French Onion Baked Potato - This Spud's Not a Dud

French Onion Baked Potato. It's not pretty, being somewhat bland in color, but I literally moaned when I bit into it.  It's not low fat - but calorie wise as a main course it was about 600 calories.  With a lunch and breakfast that was only 500 total  - a  fruit smoothie and a salad with Gardein "chicken strips" and a couple of pieces of Halloween candy (official taste testing), the days calories are still in the "lose weight" range - even with the splurge tasting meal item and a small dinner salad.

But I made the decision to give up dairy and this was my last blow out cheesy meal.  A few years ago, I had a bad fall on ice, and tore my miniscus.  Much of it was removed as it was not repairable. I've developed osteoarthritis, just in that knee (other knee has NO arthritis).  In reading on triggers for that, dairy seems to be the #1 culprit.  I eat little meat, perhaps once or twice a week, if that, but I eat a TON of dairy. So let's see if this helps. I'm also going to cut back on the OJ and sugar, substituting more berries and whole fruit.

But trust me on this recipe - this one is worth the time it takes to put it together.

You will need (per potato)
1 large potato
1 sweet onion
Malbec wine
summer savory
thyme
a bay leaf
salt and pepper
beef broth (I used some leftover homemade beef stock in which had earlier cooked a garlic studded roast beast, but canned will work)
extra virgin olive oil

To Start: Rub your scrubbed and clean potato with olive oil. I use one that is made of olives that taste like butter, from Artesano's in Indianapolis.

After your potato is oiled, poke a few holes in it so it doesn't blow up in your oven, resulting in potato residue on your clothing that will likely get you secondary screening by TSA. Then place directly on the rack of a 400 degree F. oven and set the timer for 60 minutes.

Next, get one sweet onion, fairly large but not a Jabba the Hut sized one, and chop it into fairly thin slivers or pieces. .


SNIFF. (no it's not the onion - I was thinking about the last Bears game).


The onions, when chopped, will look to be almost the same mass as the potato, but they cook down quite a bit.

Put the onions in a pan with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and a couple pinches of salt (which help caramelize it) and cook on low/medium heat. Stir every few minutes, for at least 30 minutes. The onions should be VERY soft and caramelized, starting to turn golden. In the last five minutes raise the heat to medium, and cook until very light golden brown, stirring constantly, if needed. You want soft, not crunchy onions, so watch they don't burn, adding a teaspoon more olive oil as needed.

Remove the onions, putting them in a little saucepan and keep warm. Do not rinse fry pan. Remove it from heat, let cool a minute and then put in a healthy splash of Malbec wine (if you don't have a dry red wine, a splash of Chardonnay and Vermouth would work.)


With the wine in the pan, stir up the little bits of onion left with a spatula. Return to low heat and add 1/3 to 1/2 cup beef broth. Add a heaping half teaspoon of Summer Savory (if you can't find, use thyme), a bay leaf, 1/4 heaping teaspoon fresh ground pepper and a dash of salt. Simmer on low to medium low until reduced to 1/4 cup of liquid (by the time the potato is done, it should be ready).


While this simmers, shred just shy of a half cup of Gruyere cheese and also cut 4 thin slices (about an inch by 4 inches) of cheese for the top of the potato. Add the shredded cheese to the onion mixture. Reserve the strips. I used a really good quality Swiss Gruyere.


When the timer goes off on your potato, remove potato from oven and turn oven to broil, positioning the top rack two rungs down. Cut off a thin wedge off the top of the potato and then scoop the potato flesh out of the potato as well as the little bit of flesh from the top piece, which you won't need. Mix the potato flesh with the broth over low heat (bay leaf removed and any extra broth removed with a spoon if you think after simmering it's more than 1/4 cup). Add onion mixture to wine infused broth and potato mixture. Mix with a spoon until combined and creamy with the cheese starting to melt. You can add additional pepper to taste but with the broth and cheese you don't need any salt. Spoon the mixture back into the potato carefully. It will be more than the potato will hold, so you end up with a nice little Mt. Rainier of potato goodness on the top.

