Recipes – The Sexy Beast Diet

Spaghetti All’italiana e Salsiccia

Apr 262022

—Spaghetti All’italiana e Salsiccia—

Hᴇʀᴇ ᴀʀᴇ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴀɴsᴡᴇʀs to questions you never had about spaghetti.

Where did spaghetti originate?

Many believe Marco Polo (1254–1354), who spent 17 years in China with his father and uncle, brought an Asian rice noodle recipe home to Venice. The clever Veneziani substituted wheat for rice.

Is that a certainty?

No, others think Arabs introduced spaghetti to Europe during a conquest of Sicily in the 9th century.

How much spaghetti do Americans eat each year?

It is reported that American supermarkets sold enough spaghetti in 2000 to circle the globe nine times.

What is the world record for the largest bowl of spaghetti?

Well, that is debatable, but, in 2010 a California (where else?) restaurant whipped up a 13,000-pound bowl using an above ground swimming pool.

What do Italians call spaghetti?

Spaghetti.

What are you supposed to yell when your Spaghetti All’italiana e Salsiccia is on the table?

Mangia!

You’ll need:

3 3-ounce (85g) chicken sausage links

4 oz dried spaghetti (A 2-ounce serving is about 1 inch in diameter when held between your thumb and forefinger.)

20 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

20 spears of asparagus

2 tbsp of olive oil

1 tbsp Salt

1 tbsp garlic powder or 5 cloves diced

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp dried basil

Do this:

Cut the sausage links lengthwise and sear on both sides on a grill or in a frying pan. Keep warm.

Prepare the asparagus spears by breaking each into two parts at the spot closest to the end that snaps when bent. The lower part will be tough, the top tender. Discard the lower part or save it for soup or something.

Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Add the salt.

Break the spaghetti strands in half and place them into the boiling water. Breaking the spaghetti makes it easier to dish up and easier to eat. Lower the heat to simmer.

Using a colander, drain the spaghetti when it is al dente. Note: “Al dente” pasta is cooked but still firm when bitten. Definitely not mushy.

Add the olive oil to the pot you cooked the spaghetti in. Place the pot over high heat for a minute. Add the cherry tomato halves, the asparagus spears, the garlic, the oregano, and the basil. Sauté this until the tomatoes begin to wilt.

Add the spaghetti and toss to coat the noodles. Continue until the spaghetti is reheated.

Place on warm plates and top with the sausage links.

If you desire, serve with a hearty red wine.

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Servings: 2 Calories: 625 Satisfaction: 98

The Sexy Beat Diet tip:

Keep a bowl of cherry tomatoes on your kitchen counter for snacking. Ten tomatoes only delivers about 30 calories. BTW, room-temperature tomatoes are more flavorful.

Trader Joe’s Flatbread—Slightly Modified

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Aug 272021

Trader Joe’s Flatbread—Slightly Modified

If I didn’t live conveniently close to a Trader Joe’s, I would probably have to move. It is nearly the only grocery/wine store I patronize.

It was the late 1960s.

The sand was barely out from between his toes when Joe Coulombe, fresh from a trip to the Caribbean, decided to rename his Southern California Pronto stores. Coulombe felt it unwise to continue to directly compete with the aggressive 7-Eleven juggernaut running roughshod across the convenience store landscape.

A new name, combined with a new theme, would give the Pronto stores a reset. But what to name them?

Polynesian Tiki culture—the rage of the day—recollections of the tranquilizing beaches of the Caribbean, and the fact that Trader Vic’s, an upscale Beverly Hills restaurant was packing them in, combined to give him the answer: Trader Joe’s.

Coulombe’s decision was partially designed to take a poke at the popular restaurant. Trader Vic’s was upscale and expensive. Trader Joe’s, would be upscale and affordable.

I guess it worked.

At the beginning of 2021 there were 530 Trader Joe’s across the nation. My advice to you: If you don’t live near one move.

Only about three or four nights a week, I eat what I call a Trader Joe’s pizza for dinner. Here’s the recipe:

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You’ll need:

One of the three boxed frozen flatbreads available at Trader Joe’s. (See image above.)

