Strawberry Smoothie

Try drinking this delicious smoothie for dessert instead of reaching for the ice cream after dinner.  Or make it for a quick and healthy breakfast (as Dr. Agatston suggests).  The original recipe doesn’t list liquid of any sort among the ingredients and I thought it turned out a little too thick, so I thinned the smoothie with a little water.  Do that at your own discretion.  It was quick, healthy and delicious.  Enjoy!

Strawberry Smoothie

recipe adapted from “The Southbeach Diet Cookbook,” page 28

2 ½ cups strawberries

1 cup fat-free plain yogurt

1 tablespoon sugar (more or less depending on how sweet the strawberries are)

¼ cup nonfat dry milk

¼ cup chopped walnuts

3 tablespoons wheat germ (optional)

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 handful ice cubes

2-4 tablespoons water to thin to desired consistency

Combine strawberries, yogurt, sugar, dry milk, walnuts, wheat germ, maple syrup, and ice in a food processor or blender.  Puree until smooth.  Add water (if using) and blend well.  

Curtis Stone's Chicken Cacciatore

Curtis Stone, you little dream, you.  This is one of his Biggest Loser recipes, which I adapted because let's be honest.  Fire roasted tomatoes are disgusting.  I prefer my mother's home canned tomatoes so I used them instead.  I also left out the kalamata olives and used spinach instead of broccoli.  The meal was tasty, satisfying, and easy on fat/calorie content.  He serves this with brown rice instead of pasta that's traditionally paired with cacciatore.  All in all this delicious meal is loaded with veggies, lean protein and whole grain rice. 

Curtis Stone's Chicken Cacciatore

recipe from Curtis Stone

printable version of this recipe

2 teaspoons olive oil

Four 4-ounce pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 red bell pepper chopped
2 cups cremini mushrooms, washed and chopped
¼ cup red wine (or apple juice)
1 quart home canned tomatoes
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces (or spinach)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
5 kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped (optional)
1 cup steamed brown rice

Heat a large pan over medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan.

Season chicken with pepper and sear for several minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove chicken to a plate, tent with foil and add 1 tablespoon oil to pan.

Sauté onions for 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic and bell pepper; cook 2 minutes more then add mushrooms. Cook mushrooms for 4 minutes, stirring often. Add juice and allow to reduce until almost dry. Add tomatoes and broccoli to the pot, stirring well. Add thyme, bay leaf, and oregano. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low.

Add chicken to tomato mixture and simmer on low for 10-15 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked and sauce is slightly thickened. Stir in all but one pinch of parsley.

To serve, spoon ¼ cup brown rice into the center of a serving plate. Place one portion of chicken on top of the rice and spoon some sauce and vegetables over chicken, repeat with remaining plates. Sprinkle with chopped olives and parsley.

Mushroom Patties

I know the picture isn't all that great, but trust me. This little mushroom patty is delicious alone without a bun. I've been trying to make more economical meals and have returned to one of my favorite cookbooks, “Managing Your Meals,” by Winnifred Jardine. I adapted the recipe slightly and my family of three loved them.


Mushroom Patties
Adapted from Winnifred Jardine’s “Managing Your Meals”
printable version of this recipe

1 pound cremini mushrooms
2 cups soft French bread crumbs (do not use dry crumbs)
½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
½ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
4 eggs, slightly beaten
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup olive oil

Wash mushrooms and allow them to dry 5-10 minutes before chopping. Chop mushrooms to make about 4 cups. Combine mushrooms with bread crumbs, almonds, onion, parsley, eggs, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Shape mixture into patties about 4 inches in diameter, set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet; add patties and fry over medium low heat until golden and set, 5-8 minutes on each side.

I served them with steamed broccoli topped with grated cheddar cheese and brown sugar dipped strawberries.

Lemon Bundt Cake

I’m finished with the South Beach Diet. Finished. While that’s not a celebratory statement, it’s something I can live with. It’s an “I quit two days in” statement, which taught me (again) that phase 1 just isn’t something I can live with. Phase 2 and 3 are alright, but I can’t survive with the limitations of phase 1. I need more variety including fruit and occasional simple carbohydrates.

This cake was so good, especially after sacrificing carbohydrates for a few days. I waited and made it a week after adding complex carbohydrates back into my diet. It was worth the wait. The ribbon of sweet cream cheese along with the moist lemon cake was delicious. Add berries and sweetened whipped cream for a heavenly dessert.

