It's summertime!... Almost!
Well, pretty much. Given that I live in Canada, it's a little bit iffy about when seasons start and stop. I look outside, and I see sun, therefore, it must be summer!
You know what summer means? BBQ! (Actually, apparently Alberta has the highest national average for people who BBQ outside year round and I'm proud to say I'm one such person, but I digress...)
Grilling is a fantastic way to cook your food and keep it low-fat. It imparts its own charred flavor, unlike methods such as boiling, and you can grill very nearly anything. A couple of tips before we begin however: Things stick to grills, so make sure you have a good low-fat non-stick spray that you can use. OR if you can't find such a thing, consider investing in a good BBQ basket. You can also cook things in foil to avoid direct contact with the grill.
BBQ sauces are typically fat-free (not sugar-free though, so if you are a long-haul low-fat eater, you should probably look for a reduced-sugar version) and chicken breasts are great grilled. Fish can be grilled on pre-soaked cedar planks, and if you're feeling a bit more adventurous, you can look into cooking shellfish such as clams and mussels on the grill. Shrimp do great as kebabs, or in the grill basket. You can even do pizzas on the grill! BBQ sauce, chicken, peppers and pineapple makes for a nice pizza, with or without cheese - just make sure your crust is low fat!
Vegetables are also great on the grill. Asparagus and green beans are great grilled with a touch of sea salt. If you've got a grill basket, throw in some chopped veggies ranging from summer squash, potatoes, beets and carrots. Try doing beet greens or spinach in a foil package with water or apple juice, salt, and a touch of vinegar. Hollow out zucchinis that are halved lengthwise and fill them with a couscous salad for grill zucchini boats, or make kebabs with zucchinis, baby tomatoes, mushrooms and peppers.
And lastly, fruit. Grilled fruit is a fantastic treat. Grill peach halves that have been dipped in brown sugar or maple syrup and serve on top of crepes or yogurt. Fruit kebabs with strawberries, pineapple and nectarines are great by themselves or dipped in honey, and you can even peel and core an apple, stuff it with oats, brown sugar and raisins, and grill it in a foil package with a bit of red wine for an individual apple cobbler!
A little bit of creativity goes a long way with the BBQ and the extra flavor, not to mention the joy of cooking outdoors, is well worth it!
Mrs. VanderLeek
Thursday, 31 May 2012
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Sole en Papillote
I love fish - don't you?? No? Well, no worries - we can fix that!
The world of seafood holds many low-fat options that bear trying, at the very least. On a strict, low-fat diet, you can get tired of chicken breasts quickly, so it's nice to mix up your proteins regularly.
Foods like scallops, shrimp and sole are not only low-fat and tasty, but they cook up super fast, making them a great option for a regular weekday meal.
If you are one such person who does not normally enjoy fish, I recommend you start with something like sole, which has less of a fishy taste to it than other varieties, like trout. Sole can act like a blank canvas, becoming infused with whatever sauce you put on it, so if it's the taste that bothers you, find a more flavorful, savory sauce to help mask the natural flavor of the sole. I think I've mentioned this before, but any time that you are met with the need to change your diet drastically, it's the time to work on getting over any food dislikes - with a highly restricted diet, you don't want to limit your options even more simply because you don't like the taste of something. Start with baby-steps and, who knows, maybe you'll find that you like a food if it's prepared a certain way.
When I had my gallstones, there were three things I always had in my freezer: a big box of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, SmartOnes Turkey Dinner frozen meals, and a big bag of sole fillets from Costco. At less than $0.40 a fillet, it was a low-cost and quick meal for me if I ever made something for the family that I couldn't eat. How quick, you ask? The package directions specified a cooking time of 6 minutes.
My preferred method for preparing sole is oddly the easiest: pour some vinaigrette overtop and bake it. However, depending on how much fat you can eat in one serving, you may be unable to find a decent fat-free vinaigrette that you enjoy for this purpose (roasted red pepper ones work great, if you can find a good fat-free one). Asian sauces are always a great flavor mask, and barbque sauces are often low-fat or fat-free and a brown sugar sauce would suit a fillet just fine.
However, if you do like fish, like I do, and you are feeling the need to flip on the barbie now that the weather is getting better, I suggest you try a method called en Papillote. En Papillote is french for "in parchment" and describes the cooking technique perfectly: you wrap the fish in parchment and then cook it! Don't let the fancy french name scare you off - it's a super-simple method. It's a very versatile method as well, and you can use any variety of vegetables, herbs and seasonings. Personally, I like to use peppers, zucchini, carrot ribbons and fennel. Cut a square (or a rectangle - it really doesn't matter) of parchment and pile your veggies in the center of it. Place your fish on top of the veggies and top with fresh herbs - I like to use parsley and the fennel fronds, but rosemary, dill and oregano are great too! Once you've got a pretty little stack of food on your parchment, fold up the sides into a little parcel shape - you can look online for tips on the best folding methods, but I just lift the sides and bunch them to make sure nothing with leak out. Before you seal the seam at the top, sprinkle in some sea salt and pepper and pour in some type of liquid: white wine, water and juice all work great. Squeeze a lemon or lime wedge overtop if you feel like it. Seal it up and set it on the barbeque for several minutes - it's done when the meat flakes.
A couple of notes: since it is such a short cook-time, make sure you slice your veggies thin! Play around with what you throw in there: beet greens, spinach, waterchestnuts, cabbage, summer squash... whatever you feel like! And remember, this method isn't just for sole - you can do it with all types of fish! And if the weather is crumby and you don't feel like grilling, this method also works great in a 400 degree oven!
