Barley risotto

Last night I made barley risotto (aka "orzotto"). SO YUMMY!!  Why would anyone use plain old rice for risotto when you can use delicious, nutritious barley? I followed this recipe and while it was insanely, addictively delicious I think it's too fatty. Four tablespoons of butter is NOT necessary. I bet I can take out the butter entirely and just add more cheese (which is high in calories but at least also packs a protein punch). I'm gonna tweak it and figure out the proper proportions, and then I'll post it for y'all. Just fyi, if you're going to try it, that recipe's proportions are WAY off - I only had about 2/3 cup of barley and it took 3 - 14 oz cans of chicken stock.

Shirataki noodles: how have I never eaten these before?!

Ever heard of shirataki noodles?  Well, I hadn't either, until I stumbled upon them in my search for low-carb mac and cheese recipes. They're super low cal noodles made from some kind of Japanese yam flour and tofu. There's only 20 calories and 3 g of carbs in a 4 oz serving. The fiber in them is also supposedly some kind of super-fiber - it's actually sold as supplements for colon health. Not that I'm freaked out about colon health at my age but hey, it's a nice bonus!
I'm glad I didn't use them in mac and cheese - I think that cauliflower is much better in that context - but tonight, I finally tried them out in a stir fry. YUM! They're like veggies (calorie-wise)...but NOODLES!!  How have I waited so long to try these? I stir-fried them up with some asian veggies and chicken. Using them this way is a total no-brainer, if you ask me. I'm never using other noodles in a stir fry again! They taste just as good as any other kind of noodles you might use. They have a pleasant chewy texture and no discernable taste of their own.
Like I said, I'm not sure I'd try them in mac and cheese (anyway, I love my cauliflower mac and cheese!) but I think they'd be absolutely delicious as spaghetti and meat sauce. I think that the strong flavors would cover any hint of shirataki-ness that might linger after the noodles are thoroughly rinsed, par-boiled, and dried. I also hear they're great with alfredo, so I'm going to have to give that a try as well. I'll keep ya posted!
BTW: You can buy these online, if you wish, but they have to stay refrigerated so shipping might be kinda pricey. I got them at Whole Foods (after striking out at QFC and Safeway, the jerks!), but I'm pretty sure they have them at TJs too. $1.49 for an 8 oz package - not half bad, especially for wls-ers!

Super-natural(ly delicious!) Crustless Quiche

Like so much of my cooking, tonight's cooking adventure is brought to you by stuff in my fridge that needs to be used up. This time, eggs. Somehow I'd ended up with 2 dozen (this is sloppy grocery shopping at work, folks!) and we just don't eat eggs that much - plus J is out of town visiting his parents for the next week

I was actually inspired by Eggface's Bites recipes. She makes and posts about them frequently and I always think "yum! I should make those!". Unfortunately, I do not own super-snazzy mini-muffin tins like hers, and for some reason could not find my regular muffin tins OR a pie plate (aaaannnnd I JUST remembered where they are. I'm a moron). So I made it in my trusty Pyrex baking dish.

This was so simple and is so tasty and nutritious that I just had to share the recipe with you. Also, it's vegetarian - so unlike me!

Sleevey's Crustless Veggie Quiche
2 T olive oil
About 1 t minced garlic
About 1/4 lb white button mushrooms, sliced (you know I used my handy-dandy salad shooter!)
1 box (10 oz) chopped frozen spinach, defrosted according to package directions
8 large eggs
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
1 cup cheddar cheese

Prepare baking dish with cooking spray and preheat oven to 350. Saute garlic in the olive oil for about 30 sec. Add mushrooms and saute 2-3 minutes. Squeeze spinach (mostly) dry and add it to the pan, saute with the garlic and mushrooms for another few minutes.
While the veggies cook, beat the eggs and milk together in a large bowl and fold in cheese. Spread veggie mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish, pour in egg mixture on top of it. Bake for about 30 minutes*. Serve with ketchup if you are four years old, like me.

