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I just looked on a recipie blog site that I like and came across the idea of toasting slices of sweet potato instead of bread, and then using it with toppings you’d normally put on bread. I think this might be a useful idea for both FDs and non-FDs.
http://www.notquitenigella.com/2016/06/17/sweet-potato-toast/
Maria’s Coconut Psyllium Bread
10 slices depending on cut thickness
64 calories per slice
3 grams fat (1 gram mono-saturated)
4 grams carbohydrate
6 grams dietary fiber
3 grams protein
0 grams sugar
Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut flour
45 grams psyllium husk powder (must be fine powder, not husks, Coles sells in bags and is called ‘Coles simply Psyllium Husk Powder’ found in health food section)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
4 eggs
7/8 cup BOILING water
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 175 C. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, psyllium powder (no substitutes: flaxseed meal won’t work), baking powder and salt. Use an electric hand-held mixer, mix until dry ingredients are well combined.
2. Add the eggs and vinegar and mix until the dough is thick. Add boiling water to the bowl. Mix until well combined and the dough has firmed up.
3. Place dough into a greased loaf pan. It may look a bit lumpy and that’s okay. Bake for 55 minutes or until a wooden skewer pierced in the centre of the bread comes out clean.
4. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely. Cut with a serrated knife.
5. Alternatively, form dough into 5 mini bun discs and place onto a greased baking sheet. Check at 45 minutes with skewer. Buns may take up to 50 minutes.
Note: When I make this bread I’m never able to wait until it cools before slicing and enjoying. Baking this bread fills our house with an aroma of this ‘sour dough’ bread and the taste of the finished loaf does not disappoint! The bread does flatten to about half of the puffy raised loaf I view while baking. However this does not alter its slightly chewy and satisfying texture nor take away from the delicious sourdough flavor.
One thing I really like about this bread is that since I’ve been making it, I’ve observed that it isn’t a food I’ve reached for when I’ve I’ve been inclined to ‘binge’, which to me speaks volumes for the healthy and satisfying combination of ingredients. Even my died in the wool store bought white bread enthusiast partner eagerly munches Maria’s Coconut Psyllium bread delicious, especially straight out of the oven!
Optional variation: Though I haven’t bothered to separate eggs and find alternative uses for so many yolks, for those who are happy to do so (or even toss the yolks), the 4 whole eggs can be substituted for 6 egg whites. Substituting whole eggs for egg whites reduces the caloric total down from 64 calories per slice to 49 for each of the 10 slices.
Golden Paste recipe
I use EVOO as the oil and generally halve the recipe. I have a 1/2 tsp 2-3 times a day or when I think about it. The inflammation in my hands goes away after 3-4 days. If I stop it returns. Also good for cancer prevention. The link has lots of good info on it too. Dr Doug English is an Aussie based in good old Qld. Oh, and buy your turmeric from a good supplier or health food shop, to avoid any additives. Good luck.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (125 mls/60gms) organic turmeric powder
1 cup water (250 mls) PLUS 1 cup water in reserve, if needed
1/3 cup (70 mls) one of the following oils: Raw (unrefined) Cold Pressed Coconut Oil, Linseed (flaxseed) oil or Virgin/Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2-3 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Bring the turmeric and water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until you have a thick paste. This should take about 7-10 minutes and you may need to add additional water along the way.
Add the freshly ground pepper and oil at the end of cooking, when the turmeric and water mixture has cooled down to just warm. Stir well to incorporate the oil and allow to cool.
Omit pepper if you cannot tolerate it. The absorption of turmeric will still be improved by cooking the paste AND by the inclusion of oil, BUT remember it will be less effective without the pepper.
The Golden Paste will keep for 2 weeks, refrigerated or freeze a portion if you think you have too much to use within two weeks.
Use for Golden Milk, Smoothies, stir into Yogurt, add to your dinner plate as a condiment… AND don’t forget your pet’s dinner plate or your horse feed … run wild!
Vegetarian Nabe
4 litres water
2 tablespoons miso soup paste
150g shimeji mushrooms (shitake or white button ok too)
200g daikon raddish (or turnip if you cant find daikon) peeled and sliced
100g carrot peled and sliced
25g spinach (even more is you want as it shrinks when cooked)
150g silken tofu ( I found this to be the lowest calorie)
200g Chang’s super lo cal noodles – drained and rinsed.
