This recipe is a very fast and easy twist on Shrimp Scampi. I called it Shrimp Skimpy because it's skimpy in calories and time without compromising on taste. I think I got this idea from the recipe section of my Biggest Loser Wii workout. You can certainly substitute the frozen spinach with fresh spinach but you would probably want to cook it down a bit before adding in the shrimp. I like frozen because it requires no prep time and very little cook time.
Ingredients:
1 t. olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
6 oz. frozen raw, peeled, and de-veined shrimp (about a dozen 31-40 shrimp)*
shrimp doesn't need to thaw but should be rinsed and dried
1 t. fresh chopped basil
1 cup frozen spinach
Preparation:
Heat non-stick skillet on med-high heat. Add olive oil. When hot, toss in garlic and shrimp. Stir frequently. As soon as shrimp start to turn pink, add the spinach and basil to the pan. Stir until shrimp is no longer translucent. Serve immediately.
*The numbers on a shrimp package tell you how many shrimp are in a pound. So, in this case, there are 31-40 shrimp in a pound. This is a medium size shrimp. Jumbo shrimp would have a much lower number.
Results! Breakdown:
1 protein
2 veggies
1 fat
Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Kale Chips (II)
For those of you who have heard of kale chips, this is nothing new. For those of you who haven't, I think these are the ultimate snack or side dish. They're easy to make and help satisfy that craving for something "nibbly". Excellent low-cal, low-sodium crunchy snake.
Ingredients:
1 bunch of kale
cooking spray
salt substitute such as Spike or Mrs. Dash
Preheat oven to 350F.
Clean kale and wring out in lettuce spinner. Rip kale leaves into large bite size pieces, removing the center stem. (The kale won't get crisp if the stem is left in.) Place foil, parchment paper, or Silpat on baking sheet. Spread out kale in single layer on baking sheet. (One full head of kale usually covers 2 baking sheets.) Spray kale liberally with cooking spray. Sprinkle on salt substitute. Bake in oven for 5-15 min.. (Cooking time varies with the different varieties of kale and with oven temps. Watch carefully after 5 minutes.) Kale is done when outside of leaves start to turn brown and stem side of leaf is nice and crisp. This usually requires a quick taste test because cooking spray makes leaves appear shiny and moist even when they are done.
Tip: if you have any kale chips left over the next day and they have become limp, microwave for 1 minute to bring back crispness.
Results! breakdown:
1 cup of kale chips equals 2 vegetables
Ingredients:
1 bunch of kale
cooking spray
salt substitute such as Spike or Mrs. Dash
Preheat oven to 350F.
Clean kale and wring out in lettuce spinner. Rip kale leaves into large bite size pieces, removing the center stem. (The kale won't get crisp if the stem is left in.) Place foil, parchment paper, or Silpat on baking sheet. Spread out kale in single layer on baking sheet. (One full head of kale usually covers 2 baking sheets.) Spray kale liberally with cooking spray. Sprinkle on salt substitute. Bake in oven for 5-15 min.. (Cooking time varies with the different varieties of kale and with oven temps. Watch carefully after 5 minutes.) Kale is done when outside of leaves start to turn brown and stem side of leaf is nice and crisp. This usually requires a quick taste test because cooking spray makes leaves appear shiny and moist even when they are done.
Tip: if you have any kale chips left over the next day and they have become limp, microwave for 1 minute to bring back crispness.
Results! breakdown:
1 cup of kale chips equals 2 vegetables
Monday, February 1, 2010
Homemade Marinara Sauce (II)
Most store-bought sauces are high in sodium and, yes, sugar. I've never understood the sugar in store-bought tomato sauce. I've never added sugar to my homemade sauce and never missed it and can't taste it in the store-bought sauces but it's hard to find a brand that doesn't contain sugar. This recipe is easy, low in sodium and sugar-free. Leftovers can be put in single-serving bags and frozen for another time. I highly recommend San Marzano tomatoes. They are much sweeter and more flavorful than American tomatoes. I haven't found a salt-free version of them but was surprised to see they contained less sodium (20 mg per 1/2 cup) than the salt-free diced tomatoes (50 mg per 1/2 cup) I used for this recipe. (Hmmm. That doesn't make any sense.) This sauce is perfect with Baked "Fried" Eggplant.
Ingredients:
1 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 large onion, diced
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 28 oz. can whole stewed tomatoes (salt-free if available)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (salt-free if available)
1 6 oz. can tomato paste (salt-free if available)
2 bay leaves
salt-substitute such as Mrs. Dash
2 t. dried basil
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. dried parsley
In saucepan, heat olive oil. Add garlic and onions. Saute for a couple of minutes on med-high heat. Add celery and carrot. Saute another 3 minutes. Add 3 types of tomatoes and bay leaves. Reduce to simmer and simmer for 30 min, covered. (Can leave on the stove up to 90 min, if that makes your life easier.) Stir in salt substitute and remaining herbs. (Adjust to taste). Cook for another 5 minutes. Remove bay leaves and blend in batches in food processor -- be careful of steam!