Lemon Bundt Cake
recipe from Carolyn Hurst
printable version of this recipe

Cake:
1 lemon cake mix
1 8-ounce package low fat cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 egg

Glaze:
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350.

Prepare cake mix according to package instructions. Grease and flour a bundt pan. Pour half of the cake batter into prepared bundt pan.

Combine softened cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and egg; mix until smooth. Pour or spread cream cheese mixture on top of cake batter, then pour or spread the remaining half of the cake batter on top of the cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.

For the glaze, mix powdered sugar and milk together until smooth. Drizzle glaze over top of the cooled cake. Serve with berries and sweetened whipped cream if desired. Store left over caked covered in the refrigerator.

Tasty Broccoli

I’ve been South Beach dieting and just about every day I think, “I should post something,” but either the food is too terrible (some of it really is), or I’m afraid I’ll meander over to cookie pie, which will just tempt me to bake up some sweet, floury goodness, which, regrettably, is prohibited. Instead, I’ve been making foods like South Beach “Surprise Mashed Potatoes,” which aren’t mashed potatoes at all. Surprise! They’re steamed and mashed cauliflower flowerets. When I offered my two year old a taste she started crying and promptly threw up.

I steamed broccoli and seasoned it with a dot of Smart Balance butter and some soy sauce, and it actually was quite tasty. If you’re looking for a quick, tasty vegetable to serve along with dinner one night I recommend it (and not mashed cauliflower). There was no throw up at the dinner table the night I served it.

Tasty Broccoli
recipe from Jardine Winnefred’s “Managing Your Meals”
printable version of this recipe

2 bunches broccoli, washed and cut into bite sized pieces
1 tablespoon butter
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
Pepper to taste

Steam broccoli until tender but still firm. Add butter, soy sauce and pepper to taste; stir until butter is melted. Serve immediately.

Strawberry Muffins

We really enjoyed ourselves over the weekend in Boise. We visited friends and family and I got to participate in my first Race for the Cure. My mother-in-law, who was diagnosed with breast cancer 10 years ago, along with her daughter, granddaughter, and I, walked in Saturday’s event. It was a sight to behold. Not our walking, but the masses of people who congregated to support the fight against breast cancer. We were over fifteen thousand strong. It was really neat. As you can imagine, I spent most of today unpacking, folding clothes, and cleaning out the car (and the house). It’s late, so I’ll keep the post brief. 

I really needed to use up some strawberries before a chemical reaction transformed them into something else in my refrigerator. I had plain yogurt and wheat flour (thanks to my handy grain mill) on hand, so I made these quick, low fat muffins.

Strawberry Muffins
recipe from Stonyfield yogurt
printable version of this recipe
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
½ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup Stonyfield low fat plain yogurt
¼ cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped strawberries
Cinnamon sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease or line 12 muffin tins.

In a large bowl, sift together flours, sugar, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, stir eggs, yogurt, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Toss strawberries into flour mixture. Using a spoon, make a well in the center of the mixing bowl (the one containing the flour and strawberries). Pour the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. The batter will be lumpy.

Spoon the batter into muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Remove muffins from oven and dust with cinnamon sugar, if desired.

Banana Pancakes

I’m heading north with my family to participate in Boise’s 2010 Race for the Cure with my mother-in-law, a breast cancer survivor. She has been in remission (for the second time) almost eight years now—a blessing from heaven. We all feel so fortunate that she stayed around, especially to welcome grandchildren to her family.

I made these pancakes for the kids this morning. I should say I made them for myself and shared them with the kids. They reminded me of hot banana bread (in a pancake sort of way) slathered with butter and doused in warm maple syrup. They were delicious! It was a good way to use up over-ripe bananas and whole wheat flour, too.

Banana Pancakes
recipe from For the Love of Cooking
recipe slightly adapted by Homemade Deliciousness
printable version of this recipe

½ cup wheat flour
½ cup white flour (I used all wheat flour)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
¾ cup vanilla fat free yogurt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, beaten
1 large banana, mashed

Whisk flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, and banana. Add flour mixture to yogurt mixture and stir until smooth.

Pour ¼ cup pancake batter per pancake on a hot non-stick griddle or skillet. Cook until lightly browned on both sides. Serve with butter, warm maple syrup, and sliced bananas.