Good Cooking 101

1Fast400 Forums > Diet & Nutrition

Posted by: Christopher78374 Sep 15 2005, 06:39 PM

OK this is my first recipe post of what I hope will be many more. Thanks to sdf for egging me on. I will start posting some of my favorites each week along with some cooking tips or answer questions that anyone has. I am not a professional chef, but I spend a ton of time in the kitchen and hope to some day open my own small café. So you can take my advice with a grain of salt if ya want to.

Lets get some of the basics out of the way.

1. Always assume that the ingredients are fresh unless stated otherwise. Most canning and preservation processes kill important nutrients in foods so I like to use fresh as often as possible. Yes you have to go to the store every 3 days or so, but if you want to get the most out of your food you will do it. You spend all that time working out, why slack in the kitchen. All it will do it make it harder to stick to that diet plan.

2. Stop cooking everything based off the Kelvin scale. For most all foods medium to medium high heat is all that will ever be needed. Cook the food only until the desired doneness is reached. The rarer that you can stand the food with it being safe to eat the better. This goes for veggies too. If they are falling apart chances are you over cooked them. The less you cook them the more intact the nutrients will remain.

3. Plan out your meals. You will find it much easier to prepare and shop if you plan your meals out ahead. I am not talking about setting a diet that says eat 200g carbs a day. What I mean is sit down and plan out your entire meal plan for 2 weeks at a time, meal by meal. You will end up spending less money when you go to the store. I used to spend $150 a week on food and now I am down to $80 without sacrificing anything. Actually I now eat much more fresh and healthy foods. What I found was that I essentially bought a lot of stuff that I never got around to cooking so it was wasted.

4. Organic or Not? I try to buy organic whenever possible. I think the food tastes better and is better for you. Many local supermarkets are starting to carry organic fruits but I don’t see the trend into other areas yet. I know that HEB has entire organic sections now but you may have to find a local specialty market. The prices will be a little more, but if you are planning your meals you will be able to recoup those costs.

5. KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid. I live by this in the kitchen now. The more complex and time consuming your recipes are the harder it is to get motivated to cook. Save the fancy stuff for the weekends when you have time to prepare and you will enjoy cooking much more.

Ok so with all that out of the way lets get down to business.

Pineapple Grilled Shrimp with Fire Roasted Corn Salsa

2 corn on the cob
4-6 ripe roma tomatoes
Cilantro
Lime
Onion (I like yellow)
¼ tsp cumin
½ tsp paprika
Optional:
Bell Pepper
Avacado
Garlic
Hot Pepper for kick (jalapeño, I like cerano for more reliable and even heat etc.)

½ lb Shrimp peeled and de-veined.
Garlic - Crushed
Pineapple
Lite Soy 1 tbl
Olive Oil 1 tbl
Pepper
Sea salt
Skewers (metal or I prefer wood)

Stick your skewers in water to cover them.

Shuck the corn and toss it on the grill over medium flame. Turn it as the corn turns black\brown. I usually just go back inside and prepare something else and check it every 5 or 6 minutes. Chop up the roma tomatoes, onion and cilantro. I like cilantro so I use a half of a bunch you might want to use a quarter. The trick to chopping cilantro is to kind of fold it up, or roll it and then slice it. Don’t include the stems they taste like ass. Go turn your corn. Toss everything into a bowl and squeeze half a lime over the top. Stir it up and sprinkle the cumin and paprika over the salsa. Go get your corn and let it cool.

Chop up the pineapple into bit sized pieces. Crush about ¼ cup into a plastic bowl. (acids do funny stuff in steel bowls so use plastics or glass for marinades with citrus) Toss in your shrimp, oil, soy, garlic, pepper and salt. Stir it up real good and let it sit.

Cut the corn off of the cob now. Ditch the cob. Mix the corn into the salsa mixture and put it back in the fridge.

Take the pineapple and slide a piece on a skewer, then stick on a shrimp. Alternate this every other one and keep them about ½ inch apart. Drop them on the grill and flip them over at about 3 minutes or just when the shrimp is starting to turn red and curl a little. Once flipped, cook another 3 minutes or until the shrimp has curled up. Try not to over cook it or it will be spongy.

Pull hot off the grill and serve on top of the fresh chilled fire roasted corn salsa. You can add a few sprigs of cilantro and some sliced lime for garnish if you want to make it look pretty. I would also LIGHTLY sprinkle some paprika, cumin and red pepper over the top for some zing.

It may sound like alot of work but you can make this in 30 minutes or less with no problem. You can cut the prep time substantially by buying the pineapple allready chopped, and the shrimp peeled and deveined but you will pay extra for that.

You should have pineapple left over as well as salsa. Stick it in the fridge for your snacks.

Sorry I don’t have all the nutrient data here but if someone would like they can go here
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ and calculate it all up for us. I will start trying to include this data in the future if I can find any easy way to sum it all up by servings.

If you guys like this I will start adding on to the list every couple of days. I am also happy to answer questions about food or entertaining for guests.

Peace!

Posted by: AgnosticFront Sep 15 2005, 06:51 PM

damn... that sounds good *drool*

Posted by: texaswolf Sep 15 2005, 07:35 PM

Here's a recipe for the best dish of General Tso's chicken you'll ever eat in your life.

Ingredients :
Sauce:
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1+1/2 tsp minced garlic
1+1/2 tsp minced ginger root
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup cooking wine
1+1/2 cup hot chicken broth
1 tsp monosodium glutamate (optional)
Meat:
3 lbs deboned dark chicken meat, cut into large chunks
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp white pepper
1 egg
1 cup cornstarch
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
2 cups sliced green onions
16 small dried hot peppers

Directions :
1) Mix 1/2 cup cornstarch with water. Add garlic, ginger, sugar, 1/2 cup soy sauce, vinegar, wine, chicken broth and MSG (if desired). Stir until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until needed.
2) In separate bowl, mix chicken, 1/4 cup soy sauce and white pepper. Stir in egg. Add 1 cup cornstarch and mix until chicken pieces are coated evenly. Add cup of vegetable oil to help separate chicken pieces. Divide chicken into small quantities and deep-fry at 350 degrees until crispy. Drain on paper towels.
3) Place a small amount of oil in wok and heat until wok is hot. Add onions and peppers and stir-fry briefly. Stir sauce and add to wok. Place chicken in sauce and cook until sauce thickens .

Posted by: J1Q Sep 16 2005, 10:04 AM

Christopher, i look VERY forward to more of your recipes

Posted by: Christopher78374 Sep 17 2005, 11:59 AM

Quick Grilled Tuna Steaks with Strawberry Spinach & Almond Salad

Tuna Steaks

Fresh Tuna Steaks about ½ - 1 inch thick (sashimi grade)
Garlic
1tsp fresh ginger
2 tsp lime juice
1 tbl lite soy
1tbl olive oil
Crushed black pepper
Sea Salt

Salad

½ lb loose fresh spinach
½ pint fresh strawberries halved
1 tbl slivered raw almonds
Whole raw almonds

Dressing

1 cup sugar (can use honey, splenda etc as replacements)
3 teaspoons ground mustard
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup chopped white onion
2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Start out by setting your grill to medium-high heat. We will marinade the tuna for only about 10 minutes because of the lime juice. Adding citrus juices is my fav way to get flavor into foods quickly. This helps eliminate the typical hours long process of marinating. So slice the lime in half and juice one half into a glass bowl. Toss in the ginger, soy, oil, salt and pepper. Whisk this together and drop te tuna steaks into the bowl. Make sure they get coated on all sides. Put some plastic wrap on top and let them sit while you prepare the rest of the meal.

