Thursday, November 19, 2015

Chicken Shawarma

We love this recipe!! This low-fat, high protein meal is great for Weight Watchers.  I usually make my own pitas.  I use the dough recipe from "Artisan Breads in Five Minutes a Day". You can find their books here.  I also make the tzatziki sauce by itself sometimes.  We use it on sandwiches and stuff.  

Ingredients
 1 onion, finely chopped or shredded   
 2 pounds chicken breast, cubed 
 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic   
 1 tablespoon dried marjoram   
 1 tablespoon dried ground rosemary    
 2 teaspoons kosher salt 
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

  Tzatziki Sauce, recipe follows 
 16 ounces plain fat free yogurt   or greek yogurt
   1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped 

      Pinch kosher salt
  4 cloves garlic, finely minced    

  1 tablespoon olive oil
  2 teaspoons red wine vinegar   
  5 to 6 mint leaves, finely minced   
Notes / Directions
1. Process the onion in a food processor for 10 to 15 seconds and turn out into the center of a tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel and squeeze until almost all of the juice is removed. Discard juice.
2. Return the onion to the food processor and add the chicken, garlic, marjoram, rosemary , salt, and pepper and pulse until it is a fine paste, approximately 1 minute. Stop the processor as needed to scrape down sides of bowl.


To cook in the oven as a meatloaf , proceed as follows:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.


Place the mixture into a loaf pan, making sure to press into the sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan into a water bath and bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the mixture reaches 165 to 170 degrees F. Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and place a brick wrapped in aluminum foil directly on the surface of the meat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes and feta cheese.

To cook on a rotisserie, proceed as follows:
Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape and place on top of 2 overlapping pieces of plastic wrap that are at least 18 inches long. Roll the mixture in the plastic wrap tightly, making sure to remove any air pockets. Once the meat is completely rolled in the wrap, twist the ends of the plastic wrap until the surface of the wrap is tight. Store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to overnight, to allow the mixture to firm up.
Preheat the grill to high.
Place the meat onto the rotisserie skewer . Place a double-thick piece of aluminum foil folded into a tray directly under the meat to catch any drippings . Cook on high for 15 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium and continue to cook for another 20 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F. Turn off the heat and allow to continue to spin for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce , chopped onion, tomatoes, and feta cheese .

Tzatziki Sauce

Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator. (If using greek yogurt, you can skip this step, it already has less liquid)
Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber , salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros . Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Friday, March 1, 2013

Kids Rainbow Cake

Now  that the baby is here, life is more hectic than ever.  I certainly can't make mom food and kid food.  So their treats are my treats and my treats are theirs.  This rainbow cake is made according to package directions, exchanging egg whites for the eggs and applesauce for the oil.  So, no fat.  They say you eat with your eyes first.  This is pretty enough to entice the kids (and me) even without the icing.  You could sprinkle with powdered sugar.

I separated the batter into 3 containers and tinted each a different color. I poured one color in the bottom, and two colors over that at the same time.  Use a butter knife or spatula to swirl the colors together.


I used two loaf pans for this cake mix.  This helps portion control.  I served one and froze the other for later.  I am addicted to sweets, so when I bake something I eat it everyday until its gone.  This way its gone in a day or two days instead of a week.

Here is my little helper at work :)



Tuesday, August 28, 2012

White Chocolate Mocha Brownies

This might be the first time during this pregnancy that i tried to lighten a dessert.  When I'm pregnant, I get the bad attitude that i can eat whatever I want... Hence the 40 lbs i gained with my first pregnancy.  Anyway, this one is light, and I LOVE it!  My oven is broken, so the first time I made them was in a Crockpot.  I tried it again in a toaster oven, and it came out good both ways.  I'm sure it would bake better in a real oven.

White Mocha Brownies

1 box lowfat brownie mix (Betty Crocker)
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1 egg
1 tbs applesauce
4 tsp instant coffee
1 cup white chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Bake according to package directions.
**For Crockpot: Spray crock with non-stick spray and line with wax or parchment paper.  Spray again. Spread a paper towel over the pot and cover with lid.  Cook 2 hrs on low, lid on; remove lid and cook 20 min more. Remove the crock to a cooling rack until brownies are cool enough to touch, then turn out onto a plate.