Put your water in a large pot and heat. Add miso paste till disolved. Add carrot and daikon, when half cooked add mushrooms and spinach.
Just before everything is fully cooked add tofu and noodles just long enough to heat up.
Calculated this to be 241 calories for the whole pot. Should serve 4 large bowls.
You can also add: cabbage, bean sprouts, shallots, leek, bok choy, mizuna or sweet potato. Just add the extra calories if you do.
Also you can add chicken pieces if you dont want vegetarian.
As Summer is a-comin’ in, you might find watercress. This sauce is very versatile. If you store it as ice-cube sized portions, each cube has 18 calories.
**Watercress Sauce**:
8 oz watercress, rinsed and trimmed of tough stems
1 medium-large onion
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup vegetable stock
Put the onion in a food processor and run until completely chopped.
Heat oil over medium heat and cook onions for 10 minutes until softened. Process the watercress until finely chopped. Add to the onion and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in the stock and simmer for 15 minutes.
Serve immediately or cool and store.
I froze it in ice-cube trays and got about 18 cubes.
The cubes were put in a bag for future use: in soups; in egg dishes; in sauces.
Smoked Chilli Velvet Soup
500g butternut pumpkin peeled and cut into cubes.
2 teaspoons chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1 small onion
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 litre vegetable stock ( I use Vegeta Real Gourmet stock powder and water)
1 x 400g tin drained cannellini beans
1 teaspoon macadamia nut oil (any oil really just had this one on hand)
Gently heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the butternut pumpkin with the onion, chipotle and cumin for about 5 minutes.
Add the stock and beans and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the butternut and onions are soft.
Blend to a very smooth texture. I use a stick blender for this and it is quick and velvety when finished.
You can replace the cannellini beans with black beans if you like as it is a good fit for the Mexican spicing.
This should serve 4
157 calories per serve
I wanted to share with you my Tomato Soup recipe.
1000g of ripe tomatoes
1 onion chopped
2 teaspoons vegie stock powder
water to cover everything.
Core out the “belly button” of the tomatoes and then put in large saucepan with the chopped onion. Cover with water add the vegie stock powder and bring to the boil.
Turn down to a simmer and then using tongs pick the skins off of the tomatoes which should have been made easier because we cut out the “belly button”. Simmer until both the tomatoes and the onions are soft.
Using a stick mixer lightly blend the mixture. I like to leave it a little chunky for the body but you can make smoother if you like. I also dont push through a sieve because I like to keep it simple when making this. Therefore you will have tomato seeds in the soup but I dont mind them.
You can add some chilli flakes to the cooking process if you want to add some bite to the soup.
All up it should serve 4 people or make 4 serves for you to keep. At 65 calories a serve you can eat this all day if you want.
Lemon Chilli Tuna Spaghetti (this makes one very generous bowlful)
1 small tin well drained tinned salmon or tuna (drained weight will vary between brands, but is usually 60-100g)
1/2 bag fresh baby spinach (50g)
150g fresh ripe cherry tomatoes
1 crushed clove garlic
finely chopped red chilli to taste (I use less than 1/2 tsp)
2 tsp lemon scented olive oil (or EVO & lemon zest, although it won’t be as intensely lemony)
1pkt changs konjac/shiritaki noodles (200g bag)
1 medium zucchini (about 150g)
a handful of fresh basil leaves
cracked pepper & salt to taste
Using a spiraliser tool, turn the zucchini into spaghetti strands. (You can cut it into very fine juilliene strips with a knife if you prefer.) Put them into a bowl and cover with boiling water to blanch, for 3-5 minutes then drain well.
Tip the konjac noodles into a colander and rinse them and drain well.
Heat a non-stick frying-pan over a gentle heat and put the zucchini and konjac in. Stir occasionally for about 10 minutes until they have released much of their excess water and have a dry surface texture. (This process stops them releasing heaps of water into your sauce – which really ruins the flavour.)
Remove the “spaghetti” to your serving bowl.
