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It wasn’t until I had all the veggies steaming in the microwave that I noticed the alliteration, honest! Yet another case of steamed veggies plus a little protein transformed by a Thai sauce, in this case a yellow peanut sauce. I have always liked Pollack, a creamy white fish, ever since I grilled a fresh one caught a few hours earlier on a trip to the West of Ireland many years ago. Imitation crabmeat (surimi) is made from Pollack, and although it doesn’t have the same creamy quality of the fresh fish, and doesn’t really improve by being made to do crab impressions, it does make a good addition to a stir-steam like this one.
Cauliflower Curry with Crab, Corn, Carrots and Cilantro
1 head cauliflower – any color you like – I used a green one
1 8 oz package flake or lump imitation crabmeat (surimi – tastes way better than it sounds!)
1 16 oz can corn kernels or mini-corn
1 large carrot, julienned
20 stems cilantro, chopped
5-6 oz (or to taste) Thai red, green, or yellow curry sauce – I use Trader Joe’s – shown here is yellow
Cut cauliflower into florets and place in a microwaveable bowl. Cover with shrinkwrap and microwave on high 10 minutes.
While cauliflower is cooking, cut up carrots and cilantro.
After 10 minutes, carefully pull back the shrinkwrap and add the carrots, drained corn, and most of the cilantro. Recover and microwave on high 5 minutes.
Open crab package, separate chunks and slice into bite-size pieces, about half-inch dice/slices.
After veggies finish cooking, again pull back shrinkwrap and add crab and Thai sauce. Mix carefully to coat the veggies with sauce. Recover, and let sit 5 minutes for flavor to permeate and crab to heat.
Drizzle a spoonful more Thai sauce over the top, or if plating, over each plate, and sprinkle with a little chopped cilantro.
Serves 4 – 240 calories per serving
Thanksgiving is a day off for the diet and here is one of our family traditions – pumpkin cloudcakes.
We clipped this recipe from the Chicago Tribune in the 1980s and have been making them every fall ever since.
Pumpkin Cloudcakes Recipe – click to enlarge.
Cook as above or make up the batter the night before and fry for a filling Thanksgiving breakfast or brunch. Serve hot with maple syrup. The recipe picture could be clearer – it’s 1/4 t baking soda, 1/8t nutmeg (although I use 1t cinnamon instead), 1/8t salt which I omit, and 1/2 cup yogurt. I normally make a double batch that uses a whole pot of yogurt and a whole 16oz can of pumpkin. I also use regular flour not cake flour but cake flour is better if you have it or can find it.
Serves 4 – no calorie counting today.
I had some leftover apple sauce to use and this is the result which has me raving – truly much better tasting than the sum of the ingredients. Can use this slaw as a colorful side dish on your Thanksgiving table or just eat for dessert or a snack. It has a crunchy-chewy sweetness that I know will be one of my favorites for a long time to come. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Carrot Apple Raisin Slaw
2 large carrots, shredded (peeled if you insist)
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup raisins or craisins and/or chopped nuts
Shred carrots and mix ingredients together thoroughly to make sure all the carrots are coated in apple sauce.
Serve at room temperature for best flavor.
Serves 1 as dessert or 2-4 as a side dish – 380 calories for the whole recipe
I never thought I would like rice cakes, but when they are topped with cottage cheese and bruschetta-style salsa with garlic and olives they are very tasty and make a substantial light snack. You can eat these cold or broil them for a few minutes to char the edges and heat up the toppings a bit. If you do broil them, put a thin slice of ham or turkey or cucumber under the cottage cheese or the rice cake will go a bit soggy in the middle.
Rice Cake Bruschetta
Per rice cake:
1 oz cottage cheese
1T bruschetta mix – can make your own by adding 1 clove crushed garlic, 2T chopped olives and 2T olive oil to normal jar of salsa
small slice of ham, turkey or cucumber slivers optional
65 calories per rice cake as shown with cucumber.
Normally I wouldn’t bother with the frivolity of not-normal colored vegetables such as this green cauliflower (note not a broccaflower or whatever they are). But this one was a dollar cheaper than the usual white variety so caught my attention. I also usually go for color contrast in a dish, but I wanted Thai green curry and this cauliflower was the best available vegetable and got drafted. The recipe is simplicity itself, although we do cheat with a jar of Trader Joe’s tasty curry sauce.
Thai Green Green Curry
1 cauliflower – green or white – alternately broccaflower or broccoli would work well also
8 oz pre-cooked chicken, e.g. rotisserie chicken
1 jar Trader Joe’s Thai green curry sauce.
Remove the stem and any leaf stalks from the cauliflower. Cut the cauliflower into florets and rinse thoroughly in the sink. Slice the leaf stems into slivers. Place all in a microwavable container and cover with shrink wrap.
Microwave on high for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile cut up the precooked chicken into bites.
When the cauliflower is done (check with a fork), add the chicken and jar of sauce to the cauliflower, recover, and microwave a further 3 minutes at 70% power.
Serve by itself or over another vegetable like spaghetti squash.
Serves 4, approx 425 calories per serving.
Sweet potato fries have been popular for a while, but I think these taste even better and per pound butternut squash is only 204 calories compared with 345 for sweet potatoes and 469 for ordinary potatoes.
