Healthy Eating..

As you may see by my svelte physique I am not a health nut or anything. But, I am definitely not in the best shape of my life- especially after coming home from the previously mentioned Gulf Coast vacation. Anyway, as you can presume I am on a diet from chowing down seriously hard for three weeks and will continue as long as I can without loosing my mind!

In the meantime I will keep myself busy with the "Brag" exploring my history of food and sharing with you all why I love it, where I've been, what I've done, what I miss, who I admire, what I've seen, where I want to go, and what I hope to do in the future. Some future posts you'll see things I'm coming up with in The Little Diner "Test Kitchen" here at our house in Vail, CO and maybe a behind the scenes glimpse or two at our restaurant..

Check it out:

Simplicity at it's finest and one of my most favorite treats. You say "Yeah, but it's just a Grapefruit", but it's not JUST a Grapefruit it's one of natures finest inventions! Sweet-Sour-Deliciousness! And, once you get past the painful chore of cutting out the individual pieces the melt in your mouth pulp of the slices are just that- a little slice of heaven! No need for sugar here, my wife does that, but she's a girl. I love it! Moving on..

Ahh!!! Two of my most favorite things in the world- Sushi Rice and my trusty Zojirushi "Neuro-Fuzzy" Rice Maker! First, the rice.. While most sushi rice will do, the one I like the most is the one we have here. Kokuho Rose from Koda Farms in South Dos Palos, CA in the Central Valley. Doesn't get much better! If you're in a bind Nishiki makes a pretty good product.  Anyway, it's topped with Shichimi Togarashi- a zesty Japanese seven chili pepper spice blend and Tamari- the traditional Japanese dark soy sauce. No Kikoman here folks! I just use that stuff to cook with.. I've been eating this combination since I was a little kid going out for Japanese food in the International District with my family growing up in Seattle. More on that later!

The Zojirushi! Best rice maker ever! It's called "Neuro Fuzzy" because it is intelligent and actually cooks the rice perfectly every time based on standard cook times, humidity, type of rice to be cooked, etc.. Not only that, but all you have to do is load it properly, select the type of rice, push the pink button on the right, it plays a little chime, and does everything else automatically! No fuss- no muss! When it's done it plays "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and your good to go! You can also leave the rice in there for up to two days if you want! Thats right, TWO DAYS! FRESH-HOT-RICE! It's like having a hot food dispenser on your kitchen counter, AWESOME!

Simple Smoked Salmon Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette and Crispy Julienned Fish Skins. I would have gone with the Ginger-soy Vinaigrette, but I ran out. This is what's for dinner tonight, and it worked out great! More simple pleasures. The crispy fish skins aren't for everyone, but growing up in the northwest crispy Salmon skin is just one of those treats you don't pass up when you get the chance.. For me anyway, maybe it's the Japanese influence.

Oishii desu ne!