Black Bean Bowls

This is technically the filling for black bean burritos or enchiladas, but since I'm not doing the rice and tortillas, I used these beans as the base for a Tex-Mex bean bowl. The beans alone are pretty lean and low cal and the best part? It takes next to nothing in time and attention. Just put everything into a slow cooker, turn that baby on, and leave it alone for 8 loooong hours!

Slow Cooked Black Beans

1.5 C. Dry Black Beans
3 Carrots, chopped
2 Large Onions, chopped
5 Cloves Garlic, smashed
2-4 Birds Eye Chilies, sliced in half
4-6 C. Low Sodium, Low Fat Chicken Broth (enough just to cover everything in the crock)
1-2 T. Cumin, ground
1-2 T. Chili Powder
2 t. Salt

Rinse and soak the beans overnight in cool water. Discard water and simmer in fresh water for 20 minutes, or until they begin to soften (or, you can always substitute 4-5 cans of black beans and skip this step.) Drain and put into the slow cooker with remaining ingredients, except the salt. Cover tightly, and cook on low for 8 hours, or until beans are very tender. Add a little more broth if it looks like the beans are getting too dry. The long cooking time tends to mellow the spices, so you may find the need to add extra cumin and chili powder (and maybe onion or garlic powder) towards the end of the cooking time. This is also when you should add salt to taste.

Makes 6-8 Servings

I ate mine in a bowl loaded with other yumminess for garnish - salsa, low fat cheese, minced cilantro, and a dollop of low fat sour cream. What I love about this meal is that it's so filling and it really sticks with me through the day, so I'm less likely to want to snack. It's just a bonus that it's also cheap, easy, and the leftovers keep well.

 

Nutrition Roundup (not including garnishes): Calories 125.8, Total Fat 0.4 g, Cholesterol 0.0 mg, Sodium 111.2 mg, Total Carbs: 33.2 g, Dietary Fiber: 17.2 g, Protein: 12.0 g.

Asparagus and Eggs

Years ago I dated someone whose family was from Sicily. She taught me a traditional breakfast that her family enjoys - asparagus and eggs. I was inspired to make it this morning since I have so much wonderful produce from going to the farmer's market. This is a super quick meal that I eat any time I want something light but satisfying.

Asparagus and Eggs

1 C. Fresh Asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces
2 Eggs

Scramble eggs in a small bowl until they are blended. In a large skillet, heat 2 t. of olive oil and cook asparagus until it turns bright green. Add eggs and scramble. Easy easy easy! Yum.

I couldn't actually eat all of this food, but I wanted to dress up the plate. ;)

Thug's Spinach Cooler

Some internet friends of mine have introduced me to a very funny (and totally not safe for work!) food blog called Thug Kitchen. Today after a particularly challenging work out at the gym, I decided to try TK's Spinach Cooler. I changed it a little by using only 1 banana, instead of 2, eliminating the flax seed oil (because I don't have any), a bit more pineapple, and a scoop of unflavored Syntrax Whey Protein Isolate. Between the fruit and veggies and the whey protein, it makes a full meal with loads of good things in it. I've reposted his recipe here, but you really should go read his blog. :-)

Thug's Spinach Cooler (w/Protein)

2 C. Fresh Spinach
1 Frozen Banana
1 C. Cucumber, chopped
.25 C. Frozen Pineapple
1 C. Coconut Water
.25 C. Orange Juice
6 Mint Leaves
1 Scoop Syntrax Whey Protein Isolate (unflavored)

Put everything except the protein powder in the blender and blend until completely smooth. Add protein powder and blend until just incorporated. Drink while fresh and cold.

This makes 2 10 oz. servings.

Nutrition Roundup: Calories 164.7, Total Fat 0.7 g, Cholesterol 2.5 mg, Sodium 69.1 mg, Total Carbs 28.5 g, Dietary Fiber 3.3 g, Protein 13.5 g.

Not Potatoes

I've never been a huge fan of potatoes. In fact, if they weren't sliced, deep fried in fat, and sprinkled in salt (chips), I really actively didn't like them. That is, until a few years ago when I found Yukon Gold potatoes which are super yummy, with a lightly sweet/nutty flavor.

Since surgery, however, I've been avoiding most starches. I'm cleared to eat them in extreme moderation, but I've been trying to keep my carbohydrate consumption to nutrition-dense foods, like dairy, but, and legumes. (I have had a little sweet potato here and there, though. :-) ) Because of this, I've been exploring the other root vegetables and have discovered that while beets from a can are okay, fresh beets correctly cooked are fabulous! I got this recipe from a friend named "whipperton" on a message board community and wanted to share it with all of you. Talk about YUM.

Sesame Roasted Beets

2 large Red Beets
2 Large Golden Beets
2-3 T. Sesame Oil
Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.

Scrub the beets well, remove the green and trim the ends. Chop into 1" cubes and toss in sesame oil and salt (I used about 1/2 t.) Roast until a knife goes through them easily. If you want to punch up the sesame flavor, you can drizzle a little more sesame oil over them and/or sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds before serving. (I didn't bother because it smelled too good to wait.)

