Sistah Pat

Made with fresh tangy lime and peppery chili paste, this restaurant favorite is easy to make at home.

1 1/2 lbs. flank steak
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon Asian fish sauce
1/4 tsp. chili paste or 1 tsp. minced serrano chile
1 tsp. sugar sub
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 pound green beans, trimmed
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat grill or grill pan to high.  Rub steak on both sides with 1 tsp. of the oil and season with salt and pepper.  Grill to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium rare.  Remove from heat and set on a cutting board for 5 minutes.

Whisk together lime juice, fish sauce, chili paste, sugar sub, cilantro, and scallions in a large mixing bowl.

Heat a saucepan of salted water to boiling.  Add beans and cook until crisp tender, about 4 minutes.  Drain.

Thinly slice beef across the grain.  Toss with lime juice mixture, adding any meat juices that have accumulated on cutting board.  Add beans, toss and serve.

Serves four.  319 calories per serving

1 firm mango (130 calories)
2 large tomatoes (45)
1/2 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced (20)
1/2 red onion, sliced into rings (40)
3 cups romaine or leafy green lettuce (40)
1 garlic clove, crushed (4)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (240)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice (5)
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
salt and pepper
Splenda or other sweetener, to taste
chopped chives, to garnish

Using a sharp knife, cut a thick slice from either side of the mango stone.  Peel away the skin and slice into thin strips.  Peel the remaining mango, remove the remaining flesh and slice thinly.

Chop lettuce and top with a layer of sliced tomatoes on a large serving plate or platter.  Top with cucumber slices, followed by the mango, and finish off with the slices of red onion.

Make the salad dressing.  Crush the garlic clove into a small bowl.  Add the oil, lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, salt, ground black pepper, and sugar.  Using a whisk or a fork, whisk these ingredients together until thoroughly mixed.

Note: This salad is yummy and I’ve added all kinds of things to it.  I’ve added sliced apples, pineapple cubes, sliced peaches, red peppers, etc.  Just be sure to add calories for any additional ingredients.

Drizzle the dressing evenly over the salad and garnish with chopped chives.  Serve immediately.  Makes 6 servings; Total calories 524;  90 calories per serving

Okay, let me try to write down what I did on this soup so I can do it again sometime.  As usual, I was just throwing what I had into the pot.  As far as amounts go, who knows?  I tend to cook, taste, adjust, and just keep adding stuff until I like it.  I’m just trying to remember about what I did.

Onions (3 large) diced
Beef Round Steak (1 pound)
1 cup uncooked Barley
Beef Soup Base
4 large potatoes, diced
Egg Noodles
salt
pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
soy sauce

Saute onions till tender in a large stock pot using Pam.  (Ordinarily, I would probably have sauteed some diced celery as well but I didn’t have any.)  Trim all visible fat from beef and add to pot with 6 cups water.  Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer at least three hours until meat is very tender.  Remove meat from stock and dice.  Add it back to stock. 

Lean Beef Round is not going to give up a lot of flavor so I started adding a bunch of stuff to the stock at this point.  Added a lot more water, probably about six or seven cups and added a couple generous tablespoons of Beef Soup Base and stirred in a couple of good splashes of reduced sodium soy sauce.  I tasted the broth and it seemed a little thin so I looked around to see what I had and stirred in a couple teaspoons of steak sauce.  The stock tasted pretty good at that point so I kept it simmering while I peeled and diced some potatoes.  I didn’t want the starch from the potatoes to ruin the stock so I boiled them in another pan until tender, drained and rinsed them, and set them aside.

I usually use quick cooking barley but didn’t have any.  I had the barley that takes 45 minutes to cook.  I added the barley and 2 1/4 cups of water to a medium saucepan, brought it to a boil, and then reduced the heat to simmer for 45 minutes. 

After the barley was done, I added it, along with the potatoes to the soup.  I had a few egg noodles in the pantry so I stirred them in and brought the soup to a boil for ten minutes to cook the noodles. 

The soup was really good at this point and the noodles were great in it but they started to fall apart after it was reheated a couple of times to keep it hot so I don’t know if I would add them if I was planning on reheating or keeping the soup warm in a crock pot.

This is a South Beach Diet recipe with a few minor alterations. We love the fresh lemony taste and smell of fresh ginger so we always enjoy this recipe. It didn’t have pasta in the South Beach version but I’ve got a lot of men here and they need a few carbs now and then.

1 pound snow peas, strings remove
1 Tbsp. plus two teaspoons Canola oil, divided
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce, divided
1 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 green onions, sliced
2 tsp. dark sesame oil

Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Fill a medium mixing bowl with ice water. Boil snow peas for 2 minutes, drain, and place in ice water for 2 minutes to chill. Drain and pat dry.

