Go a little Greek…

GYRO-SPICED MEATBALLS and TZATZIKI

Time for some solid, dense protein?  Need a lunch or dinner that’s full of flavor and super filling?  Something new and different?  Here ya’ go…

You can make meatballs, patties, or loaf….or even crumbly fry this off in a pan. The secret is to fry, bake, or broil the meat until it’s almost done – there will be some carryover heat and it will finish cooking out of the pan. This way your ground meats, especially, will stay nice and softly moist.

Super easy, very fast, and they are wonderful wrapped in some buttery soft lettuce leaves with my Tzatziki Sauce (recipe below).

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1 pound ground sirloin or turkey
2 large cloves garlic, crushed (thru a garlic press)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1/8 teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons half & half
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

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In a large bowl combine the meat, garlic, salt, onion powder, oregano, allspice, half & half, and black pepper. Fry into two-tablespoon-sized meatballs or form into patties or loaf and bake off. Makes 6 servings.

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With ground sirloin:
Per Serving: 213 Cal; 23 g Protein; 13 g Tot Fat; 0 g Carb; 0 g Fiber; 0 g Sugar; 246 mg Sodium

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With ground turkey (mixed light and dark):
Per Serving: 133 Cal; 22 g Protein; 6 g Tot Fat; 0 g Carb; 0 g Fiber; 0 g Sugar; 294 mg Sodium

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Tzatziki Sauce

3/4 cup thick plain yogurt such as Fage (or drain plain yogurt very well)
3 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Splenda
1 teaspoon dried or 2 tablespoon fresh dill weed
Kosher salt and black pepper

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In a small mixing bowl blend together the yogurt, sour cream, grated cucumber, garlic powder, Splenda, dill weed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill. This is best if made several hours in advance.

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Makes 6 servings. Per Serving: Calories 31; Protein 2 g; Fat 1 g; Carbs 3 g; Sugar 2 g; Sodium 25 mg

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Green is beautiful!

CREAMY GARLIC & EDAMAME SOUP

This soup will bring a little Spring to your dreary winter! Fresh and bright with low-carb, high-protein edamame and fragrant, creamy garlic…add a bag of protein crisps and you’ve got a gourmet lunch.

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2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 bay leaves
4 cups shelled edamame, divided
Two 14-ounce cans low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon Splenda granular/sugar
Dash freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup fat free half & half

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the whole garlic cloves and bay leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until softened and golden. Add 3 1/2 cups Edamame and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the broth, red pepper flakes, Splenda, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered for 25 minutes.

Remove and discard the bay leaves. In a blender or food processor, blend or process the soup in batches until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the cream and and heat through, but do not let it boil. Garnish each serving with the reserved whole edamame. Makes 8 servings. (If it gets too thick on reheating, add a little chicken broth.)

Per Serving: Calories 174; Protein 12 g; Fat 6 g; Carbs 7 g; Sugar 2 g; Sodium 307 mg

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Fluffy Falafel…and an easy Tzatziki!

FALAFEL with TZATZIKI

I eat fairly low carb, and the carbs I do eat usually come from veggies and a lot of beans.  I LOVE BEANS!

This recipe is a great vegetarian dish for when you’re tired of meat or just want something a little different.  It gives a very soft patty, but  it holds together well when fried in a small amount of oil and they firm up slightly as they rest.

The sauce is fantastic – make it ahead to let the flavors meld.  I use it as salad dressing, over burgers, slathered on thick tomato slices, smeared onto thin-sliced deli meats and rolled up for a quick lunch. ..so good!

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Falafel:

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup fresh or 1/4 cup dried parsley

2 cloves garlic, chopped

One 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) OR Cannellini , drained

1 egg

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon dried or 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon oregano

Dash cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 tablespoon flour

Oil for frying or nonstick vegetable spray

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In food processor place onion, parsley, and garlic. Pulse until finely minced. Add drained chickpeas and pulse just until they are mashed, but not a paste  You want very small chunks of beans. (You could also press the garlic, grate the onion, and mash the chickpeas with a fork, if you don’t have a food processor.)

Transfer to a bowl and mix in the egg, cumin, cilantro, salt, pepper, oregano, cayenne, lemon juice, baking powder, bread crumbs, and flour.  Allow to sit for 10  minutes to allow the crumbs to soak up the liquids and the patties will hold together better.

