Magical Leek Soup
From Glorious Food and Wine's blog
1 point per 1/4 batch: 77 calories, 2.5g fiber, .5g fat
Showing posts with label vegan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegan. Show all posts
Monday, April 7, 2008
Leek Soup - 1 pt
I had some leeks left over from a shrimp dish I made this weekend (I even got pictures(!), though you probably won't see it til next week) and lo and behold, perusing my food blogs I find a recipe from Glorious Food and Wine for leek soup! This is another recipe that requires no modifications to be a single point for 1/4 of a serving. As I haven't made my soup yet, I have no idea how much it makes, but basically you can eat as much as you want.
Magical Leek Soup
From Glorious Food and Wine's blog
1 point per 1/4 batch: 77 calories, 2.5g fiber, .5g fat
Magical Leek Soup
From Glorious Food and Wine's blog
1 point per 1/4 batch: 77 calories, 2.5g fiber, .5g fat
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Roasted Grape Tomatoes - 3 pts
Hooray! Finally a recipe that requires no modifications! Angies Pangies made this lovely recipe for roasted grape tomatoes, and you can eat an entire pint of them (and their accessories) for just 3 points. I know a pint of grape tomatoes is free, but there's something about food that is a) served hot, and b) roasted grape tomatoes that is just so delicious and satisfying. Pair with some whole wheat pasta of your choice and make it a meal!
Roasted Grape Tomatoes
By Angies Pangies
3 points for 1/2 batch: 166 calories, 4.2g fiber, 6.8g fat
Roasted Grape Tomatoes
By Angies Pangies
3 points for 1/2 batch: 166 calories, 4.2g fiber, 6.8g fat
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Miso Hungry Mushroom Soup - 2 pts
I spent last night with a friend who made me a fantastic mushroom soup. You're probably thinking of the reconstituted Campbell's variety that was so prevalent in mid-century cooking, but it's not that nasty stuff. Now in all fairness, I refuse to try it, so it could taste good, but the idea is a total turn-off. This recipe is just as easy, a hundred times fresher, and only 2 points for a huge bowl of the stuff. You won't regret this.
The proportions here aren't terribly important, just make it to taste. Does the pound of mushrooms seem a bit much? Use fewer. Don't like onion? Leave it out. You can easily add veggies to this, but the mushroom, garlic, onion and scallions are the "true" miso ingredients (at least according to the bowls I have at Americanized Asian restaurants). I suggested putting a dash of fish sauce in there for a bit of Asian authenticity, but sometimes I leave it out of recipes just because I don't want my pantry to smell like fermented fish for the next week, so I can imagine that would deter some people from putting it in there at all.
Allie's Miso Hungry Mushroom Soup
Adapted from watching Allie make it
1 lb mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
1 onion
1 tsp olive oil
8 c veggie, chicken or beef broth (bouillon works just fine)
1/4 - 1/2 c soy sauce (reduced sodium has fewer calories, but this isn't terribly caloric to begin with)
dash of fish sauce (if available and desired)
6 stalks scallions
Heat up the olive oil in a large pot (it has to hold about 2 quarts of broth alone, let that be a guide). Slice your mushrooms, press your garlic, and slice your onion into thin little rings and strings, then toss them in and sautee for a bit. Once the onion is starting to get translucent, add in your broth.
Now this part is important: first, give it a little taste. Next, add the soy sauce, one tablespoon at a time, until the proportions are to your liking (and the fish sauce too, if that's your thing). NOW you can bring the pot to a light boil. Keep an eye on it, and when your mushrooms are done, your soup is done.
Slice the scallions into those little scallion rings and sprinkle into the soup. Serve and enjoy!
2 points per 2.5 cup serving (1/4 batch): 128 calories, 4.5g fiber, .4g fat
The proportions here aren't terribly important, just make it to taste. Does the pound of mushrooms seem a bit much? Use fewer. Don't like onion? Leave it out. You can easily add veggies to this, but the mushroom, garlic, onion and scallions are the "true" miso ingredients (at least according to the bowls I have at Americanized Asian restaurants). I suggested putting a dash of fish sauce in there for a bit of Asian authenticity, but sometimes I leave it out of recipes just because I don't want my pantry to smell like fermented fish for the next week, so I can imagine that would deter some people from putting it in there at all.
