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Archive for the ‘Main Dishes (For The Low Cal Left Brain)’ Category

A Stroke of Genius (Thanksgiving Muffins)

Posted in Main Dishes (For The Low Cal Left Brain), tagged , , on October 8, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

I like cheap things–cheap booze, cheap clothes, Courtney Stodden…  But I especially like cheap dinners.  This idea was a brainstorm of mine, that has been taking to another level by my roommate, her boyfriend, and that cute thing that likes me more than he should.  The turkey mixture is my original meatloaf recipe, which you should feel free to bake without the stuffing for a simple meatloaf (just up the cooking time to at least 40 minutes), or you can take it to the next level by making little cups of Thanksgiving goodness, that depending on how you make your potatoes (mine with almond milk and diet butter) and your stuffing (My first Stove Top Stuffing experience!) can be around only 100 calories each.  Two to three of these make a great serving and I’m sure sans potatoes, these babies freeze well.  Oh, and please God, use gravy and cranberry sauce and you will be in cheap, premade Thanksgiving heaven.  Bam.

PS  Why haven’t we talked more about Courtney Stodden?  This 95-year-old imposter of a 16-year-old is a bad porn on wheels.  Observe:

Ingredients (For 12 muffins, at around 2-3 muffins per person):

  • 1 lb lean ground turkey
  • 1/2 cup panko
  • 1 egg (or two egg whites)
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • black pepper to taste (I shake this on like I’m in a Diana Summer Video.)
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 squirt (Yes, that is a measurement to me.) or around a tablespoon of ketchup
  • Prepared stuffing of your choice (A box of Stove Top worked out perfectly for double this recipe.)
  • Premade mashed potatoes (I made a three lb bag for double the recipe, and I would assume around 1/4 cup of mash po per muffin, depending upon your preferences.  Always better to have extra; potatoes are cheap anyways.)
  • Any preferred toppings…Cranberry Sauce, Gravy…
Preheat the oven to 350.  Mix up the first 10 ingredients in a large bowl.  Using about half the mixture, press some into the bottom of 12 lined muffin tins (I used tin foil liners for heft sake), making sure to only fill about half way at most. Then add about a tablespoon of stuffing to each muffin and press down.  Add the rest of the ground turkey on top and press down.  Bake for about 30 minutes, until firm, browned around the edges, and the internal temp meets 165 degrees.  I would be very careful about cooking these enough.  The raw meat touching the stuffing is the Mom’s of America’s nightmare.  Cooked enough it’s a’okay, but there is something about shoving stuffing up the back of a raw bird…
Pipe or top with the desired mash po, and put under the broiler for about 5 minutes, until everything is brown and warm.  Serve!
I am a 5 star photographer.  Yes, those are my rain boots in the back.

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Zuchinni Pasta

Posted in Main Dishes (For The Low Cal Left Brain), tagged , , , on May 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

First of all, Happy Birthday to my lovely father, who is 50% responsible for creating this monster and 100% responsible for my love of cheese.


I was so frightened and concerned by the Rapture along with Schwarzenegger’s love child that I lost my camera.  I found it two days later under my couch, but I missed the opportunity to take pictures of this food gem.  I’ve made raw zucchini pasta before, but the cooked version takes the cake.  It is really worth using good quality tomato sauce here (I would give my first-born for an endless supply of Rao’s Arrabbiatia.) and having machinery to shred your zucch.  Feel free to add any other preferred vegetables, or just a heaping amount of cayenne when you eat it the next day because you have an uncontrollable urge for spice.

Ingredients:

  • 2 large zucchinis
  • 3/4 cup tomato sauce, around 70 calories per 1/2 cup
  • 1 tablespoon fat free half and half (optional)
  • 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • Salt and peps to taste

Spray a high sided pan or Dutch oven with Pam.  Grate the zucch either by hand or using the grating tool on your food processor.  Add the garlic to the pan and let soften for around 30 seconds, then add the zucchini and mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Allow to cook until the mushrooms and zucch are tender and the zucch has a wiggly pasta-like consistency.  Add the tomato sauce and cook until it bubbles, then stir in the oregano and salt and pepper to taste.  Feel free to add some fat free half and half here if you’re feeling frisky.  Serve and enjoy!  Makes two servings at around 115-130 calories each.

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Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Posted in Main Dishes (For The Low Cal Left Brain), tagged , , , on May 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Nothing gets me more than a good, homemade tomato sauce.  I’ve never sat around and made my own slow cooked-style sauce.  However, this food processor genius may be close.  It is flavorful and thick, matching the chunky, cheesy filling of these poblanos perfectly.  They aren’t too many calories sans cheese, so adjust your cheese amount if you care about your calories.  Oh, and the pepper jack is definitely a must have and there is no exception.  Pepper jack, #winning!

