Where to begin... I've been having a hard time deciding how to continue the blog, now that I'm [finally] on MAINTENANCE. I think I'll continue to post a combination of Decision Free, Healthy Solutions, and Maintenance-friendly recipes, and try to include ways of making the Maintenance recipes HMR-friendly whenever possible.
So now I have the dilemma of trying to recall and record everything I've been cooking in the past few weeks. So as not to overwhelm you, gentle reader, I'll try to post only a couple dishes at a time. And maybe, just maybe, someday I'll start taking pictures of my creations. Maybe.
Maple Brown Sugar Baby Carrots
(Replicated almost exactly from a recipe found at Diet Recipes Blog)
Ingredients:
1 bag (16 oz?) baby carrots
3 Tbsp sugar-free maple syrup
1 Tbsp Sugar Twin brown sugar substitute
1/3 cup water (may need less since SF maple syrup tends to be watery to begin with)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for about 5-8 minutes (until the carrots are crisp-tender).
3. Uncover and cook for about 5 more minutes (until the juices are reduced).
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Apple Bake
(Based on a recipe from Fatfree Vegan Recipes)
Ingredients:
1 large Gala apple, chopped
1 packet HMR Multi-Grain Cereal
1/4 cup Sugar Twin brown sugar substitute (I don't actually remember how much I used; I'm completely guessing)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg (I used 1 tsp, but it was way too strong)
1/2 cup water
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place ingredients in glass Pyrex bowl (I used the 1-quart size) that has been lightly sprayed with PAM and cover with foil.
3. Bake for about 45 minutes (until apples are soft).
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Wild Mushroom Savory Sauté
(Based on a recipe from Diet Recipes Blog)
Wild Mushroom Savory Sauté
Ingredients:
8 oz package mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tsp minced garlic (or 2 cloves)
1 tsp dried thyme
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
Butter flavored cooking spray
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and bring to medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook for about 4 minutes (until soft).
3. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
4. Add the mushrooms and thyme and sauté for about 3-5 minutes.
5. Add the red wine vinegar and raise the heat to high.
6. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes (until the mushrooms are tender and the vinegar is almost evaporated).
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Full recipe = approx. 3 vegetable servings
This was very good. After adding the thyme, it smelled phenomenal, and would probably taste just as delicious (if not more so) without the red wine vinegar, depending on personal preference. I like thyme more than wine, so I'll have to try omitting the vinegar next time.
Wild Mushroom Savory Sauté
Ingredients:
8 oz package mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tsp minced garlic (or 2 cloves)
1 tsp dried thyme
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
Butter flavored cooking spray
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and bring to medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook for about 4 minutes (until soft).
3. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
4. Add the mushrooms and thyme and sauté for about 3-5 minutes.
5. Add the red wine vinegar and raise the heat to high.
6. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes (until the mushrooms are tender and the vinegar is almost evaporated).
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Full recipe = approx. 3 vegetable servings
This was very good. After adding the thyme, it smelled phenomenal, and would probably taste just as delicious (if not more so) without the red wine vinegar, depending on personal preference. I like thyme more than wine, so I'll have to try omitting the vinegar next time.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Expecting the Unexpected
Today's entry earns its title from my dinner: two out of the three (yes, three) dishes that I prepared had results that were, as I expected, unexpected. They were expectedly unexpected.
The following recipe (which took all of my culinary prowess and kitchen expertise) came about because I needed a double entree, and since the rest of my meal seemed vaguely Italian (or at the very least not Mexican, which was my other option), I went for the Italian-inspired entrees. I thought they would go together more or less okay, but when I tasted them, it was like Walt Disney meeting Salvador Dali: each element contributing hints of their respective flavors to create something utterly new and inspired.
Chicken Ravioli Parmesan
Ingredients:
1 Chicken Pasta Parmesan HMR Entree
1 Cheese & Basil Ravioli HMR Entree
Directions:
1. Heat first entree according to packaging.
2. Heat second entree according to packaging.
3. Combine two entrees in an adequately sized bowl.
It took me longer to sing the praises of this soon-to-be frequently repeated combo than it did for me to make it (or to eat it, for that matter).
My next adventure is much closer to a legitimate recipe, being in fact based on one from A Veggie Venture. I didn't have any lemons, and rather than just using bottled lemon juice from the refrigerator, I thought I'd use fresh fruit and be creative, all at the same time. So I used an orange instead. I figured that the dish would come out palatable but weird. What I got was slightly crispy, slightly tender asparagus (roasted to perfection, in my opinion) that had been kissed with the essence of citrus, and a feast of savory, oregano-infused orange slices. Who knew?
Orange-Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients:
About 1/2 pound fresh asparagus, woody ends trimmed off
1 navel orange, sliced very thin
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Zero-calorie olive oil cooking spray
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees; spray a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil spray.
2. Slice orange and arrange slices on baking sheet; put in oven for 5 minutes. While the orange slices are in the oven, cut the woody ends off the asparagus.
3. After 5 minutes, remove pan from oven. Carefully remove the orange slices and set them aside. Now put the asparagus on the baking sheet (so none is overlapping), mist lightly with olive oil spray, and sprinkle with oregano, salt, and pepper. Give the pan a good shake to make sure that everything is evenly coated, then replace the orange slices on top of the asparagus (again, none of the slices should be overlapping).
4. Return to oven for 15 minutes, shaking the pan to toss the asparagus and turning the orange slices over once halfway through.
Full recipe makes 2 vegetable servings and 1 fruit serving (I ate half and put the rest in the fridge).
The following recipe (which took all of my culinary prowess and kitchen expertise) came about because I needed a double entree, and since the rest of my meal seemed vaguely Italian (or at the very least not Mexican, which was my other option), I went for the Italian-inspired entrees. I thought they would go together more or less okay, but when I tasted them, it was like Walt Disney meeting Salvador Dali: each element contributing hints of their respective flavors to create something utterly new and inspired.