Results! breakdown (1/4 c.):
1 vegetable
1/2 fat
Ingredients:
1 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 large onion, diced
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 28 oz. can whole stewed tomatoes (salt-free if available)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (salt-free if available)
1 6 oz. can tomato paste (salt-free if available)
2 bay leaves
salt-substitute such as Mrs. Dash
2 t. dried basil
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. dried parsley
In saucepan, heat olive oil. Add garlic and onions. Saute for a couple of minutes on med-high heat. Add celery and carrot. Saute another 3 minutes. Add 3 types of tomatoes and bay leaves. Reduce to simmer and simmer for 30 min, covered. (Can leave on the stove up to 90 min, if that makes your life easier.) Stir in salt substitute and remaining herbs. (Adjust to taste). Cook for another 5 minutes. Remove bay leaves and blend in batches in food processor -- be careful of steam!
Results! breakdown (1/4 c.):
1 vegetable
1/2 fat
Baked "Fried" Eggplant
If you struggle to eat all of your veggie servings, like I do, this recipe is a great way to get in more vegetables. It's also a fun recipe for kids to help out with. (I get the marinara on the stove and then start this recipe.) This will take more time than most of the recipes I've posted on the site and will consume more of your daily allotments as well so it's not great for every day but a fun indulgence.
Ingredients:
cooking spray
1 medium eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/4"-1/2" rounds
Flour for dredging eggplant
1 egg
6 oz. nonfat plain yogurt
1 c. Italian panko bread crumbs
Homemade marinara sauce
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325F and coat baking sheet with cooking spray (or use Silpat.)
(Ideally, eggplant should be lightly salted, left to drain for 1/2 hr and then rinsed but, to keep this recipe low in sodium, skip this step.)
Pour flour into large zip-loc baggie.
Mix egg and yogurt together in one bowl and place bread crumbs in another.
Place several pieces of eggplant in baggie. Close bag and shake to coat.
Place flour-coated eggplant in egg/yogurt mixture. Completely coat with egg mixture. Then coat in bread crumbs.
Place on baking sheet in single layer. Spray top with cooking spray. (You can skip this step is you are using Silpat.)
Bake for 25 min. then flip eggplant and bake for an additional 20 min.
Serve with marinara as a dipping sauce
TIP: use one hand for dry ingredients and one hand for wet ingredients when dredging eggplant in order to avoid "gluey" fingers.
Results! breakdown: (for 6 slices of eggplant)
2 vegetables (3 with marinara)
1 dairy
1 starch
partial protein
Ingredients:
cooking spray
1 medium eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/4"-1/2" rounds
Flour for dredging eggplant
1 egg
6 oz. nonfat plain yogurt
1 c. Italian panko bread crumbs
Homemade marinara sauce
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325F and coat baking sheet with cooking spray (or use Silpat.)
(Ideally, eggplant should be lightly salted, left to drain for 1/2 hr and then rinsed but, to keep this recipe low in sodium, skip this step.)
Pour flour into large zip-loc baggie.
Mix egg and yogurt together in one bowl and place bread crumbs in another.
Place several pieces of eggplant in baggie. Close bag and shake to coat.
Place flour-coated eggplant in egg/yogurt mixture. Completely coat with egg mixture. Then coat in bread crumbs.
Place on baking sheet in single layer. Spray top with cooking spray. (You can skip this step is you are using Silpat.)
Bake for 25 min. then flip eggplant and bake for an additional 20 min.
Serve with marinara as a dipping sauce
TIP: use one hand for dry ingredients and one hand for wet ingredients when dredging eggplant in order to avoid "gluey" fingers.
Results! breakdown: (for 6 slices of eggplant)
2 vegetables (3 with marinara)
1 dairy
1 starch
partial protein
Chocolate (Protein) Mousse (II)
This recipe is great when you need another daily protein, can't take another MNS pudding, or really want a dessert. It's rich and thick and satisfies that sweet tooth craving. It doesn't need time to set but it really does need time for the flavors to blend so make a day in advance.
Ingredients:
1 pound silken tofu
cheesecloth
1/3 c. high quality cocoa powder*
1/2 c. stevia (see my blog on stevia for more info about this product)
1 small banana
Preparation:
Strain tofu for 1/2 hour. Place in cheesecloth, give a good squeeze and strain an additional 15 minutes followed by one more quick squeeze. Place tofu and remaining ingredients in food processor. Blend until smooth. Divide into 4 oz. portions and refrigerate overnight.
Results! breakdown:
1 protein
1/2 fruit
*Cocoa powder isn't on the approved food list but only adds about 11 calories per serving, not much more than several condiments.
Ingredients:
1 pound silken tofu
cheesecloth
1/3 c. high quality cocoa powder*
1/2 c. stevia (see my blog on stevia for more info about this product)
1 small banana
Preparation:
Strain tofu for 1/2 hour. Place in cheesecloth, give a good squeeze and strain an additional 15 minutes followed by one more quick squeeze. Place tofu and remaining ingredients in food processor. Blend until smooth. Divide into 4 oz. portions and refrigerate overnight.
Results! breakdown:
1 protein
1/2 fruit
*Cocoa powder isn't on the approved food list but only adds about 11 calories per serving, not much more than several condiments.
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