Wow, it's been awhile! With my last year of college going on, I haven't had much time to experiment in the kitchen. That changed for lunch today! I was in a class that made be want to poke out my own eyes with my pen, thinking about how badly I wanted some decent healthy Chinese food that wasn't boring. Baby bok choy and Sriracha chili sauce to the rescue!
Asian Pasta
2 oz whole wheat pasta
2 oz lean poultry, cooked and chopped
1/2 cup frozen chopped broccoli, thawed an drained
1/4 cup carrots, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups bok choy, chopped
2 tsp ginger, minced
2 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 cup scallions, chopped
4 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp Sriracha chili sauce
3 Tbsp fat-free chicken broth
1 Tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp 5-spice powder
1 tsp salt
non-stick spray
1. Boil pasta until it's slightly harder than you would prefer, drain and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, Sriracha, chicken broth, 5-spice, and salt. Set aside.
3. Coat a skillet with non-stick spray. Add peanut oil. When oil is shining, add garlic, ginger, and scallions. Cook until fragrant.
4. Add carrots to pan. Cook until softer, but still slightly hard (nothing's worse in a recipe than mushy veggies). Toss in bok choy, bean sprouts, and poultry.
5. Add soy sauce mixture, broccoli, and pasta. Cook long enough that the extra soy sauce mixture cooks off.
5 WW points* per 1 1/4 cup per serving (it makes 2)
I'm not usually a huge fan of whole wheat pasta, but the nutty bite is GREAT with the soy sauce in this recipe. Yes, I know using peanut oil is counter intuitive with the non-stick spray, but it gives a great flavor that you shouldn't snub. Adjust the Sriracha to taste, but I liked mine with a real kick. This stuff was SO good I had to force myself to NOT eat the other serving I made. I may try the leftovers cold as a spicy Asian pasta salad!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Fiesta Taco Bowl
¡Hola! I was really in the mood for tacos this week, but for dinner I did something special. For this recipe, I'd already made a pound of Extra Lean Ground Turkey with taco seasoning mix, so that's what I mean by seasoned ground turkey. ¡Vamos amios!
Fiesta Taco Bowl
1 large low fat, low carb, or low cal tortilla
50 gms seasoned ground turkey
20 gms canned fat free refried beans
62 gms cooked white rice
15 gms 2% shredded Mexican blend cheese
cooking spray
salsa
1. Preheat oven to 450°. Put the tortilla inside a bowl that's roughly the size you'd like your tortilla shell to be. (Cooking spray on both the bowl and the top of the tortilla, please!) Bake for 10 minutes, or until the shell is crispy to taste.
2. While the shell is baking, microwave the turkey, refried beans, and rice. If you try to do this once they're all inside the tortilla shell, it'll get chewy (I promise, I did it).
3. Once the shell is crispy to your liking, layer the rest of the ingredients: beans, turkey, rice, cheese. Then cover with a paper towel to let the heat melt the cheese. Top with salsa (go nuts, it's a freebie!)
I'm really trying to stop myself from making another one.
WW Points: 7 points*
I had a method behind my madness in layering my bowl in that order, I swear. I made a giant pot of rice, and didn't want to season the whole pot. Instead I put it under the cheese and salsa so it would have flavor no matter what (a gob of plain white rice without any flavor can sometimes be gross). If you don't have that problem, layer it however your heart desires.
Fiesta Taco Bowl
1 large low fat, low carb, or low cal tortilla
50 gms seasoned ground turkey
20 gms canned fat free refried beans
62 gms cooked white rice
15 gms 2% shredded Mexican blend cheese
cooking spray
salsa
1. Preheat oven to 450°. Put the tortilla inside a bowl that's roughly the size you'd like your tortilla shell to be. (Cooking spray on both the bowl and the top of the tortilla, please!) Bake for 10 minutes, or until the shell is crispy to taste.
2. While the shell is baking, microwave the turkey, refried beans, and rice. If you try to do this once they're all inside the tortilla shell, it'll get chewy (I promise, I did it).
3. Once the shell is crispy to your liking, layer the rest of the ingredients: beans, turkey, rice, cheese. Then cover with a paper towel to let the heat melt the cheese. Top with salsa (go nuts, it's a freebie!)
I'm really trying to stop myself from making another one.
WW Points: 7 points*
I had a method behind my madness in layering my bowl in that order, I swear. I made a giant pot of rice, and didn't want to season the whole pot. Instead I put it under the cheese and salsa so it would have flavor no matter what (a gob of plain white rice without any flavor can sometimes be gross). If you don't have that problem, layer it however your heart desires.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Welcome!
