Nachos for Dinner! AND - It's on The PLAN

This is ONE serving in a big shallow 8" soup bowl.

When Walt and I were dating, we would often share a big platter of nachos for dinner.  THOUSANDS OF CALORIES, way too much fat.  Sadly, it had to end.  We missed our indulgent appy-for-dinner.

Then, I saw this amazing recipe at HungryGirl.com which sheared off about half of the calories. Here's a link to the original recipe: Mexican Makeover which first appeared in 2006.  I can't tell you how excited I was!    However, over the years, because I couldn't find the ingredients in my local stores (and I'm sorry, I am NOT mail-ordering tortilla chips), I've made many, many changes to the original recipe.  The end result is Yummy. Indulgent. Nachos.  Tastes-like-the-Real-Thing.  BUT - lower calorie and lower fat.





Now all that remains is the concept - and a very good concept it is!  Basically, you substitute 99% fat-free vegetarian chili for the taco meat and make a lower calorie, way-lower fat sauce and pour them over baked tortilla chips.  (Ignore the regular chips in the photo.  I sent Walt to the store.  This is his favorite brand, which doesn't come baked. You do it the right way and use baked chips.)

The sauce is super easy: 3 different kinds of reduced fat cheese melted in some light unsweetened, unflavored almond milk or soymilk.  I prefer almond milk, because soymilk develops a toasted marshmallow flavor when heated - not so good in cheese sauce. Almost unnoticable in this sauce, but I notice. It bugs me. You could substitute cow's milk, just keep it unflavored and low-fat.

This is going to melt into nacho cheese sauce.

So here's how to make 3 Huge servings:

Nacho Makeover

7 ounces (about half a bag) of baked tortilla chips

1 (15 ounce) can Hormel Vegetarian 99% Fat-Free Chili

1/2 cup unsweetened, original flavor Almond Milk

3 ounces reduced-fat shredded Cheddar Cheese

3 slices Kraft 2% Reduced Fat American Cheese

2 tablespoons neufchatel cheese (light cream cheese)

1 - 2 teaspoons Lousiana Hot Sauce, optional

3 tablespoons plain yogurt, optional

3/4 cup salsa

1 tablespoon sliced black olives, optional

few slices hot cherry peppers, optional

Place the almond milk, cheeses and hot sauce in a small saucepan.  Heat, stirring constantly, over medium low heat, until all cheeses have melted and sauce is smooth.  Keep warm.

Empty chili into a microwave safe container, cover loosely and heat 2 to 3 minutes on High, stirring once, or until hot.

Divide chips among 3 shallow soup bowls (or a large platter if preparing as appetizer).  Spoon equal amounts of the cheese sauce, chili, salsa, yogurt, olives and peppers over the chips.

Now, I don't know the nutritionals for this recipe, but I'm pretty sure I'm far better off eating this than the calorie-laden restaurant version.

Here's how it fits into The PLAN:

2.3 ounces grains, 3.2 ounces meat, 1.25 cups milk, 1/4 cup vegetable

My total allowables for the entire day:

5.5 ounces grains, 5 ounces meat, 3 cups milk, 2.5 cups vegetables

I feel indulged, I am properly fed.



Crock Pot Yogurt!

I saw this recipe at Crockpot Recipe Exchange and had to try it.  I love low fat Greek yogurt, but at a buck for a tiny tub, it's expensive.  I also use plain yogurt as a swap for sour cream in cooking and it's almost impossible to find in recipe quantities. So, after seeing the recipe, I thought I'll make a half recipe of yogurt, use some of it for cooking and smoothies and drain the rest to eat for lunch or healthy snacking.  Sounded like a plan to me!

I bought a half gallon of 1% milk and poured 4 cups of it into my small (3-4 quart) crock pot.  I set it to High and set the timer for 2 1/2 hours.  Once that was done, I turned the cooker off and let it sit for 3 hours without opening the lid. 

After 3 hours, the milk had cooled to around 90-110F.  I stirred in 1/4 cup live culture Greek yogurt and 6 tablespoons (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) dry whole milk powder.  I found that in the Mexican food aisle at Walmart.  It was about $3.50 and it will last a very long time.  I'll use it in my bi-weekly bread making as well. I like that it's in a resealable container.

