Creamy Apricot Spread

I go through cycles with breakfast food. I'll eat scrambled egg beaters with reduced fat cheddar cheese for a few months, until I can't bear the sight of them any more. Then I'll eat Weight Control banana bread oatmeal made with Almond Breeze (low-carb almond milk), chopped banana, and PB2, until I can't stand the sight of it. Since my complete unfill last summer, I've been able to eat English muffins (toasted well done) and tortillas, although now that I've had a few fills my capacity for them is decreasing. For a few weeks now, my breakfast has been 1/2 of a "light" (100 calorie) English muffins spread with 2 teaspoons each creamy peanut butter and Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread, found with the peanut butter in Wal-Mart) and a few slices of banana. As fantastically yummy as that combination is, I'm getting tired of it. Also, I'm a little worried about the binge potential with Nutella (no episodes so far, but I'm keeping an eye on it).

So my next breakfast cycle will be this creamy apricot spread on graham crackers, with a few slices of banana. You could also use the spread as a dip for fruits and veggies, or put it on mini rice cakes (I'll bet it would be good on the caramel flavor).

1/2 cup sliced dried apricots (feel free to try other dried fruit, like cranberries, raisins, blueberries, etc.)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 oz cream cheese, softened (I use the reduced fat version)
1 tablespoon Splenda brown sugar blend
3 packets of True Orange (crystallized orange, found in the baking aisle near sugar) or 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
optional if you plan to use this as a dip instead of a spread: add 1+ tablespoon of skim milk

Whiz all the ingredients in a mini food processor until the apricots are cut up fairly fine but still visible as chunks.

Enjoy!

Tabbouleh with edamame & feta cheese

1-1/4 cups uncooked bulgur or cracked wheat
2 cups boiling water or chicken broth
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/8 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups chopped tomato
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (I use reduced fat feta)
1/3 cup chopped scallions
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
2 cups cooked, shelled edamame
4 pita breads (7" diameter), cut in half

Combine the bulgur and water or broth, cover and let stand 30 min. Drain.

Process the parsley, lemon juice, oil, and oregano in a mini food processor until smooth.

Combine the bulgur, parsley mixture, tomato, feta, scallions, salt & pepper, and edamame in a large bowl. Serve with pita bread.

4 servings

Fish with Olive Salsa

1 lb fish fillets (whatever kind you like)
salt & pepper to taste

Season the fish with salt and pepper, then bake or broil until the fish is opaque and flakes easily (how long depends on the type and thickness of the fish - use the 10 minutes per inch rule). Serve with olive salsa.

Olive Salsa
Combine ingredients in a medium bowl:
1 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped, pitted olives (mix of black & green)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1/4 teaspoon fresh)

Mexican Pizza

If bread, pizza crust, or tortillas don't agree with your band, try the toppings on a broccoli crust (recipe archived somewhere on this blog). If you can't eat corn, substitute another veggy or mix of veggies, like chopped bell pepper (a mix of red & green looks great).

3 readymade thin pizza crusts or tortillas (about 8" diameter)
3/4 cup taco sauce
12 oz. cooked chicken
1 cup Mexican or Southwestern corn blend (frozen or canned, thawed and drained)
1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend
1 avocado, diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
salt to taste
hot pepper sauce to taste

Heat oven to 500 degrees.

Place the crusts or tortillas on baking sheets. Spread the taco sauce over the crusts, leaving a 1/2" border aroujnd the edge. Sprinkle the chicken, corn and cheese over the crusts. Put the baking sheets in the oven and bake 6-8 minutes, until the crust is crisp and the cheese has melted.

While the pizzas are cooking, combine the avocado, lemon juice, cilantro, salt and hot pepper sauce.

Serve the hot pizza topped with the avocado mixture.

6 servings (1/2 pizza per person)

Tofu with Chimichurri Sauce

Chimichurri Sauce
Process in a blender or food processor until well chopped, then set aside:
1 cup roughly chopped parsley (must be fresh - dried will not work)
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
1/8 cup olive oil or canola oil
2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, halved
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped onion or scallion
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Tofu
Preheat the broiler.
Cut the tofu crosswise into slices about 3/4" thick and pat dry with paper towels.
Spray a broiler pan with cooking spray. Place the tofu slices on the pan and spray them with cooking spray.
Mix in a small bowl: 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin. Sprinkle half the spice mixture over the tofu, turn the tofu over, spray and sprinkle again.
Broil the tofu 3-5 minutes until golden brown, turn over and broil another 3-5 minutes.
Serve drizzled with the chimichurri sauce.

4 servings

Asian Flavored Meatballs or Meatloaf

Use the flavored meat mixture to make small meatballs or a single meatloaf.

1 pound ground turkey, or mixture of turkey/beef/pork
4 large scallions, chopped
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro (don't skip this ingredient)
1/4 cup egg beaters
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil (don't skip this either)
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs or oats
black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Form into small meatballs and saute in nonstick skillet until browned on all sides, or put the meat mixture into a loaf pan and bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes.

Serve with optional soy-ginger sauce:
1/4 cup brown sugar Splenda blend
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin (sweet rice wine), sake, or sherry
1/4 cup chopped peeled ginger root
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Combine ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat and simmer until sugar is dissolved and the volume is reduced by 1/2. Strain through a sieve before serving.
4 servings

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

You can use Italian pancetta instead of regular bacon.

I've also made this using Italian green beans instead of brussels sprouts.

1 lb. brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup chopped bacon
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 450F. Spray a baking sheet with Pam.

Cook the sprouts with the teaspoon of salt in boiling water 5-6 min. or until tender. Drain and plunge into ice water (to stop them from cooking more); drain well and put in a bowl.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove the bacon from the pan, reserving the drippings. Combine the drippings and the 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper with the cooked sprouts. Spread the sprouts in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 min. or until browned, stirring once. Combine the roasted sprouts with the vinegar and the cooked bacon , toss well. Serve warm or at room temperature (if you must refrigerate the sprouts, bring them to room temperature before serving).

5 servings

Place the sprouts in one layer on the prepared baking sheet.