Healthier Options at TGI Fridays: Shanghai Chicken Salad

One of my favorite dining places has always been TGI Fridays. Albeit on the more pricey side for everyday, going to Fridays is always is a pleasurable dining experience. However, since I have been trying to work on having a healthier diet lately, I had to think twice about what I would order from their menu. My standard favorite has always been the Chicken Fingers, which are hand battered chicken tenders, fried to a golden brown and served with a honey mustard dipping sauce. It is served partnered with a plate of fries just the way I like it: thick with the skin on. While the chicken tenders may sound relatively heathy, I think the fried part plus the side dish of fries takes away whatever healthy features it may have. So today I decided to get the Friday's Shanghai Chicken Salad (Php 440.00).

I know ordering salads can often be a trap because not all salads are technically "healthy". While the greens may be good, the add-ons plus the dressing can be heavily laden with calories. Take for example a Ceasar's Salad. Salad, but lots of calories! The Shanghai Chicken Salad, on the other hand, seemed to be better choice given what it has on it.

The Shanghai Chicken Salad is a mix of Romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, Mandarin Oranges, chilled fire grilled chicken strips tossed lightly with a yummy cilantro lime dressing. The dressing is oil based as compared to other dressings which are creamier or more on the mayo side. I opted to have the dressing on the side so I can cut down on extra calories, which I did by using only half of the dressing served. I love this salad a lot because it has a nice balance between sweet and tangy. It's a refreshing and light salad, with just enough protein to make it filling and satisfying

The only downside is that their lunch size serving is no longer on the menu.While I finished the entire salad (after about three hours!), it's a little on the expensive side for an ordinary lunch date on your own. 

Cucumber with Yogurt Dressing

Inspired by the Greek appetizer tzatziki, this cucumber with yogurt salad is an very refreshing and nutritious alternative to a green salad. There are many variations of tzatziki. Some add dill to it or even grated cucumbers but being the lazy cook that I am, I enjoy just making a simple yogurt dressing to throw over fresh cucumbers. It is also a good variation to the typical cucumber salad with vinaigrette that we Filipinos serve. Making the yogurt dressing is the simplest thing: just mix the unsweetened natural yogurt with crushed garlic, season with salt and pepper and viola, instant dressing. I sprinkle it with a little bit of sugar just to give it a sweet-sour taste. It is best to peel and remove the seeds of the cucumber before mixing this together because the seeds and the center of the cucumber kinda water down the dressing a lot. I love serving this with fried fish because the flavors mix so well. It also goes well with pork chops and inihaw na liempo or grilled pork belly. But to be honest: even on it's own, it's wonderful. An added bonus: great for weight watchers!

Scrambled Tofu: A New Way to Enjoy an Old Favorite.

I have to give credit to my colleague L's mother for introducing me to the idea of scrambled tofu. The first time I heard it, I was a bit skeptical. I had never thought of cooking tofu this way. However, after trying it once, I was hooked! I can honestly eat this for days on end. What I like best about it, besides the fact that it is uber healthy, is that cooking it is so easy and flexible.It can be prepared totally vegetarian or mixed with meats or hams for those who want the added flavor. I have mixed this up with so many different ingredients and I have yet to find one that does not sit with me well. My favorite add-on to this is fresh shitake mushrooms.

This is how I prepare my scrambled tofu:


Ingredients: 

• 2-4 squares (or 1 big block) of tokwa (I prefer the local tofu compared to the Japanese kind because it is firmer), crumbled
  
• half of a large white onion, chopped
  
• tomatoes (amount depends on you. I like lots of tomatoes in my dish), chopped
  
• 2 tablespoons butter (may be
  
• spring onions (optional)
  

Procedure:

1. In a pan, melt butter and sauté onions and tomatoes.
2. Add in crumbled tofu. Mix until tofu is cooked, about 5 minutes.
3. Add in spring onions and whatever add-on you prefer. 

Possible add-ons:

• strips of Spam (I love the hot and spicy kind!)
• fresh mushrooms, Shitake being my favorite!
• cooked shrimps
• ham or bacon bits
• whatever floats your boat! 
  

A Lethal Fruity Mix.

Losing weight is really such a struggle. Sometimes I wish there was an easy answer to my weight woes. In fact, I have been tempted MANY times to try one of those supposedly "tried-and-tested" diet fads such as the oatmeal and hard-boiled egg diet, the 3-day diet, South Beach diet, Cabbage Soup diet, and even the Grapefruit Diet. These are just a few of the many lose weight quickly plans that have been popularized.

However, because I am taking medication for a health condition, I have to think twice about trying one of these fads. Apparently, some of the food items we take can counteract with medications we are taking. I had no idea, however, that grapefruits would be one of them. Because it is a fruit, I assumed it would be healthy and safe to take no matter what. After all, it comes from nature, right? Who would think that fruits when consumed in tandem with prescription medications can be a lethal mix?

According to CBS news something in the grapefruit juice causes a negative interaction with some drugs which can result in dangerous side-effects. AOL Health also explains that something in the juice which still is a mystery to scientists latches onto an enzyme in the intestine which breaks down the drug thus more of it is absorbed into the bloodstream. This is harmful when you are taking statins or cholesterol lowering agents because it can cause abnormal high blood levels which can cause liver damage. Other medications that can have a negative interaction with grapefruit juice are certain antibiotics, cancer medications, allergy and cough medicines, and even drugs like Zoloft and Cialis. No wonder in an episode of Grey's Anatomy, a patient made a comment about delaying taking her contraceptive pill for about half an hour because she had just consumed a glass of grapefruit juice! I just dismissed this as a quirk of the patient but now I know there is so much more to it after all. As always, before trying out any diet and going on new medications, consult your physician about what you can or cannot take together.

photo from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/20/health/webmd/main668105.shtml