Then I wrapped the entire crock pot in a large bath towel and left it overnight.  I ended up with a pourable, silky smooth, mildly tart yogurt.

Pourable.  Not as thick as I imagined it would be.  But, perfect for cooking and smoothies! I poured half into a container and stashed it in the refrigerator; the other half I strained for Greek style yogurt. I lined a mesh strainer with a coffee filter, suspended it over a bowl and added the yogurt to the filter.  I covered it with a clean dish towel and put that in the fridge to drain.  A couple hours later:

I had Greek yogurt!  Oh, the things I can make! Tzaziki sauce for homemade gyros and fruit parfaits are the two that jumped to mind.  I scooped some out, added a spoon of jam.  Heaven.  Oh, my.  No graininess like in store bought.  Not overpoweringly sour.  Silky...

A couple hours later, I was notified by my lactose intolerant digestive tract that perhaps next time I should let it culture a little longer so that all the lactose was converted.  My daughter did a little research and concluded that it probably didn't stay within the culturing temperature range long enough.  I wondered if my cold-from-the-fridge yogurt cooled it too much or if the towel didn't maintain the heat.

So, next time, and there WILL be a next time, I'll a)allow my starter to reach room temperature before adding it and b)warm my oven for a few minutes, turn it off and tuck my crock pot insert, still covered, into the warmed oven to culture overnight.  I'll let you know how it goes.

If you are wondering how yogurt fits into The Plan - it counts cup for cup as milk. 

More PLANned Comfort Food - Crockpot Cassoulet

Cassoulet

This isn't quite the French classic.  It only has one kind of meat (or no meat at all - read on).  The flavors in this simple stew are so rich and well balanced that YOU MUST TRY IT.  Seriously, you must. 

Here's how it starts:

A package of kielbasa or smoked sausage (in this case Turkey Kielbasa), some carrots, garlic, onion, beans, tomato sauce, brown sugar, thyme and red wine. To make this vegetarian, substitute another can of rinsed, drained beans for the kielbasa.

The red wine is French genius at work. Somehow, a little bit of red wine transformes "very good" into "WOW".  I am assured that the alcohol cooks out, so it's safe for the kids. The wine needn't be expensive - I used Winking Owl, which I think I bought at Aldi for under $5.00.  Three Buck Chuck works, too.  Just make sure it's something you'll want to drink, because you'll want a glass with dinner, and cooking with wine won't make the wine better.  However, if you don't drink or if you have a red wine sensivity, use an equal amount of broth.  I haven't tried it with vegetable broth, so you're on your own there.

This isn't my recipe.  Like most of my really good recipes, I found it.  Taste of Home Contest Winning are great cookbooks.  This is from 2004, which is the TOH cookbook I reach for most often.  I did, however, adapt it to the crockpot.

French Country Casserole
1 lb. kielbasa or smoked sausage, cut diagonally into 1/4" slices
4 carrots, sliced into 1/4" coins
1 medium onion, peeled, halved and sliced into 1/4" half moons
3 (15 - 16 ounce each) cans beans, 1 each kidney, cannelini, and black, rinsed and drained
2 (8 ounce) cans plain tomato sauce
1/2 cup red wine or beef broth or vegetable broth
2 level tablespoons light brown sugar, NOT packed (if you must pack, only use 1)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled

Spray the interior of your crockpot with non-stick.  Add all ingredients and mix well.
Slow cook on Low 8 - 10 hours, depending on how crunchy you want your carrots.

10 servings, 241 calories per 1 cup
PLAN numbers: 6 1/5 ounces meat, 1/2 cup vegetables

PLANned Comfort Food

Kielbasa and Peppers
This is one of those recipes that really doesn't have measurements.  You chop and drop the ingredients into the pan as they're chopped, then simmer until done.  In the summer I'll use whatever is ripe in the garden - fresh tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, fresh tyhme or basil.  Sometimes, I'll add a can of tomato sauce to thicken up the pan sauce.
Numbers according to The Plan: 1 serving = 2.7 ounces meat and 1 1/4 cups vegetables; 1/2 cup risotto = 4 ounces grain.


