Easy Breakfast: Spinach & Eggs

I think I've said before, I'm a visual eater. And unlike when I first started this blog, I'm sort of a lazy cook now. These days I LOVE meals that don't take long to make. This is a quick throw-together IF you are the sort of person who preps veggies weekly (I am!).

Spinach & Eggs (and a few other things)

Ingredients:

• Red pepper strips (I cut up peppers each week and stow them away for easy access)
• Sliced onion (I used a regular yellow onion)
• Sliced mushrooms
• Spinach (I used about 1.5 c. since it cooks down but go with your instinct on the amount)
• 1 small clove garlic, minced (or 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. already minced garlic)
• Nonstick cooking spray (or olive oil, about a teaspoon is enough)
• salt, pepper, Paremesan cheese
• 1 egg (I used a large, again go with what's right for you!)

Directions:

Spray a pan down with nonstick cooking spray and set it over medium heat. If you're using olive oil put the pan on the heat and let it get hot before adding oil. 

Add peppers and onions and sautee 2-ish minutes or until they are softened. Add mushrooms and sautee an additional minute followed by the spinach and any seasonings you are using.

I like to just toss the spinach with a pair of tongs until it's soft, but not completely limp. Transfer to a plate.

In the same pan, cook an egg any way you like it (obviously I like mine sunny-side up!). Place egg atop veggie mixture and sprinkle with Paremesan cheese. NOM!

Nik's Roasted Red Pepper Puree Soup

Show here with two Parmesan crisps. To make, simply bake small heaps of Parmesan cheese in a 350 degree oven until they harden, about 12 minutes.

I like this soup. A LOT.

What I like best about it is its versatility. For newer post-ops this soup is quick, comforting and gives you something that is not sweet. For longer-term folks this is a great base to a bajillion other things!

Let’s get right to the recipe. This is a “semi-homemade” sort of deal. The recipe resulted from an overage of roasted red pepper bruschetta topping I made for a baby shower. So I decided to make it into a soup.

I’ll let you know both the semi-homemade and the for-real homemade versions of this. Here we go!

Nik's Roasted Red Pepper Puree Soup

• 1 medium yellow onion quartered
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• Any other random veggies you have hanging out (the above had zucchini, yellow squash, spinach and a bit of eggplant I had hanging out in the fridge)
• Non-stick cooking spray
• 2 (12 oz.) jars of roasted red peppers, preferably in oil (you can get any kind you like – in my store I saw it with garlic and one that was spicy. I chose the spicy one) Here's what they look like BUT don't buy online, get it from the grocery store!
• 1 small can of sliced black olives
• 1/2 c. water
• ½ c. fat-free half and half or milk
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the quartered onion, garlic cloves and any veggies you use (except spinach or other greens). Spray them generously with non-stick cooking spray and roast for about 20 minutes or until onions begin to caramelize (brown). Roast the vegetables before proceeding to the next step.

In a colander, drain jarred red peppers of the excess oil but do not rinse (if you buy peppers packed in water, you'll probably want to use a little oil - a teaspoon or so - in the next step).

Spray a small pot with non-stick cooking spray and allow it get hot. Place red peppers in the pot, along with any leafy greens (like spinach), olives, your roasted veggies and spices. If the mixture lacks moisture (there should be a little bit of liquid in there) add some water. After stirring, add your milk or half and half.

Bring the mixture to a boil and then drop the heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes. Add half and half. Then, using an immersion blender OR working in batches with a regular blender, puree the soup. Allow it to simmer an additional 10 minutes.

TO MAKE COMPLETELY HOMEMADE: When you roast the rest of your veggies, roast about 5 or 6 red peppers as well. When the peppers are done roasting you’ll need to let them cool so you can remove their skins. Because you are pureeing the soup you don’t need to slice them unless you want to. Instead of using non-stick in the pot with your veggies after roasting, heat 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil then add the veggies in to cook along with any water you use. That’s it!

So you can eat this soup straight up but it’s a bit rich. I didn’t take pics of all the ways I used mine (I had a big batch) but here are some things I did:

• For my vegetarian daughter I tossed some spinach/cheese ravioli and that became her dinner one night
• I added some jumbo shrimp and ate some over zoodles (noodles made with zucchini using a vegetable spiralizer)

One day for a quick lunch I combined some leftover cheesy mashed cauliflower with the soup and a few left over mini-crab cakes (from an event I attended) and made a super yummy lunch (picture below)

In my humble opinion this soup would also go very well with frying cheese. Never heard of it? It’s a cheese that’s sold in some supermarkets (Trader Joe’s sells it as do a lot of ethnic supermarkets). It’s a mild, buttery cheese that comes in big blocks. When you throw it in a pan, it crisps on the outside and gets soft on the inside just like…a grilled cheese sandwich! I think a hunk of frying cheese would go great with this as a dipper.

Any way you decide to have it, though, it’s gonna be GOOD!

Nik's Yumbalaya!

Are you on the Bariatric Foodie Facebook Page? Do you follow BF on Twitter? You really ought to. Today’s post is a prime example why.

