This Mama Cooks! On a Diet

Mother's Day Dishes from Taste of Home Healthy Cooking: Ham and Cheese Strudel and Sweet Berry Bruschetta

I’ve become a fan of Taste of Home Healthy Cooking magazine in the past few months that I’ve subscribed. (Their enewsletter is wonderful, too.) Not only is the magazine attractive, but the recipes are easy to make. Also, the magazine lists complete nutritional information for each recipe including diabetic exchanges, so it’s easy to figure out Weight Watchers POINTS as well.

My only complain about the recipes is that they could use more Weight Watchers Momentum filling foods like whole grains, but it’s easy to substitute more wholesome ingredients for white flour and things like sugar and egg substitute.

Here are a couple of recipes to make for the mom in your life from Taste of Home.

Mother’s Day brunch – main course

Using phyllo dough sheets may be a bit challenging, but the results will be worth it.

Ham and Cheese Strudel
TIME: Prep: 45 min. Bake: 15 min
Yield: 6 servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1/4 pound fully cooked lean ham, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese
• 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1-1/4 cups egg substitute
• 12 phyllo dough sheets (14 inches x 9 inches)
• Nonstick cooking spray
• Refrigerated butter-flavored spray
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Add ham; heat through. Remove from heat. Stir in Swiss cheese and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese until Swiss is melted; set aside. In a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook and stir egg substitute over medium heat until completely set. Stir into cheese mixture.
2. For each strudel, place one sheet of phyllo dough on work surface with a short side facing you (keep remaining dough covered with waxed paper to avoid drying out). Coat dough with cooking spray; fold in half lengthwise. Coat with cooking spray; spritz with butter-flavored spray. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon bread crumbs. Spread some egg mixture over bottom third of dough to within 3/4 in. of bottom and sides. Fold in sides. Roll up dough, starting at end with egg mixture.
3. Place seam side down on an ungreased baking sheet. Coat with cooking spray; spritz with butter-flavored spray. Bake at 375° for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown and filling is heated through (filling may expand and come out of dough during baking). Sprinkle each with parsley and remaining Parmesan cheese. 

Nutritional information:

One serving: Calories: 218, Fat:8 g, Saturated Fat:3 g, Cholesterol:18 mg, Sodium:576 mg, Carbohydrate:18 g, Fiber:1 g, Protein:18 g

Diabetic Exchange:2 lean meat, 1 starch, 1/2 fat.

Weight Watchers POINTS = 5

If you’re looking for more healthy breakfast or desserts, try Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Mother’s Day breakfast and lunch menus.

Find the perfect cooking magazine subscription with CookingZines.com

Are you looking to find the perfect cooking magazine subscriptions for holiday gifts? Or maybe you want to try a new cooking magazine for the new year, but don’t want to go to the bookstore to look at everything before you order online to get the best price?

Stop by CookingZines.com, a cooking magazine review site, which helps you answer three basic questions:

1. What kind of cooking information and articles can I expect to find inside each magazine?
2. Will I (or my family) like the recipes in each issue of this magazine? Or will they be too fancy, plain, gourmet, complicated, etc.?
3. What is the most convenient and least expensive way to order the subscription online?

Eating in Denver at the Democratic National Convention

I’ll be blogging at MOTHERS Book Bag for MOTHERS and the National Association of Mothers’ Centers (NAMC) this week at The Big Tent in Denver during the Democratic National Convention. So, I will be too busy to blog here unless there are some amazing food happenings I feel you need to know about. (You can also follow me on my Twitter feed.)

The Alliance for Sustainable Colorado is one of The Big Tent’s hosts. (Actually it’s in their parking lot.) Their greening mission for the Big Tent is to leave a long-lasting sustainability legacy that will be practiced by our tenants, visitors, vendors, and the community. Guests are encouraged to embrace sustainable
practices on a micro level, which means whenever possible to bring your own re-usable water bottles, beer mugs, coffee cups and utensils. (I’ll have my travel mug, which I can use for water, coffee or beer.)