Boiled Dinner

I am not Irish and have never been interested in pretending to be just for the day on March 17th. It's not my style, I guess. And until recently, I did not like corned beef and had never even eaten boiled dinner, let alone cooked it myself. But lately I've learned that corned beef is pretty good! And it can be relatively lean if it's been trimmed well. So this year I've decided to take advantage of the extremely low prices on corned beef brisket at the market and give it a try. I've replaced the traditional potatoes in the dish with turnips because they have less starch and more nutrition and, even though I know it's not "traditional," I've added garlic and a fair amount of onions to the mix just because I like them. I also totally forgot to buy any cabbage, so we had this with some wilted spinach for greens.

I opted to cook this in the crock pot so that I could put in some quality time with the laundry. I used just plain water for the liquid in the crock, but if you have a nice stout or ale handy, I bet that would be really good. You'll notice that there is very little liquid in this recipe, even though it's a "boiled" dinner.

This is because I'm doing it in the crock pot. The veggies will release their moisture, as will the meat, and combined with a tight fitting lid on the crock pot, it won't be too long before everything will be practically swimming. I've learned that with slow cookers, adding a lot of liquid at the out set just dilutes the flavors. Instead, I added just enough water to steam up and get everything started.

Corned Beef Boiled Dinner

2 Medium Turnips, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
4 Large Carrots, cut into 1" chunks
3 Medium Onions, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
4 Cloves Garlic, peeled and cracked with the flat of a knife
4-5 lb. Corned Beef Brisket with included pickling spices
1 1/4 C. Water or Beer (stout or ale)

In the crock of a large slow cooker, layer in turnips, carrots, onions, and garlic. Add beef and water and the sprinkle the spices over the beef. Cover tightly and cook on low 8 hours. Remove the beef and veggies to a platter and cover in foil. Transfer cooking juices to a sauce pan and simmer 10-15 minutes on high until reduced by about half. Adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve reduced jus drizzled over the roast and veggies.

Extremely Lazy Sunday Brunch

Extremely lazy Sunday brunch is when we sleep to a ridiculous hour (noon), enjoy a leisurely coffee, and eventually get to figuring out something for brunch. Today, it turned out to be a veggie frittata with a little goat cheese on top.

Mushroom Onion Tomato Frittata With Chevre

9 Eggs, beaten
1 Large Onion, sliced thinly
1 large tomato, sliced in thick slices
8 oz. Sliced Button Mushrooms
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
4 oz. Chevre
2 T. Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 425F.

In a large, oven safe, skillet heat 1 T. olive oil and cook mushrooms over medium-high heat until lightly browned and tender. Remove mushrooms from pan, add remaining olive oil, and add onions and tomatoes to the pan. Put the onions on one side and the tomatoes on the other. allow the tomatoes to begin to get soft (1-2 minutes) and the flip and allow to cook 1 minute longer. Cook the onions until lightly golden. Add mushrooms back to pan and spread everything out into an even layer. Layer in tomato slices and pour over beaten eggs. Crumble chevre and spread evenly over the top. When the sides of the egg look like they are starting to set, put pan in the preheated oven and bake 20-25 minutes, or until the eggs are almost fully set and there's very little movement in the center. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before turning out on a plate and cutting into wedges.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition Roundup: Calories 165.3, Total Fat 12.0 g, Cholesterol 214.8 mg, Sodium 147.6 mg, Total Carbs 4.9 g, Dietary Fiber 0.9 g, Protein 10.2 g.

 

Granny's Comfort Food

I don't remember a lot about my grandmother's cooking, mainly because she had a teeny tiny apartment and so we usually went to restaurants when we went to visit. This dish, however, is something I remember having and loooove. I think my dad made it a few times when I was a child, too. Technically, it's a pasta fagiole, but I didn't make the pasta, because I still haven't tried eating it. I'm not ready to go there in Carb World just yet.

Pasta Fagiole

3/4 - 1 lb. dried white beans - navy or cannelini (I usually make the whole lb.)
4-6 oz. Pancetta, in 1cm cubes
1 large/2 medium onions, sliced thinly
2-4 Cloves garlic, minced
1 C. White wine (optional)
Rind from 1 mediumish piece of parmeggian reggiano, cut in 2-3 pieces
Grated parmeggiano reggiano (1/2 C. or so for topping)
4-5 springs Fresh Thyme
2-3 medium tomatoes, chopped (optional)
4-5 C. Chicken broth
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

This can be made either in a Dutch oven (for a 1 pot meal) or first in a skillet and then a casserole dish for the baking.

Soak beans overnight. Rinse beans and simmer until soft in fresh water. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350F-375F. In a skillet or Dutch oven, heat olive oil and brown off pancetta. When brown, remove to a dish. In same oil, cook onions until just golden and then add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Deglaze pan with white wine, if using, and allow it to reduce by half. Otherwise, deglaze pan with 1 C. broth. If using a Dutch oven, just proceed with the one pot. If using a skillet and casserole dish, transfer onion-wine mixture to the baking dish. Add the cooked and drained beans, pancetta, thyme, tomatoes (if you want), salt and pepper, and pour in the chicken broth until everything is covered. Nestle the pieces of the cheese rind in a few places around the dish, drizzle the top w/a little olive oil, put it in the oven to bake until the beans are very soft and the liquid has reduced. The top may be a little browned. You can help this by sprinkling the top w/grated cheese. If it looks like it’s getting too dry and the beans aren’t quite soft yet, top it off with a little more broth and continue cooking.