Chicken Ravioli Parmesan
Ingredients:
1 Chicken Pasta Parmesan HMR Entree
1 Cheese & Basil Ravioli HMR Entree
Directions:
1. Heat first entree according to packaging.
2. Heat second entree according to packaging.
3. Combine two entrees in an adequately sized bowl.
It took me longer to sing the praises of this soon-to-be frequently repeated combo than it did for me to make it (or to eat it, for that matter).
My next adventure is much closer to a legitimate recipe, being in fact based on one from A Veggie Venture. I didn't have any lemons, and rather than just using bottled lemon juice from the refrigerator, I thought I'd use fresh fruit and be creative, all at the same time. So I used an orange instead. I figured that the dish would come out palatable but weird. What I got was slightly crispy, slightly tender asparagus (roasted to perfection, in my opinion) that had been kissed with the essence of citrus, and a feast of savory, oregano-infused orange slices. Who knew?
Orange-Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients:
About 1/2 pound fresh asparagus, woody ends trimmed off
1 navel orange, sliced very thin
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Zero-calorie olive oil cooking spray
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees; spray a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil spray.
2. Slice orange and arrange slices on baking sheet; put in oven for 5 minutes. While the orange slices are in the oven, cut the woody ends off the asparagus.
3. After 5 minutes, remove pan from oven. Carefully remove the orange slices and set them aside. Now put the asparagus on the baking sheet (so none is overlapping), mist lightly with olive oil spray, and sprinkle with oregano, salt, and pepper. Give the pan a good shake to make sure that everything is evenly coated, then replace the orange slices on top of the asparagus (again, none of the slices should be overlapping).
4. Return to oven for 15 minutes, shaking the pan to toss the asparagus and turning the orange slices over once halfway through.
Full recipe makes 2 vegetable servings and 1 fruit serving (I ate half and put the rest in the fridge).
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Burnin' Up The Stash
The produce stash, that is! I bought way more fruits and veggies than I should have at Wal-topia last weekend, and they're all on their last legs. So I used up some bananas by making more Frozen Banana Fudge Bars: I made one with vanilla 120 and cinnamon, one with vanilla 120 and 2 Tbsp PB2, one with chocolate 120 (like last time), and one with chocolate 120 and 2 Tbsp PB2. I love these and wish I could eat them every minute of every hour of every day. Delicious.
My next stash-busting activity was to use up the okra I bought by making roasted okra, but the okra appeared to have gone bad. So I roasted my elephant garlic instead, after searching for directions online. I used a bit of zero-calorie olive oil cooking spray instead of olive oil, and we were golden. I wasn't that enthused by the results, however. It still tasted kind of bitter, so I mashed it up and combined it with my one remaining entree, turkey chili, and sprinkled a little nacho cheese flavored popcorn seasoning on top. The flavor and color of the seasoning combined with the texture of the mashed garlic actually caused it to be vaguely reminiscent of the old cheese-laden (and calorie/fat laden) chili that I used to enjoy, back in the halcyon days of my youth.
Finally, I did something that can almost qualify as real cooking in order to use up my ample supply of grape tomatoes (I had so many wonderful plans for them, but alas, they grew wrinkly and gross-looking, and had to be used post-haste). I based this creation on a recipe found at Diet Recipes Blog (although some of the things that they classify as "diet" seem kind of sketchy to me).
Garlic Tomatoes
Ingredients:
8 oz grape tomatoes, halved
1-1.5 tsp minced garlic
Dried thyme to taste (I think I may have used about 1 tsp)
Salt and pepper to taste
PAM olive oil cooking spray
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, lightly spray bottom of 9x13" glass baking dish with PAM.
2. Cut tomatoes in halve (optional, since it takes a long time to cut that many tomatoes, you can probably just leave them whole). Transfer to baking dish and give them a quick spray with PAM.
3. Sprinkle garlic and thyme over tomatoes; if you are bad at sprinkling things evenly (like me), mix them around a little with a fork or spoon. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until tomatoes are slightly charred (and extremely delicious).
Makes 2 servings of vegetables (Or fruits, technically...).
I used minced garlic because I wasn't sure how to execute the "squeeze the meat from the garlic cloves over the tomatoes" step in the original recipe, and dried thyme because I seldom if ever have fresh herbs in my house.
My next stash-busting activity was to use up the okra I bought by making roasted okra, but the okra appeared to have gone bad. So I roasted my elephant garlic instead, after searching for directions online. I used a bit of zero-calorie olive oil cooking spray instead of olive oil, and we were golden. I wasn't that enthused by the results, however. It still tasted kind of bitter, so I mashed it up and combined it with my one remaining entree, turkey chili, and sprinkled a little nacho cheese flavored popcorn seasoning on top. The flavor and color of the seasoning combined with the texture of the mashed garlic actually caused it to be vaguely reminiscent of the old cheese-laden (and calorie/fat laden) chili that I used to enjoy, back in the halcyon days of my youth.
Finally, I did something that can almost qualify as real cooking in order to use up my ample supply of grape tomatoes (I had so many wonderful plans for them, but alas, they grew wrinkly and gross-looking, and had to be used post-haste). I based this creation on a recipe found at Diet Recipes Blog (although some of the things that they classify as "diet" seem kind of sketchy to me).
Garlic Tomatoes
Ingredients:
8 oz grape tomatoes, halved
1-1.5 tsp minced garlic
Dried thyme to taste (I think I may have used about 1 tsp)
Salt and pepper to taste
PAM olive oil cooking spray
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, lightly spray bottom of 9x13" glass baking dish with PAM.
