Phase 1 South Beach: Roasted Balsamic Spring Onion

I used this as a sweet and roasty accompaniment to Poblano's Mushroom Medley & Pistachio & Hazelnut Encrusted Turkey.  

Roasted Balsamic Spring Onion

Ingredients

1 bunch of Spring Onions (I used Vidalia)

1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

As pictured above, slice the green parts off and reserve in a bowl - we will add them later as they will cook faster than the white ends. Chop the white ends up as well, add to a broiling pan, drizzle olive oil and balsamic over the onions, and broil with the oven door open.  Check the onions after 5 minutes - once they begin to blacken slightly around the edges, add the chopped green tops and mix, and place back in oven.  Cook until the green tops soften, about 5 minutes longer.

Enjoy!!

Phase 1 South Beach: Poblano's Many Mushroom Medley

I like mushrooms, but they really do need salt if they are to be eaten by themselves.  A nice tasty roasted poblano can add enough flavor to a mushroom medley to make up for SinSal.

Poblano's Many Mushroom Medley

Ingredients
4 mushrooms of 4 varieties
(you can use any type of mushroom - I suggest portabella, white, crimini and shitaki)
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 poblano, roasted

For the mushrooms, you will need a heavy skillet or a nice wok (I used a wok).  The idea is to get the oil in the skillet and heat it very hot on high before adding in the mushrooms.  Once your shrooms are washed and sliced, and your pan is super hot, add them to the pan.

portabella, white, crimini and shitaki

Meanwhile, add the poblano into the broiler or roast on an open flame, turning so that each side blackens.

I made this dish alongside Balsamic Spring Onions - so I roasted the pepper on top of the balsamic onions.

Flip and stir the mushrooms as you hear them sizzle.  Once 1/2 of the liquid they give off is gone, add the shallots and continue to flip and stir.  Once there is little liquid left, add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Remove from heat and pour mushrooms into a bowl to stop the cooking.  Once the poblano is blackened on all sides, put it in a plastic zip lock to steam the skin loose.  Once cool, remove skin and seeds, chop, and add to the mushrooms.

YUM!

Phase 1 South Beach: Pistachio & Hazelnut Encrusted Turkey Breasts

My husband and I just started the South Beach Diet Phase 1.  It's always a challenge for me to come up with different meals to cook without salt that still have that WOW factor, so I've taken this diet as a challenge to eat gourmet!  The more tasty the meals are, the less I will miss my nightly glass of wine :)

Pistachio & Hazelnut Encrusted Turkey Breast

Ingredients
2 turkey breasts
1/2 cup pistachios
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon citrus spice (SinSal!)
2 tablespoons of a fresh herb in your fridge
1 egg

I found some tasty looking turkey breasts at our local Farmer's Market and, as Phase 1 is all about nuts, decided to crust the turkey for a good SinSal (salt-less) flavor.

I used our coffee grinder to grind about 1/2 cup of pistachios and 1/2 cup of hazelnut.  I added in 2 tablespoons of tarragon (any herb would work well here) and 1 teaspoon of a citrusy spice.  I used Penzey's Spices blend called Sunny Spain.  I then whisked 1 egg in a bowl, and added the Sunny Spain, Nut Mix, and tarragon in another bowl.  I trimmed the weird white vein thing out of the turkey breasts, covered with plastic wrap (parchment paper is better here, but I was out), and beat down to 1/4 inch pieces - see picture below.

Next, heat up a tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet until hot but not smoking and dip each turkey piece (smaller pieces work best) into the egg, and then into the nut & spice mix and add them to the pan in a single layer.  Cook each side until golden, about 5 minutes or less per side.  Once turkey is firmer to the touch, check to see it is cooked through by slicing around the middle of a larger piece, and enjoy!

I served this with Poblano's Many Mushroom Medley and Roasted Balsamic Spring Onions - see other posts for these recipes.

Crusty, crusty turkey, oh how you taste so good!

Shown here with Poblano's Mushroom Medley, Balsamic Spring Onions, and Fresh Mozz and Tomato Salad.  A complete and healthy South Beach Diet Phase meal!!

Eggplant Rollatini

Tonight's Dinner is Eggplant Rollatini. We will be accompanying the with a salad and a nice glass of Malbec. This is a simple dish - but the low sodium aspect calls for homemade marinara (which I am not embellishing too much as this is a weeknight dinner, but feel free to embellish away as you will!)