Mrs. VanderLeek
The world of seafood holds many low-fat options that bear trying, at the very least. On a strict, low-fat diet, you can get tired of chicken breasts quickly, so it's nice to mix up your proteins regularly.
Foods like scallops, shrimp and sole are not only low-fat and tasty, but they cook up super fast, making them a great option for a regular weekday meal.
If you are one such person who does not normally enjoy fish, I recommend you start with something like sole, which has less of a fishy taste to it than other varieties, like trout. Sole can act like a blank canvas, becoming infused with whatever sauce you put on it, so if it's the taste that bothers you, find a more flavorful, savory sauce to help mask the natural flavor of the sole. I think I've mentioned this before, but any time that you are met with the need to change your diet drastically, it's the time to work on getting over any food dislikes - with a highly restricted diet, you don't want to limit your options even more simply because you don't like the taste of something. Start with baby-steps and, who knows, maybe you'll find that you like a food if it's prepared a certain way.
When I had my gallstones, there were three things I always had in my freezer: a big box of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, SmartOnes Turkey Dinner frozen meals, and a big bag of sole fillets from Costco. At less than $0.40 a fillet, it was a low-cost and quick meal for me if I ever made something for the family that I couldn't eat. How quick, you ask? The package directions specified a cooking time of 6 minutes.
My preferred method for preparing sole is oddly the easiest: pour some vinaigrette overtop and bake it. However, depending on how much fat you can eat in one serving, you may be unable to find a decent fat-free vinaigrette that you enjoy for this purpose (roasted red pepper ones work great, if you can find a good fat-free one). Asian sauces are always a great flavor mask, and barbque sauces are often low-fat or fat-free and a brown sugar sauce would suit a fillet just fine.
However, if you do like fish, like I do, and you are feeling the need to flip on the barbie now that the weather is getting better, I suggest you try a method called en Papillote. En Papillote is french for "in parchment" and describes the cooking technique perfectly: you wrap the fish in parchment and then cook it! Don't let the fancy french name scare you off - it's a super-simple method. It's a very versatile method as well, and you can use any variety of vegetables, herbs and seasonings. Personally, I like to use peppers, zucchini, carrot ribbons and fennel. Cut a square (or a rectangle - it really doesn't matter) of parchment and pile your veggies in the center of it. Place your fish on top of the veggies and top with fresh herbs - I like to use parsley and the fennel fronds, but rosemary, dill and oregano are great too! Once you've got a pretty little stack of food on your parchment, fold up the sides into a little parcel shape - you can look online for tips on the best folding methods, but I just lift the sides and bunch them to make sure nothing with leak out. Before you seal the seam at the top, sprinkle in some sea salt and pepper and pour in some type of liquid: white wine, water and juice all work great. Squeeze a lemon or lime wedge overtop if you feel like it. Seal it up and set it on the barbeque for several minutes - it's done when the meat flakes.
A couple of notes: since it is such a short cook-time, make sure you slice your veggies thin! Play around with what you throw in there: beet greens, spinach, waterchestnuts, cabbage, summer squash... whatever you feel like! And remember, this method isn't just for sole - you can do it with all types of fish! And if the weather is crumby and you don't feel like grilling, this method also works great in a 400 degree oven!
Mrs. VanderLeek
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Brrrrrrr!
I don't know about where you are, but it is freezing here! And if you think that I am at all unjustified in my complaints, I just checked the forecast and it is -28 but feels like -39 with the windchill! The high yesterday was -27! I say again, it is freezing!
So what is one to do when the weather is intolerable and the energy bills are sky rocketing just so people can stay reasonably warm? Why, make soup of course!
Which is exactly what I did yesterday!
Soup is a wonderful low-fat option! Huge pots brimming with broth and tender veggies warming your very core... And so yummy! Soup recipes are some of the best recipes for not having to sacrifice flavor for low fat content.
That being said, tread carefully, as with all things. While a beautiful minestrone can be virtually fat-free, a small bowl of a "Cream of..." soup can have more fat than a Big Mac.
But in general, if you pick a broth-based soup, you should be able to tell just by looking at it whether or not it will be safe to eat. What should you look for? Simple: fat. Fat floats and will separate itself from the water. You'll see this on some asian cuisine, like a Hot and Sour Soup; there will be little pools of oil on the surface of the soup. Use your own judgement about whether or not such soups are safe to eat, and whenever possible, check the nutritional information.
All that being said, soup in general is a wonderfully versatile thing, with loads of low-fat alternatives.
A friend of mine came over for dinner last night and while we had originally invited him over for duck he informed me that he was on a special diet and said he'd bring his own food. Not wanting to have a bachelor over for dinner and not send him away full from a free meal I dug a little deeper and found he was on a soup diet - so I offered to make him soup.
