One Weigh or Another Recipes

Chicken with Aubergine Sauce (Bekki)

2008-08-20T03:28:00.004+01:00

Here’s a recipe I liked so much I had it twice in two days last week.

Fried chicken with pepper eggplant saute

Chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
Whole grain breadcrumbs
Parmesan cheese, grated
Fresh oregano leaves chopped
Olive oil
Milk
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Red pepper
Aubergine

(There aren’t any quantities in the original recipe either, but it’s so simple, I’m sure you can make it up!)

Mix breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt and pepper and oregano leaves. (I used dried)
Heat non stick skillet/frying pan with a little olive oil.
Coat the chicken in a little milk and dip in the breadcrumb mixture.
Fry until golden and cooked through.
While it’s cooking, peel and chop aubergine into 1 cm dice. Chop red pepper.
Cook the pepper and aubergine together in some olive oil, adding salt, pepper and oregano to taste. Since I was only cooking for one, my chicken and veg fitted in the same frying pan.
Once the veg are tender, put all but a few in a blender, or into a bowl and use a hand held blender. Whizz until smooth. I added a little creme fraiche.
Serve the chicken with the sauce over it and those bits of veg you saved on the top.
The blog it comes from, Five: Four is full of yummy stuff. Four chefs take five ingredients and come up with a recipe, all of which are South Beach friendly. It looks like they haven’t posted anything on it since last October, but what’s there looks good and there are links to the cooks’ own blogs which have lots more recipes.

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1 Comment »

Sounds interesting. When we next have an aubergine I might have to make everyone try this. I’m sure there’s a couple of Daddy’s (gluten-free) rolls kicking around in the freezer that are too old to do much but make breadcrumbs with.

Coconut Custard Pie

2008-08-17T05:17:00.003+01:00

(Originally posted by Brandi)

I made this pie last week and have really enjoyed it. Here is a link to the recipe:
(Debs, can you do that thing that you do to make it light up?)

(All fixed, D)

My modifications are as follows:
I did not use a crust. Just sprayed the pie pan and baked the filling.
I used 2 T Splenda and 2 T fructose in place of the sugar.
I used unsweetened coconut
I served it with feresh whipped cream and shaved chocolate on top. It’s also good by itself or with ice cream

I am used to enjoying “less sweet” things, but you may want to add more sweetener. For me, it was perfect.

Enjoy!

Baingan Bharta (eggplant curry)

2008-08-17T05:16:00.003+01:00

(Originally posted by Tami)

Not really BUT I did tell Debs that I was leaving OWOA about 2 weeks ago. I haven’t been around or weighed in a few weeks. I started school and am still struggling to juggle my time and thought it best to leave the group. I’ve also been dealing with a great bit of home sickness. Yes, I know that I was born and raised here in Western WA and only lived in TN just over 2 years but it’s home. The south is deep in my blood and always has been. My grandad was born and raised in Arkansas. Still loves it to this day but never moved away from WA after he retired from the airforce because my Grandmother detested the south. Not me. His blood, his love runs deep in these veins. Any hoots! My longing to get back there isn’t helped by the cool grey days we’ve had here. Summer seemed to skip us over…until yesterday. Now it’s like 70 but still breezy. I don’t know if that can be considered summer.

I just make something yummy and before sending the recipe to Debs to ask that she share it with y’all I thought I’d see if I still had posting priveledges. Guess what?! I guess I do. So, without further ado I would like to share something that I found at Allrecipes. I had one lowly eggplant sitting in my fridge and since Jeff hates the thing I thought I’d use it for lunch.

Baingan Bharta (eggplant curry)

1 large eggplant

2 tablespoons veggie oil (I used olive oil)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds (I used ground cumin)

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (I just minced 4 gloves of garlic and sprinkled in some ground garlic)

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 tomato, diced (didn’t have any because of the recall so I used sundried tomatoes in oil…I was skeptical but it worked well)

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 fresh jalapeno, finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 450F. Place eggplant on a medium baking sheet. Bake 20-30 mintues until tender. Remove from heat, cool, peel, and chop. (I placed the hot eggplant immediately into a brown lunch sack and put it in the fridge. I was hungry and didn’t want to wait forever for the skin to seperate from the meat) Heat oil in a medium saucepan (skillet) over medium heat. Mix in cumin seeds and onion. Cook and stir until onion is tender. Mix ginger garlic paste, curry powder, and tomato into the saucepan, and cook about 1 minute. Stir in yogurt. Mix in eggplant and jalapeno pepper and season with salt. Cover and cook 10 minutes over high heatRemove cover, reduce heat to low and continue cooking about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro to serve.

It supossedly feeds for…um…I ate half of it…not in one sitting mind you. I put 1/4 of it in a bowl, sat and ate it then got back up, put more in my bowl, sat back down and ate that bit. So see, I ate 1/2 the recipe in 2 sittings.

Cookout Suggestions?

2008-08-17T05:14:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by Brandi)

We are having a Lifegroup cookout tomorrow night and need to bring something. We are the last to sign up and can bring whatever we want. It will be hamburgers (we will bring our buns) and somebody else is already bringing baked beans (sugary, I’m sure) so I don’t think I should bring beans. Any suggestions for a South Beach friendly side dish to bring? Feel free to make suggestions even if you don’t post a recipe. I’m just drawing a blank and I want my Bird-man to have a yummy meal!

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14 Comments »

How about a cold veggie salad? My aunt used to cut up fresh broccoli and cauliflower and toss it with ranch…you could use the fat free ranch.
Comment by Cristina — June 23, 2008 @ 8:03 am
Is anyone likely to be taking salad? As in lettuce and stuff.. I know that sounds a bit boring, but you can stick all sorts of stuff in it and make it really interesting, and then you can fill up on salad if there’s no much else you can eat. Assuming of course, that you actually like salad!
Comment by Debs — June 23, 2008 @ 8:03 am
Kalyn’s Kitchen Spinach, Bacon, Feta Salad sounds good at the moment. And we love the Romaine & Yellow Beet Salad.
Have fun at the cookout!
Comment by Anita — June 23, 2008 @ 9:06 am
This goes great with burgers
http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2006/08/black-bean-and-pepper-salad-with.html
Comment by blestwithsons — June 23, 2008 @ 9:22 am
I had a really tasty mayo-free coleslaw at a cookout once. I didn’t get the recipe, but it was petty spicy, and I believe they used some vinegar and olive oil for the saucy part. It wasn’t sweet at all, but was VERY yummy!
Comment by Kate — June 23, 2008 @ 1:55 pm
kalyns kitchen had a recipe up just a couple days ago with cucumber, yogurt, and dill. That would be fantastic to me!
Comment by Stephine — June 23, 2008 @ 6:29 pm
Pizza might be a good option.
Comment by Bird — June 24, 2008 @ 4:46 am
You not into salad, bird?!
Comment by Debs — June 24, 2008 @ 5:36 am
:-D
Comment by Brandi — June 24, 2008 @ 6:09 am
Thanks for all of your suggestions! Blest, I really wanted to make yours, but I would have to douple it and I am too much of a cheap-skate to buy those peppers for $1.50 each!
I ended up making Chickpea salad II from allrecipes.com. (I used diced Roma tomatoes and added black olives and pepper.) So far it tasted great and it hasn’t even marinated yet!
Comment by Brandi — June 24, 2008 @ 11:36 am
I get my colored peppers at Sams Club. It’s usually $6 a bag for six red, orange, and yellow. And earlier this week they had bags of six red for less than $4!! YUM!
Comment by blestwithsons — June 24, 2008 @ 5:55 pm
I guess the real question, Brandi, was whether bird ate any of it?
Comment by Debs — June 25, 2008 @ 4:40 am
Two servings! Everyone else liked it too…it was all gone and I made a double recipe!
Comment by Brandi — June 25, 2008 @ 9:01 am
Excellent
Comment by Debs — June 25, 2008 @ 9:27 am

Fresh Corn Salsa

2008-08-17T05:13:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by Christina)

Prep Time:
25 min

Total Time:
25 min

Makes:
3 cups or 24 servings, 2 Tbsp. each

1-1/2 lb. tomatoes, chopped

1 cup fresh corn kernels (Note: I used canned with no salt added)

1/4 cup finely chopped red onions (Note: I don’t care for onions, so I left these out)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro or fresh parsley

1 medium jalapeño pepper, chopped

1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing (Note: I used the fat free version)

COMBINE all ingredients except dressing in large bowl.

ADD dressing; mix lightly.

This salsa was so good and easy to make. I’ve made it twice, the second time I added some lime juice to it.

I’ve used it over baked chicken and over baked tilapia…yummy!

Oh, you can find the recipe here.

Sweet BBQ Chicken Kabobs

2008-08-17T05:08:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by Christina)

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces

2 cups 1-1/2-inch fresh pineapple chunks

1 each: red and green pepper, cut into 1-1/2-inch chunks

1/2 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce (NOTE: I used the KC Masterpiece Classic Blend BBQ Sauce that has only 10 calories per serving)

3 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

PREHEAT grill to medium-high heat. Using eight long wooden skewers (two, side-by-side, for each kabob), thread chicken alternately with pineapple and peppers onto skewers, to make four kabobs.

MIX barbecue sauce and juice concentrate; brush some of the sauce mixture onto kabobs.

GRILL 8 to 10 min. or until chicken is cooked through, turning and brushing occasionally with the remaining sauce mixture.

Prep Time:
15 min

Total Time:
25 min

Makes:
4 servings, one kabob each

I got this recipe from the Kraft Food & Family Magazine but it can be found here.

BBQ Sauce

2008-08-17T05:07:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by Bethany)

Okay, I’m gonna cheat! I haven’t tried this yet. Christy just sent me the recipe for this today! I am a huge fan of BBQ sauce, and well, well all know it’s just not the best thing as far a sugar goes. This one is fairly low on sugar. It’s in the Hungry Girl Cookbook, but she has it on her site!
I will be trying it out, so I’ll get back to you on the taste later.

HG’s Not-So-Secret BBQ Sauce
PER SERVING (half of recipe, about 3 tbsp.): 37 calories, 0g fat, 347mg sodium, 9g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 8g sugars, POINTS® value 1*
Ingredients:
1/4 cup canned tomato sauce
2 tbsp. ketchup
2 tsp. brown sugar (not packed)
2 tsp. cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Directions:
Mix well. (That’s it!)
Happy BBQ-ing!

My Current Addition

2008-08-17T05:06:00.001+01:00

I love love love aubergine at the moment. Some of you may know it as eggplant, but anyway, it’s sooo simple to prepare, and really yummy. There are all sorts of ways to cook it, but my favourite at the moment is to cook in on the griddle pan.

I slice it into medium thinkness slices or chucks (maybe 1/4 inch think. I’m hopeless at knowing things like that, I just do it so it looks righ!). Then either brush/spray the aubergine with olive oil, or put a thin coating on the pan. Get the pan nice and hot, and then shove on the aubergine (I hope you like my technical terms!)

Salt and pepper liberally, and turn over every few minutes. Spray with a bit more oil if it gets too dry. Once it’s beginning to get soft, add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar over the top, and try to get all the bits of aubergine coated in it. Cook just a little longer, and then serve. Goes with lots of differnet things. I had it with beefburger and salad last night.

I think the thing I like about it is the salt&vinegar taste, it satisfies a craving for chips (fries to y’all) without actually needing to comsume all that fat

My Yummy Oatmeal

2008-08-17T05:03:00.002+01:00

(Originally posted by Stephanie)

So ever since I was little and we’d go to the fair I’d always get the roasted almonds that were roasted and carmelized in cinnamon and sugar. So. Stinkin’. Good.

Take a good thing and turn it into something that isn’t so bad for you and Bam, here you have my oatmeal that I’ve learned to LOVE.

1/4c steel cut oats
3/4c water
2tsp splenda (or sweeten to taste)
1 heaping tbsp Almond butter (all natural preferred)
1/4-1/2tsp vanilla extract
1tsp cinnamon (more or less to taste here too)

I’ve been using McCann’s quick and easy steel cut Irish Oatmeal. (can someone teach me how to make links on here?) make according to direstions, well, bring 3/4c water to a boil, stir in oats, reduce, cover, cook stir regularly for 5-7min. Meanwhile, in a bowl mix together remaining ingredients. When oats are finish add to nut mixture, blend well, adjust to taste, eat. Enjoy!

I really love this stuff! I hope you guys try it and like it as much as I do.

Good Day Sunshine

2008-08-17T05:02:00.005+01:00

(Originally posted by Tami)

Happiness is:

1 banana

1 orange sliced, seeded rind left on

3/4 of a pineapple

2 cups water

Throw the above ingredients in a blender, pour into a glass, add a sprig of mint, sit back and enjoy the fire (yes, it’s cloudy, windy and cool but it doesn’t matter ’cause I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day!) This drink is PACKED with good for you stuff like manganese, vitamin C and B1, potassium, and other goodies.

*For whatever reason the picture doesn’t want to upload here so you can see it over at my blog if you want

(*Debs waves her admin wand and fixes the link*)

Kind of a cross between cookie dough & muffin batter

2008-08-17T05:02:00.003+01:00

(Originally posted by Brandi)

For dessert after lunch I mashed up 1/2 a banana, stirred in about a tablespoon natural peanut butter and then added 1/4 C oats. It was really yummy!