That potato summit then will be conquered by the strips of cheese which you will lay across the top of the potato in a small baking dish. Place the dish in the oven under the broiler and broil the potato until the cheese is melted and starting to brown (watch carefully, better light gold than burnt). Top with a sprig of fresh thyme and serve with a green salad.


Try not to make those little noises when you eat it. It makes the neighbors wonder.

click to enlarge

Friday Fixings

Last night - there was an incident involving southern biscuits.  And lingonberry jam.  Look I had to get a fruit serving after I had this healthy bottled sports beverage that said it was Pomegranate and Yumberry. I should have been suspicious and read the small print on the bottle. Look, there IS no such thing as a yumberry and the ingredients listed absolutely no pomegranate, just "natural flavor". So, feeling ripped off,  I had to add an extra fruit, therein lies the jam.

That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

Even in the dimming evening light it's easy to see  - diet fail!

Today was better.  1/4 cup of Nutty Crunchers (generic "grape nuts").  Watch the calories on cereal  - this one is very high if you eat a full serving.  At 200 calories for a 1/2 cup the serving on the front of the box would be about  all the calories I can eat in a day and don't even THINK of adding an ice cream bar chaser.

I served it with a smoothie made of a couple of oranges, spring water, green foods powder and a big handful of baby spinach.

I was teleworking, so lunch was a quick veggie sandwich on Ezekiel sprouted bread.

The Hilary's Veggie burgers are really good.  They do NOT taste like a burger, as some veggie burgers try to, they taste like savory grains and veggies, with a nice little crunch of you pan fry them with a little olive oil.

Ingredients:  (all organic)  millet, quinoa, coconut oil, sweet potato and greens (one or more of the following -arugula, beet, chard, collards, dandelion, kale, parsley, spinach, turnip), psyllium husk powder, arrowroot powder, apple cider vinegar, Redmond's real salt, garlic and onion.  They have other "flavors" as well, with varying ingredients, though all seem to have onion and/or garlic in common.

Tonight is pizza night - I'll be busy as it's our Friday "date" night (at home) so here is a picture from the last one made from this recipe, a thin crust cornmeal crust pizza cooked in the cast iron pan and topped with veggie sausage.

The veggie sausage is worth the time to make and is good for breakfast or crumbled in other recipes.  It has no animal products at all and is surprisingly good (use all the spices though, and fresh ones). The texture is very similar to typical sausages. (recipe from ChrissyG at food.com).

1 cup cooked brown rice
3/4 rolled oats (not instant)
2 Tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 Tablespoon ground flax seed
3 Tablespoons spring water
1 teaspoon molasses
2 Tablespoons canola oil (divided)
1 Tablespoons nutritional yeast (not the same as yeast used for baking)
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons tamari
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground sage
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon thyme.

Directions:

Stir together the flax and water in a small bowl and set aside.

In a food processor or sturdy blender, add dry oats and pulls six or seven times, add the rice and pulse a few more times.

Add remaining ingredients, including  1 Tablespoon of the oil and blend until just mixed.  Do NOT over process, you can finish mixing together with your hands.

With dampened hands, form balls the size of a ping pong ball and flatten into patties about 1/4 inch thick.

Pan fry in remaining oil in non stick pan on medium heat until they are browned.

You can also bake at 400 F for 20 minutes to cool and freeze for instant "brown and serve" sausage any morning.

Transfer to paper towel to blot off any excess oil and serve. 

Bite Me! - Lasagna Bites

Want the taste of lasagna without all the calories and carbs?  Try lasagna bites made with wonton wrappers instead of pasta and substitute low fat "veggie" meat (I love Gardein products).   Each serving with a veggie side or salad is just enough to satisfy the lasagna craving without blowing your whole calorie count for the day.  You can use jarred sauce if you wish, just check the label to find one without high fructose corn syrup.  But once you've made your own from scratch, you'll likely not buy any more. 

