JGE 109 - Pak Cham Gai Fan – aka Chinese-Style Steamed Chicken

Good Day,

I really, really, really like my new Instant Pot. Last night I tried to make Pak Cham Gai Fan – otherwise known as Chinese-Style Steamed Chicken.

My prime ingredient included -

1 large boneless/skinless Chicken breast

marinated in -

2 tbsps Regular Soya Sauce
2 tbsps Dark Soya Sauce
1 tbsp Shoaxing Wine
1 tbsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp White Pepper

I added 3 cups of Jasmine Rice, rinsed, and 3 1/2 cups of water to the inner pot.

I followed the instructions directions from Happy Noodle TV and added

4 Spring/Green Onions
8 Garlic Cloves
2 Inches Ginger
150 g Shitake Mushrooms
3 Star Anise, (not sure of the plural)

It’s supposed to be an 11-minute Instant Pot recipe.  I followed the instructions and used the manual settings on high pressure.  I was expecting the typical pressure cooker steam whistling.  There wasn't any.  So I repeated the process again.

Well lo and behold every turned out okay.  The chicken was cooked.  The rice was cooked.  I plated the meal with chicken and rice topped with some Dark Soya Sauce and Toasted Sesame Seeds.  I added a teaspoon of Hot Pepper Sauce, the one I made from Habaneros.  I also steamed some Baby Bok Choy.

Supper was terrific.  (But I am looking for that burst of steam.  Maybe I am wrong.)

My blood sugar dropped 13 points this morning moved up 2 points to 107 mg/dL.

Right. I am sold on the Instant Pot.

Jim's gotta eat. Be healthy,

Jim

JGE 108 – New Instant Pot Challenge – This Morning: Congee

Good Day,

Breakfast - Congee..

And yes I do like kitchen gadgets. I hummed and hawed about getting another small appliance some time ago. I thought I would never use it. But I got suckered…sort of.

Yes, I did get a new Instant Pot. The model I got on an Amazon.com super deal moment. Instant Pot IP-LUX60 6-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cooker, 6-Quart 1000-Watt.

And this morning after checking the slight upward swing of my fasting blood sugar count I decided that I wanted to have…to make some Congee.

There are 320,000 Google results for the phrase “Congee recipes”. When I change the search phrase to “Congee recipes, Instant Pot”, I received 74,000 results. And of course who knows how many are just duplicate copies or each other.

Well this morning I decided to pattern my Congee concoction after the “Instant Pot Congee (Jook)” from the website BudgetByte$.

Of course I did not have similar ingredients. My ingredients:

1 cup Long-grain Rice
6 cloves Garlic
2 inches fresh Ginger
6 large white Mushrooms
5 cups Chicken Broth
2 cups Water
½ tsp Salt

Toppings:

Dash of Soy Sauce
2 Green Onions
Dash of toasted Sesame Seeds.

I followed the directions for the Instant Pot.

And there was left-overs. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I have made Congee on my stove-top.

Everything turned out fine, and I had me a bowl of freshly made Congee after I completed my sit-ups this morning. Will have to wait until tomorrow to see if there is any impact to my A1c calculation.

Right. I am sold on the Instant Pot.

Jim's gotta eat. Be healthy,

Jim

JGE 107 - Habanero Sauce

Good Day,

Yes, I've been growing peppers; Habaneros and Red Thai/Bird's Eye Chilies.

And I harvested the habaneros and figured I've got to do something with them.

I found Rick Bayless' recipe for Habanero Hot Sauce.

Quick list of ingredients: Habaneros, Onions, Carrots, Garlic, Apple Vinegar, Water, Salt, and Sugar.  And of course I tweaked the amounts; more to the plus-size.

Hot! Spicy! Hot! Damn sweet.

Any questions, thoughts, ideas, comments email me at Jim’s Gotta Eat. Oh yeah, Jim’s Gotta Eat has a new URL address – http://jimsgottaeat.com.