While trying to decide which recipe to go with I realized how fortunate I was in preparing this meal this month since both the Cooking Light January issue and the Food Network January issue magazines had features on soup - not to mention my Cooking Light Fresh Food Superfast cookbook (the main cookbook I used during my season with gallstones) has a whole soup chapter at the beginning of the book. I narrowed down my options to a Roasted Tomato-Basil ("Fresh Food Superfast"), a Spicy Thai Coconut Chicken (Cooking Light Mag), a Portuguese Chicken, Lemon and Mint (Food Network Mag) and a Mulligatawny recipe from my own personal files. The beautiful thing about these soups is that the highest fat content per serving is 10 grams (and if you subbed out a super low-fat coconut milk for the thai soup you could get that down to 5 grams) and the Mulligatawny and Portuguese Chicken soups only have as much fat as the chicken you put into it! Last night I opted for the Mulligatawny - a tomato, curry-based soup with chicken, apples and allspice. I made it with chicken breast (I always buy a case of frozen chicken breasts whenever they go on a really good sale) so it was very low fat, and it was absolutely loaded with vegetables; it had 8 cups of chopped veggies plus 2 cups of apples to the 7 cups of liquid I put in it. After two bowls of soup I was absolutely full - I didn't even have one of the biscuits I had made for dinner! And the best part, in my opinion, is that, for a little bit of chopping yesterday, I made enough food for my family and our friend for dinner last night, plus I sent our friend home with a container of leftover soup for dinner today and I've still got a container myself that will last me for lunches both today and tomorrow!
Now, unfortunately, I am not at liberty to divulge the trade secret that is my Mulligatawny recipe. The recipe is not 'mine' and people still make a living by that recipe, so until that ends, or I adapt it enough to call it my own, it stays under lock and key (or, you know, in my own recipe binder). But there are far more fish in the sea than my one little recipe. There is certainly no shortage of great, low-fat soup recipes out there and they certainly are a great way to warm up on a cold day like today!
Mrs. VanderLeek
So what is one to do when the weather is intolerable and the energy bills are sky rocketing just so people can stay reasonably warm? Why, make soup of course!
Which is exactly what I did yesterday!
Soup is a wonderful low-fat option! Huge pots brimming with broth and tender veggies warming your very core... And so yummy! Soup recipes are some of the best recipes for not having to sacrifice flavor for low fat content.
That being said, tread carefully, as with all things. While a beautiful minestrone can be virtually fat-free, a small bowl of a "Cream of..." soup can have more fat than a Big Mac.
But in general, if you pick a broth-based soup, you should be able to tell just by looking at it whether or not it will be safe to eat. What should you look for? Simple: fat. Fat floats and will separate itself from the water. You'll see this on some asian cuisine, like a Hot and Sour Soup; there will be little pools of oil on the surface of the soup. Use your own judgement about whether or not such soups are safe to eat, and whenever possible, check the nutritional information.
All that being said, soup in general is a wonderfully versatile thing, with loads of low-fat alternatives.
A friend of mine came over for dinner last night and while we had originally invited him over for duck he informed me that he was on a special diet and said he'd bring his own food. Not wanting to have a bachelor over for dinner and not send him away full from a free meal I dug a little deeper and found he was on a soup diet - so I offered to make him soup.
While trying to decide which recipe to go with I realized how fortunate I was in preparing this meal this month since both the Cooking Light January issue and the Food Network January issue magazines had features on soup - not to mention my Cooking Light Fresh Food Superfast cookbook (the main cookbook I used during my season with gallstones) has a whole soup chapter at the beginning of the book. I narrowed down my options to a Roasted Tomato-Basil ("Fresh Food Superfast"), a Spicy Thai Coconut Chicken (Cooking Light Mag), a Portuguese Chicken, Lemon and Mint (Food Network Mag) and a Mulligatawny recipe from my own personal files. The beautiful thing about these soups is that the highest fat content per serving is 10 grams (and if you subbed out a super low-fat coconut milk for the thai soup you could get that down to 5 grams) and the Mulligatawny and Portuguese Chicken soups only have as much fat as the chicken you put into it! Last night I opted for the Mulligatawny - a tomato, curry-based soup with chicken, apples and allspice. I made it with chicken breast (I always buy a case of frozen chicken breasts whenever they go on a really good sale) so it was very low fat, and it was absolutely loaded with vegetables; it had 8 cups of chopped veggies plus 2 cups of apples to the 7 cups of liquid I put in it. After two bowls of soup I was absolutely full - I didn't even have one of the biscuits I had made for dinner! And the best part, in my opinion, is that, for a little bit of chopping yesterday, I made enough food for my family and our friend for dinner last night, plus I sent our friend home with a container of leftover soup for dinner today and I've still got a container myself that will last me for lunches both today and tomorrow!
 |
| Mulligatawny in the making! |
Mrs. VanderLeek
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Low-Fat Appies
"Greeting cards have all been sent, the Christmas rush is through," as Karen Carpenter sings in "Merry Christmas, Darling", and it's true - the holiday season is coming to a close. Hopefully you survived the Christmas season without any dips in your diet, particularly if you are following a diet for medical purposes. With Christmas Dinner over, and Boxing Day treats out of the way, there's typically one last hurdle to make before you can get back to your regular eating habits: New Year's Eve. And this one may be the worst of all.
Many events start early and run long, lots of which run off of finger foods that can be left out for long periods and get increasingly fatty as the night goes on. My family breaks out all the Christmas baking (shortbread, butter tarts, Nuts & Bolts), has a cheese, sausage and cracker spread (1 slice of sausage = 1 cube of cheese = 5 regular crackers = automatic gallbladder attack for many people), and busts out the frozen appetizer trays from M&Ms featuring things like spring rolls, chicken wings, potstickers and tiny pieces of breaded pork and chicken. Many people also order in on New Year's Eve, be it pizza or chinese food, and chips are a staple at such parties.
What to do, what to do?
One of the easiest solutions to making sure you can eat the food being served at a party, is to step up and offer to help provide some of the food yourself. If you are planning the menu then you can at least plan on a couple things that you can eat safely. And just because you need to eat low-fat doesn't mean you have to completely redefine your standard New Year's Eve menu - you just may need to tweek it a bit!