Serve over your favorite cooked pasta.

Curried Chicken Salad

If you haven't guessed yet, I've been eating a lot of chicken salad. It's quick, high protein, I can sneak a few veggies into every serving, and it's highly portable for the days I'm running around the city doing errands and going to appointments. One half-cup of chicken salad, a dozen (1/2 serving) baked lentil chips, and a small clementine orange and I'm full for hours. I like to lower the fat a little by halving the mayo in the recipe with fat free plain Greek yogurt, but if you don't have any handy you can always make it up by using a bit less of the reduced fat mayo or a fat free mayo instead. (I don't personally like fat free mayo, but if you like it, knock yourself out!) I added some raisins for sweetness and finely minced carrot for moisture and color. You could always add a few toasted slivered almonds for some healthy fats and a little crunch, but I didn't have any in the pantry this time.

Curried Chicken Salad

1 Large Carrot, chopped finely
8 oz. Chicken Breast (cooked), chopped in small pieces (skin and fat removed)
1 Large Scallion/Green Onion, sliced thinly
2 T. Reduced Fat Mayo
2 T. Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt
1-3 T. Curry Powder (sweet curry powder, not hot)
1/2 C. Sultanas or Raisins
Salt to taste

If you have a food processor, combine chunks of carrot and process until mostly chopped, add chicken and process further until both are to your desired consistency. If you don't have a food processor, proceed as detailed above (carrot chopped finely and chicken into small pieces.) Combine chicken-carrot mixture with all remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix until completely combined. Adjust salt and curry powder to your taste. Refrigerate until serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Approximate Nutrition: Calories 171.4, Total Fat 4.1 g, Cholesterol 37.6 mg, Sodium 681.4 mg , Total Carbs 19.8 g, Dietary Fiber 2.4 g, Protein 15.3 g.

The Best Roast Chicken

My wife absolutely adores roasted chicken. I like it, too, but she likes it even more than I do. There was a stretch last year when I was making one a week (usually on Sundays - how very 1950s of me!) I haven't made it since surgery but after a trial run eating some roasted chicken breast last week, I think this is a practice that may have to be reestablished. I found the roasted meat to be much more tender, moist, and flavorful than other ways of cooking chicken and it went down very well, without any discomfort or "sticking."

This recipe is based on one by Ina Gartner, though I'm way less fussy in my preparations. I strongly recommend the lemons and thyme for the fresh flavor they lend to the dish, but if you don't have any handy don't worry, this is still very yummy.

The Best Roast Chicken

5-6 lb. Roaster Chicken, giblets removed
2 T. Butter, melted
Carrots, Turnips, Parsnips, and Onions, cut into 2-3" pieces (enough to fill the bottom of your baking dish)
2 heads Garlic
6 sprigs Fresh Thyme
2 Lemons, halved
Olive Oil Spray (I use regular olive oil in one of these)
2 t. Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425F.

Fill your baking dish with the chopped veggies. Slice the garlic heads in two along their equator, so all the cloves have been halved and nestle them in among the veggies. Add 4 sprigs of fresh thyme. Spray everything lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper (about 1.5-2 t. for a 9"x11"x3" baking dish full of veggies.) Toss to coat.

Use kitchen shears to remove any excess fat or skin from chicken, but leave the skin over the breast and thighs/legs intact. Place the chicken on top of the chopped veggies and tuck the tips of the wings under so they don't burn. Pat dry as much as possible with paper towels. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the remaining 2 sprigs thyme and both lemons. Don't worry if the lemons are coming out the end, just mash them in the best way you can. Brush the cold chicken with the warm melted butter all over top, ends, and sides. The butter will congeal on the cold chicken, but this is what you want. Sprinkle the chicken lightly all over with garlic powder, salt, and fresh cracked black pepper. Place in preheated oven and roast 1.5-2 hours, or until an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh reads 170F. Remove from oven, tent loosely in foil, and allow to rest 20 minutes before carving. When serving, squeeze the roasted garlic out of their skins and mix into the veggies. Squeeze the juice of the roasted lemons over servings of the chicken.

I can't really give you nutrition on this one cuz there are too many variables (if you eat the skin or discard it, how many veggies you eat, if you consume the pan juices, what part of the meat you have - thigh vs. breast, etc.) I can tell you that 3 oz. of the breast of this chicken and about 1/3 C. of the roasted veggies went down like a dream, tasted divine, and filled me up.

Green Soup and Ham

A few weeks ago I made a massive ham roast at the request of my wife, which I glazed in brown sugar, cloves, and ginger and it came out beautifully. But then I had all this ham! And I'm not eating much these days. ;-) My wife ate what she could and then I put the rest of the meat from the roast (and the bone, natch) into the freezer for a later meal. One of those meals came this evening in the form of Green Soup and Ham. It's essentially a nutritionally ramped up split pea soup and it's got all the unctuous mouth feel and salty, hammy, flavor you would expect out of the original version. I halved the split peas with lentils because split peas have such a high carb count and lentils have more protein. I also added a little extra in the way of veggies to boost the fiber and vitamins. After pureeing the soup, you don't even notice them.

It would also be worth noting that I tend to make large amounts of soup and we eat off them for quick lunches and dinner for a few days before I freeze the rest for future lazy days when I don't feel like cooking. (Depending on the soup, sometimes there's nothing left to freeze!)