Sauce:
2-3 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 poundground veggie "meat" substitute or ground turkey.
dash of salt
dash of pepper
3/4 cup chopped veggies (onion, bell peppers, celery, etc).
14.5 oz can Muir Glen organic crushed tomatoes (best of all the brands)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic (optional - I'm a big garlic fan)
a pinch each of:
thyme
savory
basil
oregano
rosemary
marjoram
sage
(or use your favorite blended Italian seasoning, a very full teaspoon)
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
splash of red wine
1/2 teaspoon wild honey

Note: If you are making this with sauce already prepared, use about 2 and a half cups.

Cashew "Ricotta" filling:

1 and 1/2 cups vegan "ricotta" (recipe at The Simple Veganista blog) mixed with a pinch or two each of salt and two or three of grinds of fresh cracked pepper and 1/2 teaspoon basil

The Presentation: 24 small square wonton wrappers (found near the tofu in the refrigerated section of the produce dept)

Cheese:

1 and 1/2 cups of non-dairy Mozzarella

Topping: Parsley or dried crushed red peppers

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the chopped veggies in olive oil until starting to soften, add mushrooms and cook a few more minutes Add the turkey and cook over medium until turkey is cooked through (or add vegetarian protein substitute and heat throughy.  In the last minute or so of cooking add the garlic, if you wish. Drain off any moisture and add the crushed tomatoes, wine, honey and seasoning, simmer on low until liquid thickened. About 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, a pinch of salt and pepper, and  a dash of basil. Stir to mix well. Set aside.

Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Place 1 wonton wrapper into each of the 12 cups, pressing firmly in the bottom of the cup and up the sides.

Using half of the sauce mixture, divide it among the 12 muffin cups. Next, using half of the ricotta mixture, spoon it evenly over each of the meat filled cups. Sprinkle with about 2 teaspoons of the cheese blend.


Gently press another wonton wrapper on top of the first meat/cheese layer, pressing down into the sides of the tin to form a shallow bowl shape.


Repeat the process by distributing the remaining sauce and ricotta and finally the rest of the shredded cheeses.

Bake for 11-14 minutes, or until the cheese has softened and the wonton edges are brown and crispy all around. For my oven, and as much as I stuffed them it was 14 and a half minutes.

Let the cups cool slightly, remove them from the pan ( a fork helps lift them out) and serve! Each individual lasagna is around 300 calories.  Pair with a veggie side dish and you'll have a meal that will blow any frozen diet meal out of the water.  They also freeze really well.

Meatless Monday - Scrambled Up

Today's Meat Free Monday was "leftover surprise".

For breakfast - a couple of the muffins that I had made earlier and frozen, with scrambled "eggs" made out of tofu.

It's easier than it looks and I found that eating soy several times a week seriously cut down on the (ahem) "hot flashes" that hit when I got into my mid forties. When I first started eating healthier I had some digestive issues which I thought was a soy allergy but turned out was too much vitamin C.  I cut back on C supplements and ate more real fruit and the issue went away

Veggie scrambled "eggs"

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 (1 pound) package silken tofu (drained)
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
2 Tablespoons vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste.

Heat the oil in a pan.  On a cutting board use a spoon to press the tofu to make curds (or you can cut up to resemble curds).

Add the tofu and turmeric in the pan (the turmeric gives it the color) and cook until the tofu begins to brown when you don't stir it constantly, adding in vegetable broth to taste to keep it moist.

When it was done I added some leftover veggies, heated up and a sprinkle of cheese and both of us enjoyed it.

Lunch was a cheese sandwich, spread with a little leftover hummus (hummus is my husband's favorite snack with veggies) and topped with spinach.

I was down to the last "heel" of my Dave's  Killer Bread - time to get another loaf from the freezer (I can't find it at any store close so when I can get it, I stock up)

With that I had a single serving of Kefir and an apple.

Dinner was a large bowl of vegetable soup and some corn and gluten free "cornbread". For those with corn and/or gluten sensitivities it has a wonderful mouth feel of cornbread, not exact, but close enough  to be thoroughly enjoyable. This was an experiment that I will happily make again.

