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What is a good diet meal? For starters, it's a meal that doesn't leave you hungry when you get up from the table. It doesn't break the bank, e.g. caviar on a baked potato. It doesn't take all day to shop for and cook. The ingredients will all come from your local suburban supermarket. It will be pleasing to the eye, because we eat first with our eyes. This means some color pops out: maybe the green of chopped parsley or cilantro or some sweet red pepper. And, of course, it has to taste like something. The problem with low fat diets is that low fat food has no mouth feel, and the "gum" the manufacturer puts in to replace it just doesn't do the trick. The flavors become a bit "off." The taste is somewhere beyond bland. You can't put your finger on it, but it just doesn't taste very good. No wonder you don't want seconds, but wait! At 10:00 p.m., you'll be raiding the fridge or the pantry for something that DOES taste good.
This week, my significant other and I have both lost a few pounds. Here's what we ate:
Sautëed Scallops with Cherry Tomatoes, Green Onions and Parsley. Yum! Great color, great taste! You could eat this without being on a diet.
Oven-Crisped chicken with honey-mustard sauce. Another winner. The crust was made from panko and shredded Parmesan, and the honey mustard sauce from low-fat Greek yogurt, mustard and honey. We ate this two nights, and it was so filling we didn't eat the whole breast half. Another winner!
Great Salad that I took to a buffet: Cucumber ribbons with tomatoes and ricotta salata! Great taste, color and truly delicious. Very little left over. Yowza!
Tuna and Bean Salad. I believe this is a South Beach Diet recipe. Many of the recipes in this diet are really extraordinary. I substituted cilantro for the watercress, which the store didn't have. I also used oil-packed tuna instead of water-packed and drained it extra well. The chopped roasted red pepper was home grilled under the broiler with two of its brethern. We ate this two nights as well.
I've been making salads of baby romaine, white asparagus, grilled yellow and orange peppers, marinated mushrooms, olives, and a bit of ricotta salata (leftover from the cucumber salad) on top. A drizzle of Italian dressing. We're having blueberries for dessert tonight. Last night we had low fat fruit-flavored yogurt. I have a fab recipe for a pudding with low-fat ricotta, orange and lemon rind, orange juice and two eggs. Low sugar. It was delicious, in fact almost company worthy. Tomorrow we're having classic shrimp scampi. And salad of course. These meals have been filling (plenty of meat or fish) with lots of other great flavors. I am trying to reach for a piece of fruit when hunger strikes. It's a real balancing game,
Even food magazines like Gourmet (the late) and Bon Appetit have diet meals. For example, this month Bon Appetit has a wonder sounding onion fritatta. The egg is your good friend, and eat the yolk, too.
Onward,
The Cheeseparer, who is trying to pare some poundage, too.
Last weekend I was in the Atlanta area visiting relatives. We went to a party on a country property way the heck east of Athens. Our host feted us with his own beef, tomatoes, corn, okra, peppers and figs! Yes figs! In our local supermarkets, if you can find them, they cost $3.00 for 8, not a frugal price. I was persuaded to bring home a small container.
Recently someone in our tribe had a fancy pizza with figs and prosciutto, so guess what I made? Yup. I had riccotta and mozzarella, and fresh baby spinach. I had figs! We bought the dough and a few oz. of prosciutto, and we made a pizza.
Because there were only two of us, we ate it for 2 dinner and one lunch in an outburst of frugality. It was good. Doesn't it look yummy? Those figs had quite a ride.
The Cheeseparer
From late spring into the fall, we are tempted with fresh fruit. It's hard to beat a good fruit salad with a harmonious selection of fruits. Add a spot of sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice. We like to macerate a spoonful or two of Apple Jack with the fruit.
Only slightly more ambitious is a compote. In Germany and Austria in the summer, you can eat a dessert call Rote Grutze (Red Groats) everywhere. Red berries and currants thickened with tapioca(?). Make your own American version with rhubarb, strawberries, cherries, anything red including leftover cranberries you may have in the freezer. Cook together with a very small amount of liquid (I like orange juice). Thicken with cornstarch or instant tapioca and of course sweeten according to taste. Served with a bit of cream, this is delicious.
Only slightly more complicated is a country fruit tart. Take one Pillsbury pie crust from the dairy case (they come two to a box in our area for $2.99 but can often be found on sale.) Put some parchment paper on a large cookie sheet with sides. Unroll the crust onto the paper. Pour a mixture of fruits (2-3 cups) sweetened with sugar and lemon juice with a bit of instant tapioca to thicken. Any kind of fruit will do. Crimp the sides around the fruit so that the fruit is still mostly visible in the center of the tart. Put into a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Cool on a trivet and eat. Serves 4 or 6 people on a diet.
The parchment paper keeps the cookie sheet clean. Blueberries, strawberries, plums, cherries, peaches--singly or together. Be creative. Sprinkle with a tad of cinnamon or nutmeg is you like. Not too much. You want to savor the fruit.
You can make your own crust for about $1.00 less, but that is more than 5 minutes, but not much with a food processor. Any of these desserts are worthy of company. Sometimes I sprinkle a few nuts into the fruit salad or over the tart, but make sure no one is allergic.
I hope your garden is planted and thriving and that you have lots of fresh herbs and veggies. Don't forget to put out plants attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. It is easy to enjoy life when the weather is good. Take time to do so.
Yours in frugality, taste and beauty,
The Cheeseparer