Eat Locally and Be Green at The Big Tent
The Big Tent is partnering with local restaurants to provide healthy options for our guests. Where possible, meals and drinks are from locally owned and/or organic sources such as Chipotle, Papa John’s, Udi’s Bakery, Wahoo’s Fish Taco, R.W. Knudsen, Heidi's Brooklyn Deli, and 8 Rivers. New Belgium Brewing Company, the greenest brewery in Colorado, will supply beer. (Yay! Their beer is wonderful and one of the best microbrews in Colorado.) Eldorado Natural Spring Water (a local water company) will be available in 5-gallon dispensers throughout the Big Tent. Looks like Illegal Pete’s and Green Mountain Coffee will be supplying the coffee, too.

Biodegradable Tableware
Plates, cups, cutlery and napkins made of corn starch and plant-based materials are being provided by EcoProducts. They will be used for all meals served
in the Big Tent. Food waste and tableware will be composted by Rocky Mountain Recycling, and taken to A-1 organics to be turned into rich topsoil.

Your chance to ask questions of the editor of Every Day With Rachel Ray magazine

I've been given the chance to do an email interview with Silvana Nardone, the editor of Every Day With Rachael Ray magazine. Silvana, a mom of two, would love to discuss cooking - from great kid-friendly recipes to how cooking with your kids can be a wonderful bonding experience.

Are you a fan of Rachel Ray and her magazine or show? Or just need some cooking advice? Either way, send me a question or two for Silvana. If I like it, I'll credit you when I post the interview over at my children's books and cooking blog, A Readable Feast.

Just email me your question, name (the way you'd like it to appear in public) and website link (if you have one) to readablefeast@gmail.com by Monday, June 4.

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EatingWell magazine's contest for healthy cookie recipes

While you may be making plans for a summertime vacation, in the EatingWell Test Kitchen they're getting ready for the holidays—and they need your favorite cookie recipes.

They're looking for delectable and healthy holiday cookie recipes for publication in their November/December 2007 issue. Take one of your favorites and give it a little makeover (see Healthy Cookie Guidelines below). They'll bake them up in their Test Kitchen and select one grand-prize winner and five runners-up.

Prizes: Each of the six finalists will receive The EatingWell Healthy in a Hurry Cookbook, EatingWell Serves Two Cookbook, a year’s subscription to EatingWell Magazine and an EatingWell apron.

The grand prize winner will also receive $500 cash!

Deadline: Submit your recipe by June 1, 2007 directly to the Test Kitchen using the simple online form. All recipes are automatically entered into the contest. Winners will be notified by September 15, 2007.

Cooking in parchment

Another awesome recipe from Sunset magazine, this one with a terrific culinary technique - cooking in parchment. Parchment cooking creates maximum flavor with minimal use of oil or butter because all aromas and flavors are sealed in (along with moisture) as the food cooks.

Flavor combinations with fish are endless. Try various herbs - I love dill with fish - flavored oils, lemon juice or wine, or thinly sliced veggies.

And the nicest thing about using parchment? Without the added fat or heavy sauces, this dish is only 4 Weight Watchers Points. LOVE IT!

How to Make a Parchment Packet:
The key to cooking en papillote starts with the shape of the paper. Fold a piece of parchment paper, about 2 1/2 times the size of what you'll be cooking, in half and cut it into a half-heart shape. Unfold, fill one half with the ingredients, and fold the other half over to enclose. Starting at the top of the heart in the center of the dip, fold about 1/4 in. of the edge toward the center and start rolling this "hem" around the edge, crimping the roll as you seal it. When the roll reaches the bottom tip of the heart, twist to seal. When using aluminum foil, simply fold foil over contents and crimp edges to seal.

Martha Stewart has some fish en papillote recipes - including salmon and red snapper - on her site. But this one from Sunset magazine is is staight forward and looks delicious.

Green Onion and Sesame Parchment-Baked Fish
Prep and Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: Makes 4 servings 

Notes: Aluminum foil may be used in place of parchment, but parchment creates an elegant presentation and can even puff up while cooking. Thin fillets like sole cook in 15 minutes. For thicker cuts, add 5 minutes for every 1/2 in. of thickness over 3/4 in.

Add steamed brown rice and simply cooked greens for a healthy supper.