Butternut Squash “Fries”
1 butternut squash, about 3 pounds makes 50-60 half-moon fries
Turn on the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the squash in half lengthways, and scoop out the seeds.
Peel the squash with a potato peeler.
Slice each half of the squash into about 30 quarter-inch thick half moon slices.
Place 1t of oil on a baking pan and spread it around with the fries as you lay them out for baking.
For one whole 3 pound squash I needed 2 baking pans. I prefer the non-air-layered baking pans so that the fries brown on the bottom.
Bake for 20 minutes – take out of oven and turn the slices.
Return to oven and turn up to 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until browned.
Alternately broil for about 6-8 minutes watching carefully so they don’t burn.
Season to taste and serve.
Serves 4, each serving of 15 fries is 150 calories
A couple of liberties have been taken here – I used a can of chili beans (pinto beans I think) and the “rice” is just cauliflower florets – I don’t even bother to chop it fine anymore.
Red Beans And Cauliflower “Rice”
1 cauliflower
1 16oz can chili beans (or use red beans with 1T chili powder)
1 16oz can diced tomatoes or diced fresh ones if available
Extra seasonings to taste – extra chili powder, tabasco, or liquid smoke
Optional garnish – chopped cilantro or parsley
Cut or break the cauliflower into florets or dice into 1/4 inch dice if you want to pretend it’s rice.
Place florets in microwavable bowl and cover tightly with shrinkwrap.
Microwave on high 15mins.
Meanwhile, open cans of beans/tomatoes and heat in a pan with any extra seasonings.
When cauliflower is done, pour beans/tomatoes over cauliflower and serve.
Serves 2, 350 calories for 1/2 caulflower serving.
Chicken Parmesan and it’s cousin Eggplant Parmesan are both loaded with calories so here’s a broiled/grilled version with almost no calories. Unless you count the marinara, which is tasty enough to merit the calories.
Broiled/Grilled Eggplant Parmesan
2 medium eggplant, sliced lengthways into 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick slices
seasonings – I used thyme and oregano
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1-2 cloves garlic
1 cup marinara
1 spray Pam or 1t olive oil
Slice the eggplant and salt generously on both sides. Leave for 30 minutes to 2 hours to let the salt pull the water out of the eggplant. Wipe the liquid and salt off each slice and place on a broiling pan. Cut garlic cloves in half and rub eggplant surfaces – crush remaining garlic and reserve for later.
Broil 10 minutes per side, turning once and making sure it does not burn – you want to cook the eggplant until it is soft, and a golden brown. Spray with pam or brush with oil and sprinkle seasonings, crushed garlic and parmesan cheese over each slice. Return to the broiler for 2-3 minutes per side, or until nicely browned. Serve with a side of hot marinara.
Serves 2, 298 calories per plate.
Salmon is on everyone’s healthy food list and here is a salmon version of tuna salad that makes an excellent snack on rice cakes or Rye-Crisp crackers or on cucumber or carrot slices if you are being concientous. Fresh sliced tomatoes if you have them are the perfect complement to the crackers and the fish, and fresh basil is the icing on the cake so to speak.
Salmon Salad
1 large 16oz can wild salmon
1 cup lo/no-fat cottage cheese
1 cup mild or medium salsa, to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 t ground red pepper, optional, or tabasco etc
1/2 t salt, optional
Crackers, rice cakes, cucumber slices, or carrot chips
Fresh tomato slices
Fresh basil
Place the salmon on a plate and remove the backbone and any large bones. Mash the salmon with a fork. Add the cottage cheese, salsa and seasonings and fold together with the fork. Eat fresh or place in a sealable container in the fridge.
8 servings, 200 calories per serving for 1/2 cup salmon salad, 3 rice cakes or 4 Rye Crisp crackers.
Forget potatoes or rice or pasta, spaghetti squash is fast becoming my staple food!
My summer harvest is in, and while it wasn’t a huge success – one plant took over and produced 3 big squash, but the other 5 plants got powdery mildew and only produced one smallish squash each – it is making excellent eating.
Yet another spaghetti squash recipe (YASSR) that is probably the most obvious – a Bolognese-style sauce with ground beef and marinara, sprinkled with shredded parmesan and garnished with fresh basil leaves.
In addition to the taste, texture, and stomach-filling ability of the squash, it’s really easy to cook – 2 minutes prep to cut in half and remove the seeds, then 10 mins in the microwave covered in plastic wrap or a paper plate.
Spaghetti Squash Bolognese
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 spaghetti squash
1 jar spaghetti sauce marinara or make your own
1 t olive oil
Sprigs of fresh basil
Parmesan cheese
Start the onion frying in the oil over low-medium heat.
Microwave half a spaghetti squash following this recipe.
If cooking the whole squash to serve 4, microwave both halves simultaneously on a single dish, but turn them halfway through since the sides near the edge of the dish get cooked faster than the sides in the middle of the dish.
Once the onion is translucent, add the ground beef and any desired seasonings and cook until browned.
Drain grease from pan, and add marinara and bring to a boil then turn down and simmer for 5 mins
Let squash sit while you simmer the sauce.
Tease out the squash strands using two forks and either serve on a plate or in the squash shell itself.
Pour Bolognese sauce over squash strands and toss a little to cover the squash with sauce. Sprinkle with grated parmesan, garnish with basil sprigs and serve.
Serves 4, 550 calories per plate.
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