* I like my eggs REALLY done, so I baked it for 40 minutes. I know that most people would consider my quiche overcooked, so I adjusted the cooking time so it doesn't reflect my own squeamishness regarding egg-doneness.

Makes 12 servings: 125 cal, 10 g fat, 2.5 carbs, 7 protein per serving. Also vitamins! Vitamins galore!

Revisiting Whey-Low Snickerdoodles

My obsessive-compulsive tendencies would not allow this to stand for my whey-low snickerdoodle review experience. I made another batch tonight with the recipe I always used growing up - the one from Betty Crocker's original Cooky Book from 1963. I did make a few minor modifications (other than replacing the sugar with whey low!). I found that the whey low did have a bit of a flavor, so I added some vanilla and almond extracts in an attempt to cover that up. I also smushed them down partway before I put them in the oven because I learned last time that whey-low cookies don't spread quite like real-sugar cookies. I also lowered the oven temp to 350 and 8 minutes was still the perfect baking time. I am pleased to announce that a lot of the bad stuff about the last batch was due to the last recipe. These cookies turned out bee-yoo-ti-ful! And yummy. Much moister. I'd say that whey-low does make things a bit dryer and have a teeny bit of an odd flavor. It makes it somewhat difficult to use in a cookie with as delicate a flavor as snickerdoodles. I think that the key here is to roll them in real sugar mixed with cinnamon. It's SO worth the extra 3 or so calories!
J is gonna gobble the CRAP outta these cookies. I bet they're half-gone by the time I wake up in the morning!

So, here's the recipe:

Sleevey's Whey-Low Snickerdoodles
1/2 c. butter (softened)
3/4 c. whey-low granular
1 egg
1 t. each vanilla and almond extract
1 t. cream of tartar
1/2 t. baking soda
1 3/8 c. flour
Cooking spray
2 T. sugar + 2 t. cinnamon to coat (note: I like it more like 1:1 sugar to cinnamon, but this ratio is what the original recipe calls for)

Cream together whey-low and butter. Add egg, vanilla, and almond, beat until thoroughly mixed. In a small bowl, mix together cream of tartar, baking soda and flour. Add slowly to butter mixture, pausing to mix thoroughly every 1/2 cup or so. Once thoroughly combined, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Prepare a cookie sheet by spraying with cooking spray. Coat hands with cooking spray as well, form dough into small balls and roll in sugar/cinnamon mixture. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.

Makes 18 cookies: 90 cal, 5 g. fat, 9 g. carbs, 1 g. protein each.

Trying Out Whey-Low

I found out about Whey-Low via one of my favorite WLS recipe blogs: Eating Well, Living Thin. I'm not usually a huge baker - except around the holidays! - but I thought it would be cool to experiment with this new sugar substitute since I'm trying to cut down on artificial sweeteners and this is allegedly all-natural. So, I made some snickerdoodles. I just replaced the sugar with whey-low 1:1. I just found a recipe online, and I don't think it's my favorite recipe - it was pretty basic but I've never used it before.

The first batch turned out much puffier than snickerdoodles should be. I smashed down the second batch a little before I put them in the oven, and they turned out much better. Unfortunately, since I haven't used this recipe before I'm not sure if that was the whey low or the recipe - stupid me! They also passed the real test: they got rave reviews from J! I tasted plenty of dough (I ♥ cookie dough like, well, a fat kid loves cake!) and sampled one cookie. I can say that it tastes pretty damn good! They're a little caky-er than I prefer my snickerdoodles and have a slightly funny flavor, but like I said, I'm not sure if it's the whey low or if it's just not my favorite snickerdoodle recipe. It's not exactly like sugar - almost a little milky tasting, compared with sugar - but pretty good. I wonder if it would be better in a heavier cookie, like peanut butter or chocolate krinkles.

Anyway, I'd give whey low 4.5/5 stars. It's the best non-sugar sweetener I've tried so far, and certainly the only thing I'd attempt to bake or make fudge with other than sugar. I can't wait to try making fudge with it! It certainly doesn't make treats healthy, or low-cal, but as Bob from Biggest Loser says - "every calorie counts in this house!"

