whole wheat mini pizzas

a great cooking blog called cooking with amy (see link on the right) featured a recipe today that has weight watchers written all over it. she (amy) also gives you plenty of wiggle room to make it as points-friendly as possible, if that's what you're going for.

whole wheat mini-pizzas
serves 2

2 whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup grated cheese (whatever you like that melts)
1/4 cup vegetables such as olives, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms or a combination
2 tablespoons meat (crumbled sausage, bacon, cooked chicken, etc.) optional

preheat oven to 400 degrees. cut 4 rounds from each tortilla. Place them on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes or until slightly crisp. top each round with cheese, a sprinkling of vegetables and meat if desired. return to the oven until cheese has melted, about 3 - 4 minutes.


here's a little something i came up with using my e-tools recipe builder, which i just discovered not too long ago.

use the quantities listed above of:

soft goat cheese
chantrelle mushrooms
crumbled crisp bacon

should turn out to be 6 points per serving.

foods i would eat right now, right this very instant, if i wasn't on weight watchers

williams-sonoma peppermint bark. baked rigatoni. chicken salad. admiral's feast at red lobster. cookie dough. roasted goose with oyster dressing. hot schnocolate. pillsbury crescent rolls. tuna salad. cherry pie. chex mix. macaroni and bleu cheese with bacon. fettucini with lobster alfredo. four cheese ravioli. petit filet with bleu cheese, rare/medium rare and a side of creamed spinach from ruth's chris. crab-stuffed mushrooms from ruth's chris. mother's frosted pink and white circus animal cookies. taco salad. salami. seinkanter and membrillo. chimay. pommes frites and wasabi aioli. in-n-out strawberry milkshake. mozzerella sticks. a cheese sandwich. english toffee. cupcakes. fried chicken. great steak's buffalo chicken sandwich. donut holes. egg mcmuffin.

reason #879 why alice waters is my hero.

my wonderful bleeding heart mother is on a mission. at her public elementary school in woodstock, illinois, 30% of her students live in poverty. a staggering portion of her students partake in the schools' breakfast program, too - upon arrival at school at 7:30am (holy christ), the kidlets are fed "breakfast" before class. come noontime, they're fed "lunch."

these "meals" consist primarily of bottled water, soda, steaming hot piles of factory farmed beef and chicken, and morning buns sprayed with "vitamins" (the "bunny ears" are out of control right now, my apologies) so that the kiddies get their proper "nutrients" (last time i promise).

sad part is, these meals, in many cases, are the only times these children are fed in a day. if they are fed dinner, it's usually a bag of chips or mcdonald's.

so mom and her kick-ass teacher friend mary are determined to turn this around. both devotees of the slow food movement, they are attempting to implement a school meal program that involves healthy, natural choices - local and seasonal, if possible - in order to get these kids on the right track for the rest of their little lives. we (snobby foodies) all know that fresh, organic, locally-grown meats and produce are at the heart of a healthy ecosystem, and ultimately, a healthy self.

i told mom i'd back her cause 100%. in the bay area, the slow food revolution seems to have permeated dinner tables and public school lunch rooms alike. i had read that my old elementary school is testing out a lunch program with children's choice, a local outsourced meal program that provides seasonal greens and humanely raised meats in compostable trays. after forwarding that link, i came upon this little gem:

the edible schoolyard. courtesy of my personal savior, saint alice waters.

this ingenious concept was implemented at berkeley's mlk, jr. middle school in the mid-nineties. mid-nineties! that alice is sure ahead of the crowd, isn't she?

not only are the kids eating local, organic produce...they're growing it. right on their playground. you can't get much more local than that.

please take a moment to look at their website. so, so inspiring.

in alice's name we pray; au gratin.

let's see, new tools to slice and dice with, or not pay my rent or any bills for a month and a half...

i am in love. i am in love with a set of knives. seven knives. seven beautiful, sharp knives.

discovered these puppies at williams-sonoma yesterday. in a glass jewelry case. ha!

michel bras

they'll run you about $2k. i might just buy the 4-inch paring knife for $250 and wear it around my neck as a pendant.

whole paycheck

i went to the new whole foods in downtown oakland last night for the first time. wow. it's truly spectacular. the circular layout is ideal for browsing the store in its entirety and discovering things to spend money on that you really don't need. i know people hate whole foods because it's elitist and pretentuous. i know people despise whole foods because it is insanely overpriced. take for instance last night's purchases. paper towels, one shallot, one package of green beans (slightly brown and dry, and from mexico to boot...the california ones were moldy...wtf people), a small "to-go" container of mixed berries (1 pint) and an even smaller container of scharffenberger pudding (1/2 pint). twenty bucks. jason (my man) and i were going to get a tuna steak so we could try out a recipe for tuna burgers, but it would have cost us $22. for one steak. needless to say we changed our minds.

despite the high cost of being a part of the elite green grocer club, i'm still a card-carrying member. that place is amazing. and close!

my lone shallot and mexican haricots verts were the final ingredients necessary to complete the meal i've prepared for this evening. last night i marinated a 1-lb. london broil (niman ranch, from trader joes - cheap, local, sustainable, damn good) in a ziplock bag with:

3 tbsp. soy sauce
1 medium (overpriced) shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. dried tarragon
1 tsp. dried oregano

it's getting all yummy and juicy in the fridge as we speak. tonight i will broil it (at some temperature that eludes me now) and pair it with garlicky (mexican, dry, brown, expensive) haricots verts. this is an easy side dish and i think is only a point or two...

steam 1 lb haricots verts in a steamer basket over 1 inch of boiling water for 3-4 minutes, until crisp-tender
toss with olive oil and pressed garlic, pepper to taste.

i really like the words haricots verts.

itty bitty thanksgiving

this thanksgiving the only individuals sitting around the dinner table will be myself, my father and my stepmother. maybe my uncle. i haven't a clue what's going on. however if this was my meal to prepare (maybe it is?! no one's told me anything!) i would opt for this clever, seemingly scrumptuous preparation for the holiday.

citrus-scented cornish game hens with spiced acorn squash courtesy of whole foods

serves four - pair with a simple pilaf, they say.

cornish game hens
2 cornish game hens
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 orange
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
4 sprigs of rosemary


acorn squash
2 acorn squashes
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoons allspice
4 scallions, halved
salt and pepper

preheat the oven to 400° F. season the hens with salt and pepper and rub with butter, sugar, lemon and orange zest. halve the orange. juice one half and slice the other. stuff each bird with orange juice and orange slices, shallots and rosemary.

heat a large pan over medium heat. brown the game hens on all sides, 6 to 10 minutes.

meanwhile, prepare the acorn squashes by quartering them and removing the seeds. place them in a roasting pan and dot with butter, drizzle with syrup and sprinkle with allspice. place the hens breast side up in the same roasting pan and roast until browned and cooked through, about an hour.

remove game hens and let rest for juices to redistribute. continue cooking the acorn squash 10 to 15 minutes longer, until tender. serve immediately.

the beauty of it all is that they include nutrition info. get your trackers ready...one serving is 6 points (about 11 oz., not including your pilaf dish).

instead of the chocolate croissant...

i opted for lowfat peach yogurt and a banana. sigh. yawn.