Allie's Miso Hungry Mushroom Soup
Adapted from watching Allie make it
1 lb mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
1 onion
1 tsp olive oil
8 c veggie, chicken or beef broth (bouillon works just fine)
1/4 - 1/2 c soy sauce (reduced sodium has fewer calories, but this isn't terribly caloric to begin with)
dash of fish sauce (if available and desired)
6 stalks scallions
Heat up the olive oil in a large pot (it has to hold about 2 quarts of broth alone, let that be a guide). Slice your mushrooms, press your garlic, and slice your onion into thin little rings and strings, then toss them in and sautee for a bit. Once the onion is starting to get translucent, add in your broth.
Now this part is important: first, give it a little taste. Next, add the soy sauce, one tablespoon at a time, until the proportions are to your liking (and the fish sauce too, if that's your thing). NOW you can bring the pot to a light boil. Keep an eye on it, and when your mushrooms are done, your soup is done.
Slice the scallions into those little scallion rings and sprinkle into the soup. Serve and enjoy!
2 points per 2.5 cup serving (1/4 batch): 128 calories, 4.5g fiber, .4g fat
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Fake Food Thursday - Liquid Butter Substitute
I'd like to point out that, "Fake Food Thursday" would have way better alliteration if I had an urban Brit accent. So think of Ali G saying it.
I'm going to use Thursdays to highlight products that are great substitutes or fit surprisingly well into the plan. I compare my points A LOT at the grocery store, and often times you can save yourself a point or even two a serving by buying the right brand of what at first glance appears to be the exact same thing. These aren't actually fake food, but that's more fun than, say, Substitution Sunday or Mow On This Monday (is it 'mow?' maybe 'mau' or 'mao?')
The first product I want to feature is one that gets a lot of buzz and has a bit of controversy around it . . . I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray. This little pump bottle gets people stoked because 5 spritzes are free! Needless to say this sounds a little too good to be true, and it is. First of all, the serving size is half what I use on a single piece of toast. Secondly, people dump it all over everything they eat. But I think every meeting my leader mentions how there's 900 calories in that 8oz bottle of spray, so is there a suitable alternative?
Why yes there is! I did a little digging and found a product called Smart Beat Smart Squeeze and did some comparison work. ICBINB is all well and good to spritz, but how does it measure up in terms of the tablespoon I put on my piece of toast? Check it out.
Butter Comparison Per 1 Tbsp Serving
Did you see something there? SOMETHING INCREDIBLE? Yes, that's right, ICBINB is great for portioning out butter, but if you're going to do that you're better off spritzing full fat butter through that nozzle because it will actually be FEWER points. I'm renaming this product to I Can't Believe It Has More Calories Than Butter Spray.
The good news is that Smart Beat business starts to look pretty good. It's carried at Shaw's and is a truly good substitute in cooking, though you wouldn't be able to use it in baking and it sticks to pans, so don't throw away your nonstick spray just yet. Maybe there's something to be said about curbing down fat cravings, but if you're dipping your pizza crusts in this stuff anyway, Smart Beat's your best bet.
That said, Smart Balance blends, the sticks that are half Smart Beat and half real butter have the same nutrition content as butter. So read and compare every label. It's also worth noting that Smart Balance tastes great and carries organic and vegan butter as well, carrying universal appeal to diets of all kinds.
I'm going to use Thursdays to highlight products that are great substitutes or fit surprisingly well into the plan. I compare my points A LOT at the grocery store, and often times you can save yourself a point or even two a serving by buying the right brand of what at first glance appears to be the exact same thing. These aren't actually fake food, but that's more fun than, say, Substitution Sunday or Mow On This Monday (is it 'mow?' maybe 'mau' or 'mao?')
The first product I want to feature is one that gets a lot of buzz and has a bit of controversy around it . . . I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray. This little pump bottle gets people stoked because 5 spritzes are free! Needless to say this sounds a little too good to be true, and it is. First of all, the serving size is half what I use on a single piece of toast. Secondly, people dump it all over everything they eat. But I think every meeting my leader mentions how there's 900 calories in that 8oz bottle of spray, so is there a suitable alternative?
Why yes there is! I did a little digging and found a product called Smart Beat Smart Squeeze and did some comparison work. ICBINB is all well and good to spritz, but how does it measure up in terms of the tablespoon I put on my piece of toast? Check it out.
| Calories | Fat | WW Points | |
| Real Butter | 100 | 45 | 3 |
| Land O Lakes Light Butter | 45 | 5 | 1.5 |
| I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray | 113 | 13 | 3.5 |
| Smart Beat Smart Squeeze (by Smart Balance) | 13 | 1 | .5 |
Did you see something there? SOMETHING INCREDIBLE? Yes, that's right, ICBINB is great for portioning out butter, but if you're going to do that you're better off spritzing full fat butter through that nozzle because it will actually be FEWER points. I'm renaming this product to I Can't Believe It Has More Calories Than Butter Spray.
