How to eat healthi(er) at Jose Pepper's

(Oh, and a restaurant review.) 

Yes, it is possible to go to a Mexican restaurant and not blow your healthy eating, balanced-carbs plan. Here's my strategy:

1. Count how many chips you eat. Notice I'm not telling you how many to eat. In the past, I've always either decided ahead of time to eat no chips whatsoever (my rare approach), or decided ahead of time to not eat "too many," but then go ahead and do it anyway (my more common approach). Today, I decided I would just count chips as I ate them. I hadn't made up my mind what number I was going to stop at, but the mere mindfulness of counting slowed me down considerably. You might try this and see if it helps. YMMV.

2. Skip the white flour and white rice. I love their fish taco, but it's so packed with flavor, you really don't need the tortilla. (And picking it up to eat it is REALLY messy!) So I just remove the little taco prop that it comes served in, lay the tortilla out flat, and eat the content off it as if the tortilla were the dish. Neater, cleaner, saved some white carbs and some fat, with no sacrifice in flavor or enjoyment!

3. Get veggies instead of rice and beans. I love this about Jose Pepper's: that you can even get vegetables as a side is great, but these actually taste good! A mix of broccoli, cauliflower, summer squash and (tiny shreds of) carrots, they're generously seasoned and cooked just to crisp-tender.

4. And -- do I really need to say this? Skip the little ball of cornmeal and honey! That's nothing but a sugar bomb, and if you never taste it to begin with, you can do a head-fake on yourself and just imagine that it tastes really awful!

As to a review of the restaurant itself... The one we frequent is on 13th Street near the Warren Theater in east Wichita. We go there almost every Sunday for lunch, and although they're always busy, we rarely have to wait long for a table. The staff is always friendly and on top of things. They also have a gluten-free information sheet available on request.

Jose Pepper's website.

Recipe review: Zucchini Noodles with Peanut Sauce

One of my go-to recipes when I'm cooking lunch for myself is Pantry Pasta from the ever-so-helpful cookbook, Desperation Dinners, because everything you need to make it is stuff you usually have in the pantry.

But I've loaned my copy out to a friend, so today I tried this very similar dish from Kitchen Confidante. It's pretty similar in ingredients and the quick-and-easy factor. And it's tasty, too! I just finished eating it and my tummy is very happy.

I've used zucchini and summer squash as a low-carb alternative to pasta many times -- most frequently when I'm craving spaghetti, or want something noodle-y in my chicken soup. (And as an alternative to pizza crust.) But today I didn't want to mess with making the squash noodles (which means I'm feeling very lazy; they're not that hard!), so I just used some pasta I had on hand and cooked it al dente.

Like most Americans, I'm accustomed to and usually prefer pasta that's been cooked till it's uniformly soft. But al dente means "to the tooth," and requires pulling the pasta out when the outside is soft but the inside still has a bit of resistance when you bite into it. The reason I cook it this way is because this lowers the glycemic index a bit.

I made the peanut sauce as posted by Kitchen Confidante, with a few minor changes:

• I sauteed about a tablespoon of finely diced onion in a bit of canola oil, and added the rest of the sauce ingredients to that, whisking it all together over low heat and eating the finished dish warm.
• I added a pinch of ground ginger.
• I used chicken stock instead of water. This adds flavor and also a bit of protein to the dish.

This dish could easily be made vegetarian by swapping out tofu or some type of pea or bean for the chicken, and using vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock.

It was quick, easy and delish! And I look forward to trying it again with zucchini noodles.

Roasted vegetables: more than the sum of its parts

The first time I had roasted vegetables was in one of our favorite restaurants on The Plaza in Kansas City. I was blown away by the flavor! This was nothing like any boiled, steamed, pan-fried or grilled vegetable I had ever had. The carrots, onions and peppers tasted like they'd been drenched in a just-sweet-enough sauce. The potatoes were perfectly salted and savory. I asked the waiter what they did to make the vegetables so sweet. "They're just roasted with a little olive oil, salt and pepper," he replied.

"There's no sugar?" I asked, incredulous. He assured me there was not.

When we returned home, I hunted down some recipes for roasted vegetables. None of them called for sugar. I tried one. And just as the waiter had sworn, roasting them brought out their hidden sweetness.

After a few experiments, this is the recipe we've settled on. It's become a standard on the Thanksgiving table, and a family favorite. In fact, my daughter's request for dinner tonight, before she heads back to the land of dorm food, was chicken with mushroom sauce and roasted vegetables.


Roasted vegetables
Ready in about 1.25 hours    Servings: 3

2 T. olive oil, divided
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 new potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 yellow onion, cut into generous chunks, to taste
1 red bell pepper
1/4 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces (or left whole, if you like)
rosemary or thyme to taste (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Note: to double the recipe, use two pans. Vegetables should not be crowded in the pan.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease roasting pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Place the carrots and potatoes onto the pan, and toss to coat with oil. Give them plenty of room. If the pan is too crowded, the veggies will steam, not roast, and you won't get that lovely caramelization.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and turn each piece over. Don't be afraid if the carrots are looking really dark, even almost black. Just taste one!

Then add the onion and bell pepper, and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil; toss all to coat; bake for 10 more minutes. (We were short on onion tonight, so there will be more of them in your pan. Assuming you plan ahead better than I do.)

To remove the woody end of the asparagus, just bend the stalk gently until it snaps in two. It will naturally break where the woody part becomes tender.

After the onion and bell pepper have had their 10 minutes, add the asparagus. Sprinkle all with herbs, if using. Continue baking until all of the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes more. Once tender, remove from the oven, and allow to cool for 10 - 15 minutes in the pan.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve warm. Learn how to deal with your new popularity.