Let's look at the fatty appetizer trend. While veggie trays are a long-standing staple on any finger-food spread, so are the high-fat dips that go with them. Sour cream, mayonnaise, oil and cheese are the typical bases for party dips, but don't forget about the wonderful gift that is fat-free sour cream. While it may lack the richness that full-fat sour cream does, it still rewards you with the tanginess of the original and can be used to amp up many dishes. Uncle Dan's Ranch Seasoning packets can mix into fat-free sour cream for a great alternative to a pre-mixed ranch dressing. You can also find low-fat or even fat-free cream cheese products. Philadelphia makes a low-fat spreadable Herb and Garlic cream cheese that tastes great. Be warned, the texture is a bit funny, but the taste goes a long way, so throw in a tablespoon of the cream cheese with a cup of fat-free sour cream and whisk until smooth to get a garlicky dip. If spreading, spread thin and you'll hardly notice the grainy texture (it's not their fault, that's just what happens when you have nearly fat-free cream products!) Another great dip option is hummus. The chickpea-based spread has become a hot item over the past few years which means there are lots of different varieties you can find in stores and thousands of recipes you can find online. Be warned, some varieties may add lots of oil and be full of cheeses. Look for high-flavor, low-fat varieties like Roasted Garlic or Red Pepper. If you would rather use hummus with a bread pairing, opt for low-fat tortillas, flat bread or pitas. For chips, toast pita or tortilla wedges yourself in your oven to make sure no oil is added in the cooking process. Be warned, regular pitas or tortillas can be quite fatty. Check the label. If you can't find any in stores yourselves, consider baking your own pitas to control fat quantities. Use this recipe from King Arthur Flour, but substitute 1 tbsp of the oil with 1 tbsp skim milk. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/golden-pita-bread-recipe
And, if we are going into chip territory, bust out your salsa! Salsas are a great fat-free topping!
Veggies can be served more ways than just chopped into sticks however. Try skewering them and brushing them with a homemade Sweet Thai Chili Sauce (http://www.bernardin.ca/pages/recipe_page/51.php?pid=545) before grilling them. Or julienne a variety of veggies, roll them in rice paper and serve them with the chili sauce for yummy spring rolls that aren't fried!
Lots of people tend to do asian inspired dining at New Year's. While it may be nearly impossible to order anything low-fat from a typical western-chinese food restaurant, there are some asian restaurant dishes that you can safely order. Look for Pho dishes with chicken or shrimp. Sushi can be a great low-fat option if you avoid fatty fish varieties, mayonnaise, roe, tempura and avocado.
If you typically make your own chinese food, fried rice with minimal oil and only egg whites is still a great dish (I'll actually post that recipe today since I've experimented with it alot and have some notes on it). Many of the sauces you can find are low-fat, and while chinese restaurants typically deep-fry meats before they sauce them, you don't have to serve your meats breaded and fried.
Lemon Chicken Sauce: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/284/Chinese_Lemon_Chicken38791.shtml
Sweet and sour sauce: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-and-sour-sauce-i/
Ginger sauce: http://houseandhome.com/food/recipes/ginger-beef-recipe (just the sauce recipe, not the meat portion of the recipe)
Making your own sushi rolls is quite fun too, fyi! And adding strips of mango to your rolls will make sure you won't miss the avocado!
Make sure you have fruit on hand for a dessert option for yourself, and if you need more, an angel food cake or fat-free pudding is always a safe go-to
Happy New Year's and I hope you have fun eating low-fat!
Chicken Fried Rice:
In a hot, non-stick wok, cook up small cubes of chicken. If you need to add oil to prevent sticking, use an oil mister or canned cooking spray.
At the same time, cook 1 1/2 cups (dry) of jasmine rice. (make sure you rinse the rice before you cook it for best results).
When chicken is cooked, add julienned pieces of carrot, celery and/or red pepper. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn up heat to med-high.
Move chicken and vegetables to one side of wok, and in other side add 1/2 c. beaten egg whites. Scramble.
When egg is fully cooked, add cooked rice, 2 green onions sliced on the bias and 1/2 c. frozen peas. Add 2 tbsp soy sauce and 2 tbsp oyster sauce. Stir fry and make sure sauces are fully mixed in.
If you're not an oyster sauce fan, it isn't necessary, just add a bit more soy sauce, but it does make the dish in my opinion!
Mrs. VanderLeek
Many events start early and run long, lots of which run off of finger foods that can be left out for long periods and get increasingly fatty as the night goes on. My family breaks out all the Christmas baking (shortbread, butter tarts, Nuts & Bolts), has a cheese, sausage and cracker spread (1 slice of sausage = 1 cube of cheese = 5 regular crackers = automatic gallbladder attack for many people), and busts out the frozen appetizer trays from M&Ms featuring things like spring rolls, chicken wings, potstickers and tiny pieces of breaded pork and chicken. Many people also order in on New Year's Eve, be it pizza or chinese food, and chips are a staple at such parties.
What to do, what to do?
One of the easiest solutions to making sure you can eat the food being served at a party, is to step up and offer to help provide some of the food yourself. If you are planning the menu then you can at least plan on a couple things that you can eat safely. And just because you need to eat low-fat doesn't mean you have to completely redefine your standard New Year's Eve menu - you just may need to tweek it a bit!