Carrot Spice Muffins

2008-08-17T05:01:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by Brandi)

From Whole Foods for the Whole Family; La Leche League Cookbook.

(Photo by Bird)

Don’t let the raisins scare you, Blest. Bird hates raisins and loved these. (Of course you can omit them or sub something else.) Enjoy!

1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. each ginger and allspice
1/3 C honey (I used fructose and in the future I will prob. add about 2 T more liquid to compensate. The recipe said I could sub sugar for honey but didn’t say to add more liquid…I think the batter should have been a bit more wet.)
1 egg
1/2 C sour milk (1/2 T vinegar or lemon juice and the rest milk)
1/3 C oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 C grated carrots (about 2 large)
1/2 C raisins
1/2 C chopped pecans

Combine dry ingredients and spices in large bowl. Mix fructose or honey, egg, milk, oil, vanilla, carrots, raisins and pecans in medium bowl. Add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Fill greased or lined baking cups 2/3 C full. Bake 400 deg. 15 minutes (check after 10 min.) They say this makes 18, but I divided it among 12.

FYI, each has 137 cals, 2 g protein, 18g carbs, 2g fiber, and 7g fat

Perfect Pork Chops & Pursuing Pumpkin Bread

2008-08-17T05:00:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by Blest)

Yeah…well…okay!

Just wanted to let you know that these pork chops are absolutely faboo. My husband was thrilled. His exact words “These taste like the ones at Macaroni Grill but without the sugar…and that’s an improvement!” I think he’s getting beachified! Kudos to Kalyn’s Kitchen, of kourse!

And…I’m in pursuit of pumpkin bread. The ultimate pumpkin bread. I almost have it. But not quite. But when the recipe is perfected I shall share it and you can all gasp in awe and heap accolades on me accordingly. No really!

Marinated Veggies

2008-08-17T04:59:00.004+01:00

(Originally posted by Tami)

I really enjoy this on days like today when it’s too hot to actually turn the stove or oven on. You can use your own veggie mix but here’s what I did for my last batch.

2 leeks (whites part only, sliced)

3 tomatoes

broccoli florets (as much as you prefer)

1 yellow pepper sliced

1 red pepper sliced

prebagged coleslaw veggies (as much as you’d prefer)

Throw the about in a bowl and mix. Add a little EVOO and then add some apple cider vinegar. You could add any herbs that you might like at this point but this time around I ate it just the way it was. Let marinate for a few hours before eating.

Saucy Parmesan Chicken

2008-08-17T04:59:00.003+01:00

(Originally posted by Christina)

Here’s a recipe that I got from the Kraft Food and Family magazine. It sure does give a good flavor to the chicken! Yummy!

4 small boneless chicken breast halves (1lb)
1/4 cup Kraft Light Zesty Italian Reduced Fat Dressing
1/2 cup Kraft 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese (i used the reduced fat here too)

Place all ingredients in large resealable freezer-weight plastic bag; seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with remaining ingredients. Lay flat so chicken does not overlap.

Refrigerate chicken 30 min. to marinate. Preheat oven to 425F. Remove chicken from marinade; discard bag and marinade. Arrange chicken on foil covered baking sheet. Bake chicken 20 min or until cooked through.

Makes 4 servings.

CAL 180, FAT 6g (Sat 2.5g), SODIUM 430mg, CARB 1g, PROTEIN 27g

Kitchen Sink Quinoa

2008-08-17T04:58:00.002+01:00

(Originally posted by Anita)

I was winging it tonight, using up vegetables that were in the fridge. What came out of it all tasted pretty good, so I thought you all might like to try this too. Too bad I didn’t take a picture of it because it even looked pretty good. I served it with pork loin chops on the grill.

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup chicken broth
1 large sweet potato (not yam), diced
3/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
2-3 cups beet greens (or any kind of spinach-like greens), chopped
1/4 cup raisins
2-3 tablespoons honey
olive oil
seasonings of choice

In a small pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Add quinoa, stir, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until all the broth is absorbed and the quinoa looks soft.

In a medium pot, boil sweet potato until about 3/4 done - soft on the edges, but firm, not cooked all the way through - maybe 5 minutes? Drain and set aside.

In a large frying pan, drizzle about 2 turns around the pan with olive oil. On medium high heat, saute the onion just until it starts to caramelize. Turn down the heat to medium and add the red pepper and cook a minute or 2 longer. Add the sweet potato, beet greens, raisins and honey, stirring to mix all of the ingredients together. Cover and steam for a couple of minutes or until the greens have wilted.

Add the cooked quinoa and season to taste. I added sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and a couple of shakes of Emeril’s Creole Seasoning.

Enjoy.

Tex Mex Enchiladas

2008-08-17T04:57:00.002+01:00

(Originally posted by Christina)

Tami, here’s that recipe you asked for. It’s really very Tex Mex. My Mom used to make these for us when she was low on time.

I’ll post the original and the way that I’ve modified it.

Original Tex Mex Enchiladas

Oil
Corn Tortillas
Shredded Cheese
Onions
Can of hormel chili beans (or whichever brand you prefer)

Pour some oil in a pan and warm the oil. Put 1 or 2 corn tortillas in there at a time to warm up. Place the tortillas on some paper napkins to soak up the oil.

Spray a 13×9 with cooking spray (if not making enough enchiladas to fill a 13×9 you can use an 8×8 or 9×9). Heat oven to 350.

Put shredded cheese and diced onions in the tortillas and roll them up. Place them in the 13×9 as you roll them up. Once you’re done with the tortillas, pour a can of chili beans over the top of them. Put the enchiladas in oven for about 30 minutes or until warm all the way through and cheese is melted. Take out and sprinkle more cheese on top and place in oven until cheese in melted.

Modified Tex Mex Enchiladas

I have since modified the original recipe. I don’t warm the tortillas in oil. I warm the corn tortillas in the microwave. Just enough that they are easier to role.

I use reduced fat or fat free cheese. I sometimes I added shredded chicken.

Instead of using the regular hormel chili beans, I use the hormel turkey chili with beans.

There you have it. Enjoy!

Speedy Fajita Salad

2008-08-17T04:56:00.001+01:00

Slightly late, but I just got this recipe from South Beach online, and thought I’d share the link.

It’s for Speedy Fajita Salad

Carne Guisada

2008-08-17T04:55:00.002+01:00

(Originally posted by DebbieBoo)

I adapted this recipe from one I found at allrecipes.com. Hmm . . . I’d post the link but my little nifty toolbar is missing at the moment . . . maybe later . . .

2 pounds round steak, cut into bite size pieces (I buy the family-sized stew meat package from HEB, so it’s usually a bit more than 2 lbs)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 Tablespoon pepper (maybe a little less)
Salt to taste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I use whole wheat)
1 1/2 cups water
1 onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced

Place oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meat and season with the garlic, cumin, pepper and salt. Saute meat until browned on all sides.

Slowly add the flour, stirring well, and saute for 1 more minute. Gradually add the water, making sure to crush any flour lumps. Then add the onion and bell pepper, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes (the longer you simmer, the more tender the meat becomes). Add salt to taste.

This goes GREAT with the Mexican Rice recipe. They both take time to make. I usually start cooking the rice and while it’s simmering I make the carne guisada. Both finish cooking about the same time and they’re DELISH!

Mexican Rice

2008-08-17T04:53:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by DebbieBoo)

Well, I have no nutrition info for this, but I consider it a SB friendlier recipe since I use brown rice. It’s my regular recipe with that only substitution. Oh, and I cook A LOT of rice, so I guess you can cut the recipe in half. Maybe someday I’ll post the charro beans recipe I just figured out to go along with it.

Ok, forgive me if this is unclear; I’ve never written this recipe out before.

2 cups brown rice
2 T olive oil (you MAY need a bit more once it starts browning)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
3 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
1 can tomato sauce (the little can; is it 8 oz?)
1/2 tablespoon salt (you can reduce this if you wish)
1/2 tablespoon Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning (OK, I know this isn’t Mexican, but it gives it a nice kick! You can also use less of this)
Dash (or 2 or 3) of cumin
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water

Pour oil into a very large and deep skillet (yes, skillet, not saucepan). Add rice, onion and garlic, and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until rice is browned. Poor in 3/4 of a small can of tomato sauce (I usually never use the whole can). Add water and chicken stock, at which point there’ll be a nice loud and steamy sizzle! Gently stir in spices. Cover and simmer for an hour and a half. Yeah, you heard that right — an hour and a half! Occasionally check to make sure there’s enough water.

This is one of those dishes you may not get right the first time you attempt it. Or the second or third. But you’ll eventually get it. It’s tricky because sometimes some of the grains won’t cook. But if you keep trying it you’ll learn the trick — not something I can explain or describe over the internet.

Hope you likey!

Modified Brownies

2008-08-17T04:52:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by Christina)

Instead of making brownies out of the box, try this version.
1 box devil’s food cake mix
1 can solid pack pumpkin (15 oz.)

Mix the two ingredients together. Don’t add anything else that may be mentioned on the box, such as eggs, oil, or water. The mixture will be very thick and you will be tempted to add in other things to make the batter smoother. DO NOT DO THIS AS IT WILL RUIN EVERYTHING! Place batter into muffin tins (or mini muffin tins) lined with paper, or sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 12 regular or 36 mini muffins.

Note: I got this from the Hungry Girl website.

Chicken Quesadillas

2008-08-17T04:49:00.003+01:00

(Originally posted by Christina)

1/2 tsp. Extra Spicy Mrs. Dash
2 whole wheat tortillas
1 cup fresh spinach
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 minced garlic clove
1/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheese
salsa

Sprinkle chicken with the Extra Spicy Mrs. Dash and grill. Slice and set aside. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and saute garlic and spinach. Spray one side of each tortilla with cooking spray and place one in the skillet.
Place cooked chicken, spinach and garlic on the tortilla. Add cheese on top and follow with other tortilla, sprayed side up. Cook on low until browned and flip to other side. Top with salsa.
Note: I got this recipe from my nutritionist’s recipe book.

Edited to change subject from Chicken Enchilada’s to Chicken Quesadilla. I had enchilada’s on the brain because I was originally going to post a recipe for that.

Spanish Rice & Beans

2008-08-17T04:47:00.002+01:00

(Originally posted by Anita)

Adapted from the Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook, I have made this recipe a little bit healthier by adding beans and using brown rice. But it could be even less calories if you use reduce fat bacon, cheese, etc. And… in case anyone is wondering I also post my recipes over at http://mangiamo.wordpress.com. {Serves 4}

Spanish Rice & Beans

6 slices bacon (we use center cut, or you could use a turkey bacon.)
1 cup onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 28-ounce can tomatoes, cut up
1 14-ounce can black beans, drained
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 cup water
3/4 cup rice (brown or white - but we like the brown)
1 tablespoon brown sugar (or substitute with your sweetener of choice)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
dash hot pepper sauce

In a large skillet, cook bacon till crisp; drain on paper towels and set aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings from the pan.

In the reserved bacon drippings, cook onion and green pepper until tender. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to medium-low and cover; simmer 30 minutes for white rice, 45 minutes brown rice or until rice is done and most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring often. Be careful that the bottom doesn’t stick and burn.

Serve with (or reduced-fat) shredded cheddar/jack cheese and sour cream if desired.

Taco Soup II

2008-08-17T04:45:00.002+01:00

(Originally posted by Stephanie)

TACO SOUP

16 oz. can chili beans
16 oz. kidney beans
16 oz. can black beans
8 oz. can tomato sauce
15 oz. can diced stewed tomatoes
16 oz. can whole corn
16 oz. creamed corn
pkg. taco seasoning
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 sm. can chopped green chilies

Do not drain any of the canned foods. Add all ingredients to a crock pot and add taco seasoning to the soup. Brown the ground beef in a pan with the chopped onion and add this combination to the crock pot. Simmer for at least a couple of hours. Serve warm and garnish with optional toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips (cooked in frying pan with olive oil and grated parmesan cheese).

Credit goes here for the recipe. I would probably tweak this some by using vegetarian or FF chili, using ground turkey (or veggie crumbles) for the meat, and FF cheese, sour cream etc. This soup is super yummy and extremely filling!

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

2008-08-17T04:44:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by DebbieBoo)

I got this off the box of Traditional Ancient Harvest Quinoa:

1 cup Traditional Quinoa
2 cups Water
4 large or 6 medium Green Peppers
1 medium Onion, diced
1/2 lb. fresh Mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 - 28 oz can Tomatoes, coarsely diced (reserve juice)
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 - 12 oz jar Mexican Salsa (I used homemade)
2 Tbsp. Dry Sherry (I didn’t have this)
10 oz Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Cook traditional quinoa following the directions on side panel.
Steam 4 large or 6 medium green peppers until soft but not limp (I boiled mine). When cooled enough to handle, cut off tops and scoop out seeds and veins.
In a large skillet, saute the onion and mushrooms in butter. Add the diced tomatoes (reserve the juice). Add the crushed garlic and Mexican salsa. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Add the sherry and simmer 10 more minutes.
Fold in quinoa.
Place peppers in baking dish and fill with quinoa mixture. This will take about half the mixture. Thin remainder with reserved juice and pour around peppers.
Sprinkle shredded mozzarella over peppers and back in 325 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.