Mom's Tortilla Soup

 Mom's Tortilla Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups onion, chopped
8-12 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8-12 guajillo peppers (available at Mexican specialty markets)
16 cups chicken broth, divided
salt
Corn tortillas
Canola oil
Cheese (cojito, jack, or cheddar)
Sour cream
Avocado, sliced

In a large pot, boil the peppers in 4 cups of chicken broth until they're soft (about 20-30 min). Remove peppers from the broth; add the remaining broth to the pot and simmer.
Remove the seeds and veins from the peppers, scrape the fleshy part off of the skin (you end up with a paste) and put it back into the broth.
Saute the onion and garlic in the oil until tender. Add them to the broth. Add salt to taste and blenderize until smooth (we use a stick blender). Simmer for at least one hour.
While the soup is simmering, cut the tortillas into small strips and fry in canola oil until crispy.
Makes about 16 x 1-cup servings of soup (50 cal). Serve with fried tortilla strips, cheese, sour cream, and avocado if desired.

I've been kind of obsessed with my mom's tortilla soup recently. It is so spicy and delicious, and she's got it down to only 50 calories per cup. I usually eat it with a little shredded cheese (usually cheddar) melted into it and a tbsp or so of sour cream, and sometimes some avocado for some healthy fat. I pretty much always skip the fried tortilla strips, although it is really delicious with them if you don't mind the extra carbolicious calories! 
I think it makes a really great wintertime, post-sleeve meal because it goes down well and feels good in my tummy, yet keeps me pretty full because of the protein in the cheese. I've never made it before myself, but I think I'm going to give it a go with some homemade chicken stock after the holiday.

Low carb crepe recipe

Although I haven't tried these yet, I love the idea of them so much that I had to post them on here! Thanks to Linda at http://eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com/ for creating this awesome recipe.

Crepes

(Low-carb, higher-protein)

I use these in so many more ways than just “crepes”.   In both sweet or savory recipes, as wraps, tortillas, noodles – they are a great way to still make those dishes you love without the unneeded carbs.

Don’t be afraid of making crepes – and you don’t need a special pan.  The first one may flop, but you’ll get the hang of it quickly.   Then you can use them for enchiladas, burritos, lasagna, sandwiches, or just roll up with a sprinkle of Cinnamon-Splenda inside.  They’re a very versatile thing to keep on hand.  (They also freeze great.  Just put a piece of waxed paper, or plastic wrap between each one.)

You can add 1 tablespoon Splenda, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, or sweet spices for a sweet version.  Or herbs and other spices for savory.

These are very tender and will be more moist than regular crepes.  They are what I use in my Chicken Pot Pie with Crepes, which has been very popular.

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1/2 cup ricotta cheese

4 eggs

1/4 cup flour

3 tablespoons milk

Pinch of salt

.

In a medium bowl beat the Ricotta with the eggs. Beat in the flour, salt, milk.   Allow to sit for 15 minutes.
Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Coat with vegetable cooking spray when hot. Pour in 2 tablespoons of batter and immediately swirl the pan to coat the entire surface in a thin layer. Allow to cook, without turning, until completely done. The top should be no longer shiny and when you touch it it’s not wet. The bottom will be have a very slight golden color. If it’s too dark, lower the heat.
(These are next to impossible to flip and they don’t need to be.) Gently loosen the edges with a spatula and slide out of the pan onto a plate. Very lightly spray the top with vegetable spray – this way you can stack them on top of each other.
Lightly coat the pan with cooking spray before each crepe. Proceed with above directions until batter is gone. Allow the crepes to cool to room temperature and then wrap the plate tightly with plastic wrap. These keep well in the fridge – unfilled – for several days.
Since these are so moist, letting them sit uncovered for a half hour or so will help them get that dry, ‘lacy’ edge.
Makes approx 12 crepes.
Per Crepe:   Calories 57; Protein 4 g; Fat 3 g; Carb 6 g; Sugar 1 g; Sodium 35 mg