Wash up the spinach greens and separate the leaves from the stems. Wash the fruit and slice it up. Toss the fruit and greens with the slivered almonds. We will save the whole almonds for a garnish.

Toss the tuna in the bowl and make sure its covered again.

For the dressing you place everything but the oil into your blender. Crank the bad boy up for a few seconds and then slowly add in the oil until the dressing looks nice and creamy. As stated, depending on your diet you can substitute honey or splenda for the sugar.

Lets go grill that tuna!

Place the tuna on the grill. In about 1 minute turn the tuna ¼ turn to get the nice grill marks on it if you like. Grill for about 3 minutes more and then flip it. Repeat the same process and remove it. Remember this tuna is sashimi grade, you don’t even have to cook it. The idea here is to give it some color on the outside while we leave it nice and raw but warm on the inside.

Plate up your awesome meal!

Pour some dressing over the salad and toss it. Place a good portion in the middle of the plate and make a well in the center for the tuna. Slice the tuna steak into 4 pieces and arrange them on the salad so that you can see the inside of at least 1 piece of the tuna. Sprinkle a few almonds around the outside of the tuna.

Enjoy!

Total working time for this meal is about 30 minutes with a gas grill. 5 minutes on the marinade, 5 minutes on the salad, 5 minutes on the dressing , 8 minutes to grill and remainder to plate and clean up.

Tip: Clean as you go. If you have a helper or have the time to spare try to clean up as you are cooking. That way when you are fat and happy after your meal you don’t have to ruin it by going into the kitchen and doing the dishes later. This also helps cut down on the amount of prep work you will have to do next time!

Posted by: Slayer of Souls Sep 17 2005, 12:45 PM

I like where this thread is going, great contributions!

I will pin this topic.

Posted by: Christopher78374 Sep 17 2005, 04:10 PM

Cheat Meal

Central Texas, Wet Mopped and Dry Rubbed Baby Back Ribs with Roasted Garlic and Onion Mashed Potatoes & This aint yer mammas mac n cheese!

OK this is a real cheater meal! Full of fats & carbs! Mmmmmmmm This is a very popular request by my friends for small celebrations. You wont want to make this during the week. It is messy and uses lots of dishes.

Ribs:

Good fresh baby back ribs, have your local butcher hand select them. Trim the membrane from the back of the ribs and split the lower halves of the ribs from each other. Give them a nice coat of the dry rub below. Wrap in plastic and toss in the fridge for a day or so.

You will also need
2 sticks of butter
1 whole white onion
1 can crushed tomatoes
Good Beer
Honey

Dry Rub:
¼ c. paprika
1 tbl fresh pablano chili powder
1 tbl fresh sweet basil
1 tbl brown sugar
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp dried whole oregano
¼ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp red pepper
2 tsp sea salt

Mashed Potatoes:
1 bag of golden potatoes
1 whole yellow onion
2 heads of fresh garlic
Olive Oil
2 sticks of butter
2 or 3 cups Heavy Whipping Cream (don’t use low fat we are cheating here!)
Crushed black pepper
Sea Salt
Parsley

Mac n Cheese:
1 bag of shells, or your favorite noodles.
1 large block of velveta
1 stick of butter
¼ cup milk
2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 head of garlic

OK to start this off if you want to do it right you need to make a wood fire in your grill. Don’t use any lighter fluid to start the grill, use a chimney and newspaper to light some wood chips and go from there. If you don’t know how to do this you can start here http://www.barbecuen.com/begin-gr.htm

If you don’t have a wood grill and you have to use a gas grill don’t fret! Go buy some wood chips and soak them in water overnight. Divide up the chips into a few foil packets. Poke some holes in the top of the packets and toss them on the open flame of the grill every hour or so for smoke.

So when you have your grill squared away, you want to start the ribs on low heat, like in the 225 range. They are going to take a few hours (4 at least) so be patient and keep the heat low and slow.

Now go back in the kitchen and stick the butter for the Ribs in a sauce pan, put it on medium heat. Pour in the beer of your choice. Add the crushed tomatoes and some honey. Maybe a tablespoon or so to start, or depending on how sweet you like your ribs. Remember that to much honey in the mop will cause the Ribs to take on a black color as the sugars burn so you have been warned. Chop the onion into quarters and drop it in the sauce pan and let this simmer until the onion gets translucent. Every 30 minutes go out flip the ribs and baste with this mixture. Before you baste put the heat on the mop mixture to liquify it again. You may also want to add some spices to the mop if you want. Good suggestions are any peppers from your local area, tarragon, basil, orageno, or red pepper for more heat.

Now on to the rest of the meal.

Turn the oven on at 350. Take the heads of garlic for both the mac n cheese and the mashed potatoes and chop the pointy end off so that you can see some of the cloves. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on them. Tear off a square of foil and place a head of garlic in the middle. Pour some olive oil over the garlic and then fold up the foil over the head of garlic and seal it so it makes a little bag. Stick the garlic in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the garlic gets soft. Your whole house will smell like roasted garlic. The garlic should kind of ooze out of the skin as you press on it when it is done perfectly.

While the garlic is roasting wash up the taters and chop them into evenly sized bits. Boil them just until they are tender with a fork. Could be about 20 minutes or longer depending on how much you want to make.

Chop the onion so that you get onion ring sized slivers. Heat some olive oil up in a skillet about medium high heat and toss in the onions. Flip them around and cook them until they start to caramelize.

Don’t forget to flip your ribs and mop them.

Once the onions are done set them aside you are going to use them soon.

Drain the water from the taters and then put them back in the pot. Return the pot to the stove over medium heat. Using a wooden spoon stir up the taters gently and kind of break them down slowly. Do not stop stirring them or they WILL burn. What we are doing here is getting rid of excess water that is inside the taters. This will make them really fluffy. When most of the steam stops coming out, or 3 to 4 minutes pull them off the heat. Chop up a stick of butter and drop in the pot. Dump the onions in. Use a whisk now and break down the taters slowly. Continue to mix them up until there are no huge lumps but there can still be some lumps.

Whip up the heavy cream until it gets thick. This might take about 5 minutes to do by hand, or a couple seconds with a kitchen aid mixer.

Now here comes the really special part. Squeeze in 2 of those roasted garlic heads. Don’t get any skin in there, just the caramelized ooey gooey goodness. Now FOLD in the heavy cream and all the other stuff. DO NOT STIR VIOLENTLY. Taters are very starchy and if you whip them they loose all that hard earned texture. So gently fold in that heavy cream as your mixing it all up. When all the ingredients are incorporated give them a taste, add salt and pepper as you like. They should be very fluffy and taste awesome now. Sprinkle the parsley over the top for some more color. Cover them up and move on to the Mac N cheese. They will stay hot for about an hour. Just give them a light stir before serving. You want them to sit because the flavors from the onions and garlic will start to fuze with the taters.

Go flip them ribs. When they are about 1 flip from coming off the grill or the meat is starting to pull away from the bones and you can basically pull the bones out of the ribs because they are getting soft start the last part of the meal.

The Mac n cheese. This is a real heart stopper but oooo so good. Chop up the Velveeta. A trick I learned here is to use dental floss to cut your Velveeta. Trust me, it works like a charm. I usually cut the cheese into ¼ inch blocks. Dump the noodles into boiling water and add some olive oil to help keep them from sticking. Stir them frequently until they are done. Drain but do not rinse. Cut up 1 stick of butter and drop it into the noodles and stir them until they are coated. Add in the cheese and turn the heat on the stove to low. Mix up until all the lumps are gone. If you need to you can add the milk at this point if they are really thick. Squeeze the last roasted head of garlic into the mac n cheese and keep mixing. Now do the same as we did before with the heavy cream. Fold this into the mac n cheese slowly so that you don’t break the cream down.

