Today's Recipes

Here are the recipes from today's cooking class (sans Maura's amazing greek turkey burgers and peanut butter choc cups, which will be posted separately). 

Enjoy!

Spinach Chicken Bake

Spinach, Chicken and Cheese Oh my. Delicious recipe I found while on the Southbeach Diet.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups diced boneless skinless chicken breast (I usually need 2 or 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts)
1 10 oz package of frozen spinach
1/2 cup of Fat Free Sour Cream
1/2 cup Light Mayo
1/4 Mozzarella low moisture part skim cheese
1 cup Parmesean Cheese (I usually use reduced fat parmesean, but all I had on hand was regular)
2 tsp garlic powder

DIRECTIONS
Season chicken breast the way you would like and cook as you normally would. I usually season mine with some Mrs. Dash and a little garlic powder, then bake it with tin foil over it for 30 minutes, then 10 minutes without tin foil.

When chicken is done, you can start the cheese mixture. Mix sour cream, parmesean cheese, light mayo, mozzarella, and garlic powder in medium bowl.

Once chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into small pieces (2 cups worth) then pour into medium bowl. Drain 10 oz package of frozen spinach, then add to chicken and mix together.

Once spinach and chicken is mixed well add HALF the cheese mixture. Mix well. Then pour the chicken, spinach mixture into round pan or dish and pack down. Take remaining mixture and spread over the top.

Place in oven for 45 minutes at 350 degree's. Makes about 6 one cup servings (though I'm not positive. sorry)

This is a pretty good meal. I'm sure you can rearrange things to your liking :)

 

Pizza-Stuffed Tomatoes

This is a great way to add a nice complex-carb veggie to your protein. 

Use your imagination with these for an appetizer tray - canadian bacon with some crushed pineapple...cooked, crumbled sausage and red pepper flakes...diced shrimp and mushrooms sauted in a little white wine and garlic...whatever your favorite pizza toppings were can go in these!

1 pint cherry tomatoes
4 ounces fat free cream cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup cooked and crumbled pepperoni or bacon
2 tablespoons finely sliced green onion
1/2 teaspoon pizza or Italian seasoning
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons minced basil or parsley

Slice the top off of tomatoes and gently scoop out pulp. In a small bowl combine the cream cheese, parmesan, pepperoni or bacon, green onion, seasoning, salt, and pepper. (Thin with a little half & half if needed.) Spoon into prepared tomatoes. Sprinkle each with basil or parsley. Makes 6 servings. 

Per Serving: Calories 88; Protein 9 g; Fat 3 g; Carbs 6 g; Sugar 2 gr; Sodium 577 mg

 

 

Creamy Garlic and Edamame Soup

 

Fresh and bright with low-carb, high-protein edamame and fragrant, creamy garlic...add a bag of protein chips and you've got a gourmet lunch.

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 Bay Leaves
4 cups shelled Edamame, divided
Two 14 ounce cans low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon Splenda
Dash freshly grated nutmeg Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup fat free half & half

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the whole garlic cloves and bay leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until softened and golden.  Add 3 1/2 cups Edamame and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.  Add the broth, red pepper flakes, Splenda, nutmeg and salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered for 25 minutes.

Remove and discard the bay leaves.  In a blender or food processor, blend or process the soup in batches until smooth.  Return the soup to the saucepan over medium-low heat.  Stir in the cream and heat through, but do not let it boil.  Garnish each serving with the reserved beans.

  Makes 8 servings.  (If it gets too thick on reheating, add a little chicken broth.)
Per Serving: Calories 174; Protein 12 g; Fat 6 g; Carbs 7 g; Sugar 2 g; Sodium 307 mg

 

Tuscan White Bean Dip

 

Use fresh sprigs of rosemary to garnish this zesty combination of delicate cannellini beans, herbs and spices. Serve with assorted Crostini toasts.

¼ cup olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary, or ½ teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Two 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, or great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon red wine or cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Kosher salt (use kosher salt in the kitchen as the flakes have great flavor)
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium low heat. Slowly cook the onions and garlic for 5 to 6 minutes until soft, stirring constantly. Add the rosemary and smoked paprika and cook an additional minute.  In a food processor, blend the cannellini beans, sautéed onion mixture, vinegar, red pepper, and ½ teaspoon salt until smooth. Slowly add the remaining olive oil. Add additional salt and lots of black pepper to taste.

Transfer to covered bowl and chill to allow flavors to blend.  Bring the dip to room temperature before serving – about twenty minutes - so the flavors of the ingredients come out.

This dip is also crazy delicious when baked in a medium oven proof dish at 325 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes, until bubbling around the edges.

Makes 2 cups.

1/4 cup portion: Calories 59, fat 2g, carbs 6r, protein 2.5g

 

Spicy Mayo for Sushi – low fat version

1/2 C. Smart Balance omega Plus light mayonaisse
2 Tbsp Sriracha hot chili sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp lemon juice

Mix these ingredients together thoroughly to form the “base" (which is REALLY spicy). The base will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for weeks. When you want a little, take a spoon of the base and add it to about the same amount (or a little more) of light mayonnaise. You need to use a “lowfat" rather than a “fat free" mayo because the fat is what balances out and cuts the spiciness.

 

 

Strawberry Salad

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Splenda, Maltitol, or sugar (recipe calc'd with splenda)
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp poppy seeds
1/4 cup Smart Balance Omega 3 Lite Soy Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt (plain)
1 (10 oz) bag chopped romaine lettuce (caesar salad mix)
1 lb (16 oz) fresh strawberries, sliced and hulled

 

Directions

In a large bowl, wisk together the splenda and the vinegar until the splenda is fully dissolved. Add the onion, poppy seeds, mayo and yogurt and stir until thoroughly combined.

