Vegetable-Cheese Mini Quiches

This recipe is from my South Beach Diet cookbook and was my breakfast standby for the few months I spent on the South Beach Diet back in the fall of 2003. A few words, first, about my fling with the SBD. It was successful from a weight loss standpoint; I lost 26 pounds in about two and a half months (I went from 220 to 194. Kind of remarkable to consider that I've now lost over 40 pounds more from my lowest weight on the SBD). However, almost as soon as I faltered with the diet (wouldn't you know, right around the holidays...it is impossible to avoid carbs at Christmas) the weight started creeping back on. In the end it was too restrictive. I couldn't meet its demands. Now I know that any diet that tells me I'm never allowed to eat ice cream or have pizza again for the rest of my life is a diet I want nothing to do with. I did learn some good eating habits from my stint with the SBD. I started using whole wheat pasta and brown rice. I reintroduced the vegetable side dish. But my completely sedentary lifestyle and overwhelmingly poor eating habits (brown rice notwithstanding) got me in the end.

Anyway, since I've been shaking up my routine (with startling positive results!) by switching to Core I thought I would drag this old favorite out and give it a try again. That and I ran out of fruit to mix in with my breakfast yogurt and I haven't gone to the grocery store yet this week. It has become absolutely imperative that I go tonight BECAUSE WE ARE OUT OF BOOZE. I'm talking about our normal supply of gin and vodka which are always in the freezer ready to be mixed into whatever strikes our fancy that night. This is situation critical, people. I can't even have a Cosmo after work, for crying out loud. Cranberry juice plus Cointreau and a splash of lime juice just...isn't...the...same. We drank the last two beers in the house last night while eating popcorn and watching Kill Bill: Vol. 2 which is a Netflix disc that has been sitting around for about a month. (Speedy Netflix turnaround is not our forté.) Needless to say, without the gin or vodka (my base of choice), well, our liquor cabinet doesn't really lend itself to much. We have a lot of weird stuff (Dubonnet (rouge et blanc), Pernod, Chartreuse (green and yellow), Galliano, Midori, Limoncello (and Orangecello), Amaretto, Frangelico, Chambord, Calvados, Grand Marnier, various vermouths, blue Curacao, Tuaca, Kirschwasser, a large selection of the crème de family, and some other things lurking at the very back of the cupboard which I am sure I am forgetting) which are all quite tasty...but not by themselves. Ever had green Chartreuse straight up? Yuck!

On to the quiches:

Ingredients:

• 1 10-oz box frozen chopped spinach
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
  
• 1 cup reduced-fat or fat-free shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup egg substitute

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin(s) with 12 foil cups (very important to use FOIL as the paper ones will turn into a big soggy mess, which I learned through highly aggravated experience).

Microwave frozen spinach (sans foil wrapper but still in box) on high for 2 1/2 minutes. Remove spinach from box into a strainer and press out excess water.

Combine spinach, onion, bell pepper, cheese, and egg substitute in a bowl. Distribute evenly among foil liners. If you want, top off each cup with a bit more egg substitute. I did it because I had half of the pint carton left and just wanted to use it up. Hey, it's egg substitute, so it's not bad for me, right? Besides, the extra layer of egg substitute on top kind of makes them look more like real quiches.

Bake for 20 minutes, cool, then remove quiches foil and all. They keep nicely in a sealed container in the fridge and are very portable. Just remember to remove the foil when microwaving! I find that 20 seconds on high makes them nice and toasty.

Baked Chicken and Rice

This is one of my favorite one-dish dinners. This version is perfect for 2 (I halved it from the original Real Simple recipe).

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup long-grain white rice
  
• 1 cup canned diced tomatoes (I prefer no-salt-added brands)
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts

Heat oven to 400° F.

In a large bowl, combine the rice, tomatoes and their juices, broth, orange juice, parsley, onion, garlic, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Transfer mixture to a square glass baking dish. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Nestle the chicken pieces among the rice mixture. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and rice is tender, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven. Let stand for 5 minutes. Spoon the rice and chicken into individual bowls.