I did use real eggs in this, not sure how eggs substitute would pair with the gluten free flours.

Gluten Free "Corn"bread

1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Almond Flour
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Coconut Flour (I used Bob's Red Mill, slightly larger grind which is great for this recipe)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 large eggs
2 Tablespoons Honey
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup  Ghee (made with a good quality, grass-fed butter) nuked for about 20 seconds to warm it up for blending.

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Mix dry ingredients in one medium sized bowl, wet ingredients in another, smaller bowl.  Combine and stir until mixed (mixture will be quite thick).  Place in pan lined with parchment paper or sprayed with olive oil based non stick spray and spread mixture in pan (use a knife to smooth the top).  Bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

BUSTED

Breakfast today was  well, large as it was our anniversary weekend and I wanted my husband to have an extra special breakfast.   Bacon was involved, and cheese, and Bearnaise sauce and an egg.  We won't go any further to maintain our "G" rating.  But here is the evidence.  Mine had salad  instead of fries but there was enough cholesterol there to sink a battle ship.

So how to balance out that big splurge  meal?

Try a smoothie.  I've been having one almost every day and even eating decent portions the rest of the time, I've dropped close to a pound a week replacing what often was a fast food meal with a big fruit and vegetable smoothie.

The mid-day smoothie was a green apple, a cup and a half of green grapes, half a banana, water and ice, with a handful or two of baby kale.

It  made a whole blender full which I sipped during the afternoon and it kept me full. The taste was fruity and refreshing and a great counterbalance to a heavy fat-laden meal.

Dinner was also going to be lighter, and low in a animal proteins.

Make a stir fry sauce out of equal amounts soy and sweet chili sauce (this Bee Sting stuff is amazing though it does have corn syrup).  Add a couple small spoonfuls of honey and a few red papper flakes.

The stir fry had  had squares of tofu, pineapple, bean sprouts, a little corn, an egg, broccoli and onion (onion avoiders can use celery)  Use just enough sauce to fry and flavor, not to soak everything in a bunch of sweet sauce. Serve with a dab of whole grain rice.  YUM

You are going to have days you "fall off the wagon".  You're going to have special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries- don't just declare the day ruined and eat whatever you want.  If you eat healthy 80% of the time, you'll be much better off than not doing anything at all.

Dont' Let Carbs Be a Stranger

Here's another easy muffin recipe that has less fat and sugar than most commercial breakfast baked treats and it's vegetarian (you can also leave out the egg to make a vegan version with little affect on the texture.)

I know a lot of people tout a "paleo diet" or "low carb" diet with no  meat and grains, but I have tried that and all I got for my effort in eating meat three times a day was a painful round with gout. When I cut back on meat to 2-3 total servings a week and added in a lot more fruit and whole grains, I never had another issue with it.

It beats my younger diet of pop tarts, beer and Cheetos with the occasional run through the fast food place.

Instructions

Mixed Berry Muffin with Oatmeal Steusal 

In one bowl mix:

2 cups SELF Rising flour
1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon sugar
2 pinches of Cardamom

In another bowl  mix:

1 cup soy milk.
2 teaspoons Apple Cider Viniger
Let sit 5 minutes to thicken up (buttermilk replacement)

Add to "milk"

a splash of real vanilla such as Penzey's
1 free range egg
1/3 cup canola or  coconut oil.

Mix wet and dry ingredients and fold in

1 cup mixed berries (if you use thawed frozen ones they will stain the batter with juice but will taste the same".

To make streusal

In blender mix a generous 1/4 cup oatmeal
dash of cinnamon
2 Tablespoons of brown sugar.

Run blender a couple seconds to pulverize the oatmeal a little bit, then sprinkle on muffins.

Bake at 425 F. for 17 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Served with New Balance Spread and a free range egg cooked in a non stick pan with no added fat.

