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118 THE FOOD-MOOD SOLUTI ON
Cold Plate Lunch (continued)
Simply assemble the ingredients on a dinner plate.
Optional: You can dip the crackers in hummus, a chickpea dip that s
sold in most supermarkets.
Avocado and Roasted Bell Peppers (Serves 1)
This is a quick, healthy snack that keeps me going when I can t take a
break for a full lunch at the normal hour.
1 avocado, ripe but firm
2 3 tablespoons roasted red bell pepper (sold in jars), diced
flavorful salad dressing
Slice the avocado in half, beginning where the stem was. Remove the pit.
Spoon the diced red pepper into the depressions where the pit had been.
Drizzle some dressing over the red pepper. Eat it with a small spoon,
scraping the avocado from the skin. Alternatively, you can remove the
avocado from the skin, slice it in a bowl or on a plate, and spread the
diced red peppers and dressing over the avocado.
My favorite dressing for this is Stonewall Kitchen s Roasted Garlic,
but you can experiment with other healthy creamy dressings from
Stonewall Kitchen or Annie s Naturals.
Lunches
Turkey Tacos (Serves 2 4)
I try to avoid using prepackaged sauces and blends of seasonings, but
the McCormick brand Taco Seasoning is about the best for a fast and
incredibly easy meal.
1 11D 2 pounds ground turkey (or beef)
1 packet McCormick Taco Seasoning
3
D 4 cup water
low-carb whole wheat or corn tortillas
THE SECOND STEP: EAT MOOD-ENHANCI NG FOODS 119
Follow the package directions break the ground turkey into small
pieces and brown them in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat.
Continue to break up the turkey pieces with a spatula until they are
small. Drain the fat. Sprinkle in the seasoning and water; mix everything
thoroughly. Continue cooking the turkey at a simmer until most of the
water is gone. Spoon the ground turkey into low-carb whole wheat or
corn tortillas.
Optional: Top the tacos with chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes, shred-
ded cheese, sour cream, or guacamole.
Note: Save some of the cooked Turkey Taco meat in a sealed container
in the fridge. You can use it in my Mexican-Style Omelet (see page 128),
Breakfast Huevos (see page 129), and Breakfast Burrito (see page 129)
recipes.
Turkey Taco Salad (Serves 2 4)
1 11D 2 pounds ground turkey (or beef)
1 packet McCormick Taco Seasoning
refried beans, shredded cheese, diced scallions, shredded lettuce, diced
tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream (optional)
Prepare the ground turkey as you did for the Turkey Tacos (above), or
use leftover cooked and seasoned meat. On a plate, spread about 1 cup
of cooked Turkey Taco meat in a small circle. Layer whichever toppings
you would like: refried beans, shredded cheese, diced scallions, shred-
ded lettuce, diced tomatoes, guacamole, or sour cream.
Guacamole (Serves 2 3)
2 ripe avocados
2 3 tablespoons red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, finely diced
1 2 tablespoons shallots (about 1 medium head), finely diced
3 4 tablespoons cilantro (leaves from several sprigs), chopped
1
D 2 teaspoon garlic powder
1
D 4 teaspoon ground coriander
1
D 4 teaspoon ground (dried) red pepper
120 THE FOOD-MOOD SOLUTI ON
Guacamole (continued)
juice from 1 lime
Terrapin Ridge Yellow Pepper Squeeze* (optional)
1
D 2 teaspoon jalapeño pepper, finely minced (optional)
Place the avocado fruit in a glass bowl (discard the skin and seed) and
mash it with a fork. Add all of the other ingredients, including the Yel-
low Pepper Squeeze and jalapeño, if using. Continue to mash and mix
until you develop a nice consistency, not too dry and not too wet. Add
more cilantro and lime juice if you wish. Refrigerate, but plan to use it
within 1 hour. Remix the guacamole immediately before use.
Quesadillas (Serves 1)
pat of butter
2 small low-carb whole-wheat tortillas
Turkey Taco meat, cooked (see Turkey Tacos recipe on page 118)
shredded cheese, white or yellow
scallions or chives, finely chopped
sour cream or guacamole
Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Place
one tortilla in the pan, and after about 30 seconds, add a little meat and
spread the cheese. Add the scallions or chives, then place the other tor-
tilla on top. With a large spatula, carefully flip the quesadilla and con-
tinue to fry it for about 1 minute. Transfer the quesadilla to a plate and
serve it with guacamole or sour cream.
Salads for Lunch and Dinner
Salads are among the healthiest meals you can make, and my Quick-
and-Easy Chicken Caesar Salad provides both high-quality protein and
tasty veggies.
*This can be ordered at www.terrapinridge.com.
THE SECOND STEP: EAT MOOD-ENHANCI NG FOODS 121
When ordering salad in a restaurant, you have to watch out for two
things: croutons and the dressing. Croutons are nothing more than
empty carb calories; ask your waiter to leave them off. While better
restaurants make their own salad dressings, most chain and fast-food
restaurants rely on prepackaged salad dressings, which usually are made
from soybean oil,  partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, and some type
of sugar. You don t want any of these ingredients. If a nutritionally awful
salad dressing is what you re faced with, ask for a little olive oil and
vinegar mixed together. Balsamic, red wine, and apple cider vinegars are
fine.
Quick-and-Easy Chicken Caesar Salad (Serves 1)
Romaine lettuce hearts are nutritious, have a wonderful flavor, and can
easily stay for two weeks in the refrigerator if they are well sealed.
romaine hearts
pan-fried chicken breast
1 3 tablespoons Parmesan or Romano cheese, shredded or flaked
bottled dressing, such as Annie s Naturals Caesar Dressing
Remove any wilted or brown leaves from the romaine. Lay the romaine
hearts on a cutting board, thinly slice them across the top, and work your
way down to the base. Discard the pulpy base. Rinse the cut leaves in a
colander, then pat them dry with paper towels. Transfer the lettuce to a
large bowl. Next, thinly slice part or all of a cooked and cooled chicken
breast and add it to the salad bowl. (See my recipe for Sautéed Chicken
Breast on page 95.) Sprinkle on Parmesan or Romano cheese, and toss
the salad with a high-quality Caesar dressing, such as Annie s Naturals
Caesar Dressing (available at health food stores).
Note: I find that shredded or flaked Parmesan or Romano cheese
tastes better than grated. You can buy it in these forms or shred it your-
self with a large-holed grater.
122 THE FOOD-MOOD SOLUTI ON
Shrimp and Cucumber Salad (Serves 1 2)
1 cup salad shrimp
1 cup cucumbers, preferably Persian or English style, thinly sliced
3 very thin slices red onion, rings separated
1
D 2 teaspoon dried basil
1
D 2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
juice from 1 lemon
sea salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
romaine lettuce, shredded or finely sliced
Mix the shrimp, cucumbers, and red onion together in a bowl. Add the
basil and oregano, followed by the olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Squeeze lemon juice onto the salad. Add salt and pepper. Refrigerate the
salad for several hours before eating it. Serve the salad on a bed of
shredded or finely sliced romaine lettuce.
Alternative: Skip the basil, oregano, olive oil, and vinegar. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]