CALORIES 140(2% from fat); FAT 23g (sat 0g); SUGAR 4g; PROTEIN 4g; CHOLESTEROL 0mg; SODIUM 763mg; FIBER 2g; CARBOHYDRATE 28g (approximate Weight Watchers Points per serving: 4)

Once again, I like to use brown rice in place of white rice whenever possible. For this recipe I get a pot of brown rice going while I prep everything else; then, when the brown rice has precooked for about 20-25 minutes, I drain it and add it to the tomato-onion mixture and proceed as written. I also flip the chicken breasts over about halfway through baking and give the rice mixture a stir to ensure even cooking.

Smoky & Creamy Corn Soup

Yum, can I say, yum! for this one. Also extremely healthy. And very fast and easy. The only prep is cutting up the vegetables; everything else comes from a package.

(From Weight Watchers All-Time Favorites cookbook.)

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
• 1 16-oz bag frozen yellow corn kernels
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4-1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 2 tsp olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery and saute, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes until the vegetables are slightly browned. Add the corn kernels, 1 cup of vegetable broth, and the chipotle chili powder to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. Transfer soup mixture in batches to a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Return soup to original pot, add remaining 3 cups of vegetable broth, and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes until heated through. Serves 4 (1 1/2 cup servings).

Now, what I did differently was instead of completely puréeing the entire soup mixture I briefly spun half of it in the blender so that some chunkiness was retained. I like my soups to have some bite, you know? There were still whole corn kernels in it. Then I really puréed the remaining half. I also only added two cups of vegetable broth at the end because the soup looked thin enough already. The chipotle chili powder provides the interesting smoky flavor, but I'm sure regular chili powder would do in a pinch. I was fortunate to find some chipotle powder (McCormick brand) at the grocery store. I also courted kitchen disaster by not letting the soup cool before transferring it to the blender!

Rosemary Chicken with Wild Rice

Another one of Weight Watchers' one-dish dinners that I've incorporated into my meal plans. The combination of orange marmalade, rosemary, and Dijon mustard might sound weird but it's really good.

Ingredients:

• 2 smallish-sized boneless/skinless chicken breasts (about 4 ounces each or a total weight of 1/2 pound), cut into 3/4- to 1-inch cubes
  
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
• 3 tbsp sugar-free or reduced-sugar orange marmalade
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup wild rice
  
• Salt & pepper

Begin cooking the rice; most wild rice takes close to an hour to fully cook so you can use this time to prep the rest of the ingredients and still have time to kick back in front of the TV, read the newspaper, do some laundry, play with the cats...

With about 15 minutes left of rice cooking time, heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken and carrots and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the rosemary and continue cooking for 4 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the orange marmalade, mustard, salt, and pepper; stir to combine and cook for 3 minutes. The rice should be done now; drain any excess water and add the rice to the chicken mixture. Stir to combine and serve.

Makes enough for two good-sized portions. According to my Weight Watchers cookbook, a "generous" 1 cup of the stuff is 6 WW Points.

In other news I must be doing something right because the scale this morning said 161.4. That's a full 4-plus pounds less than what it said on Tuesday. I've been very carefully tracking Points and not going over my daily allowance because I am so determined to reach Goal before the end of the year. If my scale is to be trusted I have 6 more pounds to lose.

Watch for a picture post the first day I slip under 160 pounds, territory that hasn't been visited in 11 years.

Gumbo!

First of all, let me just say thank you to the various folks who emerged from the woodwork and left comments in my previous post! I was very glad to "meet" you!

Second, this dish has become a staple in our house. It's a Weight Watchers recipe, but I've tweaked it slightly to fit my tastes.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp canola oil
  
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 white onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
  
• 6 scallions, sliced
  
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 14.5-oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning or 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  
• 1 bay leaf
• salt
  
• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 1/2 lb cooked shrimp
• 1 turkey kielbasa link, sliced (I don't know the exact weight but it's one link from a package of two Oscar Mayer brand turkey polska kielbasa)

Get the brown rice going while preparing the rest of the dish. The rice will go into the pot with the rest of the stuff after a while. My brown rice (Lundberg long-grain) takes about 50 minutes to cook fully, so factor the cooking time of your rice into the recipe. I set my timer for the rice cooking time and use that as the basis for the rest of the dish.

