Like many of us, I like variety, and I like to cook. So when I come up with something that I or my family really likes I've decided to post it for anyone else out there who might like to try it. You can also get more great recipe ideas from Chris at www.chrispowell.com so check it out.
First up: White Egg Salad gets it's name because it's made from the egg whites only. I use this recipe for High carb days on a piece of my favorite sprouted grain rye bread. I also like it on Low carb days in romaine lettuce boats with a side of cucumbers and tomatoes. Hope you like it!
White Egg Salad
12 hard boiled eggs (yolk removed) coarsely chopped
2 ribs of celery chopped but not minced
3tbsp of fat free mayo (some brands have higher sugar so be sure to check your label)
3tbsp dijon mustard (I like the creamy variety by Grey Poupon it's low sugar and fat free-just check your labels to be sure you're not getting too much sodium, fat, or sugar)
2tbsp of turkey bacon bits (be careful with these, they can be high in sodium - so I use them more as a garnish to get a little bit of that smokey bacon flavor without much calorie impact. They aren't on the approved list either, so I count them as a cheat on my high carb days, and as a protein on my low carb days)
2-3 Shakes each of dried minced onion and dried minced garlic
1tbsp of dried dill
Salt & pepper to taste
Combine all of the ingredients in one bowl - Stir to blend well and chill.
I have a food scale on my counter and I use about 3oz of this as a serving - so this batch makes just about 8 servings.
Today we went to a barbecue. Normally I would be on edge the whole time trying to avoid the food table. But I was prepared and brought something I was sure I could eat along with my "protein style" turkey burger. I made 2 fruit platters. Both were a big hit. The favorite was my grilled apricots with raspberries and agave nectar. I wasn't sure how they would turn out, but they were amazing. Hope you try them!
Grilled Apricots with Raspberries and Agave Nectar
26 raspberries
raw agave nectar for drizzling.
I used my george foreman grill, but you can grill them on your outdoor grill too. I lightly sprayed my gill with some pam to prevent sticking. Just place the halves cut side down on the grill for about 3-5 minutes on the indoor grill, (outdoor grills will be hotter, so won't need as much time) just long enough to get some good grill marks. Remove from the grill and put on serving paltter cut side up, place 1 raspberry in the middle of each. Drizzle with agave nectar. (one half is missing because I had to taste test =). No need to chill, they taste great at room temperature. This fruit platter was a nice spin on the traditional fresh fruit platter and everybody loved them.
I also made a traditional fruit platter. I like mine with watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, kiwi, and cherries. Who doesn't like fresh fruit, and you can have it on a high carb day along side your protein.
Fruit Platter
I love roasted vegetables. I love cooking up a big batch and keeping it in an airtight container or a gallon size ziploc freezer bag for quick meals without having to prep and cook the veggie side. This is one of my favorite combinations.
2 bunches of broccoli florets
1 head of cauliflower florets
1 bag mini multicolored peppers seeded and quartered
4 cloves of garlic sliced
Line baking sheet with foil for easy clean up - spray lightly with cooking spray and place all veggies on tray in even layer, sprinkle sliced garlic on top. Spray lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle on your choice of herbs (my favorite is dill) salt and pepper to taste and put in 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes until edges get bits of crispy golden brown yumminess. (will be tender but not mushy)
This combination is delicious with brown rice pasta, chicken and marinara on a high carb day, and equally delicious with just the chicken and marinara plus some mozzarella on low carb day.
I finally made up a batch of my tofu "egg" salad! Here it is! This is a vegan recipe but could easily be tweeked if that is not a concern for you.
1/2 bunch of celery chopped
1/2 red onion chopped
1/3 red bell pepper chopped
12 small black olives chopped
3 baby dills chopped
2tbsp capers
1/4c vegenaise (I like the grapeseed version)
2-3tbsp of dijon mustard
2tbsp chopped dill (dried is fine)
1tbsp minced dried garlic
1tbsp minced dried onion
salt & pepper to taste
dash of paprika
Place all chopped veggies including pickles and olives in bowl and top with diced tofu, add wet ingredients and seasonings, stir gently. Chill for an hour to let flavors blend before serving.
