Breakfast: Nice to have something besides OJ. I've made the Poached Egg Supreme before.
Luncheon: The Cheese and Fruit Platter was what you would expect. Is was VERY nice to have something quick and filling. The chicken soup was some that I just took out of the freezer from a few weeks ago. This would be a great "to go" lunch for errand running or work. I have a couple of thermoses that work great at keeping the hot foods hot.
Dinner: More skewers. I don't have "real" skewers. I've been using chopsticks that I've collected from Chinese fast food. They work great! I used beef which was nice with the pineapple. I didn't make the dessert as we're finishing up the two gallons of ice cream from the party last week. Here's the recipe:
Coffee Delight (4 servings)
1/2 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. instant coffee
1/8 tsp. salt
1 med. egg, separated
7/8 cup water
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. ice-cold water
2 tbsp. non-fat dry milk
Mix gelatin, 1 tbsp. sugar, instant coffee and salt together thoroughly in the top of a double boiler. Beat together the egg yolk and the 7/8 cup water. Add to gelatin mixture and cook over boiling water, stirring constantly until gelatin is thoroughly dissolved, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; add the vanilla. Chill to unbeaten egg-white consistency. Beat the egg white until stiff; beat in the the 2 tbsp. sugar. Fold in gelatin mixture. Beat the 2 tbsp. ice-cold water and the 2 tbsp. non-fat dry-milk solids together with a rotary beater until stiff and mixture stands in peaks. Fold into gelatin mixture. Turn into 4 sherbet glasses. Chill until firm.
Showing posts with label Gourmet menus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gourmet menus. Show all posts
4/21/09
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.
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.
4/17/09
Gourmet Meals--Friday Menu
I lied. One more day of the roast for me. We're supposed to have flounder for dinner. No flounder in our store, so I opted for shrimp. Shh. Don't tell Ida Jean and Mildred.
Breakfast: Again with the "chilled." They assumed I could find tangerine juice. I could not. I had OJ again. But I made sure it was chilled. The fried eggs were MUCH nicer than I normally do. I've discovered that I keep thinking high heat = fast cooking. It just equals burned food. Must be the years of microwave use that I've had.
(Speaking of microwave ovens, I no longer have one. In fact, I have done without for over five years. I never missed it. Sure, I had to sometimes stand in front of the stove and think through HOW I was going to cook or reheat something, but that didn't take too long. I have a toaster oven that is great for reheating. Everything tastes better compared to the microwave. I've read that people complained about the taste of food when the transition was made from wood stoves to gas stoves and then again from gas stoves to electric. I've also read that microwaves are not necessarily evil nor necessarily that good for us. It seems that the molecular structure of the food just may be altered because of the microwaves. That didn't sound like a good thing, so I chucked the microwave and haven't looked back.)
Fried Egg--Slimming Style
1 med. egg
1/2 tsp. butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
Use a small, heavy iron skillet; heat the butter; be sure that bottom of skillet is coated with the fat. Add egg and cook over low heat until of the desired degree of doneness, from 3 to 4 minutes. Cover the skillet so that egg will cook on top without additional fat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper or with seasoned salt.
Luncheon: Mushroom soup? Meh. There was no recipe in the book, so I looked up one. I apparently looked up the wrong one. I won't bother to post it.
I used chicken instead of tuna in the Tuna Fish Salad and it was GOOD. I love the grapes in it. That Cooked Salad Dressing is some awesome stuff. I couldn't find Ry-Krisp so I just used the Melba toast.
Pickup: This did not satisfy like the 4 oz. of whole milk or the toast with butter. I really believe a little fat makes the cravings calm down.
Dinner: Ah. The rice pilaff. (The book had two "F's.") What a disappointment. Not the flavor--the flavor was really good. Trying to cook this in the oven just didn't cut it. The recipe said 25 minutes. The liquid was no where near absorbed. I tried it for another 10 minutes and then took it out to set. Though almost done, there was a slight "crunch" to it. Next time I will use the recipe but cook it on the stove. The cloves? Honestly? I couldn't tell there were any cloves in it. Next time I will finely chop the onions into the rice. I might just nix the cloves.
