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A Dish for the Dieters

Like Heather, my brain is a bit tapped this week and I can’t think of any brilliant prose this morning. My kids are watching Veggie Tales and I’m on my third cup of coffee, hoping that the caffeine will kick in sometime. My husband has to work all weekend, my babysitters are all busy with their sorority rush, and it’s going to be rainy and barely 34 degrees in Richmond today. What am I going to do? Cook!

As I am keeping a food log in hopes of tracking my daily calories, I’ve been on the hunt for tasty-low calorie entrees and I’m going to make one of my favorite low-cal, tummy-filling, heart-warming casseroles this afternoon. If you’re in a cold place, run out to the store and whip this up. I borrowed a photo from Betty Crocker because mine will not look as pretty nor have the mushroom slices. (I make it a rule not to consume fungus if I can help it).

Tasty Turkey Rice Casserole (Only 175 calories a serving!)

2	cups cut-up cooked turkey or chicken
2 1/4	cups boiling water
1/3	cup milk
1	small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
1	can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1	package (6 ounces) seasoned long grain and wild rice

1.	Heat oven to 350ºF. Mix all ingredients, including seasoning packet from rice mix, in ungreased 2-quart casserole.
2.	Cover and bake 45 to 50 minutes or until rice is tender. Uncover and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until liquid is absorbed.

Now, for dessert: At 93 calories each, you may only be able to have one or two of these, but they are spicy and sweet and so moist, that you may be satisfied with just one. Now that’s a cookie! Again, I’m using another’s photo. This one’s borrowed from recipezaar.

Soft Molasses Cookies

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup molasses
3/4 cup evaporated milk
3/4 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375°F. Stir together flour and baking soda, salt and spices.Combine milk and vinegar.

Cream shortening and sugar thoroughly; add egg and molasses. Beat well.

Add the evaporated milk and vinegar alternately with the dry ingredients. Mix well.

Drop from spoon onto greased baking sheet leaving 3/4 inch between them.

Bake at 375°F until slightly brown on edges or about 10 minutes, depending on size of cookies; watch carefully to avoid overbaking.

Remove with a spatula to cool on wire rack.

Until next week, good luck with the dieting!

6 Responses to “A Dish for the Dieters”

Your dinner does sound really warm & comforting, JB! I copied the cookie recipe to try in a few months and what great timing, as I bought a new jar of molasses after using up the old one for Xmas cookies, and wondered what I’d do with it! (I’m currently doing sugar-free, low-carb, low-fat and I’ve lost 10 lbs. since Jan.2nd.)

The temps are predicted to get down to 21 degrees tonight, quite um, brisk! We ate up the rest of the Mexican Chicken Stew last night so for tonight I’m making Nick Stellino’s Pasta w/Broccoli, Sausage & Sun-Dried Tomatoes; only I’m tweaking it, as I normally do with every recipe, and subbing spaghetti squash for the pasta & using Italian turkey sausages.

I was interrupted while typing this by my cousin in La. (who also made your delicious Cheesecake Bars) & I passed along the Molasses Cookies recipe to her. She’ll get to try them before I will, the stinker, as she’s not dieting this year.

BTW, JB, what do you, er, tell yourself is in Cream of Mushroom soup? Just askin’…….;)

by Texas Lynn on January 19th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Congrats on your 10 pounds! You go, girl! I lost four pounds but gained back two (probably because I ate a bunch of those molasses cookies).

I don’t like mushroom soup by itself, but I can take it mixed in with stuff. You know that bean casserole made with mushroom soup? One of my favs. But I don’t like tomates raw either and yet I adore salsa, spaghetti sauce, and ketchup. Haven’t you figured out I’m a bit odd yet?

Hey, if you’d like to post the recipe for your dinner I’d love to make that sometime. Sounds healthy and tasty - a rare mix!

by JB on January 19th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Yep, you’re food-quirky, allright! But I like oddness!

Here’s the recipe & hope you like it. I love most of his dishes and used to never miss his shows on PBS, he’s so cute & funny!

Pasta w/ Broccoli, Sausage and Sun-Dried
Tomatoes

2 T. olive oil
1 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed
4 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
1 lb. broccoli, cut into florets, stems
peeled and cut into 1/2″ dice
2 T. chopped sun-dried tomatos(not oil-
packed)
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. black pepper
1/8 t. red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock
3 qts. water
1 lb. pasta-penne, tortiglioni or rigatoni
3 T. freshly grated Romano or Parmigiano
1 T. butter, optional

Heat oil in large saute pan set on medium
heat, until almost sizzling, about 2 minutes.
Cook sausage for 3 minutes or until lightly
browned. Transfer sausage to a bowl w/
slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the garlic, broccoli, tomatoes, salt,
pepper, red pepper flakes to same pan and
cook over medium heat for 3 minutes,
stirring to mix well. Add cooked sausage
and the wine and cook 3 more minutes,
stirring to scrape up any brown bits from
the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken
stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat,
cover the pan, w/ lid slightly ajar, and
simmer 30 minutes.
Just before the sauce is done, boil water
for pasta. Add pasta and cook until just
tender. Drain well, return to pot. Add
sauce and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes
until most of sauce is absorbed by the
pasta. Remove from the heat, add the cheese
and butter, if you wish, and mix well.
Serves 4-6

by Texas Lynn on January 19th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
I agree about those cans of creamed soup! Yuck. Most of them came from the 50s and 60s, and you wonder why the children of those parents are turning into little fat blobs with health problems.
Casseroles are quick and convenient and fit into the quickie when a working mom gets home, but I prefer the wip it all up on the weekend trick myself.

by patg on January 20th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Oh, my JB, we must have been on the same wave length. My post for next week is my of my favorite salad “recipes.”

by Diana on January 25th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
JB….you’ve made m e hungry for molasses cookies again. I haven’t had them in years. We’ve never made home made ones though….the local bakery makes yummy ones. And darn! Reading recipes again reminds me I was supposed to watch a local show this weekend that was going to have a recipe I thought sounded good….meatloaf stuffed with cheese and spinach. I can’t believe I forgot about it…Oh yeah….I just remembered why. I was watching a movie (not that good btw)….that’s why I didn’t see it.

And reading Texas Lynn’s recipe makes me wonder….Has anyone ever tried a recipe with sausage and pasta with a white sauce instead of a tomato sauce? I’ve never liked tomato sauce much. I’m sure I’d make a terrible Italian. Good thing I’m Polish and Blackfoot Indian. Anyway, I love a good white sauce. But I’ve always seen sausage and pasta dishes with red sauce only, never white. Has anyone else ever seen them with a white sauce? I’m thinking it would be good, but then I’ve always had strange taste.

by Traci on January 28th, 2008 at 12:45 am

A Dish for the Dieters

6 Responses to “A Dish for the Dieters”

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