Recipes for healthy dieting

Loyalists

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How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

When the American colonists rebelled against the British in 1776, not everyone was on board. The Torys were Americans with British sympathies who hoped the war would go their way. When it didn’t, they were in a pickle. The most prudent thing a family could do was to leave town before the town drove them out. Or worse. Now they called themselves Loyalists and they departed for other British colonies or returned to England. In New England, most of them went to Canada: Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island — often bringing their enslaved people with them. Those farthest away from the border lost everything except what they could carry. In far eastern Maine, Loyalists moved entire houses across the bay and set them up in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick. Two infamous Loyalists were Benedict Arnold and his wife. They removed to Campobello Island, NB, where they were told they would be feted. Arnold’s wife, socialite Peggy Shippen, hated provincial life, so they moved to England where they were scorned as traitors. Most of the Loyalists were honored in Canada and welcomed as new citizens — except for the 3000 Black Loyalists, who were promised freedom from enslavement and their own land to farm. That did not materialize, and the first ‘race riot’ in Canada was near Shelburne, Nova Scotia, where White locals tried to wipe out the Black settlers. Loyalists added to the culture. Houses with gambrel roofs were introduced from America, along with the “Federal” style of architecture. The great numbers of settlers lead to the division of Nova Scotia into two provinces — the other being New Brunswick. St John, NB became a city due to the Loyalist influx. In the Louise Penny books, the fictional town of Three Pines was settled by Loyalists in the late 1700s. New Brunswick, Canada celebrates Loyalist Day on May 18th every year.

Architecture wasn’t the only thing the Loyalists brought to a new land. Recipes from New England would have come too. Red Flannel Hash, baked beans, brown bread, Johnny Cakes — welcome foods anywhere they appear. But life in the Maritimes meant rubbing elbows with the French Acadians, and eating mussels [moules] might have rubbed off on the arriving settlers. Mussels are certainly popular there today.

Red Flannel Egg: 135 calories 5 g fat 2.5 g fiber 9 g protein 12 g carbs 48.5mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages. PB GF  Red Flannel Hash is a fine old New England dinner recipe. Here, for breakfast, we add an egg for more flavor and nutrition.  HINT: Serves 1 [one]

2 cups cooked beets, diced ½ c onion, diced ½ oz ham, diced two 2-oz eggs Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water   Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Cook the ham and onion in a frying pan until ham is well-warmed. Remove the ham and dice it. Put beets in the pan with onion, and continue to cook until well warmed. In another pan, fry the egg. Plate the cooked vegetables, top with the egg, and serve with assurance. Very nice.

Moules Frites: 270 calories 5.5 g fat 2.5 g fiber 24.4 g protein 23 g carbs 110 mg Calcium PB GF In Belgium and France, folks are ga-ga over moules frites, and now it is possible to enjoy them on a Fast Day. HINT: This serves two [2], so invite a friend.

Here is the in-shell presentation
Here is the shell-less presentation

22 blue mussels in their shells, rinsed 3 Tbsp white wine ¼ c. whole milk 4 oz sweet potato 3 oz broccoli florets

Peel potato and cut into square batons, about 1/4” on a side. Spread on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes and take out of oven. Put mussels in a large pot, adding wine and ¼ cup water. Cover and cook at a boil 10 minutes, until shells are fully open and mussels look plump not stringy. Check potatoes for doneness. Salt generously. Put back in oven for 5-8 minutes if not fully cooked. Strain mussels and their liquid through a sieve, not a collander.** Put mussel liquid back into the pan and cook down to ½ cup. Add milk and simmer until thicker and reduced to 1/2 cup. Cook the broccoli to desired doneness. Divide mussels between serving bowls, pour the cream sauce over them, then top with frites and broccoli. **If you don’t want to deal with mussel shells on your plate, remove the cooked mussel meat from the shells, discard shells, and add the meat to the finished sauce.

Ingredients for next week: Breakfast, single portion for Monday …………………………… single portion for Thursday:

1 two-oz egg 1 two-oz egg  + 1%-fat milk
low-fat ricotta cheese1 oz kippered herring +dry mustard
raspberries or apple or grapeswhite whole wheat flour + high gluten flour
Cheddar cheesepear
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverage optional hot beverage

Dinner, single portion for Monday:………………………….. single portion for Thursday:

5 0z tuna canned in water + celery Finnen haddie [smoked haddock]
hard-boiled egg + 3 hot dog bunscabbage +/or kale + nutmeg
2%-fat cottage cheese + onionBechamel sauce, no cheese 
corn on the cob + 4-bean saladBrie or Camembert cheese
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Isadore, the Worker

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How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Welcome to ______ who is now Following.

Isadore was a peasant, a campesino, a farm worker. There is no other way to say it. He was born in 1070, near Madrid, Spain. He and his wife lived on land that was the property of a wealthy land-owner, and Isadore worked the fields for him. That was his life: doing the jobs that his boss ordered him to do, every day. His only break from work was found at church. Every day, Isadore would attend the first Mass of the day. This often made him late for work and once his co-workers complained to their patron. The employer went to the field, hoping to have a word with Isadore about not getting his work completed. To his astonishment, he saw his man plowing a furrow — and next to him was an angel from heaven plowing too. Thus Heaven supported Isadore in his work and his faith — and no one ever begrudged his time at prayer. All his life, Isadore was conscientious, generous, faithful, humble, dignified, and kind to humans and animals. He died on May 15, 1120. Twenty years after his burial, a flood washed his coffin from the ground. When it was opened, Isadore’s body was found to be incorruptible, at that time considered to be a sign of sainthood. He was canonized in 1622 and became one of the 5 Spanish Saints and the Patron Saint of Farmworkers.