(ETA: Oops. I just realized WHY the rice was crunchy. Brown rice takes LONGER to cook than white rice. Well, duh.)
I did NOT want to have the Tomato Aspic again. Yuck. I opted for another recipe in the book called "Stuffed Tomato Salad." I had run out of the cooked salad dressing, so I (gasp) used 2 tbsp. of mayo. The salad was very tasty.
For the Fruit-Nectar Fruit Cup, I substituted peach juice for the nectar. The peach juice was not the syrup, which probably would have been closer to the nectar. It was still good, though. No Malaga grapes in my supermarket. I looked them up HERE. I decided to go with green grapes.
Rice Pilaff
1 cup rice (I used brown rice)
1 tbsp. oil
1-10 1/2 oz. can of beef consomme
2/3 cup water
1 sm. onion (for seasoning)
3 cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 375. In skillet, brown rice in the oil. Dilute consomme with the water; heat to boiling point. Stick cloves in peeled onion. Combine browned rice, hot consomme, onion, and salt in casserole. Cover tightly. Bake, covered, for 25 minutes, or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Remove onion. Serve hot. May be pressed into a mold.
Stuffed Tomato Salad (1 serving)
1 small tomato
Stuffing:
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup shredded cabbage
2 small radishes, sliced
1 tbsp. Cooked Salad Dressing
Lettuce
Parsley garnish
Mix the vegetables for the stuffing with the Cooked Salad Dressing. Peel tomato and quarter, cutting not quite through. Arrange on lettuce leaves; push the quarters apart and fill with the stuffing. Garnish with parsley sprigs.
Fruit Nectar Fruit Cup (6 servings)
1 cup Malaga grapes (pic at right)
2 bananas, sliced
24 medium canned pineapple chunks
1 cup apricot nectar, canned
Set out 6 serving cups. Seed and halve the grapes; put a portion in each cup. Slice one third banana into each cup. Add 4 medium pineapple chunks to each cup. Pour the apricot nectar over the fruit. Refrigerate fruit cups until serving time.
Breakfast: Again with the "chilled." They assumed I could find tangerine juice. I could not. I had OJ again. But I made sure it was chilled. The fried eggs were MUCH nicer than I normally do. I've discovered that I keep thinking high heat = fast cooking. It just equals burned food. Must be the years of microwave use that I've had.
(Speaking of microwave ovens, I no longer have one. In fact, I have done without for over five years. I never missed it. Sure, I had to sometimes stand in front of the stove and think through HOW I was going to cook or reheat something, but that didn't take too long. I have a toaster oven that is great for reheating. Everything tastes better compared to the microwave. I've read that people complained about the taste of food when the transition was made from wood stoves to gas stoves and then again from gas stoves to electric. I've also read that microwaves are not necessarily evil nor necessarily that good for us. It seems that the molecular structure of the food just may be altered because of the microwaves. That didn't sound like a good thing, so I chucked the microwave and haven't looked back.)
Fried Egg--Slimming Style
1 med. egg
1/2 tsp. butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
Use a small, heavy iron skillet; heat the butter; be sure that bottom of skillet is coated with the fat. Add egg and cook over low heat until of the desired degree of doneness, from 3 to 4 minutes. Cover the skillet so that egg will cook on top without additional fat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper or with seasoned salt.
Luncheon: Mushroom soup? Meh. There was no recipe in the book, so I looked up one. I apparently looked up the wrong one. I won't bother to post it.
I used chicken instead of tuna in the Tuna Fish Salad and it was GOOD. I love the grapes in it. That Cooked Salad Dressing is some awesome stuff. I couldn't find Ry-Krisp so I just used the Melba toast.
Pickup: This did not satisfy like the 4 oz. of whole milk or the toast with butter. I really believe a little fat makes the cravings calm down.
