Faux-tato salad lives on!

A little Faux-tato salad...a little chicken...who needs those starchy carbs???

You wanna know how I come by about 89% of the Foodie-submitted posts on this blog?

I am watching you.

Yes, I am. And when one of you says, "Hey, Nik, I tried ______ and I really liked it!" I POUNCE! Because I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, REALLY do mean it when I say I love to see what you guys are doing in your kitchens! So I email you. Or message you. Or stalk you online (I only had to do that three times though) until you send me that recipe (with pics, please!).

Folks...don't make me work so hard. You know when you have a moment of Foodie genius. And most of you have smart phones, or at least phones capable of snapping and emailing a picture.

So when you have these moments of glory in the kitchen, when the entire fam is raving about what YOU just made for dinner and you're feeling pretty damn good because two months ago you didn't even know it was possible to eat healthfully and deliciously and you're beginning to think this whole WLS thing just might work out after all...hit a sista up with a recipe and a pic! There are other Foodies sitting where you were two months ago who will be eternally grateful. I'm just sayin.

(/end PSA)

So this recipe is a remix of a BF recipe. You might remember last week I mentioned faux-tato salad. I love the stuff! Me and potatoes? Enhh. I can eat them. But I'm not that passionate about them. But I do love potato salad. It's the quintessential summer food. So when former BF co-author Jen taught me to make faux-tato salad I was all in!

Apparently so was Dana. But like any good Foodie, he decided to play with his food to make it his fauxtato salad. Here's what he did:

(Nik Note: My profuse apologies for calling you a she, Dana. I was in auto-mode typing this post and I think my fingers took over my brain! Thank you for calling me out!)

Dana's Red Hot Faux-tato Salad

Ingredients:

1 large head fresh cauliflower

4 large eggs, hard boiled & diced up (I mash mine up with a potato masher)
1 medium sweet onion, chopped fine
1 c. Greek Yogurt
1/2 c. Kraft Low-Fat Horseradish-Dijon Reduced Fat Sandwich Shop Mayo
1/4 c. Horseradish Mustard from Aldi (Burman's??)
1/4 c. chopped dill pickles
1/2 bunch fresh Italian Parsley, minced
1/2 bunch fresh Dill, minced
Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder (to taste)
1/4 c. (or more to taste) Frank's Red Hot sauce
2 tsp Paprika (plus a few splicks for garnish) Nik Note: Dana I love you for validating "splick" as a measurement. MWAH

From there you're going to use the same directions as Jen's Faux-tato salad, which are as follows.

Directions:

1. Fill a pot 1/2 full with cold water and a pinch of salt.
2. Remove the cauliflower florets from the stalk and put them into the pot of water. Bring it up to a rolling boil, then let it simmer for about 5 minutes or so until the cauliflower is fork tender. (If you have a rice cooker with a steamer insert, you can cook the cauliflower in the steamer. You could also put the florets in a microwave safe bowl with a little water in the bottom and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the plastic to vent it, then microwave for 4 or 5 minutes until the cauliflower is steamed.) OR you can buy 3 bags of that Birdseye Steam Fresh Cauliflower, nuke it, and skip all that stuff I said in the previous paragraph. Once the cauliflower is done, mash it up with a potato masher (or pulse it in the food processor) until it is the consistency of lumpy mashed potatoes. 
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, and mustard until thoroughly combined. Add a pinch of salt, half a pinch of pepper, and a sprinkle of garlic powder. Now add the minced Parsley and Dill, pickle relish, and chopped onion, and whisk thoroughly.
4. Add the chopped eggs to the cauliflower, then combine the Greek yogurt mixture with the eggs and cauliflower. Fold it together with a rubber spatula until it is well mixed. NOW TASTE IT and adjust your seasonings. The mustard usually hides the "twang" of the Greek yogurt, but you may need more salt and pepper.

BF Review: Click Decaf

So now that three of you are all hooked up to get a canister of Click decaf let's get to my opinion of the stuff, shall we?

You all voted and the results were clear: you all wanted me to review to use my sample to make a Click Frapp! If you don't know what a Click Frapp is, start here. Then look at the bottom of the post and there will be thumbnails of other Click Frapps. I endeavor to have as many (or more) flavors than Starbucks has of Frappucinos.

Anyhoo, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning.

About two-ish weeks ago I got an email from Beth at Click. I always get so excited to hear from her because that means something good is coming our way. Beth let me know that Click decaf will soon be shipping and that she wanted me to give it a try and let you all know what I think. She also invited me to give away three free canisters, which is what we did last week!