Green Soup and Ham

2 T. Olive Oil
2 Medium Onions, chopped
2 Medium Carrots, chopped
2 Stalks Celery, chopped
3-4 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Bay Leaf
1 t. Thyme
32 oz. Fat Free, Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth
1 C. Dry Split Peas
1 C. Dry Green Lentils
2 C. Frozen Chopped Kale
3 C. Cooked Ham, fat removed and cut in to bite sized cubes
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large pan, sweat the veggies with the bay leaf and thyme until they are very tender and have given up a lot of their moisture. Add the chicken broth, cover, and bring to a simmer. When the broth is hot, add the dried peas, lentils, and frozen kale and cook 20-30 minutes, or until the beans are very tender. The peas will start to break down. Remove soup from heat and use an immersion blender (or whatever you like) to puree the soup to a smooth a silky consistency. Return the soup to the heat, add the ham, and return to a simmer to heat the ham. Adjust the salt and pepper and serve.

Makes 8 1 C. Servings

Nutrition Roundup: Calories 192, Total Fat 6.3 g, Total Carbs 18.1 g, Fiber 5.9 g, Protein 16.4 g.

Reliable Chicken Salad

I heard from a friend this past Friday that the local grocery store runs a special on their precooked rotisserie chickens each Friday, marking them all down to $5. I had my wife go get one because it seemed like too good of a deal to pass up on, particularly on a weekend when I knew i wouldn't feel like cooking. But my intentions for a quick meal were thwarted on Friday night when we splurged on alare lunch at our favorite Indian restaurant and again on Saturday when I was in the mood for tofu and my wife wanted a bean & cheese burrito. And so that lovely rorisserie chicken just sat in the fridge looking tasty and forlorn until this evening when I realized that I could make chicken salad. Duh!

While I'm always game for new flavors and unique combinations, when I want something reliably tasty, I default to the Simple Is Better philosophy. This chicken salad falls into that category, with only 5 ingredients. I ran it through my mini food processor to get an almost baby food consistency (regular cooked chicken is still too tough for me to digest), but you don't really have to make it that way.

Reliable Chicken Salad

12 oz. Cooked Chicken, defatted and deboned
2 Large Carrots, chopped
2 Celery Stalks, chopped
1/2 t. Onion Powder
5 T. Low Fat Mayonnaise
Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process to your desired consistency. Spoon into a storage container and give it a good stir to ensure that all the mayo and onion powder is evenly distributed.

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition (from sparkrecipes.com recipe calculator): Calories 180.2, Total Fat 7.3 g, Cholesterol 58.8 mg, Sodium 290.4 mg, Total Carbs 7.5 g, Dietary Fiber 1.6 g, Protein: 20.2 g.

I've taken to using canning jars for storage containers. I have loads of them in the house and they're convenient.

Treats!

I didn't plan on this post including a recipe, but I have one, so why not?

As a reward for tackling my anxiety and going to the gym consistently for almost a month, my lovely wife bought me the Oster My Blend Blender with an orange travel cup (have I mentioned I like orange? I do! It's just such a cheerful color.) It's similar to a Magic Bullet in that the ingredients are blended directly in the cup, which has a blender attachment, and inverted into the base and pressed down to activate the blender action (there's a travel lid for drinking.) I like that the base - about 6" wide - takes up very little room on my already cowded counter and requires next to no brain power to use (something very necessary first thing in the morning as I'm most definitely Not A Morning Person.) One cup comes with the blender and they sell additional cups in other colors for around $12 each, which might be good for the future. It really all depends on whether I'm the only one in the house drinking smoothies regularly. Isn't it cute?

Now I can start experimenting with protein smoothies! The first smoothie I made was strawberry banana and it was good but nothing special. The smoothie I made yesterday and today and that I will be drinking every day until I'm totally sick of it is my Nutter Butter smoothie. YUM. YUM! It's called such because it tastes like Nutter Butter cookies, but it's really a combination of almond milk, banana, vanilla protein powder, and PB2.

Which reminds me. Have I mentioned how excited I am that my PB2 has arrived?! For those who have no clue what I'm referring to, PB2 is essentially peanut flour left over from making peanut oil. Because the roasted nuts are pressed for oil before they are ground to make PB2, the product is basically all nut solids with very little fat. The company markets it as 85% fat free. There are about 45 calories in 2 tablespoons and it can be reconstituted w/water to make a peanut butter-like spread, or it can be used to flavor things.

On to the recipe! The banana in it helps to sweeten and thick the smoothie a little (and adds a nice infusion of fruit to my day) and the vanilla protein powder helps to give the "cookie" flavor, while the PB2 gives the peanut butter filling flavor. Use as much PB2 as you like until you're happy with the peanut action. I like it with 3-4 T. but I loooove peanuts and this is my substitute for real peanut butter right now. I didn't find that it needed any additional splenda, but your tastes may be different and your vanilla protein powder may not be as sweet as mine. I didn't include a picture of the smoothie because it's really nothing to look at - just a lightly tan milk shake lookin' thing. Meh. But trust me, what it lacks in looks it makes up for in flavor!

