All Wrapped Up: Flaky Fish, Korean Beef & Addictive Dipping Sauce

Because of some health issues, still undetermined, I've been on a low- to no-fat diet these past few weeks.

It's not been easy, but it's not been unbearable either. There are definitely things I've missed. Say...chips, ice cream, cheese. I really was starting to miss sour cream (which we used to buy in extra large Daisy tubs from Costco). Then I discovered Greek yogurt is a fine, actually better, alternative.

So I'm getting through this so far and, as a bonus, eating healthier.

Tonight I really thought I'd have trouble. I'd planned to serve a family favorite, Korean beef (fish for me). But as the meal came together, I think my plate was the best.

The sides made the meal, at least for me.

Instead of the beef, I quickly pan fried some lightly seasoned tilapia as we were ready to plate and sit down.

To get a hearty meal out of the skimpy fillets, I served them with bibb lettuce for wrapping, ginger-infused basmati rice, and spicy sauteed spinach.

The spinach was fantastic and so was a sauce I whipped up based off of this recipe.

Spicy Spinach

• Spinach, trimmed and washed
• 1 medium shallot, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Heat oil in large skillet, add garlic and shallot and cook for about a minute. Add spinach and cook until leaves turn bright green. Turn off heat, add mustard, lemon juice and red pepper flakes. Serve immediately.

Dipping Sauce

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp chili pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp shallots, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic, chopped

Mix all ingredients and chill for 20-30 minutes to let flavors meld before serving as a dipping sauce for dumplings or fish or to serve with rice.

I'm kicking myself for not getting any pics of the bibb lettuce wraps. They were cute -- both the beef and fish versions -- and cut down on the need for utensils.

1 Recipe, 3 Breads in 1 Day

Four years ago this month, I started making bread from the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking.

I still haven't tried more than the main dough from the first chapter. But I'm still amazed by all the variations that can be made from a simple French boule dough I made last week.

Today's a perfect example.

For lunch, I made crown-shaped loaf called a Couronne.

For supper, I already had a brightly colored crock pot full of purple cauliflower for one of my Indian Slow Cooker dishes, spiced cauliflower & potatoes. To round out the meal, I baked fish, then remembered I could use the boule dough to make naan right on the stovetop with my cast iron skillet.

Then, to finish the day, I tried something new out of the book, cinnamon rolls with caramel topping.

Wow, was that worth what little effort went into rolling those out. My daughter couldn't keep her fingers out of the rolls, even though she burned her finger on the steaming hot caramel topping.

All three of these versions were in addition to a round boule I made last week.

There's nothing better on a wintry day than the smell of fresh yeast bread baking in the oven, except maybe when you add butter, sugar and cinnamon.

Update: I forgot to add links to my old post, the book and the basic recipe. Find the recipe here from a 2008 Chicago Tribune story. Unfortunately, it looks like the helpful step-by-step video is gone now. Other links embedded above.

Never Too Early to Think About Spring

First snow of 2012

We're in the middle of our first real snowfall of the season and the kids are so snow-crazy that neither TV nor food nor visiting friends interests them more right now than building a snowman or snow fort or snowball arsenal.

I love the white stuff too. I'd had enough of dreary mid-season Chicago, where everything is dull and dirty after fall colors peter out. I much prefer a soft blanket of snow over the ground and decorating otherwise bare branches.

I'm usually not thinking about spring until late February and for sure by mid-March, when I'm ready for some warmth and color.

But twice today, I saw notes about spring being just around the corner. One was from a friend who just signed up for a CSA. The other was from Growing Power, reminding everyone that if you want to start a garden from scratch, seedlings need to be nurtured in February.

I still haven't found a good spot in the house to begin seedlings. I'm thinking of setting up a space under our fluorescent light in the basement that our Gecko seems to be enjoying. We just don't have enough sill space anywhere else in the house.

More importantly, I haven't the foggiest idea what I want to plant this year. I guess that's what January's for, flipping through seed catalogs, plotting out garden space.

Oh right, and for sledding.

Why I am Grateful to 'Tom and Jerry'

When I was a kid, I watched "Tom and Jerry" along with my other Saturday morning cartoons. They weren't my favorite cartoon duo. So when my children suddenly became avid fans, I didn't feel any particular nostalgia pull to watch with them, other than to see whether the old-school cartoons, by my parenting standards, were appropriate. I decided they were, though I occasionally cringe at the level of violence and inappropriate stereotypes. Still, it's a high-quality, smart cartoon, the old ones and newer ones.

In fact, I have to give props to that lovable mouse and rascally cat for doing two things I'd been hoping to do, but so far hadn't managed to accomplish in my children's 8 and 9 years on this planet: they've gotten my children enthusiastic, not merely interested, but truly enthusiastic about ballet and classical music.

So much so, that my daughter, a proud non-joiner and non-participator, asked about taking ballet lessons. And my son is begging me to sign him up to learn to play the flute or, his first choice, the viola.

The viola.

All this because they watched the "Tom and Jerry: The Nutcracker" special, cir. 2007.

After my daughter watched it, she couldn't wait for me to see it with her. She loved the cartoon. When I finally did sit down for the replay (probably her 3rd or 4th viewing), I was, well, mortified. It hit me that this was her and her brother's only introduction to Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker and classic ballet.

I knew I'd just failed as a parent.

But this was something I could fix, I thought. I first went to see if there was any chance at getting Joffrey Ballet tickets to see The Nutcracker leading up to the holidays. No dice...unless I was prepared to shell out $150 a ticket (that's $600 for the four of us). Um, no. Not this year.

I did the next best thing, started scanning Netflix. I found what I was looking for, only better: The Nutcracker, as imagined by Maurice Sendak and performed by the Pacific Northwest Ballet. I was worried the kids wouldn't make it past the first few minutes. Instead, just as with "Tom and Jerry," they were riveted. The recognized the plot from "Tom and Jerry" (note my face still turning red). Best of all, they loved the music.

Finally, when we loaded up to visit family over the holidays, I played my last card, a CD of Tchaikovsky favorites, including The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake. Even I was surprised how much they dug this music as they were urging me to "turn it up, turn it up" and "play it again, play it again."

My heart was happy.

But wait, there's more. Over the holidays, they recognized Tchaikovsky and Nutcracker references everywhere--on the radio, on TV, in commercials and in grocery stores.

They hummed the music and practiced standing on their tiptoes.

Better still, they didn't want it to end there. So starting Saturday, my non-joiner little girl will start ballet lessons. And soon, we may have our soccer-is-his-only-interest-on-the-planet son signed up for music lessons.

So, thank you "Tom and Jerry."

Now, where does one find a viola and a viola teacher?