This is YUMMY! The dish I baked it in was a bit small so I didn’t get to pour all the remaining quinoa mixture in the pan (plus I cooked way more than 1 cup of quinoa). But that’s OK, because it was good as side dish to a meal! A nice alternative to Mexican Rice.

Mediterranean Sweet Potato Pizza

2008-08-17T04:40:00.002+01:00

Anita, this ones for you!

So I made this up for lunch today and it truly is delish. Because of the sweet potato and whole wheat flour I wouldn’t eat it every day but it really is an amazing alternative to pizza. The recipe is too long and detailed for me to care to write (I’ve must go exercise…cut me some slack ) so you can find it here.

The only thing I did differently was to add about 1 1/2 TBL light mozzarella cheese to each pizza. I like the taste of cheese but knew I didn’t need what pizza typically has.

Enjoy!

Lean Lasagna & Marinara Sauce

2008-08-17T04:39:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by Christina)

Lean Lasagna

4 cups marinara sauce
spinach, zuchinni, or fresh vegetables of choice (i used spinach, zuchinni, shredded carrots, green bell pepper)
12oz container fat free cottage cheese, strained
8oz container fat free of low fat ricotta
4oz shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese
oven ready lasagna noodles
reduced fat parmesan cheese to taste

1) Combine cottage cheese and ricotta and set aside.
2) Place a layer of marinara sauce in a 9×13 pan.
3) Layer uncooked lasagna noodles, 1/2 the cottage/ricotta mixture, 1/2 the vegetables.
4) Repeat step 2 and 3
5) Cover and bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour.
6) Top with mozzarella and bake uncovered until cheese is melted.
7) Let stand to cool about 15 minutes before cutting.

Makes 6 large servings.

NOTE: You can also add meat to this by adding 1lb extra lean ground beef, drained and rinsed to the marinara sauce.

Here’s a recipe to the marinara sauce that I got from my nutritionist. You can use this marinara for the Lean Lasagna recipe and also for the Texican Lasagna that I posted last week. By the way, I got the lasagna recipes from my nutritionist as well.

Marinara Sauce
2-48oz can crushed tomatoes in puree
1-15oz can diced tomatoes
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 cup red wine
1 package fresh pre-sliced mushrooms (i left these out because i don’t care for mushrooms)
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground thyme
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
(Use fresh herbs when available but double the amounts)

Place all ingredients in a crock-pot on low and simmer for 6-8 hours. If you need faster, put on high for 3 hours.

FYI: This marinara sauce recipe made a lot! I used the same batch for the Lean Lasagna and 2 recipes of the Texican Lasagna and I still have marinara sauce left over.

Risotto with Acorn Squash

2008-08-17T04:38:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by Anita)

Once I learned how to make risotto, I make variations of the same recipe quite a lot during the winter. Use barley instead of arborio rice if you want a nuttier flavor and a healthier dish. The barley takes a little bit longer to cook than the arborio rice. I also use chicken stock, but you could use vegetable stock to make it truly vegetarian. And roast any kind of vegetable - it doesn’t have to be squash. It’s just what we had on hand at the time.

Risotto with Acorn Squash

2 cups Acorn Squash, peeled,seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice (or any root vegetable)
1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup arborio rice (or pearled barley - it just takes a little longer to cook)
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups vegetable stock (I usually use chicken stock)
1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
1/4 cup milk (leave out if you are using barley)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place squash on a small baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with your favorite seasoning. It could be a garlic seasoning or just plain salt and pepper. Toss squash to coat. Roast in the oven until tender, about 20 - 25 minutes.

Bring stock to a simmer in a heavy saucepan. Reduce heat to low and keep warm. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in another large saucepan over medium to medium-low heat. Add onion and cook until it begins to look transparent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add the rice and stir another 2 minutes. Add wine and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add 1 cup of the chicken stock; simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently. Continue until 3 cups of chicken stock have been absorbed. Add the remaining cup of chicken stock and squash, stirring frequently until the arborio rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.

Remove from heat and add the sage leaves, chives and 1 tablespoon butter and milk, stirring until the butter is melted. Stir in the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with more Parmesan cheese at the table.

Strawberry Cloud

2008-08-17T04:37:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by Christina)

I found an alternative to the Starbucks Strawberries & Creme Frappucino. I haven’t tried it yet but it sounds yummy and thought I’d share.

By the way, I found the recipe here.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup frozen strawberries (plain — NOT in syrup!)
5 oz. light vanilla soymilk
2 tsp. Fat Free French Vanilla Coffee-mate powder (dissolved in a n oz. of warm water)
1 oz. Torani Sugar Free Strawberry Syrup
3 no-calorie sweetener packets (like Splenda)
3 large ice cubes
2 tbsp. Fat Free Reddi-wip

Directions:
Place all of the ingredients in a blender, except for the Reddi-wip. Blend on high speed for 30 - 45 seconds. Pour, and top with the Reddi-wip.

PER SERVING (entire recipe): 119 calories, 1g fat, 102mg sodium, 21g carbs, 2g fiber, 14g sugars, 4g protein

SpicyMeatyMexicany Chili

2008-08-17T04:35:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by DebbieBoo)

I make this at least once a week because it’s so stinking easy and yummy. There’s really no recipe — I just throw everything together:

2 lbs ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed (I love garlic so lot’s of time I end up using more)
spices: cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper (as much of all of this as you can handle; maybe at least a tablespoon of cumin and chili powder, a little less cayenne pepper)
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can Rotel (or any canned chopped tomatoes with green chiles)
2 8oz. cans tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef along with spices, garlic, onion and bell pepper. Drain.

Add both cans of beans (I never drain or rinse; too lazy), Rotel (again, not drained), tomato sauce and extra spices to balance out the taste (rather scientific, huh?). Cover and let simmer until it’s hot and yummy; about 20 min.

Serve by itself or with brown rice/Mexican rice. Top with grated cheese and/or sour cream.

It easily serves 6-8 people, depending on how much they eat. It also freezes nicely if you have too much left over.

Sometimes I’ll add peas or a chopped zucchini as it’s simmering. I used to add corn before I started SB.
If it sounds spicy, rest assured that it is spicy. But the spiciness is what makes it yum.

Coconut Chicken

2008-08-17T04:02:00.001+01:00

I was going to share with you all this recipe for Coconut Chicken, which I received in an e-mail from the South Beach Diet wedsite. However, I searched the site and discovered my family has shared it before. So, I’m going to share it again, because it is yummy, and I think that half the OWOA-ers won’t have seen it before, and I’ll rack my brains for something different to share later in the weekend, when I’m, hopefully, feeling more awake.

Coconut Chicken

Texican Lasagna

2008-08-17T04:01:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by Christina)

I made this earlier this week and it was awesome! Enjoy!

6 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded light cheese
2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, boiled and sliced
3 cups marinara sauce
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. crushed red pepper

Mix spices with marinara sauce. Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray and place a layer of corn tortillas in pan. Next add a layer of marinara sauce. Add the chicken and black beans on top of this. Next add layer of cheese. Add another layer of tortillas, sauce and remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until cheese begins to brown.

Cut into 6 servings.

Cream Cheese Dessert

2008-08-17T04:00:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by DebbieBoo)

Don’t ask me how it tastes ’cause I just found it in a recipe book and haven’t tried it yet. I don’t know if I’ll ever make it, actually. It’s exactly 200 calories a serving which sounds like a heck of a lot to me! But that was the calorie limit, right?

Ok, without further ado here’s the recipe straight from Quick & Healthy Recipes & Ideas by Brenda J. Ponichtera:

1 tub (12 oz) light cream cheese (room temp)
1 large box (1.4 oz) sugar-free vanilla instant pudding
3 cups skim milk
1 can (20 oz) light cherry filling*
In a small mixing bowl, combine pudding mix and milk. Beat on low speed to mix ingredients. Add cream cheese. Increase speed and beat until smooth and thickened. Pour into individual or large serving dish. Top with pie filling, and refrigerate.
Yield: 8 servings
One serving: 1/2 cup pudding mix
1/4 cup filling
Calories per serving: 200
Fat: 8 grams
*The cherry filling contains sugar and should be limited by people with diabetes.

If I ever do make it I’ll prob sub the pie filling for fresh or frozen fruit.

Bird's Old-Fashioned 'Niller Punnin'

2008-08-17T03:59:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Bird)

2 tablespoons of Splenda

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon of salt

1 cup 2% milk

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons of butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstartch and salt. Gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat.

Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolk; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in butter and vanilla.

Cool for 15 minutes, stirring occassionally. Transfer to dessert dishes. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Consume an obscene amount.

Actually, Bran Muffin made this dessert last night for the first time and it was YUMMY. I highly recommend it. I hate that this thing doesn’t have a spell checker, by the way … or am I just missing it?

Apple Cake (with a hat-tip to the oatmeal muffin)

2008-08-17T03:57:00.002+01:00

Several things inspired me to try this. First of all, HP was talking about making apple cake last week (in the end she made something else I think), but that reminded me of the yummy combination of apple, cake and of course cinnamon. Then I was having porridge cravings yesterday, I belive it was - and the way I cook that is to add an apple, finely chopped with the oats, and then cook in the microwave.

Anyway, that led me to think about the oatmeal muffins. I made some of those the other day, and decided I would like them more if there were slightly less ‘airy’ and had a bit more crunch or bite in them somehow. I though about adding chucks of apple to the muffins, but then decided to try using the batter instead of ‘normal’ cake mix, and then sticking the apple bits in and topping with cinnamon.

I took the recipe blest posted (I believe from the South Beach Diet Cookbook) Here’s a link to that and this is what I did

3/4 cup oats
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour or whole grain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon + more to shake over the top
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup applesauce (I made this myself by gently stewing some bramley apples, because I’ve not found it sold here like it is in the States)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large apples, with the skin left on. Cored, and cut into thin slices

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180C / 350F

Line a tin (I used 7″ by 13″) with baking paper or grease well with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the oats and the buttermilk. Let soak for 30 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and walnuts. In a large bowl, stir together the oil, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla until well blended. Stir in the oat mixture. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.

Pour the batter into the baking tray and arrange the cut pieces of apple in the mix, so that the apple skin points out to the sky. ~~Dredge~~ Sprinkle with cinnamon (I like lots!).

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool on a rack and then cut into pieces.

Originally I cut them so that I had 16 bits, but having eaten one of those I would say that actually it would be better to make 24 or even 32 bits (They are very filling). I have no idea of the nutritional info on those, so I shall stop typing now!

(I can’t get the pictures to show up, buthere’s a picture of the piece I ate over on my food pics blog)

Strawberry Pie

2008-08-17T03:57:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by Stephanie)

… Weight Watcher style

Crumble 2 full length chocolate graham crackers and sprinkle over bottom of 8″ pie pan. Place 2 cups of fresh sliced strawberries over cracker crumbs. In small saucepan mix 1 T. cornstarch, 1 small box sugar-free strawberry jello, 1 c. diet ginger ale. Stir and bring to a boil. Cool to lukewarm and pour over berries. Chill to firm and top with cool whip.

4 WW points for the ENTIRE pie. Yum.

Baked Apple

2008-08-17T03:56:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by Bekki)

Take one apple.

Core it and score it round the circumference.

Mix together a teaspoon of saltanas, a teaspoon of flaked almonds, a pinch of cinnamon and a little freshly ground nutmeg.

Stuff the fruit and nut mix inside the apple. Put in in something oven proof.
Bake at 180C (350F) for about an hour (cook something else at the same time, like roast veg and sausages or chicken.)

Serve with low fat yoghurt or creme fraiche.

Heavenly Lemon Mousse

2008-08-17T03:55:00.000+01:00

Ok, so this is a recipe I got from South Beach Daily emails. (I signed up for them a long time ago, and I get an email every day, sometimes they’re just ads trying to get me to ‘do’ South Beach through the website, but they also send recipes and exercise ideas). I’ve never tried this recipe, but I thought I’d share it, so that if my current experiment which is taking place in the kitchen right now all goes to pot, I’ve still shared a dessert recipe with you! It has splenda in it, so I don’t know if it will count for the challenge, but hey.! (The tag at the beginning is what they said about it)

Who doesn’t enjoy a refreshing dessert to cap off a nice dinner? This delicious concoction certainly fills the bill!
Makes 6 servings (1/2 cup each)
Ingredients:
6 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
3/4 cup Splenda® or sugar substitute
1 tablespoon lemon peel (from 1 large lemon)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
1 1/2 cups South Beach Diet®-approved whipped topping
Instructions:
1. In medium stainless steel saucepan over medium heat, combine yolks, whole eggs, Splenda®, peel, and juice. Cook 4 minutes, whisking constantly, until thickened to a custard consistency.
2. Remove from heat; pour into medium bowl and refrigerate until cold (about 30 minutes). Just before serving, fold in whipped topping until combined and lightened. Spoon into serving bowls.
Nutritional Information:
136 calories
5 g protein
10 g carbohydrates
0 g fiber
8 g total fat (4 g saturated fat)
275 mg cholesterol
32 mg sodium

Peanut Butter Whips

2008-08-17T03:54:00.002+01:00

(Originally posted by Christina)

1/2 cup reduced fat peanut butter and 18oz tub fat free cool whip

Mix together and freeze in lined muffin tins.