Let's look at the fatty appetizer trend. While veggie trays are a long-standing staple on any finger-food spread, so are the high-fat dips that go with them. Sour cream, mayonnaise, oil and cheese are the typical bases for party dips, but don't forget about the wonderful gift that is fat-free sour cream. While it may lack the richness that full-fat sour cream does, it still rewards you with the tanginess of the original and can be used to amp up many dishes. Uncle Dan's Ranch Seasoning packets can mix into fat-free sour cream for a great alternative to a pre-mixed ranch dressing. You can also find low-fat or even fat-free cream cheese products. Philadelphia makes a low-fat spreadable Herb and Garlic cream cheese that tastes great. Be warned, the texture is a bit funny, but the taste goes a long way, so throw in a tablespoon of the cream cheese with a cup of fat-free sour cream and whisk until smooth to get a garlicky dip. If spreading, spread thin and you'll hardly notice the grainy texture (it's not their fault, that's just what happens when you have nearly fat-free cream products!) Another great dip option is hummus. The chickpea-based spread has become a hot item over the past few years which means there are lots of different varieties you can find in stores and thousands of recipes you can find online. Be warned, some varieties may add lots of oil and be full of cheeses. Look for high-flavor, low-fat varieties like Roasted Garlic or Red Pepper. If you would rather use hummus with a bread pairing, opt for low-fat tortillas, flat bread or pitas. For chips, toast pita or tortilla wedges yourself in your oven to make sure no oil is added in the cooking process. Be warned, regular pitas or tortillas can be quite fatty. Check the label. If you can't find any in stores yourselves, consider baking your own pitas to control fat quantities. Use this recipe from King Arthur Flour, but substitute 1 tbsp of the oil with 1 tbsp skim milk. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/golden-pita-bread-recipe
And, if we are going into chip territory, bust out your salsa! Salsas are a great fat-free topping!
Veggies can be served more ways than just chopped into sticks however. Try skewering them and brushing them with a homemade Sweet Thai Chili Sauce (http://www.bernardin.ca/pages/recipe_page/51.php?pid=545) before grilling them. Or julienne a variety of veggies, roll them in rice paper and serve them with the chili sauce for yummy spring rolls that aren't fried!
Lots of people tend to do asian inspired dining at New Year's. While it may be nearly impossible to order anything low-fat from a typical western-chinese food restaurant, there are some asian restaurant dishes that you can safely order. Look for Pho dishes with chicken or shrimp. Sushi can be a great low-fat option if you avoid fatty fish varieties, mayonnaise, roe, tempura and avocado.
If you typically make your own chinese food, fried rice with minimal oil and only egg whites is still a great dish (I'll actually post that recipe today since I've experimented with it alot and have some notes on it). Many of the sauces you can find are low-fat, and while chinese restaurants typically deep-fry meats before they sauce them, you don't have to serve your meats breaded and fried.
Lemon Chicken Sauce: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/284/Chinese_Lemon_Chicken38791.shtml
Sweet and sour sauce: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-and-sour-sauce-i/
Ginger sauce: http://houseandhome.com/food/recipes/ginger-beef-recipe (just the sauce recipe, not the meat portion of the recipe)
Making your own sushi rolls is quite fun too, fyi! And adding strips of mango to your rolls will make sure you won't miss the avocado!
Make sure you have fruit on hand for a dessert option for yourself, and if you need more, an angel food cake or fat-free pudding is always a safe go-to
Happy New Year's and I hope you have fun eating low-fat!
Chicken Fried Rice:
In a hot, non-stick wok, cook up small cubes of chicken. If you need to add oil to prevent sticking, use an oil mister or canned cooking spray.
At the same time, cook 1 1/2 cups (dry) of jasmine rice. (make sure you rinse the rice before you cook it for best results).
When chicken is cooked, add julienned pieces of carrot, celery and/or red pepper. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn up heat to med-high.
Move chicken and vegetables to one side of wok, and in other side add 1/2 c. beaten egg whites. Scramble.
When egg is fully cooked, add cooked rice, 2 green onions sliced on the bias and 1/2 c. frozen peas. Add 2 tbsp soy sauce and 2 tbsp oyster sauce. Stir fry and make sure sauces are fully mixed in.
If you're not an oyster sauce fan, it isn't necessary, just add a bit more soy sauce, but it does make the dish in my opinion!
Mrs. VanderLeek
Friday, 16 December 2011
Po-Ta-Toes! (Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew)
In keeping with our Low-Fat Christmas Dinner theme, today's post will be about potatoes!
Christmas Dinner is hardly Christmas Dinner without a giant bowl full of gorgeous mashed taters. I love them. However, the typical mashed potato recipe is hardly a healthy dish. Standard recipes call for adding butter and milk/cream to them, and some more decadent recipes call for sour cream, cream cheese or both. Baked potatoes in restaurants are piled high with butter, then sour cream, then cheese and finally bacon bits. Hashbrowns, chips, and french fries are all deep fried.
All of these additives are unfortunate for a potato's reputation. Really, the root vegetable is fat-free, like most vegetables, but for some reason they seem to attract fat. But just because it's usually there does not mean that it's necessary to make potatoes taste great.
If you are mashing potatoes for Christmas Dinner (or any other time of the year), here a couple tips to make them extra healthful!
Leave skins on red potatoes and mash them in for extra fiber!
Some potato varieties get gluey in you over-mash. For whipped potatoes use floury varieties like russett.
To cook them more quickly, slice the potato thinly instead of cubing.
For 'regular' mashed potatoes, use skim milk and a bit of extra salt (remember, butter adds salt normally, so if you take out the butter, you lose some of the saltiness)
For different flavor, try adding fat-free sour cream and onion powder, yogurt, or chicken broth and skim milk. Mash in a clove or two of roasted garlic for a great taste!