OK to plate up this meal I usually break out the paper plates and 2 big ass spoons. I drop the spoons into the taters and mac n cheese and just yell come n get it! Do not plan any activities for about 2 or 3 hours after this, its a very heavy meal =-)

Hope you like it.

Posted by: Christopher78374 Sep 18 2005, 10:20 PM

Easy Asian Salmon with Mixed Veggies

Salmon Filets 2 servings (I like sokeye but its pricey, the regular $6 per lb stuff will be fine for this)

Glaze for salmon:

2 tbs Dijon mustard
2 tbs brown sugar (honey can be used)
2 tbs Olive Oil
1 tbs soy or teriyaki
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp garlic

Veggies:
Snow Peas
Broccoli
Carrots sliced thinly

What we are going to do here is make some foil packets for a serving of the salmon and the veggies. You will place the salmon on some foil, cover it with the glaze and then top that with the veggies. Roll up the foil packet and toss the over at 350 for 20 minutes, or on the grill over medium heat for 20 minutes.

To make the glaze;

Place a sauce pan over medium heat and add oil. Toss in the garlic and once it is brown add in all other ingredients. Whisk very well until all is incorporated. Here is the time to try out any flavored mustards if you have them. I have used everything from simple hot mustard to raspberry honey and all the results have been great. You will want to put the glaze on while it is hot because the sugars will separate from the oils when it cools.

SO there you have it. Another 30 minute or less meal

Posted by: trouble Sep 18 2005, 10:27 PM

Oh oh..

Me and Nabil better get busy!

Yo Nabil!

We gotta post some of our tasty Gallic recipes.

Bon Apetit!

T'Dubbya, that has to be the best recipe I've seen in a while...

And Chris. Oh shit, Moose and I gotta do our grilling best to whip us up mess o' Texass babyback ribs!

<drooling heavily after peepin this thread for like a minute!>

Posted by: J1Q Sep 20 2005, 04:39 PM

Thursday Night i'm preparing the rubbed baby Back Ribs. I shall let you know how it turns out

Posted by: Christopher78374 Sep 20 2005, 07:55 PM

Grilled Chicken Salad w Blackberry Basil Vinaigrette

Chicken Salad

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
Cracked black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 cups torn salad greens
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 sweet onion (Vidalia is best), sliced

Blackberry Basil Vinaigrette

1/2 cup fresh blackberries
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
6 fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp seasoned pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

This one is quick and easy. The vinaigrette makes quite a bit so you will have some left over. Start out by dabbing some oil on the chicken and rub on the minced garlic. Sprinkle it with some cracked pepper and salt if you desire. You can omit the salt for low sodium. Toss the chicken on the grill. IF you want to spice it up dust it with some chili powder, paprika and red pepper. You don’t have to be fancy on this one the foreman is fine.

(if you want to marinade the chicken try brushing it with some mustard the night before.)

While that is grilling toss the greens into a bowl with the pepper and onion.

Get the chicken off the grill when it is done and let it rest for a few minutes.

Combine everything in the vinaigrette recipe except for the oil into a blender. Pulse it until it all combines well. Turn the blender on steady and drizzle in the oil until it thickens up. Use more or less oil depending on the consistency you want.

To plate this up drop a handful of greens on the plate and slice up a chicken breast on top. Drizzle the dressing over the top. Drop a few fresh blackberries and a sprig of basil in the middle.

Done. Chow down!

For some modifications to this you can use any type of berry or fruit to liven it up. Also good with pork or fresh tuna.

Posted by: trouble Sep 21 2005, 06:55 PM

Time for me to start posting favorites.

Barbecued Ribs with Blueberry Sauce

4 cups water
3 to 4 pounds country-style pork ribs
2 pints (4 cups) fresh blueberries
1 medium (1 cup) onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh gingerroot
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Bring water to a full boil in 6-quart saucepan; add ribs.
Cook over medium-high heat until ribs are fork tender (20 to 25 min).
2. Meanwhile, heat gas grill on medium or charcoal grill until coals are ash white.
Place all remaining ingredients in 2-quart saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until flavors are blended
(12-15 minutes).
3. Place ribs on grill; baste with blueberry sauce.
Grill, basting and turning occasionally, until ribs are fork tender (20-25 min).
4. Cook remaining blueberry sauce over low heat, stirring occasionally,
until heated through. Serve sauce over ribs.

Makes 6 servings.

Fresh blueberries are recommended. However, 1 (16-ounce) package frozen whole unsweetened blueberries, thawed, drained can be substituted. Sauce will be thinner made with frozen blueberries.

A word on BBQ: I'm a BBQ fanatic! The word "barbecue" is most likely derived from the term "barbe a queue", French for "from snout to tail". It is believed to be of Louisiana Cajun origin; however, the Spanish brought barbeque, they called it "Barbacoa", to the Americas long before the Cajuns.

The Spaniards (most likely pirates) brought their hogs to the Americas (Florida) and cooked them in pits of oak and hickory coals. It is believed they learn to do this from the Natives of the West Indies. The actual word "barbecue" first appeared in Virginia in the 1700's. It is here where the duplicity meaning of the word "barbeque" was born. Pork was used in barbecues and the word "barbecue" was used not only as a method of cooking, but also as a social gathering at which meats were cooked in this manner.

Texas "barbecue" did not arrive until the 1800's when German settlers, influenced by Mexican vaqueros, butchered beef which they then "hand-rubbed" with spices before cooking over open fires. Although this may be the way the word "barbecue" came to existence in America; the method of cooking meats over an open fire began when a method of building a fire began.

Posted by: trouble Sep 21 2005, 07:11 PM

Grilled Spareribs with Plum Barbecue Sauce

The Ribs:
6 pounds pork spare ribs, trimmed and cut into serving pieces
1 small onion, sliced and separated into rings
4 to 6 thin lemon slices
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Sauce:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 cans pitted whole plums in light syrup, 15 oz-ea
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon cinammon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350*F (175*C).
2. Arrange ribs, slightly overlapping, in large roasting pan.
Layer onion and lemon slices over ribs. Season with salt and pepper.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1-hr 20 min to 1-hr 30 minutes
or until ribs are tender. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan saute onions and garlic in oil
until onion has softened.
Drain plums, reserving couple tbsp light syrup, cut into small pieces and mash
thoroughtly or puree with a hand blender. Add reserved syrup.
Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Prepare outdoor grill with medium coals, or heat gas grill to medium.
5. Place ribs on grill; brush with sauce.
Grill, covered, turning often and brushing with sauce,
for 15 minutes or until done to your tastes.
6. If needed, heat remaining sauce for dipping and serve with ribs.

Alternatively, you can boil the ribs, covered in water in a deep pot with lid for 25 min until just cooked, then layer the sauce over them in a flat deepsided pan, brushing both sides well to coat em, reserve spare sauce, cover and refrigerate over night. Next day, either grill or bake in the oven, 350 deg, for about 2 hours, brush them babies with remaining sauce at least once per half hour, to keep em from drying out.

Damn good eatin', either way. Been using variations on this recipe for bout 20 yrs, never done me wrong.

Makes 6 servings.

Posted by: trouble Sep 21 2005, 07:18 PM

Apricot-Sauced Ribs

<right about now, y'all figured out I like ribs, right?>

4 lbs babyback or country style thick spareribs, cut into serving-size pieces
1 8-oz can undrained apricot halves, in water or light syrup, mashed
3 tablespoons tomato paste or sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon-style fancy mustard
(this is where that spare mustard takin up space on the back of your shelf
comes in handy dandy)
1 teaspoon dry ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Prepare medium-hot coals for indirect grilling in covered grill.
2. Place ribs on grill not directly over coals,
cover grill and cook ribs over indirect heat for 1 1/2 hours.
3. Meanwhile, blend remaining ingredients together in blender.
4. Brush ribs generously with sauce and continue to cook,
about 15-20 min, basting and turning 2 to 3 times, to taste.