Heat a small amount of oil in a nonstick frying pan, or spray with nonstick spray. Heat pan over medium-low. Form patties from 1/8 cup of falafel mixture. These are soft so keep them more rounded, as they will flatten slightly when turned. Fry patties until golden brown on each side. Serve with Tzatziki sauce. Makes about 14 patties.

Tzatziki:

3/4 cup thick plain Greek-style yogurt such as Fage’ (or drain plain, regular yogurt very well)

3 tablespoons sour cream

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated – squeezed of excess water

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon Splenda/sugar

1 teaspoon dried or 2 tablespoon fresh dill weed

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

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In a small mixing bowl blend together the yogurt, sour cream, grated cucumber, garlic powder, Splenda/sugar, dill weed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill. This is best if made a couple hours in advance.

(WLS serving is 2 patties and 2 tablespoon sauce.) Per Serving: Calories 156; Protein 10 g; Fat 5 g; Carbs 11g; Sugar 3 g; Sodium 248 mg

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Something so luscious…yet so simple!

ROASTED GARLIC

A photo guide!

This has to be one of the most gorgeous things you can eat…if you love garlic!  Sweet, fragrant, creamy-smooth, rich, and intense…slow roasted to golden perfection.  Fabulous!

So many uses – blended into butter or emulsified with olive oil.  Spread, alone, on steak, chicken, or fish.  Folded into hummus or cream cheese for an out-of-this-world dip.

Or just as aromatherapy!!

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Start with 1-1000 whole heads of garlic.

(Hello!  It’s not anymore work to make lots!)

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Cut off the pointy end just enough to expose all the cloves…

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Lay in a baking dish, or on a heavy-duty piece of foil.

Drizzle with a few teaspoons of olive oil per head,

letting it soak into the nooks and crannies.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper if you wish…

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Wrap tightly and place into a preheated, 400 degree oven for an hour

or more…however long it takes to get very soft and golden.

When you squeeze the bulb the pulp of the cloves will squish out.

The longer you roast it, the sweeter and creamier it gets.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.  DON’T throw away the oil!  It’s wonderful in so many ways…salad dressing, to fry or roast veggies in, or baste for the grill…drizzled over popcorn…

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Go Green!

EDAMAME HUMMUS

If you love edamame this is for you! It has that great silky hummus feel in a fresh new way. Super good for us, filling with some soy crisps and even kids who won’t eat veggies will inhale this stuff! (The carbs are GOOD ones.)

(Tahini is sesame paste that is usually found in any grocery store by the peanut butter or the ethnic foods.)

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One 12-ounce pkg frozen edamame,  without shells
3  cloves garlic
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup tahini
Zest from one lemon
Juice from one lemon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro or 1/2 teaspoon dried
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil

Boil the soybeans and whole garlic cloves in salted water for 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a food processor (you can do this in the blender, but stop frequently to scrap down the sides), puree the edamame, garlic, water, tahini, zest, lemon juice, salt, cumin, cilantro, and pepper flakes and 1 tablespoon of the parsley until smooth. With motor running, slowly add in olive oil until combined.

Transfer to a serving dish and stir in the remaining tablespoon of parsley. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, if desired. Makes 10 servings of approx. 1/4 cup each.

Per Serving: Calories 119; Protein 6 g; Fat 9 g; Carbs 4 g; Sugar 0 g; Sodium 79 mg

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A great alternative to Garlic Mashed Potatoes

MASHED WHITE BEANS WITH GARLIC & ROSEMARY

I’m pretty sure I got the inspiration for this from a blog, but I can’t for the life of me remember where.  If it was yours…THANKS (and let me know)!

This tastes just like garlic mashed potatoes.  It’s creamy, salty, garlicky – the rosemary gives it a wonderful scent.  And it’s full of fiber, and won’t spike your blood sugar like white potatoes do.

This would be easy to double, and you will definitely want to if  you’re cooking for a family.

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3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, peeled, but left whole
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Two 14-ounce cans Cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
1/4-1/3 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt & black pepper
Olive oil

In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add whole garlic cloves and rosemary sprig. Sauté until garlic is soft and rosemary is crispy. Smash garlic with the back of a wooden spoon. Remove rosemary, slide off the leaves and mince them; return to skillet. Add beans and heat through, stirring and roughly mashing with the spoon, adding chicken broth until desired consistency. Stir in Parmesan, salt, and black pepper. Place in a serving bowl and drizzle with additional olive oil. Serve hot. Makes 6  servings.

Per Serving: Calories 169; Protein 8 g; Fat 5 g; Carbs 13 g; Sugar 0 g; Sodium 227 mg

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