½ cup of fresh broccoli florets or

8 asparagus spears

10 cherry tomatoes cut in half (optional)

1 can of anchovies, drained (optional)

Do this:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. I use a toaster oven but a full-size one works, too.

Open the box and take the still frozen flatbread from the cellophane wrapper. (This is an important step, please don’t forget it.)

Distribute your vegetable of choice, and, if you are including them, the tomatoes, and anchovies, on the flatbread.

Place the flatbread directly on the oven rack.

Bake for 16-20 minutes.

Cut the flatbread into triangle-shaped pieces and enjoy.

Serves: 1 Calories: 600-800 Satisfaction: 99

Sweet, Sweet Corn on the Cob

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Aug 172021

Sweet, Sweet Corn on the Cob

Tʜᴇ ɪɴᴅɪɢᴇɴᴏᴜs ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ Tᴇʜᴜᴀᴄᴀ́ɴ Vᴀʟʟᴇʏ in Southern Mexico were thought to have been the first to domesticate corn—about 10,000 years ago. It was also thought that multiple, independent domestications coevolved to produce today’s linages.

But those understandings have been challenged.

A study reported on in 2002 indicates all corn evolved from a single instance of domestication arising in the Balsas River Valley which is adjacent to the Tehuacán Valley.
A single instance of domestication is particularly striking. Corn requires human intervention to propagate. This suggests one person is the father of all corn. (And you thought it was Larry the Cable Guy.)
Whoever and however, today, more corn is grown worldwide than wheat or rice.

Two great uses for corn are corn whiskey and popcorn.

Since popcorn gets stuck in my teeth and, to my knowledge, there is no corn wine, my favorite way to consume corn is on the cob. I skip the conventional slathering on of butter and lightly sprinkle the kernels with salt and pepper.

“No butter?” you exclaim.

Don’t make that face. Go ahead, try it. The sweetness of the corn stands on its own and you’ll save 70 to 100 calories without the butter.

Cooking corn on the cob is amazingly simple.

If you are already grilling something, simply pull off the husks and add the cobs to the grill turning them every few minutes. It doesn’t take long, maybe 7-10 minutes; make sure your cold beer is at hand so you don’t have to go off in search of it.
Another great way to cook corn on the cob is to leave the husks on and microwave it. Set the microwave to high. Cook two cobs for about three minutes, four for about five minutes. Squeeze them to see if the kernels are soft, if not add a minute or two.
Using a heavy knife, chop off the ends and the husk and the hair-like silk will nearly fall off.
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Servings: 1 cob Calories: 120 Satisfaction: 85

Sole Marie Walewska

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Jun 222021

— Sole Maria Walewska —

*For a printable PDF of this recipe* click here.

Mᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ ᴛᴏ Nᴀᴘᴏʟᴇᴏɴ Bᴏɴᴀᴘᴀʀᴛᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴀ ᴄᴀᴋᴇ ᴡᴀʟᴋ.
When he wasn’t off conquering lands-afar, he was conquering Polish countesses.
Well, at least one.
Marie Walewska, a Polish countess, claimed she was persuaded to have an affair with Napoleon, who was openly desirous of such a development, by a handful of Polish aristocrats. The aristocrats hoped she could influence the French emperor into backing Poland’s struggle to regain independence from Prussia, the Hapsburg Empire, and Russia.
Marie put her heart and soul, and—need we say—body, into the endeavor. Over the years, she followed Napoleon from Warsaw to Vienna and on to Paris.
It was only when Napoleon announced he would divorce his first wife, Josephine, to marry Mary Louise, Duchess of Parma—in hopes of siring an heir—that the extracurricular activity was squashed.
It is hard to picture Marie Walewska slaving over a hot stove, but somewhere in the muddled course of culinary history, a dish called Sole Marie Walewska emerged.
This is a remarkably simple version of a normally complex recipe in which we substitute mushrooms for truffles, ignore calls for lobster, choosing shrimp instead, and simplify the sauce.