Prepare 4 ounces whole wheat spaghetti according to package directions. Rinse, drain, and set aside.

Combine 2 teaspoons canola oil, 1 Tbsp. of the soy sauce, and ginger in a shallow bowl. Add chicken and toss or dredge to coat.

Heat remaining canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden and no longer pink inside, 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and slice.

Combine peas, scallions, cooked spaghetti, sesame oil, and remaining soy sauce in a mixing bowl: toss together. Top individual servings with sliced chicken breasts.

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 400 calories

Note: Hoppin John is a southern dish with a lot of variations.  It’s basically a mix of diced tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and black-eyed peas.  I’ve seen it with rice, ham, and sausage added.  Margaret Holmes canned Hoppin John consists of a mixture of diced tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and black-eyed peas.  My family is a big fan of soup so I decided to try to use this as a base for soup one day and they loved the result.  I’ve made it with rice in the mixture and I’ve also made it with ham but this is the version I make when I’m watching calories.  Can’t find canned Hoppin John (usually in the canned vegetable section)?  No problem.  Just use canned tomatoes, a diced onion sauteed in Pam, a diced jalapeno sauteed along with it and some black eyed peas.  I never make it the same way twice but I wrote down everything I used this time and this is the result.  I ran out of ham flavored soup base or I would have used more.  I usually add an extra can of black-eyed peas but they’re pretty high in calories (and protein!) so I left them out but the result is a lot lower in calories than I would have thought so I may add a can.

1/2 pound round steak trimmed of all fat (464)
3 cans (14.5 oz.) Margaret Holmes Hopping John (840)
2 cans diced petite tomatoes (175)
1 can (7 oz.) chopped green chiles (35)
5 cans (14.5 oz) water
1 Tsp. Ham flavored soup base (15)
1 Tsp. Beef flavored soup base (10)

Simmer the beef until so tender it’s falling apart.  Dice and use the broth the beef was cooked in as the base for the soup.  Add the beef, Hoppin John, tomatoes, and green chiles.  Add jalapenos if you like it HOT!  Add water and soup bases to taste.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors.
Total calories for the entire pot came to 1579.  I measured it out and had 22 cups which comes to 70 calories per cup.

6 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
6 cups Crispix cereal (I’ve had trouble finding this so I’ve used 3 cups of rice chex and 3 cups of corn chex)
2 cups powdered sugar

Microwave chocolate and oil on high 1 1/2 minutes or until melted.

Stir in peanut butter.

Pour over cereal and stir gently to coat.

Place powdered sugar in gallon sized plastic bag.

Add coated cereal and shake bag gently until all cereal is coated.

Refrigerate in air tight container.

This is a hearty, winter vegetable soup that’s a favorite with my friends and family.  It’s also a favorite with me because it has a measly 70 calories per cup.   Unfortunately, it’s one of those recipes I’ve used for years and it’s become a kind of “taste as you go” recipe where I’ve adapted it to suit my taste.  I’m giving the basic recipe but I always use a lot more of the spices and I use more beef base.  We like cabbage so I always use more than the recipe calls for and I add it at the beginning instead of the end because my family likes it cooked a little longer.  I also add the barley at the very end because I usually use the quick cooking variety.   Anyway, here’s the basic recipe as it appeared in Cooking Light 1988.

Pam
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 clove crushed garlic
7 cups of water
1 28 oz. can tomato bits
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup barley
2 Tablespoons beef soup base
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 bay leaf
1 cup thinly sliced leeks
1 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 cup peeled, diced turnip

Coat a large Dutch oven with Pam;  place over medium heat until hot.  Add onion, celery, and garlic.  Saute until vegetables are tender.

Add water and next ten ingredients.  Stir well and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.  Stir in leeks, cabbage, and turnip.  Cover and simmer an additional 15 minutes.  Remove and discard bay leaf before serving.

Yield:  12 cups (71 calories per 1-cup serving)

1 1/2 pounds lean pork loin cut into 4 slices
3 Tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 Tablespoon grated gingerroot
1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper

Trim all visible fat from pork.  Combine the rest of the ingredients in a plastic bag.  Add pork slices.  Cover and marinate in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight.

Remove pork from marinade, reserving marinade.  Grill pork 5 to 6 inches over medium coals 20 minutes or until tender, basting frequently with marinade.

Yield 4 servings
218 calories per serving

Just bought a 1/2 lb of something called California Caviar at the local deli.  It wasn’t great but I could see the potential so I came back and tried to duplicate it and jazz it up.  Turned out pretty good so I’d better write it down before I forget what I did.