If mashing isn't your thing, try roasting your potatoes. Small varieties work well for this. Just wash well, leave the skins on and cut in halves or thirds. Put in a shallow baking dish, spritz lightly with cooking spray and top with herbs (I like thyme, rosemary and oregano). A bit of salt does wonders.
Also, if your diet has room for it, a light sprinkling of grated asiago tastes wonderful! (If you can eat any cheese, opt for sharper varieties so you don't need to use as much to taste it)
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until tender. If you like your potatoes crispy, turn oven on broil for last 4 or 5 minutes (don't let them burn!)
If baked potatoes are more your speed, try different toppings like a Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic seasoning mix. Creamed corn (if you can eat corn - some people with gallstones will not be able to) adds moisture without fat (there's no 'cream' in creamed corn!) Fat-Free sour cream mixed with some salsa tastes great and gives your potato a bit of flair. When Christmas Dinner rolls around, cranberry relish and a bit of salt is very nice too.
Potatoes can really fill you up and are staples during festive meals, but just because they are often made with fats, doesn't mean that's the only way.
Mrs. VanderLeek
Christmas Dinner is hardly Christmas Dinner without a giant bowl full of gorgeous mashed taters. I love them. However, the typical mashed potato recipe is hardly a healthy dish. Standard recipes call for adding butter and milk/cream to them, and some more decadent recipes call for sour cream, cream cheese or both. Baked potatoes in restaurants are piled high with butter, then sour cream, then cheese and finally bacon bits. Hashbrowns, chips, and french fries are all deep fried.
All of these additives are unfortunate for a potato's reputation. Really, the root vegetable is fat-free, like most vegetables, but for some reason they seem to attract fat. But just because it's usually there does not mean that it's necessary to make potatoes taste great.
If you are mashing potatoes for Christmas Dinner (or any other time of the year), here a couple tips to make them extra healthful!
Leave skins on red potatoes and mash them in for extra fiber!
Some potato varieties get gluey in you over-mash. For whipped potatoes use floury varieties like russett.
To cook them more quickly, slice the potato thinly instead of cubing.
For 'regular' mashed potatoes, use skim milk and a bit of extra salt (remember, butter adds salt normally, so if you take out the butter, you lose some of the saltiness)
For different flavor, try adding fat-free sour cream and onion powder, yogurt, or chicken broth and skim milk. Mash in a clove or two of roasted garlic for a great taste!
If mashing isn't your thing, try roasting your potatoes. Small varieties work well for this. Just wash well, leave the skins on and cut in halves or thirds. Put in a shallow baking dish, spritz lightly with cooking spray and top with herbs (I like thyme, rosemary and oregano). A bit of salt does wonders.
Also, if your diet has room for it, a light sprinkling of grated asiago tastes wonderful! (If you can eat any cheese, opt for sharper varieties so you don't need to use as much to taste it)
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until tender. If you like your potatoes crispy, turn oven on broil for last 4 or 5 minutes (don't let them burn!)
If baked potatoes are more your speed, try different toppings like a Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic seasoning mix. Creamed corn (if you can eat corn - some people with gallstones will not be able to) adds moisture without fat (there's no 'cream' in creamed corn!) Fat-Free sour cream mixed with some salsa tastes great and gives your potato a bit of flair. When Christmas Dinner rolls around, cranberry relish and a bit of salt is very nice too.
Potatoes can really fill you up and are staples during festive meals, but just because they are often made with fats, doesn't mean that's the only way.
Mrs. VanderLeek
Turkey, Turkey, Turkey, Turkey...
Tired of fish and chicken? Break out the turkey, my friends. As versatile as chicken but with a more distinctive flavor, this is a wonderful treat that we really ought to eat more than twice a year. But, since it's that time of year when we would be eating it anyway, I'll save the lecture.
I'm actually going to put two recipes in this post, both for turkey. The first is for rolled turkey breasts and the second is for turkey meatballs. The rolled turkey breasts are a fancy entree - for a little bit of work you can have a spectacular dish that will wow guests, and no one will blame your low-fat diet for providing them with a bad meal. This particular recipe is an Anna Olson creation. Here's the link to the original recipe page: http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/turkey-and-trimming-pinwheels/recipe.html?dishID=8950
The meatballs are a great New Years dish. I got the idea for this from a recent Pampered Chef recipe. I sell Pampered Chef products and every 6 months they release a new, mini recipe book and I host a tasting party to try out the recipes. Their Fall issue included a number of tapenades and a go-with recipe for turkey meatballs. My favorites were the Apple Walnut tapenade meatballs and the Apricot Fig tapenade meatballs. My recipe is a more festive spin on those! (For anyone who is interested, the Season's Best Recipe Book, Fall/Winter 2011 is the book that has the tapenade recipes)
*Lots of grocers with in-house butchers will have ground turkey on sale after Christmas. You can find ground turkey with a variety of fat contents, so make sure you check that out before you buy. Some people suffering from gallstones can get away with dark turkey meat, but other 'stoners' and people with MS will want to opt for the lower-fat ground turkey breast. I highly recommend stocking up on cheap ground turkey when you can find it, because it will be months before you see it again.
Turkey and Trimming Pinwheels
2 tbsp olive oil
1 c. finely diced onion
2/3 c. finely diced celery
2 tsp fresh sage
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 c. dry breadcrumbs
4 to 6 tbsp chicken stock
1/3 c. coarsley chopped cranberries
4 portions turkey scallopini
4 to 6 rosemary stems, cut into 2-inch lengths
In a large saute pan heat oil and add onion and celery. Cook until onions are translucent, stirring often. Add sage, thyme and salt and pepper and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Stir in breadcrumbs, stock and cranberries and stir until moistened.
