And now come the regrets.
Did I actually must have that second piece of pecan pie? Couldn’t the mashed potatoes have had possibly rather less butter? Did I really must eat all of these mint goodies that our good friend introduced from Chicago?
Sure. Sure I did. These issues are nice.
However now I’m feeling it: each Christmas cookie, each potato pancake, each Frango mint. My belt is aggravated at me. My scale groans when it sees me strategy.
So within the spirit of resolutions made for the brand new 12 months, I made a decision to make a bunch of dishes that can make my belt and scale happier, and me, too. I went low-cal.
Naturally, I didn’t wish to hand over on taste and delight. I decided to make dishes that each tasted good and had been comparatively good for me — or a minimum of good for my waistline.
I started with a riff on an outdated favourite, carbonnades a la flamande, the well-known Belgian dish of beef-and-onion stew cooked in beer.
The distinction within the model I made is that the beer used is stout, a darkish beer similar to Guinness that’s wealthy in espresso and caramel flavors. Regardless of its full-bodied taste, the beer has only some extra energy than Bud Gentle. And its style is so mellow, it wants much less brown sugar than conventional carbonnades to easy out the stew.
The recipe makes use of much less beef than the common carbonnades, which cuts again on the energy. However you don’t thoughts the loss, as a result of it makes up for it in chunky mushrooms, which mix in completely with the opposite flavors.
It’s a hearty, warming stew with a sturdy style. You don’t even discover the flavour of the beer, which melts away into the sauce for an totally satisfying meal.
My subsequent dish was equally intriguing: Lemon Rooster With Bulgur. Bulgur is a kind of grains that I not often suppose to make use of once I’m cooking, and I’m at all times completely happy at any time when I exploit it. It has a nutty style just like brown rice, however a creamier and extra luscious texture.
It additionally occurs to go brilliantly with hen — and particularly, as I found, with lemon hen.
The recipe consists of a few curveballs which are surprising however scrumptious. Blended into the opposite components (onion, garlic, lemon) are a half-teaspoon every of cardamom, coriander and cumin.
The Indian spices are delicate, however you understand they’re there. They act as a quiet sounding board to amplify the intense citrus notes of the lemon. They make what’s already an excellent dish even higher. It’s certain to hitch your repertoire, as will the Beef Braised in Stout Beer.
And so, for that matter, will Turkey Wienerschnitzel.
The flavour of turkey is analogous sufficient to veal that it makes an inexpensive substitute; I even know a chef who used to cook dinner turkey at his restaurant and jokingly name it “redneck veal.”
Veal is difficult to seek out as of late, and it’s costly whenever you do see it, so Turkey Wienerschnitzel could be an excellent thought even when it weren’t so scrumptious. Primarily based on the traditional Austrian dish, it’s a turkey cutlet, breaded and flippantly fried, served with capers and slices of lemon. A fried egg on prime tastes nice, too.
This model, which was created by Steven Raichlen in his pre-barbecue days, saves some energy by dipping the turkey in egg whites as a substitute of complete eggs, and it theoretically requires solely two tablespoons of oil to fry 4 cutlets.
To be completely trustworthy, it took me three tablespoons of oil to fry the 4 cutlets. However that isn’t too dangerous, and the Wienerschnitzel was distinctive.
My final low-cal, high-flavor dish takes potatoes to a brand new stage. Bombay-Type Potatoes are a sort of spiced potatoes that, regardless of the title, seems to have originated in England.
Curry and potatoes have lengthy been a well-liked mixture, and the Bombay type normally provides tomatoes to the combo. However the model I made makes use of Granny Smith apples as a substitute so as to add simply the correct quantity of candy tartness to the spicy curry.
I cheated once I made mine. As a substitute of placing collectively a selfmade mix of spices for the curry, I simply used curry powder out of a jar. It was awfully good the best way it was, and I can solely think about how a lot better it might have been if I had solely taken the additional jiffy to make my very own.
Whether or not you combine collectively your personal curry or use the store-bought selection, you should definitely use Yukon Gold potatoes with this dish. Their texture is nearly butter, their style virtually creamy, which completely brings the recipe to life.
BEEF BRAISED IN STOUT BEER
Recipe from “The Connoisseur Gazelle Cookbook” by Ellen Brown
Yield: 6 servings
- 1 1/2 kilos boneless lean beef, similar to spherical, trimmed of all seen fats and reduce into 2-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 cups diced onion
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1 pound recent mushrooms, washed, trimmed and halved if massive
- 2 cups Guinness stout beer (don’t use extra-stout)
- 1 1/2 cups beef inventory
- 2 tablespoons darkish brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chopped recent thyme, or 1/4 teaspoon dried
- 3 tablespoons chopped recent parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if utilizing salted canned inventory)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch blended with 2 tablespoons chilly water
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1. Wash the meat and pat dry with paper towels. Warmth the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high warmth. Brown the meat cubes on all sides and take away them with a slotted spoon; this must be carried out in a number of batches.
2. Scale back the warmth to medium and add the onions, garlic and mushrooms. Sauté for five minutes, stirring usually. Return the meat to the pan and add the remaining components besides cornstarch and vinegar. Deliver to a boil over excessive warmth, scale back the warmth to a simmer and cook dinner, coated, for 11/2 to 2 hour or till the meat is tender.
