Week 1 Peep Show (For your eyes only)

"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful," Oscar Wilde wrote that in THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY and who am I to argue?  Those words have been my mantra for some time now, they are part of my byline so to speak.  

Suzie Spitfyre - I can resist anything but temptation.

So how do I give in to temptation (in my case food and drink) and still maintain a healthy diet?  This is how - use pure, unadulterated, flavourful ingredients such as fresh fruits and veg, lean proteins, and whole grains.  Then prep those components for meals ahead of time, have them at the ready.  And then let the creative juices flow!  Explore new recipes and make things up as you go along....the result is delectable, healthy meals.   

Here are some examples of just that...WARNING:  Food Porn ahead.

01/17/13 - Breakfast - My favourite thing for breakfast has always been lunch.  Here I heated up a wok with 1 teaspoon of peanut oil in it and threw in an egg that had been lightly beaten and combined with ginger and a bit of soy sauce.  I let that cook and fluff up, then tossed in a bunch of different veggies, and a cup of last night's refrigerated jasmine rice.  Took it off the heat, stirred in a tablespoon each of oyster sauce and Chinese black vinegar, and tadaaaaaaaaaaa!  Healthy breakkie.  

Breakfast stir-fry and green tea.

01/17/13 - Dinner - Tacos de Pescado, otherwise known as the best tacos in the world!  This is super simple to make and mouthwateringly delicious to eat.  I used mahi-mahi, but you can use any kind of fish.  Simply pack a bunch of store-bought taco seasoning on both sides of the fillets and grill to perfection.  Chop up all the goodies you want to go in your whole-wheat tortillas...I chose to include cilantro, leafy green lettuce, fat-free sour cream, salsa, and avocado.  Wrap 'em up and enjoy.  The game changer here is my favourite condiment of late, chimichurri...and you'll kick yourself if you don't add a squirt of fresh lime juice.  ¿Como se dice 'yummy' en español?

Delicioso! Tacos con pescado.

01/18/13 - Lunch - This may be look like a pathetic adult-amateur entry into this week's food porn Peep Show, but my tuna sammi was just too pretty to leave out.  And, it just goes to show that sometimes you gotta relax and just enjoy it.  Water-packed tuna, drained and enhanced with fresh dill, light dilly dip, salt and pep, and chopped up celery.  The whole-wheat kaiser was a bit of a splurge, but since I'm tracking everything I eat, I accounted for it.  This ain't your mama's tunafish sammi.

Guilty pleasure:  Tuna sammi with lots of lettuce and some cucumber.

01/19/13 - Brunch -  They call me "Recyclops" at MAC, and for good reason:  I don't like waste.  I recycled the remnants of a healthy chili dinner from a previous night, added a couple pieces of rye toast, poached two eggs, and garnished with chimichurri to create a waist-reducing Eggs Benedict à la Suzie or maybe it was Huevos Rancheros Suzie-style.

Rerun:  Modified huevos rancheros.

Peep Show complete.

Tomorrow, I "dance with the devil in the pale moonlight"...or rather, I meet my trainer around noonish at the gym.  Like the Joker, I just like the sound of that better...and after all...I am his prey.

¡Me encanta el chimichurri de Geoffrey!

Chimichurri over poached eggs...take that Hollandaise!

You can get through life without knowing how to tango, speak Spanish, or navigate the cosmopolitan streets of Buenos Aires...but you simply cannot go through life without knowing the savoury succulence that is chimichurri.

Chimichurri is an Argentine steak sauce...but I use it on everything from warm new potato salad to baked chicken.  It adds immense flavour and vibrant colour to any dish.  It is ambrosial, or more likely the pre-Columbian equivalent.  Panchamama and Viracocha want you to try this sauce.

And, unlike butter, chimi is fresh and healthy...you want this in your fridge.

Mi primo Geoffrey's Amazeballs Chimichurri

6 cloves of garlic
1/3 of a cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
2/3 of a cup fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons fresh oregano
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

Just so you know, exact measurements aren't necessary...I usually approximate the green stuff.  I do, however, measure the olive oil so that I can track the calories.  Throw the garlic and olive oil in the food processor first and pulse until the garlic is pulverised.  Then toss the rest of the ingredients in there and combine.  Y ya está...chimichurri!

De nada.

Food Porn.

Gourmet smut.

You know you've seen it, you know you've liked it, and you've probably even used a search engine to find more of it on the Internet.  

Know this, you are not alone.

It's why we PVR shows on Channel 30, why we drive out of our way to go to specialty stores that carry appliances that do very specific things, why we put on protective clothing in case things get messy, and why we buy magazines housed in certain sections of newsstands...I swear, I only buy it for the recipes!

Food porn is everywhere...there is even a food setting on my digital camera.  Is it any wonder that the population is getting fatter?  We are a people who have become food obsessed.

Rather than fight my urges, I have decided to embrace my voyeuristic tendencies and, as a part of this blog, post some racy photos of healthy meals that have satisfied my insatiable appetite.  I may even release some saucy recipes.  Hungry for more?

All I need now is your credit card information and proof that you are over 18 years of age.  Just kidding, my buffet is all ages and free.  Bon appétit!