Eggplant Rollatini

Ingredients
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 can Dei Fratelli Canned Tomatoes (no salt added) - bottom shelf most grocery stores
1 teaspoon chili powder (be sure this is no salt added)
1/2 cup flour
3 large eggs, beaten to blend
1 large purple eggplant
1 1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese
1 teaspoon lemon seasoned olive oil or 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 teaspoons Frontier Pizza Seasoning - No Salt
Sliced Basil to Taste*

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 2 cookie sheets with nonstick spray. Saute onion and then add garlic - 5 minutes for the onion - about 7 minutes total, until onion is translucent. Add 1/2 can Tomatoes and chili powder and simmer for another 5-20 minutes (depending on the tomato variety you use), until sauce is thick like a marinara sauce.

Slice eggplant 1/4-3/4 inches thick. Coat with flour, then beaten egg, and arrange in single layer on greased baking sheets.

Eggy Eggplant

Bake for about 15 minutes per side until golden brown on each side. Remove from oven and rest. In a small bowl, mix the ricotta, lemon oil, pizza seasoning, and basil. Shmear the mixture on each eggplant round. Starting at 1 short end, roll up eggplant slices, enclosing filling. Arrange rolls, seam side down, in a nonstick prepared baking dish (butter or spray). Spoon marinara sauce over rolls. Bake 30 minutes longer.

Rolled Eggplants

*I didn't have fresh basil on hand tonight, so I added 1 tablespoon of homemade tomatillo sauce I made a few days ago (7 tomatillos, rinsed and husked, and 3 jalapenos or serranos - roast all ingredients in the broiler and blend in the blender with some cilantro).

Chicken Marsala

Tonight's dinner is Chicken Marsala. Now I know what you are probably thinking - marsala wine is full of salt! For this tasty meal, I do not use grocery-store bought Marsala Wine, which has added salt. I purchased a bottle of Pellegrino Marsala Superiore Dry from Italy, which is super tasty, inexpensive ($12.99/bottle) and lasts for months after opening. After purchasing this Marsala Wine, Chicken Marsala has become a staple in our house - it's easy and super tasty!

Tonight I have modified my normal recipe a bit to be more on the diet side. I will add the non-diet ingredients in parenthesis if you wish to add them in :)

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon Essence Spice (homemade - see below for recipe)
8 white or bella mushrooms, washed and quartered
1/2 cup Marsala Wine (NOT grocery store variety - NO SODIUM)
(2 tablespoons unsalted butter)
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
(2 tablespoons cream)

First you will want to trim all the nasties off your chicken. Then cut your chicken cross-wise into 3 pieces, leaving the thinnest pieces a little longer than the thicker pieces. Put down a layer of wax paper, or plastic wrap on your counter and place your chicken pieces. Place another piece of paper/plastic over the chickens and beat with a mallet or rolling pin, or bottle of wine if you dare. You want them to be about 1/3 of an inch thick.

Now take the flour and Essence and combine in a bowl. Dip each chicken piece and cover thoroughly with the flour, then shake any excess off. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil, or 1 tablespoon oil and 1 butter, to almost smoking. Brown both sides of the chicken pieces. This could take up to 20 minutes (10 minutes per side).

Browned Chicken

Remove the chickens to a plate to rest. Add the mushrooms and lower the heat to medium. Let the mushrooms soak up the chicken lerftovers - be sure to scrape any pieces off the bottom of the pan. Once the mushrooms have lost most of their moisture (4 minutes), add 1/2 cup of Marsala Wine. Then add your chicken, and the chicken stock. Get your chicken babies nice and coated with the juices and simmer slowly until your sauce develops and covers a spoon nicely (5-7 minutes). At this point you can add your cream if you like to be fat ;)

Chicken Marsala

Essence Spice
I make this and and store it with my spice to use on any chicken dishes I make. Just combine all ingredients below.

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
  
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Easy Side Dish -

Squash and Zucchini in Tomato Sauce
Chop an onion, some garlic and saute. Add 2 chopped squash and 2 chopped zucchini. Add in 1/2 of a 28 oz. can of Organic San Marzano Tomatoes (40mg sodium/half cup), 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning, 1 teaspoon Frontier Pizza Seasoning, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Chicken Marsala with Squash and Arugula Salad

Amy's Turkey Meatball Curry

Dinner tonight is light and healthy as my fiance and I are on a diet. You might have noticed that none of my recipes have called for butter, cream, or carbs! It's the wedding diet...

