Monday, March 29, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Eggplant Parmesan My Way
Well, maybe not my way per se because it's a slight adaptation from a recent Bon Apetit recipe.
Basically, they updated the classic Eggplant Parmesan using broiled eggplant as opposed to the battered and fried variety. Since my goal is to make this a delicious, low-carbohydrate meal, I figured I would use the same method. Incidentally, if you happen to have a grill pan, grilled eggplant would be pretty damned delightful as well.
Low-Carbohydrate Eggplant Parmesan
1 medium to large size eggplant, rinsed and cut into 1/4-inch slices
salt
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
5 oz fresh spinach
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 oz feta*
1/2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper
1 egg
1 8 oz can tomato sauce (or Marinara sauce if you don't have tomato sauce on hand)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Sprinkle the eggplant slices on each side with salt and layer on paper towels or on a nice, long cooling rack over the sink to drain. Let these guys sit for about an hour before continuing with them.
In the mean time, make the filling. In a large pan, heat oil and garlic over medium heat. When the garlic begins to sizzle, cook for about 2 minutes to remove some of the intensity. Add the spinach and cook until nearly wilted. Remove from heat (spinach will likely continue to wilt, if not, it's okay, the difference in texture is quite pleasant). Let cool.
In a bowl, combine the cheeses, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the egg and mix until combined. Add the cooled spinach mixture to the filling. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Now back to the eggplant. Once the hour is up, preheat the broiler in your oven. Rinse the excess salt off of the eggplant slices under water and pat dry. Arrange on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Brush olive oil on both sides of eggplant and broil until brown, roughly 3-4 minutes on each side, but don't let these guys out of your sight - there's a hairsbreadth difference between delightfully brown and disgustingly black. Once the slices are finished let them cool until easy to handle.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a heaping 1-2 tbsp of filling onto the center of each eggplant slice and roll up (I ended up having exactly the right amount - how often does that happen?!). Coat the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan with a little tomato sauce. Place eggplant rolls in dish like so:
Top eggplant rolls with remaining tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. At this point, these guys could be refrigerated for up to a day (as per the Bon Apetit recipe). Bake, covered in foil, for 30 minutes (40 minutes if coming straight from the refrigerator). Remove foil and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes more until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.
These did take some time to make, but they really weren't that complicated. Describing the process, now that was complicated! I had mine with a simply dressed side salad. This makes enough for 3 servings.
Total carbohydrates: 60.
Total fat: 25.
There are more carbohydrates if you use marinara sauce rather than tomato sauce. I have to say that the tomato sauce, after cooking and combining with the parmesan cheese and some of the filling, was incredibly tasty on its own - I think store bought marinara might actually have been overpowering had I used that. Per serving, and I have to say that it makes three hefty servings of three rolls a piece, it breaks down to 20 carbohydrates. This is a bit intense for my cleanse, but it can be a good reward at the end of a long day. Additionally, if you're careful with how much oil you use, this is a very light, but filling, meal as well containing only about 25 grams of fat total, or about 8 grams per serving. I didn't count the calories, but since most calories come from carbohydrates and fats, something tells me it would be pretty light.
*the feta cheese was a total add lib on my part - I had a tiny bit left over in the fridge but figured it would go well with the spinach and garlic and would provide a nice tanginess to the filling
Basically, they updated the classic Eggplant Parmesan using broiled eggplant as opposed to the battered and fried variety. Since my goal is to make this a delicious, low-carbohydrate meal, I figured I would use the same method. Incidentally, if you happen to have a grill pan, grilled eggplant would be pretty damned delightful as well.
Low-Carbohydrate Eggplant Parmesan
1 medium to large size eggplant, rinsed and cut into 1/4-inch slices
salt
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
5 oz fresh spinach
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 oz feta*
1/2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper
1 egg
1 8 oz can tomato sauce (or Marinara sauce if you don't have tomato sauce on hand)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Sprinkle the eggplant slices on each side with salt and layer on paper towels or on a nice, long cooling rack over the sink to drain. Let these guys sit for about an hour before continuing with them.
In the mean time, make the filling. In a large pan, heat oil and garlic over medium heat. When the garlic begins to sizzle, cook for about 2 minutes to remove some of the intensity. Add the spinach and cook until nearly wilted. Remove from heat (spinach will likely continue to wilt, if not, it's okay, the difference in texture is quite pleasant). Let cool.