Last night I decided to live-blog myself making a dish. I revealed each ingredient and Foodies seemed to have a great time trying to guess what the heck I was making. It also inspired conversation about the various ingredients, food intolerance and all sorts of other stuff.

As promised here is the recipe for what I made that night. I also asked for suggestions on social media for a name for this dish. The name I chose is the one I liked the best!

Nik’s “Yum-balaya”

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, cut into slivers (or diced, if you prefer)
• 1 pkg. turkey smoked sausage, sliced or diced (your choice)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped fine (omit if you don’t like any kick and if you only like a slight kick, remove the seeds)
• ½ c. water
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 large bunch (about 3 cups) Swiss chard, torn into pieces (collard greens or even spinach would also work)
• 1 large tomato, diced (you can use canned but include the canning liquid and this is going to bring your sodium up a bit for this dish)
• 1 c. quinoa (“What the heck is quinoa???”)
• ½ lb. shrimp, whatever size you like (I used 25-30 ct., which means at that size you’d get 25-30 in a pound of shrimp)
• 1 can of any kind of bean you like (I like lighter beans in this so I used garbanzo beans this time but cannellini or Great Northern would be good too!)
• 3 tbsp. tomato paste
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. no-calorie sweetener

Directions:

Spray a large skillet down with non-stick cooking spray and set it over medium heat. Once hot (like a drop of water sizzles hot), add onions and cook them until they turn yellowish and are slightly translucent, about 4-ish minutes.

Add your smoked sausage rounds and cook until some have a nice crust on them. NOTE: It is ok and ENCOURAGED for there to be stuff sticking to the bottom of the skillet. This will help you out later!

Add your garlic and jalapeno pepper, if using and IMMEDIATELY stir in water (jalapenos + direct heat = fumes that burn your eyes, make you cough and generally make you feel like you’re a part of a bio-chemical attack!). Allow all that to come to a simmer.

Add chard (or whatever greens you decide to use), spices and tomato, stirring and cook about two minutes to allow the vegetables to release their water. Then add the quinoa and stir it thoroughly into the mixture. Cover your skillet and drop the heat down to low-medium and allow the quinoa to cook, about 10 minutes or so. In general this should be enough water to cook the quinoa, especially if you cover it and let it steam but if you feel like you don’t have enough liquid, add another 1/3 c. of water.

Once the quinoa is tender (you can tell if a small ring has popped out of the seed or click here for my guide on cooking quinoa!) add your shrimp and stir that through. NOTE: For the size shrimp I used, it might be prudent, while the quinoa is cooking, to make sure they are completely deveined.

Add your beans and stir that through as well.

Stir in the tomato paste and then let the mixture simmer about 10 minutes. Then taste it. 

• If it tastes a bit on the sweet side: add a generous dash of salt
• If it tastes a bit on the tart side: add the no calorie sweetener

After you’ve made your adjustments, turn off the heat, recover and leave it alone about 5 minutes so the flavors can start partying together in the pan. Then serve!

Want the full pictorial of this dish's ingredients? (Ew, that sounded pervy.) Visit onto the BF Facebook Page and read how it all went down!

BF Review: Lean Cuisine Salad Additions

It even happens to me, dear Foodies. I wake up late, get out the door late, get the kids to school and..."Oh crap! I forgot to pack lunch!"

Thankfully there's a supermarket between the diva's school and my job (I only work about 3/4 mile from their school!) so I headed there to see what they could offer me. And I came across this:

Lean Cuisine Salad Creations (Southwest-style chicken)

• Simply add your lettuce!
• 260 calories
• 9g fat
• 26g carbs (probably from the beans and tortilla strips)
• 4g fiber
• 18g protein

So I decided to give it a whirl! I like a salad and I'm an adventurous gal.

So the box gives three easy prep steps:

Step one: Put your dressing in a cup of room temperature water to thaw. Yeah. My office doesn't do room temperature. It does hot. So I worked with it.

Step two: Microwave chicken & veggies in the steamer pouch for 2.5 minutes on high.

Step three: Assemble your salad by putting lettuce on a plate or bowl (yes it really does say that), followed by chicken & veggies, dressing, then tortilla strips (I'm a rebel. I did strips then dressing).

Firstly, this is the MOST work I've ever done for a frozen meal, ok? This better be good cuz this is almost as much effort as making my salad from scratch. Well not really, but still.

So I taste and...

• Um...the star of this salad is definitely the dressing. The corn lends a lot of flavor and I am amenable to the texture of black beans but the dressing popped. Wasn't too spicy. It was just right.
• The chicken, however, was a wee bit...bland. But it's only got 590mg sodium (which is paltry in terms of frozen stuff) so what can we expect?
• I wish I'd let the chicken cool a little bit more before I put it on my salad. It made my lettuce a bit wilty (and it was already wilty cuz it took me until 10:30 to put the bag of salad mix in the fridge).
• Some might question my decision to use the tortilla strips. My pouch, my choice. They do separate them out so there is nothing stopping you from tossing them if you are deathly afraid of tortilla strips. I like the crunch.