Makes 4 servings.

Posted by: Christopher78374 Sep 25 2005, 09:55 AM

Pan-Seared Flounder Almondine and Avacado Papaya Salad

Salad Ingredients
6 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
4 ripe papayas
4 ruby red grapefruit
2 medium ripe avocados
2 small heads red leaf lettuce, washed and dried
1/2 cup minced onion

FIsh Ingredients
1/2 cup almonds, crushed or sliced
4 flounder fillets - (6 oz ea)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1 cup reduced fat (2%) milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
Olive Oil
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Prep:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season the flounder with salt and pepper. Dip the filets into the milk,
then dredge throught the flour.

Cover the botom of the baking dish with olive oil.

Place the filets in the pan. Lightly brown one side then turn the filets
to brown the other side. When the filets are done, serve with a lemon
wedge and sprinkle almonds over the top.

This recipe yields 4 servings. Serving size: 1 filet.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 227; Calories from Fat 32; Fat 4g; Saturated
Fat 1g; Cholesterol 124mg; Sodium 190mg; Dietary Fiber 0g; Sugars 1g;
Protein 43g.

Salad Prep:
In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cut papaya lengthwise with paring knife and remove skin. Scoop out and discard seeds. Slice thinly. With paring knife, remove skin and white pith from grapefruit. Working over bowl to catch juice, cut sections from the membrane. Halve, peel, pit, and thinly slice avocado. Line a large platter with lettuce leaves and arrange papaya, grapefruit, and avocado slices on top. Add grapefruit juice to dressing and drizzle over salad. Sprinkle with onion.

Enjoy!

Posted by: Christopher78374 Oct 10 2005, 12:09 PM

Easy Blackened Catfish w Mango Salsa and Wild Rice Grape Salad

Blackened Catfish

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon paprika
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon each; onion powder garlic powder, cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon white pepper
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
4 catfish fillets
½ cup olive oil

Directions:

Preheat cast-iron skillet at medium-high heat at least 10 minutes. Blend seasonings in shallow bowl. Dip fillets in oil and coat well with seasonings. Cook fillets in hot skillet 2-3 minutes each side until charred. Garnish with lemon wedges if desired.

Mango Salsa:

Ingredients:

2 cups diced fresh mango
2 cups fresh peaches, pitted and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger root
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 Serrano peppers, diced
1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together the mangoes, peaches or nectarines, garlic, ginger and basil or cilantro. Add the chilies and lime juice to taste; mix well. Allow to chill 2 hours before serving.

Wild Rice and grape salad: (about a quart and a half)

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked wild or brown rice
1 cup seedless green grapes, halved
1 small can water chestnuts, sliced
1/2 cup celery chopped medium-fine
1 big bunch green onions chopped medium fine
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds

Directions:

Stir vegetables into rice, stir grapes in gently. Refrigerated, this will keep several days. You can also put leftover chopped up chicken or turkey in this salad, If you're going to take this somewhere, be sure to keep it chilled in a cooler until time to eat.

IF you dont have a rice cooker and you like rice I highly recomend that you purchase one. There are many type out there so to help with the confusion here is an article to get you started.

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/howtoselectaricecooker.htm

Posted by: Christopher78374 Oct 10 2005, 12:17 PM

Bling-Bling Tuna Salad

Don’t you get sick of eating crappy tuna from a can? Try this for a healthy kick on tuna salad. http://www.whfoods.com/

Ingredients:
2 6 ½ oz cans of light tuna, drained
1/4 cup finely diced celery
3 TBS chopped walnuts
3 TBS chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup finely minced onion
salt & black pepper to taste
1 medium head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 small tomato, seeds and excess pulp removed and chopped

Dressing
3 medium cloves garlic pressed
1 TBS prepared Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
4 TBS fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
4 oz silken tofu
1/2 tsp Italian herbs
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
*a little water to thin if necessary

Directions:

Mix tuna, celery, walnuts, parsley, onion, salt and pepper. Blend dressing ingredients in blender adding oil a little at a time at end (to incorporate.) Blend well to make sure sunflower seeds are ground. Mix desired amount of dressing with tuna mixture.

Serve on bed of chopped romaine lettuce with chopped tomato.

Always try to use a good quality tuna in water when you can.

Posted by: trouble Oct 10 2005, 06:20 PM

Four variations of a theme of cottage cheese and eggs...for breakfast.

COTTAGE CHEESE WESTERN OMELET

Egg whites, equivalent to 6 eggs
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup fat free shredded cheese, cheddar parmesan
1/4 cup canadian bacon, low fat, diced fine
2 roma tomatoes, diced and drained
Green onions, diced, to taste
Mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
Salt n Pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Distribute evenly into 3 small loaf pans or you can make smaller ones and put in a muffin pan. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 25 - 30 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't scorch.

COTTAGE CHEESE PANCAKES

2-3 beaten eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
Honey or a couple of teaspoons of sugar, to taste (a banana will make it naturally sweeter)
1 cup uncooked oatmeal

Optional, highly recommended ingredients:
banana
a sprinkle of cinnamon
a splash of vanilla

Grab your handy blender and dump the ingredients in, in the order they appear (otherwise the mixture will get all chunky). So, eggs in first, then start the blender. As it's blending, pour in the cottage cheese, then the banana if you're using it, then whatever sweeteners and spices you like, then the oatmeal.

Once this is nicely blended, cook as you would pancakes, in a nonstick pan over medium-low heat. I love these plain or with fruit and more cinammon, with low carb syrup or low sugar jam.

PROTEIN BLINTZ

2 eggs
1/3 cup dry curd cottage cheese (or washed low fat cottage cheese, drained)
frozen blueberries or strawberries, thawed and drained

Beat eggs and pour into small nonstick frying pan heated over medium heat, as if for an omelet. When the edges begin to firm up, push them towards the centre so that the runny stuff in the middle puddles out and cooks. After doing this once or twice, spoon cottage cheese and blueberries on top. Allow the eggs to set fully. The bottom of the omelet should be golden brown (turn it up with a spatula to check). You can either roll up the omelet into a cylinder like a blintz, or simply slide it off the pan and fold it in half like an omelet. If this isn't sweet enough, try beating a little bit of sugar or sweetener into the eggs beforehand.

STACEY'S WAFFLES

1 egg white
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup cup Bob's Redmill 10-grain pancake mix
1 tsp Splenda or Equal (or Stevia, which I prefer)
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup sugar-free maple syrup

<Sealean Oil for greasing the ole waffle iron>

Blend together cottage cheese, egg whites and vanilla (I use a handheld 'stick' blender) Add waffle mix and Splenda and mix til smooth. Mixture is slightly thick. Pour batter in pre-heated waffle iron coated with cooking spray.

You MUST spray iron for every batch! I tried SesaLean this morning using this recipe and it worked great - gave these waffles a gently nutty sesame taste.

Do not overfill the waffle iron. Cook until well browned, thesewaffles take a little longer to cook then regular waffles due to batter thickness (need a text waffles, as iron varies in heating consistancy).

Serve with low carb syrup, low sugar jam, and unsweetned whipped cream.

Posted by: trouble Oct 10 2005, 06:36 PM

We're on a cottage cheese roll here..

Cottage Cheese Smoothie

In a blender combine:

1/2 cup of cottage cheese (low or nonfat)
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup of milk (low or nonfat)
1 scoop of protein powder
1 packet of Splenda, Stevia, Equal, or other sweetner
1 tablespoon SesaLean

Blend until thoroughly mixed. You can add crushed ice cubes if desired, reduce milk slightly and increase protein powder.