Dinner: Ah. The rice pilaff. (The book had two "F's.") What a disappointment. Not the flavor--the flavor was really good. Trying to cook this in the oven just didn't cut it. The recipe said 25 minutes. The liquid was no where near absorbed. I tried it for another 10 minutes and then took it out to set. Though almost done, there was a slight "crunch" to it. Next time I will use the recipe but cook it on the stove. The cloves? Honestly? I couldn't tell there were any cloves in it. Next time I will finely chop the onions into the rice. I might just nix the cloves.
(ETA: Oops. I just realized WHY the rice was crunchy. Brown rice takes LONGER to cook than white rice. Well, duh.)
I did NOT want to have the Tomato Aspic again. Yuck. I opted for another recipe in the book called "Stuffed Tomato Salad." I had run out of the cooked salad dressing, so I (gasp) used 2 tbsp. of mayo. The salad was very tasty.
For the Fruit-Nectar Fruit Cup, I substituted peach juice for the nectar. The peach juice was not the syrup, which probably would have been closer to the nectar. It was still good, though. No Malaga grapes in my supermarket. I looked them up HERE. I decided to go with green grapes.
Rice Pilaff
1 cup rice (I used brown rice)
1 tbsp. oil
1-10 1/2 oz. can of beef consomme
2/3 cup water
1 sm. onion (for seasoning)
3 cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 375. In skillet, brown rice in the oil. Dilute consomme with the water; heat to boiling point. Stick cloves in peeled onion. Combine browned rice, hot consomme, onion, and salt in casserole. Cover tightly. Bake, covered, for 25 minutes, or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Remove onion. Serve hot. May be pressed into a mold.
Stuffed Tomato Salad (1 serving)
1 small tomato
Stuffing:
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup shredded cabbage
2 small radishes, sliced
1 tbsp. Cooked Salad Dressing
Lettuce
Parsley garnish
Mix the vegetables for the stuffing with the Cooked Salad Dressing. Peel tomato and quarter, cutting not quite through. Arrange on lettuce leaves; push the quarters apart and fill with the stuffing. Garnish with parsley sprigs.
Fruit Nectar Fruit Cup (6 servings)
1 cup Malaga grapes (pic at right)
2 bananas, sliced
24 medium canned pineapple chunks
1 cup apricot nectar, canned
Set out 6 serving cups. Seed and halve the grapes; put a portion in each cup. Slice one third banana into each cup. Add 4 medium pineapple chunks to each cup. Pour the apricot nectar over the fruit. Refrigerate fruit cups until serving time.
Gourmet Meals--Thursday Menu
I decided to stretch that roast, baby! It sliced up beautifully. What's left over I will freeze. I'll do that right away as now I'm tired of the roast.
Breakfast: I, for the first time in my life, tried one of those giant wheat biscuits. Must say, it was good! One of my favorite cereals is Frosted Mini Wheats. Of course, each one of those mini-bites has a thick layer of sprayed sugar on it. I tried the giant biscuit without the sugar and it was fine. The tsp. of sugar I added actually was too much. Imagine that?
Luncheon: The open-faced sandwich was pretty good. A little dry. For my husband I added the horseradish sauce and a second slice of bread. The Russian Dressing (scroll down) was good.
Pickup: I noticed that for the Slimming Menus and the Budget Fare Menus I served orange juice. But for the Gourmet Menus there was a change: Chilled Orange Juice. I felt pampered.
Dinner: I used the sauce in the recipe for the veal chops to top the sliced roast beef. Quite good, actually!
Spiced Veal Chops (Serving: 1 chop)
6-1/4" thick chops (approx. 3 lb. raw wt.)
1 clove garlic, cut
1 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. seasoned salt
Pinch crushed herbs (sage, thyme, basil
1 tbps. oil
1/2 cup hot water
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 lemon, sliced
Rub surface of chops with cut garlic clove. Mix flour, seasoned salt, and just a pinch of desired herbs, crushed. Sprinkle chops on both sides with the mixture. Heat oil in skillet; brown chops slowly on both sides; watch carefully that they do not burn. Add hot water and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer chops, covered, until tender--about 1 hours. (Since my meat was already cooked, I just simmered until heated through. I did brown the meat a little as suggested for more flavor.) Serve chops with lemon slices.