2. Cut tomatoes in halve (optional, since it takes a long time to cut that many tomatoes, you can probably just leave them whole). Transfer to baking dish and give them a quick spray with PAM.
3. Sprinkle garlic and thyme over tomatoes; if you are bad at sprinkling things evenly (like me), mix them around a little with a fork or spoon. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until tomatoes are slightly charred (and extremely delicious).
Makes 2 servings of vegetables (Or fruits, technically...).
I used minced garlic because I wasn't sure how to execute the "squeeze the meat from the garlic cloves over the tomatoes" step in the original recipe, and dried thyme because I seldom if ever have fresh herbs in my house.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Lettuce-Free Salad
I've had the idea of strawberries with balsamic vinegar in my head for a few days now, so I threw them in this salad (it's still a salad if there's no lettuce, right?). Then I ended up using raspberry balsamic vinegar for some added fruitiness, so the strawberries wouldn't feel alienated.
Lettuce-Free Salad with Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar
Ingredients:
2 oz. each (1/2 serving) of:
-Cucumbers, sliced/chopped to desired size (peel optional)
-Asparagus, chopped
-Grape tomatoes, halved
-Strawberries, cut in quarters/eighths/whatever you like
Raspberry balsamic vinegar to taste (or regular balsamic if you don't have raspberry)
Directions:
1. Measure and cut all ingredients. Put in bowl and toss until combined.
2. Drizzle lightly with vinegar; toss again to coat evenly.
3. Refrigerate if desired, or just eat it. Equals two fruit/vegetable servings.
Lettuce-Free Salad with Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar
Ingredients:
2 oz. each (1/2 serving) of:
-Cucumbers, sliced/chopped to desired size (peel optional)
-Asparagus, chopped
-Grape tomatoes, halved
-Strawberries, cut in quarters/eighths/whatever you like
Raspberry balsamic vinegar to taste (or regular balsamic if you don't have raspberry)
Directions:
1. Measure and cut all ingredients. Put in bowl and toss until combined.
2. Drizzle lightly with vinegar; toss again to coat evenly.
3. Refrigerate if desired, or just eat it. Equals two fruit/vegetable servings.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
When did I start liking tomatoes?
I used to loathe tomatoes, especially the little individually sized portions of evil (better known as cherry or grape tomatoes). I swore that no matter how my tastes changed from eating nothing but produce and space food, I would never go to the dark side of tomato tolerance. But I have come to eat not only my own words, but tomatoes as well. And I like them.
This recipe is modified from one that I found at Karina's Kitchen, which she modified from one found at The Perfect Pantry. I opted to follow this one mostly because it called for basil instead of oregano, and I thought that, since I adore oregano and tend to use it on anything even vaguely Italian, I should give another herb a chance to shine.
Baked Grape Tomatoes with Basil
Ingredients:
30-40 grape tomatoes
3 cloves garlic (or 1.5 tsp pre-minced, refrigerated garlic)
2 tsp dried basil
Sea salt and fresh pepper (or regular salt and pepper would work fine) to taste
Olive oil zero-calorie cooking spray
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Chop tomatoes in half and place in small mixing bowl. Give them a quick spray with the olive oil spray and toss them (enough to make sure they're lightly coated).
3. Add garlic, basil, salt, and pepper; stir until tomatoes are evenly coated.
4. Pour tomatoes into a glass baking pan. You can lightly spray the pan with some olive oil spray if you'd like, but I don't think the tomatoes will stick, since they've already been sprayed.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
This recipe is modified from one that I found at Karina's Kitchen, which she modified from one found at The Perfect Pantry. I opted to follow this one mostly because it called for basil instead of oregano, and I thought that, since I adore oregano and tend to use it on anything even vaguely Italian, I should give another herb a chance to shine.
Baked Grape Tomatoes with Basil
Ingredients:
30-40 grape tomatoes
3 cloves garlic (or 1.5 tsp pre-minced, refrigerated garlic)
2 tsp dried basil
Sea salt and fresh pepper (or regular salt and pepper would work fine) to taste
Olive oil zero-calorie cooking spray
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Chop tomatoes in half and place in small mixing bowl. Give them a quick spray with the olive oil spray and toss them (enough to make sure they're lightly coated).
3. Add garlic, basil, salt, and pepper; stir until tomatoes are evenly coated.
4. Pour tomatoes into a glass baking pan. You can lightly spray the pan with some olive oil spray if you'd like, but I don't think the tomatoes will stick, since they've already been sprayed.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Chayote Squash
I've been out of town, so I haven't been able to post or cook for a while. So here's something from the archives, just to ease my tortured conscience. This is, of course, operating under the illusion that there are people who actually rely upon me updating.
Super quick and easy recipe (although if I recall, dicing the squash may have been something of a hassle), modified slightly from A Veggie Venture. I remember trying two different chayote squash recipes at the same time, and since this is the only recipe I could find, I must have liked this one better.
Chayote Squash
Super quick and easy recipe (although if I recall, dicing the squash may have been something of a hassle), modified slightly from A Veggie Venture. I remember trying two different chayote squash recipes at the same time, and since this is the only recipe I could find, I must have liked this one better.
Chayote Squash
Ingredients:
1/2 chayote squash, diced
1/4 cup water (or cooking liquid such as chicken/vegetable broth)
salt
Green onion, chopped
Directions:
1. Heat skillet on medium high; spray with olive oil (not necessary).
2. Add chayote; cook through, stirring occasionally.
3. Add water, let simmer for about 5 minutes.
4. Add chopped green onion, cook another minute, and remove from liquid.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
It gets better.
I deserve a Nobel Peace Prize.
