Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Rice Custard Pudding

Adapted from Mom and Mama; serves 8

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked rice (generous)
4 cups milk
4 eggs (or 2 eggs & 4 egg whites, or egg substitute), beaten
1/2 to 1 cup sugar (or powdered Splenda)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup golden raisins
cinnamon

Directions:
(If rice is "dry," soak in milk overnight)
Mix first 5 ingredients together, pour into 2 qt casserole, sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake at 350 for 1 hr or until done (butter knife comes out clean)

Made with Splenda, egg whites/egg substitute, and skim milk, 1 serving = 3 WW points

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Curried Coconut Vegetable Soup

Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens Fast-Fix One-Dish Meals

Ingredients:
3 c cauliflower florets
3 carrots, cut into 1" slices
1 med onion, diced
15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 c frozen cut green beans
1 Tbsp curry powder
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
3 c vegetable broth
15 oz can lite coconut milk
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
1. Place first 5 ingredients in crock pot. Sprinkle spices over top. Pour broth on top and stir.
2. Cook on low heat 8-10 hours, high heat 4 hours.
3. Turn crock pot to high heat, remove any excess liquid (if it looks too liquidy), and add coconut milk.
4. Serve in bowls with cilantro for garnish. Very tasty with naan for dipping.

Banana Bread (Low Fat)

This is a surprisingly good and moist recipe, considering it has such little fat...

Ingredients:
3 bananas, mashed (I freeze and then thaw mine; seems to make them sweeter)
1 c Splenda sugar substitute (baking version)
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
2 T pareve margarine (all vegetable/lactose-free)
3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees*.
2. In a mixer, mash bananas, add Splenda and mix.
3. Mix in rest of ingredients.
4. Pour ingredients into a bread pan sprayed with non-stick spray (butter-flavored Pam works well).
5. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes*; cake tester should come out clean when done.
6. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

*If using a dark coated pan, bake at 325 degrees and bake a little longer.

Serves 8 (or more, depending on size of slice)
Per 1/8 pan: 134 cal; 28 g carb; 3 g fat; 3 g protein; 22 g sodium; 7 g sugar

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Moroccan Salmon

Adapted from Cooking Light

Sweet peppers, tangy lemon slices, and heady spices come together in this simple dish that yields tender fish and vegetables in a flavorful sauce. Serve in bowls over couscous or basmati rice to soak up the tasty juices.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
Marinade:
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (I used Italian parsley)
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
~~~
4 (6-ounce) salmon or steelhead trout fillets with skin
Cooking spray
~~~
Topping (to mix with marinade, after marinating the salmon)
1 lemon
3 cups thinly sliced, bite-size mixed bell pepper (some combo of red, yellow, orange, and green, for flavor and color)
2 Tbsps water
1 large plum tomato, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine first 10 ingredients ("marinade") in a large bowl. Add salmon, turning to coat. Cover and let stand 15 minutes. Remove salmon from bowl, reserving marinade. Place the salmon, skin side down, in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. Cut lemon in half lengthwise; cut 1 lemon half crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Reserve remaining lemon half for another use. Add the lemon slices, red and green bell pepper slices, 2 Tbsps water, and tomato slices to marinade; stir gently to coat. Arrange lemon mixture in an even layer over salmon; cover dish with foil. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.
4. Place 1 fillet on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with about 1/2 cup lemon mixture, and drizzle each serving with about 2 1/2 Tbsps pan juices.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 319
Fat: 15.6g
Protein: 37.5g
Carbohydrate: 6.7g
Fiber: 2.3g
Cholesterol: 87mg
Iron: 1.5mg
Sodium: 383mg
Calcium: 50mg

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Tuscan Lamb Chops

From Better Homes and Gardens Fast-Fix One-Dish Meals

Serves 4

Ingredients:
8 lamb rib chops, cut 1" thick (about 1 1/2 lb)
salt
ground black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz can cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
14.5 oz can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dried crushed rosemary
Fresh rosemary sprigs for garnish

Directions:
1. Trim fat from chops, season with salt and pepper.
2. In a very large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chops and cook for 8 minutes or until medium doneness, turning once (4 min/side). Transfer chops to a serving plate and keep warm.
3. Stir garlic into drippings in skillet. Cook and stir for 1 minute, then add beans, undrained tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and dried rosemary. Bring to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
4. Return chops to skillet; cover and cook for 2-3 minutes to heat through.