Final verdict: I actually liked this. I think if I was better prepared I would not have found the steps quite so labor intensive. But then, isn't the point of frozen meals that you don't HAVE to be prepared? That's a debate point I'll leave to you, dear Foodies. Long story short, I think it's a good option, especially on those days when you want a salad and can't/don't want to go out and procure one. 

And lookit! I even found you a coupon so you can try it for yourself! Squee!

Reader Submission: Chrissi's Spicy Bean Dip

All the pretty colors...

(Before we get to this recipe...have you taken a look at the finalist recipes for the Fit Frappe recipe contest? Yes, ok. Well...have you voted yet so that YOU have a chance to win some Fit Frappe? Ah...you didn't, did you? Go do it now! We'll wait.)

 Alrighty then! So anyone that knows me knows that Chrissi had me at the word "spicy." I love spicy everything and anything! I love spicy so much I ate spicy through TWO pregnancies and now have some spicy-loving divas (as evidenced by the fact that I got away with putting not one but TWO habanero peppers WITH SEEDS in my last batch of my famous hot dog chili!).

Our crazy, insatiable appetite for spicyness aside, here's the recipe Chrissi sent in:

Chrissi's Spicy Bean Dip

1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 can black eyed peas
1 can green chili's
1 can diced tomatoes- (Chrissi usually buys whatever is on sale but tends to look for the ones that have onion and green peppers with it.)
1 red onion- diced
1 green bell pepper-diced
8 oz of Italian dressing.  (Chrissi prefers Ken's Steakhouse Lite Italian)
Pickled Jalapenos- optional.  I've used fresh before but find the pickled ones add a little more kick.

Directions:

Drain and rinse the beans and corn and add to a large mixing bowl.  Drain the tomatoes and add the the bowl.  Open the chili's and add to the bowl and mix together.  Then dice the onion and green bell pepper and add to the bowl with the beans.  Stir in chopped the jalapenos and add 8 oz of Italian dressing.  Stir and let sit over night in the fridge.  

Chrissi serves these with toasted pita chips that she makes herself.  She also serves this on a salad, with eggs and in wraps.

Thanks for this great recipe, Chrissi! If YOU have a great, WLS-friendly recipe to share, hit me up! I love to see what's going on in your kitchen.  

Name This Dish (really...I need you to name it!)

Then, of course, you should make it. Cuz it's yummy!

So...I should say there are only a scant few situations in life where your girl Nik feels totally zen. During a REALLY intense workout (those who are exercise buffs know that when you are in the zone that is as close to the divine as you can get) and when I am experimenting in the kitchen.

And it's not even about eating per se. I love every element of food. I love the colors. I love how it smells. The feel of it in my hands. Watching how things react to heat, cold, mixing. I. Just. Love. food.

This is probably a good thing since I keep trying to throw recipes at you all, right?

Anyway, you may remember a week ago I posted my beautiful farmer's market haul for the week. If you don't, here it is again:

Well I got some Swiss chard, which I'd never eaten before so I asked for suggestions and got a lot of them. But see the thing with me is that I like to...how shall you say...play with my food. And the result was beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous. One of these days I'm gonna get a better camera to convey JUST how wonderful some of this food is...but I digress. I have a problem.

I dunno what to call this dish. So let me just tell you what's in it and how to make it.

Nik's As Yet Unnamed But Totally Yummy Stuff

Ingredients

1 large onion, halved and sliced into strips
1 pkg smoked sausage or andouille, sliced into half circles
1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 large bunch Swiss chard, large stems removed and torn into pieces
2 whole tomatoes, diced large (not canned, use fresh!)
1 tsp Herbs de Provence (I've been on a kick lately)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (omit if you don't like a kick)
2 tsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
10 oz. cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp tomato paste

Directions:

In a pan sprayed with non-stick, begin to sweat your onions (cook until soft) over medium heat. After about 3 minutes, add your sausage and stir.

Once the sausage begins to brown and onions are soft, add olive oil, garlic and Swiss chard, stirring as you go along. let that all cook until the chard softens.

Add in the tomatoes, lemon juice and spices and let that all go about 5 minutes or so, until chard has turned a deeper shade of green (at this point it has greatly reduced and resembles cooked spinach).

Add the cannelini beans and stir. Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes.

Finally, stir the tomato paste into the mixture and stir until fully incorporated. What you should end up with is a yummy pan of love that looks something like this:

My goodness this was GOOD! You ever cook something and you have a hunch it'll be good but you don't know for sure? This. Was. GOOD!

Help me name it! Leave suggestions in the comments please!

Veggie Tales (part 5): A day in the life of a post-op vegetarian

So now that we've gone over what a vegetarian is, whether post-ops can even be vegetarians, how to make the transition and how to make good food choices, I figured I'd give you a day in the life of a post-op vegetarian.

Let's start in the pantry.