Chocolate Crepes
Ingredients:
1 scoop chocolate HMR 120 shake mix
1/4 cup water
1 packet vanilla HMR 70+ shake mix
1/2 cup water (plus 1/8 cup, maybe)
Butter-flavored cooking spray
1 strawberry, sliced (optional garnish)
Directions:
1. Heat a small pan over medium-low heat.
2. Combine chocolate 120 shake mix with 1/4 cup water in small bowl; put in freezer to chill while you make crepes.
3. Combine vanilla 70+ shake mix with 1/2 cup water to create somewhat runny batter (I did this before combining the chocolate, and the 70+ thickens if you let it sit, so I had to add another 1/8 cup water).
4. Spray heated pan with cooking spray; pour half of vanilla batter into pan. Cover pan and cook until crepe is pretty solid. It should sort of bubble up in the middle, and if you peek at the bottom, it should be golden-brown.
5. Carefully loosen crepe from pan using a spatula (the rubbery kind works well for this, as opposed to the sturdy, plastic spatulas), and slide it onto a plate to cool.
6. Repeat steps 4-5 with remaining vanilla batter to make second crepe.
7. Pull the chocolate mix out of the freezer (it should be thick and fudgy, not frozen solid). Spoon half into each crepe, then fold crepes (bottom first, then sides). If desired, top with strawberry slices.
Makes two crepes; counts as a double shake (and less than 1/4 serving of fruit).
Like I said, Nobel Peace Prize.
These were SO GOOD. So good. And I found them quite filling, as well. The only flaw is that the crepe itself comes out a little... wet. Not the consistency, but when you touch it, it's wet. You'll see what I mean when you make them. And really, who's going to complain? I made crepes.
I see endless possibility for variation here. Put PB2 in the filling, use vanilla 120 and mix it with any Jello, SF syrup, or extract, add fruit into the filling...
And toppings! You could top them with any other fresh fruit, SF maple syrup, Reddi Wip Free or Cool Whip Free, a sprinkle of cocoa powder/cinnamon/Splenda... any other ideas? Just don't do all of them at once.
P.S. Without the strawberry topping, these are even Decision-Free Friendly! Rock on!
Chocolate Crepes
Ingredients:
1 scoop chocolate HMR 120 shake mix
1/4 cup water
1 packet vanilla HMR 70+ shake mix
1/2 cup water (plus 1/8 cup, maybe)
Butter-flavored cooking spray
1 strawberry, sliced (optional garnish)
Directions:
1. Heat a small pan over medium-low heat.
2. Combine chocolate 120 shake mix with 1/4 cup water in small bowl; put in freezer to chill while you make crepes.
3. Combine vanilla 70+ shake mix with 1/2 cup water to create somewhat runny batter (I did this before combining the chocolate, and the 70+ thickens if you let it sit, so I had to add another 1/8 cup water).
4. Spray heated pan with cooking spray; pour half of vanilla batter into pan. Cover pan and cook until crepe is pretty solid. It should sort of bubble up in the middle, and if you peek at the bottom, it should be golden-brown.
5. Carefully loosen crepe from pan using a spatula (the rubbery kind works well for this, as opposed to the sturdy, plastic spatulas), and slide it onto a plate to cool.
6. Repeat steps 4-5 with remaining vanilla batter to make second crepe.
7. Pull the chocolate mix out of the freezer (it should be thick and fudgy, not frozen solid). Spoon half into each crepe, then fold crepes (bottom first, then sides). If desired, top with strawberry slices.
Makes two crepes; counts as a double shake (and less than 1/4 serving of fruit).
Like I said, Nobel Peace Prize.
These were SO GOOD. So good. And I found them quite filling, as well. The only flaw is that the crepe itself comes out a little... wet. Not the consistency, but when you touch it, it's wet. You'll see what I mean when you make them. And really, who's going to complain? I made crepes.
I see endless possibility for variation here. Put PB2 in the filling, use vanilla 120 and mix it with any Jello, SF syrup, or extract, add fruit into the filling...
And toppings! You could top them with any other fresh fruit, SF maple syrup, Reddi Wip Free or Cool Whip Free, a sprinkle of cocoa powder/cinnamon/Splenda... any other ideas? Just don't do all of them at once.
P.S. Without the strawberry topping, these are even Decision-Free Friendly! Rock on!
Friday, March 6, 2009
HOLD THE PHONE!
I have stumbled upon something truly sensational!
Too Easy To Believe Fudgy Cake-Brownie
Ingredients:
1 scoop chocolate HMR 120 shake mix
1/8 cup water
Directions:
1. Combine ingredients in small dessert bowl.
2. Microwave on high for 30 seconds.
3. Eat it as soon as you can shovel it into your mouth.
I must say, I was tempted to skip step two, as the mix came out almost like brownie batter. And this would definitely be an acceptable modification to the recipe. But boy am I glad I went for the microwave. I was not expecting the glorious results I had! I will be doing this so often from now on. I wonder how it would taste topped with warm fruit...
Too Easy To Believe Fudgy Cake-Brownie
Ingredients:
1 scoop chocolate HMR 120 shake mix
1/8 cup water
Directions:
1. Combine ingredients in small dessert bowl.
2. Microwave on high for 30 seconds.
3. Eat it as soon as you can shovel it into your mouth.
I must say, I was tempted to skip step two, as the mix came out almost like brownie batter. And this would definitely be an acceptable modification to the recipe. But boy am I glad I went for the microwave. I was not expecting the glorious results I had! I will be doing this so often from now on. I wonder how it would taste topped with warm fruit...
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Bananas are nature's candy bars.