So a few days later I received the following:

You can't see it, but buried under there is this:

My sample!!! Ok, so maybe it isn't the prettiest packaging ever but I am just going to assume that the packaging for this stuff is so awesomely awesome that it is worth waiting for. Besides...they stocked me up on both regular Click Mocha and Click Vanilla Latte. Note for posterity: I like presents. A lot.

So a few things held up this review, one of them being that I like my Click Frapp with both Click and some chocolate whey and I was out of chocolate whey. And I was also very broke. So I had to wait until I got paid to get some more. But now that I have it...let's do this!

For the full experience of this review, see this wonderful video (wherein I manage to outtalk YouTube). Yes, it's long but it's also comic GOLD. Trust me. Best waste of 15 minutes you'll ever make! I've also recapped my experience in text below. Not nearly as exciting but...whatever.



So the packaging notwithstanding, everything about this sample struck me as regular Click. It looked like regular Click. It smelled like regular Click. But would it blend like regular Click?

What I love about Click in cold shakes is that there is something (and for the life of me from the ingredients list I cannot figure out what) that gives shakes this smooth, creamy consistency that I can achieve no other way. When paired with my Triple X Method for making extra-thick protein shakes, it's like having a damn Wendy's Frosty. Except it's low-sugar. And protein-rich. And you won't regret it five minutes after. Just sayin'.

So after loading up my handy dandy Magic Bullet Hi-Speed Blender, I gave it a whiz and...it thickened! Yay! I used the standard Click Frapp recipe (minus the cocoa powder...watch the video to find out why) and once it was all said and done had a wonderfully creamy shake, which I doled into two cups to share with La Petite Diva (I did this review at 10:40 p.m. and, forgive me, but didn't have all that big an appetite so I needed help!).

What I was looking for was mainly to see how much like regular Click the decaf version is. I like regular Click. It works for me. I didn't want the flavor to change just because it is decaf.

Now La Petite Diva was judging overall taste. She, like any kid, simply cares that it tastes good.

The verdict? A WIN on both counts! It miraculously tastes like the regular Click that I love! It has a nice espresso flavor, rich chocolate, not overbearing, not artificial tasting and not that watered down "decaffy" taste!

So...now I am in a conundrum. Cuz unlike many of you I haz ZERO problems with caffeine. It does not make me lose sleep, get headaches, etc. If I drink too much I do get jittery but I don't often drink too much caffeine so even that is minimal. So do I buy regular Click now...or Click decaf? Discuss amongst yourselves.

After a bit more research, it does appear that the stats on Click Decaf are the same as regular Click AND I scored a pic of the product (thank you Melting Mama!)

Anyhoo...here's what I was going to say when YouTube decided my time was up.

Now...if you missed the Click decaf giveaway or did not win...here's one more opportunity to win a canister!

I'm going to give away a canister of my own on Twitter (you know how I'm always asking you guys to order Amazon and Quest bars from this site? This is the kind of stuff I use those proceeds for!!!). Entering to win it is ridiculously simple:

1. Follow @BariatricFoodie on Twitter
2. Once my Twitter follows hit 200 (that's only 75 follows, people, we can do this!) I'll draw a Twitter follower from a random name generator to win a free canister of Click decaf. The faster we hit, 200, the faster one of you will win some Click, so be sure to tweet to your WLS (and health minded) friends to follow too!
3. BUT...if you want to earn extra chances at the prize, tweet a message mentioning @BariatricFoodie suggesting to your followers that they follow BF too! There will be NO limit in how many extra chances you can get this way. So you can send one tweet for one extra chance or 100 for 100 extra chances. Go crazy with it!

But you have from now until next Tuesday, June 5 to tweet your twittery hearts out. I'll draw on the Wednesday, June 6.

Now BF Facebook fans, do not scoff. I've been giving away things for every 200 Facebook likes for eons now. In fact we're getting close to the next one as we inch up to 1,600 likes. AND I've been letting you guys decide on what you win! So...I need love on my Twitter friends a little bit right now. Don't get mad. I love you all equally, k?

WINNERS of the Bariatric Foodie "All Click'd Out" Contest



You know the lesson I've learned over the last week? The moment you set a schedule to do something the universe starts working against you! I should have known that already but I am hard headed.

Anyhoo...an outage, broken A/C and some more stuff has prevented me from keeping to my blog schedule this week, including posting my Click decaf review! Look for it tomorrow (hopefully...because I probably just doomed that by assigning a date to it!).

In the meantime I don't want to keep you waiting on which three Foodies have won a canister of Click decaf for themselves. Before I announce that, please remember that Click decaf has not begun shipping yet. It will begin shipping in early-June, which is like...next week or something. But that's when your canister will go out. Just wanted to make sure we are clear about that.

So without further adieu...congratulations to...

