Tuesday, July 22, 2008

New Uses for Yogurt - Garlic or Lasun Raita-India

I am always looking for new uses for yogurt. It is so good for you and it is so low in calories and fat compared to many of the things that it replaces.

I tried this today as my "mayo" for tuna fish salad. It was great!

Garlic or Lasun Raita-India

2 cups plain yogurt
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 to 2 green chillies minced
bunch of cilantro leaves minced
salt to taste
1/2 tsp. mint

Mix all ingredients and transfer to a in a serving bowl.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Menu July 18 - July 25, 2008

Friday July 18 - Turkey Kielbasa and BBQ Pinto Beans
Saturday July 19 - Grilled Strip Steaks, Curried Quinoa Salad
Sunday July 20 - Grilled Pork Chops, Cuban Style Black Beans and Rice, Salad
Monday July 21 - Weekly Pizza
Tuesday July 22 - Whole wheat penne with baked caponata salad (as a cold pasta salad)
Wednesday July 23 - Sweet Polenta Pie with Roasted Vegetables (I am grilling my veggies in stead of roasting them)
Thursday July 24 - Spicy Shrimp Kabobs over brown rice

*****
Cuban Style Black Beans and Rice - 7 pts

Recipe By :The PDQ (Pretty Damn Quick) Vegetarian Cookbook by Donna Klein
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : LowFat (Less than 25%) Quick
Spicy Vegan
Veggie WW

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup frozen chopped onion
1/4 cup frozen chopped green bell pepper
1 teaspoon refrigerated bottled minced garlic
16 ounces black beans, canned -- (1 can) rinsed and drained
1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth -- or water
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 pinch cayenne pepper -- or to taste (optional)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 cups hot cooked rice

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper, and cook, stirring often, until thawed and softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, 2 minutes. Add the beans, broth, vinegar, oregano, cumin, bay leaf, cayenne (if using), salt and pepper; bring to a brisk simmer over medium-heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is mostly reduced, about 10 minutes.

To serve, divide the rice evenly among 4 dinner plates. Top with equal amounts of the bean mixture and serve at once.

Makes 4 main dish or 6 to 8 side dish servings

Per serving: Cals 343 (21% fat); Total Fat 8g (sat fat 1g); Carbs 57g; Fiber 4g; Prot 11g; Chol 0mg; Sodium 70mg.

"This classic bean dish is traditionally served over white rice, but brown rice is an equally delicious, and more nutritious alternative. The beans are also wonderful over couscous or tossed with small shells or elbow macaroni."

Description:
"7 pts"
S(Formatted by Chupa Babi):
"06.15.08"
Copyright:
"2004"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 355 Calories; 8g Fat (21.1% calories from fat); 12g Protein; 57g Carbohydrate; 8g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 419mg Sodium. Exchanges: 3 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.



*****

Baked Caponata - 1 pt, Carbs 7g, Fiber 2g

Recipe By :"The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen" by Donna Klein
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : LowCal (Less than 300 calories LowerCarbs
Spicy Vegan
Veggie WW

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/4 pounds eggplant -- 1 eggplant
salt
1 medium onion -- about 6 ounces
1 large celery stalk -- chopped
2 medium ripe tomatoes -- (about 6 oz each), peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup kalamata olives -- pitted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup green olives -- preferably Italian, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon capers -- drained
freshly ground black pepper -- to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil -- (1 to 2 T) optional

Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Brush a large baking sheet with 1/2 tablespoon of the oil and set aside.

Cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch cubes. Place the eggplant cubes in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and drain for 30 minutes. Rinse under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. (If time doesn't permit, omit salting and draining eggplant that is to be stewed or baked with several ingredients, as any bitterness is typically masked by other flavors.) Arrange the eggplant in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Quickly brush the eggplant with 1/2 tablespoon of the remaining oil. Bake for 20 minutes, turning and stirring once.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 T. of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring often, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are reduced to a pulpy consistency, about 25 minutes.

Add the water, vinegar, tomato paste, and sugar; blend well. Stir in the baked eggplant, olives, and capers; season with pepper. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through and the flavors are well blended. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with the basil, if desired.

ADVANCED PREPARATION: the dish can be covered and refrigerated for up to three days. Bring to room temperature or reheat in a low oven before serving.

Make about 3 cups (12 one-quarter cup servings)

Per 1/4 cup serving: Cals 63; total Fat 4g (sat fat 0g); Carbs 7g; Fiber 2g; Prot 1g; Chol 0mg; Sodium 127mg.