Truly, Bananas are a delicious gift from Heaven. And yesterday I ate one! This is how:
Frozen Banana Fudge Bar
Ingredients:
1 medium (~4 oz) banana
1 scoop chocolate HMR 120 shake mix (or 500/800/70+)
Directions:
1. Slice banana into a bowl, then mash it.
2. Mix in 70+ powder. (JUST the powder; you don't even need to add water!)
3. Spoon mixture into Ziploc snack size bag, seal bag, and freeze.
When it's frozen, just peel back the Ziploc, and enjoy a delicious treat. It's so good. And the possibilities for variation are pretty much endless:
-add PB2 or instant coffee granules
-heat some strawberries till soft and mushy, then mash and combine with vanilla shake
-use canned pumpkin (w/ pumpkin pie spice & Splenda) mixed with chocolate or vanilla shake
-natural/no sugar added applesauce (w/ a bit of apple pie spice/Splenda?) mixed with vanilla shake
-you could probably puree just about any fruit and/or mix in any Jello, SF syrup, or extract
I can't wait to try more!
I also tried making a "cream of broccoli soup" last night. I combined one chicken soup mix, 6 oz hot water, and one serving of broccoli in a Magic Bullet and blended it, then stirred in an additional serving of broccoli. It wasn't that great. The Magic Bullet made it really frothy, which is kind of weird in a soup, and it was pretty bland. Maybe using a regular blender and adding some flavor (garlic, onion, salt, pepper, parmesan-garlic popcorn seasoning...) would make it better.
Frozen Banana Fudge Bar
Ingredients:
1 medium (~4 oz) banana
1 scoop chocolate HMR 120 shake mix (or 500/800/70+)
Directions:
1. Slice banana into a bowl, then mash it.
2. Mix in 70+ powder. (JUST the powder; you don't even need to add water!)
3. Spoon mixture into Ziploc snack size bag, seal bag, and freeze.
When it's frozen, just peel back the Ziploc, and enjoy a delicious treat. It's so good. And the possibilities for variation are pretty much endless:
-add PB2 or instant coffee granules
-heat some strawberries till soft and mushy, then mash and combine with vanilla shake
-use canned pumpkin (w/ pumpkin pie spice & Splenda) mixed with chocolate or vanilla shake
-natural/no sugar added applesauce (w/ a bit of apple pie spice/Splenda?) mixed with vanilla shake
-you could probably puree just about any fruit and/or mix in any Jello, SF syrup, or extract
I can't wait to try more!
I also tried making a "cream of broccoli soup" last night. I combined one chicken soup mix, 6 oz hot water, and one serving of broccoli in a Magic Bullet and blended it, then stirred in an additional serving of broccoli. It wasn't that great. The Magic Bullet made it really frothy, which is kind of weird in a soup, and it was pretty bland. Maybe using a regular blender and adding some flavor (garlic, onion, salt, pepper, parmesan-garlic popcorn seasoning...) would make it better.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Corn Salad? Also, OKRA
I'm not sure what to call this random combination of vegetables, so I have dubbed it "corn salad." It's part of the continuing series of "these barely qualify as recipes" recipes that I've been producing lately. I'm still wary of hard-core baking and cooking, and the incident little add-on calories, since I don't want to have any rebound weight gain this week. With time, however, I am certain that my intrepid nature shall return!
In the meantime, more 2-second recipes.
Corn Salad
Ingredients:
1 single-serve bag (92 g) Birds Eye Steamfresh Singles Super Sweet Corn (or one serving of any corn)
3 oz cucumber (just under 1/4 of a normal sized cucumber)
2 Tbsp (aka 1/8 cup) medium salsa
Directions:
1. Heat corn according to directions on package.
2. Dice cucumber into corn-sized pieces.
3. Combine corn, cucumber, and salsa in bowl.
(One bowl = 2 vegetable servings)
This is the kind of recipe that seems like normal people would either:
a) prefer cold, or
b) not prefer at all.
But I like it, because I will eat anything, and I like it warm, because it's winter, and I get cold easily. So warm food makes me happy. Also, I find that combining the hot corn with the cold cucumber and salsa made for something new and different, and when the temperatures reached equilibrium, the dish was at a perfect "slightly warm" state.
The other "not-recipe" that I wanted to post is one that I first tried back in November or so. It's for roasted okra, and I found it at Fatfree Vegan Kitchen, which is an amazing food blog. The recipe doesn't even really need to be altered at all; it's just that great.
Roasted Okra
Ingredients:
Small, whole okra (however much you want)
Salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil PAM/cooking spray
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees; spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Put okra on baking dish, season to taste, and lightly spray once more.
3. Bake until okra is brown on all sides (about 15 minutes), flipping every 5 minutes.
4. Serve hot.
Today, I made them without anything (le gasp!), just sticking them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and throwing them in the oven as-is. I used frozen okra, so I tacked on an extra five minutes, and they tasted really great. After a week of experimenting with different cooking methods, it seems to me that baking is the only way to really keep the sliminess of okra at bay.
In the meantime, more 2-second recipes.
Corn Salad
Ingredients:
1 single-serve bag (92 g) Birds Eye Steamfresh Singles Super Sweet Corn (or one serving of any corn)
3 oz cucumber (just under 1/4 of a normal sized cucumber)
2 Tbsp (aka 1/8 cup) medium salsa
Directions:
1. Heat corn according to directions on package.
2. Dice cucumber into corn-sized pieces.
3. Combine corn, cucumber, and salsa in bowl.
(One bowl = 2 vegetable servings)
This is the kind of recipe that seems like normal people would either:
a) prefer cold, or
b) not prefer at all.
But I like it, because I will eat anything, and I like it warm, because it's winter, and I get cold easily. So warm food makes me happy. Also, I find that combining the hot corn with the cold cucumber and salsa made for something new and different, and when the temperatures reached equilibrium, the dish was at a perfect "slightly warm" state.