Posted by: trouble Oct 10 2005, 08:47 PM

middle eastern CC wrap

wheat pita pita or low carb wrap (tortillia)
hummu
cucumber slices
tomato slices
salt, pepper, garlic powder, and drizzle of Sesalean
Low fat cottage cheese, drained or squeezed dry in cheese cloth
optional: thin sliced vidalia onion

Slather your favorite hummus on the pita / wrap. and drizzle a little EVO or Sesalean on top. Sprinkle kosher sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and garlic powder on top.

Add sliced cucumber & tomato and onion. Add a couple tablespoons of your fav cc in center and roll that bad boy up. I've mixed in a little feta cheese for flavor as well.

A shot of ouzo, a little Greek salad, and you're set!

Posted by: Slayer of Souls Oct 10 2005, 10:18 PM

QUOTE (trouble @ Oct 10 2005, 09:47 PM)

A good alternative would be to substitute Cottage Cheese for some onion grilled chicken marinated with garlic, lemon juice and ginger.

I cant wait to start cooking again, instead of just cooking grilled chicken on my grill in my bathroom. Talk about pathetic.

Posted by: trouble Nov 4 2005, 07:05 PM

Time to kickstart this puppy again. Got a bunch. Hang on!

Vegetarian pumpkinseed risotto:

Serves 4

Rissotto rice
3 large yellow onions
5 spring onions
8 cloves garlic
5 handfuls of pumpkin seeds
2 small red chili peppers
1 can green peas
3 oz. (or more) freshly grated parmesean cheese
2 vegetable bullion cubes
2 large glasses chardonnay.

finely chop and pre-fry the yellow onions in a skillet with olive oil. when they are looking dark yellow/light brown, add the pumpkin seeds. When the seeds are looking slightly browned, add the chopped garlic and chopped chili peppers. Stir it all about until everything is looking all nicely golden, then throw the lot into a large (preferably glass) deep casserole dish or saucepan.

Stir in the chopped spring onions, peas, and parmesean cheese, then stir in about 2 cups of risotto rice. Add large glass of chardonnay and stir that in, making sure everything is mixed evenly. Dilute the bullion cubes in half a cup of boiled water, and stir that in to the mix. If needed, top the whole mixture up with more water until mixture is just covered.

Cover and put in oven which should be preheated at about 375 F. Set kitchen timer for 20 mins and start checking it when it goes off, but chances are it might need a bit more, depending. As soon as mixture is in the oven, take remaining large glass of chardonnay, sit down, and drink. Add more as needed.

Posted by: trouble Nov 4 2005, 07:06 PM

Moroccan Chicken

boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 1 1/2 lb
vegetable oil 2 tbsp
onion, chopped 1/2 cup
1 garlic clove, minced 1
salsa 2 cup
water 1/2 cup
currants 1/4 cup
liquid honey 2 tbsp
cumin 1 1/2 tsp
cinnamon 1 tsp
almonds, toasted & slivered 1/2 cup

Brown chicken in oil and place in baking dish.
Lightly saute onion and garlic. Spoon over chicken.

Combine salsa, water, currants, honey, cumin and cinnamon. Pour over chicken. Cover and bake in preheated 375 F oven for 1 hour. Sprinkle with almonds.

Serves 4

Posted by: trouble Nov 4 2005, 07:10 PM

super-simple recipe for Chicken Enchiladas

Boil 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of chicken until cooked through.
When cool enough, tear into bite-sized pieces
(or you can use canned pre-cooked chicken if you want).

Roll chicken with grated cheddar and monterey jack
cheese into large flour tortillas. Place in 9x12 baking dish.

1 8oz can cream of chicken soup (unprepared)
1 8oz can cream of mushroom soup (unprepared)
1 8oz tub of sour cream
1 small can of diced green chillies

Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan and heat until it starts to bubble. Pour over enchiladas. Bake in a 350 oven for 20 minutes.

My friends like these enchiladas even better as left-overs because they says they taste even better after the flavors have blended together.

Posted by: trouble Nov 4 2005, 07:12 PM

Pork Vindaloo with Rice

I use pork tenderloin as it's very lean. Actually lower in fat than chicken breasts. the basic recipe is spicy but not that hot. If your a chili head like I am add the cayenne pepper to the curry paste. really a chili head add some finely chopped serrano or thai chili peppers and add them when you toss in the tomatoes.

Serve with a cold beer (see James OT beer thread for ideas)

1/2 cup curry paste (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 pound pork, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 tablespoons canola or neutral vegetable oil
1 cup peeled, seeded and diced tomato
Salt and pepper
4 cups cooked white rice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, for garnish

In a glass or ceramic baking dish or bowl combine curry paste with garlic and half of onion.

Add pork, turn to coat thoroughly and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes or longer.

Heat oil in a large skillet over low heat and gently saute remaining onion.

Drain pork, reserving marinade. Turn up heat and add pork, a few cubes at a time, tossing until browned on all sides. Saute for 5 minutes, then add tomatoes and reserved marinade.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
Serve over hot rice, garnished with cilantro.

CURRY PASTE
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon turmeric
2-inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
FOR A BIT MORE HEAT: 1/2 teaspoon or more to taste cayenne pepper
1/3 cup white vinegar

In a spice or coffee mill grind spices and ginger until very-finely minced. Turn out into a bowl and stir in vinegar to make a smooth paste.
To make curry oil, mix half of paste with 1 cup vegetable oil.

Posted by: trouble Nov 4 2005, 07:17 PM

Crab and Rice Casserole

2 C. water
1 C. uncooked long grain rice
1/2 t. dry mustard
1/2 t. Tabasco
dash o pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 C. sharp cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
1 lb. lump crab meat
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 C. milk
1/2 C. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

In large saucepan, heat water, rice, mustard, Tabasco, and pepper to boiling, stirring once or twice. Cover and simmer 15 minutes (do not lift lid or stir). Remove from heat. Fluff rice lightly with fork; cover and let stand for 10-15 minutes. In a large mixing bowl combine rice, onion, green pepper, and cheese; mix thoroughly.

Add crab and mix lightly to combine without breaking up lumps too much. Spoon into greased 11x13 baking dish. In same mixing bowl, beat together eggs and milk, pour over crab mixture; sprinkle top with parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes or until center is set. Let stand 10-15 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

Posted by: trouble Nov 4 2005, 07:18 PM

Do we see a theme here?

Crab Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

about 1 lb. fresh cleaned crab meat
1 C. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1/4 C. mayonnaise
pepper
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. dry mustard
olive oil

In medium bowl, mix all ingredients except crab and oil; add crab and mix gentle but well. Shape into patties about 3/4" thick. In large skillet, fry patties in just enough oil to prevent sticking. Cook until golden, about 5 minutes per side. Drain lightly on paper towels.

Red Pepper Sauce

3 large red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, and seeded
1 C. sour cream
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. cayenne
1 T. chopped parsley
1 T. fresh lemon juice

In blender or food processor, puree peppers until smooth, add remaining ingredients and blend until well combined. Serve drizzled over warm crab cakes.

Posted by: trouble Nov 7 2005, 02:35 AM

I'll be looking for turkey recipes to post here.

Chicken a la King

This is one thing we do with left over holiday turkey. The turkey can be cubed and

rozen for use next month, if you get turkeyed out.

6 oz mushrooms, sliced

1/2c. green pepper, diced

1/2c. butter (1 stick)

1/2c. flour

1/4t. freshly ground pepper

2c. chicken broth

2c. light cream (1/2 and 1/2)

3c. cubed cooked turkey or chicken

4 oz. pimento, chopped

2t. thyme

1/3c. sherry

Cook and stir mushrooms and green pepper in butter (or use Sealean like I do), 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in flour. Slowly add chicken broth, then milk, stirring. Season. When hot, add turkey and pimento.