Nutter Butter Protein Smoothie

8 oz. Vanilla Almond Milk
1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (I like the Syntrax Vanilla Bean Torte)
2-4 T. PB2
1/2 Large Banana (frozen or not, it's your choice)

Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Enjoy the Nutter Butter cookie flavor.

Approximate Nutritional Roundup: Calories 298, Carbs 37 g, Fat 4 g, Protein 30 g, Fiber 5 g. (It's also got roughly 45 g of calcium, no saturated fat, and 569 mg of potassium, which is good for your heart.)

Edited to Add: It has recently been brought to my attention that the calorie and carb counts are a bit high for this smoothie, which is true. Looking into it, I saw that you can shave 50 calories and 14g of carbs off of this with a quick and easy swap for unsweetened vanilla almond milk. The other big culprit for carbs in this recipe is the banana, which has around 16g, but also provides around 5g of fiber (making 11g net carbs), for which your digestion will thank you. I personally try to incorporate a fruit or veggie into every meal, but you could always ditch the banana, which would lop off another 63 calories and 16g of carbs. If you go with both of these modifications, you may need to use a little Spenda to sweeten things up, but you'll bring the whole smoothie down to approximately 175 calories and 7g carbs. It won't be quite as thick as with the banana, but you could always add some ice cubes.

Mock (Mac) n Cheese

As I start to feel better from the surgery (and nasty head cold) and have more energy, I've noticed my interest in cooking and trying new foods has started to return. And after all the freezing cold weather we've been having, I seriously want some comfort food. As I mentioned a week or so ago, I have had in mind a pasta-free Mock Mac n Cheese - or Mock n Cheese as I like to call it. It's essentially a gratin with more cheese than is usual, but I'll take it! I've combined steamed broccoli and cauliflower and a few cups of frozen chopped kale for a nice punch of veggies in this cheesy less-fat sauce. I made it with skim milk, 2% cheddar, and just enough olive oil to form the necessary roux. This is by no means a "low fat" recipe, but it's better than it could be and the only significant carbs in it come from the dairy and the flour used in the roux.

A Note About Veggies: As I've mentioned before, I use frozen veggies and heat them in the microwave until they're tender and most of the water is gone. I like frozen veggies because they are a) cheap, b) don't rot in my fridge if I don't get around to using them, c) double nicely as an ice pack on sore muscles and joints, and d) did I mention they're cheap? You by no means have to use frozen veggies.

Mock N Cheese

3 T. Flour
3 T. Olive Oil
2.5 C. Fat Free Milk
1 Egg, beaten
1 lb. Cauliflower, frozen and cooked until tender
1 lb. Broccoli, frozen and cooked until tender
3 C. Kale, frozen, chopped
1 t. Mustard Powder
1/8 - 1/4 t. Onion powder (optional)
1/8 - 1/4 t. Garlic powder (optional)
1/8 t. Cayenne
1 C. Reduced Fat Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
1 C. 50% Reduced Fat Extra Sharp Cheddar, shredded
1/3 C. Bread Crumbs - Italian Style
1/3 C. Parmesan Cheese
Black Pepper to taste

Put broccoli and cauliflower in a large bowl and microwave on high 15-30 minutes, or until the veggies are tender and most of the water is gone. Set aside.

Heat a medium sauce pan over medium heat and add olive oil. When oil is hot, add flour and stir to create a roux. Whisk to make it smooth and allow it to cook until it's just lightly tan. When the roux is nicely tan, whisk in milk and continue to whisk until the roux is completely dissolved. Add 2 T. of hot milk to the beaten egg in a small bowl and beat in the milk quickly, to temper the egg. Add egg-warm milk mixture to sauce pan and whisk to combine. Add cheese in 1/2 C. increments, whisking between additions until it's all incorporated. Add garlic and onion powder (if using), cayenne, mustard powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Adjust seasonings as necessary and then pour over broccoli and cauliflower in the bowl and stir to combine. Add 3 C. frozen kale (I didn't bother thawing it, but just broke it up and added it directly) and stir. Mix Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl. Put cheese and veggie mixture into a 9x11 casserole and top with breadcrumb mixture. Bake at 375F until topping is golden brown.

Makes: 8 1 cup servings

Here's the nutritional round up (from sparkrecipes.com): Calories 260.7, Total Fat 13.3 g, Cholesterol 43.9 mg, Sodium 432.4 mg, Total Carbs 21.3 g, Dietary Fiber 4.6 g, Protein 17.5 g.

Sausage Lentil Stew

I've been digging on lentils a lot lately which I am personally scandalized by, since before surgery I frequently declared that they tasted like little pieces of dirt. Now? I like them. A lot. (Will wonders never cease?) I've discovered that lentils have good protein, good fiber, healthy carbs, and they work well for strong flavors, like onion and curry. Plus, the new stomach (pouch) seems to be on good terms with them.

This stew was inspired by Stephanie O'Dea's Crockpot 365 recipe. I created a recipe for the stove top that had loads of veggies in it and a nice full flavored sausage. I opted for andouille sausage - which admittedly has more fat than many chicken sausages that you could choose - but I love the spicy, garlicy flavor. If anything will keep lentils from tasting like the earth they grow out of, it's andouille. But, as my grand aunt would say, "If you don't have the andouille, then use a little hot Italian sausage, or if you don't have that, then a little sweet sausage, or whatever you have that's cheap at the market." Yeah, my Aunt Rose was a big one for freewheeling substitutions in her cooking and so am I. ;-)

I wanted to keep this stew from being too tough to digest, so I chose to puree half the veggies after they had softened from cooking, but it adds to the labor and you don't really need to do that. I also used frozen chopped kale since it was in the house and to be honest, I tend to prefer to stock my house with frozen veggies, since I can't always be arsed to cook the fresh veggies before they compost in the bottom of my fridge. What can I say? I live a real life and stuff happens.