In a bowl, combine the cheeses, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the egg and mix until combined. Add the cooled spinach mixture to the filling. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Now back to the eggplant. Once the hour is up, preheat the broiler in your oven. Rinse the excess salt off of the eggplant slices under water and pat dry. Arrange on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Brush olive oil on both sides of eggplant and broil until brown, roughly 3-4 minutes on each side, but don't let these guys out of your sight - there's a hairsbreadth difference between delightfully brown and disgustingly black. Once the slices are finished let them cool until easy to handle.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a heaping 1-2 tbsp of filling onto the center of each eggplant slice and roll up (I ended up having exactly the right amount - how often does that happen?!). Coat the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan with a little tomato sauce. Place eggplant rolls in dish like so:
Top eggplant rolls with remaining tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. At this point, these guys could be refrigerated for up to a day (as per the Bon Apetit recipe). Bake, covered in foil, for 30 minutes (40 minutes if coming straight from the refrigerator). Remove foil and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes more until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.
These did take some time to make, but they really weren't that complicated. Describing the process, now that was complicated! I had mine with a simply dressed side salad. This makes enough for 3 servings.
Total carbohydrates: 60.
Total fat: 25.
There are more carbohydrates if you use marinara sauce rather than tomato sauce. I have to say that the tomato sauce, after cooking and combining with the parmesan cheese and some of the filling, was incredibly tasty on its own - I think store bought marinara might actually have been overpowering had I used that. Per serving, and I have to say that it makes three hefty servings of three rolls a piece, it breaks down to 20 carbohydrates. This is a bit intense for my cleanse, but it can be a good reward at the end of a long day. Additionally, if you're careful with how much oil you use, this is a very light, but filling, meal as well containing only about 25 grams of fat total, or about 8 grams per serving. I didn't count the calories, but since most calories come from carbohydrates and fats, something tells me it would be pretty light.
*the feta cheese was a total add lib on my part - I had a tiny bit left over in the fridge but figured it would go well with the spinach and garlic and would provide a nice tanginess to the filling
Friday, March 26, 2010
It's been quite a while...
Well, only a couple weeks. Since my last post I've gone through finals and most of my spring break.
Currently, in terms of my eating habits, I'm a little disappointed in myself. I've maintained my weight loss from last summer, and I've definitely toned up a bit as well, but I haven't lost any more weight. I'm setting a goal to lose 10 - 15 pounds by the end of spring quarter. That averages 1.5 pounds a week which, considering my running, should not be too difficult. The trick is going to be eating healthier more consistently. This past quarter saw a week or two of eating well followed by a week of eating not so well and weekend bingeing definitely occurred more often than I would have liked.
What I'd like to do is go through a 1 - 2 week carb cleanse, similar to phase 1 of the atkins diet where most carbohydrates (except for fiber) would be eliminated from my diet. In the past, especially when I've been eating healthfully, I noticed that my carbohydrate intake was restricted to vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots, and occasionally some brown rice. This past winter quarter, and even fall quarter to some extent, definitely saw the end of that, so this cleansing process is really only to reset my eating habits. Also, the elimination of refined sugar will be particularly welcome since I have a sweet tooth that has gotten insanely out of hand in the past few weeks.
My plan after the next 2 weeks is to slowly become more reliant on healthy, whole-grain carbohydrates and vegetables. Ideally, I'd love to integrate oatmeal and other healthy carbohydrates into my breakfast options. However, for the rest of the day, I'd much rather stick with vegetables and fruits. Ultimately, I'd love to maintain this eating habit with a couple splurges during the week (which will definitely necessitate some dessert experimentation).
Basically, I'd really like to give this cleanse a shot and see what happens. First on the menu is an eggplant parmesan that should be pretty delightful. I've got a couple other recipe ideas to try out later, but I'd like to keep things as healthy and as vegetable-and-fruit oriented as possible right now. Updates and recipes to come...
Currently, in terms of my eating habits, I'm a little disappointed in myself. I've maintained my weight loss from last summer, and I've definitely toned up a bit as well, but I haven't lost any more weight. I'm setting a goal to lose 10 - 15 pounds by the end of spring quarter. That averages 1.5 pounds a week which, considering my running, should not be too difficult. The trick is going to be eating healthier more consistently. This past quarter saw a week or two of eating well followed by a week of eating not so well and weekend bingeing definitely occurred more often than I would have liked.
