The Importance of Condiments

Today for lunch I had a turkey sandwich, which I'm sure to most people, doesn't sound very exciting. 

This sandwich, however, is a reminder to me of both the importance of condiments and to take the time to make something nice for myself. I will grant you that it took some time to pick up all the ingredients yesterday while out shopping, but I have to go to the grocery store anyway so why not get something new or different to try? Condiments can really change things up so give them as much importance as any of your other ingredients. In the morning it took all of 10 minutes to actually construct my little gourmet sandwich as I like to put everything in tupperware so I can compile it right before eating (no soggy bread thank you!), but even then we arent talking about very much time and the results are far better than your typical bread and meat combo.


If this is all too much mystery then I will relate the contents of my lunch sandwich so you can salivate in proper envy. I started with roasted garlic bread I found at Costco, layered on smoked turkey and a slice of swiss and a slice of havarti cheese. At this point I figured a bit more meat might even things out so I slapped on two pieces of salami as well. After some red-leaf lettuce, some sliced up roma tomatoes I figured I was almost done. I threw on a touch of salt on the tomatoes, added some avacado and some basil leaves I found in the fridge as well because at this point, why not!? The best part was adding in some mayo and a new three pepper mustard I got while in Virginia this past week. I was happy to find that Golding Farms sell their products online so I'll be picking up more mustard in the future. The next batch of deviled eggs scream for this mustard!


While in Virginia I also picked up some Spicy Plum Chutney, made by the Virginia Chutney Company, who also sell their products online. I am eager to try this on some kind of meat, though I have found just on bread with cheese to be excellent. I might sound like I am making a plug for these condiments but that is only because I have found them rather tasty and it can be surprising how much something like a gourmet (or just anything unique) condiment can really change up your lunch. I just wish I had more room in my condiment section of my fridge but I can't seem to throw any of it out... 

Chicken and Roast Vegetables Thai Style

Last night I made Thai-style roast vegetables from a recipe in Mark Bittmans NYTimes Blog. I altered it a bit and added chicken. Here is my version!

1/4 cup peanut oil
1 medium-to-large eggplant, diced
1 cup frozen red/yellow pepper strips or 1 red pepper, cored, stemmed and cut into strips
1 cup peas (I used frozen)
1 cup chopped fresh green beans
4 peeled shallots or 1 onion, quartered
8 to 12 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium or 1 large tomatoe, cut into eighths
1/4 cup green, yellow or red curry paste, or 1 tablespoon chili paste,  or cayenne to taste
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Chopped fresh cilantro, mint and/or Thai basil leaves for garnish
2 large chicken breasts cut into pieces
1 tablespoon chopped ginger


1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place all vegetables except tomatoes into a large mixing bowl and add all but a tablespoon of oil, salt and pepper. Pour into a deep ovenproof skillet or casserole. Put pan in oven and roast, stirring once or twice, for 30 minutes. Add tomatoes, stir, and continue to roast until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, about 45 minutes to an hour total.

2. Put remaining oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add ginger and curry paste and stir. Salt and pepper the chicken pieces and cook for a few minutes until chicken is no longer pink on the inside. Remove chicken from the pan with a fork leaving drippings. Whisk in coconut milk, peanut butter and soy sauce and bring to a simmer. Add chicken back in, stir and keep warm.

3. When vegetables are done, stir in coconut milk mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more soy sauce or curry paste if necessary. Garnish with herbs and serve hot or warm.


I used cayenne and creamy peanut butter and no herbs as I forgot to add the cilantro. I also made extra sauce as a can of coconut milk is closer to 2 cups and I wouldnt know what to do with the other half of the can. Dont forget to stir up the coconut milk as it does separate. Next time I make it I will use a quartered onion instead of frozen diced onions though they did turn out fine. I also added some chopped garlic from a jar to the vegetables and the chicken becuase you really cant have too much garlic anyway.


Tonight I will put the left overs on top of some basmati or jasmine rice !

Wholesome Oat Muffins and the Arrival of Fall!

I love Fall and while it will still be hot in southern California for a while yet it always feels like Fall is here when I turn the calendar to October !

Im sure the month will kick off all kinds of soups but for now I thought Id talk about my Wholesome Oat Muffins which are perfect for breakfast during the week as they are tasty but also filing enough to keep you going until lunch. The recipe is pretty much out of the South Beach Diet cookbook with a few changes.  I find that I like the baking recipes that call for use of low fat buttermilk as they tend to be healthier even if you aren't on a diet and thankfully a diet cookbook doesn't have to be all bland boring foods! All that I change is add some flax seed meal for a bit more fiber, swap sliced almonds for walnuts and add tons more cinnamon. You really cant have too much cinnamon.

I  usually start the muffins by getting out three bowls, one small, one medium and one large. In the small bowl I put in the 3/4 cup oats with a cup of low fat buttermilk. I 've just been adding about two spoonfuls of flax seed meal and similar amount of sliced almonds. After that is all stirred up I let it sit while I do everything else so the oats can soak up the buttermilk. I also make sure to get my oven going to 425 F as that can take a while to heat up.

In the medium bowl I put 1 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (which thankfully is sold at Henry's by weight so I didnt have to spend a lot the first time I tried to make these), 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, a pinch of salt and then 1 teaspoon cinnamon and stir it up until well mixed.

In the large bowl, I crack in an egg,  add 1/3 cup of Splenda's brown sugar substitute (even my Splenda hating roomie likes this half real sugar mix), 1/3 cup canola oil and a heaping teaspoon of vanilla extract. I usually use a whisk to really beat the egg and get the oil and sugar mixed in. Once that is done you can add the oats mixture and mix well. Lastly add the flour mixture but only mix until just combined. Over mixing will make the muffins a little dense.

You can make this into a loaf or as I like to into 12 muffins filling each cup about 2/3 of the way full. I use silicone muffin liners which help keep the heat even and make for easy clean up. If you dont use the silicone muffin liners then be sure to spray your pan with a non stick spray - preferably butter flavored! I pop that in at 425 F degrees for 12-14 minutes and let them cool for at least 5 minutes as they can get rather hot.

After two each morning I run out quickly!