Recipe: Low Fat Key Lime Pie

I LOVE Key Lime Pie. But it's not exactly the healthiest option out there. That's where the inspiration for this recipe came from. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 box (0.3 ounce) sugar free lime flavor gelatin
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 16 ounces light key lime pie flavored yogurt
• 1 container fat free whipped topping, thawed
• 1 prepared 9 inch reduced fat graham cracker pie crust

To Make:

• In a large, heat-resistant bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water, let mixture cool 5 minutes
• With wire whisk, stir in yogurt
• With wooden spoon, fold in whipped topping -- be careful not to over-mix
• Transfer mixture to pie crust
• Refrigerate overnight, or at least two hours until firm.

Serves: 8

Each Serving: 193 calories, 33g carbs, 4g fat, 3g protein

For comparison, nutrition information for traditional key lime pie is as follows:

Each Serving: 400 calories, 52g carbs, 22g fat, 6g protein

$ Top Earning Chefs $

Forbes has published their list of the top earning chefs and their annual salaries. Do any surprise you?

1. Gordon Ramsay -- $38 Million
2. Rachel Ray -- $28 Million
3. Wolfgang Puck -- $20 Million
4. Paula Deen -- $17 Million
5. Mario Batali -- $13 Million
6. Alain Ducasse -- $12 Million
7. Todd English -- $11 Million
8. Nobu Matsuhisa -- $10 Million
9. Bobby Flay -- $9 Million
10. Guy Fieri -- $8 Million

Recipe: "Cream" of Broccoli Soup

My mom made this recipe a few months ago, and I thought it was brilliant. Turns out she snagged it from a Jenny Jones cookbook called "Look Good, Feel Great". I've taken the liberty to modify it just a little by using brown rice and my salt substitute. I've also doubled it, because I tend to think bigger pots of soup make leftovers, which is never a bad idea.

The trick to this recipe is that the soup is thickened -- not by cream -- but by the starches from the rice, which is an infinitely healthier option.

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup long-grain brown rice (I used short grain and it was fine)
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock (Aim for low sodium)
• 4 cups fresh broccoli florets (I used broccoli crowns, and chopped them up, and I'm assuming Frozen would do in a pinch)
• 1/2 tsp. salt substitute
• Black pepper (to taste)

To Make:

• In a large pot, heat oil over medium flame. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally until they are translucent.
• When the onions have had a chance to cook, add the rice, stock, salt substitute, and pepper, and allow mixture to come to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, and simmer (covered) for 20 minutes.
• Stir in broccoli florets and allow mixture to return to boil, increasing the heat to medium. Cover and cook for five minutes, and then remove from the flame.
• Allow soup to cool slightly, and then blend until smooth.
• If the soup is too thick, add more water or stock for your taste.

Serves: 8

Serving:  52 calories, 7 g carbs, 1 g fat, 4 g protein

Recipe: Microwave Personal Pumpkin Pie

I scooped up this recipe from MFP, where someone had previously found it on tumblr.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup pumpkin pie filling or pumpkin puree
•  ¼ cup liquid egg whites
• 1 packet of sweetener (I use Equal)
• Cinnamon and/or Pumpkin Pie Spice (to taste)

To Make:

• Combine ingredients in shallow dish.
• Microwave mixture for 2 minutes.
• Let cool before eating.

Serves: 1

Each Serving: 80 calories, 10 g carbs, 0 g fat, 7 g protein

Variations:

• If you prefer a more "flan-like" texture, add more pumpkin 
• If you prefer a more "cake-like" texture, add more egg whites
• For a creamy topping, mix together a dollop of non-fat Greek yogurt, a little bit of hazelnut cream cheese, and pumpkin pie spice, or top with toasted pecans.

I'm a Wimp Who's Scared of Curry

I don’t know whether to attribute it to growing up in a Kosher household, which limited outside dining options, or to the fact that Jews stereotypically can’t handle heat, but I have a very limited palate when it comes to ethnic food. And spice. And the variety of the ethnic dishes I do eat.

Let me explain: When it comes to sushi, I grew up eating tuna rolls – tuna, rice, seaweed—cucumber rolls – cucumber, rice, seaweed – and avocado rolls – avocado, rice, seaweed. Mexican in the Goldman household consisted of a delicious casserole made from rice, beans, cheese, tuna, peppers, and mild salsa. No heat, no zingers.