3. Take away the meat and greens from the pan, discarding the bay leaf, and scale back the gravy by one-third, stirring often. Stir within the cornstarch combination, simmering for two minutes till thickened. Return the meat and greens to the pan and stir within the vinegar. Reheat the stew, if mandatory. Serve over rice, if desired.
Per serving: 293 energy; 11 g fats; 6 g saturated fats; 84 mg ldl cholesterol; 28 g protein; 17 g carbohydrate; 9 g sugar; 2 g fiber; 324 mg sodium; 51 mg calcium
LEMON CHICKEN WITH BULGUR
Tailored from “Jane Brody’s Good Meals E book” by Jane Brody
Yield: 6 servings
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 hen, about 3 1/2 kilos, skinned and reduce into serving items
- Salt and pepper
- 3 medium onions, chopped (1 1/2 to 2 cups)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (2 teaspoons)
- 1 1/2 cups bulgur, see be aware
- 1/2 teaspoon floor cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon floor coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon floor cumin
- Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 4 cups boiling hen broth
Word: Bulgur is more durable to seek out than it was once. I purchased mine at Entire Meals.
1. Preheat oven to 350 levels.
2. In a big skillet, warmth the butter and the oil, add the hen and brown the items on all sides. Season the hen with salt and pepper, and take away it to a big casserole or pot.
3. Add the onions and garlic to the skillet, and cook dinner, stirring often, till the onions are translucent, about 3 to five minutes.
4. Add the bulgur, stirring to coat it and brown it flippantly.
5. Add the cardamom, coriander, cumin, lemon zest and lemon juice to the bulgur combination, mixing the components properly. Spoon the bulgur on prime of the reserved hen.
6. Pour the boiling broth over the hen and bulgur. Cowl the casserole or pot and cook dinner within the oven for 1 hour or till the hen is tender. If getting ready prematurely and you propose to reheat within the oven, as a substitute of a microwave, scale back the baking time to 45 minutes so it doesn’t get overheated and dry when reheated.
Per serving: 500 energy; 11 g fats; 4 g saturated fats; 200 mg ldl cholesterol; 66 g protein; 34 g carbohydrate; 3 g sugar; 5 g fiber; 1,037 mg sodium; 50 mg calcium
TURKEY WIENERSCHNITZEL
Tailored from “Excessive-Taste, Low-Fats Cooking,” by Steven Raichlen
Yield: 4 servings
- 1 1/2 kilos turkey cutlets or hen breasts
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup (roughly) all-purpose flour
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 cup (roughly) breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons capers, for garnish
- Lemon wedges, for garnish
1. Place every cutlet between two items of plastic wrap or waxed paper and pound with a meat pounder, the aspect of a cleaver or a cast-iron pan to 1/4-inch thick. Season the cutlets on each side with salt and pepper.
2. Place the flour, egg whites and breadcrumbs in three shallow bowls. Dip every cutlet first within the flour, shaking off any extra, then within the egg whites after which within the breadcrumbs.
3. In batches, warmth the oil in a nonstick frying pan over excessive warmth. Pan-fry one schnitzel for 3 minutes per aspect, or till golden brown. Drain on paper towels and repeat with different schnitzels. Sprinkle with capers and serve with lemon wedges on the aspect.
Per serving: 374 energy; 10 g fats; 6 g saturated fats; 98 mg ldl cholesterol; 46 g protein; 22 g carbohydrate; 1 g sugar; 1 g fiber; 1,011 mg sodium; 49 mg calcium
BOMBAY-STYLE POTATOES
Recipe from “Wholesome Cooking” by At House and the Culinary Institute of America
Yield: 6 servings
- 2 1/2 cups quartered Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons minced onion
- 2/3 cup diced Granny Smith apple, peeled and cored
- 1 tablespoon curry powder, see be aware
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 2 1/3 cups water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Word: If you wish to make your personal curry spice mix, warmth 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, 2 teaspoons cardamom pods, a 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick and 1/2 teaspoon of black peppercorns in a small sauté pan over medium warmth. Toast for 1 to 2 minutes, swirling the pan; pour onto a chilly plate to cease them from over heating. Mix the toasted spices with 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon floor turmeric, 1 teaspoon dry mustard and 1/3 teaspoon cayenne in a spice grinder, or use a mortar and pestle to grind to a powder. Might be saved in a coated container for as much as 3 weeks.
1. Place the potatoes in a pot with chilly water to cowl by 2 inches. Salt the water. Deliver to a simmer over medium warmth. Cowl and proceed to simmer till the potatoes are simply pierced with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and switch to a big bowl.
2. Warmth the oil in a small saucepan over medium warmth. Add the onions and apples and cook dinner, stirring often, over low warmth till the onions are translucent, 4 to five minutes.
3. Add curry powder and flour, and sauté till flippantly toasted. Add the water and salt and simmer for half-hour.
4. Mix the curry combination and the potatoes. Serve sizzling.
Per serving: 84 energy; 2 g fats; 1 g saturated fats; no ldl cholesterol; 2 g protein; 16 g carbohydrate; 3 g sugar; 2 g fiber; 208 mg sodium; 21 mg calcium
