Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Low Calorie Low Sodium Lunch

For those of us going to the conventions this summer (and still trying to lose weight), it can be a scary prospect. You want your lunch to taste good, but you don't want all the calories that come along with it. This is a tasty quick lunch that leaves you full and happy.

Indian Chicken Salad Pita

1 1/2 tbs light mayonnaise
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp curry powder
4 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 tbs cucumber (without skin, pared, seeded, chopped)
1 1/2 tbs chopped fresh red onion
1 Gluten Free Pita Bread (4 inches) or use regular Gluten Free sandwich bread. ( I like Rudi's, it doesn't have a funky aftertaste.)
2 pieces of fresh lettuce

1.) On the grill or under the broiler, grill the chicken breast. Chop.
2.) In a medium bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, lime juice and curry. Add the chicken, cucumber, and onion, mixing well.
3.) Spoon the mixture evenly into the pita halves. Add the lettuce, serve immediately.

You can double or even triple the recipe to make sure you have enough for the three days. Make sure that you remember to place your chicken salad in a sealed container and keep it cold via ice chest or the hotel room fridge.

Nutritional Stats:
Calories: 310
Carbohydrates: 21.4g
Fat: 10g
Sodium: 426.8mg
Protein: 33.6g
Potassium: 554.6mg

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Better than Chili's Mashed Potatoes

When going to Chili's most people(that I know) order the mashed potatoes because of how good they are. Here is a recipe for mashed potatoes that hits Chili's out of the park, so to speak. It took a lot of trial and error to perfect this, but it's absolutely scrumptious.

3 lbs organic red skinned potatoes
1 tbs salt
1 tbs pepper
3 tsp garlic salt
1 tbs parsley
2 1/3 sticks butter (melted)
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tbs sour cream

In a very large pot bring your potatoes to a boil, cook until the skins start to split. Remove potatoes into a very large bowl. Using a potato masher, squash the potatoes. At this point, if you have a Kitchen Aid Mixer I suggest you put the squashed potatoes in that bowl. If you don't but you have a handheld mixer that will work as well. (Saves you a lot of arm work on mashing them yourself). Add in your butter, sour cream and milk, beat on 4 for about 5 minutes. When done, add your seasonings. Beat on 4 for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and your done!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Starting the day off right!!

Everyone loves a good breakfast. Here are some Sunday morning goodies that I have created while experimenting in my kitchen.

Vanilla French Toast

2 eggs - slightly beaten
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk
2 tbsp butter
8 slices Rudi's gluten free bread

Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Stir in milk. Heat butter in skillet. Dip bread slices one at a time, coat well. Drain excess. Place in skillet. Cook 3 minutes, medium heat each side or until browned. Enjoy with hot butter or maple syrup.

Orange Buttermilk Pancakes:

2 1/4 Gluten Free flour ( I suggest chickpea, tapioca, or 'sweet' sorghum flour)
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp orange zest (http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/get_cooking/techniques/032001.shtml for directions on how to get the zest from an orange)
1 cup orange juice
1 cup buttermilk ( If you don't have any, you can always had 1 tbsp of lemon juice to a cup of regular milk for the same effect of buttermilk.)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp cooking oil

Combine flour and other dry ingredients, including orange peel, in a large bowl. In a medium bowl combine the remaining wet ingredients. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in the large bowl. Stir until combined but still lumpy. Heat lightly greased griddle or skillet over medium heat. Pour pancake batter onto skillet/griddle according to your desired size. I personally prefer a silver dollar size pancake. Cook til golden. Flip pancake when the top bubbles.

Finally there is my favorite breakfast recipe:

Apple Cinnamon Vanilla Waffles

3 eggs (Beat well )
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cup gluten free flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup oil
1 Gala Apple (finely chopped)
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla


Plug in waffle iron. Beat eggs well in a large bowl. Add your buttermilk into the eggs. Stir well. Next, add the remaining ingredients. Beat batter until smooth. The batter will be thin. Pour by the cupful into your preheated waffle iron. Makes anywhere from 6 to 12 waffles depending on the size of your waffle iron. Enjoy with maple syrup.