I like the tofu broken up a bit so that it absorbs as much of the flavors as possible. I like a pretty loaded egg salad like this but some people would say this would pass more as a vegetarian version of a seafood salad - I agree it could definitely satisfy the craving for a seafood salad too! The vegenaise is not fat free or low fat, so if you are making this salad for a high carb day you can substitute the vegenaise with a low fat mayo instead (just remember this will make it no longer vegan). I do 1/2 and 1/2 so I have some on hand for low AND high carb days. On low carb days I put this in lettuce boats and have sliced cucumbers and avocado alongside. On high carb days I like it with sliced tomatoes on a piece of whole grain toast. Hope you give it a try.
I Was in the mood for soup yesterday, and I couldn't make up my mind whether I wanted creamy (usually a big no no but sometimes you just gotta have a nice bowl of creamy potato soup, know what I mean?) or brothy so I combined the two and it turned out delicious, also cuts back on the calories of a typical "creamy" soup, plus the added benefit of a ton of veggies. Here it is :)
"Cheat day" Zuppa Tuscana
1lb 15 bean soup bag (no seasoning packets)
3-4quarts of water (depending on how "soupie" you like your soup) I start with 3 and add more 1/2 way through if it's not "fluid" enough.
1 red onion chopped
3-4tbsp minced garlic (jarred is fine-if you don't want to chop fresh)
Bring the above ingredients to a boil then reduce heat to simmer and cover - cook for 2hrs.
Then add:
2-3 boullion cubes of your choice (vegetable, chicken or beef)
1/2 small bag of baby carrots sliced
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 small package white mushrooms rough chopped
1 package (small clamshell 5oz) of organic baby spinach (just drop it in by the handful no need to chop)
Continue cooking at simmer until vegetables are tender (about 15-20 minutes)
When soup is near done, in a small bowl wisk gently together just until blended:
2 packets ranch dip mix with 2/3pt heavy cream
Remove pot from the heat and stir in cream mixure
add 1 can of diced organic tomatoes (including liquid)
Optional: I like to stir in my 3oz serving of turkey into my bowl of soup. I keep a container of pre-cooked and seasoned ground turkey (garlic, basil, oregano, fennel, salt and pepper) in the fridge, then I just add it to each individual bowl to be sure I get my full serving.
This soup is not fat free, but it also has beans and carrots that are counted as carbs, so I save it for my high carb day afternoon cheat meal. It's a very hearty, comforting bowlful of yum! You could also freeze this in individual servings - makes 8-10 servings.
Turkey Meatballs
Wanting to have a complete meal already prepared in a neat little serving I remembered a recipe I had tried when making turkey meatloaf. Instead of putting it in a loaf I made large meatballs out of the mixture and stored the cooked servings in the fridge for meals during the week - this recipe takes a little while to prepare but it makes a nice large batch that lasts the week - - or they can be frozen. Great grab and go food for a complete high carb meal. I've finally tweeked the recipe in a way that I think is quite tasty and moist which is sometimes missing in "turkey" recipes.
This recipe produces a nice "meatloaf" texture and they taste great by themselves or topped with your favorite no sugar added marinara. I make the meatballs quite large (about 3oz each) so that one is all you need to make your meal (for the ladies anyway- my husband eats two). This recipe will make 26 servings at about 85 calories each.
3 packages extra lean Jenny-O ground turkey
3 stalks celery cut large
1 red onion cut large
1 package sliced mushrooms
2 small apples cored and quartered
1 can small black pitted olives drained 6oz
1 jar roasted red peppers drained 16oz
1 bulb of garlic peeled and separated
4 cups old fashioned oats
3 eggs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Seasonings I like (you may of course season yours to your liking or use my favorites): 1tbsp of each of the following fennel, salt and pepper, minced garlic, minced onion and onion powder, all spice, oregano, basil, and 2tsp of nutmeg
Line 2 large baking sheets with foil and, lightly spray with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 375.