So...this is a now-famous recipe that I made up one day. It incorporates some of my favorite tastes - coconut milk, ginger, lime, and curry. This is a quick and easy-to-make crowd pleaser that I usually serve over mashed potatoes, but being on a diet and all I made mashed cauliflower tonight. I included a pic of the mashed c-flower at the bottom of this post for those who care, but it's literally blended and boiled cauliflower (it IS tasty, though) :)

Amy's Meatball Curry

Ingredients

Turkey Meatballs
99% fat free ground turkey (diet people!) - 1 package from your local grocer
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder (some chili powders have salt - beware!)
1 tablespoon no salt curry powder

Curry
1 onion, sliced
3 garlic gloves, minced
1-2 jalapenos (or any pepper you like)
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
5 bella or white mushrooms if you like
1 can coconut milk
1/2 lime or lemon
2 tablespoons or more no salt curry powder (I use a few varieties, all from Spices, Inc - the Madras is my fave)


Sprinkle all turkey meatball ingredients except turkey in a large non-stick saucepan. Open your turkey package and use your knife to cut and separate your meat into squares for easy meat-balling. I do 3 across and 4 down (see photo).

Making the Meatballs

Take one square in your hand and press together a few times to make the turkey stick together, them roll between both hands to form a meatball. Choose one side of your saucepan to begin placing your meatballs - take your first ball and roll it in that area to pick up the spices and sauces. Leave your meatball there and repeat the process until all your little babies are in the pot and your spices and sauces have been soaked up! Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the meatballs and shake the pan so that the oil coats to the bottom of the pan, and begin cooking on high. Once you meatballs begin to brown, you will want to turn your heat down to medium and use tongs to gently pick up each meatball and turn them, and drop them so that a new portion is cooking. It is very important to cook all surfaces of your meatballs well. If a little burning happens, that is just fine. Be absolutely sure that you brown each little spot of each little meatball-baby!

Babies are Browned

Meanwhile, add a teaspoon of olive oil to a non-stick skillet and saute onions for 5 minutes. Add garlic and jalapenos or pepper of choice and saute for a few more minutes. Add the ginger. Chop or slice your mushrooms, add, and cook until liquid evaporates. Add your meatballs!

Meatballs Meet Veggies

Be absolutely sure that your meatballs are crusty all around each one - you don't want ANY pink or white to be showing...they should be pretty well cooked (otherwise they will get soggy when you add juices). Add coconut milk, lemon or lime juice, and your curry powder to taste. Cook uncovered until the sauce coats your spoon.

Lookin' Saucy

Always cut open a meatball to check for doneness - the entire ball should be white.

Yum!

And now, I will eat my dinner :)

Chili Braised Beef Brisket

Being on a no salt diet is not easy, eating out is not really an option, and you can't simply just make a sandwich at the office. What I do for my weekly lunches is cook a few dishes on Sunday and pack 'em up for the week :) This coupled with some salad gives me a gourmet week with no hassle at the office! This week I am cooking a beef brisket. You might be thinking that's a lot for one person, but trust me, everything I eat my fiance eats too!

Chili Beef Brisket

Ingredients
1 star anise
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
black pepper
10 dried chilies (pisillo or ancho, will work fine) - seeded
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
sherry or red wine vinegar
1 onion, finely chopped
3 ripe tomatoes or 1 can no salt added chopped tomatoes or half a package of POM chopped tomatoes
1 4ish pound brisket
2 cups low sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350F. In a small skillet, roast star anise and fennel, stirring with a wooden spoon until fragrant and beginning to brown. Grind the star anise, fennel seeds, and 5 of the dried chilis in a spice grinder or coffee grinder. Rub all over brisket with black pepper to your taste.


Boil 3 cups of water in a small sauce pan, once it is boiling, turn off the stove and add the remaining chilies. Let them soak for about a half hour.

Heat 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil in a heavy large fry pan or dutch oven until nearly smoking. Brown all sides of the brisket, using tongs to turn the meat. Don't fret if the spices begin to blacken on the bottom of the pan. Once the meat is browned, remove and place on a platter if using a dutch over, or place in a large glass baking dish if not using a dutch oven.

Add the chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes, adding a little bit of the chicken broth to scrape up the brown bits in the pan. While the onion is cooking, place 1 cup of the chili soaking water with the chilies in a blender and blend. Add the chili sauce to the onions, and add the tomato sauce or grate the fresh tomatoes on the largest openings of your grater, and cook for another minute or so. Add the remaining chicken broth and chili/onion mixture to your brisket dish (or add your brisket back to your dutch oven), and cover with a lid or tin foil. Place in the oven for 3 1/2 - 4 hours.

Let your baby rest for about 10 minutes before cutting into her, and only cut off what you plan to eat the next day to keep the rest fresh and lovely. I actually let my entire beast rest in pan in the fridge overnight with all the juices so I can skim off the fat that thickens at the top, then I make my lunch for the morning :)