Low Fat Recipes

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Krab Kakes

This recipe is a real treat for vegetarians who miss the seafood specialties of the U.S. East Coast. But would you look at this: there’s almost no fat, little salt, lots of protein, and a heck of a lot of flavor! Best served with salad, you can precede these little expressions of delight with a light tomato soup and serve with a seafood cocktail sauce (check the ingredients first!) or simply with slices of lemon.

Ingredients:

14 to 16 oz. prepared seitan (see below)
2 cups 1-cm-cube bread crumbs
2 tablespoons fresh, minced onion
1 ripe plantain
2 teaspoons lemon juice and pulp
5 dashes Tabasco sauce
4 tablespoons mayonnaise (see below)
8 teaspoons Old Bay (see below)
1/4 cup or less of chopped dried nori (seaweed)
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped

Method:

Cut the seitan into pieces roughly 1cm by 1cm by 3cm — you know, the size of picked crab meat. Gently mix it in a large bowl with the bread crumbs. Add the onion and mix again.

Process the plantain with the lemon juice and Tabasco sauce in a food processor or with an electric blender until smooth. Add this blend to the seitan mixture and gently stir. Add the mayonnaise, Old Bay, nori, and parsley, and stir. Cover and chill at least one hour.

Dust hands with flour and shape the mixture into 12 or 15 patties or balls. Bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees F until brown and heated through (30 or 40 minutes). Serve hot, garnished with parsley and a slice of lemon. Squeeze a lemon over them and/or flavor with Tabasco sauce.

Notes:

Important notes about seitan: Seitan is available in natural food stores, prepared, flavored, and packaged in tubs. This seitan is not recommended, because it is seasoned for Asian dishes and has ginger in it. Ginger is not an appropriate flavoring for a crab cake, vegetarian or not! Your best bet is to obtain unflavored seitan or to make it yourself. Arrowhead Mills sells packages of “Seitan Quick Mix,” which is easy to prepare. (Seitan can also be made from scratch with normal bread flour, but this process is long and tricky.) Finally, to get a nice seafood flavor in the seitan, toss a handful or two of dried nori (seaweed) and a teaspoon of Old Bay into the water as the seitan dough boils.

Note about mayonnaise: You can purchase prepared vegan mayonnaise from many natural-food stores, and it can also be made from tofu. I don’t have a tofu-mayo recipe; Nasoya’s “Nayonaise” works well.

Note about Old Bay: This is a blend of spices easily found on the U.S. East Coast. Now that McCormick has bought the original company, it’s distributed nationwide and can be found in the fresh fish area or spice aisle of any large supermarket. If you can’t find it, any other blend of crab boil should do.

Preparation time is about an hour, plus preparation time for the seitan.

Yields 12 to 15 krab kakes.

When preparing this recipe and any other food you enjoy, please use organically-grown vegetables, fruits, grains, and flavorings. The Earth you save may be your own.
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Basic Beef Rub

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Pickling Salt
1/4 Cup Garlic Powder
1/4 Cup Onion Powder
2 Tbs. ground Thyme
2 Tbs. ground Bay Leaf
2 Tbs. ground Mustard
2 Tbs. Paprika
2 Tbs. Black Pepper

Directions

Mix thoroughly and put into a shaker-type dispenser. Place the meat on a rack over a pan large enough to contain it, and rub the mix well into the meat. Load it with all that will adhere. If you don’t have enough, mix another batch because, you will use any leftover soon. Or you may put it into shakers and provide at the dinner table.

Italian Recipes

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Southwestern Apricot Salsa

Ingredients

Fresh Apricots
4 oz. red onion
1 oz. olive oil
1 oz. cilantro, chopped
1 oz. lime juice
1 oz. lemon juice
2 tsp.white wine vinegar
chopped Jalapeno pepper, minced
1/2 tsp.lime peel, grated
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
White pepper, to taste
salt, to taste

Directions

Combine apricots and remaining ingredients in bowl, stirring gently. Cover and refrigerate until served.

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Strawberry Chicken Salad

Ingredients

1 c. grilled, chilled, cubed chicken breast
2 Tbs. no fat, Strawberry yogurt (not fruit on the bottom)
2tsp. skim milk
2 c. Lettuce
3 sliced strawberries
2 Tbs. dried cherries
1 cup. Cubed melon

Directions

Toss chicken in yogurt and milk, set on bed of lettuce and surround with fruit.

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GORGONZOLA AND RED PEAR RISOTTO

Toss Italian greens like arugula and radicchio with a vinaigrette dressing and toasted walnuts for a fresh starter, and offer crunchy seeded breadsticks alongside this unusual risotto. Finish up with chocolate biscotti and espresso.

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups (about) canned vegetable broth
1 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
1 cup arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage or 2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage
1/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (about 2 ounces)
1 ripe unpeeled red-skinned pear, halved, cored, diced

Directions

Bring vegetable broth and white wine to simmer in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; keep mixture warm.

Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add rice and sauté until translucent,about 2 minutes. Add all but 1/2 cup broth mixture to rice. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes, stirring often. Mix in sage. Cook until rice is tender but still firm to bite and risotto is creamy, adding remaining broth mixture 1/4 cupful at a time if risotto is dry, about 5 minutes longer. Mix in Gorgonzola and pear. Cook until cheese melts and pear is heated through,about 1 minute. Season with salt and generous amount of pepper.

Serves 2, can be doubled.
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NO GUILT CARROT CAKE

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
3/4 cup Sunsweet Lighter Bake (fat substitute product)
4 egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup raisins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 13×9-inch baking pan with vegetable cooking spray; set aside. In mixing bowl, beat sugar, Lighter Bake, egg whites and vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; add to lighter Bake mixture, blending well. Stir in carrots and raisins. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack. Spread evenly with frosting, if desired. Cut into squares.

Yield: 12 Servings

Per serving: Calories 310 (11% calories from fat); Protein 5g; Fat tr; Carbohydrate 74g. Frosting: Light Cream Cheese

Frosting: Beat together 6 ounces light cream cheese (1/3 less fat than cream cheese), 3 cups powdered sugar sifted, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until smooth and creamy. Nutrients per serving: Calories 155 (20% calories from fat); Protein 1g; Fat 3.5g; Carbohydrate 30g

Category: Desserts, Cakes, Light

Tips & Tricks: Home

Turkey Fillets in Tarragon-Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

2 tablespoons safflower oil — or other veg oil
2 pounds boneless turkey breast — cut in 4 fillets
1 large shallot — minced
1 clove garlic — minced
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken stock
salt
fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon — chopped
OR 1 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1 cup plain yogurt — room temperature

Directions

Heat the oil in a skillet large enough to hold the turkey fillets in one layer. Over moderate heat, saute the turkey pieces, turning occasionally, until well browned. Remove to a warm place.
Saute the minced shallot and garlic in the skillet juices 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently until soft. Stir in the flour, a little at a time, to make a smooth paste and cook 1 minute, stirring; then gradually stir in a little of the chicken stock, continuing until the stock is used up and the sauce is smooth and quite thick.
Return the turkey pieces to the pan, season with a little salt and fresh pepper to taste, spoon the sauce over the turkey, and sprinkle tarragon on top. Cover and simmer over very low heat about 5 minutes more. Stir in the yogurt and heat, but do not boil.
Spoon the sauce over the fillets and serve.

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Ingredients

4 c. fresh strawberries, cut in quarters lengthwise
1-1/3 c. apple juice concentrate
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. chopped fresh strawberries
Pinch of salt (optional)
6 Tbs. cornstarch

Directions

Wash and stem 3 pints of strawberries.
Cut 4 c. of berries lengthwise into quarters and set aside.
Chop another 3/4 c. of berries and put into blender.
Add remaining ingredients and blend on high for 15-20 seconds.
Pour into saucepan. Cook on medium-high, stirring constantly until thick.
Remove from heat and gently fold in berries with a rubber spatula.
Place in baked 9″ pie shell and shape.
Chill.
Top with soy whipped cream (optional) or additional fresh strawberries prepared in the following manner: Cut berries lengthwise in 1/8″ slices. Place slices side by side covering top of pie with concentrated circles. Put a whole strawberry in the center
Glaze with Berry Shiny Glaze

Bumper Stickers & Cool Remarks

Ingredients (to serve 1)

2 x stale hamburger buns/rolls (I used wholewheat)
2 or 3 large mushrooms, chopped
1 small onion, chopped finely
3 or 4 fresh basil leaves, chopped finely OR 2 or 3 sprigs of chopped thyme
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 teaspoon mustard
Seasoning to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180 deg C
2. Slice the top off each roll.
3. Carefully hollow out each roll. Retain bread crumbs
4. Saute mushrooms, onion, garlic, and chopped herbs in the soy milk until onions are soft.
5. Crumble the bread from inside of the rolls into the mushroom mixture.
6. Stir well. You’ll find the mixture becomes thick and creamy.
7. Add mustard and seasoning.
8. Spoon the mixture into the rolls, piling it up above the cut surface.
9. Pop the cut top back on the piled mixture.
10. Place the rolls on a baking tray and put them in the oven for about 5 minutes until the rolls are crisp.
11. Serve with a salad or cooked veggies of your choice.

Thoughts

Sift together

1 7/8 cup flour
2 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/8 tsp nutmeg

Add in and mix well

1/8 cup + 1 3/4 Tbs apple sauce

Stir in

1 egg white (or 1.5 Tbs apple sauce)
1/4 cup fat free yogurt (+ 1 tsp sugar if not sweetened)
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/2 Tbs vanilla essence

Stir until just moistened.

Put spoonfuls on ray and flatten or shape like a donut.

Bake for 12 minutes. Once baked cool on wire rack and then top with
chocolate or strawberry icing.