What I'd like to do is go through a 1 - 2 week carb cleanse, similar to phase 1 of the atkins diet where most carbohydrates (except for fiber) would be eliminated from my diet. In the past, especially when I've been eating healthfully, I noticed that my carbohydrate intake was restricted to vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots, and occasionally some brown rice. This past winter quarter, and even fall quarter to some extent, definitely saw the end of that, so this cleansing process is really only to reset my eating habits. Also, the elimination of refined sugar will be particularly welcome since I have a sweet tooth that has gotten insanely out of hand in the past few weeks.
My plan after the next 2 weeks is to slowly become more reliant on healthy, whole-grain carbohydrates and vegetables. Ideally, I'd love to integrate oatmeal and other healthy carbohydrates into my breakfast options. However, for the rest of the day, I'd much rather stick with vegetables and fruits. Ultimately, I'd love to maintain this eating habit with a couple splurges during the week (which will definitely necessitate some dessert experimentation).
Basically, I'd really like to give this cleanse a shot and see what happens. First on the menu is an eggplant parmesan that should be pretty delightful. I've got a couple other recipe ideas to try out later, but I'd like to keep things as healthy and as vegetable-and-fruit oriented as possible right now. Updates and recipes to come...
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Moroccan Chicken and Lentils
At long last, my Moroccan Chicken and Lentils post. This recipe comes direct from my friend/colleague Jess. She gave me some of this to try and I had to have the recipe. The cinnamon flavor combined with the subtle heat in this dish is amazing. It's incredibly hearty on it's own but if you wanted to make it go farther, serving this with basmati rice or pita chips would be pretty amazing.
Moroccan Chicken and Lentils
1 8oz package baby carrots
1 1/2 cups lentils, uncooked
1 1/2 lbs frozen chicken breast tenders (although I used thighs for incredibly tender meat)
2 tbsp minced garlic
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 (14 1/2 oz) cans fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
Place all ingredients, in order listed, in a 4 or 5-quart electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on high setting for 5 hours. Alternatively, cook on high setting for 1 hour, then reduce to low setting and cook for 7 hours.
Is that not ridiculously easy?! Also I was thinking that, if you wanted a vegetarian option, adding more carrots and a couple cans of chickpeas would be pretty out of this world. My only worry is that the chickpeas may get over cooked, so adding the chick peas halfway through the cooking process rather than at the beginning may be necessary.
This yields 6-1 cup servings and per serving has only 320 calories, 2 grams of fat and ridiculous amounts of protein and fiber.
After only a couple hours cooking. As it cooks down, the lentils get incredibly soft and break down a bit. The end result is not the prettiest image ever (but then, greyish green was never an attractive hue), but trust me, it's delicious.
Up next, I've got a really healthy, vegetarian pasta and white bean toss I'm working for a quick evening meal through the week that can turn into a healthy lunch option.
Moroccan Chicken and Lentils
1 8oz package baby carrots
1 1/2 cups lentils, uncooked
1 1/2 lbs frozen chicken breast tenders (although I used thighs for incredibly tender meat)
2 tbsp minced garlic
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 (14 1/2 oz) cans fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
Place all ingredients, in order listed, in a 4 or 5-quart electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on high setting for 5 hours. Alternatively, cook on high setting for 1 hour, then reduce to low setting and cook for 7 hours.
Is that not ridiculously easy?! Also I was thinking that, if you wanted a vegetarian option, adding more carrots and a couple cans of chickpeas would be pretty out of this world. My only worry is that the chickpeas may get over cooked, so adding the chick peas halfway through the cooking process rather than at the beginning may be necessary.
This yields 6-1 cup servings and per serving has only 320 calories, 2 grams of fat and ridiculous amounts of protein and fiber.
After only a couple hours cooking. As it cooks down, the lentils get incredibly soft and break down a bit. The end result is not the prettiest image ever (but then, greyish green was never an attractive hue), but trust me, it's delicious.
Up next, I've got a really healthy, vegetarian pasta and white bean toss I'm working for a quick evening meal through the week that can turn into a healthy lunch option.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Stolen from my friend Charles' website, who stole it from...
Not a typical blog update, but an interesting one none the less. This is one of those delightful maps of America. In this case, a map of Hamburger places in the U.S. The scariest part? McDonald's is black.
Moroccan Chicken and Lentils still to come, likely on Friday or Saturday.
Moroccan Chicken and Lentils still to come, likely on Friday or Saturday.
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