Here are some of the staples you’ll always find in my kitchen:

• Greek yogurt (usually homemade; vegans could substitute soy yogurt)
• Soy milk and/or raw milk (regular skim milk from the grocery store would work, too)
• Shredded cheese (vegans can buy soy cheese)
• Canned beans (dried beans are cheaper but I like the convenience of canned beans)
• Canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas) for roasting for snacks
• Nuts and/or nut butters
• Tofurky Italian sausages (I use them in dishes like jambalaya but also eat half of one sliced up with spaghetti sauce on it for a quick and easy  meal)
• Morningstar Farms fake meat products, like fake ground beef, fake chicken and fake bacon
• Protein powder and protein bars (the ones I usually use contain whey isolate but there are soy isolate options available for vegans)

With these staples, I can throw together a quick meal like black beans with a little salsa and shredded cheese on top or a stir fry make with Morningstar Farms fake chicken and whatever veggies I happen to have in the house.

A couple other items you might want to keep on hand are cottage cheese and tofu; I just don’t care for either of those things myself.

Sample Menus

Here are a couple days’ worth of sample menus, which are pretty typical for what I eat.  These menus give me plenty of protein as well as other nutrients.

Day One

Breakfast – protein shake with soy milk and protein powder

Lunch – pumpkin spice Greek yogurt (plain Greek yogurt mixed with sugar free cheesecake pudding mix, pumpkin puree, a little Splenda and a splash of sugar free caramel syrup, topped with Cool Whip Free and sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg; vegans can use soy yogurt)

Snack – roasted chickpeas (see recipe to follow)

Dinner – sausage and beans (see recipe to follow)

Snack – protein bar

Day Two

Breakfast – protein bar

Lunch – Island Red Beans (see recipe to follow)

Snack – almonds

Dinner – scrambled egg with cheese (scramble tofu with vegan cheese if preferred), Morningstar Farms breakfast strips, apple cinnamon muffin

Snack – Greek yogurt (or soy yogurt) with sugar free banana pudding mix and Splenda, topped with half sliced banana

Recipes

Roasted Chickpeas

Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans).

Put a towel on a baking sheet, spread the beans on the towel and pat dry.  Remove the towel, drizzle with olive oil (or just spray with cooking spray), stir, and spread out in a single layer.

Bake for about 50 minutes at 400 degrees.  Yeah, they take a while.  Stir three or four times during baking.

Take out of the oven, season however you like, stir and eat. 

Sausage and Beans

4 Tofurky Italian sausages, sliced
2 cans kidney beans
1 onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
minced garlic (I use about a tablespoon)
Franks’s sweet chili sauce (by the hot sauce in the grocery store; I use about ¼ cup)
tomato sauce (a couple tablespoons)

Sauté the diced onion and garlic in a little olive oil in a big pot until slightly soft.  Add the beans, sausage and diced tomatoes.  Stir and add tomato sauce and sweet chili sauce (a little of the chili sauce goes a long way).  Simmer for about 20 minutes.  You can cut this recipe in half if you don’t want to eat leftovers all week.

Island Red Beans

4 cans kidney beans
1 onion, diced
minced garlic (I use about a tablespoon)
2 habanera peppers, diced (this makes it really spicy; use just one pepper if you want it less spicy; these peppers are small but a little goes a long way)
1 cup tomato sauce
1 or 2 cups water (depends on how saucy you like your beans)
½ teaspoon dried cilantro
½ teaspoon dried oregano
salt and black pepper to taste

Sauté the diced onion and garlic in a little olive oil in a big pot until slightly soft.  Add the diced habanera peppers and cook for a couple minutes.  Add beans, tomato sauce, water and seasonings. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook about 25 minutes.  You can cut this recipe in half if you don’t want to eat leftovers all week.

Well...that about wraps up this BF Basics series. Thanks for allowing me to share a bit about my life as a vegetarian with all of you. Nik has assured me that there will be a version of this series for download within the next few days, so look for that soon!

Until then...play with your food!

<< Making good vegetarian food choices

Veggie Tales Home

Nik's Asian Chicken Salad

Yet another instance where I wish my photography skills did my dishes justice! 

I...am a salad person. I have been since relatively early post-op. I was cleared for raw veggies pretty early out but didn't really attempt salad until, I'd say, about 5 or 6 months post-op. But when I did, I made a discovery. I could eat a decent amount of salad! (Mostly because the veggies are predominantly water) That was a comfort to me because eating in front of others was about to have me diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia ("Is that really ALL you can eat???)

This salad is what I call "Sunday food." Sundays in my house are a laid back day. We go to church and then we chillax. Lunch is often the biggest and most elaborate meal of the day. I don't typically do a gigantic Sunday dinner. This started off as Chinese Chop Salad but as I surveyed my pantry (and my accompanying unwillingness to go to the store) it became more of an overall Asian salad.

