Diet: Post #4

It's been a week since I started my diet. I cheated a little bit over the weekend – I made some ham croquetas and couldn't resist.  The good news is I lost 4 pounds. I'm down to 166 now; however, this makes me want to treat myself to something yummy. Then again, yummy doesn't mean fattening.

I bought some butternut squash over the weekend and pondered what to do with it (it makes more sense to know what to do then buy the squash). Soup? Puree? I went with a basic

Calabaza con Ajo: Butternut Squash with Garlic

butternut squash
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped

This was a large squash and I didn't want to use the whole thing so after peeling it, seeding it and cutting it into chunks, I froze half.

In a saucepan over medium heat, simmer the squash in salted water until tender.
Now, here's a little tip. Pour your olive oil in a microwave safe dish and heat for 45 seconds, add the garlic to the oil and heat for another 30 seconds.
While hot, drain your squash, put onto a plate and drizzle with the oil and garlic.

I decided to eat this as a side with salmon:

Crispy Salmon Skin 

I buy my salmon with the skin on because I like to fry the skin. This is very simple and really quite delish. (I don't believe it's bad for you if you fry it with olive oil.) Remove the skin from your salmon, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a skillet and drop in about 1 clove of minced garlic. Drop in your salmon skin, (be careful, it could splatter) turning 'til crisp. Remove from oil and place on paper-towel lined plate. Remove any of the garlic left in the oil, since it will be used for....

Salmon Fillets

I seasoned my fillets with lime juice, salt, pepper, parsley and pressed garlic. I dropped them into the skillet with the oil from the crispy salmon. Let the fillets cook through turning once or twice. Don't handle them too much or they can start falling apart.

I guess I was in the mood for garlic! You can skip it on the fillets.