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A number of people on our online community forum have brought up these nifty spray products with barely any calories like butter and salad dressing and now I see why they're so enthusiastic: I recently tried the I can't believe it's butter spray and I now spray it on bread, bagels, and vegetables (brussel sprouts were delicious with the spray). It's wonderfully creamy, sweet, and salty. They were great on my roasted potatoes last night for dinner: to make them, first I coated the potatoes with some olive oil non-stick cooking spray and placed them in a pyrex dish, liberally salted them, and put them in a 450 degree oven. Then I completely forgot about them while giving the kids a bath and going through the bedtime routine so the potatoes cooked for nearly two hours. I thought they'd be shriveled and black by then. But not at all: they sort of carmelized and become wonderfully sweet and soft inside a crispy, salty skin made even more scrumptious with the "I can't believe it's butter" spray.
Another spray I used was on my salad: the Wish-Bone Caesar Delight Vinaigrette salad spritzer. Surprisingly good and I hardly needed more than a few sprays as the strong taste came through very well. I'm going to try the others, like Asian Silk and Raspberry Bliss vinaigrette, next. You don't have to eat every food you see in a supermarket. In fact, it's OK to have the same basic foods every day just like you probably stick to the same basic wardrobe most of the time. Spritz salad dressing and butter spray are like jewelry, shoes, handbags, and scarves: accents that keep things interesting while being predictable and comfortable so you don't have to think too hard. Now that's a recipe for success! | permalink | related link |    ( 2.9 / 22 )Having trouble getting in all your vegetables? Bored with the veggies you're eating? Or wanting to add some low-calorie volume to your meals? One of our readers has passed along a great recipe for a "potato" salad made with cauliflower, not potatoes. Delicious! She writes: "This is a complete makeover of a recipe I used a lot in my low carb days. Everyone on a low carb diet uses cauliflower as a substitute for potatoes. And the original recipe called for full-fat mayo. Of course we can still have our potatoes! But this recipe is a great substitute for potato salad and makes a great lunch with some protein thrown in. "I make up a big container and just dip into it all week. I hardly ever get tired of this. Unpotato Salad Two 1 pound bags frozen cauliflower 1/4 cup cold tap water 4 green onions, sliced thin 4 stalks celery sliced thin 1 cup Fat Free Mayonnaise, mixed with 1/4 cup yellow mustard and 1 tb. measures-like-sugar Splenda* Nuke cauliflower with water in covered container 10 minutes. Stir and repeat. You want the cauliflower to be soft, but not mushy. Cool thoroughly and drain off any water. Stir in onion and celery. Stir in mayo mixture. Cover and refrigerate several hours to blend flavors. Like any good "potato" salad, this really must be served at room temp for superior flavor. *Note: This makes a sweet dressing, simiilar to a coleslaw dressing. If you want it less sweet, leave off the splenda. Also fat free mayonaise varies in flavor. I like Kraft brand the best. Also, I used to use gray poupon mustard instead of yellow, but found I like the yellow the best. "Experiment! Add and subtract ingredients to your own taste. This is really a good recipe to have on hand." We love hearing creative ways to stay on the diet - feel free to share anything you find works for you. Bon appetit! | permalink | related link | ( 3 / 65 )Sometimes we forget we have appliances in our kitchen that will make our cooking life easier. My food processor spends most of its life pushed into the back of my pots and pan cabinet. But when I rediscover it, every month or so, I marvel at how much it speeds up my food preparation. The slicing disc can turn a pound of zucchini or yellow squash into a bowl of evenly cut discs that cook up in a little broth for a low calorie vegetable dish. Put thin skinned pickling cucumbers through the same disc (they do not have to be peeled), add a few slices of sweet onion and you have the beginnings of a cucumber salad. Cucumber Dill Salad Put the cucumber and onions in a bowl along with a pinch