Heat through. Serve over split whole grained noodles, wild rice or do as I do, eat it rolled up in a low carb tortilla (messy, watch out).

Serves 6-8.

Posted by: Christopher78374 Nov 7 2005, 10:37 AM

For you Trouble!

Black Bean Salsa

3 cups (or as much as you like) Fresh black beans (recipe follows)
8 Roma Tomatoes (oven roasted)
1 head of roasted garlic
2 Serrano Peppers
1 Bunch Cilantro
1 medium Yellow Onion
1 medium Red Onion
1 Yellow Pepper
1 Red Pepper
1 Green Pepper
Juice from 2 or 3 Limes (to taste)
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
Cumin
Sea Salt

Freshly cooked black beans
1 pound dried black beans
2 pepper bacon slices
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 garlic cloves
6 tablespoons minced onion
2 bay leaves
6 tablespoons minced cilantro
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock

( I dont htink I have ever really made this the same way twice, most everything should be done to taste)

Rinse dried beans. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain. Cook the bacon in the pan over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from pan. Add chopped onion, thyme, garlic and bay leaves to bacon drippings; sauté for 4 minutes. Add the beans, bacon, stock and 3 cups water to pan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add salt, and simmer for 30 minutes or until beans are tender. Discard the bay leaves.

Scoop out 2 or 3 cups of the beans and rinse them for the salsa. Eat the rest, mmmm yummy.

In a food processor dice up the tomatoes, onions, garlic and Serrano peppers. Don’t forget to roast your garlic for the best flavor. To do this chop the bottom off, pour some olive oil on it, and crack some pepper on top. Wrap in foil and bake at 350/400 for about 30-40 minutes or until nice and mushy and the whole house smells of garlic. I usually only “dice” up the ingredients, but you could puree them if you like that kind of salsa. Chop up the cilantro, and bell peppers, stir it into the salsa mix along with the beans. Add lime juice to taste. Season with cumin, sea salt and pepper to your liking. If you want to jazz this up add some fire roasted corn, avocado chunks, pablano chilies, or heat it up in a crock pot and add a few dollops of sour cream and Mexican cheese. This is also really good over a block of cream cheese, or a topping for nachos.

Enjoy!

Posted by: trouble Dec 13 2005, 10:18 PM

<side note - what the hell has happened to Christopher78whatever????>

Comeback to us, Chris!

Italian Butternut Squash & Cannelini Soup

15 3/4 ounces cannelini beans, cooked
18 1/3 ounces Campbell's Select Butternut Squash Soup -- (1 Carton)
1 pound sweet italian turkey sausage links -- ground
2 tablespoons Romano cheese -- grated
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning -- freshly ground
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

In a large pot or wok, brown Italian sausage in olive oil on moderate heat. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Per Serving: 428 Calories; 16g Fat (33.9% calories from fat); 33g Protein; 37g Carbohydrate; 11g Dietary Fiber; 102mg Cholesterol; 1260mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 3 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Fat.

Compliments of one of my friends on myspace.com

Posted by: Supertzar Dec 19 2005, 03:31 PM

Supertzar's Winter Bulk Beef Stew

several lbs stew beef
wheat flour
olive oil
2-3 potatos
large onion
green pepper
several carrots
celery
1 jalopeno
large can crushed tomatoes
1 beer
brown sugar
fresh garlic
chili powder
oregano
thyme
basil
salt
pepper

Chop vegetables and garlic.
Heat olive oil in cast iron skillet.
Roll stew beef in wheat flour.
Fry beef in oil until brown on the outside.
Add beef to crushed tomatoes in large pot.
Add beer. A dark beer like a porter or stout is a good choice.
Add chopped vegetables.
Add herbs, brown sugar and spices to taste.
Cook 8-12 hours on low heat. Stir occaisionally.

Posted by: Slayer of Souls Mar 25 2006, 12:47 AM

Cheat Meals
(Protein Bars)

Protein Brownies

Ingredients:
3 scoops Ultra Size Chocolate from Beverly International
2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
1 whole egg
8 oz water

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth
2. Pour into microwave safe container
3. Microwave for 5 - 8 minutes (until you notice bubbles starting to form and the top is becoming firmer)
4. Remove, cover, and let set at room temperature for 20 minutes

Nutrition Information:
Calories: 544
Protein: 58 g (42%)
Carbohydrate: 19 g (14%)
Fat: 28 g (45%)

Deluxe Overnight No-Bake Power Bar-Chocolate-dipped

1 cup rolled oats -Chocolate-dipped
1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted and ground
1/2 cup dried apricots; chopped fine
1/2 cup raisins; chopped fine
1 cup shredded unsweetened dried coconut
1 cup almonds; blanched, chopped or sliv
1/2 cup nonfat dried milk powder
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
2 teaspoon butter or margarine
1 cup white corn syrup or 3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
1 teaspoon orange or lemon extract
2 teaspoon grated orange or lemon peel
12 oz chocolate chips; 2 cups
4 oz paraffin, food grade or 3/4 cup butter

Toast the sesame seeds in a frying pan for about 7 minutes, until golden, then grind coarsely. Toast the oats in a 300 degree oven in a 10 inch by 15 inch baking pan for 25 minutes, stirring to prevent scorching.

Mix the seeds, apricots, raisins, coconut, almonds, dry milk, and wheat germ; mix well. Mix hot oats into dried fruit mixture.

Butter the hot baking pan; set aside.

In the frying pan, combine corn syrup or honey and sugar; bring to a rolling boil over medium high heat and quickly stir in the peanut butter, orange extract, and orange peel. At once, pour over the oatmeal mixture and mix well.

Quickly spread in buttered pan and press into an even layer. Then cover and chill until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.

DIPPING FOR CHOCOLATE COATING

Cut into bars about 1 1/4 by 2 1/2 inches.
Combine chocolate chips and paraffin in to top of a double boiler. Place over simmering water until melted; stir often. Turn heat to low.
Using tongs, dip 1 bar at a time into chocolate, hold over pan until it stops dripping , then place on wire racks set above waxed paper.
With paraffin, the coating firms very quickly, bars with butter in the chocolate coating may need to be chilled. When firm and cool), serve bars, or wrap individually in foil. Store in the refrigerator up to 4 weeks; freeze to store longer.

Makes about 4 dozen bars, about 1 ounce each. Per piece: 188 cal.; 4.4 g protein; 29 g carbo.; 9.8 g fat; 0.6 mg chol.; 40 mg sodium.

Energy Bars- Unbaked

By: American Running Association Running and Fitnews
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 cup vanilla protein powder
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup raisins or dried fruit and chopped
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup light Karo syrup

Mix it all well. Freeze in bar shapes.

