Low Fat, Low Calorie Quiche? No way! WAY!

I was recently hired to provide low fat, low calorie meals for someone (more on this later). Now, I'm not a big soy person. I'm a lactose lover from way back. More cream? Yes, please. My little acorn didn't fall far from her tree either. She knows what side her bread is buttered on, and that's the side she eats first, but I digress. I cannibalized this recipe from another source and I was nervous about all the soy ingredients but I have to admit, it was quite delicious. I'm usually wary of recipes that try to replace "real" ingredients with processed, or "fake" versions but these replacements are wholesome. The basic mix makes a base into which you could put any favorite vegetable combination.

Mix together a cup of soy milk, 2 eggs, 2 egg whites, and 1/2 cup shredded soy mozzarella, a large pinch of salt and a good amount of freshly ground pepper.

Saute over medium heat in a non-stick pan in 1tsp of olive oil 1 medium onion, red or yellow, sliced thinly until soft.

Add in 1 large can of artichoke hearts, chopped roughly, with the liquid squeezed out, to the pan with a tsp of chopped tarragon

or

Sauteed sliced zucchini with 1tbsp of chopped fresh basil

or

1 cup of sauteed mushroom with 1tsp of chopped fresh thyme, drained of extra liquid.

or

Any combination you can dream up, as long as it doesn't give off too much liquid or can be drained.

After the vegetable and herb has been added into the pan continue to cook for a couple minutes, then pull the pan off the heat and let the contents cool for a bit. If there's any extra liquid, drain that off.

Pour the egg mixture into a 9" pie dish that is either non-stick or lightly coated in oil (you can use a spray for this) Add in the vegetable mixture and sprinkle another 1/4 cup of the shredded soy mozzarella over the top.

Place the pie dish on a baking sheet and place in a 350 degree oven. Pour some hot water on the baking sheet to create a water bath around the pie dish. Bake for around 45 minutes. If when finished cooking the top is not as brown as you would like, place the quiche briefly under the broiler.

Allow quiche to cool and then slice into 8 servings.

Believe it or not, each serving is only around 100-150 calories and makes a great breakfast or, with a salad, a yummy lunch.

Lettuce Wraps

This recipe is great for after the holidays because it's light, fresh and, while low on calories, is actually big on flavor. It's fast and easy to prepare and kids like it because they get to assemble the pieces themselves.

Slice finely 1/2 a seedless cucumber
Julienne finely 1-2 carrots (peeled)

Slice finely 1/2 -1 red onion

Clean a cup or so of bean sprouts (the fat kind that often come in Chinese food)

Clean 1/2 a bunch of fresh mint and 1/2 a bunch of fresh cilantro

Clean and dry a head of lettuce, something like red leaf or Boston, keeping each leaf whole. You need a lettuce that will hold the ingredients like a tortilla.

For the protein you really have a lot of choices. For this batch I seared and sauteed boneless, skinless chicken thighs with a clove of garlic and then sliced them up for serving. For a vegetarian option tofu would work great, particularly the baked ones you can find in health food stores and Whole foods. You could also use skirt steak, sliced across the grain.


Dressing-
Juice of 1 lime
about a teaspoon of sugar
a couple tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
1/2 a cup or so of canola oil (or some other very light flavored oil)
salt and pepper
Whisk ingredients together and adjust to suit your taste. Should be slightly sweet and limey.






This dish works great with this condiment. (Sweet Chili Sauce) ---)













I serve the wraps with white rice. Simply place all fresh ingredients on a plate together. Serve the protein warm-hot seperately and the dressing on the side. The idea being that people create their own lettuce wrap to suit their personal tastes. Just lay down a leaf of lettuce, stack the other ingredients inside, and roll up in a similar fashion to rolling up a burrito. I will warn you that they tend to be messy and fall a part a bit but you can always scoop up the rest with your rice.

Enjoy!

Tarragon Chicken Salad

This is a nice easy lunch idea to serve to guests.
Using boneless chicken breasts poach the meat in either water or chicken stock. If you poach them in chicken stock then save the stock after because now it will be even richer than before and great to make soup or sauces from later. To poach them simply make sure your liquid covers the meat and very slowly simmer them. I’d say it took about 15 minutes but just cut one open and check it for doneness. Then chill the chicken. When the chicken has cooled chop or tear it up. Add ½ a chopped red onion, 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper. Add mayonnaise until it holds together well. Chop up about 2 tablespoons of tarragon and then add it in, tasting as you go, until it seems like enough to you.
You can add in halved grapes. I served ours on croissants and with red grapes on the side.