Layer one sheet of parchment paper on top of one sheet of aluminum foil (make sure the length is longer than your turkey pieces). Lay the turkey flat and press a thin layer of breadcrumb mixture overtop. Roll like a jellyroll, wrap in the foil/parchment package and twist ends tight. Place on a baking tray and repeat with remaining turkey.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes (make sure the turkey is done cooking!)
When cool enough to handle, slice each turkey log into 1/2 inch slices. Remove bottom half of rosemary leaves and spear turkey onto the rosemary from the top down.
Serve cool or heated.
Cranberry Walnut Turkey Meatballs
Tapenade:
1 red delicious apple
1/3 c. dried cranberries
1/3 c. toasted pecans
1/4 c. snipped parsley
1/3 c. dried figs
zest and juice of one lemon
1 tbsp honey
Finely chop apples, cranberries, pecans, figs and parsley. Combine all of the above ingredients.
Meatballs:
1 lbs lean ground turkey
1 piece bread
1 egg (or 1/4 c. egg white substitute)
1 c. + 1/4 c. tapenade
2 tbsp apple jelly (microwaved for 15 seconds to become thin)
Grind bread into fine crumbs. Combine turkey, 1 c. tapenade, breadcrumbs and egg. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls. Toss balls in remaining 1/4 c. tapenade and apple jelly. Bake in a 350 degree oven until cooked through (or microwave in a safe container for 7 - 9 minutes)
Happy turkeying!
Mrs. VanderLeek
I'm actually going to put two recipes in this post, both for turkey. The first is for rolled turkey breasts and the second is for turkey meatballs. The rolled turkey breasts are a fancy entree - for a little bit of work you can have a spectacular dish that will wow guests, and no one will blame your low-fat diet for providing them with a bad meal. This particular recipe is an Anna Olson creation. Here's the link to the original recipe page: http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/turkey-and-trimming-pinwheels/recipe.html?dishID=8950
The meatballs are a great New Years dish. I got the idea for this from a recent Pampered Chef recipe. I sell Pampered Chef products and every 6 months they release a new, mini recipe book and I host a tasting party to try out the recipes. Their Fall issue included a number of tapenades and a go-with recipe for turkey meatballs. My favorites were the Apple Walnut tapenade meatballs and the Apricot Fig tapenade meatballs. My recipe is a more festive spin on those! (For anyone who is interested, the Season's Best Recipe Book, Fall/Winter 2011 is the book that has the tapenade recipes)
*Lots of grocers with in-house butchers will have ground turkey on sale after Christmas. You can find ground turkey with a variety of fat contents, so make sure you check that out before you buy. Some people suffering from gallstones can get away with dark turkey meat, but other 'stoners' and people with MS will want to opt for the lower-fat ground turkey breast. I highly recommend stocking up on cheap ground turkey when you can find it, because it will be months before you see it again.
Turkey and Trimming Pinwheels
2 tbsp olive oil
1 c. finely diced onion
2/3 c. finely diced celery
2 tsp fresh sage
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 c. dry breadcrumbs
4 to 6 tbsp chicken stock
1/3 c. coarsley chopped cranberries
4 portions turkey scallopini
4 to 6 rosemary stems, cut into 2-inch lengths
In a large saute pan heat oil and add onion and celery. Cook until onions are translucent, stirring often. Add sage, thyme and salt and pepper and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Stir in breadcrumbs, stock and cranberries and stir until moistened.
Layer one sheet of parchment paper on top of one sheet of aluminum foil (make sure the length is longer than your turkey pieces). Lay the turkey flat and press a thin layer of breadcrumb mixture overtop. Roll like a jellyroll, wrap in the foil/parchment package and twist ends tight. Place on a baking tray and repeat with remaining turkey.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes (make sure the turkey is done cooking!)
When cool enough to handle, slice each turkey log into 1/2 inch slices. Remove bottom half of rosemary leaves and spear turkey onto the rosemary from the top down.
Serve cool or heated.
Cranberry Walnut Turkey Meatballs
Tapenade:
1 red delicious apple
1/3 c. dried cranberries
1/3 c. toasted pecans
1/4 c. snipped parsley
1/3 c. dried figs
zest and juice of one lemon
1 tbsp honey
Finely chop apples, cranberries, pecans, figs and parsley. Combine all of the above ingredients.
Meatballs:
1 lbs lean ground turkey
1 piece bread
1 egg (or 1/4 c. egg white substitute)
1 c. + 1/4 c. tapenade
2 tbsp apple jelly (microwaved for 15 seconds to become thin)
Grind bread into fine crumbs. Combine turkey, 1 c. tapenade, breadcrumbs and egg. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls. Toss balls in remaining 1/4 c. tapenade and apple jelly. Bake in a 350 degree oven until cooked through (or microwave in a safe container for 7 - 9 minutes)
Happy turkeying!
Mrs. VanderLeek
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Low-Fat Festivities
The countdown to Christmas is on! It's 'partridge in a pear tree' day, I'm finished up with Christmas baking and trying to get my house clean in preparation for being out of commission for a couple days after my gallbladder removal. Since I'm baking for Christmas presents I've been making lots of things that I dare not eat myself, like shortbread, ganache truffles and date squares, but while the surplus of treats around Christmas time may make us feel like we can't eat anything, Christmas dinner can be a surprisingly low-fat friendly meal. At very least, a full meal can be prepared for you with very little adaptation to the original menu.
