Yum

You know, I wonder myself sometimes why I can be so defiant as to try new recipes and foods. However, the February challenge has been good for me so far- this week's new food was cauliflower. I had tried it before, in its raw form, and couldn't stand its texture and lack of taste. However, cooked, it's a different animal.

On Saturday, I finally made the "Asian Beef Stir-Fry" from the Eating for Life Book by Bill Phillips. Even after owning it for four (?) years, I still have several recipes in there that I have not tried. So, the ingredients are spaghetti noodles, steak, garlic, onion, celery, napa cabbage, and soy sauce. I made it for my entirely-too-picky parents (who actually liked it) and brother (who wouldn't try it). Instead of steak, we substituted pork loin. The cabbage was coleslaw shredded with carrots (no mayo though, just the leaves). It was good on Saturday night, and an estimated 6 serving portions was more than we could handle, so there was leftovers. On Sat night, I decided that the next time I made it, I would add broccoli and water chestnuts, plus some chili flakes/oil to spice it up a bit (my favorite restaurant is HuHot, and the reason I like it is because it's spicy and filling, and you can have several servings of veggies). So, long story long, I re-heated some of the leftovers for lunch. And of course I added the extra ingredients: broccoli (1 stalk), cauliflower (1/2 cup), water chestnuts (1/4 cup), more cabbage (1 cup), and chili olive oil to sautee (1 tbsp). Heated that first, then added the leftovers. After a couple of minutes, I realized that this was going to be too much food and split it in half to eat, saving the rest for later (only because I had added the veggies, none of which contributed much for calories).

It was SO good. AND it reminded me that new recipes and foods are NOT a bad thing. Next up on the menu: cauliflower mashed potatoes. I've got a couple of recipes, and I'll let you know how it goes.

So, here's a challenge to you: what would you prefer to eat- two cups of Asian Beef Stir Fry with that much vegetables (equals a lot of food) or a half-cup of pasta with a little bit of marinara sauce?

I'll have to write up my spaghetti recipe for you soon. If you want more details on the Beef Stir Fry, let me know!