Kielbasa and Peppers
1 lb. Turkey kielbasa, cut into 1/2" diagonal slices
2-3 onions, peeled and cut in 1/2" chunks
1 rib celery, diagonally sliced
1 bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1" chunks
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. thyme
2 pints (or 14 ounce cans) diced tomatoes (not petite diced)

Coat your largest non-stick skillet (or Dutch oven) with Pam.  Put it over high heat and let it get really hot while you slice the kielbasa.  Dump it into the pan.
Peel and chunk the onions.  Dump them into the pan.  Stir.  The kielbasa may look a little charred.  This is good.
Seed and chunk the pepper.  Dump it into the pan.  Stir. Charring on onions is good.
Peel and mince the garlic.  Scatter it into the pan. Stir. Charring on peppers is good.
Let cook, stirring occasionally until peppers are a bit charred on the edges and onion is almost translucent.
Add tomatoes with their juice.  Stir.
Sprinkle the thyme into the pan. Stir.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium.  Allow to simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.  You'll have a nice bit of sauce in the bottom of the pan.  Taste and add salt or pepper if needed.
Serves 6

Serve over polenta OR hot buttered wide noodles or alongside potatoes.
This meal we had browned onion risotto with it.

 What's cooking in your kitchen?

PLANned Celebration - Chinese New Year

Kung Pao Chicken over Fried Rice

Following a diet Plan doesn't mean going without.  I can, and do, eat anything I want - as long as I don't exceed my daily goals.  This yummy meal stays well within the plan and it is equally yummy using firm soy bean curd instead of chicken.  My husband doesn't care for soy, so I make it with boneless skinless chicken or turkey.  Happy husband, happy wife, happy life.



Ingredients

 I found the original recipe at Hungry Girl, but then made so many changes, that it's pretty much my recipe now.  The ingredients are all staples in my kitchen, so I make this fairly often.  I use frozen stir-fry veggies because everything is already in there, nicely chopped with no waste.  Just be aware of any quick cooking veggies contained in it (in this blend, it's sugar snap peas) and either sort them out to add them later or use them to judge when to add the sauce. I want the peas hot, but not limp and the carrots and broccoli tender-crisp, so I pull the sugar snap peas out of the mix and add them in partway through the cooking time.  Like everything in life, it's a balancing act.

I recommend using a high sided pan to catch spatters. I like using my dutch oven because it's non-stick. I had a wok for a long time and just didn't use it.  I kept reaching for my dutch oven, so I gave the wok away and haven't missed it.

Homemade Fried Rice

Kung Pao Chicken

Very loosely adapted from Hungry Girl
4 servings
Counts for The Plan: 3.5 oz meat, 1 1/3 cup veg., ½ cup fruit, 1 teaspoon oil per serving

12 oz. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 (16 oz.) package frozen stir-fry vegetables
2 Tablespoons water
2 tablespoons dry-roasted unsalted peanuts

Sauce:
2 tablespoons + ¼ cup cold water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 tablespoons reduced-sodium/light soy sauce
3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 clove minced garlic (1 tsp.)
¼ cup Sweet Thai Chili Sauce


1. Cut chicken into ½” cubes. Place in bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons cornstarch; set aside. Bring a Dutch oven or wok to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil; when it shimmers, add chicken, and brown on all sides.

 2. While chicken browns, make the sauce in the same bowl that had the chicken in it. Combine 2 tablespoons cold water with 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth; then add ¼ cup water, soy sauce, vinegar, minced garlic and chili sauce. Stir until all ingredients have dissolved. Set sauce aside.


Serve with Fried Rice or steamed rice (½ cup cooked rice = 3.5 grain).
 