Put the chilli, garlic, spinach and tuna into the non-stick pan and stir until the spinach has wilted and the sauce has warmed. Add the basil, cherry tomatoes & lemon scented oil to the pan along with the “spaghetti” and toss together. Taste and season with salt & pepper, then serve.
With the specific products I used, the nutrition profile is:
990 kilojoules (235 calories)
11.3g fat
18.5g protein
6.5g carbohydrate
13.8g fibre
Depending on your choice of tinned tuna/salmon the calorie count can vary significantly. They vary from 250-1500kj (60-360cal) for a small tin, so reading labels is important for this.
I used a 130g tin John West premium salmon without bones or skin, packed in water. It’s drained weight is 80g. This product has 321kj(76cal) per tin.
If you need a lower cal serve then use 1tsp of oil instead of 2, this reduces the meal to 195cal.
BEET KVASS
This is a traditional Russian fermented drink made from beetroots. It is a probiotic (a bit like kombucha).
This is the best recipe I have found (thanks Minka) http://thenourishingcook.com/how-to-make-fermented-beet-kvass/
Because I didn’t have filtered or distilled water, I mixed boiled water with the salt, and when it was room temperature I added it to the beets.
I used 5 small beetroots and chopped them quite small (1cm cubes), I used one litre of water. It took five days, stirring each day, for the liquid to suddenly change from watery to dark red and almost syrupy looking. There were little pink bubbles on the surface, but not as many as I expected. (But then I had the lid on fairly loosely so pressure couldn’t build up. It tasted like beetroot with just a bit of a tang.
When it had turned to kvass I poured off the litre of liquid. I made up another 500ml of boiled water with just one teaspoon of salt, and that was enough to just cover the beets again. In a couple of days I poured off the 500g of kvass (it went much more quickly because there was some of the previous brew on them!) and then I used the beetroots to make soup. They had lost some flavour but it was still an excellent soup.
I don’t tolerate alcohol these days, so it is nice to finish the day with a glass of beet kvass https://imgur.com/a/WHfxmzX
CLEAR TOMATO SOUP
So elegant, and wonderful if you are growing cherry tomatoes.
1 kg cherry tomatoes, quartered, placed in a saucepan.
1 small lime, squeeze the juice over the tomatoes.
2 cloves garlic, bruised but unpeeled, and a small handful of parsley sprigs, tied, placed on top.
pinch of brown sugar (optional) sprinkled over.
300 ml water and salt and pepper added.
Cover tightly and cook on low heat for 45 minutes.
Sieve: let the liquor through gently so it remains clear.
Check seasoning
Serve hot, or chilled. Preferably in a white bowl to show it off.
One of my regular FD dinners is soup and I particularly like Cauliflower cheese soup. If you like the flavour of baked cauliflower cheese gratin then you will probably also like this.
This is the original recipe from the Moosewood cookbook: https://imgur.com/a/2vzdATN The version I make is much simpler and lower calorie and I flavour it quite differently so that it is much closer to the flavour of baked cauliflower cheese.
Essentially I make a cream of cauliflower soup and I add the cheese directly to the bowl before serving – that allows me to control the amount of cheese depending on how many calories I can afford to use on cheese that day. Some days I have it without the cheese and it’s still a nice cream of cauliflower soup.
To make 3 litres of thick creamy soup I use:
10g butter
2 onions (approx 250g)
3-4 cloves garlic
4 carrots (approx 400g)
1 medium-large head of cauliflower (approx 1kg)
1.5 litres chicken stock (I make mine with water and 3 tsp Massel stock powder)
1/2 cup skim milk powder
1tsp dried oregano (or 1 tblsp fresh)
a large handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
cracked pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, to taste
either grated cheddar or parmesan
Method:
Peel the onions, garlic cloves and carrots.
Chop the vegetables into large chunks.
Put the butter, garlic cloves, onion and pepper into a 4 litre stockpot and cook over a low-moderate heat until the onions have softened but not browned.
Add the remaining vegetables and the stock. The water should almost cover the vegetables, so add more water if necessary.
Add the nutmeg and oregano.
Simmer gently for about 30 minutes, or until all the vegetables are very tender.
Remove from the heat and leave with the lid off for 10 minutes to cool a little.
Add the skim milk powder and stir it in. Then puree the soup with a stick blender. It should be smooth, thick and creamy. Add the chopped parsley and stir through.