Heat the canola oil in a soup pot or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper, onion, celery, scallion, and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomato, chicken broth, spices, and bay leaf. Salt to taste, stir to combine, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 15 minutes.

When the brown rice has about 20 minutes left to cook, add it to the vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Cover and continue cooking. With about five minutes left on the rice cooking time, add the kielbasa slices and shrimp and simmer uncovered for the remainder of the time.

Makes 4 servings.

French Green Lentil Soup

I haven't posted many recipes here which was one of the things I intended to do with this blog so here's one.

FRENCH GREEN LENTIL SOUP
(from Bon Appetit magazine, December 2006)

1 1/4 cups French green lentils, rinsed and drained
2 cups diced white onion
1 cup sliced celery stalk
1 cup sliced carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp olive oil
Balsamic vinegar (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, lentils, and tomatoes. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Transfer 2 cups of soup (mostly solids) to a blender and puree until smooth. Return puree to soup pot and stir. Season with salt and pepper and a splash of vinegar (if desired).

This is sort of the basic recipe; many things can be added to it according to one's individual tastes or desires. For example, last night I browned ~1/2 pound of turkey breakfast sausage links in a separate frying pan, cut them into chunks, and added them into the soup after the pureé step.

I think the next time I make this I want to experiment with some other seasonings. S&P are all well and good but I think it needs something a little more zesty.

And lastly, why French green lentils (specialty) and not just plain old green or brown lentils one can find at any grocery store? It's worth seeking them out because their flavor is more intense and earthy than other lentils. The recipe is timed to accommodate the longer cooking time and more robust structural integrity of French green lentils so I can't vouch for what might happen if one used another kind of lentil. Lentil mush, maybe? I buy my French green lentils in bulk at the Ann Arbor Whole Foods store. However, I see that Bob's Red Mill has packaged French green lentils (I love Bob's Red Mill! I put his ground flaxseed meal into all kinds of things).

Asian-style Noodle Soup

I made this for dinner last night. It's not a Weight Watchers recipe; it came from The Low-Carb Bible cookbook. It's very easy, cheap, and fast. Oh, and healthy. All the things I look for in my food these days.

Ingredients:

• 1 3-ounce package of Ramen noodles (discard flavor packet)
• 3/4 lb chicken breast tenders, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  
• 2 cups (16 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth (I use Swanson's Natural Goodness Low-Sodium)
  
• 1/2 cup fresh snow peas, cut in half

Cook the Ramen noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Combine the chicken tenders and chicken broth in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the carrot, green onion, garlic, and ginger and stir to combine. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add the Ramen noodles and snow peas and simmer for 1 minute.

Makes 2 hearty to 4 small servings.

I decided while eating that the next time I make this I will add some more spices and maybe up the amount of ginger. I could barely taste it. Perhaps some cayenne pepper, or a little bit of cumin, coriander, or some mustard seeds. And top it off with some shredded basil.

Pasta with Vodka Cream Sauce

I'm posting this recipe as an example of the kind of food I have been eating since I started Weight Watchers. This is a WW recipe (from the Simply the Best: Italian cookbook). Hard to believe, right? It is so good, and so easy and fast to make (it takes longer for the pasta water to boil than it does to make the whole meal!). I made it for dinner last night.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces "short" pasta (penne, rigatoni, gemelli, fusili, etc.)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• 3 shallots, minced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  
• 2 tbsp vodka
• 1/4 cup cream
• 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Get a pot of salted water going for the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce:

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened. Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and add the vodka and cream. Stir to combine and do not let the mixture boil. Once the pasta is done, drain and add it to the sauce in the skillet. Toss to combine. Serve topped with the parsley and Parmesan. (Makes 2 generous to 4 small servings.) Yum!