Sausage Lentil Stew

2 T. Olive Oil, divided
1 lb. Andouille Sausage (or whatever you like)
1 C. Chopped Carrots
2 C. Chopped Onions
4-6 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Can Diced Tomatoes
4 C. Chopped Frozen Kale, Thawed
32-40 oz. Fat Free, Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth (or veggie broth)
1 C. Lentils, rinsed and soaked 30 minutes
Salt and Pepper to taste

Slice sausage lengthwise in 4 pieces and then cross-wise into 1 cm pieces. In a large pan, lightly brown the sausage in 1 T. olive oil and remove from the pan and set aside in a bowl. Add 1 T. additional olive oil to the pan and cook the carrots, onions and garlic until soft. Add tomatoes with the juice, kale, and broth and bring to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes until the veggies are tender and remove half the veggies from the pan. Using an immersion blender, puree the other half the veggies right in the broth and return the pan to the stove. Return the remaining veggies to the pan with sausage and lentils. Cover and simmer until lentils are very tender (I prefer them almost mushy), 30-45 minutes. You may need to add a little extra broth or water as it cooks, depending on how much is absorbed by the lentils.

Including the olive oil, here are the nutrition stats (from the sparkrecipes.com calculator): Calories: 293, Total Fat 13.8 g, Cholestrol 33.3 mg, Sodium 1,118.8 mg, Total Carbohydrate 27.5 g, Fiber 9.2 g, Protein 17.9 g.

Apple Pear Sauce

As I mentioned yesterday, I've been having a hard time with eating over the past day or so. I learned the hard way that although fresh apples (peeled) are on the "approved foods" list from my surgeon for my current stage of diet, they are still well known for causing problems with digestion. Fun! *snort* Since I have been eating apples (and pears) for 2 weeks with no problems, I had just bought a nice selection of them when I went shopping this past Sunday. But given the events of the past few days I deiced that maybe I should try eating them cooked for a little while.

Now, I know that apple sauce - even the no sugar added type - is cheap and easy to find in any corner store these days, trust me when I tell you that home made is worth the 10 minutes of active work and 30 minutes of cook time. Trust me.

So, with my decision to cook the apples fresh in my heart, I went to my kitchen and was promptly reminded that I have pears, too! But only 2 of them. Not enough for a batch of pear sauce. A split second deliberation saw me tossing sliced pears into the pot with the apples. This inspired me to take the flavors in the direction of mulled cider and I dropped in some whole cloves, cinnamon, and a generous strip of orange zest. After all, if there's no added sugar, there should be added flavor some other way, right? Right.

I used a mix of apples that included Gala, Pink Lady, Macoun, and Honey Crisp and red d'Anjou pears. These are fruits that are best for eating out-of-hand - meaning that they are sweet and juicy and crisp - and I put in a little extra lemon juice to offset the sweetness a bit. That being said, if you're not adding sugar to your apple sauce, using naturally sweeter varieties will help give you the right flavor. You may have to taste and adjust your proportions of spices and lemon juice as you go, so I suggest starting out with a little less and adding it as needed until you get it how you like it. I left the skins on the fruit and pureed it after (I fished out the cinnamon and cloves stick first). I figure that there a good nutrients in the peel and if it's pureed, it won't cause digestive problems for me while I continue in my healing process.

Apple Pear Sauce

4-6 Apples
2-3 Pears
1-2 Cinnamon Stick
6-8 Whole Cloves
1 1" x 3" strip of Orange Zest
1/2 C. Water
Juice of 1/2 - 1 Lemon
Pinch of Salt

Core and slice the fruit and put in a medium-large sauce pan with half the orange zest, lemon juice, cloves, and cinnamon. Add water and salt, cover, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it all becomes very mushy and soft.

Taste for seasoning and add a little more orange zest, lemon juice, salt, cloves, and cinnamon as necessary. If you add flavoring, cook another 10-15 minutes to allow it to permeate the sauce. If your sauce is too watery for your preference, remove the lid part way through cooking and allow some of the moisture to evaporate.

When done, allow it to cool to room temperature and fish out the cloves and cinnamon. Puree the sauce until there are no lumps and all the skins are incorporated. You want a smooth consistency.

Makes approximately 12 2 oz. servings

 

Nutrition (from sparkrecipes.com calculator): Calories 83.0, Total Fat 0.3 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 97.5 mg, Total Carbs 21.7 g, Dietary Fiber 4.2 g, Protein 0.3 g.

Midwinter Seafood Fra Diavolo

I had a craving for shellfish today, so the wife and I splurged a little and picked up some fresh PEI mussels and wild caught cod filet during the weekly grocery shop. Well...I guess it wasn't so much of a splurge, since the mussels were on sale and we only bought 1/2 lb. of the cod - the whole thing came to about $9.