The other "not-recipe" that I wanted to post is one that I first tried back in November or so. It's for roasted okra, and I found it at Fatfree Vegan Kitchen, which is an amazing food blog. The recipe doesn't even really need to be altered at all; it's just that great.
Roasted Okra
Ingredients:
Small, whole okra (however much you want)
Salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil PAM/cooking spray
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees; spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Put okra on baking dish, season to taste, and lightly spray once more.
3. Bake until okra is brown on all sides (about 15 minutes), flipping every 5 minutes.
4. Serve hot.
Today, I made them without anything (le gasp!), just sticking them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and throwing them in the oven as-is. I used frozen okra, so I tacked on an extra five minutes, and they tasted really great. After a week of experimenting with different cooking methods, it seems to me that baking is the only way to really keep the sliminess of okra at bay.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Spaghetti Squash New Mexican
I'm not really cooking these days, but that's no reason not to share my existing wealth of recipes, right? This one, which I modified ever so slightly from this recipe at Karina's Kitchen: Recipes from a Gluten-Free Goddess, is one of my favorites EVER. It's so good. Sorry, recipe not valid for haters of spaghetti squash.
Spaghetti Squash New Mexican
For vegetables:
Spaghetti Squash New Mexican
Ingredients:
For roasting squash:
For roasting squash:
1/2 large spaghetti squash (Recipe originally calls for one whole medium spaghetti squash, halved)
salt and pepper
olive oil spray
cumin
chili powder
For vegetables:
olive oil spray
1 medium red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 ears (equivalent -- I probably used about 1 to 1.5 cups or so) frozen corn
1/2 green pepper
cumin
chili powder
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved/quartered
1 14-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 lime (juice)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place squash cut side up in roasting pan.
3. Season with salt and pepper, olive oil spray, cumin, and chili powder.
4. Add two inches of water to the pan to help keep the squash from sticking.
5. Roast for about 40-50 minutes, until the squash is fork-tender. Half way through roasting pour a little bit of water on the squash to keep it moist.
6. Heat skillet on stove; spray with olive oil.
7. Add the onion, garlic, corn kernels, green pepper, and spices; stir for five minutes until the onion has softened.
8. After removing squash from oven, lower oven temperature to 350 degrees. When the squash is cool, scrape spaghetti strands into a large mixing bowl.
9. Season with more salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder. Toss well. Add the skillet mixture, tomatoes, and black beans. Combine. Cut and squeeze the lime juice all over the mixture and toss lightly.
10. Pour the mixture into a casserole style baking dish. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven until heated through - about 20 to 25 minutes. (Original recipe also says: "If you'd rather do it up in a skillet, add the squash to the skillet mixture and stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and gently heat through over medium heat - roughly five to ten minutes.") I prefer baking it because, although it takes longer, I don't have to actually pay attention or do anything. Plus I usually just use the same dish I roasted the squash in, so it saves on cleanup.
Can also add:
Sprinkle of minced garlic before roasting squash
Two whole roasted green chiles, mild or spicy, seeded, chopped
Grated zest of lime as well as juice
Sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro and some lime wedges for garnish
Can also add:
Sprinkle of minced garlic before roasting squash
Two whole roasted green chiles, mild or spicy, seeded, chopped
Grated zest of lime as well as juice
Sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro and some lime wedges for garnish
Servings: a ton. Probably at least 8. Plus you have half a spaghetti squash left over to use for something.
I love this dish. It makes me sad that the only person who reads this blog doesn't like spaghetti squash.
I love this dish. It makes me sad that the only person who reads this blog doesn't like spaghetti squash.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Discovery!
In my recent quest to cut down on sneaky little extra calories and get back to the basics, I have stumbled upon something wonderful: Savory Chicken and salsa. Since I'm in Healthy Solutions, I used the salsa as my vegetable serving, but if it's allowed as a condiment for Decision Free, then I highly recommend this.
Savory Salsa-y Chicken with Rice
Ingredients:
1 Savory Chicken with Rice entree
1/4 to 1/2 cup salsa (I used mild, which gave it just the right amount of zip, but for an adventure, try medium, ooh!)
raw, chopped up onion -- optional (I had about 1 gram left over to use up, so I displaced some of the salsa with it)
Directions:
1. Heat salsa (combined with onion, if using) in microwave until hot.
2. Heat entree in microwave for 1 minute.
3. Combine in bowl (cut chicken into bite-sized pieces if desired); olé!
BONUS TREAT: Fudgecicle!
This is probably really obvious and not that exciting, but it's an easy treat.
1. Make the HMR 70+ chocolate pudding as directed (or even with a bit more water, but not too much, or it'll be slushy).
2. Put it back into the packet, roll it up, and freeze it.
3. A few hours later, come back, peel back the wrapping, and voila, fudgy bar!
You can also put it into some type of cup-like device with a popcicle stick or plastic spoon for a more traditional treat. And naturally, try it with whatever flavor mix-ins or fruit you like, and/or with vanilla 70+ too. Yum yum!
Savory Salsa-y Chicken with Rice
Ingredients:
1 Savory Chicken with Rice entree
1/4 to 1/2 cup salsa (I used mild, which gave it just the right amount of zip, but for an adventure, try medium, ooh!)
raw, chopped up onion -- optional (I had about 1 gram left over to use up, so I displaced some of the salsa with it)
Directions:
1. Heat salsa (combined with onion, if using) in microwave until hot.
2. Heat entree in microwave for 1 minute.
3. Combine in bowl (cut chicken into bite-sized pieces if desired); olé!
BONUS TREAT: Fudgecicle!
This is probably really obvious and not that exciting, but it's an easy treat.