Our meals today contain vegetables from the farm. Isadore was probably more involved with cereal grains, but every farm also has a vegetable patch for home use. The dinner is from the Basque Region of Spain: very Spanish and very good.

Zucchini Nests for Egg:  123 calories 7.5 g fat 1.5 g fiber 8 g protein 7.6 g carbs 52.5 mg Calcium  NB: The food values given above are for the egg and nest only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF Found this recipe online, then I changed it to fit our calorie restriction requirements.  HINT: This recipe makes enough for 2 nests which serve 2 people.

Serves 2
1 tsp olive oil
¼ cup diced onion		Cook onions in oil until lightly browned, 4-6 mins.
2 tsp fresh sage/1 tsp dried 
1 clove garlic
large pinch hot pepper flakes or 2 tsp New Mexico green chili		Chop fresh sage and jalapeno, if using.
Press or mince garlic. 
Add these and stir 30 secs.  
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 c. grated zucchini
pepper + ¾ tsp salt		Grate zucchini on a coarse hole of a box grater. Add these to the pan, cover and cook about 6 mins.
1 oz roasted red pepper, chopped 2 Tbsp parsley, choppedAdd roasted pepper and parsley. Cook 6 mins until zucchini is soft. HINT: Do this part the night before to save time in the morning.
Next morning: Divide cooked vegetables into two . Cover and heat 1 min.
2 two-oz eggs
salt and black pepper 		Uncover and break egg into each ‘nest.’ Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on the stove top 4-5 mins or until the eggs are cooked to your liking. 
Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] Optional: 5-6 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Now that’s something different!

Omelette Basque: 274 calories 15 g fat 4.4 g fiber 16.5 g protein 20 g carbs 69.5 mg Calcium   PB GF – if using GF bread  A savory omelette is a wonderful dinner, any day of the week. Susan Herrmann Loomas’ French Farmhouse Cooking is the source of this delicious meal.  HINT: serves two [2].

4 two-oz eggs 8 oz Italian bell peppers, green +/or red, cut in 1”x2” pieces 1 tsp olive oil Espelette or Aleppo pepper, ground   per serving: one side salad with tomato 0.8 oz whole-wheat sourdough bread

Cut the peppers as described above. Heat the oil in a 10-12” saute pan along with some healthy sprays of non-stick spray. When the oil is hot, add the peppers and cook, tossing them to turn to the other sides, until they have blackened parts. Lightly salt and pepper the peppers. Remove and separate into two portions. Whisk the eggs. Divide the eggs into two equal portions and add a pinch of espelette or Aleppo pepper to each batch. Put the pan back on the heat and add one portion of the peppers. Arrange them so that they are evenly distributed on the pan. When the pan is sizzling, add one portion of the eggs to the pan. Tilt the pan around so the eggs flow over the bottom and around the peppers. As the sides cook, lift the edge and let uncooked egg go to the bottom of the pan. Lightly salt and pepper the eggs. As the top just sets, remove the pan from the heat. Lift up one-third of the omelette and fold it over the rest. Fold the other side over the center, too, and ease the omelette onto a plate. Cook the other omelette right away. Plate with the salad and the bread. Everything you want in a dinner: delicious, quick, healthy.

Viking Tales: Harald & Rognvald

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How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

…..no, they don’t ‘Go to White Castle,’ but they did have some ‘excellent adventures.’ They were a real “buddy story” in medieval Norway. Our Harald was born in 852 in Norway, son of Halfdan of Vestfold. Our Rognvald was born in 835, son of Eystein of Maer/Møre. Rognvald and Harald were related, possibly 2nd cousins. [Rognvald and I are related too!] In his youth, Harald had wooed a lass, proposing marriage. She said, in so many words, “What great deeds have you accomplished? Come back when you have something to say for yourself.” Harald decided then and there that his goal was to become king of all Norway – and that he would not cut or comb or wash his hair until he had achieved that. For 10 years he kept that oath, thus he was called Harald Lufa [Harald with the matted hair]. Harald married Rognvald’s sister, Swanhild, and began to conquer the many small earldoms in Norway. The brothers-in-law went a-viking together, to Ireland and Scotland, where rebelious jarls/earls had fled, and from which they harried the Norweigan coast. Rognvald’s eldest son, Ivar, was killed on one of these missions, so to make it up to him, Harald gave Rognvald a Jarldom in the Orkney and Shetland Islands. But Rognvald was already Jarl of Møre in Norway, so he gave the islands to his brother, Sigurd. At last, in 872, Harald became King of Norway, and Rognvald held a celebration for him and his men. When Harald went to have a soak in the bath, Rognvald pointed out that since Harald was now king of Norway, he could cut his hair. The King permitted the Jarl to cut, wash, and style his hair. Rognvald then presented the King to the group with a new sobriquet: Harald Harfager [Harald Fair-Hair]. The name stuck. Unfortunately, Harald’s sons were jealous of Rognvald. Halfdan and Gudrod killed him in 894 by burning his house down with him and 60 supporters in it. So ended a beautiul friendship. A furious King Harald banished Gudrod, but Halfdan escaped punishment by fleeing. The Jarldom of Møre was given to Rognvald’s son Thorir, along with Princess Alof as his wife. You may have seen the character Harald Fair-Hair in the Vikings TV series. He was a real person, and this is how he got his name.

The Orkney and Shetland Islands are part of Scotland now, so we will enjoy Scottish Bannocks at breakfast. For dinner, a genuine Scandinavian treat: the open-faced sandwich called smørrebrød.