I tried Thai food for the first time during my sophomore year at BU. My friends and I went to a restaurant called Noodle Street, which I still HIGHLY recommend, and a kind waitress advised that if I was new to Thai, I should try the “See ew” dish, because it was not all that different from the Chinese food that I did know. I tried it; I loved it. I tried my friend’s Pad Thai dish as well. It has been two years, and those are STILL the only Thai dishes I will order and eat.

I’ve never tried Indian. For context, I spent 4 months in London – which is arguably, the second-best place in the world to try Indian food – and I am still a wimp about it.

But why not? I mean, I live in Boston – a far cry from the ethnic food mecca that is New York City, but we hold our own. I have all sorts of ethnic delights around me, and yet I do not actively try them.

I will be the first to admit it. I am a wimp when it comes to trying ethnic food. I am scared of spice levels, I am scared of not knowing what to order, I am scared of not liking what I ordered. Am I the only one with these irrational fears?

I ask you for help fellow foodies: What dishes should I be trying? And am I alone in my fear of curry?

Recipe: Mushroom and Fresh Basil Frittata

I love eggs for breakfast because they're delicious and they keep me full until lunch. The great thing about this recipe, because it makes four servings, is it makes a great brunch or "Breakfast-for-Dinner" Entree.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Liquid Egg Whites
• 3 Cups Sliced Mushrooms
• 1/3 Cup Skim Milk
• ½ Cup Whole Fresh Basil Leaves
• ½ Cup 2% Four Cheese Blend (Shredded Cheese)
• 1 TBS Olive Oil
• Salt Substitute and Pepper to taste

To Make:

• Preheat oven to 350° F
•  Sauté mushrooms (in olive oil) in a 10 inch non-stick, oven-safe skillet over a medium flame. (This should take 5 minutes)
• While mushrooms sauté, combine egg whites, milk, salt substitute and pepper.
• Chop fresh basil and add to egg white mixture
• Add ¼ cup of shredded cheese to your egg mixture
• Pour egg mixture over mushrooms in skillet, and cook in oven for 20 minutes
• Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the eggs and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the eggs have set

Servings: 4

Each Serving: 149 calories, 4 g carbs, 6 g fat, 19 g protein, 323 mg sodium

Obviously, you don’t have to use basil and mushrooms when making frittatas – there’s hundreds of variations you could try. You could go crazy with ingredients, or pair it down to a few and let those flavors really shine through.

Here are a few combos to get you started – just keep in mind, the nutrition facts for this recipe will change if you use different “add-ins”:

• Onions and Swiss
• Tomatoes, Spinach, and Feta
• Bacon and Cheddar
• Ham, Green peppers, (and a dash of hot sauce on the side)

Happy Cooking!

Recipe: Parmesan and Parsley Crusted Cod

At the request of one of my readers, Louise, I am posting this recipe for the parmesan and parsley crusted cod that I referenced in my Seasonal Foods of March post. I often pair fish dishes with rice and a side salad because it is so much lighter than chicken or beef, but that’s a personal choice.

I buy individually packaged frozen fish from Ocean Market, so for this, and other fish recipes, I’ll be referencing a single serving, but feel free to double at your discretion.

Also, I’ve used both dry and fresh parsley when making this dish. I think fresh parsley tastes better, but if you can’t get it, it’s really not a problem – using dry parsley tastes good as well. Just remember:

1 tsp. dry Parsley = 1 TBS Fresh Chopped Parsley = 2 sprigs of Parsley

Happy Cooking, Fellow Foodies!

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. portion of cod
• ½ TBS Light Miracle Whip
• 1 ½ TBS grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 TBS Fresh Chopped Parsley

To Make:

• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees
• Lightly spray a baking pan with non-stick spray
• Combine 1 TBS Parmesan cheese, parsley, and Miracle Whip and spread over the top of the cod filet
• Place cod on baking pan and sprinkle the remaining ½ TBS Parmesan on top of Parmesan/parsley paste
• Bake 6-8 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork

Per Serving: 123 Calories, 1 grams carbs, 6 grams fat, 17 grams protein

This Parmesan crust works very nicely on most white fish because of their mild flavor. Try it on flounder, tilapia, or haddock!