of salt and chopped fresh dill. Toss with a tablespoon of rice vinegar and refrigerate for a few hours before eating. You will have an extremely low calorie, crunchy salad that goes well with fish, grilled lean steak or grilled chicken. Coleslaw Use the grating disc to turn carrots and cabbage into coleslaw. Set vegetables aside in a large bowl. Change the food processor disk to the one used for blending, add some fat free mayo, vinegar to taste, a tablespoon of mustard and blend for a few seconds. Pour over your grated carrots and cabbage, add some chopped parsley, a few capers if you have them, refrigerate for about an hour before eating. And dont forget the breakfast smoothie. Add any fresh fruit to yogurt and blend. Makes getting up in the morning worthwhile. - Judy | permalink | related link | ( 3 / 50 )One of our readers who loves soup asked for some tips on what kind of soup she could have for lunch. We love this question because not only do we love soups, but studies show that eating soups can help you eat less because their volume makes them filling. "The Serotonin Power Diet" book has delicious, easy recipes for a variety of soups and stews including carrot cumin, curried thai sweet potato, and turkey lentil with greens. We even show you how to use ready-made boxed varieties for lunch and dinner meals in a hurry. Soups are great for lunch if you can get low fat varieties with vegetables. Be sure you eat protein; you can stir in pre-cooked chicken, tofu, canned beans, or chopped deli meat. Or you can make extra protein beforehand for another meal or take home leftovers from an oversized restaurant protein portion. To get all of the vegetables you need, you can buy cut up veggies and tiny tomatoes in the supermarket or get your veggies from a salad bar. Steaming veggies the night before (or microwaving the frozen variety) to throw into your soup also works. It takes planing, of course, but usually no more time than figuring out what to wear or blowing one's hair. Judy discovered a good recipe for spinach soup: Boil a bag of spinach for 5 minutes in broth. Blend it in a food processor along with some lemon juice and 3/4 cup of fat free sour cream. If you'd like, add a little tobasco sauce or other spice of your choice to give it some kick. You can eat it warm or cold. To serve, place it in a bowl and top with chopped skinned cucumber and diced tofu (if you don't like tofu, you can use canned white beans or chopped cooked chicken). | permalink | related link | ( 3 / 51 )In case you haven't seen this in our book, we're featuring a favorite serotonin-boosting dinner salad here. It's perfect for using the delicious heirloom and other flavorful tomatoes available only at this time of year. For a downloadable pdf of this recipe, click here. CRUSTY BREAD SALAD This is our version of panzanella, or Tuscan bread salad. It solves the problem of what to do with leftover bakery bread. VINAIGRETTE 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 2 teaspoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon each of dried basil, tarragon and thyme Ground black pepper 1 tablespoon anchovy paste (optional) Combine all ingredients in a small bowl; set aside. SALAD 1 bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange pepper) cut into 1 wide strips 1 yellow summer squash cut into 3/4 rounds 1/4 thin-sliced medium red onion Olive oil cooking spray Crusty round Italian, French, Cuban or Portuguese bread cut into 1 chunks Women: 1 1/2 cups Men: 2 cups I large or 2 medium tomatoes cut into 1 chunks Chicken breast, grilled, warm or at room temperature, cut into 1 chunks Women: 2 ounces Men: 4 ounces Preheat oven to 500Ί. Coat a roasting pan with cooking spray and place the peppers, squash, onion, and bread cubes in the pan. Coat vegetables with cooking spray. Roast until vegetables are tender and bread is crisp. Remove from oven and let stand until cool. Place vegetable and bread mixture in a bowl. Add tomatoes, chicken, and vinaigrette. Toss well. Makes 1 serving Per serving (women): 434 calories, 28 g protein,52 g carbohydrates,14 g total fat, 9 g dietary fiber, 255 mg sodium Per serving (men): 508 calories, 48 g protein, 67g carbohydrates,17 g total fat, 10 g dietary fiber, 302 mg sodium | permalink | related link | ( 3 / 54 )Next |
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