Bannock & Bacon:  143 calories 3.5 g fat 1 g fiber 12 g protein 14.6 g carbs 15 mg Calcium  NB: Food values given are for the main meal only, and do not include the optional beverage.  PB  For years we have enjoyed this on Slow Days, only to find that it fits for Fasting, too.

3 two-inch bannock**  2 slices Hormel Canadian Bacon OR Jones brand OR back bacon @ 60-70 calories ½ cup applesauce, unsweetened Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water 

Prepare the bannock according to the recipe and bake. Warm and lightly brown the Canadian bacon. Plate the applesauce and pour the beverages. Simple and delicious.

**BANNOCK: each 2” bannock = 16 calories 0.5 g fat 0.2 g fiber 0.4 g protein 2 g carbs 4 mg Calcium  This recipe makes the full batch, which yields 3 cups of dry mix. The dry mix keeps well in a sealed glass jar in a cool dry place. Splendid for breakfast or with a soup. NB: 1½ cup of dry mix makes 16 [sixteen] 2” bannocks 

1 cup flour ½ cup white whole wheat flour 1 cup rolled oats, called ‘old fashioned’ in the US, as opposed to ‘instant’  4 Tbsp butter 1.5 Tbsp sugar pinch of salt 1 Tbsp baking powder

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until well-incorporated. Measure out the amount you need into a bowl, and put remaining dry mix into a jar for storage. Add 1 Tbsp of milk to the bowl of mix and stir with a fork. Add a little more milk until a stiff dough ball is formed. Roll out on a lightly-floured board until 1/3” thick. Cut out with a 2” round cutter. Gather the scraps together, reroll, and continue to cut out the rounds. Bake on a lightly-greased baking sheet at 400 F. for 10-12 minutes.

Smørrebrød with Turkey: 243 calories 8 g fat 3 g fiber 10 g protein 29 g carbs 18.5 mg Calcium  PB GF – if using GF rye bread From Oslo comes the best of Summer sandwiches: smørrebrød [smeared bread]. Light and flavorful from summer vegetables, this meal is filling and simple to prepare without heating the kitchen. It is a great quick meal in any season.

1 slice [1.5 oz] sourdough rye bread @ 110 calories [the bread should be dense, not fluffy] 1 Tbsp whipped cream cheese 4 large leaves of fresh spinach 1.5 oz thinly-sliced tomato, slice and salt about 30 minutes earlier for best taste 1 oz cooked turkey breast or tenderloin ½ hard-boiled egg, sliced ½ cup Swedish Cucumber Salad**

Spread the bread with the cream cheese and lay the spinach leaves on top. Place the tomato slices atop that. For the next layer, put down the turkey, topped by the egg slices. Season with saltand pepper to taste. Drain the Cucumber Salad and plate. Excellent!

SWEDISH CUCUMBER SALAD: 1 cup = 2 serving 23 calories 0 g fat 0.3 g fiber 0.4 g protein 5 g carbs 14 mg Calcium 

1 cup sliced cucumber 1.5 tsp sugar 1 oz white wine vinegar ½ tsp cold water salt and freshly ground pepper ½ tsp dill

Combine the sugar, vinegar, water, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Slice the cucumbers, spread them out on towels and pat dry. Stir the cukes into the liquid, wetting all the slices. Chill for at least one hour.

Ingredients for next week: Breakfast, single portion for Monday …………………………… single portion for Thursday:

1 two-oz egg olive oil onion sage1 two-oz eggs 
hot pepper flakes/jalepeno/New Mexico green chiliesbeets + onion
garlic zucchiniham
vinegar roasted red pepperapple
optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

Dinner, single portion for Monday:………………………….. single portion for Thursday:

4 two-oz eggs + Esplette or Aleppo pepper1.5 pounds blue mussels
Italian bell peppers — red or greendry white wine
olive oil + Side Salad heavy cream
whole-wheat sourdough breadsweet potato
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Julian, the Anchorite

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How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

Would you enjoy being walled into a tiny room, walled off from the world, after having to pay for the privilege? Can’t say that would appeal to most people, but in the Middle Ages in Europe, this would have been a lifestyle choice. Such was the fate of an ‘anchorite.’ The original anchorites, from the Greek word anachorein meaning ‘to go apart,’ lived in the deserts of the Holy Land and Egypt. Paul of Thebes walked into the desert around 250 CE and never returned. He lived in total isolation in a cave for 70 years, until he was visited by Saint Anthony the day before he died. The idea of renouncing the world to seek a closer relationship with God became a goal for several. By the Middle Ages, women were choosing to be anchorites — to flee an unhappy marriage, to flee the complexities of their lives, to gain control over their own fates. They would apply to a church or convent, pass an entry interview, and prove that they had sufficient funds for a life of being fed by others. Then they were immured. A room, 12 feet x 12 feet, would be built onto the wall of the church. This would be the anchorite’s home for the rest of her life. There was a tiny window that looked outside to the world, a small window for watching the daily Mass and for receiving communion, and a larger window in a third wall that was a pass-through for food. And there she would be walled-up — following a funeral service to mark that she was indeed ‘dead to the world.’ One of the most famous anchorites was ‘Julian of Norwich,’ 1342-c.1417. She had visions which she wrote down in her Revelations of Divine Love — the first book in English attributed to a woman. People, especially women, came to visit her and ask her advice. By withdrawing from the world to a cell at the Church of Saint Julian in Norwich, Julian became famous, sought-after, and saintly — even though no one knew her real name! Although she was never elevated to sainthood, she is considered the patron saint of cats. Julian’s optimism and understanding of God’s ‘motherhood’ might be the inspiration for her comforting words to all of God’s children: “All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.”

Anchorites often ate very little, as a way to mortify the flesh. When they did eat, they were served the same fare as the monks or nuns of the parent community: porridge or other vegetarian meals. Our foods today consist of a simple but delicious breakfast and a classic vegan dinner.