Ingredients:

• 4 fillets petrale sole
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 3 green onions, cut into 3-in. lengths and sliced thinly lengthwise

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Fold 4 pieces of parchment paper (12 by 14 in. each) in half to form 7- by 12-in. rectangles and cut them into half-heart shapes as large as the paper allows. Unfold into hearts. Place a fish fillet to one side of center of each heart and sprinkle with 1/4 of the salt. Spread each fillet with 1/4 of the ginger. Drizzle with 1/4 of the sesame oil and top with 1/4 of the green onions. Fold papers over fillets and crimp edges to close (see "How to Make a Parchment Packet," above).
2. Put packets on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and flakes easily in the center; if necessary, cook 5 minutes more. Serve hot.

Nutritional Information:
Per serving - CALORIES 179 (22% from fat); FAT 4.3g (sat 0.8g); PROTEIN 32g; CHOLESTEROL 82mg; SODIUM 283mg; FIBER 0.3g; CARBOHYDRATE 1g

Sunset, FEBRUARY 2007

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Sunset's Soup Social - herbed carrot soup

Vegetable soups are powerful food this time of year. Not only do they warm you up on cold winter days, but they provide nutritional wallop - a great defense against viruses. And if you do get a cold or flu? Soup will always make you feel better. Make a double batch and keep half in the freezer just in case you or someone in your family gets ill or feels a cold coming on. (It's a great way to get rid of those old carrots in the vegetable bin, too.)

And not to worry - it's only four Weight Watchers Point per cup.

Herbed Carrot Soup
Prep and Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes.
Yield: Makes about 3 1/2 qts.

Rather than stirring the herbs into the soup, try setting out bowls of dill and tarragon--along with some crème fraîche or sour cream for dolloping--and let guests do the garnishing themselves.

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 3 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced into
• 1/4-in.-thick rounds
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/3 cup long-grain rice (any variety)
• 2 to 3 tsp. coarse kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
• 1 cup fresh dill, chopped
• 1 cup fresh tarragon, chopped

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large pot (at least 5 qts.) over medium-high heat, then add onions. Cook until onions are translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, carrots, bay leaf, rice, 2 tsp. salt, pepper, and chicken broth.
2. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-high and cook, uncovered, until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 10 minutes.
3. Remove bay leaf and purée soup in batches in a blender. Return soup to pot and set over low heat. Add whipping cream and 2 cups water (if soup looks too thick, add a little more water) and cook until warmed through. Season to taste with additional salt. 4. Serve soup hot, with crème fraîche or sour cream, dill, and tarragon.

Nutritional information:
Per cup

CALORIES 184 (54% from fat); FAT 11g (sat 7g); PROTEIN 4.3g; CHOLESTEROL 29mg; SODIUM 821mg; FIBER 3.3g; CARBOHYDRATE 17g

Sunset, JANUARY 2007

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Sunset's Soup Social - Split pea, beef and barley soup

I was eating soup at a restaurant the other day and realized what I thought was rice was barley, which was much more healthier and higher in fiber. I should use it more often. This recipe from Sunset magazine's January 2007 article on Soup Socials is a good start. It combines a classic split pea soup with one for beef and barley soup.

Best of all, one cup is only three Weight Watchers Points - so low you could treat yourself to several bowls and a glass of wine for dinner.

Split Pea, Beef, and Barley Soup
Prep and Cook Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Yield: Makes about 8 qts.

Based on a recipe from Lainey Feingold, this soup combines the best qualities of two classic soups: the heartiness of split pea and the rich, nutty flavor of beef and barley.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds beef chuck, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 1/2-in. pieces
• 5 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 large onions, chopped
• 1 leek, finely chopped
• 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
• 5 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 cups green split peas (one 16-oz. package)
• 3/4 cup dried baby lima beans
• 3/4 cup pearl barley
• 5 carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1-in. pieces

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a 9- to 10-qt. pot over medium-high heat. Season beef with 1 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper, then brown on all sides in two batches. Set aside.
2. Add onions, leek, parsnips, celery, and remaining 3 1/2 tsp. salt and 2 tsp. pepper. Cook, stirring often, until onions soften, about 5 minutes. Return beef to pot and add split peas, lima beans, and 4 qts. water. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
3. Add barley and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in carrots and cook 20 minutes more. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

Nutritional information:
Serving size: 1 cup

CALORIES 155 (19% from fat); FAT 3.3g (sat 0.9g); PROTEIN 11g; CHOLESTEROL 18mg; SODIUM 401mg; FIBER 3.8g; CARBOHYDRATE 21g

Sunset, JANUARY 2007

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Sunset's Soup Social - Chinese Hot-and-Sour Soup

The wonderful thing about soup is how good it makes you feel on winter days. It's a wonderful dish if you're sick or just tired and cold from shoveling the driveway. And it's terrific for entertaining, too.