Jim’s gotta eat. Enjoy,

Jim

JGE 106 – Supper Showdown – Grilled Basque Wings

Good Day,

And I had a craving for Grilled Basque Wings.

This morning’s blood sugar count showed a net change of 2 points from my last posting July 5th. And the early morning FSB recorded at 98 mg/dL. It actually decreased by 10 points for the day before.

Supper was a tall order of Gilled Basque Wings and a Grilled Potato and Onion Salad. And I had a Shock Top Belgian White and of course a couple scoops of ice cream.

What I like about these chicken wings is that they are grilled plain on the bar-b-que and then dunked after into the sauce.

From the book on my shelf: I used the recipe for Grilled Basque Wings - Thrill of the Grill by Chris Schlesinger & John Willoughby the ingredients included, as I changed them: Garlic; Lemon Juice; Olive Oil; Habanero; Fresh Oregano; Salt and Pepper; and Chicken Wings.

And from The Joy of Grilling by Joe Famularo I followed, sort-of, the recipe for Grilled Potato and Grilled Onion Salad. My ingredients: Potatoes; Olive Oil, Onions; Vinegar; Lemon Juice; Green Onions; Fresh Thyme; Salt and Pepper.

And my approximate carbohydrate tally for supper-

Grilled Basque Wings ≈ 0.0 grams
Grilled Potato and Onion Salad ≈ 25.0 grams
Shock Top Belgian White Beer ≈ 15.0 grams
Ice Cream ≈ 40.0 grams

My unscientific and approximate total ≈ 80.0 grams

This morning’s results –

FSB – 98 ↓ down 108 (Normal range 100 – 125 mg/dL)
A1c – 5.37 ≈ 5.37 (Normal range 5.7 – 6.4 %)
eAG – 107.4 ↓ down 107.5 (Normal range 117 – 137 mg/dL)

Tune in tomorrow to Jim’s Gotta Eat to see the comparison of the results...and the set up a new Supper Showdown.

Food for thought – Try not to eat too late in the evening. Manage the amount of food that I eat. Do not over eat because my eyes see good food.

I am trying to control my diabetes with exercise and food. I have eliminated all diabetes medication. I am keeping my weight stable, and Jim's gotta eat.

Enjoy.

Jim

JGE 105 – Supper Showdown – Kakavia +++

Good Day,

My 4th of July meals were a celebration of foods from all over the place and the world.

This morning’s blood sugar count showed a net zero change from my last posting 2 days ago. And the early morning FSB recorded at 100 mg/dL. It actually increased by 2 points as compared to yesterday.

Lunch – Poutine, Cuban, and Yuca Fries and a beer at Cigar City BrewPub.

Supper last night was my, throw in the pot, Kakavia.

Another Greek name is Psarosoupa, but I found it easier to pronounce Kakavia. Another name/version might be a Bouillabaisse; also Cioppino; bottom line – a Seafood Stew.

My guide recipe was from the site Kalofagas | Greek Food & Beyond.

My ingredients included: Onion, Garlic, Celery, Carrot, Potatoes, Spanish Olive Oil, Jamaican All-Spice, Black Peppercorns, Salt with Fennel and Garlic, Star Anise, Bay Leaves, Saffron, Dry White Wine, Chicken Stock, Tomatoes, Cilantro, and Lemons. The seafood ingredients included: Cobia, Cod, Shrimp, Mussels, and Clams.

And my dessert was a slice of Whole Foods’ Apple Pie with a slice of Irish Cheddar Cheese

And my approximate carbohydrate tally for lunch and supper-

Poutine ≈ 53.0 grams
Cuban ≈ 56.0 grams
Yucca Fries ≈ 58.0 grams
Beer ≈ 38.0 grams
Kakavia ≈ 10.0 grams
Slice of White Whole Wheat Flax Bread ≈ 14.8 grams
Apple Pie ≈ 47.0 grams
Irish Cheddar Cheese ≈ 1.0 grams

My unscientific and approximate total ≈ 277.8 grams

This morning’s results –

FSB – 100 ↑ up 98 (Normal range 100 – 125 mg/dL)
A1c – 5.35 ≈ 5.35 (Normal range 5.7 – 6.4 %)
eAG – 106.8 ↓ down 106.8 (Normal range 117 – 137 mg/dL)

Tune in tomorrow to Jim’s Gotta Eat to see the comparison of the results...and the set up a new Supper Showdown.

