The Skinny on.... Skinny

 

 

 

Looking after the well being of the men who lunch at my house, when meat and potatoes are the integral part of the menu, is not an easy task. But it is at this time of year, when the conversation turns to New Year's resolutions and healthy eating that I am absolutely adamant in creating a delicious menu for them, so they won’t even notice that what I am serving is actually thinning and healthy.

 

The current fad in healthy eating is total avoidance of starch, and as I keep trying to explain to my husband: just avoid anything that is white: potatoes, pasta, sugar, bread and flour. Not that I am a nutritional expert, but to me it makes sense, anything that is highly processed, can’t be that good for you. And even though I am a strong believer in dieting behind closed doors, a low carbohydrate diet allows you to eat in public, and in restaurants for that matter, without asking about the caloric content or the fat grams of a dish. In addition, olive oil, some meat and a little wine are all a welcome part of this diet.

 

I have to admit that I like eating well too much to follow a restrained diet, and the most effort I am able to make is to have vegetables and fruit for dinner once in a while. The regime I follow consists on what I call “clean” food: low fat protein and lots of fish, simply sautéed vegetables and lots of fresh fruit.

 

For this lunch, and in keeping with my own dieting ideas (not theirs), I am starting the meal with shrimp simply served with two of my  condiment sauces: Serving the shrimp by it self or on a bed of lettuce is a fantasticly fresh first course that works as a great hors d'oeuvre at a buffet event. I am aslo making an eggplant gratin made with tomatoes, eggplant and zucchini layered with a parsley, basil and garlic sauce that is full of flavor. The sliced eggplant is cooked in the oven for ten minutes and layered with the zucchini and tomatoes with a sauce made by pureeing parsley, basil and garlic with olive oil. It is then topped with grated parmesan cheese and baked it in a 350 degree oven for about one hour for all the vegetables to release their juices and infuse with the garlic aroma. Ten minutes before its ready, make small indentations with a spoon and crack an egg inside. Return to the oven for the eggs to set to your liking.

 

For dessert, I am serving a fresh fruit salad served in hollowed out cantaloupe melons. Use kiwis, strawberries, pineapple, peaches and plums…actually any seasonal fruit would be excellent and toss the fruit with orange juice and a few mint leaves. If you haven’t used your allotment of alcohol during lunch, add a few tablespoons of Cointrau, an orange liqueur, to the fruit salad.

 

I must tell you that this menu is so flavorful and sensational, that the men in your life won’t even notice you are serving them a “skinny lunch for the men who lunch”.

 

Recipes for 6

 

Eggplant Gratin

            1 large or 2 medium eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch slices

            4 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices

            1 large spanish onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices

            3 large tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices

            1 cup parsley, chopped

            1 cup basil leaves, chopped

            2 cloves garlic, chopped

            ¼ cup olive oil

            ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated

            12 large eggs

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

 

Place the vegetables on one layer on separate cookie sheets (or do it in batches) and sprinkle lightly with olive oil and salt. Bake in the oven for about ten minutes until barely tender. Lower the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees.

 

In the mean time, place the parsley, basil, garlic, a pinch of salt and olive oil in a blender and combine to make a pesto like spread. 

 

In an oven dish, place the eggplant over lapping in one layer, add the zucchini the same way and top with the parsley basil sauce. Add the tomatoes and top with the onions. Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes until the juices are bubbly. Remove the gratin from the oven, make indentations with a spoon and place an egg inside. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and season with salt & pepper. Return the gratin to the oven and cook until the eggs are done to your liking, about 10 minutes. Let it rest for a minute or two before serving.