Nik's Asian Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

1 bag of your favorite salad mix (it's helpful if there are carrots already in there, otherwise put some in)

1/2 cup edamame (extracted from the pods)

2 large white mushrooms, sliced (if you want to get fancy you can get shitakes. I am cheap...so I don't)

1/4 c. almond slivers

1 small can mandarin oranges
Optional: tomatoes (to me a salad isn't a salad without tomatoes, cucumbers)

For the chicken:

3 large chicken breasts
1 c. unflavored Greek yogurt
1 tbsp lite soy sauce
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp minced garlic

Directions:

Place the Greek yogurt, soy sauce, ginger, red pepper flakes and minced garlic in a zip-top bag and marinate on the counter for an hour (or in the fridge for a few hours). The longer you marinate, the more tender the chicken will be.

When ready, grill your chicken with whatever grilling mechanism you see fit (I used my George Foreman grill) until done. Remove from heat and set aside.

Set a DRY skillet over a medium flame and allow the pan to get hot. Empty your almond slivers into it. The key to toasting nuts (especially almonds) is to not overtoast them. You can tell when they are ready in two ways. #1 - they change color. Here's my almonds just in the pan:



And here they are all toasty:



See the difference? Also when you begin to smell the nuts, they are ready to come off the heat. Much longer than that and you've got burnt nuts. Burnt nuts are not pleasant (pun VERY much intended).

In a bowl, empty your salad mix and throw your edamame and half your almonds in there. Drain your mandarin oranges (BONUS TIP: if you're ever in a place that doesn't sell no sugar added canned fruit, get the kind in light syrup. Bring it home, drain into a collander and rinse the fruit. Then place it in a container and put a little of your favorite sugar substitute in it). Add those to the bowl. Now comes the fun part. SHAKE YOUR SALAD!

Here is La Petite Diva (with new hairdo) shaking our salad:



Once the salad is good and mixed, plate up your salad mix. Dice your chicken on a cutting board and divide equally. Sprinkle each salad with a few of the remaining toasted almonds and top with your favorite dressing! As you can see, we're partial to Asian Sesame.

YUMMY!

Four Cheese Mashed Cauliflower

(Programming Note: If you like this, or any other BF recipe, an easy way to let me know - so I can keep more recipes like it coming - is by clicking one of the "reaction" boxes at the end of the post!)

You ever clean out your refrigerator and find small blocks of random cheese (that's still good) that you forgot you had? Or is that just me?

That happened to me the other day. Here's what I did with it.

Nik's Four Cheese Mashed Cauliflower

Ingredients

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets (or two bags frozen florets)

2-4 oz. of three different kinds of cheese (So 6-8 oz. cheese total. You're using a few ounces of each KIND of cheese. I used leftover asiago, monterey jack and sharp cheddar)

1 egg, beaten

6 oz. container Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons light butter spread (I used Blue Bonnet Light), melted

1/4 c. whole wheat bread crumbs (NOTE: Since I first made this recipe I have started nixing the bread crumbs and just letting the cheese brown on top. Even less carbs this way!)

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Dashes of: onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper and paprika

Directions

Boil cauliflower florets until tender, drain and mash (see here for good directions on doing that).

Mix in cheeses, yogurt and whatever spices you like, except the paprika (keep the cauliflower in the pot when you do this). Stir thoroughly then mix in the egg.

Transfer mixture over to a 13 x 9 casserole dish.

In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and "butter."

Spread evenly over cauliflower mixture and top with a dash or two of paprika.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until top is nicely browned.

And for those wondering, "will kids really eat this stuff?" I offer the following evidence. The photo above was taken straight out of the oven. Check out the state of the dish not five minutes after that (and I had not yet had a portion).

Need I say more? But if you want to sell them even more on the idea of cheesy mashed cauliflower, check out my uber-cute cheesy mashed cauliflower cups.



<<< Yesterday's (INSANELY popular) post: Mexican Egg Casserole

Sunday Supper: Crockpot Vegetarian Bean Soup

~posted by Jen

Ready to devour!

I'm still battling this cold/flu/bronchitis crap that won't go away, but I also have a family to feed. Today I made it easy on myself by popping dinner in the Crock Pot while I was making my morning Clickety Split Vanilla Toffee Salted Cocoa. It will be done tonight when the boys are hungry, and I didn't even break a sweat.

You've all heard me mention the resident vegetarian (RV), so I made this soup meatless. You can certainly toss in a ham bone (freeze it after your Holiday Ham Dinner) or whatever meat you like. Boneless pork chops are delicious when cubed into pieces and cooked in this, or even bacon. Play with your food, people!

Jen's Vegetarian Bean Soup


Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) bag 15 bean soup mix
1 medium sweet onion, chopped into small pieces
1 (28 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes with the juice
3 cups vegetable stock (I used homemade, but you can use stock in a box)
1 cup water
1 package Goya Sazon
2 tbsp Garlic Powder
2 tbsp Salt
2 tbsp Onion Powder

Directions:
Rinse the beans in a colander and "look" them (sort through them and make sure there are no small pebbles or debris, if so remove it). Add all ingredients to the Crockpot and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. If you need it faster, cook on high for 4 to 6 hours.