 2 cans black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
12 oz. fresh Pico de Gallo
lime juice to taste (2 to 3 tablespoons)
chopped cilantro (1/8 cup?)
zesty Italian dressing to moisten (2 or 3 tablespoons?)
chopped jalapenos (2 Tablespoons)
salt and pepper to taste

I haven’t figured up the calories but this made a huge batch at a fraction of the cost.  It was $4.99 a pound at the deli and I spent about $3.00 to make this entire batch.  It’s full of healthy stuff and tastes really fresh and zesty.

Asian Slaw

1/2 head shredded napa cabbage (40)
2 cups shredded Romaine Lettuce (20)
1 red pepper cut into thin julianne strips (30)
1 carrot cut into thin julianne strips (25)
1 large green onion sliced (5)
1 Asian Pear cut into julianne strips (50)

Dressing
6 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar (0)
1 1/2 Tablespoons Lime Juice (0)
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil (120)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (0)
1 teaspoon black sesame seed (0)
2 teaspoons Splenda (0)

Prepare dressing and set aside so flavors can mingle.  Combine salad ingredients.  Just before serving, pour dressing over salad and top with cracked peppercorns.

Calories : 290 for the entire thing.  This serves at least 8 generous servings at 36 calories per serving.

I’m copying this one to my favorites so it won’t get lost!  Thanks, Sarah!

Julia Child’s Clafouti
serves 6-8

1 1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
3 cups cherries, pitted (the French recipe books all said to leave the pits in, so that’s what I did)

1/3 cup sugar
powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C.
2. In a blender blend the milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour.
3. Pour a 1/4 inch layer of the batter in a buttered 7 or 8 cup lightly buttered fireproof baking dish. Place in the oven until a film of batter sets in the pan.
4. Remove from the heat and spread the cherries over the batter. Sprinkle on the 1/3 cup of sugar. (THIS SUGAR I OMITTED)
5. Pour on the rest of the batter until the tops of the cherries are just poking through (With the remaining batter you can throw away or make another small clafoutis).
6. Bake at 350 degrees for about for about 45 minutes to an hour. The clafouti is done when puffed and brown and and a knife plunged in the center comes out clean.
7. Sprinkle with powdered sugar (DIDN’T DO), serve warm.

NOTE:  I’ve changed a couple of things.  Made it with blueberries once and it was wonderful.  Also made the following adaptations:

My family is in love with this recipe. Made it last week using blueberries. Made it tonight and discovered that I was out of whole milk so I used Silk Light Vanilla Soy Milk. Can’t tell any difference in the taste (It’s fabulous!) It even puffed up higher and lighter than the one I made using whole milk. The only calories in the entire thing are:
1 ¼ cups Silk Light Vanilla Soy Milk (100)
3 large eggs (240)
½ cup white flour (220)
2 cans pitted tart cherries in water (360)

Total 920
6 very large servings at 153 each or 8 servings at 115 each.

4 cups uncooked Rotini Pasta  (1,120)

10 ounces grape tomatoes, sliced lengthwise (50)

¾ cup diced onion (50)

1 cup Kraft Free fat-free shredded cheddar cheese (180)

8 Tablespoons Hellman’s Reduced Fat Mayo (160)

5 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

12 oz. White Albacore Tuna in Spring Water, drained and flaked (350)

1 ½ cups Edamame Beans (150)

Makes 14 cups 147 calories per cup

Cook pasta according to directions.  Drain and rinse in cold water.  Cook Edamame beans as directed, drain and rinse in cold water. 

In large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.  Add salt and freshly grated pepper to taste.

Note:  I measured all the ingredients and show the calories in the food list.  This would probably be good with other veggies added as well but this is what I had on hand.  I love edamame beans but I know some people don’t care for them.  Frozen peas or snow peas would work just as well.  We also like lots of lemon juice so I just kept adding and tasting.  When I was finished, I measured it out and it made 14 cups so I figured the calories for a one cup serving.

Here’s an oldie but a goodie from Cooking Light, 1986.  I always buy cheap wine for cooking.  I used to buy cooking wine in the grocery but it has a lot of sodium and I’ve discovered over the years that the cheapest wine on the shelf is still much better for cooking than the cooking wine from the grocery.  I usually serve this dinner with steamed broccoli.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/8 tsp. salt
Vegetable Cooking Spray
2/3 cup Chablis or other dry white wine
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, quartered
2 Tablespoons minced onion
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tsp. Chablis or other dry white wine
1 cup hot cooked rice

Sprinkle chicken with salt.  Coat a heavy skillet with Vegetable Spray; place over medium heat till hot.  Place chicken in skillet and cook until browned on both sides.  Add 2/3 cup wine, mushrooms, and onion.  Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat, simmer 15 minutes.  Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm.

Combine cornstarch and 2 tsp. wine; stir into mushroom mixture in skillet.  Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly.