Makes 12.

For those on WW, 2points each.

Chapati Bread

2008-08-17T03:54:00.001+01:00

I just found this recipe linked to from a blog I read (Days to Come).

Thought I might experiement with it sometime (Monday night is curry night in our house, so this might make an interesting carb to go with it)

No-Pasta Pasta Pepperonata

2008-08-17T03:53:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Missy)

I’m temporarily changing my name to “Pinkie” for this challenge.

This is a staple for my frequent vegetarian escapades.

Cut a small spaghetti squash in half, scoop out seeds and rub a little salt inside. Place cut side down in caserole dish half-filled with water, cover and cook in microwave for 10 minutes.

While that’s cooking, saute a chopped onion, a couple cloves of minced garlic, and two sliced red-peppers in olive oil til soft. Add a can of diced tomatoes and a tablespoon of basil, simmer for five minutes.

Scrape out the squash from the shell with a fork, top with veggies and a little parm. Enjoy.

E is for Eggs

2008-08-17T03:52:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Elly)

A quick recipe when inspiration and time are lacking.

chop one or two onions and similar quantity of courgettes (zucchini)

Saute gently in olive oil (or what ever is your favourite), a little soy sauce, pepper and salt to taste. i usauly cover the pan after the initial coating with oil . Stir occasionally.

After around 20 mins add a tin of chopped tomatoes or fresh tomatoes chopped, depends what is available in season, cheap etc.

Finally beat some eggs (how ever many you have or dependent on how many people you are feeding. stir into rest of ingredients in pan until lightly scrambled. Serve immediatley with or without rice, or mashed potatoes (my husbands choice) or bread. sometimes we leave out the tomatoes for a change.

This was a standby on camping trips years ago and has remained an occasional option ever since.

My favourite packed lunch

2008-08-17T03:51:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Elly)

Ok haven’t been participating in this challenge so far but thought I would try this time. I have packed lunch several times a week and it rarely varies that much. this is what I do.

Wash lettuce and tear into small peices. I try different sorts, somtimes a little young spinach if we have any

Add chopped into small pieces any combiunation of the following: one or two radishes, some red or yellow pepper (bell pepper) or whatever colour is in the fridge, a few baby tomatoes or a large one chopped, celery, cucumber, salad onion (scallion?), beetrot occasionally.

For protein I add a slice of ham chopped or some turkey (we buy quick cook steaks rather than ready cooked and some form of low fat cheese (feta or cheddar or Edam) cubed.
Then add a few sponfuls of french type dressing (mine has rather more vinegar than olive oil, mustard, salt pepper and mustard (dijon or multigrain) and pinch of sugar substitute. Occasionally i throw in a few pumpkin or sunflower seeds or a few beans or chick peas.
And that is what I make almost every time. It varies a little according to what is in the fridge but it amazes me how satisfying I find it. i follow up with a piece of fruit and I am full. It takes a little longer than making a sandwich but not much as I just fit it in round making breakfast (often porridge) and I just love it and I don’t miss the bread.

I put it in a clip top container which is leakproof and pack it in a small cooler bag with an ice pack. I usually add a small snack for midafternoon, often houmus and veg sticks or a baby bel cheese and an apple. That gets me past that end of school time (4 pm) when I do my planning for the next day and saves me from the biscuits or other goodies that might be lurking in the staff room.

My Breakfast Stand-by

2008-08-17T03:47:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Brandi)

I eat this every single morning. I love it!

Combine in a deep microwave-safe bowl:

1/3 C oats
1 T ground flaxseed
1/2 C milk
1/2 C water

(for my microwave, this is what I do…yours may be different:)
Cook on high 3 minutes. Stir. Cook for 1 minute. Stir. Cook for 40 seconds. Stir.

Add:

salt to taste
stevia or other sweetener to taste
cinnamon to taste
1/2 banana, chopped

Stir well and put in the freezer so it will cool down

Dal

2008-08-17T03:45:00.000+01:00

This is actually a link to a recipe that I’ve been meaning to share with y’all for ages. It’s for dal, and I found it over on Kalyn’s Kitchen, but I’m hoping that Tami will let me count it as my D recipe.

Kalyn uses red lentils, but the almost everytime I’ve made it I’ve used dal lentils (hence the D). (I think we’d originally bought the huge packet as a cheap filling for beanbags, but when I saw the recipe I decided to try it out!)

Here’s the link.

Peanut Butter Banana Crunch Cookies

2008-08-17T02:52:00.002+01:00

A recipe by Blest!!

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup Kashi 7 Whole Grain Flakes cereal, lightly crushed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup natural peanut butter (I use Smuckers)
1 tsp vanilla

2 bananas
1 tbsp oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using your mixture, combine bananas, peanut butter, vanilla and oil til well-blended. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the dry to the wet and mix ‘em up! Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes. Makes about 20

Of course, for even more crunch you could add some chopped nuts or use crunchy peanut butter.

Easy Pasta

2008-08-17T02:52:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by DebbieBoo)

Here’s my go-to when I haven’t eaten too many carbs:

1/2 bag of whole wheat pasta (I typically use angel hair pasta)

3 garlic cloves (minced, crushed or pressed; and FRESH, not jarred)
1 chopped Roma tomato

2 T olive oil

3 T balsamic vinegar

Parmesan cheese (freshly grated is best)

salt to taste

Cook the pasta according to directions. Drain. Add garlic, oil, vinegar and mix together (you may add more or less depending on how dry you like it). Season with salt to taste. Top with desired amount of parmesan cheese, and enjoy!

This easily serves 3-4 people. Don’t ask about the calories and other nutrition info, ’cause I have no clue!

Fried BROWN Rice

2008-08-17T02:51:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by DebbieBoo)

This will count as the recipe involving a main ingredient that starts w/ the first letter of my name here (I’m using “Boo” in this instance). I posted this at my blog a couple of months ago:

Easy Fried Rice

This recipe is a variation of one I found at All Recipes. It’s hard for me to write up a recipe since I throw things together and season as I see fit, never measuring. But I’ll give it a try!

INGREDIENTS
* 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
* 2 T vegetable oil
* 2 T soy sauce
* 3 green onions and tops, chopped
* 1/2-1 cup frozen peas or snap peas
* 1/2-1 cup fresh cut string beans (I usually boil these a bit first)
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 4 cups cold cooked brown rice
* 3 tablespoons Teriyaki Sauce (I used an organic one w/ garlic & ginger)
* Salt, pepper and garlic to taste.

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut chicken into thin strips.
2. Heat oil in hot wok or large skillet over high heat. Add chicken, green onions , and soy sauce. Stir-fry 3 minutes, or until chicken is nearly cooked. (I always add seasonings in this step and may had more later, after the rice has been added to the meat.)
3. Add veggies. Cook 3-5 minutes more.
4. Add eggs; cook, stirring gently, until firm. Stir in rice and cook until heated through.
5. Add teriyaki sauce; remove pan from heat. Stir mixture until well mixed. Serve immediately.

I know it’s not true fried rice, but it’s still yummy. Hope you enjoy!

Bekki's Black Eye Bean Burgers

2008-08-17T02:49:00.000+01:00

This recipe is a sort of work in progress ‘cos I’m not completely happy with it, but I think this works.

1 tin of black eyed beans (black eye peas)

Half a red onion

Half a red pepper

Tabasco sauce

A beaten egg

Cayenne pepper

Preheat the grill. (Now I’ve never sure of the US translation of the UK grill. Broiler maybe?)
Chop the onion and pepper finely (I use a mini food processor).

Chop/mash the beans with a fork or the same mini food processor.

Mix the beans, onion, pepper, some Tabasco and cayenne pepper.

Add enough beaten egg to make the mixture stick togther.

Form into cakes and grill until browned.

Serve with salad and something tomato-ey.

Makes 4 burgers. I usually cook all 4, eat 2 for dinner and eat the other 2 cold, crumbled up in salads.

Another Stir Fry

2008-08-17T02:48:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Bekki)

Like Debs, my cooking on auto-pilot standard is stir-fry, though usually with a Thai-style sauce.

Chop up lots of veg into same sized pieces. (Usually onion, brocolli, peppers, mushrooms, courgettes, whatever else is lurking in the fridge).

Chop ginger and garlic very small.

Mix 1 teaspoon of peanut butter and 1 teaspoon of red or green curry paste (Actually I haven’t had any of this for months, so I make a mixture of soy sauce, lazy chillies and chopped Kaffir lime leaves, ground ginger and ground coriander) and some soy sauce to make a paste.

Heat up your wok.

Add some oil (groundnut usually). Add the ginger and garlic and fry for a bit.

Add the veg and stir fry for a couple of minutes.

Add a small can of reduced fat coconut milk. Simmer until it looks thick enough.

Add the peanut/curry paste, maybe a little hot water (swirl it round the mug or whatever you mixed the past in).

Cook until it looks edible.

Serve on its own or over millet or brown rice. Sprinkle with fresh coriander if you’ve got it.

Stir-fry

2008-08-17T02:47:00.000+01:00

In this house a simple stir-fry is one of our go-to dishes. Especially for Sunday lunchtime, because we don’t usually get home from church until after way one, and usually don’t eat until two.

We would probably have it with brown rice, or brown rice noodles, which you stir in a couple of minutes before the end. I don’t really have a recipe, cos it’s different every time, but as a rough guide…

An onion or two (could use one white, one red for a bit of colour)
A clove or two of garlic
Chicken or Turkey breast, cut up into the sort of shapes you find in stirfry!
Some carrot, pealed and cut into long slivers. (don’t know what the technical term is, but long thin bits!)
At least one thing green - green beans, mange tout, broccoli, courgette
Probably some red\yellow\green pepper (depending on what we’ve got)
Mushrooms
Sweetcorn
Anything else you have that looks like it wants to be in a stirfry
Soy Sauce

Start by heating some olive oil in a big pan (we have a wok, but a large frying pan will do). Once it’s heated, add the garlic (either finely chopped, or put through a garlic crusher) and onion, and cook for a couple of minutes. If you’re using raw meat (which I don’t always) add it now as well.

Cook until the meat is looking cooked all over (if it’s still pink inside that’s ok, because it’ll be cooking a bit longer). Start adding the rest of the vegetables. I would probably put the carrot and green beans etc in next. Keep stirring, and add a little more oil if it needs it. Add the rest of the vegetables, probably putting things like mushroom, pepper and sweetcorn in towards the end.

Splosh in a good splash of soy sauce, and stir it all together. Basically, I would go by instinct, but you can taste something like the onion or carrot to see if it’s done to your taste. If you’re using ready cooked meat (for example, we might use the leftovers from a roast pork or beef joint ) they mix that in towards the end, and make sure it gets heater through. If you’re using noodles you might like to add them now.

That’s about it. Sometimes I’ll add a small handful of pine nuts or cashews. Serve with rice, or without, and with the soy sauce bottle handy for if people want to add some more.

If you’re feeling adventurous you can experiment with marinating the raw meat in some interesting concoction for a couple of hours before you cook it.

If you want a more detailed recipe, try this one I just found over at Kalyn’s kitchen.

Chocolate Haystacks

2008-08-17T02:46:00.002+01:00

(Originally posted by Christina)

Thank goodness my name starts with a C! Thank goodness for the bonus point challenge! And I wish I didn’t love chocolate as much as I did!

fiber one cereal (one pouch)
12oz chocolate chips (sometimes i use semi-sweet, other times dark, sometimes milk chocolate and sometimes i mix them all up)

Melt chips in microwave. Mix in cereal. Drop on waxed paper. Put in frig.

Makes 27 generous servings.

WW = 1 point

Picadillo

2008-08-17T02:46:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by Christina)

This is a Mexican dish that I make quite often. If you’re having trouble pronouncing it, it sounds like “picadiyo”.

1 lb extra lean ground meat
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tomatoe, chopped
salt free lemon and pepper (put in as much as you’d like)
worcestershire sauce (put in as much as you’d like; sometimes I leave out since it’s high in sodium)
1 potatoe, peeled and diced (sometimes I leave this out depending on how many carbs I’ve already had)
4 tomatoes and 1 jalapeno blended in blender

Put the extra lean ground meat in a skillet and add the lemon and pepper and worcestershire sauce. Cook the meat. About 5-10 minutes before it’s done, add the chopped tomatoe and green bell pepper. Once the meat is done, add in the diced potatoes, the tomatoe/jalapeno mixture and some water. Enough water so that the potatoes can cook (approx 1 cup). Cover and cook until the potatoes are soft.

I love it! Hope you do to.

*Edited to add: You can also add in chopped onion and some garlic powder or minced garlic.

Roasted Veggies

2008-08-17T02:44:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Tami)

I love to roast veggies. I don’t have a particular amount of anything, just throw in more or less of what I’m craving.