• Vicki Dunnam, who keeps up with Bariatric Foodie on Facebook!
• DKSparkyBeauty, who is a BF Twitter follower!
• Valeri Reed Mudd, also following Bariatric Foodie on Facebook!

Winners: Please email me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com with your mailing address (and for my Twitter friend, your real name) in order to claim your prize. You have until Wednesday to do so or I draw again!

Now...if you'll excuse me...I'm off to do some pre-emptive exercise in anticipation of the good food that will be present at the family BBQ today. Which brings me to another subject...

I know that first BBQ post-op can be hard, especially if you haven't told everyone you've had WLS. How do you avoid temptation? How do you avoid your family's questions about how much you are (or are not, rather) eating? And how in the world do you respectfully turn down Aunt Judy's super-indulgent potato salad???

No worries! BF has got you covered. Here are some resources to help you out:

• First, read my BF Guide to Surviving a summer BBQ
• Miss your potato salad? Why not try low-carb 'faux-tato' salad instead?
• Wondering which hot dogs give you the most nutritional bang for your buck? Look no further!
• And while we're on the subject of hot dogs, you want a WLS-friendly chili dog?
• Lastly, you want a dessert at the BBQ that you can have too, don't you? Try this!

Nik's "Kickarse" Veggie Chili

Before we start, have you entered yet to win yourself a FREE canister of Click Decaf? Yes? Ok, good. Let us proceed!

Look closely at that bowl of chili above. REALLY stare at it.

It doesn't look that out of the ordinary does it? Sure, it has a few more veggies than regular chili but besides that, pretty standard fare, right?

Well what if I told you this bowl of chili has absolutely NO meat products in it. And what if, after that, I told you that even without meat products this bowl of chili has just about as much protein as a bowl of meat chili? Would you believe me???

(I would hope so. Have I ever lied to you?)

This chili recipe came about by accident. Long story short: I've just moved. Haven't bought new microwave. Forgot to thaw meat. Needed dinner. See? I can practice brevity!

The REAL story here is that I sort of...er...neglected to tell La Grande Diva (i.e. the "meat and potatoes" kid) that this had no meat and...she could not tell! Success!

For real, though, if you have trouble with meat, give this recipe a try. You'll be glad you did.

Nik's "Kick Arse" Veggie Chili

Ingredients:

2 c. TVP (if you're going "what is TVP?", click here)
4 c. water, halved
Onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 an eggplant, skinned (if desired, I did not) and diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, drained of canning liquids
1 can black beans, drained of canning liquids
1 can light red kidneys, drained of canning liquids
1 can dark red kidneys, drained of canning liquids
3 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (yes, I said cocoa powder)
If you, like me, like it spicy: 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of water with as much onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper as you would usually use to season ground meat. Then add your TVP and let it sit for about 20 minutes to completely rehydrate.
2. Meanwhile, you're chopping your veggies (Unless you, like me, actually prep up veggies on a weekly basis. But not many of you are that neurotic, are you?). 
3. Spray down a pot well with nonstick cooking spray and let it heat up. Add the onions, squash, eggplant and any other diced veggies you deem worthy! Sautee until softened then add the garlic.
4. Stir in your beans, your tomatoes and, lastly, your rehydrated TVP and stir very, very well.
5. Add in your spices and the remaining water as it takes to achieve a slightly soupy texture.
6. Bring the whole thing to a boil and then drop it down to a simmer for about 20 minutes or so.

This, like many other recipes, tastes SO much better the next day. I am not even kidding.

And although I usually do NOT do this, I am posting stats on this (which you can also view here as a complete nutrition label...although disregard the sodium numbers as there was no way to track beans and tomatoes that have been washed of all the sodium in the canning liquids!) so you can see for yourself that yes, this does actually pack quite a protein punch. For MY version, using MY ingredients, an 8 oz. serving (which is what I can eat) comes out to: 

247 calories

1.5g fat

35g carbs

13g fiber (so 22g carbs)

22.5g protein

And most importantly, it is yummy! I mean look at it...

Mmmmmm! Couldn't that just be YOUR dinner tonight?

The Bariatric Foodie "All Click'd Out" Contest

Along with my Click decaf sample, the nice folks at Click restocked me! I got but one sample though and I'm not sure what I want to make for the review. Be sure to vote in the right menu bar for how you think I should try my very first Click decaf!

So Click is going decaf. I have only three words to say about that:

THANK YOU CLICK!!!

There are so many Foodies who want to try Click but can't because of the decaf. I am so excited that they will release Click Mocha in decaf in early June!

But guess what else? Click wants to give THREE of you a free canister Click decaf!!!!