Serve chicken and wine sauce over hot cooked rice.  Yield 2 servings (about 209 calories per serving plus 90 calories per 1/2 cup cooked rice)

Sista Pat’s Faux Tortilla Soup

1 T. canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 t. ground cumin
5 cups chicken broth
1 ½ lb. diced, boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
2 cups Chi Chi’s original salsa (I like Chi Chi’s but you can use any salsa)
 

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and jalapeno; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender (5 min).  Stir in garlic and chicken and cook until chicken is no longer pink, about 3 minutes.  Add cumin and cook 30 seconds more.

Add broth, increase heat to high, and bring to a rapid simmer.   Stir in salsa, bring back to a simmer, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.  Makes 4 - 2 ½ cup servings

Cals, 320;  8 g. fat, 2 g. dietary fiber.

I always preheat the oven to 350 and spray a cookie sheet with Pam.  I cut a whole wheat tortilla into strips about 1/4 inch wide and 2 inches long and spread them on the cookie sheet.  Spray the tops with Pam and bake for a few minutes until crisp.  Sprinkle a few of these on the soup.

What makes this special?

• It’s another one of those flexible soups that you can do all kinds of things with.  Add roasted red peppers, cilantro, fresh lime slices, green chilies, fat free sour cream, baked whole wheat tortilla strips.  None of these really increase the calories very much.
• It’s barely over 300 calories for 2 ½ cups!
• For a family dinner,it works great with a baked tortilla with melted low fat cheese and jalapenos.
• My family will eat it.

Lemon Linguine (This a great recipe that I’ve had for years.  It’s from Cooking Light.  It comes in handy when I get to really missing carbs)

6 oz. linguine
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tablespoons skim milk
1 Tablespoon margarine
1/8 teaspoon
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
lemon twists for garnish

Cook linguine in a large dutch oven according to package directions.  Drain and place in serving bowl;  toss with lemon juice and set aside to keep warm.

Combine milk, margarine, and salt in a small saucepan;  cook over low heat until margarine melts.  Add warm milk to linguine in serving bowl. Sprinkle linguine with Parmesan cheese and toss well.  Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon twists.  6 servings  (142 calories per serving)

I think I might do a little work on this recipe to reflect some updating.  I might try to do it with soymilk, whole wheat linguini and Brummel and Brown Yogurt spread.

Tart Crust
One twin pack from a 16 oz. pkg. Athens Fillo (Phyllo) Dough
Butter Flavored PamFilling
16 oz. Fat Free Sour Cream
1 Pint Strawberries
16 0z. Fat Free Cool Whip (Sugar Free or Lite will work just as well)
1 cup ? SplendaGlaze
2 cups frozen raspberries (thawed)
2 Tablespoons Splenda (or to taste)
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350.  Follow directions on Phyllo package for handling dough.  Do not let it dry out.  Spray muffin pan lightly with butter flavored Pam.  Remove one sheet of phyllo and use kitchen shears to cut it into six rectangular pieces.  Place one rectangle into muffin well and gently press it around the sides and bottom.   Spritz with Pam.  Layer another rectangle on top of the folded piece and overlap it slightly over the edges of the cup.  Spritz again with Pam.  Continue layering and spraying until all six pieces have been placed in the cup.  Cover with a slightly damp paper towel or kitchen towel until all 12 cups have been filled.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until browned.  Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Mash 5 strawberries with potato masher or fork in medium bowl.  Add Cool Whip, sour cream, and Splenda and mix well.  I added Splenda to taste and I think it may have been about a cup but you may need to adjust to your taste.

Place raspberries in blender (or, if you’re like me, the mighty Magic Bullet!) and puree.  Strain into small saucepan to remove seeds.  Add Splenda and heat on medium until mixture just begins to simmer.  Stir in cornstarch mixed with 2 Tablespoons cold water and stir till glaze is thickened.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Fill each cup with 2 Tablespoons filling, garnish with strawberry slices, and drizzle with raspberry glaze.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 24 tarts.  Each tart has approximately 60 calories.

By the way…hubby likes lemon so I mixed 1 cup of Cool Whip with 1 cup of Fat Free sour cream and stirred in some Splenda and True Lemon (this is a crystallized lemon substitute that’s found in the spice aisle) and spooned a couple of Tablespoons into a phyllo shell.  He loved it!  I’m thinking fresh peaches in July, oranges in the winter, you get the picture!

Peppered Beef Salad

Dressing:

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
1 teaspoon sugar or Splenda

Salad:
1 cup fresh asparagus (cut into 1 inch pieces)
1 cup bite size broccoli florets
12 oz. deli roast beef cut into 3 x 1 inch strips
4 cups torn mixed greens
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 small green pepper cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 small red pepper, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 small red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings In jar with tight fitting lid, combine all dressing ingredients: shake well.  Allow to stand at room temperature 1 hour to blend flavors.