Egg Almost-Whites Omelette - 3 pts Life Saver!

I, sometimes, despite my constant efforts, will come home for dinner with just a few points left over from my day's count.  This can be because I joined a work- or friend-related lunch that I could not foresee, or because my co-worker came to work with a neat little package of two brownies that "You just have to taste them".  When I don't know the point value, I have a tendency to overestimate them, just to be on the safe side.  This dish has been my life-saver in numerous instances, and has become my favorite go-to even when I have the poitns available.

The beauty is that you can stuff it however you like it, and, provided that your stuffing is wisely chosen, it will remain a 3-point meal fit for a king. 

I disliked the consistency and color of an all-white omelette, and added 1 whole egg quite by chance when one yolk escaped my nifty fingers when I was separating the egg, and ended in me saying a loud "what the heck!" I did not know that it would become a favorite of mine.  Furthermore, the yolk adds a pronounced yellow color and binds the whites together, preventing them to get that rubbery consistency that makes me want to gag.

So there it was... 3 egg whites and one whole.

Add to that whatever you have in the fridge, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, corn, cut in the smallest size so that it cooks and heats as fast as the omelette and you have your mix. 

Start by chopping fine a whole onion.  Add 1 tsp olive oil to a hot pan over medium heat and soften the onion.  Add salt and pepper to the onion, which will soften it further and allow it to caramelize by drawing out it's water and sugar content.

Beat egg whites and yolk in a bowl, 80 times with a fork.  Add the cooked vegetables to the eggs and pour into the pan on top of the onions.  Swirl the pan around so that the eggs cook consistently.  Let the pan cook on its own for a few minutes.  Collect all uncooked materials on top of the omelette and draw them to the sides of the pan to cook.  Using a wooden spatula, carefully lift the side of the omelette to ensure it is  not adhering to the pan, and slide it halfway onto the plate.  At the halfway mark, flip the omelette onto itself to make a perfect half-moon.

Top the omelette with your favorite salsa and you are ready to go!

Enjoy!

 

Corral Café Vegetable Soup - 3 pts

I love to read the requests for recipes from the LA Times.  So many people clinging to the memory of a life-changing meal and trying desperately to recreate until they come to their knees and ask the LA Times to pry, beg, bribe and come up with the triumphant recipe that will transform the fleeting memory into an everlasting feast of the senses.  That's the job of the LA Times, food section, page 10.

I have been following them for over twenty years now, and I must admit that their recipes are always reliable, tested through and a great source of travel-by-proxy.

This one caught my eye as I was looking for something thick and envigorating to make almost exclusively with vegetables.  The addition of pearl barley makes it even more sustaining.

The texture is velvety, the broth almost sweet and the combination of cube cut vegetables absolutely perfect for a taste that is neither too sweet not too off the charts.  Think about it as a vegetable stew. 

I made it yesterday night, after a long day at work, and was taken at the first bite. had it for lunch, then again for dinner and already made a second batch lest I should not have enough for lunch tomorrow.  This is a dangerous sign.... I am totally addicted....

Here it is!

Coral Tree Café's vegetable soup
Adapted from Coral Tree Café in Los Angeles.

Total time: 1 hour
Servings: 8 to 10

Ingredients 

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 cups diced carrots
• 2 cups diced onions
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 3/4 cup pearl barley
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
• 2 cups quartered mushrooms
• 2 cups diced zucchini
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Heat a medium, heavy-bottom pot over medium heat until hot. Add the oil, then add the carrots, onions, bell pepper, thyme and barley. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are golden-brown, about 18 minutes, taking care that the barley does not burn.

2. Stir in the vegetable broth and marinara. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.

3. Cook until the barley is al dente, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and zucchini, and season to taste with salt and pepper (amount of seasoning needed will vary depending on the vegetable broth and marinara used). Cover and continue to simmer until the mushrooms and zucchini are just tender, 4 to 6 minutes.

4. Remove from heat, thin if desired, and season again to taste, and serve. This makes about 2½ quarts of soup.

Each of 10 servings: 155 calories; 4 grams protein; 26 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams fiber; 4 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 1 mg cholesterol; 8 grams sugar; 365 mg sodium.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup - 2 pts

One of the main attraction of the Weight Watcher's diet for me is that it enables me to come back to very simple dishes where the flavors of the ingredients shine on their own.  Back to basics if you will.  I remember a book that I used to cook from all the time that was called "Recipes 1-2-3: Fabulous foods using only three ingredients". It is so funny that one cookbook that becomes your go-to and your bible when you first get it will, all of a sudden, get stashed away for years, dethroned by the next best thing.

However, there is something to say for really simple recipes.  Although this one uses few ingredients, the cooking process needs to be respected to infuse all the flavors and reach the creamy consistency that makes this soup a five star winner.