Start with the turkey. Skinless turkey breast is a wonderful meat, with more flavor than chicken typically has and a certain festive feel in every bite. Lots can be done with turkey, from ground turkey meatballs to stuffed and rolled turkey breasts, and every dish tastes special-occasion-worthy, thanks to the tendancy many of us have to only eat turkey on holidays.
Cranberry sauce is fat-free and the perfect fix for sometimes-dry white meat.
Every aunt in the family is charged with bringing "a vegetable" to Christmas dinner. Often all it takes is asking someone to leave you a couple of scoops of veggies in a bowl before they put the butter on top. And with so much variety, it might be a nice change for you to step away from the same-old veggies you have at home every night. Honey glazed carrots, Sweet potato with brown sugar and marshmallow on top, and even hot peas are very seasonal, fat-free delights, if you side step the butter.
Mashed potatoes are usually loaded with fat thanks to the butter and the milk (or even cream) that most people mash into them. You can make your own, low-fat version with skim milk and roasted garlic, or fat-free sour cream or yogurt and onion powder.
Do yourself a favor and avoid the gravy.
Stuffing is, again, typically loaded with fat since the vegetables are often cooked in butter before mixing with the bread crumbs, but an alternative stuffing recipe using quinoa, chicken broth and dried cranberries could be easily whipped up (just check which spices your family's stuffing recipe uses and make sure you throw those in to help emulate the traditional dish for you. My family uses savory and occassionally thyme if you need any ideas!)
If you are responsible for bringing something to Christmas dinner, sign up for either buns or a dessert. Crusty buns and baguettes are often fat-free, while their softer counterparts are less-so. And for dessert, Angel Food Cake is a wonderful treat that everyone can enjoy with strawberry sauce on top.
Fat-Free Eggnog varieties can be found, but if you can't track one down, try cutting lite Eggnog with skim milk - the flavor is so strong you'll be able to taste a small amount in a lot of milk.
Over the next few days I'll try to do Christmas dinner themed recipe, starting with today's original recipe: Quinoa Stuffing
1 1/2 c. quinoa (rinsed)
3 c. chicken broth + 2 tbsp
2 shallots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 tsp savory (1/2 tsp ground savory)
1 tsp thyme
1/2 c. dried cranberries
2 whole grain crusty buns, torn into small pieces
In a medium sauce pan, bring quinoa and 3 c. chicken broth to a boil. Turn down heat to medium and add shallots, celery, savory and thyme. After 5 minutes, add cranberries. Allow to cook until liquid has been absorbed. Place crusty bun pieces into a large bowl. Add quinoa mixture and remaining 2 tbsp of broth, and toss until bun pieces are moistened. Stuff in turkey, or bake in separate casserole dish.
Mrs. VanderLeek
Start with the turkey. Skinless turkey breast is a wonderful meat, with more flavor than chicken typically has and a certain festive feel in every bite. Lots can be done with turkey, from ground turkey meatballs to stuffed and rolled turkey breasts, and every dish tastes special-occasion-worthy, thanks to the tendancy many of us have to only eat turkey on holidays.
Cranberry sauce is fat-free and the perfect fix for sometimes-dry white meat.
Every aunt in the family is charged with bringing "a vegetable" to Christmas dinner. Often all it takes is asking someone to leave you a couple of scoops of veggies in a bowl before they put the butter on top. And with so much variety, it might be a nice change for you to step away from the same-old veggies you have at home every night. Honey glazed carrots, Sweet potato with brown sugar and marshmallow on top, and even hot peas are very seasonal, fat-free delights, if you side step the butter.
Mashed potatoes are usually loaded with fat thanks to the butter and the milk (or even cream) that most people mash into them. You can make your own, low-fat version with skim milk and roasted garlic, or fat-free sour cream or yogurt and onion powder.
Do yourself a favor and avoid the gravy.
Stuffing is, again, typically loaded with fat since the vegetables are often cooked in butter before mixing with the bread crumbs, but an alternative stuffing recipe using quinoa, chicken broth and dried cranberries could be easily whipped up (just check which spices your family's stuffing recipe uses and make sure you throw those in to help emulate the traditional dish for you. My family uses savory and occassionally thyme if you need any ideas!)
If you are responsible for bringing something to Christmas dinner, sign up for either buns or a dessert. Crusty buns and baguettes are often fat-free, while their softer counterparts are less-so. And for dessert, Angel Food Cake is a wonderful treat that everyone can enjoy with strawberry sauce on top.
Fat-Free Eggnog varieties can be found, but if you can't track one down, try cutting lite Eggnog with skim milk - the flavor is so strong you'll be able to taste a small amount in a lot of milk.
Over the next few days I'll try to do Christmas dinner themed recipe, starting with today's original recipe: Quinoa Stuffing
1 1/2 c. quinoa (rinsed)
3 c. chicken broth + 2 tbsp
2 shallots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 tsp savory (1/2 tsp ground savory)
1 tsp thyme
1/2 c. dried cranberries
2 whole grain crusty buns, torn into small pieces
In a medium sauce pan, bring quinoa and 3 c. chicken broth to a boil. Turn down heat to medium and add shallots, celery, savory and thyme. After 5 minutes, add cranberries. Allow to cook until liquid has been absorbed. Place crusty bun pieces into a large bowl. Add quinoa mixture and remaining 2 tbsp of broth, and toss until bun pieces are moistened. Stuff in turkey, or bake in separate casserole dish.
Mrs. VanderLeek
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