1. Make the HMR 70+ chocolate pudding as directed (or even with a bit more water, but not too much, or it'll be slushy).
2. Put it back into the packet, roll it up, and freeze it.
3. A few hours later, come back, peel back the wrapping, and voila, fudgy bar!
You can also put it into some type of cup-like device with a popcicle stick or plastic spoon for a more traditional treat. And naturally, try it with whatever flavor mix-ins or fruit you like, and/or with vanilla 70+ too. Yum yum!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Potatoes: Two Ways
It's been a while since I've cooked anything, and even longer since I've posted any recipes. We've been trying to use up canned and frozen vegetables lately, so I haven't bought a lot of fresh produce, hence a lack of cooking and experimentation. The last thing I did involved red potatoes, and didn't turn out particularly excellent. The key is in boiling the potatoes first, I think.
Garlic Sautéed Potatoes (Stovetop):
The potatoes on the stovetop taste really great when boiled first, but only okay when not. I made them based on this recipe. They'd also taste really great with rosemary, or any seasonings you like. Last week I tried them with chopped green onion, which was pretty good.
As for the oven version, in theory they should have turned out fine, but they came up a little short -- they took way too long to cook through, so maybe boiling first would help here too. Either way, they were somewhat less than satisfactory, so I'll just post what I did for reference.
Oven-roasted Balsamic Potatoes:
Ingredients:
6 small red potatoes
1/2 large onion
2 tsp roasted garlic (pre-minced, refrigerated stuff)
2 tbsp rosemary
salt and pepper
balsamic vinegar
olive oil spray
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray Pyrex baking dish with olive oil cooking spray.
2. Chop potatoes and onion; put in baking dish.
3. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, rosemary, garlic, and balsamic vinegar (generously, if you like balsamic vinegar).
4. Bake until potatoes are cooked through -- this ended up taking about an hour for me, which made the balsamic vinegar get a little gummy.
If I try this recipe again and have more success, I'll post what I did differently.
Garlic Sautéed Potatoes (Stovetop):
Ingredients:
8 small red potatoes
salt and pepper
cooking spray
thyme
1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
Directions:
1. Scrub the potatoes and place in a saucepan. Cover with water and add salt.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes, or until tender.
3. Drain, when cool enough to handle cut into pieces.
4. Place the potatoes in sprayed, heated pan with salt and pepper.
5. Shake the pan a bit to keep the potato chunks separated. Add thyme, and continue to flip potatoes occasionally.
6. When crusty and brown, add the garlic. Add the parsley and serve immediately.The potatoes on the stovetop taste really great when boiled first, but only okay when not. I made them based on this recipe. They'd also taste really great with rosemary, or any seasonings you like. Last week I tried them with chopped green onion, which was pretty good.
As for the oven version, in theory they should have turned out fine, but they came up a little short -- they took way too long to cook through, so maybe boiling first would help here too. Either way, they were somewhat less than satisfactory, so I'll just post what I did for reference.
Oven-roasted Balsamic Potatoes:
Ingredients:
6 small red potatoes
1/2 large onion
2 tsp roasted garlic (pre-minced, refrigerated stuff)
2 tbsp rosemary
salt and pepper
balsamic vinegar
olive oil spray
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray Pyrex baking dish with olive oil cooking spray.
2. Chop potatoes and onion; put in baking dish.
3. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, rosemary, garlic, and balsamic vinegar (generously, if you like balsamic vinegar).
4. Bake until potatoes are cooked through -- this ended up taking about an hour for me, which made the balsamic vinegar get a little gummy.
If I try this recipe again and have more success, I'll post what I did differently.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Potato Chips!
Allison, this one's for you. Something to dip in your salsa!
Oven Potato Chips
Ingredients:
1 small/medium potato
cooking spray
salt/pepper/whatever seasonings you'd like
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spray baking sheet lightly with cooking spray.
3. Slice potato thinly (depending on how thick you like your chips). I used my handy spiral slicer, and they came out super thin.
4. Arrange in one layer on baking sheet, spray lightly with cooking spray again, and season with salt, pepper, and/or desired seasonings.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, flip (sprinkle on a bit more salt if desired), and bake for 5 more minutes.
Servings: 1 vegetable
I think they're phenomenal on their own, but they're also a good option if you're tired of eating salsa with a spoon.
NOTE: I'm going to try baking them at a lower temperature (375 degrees) for a longer amount of time next time. I think they would come out better -- these were just a bit too crispy for my liking, although that may have been because they were so thin.
Oven Potato Chips
Ingredients:
1 small/medium potato
cooking spray
salt/pepper/whatever seasonings you'd like
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spray baking sheet lightly with cooking spray.
3. Slice potato thinly (depending on how thick you like your chips). I used my handy spiral slicer, and they came out super thin.
4. Arrange in one layer on baking sheet, spray lightly with cooking spray again, and season with salt, pepper, and/or desired seasonings.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, flip (sprinkle on a bit more salt if desired), and bake for 5 more minutes.
Servings: 1 vegetable
I think they're phenomenal on their own, but they're also a good option if you're tired of eating salsa with a spoon.
NOTE: I'm going to try baking them at a lower temperature (375 degrees) for a longer amount of time next time. I think they would come out better -- these were just a bit too crispy for my liking, although that may have been because they were so thin.
Monday, February 9, 2009
HMR Chicken Creole Soup
Our homework assignment for this week was to try an entree + chicken soup combo. This isn't really a recipe, but after adding the spices, I kind of liked it (it was bland before), so I'd like to record it for later. Plus, it's super easy, and uses only HMR products (Decision-Free friendly).
HMR Chicken Creole Soup
In other words, prepare the soup and entree as instructed, combine them, and add the spices. So easy.