Typically it consists of

1 each red and yellow pepper and a sweet onion

1/2 an eggplant

1/4 of a bunch of asparagus

I cut everything into bite size pieces and toss with some olive oil, red wine vinegar, and pepper. I bake in a casserole dish at 425 until everything is warm and just beginning to soften…about 20 minutes. Then I flip the oven to broil and let the veggies sit until they get as dark as I like. My husband does not like the eggplant because it does get very soft…it’s a texture thing with him. I love them because with the red wine vinegar it’s like candy to me. Yummy sweet.

Red Cabbage

2008-08-17T02:43:00.002+01:00

A fair while ago, last year sometime, I believe, we got a red cabbage delivered in our organic fruit and veg box (We have a box delivered once a fortnight) so I decided to look for ways to cook it. I googled, and searched on Kalyn’s kitchen, and collected ideas from lots of different places, and came up with my own version.

I haven’t made this recipe since before I went to Texas, although we did buy a red cabbage to make it sometime this week, so my recipe isn’t as precise or exact as it could be. If you’d rather follow an exact recipe then check out this one on Kalyn’s Kitchen, if you’re happy to follow some vague ideas then keep reading.

A lot of the recipes I found used vingar or some sort, apples, and chicken stock\broth. So here’s what I did.

Red Cabbage.
A couple of apples.
Olive Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
A chicken stock cube and hot water (you could use a couple of cans chicken broth, or some homemade chicken stock)
Salt and Pepper

Chop the cabbage finely and peal and chop the apples.

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a pan with a lid. (I used a big frying pan, but any pan that you can put the lid on would do). Put the cabbage and apple in and saute for about 5 or 10 minutes (I would generally start thowing the cabbage and apple in the pan once I’d begun to cut it up, to get it off the chopping board so I could keep cutting the next bit)

Once it’s begun to wilt add about 5 fluid ounces (about 2/3 cup) red wine vinegar and enough chicken stock\hot water to cover the cabbage. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until tender. (I think maybe 30-40 minutes. As I said, I haven’t made this in a long time!)

The vinegar combined with the sweetness of the apple give this dish a sort of sweet and sour taste.

Yellow Squash & Zucchini Spice

2008-08-17T02:43:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by DebbieBoo)

So easy. So yummy.

2 yellow squash (or is it squashes?)
2 zucchinis (or is it zucchin-i)

3 sizable roma tomatoes

at least 1/2 chopped onion

olive oil

tons of pepper and some salt

Slice the zucchini and squash to your liking (but i wouldn’t recommend going too thin).

In a pan, preferably a cast iron, put olive oil (abt 1-2 T depending on amount of veggies).

Spread onions over the bottom of the pan.

Layer: 1 sliced squash, 1 sliced zucchini, 1 1/2 roma tomatoes, salt and LOTS of pepper. Repeat layer.

Cover pan. Turn burner to medium. Cook until it smells good. Stir, then cover and cook some more.

It’s best when the veggies are squishy rather than still firm, so if you’re a picky texture eater then you might not like this one. Also, what makes it so yummy is the spice from the pepper. So if you taste it and it’s not spicy, add some more!

Green French Fries

2008-08-17T02:42:00.002+01:00

(Originally posted by Blest)

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Get some french green beans from Sam’s. (actually - you should get the green beans before you turn the oven on) Put about half a pack in a bowl. Drizzle in some olive oil, garlic, lemon pepper, and salt… or whatever floats your boat. Spread on a cookie sheet. Bake the daylights out of ‘em.

They come out crispy crunchy and rather Fry-like. Or at least, this Fry* likes ‘em.

*my maiden name

Broccoli Blest Style

2008-08-17T02:42:00.001+01:00

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put some broccoli in a pyrex dish, or a cast-iron skillet, or on a cookie sheet…whatever. Drizzle with a little sesame oil, sprinkle on some soy sauce, and dash with garlic and pepper.

Bake the daylights out of it. Or rather, til it’s black and crunch on the tips. Or not…whatever you prefer.

Chow down.

Spicy Sweet Potato Cakes

2008-08-17T02:40:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Bekki)

This is more of an algorithm than a recipe, but it’s yummy.

Take a sweet potato (or more, depending on how many you’re cooking for).
Make holes in it with a sharp knife so it doesn’t explode.
Cook it in the microwave until soft (10 minutes? 20? Depends on the potato, the microwave. Use your common sense).
Wait til it cools enough to handle and cut the potato in half.
Scoop out the innards into a bowl and mash with a fork.
Add some ginger. If you like ginger a lot, then add a 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated up small. If you’re less keen, add a small pinch of ground ginger.
Form the ginger-potato mixture into cakes.
Add a small amount of groundnut oil or oil spray to a frying pan.
Heat the frying pan until smoking.
Fry the potato cakes until brownish. (until they look like you’d want to eat them, basically).
Serve with Thai-style stir-fryed vegetables.

Easy Broccoli

2008-08-17T02:39:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Stephanie)

This is (right now) my all-time favorite quick veggie dish. I can eat the entire bowl by myself and not feel guilty, it is that good.

I use a medium sized microwaveable container (with a lid).

Dump in frozen broccoli.

Over the top of it, pat fat free butter or whatever spread you use per your particular diet plan. The last time I made it, I sprinkle it with Molly McButter and it worked just as well.

Next, sprinkle garlic salt, garlic powder, minced garlic (fresh preferably) - whatever you have. I have found that the dried diced minced garlic doesn’t work as well in this recipe, fyi.

Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove and stir. Replace in microwave and cook for another 4-5 minutes on high.

Remove and sprinkle with parmesan cheese; again, I’ve used both the powdered cheese and fresh, so whatever you have.

Stir and serve.

My favorite. I’ve been known (when pregnant) to make this, serve it for dinner, and then later in the evening go back and eat all the leftovers because I crave it.

Zucchini Casserole

2008-08-17T02:38:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Christina)

Here’s another recipe just in case my previous one was too easy.

3 large zuchinni
Italian seasonings
garlic salt
12oz grated parmesan cheese (2cup package)
12oz grated mozzarella cheese (2cup package)
1 medium onion (diced)

Slice zuchinnii and cover bottom of casserole dish (9×13 pan). Sprinkle part of diced onion on top of zucchini. Sprinkle Italian seasonings, garlic salt and mozzarella cheese. Make another layer and top with parmesan cheese. You might like to add a very thin sliced tomato on top of the cheese to add color. Cover casserole with foil and bake for 1 hour at 375. After about 45 minutes take off foil and let top brown.

Broccoli & Cauliflower

2008-08-17T02:37:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Christina)

This is super easy to make and so good.

Cut up a head of brocolli and a head of cauliflower into bite size pieces. Put in a bowl and mix in some fat free ranch dressing. Serve cold.

Very yummy!

Beef Stew

2008-08-17T02:36:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by DebbieBoo)

That makes me sad because that means Spring Break is almost over! *sniff*sniff*

Anywho, on with the recipe posting!

This is my interpretation of Jana’s Beef Stew (Hope you don’t mind, Jana!) I’ll post her original recipe w/ my adaptions in parenthesis.

Beef Stew
1 1/2 - 2 pounds stew beef cubes
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 1/3 cups water
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove minced garlic (I LOVE garlic, so I used 3-4 cloves instead!)
1 chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste (I put lots of both, esp the pepper; I like it spicy!)
3 cups sliced carrots (Made it w/o these the first time; only used about 1 cup the second time)
3 cups cubed red potatoes (you may omit if you wish) (The previous was Jana’s note; I actually used sweet potatoes instead)
2 1/2 cups pearl onions (I didn’t have these so left ‘em out)
3 Tbsp whole wheat flour
(((Debbie also added: 1 cup of frozen peas (near the end) and 1/2 pound of mushrooms (because they’re yummy) and some diced green peppers when I added the onion)))

Heat olive oil and brown the beef cubes.
Add 2 cups of water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, and spices.
Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Add carrots, potatoes and onions, cover and cook 30 more minutes or until veggies are tender. (This is when I added the mushrooms also; and maybe the peas.)
In a small cup, whisk 1/3 cup water with flour and add to stew to thicken before serving.

This stew is sooooo yummy and well worth the wait! For me, it’s hard to imagine having it again anytime soon because the temps are already getting up into the 70’s here and eating stew on a warm day just seems wrong. But I’m sure I’ll crave it again soon.

Every time I make it, though, I think I end up adding more water, therefore using a bit more flour for thickening it (and Worcestershire sauce to even out the flavoring). Oh, I also use the broth from the soup to mix with the flour.

Hope y’all enjoy!

Celeriac Soup

2008-08-17T02:35:00.001+01:00

We made this soup yesterday, and then ate it for lunch today. It has a very strong celeriac taste, so if you don’t like celeriac, you probably won’t like this!

We found it on a site called Veg-box recipes

Ingredients
1 celeriac
1 medium onion
1 pint vegetable stock
2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
Handful of fresh herbs (e.g. parsley, thyme leaves, sage, chives)
1 dried bay leaf
Salt & pepper to taste
50ml double cream (optional)
Peel the celeriac and chop into cubes. Peel the onion and slice finely.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the celeriac and onion. Stir to coat with oil. Sauté gently for 10 minutes.
Add the stock and bay leaf. Simmer over a low heat for about 30 minutes, until the celeriac is soft (this depends on the size of your cubes!).
Remove the bay leaf and discard.
Add the fresh herbs and then liquidise, until smooth.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in the cream, if using.
Serves 2-3

We used some yoghurt instead of cream, and also added some extra water as it seemed pretty think. You could probably use milk instead of cream if you wanted to.

Minestrone Soup

2008-08-17T02:34:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Christina)

Morning everyone! Here’s a soup recipe for our food Friday. I haven’t tried it yet but plan to pretty soon. I got this recipe from the nutritionist at the gym that I go to.

3 cups water
2-10.5oz can low sodium chicken broth
1 bag shredded carrots
1 zuchinni, diced
1 cup chopped spinach
1-15oz can white beans
3-14.5oz can low sodium diced tomatoes
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp mrs. dash tomatoe/basil seasoning or 1tsp basil and 1tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup wheat elbow macaroni (optional)

Combine all ingredients, except the macaroni, and cook in crock pot on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 5-6 hours. Add the macaroni the last 30 minutes and turn crock pot on high.

Serves 8.

200 cal, .5g fat, 15g protein

Is it still Friday?

2008-08-17T02:28:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by DebbieBoo)

I did a smoothie experiment today that didn’t go too smoothly. Hmm…I didn’t intend for that to be a pun, but whatev.

My mom has been reading up on the nutritional value of coconut oil and we decided to incorporate it into our diet. Basically you can substitute it for oils you cook with or eat it straight up. They recommend, for the best results, to have at least two tablespoons a day. It’s creamy and, despite the name, doesn’t have an overwhelming coconut taste. You can definitely taste the coconut but it’s not too overbearing.

Anywho, as I started drinking a Dannon Light & Fit Smoothie this morning I had a flashback of a former college roommate who bought a similar drink and dumped it into the blender with a bunch of other stuff. So I thought I’d do the same!

About an hour later (after I added everything into the blender I realized it wasn’t working; apparently it had been in the washing machine w/o being taken apart so I figured water sitting on it caused the screw to rust and stick. It took some time to get it cleaned aftereventually loosening the screw with WD-40) my concoction was completed and it was ok. Wonder if it would have been better had it not been for the delay. Anywho, here’s what I blended:

1 C frozen strawberries
1 serving Dannon Light & Fit Smoothie (I used mixed berry)
1 banana (ok, I actually didn’t have this but I would have added it if I had one)

I originally added a T of coconut oil but that wasn’t very wise - when it got cold it hardened and stuck together. DUH! So after I blended it all I melted the coconut oil and added it to the drink as I stirred, making little frozen bits rather than a big clump.

If it doesn’t sound that great it’s cause it wasn’t. So I wouldn’t necessarily recommend making one. I might experiment w/ it again when I have bananas.

I also have a very simple coffee drink. I call it my “Holiday Blend.” It’s a nice treat on a cold morning . . . which we will probably no longer have here in Houston — today was 80+ degrees! But I digress . . .
1 serving of strong coffee
1-2 T International House Sugar-Free Hazlenut Coffee Creamer
2-3 drops of peppermint extract
1-2 dashes of cinnamon

Basically I just mix it all together and enjoy! If it’s a particularly large mug I might add a bit of Stevia (to satisfy my sweet tooth). And that’s why I varied the measurements of ingredients. It all depends on your personal taste. But I DEFINITELY recommend this drink! Even if it’s not cold outside or the holidays.

I hope this post counts for Food Friday. It’s well into Saturday here, but I’m pretty sure it’s still Friday somewhere . . .

Light Protein Shake

2008-08-17T02:27:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Christina)

Whenever I am in a hurry and don’t have time to fix lunch or dinner or when I get home late from work, I fix myself a lite protein shake.

I use a packet of the Myoplex Lite Strawberry or Vanilla protein powder mix
1 cup of frozen fruit
10-12 oz water
1/2-1cup crushed ice
Pour it all in blender, blend it all up and there you have it. I love it!