Anyway! I fixed my craving with this flavorful pasta-free Seafood Fra Diavolo. I've flavored the broth with tomatoes, garlic, hot pepper flakes, oregano and a smidge of basil. This is a quick 1-pot meal that takes less than 30 minutes to prepare.

Seafood Fra Diavolo

1/2 - 3/4 lb. Cod Filet (skinless), cut into 2" or 3" chunks
4 lbs. Fresh Mussels, scrubbed and debearded
1 28 oz. Can Tomato Puree
1 C. Fat Free Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth
2-6 Cloves garlic, smashed/cracked open
1 pinch - 1 t. Hot Pepper Flakes (to taste)
1/2 t. Basil
1 t. Oregano
Salt to taste

Heat 1 T. olive oil in a large pan. Add garlic and cook on medium heat until it just starts to brown. Add  pepper flakes and cook 1 more minute. Add tomato puree and broth and heat to simmering. Add basil, oregan, and salt and stir to combine. Gently drop in the cod filet and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add in mussels, cover, and allow it to simmer for 3 minutes. Check every 1 minute after that and remove from heat as soon as the mussels have opened.

I served this family style in a big shallow bowl with all the broth and pan juices and I imagine it would be delicious with crusty bread for dipping. This serves about 4-5 hungry non-gastric bypass diners.

The nutritional info (from sparkrecipes.com): Calories: 288.7, Total Fat 7.5 g, Cholesterol 88.2 mg, Sodium 824.7 mg, Total Carbs 13.7 g, Dietary Fiber 1.3 g, Protein: 38.4 g.

My wife, stealing a taste during the photo shoot. :-)

A Fish to Keep - Salmon Rillettes

As a child, I pooh-poohed all manner of fish. It smelled funny, it looked funny, it tasted funny, and the texture was....not beef. I have never been a picky eater, but up until my mid-20s the thought of voluntarily allowing anything past my lips that came from the ocean other than the occasional scallop or shrimp was just Not. On.

Since then, my palate has matured and my willingness to be adventuresome with things from the sea has greatly expanded. I ran into this particular recipe in a hand-me-down issue of Bon Apetit magazine (Sept. 2012, p16). I made a few minor adjustments for taste and fat and served it on cucumber slices for a lighter alternative to baguette. It's a delicious cold smoky salmon dip with just the right hint of onion from the chives and a powerful punch of protein. Apparently, this is a recipe that originally came from famous New York restaurant, Le Bernardin!

These incredibly rich smoky bites of heaven were the perfect way for my wife and I to ring in the New Year. Give them a try at your next gathering or special dinner. (Bonus: I'm only 3 weeks post-op and on soft solids and I was able to eat this with no problems and it's something my wife looooved!) Can't get better than a culinary win to start the year off right!

Salmon Rillettes

2 C. Dry White Wine
2 Small Shallots (about 1.5 T.), minced
1 lb. Salmon Filet, skinned and pin bones removed
3 oz. Smoked Salmon (lox), cut into 1/4" pieces
1/s C. Mayo (I halved this with Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt to reduce the fat)
2-3 T. Fresh Chives, minced
1-2 T. Fresh Lemon Juice
S&P to taste

Bring wine and shallots to a simmer in a small sauce pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and add salmon filet. Poach gently until salmon is just barely opaque all the way through (roughly 5 minutes.) Using a fish spatula or slotted spoon, remove salmon from wine and drain on paper towels. Strain shallots out of the wine, reserving the shallots and discarding the wine. Place shallots and salmon in a bowl, cover and refridgerate until cold.

Add all remaining ingredients to the filet and shallots and stir gently to break up filet slightly. Avoid overmixing - you want the filet to retain some flakiness. Adjust seasoning, adding additional lemon and mayo, as desired. Serve on toasted baguette, slices of cucumber, or fold into an omelette.

Servings: 6-8 (the original recipe says 6, I say 8 - this dish is rich and very satisying)

Nutrition (according sparkrecipes.com) based on 8 servings and using Greek yogurt in place of half the mayo:  Calories 145.8, Total Fat 7.1 g, Cholesterol 45.2 g, Sodium 586.3 mg, Potassium 397 mg, Total Carbohydrate 2.2 g, Protein 17.3 g.

 

Happy New Year and blessings to you and your family for 2013!

White Bean Chicken Chili

With a big nor'easter rolling into the neighborhood, I thought today would be a good day for something hot, filling, and flavorful. I adapted this recipe from one by Ellie Krieger at Food Network. I've changed a few things to align with the ingredients I had available and to reduce the carbohydrate content. The original recipe called for poblanos, but my local Shaw's stinks and they only had cubanelles. It also called for hominy and celery, but I just removed them from the recipe because of the carbs and the stringyness of the celery (not great for stomachs recovering from surgery.)

The result is a flavorful, aromatic, chili that's high on satisfaction. Even with the lightly thickened chicken broth, this is more of a stew than a soup in consistency, and there's plenty to chew on with the beans, chicken, and veggies. The cubanelles did what I believe the poblanos were supposed to do: Add a lot of flavor and just a hint of heat. I took Ms. Krieger's suggestion and served it with a couple tablspoons of plain fat free GReek yogurt and I was impressed by the flavor similarity to the less-nutritious sour cream. If you want to lower the fat a little further, I suggest you use ground turkey, as in the original recipe, but I find ground turkey a bit gamey for my taste.