HMR Chicken Creole Soup
Ingredients:
1 packet HMR chicken soup mix
1 HMR chicken creole entree
6 oz water (3/4 cup)
dash salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika
Directions:
1. Pour six ounces hot (not boiling) water into 12-oz mug. Add in soup mix and whisk the heck out of it. I find that just stirring it with a fork or spoon leaves it grainy and chunky.
2. Heat entree in microwave for one minute.
3. Add entree into mug gradually; season until desired spiciness.In other words, prepare the soup and entree as instructed, combine them, and add the spices. So easy.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Yes We Can!
Because canned vegetables are just the way I roll.
I got the basis for this from a recipe on allrecipes.com, and then completely changed the stuffing to accommodate for:
1) HMR Healthy Solutions patients
2) My laziness
I achieved the first by removing the olive oil and cheeses, and the second by replacing everything else with canned vegetables that I had on hand. Which is my cue to tell you that you can make this with whatever you think sounds good. I'd like to try it with eggplant sometime, as the original recipe calls for, but I haven't bought one in a while. Maybe someday...
Lazy Man's Vegetable-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
For stuffing:
Servings: 2 (2 vegetables per serving), plus about 2 cups or so of leftover stuffing. You can double the mushrooms (they refrigerate and reheat well, in my opinion), use the stuffing with an entree or something (I like it mixed with the Mushroom Risotto or on the Lasagna), or just eat it plain! Or do whatever you want with it. Really.
I got the basis for this from a recipe on allrecipes.com, and then completely changed the stuffing to accommodate for:
1) HMR Healthy Solutions patients
2) My laziness
I achieved the first by removing the olive oil and cheeses, and the second by replacing everything else with canned vegetables that I had on hand. Which is my cue to tell you that you can make this with whatever you think sounds good. I'd like to try it with eggplant sometime, as the original recipe calls for, but I haven't bought one in a while. Maybe someday...
Lazy Man's Vegetable-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Ingredients:
For mushrooms:
For mushrooms:
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed
For stuffing:
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped
1 can spinach
1 jar roasted red peppers (optional)
garlic to taste
basil and oregano (or use an Italian seasoning mix) to taste
basil and oregano (or use an Italian seasoning mix) to taste
a sprinkle of garlic & cheese popcorn seasoning
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees; spray Pyrex baking dish with PAM olive oil spray.
2. In a small bowl, stir the balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, and onion powder together until blended. Put the mushrooms into a large Ziploc bag with the vinegar mixture, seal bag, and turn gently to coat mushrooms evenly with marinade. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in tomatoes, artichokes, spinach, and peppers. Add garlic, basil, and oregano; heat until warmed through.
4. Remove mushrooms from marinade, shaking off excess. If you don't like wasting things, put the marinade back in the fridge to use for other cooking.
5. Place mushrooms top side down in baking dish, and fill each with one cup of the vegetable mixture. Optionally, sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic & cheese popcorn seasoning over the top.
6. Bake until the mushrooms are warm, about 10-15 minutes.Servings: 2 (2 vegetables per serving), plus about 2 cups or so of leftover stuffing. You can double the mushrooms (they refrigerate and reheat well, in my opinion), use the stuffing with an entree or something (I like it mixed with the Mushroom Risotto or on the Lasagna), or just eat it plain! Or do whatever you want with it. Really.
Go Green Balsamic Risotto
This one's not anything special, just something I threw together to use up things I had in my fridge. I named it "Go Green," not because it's especially environmentally friendly (always recycle, friends!), but because I used green peppers and green onions. Which is kind of a weird combination, I suppose. I should probably make a disclaimer right now that I will eat anything, so some of my combinations are odd.
Go Green Balsamic Risotto
Go Green Balsamic Risotto
Ingredients:
1 green pepper
2 green onions
minced roasted garlic (about 1 clove of regular garlic is fine too -- I used the jarred stuff.)
1/8-1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (I'm not sure exactly how much; I just had some left over from a marinade)
HMR Mushroom Risotto entree
salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Chop pepper and green onion.
2. Saute with roasted garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
3. When vinegar starts boiling, add in entree and stir until heated through.4. Eat it and think about the environment.
HMR Pumpkin Spice Bread
I'm starting a blog for ease of recipe sharing (I use the term "recipe" loosely, as a lot of my experiments barely qualify as recipes), but since I'm not sure if anyone's ever going to really read this, I don't know exactly how I ought to write it. So I'll just start putting up recipes.
I thought I'd post this one first, since I recently got a request for it. Which means there must be at least one person out there who'd like to see it, right? :)
(Note: I do a lot of my baking lately using an 8-loaf mini-loaf pan. I don't think they're that hard to find, but you can make the batter into muffins too -- just don't bake them for quite so long. Also, my oven is pretty weak, so you might not want to bake them for quite so long anyway. I'll record cooking time ranges starting five minutes shorter.)
I thought I'd post this one first, since I recently got a request for it. Which means there must be at least one person out there who'd like to see it, right? :)
(Note: I do a lot of my baking lately using an 8-loaf mini-loaf pan. I don't think they're that hard to find, but you can make the batter into muffins too -- just don't bake them for quite so long. Also, my oven is pretty weak, so you might not want to bake them for quite so long anyway. I'll record cooking time ranges starting five minutes shorter.)
HMR Pumpkin Spice Bread
Ingredients:
3 packets HMR multi-grain cereal
3 scoops HMR 120 vanilla shake mix (500/800 probably work fine too)
1.5 cups Splenda
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup natural/no sugar added applesauce (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray mini-loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl, then stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Pour into six mini-loaves and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Easy Peasy! Most of my cooking directions are like this. It's on account of how lazy I am.
Easy Peasy! Most of my cooking directions are like this. It's on account of how lazy I am.
Servings: 6 (each loaf has 1 meal replacement and less than 1/4 cup fruit/vegetable)
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