"There are probably as many versions of this famous sweet and sour eggplant appetizer as there are cooks in southern Italy. the following rendition is my "baked" adaptation of a Sicilian recipe that calls for frying the eggplant in copious amounts of oil. Delicious on its own or as a side dish, caponata makes a fine topping for crostini, bruschetta, and polenta."

Description:
"1 pt"
Cuisine:
"Italian"
S(Formatted by Chupa Babi in MC):
"07.05.08"
Copyright:
"2001"
Yield:
"3 cups"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 60 Calories; 4g Fat (56.6% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 127mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

******

Sweet Polenta Pie with Roasted Vegetables - 2 pts, 24g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber

Recipe By :"How It All Vegan" by Tanya Barnard & Sarah Kramer
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : LowCal (Less than 300 calories LowFat (Less than 25%)
Spicy Vegan
Veggie WW

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Roasted Veggie Topping:
1 med carrot -- chopped
1 sm zucchini -- chopped
4 mushrooms -- quartered
1 sm green pepper -- sliced
1 sm red pepper -- sliced
1 sm red onion -- chopped
2 cloves garlic -- minced
1/2 c water
1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp olive oil
4 fresh basil leaves -- finely chopped
4 Roma tomatoes -- chopped
salt -- (to taste)
pepper -- (to taste)
Pie crust:
1 c Coarse cornmeal
3 1/2 c Water
1 Tbsp oil
salt -- (to taste)
pepper -- (to taste)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

TOPPING:
In a lg bowl, combine carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, peppers, onions, and garlic.
Drizzle lightly with olive oil and mix well.
Lay veggies out on a cookie sheet or lasagna pan and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are browned.
Place 1/2 c of the roasted veggies into a blender or food processor and blend with the water, tomato paste, vinegar, maple syrup, oil, basil, and tomatoes
Transfer this sauce and remaining roasted veggies to a medium saucepan and cook on med-high heat for 10 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low heat.

PIE CRUST:
In a med bowl, whisk together the cornmeal with 1c of cold water, then set aside.
In a med pot, bring the remaining 2 1/2 c water to a boil. Once boiling, add cornmeal mixture and turn heat down to med-low. Add oil, salt, and pepper. Continuously stir mixture for about 10-15 minutes, until the mixture sticks together and becomes very stiff.
Pour into a lightly oiled pie shell or a casserole dish. Let set for 5-10 minutes.
Pour veggie topping into pie crust. Cut into slices.

Serves 8

Description:
"2 pts"
Source:
"Posted 5:22 PM by Eric to Unknown"
S(Formatted by Chupa Babi):
"07.07.08"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 141 Calories; 4g Fat (24.9% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 24g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 40mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 435 0 0 0 0

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Diane's Menu June 28 - July 4

Diane's Menu June 28 - July 4


June 28 - Grilled Rib Eye Steaks, Corn on the Cob, Green Salad (Extra corn made for salad the next day)
June 29 - Grilled Shrimp Over Black Bean-and-Corn Salad
June 30 - Weekly Pizza Night
July 1 - Roasted Chicken Thighs, Steamed Broccoli, Curried Quinoa (Extra chicken made for Salad next day.)
July 2 - Easy Thai Beef or Chicken Salad
July 3 - Baked Virginia Style Ham, Cuban Style Lentil Salad (Some of the leftover ham saved for Saturdays salad, the rest frozen for future use.)
July 4 - Neighbor's BBQ - Aduki Bean and Rice Salad
July 5 - Lentil Salad with Smoked Turkey (I am using the ham from Thursday)




**************

Grilled Shrimp Over Black Bean-and-Corn Salad

Marinated shrimp:

1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup thawed orange juice concentrate
2 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons honey
1 garlic clove, minced
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled

Salad:

2 cups coarsely chopped tomato
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 can (15-oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15.25-oz.) whole-kernel corn, drained
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

To prepare marinated shrimp, combine
first 6 ingredients in a large zip-top bag.
Add shrimp to bag; seal. Marinate in the
refrigerator 1 hour, turning occasionally.

Brush or wipe your Indoor Grill (like a George
Foreman) with cooking oil and preheat. Please,
do not use an aerosol (can) spray. Your grill will
last a lot longer, and will thank-you for it. Also,
by not using an aerosol spray you will be doing
your part to go green, and help the environment.

Remove shrimp from bag; discard marinade.

Place shrimp in the grill. Grill 1-2 minutes or
until shrimp are done (check after one minute).

To prepare salad, combine tomato and next 5
ingredients (tomato through jalapeno) in a large
bowl. Combine 1/4 cup lime juice, oil, cumin, salt
and black pepper in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.
Pour dressing over bean mixture; toss well. Spoon
salad onto each of 6 plates; top with shrimp.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup salad and
4 ounces shrimp).
7 WW Points per serving.

