Gourmet Meals--Monday Menu

Breakfast: Well, THAT was a new way to make scrambled eggs! Instead of frying them in a pan, I used my makeshift double boiler (glass boil in pot--making sure that boiling water doesn't touch bowl) and they came out very soft and nice. It did, however, take a lot longer. The directions said I didn't have to stir very often and they were right. The nice thing was the serving size: TWO eggs!

Scrambled Eggs (2 servings)

4 medium eggs
1 tbsp., non-fat dry-milk powder
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp. salt
Speck pepper
Pinch herbs (optional)

Have water boiling in the bottom part of a double boiler; let the top part of the boiler become heated over the water while you prepare the eggs. Break eggs into a small bowl; beat with rotary beater. (I just used a fork.) Add non-fat dry-milk powder to the water; blend thoroughly. (I used whole milk.) Add to eggs. Season to taste. A dash of herb--oregano or marjoram--may be added. Some like a bit of curry. Pour the mixture into the heated double-boiler top; cover and let eggs cook over the boiling water until the desired consistency. Stir occasionally (but not continuously) with a wooden spoon. Remove the eggs from heat before they are quite done, as they will continue to cook in the heated cooker. Serve as soon as possible after removal from heat.

Luncheon: I didn't do the crabmeat salad for me. I just had leftovers. I fixed it for my husband, but he wanted it with mayo, etc. Here's the recipe for those who are seafood lovers:

Crabmeat Salad (3 servings)

6 1/2 oz. canned crabmeat
1/2 cup minced celery
2 tbsp. chopped green pepper
4 small radishes, sliced
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Salt, to taste
Dash pepper
1/4 cup Cooked Salad Dressing
lettuce

Drain and flake crabmeat. Combine with the prepared vegetables; add lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill. Just before serving, mix in the Cooked Salad Dressing. Serve on the lettuce.

Variations: Diced cucumber may be used in place of the green pepper. Add 1 hard-cooked egg, diced, for an additional 80 calories. The salad mixture may be used to stuff tomatoes which have been quartered not quite through.

Pickup: I still haven't made the book's Hot Cocoa recipe, yet. I just had 4oz. of whole milk.

Dinner: Broiled Chicken. Good. Carrots and Mushrooms. Good. All the veggies. Good. Dieter's Cheesecake? Might have been good if I had remembered to BUY cottage cheese. Somehow it didn't make it on the list. I'll get it next time around.

Carrots and Mushrooms (4 servings)

2 cups sliced carrots
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash pepper
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. ginger
3 oz. canned sliced mushrooms

Slice carrots into saucepan; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and ginger. Add canned mushrooms, including the liquid (but not any added fat). Cover tightly; bring to boil. Cook gently until carrots are just tender, from 5 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Dieter's Cheesecake (16 servings)

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 medium eggs, separated
1 cup skim milk
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
3 cups small curd cottage cheese (Must be whole fat as the calories were listed as 645.)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup ice-cold water
1/2 cup non-fat dry-milk
1/3 cup (4 crackers) graham cracker crumbs
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Mix gelatin, sugar, and salt together thoroughly in the top of a double boiler. Beat together the egg yolks and 1 cup skim milk. Add to gelatin mixture and cook over boiling water, stirring constantly until gelatin is thoroughly dissolved, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; add the grated lemon rind; cool. Sieve the cottage cheese; stir into gelatin mixture; add lemon juice and vanilla. Chill, stirring occasionally until mixture mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon. Fold in the egg whites, stiffly beaten.

Beat the 1/2 cup cold water and the dry-milk solids together with a rotary beater until stiff and mixture stands in peaks. Fold into gelatin mixture. Turn into an 8-inch pan and sprinkle top with a mixture of the graham-cracker crumbs, cinnamon and nutmeg. Chill until firm.