Just before adding the liquids

Stir the soup about halfway through cooking, and taste the broth for seasoning. You may need to add more salt or garlic powder, based on how salty your vegetable stock was.

Halfway done, time to stir and adjust seasoning

I'll serve mine with a dollop of Greek Yogurt stirred in and some shredded cheddar cheese. NOM! The boys wanted rice to eat with theirs, so I will cook some in the rice cooker for them.

Cooled and ready for the fridge.

It gets better as it sits in the refrigerator, so I plan on having this for lunches during the week.

Cowboy Caviar

~~posted by Jen

Up close with Cowboy Caviar

Happy New Year! We hope you had fun last night and are enjoying your day today with family and friends. Last night was pretty low-key for me since the roads are still bad here. We stayed home, watched some movies, and I set out several appetizers for the boys and I to nibble on while watching the ball drop. Today there are some football and most likely hockey games on, so I am thinking more appetizer type items are on our menu for the day.

I made some food to take over to Ken and Pop and I'm going to drop it off at their house later, along with their Christmas presents, and spend some time with my boys Zeus and Mickey. I don't know about you, but back home in Georgia we always had a traditional New Year's Day meal of collard greens (for money), black-eyed peas (for luck), rice, and cornbread. There may have been some other components, but those are the main ones I remember.

New Year's Eve appetizer feast: Cheese platter, veggie platter with Greek Yogurt Ranch dip, and the Cowboy Caviar 

Since I live in a culturally diverse household these days, no one but me was really down with the whole greens and cornbread idea, so that's yet another reason I am not cooking a big meal today. I did make this awesome dip last night and wanted to share it with you in case you still needed a quick appetizer or just some nibbles to set out for guests coming over later today.

I call this "Cowboy Caviar", but it's basically a bean and veggie salsa. If you Google "Cowboy Caviar" there are quite a few different variations of this dish. My late Momma used to make this with the leftover black-eyed peas we always had on New Year's Day, and I have always loved her version.

It's really easy to make and sits well on the pouch, plus the beans give it a nice kick of protein and fiber. I made a few changes from how Momma originally made it, but that's what she would have wanted me to do!

Here's my version:

Jen's Cowboy Caviar
Ingredients:
1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded, & diced
1 (10 ounce) can tomatoes with green chiles (I used Ro-Tel)
1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained (or use leftovers if you cooked some)
1 (15 ounce) can whole-kernel corn, drained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup mild salsa
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Onion Powder
4 tbsp lime juice
(If you like spicy, you could add some hot sauce or use hot or medium salsa)

Directions:
Wash the pepper, remove the stem, seeds, and core. Slice it into strips, then dice it into small pieces.

Pour each can of beans into a large sieve or colander, then rinse and drain the beans thoroughly before adding them to the mixing bowl. This step is important because it washes the extra starchy canning liquid from the beans, plus it gets those few stragglers that always stick to the bottom of the can.

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and stir until thoroughly combined. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or other seasonings to suit your taste. 

Serve chilled or at room temperature. I usually serve this with tortilla chips or corn chip scoops. This is also a delicious topping for a grilled fish fillet or steak, a very versatile condiment. Much like chili or spaghetti sauce, this gets better and better after a day or so in the fridge. Enjoy! 

Cowboy Caviar on the NYE appetizer buffet, served with Fritos Scoops.

Bruschetta Squares

~~posted by Jen

I can't help it, I love making it look like the rooster is eating the food! 

It's New Year's Eve and my original plans were to go over to my local BFF's house (where I spent Christmas Eve) for a small party with a few close friends and stay over to hang out on New Year's Day. Good ole' Mother Nature saw things differently, since NJ got bombarded with over 2 feet of snow on Sunday and Monday. The townships have been dragging their feet to get the roads cleared, so that means I'll be staying home with the boys.

Of course we'll need some snacks to nibble on while we watch the ball drop. We'll probably watch some movies (I'm thinking The Blind Side and maybe Avatar, since I never got to see those) until the Anderson Cooper New Year's Eve special comes on. Kathy Griffin cracks me up and I love to watch her embarrass the crap out of ole AC 360. He's so cute when his face turns red!

I made these "party bites" a few weeks ago for the RV (resident vegetarian) to take over to a party at his friend's house, and they were a hit with them so I'll definitely make them again for us. The ingredients are vegetables I always have on hand, and he loves crescent rolls, so I always have a can or three of those in the fridge. You could also use the Arnold Multi-grain Flatbreads for the crust, those work well, too.

This is not especially WLS-friendly, as it's not a high protein dish. You could certainly add some Any Whey Protein Powder into the vegetable mix if you like, or even add some meat to the vegetable mixture. Chunks of ham, salami, or even pepperoni would be tasty since this is kind of an "Italian" vegetable medley.

You could also use ground turkey, or Italian Sausage would be good also! That's where the "Play With Your Food!" part comes in. Start with this recipe as a jumping off point and make it your own unique dish. Snap a pic when you do and send it our way, so we can share your awesome idea with everyone else!