Have a big salad for lunch with a piece of low carb fruit.  Since there were carbs with breakfast and will be with dinner, lunch was just veggies, fruit and a healthy fat.   No photo as I was at work, but you get the idea.

And dinner add some more veggies and protein.

Chicken legs with honey/teriyaki barbecue sauce with a dab of sushi rice (about 1/2 cup) and lots of steamed broccoli.

Stirring up Trouble - Make a Healthier Stir Fry

I'm on the road this week with no camera allowed in the facility I'm in, so here are some pictures of some meals I came up with during the move when I was on a blog break.

Stone ground corn muffins with fruit, low-fat Bare Naked Granola and a dab of coconut yogurt.

Lunch here was some a chopped up veggie patty (cooked the other night) with mint/yogurt sauce and cucumber in a small tortilla, with an apple for dessert. 

Watch the calories in some larger tortillas you can be getting more calories than bread with a LOT less fiber. 

Dinner is sometimes a stir fry with whatever veggie protein I have on hand with carrots broccoli and a sauce made out of ingredients I had on hand, but adding an extra teaspoon of honey to the recipe.  For this dish, I threw in a few cashews (only a few as they are high in calories) for crunch but limited the rice to a little more than 1/2 cup spread out to a thin layer on which to place the stir-fry.  It's also good with tofu that you marinate in the stir-fry sauce a little bit before cooking.

Stir fries, using only a touch of oil and a very hot pan, are a great way to use of leftovers and get in an extra serving of veggies.  The bottled stir-fry sauces almost always have HFCS or additives in them.

You can make your own for pennies and per serving - it's lower in sugar than most commercial ones.

Basic Stir Fry Sauce (vegan)

Serves 4

1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
2/3 cup veggie broth (or water)
3  tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or Chinese five spice powder

Whisk until smooth, adding in as the dish finishes stir-frying, letting it simmer until the sauce thickens.

Meatless Mondays

I eat meat-free about 95 percent of the time. As a fairly sedentary woman (I walk or work out 4 times a week but my new job has me sitting all day) I need about 50 grams of protein. I do keep track of that more than calories, and add a snack of some almonds or a Vega  Protein shake if I'm a little shy for the day.

But meat-free doesn't mean healthy if you're not eating quality protein, some whole grain and lots of fruits and vegetables.

Breakfast on this morning a while back was a slice of Dave's Killer Bread, Seeded Whole Wheat spread with Almond butter.  I LOVE Jason's almond butter, and maple almond butter for toast and sandwiches.  I paired that with an apple.

Lunch was a smoothie made out of a cup of frozen marionberries (that I bought out at Dad's),  1/2 banana,  1/2 of a  peeled chopped cucumber and a cup of baby kale.  Yum!

Dinner was some pasta  - it wasn't whole grain. as I was using up the remains of some pasta left in the cupboard.  But I used a small cereal bowl instead of my pasta bowl to keep the serving modest. That was topped with "meat" sauce made out of the Gardein brand beef crumbles, a small can of tomato sauce, a tablespoon of tomato paste, some sliced black olives and a pinch of rosemary, basil, oregano and lots of cracked black pepper (serves two).

I thought I was doing good using Rice Vinegar instead of salad dressing until I read the label.  Third ingredient is corn syrup.   No - I'll put that aside.

No. I get enough sugar in the occasional brownie or cookie with my afternoon tea.  I do NOT need it in everything I consume. So I topped the salad with blueberry balsamic vinegar.

Snacks were cut up veggies, and apple and 1/4 cup of mixed raw almonds with a tablespoon of raisins.

Snacking is good, for me, it keeps my hunger from building to the point I'll take hostages at a Dunkin Donut :-)

Berry Good - A Healthier Muffin

With temps down into the freezing at night now the warmth and flowers of our garden are but a memory and the floors were cold when we got up this morning..

That's a good morning for muffins.