Fruited Porridge: 183 calories 1.4 g fat 9 g fiber 7 g protein 38 g carbs 36 mg Calcium  NB: Food values given are for the plated foods only, and do not include the optional beverage.   PB Here is a delicious way to get your superfoods in one meal. Berries and whole-grain cereal are unbeateble together and easy to prepare as well.

¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill 10-Grain Cereal + ¾ cup water ¼ cup diced strawberries ¼ cup blueberries ¼ cup raspberries   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water 

If the fruit is frozen, as mine was: place in a sieve over a small bowl the night before to thaw. Save the juice to add to a smoothie. Cook the cereal in the water for 8 minutes, stiring twice. Take off heat and add the fruit. Stir gently and serve with a little milk, if you wish.

Red Beans & Rice: 295 calories 1 g fat 9 g fiber 11 g protein 60 g carb 142 mg Calcium  PB GF  This is the old classic recipe for the ‘perfect protein’. Once we were afraid that we wouldn’t like it – it sounds so bland – but we do like it. Yeah, you’re right, the carbs are way out of control, but these complex carbs are really good for you. HINT: This is enough for 4 servings. Either have a gathering or cut the recipe or freeze for later.

1¾ cups brown rice, cooked ½ cup celery, chopped ½ cup sweet yellow or other color pepper, diced 1 cup onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced ¾ cup crushed tomato oregano black pepper 1¾ cups red beans, drained and rinsed ½ cup green beans or peas

Start cooking the rice 60 minutes ahead of time. Saute the celery, pepper, and onions for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 5 minutes more. Add the tomato sauce and seasonings. Stir in the red beans and heat through. Measure out the cooked rice and add to the mixture.  HINT: if there is extra rice, it freezes well. Serve with the cooked green vegetable. 

https://www.bl.uk/medieval-literature/articles/the-life-of-the-anchoress

The 4th of May

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How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

The 4th of May this year is the confluence of two favorites of mine: the celebration of Floralia and Star Wars Day.  From late April to early May, is the festival of Flora, the Roman Goddess of Springtime and Flowers. The English celebrate it with baskets of flowers and maypoles.  The French celebrate it by decorating their towns with floral displays, handing each other lily of the valley, and wearing green. In Brussels, Belgium there is a month-long flower show at the castle, while in Munich, Germany there is a flower-themed art show. My mother loved to celebrate holidays with special foods. Whether the holiday was religious, patriotic, or ethnic, she would find a recipe to go with it. The tradition continues with me. Plant or gather flowers in early May and be glad. Put flowers in your food and share the loveliness.

Saying, “May the 4th be with you” on May 4th, originally had to do with Margaret Thatcher, oddly enough. Ever since watching Star Wars helped Dear Husband and me to get through writing our Masters Theses, we have been great fans. While the films go all over the Galaxy, visiting many diverse cultures and fighting the forces of evil, there are very few depictions of eating, except for Aunt Beru and her blue milk-shakes, and Luke Skywalker milking an alien creature for its green milk. The closest I want to get to that is a blueberry smoothie and the Green Milk that I enjoy at lunch.

Blueberry Smoothie: 118 calories 0 g fat 3 g fiber 5.5 g protein 30 g carbs 99 mg Calcium  PB GF  From the people at Wild Blueberries of North America comes this excellent smoothie. Take the calories into account when you meal-plan.  HINT: Recipe makes enough for 2 servings instead of juice OR drink the entire batch for breakfast.  The food values above are for one serving. 

3 oz banana ½ cup plain, fat-free yogurt  ½ cup blueberries ½ cup orange juice OR crushed rhubarb

Put banana, yogurt, and berries into the blender and process until smooth. Add the juice and blend on low. Wonderful berry flavor!

Green Milk: 145 calories 0.6 g fat 3 g fiber 10 g protein 25 g carbs 340 mg Calcium  PB GF I drink this for lunch daily for its high Calcium; to ‘keep the trains running;’ and because it tastes really yummy. HINT: When I get greens, I make up kits [spinach + dates] in 1-cup jars or zipper bags and freeze them.

8 oz skimmed/low-fat milk ½ oz deglet noor dates, cut into pieces 1 oz spinach, fresh or frozen

Put everything in the blender/VitaMix/container suitable for using with an imersion blender. Whirl on low speed at first, to break up the ingredients, then at the speed that will pulverize everything to a lovely shade of green. Makes 1.5 cups.

Pork Salad: 144 calories 4 g fat 2.4 g fiber 17 g protein 7 g carbs 43 mg Calcium   PB GF When there is leftover meat from a roast, the easiest meal is to turn it into a salad with lots of yummy components. NB: I sprinkled each serving with ¼ oz flax-seed corn chips which added 40 calories, only 2½ g fat and 4 g carbs. For Floralia, strew the salad with fresh, edible flowers instead.

2 cups salad greens, cut as chiffonade if leaves are large 2½ -3 oz pork tenderloin, cooked, sliced 2½ -3 oz tomatoes 1 oz red bell pepper, cut in ½” dice 1 oz whole cranberries, not dried 2 oz zucchini sticks 1 tsp Balsamic vinegar + ½ tsp olive oil + 1 tsp blue cheese herb mustard

Prepare all the vegetables as described. Whisk the dressing ingredients in a wide bowl and toss with the greens. Plate the greens and decorate the salad with the other components. That was fast!