You’ll need:
8 large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined.
4 filets of Dover sole or another white fish
1 cup of mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
2 tbs lemon juice
1 6-oz glass of dry white wine
1 10-oz canned white sauce (or make you own)
Pam or another oil spray
4 tbs chopped parsley
Do this:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Shell and devein the shrimp.
Take a sip of the white wine.
Spray the bottom of a saucepan with a light coating of the oil and sauté the mushrooms and onion until the onion is translucent.
Add the white sauce, lemon juice, shrimp, and half of the wine.
Heat the sauce mixture without allowing it to boil until the shrimp are pink. Pull the pan off the heat. (If the sauce overly cools, warm it back up with 1-2 minutes in the microwave just before serving.)
Take another sip of the white wine.
Coat the inside of an ovenproof dish with the oil spray. Lay the fillets in the dish and bake for 5-7 minutes.
Place the fish on individual serving plates and ladle the sauce mixture and two shrimp each over the top. Garnish with the chopped parsley.
Drink the rest of the white wine and pour yourself another glass.

Serves: 4 Calories: 350 Satisfaction: 85

Pasta Carbonara

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May 242021

— Pasta Carbonara —

Pasta carbonara is said to have its origin right after World War II when many Italians, experiencing a scarcity of food, were eating eggs and bacon supplied by troops from the United States.
This recipe is modified a bit from the classic, but it retains the classic flavors. I sometimes substitute crumbled feta cheese for the Parmesan, just to be crazy.

You’ll need:
8 oz. dry spaghetti (about a half-inch diameter bundle)—whole wheat is best

16 slices turkey bacon

12-second spray of Pam or another vegetable spray.

4 tsp minced garlic (or 4 tsp powdered garlic)

4 large eggs, beaten

Ground black pepper to taste.

Salt to taste

1 oz. grated hard cheese such as Parmesan

3 tsp fresh parsley leaves, chopped (optional)

Do this:
In a large saucepan, boil enough water to cover the spaghetti. Add the pasta and bring the water back to boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until the spaghetti is tender but not mushy. This semi-firm state is called “al dente.” Use this information to impress your guests.

While the spaghetti is cooking, cut the turkey bacon into 1-inch pieces. Use Pam or another vegetable spray to lightly coat a frying pan. Sauté the bacon and minced garlic over medium heat until the bacon is crisp. If you are using garlic powder wait to add it when you add the pasta to the pan.

Drain the spaghetti. Add the spaghetti to the frying pan with the bacon and garlic. Sauté for two to three minutes turning the spaghetti to coat it evenly with the oil-bacon-garlic mixture. Remove the pan from the heat and add the beaten egg whisking quickly until the egg thickens. The idea is to not allow the egg to scramble, but don’t berate yourself if it does. It’ll still taste good.

Mound each serving on a plate and sprinkle with the cheese and then the parsley.

Servings: 4 Calories: 460 Satisfaction: 93

Consider pairing your pasta carbonara with a large green salad festooned with cherry tomatoes and sliced black olives. Serve with a crisp, dry Sauvignon Blanc or a Valpolicella should you be in the mood for vino.

Basque Shepherd’s Pie

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May 182021

— Basque Shepherd’s Pie —

Page 796 of Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management (1907) places recipe number 1427, Shepard’s Pie, below recipe 1426, Sheep’s Tongues, and above recipe 1428, Toad-in-the-Hole.
Recipe 1426 calls for a tin (!) of, you guessed it, sheep tongues. I’ll leave you wondering what recipe 1428 calls for.
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Apparently, there is no verifiable record of where shepherd’s pie originated. Someplace in the United Kingdom seems most likely.
While there are no claims to be found that it originated in the area known as Basque Country—the area where Spain kisses France—there is a tendency to connect the dish with the Basques.
And why not?
Chinese chicken salad was invented in Santa Monica.
Swiss steak has nothing to do with the land of anonymous bank accounts.
The celebrated Cuban sandwich was created by cigar makers in Key West, Florida.
In fact, if you want to get technical, this recipe should properly be titled “cottage pie” since it is made with beef and not lamb.
And why didn’t I suggest you use lamb? First, it’s not all that easy to find ground lamb and lamb has nearly twice the calories as 94% fat-free beef.

