"Sometimes you just don't feel like doin nothin"

"Sometimes you just don't feel like doin nothin"

I had a couple of days like this this week.  I think I have just been going full blast for so long that I ran out of steam like this little fellow.  So I have not gotten all the typing and posts I wanted to do accomplished, so my fingers are doing double-duty typing today.

So today is weigh in day and I'm hoping my being lazy this week has not affected the bottom line, ha ha, get it? bottom line, snicker, snicker, lame, I know, but here we go:

This is great, feet doing a happy dance, down another 3.6 lbs.  Total lost is now 16.2 lbs since September 1st.
I think I might even reward the feet with a pedicure tonight; since I keep making them stand and have their picture taken.
This is a message to my daughter, the dress I bought just before you left to go home, I can now zip by myself no problem.  Ta-dah! Happy Happy.  Might reach my goal by Christmas.  Hope so, anyway.

Have a great day. I know I will!

Eggplant, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, oh my....

Vegetable Terrine starring the above characters

This Recipe is my own creation, created over time.  Linda Gauthier

Made my Vegetable Terrine today, and it was pretty darn good, even if I do say so myself! The thing about my Vegetable Terrine is I serve it warm.  Most terrines are served cold and I enjoy them both ways, but the following recipe is served warm.
It is more like a vegetable lasagna but not nearly as cheesy, or have as much sauce.  The other thing is, the cast of characters changes, dependent on what vegetables I have in the house.  

Today's terrine contains eggplant, zucchini, green tomatoes, leeks, mushrooms, roasted garlic, canned tomatoes without the juice, bread crumbs, goat cheese, fresh basil, lemon juice, Epicure Selections Herb and Garlic, and Epicure Selections French Onion Dip.

1 sm eggplant                              Sliced into thin slices lengthwise
1 sm zucchini                              Sliced into thin slices lengthwise
4 or 5 mushrooms                       Sliced thinly 
1or 2 green tomatoes                  Sliced into thin slices
1/2 of a yellow bell pepper         Sliced into fine strips
1 leek                                          Sliced thin only the white part
1 tsp Epicure Selection Herb and Garlic
1 tsp Epicure Selection French Onion Dip
fresh basil leaves julliened and sprinkled in the layers
1 cup bread crumbs
3/4 cup feta cheese
4 cloves of roasted garlic
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese. You may not need the total amount.

While you are slicing other vegetables, place your eggplant slices on a plate, sprinkle with salt and let sit approximately 10 minutes.  Drain the liquid the salt has drawn out, rinse slices under cold water, pat dry.
Drizzle with olive oil and grill or broil until just tender. Don't overcook.
Repeat with your zucchini and green tomatoes.

Mix crumbs, feta cheese and roasted garlic along with herbs in a small bowl.  Incorporate all the ingredients.

Layer the vegetables into individual loaf pans.
Be careful not to put too many bread crumbs in.  This will result in a dry terrine.
Start with the eggplant, followed by the mushrooms, some crumbs,
zucchini, crumbs, tomatoes.  Squirt of lemon juice.
Press down on the mixture, add more mushrooms, crumbs, zucchini, crumbs, canned tomatoes, no tomato juice, crumbs and top with thin layer of mozzarella cheese on top of each loaf.
I used a fresh Bufala mozzarella, made locally at Fairbridge Farms in the Cowichan Valley.  It's made from water buffalo milk, is a nice soft creamy cheese, low sodium and has a yummy flavour.
Bake in oven for approximately 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

These are the Epicure selection products used today.

Salted eggplant slices to drain off extra liquid and remove any bitter taste.

Patting dry after rinsing, to help remove any extra water or salt.

2 small loaf pans of vegetable terrine about to go into the oven.

Finished result

We each ate 1/2 of one Vegetable Terrine, saving the other for lunch tomorrow.  I served it with shredded roasted chicken and the rest of the leftover veggies from making the terrine.  They were simmered in the leftover tomato juice to make a sauce, and poured over 2 slices of grilled polenta.  I also placed some cucumber slices on the plate to give the meal added texture. 
In my original menu, I was going to serve it with chicken meatballs and pasta.  But you know the old saying, "Sometimes you feel like a meatball, sometimes you don't".
Okay, okay, it doesn't say meatball, but I couldn't figure out what else to say, consider this artistic literary licence, that is, if writing a food blog can be considered literature.

Until next time, keep smiling.


Just a note:
For the next days' lunch I had the Vegetable Terrine in a pita, with lettuce and low fat Caesar dressing made with Epicure Selections Caesar dressing mix, low-fat mayo and buttermilk.
It was delicious and I still have 3/4's of the second terrine left.   
Oh the possibilities!! Must think. Must think.

Falls Here, warm days, cooler nights.......

crisp leaves and the beauty of the harvest surround us.

I love fall, its beauty can be found in the simplest things.  It's in the light and the majesty of how things seem to suddenly change from the muggy dog days of summer to the crisp days of fall.  The spider webs stretched between tree branches with beads of dew shining on them.  The crunch of the leaves underfoot, and the beauty of the open air markets, the smell of the fruit and the earthy smell of the vegetables, an abundance of local fresh produce.  The sweet smell of the smoke from burning leaves and the smell of hay. The misty sunrises, the red sunsets and the fog that rolls in, only to clear away and show us a bright, sun-filled day.

With fall comes a change in appetites and flavours as routines return.  So back to school and regular scheduling and work.  With all of that in mind, I plan to do some writing in the next few days about some of the best ways I know to keep lunches interesting and easy to do, as well as diet-friendly.

I'll also be doing recipes focusing on the flavours of fall, as extra posts this week.

So here comes the recipes for the 4th week.

No breakfast recipes this week, so Lunch recipes are first.

I hope you like them.  I've chosen recipes that are quick and easy to prepare.

Dinner Meals