Ingredients for next week: Breakfast, single portion for Monday …………………………… single portion for Thursday:

Bob’s Red Mill 10-Grain Cereal Canadian bacon or back bacon
blueberriesunsweetened applesauce
strawberriesbannock
raspberries
Optional milkoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

Dinner, single portion for Monday:………………………….. single portion for Thursday:

Brown rice + red beans, cannedcooked turkey breast meat + slicing tomato
bell pepper + crushed tomatoeswhipped cream cheese + fresh spinach
celery + onion + oreganohard-boiled egg + 1.5 oz sourdough rye bread
Garlic + Green beans or peasSwedish Cucumber Salad 
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Anton Dvořák

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How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Welcome to Fairy Qu33n who is now Following.

The first time that I heard a part of The New World Symphony, I was entranced. We sang a choral version of the music in high school Glee Club and I wanted to know more of this composer. He wasn’t one of the Three Bs of European composing — and how did he get to Iowa as part of his career??? This was Anton Dvořák of Bohemia, now in Czechia, then in the Austrian Empire. His innkeeper father’s love of zither music opened the world of native tunes for young Anton. The boy’s early schooling was hindered by a limited knowledge of the dominant German language, but he persevered. An elementary teacher taught Anton the violin at age 6, and at age 13, he was studying organ, music theory, and piano. He joined a restaurant orchestra and then played for the opera. While he enjoyed hearing new music from the pit, he was captivated when Richard Wagner arrived to conduct one of his operas. But since $7.50 a month was not a living wage, he gave piano lessons and met his future wife. On the side, Dvořák was composing music: string quartets, an opera, and many other works that we will never hear since he burned much of his early output. From 1871, he devoted all his time to composing. His work was being performed, but the family struggled financially. In 1874, Dvořák won the Austrian State Prize, which provided a stipend to help fund the work of young musicians. Winning again in 1876 and 1877, he earned the admiration of Johannes Brahms who offered to help his work receive wider recognition. A commission to compose work similar to his Moravian Duets resulted in the Slovanic Dances in 1888. From then on, he was on his way, conducting his own compositions in England, Germany, Austria, and Russia, and returning to Prague to teach at the Prague Conservatory. When offered an astounding salary to teach and compose at the National Conservatory of Music in New York City in 1892, he leapt at it. Dvořák, his wife, and their 6 children moved to the US. Unusually, the Conservatory made a point of admitting Black students and women. This put Dvořák into contact with the Black tradition and style of music. He was convinced that America needed it own music — one based on Native rhythms and Black spirituals. The result was the 9th Symphony, From the New World. A member of his household, his secretary whom they had brought from Bohemia, was an American-born Czech from Iowa. He convinced Dvořák to visit the Mid-West so the whole family went to Iowa for the summer. Dvořák was enchanted with this Bohemian town and was so relaxed there that he wrote two pieces of music in his new American style. At summer’s end, he returned to New York and then to Europe where he died on May 1, 1904. As a professor, he had a lasting influence on American music, since his students taught some famous musicians: Duke Ellington, Charles Ives, Aaron Copeland, and George Gershwin.

Our breakfast has flavors loved by the Czech people. The dinner from Chicago evokes Dvořák’s time and interest in the upper Mid-West of the USA.

Czech Breakfast: 165 calories 4.5 g fat 3 g fiber 10 g protein 20 g carbs 61.6 mg Calcium  NB: The food values are for the meal and fruit only and do not include the optional coffee. I’m told that the majority of citizens of the Czech Republic eat this for breakfast daily. Join them.

1 oz sourdough rye bread 1 oz sliced ham, 3% fat ½ oz Hermelin cheese, or substitute Camembert 2 yellow plums Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait  [65 calories] or lemon in hot water 

Whether you pile everything on the bread and eat it that way, or sample each item separatly, this is a hearty way to start the day. For those of you who start your day with lunch, this is for you.

Hull House Soup: 183 calories 4 g fat 5.5 g fiber 7.5 g protein 23 g carbs 34.6 mg Calcium  PB GF – if using GF pasta  An Italian woman in Chicago once served Jane Addams a meal of pasta with a simple ragu sauce, which opened Addams’ eyes to how food connected immigrants with their home country. This simple soup packs a lot of flavor.

2 cups spaghetti sauce, purchased**
2 cups chicken stock
2 [1 Tbsp] cloves garlic sliced, chopped 
3 oz [2/3 cup] green pepper in ½” dice 
1 cup chick peas
1 cup chopped cabbage
chopped fresh rosemary
2-3 pinches red pepper flakes		Put in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

**I used Classico brand “Florentine Spinach and Parmesan” sauce
½ cup water 1 oz [¼ cup] short pasta like ditalini salt and pepper to tasteAdd these to the soup in the pot and cook 15 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender. Taste for seasoning and add water if too thick.

Barbary Pirates

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How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

When I learned in 11th Grade US History that president Thomas Jefferson had suppressed the Barbary Pirates, the image of a Founding Father fighting pirates seemed ludicrous. But it was true, though he did not personally take part. In the early 1800s, the Barbary Coast of Africa was a dangerous shipping lane. The Barbary Coast included the waters off Morocco, Algeria, Tripoli, and Tunis. The pirates were a loose confederation of Berbers and Arabs who had been harrying the coast and kidnapping people for ransom or enslavement for centuries. Thousands of Europeans had been captured, causing an order of monks, the Mercedarians, to form for the purpose of buying back Christians. By the late 1700s, ships of British, French, Spanish, and American flags were trading frequently in the Mediterranean. The pirates would take hostages, ships, and trade goods OR charge large sums of money for safe passage. European governments figured that by paying off the pirates, any damages would happen to ships of rival nations — and that would be just fine. The US Congress budgeted $84,000 in 1785 for paying off the pirates, and in 1798, the payment of $160,000 plus supplies and presents was negotiated. Finally, the US had had enough. From 1801 to 1815, several squadrons of naval vessels with Marines aboard skirmished with the Pirates along the Barbary Coast. First they fought with Tripoli and negotiated an end to their piracy in 1804. After the War of 1812, James Madison was president and he continued the work begun by Adams and Jefferson, this time in Algeria. With US warships in his harbor, the Algerian leader gave up, returned all his prisoners, and paid $10,000 in fines. That ended the war with the Barbary Pirates. The Marines added a line about fighting on ‘the shores of Tripoli’ to their battle song and the nascent USA had a new policy: “that as peace is better than war, war is better than tribute.”