--I posted this earlier and forgot the 'White Chocolate' part.  Then with the commotion of Hurricane Isaac, I didn't get a chance to fix it and put it back up...Sorry!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Omelets


Eggs are so good for you! High in protein, low in fat.  I eat them almost every morning. When I skip the eggs, I'm hungry by ten.  If you are trying to cut carbs, omelets are a great way to go.  You won't miss the toast, or oatmeal at all!  And the possibilities are endless. Here is the one above:

Italian Omelet

2 eggs
1 tbs milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tomato, sliced
1-2 oz fresh mozzarella
oregano
basil

Beat the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl until frothy.  Heat small skillet "Chefs Classic 8"" Non-Stick Hard Anodized Skillet" ) on med until hot.  Spray the skillet with non-stick spray, then pour in eggs.  Turn the heat down to med-low and cover. Check every minute or so, until the eggs barely begin to set.  Add cheese, tomatoes, and herbs to one half  of the omelet. Fold over and cover again until firm.  

Some of my favorites include Italian diced tomatoes and goat cheese,  cheese turkey and sour cream.  A restaurant called Another Broken Egg , has an amazing omelet called the 'Bacado'.  It has bacon, avocado, and Monterrey jack cheese. I make it at home using lower fat cheese, and bacon baked crispy (and fewer eggs of course)

What are your favorite toppings for an omelet?

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Chili

This is one if my favorite things to cook. It is quick. It's so low in fat and high in fiber.  It fills me right up with very low points value.  Its low enough to eat it with almost anything you like. On the night I make it, we eat it by itself, with cheese and fat free sour cream. Cornbread is a nice accompaniment. I eat left overs with baked potatoes, hot dogs, eggs,... Almost anything really.  My husband and daughter like it with rice.

Light Chili

  3 tsp olive oil 
  8 oz uncooked 93% lean ground turkey
 8 oz uncooked 93% lean ground beef
 1 packet Chili Seasoning Mix- low sodium (or 3 tbs homemade chili seasoning mix)  
 30 oz canned tomato sauce  or 2 cans diced tomatoes
15 oz fat-free canned refried beans  

Brown the meat in olive oil. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer at least 30 min. ( the longer the better) Refrigerate or freeze leftovers.

* Notes about ingredients:
  • I use this combo of meat because it is low in fat. You can use any combination you like, just strain it before adding the other ingredients if you have a higher fat mixture.
  • I like the 'Fire Roasted' diced tomatoes, there are plain, chili ready, with green peppers, and many other varieties. Use your favorite... (Someday, I'm gonna grow and jar my own!)
  • Sometimes, I exchange the refried beans for dried beans. I mix red with black or pinto beans, soak and cook ahead of time.  Of course you can limit the sodium if you can limit the use of canned goods.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Saltines and Gingerale



I know it's been a while since I posted a recipe.  It's because I can't think of anything I want to eat, much less cook. I am almost three months pregnant.  I've been so nauseated the last several weeks, I can hardly think about food.  Cooking smells make me sick, so what I have managed to eat is not healthful home-cooked meals.  I've already gained about four pounds so far.  When I first found out I was pregnant, I hoped to stick to Weight Watchers' Simply Filling plan.  It's not cutting calories, but focusing on whole, healthy foods.  Anyway, I haven't done well with that, since my tummy is so upset.  I just want to eat whatever doesn't make me want to throw up at that particular moment.  I'm hoping when I hit the second trimester I'll feel better, and can pay better attention to my eating habits.  For my first pregnancy, I gained 40 lbs. Twenty with the second.  I'm hoping to stay under 20 this time.

When I do cook, I'll need to make things that I can put away in the freezer.  Hopefully that will save me some time, both in late pregnancy as well as postpartum. With a 4 yr old, 18 mo, and a newborn, I doubt I'll have time to think about healthy meals for a while.

Any ideas for freezable casseroles, soups, or stews that are light?...Or could be made light?

Friday, May 4, 2012

Crepe Cake

I was having company a few weeks ago, and i wanted to make something nice, but not a whole meal.  My Husband wanted chocolate cake, which i can't possibly resist, so I tried some variations on it.  I wanted it to be special so i looked for something a little...extra.  Here's is what i was going for:


This is  what i actually came out with:

Here is what I did:

1 box yellow cake
1/3 cup applesauce
3 egg whites
2 cups water
1 can Pillsbury Sugar free Chocolate frosting 

Mix as directed.  Pour 3/4 cup of batter into a hot skillet.  Cook as you would a crepe. Repeat with the remaining batter. Layer crepes and frosting.

Obviously these came out more like pancakes than crepes.  It tasted fine, but wasn't very pretty.  I think this may be one you can't use the box with.  Also, I heated the frosting to get it thinner.  I probably shouldn't have done that.  One day I'll try this one totally from scratch.  Any ideas, suggestions?