So this week is my Spring Break from class, after doing a quick trip to Laguna for our new launch of "One World One Ocean" (like it on facebook), I am back in Texas and back to cooking for my delightful husband. This past week in class we have been in nutrition class, which basically means sitting in a room all day long, reading aloud from a text book. It was brutal - finally I had to ask the Chef if we couldn't just read silently and then take the quiz together later. Listening to everyone read aloud is quite difficult, as we all have different reading speeds, it was frustrating. And to top it all off, the other class was in shellfish week which meant that I couldn't eat all day, and spent most of the class locked away trying to avoid the inevitable hives. Ouch.
However, in the spirit of nutrition class, I informed Louis that we would be eating tonight a meal all under 500 calories - including one appetizer, one main course, one starch and one side. This was our menu for tonight:
Appetizer: Garlic Soup --- originally it called for bread and eggs inside the soup, but as I rarely eat bread and hate eggs, I mixed this up a bit. I toasted a tortilla on the stove (no extra oil or butter) and broke that on top of the soup and nixed the egg all together. Louis loved this. 55 calories. Awesome.
Main course: Soy glazed tofu. --- the recipe came from "Cooking Light" magazine but I tweaked it a bit for my own tastes. It called for brown sugar, but as I dislike adding extra sugar I just added a bit more orange juice (fresh squeezed) for the sauce instead. Then I pan sauteed it in some light cooking spray instead of the sesame oil (which I dislike intensely). I thought the entire thing was absolutely delicious. Louis ate all of his pieces of tofu but then claimed he was still hungry, I believe him.
Starch: Herb Quinoa --- also from "Cooking Light" although that recipe called for couscous, but quinoa is a complete protein and much healthier and delicious. All that that substitution calls for is a little extra low-sodium stock and longer cooking time. And I added more herbs than it called for, but that's just me. Delicious. Lou got extra.
Side: Spicy broccoli --- also from "Cooking Light" although that called for broccoli rabe which I couldn't find at the store. Hence, just plain old broccoli. And the recipe called for it to be pan fried, but I decided to roast it in the oven instead. I love roasted broccoli. Added some extra chili flakes for Lou. It was delicious.
Well there is my entire meal for under 500 calories. I thought it was absolutely delicious, and I am completely full. Louis said I should have added some nuts (which I detest, but will add for him next time). He also suggested I should throw a steak on the grill for him next time I make it too, which I shall ignore.
So. Some of these dishes sound AWESOME- is there a way you could link some of the recipes too? Or maybe add them into your blog? I'm thinking mostly of the garlic soup, not that I will necessarily be able to make it here in the Land of Thai, but just to see what all goes into it. XO
ReplyDeleteYes I can absolutely start including recipes too. As for the garlic soup - it's so ridiculously easy. Here it is:
ReplyDeleteSaute two tablespoons minced garlic in 1/2 Tbs olive oil. (You can use more garlic if you like). Add two Tbs shallots - don't brown them, just until translucent. Then add 1 box (4 cups) low sodium chicken broth. Add 2 sprigs thyme and 1 tsp lemon zest. Cover and let simmer for as long as you have (I let it go for around 45 minutes). Once it is smelling delicious and tastes good, adjust with salt and pepper to your own taste. Then dry saute 1 tortilla until browned and cut into strips. (You can add some cheese onto the tortilla if you like - parm would be good). And sprinkle the tortilla on top. (The original recipe called for eggs to be baked inside the soup - I detest eggs so I deleted, but it could be good. Basically the soup is extremely light, but extremely flavorful. I liked it.