Adapted from Back to the Cutting Board

Ingredients:

  • 1 can (28 oz.) whole tomatoes in puree
  • 1 jalapeno, minced (remove ribs and seeds for a milder sauce)
  • 2 small onions, chopped, divided
  • 3 garlic cloves (2 whole, 1 minced)
  • 1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
  • 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese, divided
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper, or to taste
  • 1 tsp. Chipotle chilli powder (optional)
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 3 large poblano chiles, halved lengthwise (stems left intact), ribs and seeds removed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a blender or food processor, puree tomatoes, minced jalapeno, half the onions, and 2 whole garlic cloves. Season with 1/4 tsp. salt; taste and add more if necessary.  You can also add any chilli powder of choice here. I have been on a chipotle kick, but ancho would work, or anything with a flavorful heat.

Pour sauce into a 9×13 in. baking dish. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine beans, remaining onions, minced garlic, cornmeal, 1/2 cup cheese, cumin, chili powder and 3/4 cup water. Season with 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper (or more to taste).

Stuff poblano halves with even amounts of the bean mixture. Nestle them side-by-side in the baking dish, over the sauce. Sprinkle the poblanos with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes or until poblanos are tender. Uncover and continue to cook until sauce is thickened slightly and cheese is browned, about 10 to 15 minutes more. Let cool for 10 minutes.

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Taco-Style Veggie Rice

Posted in Main Dishes (For The Low Cal Left Brain), tagged , , on May 11, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

I think I have a Mexican food addiction.  Once I learned that I could finally make rice without destroying it, all I want is rice mixed with veggies and Mexican flavorings.  Every night I’ve been fighting myself from ordering guacamole for dinner from this awesome, cheap restaurant next door to me, or throwing out my packed, healthy lunch to go get a taco salad from the food truck.  I don’t know what it is about the combination of garlic, onions, cumin and tomatoes that makes me quiver from within, but I need to have it.  All of the time.  The following recipe was a result of my impulse buy Goya Mexican rice mix and my need to shove my face into the packaging as soon as possible along with whatever I had in my cabinet.  Make sure you have 5 people around when you make this; you are going to need to save yourself…

Ingredients:

  • 1 8 ounce box Goya Mexican-flavored yellow rice, or the like (around 160 cals per 1/4 dry cup)
  • 4 green zucchini, diced
  • 16 ounces sliced mushrooms, preferably baby bellas
  • 2 teaspoons taco seasoning (or more to taste)
  • Toppings of your choice (salsa, fat free sour cream)
Make the rice according to the box.  Meanwhile, spray a large skillet with Pam. Start sauteing the zucc and mushrooms, and mix in the taco seasoning.  Cook until tender, around 7 minutes.  Mix with the rice and divide into 5 servings.  Add your toppings and enjoy!  Each serving is around 200 calories.
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Overnight Oats

Posted in Main Dishes (For The Low Cal Left Brain), tagged , , on March 9, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

This is my new obsession.  Making oatmeal at work is awful.  Our microwave is older than I am.  If I want to make quick (and the most voluminous) oats, I would need a microwaveable safe bowl that I would have to hand wash (ew) and I would have to cart in anything I want to mix in.  Overnight oats you can throw together the night before, or early that morning, require no cooking and are completely customizable.  Now don’t go and get all granola on this stuff and throw in too many raisins, honey and high calorie nuts and fruits and ruin a good low calorie thing.

Here is my favorite recipe which totals to around 200 calories, but hey, do whatever makes your little raw, oaty heart happy.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (The type that take 2-5 minutes or so in the microwave.)
  • 3/4 cup – 1 cup (based on taste) unsweetened almond milk (around 40 cals a cup)
  • 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 Splenda

Mix ingredients and cover.  Let rest in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.  Enjoy!

Yes, that is my rug.  My brilliant roommate found the only place in our apartment at dusk that gets good light and doesn’t have weird fracturing lighty things.  I think I really need to invest in a light box and a dictionary.  Look forward to more rug shots in the future my loves.

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Orange Scented Buttermilk Corn Muffins

Posted in Main Dishes (For The Low Cal Left Brain), tagged , , , on March 4, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

I hate zesting.  More than anything in the whole entire world.  More than the relentless coverage of Lindsay Lohan’s clothes during her stupid necklace trial, more than dark lip liner with light lipstick, and even more than I hate ferrets (furry, smelly spawns of satan).  However, zesting can have its triumphs and this is one.  Don’t get me wrong–it does make me want as many children as possible so I can force them to zest and chop vegetables and do all the things I hate for me–but these muffins are incredible.  I got this recipe from Fresh Direct and it comes from the Staff Meals from Chanterelle cookbook.  It is so easy and so delicious, plus each muffin is only a little over 200 calories.  Makes 12 muffins.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • Good pinch of coarse (kosher) salt
  • Grated zest of 1 orange
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/4 cup canola or other vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 12-cup muffin tin. Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest in a large bowl and whisk thoroughly to mix; set aside.

Using the whisk, beat the eggs in a medium-size bowl,

then add the buttermilk, melted butter, oil, and vanilla and whisk well to blend.

Pour the mixture into the flour mixture and whisk just until the dry ingredients are moistened; do not over-mix.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each almost to the top.

Bake until risen and very lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes or a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin will come out clean.  Makes 12 muffins.

