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Join the fun at the snack table at all the weekend football game gatherings.
It is easy to have low calorie snacks that are also filling and nutritious!
Bring your own creations if you aren't the host--endless raw veggies without fattening dips you don't want to eat get pretty tiresome.
We remind readers that we have covered the sports snack topic before--please click back on July 5, 2010 for "Poor Man's Caviar", April 7, 2010 for "Oven Roasted Tofu", and February 6, 2010 for Michael's "Gazpacho" served in cocktail glasses. Most of these are fine just as they are, but for those of us watching our points and calories, today's post has some easy modifications. Mostly we omit the fats and oils and add some good seasonings.
Hummous Spread or Dip
Make with sesame oil and no sesame butter (tahini) to create a satisfying raw vegetable dip or crisp celery stuffing. It can be spread on crackers or scooped up with chips or strips if desired.
Place in the food processor (or heavy duty blender):
1 16 oz. can rinsed and drained garbanzo beans or 2 cups cooked ( 3 points per half cup)
2 cloves peeled fresh garlic (more if you love garlic)
2 Tablespoons sesame oil (1 point per teaspoon)
juice of 2 lemons
Pulse until creamy. If a little too coarse, add a tablespoon or two or water, stock or cooking liquid (if you cooked your own garbanzos). Pulse again and taste for salt. I also add ground white pepper and a teaspoon of smoky Paprika OR 1/4 teaspoon Chipotle ground chili or other smoky chili powder. Season to your taste. None add calories. Enjoy on crisp celery.
Yield about 2 cups or 18 points total. 1/4 cup serving = 2.5 points
Black Bean & Corn Salsa
Mix salsa in a 1 quart size container that will go right into the refrigerator. Eat a half cup often! It's very satisfying and helps keep us away from the cheesy snacks.
1 16-oz. can sweet corn (6 points)
1 16-oz. can black beans (6 points)
1 16-oz. can green beans (optional)
2 large cloves (or more) fresh garlic, split lengthwise and crushed
Juice of a lime (or substitute lemon)
1 cup good quality tomato juice OR 1/2 cup chopped canned tomatoes OR 2 whole fresh tomatoes, chopped, if they are in season
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional, but very good)
chili powder or red chili flakes if heat is desired (optional)
Yield 4 cups salsa. Serving of 1 cup = 3 points (this is oil free)
Serve with an ounce of baked tortilla chips, or serve in a lettuce cup nestled inside a low cal whole wheat pita.
For those who will want a warm-up on a cold winter day--try this chowder served in a mug:
Manhattan (Red) Clam Chowder
Ingredients:
2 cups drained canned clams (1/2 cup clams = 2 points)
2 cups reserved clam juice
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (de-fatted by chilling first if necessary)
1/2 cup tomato puree OR a can of tomatoes without seasoning OR fresh
1 large yellow or white onion, diced
3 Yukon gold (or any waxy potato) potatoes, cubed (3 oz. cooked potato = 2 points)
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dry thyme or 2 sprigs fresh (traditional)
OR 1 teaspoon dry oregano or 2 sprigs fresh (variation)
2 bay leaves
salt, pepper
1 large clove garlic, pressed (optional)
1 teaspoon smoked Paprika (optional)
1/4 teaspoon Chipotle chili powder (optional, but very good)
Procedure:
Bring a quart of stock to a boil with bay leaves and add cubed potatoes. Simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are just cooked. Lift potatoes out with a slotted spoon and set aside (so they don't overcook and fall apart).
Microwave diced onion in a shallow container with dusting of thyme or oregano. Add 2 tablespoons water, cover tightly with plastic wrap or a glass lid, and nuke for 3 minutes. See posting February 14, 2010 for no-fat microwave vegetable prep). When done, add to stock. They should be cooked and transparent, not browned.
Add the chopped celery and tomato puree to the stock. Simmer until celery is soft.
Just before serving, add back the cooked potatoes and bring to a boil. Add chopped clams, cover pot, and immediately turn off the heat. Canned clams are already cooked, so they just need heat. Let them rest with the stock and vegetables for at least 10 minutes, or up to 30 minutes to absorb flavors.
Serve in heated mugs (or bowls if guests have a place to sit) and offer chips or plain crackers or crusty rolls.
Yield about 2 quarts chowder. 1 cup serving = 4 points.
And may the best teams win........
KGC
Welcome back!
Best wishes for a healthful, successful and peaceful New Year.
The second week of January is already upon us. Time flies.
Disclosure: I'm starting my fourth month of attending Weight Watchers. What's this? I have a modest goal that I want to reach by summer. It is often said that the last 20 pounds is the hardest to lose. True. True. True. That's where I remain as of January 8, 2011.
So, what to do? The KitchenGardenCook blog will keep focus on cooking locally and from the garden wherever possible. However it's winter in the heartland and we are under "no-grow" conditions until at least May. Unless you have a greenhouse, of course.
When my family moved to Montana from the California Bay Area in 1994, we determined to create a personal yard landscape that used native plants, but plants that created a coastal, semi- Mediterranean look. Russian Sage for Lavender, varieties of grapes that survive freezing temperatures, many evergreens and grasses, perennial herbs that could live indoors when necessary and so forth. We have been satisfied with the results.
Is it now time to consider modifying our cooking to fit with some of the Weight Watchers' ideals? The WW program is designed with a lot of flexibility--those who want packaged convenience foods can buy them, and those who don't (me) can make their own. You have to calculate "points" but it's easy with the new WW calculator. I still eat too much, even if what I eat is the "right stuff." WW advantage for me is obvious--almost all the fresh fruits and vegetables I want are included at low cost (WWpoints). The all-protein or its opposite, low- or no-fat schemes never worked for me. A combination of both works better, and science has proved it. Testimonials in the weekly group therapy sessions seem to support this. And there are more bodies in the door every week-- let's buy stock....
My weakness is bread and pasta. I come from a family of bakers. And pasta makers. These lovely items can be incorporated into the WW plan, if honestly counted. When I indulge, I have to eliminate the other carbs that day. Commercially processed packaged foods have no appeal for me--never did eat chips or other "sports" snacks or frozen entrees. I've made friends with only one "fake" product so far--diet mayo. Mixed with tuna or chicken it works from my mid-day protein salad. The fantastic calorie difference makes it well worth it.
OKAY--shall we continue on this direction? Please "weigh" in. I want to start converting my French cooking training (yes, Cordon Bleu, Paris 1984) into techniques and recipes that will be gorgeous to look at, great tasting, and more healthful.
Stay tuned!
Kitchen Garden Cook
