Cravings: Today I also struggled with cravings most of the day. I wanted something snacky. I did end up eating some tortilla chips. So I guess Saturday still is my splurge day. Aside from that, however, I did pretty good as far as making healthy choices. And I managed to get in a fast-paced 43 minute walk outside. It was a really nice, sunny day to walk around the park. All day, I looked forward to trying the scallop recipe my father emailed a few days ago. (Thanks, Dad!)
Revisiting Self-Harm Topic: Before moving on to the scallop recipe, I wanted to make another comment about the self-harm topic from yesterday to clarify a few things. The topic of self-harm arose again in an online forum that I am involved in, and it was pointed out that the differentiation between self-harm behavior and healthy risk-taking was not made clear. It might help to not to think of self-harm behaviors in black & white terms, but rather on a spectrum. In yesterday's blog, I used Dr. Walsh's definition of self-injury, which was “intentional, self-effected, low-lethality bodily harm of a socially unacceptable nature, performed to reduce psychological distress”. “Socially unacceptable" and "performed to reduce psychological distress” are important parts of that definition. Not all risky behavior is pathological. For example, a fighter pilot may take great risk when flying into a war-torn region. He does so to serve and protect. That behavior, although risky, is socially acceptable and does not fit the definition of self-harm, as was defined in yesterday's discussion. A person might put himself in harm's way to protect an underdog from a bully. Again, this is a socially acceptable behavior and not considered pathological. I read a lot of great discussion on this topic today. I will have to revisit this in the future.
Okay, on to the topic of the day,... SCALLOPS! I am a huge scallop fan. I must admit. My father recently sent me a new recipe and I had to try it out. I made some modifications to the original recipe and tried it a few different ways. Here is the recipe & the results:
Ingredients: The original recipe called for the following ingredients:
- 3 1/2 teaspoons sugar, divided
- 5 teaspoons water
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Cooking spray
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 large sea scallops (about 12 oz.)
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
- 2 lime wedges
- Combine 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1 tablespoon water, fish sauce, and next 4 ingredients (through red pepper) in a small bowl.
- Combine remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and remaining 2 teaspoons water in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until sugar dissolves. Continue cooking 2 minutes or until golden (do not stir). Remove from heat; carefully add fish sauce mixture, stirring constantly. Keep warm.
- Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooing spray. Sprinkle black pepper over scallops; add scallops to pan. Cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Add sauce, toss well. Sprinkle with mint. Serve with lime.
Results: Not bad! There was a lot of flavor in this dish! It definitely had a bite. I decided I would go a little easier on the red pepper flakes next time around. I think I overdid that a little. The lime and mint did help to cut through the heat and added a nice dimension. My one concern with this dish the way I made it was the use of fish sauce. I have never cooked with fish sauce before, so this was a first. I wasn't even sure where to look for it in the grocery store. (As when I tried cooking with miso for the first time, a few of my dear friends, who happen to be Asian and happen to be good cooks, would probably be shaking their heads in shame right about now.) I finally found the fish sauce. In my defense, two of the store clerks didn't know where to look either. It was in the Asian section, hidden behind the soy sauce. Anyhow, in looking at the ingredient label, I discovered fish sauce is comprised of anchovy extract, salt, and sugar. What alarmed me most, by the label, was the sodium content: 1350mg per tablespoon. For someone who recently got off of blood pressure meds and doesn't want to have to go back on, that was a big red flag. I can see why this ingredient was chosen for this dish. It packs a lot of flavor. It has a very strong odor, but adds a lot to the dish.
I tried the recipe a second time. This time I made an even healthier version. I omitted all sugar and substituted clam juice for the fish sauce. (I've never used clam juice before either. I found it in the grocery section near the canned tuna & sardines, when I was searching for fish sauce.)
(Per Tbsp:) | Fish Sauce | Clam Juice |
Calories | 10 | 0 |
Total Fat | 0 | 0 |
Cholesterol | 0 | 0 |
Sodium | 1360mg | 30mg |
Carbohydrates | 0 | 0 |
Sugars | 0 | 0 |
Fiber | 0 | 0 |
Protein | 2g | 0g (Hey, PKU diet friendly!) |
I will be continuing to search for the right ingredients to modify this dish further. I need some clean ingredient to add a bit of sweetness or at least counter the bitterness somehow. Maybe some type of fruit? I am open to suggestions.
The Day's Reflection: I enjoyed my Saturday. There is something rewarding about playing around with recipes and to trying and come up with healthier alternatives that taste good. We shouldn't have to sacrifice taste in order to eat healthy, after all. Right?! I get pleasure from the experiences of trying out new & diverse ingredients. (They are new & diverse for me, anyhow.) Sometimes in life, you need to take some healthy risks, and look at things from a completely different angle.
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