Serve either by itself or with grated cheese stirred though.
This soup freezes well. When reheating add the cheese after you have microwaved it.
Per 100ml this soup (without the cheese) contains:
100kj or 24 calories
0.4g fat
1.6g protein
2.5g carbs
1.6g fibre
Simply multiply these numbers for the quantity you eat. As a snack I would have 200ml, but as a FD dinner I’d have 500-600ml.
Adding cheese adds calories, so choose one of these options:
1 tsp grated parmesan = 34 kj or 8 calories
1 tblsp (20ml or 4 tsp) parmesan = 135kj or 32 calories
15g grated vintage cheddar = 245kj or 58 calories
These calorie counts will vary slightly between brands.
I have found that parmesan adds a much stronger cheesy flavour for fewer calories than I get from cheddar, however the cheddar makes the soup thicker.
This is my version of the “Gypsy Soup” recipe from the Moosewood cookbook.
https://imgur.com/gToPw5n (picture of the soup)
It’s a warmly spiced tomato-based veggie soup. The addition of chickpeas makes it more filling.
This is the original recipe: https://imgur.com/a/WWTrAnw
I follow the method in the original recipe but I always use the veg I have on hand. I try to make sure there’s a lot of variety.
Today’s batch included:
2 tsp olive oil
2 onions
a 30cm stick of celery
2 carrots
2 slices of jap pumpkin (about 300g peeled and deseeded)
1 small red capsicum
1 zucchini
2 finger eggplant
400g tin crushed tomatoes
3/4 cup cooked chickpeas
2 tsp sweet paprika
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
freshly ground black pepper
a small handful of basil leaves, finely chopped
3 tsp Massel chicken stock powder (low sodium)
5-6 cups water
Chop all the veg into cubes 1cm or smaller.
Cook the onions, celery, garlic and pepper in the oil over a very gentle heat until softened but not browned.
Add the spices and stir for a minute or two to release their flavour. Then add the pumpkin, carrot, tinned tomatoes, stock powder, bay leaves and water. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the remaining raw vegetables, the cooked chickpeas and the basil and simmer for another 15-20 minutes, until everything is tender. Adjust the water level if it’s too thick.
Per 100ml this soup (without the cheese) contains:
108kj or 26.5 calories
0.5g fat
1.1g protein
4.0g carbs
1.4g fibre
I usually have a 600ml bowl as my only meal for dinner on a FD. (This is 650kj-155 calories).
The tomato-cinnamon combination reminds me Greek/Turkish flavours, but the capsicum and paprika are also reminiscent of goulash.
I have used konjac noodles or spiralised veg as alternatives to pasta or rice noodles, but came across another option today:
https://www.notquitenigella.com/2019/10/11/easy-best-eggplant-noodles-pasta/
It uses large firm eggplant which are cut into an udon noodle substitute with a knife or mandolin rather than a spiraliser. As eggplant will be coming into season soon this looks to be a useful low cal recipe as long as you strictly limit the oil used for frying.
I’ve been making this in summer for years, when capsicum and tomatoes are at their best. It is also suitable as a FD meal if you limit the amount of olive oil. I actually find that one teaspoon per capsicum is plenty:
https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/collections/delias-summer-collection/piedmont-roasted-peppers
As I don’t like anchovies I vary the recipe by using one or two of the following instead: basil pesto, sundried tomato pesto, kalamata olive or small cubes of salty haloumi. Essentially you just replace a strongly flavoured salty ingredient with something else that provides that flavour hit.
I also find that I get the best result if I cover the baking dish with foil for the first 40 minutes and then remove it and cook a further 15-20 minutes. I cook at 180C fan forced.
With a salad this works well as a FD meal. On a NFD this is very nice with crusty bread to mop up the lovely juices that come out of the vegetables.
I made it last night and used both sundried tomato pesto and haloumi. I didn’t have quite enough roma tomatoes so I filled the gaps with halved button mushrooms. I also used lemon infused olive oil instead of EVO.
https://imgur.com/wztG9z3
I just found this on the BBC Food site. Dinner recipies for 300-600cals. Some suitable for FDs and others for staying within your TDEE on the NFDs
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/easy_low-calorie_recipes
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