The good news is that Smart Beat business starts to look pretty good. It's carried at Shaw's and is a truly good substitute in cooking, though you wouldn't be able to use it in baking and it sticks to pans, so don't throw away your nonstick spray just yet. Maybe there's something to be said about curbing down fat cravings, but if you're dipping your pizza crusts in this stuff anyway, Smart Beat's your best bet.
That said, Smart Balance blends, the sticks that are half Smart Beat and half real butter have the same nutrition content as butter. So read and compare every label. It's also worth noting that Smart Balance tastes great and carries organic and vegan butter as well, carrying universal appeal to diets of all kinds.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The Ubiquitous Portabella Mushroom Burger - 1 pt
This is one I thought I came up with on my own, but apparently it's a big seller in the WW community—and with good reason. I find it hard to work meat into my diet on WW, particularly beef, which is really the only kind I like. Portabellas are nice and meaty and practically calorie-free. I find them to be an extremely satisfying addition to dinner, almost like fast-food for dessert. I eat them without bread, as the bread just seems to get in the way and adds unnecessary points (but feel free to throw it on a slice of WW toast if that's your thing, just don't forget the added points).
I couldn't find a lot of details on HOW to cook the mushroom, so here's what I do. You'll notice the points are not 0, which is what they usually claim this burger is worth, but I included all condiments, the broth and veggies and it works out to 1pt. Still not bad, right?
The Ubiquitous Portabella Mushroom Burger
1 Portabella mushroom cap
1/4 c chicken broth (or veggie broth)
2 slices tomato
1 slice onion, chopped
1 leaf lettuce
ketchup
mustard
Optional for .5 pt: 1 slice fat free cheese (Kraft takes a decent stab at this, but it only tastes good when melted)
Rub the mushroom with a paper towel to get all the dirt off. I'd read that mushrooms have enough moisture without being rinsed, and anyway, I never found that rinsing mushrooms worked particularly well in terms of the moist soil all over them. Take a few jabs at the mushroom with a knife, this lets the moisture out and keeps the mushroom from burning too easily. Heat up a little bit of the chicken broth in a nonstick pan, then add the mushroom. Cover with a lid and let cook about 15 minutes. Check up on it every five minutes or so and add more broth as needed.
Once the mushroom seems reasonably done, throw a slice of the cheese on there if you want it and put the lid back on til it's melted. Then put your patty in a bowl, smear some ketchup and mustard over it, then top with onions, tomato and lettuce. It tastes so much like a burger it's remarkable.
1 point per serving(without cheese): 79 calories, 1.9g fiber, .1g fat
1.5 points per serving with cheese: 109 calories, 1.9g fiber, .1 g fat
I couldn't find a lot of details on HOW to cook the mushroom, so here's what I do. You'll notice the points are not 0, which is what they usually claim this burger is worth, but I included all condiments, the broth and veggies and it works out to 1pt. Still not bad, right?
The Ubiquitous Portabella Mushroom Burger
1 Portabella mushroom cap
1/4 c chicken broth (or veggie broth)
2 slices tomato
1 slice onion, chopped
1 leaf lettuce
ketchup
mustard
Optional for .5 pt: 1 slice fat free cheese (Kraft takes a decent stab at this, but it only tastes good when melted)
Rub the mushroom with a paper towel to get all the dirt off. I'd read that mushrooms have enough moisture without being rinsed, and anyway, I never found that rinsing mushrooms worked particularly well in terms of the moist soil all over them. Take a few jabs at the mushroom with a knife, this lets the moisture out and keeps the mushroom from burning too easily. Heat up a little bit of the chicken broth in a nonstick pan, then add the mushroom. Cover with a lid and let cook about 15 minutes. Check up on it every five minutes or so and add more broth as needed.
Once the mushroom seems reasonably done, throw a slice of the cheese on there if you want it and put the lid back on til it's melted. Then put your patty in a bowl, smear some ketchup and mustard over it, then top with onions, tomato and lettuce. It tastes so much like a burger it's remarkable.
