Nurturing my inner... restaurant quality

I've been focused on being back to my proper eating habits since my return from visiting family in New England for the holidays.  While I was in Connecticut, and a couple days in Pennsylvania, I ate what I pleased and indulged in local items I can't get here.  (Look for blog posts to come.)  I don't regret it because I enjoy all kinds of treats every now and then.  However, I would not want to eat those things every day.  In fact, I just can't.  Not only because I like to maintain a healthy heart and weight, but also because it makes me feel ill after a short while.  I just can't stomach fried foods or lack of veggies for long.  So when my friend wanted to get together and have a movie and appetizers night, I asked her if we could make some smarter choices with the food we planned.  It's so nice to have a friend support you when you are readapting to wise behaviors.  It's much more challenging to be around the folks who are quick to send you back into the fatal direction from whence you just began to extract your slightly fluffy self from.

Before I get too far on this, I have something to say about words I hear a lot.  I don't really like when people go on about, "I'm going to eat healthy."  What is "healthy?"  I suppose you could say a rice cake is healthy when compared to French fries, but they are bland and fairly unredeemable.  I don't want to eat healthy, per se.  What I want is to eat delicious and nutritious foods.  Everyone should have that goal.

Back on topic.  I made a delicious and nutritious salad inspired by different combinations I've had at some local restaurants.  Complete with a dressing I whipped up on my very own.  I wasn't sure how it would be, as I tasted and adjusted along the way several times, but it was terrific!  Definitely restaurant quality.  And it started with learning how to make candied pecans.

Candied Pecans

1/3 cup raw pecan halves
2 tbsps water
2 tbsps sugar
1 tsp brown sugar

A tasty little treat I've enjoyed on salads are various kinds of candied nuts.  But didn't want to buy a whole bag for home.  I thought, how hard can it be to just make enough for an evening?  Well, not very hard at all.  Here's what you do:

Add the water, sugars and pecans to a sauce pan.  Stir and turn on high until it boils.

You can toast the pecans first if you like.

Keep careful watch as the mixture boils, for around seven to eight minutes or until the sauce has caramelized and become thick.  If you take it off too soon, the pecans will be more sticky due to more water content.  (They'll still taste okay, even if they aren't exactly perfect.)

It's ready if when you run a spoon through, the
caramel doesn't come right back together.

Have a baking sheet with parchment on it at the ready.  Spread the caramelized pecans out in one layer with space to harden.

Parchment prevents sticking.

Let dry for half an hour, or longer, and then separate them.  If they don't appear as dry as you'd like, I hear you can put them in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes to crisp them up more.  (For other variations, try adding some vanilla extract, sweet curry powder, black pepper or rosemary.)

They look good, no?

On to make the dressing.  Vinaigrettes are not a precise science.  You need to adjust to your taste.  I'll show you approximately what I did (because I was paying more attention to taste than exact amounts I was using) and then you can add a pinch more this and that until you get it to please your palate.  My advice to you is to start with the lemon, add a little sugar and vinegar, mix it up well, taste and then go from there.

Lemon Vinaigrette

Juice of one lemon, freshly squeezed
2 1/2 tsps sugar
2 tsps champagne vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
Sprinkle of a salad herbs (or combination of herbs)

What I love about making things like this at home is that you know exactly what's going into your food if you buy pure ingredients.

Penzey's has different spice blends that you just
add oil to and you get instant dressing.

I used a couple shakes of premixed salad herbs, but you also could combine individual flavors you prefer like dried oregano, thyme and Parmesan. Or switch out orange or pomegranate juice.  There are so many ways to tweak the flavor profile of a vinaigrette with different oils and infused vinegars that you can discover exciting new tastes each time you whip up a batch.  (Something I plan on doing more of this coming year.)

This is all I have left, but it made more than
enough for six servings.

Now to compile the restaurant presentation.

Pear, Pecan & Gorgonzola Salad

1 bag of field greens or other dark green salad blend
1 ripe Bartlett pear, cut into cubes
1/3 cup candied pecans
1/4 cup dried cranberries
3 ou Gorgonzola, crumbled

Get a big bowl, throw in the field greens, pears, pecans and cranberries.  Add the dressing right before you serve so the lettuces don't get soggy, toss it about, and then add the crumbled cheese with the last light mix so it stays in chunks.  Serve straight away.

Looks like it came right off a high class menu.

You can switch out the Gorgonzola for feta or goat if you're not a fan, but pear and blue cheese go particularly well together. I happen to love it, but my friend does not. So when I made the salad last night for our moviefest, I tossed all the other ingredients together without the cheese and then let her put feta on hers whilst I put the Gorgonzola on mine.  Everyone was happy.  (Even though I maintain my combo remained the better choice!)

Just because you're settled in front of the tube to watch a film or two for the evening, doesn't mean you need to eat junk.  Quality, tasty, vitamin rich foods can be quick to prepare when you plan for it.  A grocery list is your friend.  Don't knock a bit of forethought.

So what do you think?  Should I open a secret restaurant in my condo?