Place the turkey in a large bowl and set aside. In food processor combine celery mushrooms and onion, pulse until finely minced, empty into bowl with turkey. Now combine apples, red peppers, olives and garlic in the food processor and pulse until finely minced but not too soupy will be like the texture of pesto. Empty into bowl with the turkey and other ingredients. (if liquid from processed ingredients starts to collect in bottom of bowl I drain a bit of this off so the meatballs will not have too much liquid - they will still be moist)
Add oatmeal, parmesan cheese and eggs plus seasonings of your choice. Combine gently with hands until well mixed. Mixture should be able to hold together when formed into balls. If your mixture retained a little more liquid you can add a little more oatmeal to compensate for this, but just a little at a time to be sure they aren't too dry and firm. Form meat balls and place on foil lined baking sheets that have been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 375 for about 35 minutes, should be firm to the touch with a little spring back and golden brown. Allow to cool and store in air tight container or ziploc bags for up to 7 days or freeze for future use. You can simply re-heat individual meatballs for about 40 seconds and eat or top with 3 tbsp of marinara and a side of steamed veggies or a simple green salad.
When soup is near done, in a small bowl wisk gently together just until blended:
2 packets ranch dip mix with 2/3pt heavy cream
Remove pot from the heat and stir in cream mixure
add 1 can of diced organic tomatoes (including liquid)
Optional: I like to stir in my 3oz serving of turkey into my bowl of soup. I keep a container of pre-cooked and seasoned ground turkey (garlic, basil, oregano, fennel, salt and pepper) in the fridge, then I just add it to each individual bowl to be sure I get my full serving.
This soup is not fat free, but it also has beans and carrots that are counted as carbs, so I save it for my high carb day afternoon cheat meal. It's a very hearty, comforting bowlful of yum! You could also freeze this in individual servings - makes 8-10 servings.
Turkey Meatballs
Wanting to have a complete meal already prepared in a neat little serving I remembered a recipe I had tried when making turkey meatloaf. Instead of putting it in a loaf I made large meatballs out of the mixture and stored the cooked servings in the fridge for meals during the week - this recipe takes a little while to prepare but it makes a nice large batch that lasts the week - - or they can be frozen. Great grab and go food for a complete high carb meal. I've finally tweeked the recipe in a way that I think is quite tasty and moist which is sometimes missing in "turkey" recipes.
3 packages extra lean Jenny-O ground turkey
3 stalks celery cut large
1 red onion cut large
1 package sliced mushrooms
2 small apples cored and quartered
1 can small black pitted olives drained 6oz
1 jar roasted red peppers drained 16oz
1 bulb of garlic peeled and separated
4 cups old fashioned oats
3 eggs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Seasonings I like (you may of course season yours to your liking or use my favorites): 1tbsp of each of the following fennel, salt and pepper, minced garlic, minced onion and onion powder, all spice, oregano, basil, and 2tsp of nutmeg
Line 2 large baking sheets with foil and, lightly spray with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 375.
Place the turkey in a large bowl and set aside. In food processor combine celery mushrooms and onion, pulse until finely minced, empty into bowl with turkey. Now combine apples, red peppers, olives and garlic in the food processor and pulse until finely minced but not too soupy will be like the texture of pesto. Empty into bowl with the turkey and other ingredients. (if liquid from processed ingredients starts to collect in bottom of bowl I drain a bit of this off so the meatballs will not have too much liquid - they will still be moist)
Add oatmeal, parmesan cheese and eggs plus seasonings of your choice. Combine gently with hands until well mixed. Mixture should be able to hold together when formed into balls. If your mixture retained a little more liquid you can add a little more oatmeal to compensate for this, but just a little at a time to be sure they aren't too dry and firm. Form meat balls and place on foil lined baking sheets that have been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 375 for about 35 minutes, should be firm to the touch with a little spring back and golden brown. Allow to cool and store in air tight container or ziploc bags for up to 7 days or freeze for future use. You can simply re-heat individual meatballs for about 40 seconds and eat or top with 3 tbsp of marinara and a side of steamed veggies or a simple green salad.
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