Fried Riced Cauliflower

This dish is absolutely amazing, you would never miss the rice or oil and it tastes just like real fried rice. On top of that 1 serving clocks in at only around 200 calories.

Servings: 4

• 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 package lite firm tofu, drained and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1/2 onion chopped
• +Any other veggies if desired - I sometimes add zucchini
• 1 cup snow peas
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 egg lightly beaten or 1/4 cup liquid egg whites or egg beaters
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• About 1/2 cup vegetable broth for sauteing and extra flavor

Recent Culinary Explorations - 6/2012

Enchiladas

In this post: Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas - Low Carb Cauliflower Pizza Crust - Pistachio and Cranberry Biscotti

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas - Adapted From Penzy's Spice Catalog

The first time I made this I stuck to the recipe (which was horribly written & hard to follow - I'm surprised they actually published it that way in the catalog). The second time I changed it up a little by using butternut squash instead of potatoes and I made half with baked tofu and the other half with ground beef for the non-veggie head. I also used 2 minced canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and some canned enchilada sauce. Unique and tasty, it can be a very healthy meal. Cook the squash/potato chunks in the microwave to save time.

[Indian] Vegetarian Tikka Masala

After a disappointing attempt at tikka masala a few weeks ago, I decided to try again this time pulling from numerous recipes. This adaptation came out so well I swear I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a week straight. This can be made with any kind of protein or meat substitute you prefer, even paneer which is extremely easy to make at home (I will post a recipe soon).

Tikka masala with homemade naan bread

Vegetarian Tikka Masala

Marinade

• 1 package Quorn Naked Chik'n Cutlets (cut into bite sized cubes), or 1 bag Quorn Chik'n Pieces, thawed [sub real chicken breast for a non-vegetarian dish]
• 2 Tbsp plain, nonfat greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground red cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp fresh minced ginger

Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Soup

"Holy sh*t!"

Pardon my French but that was my honest reaction when I tasted this. I was dying to have the vegetable soup from World Resource Cafe on Lincoln Road, which closed down over a year ago & I couldn't seem to find any other restaurant that had a vegetarian soup with that exact taste. On this occasion I set out to recreate it myself. The sweet, sour and hot flavors are incredibly satisfying. The best part about this recipe is that it took hardly any time at all. Whether or not this soup would be considered Vietnamese, Thai or whatever, I'm really not sure, but the most similar recipe I found called it Vietnamese.

Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Soup

Yield: 6-8 servings

• 1 1/4 quarts (5 cups) water
• 1 quart (4 cups) vegetable broth                                   
• 1 tsp ground peppercorn
• 2 tsp sea salt                                   
• 7 tsp Thai Tom Yum powdered soup mix (found at an Asian grocery store, although you may be able to find in the ethnic food section of a regular grocery store, I haven't looked)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 Tbsp lemon grass paste (found in a tube  next to the fresh herbs in the produce section) 
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 20-oz can pineapple chunks, with syrup
• 1 8-oz package bean sprouts
• 1/2 large sweet onion, chopped into about 1" square pieces
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced 
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 tsp tamarind paste concentrate* (My mom picked it up for me at an Indian grocery store. Can likely be found at an Asian grocery store as well; if you use the powder I believe you are supposed to triple the amount, but do some trial and error)
  

[Indian] Potato & Seitan Curry with Peas and Carrots

Indian food really is not the most attractive to look at but this recipe turned out surprisingly pretty. I took a lot of liberties with the original recipe trying to find the right flavor while stripping it down into a lower calorie meal.

 Mis en Place: to "put in place." Probably the most important lesson I've learned about cooking.

Potato & Seitan Curry

Yield: 6 servings

• Non-stick cooking spray
• 1 package seitan chunks, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced  
• 2 large onions, chopped 
  
• 8 oz. carrots, thinly sliced  
• 2 medium potatoes, cut into 1" chunks  (leave skin on for added nutrients)
  
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
• 1 1/4 cups frozen peas  
• 1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder 
• 1-2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper  
  
• 1 tsp ground coriander  
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger  
• 1/4 tsp garam masala *not required, but I thought it added a nice, more complete flavor
• 1 14-oz. can coconut milk  (used Iberia brand - 300 cals per can)
• 1 cup (or more as needed) water 

Carrot Cake Pancakes & Gazpacho Bloody Marys

While I try to stick with a simple, healthy breakfast, I couldn't help myself when I saw this pancake recipe on Smitten Kitchen. I actually ended up throwing away some of the leftovers (gasp! so much for not wasting food, but I swear this was before I had a renewed interest in making the most of my food!) because I knew I would eat them all otherwise & I had no one else to finish them off for me. One serving of the pancakes with topping as I made them came out to about 300 calories (not bad!), but try having just one serving ;-)

As for the Gazpacho Bloody Marys, I had one a a local restaurant recently and have been craving one ever since. I am a bloody mary fanatic and am known to mix up a virgin BM because I am just that obsessed. Mine did not turn out quite like the one at the restaurant, so I will be making a trip back there to have a little chat with the bartender to get their secrets.

Tuna & Quinoa Burgers and Zucchini Fries

Recently I was reminded how much food ends up going to waste in our homes and it motivated me to take a closer look at the way I use the food in my kitchen (to be honest, it's mostly for personal budget reasons - thanks for the frugal gene dad!). I decided that this week I would avoid the supermarket and stick to what I already have.

Yesterday I browsed for recipes based on the ingredients next in line to go bad in my kitchen: 1/2 an onion, 2 zucchini, spinach, half a jar of marinara sauce and a box of matzo meal (though not about to go bad, I need to use it up). With only slight alterations and additions, these recipes were the perfect fit (adapted from postings on the MyFitnessPal.com community forums).

 

Tuna & Quinoa Burgers

 This "burger" without a bun was definitely a healthy choice although could have used a little more spice. Next time add some Old Bay seasoning, chopped up pickled jalapenos (they would have been in there trust me, but I was out!) and maybe even add some goat cheese into the actual mix.