I used a good bit of cheese, but without adding protein powder or meat, these are one of those dishes I allow myself in moderation only AFTER I've met my goal of 100 grams of protein for the day. As always, we are not the managers of your plan or your pouch, we just try to offer ways to help you meet your nutritional needs and still have an occasional treat. (Sad that I think of a vegetable dish as a treat, but I digress.) Here's how it's done:

Jen's Bruschetta Party Squares
Ingredients:
4 small zucchini, diced
1 medium sweet onion (such as Vidalia), diced
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (dry, not packed in oil), chopped into pieces
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Butter (or I Can't Believe It's Not Real Butter, your choice)
1 tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Onion Powder
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Salt
1 cup marinara sauce (jarred or homemade, whichever you have on hand)
2 cups Italian Blend Shredded Cheese
1 can Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls or 4 Arnold Thin Multigrain Flatbreads.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If you're using Crescent Rolls, leave them in the fridge until just before time to bake them. In a large non-stick skillet with a lid, heat the olive oil and butter together until butter is melted.

Chop the zucchini into bite sized pieces

Add the onions to the skillet and let them cook for about two minutes, then stir in the mushrooms, zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, and seasonings. Put the lid on the skillet and let vegetables cook for a few minutes, then remove the lid. Continue cooking for three or four more minutes, stirring constantly, until vegetables are tender.

I got the mushrooms already sliced, then chopped those into smaller pieces along with the onions

Stir in the marinara sauce and 1 cup of the Italian blend cheese and heat through until cheese is melted. If you're using the Any Whey protein powder, whisk it into the marinara sauce just before you add the sauce to the vegetables.

Remove skillet from heat and set aside so topping mixture will cool a bit while you get the crust ready. Using a potato masher, mash up the vegetable mixture so there are no big chunks left in it. This will make it more manageable as a party bite.

Mashing up the cooked veggies with a potato masher

If you're using the Arnold Multi-grain Flatbread thins, skip to the "Bake" step and change the time to 2 to 3 minutes, then go straight to topping!

If your using the crescent rolls, remove them from the fridge now. Open the can, do NOT separate the crescent rolls. Using a rolling pin, roll them out into one large rectangle on a cookie sheet/jelly roll pan.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until crust is lightly golden brown, then remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

If you use the flatbreads, I'd recommend crisping them in the oven for 2 or 3 minutes before topping them.

Cut the crescent rolls (or multi-grain flatbreads) into squares with a pizza cutter. Spread some of the vegetable mixture on each square, then top with a sprinkle of the remaining cup of Italian Blend cheese. Once they are all topped, return the squares back to the oven for about 5 minutes or so, just until the cheese melts. These are great served hot or at room temperature.

I usually have 3 of these, especially if we have other snacks set out

Jen's Oven-Fried Eggplant Parmesan

~~posted by Jen

In Sunday's BF Basics post, we covered oven-frying. By now you've all heard I have a resident vegetarian (or RV), so of course I had to DO something with all that eggplant. We ate a good bit of it in the form of the "Eggplant Bites", but I also made him a big casserole dish full of eggplant parmesan to take to work for lunches this week. (On a side note, those bites are damned tasty, I had to make myself quit eating them! Definitely give them a try for your next party!)

Eggplant Parm Bites

Now you may recall awhile back Nik shared her "Naked Grilled Eggplant Parmesan" with us. While I love her version in the summer, when I can grill the eggplant outside, in the winter months I need the comfort of breading. Is that so wrong? Probably, but that is another post. 

Nik's Naked Grilled Eggplant Parm

The first step in cooking eggplant is to slice it and salt it down in a colander. Salt both sides of each slice and place it in a colander to draw out the excess liquid. I usually do this right before I go to bed and let mine sit overnight in the sink (my sink has a small side where the disposal is, perfect for straining things) so all the excess water can drain out of it. Then the next morning it's ready to cook. I also recommend this for zucchini as well, if you're planning to make like a zucchini lasagna using this same methodology.

This is the rinsed eggplant after spending the night soaking in salt

Doing this removes the bitter liquid from the eggplant, and allows it to crisp up in the oven instead of being soggy. This also works for "de-sliming" okra. The salt draws out the excess liquid and/or bitterness (as is the case with the eggplant.) One important note: Make SURE you rinse all the salt off of the vegetables before you cook them. I usually don't add extra salt to my eggplant when I've used this method, it really doesn't need it.

Eggplant Parmesan is super easy to make. Step 1: Follow the oven-frying directions in the BF Basics: Oven-Frying post.  for the egg wash and breading. I used 2 large eggplants, about 30 slices total.

Jen's Oven-Fried Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients: 

1 batch of oven-fried eggplant (from link above)

3 jars marinara sauce, brand of your choice (I used Aldi's brand with portabello mushrooms in it) or you can use home-made

2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese

2 tbsp Italian Seasoning

2 tbsp Garlic Powder

Optional: 3 Scoops Any Whey Unflavored Protein Powder

Cooking Spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the marinara sauce, Italian Seasoning, and Garlic Powder. If you're adding the Protein Powder, whisk it into the sauce now. 