Per serving:
266 calories
11 g fat
6 g fiber

Note: the beans are almost worth making solo; not sure how they'd taste without the lamb flavor, though. But they were yummy!

Moroccan Lamb Stew

Adapted from BHG Fast-Fix One-Dish Meals

Ingredients:
2 lb lean boneless lamb
3 large carrots, cut into 1" pieces
2 large onions, cut into wedges
3 medium tomatoes (Roma works best), chopped
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 c chicken broth
1 c dry couscous
1/4 c currants, raisins, or golden raisins

Directions:
1. Trim fat from meat, cut lamb into 3/4" cubes.
2. In a 4 quart slow cooker, combine lamb through spices, and pour broth over all ingredients
3. Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours
4. In a separate pot, boil 1 c water and 1 c lamb juices; stir in couscous and dried fruit and remove from heat. Stir after 5-7 minutes to fluff couscous, and serve (on plates or in bowls) with lamb.

Sweet Pickled Watermelon Rind

Adapted from Cooks.com

Note: this recipe takes about 3 days to make, but most of the work is on the third day. Start on a Wednesday night, or at the beginning of a 3-day weekend.

Ingredients
About 4 qts. cubed watermelon rind
Water
3 tbsp. salt
3 1/2 c. vinegar + 1/2 c. water
6 c. sugar
4 sticks whole cinnamon
1 tbsp. whole cloves

Evening 1:
Pare outer green peel from the firm white inner rind of 1 small watermelon, discarding any pink flesh. Cut in 1-inch cubes. Cover with cold water, add the salt and let stand overnight.

Morning 2:
Drain, rinse with fresh water and drain again. Cover again with fresh water and bring to boiling. Simmer over low heat until cubes are just barely tender: DON'T OVERCOOK. Drain.

Combine the vinegar with the 1/2 cup water; add sugar; tie the spices in a small cloth bag (or place in a tea strainer) and add. Bring to boiling and cook 5 minutes. Pour over the rind cubes and let stand 24 hours.

Morning 3:
Drain off the syrup and bring it to boiling, then pour it again over the cubes. Let stand 24 hours.

Morning 4:
Bring all to boiling and simmer 5 minutes. Fill hot sterilized jars and seal. Makes about 7 pints.

Butternut Squash Soup

Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

1 (2 to 3 pound) butternut squash, peeled and seeded
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups chicken stock
Nutmeg and Cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Brown sugar (optional, to taste)

Directions

Cut squash into 1-inch chunks. In large pot melt butter. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add squash and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove squash chunks with slotted spoon and place in a blender and puree. Return blended squash to pot. Stir and season with nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Add brown sugar to taste. Serve.

Note: freezes well.

Zucchini Basil Lasagna

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

2 cups fat-free cottage cheese or ricotta
1 cup chopped fresh basil
2 large egg whites
Cooking spray
4 cups chopped zucchini (1/2" cubes)
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups pasta sauce (e.g., Ragu)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
9 oven-ready lasagna noodles (such as Barilla)
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine first 3 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, garlic, and onion; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in sauce and pepper flakes; remove from heat.

Spread 1/4 cup zucchini mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over zucchini mixture; top with one-third cottage cheese mixture, one-third zucchini mixture, and one-third mozzarella. Repeat procedure with the remaining noodles, cottage cheese mixture, zucchini mixture, and mozzarella.

Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until lasagna is thoroughly heated.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 227 (24% from fat)
Fat: 6g (sat 3.1g,mono 0.8g,poly 0.6g)
Protein: 17.8g
Carbohydrate: 26.4g
Fiber: 2.9g