Arroz con Pollo

Several years ago I travelled to San Juan, PR and had an Arroz con Pollo that I’ve told many a friend “changed my life”. Alright, so that might be a slight exaggeration, but it was remarkably tasty and I came back determined to figure out how to do it at home. I think I’ve come up with a version that’s pretty faithful to the original that inspired it.
Remember that no matter what this is a truly homespun dish and you should feel free to adjust, add or subtract where ever you see fit.

In a Dutch oven brown off 4 chicken thighs and 4 chicken legs (you can use other parts but these stay moist and are more flavorful) in a little olive oil over high heat and set aside. Remember to season (salt and pepper) everything as you go along. If there is an excessive amount of oil left pour some off and then in that same pot lightly brown some chorizo, sliced about 1/4 inch thick(about two handfuls). Put that aside with the chicken. Dice up one medium yellow onion and crush three cloves of garlic and cook in the oils left in the pot (again, pour off some if it’s too much) with a generous pinch of saffron until the onions are soft but not brown. Add in some chopped up red pimentos (roasted red pepper), again, about a handful, and another handful each of green olives and capers. Put in one bay leaf. Chop coarsely a handful of cilantro and dump that in too. Now add three cups of water or chicken stock and two cups of medium grain white rice (this is the one item that I think it’s important to follow exactly. Medium grain rice has a very particular quality to it that works amazing for this dish. Usually the Latino brands will be the one that have this grain (Goya, etc)) Let this come to a boil, stir once, add back in the chorizo and then sink the chicken pieces into the boiling liquid so just the top surface is sticking out being careful not to push rice out of the liquid. Now cover the pot and stick the whole thing in an oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. When you take it out do not open the lid right away. Let in sit for 15-20 minutes or so. Then serve! It’s a one pot meal but adding a fresh green salad to the menu is a nice side.

Man, this stuff is gooooooood!!!

http://www.bonesuckin.com/

I just want to take a moment to make a shout out to this BBQ sauce company. I bought a jar on a whim at Fairway in Brooklyn many months ago and it got shoved to the back of the cabinet. Brought it out the other night when we got ahold of some beautiful spare ribs (small farm, organic, and deelicious!). This is hands down the best jarred BBQ sauce I've ever tasted. It took me right back to some of the real deal BBQ joints I've been to. The kind that make it from scratch, which, having read the ingredient list, is exactly what this stuff is.

Chickpea Salad

This is super easy. There is no cooking involved. This salad makes a great side dish for pork chops or with chicken. It would also be ideal with a hanger or skirt steak.

Open two cans of chickpeas and drain them and then give them a little rinse. Combine the chickpeas in a bowl with a couple tablespoons of finely chopped red onion, one diced tomato, a couple tablespoons of chopped cilantro, one clove of garlic really finely minced or put through a garlic press and somewhere around a cup of frozen corn, defrosted. Make a dressing of one tablespoon of mayonnaise, the juice of one juicy lime and a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil (or canola, etc). Mix the dressing together and pour over the salad and toss together. Salt and pepper to taste.

If you don’t like mayonnaise you can skip it and up the oil a little. This salad works fine without the corn too, if you don’t have any on hand.

Pork Roast with Apples and Onions

This meal turned out amazing, if I do say so myself. The pork roast I used was one from a small organic farm so that makes a big difference in the richness of the meat and especially the fat. Try to find something like that because it really is worth it and better for everyone. Berkshire pigs are always delicious. I’m not really sure the exact cut because it just said roast but I would bet, judging by the meat, that it was part of the shoulder.

Peel and cut up two apples into about inch thick slices. Slice up half of an onion. Season the roast well with salt and pepper. You can use some sage or do what I did and just use a little Bell’s seasoning. I love Bell’s not only for the versatility of it but also it's quaint old fashioned packaging. Sear the roast well. I used the cast iron skillet for this dish, another kitchen item I absolutely adore. After you have a good sear on the meat take it out and put aside. Drain off most of the fat and pour in half a bottle of beer, preferably a lager or ale, something with a little body to it, and scrape the bottom of the pan with a large spoon or a spatula to release the tasty brown bits in the pan. Throw the apples and onions in with some salt and pepper, toss around a little and then place the roast on top. Put in an oven at 375. It’ll probably take around an hour. Check the internal temperature and take out when it reaches between 150 and 160. Let the roast rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting in. Resting meat is an important part of keeping it moist.

I served it with collard greens and sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes I just put in the oven directly on the rack alongside the roast. I used to cover sweet potatoes with foil but recently I was out of it and did it without and found them to be even tastier.

For the collard greens I just chopped them up coarsely and diced an onion finely. I cooked the onion in a little olive oil in a large pot at a low temperature until they were soft and then added the collards to the pot with salt and pepper. Then I added a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and a little water and cooked the collards until they were good and soft.