I have a blueberry muffin recipe that makes the best blueberry muffins on the planet.  They are also use a lot of butter and sugar (surprise surprise). If any of you with the metabolism of a hummingbird wishes that recipe, let me know and I will send it to you

But I'd made my husband a very hearty breakfast sandwich the previous day so he agreed that this morning, "lighter" was good.

So how to make a moist, tasty muffin that was not so calorie dense. My husband was the "taste tester" and gave these a thumbs up.  So if you would like to make a blueberry muffin that's tasty but not quite as high in fat, sugar  and calories, these are really good. We split a few pieces of bacon and 3 muffins (he got 2, I got one) and they were quite satisfying. They are not "diet" muffins but a nice treat on the weekend without guilt  after you've been good the rest of the week.

Almost Sorta Healthy Blueberry Muffins

2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 generous pinches of Cardamom
tiny pinch Cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup skim milk plus 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice (mix and let sit five minutes)
1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 and 1/4 cup blueberries tossed with 2 Tablespoons of flour

Additional sugar for top

In a large bowl  mix dry ingredients.

In smaller bowl whisk one egg.
Add vanilla to 1 cup measuring cup and then fill the rest of the way with milk
add to bowl and whisk in 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Blend wet and dry ingredients and then gently fold in clean/dry blueberries that you have tossed with 2 Tablespoons of flour. Place in 12 muffins cups that have been lightly sprayed with non -stock spray.

Sprinkle with another teaspoon or two of sugar if desired.

Bake at 400 degrees F. for 22-25 minutes.

I Can't Believe I Almost Ate the Whole Thing

Lunch was a working lunch and in Chicago - where does everyone want to go for lunch? Not pizza if you are short on time (Chicago's famous deep-dish pizzas take a good 45 minutes to cook).  

Here's it's Mexican.  With a large Hispanic population many whom immigrated here generations ago, their families building small businesses, there are some wonderful places to eat and the food usually comes out fairly fast.

But a veggie burrito the size of a raccoon is NOT a good menu choice.  

OH no, tell me Aunt LB didn't eat all of it!

Here's a tip that works in any restaurant, where portions are more than any one person can eat. Ask your server to bring you a to-go box WITH your food, not after you've eaten your fill. Divide your meal in two (or in this case, into thirds) and place the 2/3 or half portion you're not going to eat in the box and close the lid set aside, then enjoy what is left.  You'll eat much less (my plate's clean!) be satisfied AND have leftovers for another meal (or two) for you or a family member.

Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Jalapenos??

Breakfast was a smoothie with 1 cup each water and ice, half a banana, 3/4 cup of frozen raspberries and 1/4 cup of frozen blueberries .

Lunch was a small whole wheat tortilla (this is a salad plate, not a dinner plate) with a few remaining pieces of leftover beer can chicken from Saturdays recipe I needed to use today plus lots of greens and a nice crunchy surprise.

Pickled jalapenos.

I took the seeds out so they were mild but they added a tasty crunch to this wrap. Wraps are great for toting to work.  Just roll them up and wrap tightly in Saran Wrap and add a piece of fruit and a mineral water and you're all set.

The pickled peppers are so simple to make and lend a nice crunch to both chicken and tuna sandwiches.

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
A pinch of kosher salt
a pinch of crushed garlic
8 jalapeños, thinly sliced

Whisk liquids and spice and add peppers and let marinate 30 minutes to two days and store in fridge.

Snacks were carrots and an apple and dinner was comfort food.  A crockpot roast with gravy (pan drippings some homemade onion soup mix, cornstarch and water),  mashed potatoes (made with skim milk, roasted garlic and non dairy spread) and green beans.  Just small portions of both meat and potatoes  (and just enough gravy for a taste) and an extra helping of beans made for an enjoyable treat without a lot of excess calories.

Homemade Onion soup mix (No MSG!)

3/4 cup dried onion

1/3 cup Penzey's beef soup base or bouillon powder

1/4 tsp celery seed

1 tsp parsley flakes

1 tsp turmeric

1/4  tsp pepper. 

Store in air tight container and use 4 Tablespoons for most recipes that call for a package of soup mix.