I use to do the vanilla protein powder mix with 2 scoops of the Ovaltine Chocolate Malt powder with the water and crushed ice but I had to stop that because the way it would work was 2 scoops of the the Ovaltine powder in the blender and like 4 scoops in my mouth. I had no self control, so I just stopped buying it.

Jana's Banana-Walnut Shake

2008-08-17T02:26:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Missy)

Until Jana became my food oracle (hehe!) I’d never made any drinks in my blender that did not require salt and lime. I hope she doesn’t mind me sharing one of her recipes I just love.

1 cup skim milk
1 oz. protein powder (optional - I have also added a serving of silken tofu)
1 banana
1 small handful of walnuts

Blend until well-mixed. I like to add frozen strawberries or peaches to mix it up. Yum!

Making this a high-protein naturally sweet breakfast a habit has really made a difference in balancing and stabilizing my blood sugar and seems to keep my thyroid balanced, too.

Mint-Ginger Spritzers

2008-08-17T02:25:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Tami)

This drink is very refreshing. As soon as I finish posting this I think I’ll go make some more from what I have left from dinner last night. The recipe comes from the SB Parties and Holidays cook book

3 tbs roughly chopped fresh ginger

1/2 c. water

3 tbs granular sugar substitute

1 c fresh mint leaves

1(2 liter) bottle seltzer water, chilled

Ice cubes

8 small fresh mint sprigs (optional)

Place ginger in a small suacepan with water and sugar substitute. Bring to a simmer, remove from heat, and let steep in saucepan at room temperature for at least 4 hours.

After ginger syrup has steeped, add mint leaves and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Strain.

To serve, pour 1/2 cup of seltzer into a glass, add 1 tablespoon mint-ginger syrup, and stir. Add ice and stir again. Top drink with a mint sprig (optional).

Best of all this drink contains 0 everything! Oh yeah, the book says you can make the syrup up to a week in advance and store in the fridge.

Debs' typical brew

2008-08-17T02:24:00.000+01:00

I’m pretty boring in what I drink, but here’s the recipe and instructions for my favourite.

1. Take a glass, preferably a big one that holds a(n English) pint (that’s 20 fluid oz)

2. Turn on the cold tap and stick your finger under the stream of water, once the water feels cold enough put the glass under the flow until it’s full.

3. Turn off the tap.

4. Drink and enjoy.

Seriously though, all I do drink is water. Since I came back from blest’s I haven’t even gotten back into drinking apple squash (dilute apple drink made with a small amount of squash and water). If I do drink squash or juice (like I did on Sunday when I was with the kids group because I was really thirsty, and that was all they had) it gives me a headache. I guess because in a way it’s just liquid sugar, and it affects me straight away. I might occasionally have a hot chocolate (but that would also give me a headache) or when I went to Starbucks with blest I might get a Steamer.

Intro the Green Smoothie

2008-08-17T02:23:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Leann)

I am hooked on these things… I promise they taste sweet and yummy and even my kids are drinking them with absolutely NO complaints. They actually come running when they hear the blender starting. Instead of posting a ton of recipes I will just send you to the original posts on my foodie blog and you can copy what you like or try what you like. They are full of nutrients and NO sugar (other than the natural fruit kind God intended).

Each Peach Pear Plum

Banana/Chocolate Heaven …Not a green one but a favorite in our house. You can substitute almond or soynut or any other favorite “butter” in this in place of the peanut butter.

AppleSaucePeach - it really tastes like applesauce with a peach twist

Banana/Strawberry Delight

The book… Green for Life that got me started on this routine.

The basics…

* I start with bananas and greens as my base. The banana gives it the smooth texture. Avocado can be used for smoothness, too (but don’t use the skin with either bananas or avocados in it).
* The greens I use are not the bitter kind. I use romaine, kale, spinach, green and red leaf, endive, etc… The book I recommended talks about even more kinds you can use.

* I add the whole fruit sans seeds. The skins are a huge source of nutrition and fiber.

* This is a complete breakfast or snack and the greens contain proteins in plant form that are enhanced and strengthened by the fruit and it is easily and readily digested because it has been broken down for you and your stomach does not have to pick it all out for you.

* The sky is the limit!!!

My favorite this week that I have not posted yet…

2 bananas

2 large hands full of spinach

1 peach

1 pear

1 apple

1 cup deep purple grapes

10 ice cubes

OH.MY.GOODNESS!!! This one is officially the favorite so far. The grapes throw it over the top.

Cool Coolers

2008-08-17T02:21:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Blest)

I haven’t tried these yet. But I know I will!

From Bob Greene’s The Best Life Diet book

Mocha Cooler

1 medium banana, cut into chunkes

2 cups light chocolate soymilk

2 tsps instant coffee granules

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup ice cubes

In a blender, place all the ingredients except ice cubes. Cover; blend on high speed for about 15 seconds or until smooth. Add ice cubes. Cover; blend for about 15 seconds, or until smooth.

Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings.

Per serving: 148 calories. 8g protein. 26g Carbs. 2g Fiber. 2g Fat.

Iced Vanilla Latte

1 1/2 Cups strong coffee

2 cups vanilla soymilk

2 tsps caramel or chocolate fat free topping

Ice cubes to taste

Sugar, if desired.

Brew coffee. Stir the soymilk into the coffee. Drizzle the insides of two large glasses with topping. Fill glasses with ice cubes as desired. Pour coffee mixture over ice. Sweeten to taste. (which for me would, of course, be NOT)

Per serving: 118 calories (more if you add sugar) 6g Protein. 16g carbs 0g Fiber 3g fat

Recipe help please (roasted chicken)

2008-08-17T02:20:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Tami)

Hey all,

Jeff gets back into town tomorrow and I really want to make hime a nice roasted chicken. I’ve done them tons but am looking for a different way to flavor. Anybody have a great herb mix or recipe that you wouldn’t mind sharing with me. Our tummies thank you!

« Forgetting what lies behind… Let’s Get Together? »

13 Comments »

I don’t have any particular recipe to share, but I was just thinking about how chicken can taste good when cooked with lemon or rosemary. Have you tried looking on Kalyn’s Kitchen. I know it would be trying an unknown, but she’s usually pretty good at picking good ‘uns!
I was going to email you this evening, but I’m about brain dead, so I’ll just say a quick hi on here. How’s it going? I did 65 mins on the treadmill and pushed HARD! I actually took my asthma inhaler when I got off. I was ok, just felt like my lungs could do with some encouragment to open up a little more!
Comment by Debs — March 11, 2008 @ 3:00 pm
http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2006/04/pan-roasted-chicken-withmushrooms.html
This one of Kalyn’s looks good to me. I shall have to try it sometime. It calls for chicken pieces, but I’m sure you could use a whole chicken if that’s what you’ve got.
Comment by Debs — March 11, 2008 @ 3:02 pm
Oh, I might add, Jeff HATES rosemary. It took him 5 years of me cooking with it before he informed me that he has never cared for it.
Comment by Tami — March 11, 2008 @ 3:20 pm
You could brine it like brining a turkey. Or just stuff it with some sort of citrus, onion, carrot etc and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
I’ve never tried the 40 garlic clove type recipe, but I have heard raves about it.
Comment by Anita — March 11, 2008 @ 4:31 pm
Anita, the 40 garlic clove recipe is YUMMY so long as you like garlic. I’ve also done it with teh citrus, onion, carrot, celery. I may just need to do that again…Nah, I’d rather the garlic and onion. I may just do that.
Comment by Tami — March 11, 2008 @ 4:35 pm
Oh, what about putting it on a bar-b-que? Weber’s Beer Can Chicken is really good.
http://www.weber.com/bbq/pub/recipe/view.aspx?c=poultry&r=213
You can also use wine or soda pop as well… and any kind of seasoning you like. We do this in the summer. It does take a while on the grill, though.
Comment by Anita — March 11, 2008 @ 4:39 pm
You absolutely must trying brining! It’s my most favorite way to roast a chicken or turkey. Here’s my recipe on my blog:
http://accidentalpastorswife.blogspot.com/2007/05/julies-brined-roasting-chicken.html
Comment by Julie — March 11, 2008 @ 5:05 pm
Oh, and brine it tonight if you want it for tomorrow.
Comment by Julie — March 11, 2008 @ 5:06 pm
Julie, thank you so much for the recipe. I’ve never brined and although it sounds like it could be very tasty don’t do the brown sugar or molasess.
Thanks for the idea though.
Comment by Tami — March 11, 2008 @ 5:13 pm
I also have heard rave reviews for the 40 clove one…I don’t think I’ve tried it though.
Comment by blest — March 11, 2008 @ 5:29 pm
Oh yes, we’ve done the 40 clove one. It’s yummy, but if you sweat at all over the next few days you smell like garlic all over again!
Comment by Debs — March 12, 2008 @ 12:48 am
I make roasted chicken at least 2 times a month. I take a lemon and half it then add it plus salt and pepper to the cavity. Rub the outside with just a little oil and sprinkle all over with paprika. Cover with foil bake at 400 for 1 hour 30 minutes. It stays really moist and taste wonderful.
Comment by Kellie — March 12, 2008 @ 6:29 am
Kellie, I saw you sneaking in!We’ve missed you around here. Come more often if you can.
Big hugs xx
Comment by Debs — March 12, 2008 @ 2:11 pm

Mmmmm Sausage!

2008-08-17T02:18:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Blest)

While Debs was here, I had the great joy of finally finding hot Italian turkey sausage here in El Paso. (why do so many stores carry sweet but not hot? Wassup with dat?) We enjoyed grilled sausage with sauteed veggies, and sausage with whole wheat pasta and mozzarella and leftover sausage mixed in with beans and rotels….mmmm mmm mmm.

But yesterday I had a web-wish granted that I had to tell you about. You see, I am rather under the weather at the moment. The worst upper respiratory crud I’ve had in at least two years, actually. And yesterday I had NO voice, a fever, and was feeling rather pitiful as I sat on the couch and played Scrabble with strangers of Facebook. I started clicking around and as I went to visit Kalyn’s Kitchen, I thought (no kidding, this really happened) I could really go for some sort of sausage soup and PING - There it was!

Now. I am greatly looking forward to making this more closely to the recipe. But let me tell you what we did to make it faster and easier since we were hungry and sub-par. (Danny is also ill, though not as sick as I am, AND ran over 20 miles yesterday) We did the sausages on the Foreman grill, lots faster - but then of course we don’t get to deglaze the pan. I used 1 can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes and 1 large can generic diced tomatoes. I left out the lentils, cause I didn’t want to wait on them to cook. And for seasoning, I used a couple teaspoons of Italian Seasoning and some pepper - cause I don’t think I have fennel. I used 1.5 cans of broth, since I didn’t think I would need quite as much broth without cooking the lentils. I have a diminished sense of taste at the moment - but what we ended up with was yummy and hit the spot for both of us. But still - I do plan to make it “the right way” sometime soon!

Curry curry curry

2008-08-17T02:17:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Blest)

Debs and I are totally, deliciously hooked on Veggie Curry, which is a perfectly wonderful dish to be hooked on. But - chopping up all those veggies, especially the butternut squash, is rather daunting if you’re really tired or in a hurry.

So then there was this recipe from The South Beach Quick and Easy Cookbook

Autumn Veggie Soup

1 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

4 cups vegetable broth

1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup frozen shelled edamame beans

2 ozs baby spinach (2 cups)

You heat the oil, saute the onions and garlic, add everything else but the spinach and cook until veggies are tender. Then add the spinach til it’s wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

Okay. Great. Quick and easy soup. But it looked a little bland to us. (this was when Debs was here) So we thought…hmmmm - what if we added curry? I think initially I added a tsp of curry powder and a dash of thyme. T’was yummy!

Now “veggie curry” has evolved into Chop some onions, saute with garlic and curry powder, and then throw in whatever you have on hand and cook it til it’s done. My favorite permutation at the moment, because it is VERY fast, is 1 onion, some garlic, 1 Tbsp of curry powder, 1 or 2 zucchini, 1 or 2 yellow squash, red pepper, a whole bag of shelled edamame, a can of Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes, and as many cans of veggie broth as needed to cover all the veggies. (2 or 3) Oh -and some thyme and pepper. Simmer it til it’s done, or you just can’t wait anymore! Last week crumbled and browned a pack of ground turkey and threw that in, plus I replaced the edamame with drained garbanzos. And of course, you could always use chicken broth instead of vegetable. I’m even thinking of trying it with tofu!

I love this stuff. It’s warm and yummy. Spicy without being too hot. After a particularly vicious stomach bug last week, I lived off it for days. If I didn’t have this soup made, I’d be eating it today too!

Chocolate Dream Pie

2008-08-17T02:16:00.002+01:00

(Originally posted by Christina)

1 large box chocolate fat free/sugar free pudding mix (1.2 oz)
8oz fat free cream cheese
2 cups skim milk
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 sugar free angel food cake
fat free whipped topping

Tear the angel food cake into bite sized pieces and spread 1/2 of it (1/4 of cake) in a 9″ glass dish. Mix pudding, cream cheese, milk and cinnamon together in a blender or food processor. Pour half of mixture over cake pieces. Spread remaining cake pieces (1/4 of cake) over pudding mixture and pour remaining pudding mixture on top. Top with fat free whipped topping and refrigerate 2 hours or more. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Info
218 calories, 0 grams fat, 10 grams protein, 1 gram fiber, 13 grams sugar, 36 grams carbohydrate, 26% calcium

Grilled Pepper Tuna

2008-08-17T02:16:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by Tami)

This is SO easy that it barely qualifies as a recipe. For those of you who would like to incorporate more fish into your diet but don’t like the taste, tuna steaks are an excellent way to go. They are not fishy in the least bit. This too is from the SB Quick and Easy cookbook.