Spray a large lidded casserole dish with cooking spray (I used Olive Oil flavor) and spoon about 1/4 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom as the base (make sure the bottom of the dish is covered). Spread the first layer of eggplant slices over the sauce. 

Bottom layer of Casserole

Spoon more sauce over the eggplant slices, then sprinkle with cheese. Continue layering in the same order until your casserole dish is full.

Sauce over the eggplant

Now, if you're feeding this to your family and most of it will be eaten right away, put the lid on the dish and bake the whole casserole at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes until it is heated through and cheese is melted. 

Since I put protein powder in mine, and it was made to be eaten in individual portions, I did not do this. 

Top layer covered in cheese

If you're making these just for YOU, put them in individual containers and don't bake them. You can refrigerate for up to a week, or freeze in individual portions. Heat them in the microwave just before you're ready to eat them. (Heads up: I'd omit the protein powder if you're planning to freeze them, you could always stir a scoop into some ricotta and mix that in just before heating.)

That's how I did this one. I put the whole big dish in the fridge, then each morning he portioned out what he wanted to take for lunch and heated it up at work in the microwave. The reasoning for this is twofold: (1) You don't want to constantly heat and re-heat the protein powder. Even though the Any Whey is MADE for cooking, no sense in cooking the same bits over and over. (2) The cheese tends to get rubbery if you heat and reheat it. Nothing worse than getting rubbery cheese stuck in your stoma.  

Early outs: If you're cleared for tomatoes, you can absolutely puree this up and eat it. Stir in some ricotta and it's eggplant lasagna! I add chicken or meat into my portion sometimes, especially if I leave out the protein powder. Mangia!

Jen's Mushroom and Smoked Cheddar Frittata

~~posted by Jen

It's a freezing cold winter morning here in central New Jersey, and I am warming up with a Clicktastic Salted Caramel Cocoa before I make a nice breakfast for the boys and myself. Since two of them are pretty picky and the third is a vegetarian, it's not always easy finding something we ALL like and can agree on.

That's why when I happen upon something all three like and that meets my nutritional needs as a post-op WLS patient, I will make it a cabillionty-seven different ways. My frittata is no exception. They all three love it, any way I change it up, and it has lots of pouch-friendly protein that works perfectly for me as well.

Best of all, I don't have to make a different meal for every person in the house. That is a winner in my book, any way you look at it. If you're a frequent reader, then you may have seen my original frittata awhile back, or I've also shared the Spinach & Bacon Pie with y'all. As often as I make this, it was kinda funny to me that the boys' favorite was the one I recently shared during Leftovers Week, Sweet Potato Frittata!

All four of us love love love, did I mention LOVE?? mushrooms. So of course, I had to make a mushroom frittata! That's what we're having for breakfast later this morning. Quick, easy, and delicious. It reheats well and is very easy on the pouch.

My secret? Adding Greek yogurt to the egg mixture. I don't know exactly what it does, aside from add protein and creaminess to the eggs, all I do know is that my pouch likes eggs re-heated now as long as they contain Greek yogurt.

Several newer post-ops who had issues with eggs in the past have told me that since they followed my method for the frittata eggs, they have been able to enjoy scrambled eggs again. Sounds a bit wonky, maybe, but it works!

Here's how it's done:

Jen's Mushroom and Smoked Cheddar Frittata


Ingredients:
6 large eggs
1/4 cup Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup milk (whatever fat percentage you use)
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium sweet onion (I used Vidalia) chopped into small pieces
1/2 stick I Can't Believe It's Not Butter 
1 1/2 cup grated smoked Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp Herbs de Provence (you can substitute 2 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp dried sage, and 1/2 tsp dried rosemary if you don't have the Herbs de Provence)




Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, yogurt, and seasonings with a whisk. Beat well until thoroughly combined, you don't want lumps of yogurt in your eggs. Mix half of each kind of cheese into the egg mixture and set aside the remaining cheese.

Preheat a non-stick oven safe skillet, add the butter substitute and olive oil. Let the butter melt, then add the onions and cook them until soft and translucent. Once the onions start to brown, stir in the mushrooms and cover so it can saute together for a couple minutes until the mushrooms are tender.


Pour in the egg mixture. Using a rubber spatula, slowly stir the egg mixture and veggies until thoroughly combined.  You want the eggs to be about 2/3 done but still in a solid mass (think omelet) and not in pieces like scrambled eggs.


Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the top of the eggs.  Remove the skillet from the stove top and place it in the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is thoroughly melted.  Let it cool slightly before cutting it into wedges, that gives the eggs extra time to set up so it comes out in one piece.  Makes 8 pie-slice sized servings.  

This is a great breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Sometimes I serve a cup of soup or salad on the side for the boys. If there is any leftover, which there rarely is, I freeze it in individual slices so I can pull it out as a quick protein meal for myself. Perfect for lunch to take to work!