Monday, May 31, 2010

Friday Night Dinner Photos

We enjoyed a brief break from the madness on Friday night - a romantic dinner at a restaurant called Fraiche in Santa Monica, California. Very tasty and LC friendly. Here are a few of the highlights.



Braised Short Ribs w/Swiss Chard


Korobuta Pork Chop w/ Broccolini and a Port Wine Reduction

I hope you all enjoyed the holiday weekend. If only all weekends could last three days.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Prejudice


It's tough to admit it but we all make certain prejudgments. This lesson was most recently illustrated to me while browsing at Whole Foods. I noticed a bag of chicharrones (traditional pork rinds) while strolling down the temptation-laden snack aisle. My first instinct was to turn away. Whole Foods or not, these couldn't possibly be healthy. Thankfully, I stopped and reconsidered.

The brand of pork rinds in question contained only two ingredients: pork rinds and sea salt. The label boasts that it's "Made With: Natural Ingredients, No Preservatives, No Artificial Flavoring, No Artificial Coloring, No Hydrogenated Oils, No Trans Fats". By scanning over the packaging I also learned that Domingo's Traditional Chicharrones have been made in pretty much the same way for over 70 years. It's a family owned operation that uses a special, two-stage cooking process which results in a lighter, milder flavor - I think they're delicious. Also, they claim that their pork rinds are from pigs that are antibiotic-free and humanely raised.

The nutritional content is pretty spot on for low carbers - only 80 calories per serving with 9 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat. The sodium content is also reasonable at 200 mg per serving. Best of all, it's entirely carb free.

I realize this isn't exactly a revelation to many in the LC community. But I must admit that I thought of pork rinds as just being LC junk food. This is apparently not so.