Protein Bar Recipe

By: Irononline Archive
3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups dried milk
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup lite syrup
2 scoops protein powder
2 large egg whites or 1 egg
11/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup raisins or dried fruit and chopped

Line cookie sheet with waxed paper and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Spread onto sheet, press cutting lines in to make 10 pieces. Bake 15 minutes untill golden brown, cut apart, then cool and wrap. Store airtight at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Meal Replacement Bars (Bulking)
Combine in large mixing bowl:

3 Cups Oatmeal
1/2 Cup Natural Peanut butter
1 cup Skim Milk
4 Scoops Protein Powder
dash of cinnamon
Mix until a sticky batter is formed (may take a few minutes)
use a large spoon to spread out the mix into the bottom of a Pam-sprayed glass or metal cooking tray (spread until even)
top with 4-8 packets splenda
put in the fridge overnight and cut into 8 equal bars that yield:

11g fat (good monounsaturated fats)
26g carbs
21g protein
285 calories

Meal Replacement Bars (Cutting)

Combine in Large Mixing Bowl

8 Scoops Whey (Vanilla is very good)
3 Cups Oats
1 Package Sugar Free Fat Free Pudding (Any flavor is good)
2 Cups Skim Milk

Mix until a sticky batter is formed (may take a few minutes)

use a large spoon to spread out the mix into the bottom of a Pam-sprayed glass or metal cooking tray (spread until even)
put in the fridge overnight and cut into 8 equal bars that yield:
3g fat
28g carbs
29g protein
257 calories
These bars taste amazing, and are perfect for: breakfast, pre OR postworkout

STRAWBERRY & BANANA MEAL REPLACEMENT BARS
Makes 6 bars
1 cup raw oatmeal
5 scoops of strawberry protein powder ( 90g of protein)
1/4 cup fat free cream cheese
1/2 cup non fat dry milk powder
2 egg whites
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 bananas, mashed
2 tsp. canola oil (this is the secret to moist bars instead of the traditional dry bar)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9x9 square pan with cooking spray & set aside. In a med.ium bowl combine oatmeal, Protein powder & dry milk. Set aside. In another bowl beat together with an electric hand mixer, cream cheese, egg whites, bananas, water & oil. Add the oat mixture & continue to beat until the two are combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan & bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Calories-203, Protein 22g, Carbs 22g, Fats 3g

ABC Protein Bars

INGREDIENTS

10 tbsp. natural peanut butter
5 egg whites
5 scoops whey protein (I find that chocolate mint tastes the best in this recipe, however chocolate tastes good as well)
2 cups oats (OPTIONAL: For flavor, I dry cook these on a frying pan until they are toasted)
1/2 cup soy milk

DIRECTIONS

Mix the peanut butter and egg whites in a bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, and mix well (so that the mixture appears smooth). Repeat 4-5 times until all traces of egg whites have dissolved into the peanut butter, and your mixture is a smooth consistent one.

Gradually add the protein (one scoop at a time) and stir into the mixture. Next, add the soy milk and follow with the oats. Continue mixing until a thick 'sticky' mixture is present.

Smooth the thick mixture into a 13x9 tray and leave for 20-30 minutes. Cut into 10 equal size bars. Individually wrap each bar (I use aluminum foil) and store in the fridge.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Bar

Calories: 220
Protein: 20.1g
Fat: 10.1g
Carbohydrates: 15.1g

Posted by: Slayer of Souls Mar 25 2006, 12:49 AM

Low Fat "Majmum" Protein bar

ingredients:

8 oz fat free cream cheese
4 scoops protein powder ( i use chocolate)
3 cups whole oats
1/2 cup splenda
Dash of cinnamon ( to taste)

Combine splenda, cream cheese, protein, and cinnamon in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer on high til its smooth.

add the oats and mix with the mixer until you have a fairly homogeneous mixture.

note if it is too thick add a 1/4 cup of milk or water

spray an 8x8 pan with PAM. spread the mixture in the pan. sprinkle some additional splenda on top and place in the fridge for an hour.

I cut mine into ten bars for a breakdown of

154 cals, 17.8g carb, 15g protein, 1.8 g fat

Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars

1 cup oat flour
1 ½ cups whey protein powder
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ cup nonfat dry milk powder
¼ cup stevia blend
½ teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
½ teaspoon super-strength chocolate flavoring (LorAnn)
½ teaspoon super-strength peanut butter flavoring (LorAnn)
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ - 1/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9”x9” baking pan with wax paper.

Combine all dry ingredients in blender -- Process on high speed 2 minutes. In a bowl, beat eggs, flavorings, and peanut butter. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. With an electric mixer, slowly add the water until dough becomes a “gooey play-dough” consistency. Pour batter in lined pan, spreading, or pressing dough to an even thickness.

Bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool slightly. Remove wax paper and allow to cool completely. Cut into 8 bars. Delicious with low-carb ice cream.

Calories: 250 Protein: 24g Carbs: 24 Fats: 7 g

Best Brownie Protein Bars

½ cup oat flour ¼ cup whole-wheat flour
1-cup whey protein powder
½ cup stevia blend
1/3 cup cocoa
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1-tablespoon liquid lecithin ½ cup fat free cream cheese (room temperature) 2 eggs
¼ cup fat free Miracle Whip
1 teaspoon super-strength chocolate flavoring (LorAnn)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9”x9” baking pan with wax paper.

In a bowl combine all dry ingredients. Set aside. In a large bowl, with an electric beater, combine lecithin, cream cheese, eggs, Miracle Whip, and flavoring until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Mix well. Pour batter into lined 9”x9” square pan and smooth evenly.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from pan and cool slightly. Remove wax paper and cool completely. Cut into 9 bars.

Per bar: Calories:99 Protein: 9g Carbs:9g Fats:3 g

No Bake Protein Bar

5 tbsp natural peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
1/2 cup dry oat meal or whole grain hot cereal (uncooked)
1/2 cup oat flour (double the dry oats if you do not have oat flour)
6 scoops chocolate whey protein (approximately 132 grams worth of low-carb protein powder)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons flax seeds (optional)
1 cup non-fat dry milk
1/2 cup water (depending on what type of protein you use, you may need to add more)
Modifications: Use vanilla protein and replace ~1/4 cup of the oatflour with a variety of nuts, seeds, or dried berries.
PREPARATION:

Spray an 8x8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Combine dry ingredients in a medium size bowl and mix well. Add peanut butter and mix - the mixture will be crumbly and dry. Add water & vanilla. Sponsored Links

Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, everything until a dough forms. The dough will be sticky. Spread dough into pan using a clean wooden spoon or spatula that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Refrigerate a few hours (or freeze for an hour) and cut into 9 squares. Wrap bars individually (use sandwich bags or plastic wrap) or store in covered container between sheets of wax paper. Keep refrigerated.
Nutritional Information Per Serving:

197 calories, 21 g protein, 7.2 g fat (8% saturated), 13.7 g carbohydrate, 1.6 g fiber

Posted by: Slayer of Souls Mar 25 2006, 12:50 AM

Posted by: Slayer of Souls Mar 25 2006, 12:54 AM

Chewy Chocolate & Peanut Butter Bars

1 cup oat flour 1 ½ cups whey protein powder ¼ cup cocoa powder ½ cup nonfat dry milk powder ¼ cup stevia blend ½ teaspoon salt

2 egg whites ½ teaspoon super-strength chocolate flavoring (LorAnn) ½ teaspoon super-strength peanut butter flavoring (LorAnn) ¼ cup creamy peanut butter

¼ - 1/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9”x9” baking pan with wax paper.

Combine all dry ingredients in blender -- Process on high speed 2 minutes. In a bowl, beat eggs, flavorings, and peanut butter. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. With an electric mixer, slowly add the water until dough becomes a “gooey play-dough” consistency. Pour batter in lined pan, spreading, or pressing dough to an even thickness.

Bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool slightly. Remove wax paper and allow to cool completely. Cut into 8 bars. Delicious with low-carb ice cream.