You’ll Need:
1 ½ lbs. russet potatoes
1 lb. 94% fat-free ground beef
1 cup chopped onion (red or yellow)
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen green peas
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup low fat mozzarella, grated
1 cup beef bullion
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
½ cup celery, chopped (optional)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Pam or another spray oil
1 ½ tbsp Garlic powder (or two large cloves chopped)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp dried parsley
Other spices as you like.

Do This:

Shepherd’s pie may be finished off under the broiler or in a microwave. If you plan on using a boiler, where the cheese and the peaks in the mashed potatoes will brown pleasingly, preheat it.
Wash the potatoes and cut them into thumb-size pieces. Leave the skin on. Place them into a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 20 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking, spray a frying pan with 3 seconds of the oil spray.
Add the ground beef, onions, garlic, salt, and other spices, Place pan over medium heat and stir with a fork now and again until the meat breaks up and it browns nicely.
Add the mushrooms, peas, corn, and celery. Pour in the beef bouillon. Stir once and then simmer for 4-5 minutes.
Strain the potatoes using a colander, put them back in the pan, and mash with a fork.
Place the meat and vegetables mixture into the bottom of a casserole dish. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the top. Sprinkle with the cheese.
Place the dish under the broiler for a few minutes—keep an eye on it—or heat in a microwave on medium for 4-5 minutes.
Serve. Freeze or refrigerate leftovers for another night.

Servings: 6 Calories: 300 Satisfaction: 97

Want to print a copy of this recipe? Click here for a PDF.

Zuke Soup

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May 042021

— Zuke Soup —

*Tap here to download a PDF of this recipe.*

Somewhere around 9,000 years ago, hunter-gatherer Sexy Beasts living in the area we now call Mesoamerica, began the transition to sedentary villages by cultivating foods. These foods included a prolific squash that is the predecessor to the vegetable we call “zucchini.”

In the 1800s clever farmers near Milan, Italy, bred the original squash into the green, cylinder-shaped one we know today. The Italians dubbed it “zucchini” or “little pumpkin.”

It is thought Italian immigrants brought it the U.S. in the 1920s.

According to the University of California at Davis’ agriculture department, if you were to farm zucchini, you could expect to make nearly $4,000 an acre each year.

I think I could have sold my backyard production of zucchini for at least that the one year I grew it. All my neighbors began to hide from me when I showed up on their doorsteps with another boxload.

Zuke Soup can be served chilled for a refreshing summer treat or served warm.

You’ll need:

2 medium zucchini, skins and all.

4 tbsp lemon juice (or the juice of 2 lemons)

½ tsp salt

1 tsp onion powder (or half a medium onion diced)

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp ginger (optional)

10 oz water

1 tbsp ground black pepper (plus enough for garnish)

Do this:

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Either chill in the refrigerator or heat on low in a microwave for a few minutes before serving. If you don’t want to wait for it to chill before serving, make it with ice water.

Garnish with a slice of lemon if chilled or with a light touch of ground black pepper if served warm.

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Serves: 2 Calories: 35 Satisfaction factor: 60

Shrimp Linguini

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Apr 132021

— Shrimp Linguini —

THIS RECIPE IS BASICALLY SHRIMP SCAMPI WITH PASTA.

“Scampi,” by the way, is the plural of “scampo” an Italian word for a type of shrimp, so, as many a dining-table wit will tell you, “shrimp scampi” is redundant.

This is easy to prepare and open to tweaking. Consider increasing the garlic and/or lemon juice. Leave out the bell pepper, Add a few handfuls of fresh spinach, a large tomato diced, or even a can of anchovies drained and chopped.

You might replace the parmesan cheese with a couple of tablespoons of bacon bits. Coat the shrimp with Old Bay seasoning before adding it to the skillet. Use your imagination.