Our breakfast remembers the Berbers who gave the Barbary Coast its name. The dinner has flavors of Morocco, one of the first countries to make peace with the US Government over piracy, after a one-time payment of $20,000.

Berber Spanish Omelette: 141 calories 7.6 g fat 1 g fiber 10.4 g protein 8 g carbs 56.7 mg Calcium   NB: Food values shown are for the egg dish and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF The Berbers brought rice and eggplant to Spain. The ‘Spanish Omelette’ was developed later, but we can enjoy them together now.

1½ two-oz eggs  HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week.   ¼ cup Mediterranean Vegetables with chickpeas  2 Tbsp cooked brown rice [save some if you cooked it for a previous meal] 1 oz watermelon   Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water   Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]

Spritz a non-stick pan with cooking spray. Put in the rice and cook it until it is warm. Add the vegetables and cook until warm. Whisk the eggs and pour them into the pan without disturbing the vegetables and rice, so they are evenly distributed. Cook the eggs until they are set, and cooked on one side. Turn the egg round over without breaking it and cook the other side. To serve, cut in wedges and plate with the melon.

Moroccan Lamb:  284 calories 6.5 g fat 8 g fiber 28 g protein 28.6 g carb 81 mg Calcium  PB GF  Mint, cumin, and coriander will make your meal taste like a trip to spice shuk. Simple meals are sometimes the best.

3 oz roast lamb ½ cup peas 2-3 pinches dried mint or cilantro 1/3 cup canned white beans, drained and rinsed  Moroccan seasoning or ground cumin mint tea

Gently warm the meat by steaming or heating in a microwave, and dust with Moroccan seasoning. Cook the peas, drain, and stir in a pinch of dried mint/dried cilantro. Heat the beans with the seasoning or cumin to taste. Best served with mint tea.

Ingredients for next week: Breakfast, single portion for Monday …………………………… single portion for Thursday:

sourdough rye breadbanana + plain, fat-free yogurt 
3%-fat hamblueberries + orange juice or crushed rhubarb
Camembert or Hermelin cheese fat-free milk + deglet noor dates
yellow plums or another colorfrozen or fresh spinach
Optional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

Dinner, single portion for Monday:………………………….. single portion for Thursday:

Jarred spaghetti sauce + chicken stocksalad greens + tomatoes + red bell pepper
garlic + bell peppercooked pork roast + fresh cranberries
chickpeas + cabbage + rosemaryzucchini + good mustard
red pepper flakes + stubby pastabalsamic vinegar + olive oil + edible flowers
Sparkling waterSparkling water

Troy

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How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Welcome to Jolly Princess who is now Following.

Troy!! The quasi-mythical, quasi-historical subject of Homer‘s famous Iliad and the Odyssey. The blind poet wrote his poems about the conclusion of the Trojan war and its aftermath around 750 BCE. Even then, the story was considered to be a poetic invention. Down through the centuries, people read, memorized, and debated the story told in the Iliad. Where was Troy? Had it ever existed? Had there been an epic battle there, made memorable by the deaths of heroes? The idea of a Trojan Horse has passed into common parlance, used as a metaphor for any unwanted evil sneaking into our lives. How many other everyday expressions are 10 centuries old?? In brief: Helen [the face that launched a thousand ships], the wife of King Menelaus of Sparta, ran off with Paris, son of King Priam of Troy/Ilium. Her husband and his brother Agamemnon organized an enormous army of Greeks which was transported to North-Western Turkey by an enormous fleet. For 10 years they besieged the city, achieving nothing but the deaths of many on both sides. At last the idea was floated to build a huge wooden horse, large enough to hide a few men inside. The horse and contents would be left near the city gate while the entire Greek army made a big show of giving up, abandoning the siege, and sailing away. After some debate [Beware of Greeks bearing gifts], the Trojans rejoiced, brought the horse inside, and partied all night to celebrate. The warriors crept out, opened all the city gates, and the Greeks swarmed in. Everyone in Troy [except for Aeneas and his family] was killed or enslaved, and the city was burned. And that was the end of it, until the site of Troy was located by Frank Calvert and Heinrich Schliemann in 1870. Since then, the search for the real Troy and clues to the actual story remain active. The date for the Fall of Troy is given as 24 April, 1183 BCE. And that epic event inspired art and literature during the following 14 centuries. Amazing!

Our breakfast involves the flavors of the classic Greek meal moussaka: lamb, feta, eggplant. The dinner is another Greek-inspired meal of seafood.

Moussaka Bake: 136 calories 8.5 g fat 1 g fiber 9.5 g protein 6 g carbs 55 mg Calcium   NB: The food values given above are for the egg bake and fruit only, not the optional beverages.  PB GF  The lamb, the eggplant, the feta – what’s not to like about this delicious combination?