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 (6-ounce) tuna steaks about 1 inch thick

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (optional)

salt

Heat grill or grill pan (I used a frying pan) to medium-high. Lay peppercorns flat on work surface and place a clean skillet on top. Press down to crush peppercorns a few at a time until all peppercorns are cracked. Rub oil over steaks and season with salt, cracked pepper and lemon zest, if using (I used lemon juice).

Grill tuna 2 1/2 minutes per side for rare, 3 minutes per side for medium-rare, and 3 1/2 minutes per side to be cooked through. Serve hot, sliced or whole.

My 2 and 3 year olds even ate a little of this.

Feta, Cucumber, & Radish Salad

2008-08-17T02:14:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Tami)

This was such a great twist on the normal cucumber salad! It is from the South Beach Quick and Easy cookbook.

2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and sliced

1 1/2 cups halved and thinly sliced radishes

1/4 cup fresh minth leaves, thinly sliced (optional)

2 tablespoons minced red onion

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

5 ounces reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled (1 cup)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine cucumber, radishes, mint (if using), onion, oil, and vinegar in a large mixing bowl. Gently toss in the feta, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.

Okay, I forgot the mint although I had bought some and I didn’t seed the cucumbers…too much work. I also mixed it and put it in the fridge for a couple hours and this was SO tasty. I had some with breakfast.

Veggies - in a smoothie???

2008-08-17T02:13:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Jana)

I don’t know if you all get the RealAge emails, but if you don’t, head to their site and sign up. There are lots of good health and diet tips (though I don’t always agree with some of their recommendations). Anyway, last week sometime I got one that talked about increasing protection from pancreatic cancer by eating 9 servings of veggies a day. My husband’s father died of pancreatic cancer when he was the same age as my husband will be this year. So I’m obviously anxious to do whatever we can preventatively. But get him to eat nine servings of veg a day? It seemed unrealistic.

We also just bought a new blender, however, that makes really nice smoothies. He’s been making a fruit smoothie every night for a month (again, because I told him he doesn’t eat enough fruit). He said, “How about adding veggies to the smoothie?” Um, okay, hun, whatever. But you know what? They’re good! Even the kids like them! So, here’s the formula we’ve come up with:

Veggie Smoothies

3 cups prepared Crystal Light or similar drink mix (we like lemonade, apple, or orange best) - this would also work with Kool-Aid prepared with your choice of sweetener
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen veggies (we have tried broccoli and we’ve tried carrots - both excellent)

Blend 3-4 minutes until very smooth. This makes 2-4 servings, depending on how much you can drink at one time! Next, I’m thinking Brussels sprouts. I’ll let you know how that works.

Recipe Inspiration

2008-08-17T01:55:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by Bekki)

I promised Debs I’m send her this link, but thought I might as well post it here.

I love browsing food blogs for new recipe ideas and Fat Free Vegan Kitchen is usually a good plan to find them (my other favourite is Kalyn’s Kitchen.). I’m not vegan or vegetarian, though I probably eat more vegetarian food than I used to, but it’s a good source of healthy recipes for tasty food (although I tend to deveganise the recipes by using dairy products rather than the vegan equivalent, but that’s just what I’ve got on hand). There’s also a good breakdown of nutritional info with each recipe, including Weight Watchers points. If you’re like me and get stuck in a recipe rut now and again, why not try something new?

Sweet Enough

2008-08-17T01:54:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Bekki)

I’ve been playing around with muffin recipes for ages. I had some success with a recipe for ‘healthy breakfast muffins’ I found in the Guardian (sorry, can’t find a link, I thought I’d documented it here somewhere, but can’t find it) which uses wholewheat flour and yoghurt, which I made even Beachier by substituting agave nectar for the brown sugar. Trouble is, agave nectar is unpredictable stuff. It’s very easy to burn, and too much of it tastes bitter. The first bottle or two I had worked well, but the most recent one seemed to make everything taste bitter. At least, that was my conclusion, having had several cakes and muffin batches turn out disgusting and the common factor being agave. So I’ve been looking for something else. I’ve tried Splenda, but didn’t like the soapy aftertaste.

I decided that what I liked about muffins was the texture, more than the sweetness (being on the Beach has really changed my palate, I used to have a very sweet tooth), so thought I’d try making some muffins with no sugar, but with plenty of banana for a yummy taste and some sweetness. So I used Blest’s famous oat muffin recipe, left out the sugar and added 2 fairly ripe mashed up bananas. The result is good, they rose well, didn’t burn, have a lovely muffiny texture and taste banana-y. They wouldn’t be to the taste of a sugar fiend, but they’re sweet enough for me. I’ll definitely make them again. I think the riper the bananas, the better they’ll taste.

Hola Chayote

2008-08-17T01:53:00.000+01:00

(Bird and Brandi’s kids were teaching me to say hola and Adiós)

For my veggie challenge I tried Chayote. It’s a type of squash and is popular in Mexico, and thus seemed the ideal choice for someone staying in El Paso

We used this recipe for a soup which was good. It was thick and tasty so would be a good soup to eat to warm yourself up on a cold day. I have to admit that we may not make this paricular soup again, but we’ve since found some more recipes that use chayote that we want to try, so we’ll keep you posted

Edited to add pictures of the soup making process…

Jerusalem Artichokes

2008-08-17T01:52:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Anita)

… are not a type of artichoke, but rather, a tuber from a type of sunflower. And for the pretty price of your first born child, you too, can eat them. Okay, they weren’t as pricey as truffles. I guess that is also a veggie I’ve never eaten due to the cost. (but I have tasted truffle oil)

I went to the Public Market today and found some Jerusalem Artichokes for the hefty price of $5.99 a pound. We won’t be eating them again. Not because they weren’t tasty, but there are a whole lot of other tasty nutritional vegetables that are way cheaper. But for you folks… we splurged and tried them.

They looked small - like baby potatoes. Outside they were brown like potatoes, but inside they look like radishes - white and sort of translucent. I don’t know how to describe the taste… more earthy than potatoes but with a crunchy radish texture. It’s like the difference between white flour and wheat flour. The internet uses “nutty” to describe the flavor. I can sort of see that.

We made a roasted vegetable medley with Jerusalem Artichokes, brussel sprouts, carrots and mushrooms tossed in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. Altogether it was tasty.

And now, don’t ask me to find another veggie that I’ve never eaten before. The only other thing I could find was Taro Root and they just sounded nasty! Still… I could do veggies I’ve eaten but never cooked at home… or new recipe with old standby veggies.

It's a cauliflower?

2008-08-17T01:50:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Bekki)

I ate 2 new veggies today, Romanesco and Swiss Chard.

I’ve often looked at Romanesco and marvelled as it. It looks like a space age plant or a fractal diagram. It’s a sort of cauliflower, basically and I’m not really a fan of cauliflower, so I’ve not tried it before, but today I did. I roasted it with red onion and spices (chilli flakes, garam masala, garlic, fresh and dried ginger, black pepper) and olive oil. (30 minutes at gas mark 6, er, 400F I think). It was pretty good. Mostly because it tasted of all those spices.

I also had swiss chard. I wilted it by putting it in a saucepan with water for about 5 minutes, squeezed it out, chopped it up and mixed it with a tin of chickpeas (drained), some black pepper, oregano, a few pine nuts and a little olive oil and crumbled some low fat feta on the top. It had about 15 minutes in a hot oven. It was very yummy!

Lots of leftovers to have cold for lunch tomorrow and to keep in the freezer for another day.

New food blog

2008-08-17T01:49:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Jana)

Hey, all, I wanted to invite you over to my new cooking blog, Jana Cooks. Every week I’m going to post a shopping list, and then the following week I’ll post the recipes. I’m covering three meals a day for five days a week. Everything should be SB friendly, or easily changed to be, since my plan is very similar. Whether you want to join me for a whole week of menus, or just try one or two of my recipes, come on over!

Vegetable Casseroles

2008-08-17T01:47:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Christina)

Here’s a couple of vegetable casseroles that I’ve got.

Scalloped Squash

2 cups cooked mashed squash
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 small onion - grated
1 1/2 cups seasoned herb dressing
margarine
Put layers of squash mixture (squash, sour cream, cream of chicken, onion) with little dabs of margarine on top and dressing mix. Bake at 300 for 20-30 minutes

Zucchine Casserole

3 large zucchini
Italian seasonings
Garlic salt
Parmesan cheese
12oz. grated mozzarella cheese (2cup package)
1 medium onion (diced)
Slice zucchini and cover bottom of 9×13 pan. Sprinkle part of diced onion on top of zucchini. Sprinkle Italian seasonings and garlic salt, mozzarella cheese. Make another layer and top with parmesan cheese. You might like to add a very thin sliced tomato on top of the cheese to add color. Cover casserole with foil and bake for 1 hour at 375. After about 45 minutes take off foil and let top brown.

Brocolli Salad

3 brocolli heads
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup sunflower seeds
10 pieces of bacon
1 cup of mayo
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
Cut brocolli heads. Cook bacon, then crumble.
Dressing - mayo, vinegar, sugar, onion, raisins.
*Put dressing on brocolli a few hours before serving. Add bacon and sunflower seeds right before serving.

Again with brussels sprouts?

2008-08-17T01:43:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Missy)

Not too long ago, I tried to make Blest’s favorite roasted brussel sprouts. You guys have given it rave reviews, but I am sure I did something wrong. I just didn’t like it. And I’m a veggie freak!

Last weekend I bought more brussel sprouts, determined to make it right. But I kept putting it off, afraid to fail once more. I had to eat them or throw them away, so, yesterday…

I washed and cut ‘em in half, threw them in a wok with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Then I added a splash of soy sauce and a tbsp of orange marmalade! Put a lid on it and steamed for a few minutes.

Oh, my gosh! Yep, they was yummy. I ate every last bite, and I’d do it again.

Tami's Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

2008-08-17T01:42:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Tami)

So, a history of this bread…yeah…there is none. On Saturday I was canning pumpkin butter. It’s really bad for you and although I VERY rarely eat it (used to eat tons) people love it. I even have a gal that purchases it from me to give to her family members as Christmas gifts. Anyways. On Saturday I roasted my pumpkin, made the butter and had pumpkin puree left that I really didn’t want to toss in the garbage. I decided it was time to play.

This recipe looks huge and is. I made 3 dozen mini muffins (great for a snack size…portion control dontcha know) 1 dozen regular muffins and an 8×3 bread pan. This freezes WONDERFULLY…I pulled out the loaf this morning for the kids and it is still so moist. I do puree my own pumpkin so this recipe has not been tried with the store bought stuff. If you buy pumpkin from the store get the pure pumpkin puree.

15oz pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1/2c. canola oil

2/3 c. water

2 c. pure maple syrup (it is a lot…I tried 1 1/2 c. and the batter just didn’t seem quite there)

3 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

2tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1tsp cinnamon

1tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground ginger

Cranberries and chopped pecans to taste

1. Mix the dry ingredients

2. In a seperate bowl blend the pumpkin eggs, and oil. Add the water and syrup. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients. With a spatula (or whatever) mix in fresh cranberries and chopped pecans to suit you. Pour into greased bread pans or muffin pans and bake at 350F until knife inserted in center is clean. I made all 3 different sizes at one time so my best guess is that it takes roughly 50 mins for the 8×3 bread pan.

Pumpkin Gingerbread

2008-08-17T01:41:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Brandi)

I made this tonight and love it. I modified a recipe that I found on www.allrecipes.com

Beat until smooth:

1/4 C oil
1/4 C applesauce
1/4 C unsulphured molasses
2 eggs

Add and beat until well blended:

1/3 C water

Stir in:

1/2 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves

In separate bowl, combine:

1 3/4 C white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. pure stevia extract powder (or other sweetener equivalent in sweetness to 1 C sugar.)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until just combined. Pour into a greased 9X5 loaf pan. Bake at 350 deg. about 40-50 minutes.

Mediterranean Frittata

2008-08-17T01:39:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Bird)

Southbeachin’ Boo posted a cool recipe on her blog, Ami-lick-ulous.

Here it is:

Mediterranean Frittata

6 slices of Bacon, cut into 1 1/2 inches
6 large eggs
1/4 t minced garlic (I pressed 2 cloves instead; I love garlic)
1/2 C (2 oz.) crumbled feta cheese with sundried tomatoes and basil (mine was minus the tomatoes and basil)
4 C (about 5 oz.) fresh spinach (I used half a box of frozen spinach)
1/2 C chopped fresh mushrooms
2 T finely chopped red onions

1. Place oven rack in center of oven; heat broiler. Cook bacon in 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until done but not crisp. Remove bacon from skillet and drain on paper towels.