Hi there! My name is Tina. I'm a faithful Weight Watchers member who has come to love to experiment in the kitchen. There are all kinds of foods out there that lead me to believe that (almost) any ingredient can have a light substitution - and that it doesn't have to be flavorless. Come along for the ride. I'll be making all kinds of dishs - ethnic cooking, simple comfort foods, desserts, salads, pastas, and anything else I can get my hands on! I'll also be reviewing new products I find that can help you turn your weight loss journey into an enjoyable way to maintain a lifelong healthy eating plan.
Three things I should mention.
One: I love all-natural foods; they're pure and delicious and there's nothing like them. However, as a chocoholic, I know that there is no such thing as an all-natural, unprocessed, low-fat brownie. I have no shame in using processed foods when they have fewer calories and fat than their natural counterparts.
Two: I mix measurements. Often. I switch from weight to volume and from standard to metric, all within the same recipe. I know it can be frustrating, but sometimes weight is just more accurate, and grams are much more accurate on my scale than ounces (plus I don't have measuring spoons!). This way I can be more sure of the calorie and fat contents of each ingredient.
And three: I may forget to do this now and again, but I plan on highlighting any product that's a staple in my kitchen.
That being said - let's kick it!
My first recipe actually came to me this morning. I woke up kind of late and wanted a big breakfast to tide me over to dinner, but couldn't find any decent light hashbrown recipes to go with my Egg Beaters with one slice of 2% cheese and Boca Burger Veggie Breakfast Sausage Links. So I experimented, and here's what I came up with:
Hashbrowns
7 ounces of potatoes, grated
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup peppers (red or green, though red gives this a great color), chopped
14 gms I Can't Believe it's Not Butter! Light (or similar product)
1/4 cup fat-free chicken broth
Cooking spray
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
1 t. Sriracha hot sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)
1. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and put it over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, and peppers, and keep mixing until onions are translucent and celery and peppers are cooked to your liking (but still with a little bite). Remove from pan and put aside.
2. Spray the pan with cooking spray again. Bring back to medium-high heat. Add potatoes. Cook to your liking. Add celery, onion, and pepper mixture. Mix and keep moving for about a minute.
3. Add in the chicken broth, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Keep the mixture moving until the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from pan and put aside.
4. Melt butter in pan. Split potatoes to make 4 servings. Put the potatoes in the pan, but remember to keep them separate so you can make them like 4 potatoes "cakes." Let them sizzle in the pan for a little while, getting a crust. Then flip and do the same for the other size.
I totally plan on making this again! The Sriracha gave it such a great kick and the crust makes the butter totally worth the extra fat.
WW points: 1 point* per hashbrown --> totally worth it, I promise!
Three things I should mention.
One: I love all-natural foods; they're pure and delicious and there's nothing like them. However, as a chocoholic, I know that there is no such thing as an all-natural, unprocessed, low-fat brownie. I have no shame in using processed foods when they have fewer calories and fat than their natural counterparts.
Two: I mix measurements. Often. I switch from weight to volume and from standard to metric, all within the same recipe. I know it can be frustrating, but sometimes weight is just more accurate, and grams are much more accurate on my scale than ounces (plus I don't have measuring spoons!). This way I can be more sure of the calorie and fat contents of each ingredient.
And three: I may forget to do this now and again, but I plan on highlighting any product that's a staple in my kitchen.
That being said - let's kick it!
My first recipe actually came to me this morning. I woke up kind of late and wanted a big breakfast to tide me over to dinner, but couldn't find any decent light hashbrown recipes to go with my Egg Beaters with one slice of 2% cheese and Boca Burger Veggie Breakfast Sausage Links. So I experimented, and here's what I came up with:
Hashbrowns
7 ounces of potatoes, grated
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup peppers (red or green, though red gives this a great color), chopped
14 gms I Can't Believe it's Not Butter! Light (or similar product)
1/4 cup fat-free chicken broth
Cooking spray
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
1 t. Sriracha hot sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)
1. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and put it over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, and peppers, and keep mixing until onions are translucent and celery and peppers are cooked to your liking (but still with a little bite). Remove from pan and put aside.
2. Spray the pan with cooking spray again. Bring back to medium-high heat. Add potatoes. Cook to your liking. Add celery, onion, and pepper mixture. Mix and keep moving for about a minute.
3. Add in the chicken broth, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Keep the mixture moving until the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from pan and put aside.
4. Melt butter in pan. Split potatoes to make 4 servings. Put the potatoes in the pan, but remember to keep them separate so you can make them like 4 potatoes "cakes." Let them sizzle in the pan for a little while, getting a crust. Then flip and do the same for the other size.
I totally plan on making this again! The Sriracha gave it such a great kick and the crust makes the butter totally worth the extra fat.
WW points: 1 point* per hashbrown --> totally worth it, I promise!
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