Fried Rice

4 servings

1 cup fried rice = 3.5 oz. grain, ½ cup veg., 1/2 oz. meat

1 cup diced carrot
2 cups leftover cooked rice, cold
3 scallions, sliced, greens and whites separate
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
Pinch 5 spice powder, optional
1 egg
1 cup frozen peas, thawed


Heat large skillet, when hot, spray with non-stick; add the carrot and stir fry 30 seconds. Add rice and white part of scallions, stir fry 2 minutes. Combine sesame oil, soy sauce and 5 spice, sprinkle over rice mixture in skillet. Stir to combine. Push to side of pan. Add egg and scramble. Stir into rice mixture. Add peas; stir into rice. Garnish with green parts of scallions.


3. Stir chicken, add vegetables and 2 tbsp. of water; cover and allow to steam 1 minute. Remove cover and stirring occasionally, cook until water evaporates. Add peanuts. Raise heat to high, stir sauce to get cornstarch off of bottom of bowl, and add to the pan. Stir to coat all ingredients in sauce. Cook and stir until sauce boils and thickens.

PLANned Leftovers: Pork Roast Meal 3 - Pork Paprikash

I had mine without added sour cream.

Remember the pork roast I brined and roasted last week?  I told you I had plans for the leftovers.  The second meal was pulled pork sandwiches which was a great success.  Meal three was tonight: Pork with Paprika, Mushrooms and Sour Cream.  I found it at http://www.kalynskitchen.com/.  She's very creative.  I always enjoy her recipes.  This one is South Beach friendly, which is very close to what I'm trying to accomplish on The Plan.  Her site has one of the most extensive and diverse collections of South Beach recipes I've ever seen.  Highly recommended. By me. Enough said.

Speaking of The Plan, 1 serving (1/4th) of this recipe, with a minor alteration (after trimming, I had 14 ounces of meat, rather than 16 ounces called for in the recipe), clocks in at:

• 3.5 ounces of meat
• 1 1/4 cups vegetables
• 2 1/4 teaspoons oil
• 1/2 cup milk (for 3 tablespoons sour cream)
• I served it over 3 ounces of cooked noodles (counted as grain).

It was delicious!  I loved it.  Walt, not so much.  It reminded him of goulash due to the paprika.  He has a thing about goulash... 

...which didn't keep him from putting a serious dent in his serving before I got back with the camera.  He had his with sour cream, and I wanted to show you the creaminess of the sauce.

I loved the flavor combinations; it did remind me of goulash, but the meat didn't have the succulent fall apart texture of goulash.  It was firm, moist and tender, exactly as I'd hoped, knowing that one of the reasons Walt doesn't like goulash is due to the texture of the beef.  It was also very, very filling and rich.  I could only eat half of my serving - which is a very good thing.  I'm full on less food.  That's a double win for me.

I still have one more pound of roast pork to use up.  Any suggestions?

PLANned Leftovers - Pork Roast Take 2

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Walt was rather surprised when I made a 3 lb. roast for just the two of us.  I had plans for that roast.  Here is dinner number two.  I wanted to make pulled pork, but I wanted it to fit into several requirements:

• moist, fall-apart tender meat
• filling & satisfying
• well balanced flavors
• fit into The Plan - these sandwiches clock in nicely at 4 ounces meat, 4 ounces grain (buns), 1/3 cups vegetables (V8 ), 1/4 cup fruit (BBQ sauce) per 2 sandwich serving




I wanted to use my crock pot to make the meat fall-apart-tender and moist.  But, barbeque sauce will get gluey and burn in extended cooking.  My solution - braise the meat in V8 Juice and add the barbeque sauce at the very end.  It worked perfectly.  The moist cooking made for moist meat. 

I wasn't sure about this idea, so I only made enough for one meal.  We were both sad that it was gone.  I'll be making it again SOON.    Here's what I did:

Pulled Pork from Leftover Roast
8 ounces leftover sliced pork loin roast (about 4 slices)
1 (6 ounce) can Spicy V8 Juice
1/2 cup Sweet Baby Ray's Original Barbeque Sauce
4 (2 ounces each) hamburger buns, 80 calorie or less, such as Healthy Choice brand

Spray the inside of a small crockpot with non-stick.
Pour in the V8 Juice.  Add the pork slices.  Turn them to coat with V8.  You should have a couple overlapping layers of pork.  If you don't, increase the quantities so it doesn't burn*.
Cook on high 3 hours, or on low 5 hours.
Using a potato masher or 2 forks, shred the meat.
Add barbeque sauce; stir to combine.  Recover and allow sauce to heat, about 5 minutes while you toast the buns.  Stir again and serve over toasted buns.