1 two-oz egg 1 Tbsp moussaka sauce HINT: Prepare days before and refrigerate until needed.  1/8 oz feta cheese, diced or crumbled 2 tsp parsley, chopped 2 oz melon   Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories]  Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water

Spritz a ramekin [for 2 people, my husband prefers to use a 4×6” oval casserole] with oil or non-stick spray and set the toaster oven at 350 degrees. Stir the cheese, parsley, and sauce together then whisk in the egg. Pour into prepared baking dishes and bake for 12-15 minutes. Prepare the hot beverage and the smoothie. Plate the bake with the melon and savor the moment.

Greek-style Hake: 263 calories 11 g fat 8 g fiber 25.5 g protein 24 g carbs 173 mg Calcium   PB GF  The cookbook Ikaria by Diane Kochilas is related to the National Geographic study of locations world-wide where there is the greatest longevity. Could that be related to nutrition? Hmmm…makes you think about what you eat, doesn’t it?

4 oz hake ½ tsp olive oil 1/3 cup onions, halved then sliced ½ clove garlic, sliced pinch sugar 1½ cup canned whole tomatoes 1 Tbsp [½ oz] dry red wine 1½ Tbsp good Feta cheese, crumbled 2½ oz asparagus OR one Side Salad

Saute the onion slices and garlic in the oil, adding some water if the pan becomes too dry. Remove garlic and discard. Add tomatoes, sugar, and wine. Cook the vegetables down to reduce the liquid. Lay the fish on top of the vegetables, cover loosely, turn down the heat and cook until the fish flakes [about 10 minutes]. Meanwhile, prepare the asparagus or Side Salad. Top the fish with the crumbled Feta before serving.

Bram Stoker

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How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

Little Abraham Stoker was a sickly child, born into the middle of the Great Potato Famine. His mother kept him entertained for his first seven years by telling him tales of Irish lore: interweaving the supernatural with the real in fanciful stories with a Gothic slant. Somehow he out-grew his infirmities in time to attend Trinity College. There, the handsome, sociable man excelled at oratory and debate while being a champion at many sports. While living the life of the Big Man on Campus, young Bram was employed as a civil servant, his father’s career path. After graduation, Stoker was often promoted within the Civil Service and ended up as head of his department, then head of the district. And on the side, he wrote theater reviews, just for fun. A review of Sir Henry Irving‘s Hamlet, lead to a friendship and a job offer. In 1878, Stoker married actress Florence Anne Lemon Balcombe and they moved to London where Stoker became the manager of Irving’s Lyceum Theater. In that job, he met many luminaries of the theater, the literary world [Conan Doyle, Mark Twain, Lord Tennyson], and politics [Theodore Roosevelt, Lord Churchill, Gladstone]. Meanwhile, Stoker wrote and published short stories, just for fun. In 1890, he began to write a book about a ‘Count Wampyr’ from Austria. A chance reference in the Whitby Library changed the lead character to Count Dracula from Transylvania. For seven years he worked on perfecting his novel about the ‘un-dead,’ which was published in 1897. Reviews were good and the rest is history: movies, plays, breakfast cereal [probably as deadly as a vampire bite], parodies, and Hallowe’en costumes show the extent to which Count Dracula has permeated culture world-wide. On April 20, 1912, Stoker died. Not from a silver bullet nor from a stake through his heart, but from locomotor ataxia.

Our breakfast is made from fine Irish ingredients — did Stoker yearn for these flavors when he lived in London? The dinner is very much of the country, and typical of the diet of a tenant farmer’s family.

Breakfast in Ireland:  282 calories 11 g fat 1.5 g fiber 19 g protein 26 g carbs 207.5 mg Calcium  NB: The food values include the tea with milk. PB  From the soda bread to the cheese to the back bacon – this is a meal from all over Ireland.   HINT: Prepare the soda bread in advance for less breakfast hassle.

The meat is Canadian Bacon, the bread is a slice from the large loaf, and the cheese is Irish Cheddar.

1 oz Irish back bacon or ‘Canadian bacon’ @ 33 calories 1 oz Irish Soda Bread** 1 egg, fried or hard-boiled 1½ oz apple ½ oz Cashel Blue or Irish Cheddar   Optional: hot Irish Breakfast Tea, served with 3-4 Tbsp milk [pour the milk into the teacup, then add the hot tea]

**Makes 12 individual Soda Breads or 1 large loafPreheat oven to 400F. Buttered cookie sheet.
1 cup white flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt 1 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp butter		Cut the ingredients together, using two knives or a pastry blender.
Purists would do it with their fingers.
Non-purists might do this in a food processor.
½ – 1 cup raisins or currants
1 Tbsp caraway seed		Stir these into the dry mixture.
¾ cup buttermilk or soured milk – all of milk may not be needed, or it might need moreAdd milk bit by bit, stiring with a fork, until the dough is moistened and forms a ball.
For individual biscuitsRoll or pat out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut with a 2” or 3” round cutter. Use a knife to mark an ‘X’ on the top of each.
For one large loafGather the dough into a single ball, and flatten slightly. Use a knife to incise an ‘X’ on the top.
Bake at 400F 10-15 mins or 20 mins for large loaf

Cook the bacon until done to your liking. Cook the egg to your preference. Slice the Soda Bread and plate everything. Pour the tea and sip your way up to the Top o’ the Morning.

Forager’s Soup: 271 calories 17 g fat 6 g fiber 13 g protein 29 g carbs 250 mg Calcium   PB GF  Here is an Irish soup made with summer greens. Did you say ‘weeds’? A weed is a plant in the wrong place. The cook-pot is the right place, where ‘wild greens’ are put to splendid use. The recipe is one of Darina Allen’s from Reclaiming Ireland’s Culinary Heritage, One Roast Lamb Or Sponge Cake At A Time. HINT: The recipe makes 3 cups, enough for 3 servings.