Food for thought – Try not to eat too late in the evening. Manage the amount of food that I eat. Do not over eat because my eyes see good food.

Yesterday I began my new exercise routine on a new Jim’s Trek Part V.

I am trying to control my diabetes with exercise and food. I have eliminated all diabetes medication. I am keeping my weight stable, and Jim's gotta eat.

Enjoy.

Jim

JGE 104 – Supper Showdown – Moroccan Beef Meatball Tangine – Down 1

Good Day,

This morning’s early morning blood sugar count is down by a net of 1 point to 100 mg/dL.

The last time I reported my FSB and my Supper Showdown was 6 days ago. Supper last night was my twist on a Moroccan Beef Meatball Tangine.

And yes I do not have a tangine.

I used the Bon Appetit’s recipe as my basis.

Ingredients included: Ground beef; Egg; Panko Bread Crumbs; grated Onion; Ginger; Garlic, Tumeric; Paprika; Cumin; Cinnamon; Nutmeg; Saffron; Cilantro; 6 In 1 Tomatoes; Chick Peas; Carrots; Raisins; Olives, Chili Pepper, Salt, Pepper, Beef Stock, Lemon and Couscous.

And yes I had two scoops of Rocky Road Ice Cream with a couple of Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.

And my approximate carbohydrate tally -

Moroccan Beef Meatball Tangine ≈ 46.7 grams
Couscous ≈ 36.0 grams
Rocky Roads Ice Cream ≈ 40.0 grams
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies ≈ 38.0 grams

Approximate total ≈ 160.7 grams

This morning’s results –

FSB – 100 ↓ down 101 (Normal range 100 – 125 mg/dL)
A1c – 5.36 ≈ 5.36 (Normal range 5.7 – 6.4 %)
eAG – 107.0 ↓ down 107.1 (Normal range 117 – 137 mg/dL)

Tune in tomorrow to Jim’s Gotta Eat to see the comparison of the results...and the set up a new Supper Showdown.

Food for thought – Try not to eat too late in the evening. Manage the amount of food that I eat. Do not over eat because my eyes see good food.

And from diaTribe Adam’s Corner – "…light walking lowers blood sugar more than you would expect – I found a drop of 1 mg/dl per minute of walking. There is lots of research to suggest that walking after meals really blunts the rise in post-meal blood glucose."

And oh yeah, I am planning to start tomorrow on a new Jim’s Trek Part V.

Nearly forgot, The Pack's suppertime menu - Blue Buffalo: Small Adults -

I am trying to control my diabetes with exercise and food. I have eliminated all diabetes medication. I am keeping my weight stable, and Jim's gotta eat.

Enjoy.

Jim

JGE 103 – No-Knead Tally Increases – White Whole Wheat Raisin Flax and The Next 29 Loaves

Good Day,

Just took loaf #139 out of the oven. This time a White Whole Wheat Raisin Flax.

Here’s my condensed version of the recipe –

Ingredients –

1 c King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat Flour; 2 ½ c King Arthur’s White Flour; 1 ¼ t Yeast; 1 ½ t Salt; 1 T Honey; ¾ c Raisins; 5 ½ T Flax Seeds; and 13 oz lukewarm Water.

Mix.

1 ½ h 80°F, in oven, oven light on.

450°F. Pot and cover in oven to heat.

Dough in pot. 30 min covered. 15 min uncovered.

Loaf out of pot.

Thump. Cool. Eat.

Enjoy.

And here are the set of images of my last 28 loaves, including the one definite fail... You can figure out that one.

Bread is good.  And Jim's gotta eat.

Jim