In their January 2007 issue, Sunset magazine did a feature on the Soup Social. You can make the soups ahead of time and reheat the night of the party. Just serve soup buffet style straight from pots on the stove. Have bread baskets, salads and condiments on a counter or on the dining room table. How easy is that?

I love the recipe for hot and sour soup. It's only 6 Weight Watcher Points per cup. You could probably make that even less if you used low-fat chicken broth, used 2 eggs and 2 egg whites, and substituted chicken for pork loin.

Chinese Hot-and-Sour Soup
Prep and Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Yield: Makes about 4 1/2 qts.
Serving size: 1 cup

Notes: The heat from the black pepper in this soup intensifies as it sits. If you plan to make the soup ahead of time or want a milder flavor, use 2 tsp. during cooking; then taste the soup before serving and add more pepper if you like.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds pork top loin, cut crosswise into 1/8-in.-thick strips
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
• 3/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup peanut oil
• 1 can (8 oz.) sliced bamboo shoots, drained and rinsed
• 12 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 12 ounces firm tofu, drained and cubed
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• About 1 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper (see Notes)
  Chopped fresh cilantro and sliced green onions (pale green and white parts)

Directions:

1. In a bowl, toss pork with 1/4 cup soy sauce and ginger. Marinate 20 minutes. In another bowl, stir together remaining 2 tbsp. soy sauce, rice vinegar, cornstarch, sugar, and salt; set aside.
2. Heat peanut oil in a large pot (at least 5 qts.) over medium-high heat, then add pork and marinade. Cook, stirring constantly, until pork loses its pink color, about 4 minutes. Stir in bamboo shoots and cook 1 minute.
3. Increase heat to high, add broth, and bring to a boil. Add mushrooms, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook about 20 minutes. Add tofu and simmer 5 minutes. Add soy-vinegar mixture and simmer 5 minutes more; the liquid will thicken.
4. In a small bowl, beat eggs with sesame oil. Slowly pour eggs into soup in a thin stream while stirring soup very slowly in one direction. Add pepper, stir briefly, then simmer 5 minutes. Serve with cilantro and green onions.

Nutrional Information:
Serving size: 1 cup

CALORIES 244 (66% from fat); FAT 18g (sat 5.7g); PROTEIN 15g; CHOLESTEROL 80mg; SODIUM 890mg; FIBER 0.7g; CARBOHYDRATE 18g

Sunset, JANUARY 2007

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Cooking Light's Chunky Red Dal Soup

Here's another inspired vegetarian soup from the January 2007 issue of Cooking Light magazine. Since the soup is very low in fat and high in fiber, it's only 4 Weight Watchers Points per serving! Try it with a whole wheat pita and a carton of plain yogurt.

I found red dal at a local Asian market in their extensive Indian food section. The lentils are more orange than red, and were very reasonably priced. I'll be using the leftover dried beans in other lentil recipes instead of or combined with the normal brown lentils from the market.

Chunky Red Dal Soup
From Cooking Light
Yield: 5 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

This savory, Moroccan-spiced soup gets a flavor kick from harissa, a hot condiment made by preserving chiles in salt. Look for it in Middle Eastern markets, or substitute any chile paste.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon harissa
• Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 6 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in ginger, paprika, salt, cumin, and pepper; cook 1 minute. Add 3 cups water, lentils, chickpeas, and tomatoes; bring to a boil.
2. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon juice and harissa. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro, if desired.

Nutritional Information:

CALORIES 224 (8% from fat); FAT 2g (sat 0.3g,mono 1.1g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 12.9g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 54mg; SODIUM 496mg; FIBER 5.8g; IRON 2.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 38.9g

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