This recipe is so simple that you can double or triple it easily.  *Be careful about the ratio of meat and V8 Juice to the size of your crock pot.  If you have a large crockpot, you'll want to increase the quantities of everything.  You could also put the ingredients into a smaller heatproof container, cover it with foil and set that inside your crockpot. I've never used that method - so I can't comment on how well that works.

We used up the leftover roasted root vegetables as our veggie side.  Next time I'll make my Almost Fat-Free Asian Coleslaw improved version:

Almost Fat-Free Asian Coleslaw 
1/2 cup white corn syrup
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (from the Asian foods aisle)
2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar OR apple cider vinegar
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
1 (16 ounce) bag coleslaw mix, shredded style
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
2 scallions, sliced diagonally

Combine the first 6 ingredients. Add the cole slaw mix. Stir and let sit 30 - 60 minutes. Stir in sesame seeds and scallions just before serving. 4 servings, about 165 calories each

The Plan - Lettuce Wraps

Dinner tonight was Lettuce Wraps.  Man, we love these things!  They fit into "the Plan" very well and they're super easy and fast to make. This recipe makes 8 wraps, 4 servings. It's adapted from a recipe I found on the web, which had too much meat and not enough veggies.

You may need to buy some new-to-you Asian sauces for this recipe, but believe me, you will make this again and again!  The original recipe called for Boston lettuce. I use iceberg lettuce when I make these because we prefer the crunch.  To get perfect cups, core the head with a knife and rinse well under very cold tap water.  Shake off water and set aside to drain in a colander, core side down. The easiest way to get them apart without tearing the leaves: Break off part of a leaf rib and discard, then carefully peel/nudge leaves off, one at a time, removing some of each rib first. Some leaves will tear, save those for salad.  Keep 8 perfect cup shaped ones to use for this recipe.

Fresh ginger is totally worth the price.  In fact, it's far cheaper to buy it fresh and keep it in the freezer to use as needed.  Wrapped in a plastic bag, fresh ginger will keep forever in the freezer.  Take it out and grate it on your large hole microplane while still frozen - no need to peel it for this recipe.  The papery peel disappears into the sauce. If you want to peel it, the edge of a spoon works well and doesn't waste the ginger. Then just re-wrap it and pop it back into the freezer for next time.

I like the stir fry veggies from Aldi.  They come in a 2 lb bag.  Throw out the sauce packet - it's gross.

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

8 ounces ground extra lean turkey, other ground meat or veggie crumbles

1 pound package frozen stir fry veggies, partially thawed and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup water

Sauce

1/3 cup reduced sodium teriyaki sauce, thicker sauces work best for this recipe

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root (you can substitute 2 TEASPOONS ground dried ginger, but it's just not the same!)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon rice vinegar (I use seasoned rice vinegar, white wine vinegar will work in a pinch)

1 tablespoon sesame oil (the brown one from the Asian foods aisle)

1 tablespoon Thai sweet chili sauce

To Serve

2 green onions, chopped (keep white part and tops separate)

8 lettuce leaves

Heat a large skillet over high flame, remove from flame, spray with non-stick.  Return to heat and add the ground turkey. Cook, stirring to break up clumps until no pink remains. Add veggies and water, cover pan, and let veggies steam while you make the sauce.

Combine sauce ingredients, add to skillet. Stir to coat everything with sauce. Bring to a bubble and let simmer 5-7 minutes until sauce thickens. Stir in green onion white parts.


Spoon a 1/2 cup or so into each lettuce cup. Sprinkle with green onion tops.  Fold over sides and eat with your hands.
 
Per 2 wrap serving: 2 ounces meat, 1 1/2 cups veg, 2 1/2 teaspoons oil, 1/4 cup fruit.