After serving the grilled food, make sure that
your grill is unplugged. Put a wet cloth that
can be washed and re-used in your grill and
close the lid. In 10 to 30 minutes, the grill will
wipe clean


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************

Easy Thai Beef or Chicken Salad

"Chicken or beef - whatever your preference - inspired by a soy and sesame dressing, piled on top of a delicious fresh vegetable salad. Topped off with a side of steamed rice, this dish is perfect for a fresh and delicious main course any night of the week!"


INGREDIENTS:

1 cup white rice
2 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
salt to taste
garlic powder to taste
1 head lettuce - rinsed, dried and torn
3 large cucumbers, seeded and chopped
1 large onion, finely diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Rinse rice in a fine mesh strainer under cold running water until no longer cloudy. Transfer to a medium saucepan and cover with 2 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, remove from heat and let stand for at least 10 minutes, or until all liquid has evaporated.

2. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).

3. Season chicken with salt and garlic powder. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, reducing heat when necessary, until no longer pink in center and juices run clear. Transfer to preheated oven to keep warm.

4. Place lettuce, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and cilantro together in a large mixing or serving bowl. Toss to combine. In another bowl, stir together the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and crushed red pepper until well blended and sugar is dissolved.

5. Remove chicken from oven, slice into thin strips, and drizzle with dressing. Divide salad and rice among serving plates, and top each with chicken slices. Dressing may also be served at the table and each salad dressed individually.


****

Aduki and Rice Salad (I am making at least 6x this recipe to take with us to a BBQ)

1/2 Cup aduki beans, soaked
1 cup long grain rice (Mine will be be cooked in the rice cooker)
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons lemon-juice or wine vinegar (I use lime juice)
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup corn kernels
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 small onion, very finely chopped
1 small cucumber, diced
2 tablespoons raisins (not in mine)
2 tablespoons walnuts or pecans, chopped
Garnish: Chopped parsley (I use cilantro)

Cover the aduki beans with water and cook for 30 - 45 minutes, taking care that they remain intact.

Boil the rice for 10 minutes in enough water to just cover it. cover with a clean teatowel and saucepan lid and leave on a low heat until the rice is fluffy and dry (5 to 10 minutes, depending on the rice)

Mix the oil and lemon or vinegar together and stir into the warm rice. This is important so that the rice absorbs the flavors.

Cook the frozen peas (I just add them to the rice cooker when it turns to keep warm and let them steam.) and add to the rice together with the corn kernels, the drained aduki beans, the chopped vegetables, raisins and nuts. Stir well and sprinkle with parsley or cilantro. Serve chilled in a wide earthenware bowl or shallow terrine.

******

Cuban Style Lentil Salad

6 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse Sea salt
1 1/2 cup lentils, rinsed thoroughly
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, slivered
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Sea salt
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
4 green onions, using the white and light green parts, sliced thinly on the diagonal
1/4 cup finely diced jicama
sprigs of fresh parsley and lemon wedges, for a garnish

Use a large pot to bring the water to a boil. Add the sea salt. Add the lentils, reducing the heat to medium-low. Cook covered for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but not mushy. Do not overcook.
While the lentils are cooking, use a medium skillet to heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium low heat. Add the garlic and cook gently for about five minutes, or until softened but not browned.
Remove the skillet from the heat and add the cumin, coriander, cayenne, and the salt.
Add the white wine vinegar, combine thoroughly, and transfer to a large serving bowl.
Drain the cooked lentils and add them to the vinegar and seasoning mixture, taking care to combine thoroughly.
Drizzle with the remaining four tablespoons of olive oil and toss again to mix. Cool to room temperature, then stir in the scallions and the jicama.
This dish may be served immediately, or it may be chilled for one or two hours in order for the flavors to combine. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.


*************

Lentil Salad with Smoked Turkey

Ingredients:
1 cup lentils, rinsed
2 cups chicken broth or water
1/4 cup minced fresh tarragon (1 tsp. dry)
11 ounces (2 cups) smoked turkey breast, cubed
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/2 cup celery, minced
2 tbsp. fresh parsley; minced
1/4 cup regular or light mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain lowfat yogurt
2 tsp. Dijon or hearty style mustard
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
salt, pepper to season

Place the lentils and chicken stock in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat-simmer until the lentils are softened but still firm to the bite, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the lentils, move to a large bowl, and cool to room temperature. Add the minced tarragon, turkey breast, red onion, celery and parsley to the cooked lentils. Mix gently. In a small bowl whisk the remaining ingredients and add to lentil mixture. Mix again lightly. Makes 6 servings.

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