2. Whisk together eggs and garlic; stir in cheese. Set aside. (I added some salt and pepper in this step)

3. Stir-fry spinach, mushrooms and onion in bacon grease remaining in skillet over medium heat until spinach wilts (again, I added a bit of salt). Stir in bacon, egg and cheese mixture until evenly combined. Cook until eggs are done on the bottom.

4. Place skillet on center rack in oven. Broil until eggs are set and just begin to brown around the edges of pan, about 3 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Homemade Baked Beans

2008-08-17T01:30:00.000+01:00

We came across this recipe in The Times back in February and every so often I decide it’s time to cook up another batch and get to work. It only takes about 10 minutes to put it all together and then it cooks in the oven for several hours (I guess you could do it in a crockpot instead if you wanted to).

Ingredients

3 tins borlotti beans or red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (or 450g dried, soaked for 24 hours) [I tend to use 3 different types of beans including kidney beans, borlotti, butter beans,aduki.. but it really just depends what we have in the cupboard]
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped [I always put in an extra onion]
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
100g streaky bacon, chopped [You can leave this out for a vegetarian version]
2 bay leaves
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp maple syrup, or 2 tbsp treacle and a pinch of brown sugar [you could get away with just 1 tbsp maple syrup, but it does need a bit of something]
salt and pepper
1 tsp Coleman’s mustard powder [don’t know if you have this in the US!]

Pre-heat the oven to 170C/325F/gas 3. Rinse the beans in water and drain.

Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed casserole dish and saute the onion, garlic and bacon until soften (about 5 mins). Add the herbs and spicesand sweat for a further 2-3 minutes. Add everything else and bring to simmering point.

Cover the beans in enough water so that there is a spare 5cm at the top of the dish. Cover with a lid and put in the oven for 4 hours, stirring halfway through and making sure there is enough liquid. You want the beans to be juicy but not swimming around in liquid. Add more water if they are looking dry and turn the oven up if they are looking too wet.

Store in a cool part of the kitchen overnight and eat the next day. They really do taste even better the next day, and they will keep in the fridge for at least four days.

Nutritional information - The recipes seves six and has 333 calories per serving. Unfortunately I can’t tell you any more because that’s all I have on my cutting!

Quiche Questions

2008-08-17T01:28:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Brandi)

Can any quiche be made crust-less just by omitting the crust and pouring the egg mixture directly into a greased pie pan? Or do I need either a “crust-less quiche” recipe or to modify a “regular quiche” recipe?

While I’m at it, does anyone have a favorite quiche recipe to share? I LOVE veggie quiches; especially spinach and I also like breakfast quiches.

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2 Comments »

I think quiche without a crust might be the similar to a frittata? When I make quiche, I just add whatever I have in the house… broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, ham, any kind of cheese (except the feta wasn’t so good).
After doing a quick Google search, it seems that you just pour the egg custard straight into the pan. One site recommended layering all the meat and veggies on the bottom and pouring the eggs on top. Even with a crust I tend to layer the ingredients and pour the eggs over it all anyway.
Comment by Anita — October 26, 2007 @ 10:15 pm
Yes you can!
My favorite is one filled with steamed broccoli, red onions, and a bit of cheese. Yum!
Comment by Stephine — October 27, 2007 @ 1:58 pm

Stevia Banana Bread

2008-08-17T01:25:00.002+01:00

(Originally posted by Brandi)

I got this recipe off of a Yahoo group a long time ago and just tried it tonight. It was delicious!

(Isn’t my hubby the best photographer? )
Stevia Banana Bread

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 C. melted butter (I used 1/3 C oil and 1/3 C applesauce. I like the texture, but it’s not as moist as it would be with more fat. (Or even with solid fat like butter.) It just depends on how much fat you want to use and how moist you need it to be.)
1 C. mashed bananas
1/3 C. milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 C. wholewheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp stevia concentrate powder (I used 3/4 tsp. and it was plenty.)
1/2 C. chopped nuts

How to Prepare:
Combine eggs, butter, bananas, milk and vanilla. In another bowl combine remaining ingredients, then add banana mixture to it. Mix until moistened. Pour into greased 9X5 loaf pan and bake in a pre-heated oven of 350 for 50-60 minutes.

I will experiment with different flours like oat and even whole oats. Right now I am very happy I found a sugar-free banana bread recipe that I like. Enjoy!

Fun with Jelly

2008-08-17T01:25:00.001+01:00

Ok, so before I even start this post I’ll probably have to ‘translate’ the title. We call it jelly, you call it jello or gelatin. Right, got that sorted…

On the south beach (yes, sorry people, talking about the beach again, but I’m sure people on other diets can do this too!) they suggest sugar-free jelly as a dessert\sweet treat. Now jelly is always fun (it brings out the small child at a birthday party side of me. I was most disapointed that Bekki didn’t have jelly at her party yesterday. Happy Belated Birthday Bekki!) but a friend of ours, who is a recent convert to the beach, had been experimenting with it….

Presenting jelly with quark.This is amazing! Quark is a fat-free soft cheese. And what you do is after you’ve disolved the jelly and added cold water you let it sit a bit longer until it’s quite cool. Well, this is what I did anyway - you just don’t want the cheese to curdle. Then add some quark (or ricotta, or some other low-fat soft cheese. She’s tried cottage cheese, but said that the texture wasn’t that great). Use a hand held electric whisk to blend the jelly and quark together*, then pour into pots and put in the fridge to set. I put it into five pots so each is an individual portion and they’re easy to take out and about if I want to. As the jelly sets the mixture settles and you end up with a layered effect. If my amusement is anything to go by, then kids will loved these! Also, the colour was pretty cool too. I used a raspberry jelly so the finished jellies turned out this amazing shocking pink colour. Wait a second, let me see if I can take a picture..

I don’t think these pictures quite do the colour justice, but the side on one does show how it ended up in layers.
* Actually I just used a fork and whisked fast, but my hand a wrist ached afterwards, so I’ll be using an electric whisk next time!

Huevos Rancheros

2008-08-17T01:24:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Brandi)

I didn’t make it in time for “Food Friday,” but I think this recipe will be worth the wait!

A few weeks ago, Bird and I were out of town shooting a wedding and stopped at a small Mexican restaurant for breakfast. Now that I am on the Beach, I don’t get my usual breakfast tacos, so I scanned the menu to see if anything looked Beachy. Going out on a limb, I ordered Huevos Rancheros. The only “illegal” thing despite all of the lard (what can ya do?..) was the corn tortilla it was served over which I just left on my plate. It was absolutely delicious! And the cool thing is I would have never ordered it had I not been committed to the Beach through thick and thin

Last night I ran across this recipe and made it for breakfast this morning. It tastes JUST LIKE what I had in the restaurant without all of the lard. Bird and I both give it 5 stars and plan to make it a regular on Saturday mornings.
The recipe I found was By Emeril from Food Network. My modifications are in bold.

Oh, yeah, and Bird took that photo, so that’s exactly what it came out looking like. Nice and yummy!

Huevos Rancheros

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2002

Ranchero Sauce:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped white onions
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (I didn’t have any on hand, so doubled the green bell pepper.)
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup chopped tomatoes and their juice I used a cup of petite diced tomatoes in tomato juice.)
1 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 large corn tortillas (I omitted these)
1/2 cup warm refried beans (I used about 1/3 C per serving and to one can of fat-free refried beans, I added a teaspoon of bacon grease.)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 large eggs
1 1/2 cups pepper Jack (I didn’t have this either so used a combo of mozzarella and sharp cheddar. Also, I used WAY less; about 2 T per serving.)
To make the Ranchero Sauce, in a medium pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and bell peppers, and cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the cumin, salt, cayenne, jalapeno, and garlic, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and their juices and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the stock and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning, to taste, and cover to keep warm.In a large skillet, heat 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add 1 tortilla and cook until warmed through and just starting to brown about 30 seconds. Turn and cook on the second side. Remove, cover to keep warm, and repeat with the remaining oil and tortillas.
In 2 medium skillets, melt 1 tablespoon of butter each, over medium-high heat. Break 4 eggs into each skillet and fry until beginning to set, about 1 minute. Sprinkle the eggs with the cheese and cover to finish cooking, about 1 1/2 minutes. (I didn’t add cheese at this point; I waited until the end.)
~~Place one warm tortilla on each~~ of 4 plates and spread each with 2 tablespoons (1/3 C)of warm refried beans. Place 2 eggs on top ~~of each tortilla~~ and top with the warm Ranchero Sauce. Then I sprinkled with the cheese. Serve immediately.

Hoisen Chicken & Pasta

2008-08-17T01:23:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Nikki)

3 Chicken breasts

3/4 c hoisen sauce

1/4 c peanut butter

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp mustard

dash of sesame oil

about 1/2 c water

1 package spaghetti noodles-whole wheat

Rub some hoisen sauce on chicken breasts and bake at 350 for 40 min. or so. Cut into pieces. Boil pasta drain and rinse with cold water. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a pot on the stove, and bring to a boil. Sauce should be the consistency of salad dressing. Mix chicken in with sauce and pour over pasta. You can also top with roasted asparagus! MMMMMM.

Perfect Oat Crust

2008-08-17T01:22:00.002+01:00

(Originally posted by Christy)

Since we already have two votes for oat crust and I am still sitting in front of the computer, here you go! Don’t forget to let me know which whipped cream recipe you want, too!

Oh! And the instructions for the “Favorite Chip Cookies” are on Jeffrey’s website now, if you haven’t seen them.

2/3 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup barley flour OR whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp stevia extract powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tbsp water

1. Use a blender to lightly chop oats. Combine with flour, salt and stevia in an 8-inch pie dish. Add oil and water and stir with a fork to forma ball of dough. Cover and set aside 5 minutes for oats to soften.

2. Press dough evenly over sides and bottom of pie dish (if preferred, roll out between 2 waxed paper squares). Prick with fork in several places. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on rack.

*This pie shell can also be filled and then baked according to your recipe.

*For a deep dish 10-inch pie crust use 1 cup rolled oats, 1 cup flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp stevia, 6tbsp oil and 2 1/2 tbsp water.

Jerked Pork - Crockpot Style

2008-08-17T01:22:00.001+01:00

(Originally posted by Blest)

I did some jerk in the crockpot this week and it turned out full of flavor!

Here’s the marinade first - it’s great on chicken too!

Jerk Marinade
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped green onions - white and green parts
4 habaneros or 6 jalapenos (stems removed and cut in halves. Remove seeds for less heat)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsps olive oil
1 Tbsp salt
pinch of garlic powder
Mix it up in the food processor. Marinate chicken or pork for hours and hours and grill!

Now what I did in the crockpot was very simple. I used 2 pork loins - because I had two from Sam’s Club that needed to be cooked. You could just do one though - or use a different cut of pork. But pork loins are nice and lean. I trimmed off the visible fat, put the meat in the crockpot, poured the marinade on and….turned on the crockpot. I only cooked it on high for about 4 hours because I had to go somewhere. But I would rather cook it all day so it fell apart really well.

Garlic Lime Chicken

2008-08-17T01:19:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Missy)

Garlic Lime Chicken
Serves 6

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 tablespoons lime juice

In a bowl, mix together first 7 ingredients. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breasts. In a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium high heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Turn down the heat, remove the chicken (keeping warm) and add the lime juice and chicken broth to the pan, whisking up the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Add chicken back to the pan, cover and simmer on low heat for 15-20 until chicken is cooked through. (when I’m in a hurry, I don’t take out the chicken)

Per Serving: 343 Calories; 11g Fat (31.1% calories from fat); 55g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 147mg Cholesterol; 612mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 7 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat.

I got a similar recipe years ago from FlyLady.net. I sextuple (x6) the seasoning and put it in a shaker so it’s on hand whenever I season chicken - its a great dry rub for the bar-b or quick grilled breast. I also experimented with the flavorings and came up with some I liked even better:

Instead of lime juice, I will use -

orange juice and some zest
pineapple chunks and juice
can of undrained diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning

This always comes out sooo juicy with all the liquid - near impossible to overcook. The leftovers are incredible for a chicken salad the next day.

Black Eyed Pea Patties

2008-08-17T01:18:00.000+01:00

(Originally posted by Blest)

I’m making these tonight to go with some Carribean Jerked Pork…

from Cooking Light

Ingredients

3 garlic cloves, minced
2 serrano chiles, seeded and finely chopped
2 (16-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and well drained
1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
6 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 large egg
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 cups chopped tomato
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Preparation

Combine minced garlic and chiles in a large bowl. Place 1 teaspoon garlic mixture in a small bowl; set aside. Add peas to remaining garlic mixture in large bowl; mash mixture with a potato masher. Stir in bell pepper, 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and egg, stirring until well blended. Divide mixture into 12 equal portions (about 1/4 cup each), shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 6 patties; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Repeat procedure with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil and 6 patties.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, chopped tomato, and fresh lime juice to the reserved garlic mixture in bowl; stir well. Serve with patties.

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 119(29% from fat); FAT 3.9g (sat 0.7g,mono 2g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 6.1g; CHOLESTEROL 35mg; CALCIUM 37mg; SODIUM 435mg; FIBER 4.1g; IRON 1.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 16g