Calories: 250 Protein: 24g Carbs: 24 Fats: 7 g

Homemade Meal Replacement Bar
Makes 8 bars

1 c. raw oatmeal
1 = c. chocolate protein powder; [96g. of protein total][vanilla powder can be used instead]
< c. natural peanut butter
= c. nonfat dry milk powder [dry form do not add any additional water to this]
2 egg whites, beaten
= c. raisins
< - 1/3 c. water
Mix all ingredients [except water] together in a bowl. Gradually add water to mixture [mixture is very gooey]. Spray a 9x9 square pan with cooking spray. Pour batter in pan and spread as best as you can [I use wax paper to press it down so it is evenly distributed]. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly; cut into 8 bars.
Nutritional stats per bar;
Calories:249
Proteins:24g.
Carbs:24g.
Fats:6g

Homemade Protein Bar recipe - 8 servings

1/2 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 cup protein powder
1/4 cup natural peanut butter (NO SUGAR ADDED--fat drained)*
1 cup skim milk powder

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and add enough water to make a stiff dough
--you will have to get your hands dirty to mix it up; it's sticky.
Spray an 8x8 inch cake pan with Pam and press in dough evenly.
Refrigerate a few hours to harden, then cut into 8 - 12 bars, depending on requirements.
Wrap bars in plastic wrap & store in fridge.

You can adjust to your portion needs by cutting into larger or smaller bars.
I cut mine into 8 bars and that works out to approx:
28.5g protein
22.5g carbs
6g fat
245 cals

Power Bars - 6 servings

1/2 banana, mashed*
1 tbsp natural no sugar added PB*
1/3 cup oatmeal
3 packets sweetener
1/4 tsp baking powder (not soda)
1/2 scoop protien powder - I usually use between 1/2 cu and a cu.
add pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, Mix together and bake 300 degrees for 10 minutes. makes 6.

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Designer Protein Bars - 4 servings

1/4 cup reduced fat peanut butter*
3 TBL fat-free chocolate syrup
3 scoops chocolate protein powder
1 - 1 1/2 TBL water (you may need more to get the consistancy you want)
In small bowl, combine peanut butter and chocolate syrup. Add the protein and enough water to moisten slightly. Place mixture on waxed paper or plastic wrap, and knead by hand for a few seconds to blend ingredients. Form into four bars of small rectangles either by hand or rolling mixture with a rolling pin between two sheets of waxed paper. Wrap each bar in waxed paper or plastic wrap. Store in refrigerator to preserve freshness.

Make 4 bars

Per Bar: Calories 170/ Protein 17 grams/ Carbs 13grams/ Fat 6grams

Posted by: Slayer of Souls Mar 25 2006, 12:55 AM

Chocolate Peanut Butter protein brownies

1/2 cup oats, blended in blender to flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 and 1/2 cup whey protein powder
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
2 egg whites
1 Tablespoon sugar free chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 - 1 cup water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Blend oats until flour. Add remaining dry ingredients. Mix egg whites, chocolate syrup, vanilla and peanut butter in large bowl. Add dry ingredients. Slowly add water until "gooey". (this does not turn into a batter; it is very thick in consistency). Pour into 9x9 pan lined with wax paper. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on cooling rack. Cut into 8 bars. Refrigerate.

Approximate nutritional breakdown (depends on your protein powder) per bar: 187 calories, 7g fat, 18.25g carb, 21g protein

Honey Protein Bars

1 cup natty pb
10 tbsp honey (30 tsp, about double)
2 cups oats
5 scoops whey
1 cup milk

Just mix everything up in a bowl, put it in a brownie or cake pan, and leave it in the fridge. After it has solidified, cut it up into bars.

Chocolate Applesauce Brownies

Ingredients:

60 grams chocolate protein powder

3/4 cup oat flour (if you don't have any just put some oats in a blender and chop them until they are powder)
5 tsp fructose (or 3 tbsp sugar)
3 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)
a dash salt
2 egg whites
3/4 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
3 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla extract – optional

Preparation:

Mix the ingredients together and pour into a greased 8x8 pan.
Bake at 350 degrees farengheit for 18 min.
Makes 9 brownies. Each brownies is 30 40 40 balanced

Oatmeal Protein Bars:

Ingredients:

3 cups oatmeal
140 grams protein powder
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup milk
2 egg whites
1 cup apple sauce
2 tsp baking powder
/2 teaspoon salt

You can also add fructose or sugar, I find them fine without as my protein powder is sweetened enough.

Preparation:

Combine the above ingredients and put in a oiled (use pam) 9x9 pan.

Bake @ 350 for 35 min.

Makes 8 bars. When they are cool, put them in the fridge or they will go mouldy in a few days.

Courtesy of NYCmitch25 @ SM.com

Posted by: Speakle Mar 25 2006, 05:59 PM

Actually been doingthis forever but I have added a kick to it.

1 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup mozz cheese
1 cup of milk
couple spoons of splenda
dash of sugar free chocholate syrup
1 scoop chocholate whey
couple shots of espresso
2 cubes of ice

Blend it all up and viola! It actually tastes damn good and makes a great breakfast. I drink this after a bowl of allbran and a cup of milk.

QUOTE

Shake:
67g protein, 28g carbs, 1g fat 354 cals

Add in the cereal and milk (I eat this first then drink the shake)
10g protein/37g carbs/1g fat 160 cals

Total:
77g/65g/2 514 cals

Posted by: Christopher78374 Mar 13 2007, 02:20 PM

Wrap It UP!

A guide to making yummy and sensible wraps if you are on the go ir just want something yummy to eat that wont blast your gut into tomorrow.

The idea of a wrap is fairly simple. They are much easier to make than a sandwich and they travel better as well. You only really need a couple things to make a good wrap that would fit into a clean diet.

1. %100 whole wheat wrap
2. Dressing or Spread
3. Stuff to put in the wrap \ roll

I always use %100 whole wheat formy wraps. I find that they are typically a little lower in calories than 2 slices of bread.

You can get some great spreads at the store. There are some healthy choices that you can even make for yourself. Any salad dressing works great. I recomend that you use something that is an oil \ vinagar mixture for the least impact \ best taste ratio.

If you want to get a little more serious you can do some of the following:

Wrap & Roll spreads

Garlic \ Herb - Mix 1 stick of cream cheese with 2tbl crushed garlic, minced fresh basil leaves, 1tsp oregano, pepper

Hot n Honey - 1/2 cup honey, 1tsp saracha (or hot sauce), 1tbl horseraddish mustard

Sweet Fruit - mix 1 stick of cream cheese w 2 tbl your favorite organic preserves

Ok so now that we have a few spreads out of the way lets get to assembling one of these.

Wraps work best if you heat them up a bit on both sides. You can fire up a skillet , or the old george foreman. Drop a wrap on it for about 7-10 seconds per side. Pull the wrap off and now its ready for spread.

Spread the spread out evenly over the wrap but keep it about 1/4 - 1/2 inch away from the sides. If you are using a salad dressing make a thin layer on the wrap itself and then drizzle a bit on the finished product before rolling it up.

Now if you are making a wrap place your veggies on first. The placement is very important. put them in the middle but leave about an inch or two from the right side of the wrap. Now chop up your meat if you have so chosen to add a meat.

Here comes the hard part. If you are doing a wrap I find that the link below offers the absolute best method. It provides the least mess.

http://www.billgrady.com/wp/?p=36

Now the only thing better than a wrap is a roll. Why? because you can cut up a roll and divide it into smaller portions to snack on or share with others.

The best way to make a roll is to keep your ingredients thin. With a roll you want the ingredients to be spread out equally over the wrap. If you want to add meats use sandwich slices that are moderately thin. Keep the veggies to a minimum. So much like with the wrap you still apply your spread, follow it with your meat, add slices of cheese so they extend the length of the wrap. Finnaly place a few veggies (shredded works best) or basil \ lettuce leaves on it.

now roll the wrap from bottom to top, tightly. Wrap the roll up in platic wrap and put it in the fridge. This helps to keep its shape. When you are ready to eat it , pull it out and slice it into smaller 1/2 wide sections.