Add chopped romaine and toss to coat. Add about half of the sliced strawberries and toss to coat. Use remaining strawberries to top the salad in serving bowls.

Number of Servings: 6

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 6

• Amount Per Serving

• Calories: 77.0

• Total Fat: 3.6 g

• Cholesterol: 3.3 mg

• Sodium: 90.2 mg

• Total Carbs: 11.1 g

• Dietary Fiber: 2.9 g

• Protein: 3.2 g

 

 

 

Chocolate Cornstarch Pudding
	Rated: Submitted By: Kelly Powers Photo By: DESIDERATAGRACEFULLY Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 20 Minutes Servings: 4

"My mom's best chocolate pudding recipe made with cornstarch and cocoa."

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Splenda or maltitol 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 cup cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon salt 2 3/4 cups nonfat milk 2 tablespoons margarine or butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1.

In a saucepan, stir together splenda, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Place over medium heat, and stir in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat, and stir in margarine and vanilla. Let cool briefly, and serve warm, or chill in refrigerator until serving. Nutritional Info Servings Per Recipe: 4 Amount Per Serving Calories: 152.5 Total Fat: 6.5 g Cholesterol: 3.4 mg Sodium: 228.5 mg Total Carbs: 20.9 g Dietary Fiber: 1.4 g Protein: 6.7 g

 

And here's the one that was missing from the previous post - the Avocado Lime Cheesecake:

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1087984

Note that I completely forgot the ice cream maker step in the recipe and went directly from the food processor to the crust.  I think it would be a fluffier and creamier recipe had I done it correctly, but it was good even "as is" - just froze a lot harder than it would have otherwise.

Enjoy!
Karen

Um, where was I when the chocolate cornstarch pudding came out????

Here are mine...  

Greek Turkey Sliders

1 clove garlic minced

5 or 6 large leaves of fresh basil chopped

½ cup reduced fat feta cheese

1.3 lbs 99% fat free ground turkey

1 egg white

½ can diced tomatoes (or fresh 7 oz)

6 oz roasted red peppers chopped

½ tsp oregano

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground pepper

 

Kim Kins Protein Bread (previous cooking class recipe) – just made small – instead of 6 “slices", I make small pieces for mini sandwiches and reduce baking time to 30 – 35 min on 300 or until edges start to brown and you start to smell it cooking.   I use silpat sheets coated with cooking spray.

 

Serve with Garlic Mayo – reduced fat mayo w/ garlic powder – and sprouts mixed w/ ff greek dresing - optional  (mayo is ~ 1.5 grams of fat per teaspoon – NOT in #’s below)

This info includes the kimkins bread

 

	Nutrition Facts Greek Turkey Burger Sliders   20 Servings Amount Per Serving   Calories 61.8   Total Fat 3.7 g       Saturated Fat 1.4 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1 g       Monounsaturated Fat 0.5 g   Cholesterol 51.5 mg   Sodium 77.8 mg   Potassium 29.9 mg   Total Carbohydrate 1.0 g       Dietary Fiber 0.2 g       Sugars 0.1 g   Protein 6.2 g

 

 

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Parfaits (made 28 little teeny 1.5 oz parfaits – these ingredients can also be used to make a full size pie – just layer in the same order.

 

I bought 2oz disposable cups w/ lids from a restaurant supply company on line

 

Crust 50/50 sugar free graham cracker crust (I broke up the pie shell and put  crumbs in the bottom of each.

 

Chocolate bottom – ¾ cup of sugar free chocolate chips and 1/3 cup fat free ½ & ½  - microwave mix until smooth and then I put ~ ½ to 1/3 teaspoon in the bottom of each.

 

Chocolate filling – 2 cups fat free milk, 1 scoop unjury chocolate protein, 1 package chocolate fudge sugar free pudding 4oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese – blended until smooth.

 

Peanut butter topping – 1.5 cups of cool whip free (this has 1 gram of sugar per 2 tblsp) – 2 tablespoons of smuckers reduced fat natural peanut butter and 2 tablespoons of PB2 – Mix until blended – I put in a zip lock and cut the corner off to pipe in just less than a teaspoon full in each –

 

Top will a tiny dollop of cool whip free & a chocolate chip

The nutrition info is approximate as I had a hard time doing the ingredients on sparkpeople (it just didn't spark for me):

Nutrition Facts

  28 Servings

Amount Per Serving

  Calories 86.6   Total Fat 3.6 g       Saturated Fat 2.0 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g       Monounsaturated Fat 0.4 g   Cholesterol 2.8 mg   Sodium 69.4 mg   Potassium 37.0 mg   Total Carbohydrate 11.5 g       Dietary Fiber 0.5 g       Sugars 1.4 g   Protein 2.9 g

Oh shoot.  Forgot to make the pudding.  Ah well, there's always next month ;-).

K.

Karen

I had a fun time and went home "stuffed."  Thank you so much for having us.  It was nice meeting the hubbies.  I realized after I left that I didn't take the recipes so thanks for posting. 

It was great seeing you, too!  And I agree that it was very nice having the hubbies hang out with us!  Hope to see you next month, too!

Karen

 THAK YOU so very much!!!      You are all wonderful!   I really want my hubby to meet everyone !   I know he would have really  enjoyed the food and friendly banter.....Maybe next time!!!

so nice to finally meet you in person Pam.  You are going to do great!!!   No Chardonnay for a long time though, girl.  You can do it!

WAIT!!!!!  WHOA!!!!!  WHAT!!!!!?/???  There was banter without me?!?!?!  That just can't be!!!!!!!!  (So glad you enjoyed yourself!  They are fab afternoons!)  I can't wait to meet you in person at some other event.  Looks like I wont be at the June one either!  UGH!!!)

These look deli****Y for posting. Where do you finds SF choc chips and Graham crackers?