middlemann 3.0

Actually, it was a friend at work who gave me the lemons. His neighbor had a tree full of them and was trying to unload some. I had never made homemade lemonade before, but I did work at Chic-fil-a. So after a little tinkering, I’m pleased with my result. Since I don’t have a juicer, I peeled and cut the lemons, removed the seeds and tossed them into the blender. After straining, I got a cup of juice out of 3 lemons – they were orange sized lemons, but still, I was impressed. I added a cup of sugar and 5 cups of water. The result was good but needed more kick, so I peeled a fourth lemon and blended it in. The result is sweet, tangy and just pulpy enough to know it’s homemade. Delicious

On a recent trip to Costco, I took a gamble and picked up some dry roasted edamame. It was relatively cheap, and the nutrition stats were pretty phenomenal – high protein, low carb, low fat. It’s a bit of an acquired taste when eaten alone, but this stuff makes a great salad topper since it takes on the existing flavors of the salad. Besides making the salad a bit more of a meal, it has a satisfying crunch that’s slightly addictive. The recipe below was today’s lunch. I’m happy to say that I’m full.

- plate full of mixed greens
- 2 tablespoons of crumbled feta
- small handful of Crasins
- 2 small handfuls of dry roasted edamame
- white creamy balsamic vinegrette

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Tang
• 2 Cups Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Instant Tea
• 1/2 Pack Lemonade (Wylers)
• 1 Tbs Cinnamon
• 1 Tbs whole cloves

This is a fall and winter favorite – warm, tasty and full of vitamin C. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Be careful mixing as it creates somewhat of a dust storm that you won’t want to inhale. Add 1-2 Tablespoons (according to taste) to a mug of hot water. Enjoy!

Some people get grossed out at the thought of fish for breakfast, but one of my favorite breakfast foods is a toasted plain bagel with cream cheese, lox (smoked salmon) and capers. The problem is that lox is pretty darn expensive. Even on sale, it’s about $6 for 4oz. Recently though, I discovered though that a slice of tomato is a tasty and healthy substitute, especially if you sprinkle some of the juice from the capers onto it. It’s still a bit of a compromise, but it’s a great alternative for the price.

Ingredients

• 1 can sliced, cooked carrots
• orange juice
• honey

In a small pan, add about a cup of orange juice and bring to a boil. Stir the juice as it reduces and begins to thicken. Stir in about a Tablespoon of honey and add carrots. Since the carrots are already cooked, you just want to warm them and coat them with the glaze. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

A tasty vegetarian option.

Ingredients

• Burrito sized tortillas
• 2 bags of boil-in-bag Success Rice
• 1 can corn
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can black beans
• 1/2 chopped cilantro (fresh)
• Shredded cheese
• salsa

Cook rice per instructions on packaging. In a large bowl, mix corn, tomatoes, black beans and cilantro and rice. Fill tortilla with mixture and top with salsa and cheese.

Pretty straight forward.

Ingredients

• Mixed greens
• Grilled chicken (bite sized pieces)
• Mandarin oranges
• Sliced Almonds or Pecans
• Craisins

Mix all ingredients and serve.

Since fish has a more delicate texture than other meats, grilling salmon takes a little finesse, but it’s well worth it for the result.

Ingredients

• Salmon fillets
• Extra virgin olive oil
• course salt (ie: kosher salt)
• Sesame Ginger marinade (optional)

Drizzle a few teaspoons of olive oil onto the salmon fillets and brush or rub with hands to evenly coat each side. Lightly sprinkle on the course salt. Grill the salmon, starting at high heat and immediately reducing to medium/low. Use a spatula to gently separate the salmon from the grill to prevent sticking. Brush on the sesame ginger marinade just before removing from the grill. Serve immediately.

This isn’t a recipe, but it’s a helpful tip when you need to defrost some ground beef fast. It works great for spaghetti sauce, taco meat, etc.

• Remove ground beef from packaging and put it onto a microwave safe plate with a folded paper towel under the meat to catch the juice
• Microwave on each side for one minute
• Microwave on each side for 30 seconds
• If there is still a frozen portion in the middle, pull away the defrosted pieces and finish off the frozen piece with 15 second increments.

This is a wing-it recipe. I don’t have any exact measurements for you, but it’s hard to screw up.

Ingredients

• Stick of butter
• Worcestershire sauce
• brown sugar
• 1 pack boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Bottle of barbecue sauce

Melt the butter. Mix in the Worcestershire sauce until the mixture turns brown. Add a couple of spoonfuls of brown sugar. Pour the marinade into a gallon-sized ziplock bag and add the chicken. Marinate for an hour and toss it on the grill. When the chicken is almost finished, brush on the barbecue sauce. Serve immediately.