Be sure to taste-test the wine a few times while preparing this dish. I suggest a New Zealand sauvignon blanc.

You’ll need:

1 lb. linguini

4 tbs butter

4 tbs extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

¼ red onion, diced

¼ red, yellow, or orange bell pepper slivered

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1½ tsp salt

4 oz dry white wine

4 tsp of lemon juice

2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup chopped parsley leaves (optional)

A pinch or two of red pepper flakes (optional)

Black pepper to taste

Do this:

Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot.

While waiting for the water to boil, place the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and red pepper flakes. Sauté until the onion is translucent. Keep warm.

Add the salt and the linguini to the boiling water. Stir immediately to stop the pasta from clumping.

Bring the water back to boil then lower the heat and simmer for 4-6 minutes or until done—the only way to tell is to sample a little.

When the pasta is done, pour it into a colander to drain.

Add the shrimp to the skillet. Stir fry until the shrimp is pink, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the wine, lemon juice, capers, remaining butter, olive oil and drained linguini to the pan and gently toss to coat the pasta. Drizzle more olive oil over the mixture if needed.

Dish onto individual plates, sprinkle with the parmesan cheese, parsley, and ground black pepper and serve.

This makes six servings. If there aren’t six of you, refrigerate the remainder to be warmed up another day.

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Servings 6 525 calories each Satisfaction factor: 99

Tap here to download a PDF of this recipe.

Chocolate-Banana Mousse

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Feb 032021

Chocolate-Banana Mousse

Click here to download a PDF of this recipe.

People eat bananas. Monkeys don’t.
At least not in the wild.
The bananas you find in the supermarket have been cultivated for human consumption. Bananas are harvested green, refrigerated, and, quite often, transported thousands of miles. Upon arrival in the destination country, they are placed in special, air-tight rooms and gassed.
Yep, gassed.
Ethylene gas is induced into the room to ripen the fruit. Without that step, the fruit would never fully ripen before becoming rotten.
Bananas are a good source of potassium, vitamins B6 and C, and antioxidants. They also provide a healthy amount of fiber which helps to increase their Sexy Beast Diet satisfaction factor.
Try this recipe to impress and delight the love in your life. (Kids love it, too.)

You’ll need:
4 medium ripe bananas
1¼ tbsp sugar (or the equivalent in your favorite artificial sweetener)
1½ tbsp cacao powder
12 fresh raspberries

Do this:
Using a blender or food processor, puree the bananas with the sugar and cacao powder until smooth.
Chill in the refrigerator from 30 minutes to overnight. Spoon into individual servings.
Garnish with raspberries and serve.

Doc Holliday’s Cowboy Caviar

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Jun 242020

Doc Holliday’s Cowboy Caviar

Tap here to download a PDF of the recipe.

When Southern gentleman John Henry “Doc” Holliday wasn’t shooting it out with bad guys, quaffing Arizona rotgut, or carousing with wild women, he was stirring up a mess of cowboy caviar.

BTW, I have it on good authority this is his original recipe. (You can trust me on that…I’m your huckleberry.)

You’ll need:
1 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. chipotle or another chili powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper
4 tbsp. your choice of vinegar (white wine, red wine, or apple)
¼ cup lime juice (optional, but adds verve)
½ cup olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (use two if you’re feeling daring.)
2 medium-size ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 yellow or red bell pepper, chopped
1 large red onion, diced
1 15-oz. can blackeye peas
1 15-oz. can black beans
16 oz. frozen corn

Do this:
Whip the spices, olive oil, vinegar, and lime juice together in a small bowl.
Place everything else in a large bowl. Pour the spice-oil-vinegar-lime juice mixture over the top and gently toss to coat. Chill or serve immediately.
This will keep in the refrigerator for at least a week.
Holliday’s caviar works as an entrée, side dish, snack, or salsa.

Servings:
As salsa: 40. 88 calories each
As a snack: 22. 100 calories each
As a side dish: 8. 250 calories each
As an entrée: 6. 325 calories each
Satisfaction factor: 88

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