To get the party started they sent me a sample to review this week. But I have a problem. I can't decide how I want to try it!!! Should I do a Hot Click drink, a Click Frapp??? What's a gal to do in these situations?

Let the Foodies decide, of course! Be sure to take the poll on the right menu bar to vote for how I should make my very first Click decaf. I plan to do the review on Thursday so you have until midnight Wednesday to vote!

But more importantly, here's how YOU can get your hands on one of those free canisters:

Step One:

If you haven't already, like both Bariatric Foodie and Click on Facebook. If you use Twitter, follow both @BariatricFoodie and @DrinkClick.

Step Two:

Leave a message on Click's Facebook wall between today and May 26 saying:

 "I'm a Bariatric Foodie and I want Click decaf!" (If you can tag Bariatric Foodie in doing this, great. If not, I've gotten quite used to manually counting these things and as your humble servant am again willing to do so.)

If you use Twitter, tweet: I am a @BariatricFoodie and I want to @DrinkClick decaf!

Folks who do that by the deadline, May 26 at midnight EST, will be entered into a drawing to receive one of three canisters of Click decaf, which will begin shipping in June! PLEASE remember though that you must like or follow both Bariatric Foodie and Click to be eligible to win the prize!

If you want a few extra chances at the prize:

• Tweet or Facebook the following: "Check out the @Bariatric Foodie "Click'd Out" contest to win a canister of Mocha Click Decaf from @DrinkClick! http://bit.ly/Jirj2k"
• Search "Click" in the search bar here on the blog and share one of my Click recipes on Facebook or Twitter (again, tag @BariatricFoodie so I know you did it)
• Put my badge (also in the right menu bar) on your blog and leave your blog address in the comments so I know that you did it. (Btw, that's a win-win: exposure for your blog AND an extra chance at the prize. Sweet!)

So...that's all pretty clear, right? Ok, my Foodies. Go forth and conquer!

Where haz you BEEN Nikki???

This was my answer to a stressful move week. It was a BEAUTIFUL 76 degrees and breezy in Baltimore, so I headed over to my fave Thai restaurant with my fave magazine and had a nice, LONG relaxing lunch, a salad with every kind of seafood known to man and a tangy, spicy dressing. Ah....

As much as I'd love to SAY I'd been relaxing and dining al fresco, reading fabulous fashion magazines these last few weeks, I have not!

I have been in the process of uprooting Foodie headquarters from my old house of 13 years to our new digs! (Pictures forthcoming...right now it is a big pile o' boxes...nothing exciting about that...)

Well we're all settled and I've navigated my way through my first few meals in the new house, including the fun of learning to cook on an electric stove (my first...and I hated it the first few times but now I think I understand this stove a bit better).

So...that means the recipes are BACK next week, including, FINALLY, for my Obesity Help friends, a pic and recipe for the shrimp 'n eggs I've been saying I eat all the time, a protein-packed and completely VEGETARIAN chili recipe and a substitute for potato has browns.

All that, plus a giveaway. Stay tuned, Foodies!

And thank you for sticking with me through this crazy time in my life.

Keep playing with your food!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Aside from the holiday, today is my late "Pop-pop's" birthday. Manuel Fernandez was the first man I ever loved and I still miss him every day! In addition to being an awesome grandpa, he also laid the foundation to some of the recipes you guys enjoy from the blog. For instance, he taught me to make homemade pizza crust, which laid the groundwork to know how to make crusts for WLS-friendly pot pies, low-carb pocket apple pies, hot pockets and more!

But...for the rest of you it's Cinco de Mayo and you want Mexican. Am I right?

Here are a few faves from here on the blog! (Click the recipe title for the recipe)

Nachos a la Nik

Man, I haven't made these in forever! If I had pots, pans...a piece of tinfoil...spared from packing, I would totally make these. Loaded with protein, fiber and CRUNCH!

Enchiladas!

Bonus: In addition to being ooey and gooey, this one comes with a video of me demonstrating how to make them...and attempting Zumba. Gulp.

Mexican Egg Casserole

This is the perfect blend of Mexican and "breakfast-for-dinnner." And all the ingredients are at your local grocery store. I promise!

Mexican Chocolate Protein Shake

NEWBIES!  I've not forgotten you! This protein shake is soooooo yummy. And if you like chocolate shakes you already have everything it takes to make it. I PROMISE!

Taco Casserole

Who knew when I first stareted posting about this recipe a few years ago, who knew it would become such a...thing??? By far THE most clicked post on BF, the most referenced recipe I have ever published, taco casserole marries three yummy concepts: tacos, chili and refried beans. The result is NOMINOUS!!!

And if none of these ideas tickle your fancy (although...???), search Mexican on the right menu bar. There are many, many, MANY more ideas!