2 tsp butter ½ c onion ½ potato = 4 oz
salt + pepper		Melt butter in pot over medium-high. When it foams, add vegetables, and stir to coat. Season. Turn down to very low, put parchment paper atop vegetables, to trap steam. Put on lid and cook gently 10 mins, until vegetables are soft but not brown.
1 c chicken stock ½ c + 1/3 c whole milkHeat stock and dairy in a saucepan to simmering. Remove parchment and add hot liquid. Simmer 5-10 mins to cook vegetables fully.
4 oz by weight = 2 c. wild greens: dandelion; garlic mustard; sorrel; chives
¼ c ricotta		Add greens + simmer uncovered 2-3 mins until greens are just cooked through (do not cover pot or overcook, or else bright green color will be lost.)  Add ricotta. Purée until smooth. Taste for seasoning.
1 oz chorizo/ bacon per personSlice chorizo and cook on low in a skillet until fat is rendered and meat is crisp, 5-10 mins. Drain on paper towels. 
Edible flowers 2 Finn Crisp per servingAt serving time, warm soup over medium-low heat, uncovered. Scatter chorizo/bacon bits on each bowl, and garnish with flowers.

Ingredients for next week: Breakfast, single portion for Monday …………………………… single portion for Thursday:

1 two-oz egg1.5 two-oz eggs 
feta cheesewatermelon
melonbrown rice
moussaka sauce: ground lamb, eggplant, marinara sauce, onionMediterranean Vegetables with chickpeas
Optional smoothieoptional smoothie
optional hot beverageoptional hot beverage

Dinner, single portion for Monday:………………………….. single portion for Thursday:

Hake, 4 ounces + onion3 oz roast lamb + mint or cilantro
garlic + sugar + red winecanned white beans
whole tomatoes, canned‘English’ peas [not dried peas]
Moroccan seasoning
Sparkling water Mint tea or Sparkling water

Diet of Worms

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How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

A diet of worms?? — doesn’t that sound delicious!! Surely if there were such an eating plan, it would guarantee rapid weight loss — no one would want to eat at all! But in this case, a ‘diet’ is not a WOE/way-of-eating, but a political gathering called for the purpose of deliberating a matter of interest. In January 1521, Emperor Charles V assembled the leaders of the German States, both nobles and clergymen, to a meeting at the city of Worms. Worms was a ‘free city’ meaning that it ruled itself, free from the dictates of a prince or the church, so it was beholden to nobody. One of the matters to discuss came up in mid-April. The Church was offended by the proposals of the Augustinian monk Martin Luther for reforms of the Church. Luther had posted his 95 proposals in October, 1517 and they had caused much debate. He was especially against the selling of indulgences to raise money for the Pope. In 1520, Pope Leo X issued a condemnation of 41 of the 95 theses, and so the stage was set. On April 16, Luther appeared before the Diet and acknowledged that the 95 theses were his own ideas. The Pope’s representative asked Luther to repudiate his ideas. Luther asked for a day to think about his answer. On April 17, when asked again, Luther said that if anyone could show him that his writings were in opposition to what was in the Bible, then he would recant. Otherwise, he declared, “Here I stand. [“Hier stehe ich”] I can do no other. [“Ich kann nicht anders”] Amen.” Such a commotion ensued, that the meeting was suspended. When a vote was taken about Luther’s fate as a heretic, the group could reach no conclusion. Upon leaving Worms, Luther was “kidnapped” by men sent by his benefactor Elector Frederick III the Wise of Saxony, and spirited away to Wartburg Castle. Meanwhile, a subsequent Diet passed the Edict of Worms, seeking Luther’s arrest. It was never enforced. His courageous stand at the Diet of Worms rallied supporters to his cause and the German version of the Protestant Reformation movement grew into the Lutheran Church.

Our breakfast is from the Franconia region of Germany, and Franconia shows the divisions that the Reformation caused: parts of the region are staunchly Roman Catholic, and the other parts are resolutely Protestant. Our German dinner would be popular anywhere, no matter what your religious views are.

Franconian Breakfast: 163 calories 4.4 g fat 4 g. fiber 13 g protein 22.5 g carbs 117 mg Calcium  NB: These values are for the Fruit Hearts alone and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  Here some favorite flavors of the German State of Franconia come together for breakfast. My stars!! This is delicious!

++ 1 slice 70-calorie whole-grain bread ++ 1 oz smoked trout ++ 2 Tbsp small-curd cottage cheese ++++ 1 Tbsp snipped chives ++++ 2 oz plum  ++++ Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or  berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or  mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++++ 

Lightly toast the bread. Stir together the cottage cheese and chives, and spread on the toast. Plate along with the trout and plum. Some might prefer to place the trout on the bread and eat it thus, which is a great way to do it. 

Herring Salad:  278 calories 6 g fat 7 g fiber 16 g protein 24 g carbs 103 mg Calcium  PB GF Luchöw’s Restaurant will live in memory as long as a certain generation yet breathes. And there was a lot to remember about it: the decor, the old-world service, the menu. Not a hokey tourist trap – it was a genuine German restaurant in Manhattan. This is one of their fine Old World recipes.  NB: if you take a MOIA anti-depressent, be aware that herring has high amounts of tyramine. 

1½ oz herring marinated in wine, drained ¼ cup beets, cooked, cooled and diced 1½ oz apple, peeled and diced ¼ cup white beans, drained and rinsed ½ hard-boiled egg, sliced 2 Tbsp onion, minced ½ oz dill pickle, chopped pinch sugar 2 tsp vinegar, or more 1 cup lettuce, shredded

Put the vinegar and sugar in a bowl and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Add remaining ingredients and toss gently until everything is well-incorporated. Taste to see if it needs more sugar or more vinegar. A herring-lover’s delight.