1 point per serving(without cheese): 79 calories, 1.9g fiber, .1g fat
1.5 points per serving with cheese: 109 calories, 1.9g fiber, .1 g fat
Monday, March 17, 2008
Greek Pasta - 6.5 pts
In college I got this cookbook of quick (and cheap!) meals for Kids Who Are Just Moving Into An Apartment Where Mom Doesn't Cook, and it was fantastic. I had two copies, gave one away, and somehow lost my own, until I found the UNH Good Eats website which had all the recipes right there! Woohoo!
One of my favourite meals of all time (and truth be told, I've never made it for anyone who didn't love it) is Greek Style Pasta. This one doesn't require many modifications to add up to about 7 pts per serving, and we're talking big servings here—1/4 of a batch. I halved the amount of pasta to 1/2 lb, since the sauce is so delicious that I sometimes even eat it alone. Still, having a little bit of carbiness in there helps make you feel fuller.
Also, don't be scared of the spinach. This is an excellent dish if you think you don't like spinach because it's fresh and just barely wilted. The result is an unobtrusive flavour that doesn't make everything taste like dirt and almost has a cheesey sort of taste to it. If you're reheating this, however, I'd recommend leaving out the spinach til it's go time. More on that later.
Feta was included in the original recipe, but didn't seem to add much to the flavour. It's amazing how such a simple dish can be so delicious!
Greek Style Pasta
Adapted from UNH's Good Eats: Quick & Easy Food for Busy College Students
1 tsp olive oil
4 minced or pressed garlic cloves
1 x 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp Kosher salt
1 x 15-19oz can cannellini drained & rinsed
10 oz coarsely chopped fresh baby spinach
8 oz penne pasta (I used Dreamfields to calculate points)
Cook your pasta. While it's cooking, heat oil in a large pot and cook garlic for a minute. The large pot will be very helpful later one when you're trying to add a full bag of spinach to the mix and don't want it to flop out all over your stove. Add the full can of tomatoes, juice and all, the beans that have been rinsed, and your spices. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer, cook uncovered 10 minutes.
If you're making some of this for later on, remove that portion now. The spinach doesn't reheat well, and you're better off nuking the leftovers, then stirring in the fresh spinach at that point.
Now, scale the spinach to whatever you're keeping. So if you're serving half the batch tonight, then you'll want to throw in only half the spinach. Stir it in until it's just barely wilted, then remove from heat and serve on the pasta that is probably done by now.
Enjoy!
6.5 points per 1/4 batch: 355 calories, 16g fiber, 1g fat
One of my favourite meals of all time (and truth be told, I've never made it for anyone who didn't love it) is Greek Style Pasta. This one doesn't require many modifications to add up to about 7 pts per serving, and we're talking big servings here—1/4 of a batch. I halved the amount of pasta to 1/2 lb, since the sauce is so delicious that I sometimes even eat it alone. Still, having a little bit of carbiness in there helps make you feel fuller.
Also, don't be scared of the spinach. This is an excellent dish if you think you don't like spinach because it's fresh and just barely wilted. The result is an unobtrusive flavour that doesn't make everything taste like dirt and almost has a cheesey sort of taste to it. If you're reheating this, however, I'd recommend leaving out the spinach til it's go time. More on that later.
Feta was included in the original recipe, but didn't seem to add much to the flavour. It's amazing how such a simple dish can be so delicious!
Greek Style Pasta
Adapted from UNH's Good Eats: Quick & Easy Food for Busy College Students
1 tsp olive oil
4 minced or pressed garlic cloves
1 x 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp Kosher salt
1 x 15-19oz can cannellini drained & rinsed
10 oz coarsely chopped fresh baby spinach
8 oz penne pasta (I used Dreamfields to calculate points)
Cook your pasta. While it's cooking, heat oil in a large pot and cook garlic for a minute. The large pot will be very helpful later one when you're trying to add a full bag of spinach to the mix and don't want it to flop out all over your stove. Add the full can of tomatoes, juice and all, the beans that have been rinsed, and your spices. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer, cook uncovered 10 minutes.
If you're making some of this for later on, remove that portion now. The spinach doesn't reheat well, and you're better off nuking the leftovers, then stirring in the fresh spinach at that point.
Now, scale the spinach to whatever you're keeping. So if you're serving half the batch tonight, then you'll want to throw in only half the spinach. Stir it in until it's just barely wilted, then remove from heat and serve on the pasta that is probably done by now.
Enjoy!
6.5 points per 1/4 batch: 355 calories, 16g fiber, 1g fat
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