Dietitian Confessions: We Went Home with Ben & Jerry

by Michelle Dudash, Chef and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

August 1, 2011 • 7 comments

I’m all stewed out. For the past week I’ve been testing ten slow cooker recipes for a client and today marks the next phase of retesting those that need adjustments. To make things worse, my husband doesn’t eat stew, he says. So I’ve been giving away the final dishes to my neighbor and assistant. My freezer is still too full to hold the excess, and after testing and tasting and testing and tasting, my taste buds are ready for something new. Welcome to my life as a recipe tester.

Friday night rolled around and I couldn’t possibly conceive of putting one more simmered piece of meat into my mouth so I asked Steve to pick up sushi. It’s cocktail time as soon as he pulls in the garage on Friday night, and a bottle of Fresh & Easy Watermelon Juice sat in the fridge just waiting to be mixed with tequila.

The Watermelon Skinnygirl Margarita was born. I rimmed a plastic wine glass (pool safety) with lime juice, mint sugar and salt and added crushed ice. Skinnygirl Margarita filled two-thirds of the glass, and watermelon juice the remaining third. Delicioso.

As for the sushi, I ravaged the bag as soon as it arrived. It was too late to take a pretty picture. I took this photo a few months ago, on another evening of take-out, but it’s still pretty close to what I typically order. I always ask for edamame, and lately get the shisito peppers too. I take a few bites from Steve’s salmon sashimi and spicy tuna roll. Instead of the lollipops and tuna, I ordered panko-breaded tofu and something called RA Chips and Salsa. It’s ground ahi (I wish it was diced) mixed with cucumbers and spicy chili sauce, with wonton chips on the side.

Saturday night Steve and I met friends for dinner at Canteen Modern Tequila Bar in Tempe. The décor was cool and modern Southwest. Our high-energy waiter sported tattooed arms and those disk thingy ear piercings. The reasonably priced menu was appropriate for the food offering.

I started with a good margarita and their stellar chips and guacamole.

I really liked the Slow Roasted Achiote Pork Tacos with Mango Salsa I ordered, but my friend’s Mesquite Carne Asada Tacos with Cilantro Chimichurri tasted even better. The Mexican Corn Coctel, composed of roasted corn, seasoned aioli, cotija cheese, and cilantro, was the star attraction of the evening. In total I gobbled up about 15 chips with guac, two and a quarter tacos, and nearly one order of corn.

Nothing on the dessert menu excited me, which led us to do the unthinkable and swing into the store for a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Peanut Butter Cup ice cream and a single serving of their Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. All I needed was a medium-sized scoop. Heavenly.

On Saturday I reminded my husband we needed to use up a package of bacon for the sake of the Freezer Challenge. It didn’t take him long to agree with me, so Sunday night he made one of his favorite childhood recipes, German Spaghetti. A salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, blue cheese, and apple cider vinaigrette lightened up the meal. And a glass of red table wine. Stay tuned tomorrow for the spaghetti recipe.

What is your all time favorite ice cream flavor?

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