Category: South Beach Diet

Main Course, South Beach Diet

From The Files – Chicken with Rosemary Sauce

by Wendi5 Comments on From The Files – Chicken with Rosemary Sauce

rosemary2

As I was fixing dinner the other day, the phone rang. Expecting it to be some random telemarketer, despite being registered on the Do Not Call list, I was surprised to see a number I knew on the Caller ID. It was then that I had a decision to make. See, most weeknights my default selection is for recipes that are quick. I tend to leave the long and lazy recipes for the weekend when I have more time to put into them. So I basically had to choose between a quick “how ya been?” before the timer went off or playing a round of phone tag with my caller. Continue reading “From The Files – Chicken with Rosemary Sauce” →

Breakfast/Brunch, South Beach Diet

Foolin’

by Wendi2 Comments on Foolin’

SB "Pancakes"

This post originally appeared on Exit 51 and incorrectly listed 4 egg yolks instead of whites.  What the heck was I thinking?

Fool me once…shame on you.  Fool me twice…won’t get fooled again.  Or some such nonsense.

But being fooled isn’t always the same as being foolish.  Case in point, pancakes.  I’ve never been a big pancake fan, unless they were being cooked up by my grandmother, but sometimes I just get a taste for them.  Here on the South Beach side of the street, pancakes aren’t something you are going to be eating.  Unless, those pancakes aren’t really pancakes at all.  Don’t believe me?

It’s surprising how easy it is to fool yourself into thinking you’re eating one thing when really, what’s on your plate has no resemblance to what you tell yourself it is.  Like those faux mashed potatoes that we love so much at our house.  Cauliflower has nothing remotely in common with potatoes.  But given the right presentation, it is possible to tell yourself that they are the same.  So you’re being fooled, but you’re certainly not being foolish.  How else do you explain the fact that oats, cottage cheese, and egg whites could be mistaken for a pancake?  Because I didn’t believe it either…at first.

And then I made them.  And I believed.  And what’s more, I think these were easier to make.  With typical pancakes, I  could never figure out when to flip them and would always seem to end up with either gummy, undercooked flapjacks or dry, scorched ones.  But these Oatmeal Pancakes, thanks to the egg whites, are pretty fool proof.  I even avoided the dreaded ‘first pancake’ syndrome.  I can never do that with Bisquick.  Never. So now I’m wondering whether this batter can be transformed into waffles?  Or perhaps made a little thinner.

Give it a try and you’ll see what I mean that being fooled isn’t always a bad thing.

Oatmeal Pancakes

From The South Beach Diet

Makes approximately 3 large or 6 small pancakes

  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • vanilla to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.

Coat a nonstick frying pan with spray or lightly oil and heat over medium flame.  Pour batter into pan.  Turn the pancakes once the first side is nicely browned.  Cook until the second side is fully browned.  Serve immediately.

{Printable Recipe}

Main Course, Pasta, South Beach Diet

Notes on a Recipe – Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Pasta

by Wendi13 Comments on Notes on a Recipe – Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Pasta

RoastRedPepperJars

This is another one of those Cooking Light recipes that’s been hanging around for years waiting for its moment in the spotlight. Now that it has made its debut, the reviews are in.

“Strong performance in the role of quick weeknight dish” says Wendi. In the time it took to boil water and cook the pasta, the sauce was done. We did go off script and use jarred roasted red peppers instead of roasting peppers in the The Mistah says, “Effective use of the supporting cast.” This is almost a one pot recipe. Most of the action takes place in the blender making for easy clean up.

I see lots of potential in this dish and think it is destined to return for future appearances.

Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Pasta

Cooking Light

  • 3 large red bell peppers (about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 4 cups hot cooked bow tie pasta (8 ounces uncooked, I used whole grain ziti to make this SB friendly)
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

Preheat broiler.

Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin side up, on a foil lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 8 minutes or until blackened. Place peppers in a zip top plastic bag and seal. Let stand 20 minutes. Peel and place peppers in a blender.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Add garlic mixture, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, broth, and next five ingredients (through red pepper flakes) to blender with peppers; process until smooth. Combine bell pepper mixture and basil with pasta. Sprinkle with cheese.

{Printable Recipe}

Main Course, South Beach Diet

Muscle

by WendiLeave a Comment on Muscle

viking-48-oven-12-56-2006

***The following post is from the archive at Exit 51***

A good amount of the disk space on our Tivo gets taken up with cooking shows. Food Network, PBS, I like to mix it all up. When I watch them, I frequently experience kitchen envy. Seriously, have you seen Paula Deen’s or Ina Garten’s kitchen? Dreamy. Multiple cooktops, deep fryers, and refrigerator drawers. Best of all are those professional stoves. 48 to 60 inches of high btu muscle with double ovens. They are the kitchen equivalent of the Ford Mustang in Steve McQueen’s Bullitt. High revving, rubber burning, wild horses. I so wish I could have one of those. My kitchen, in comparison, is more like a Honda Accord. It’s reliable for getting you where you need to go but would never win in a drag race.

Not that having fancy, expensive equipment means anything when it comes to serving up good food. Deb, who I heart, from Smitten Kitchen turns out the best food from a teeny, tiny New York City apartment kitchen. Think your kitchen is small? Try working in a 24 square foot space. That’s smaller than my closet. And yet, without the aid of fancy equipment, she turns out all sorts of baked, fried, and roasted goodness.

Like anything else, your equipment is a tool that either you know how to use or you don’t. That 48 inch Viking isn’t going to magically transform a bad dish into a good one. So work with what you have, find its muscle, and make it work for you. Your kitchen may not burn rubber like Steve McQueen’s Mustang, but it won’t need new tires as quickly either.

Oven Roasted Salmon

Cook’s Illustrated

I added paprika and chili powder, not original to the CI recipe.

  • 1 skin on salmon fillet, 1 3/4 – 2 pounds (I used two individual skinless fillets)
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • Paprika
  • Chili powder
  • Salt

Place a sheet pan on an oven rack in the lowest position and heat oven to 500 degrees. If your salmon has skin, make 4 or 5 shallow slashes about an inch apart along the skin side of each piece.  Do not cut into the flesh.

Dry salmon with a paper towel, rub with oil and season with salt, paprika, and chili powder. Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees and remove the HOT baking sheet. Carefully place salmon (skin side down) on your sheet pan. Roast until salmon is still translucent in the thickest part of fillets when cut into with paring knife or when an instant read thermometer inserted in thickest part of the fillets registers 125 degrees, 9 to 13 minutes. Transfer fillets to individual plates or platter.

{Printable Recipe}

Pineapple Avocado Salsa

The Washington Post

  • 4 ounces fresh or canned pineapple, cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch dice (1/2 cup)
  • Flesh of half a medium avocado, cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch dice
  • 1 scallion, white and light green parts, cut crosswise into thin slices (2 to 3 teaspoons)
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • Juice of 1 to 2 limes (1 tablespoon)

Combine the pineapple, avocado, scallion, salt, and lime juice in a mixing bowl. Toss to combine.

{Printable Recipe}

Breakfast/Brunch, Main Course, South Beach Diet

Timing

by WendiLeave a Comment on Timing

Hot Stuff

In the kitchen, timing is everything. Food is done when it’s done. You get a little wiggle room with some dishes. Others are not so forgiving. Worst of all is when you’ve unknowingly overcooked something. Like that time I made baked eggs. I was expecting something along the lines of maybe a soft boiled or poached egg. What I got was tough and rubbery. Seriously, my fork kept bouncing off the whites as I tried to cut into them. Continue reading “Timing” →