of such an event. So sue me, I'm excited! I've missed my carbs and I am prepared to celebrate and appreciate them, in moderation, of course.

In honor of such an august and glorious occasion I will now divulge my most cherished recipe for brown rice, so that you may join in the merriment.

Steamed Brown Rice:

• Locate the nearest Chinese Restaurant
• Place an order for steamed brown rice
• Serve when ready
• Repeat as needed

Oh, were you expecting something more? ~blink~

No, you're right, this magnificent rice holiday demands a bit more enhancement, shall we say. In that case, I suggest you top the miraculous Chinese take-out rice with the following ...

Shrimp and Vegetable Stir-fry:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
  
• 1 1/4 lbs. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 cup of thin French green beans, trimmed and cut in half
• 1 cup of sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 2/3 cup sliced Crimini or Shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
  
• 2 tbsp. ginger root, peeled and minced or grated
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• hot red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 cup non-fat chicken broth (reduced sodium)
• 4 tbsp. reduced sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp. Asian sesame oil
• 2 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp. corn starch mixed with 2 tsp. chicken broth

Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet, add the shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, until pink and just cooked throughout. Remove shrimp from pan and cover to keep warm.

Add the red peppers, green beans, sugar snap peas and mushrooms to the skillet and cook on medium-high heat, stirring often, until vegetables are crisp/tender - @ 4 minutes. You may need to add some broth to the pan if it is too dry. Add the ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes (if desired) and sautée for 1 minute.

Return the shrimp to the pan. Add one cup of the chicken broth and the soy sauce and stir to combine. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Once it has boiled, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bring the skillet to the boil again and add the cornstarch/broth mixture, stir to combine until the sauce has thickened slightly. Add the sesame oil and the sesame seeds. Stir to combine.

Serve over the brown rice and enjoy!

As written this recipe will serve four, but the portions are not huge. As is the case with most stir-fry recipes (and all of my recipes) feel free to tinker with it. Add more shrimp, change the veggies, add more soy sauce, whatever, its all good. This is a quick and very satisfying meal, the perfect dish to celebrate my reunion with rice. And, no, I'm not kidding about ordering the take-out rice ... that's my secret recipe and I'm sticking to it.

Profit and Loss Statement

Given all the frivolous talk of beauty products and Brillo head here, it may come as a surprise that I've spent a fair amount of time around balance sheets. I've had an absurd number of jobs over the course of my life - two of them in the financial service industry and one ongoing stint related to accounting. I know my way around a P & L statement almost as well as I do the Lancôme counter. As I draw near to the end of my fourth week on South Beach, I thought it might be a good idea to take a look at my "balance sheet" as it were. And, being the kind of Diva who's prone to an over-share, you know I'm going to write about it here. I beg your indulgence.

Gains:

• A fear of carbs and sugar. That's partially a joke, but not entirely. I know I feel different, physically and mentally, without it. I feel better and have more energy than I've had in years. Perhaps "fear" is too strong a word, but I have a new-found sense of sugar's affect on my body ... and its not positive.
  

• A culinary sense of adventure. Hello - I actually ate some fish!
  

• Renewed interest in cooking. I'm out of my "What should I make for dinner?" rut. I'd say that meal-wise the world is my oyster ... but I'm not gonna go that far. Tilapia is one thing but I'm steering clear of the bivalves ... pearls not withstanding, of course.
  

• A much larger grocery bill ... they're not giving the organic produce away at Fairway.
  

• A much larger wardrobe. I'm wearing my "skinny" jeans again ... the ones I couldn't fit into at the beginning of the summer. Sweet!

• The affection of millions ... uh, make that dozens ... um, I mean a handful of you, my loyal readers. ~wink~
  

Losses:

• 12 pounds and several inches. I wasn't smart enough to take my measurements before I began this adventure, so no hard data to back it up. The evidence lies in the above referenced skinny jeans ... and all my other clothes.
  

• My tape measure. I don't know where it is. Seriously.

• My taste for sugar. I've become hyper-sensitive to it and its fairly off-putting. I was out to dinner last night and took one bite of the salad dressing I'd ordered (on the side), and immediately rejected it because it was too sweet. I knew at once that it was loaded with sugar and I just didn't want it.
  

• My cravings for junk food ... yes, even the Doritos. Sad, but true.
  

• My fear of fish ... maybe.

• My need for Tums/Zantac/Pepcid AC. I can't remember the last time I had heartburn. Awesome.
  

• And this one breaks my heart ... pasta. Sigh. I may never get over my love of pasta, the real stuff, not that whole wheat crap. Prior to South Beach, we probably ate some form of pasta at least 3 times a week. I've only had it twice in the last month. I've reluctantly made the transition to whole wheat pasta and its the only real difficulty I've had with the diet. The results have been worth it, so I'm just gonna have to get over it and save the real pasta for special occasions only.
  

So that's the quarterly report - and it looks like I'm not only in balance, but 100% in the black. I'm not trying to shill for the South Beach Diet here, its not for everyone. I'm merely offering a progress report ... and mostly for myself. The reality is I've gained far more on the South Beach than I've lost, more than I ever imagined.