White Bean Chicken Chili

1 T. Olive Oil
1 Medium onion, diced
2 Cubanelle peppers, seeded and diced
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1.5 t. Cumin
3/4 t. Coriander
1/4 t. Cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 t. Oregano
1 lb. Ground Chicken (or turkey, I prefer chicken)
4 C. Reduced Fat, Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth
2 20 oz. Cans Canellini Beans
S&P to taste
4 T. Cilantro, minced

In a large pan, cook cubanelle peppers and onion until soft. Add garlic, cumin, coriander, and cayenne and cook an additional minute. Add ground chicken and cook through before adding oregano, chicken broth, and half to two-thirds of the beans. In a small bowl, mash the rest of the beans with a fork. Add the mashed beans to the pan, cover, and cook on medium-low for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste and additional cayenne, if desired. Serve with a sprinkling of minced cilantro.

Yield: 6 servings of 1.5 C. each

According to the recipe caculator at sparkrecipes.com, the stats on this round out as follows: Calories 270, Total Fat 10.2 g, Cholesterol 86.7 mg, Sodium 554.4 mg, Total Carbs 23.9 g, Dietary Fiber 6.2 g, Protein 22.3 g.

Week One - Italian Style Chicken Meatballs

I made it through the first week! After a ridiculous amount of fluids, I saw the surgeon and nutritionist this morning and was cleared to begin solid foods again! Woo! My first "meal" was an ounce of low fat sharp cheddar cheese (natch, cheese obsessed as I am.) This evening, however, I'm finally venturing back into the kitchen for something other than popsicles! To celebrate, I've written a new recipe for Italian style chicken meatballs. I did my best to give them loads of flavor without adding loads of fat and carbs and I think I (mostly) succeeded.

Italian Style Chicken Meatballs

• 1 lb. Ground Chicken
• 1 Egg
• .25 C. (scant) Italian Bread Crumbs, plus a little for sprinkling
• 1 t. Basil, crushed
• 2 t. Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb
• 1/3 C. Grated Parmeggiano Cheese
• .25 t. Salt
• Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine everything except the olive oil in a large bowl, using a fork to ensure even mixing. On a baking sheet lined with no-stick foil, portion out the ground meat mixture with a 1" scoop. Sprinkle the tops of each meatball with a tiny bit of bread crumbs and spray lightly with olive oil.

Bake until the interior of the meatballs measure 165F (about 8-10 minutes.) Remove from oven and allow to rest 2-3 minutes. Serve with your favorite marinara sauce and pasta.

Yield: approx. 30 meatballs

According to sparkrecipes.com, the nutritional values (per meatball and not including sauce) is: Calories 36.1, Total Fat 2.0 g, Cholesterol 19.2 mg, Sodium 84.8 mg, Total Carbs 1.1 g, Dietary Fiber 0.1 g, Protein 3.4 g.



Tom Kar Comfort

Whenever I get sick or feel like hell, the only thing I want to eat is Tom Kar (aka Tom Kha Gai) soup. It's a light, fragrant, chicken soup flavored with lemon grass, Kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk, cilantro, and galangal. The local Thai restaurant serves it with chunks of mushrooms, chicken breast, and scallions but it's mostly the flavorful broth that I loooove. It's just the perfect comfort food...warm, fragrant, redolent with the scent of lime leaves and cilantro. Mmm...

Before I get to the recipe, a few words about lime leaves and galangal. Lime leaves (sometimes called "Kaffir" limes leaves) are tough, shiny leaves possessing an immense burst of citrus scent and flavor. The flavor really cannot be substituted, so it's definitely worth the effort to find some. If none of the grocers in your area carry them, you can buy them online here. They freeze beautifully, too. Galangal root can usually be found cleaned, sliced, and frozen at an international grocery store. It's a rhizome, like ginger, but with a very different flavor that combines notes of bitter, sour, and spicy and does not have as sharp a bite as ginger. If you manage to find it in its fresh form, prepare it for use in recipes the same way you would with ginger - scrape off the tender peel and slice, mince, or grate.

Tom Kha Gai (Thai Chicken Soup)

• 4 C. Low Fat, Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 Stalk Lemon Grass
• 2-4 Lime Leaves, torn in pieces
• 1" Chunk Galangal Root, sliced thinly
• 2-5 Red Thai Chiles, sliced in half and seeded
• 8 oz. Chicken Breast (boneless/skinless), cubed in bite-sized pieces
• 0.5 C. Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
• 0.75-1 C. Coconut Milk
• 4 T. Fish Sauce (optional)
• 3 T. Minced Cilantro
• 2 t. Fresh Lime Juice

Place dried mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow mushrooms to steep for about 10 minutes and then drain, discarding the water. While the mushrooms are soaking, cut lemon grass stalk into 4 even pieces and, using a studded meat tenderizing mallet (or the back of a heavy knife), beat the heck out of it. You really want to bruise it up and tenderize the tough stalk to release the flavor.

In a medium pan, combine chicken broth, lemon grass, lime leaves, fish sauce, and galangal root. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, drained mushrooms, and chiles and simmer until chicken is cooked through. Reduce heat to low, add coconut milk, season with salt to taste, and allow it to heat up. Turn off heat and add fresh cilantro and lime juice and serve immediately.