Make it once as indicated, and if you want to make tweaks after that, so be it.  In my book, it is perfect as it is and has become one of my favorites.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion (6 ounces), sliced thin
• 1 head very fresh cauliflower (about 1-1/2 pounds), broken into florets
• Salt, to taste
• 5 1/2 cups water, divided
• Extra virgin olive oil, to taste (1tsp per person)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Sweat the onion in the olive oil over low heat without letting it brown for 15 minutes.
2. Add the cauliflower, salt to taste, and 1/2 cup water. Raise the heat slightly, cover the pot tightly and stew the cauliflower for 15 to 18 minutes, or until tender. Then add another 4 1/2 cups hot water, bring to a low simmer and cook an additional 20 minutes uncovered.
3. Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender to a very smooth, creamy consistency. Let the soup stand for 20 minutes. In this time it will thicken slightly.
4. Thin the soup with 1/2 cup hot water. Reheat the soup. Serve hot, drizzled with a thin stream of extra-virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.

Herbed Yogurt Dip - 1 pt

One of the hardest moments I have during the day is when I come home from work and get dinner ready for my family.  I have food in front of me, an insatiable appetite and the decrease in will power that comes with finally letting go of the control, of work, and entering into a more relaxed state of mind.  AH HA!  that's a perfect combination for trouble...

Since dieting is all about avoiding traps and downfalls, knowing your vulnerabilities and making speedy recoveries from that one moment where your mind is not quite as focused on the goal at hand, I know that, if I do not have something quick, delicious and satisfying in front of me in a nanosecond, then all hell breaks loose.  Comes in my saving snack. 

In France, Cervelle de Canut was the "cream cheese" that field workers brought to spread on their bread. It is tasty, refined, and goes as well on a slice of bread or pita as over raw vegetables as a dip.  It is easy to make ahead and keep in the fridge.  Thinned out with a bit of fat-free milk, it makes a beautiful dressing over salad.

As I said, a lifesaver!  Enjoy...

Cervelle de Canut

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups Fage 0% yogurt
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped chives
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped Italian parsley leaves
• 1 tsp finely chopped tarragon leaves
• 1 1/2 tsp finely chopped shallots
• 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper
  
  

Instructions:

Chop all the herbs in a clean coffee grinder or a small food processor.  Whisk together the yogurt, herbs, shallots, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Vegetables to use:

• zucchini, cut lengthwise into sticks
• carrots, peeled and cut
• cauliflower and broccoli florets
• celery sticks
• bell pepper strips
• asparagus spears
• scallions
• parsnips
• jicama
• snow peas
• baby tomatoes
• radishes
• cucumber sticks

Cut up all vegetables and store them separately in plastic zipper bags.  They can keep up to a week refrigerated and satisfy your snack cravings.  If you have vegetables leftover afer a week, throw them into a soup, or saute them quickly to add to pasta for extra 0-point bulk.

Protein Packed Salad - 4 pts

As I look at salads to be one of my major food groups, I realize as well that, to keep the momentum going, the taste buds exited and the hunger at bay, I needed to accomplish several things that I had not previously considered.

First, a salad should be thrown together with care and utmost speed.  The main reason we come to have a salad for a meal is because we most probably did not plan a main dish or have it ready on time. Take a few minutes to prepare add-ins that will not require additional time when you build your salad. The list may include: steamed peas, rinsed canned garbanzos, chopped onions, sliced olives, roasted chicken breast, roasted, baby beets, crumbled goat cheese, hard-boiled eggs.  When you see your containers lined up and crying out "pick me, pick me!" it will be so much easier to put everything together than to start cooking right there and then.

Second, rediscover your salad purveyors.  This is going to be a long journey and, if you are discarding a lot of ingredients along the way, the ones that are left better be good ones...  I recently ate a lettuce leaf at "Tender Greens", a great restaurant in CUlver City, and there was an explosion of taste in my mouth like no other salad had achieved.  I tracked down their purveyor, Scarborough Farms, and went to the Farmer's Market to purchase 3 pounds of varied greens.  I now look forward to those meals because the salad is actually going to shine instead of being a blank canvas.

Third, make it beautiful. Add various textures and flavors, crunchy and soft, sweet and salty, smooth, prickly, anything to make your taste-buds intrigued and asking for more, each bite different than the previous one.

Fourth, add protein to your salad to make it filling and curb your hunger for a while.  Replace the cheese by extra chicken or egg whites... that will last you a good hour longer and that's what you want.

Fifth, use cool tools in the kitchen.  I have this baby blue Martha Stewart egg cutter that makes me happy every time I use it.  If you are enjoying yourself, chances are your food will taste much better as well.

So in this salad, the ingredients that I used were

• 2 cups greens
• 1/4 cup canned chickpeas
• 1/4 cups sliced olives
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
• 2 Tbs Trader Joe's Fat Free Balsamic dressing
• 2 roasted baby beets (TJ)
• 1 shallot, minced

Toss everything together and enjoy!