And now come the regrets.
Did I actually should have that second piece of pecan pie? Could not the mashed potatoes have had possibly rather less butter? Did I actually should eat all of these goodies?
Sure. Sure I did. These issues are nice.
However now I am feeling it. My belt is aggravated at me. My scale groans when it sees me strategy.
In order the winter season slowly creeps towards its finish, I made a decision to make a bunch of dishes that may make my belt and scale happier, and me, too. I went low-cal.
Naturally, I didn’t wish to quit on taste and delight. I made up my mind to make dishes that each tasted good and had been comparatively good for me — or at the very least good for my waistline.
I started with a riff on an previous 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 resembling Guinness that’s wealthy in espresso and caramel flavors. Regardless of its full-bodied taste, the beer has just a few extra energy than Bud Gentle. And its style is so mellow, it wants much less brown sugar than conventional carbonnades to clean out the stew.
The recipe makes use of much less beef than the common carbonnades, which cuts again on the energy. However you do not thoughts the loss, as a result of it makes up for it in chunky mushrooms, which mix in completely with the opposite flavors.
It is a hearty, warming stew with a sturdy style. You do not 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 hen with bulgur. Bulgur is a type of grains I hardly ever suppose to make use of after I’m cooking, and I am at all times glad every time I take advantage of 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 contains a few curveballs which might be sudden however scrumptious. Blended into the opposite components (onion, garlic, lemon) are a half-teaspoon every of cardamom, coriander and cumin.
The Indian spices are refined, however you already know they’re there. They act as a quiet sounding board to amplify the brilliant citrus notes of the lemon. They make what’s already a fantastic dish even higher. It’s certain to hitch your repertoire, as will the meat 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 affordable 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 search out nowadays, and it’s costly whenever you do see it, so turkey wienerschnitzel can be a fantastic concept even when it weren’t so scrumptious. Primarily based on the basic 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 entire 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 is not too dangerous, and the wienerschnitzel was distinctive.
My final low-cal, high-flavor dish takes potatoes to a brand new degree. Bombay-style potatoes are a kind 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 fashion often 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 amount of candy tartness to the spicy curry.
I cheated after I made mine. As a substitute of placing collectively a do-it-yourself mix of spices for the curry, I simply used curry powder out of a jar. It was awfully good the way in which it was, and I can solely think about how a lot better it could 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, make sure you use Yukon Gold potatoes with this dish. Their texture is sort of butter, their style virtually creamy, which completely brings the recipe to life.
THE RECIPES
BEEF BRAISED IN STOUT BEER
Yield: 6 servings
1 1/2 kilos boneless lean beef, resembling spherical, trimmed of all seen fats and minimize into 2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups diced onion
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 pound contemporary 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 contemporary thyme, or 1/4 teaspoon dried
3 tablespoons chopped contemporary parsley
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if utilizing salted canned inventory)
2 teaspoons cornstarch combined 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 should be accomplished in just a few batches.
2. Cut 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. Convey to a boil over excessive warmth, scale back the warmth to a simmer and cook dinner, coated, for 1 1/2-2 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 regularly. 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
Recipe from “The Connoisseur Gazelle Cookbook” by Ellen Brown
LEMON CHICKEN WITH BULGUR
Yield: 6 servings
2 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 hen, about 3 1/2 kilos, skinned and minimize into serving items
Salt and pepper
3 medium onions, chopped (1 1/2-2 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced (2 teaspoons)
1 1/2 cups bulgur, see observe
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
Notice: Bulgur is tougher to search out than it was. 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 regularly, till the onions are translucent, about 3-5 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
Tailored from “Jane Brody’s Good Meals E-book” by Jane Brody
TURKEY WIENERSCHNITZEL
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
Tailored from “Excessive-Taste, Low-Fats Cooking,” by Steven Raichlen
BOMBAY-STYLE POTATOES
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 observe
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 1/3 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Notice: 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 1-2 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. Will 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. Convey to a simmer over medium warmth. Cowl and proceed to simmer till the potatoes are simply pierced with a fork, 10-12 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 regularly, over low warmth till the onions are translucent, 4-5 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 scorching.
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
Recipe from “Wholesome Cooking” by At Residence and the Culinary Institute of America
Beef Braised in Stout Beer, photographed at Dan Neman’s residence on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021, is a low-calorie dish price contemplating following the vacations. (Christian Gooden/St. Louis Publish-Dispatch/TNS)