Did I mention I'm glad to be back on track?
Breakfast: I, for the first time in my life, tried one of those giant wheat biscuits. Must say, it was good! One of my favorite cereals is Frosted Mini Wheats. Of course, each one of those mini-bites has a thick layer of sprayed sugar on it. I tried the giant biscuit without the sugar and it was fine. The tsp. of sugar I added actually was too much. Imagine that?
Luncheon: The open-faced sandwich was pretty good. A little dry. For my husband I added the horseradish sauce and a second slice of bread. The Russian Dressing (scroll down) was good.
Pickup: I noticed that for the Slimming Menus and the Budget Fare Menus I served orange juice. But for the Gourmet Menus there was a change: Chilled Orange Juice. I felt pampered.
Dinner: I used the sauce in the recipe for the veal chops to top the sliced roast beef. Quite good, actually!
Spiced Veal Chops (Serving: 1 chop)
6-1/4" thick chops (approx. 3 lb. raw wt.)
1 clove garlic, cut
1 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. seasoned salt
Pinch crushed herbs (sage, thyme, basil
1 tbps. oil
1/2 cup hot water
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 lemon, sliced
Rub surface of chops with cut garlic clove. Mix flour, seasoned salt, and just a pinch of desired herbs, crushed. Sprinkle chops on both sides with the mixture. Heat oil in skillet; brown chops slowly on both sides; watch carefully that they do not burn. Add hot water and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer chops, covered, until tender--about 1 hours. (Since my meat was already cooked, I just simmered until heated through. I did brown the meat a little as suggested for more flavor.) Serve chops with lemon slices.
Did I mention I'm glad to be back on track?
4/14/09
I miss being on my diet.
Did you see that? Did you see the title of my post? I am astounded by what I just wrote. The truth is that I really DO miss my diet!
With Easter and birthday foods coming and going and staying up until 2:30 last night to finish up the taxes, I have not done my diet for five days. I am ready to jump back into it.
I've risen to the challenge of cooking three meals a day. I've enjoyed trying "vintage" menus. I've also appreciated that each meal is planned to be balanced and low calorie. That means I don't have to do any figuring. I also love that there is dessert practically every night.
I realized something. I never "make" dessert. I "buy" dessert. I buy ice cream, cookies, candy, chocolate, etc. It is usually eaten in the evening in front of the TV before bed. Now we've had it at the table following our meal. It's treated as a special thing. My time and effort is involved and it has more meaning, if you will, than just ripping open the bag of Keeblers.
This week is the "Gourmet" menus. I've missed out on Monday and Tuesday, though, so I'm going to jump in on Wednesday.
After I finish this week I'm planning on doing a fourth week in which I pick and choose the 7 menus I liked the best. I'll see what I do after that.
This is from the introduction to the "Gourmet" section. I have to agree:
With Easter and birthday foods coming and going and staying up until 2:30 last night to finish up the taxes, I have not done my diet for five days. I am ready to jump back into it.
I've risen to the challenge of cooking three meals a day. I've enjoyed trying "vintage" menus. I've also appreciated that each meal is planned to be balanced and low calorie. That means I don't have to do any figuring. I also love that there is dessert practically every night.
I realized something. I never "make" dessert. I "buy" dessert. I buy ice cream, cookies, candy, chocolate, etc. It is usually eaten in the evening in front of the TV before bed. Now we've had it at the table following our meal. It's treated as a special thing. My time and effort is involved and it has more meaning, if you will, than just ripping open the bag of Keeblers.
This week is the "Gourmet" menus. I've missed out on Monday and Tuesday, though, so I'm going to jump in on Wednesday.
After I finish this week I'm planning on doing a fourth week in which I pick and choose the 7 menus I liked the best. I'll see what I do after that.
This is from the introduction to the "Gourmet" section. I have to agree:
"When slimming meals are delicious there is no temptation to fall off the diet. These gourmet meals, cooked according to calorie-counted recipes, make eating for weight control a positive pleasure."
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