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Shepherd’s Pie

Posted in Main Dishes (For The Low Cal Left Brain), tagged , , , on February 22, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Every woman needs an arsenal of man foods.  I’m not saying these are foods that we ladies can’t enjoy, but ones that are especially impressive to make for a man.  However, since I am the queen of awkward, I find a way not to put enough meat in the pie and I make Shepherd’s Pie soup, but that’s a different story.  Enjoy some Shepherd’s Pie, man optional.

Adapted from Alton Brown

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
  • 4 ounces Neuchâtel cheese
  • Splash half and half
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup of shredded cheddar (optional)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried and crushed rosemary leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried and crushed thyme leaves
  • 1, 10 ounce, box of frozen mixed vegetables, preferably corn, peas, green beans and the like

Directions:

Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with tongs, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return to the saucepan. Mash the potatoes and then add the half and half, Neuchâtel cheese, salt and pepper and continue to mash until smooth. Stir in the yolk and optional cheddar until well combined.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. Place the canola oil into a 12-inch saute pan and set over medium high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and saute just until it begins to take on color, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the beef, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 3 minutes. Sprinkle the meat with the flour and toss to coat, continuing to cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly.

Add the frozen veggies to the beef mixture and spread evenly into an 11 by 7-inch glass baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula.

I was on the phone with the girlfriend while piping the potatoes.  So sue me.

Place on a parchment lined half sheet pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

This man couldn’t keep his hands out of the pie.

Luckily he’s cute, so I forgive him.

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Curried Lentil Soup

Posted in Main Dishes (For The Low Cal Left Brain), tagged , , on February 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Lentils are the Jillian Michaels of seedy things, a powerhouse–just a little less angry looking.  They have a ton of protein, fiber and iron and are very filling.  I saw this recipe on Oh She Glows and stared at it for way too long before I could find the time to make it.  My apartment may reek of curry, but it’s totally worth it.  This soup is awesome and so inexpensive to make.  Not to mention, it’s completely vegan.

Adapted from Oh She Glows

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1.5 cups chopped onion (approx 1 medium onion)
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1.5-2 tablespoons curry powder
  • 1 cup uncooked green lentils, rinsed and picked over
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet or pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and carrot and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or so.

Add finely chopped garlic and stir until vegetables are soft but not brown, about 5 minutes longer. Reduce heat if necessary to avoid burning.

Add curry powder. I started with 1.5 tablespoons. Now, add the rinsed uncooked lentils and 4 cups water. Season with a sprinkle of kosher salt and pepper, add in lemon juice, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.

When lentils are tender, blend half the soup in the blender and return to pot with unblended soup. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and additional curry powder, if desired.

 


Makes 4 servings at around 200 calories each.

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Chili Lime Pork Tenderloin

Posted in Main Dishes (For The Low Cal Left Brain), tagged on December 31, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

I have a bone to pick with NYC.  Snooki, the star of our lives and everything wonderful about reality television, was supposed to be dropped in a glass ball, like a hamster, in Times Square on New Year’s and now, she’s not.  I would like to be the first to start a motion that there is no reason that Snooki should not be allowed to portay a hamster and that this snow-covered city needs some cheering up and that the Snoomster would be the cure.

In my fury and in the need of a healthy meal to keep me thin for my impeccably tight New Year’s hamster-supporting dress, I needed a good healthy dinner recipe.  I borrowed this recipe from the Noble Pig and it is wonderfully easy, flavorful, and low calorie.  Snooki for President.

Adapted from the Noble Pig

Ingredients:

  • 1-1/2 lb pork tenderloin
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Blend chili powder with lime juice, soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl.

Pat pork tenderloin dry and season on all sides with salt and pepper. Use your hands to rub chili mixture thoroughly into tenderloin.

Let marinate for an hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees . Cook for 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Let rest for 15 minutes, then enjoy!

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Kitchen Pantry Crock Pot Chicken Thighs

Posted in Main Dishes (For The Low Cal Left Brain), tagged , , on November 2, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

If you know me at all, you know Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.  This year, since Halloween was on a Sunday, I managed to find a way a way to have three different costumes, yet completely forget to eat.  One of the ingenuities of a crock pot is that it’s really easy to throw whatever you want inside of it and it will most probably turn out okay.  This is the result of tossing together some leftovers with some chicken legs that were on sale at Key Food.  To make this slightly healthier, you could remove the skin, but I was way too lazy this time, so I took it off while eating.  When making this from your pantry, root vegetables, mushrooms and carrots all hold up really well in the slow cooker. Any liquid will truly do, but I suggest low sodium and mixing different liquids for fun.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 5  chicken thighs
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 1/2 pound small red potatoes, chopped
  • 2 cups chicken stock, low sodium
  • Half a light beer
  • Splash of sherry
  • Black pepper to taste

Throw the aromatics and onion into the pot.

Then the carrots and potatoes.

Don’t forget the chicken,

then some chicken stock and a splash of sherry, followed by the lone half a can of beer in my fridge.  Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8, then enjoy!  I forgot to take pictures of the end product, but instead I’ll give you this.

Have a wonderful secret pop star and silent film star November.

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