Prepare the ingredients above.
Lay Cruskits on plate and spread with lemon grass paste and then the Sweet Ricotta Cream.
Spread spinach leaves over Cruskits followed by turkey.
Top with cherry tomatoes and serve.
NOTES:
Try 1 tablespoon of jellied cranberry sauce instead of lemon grass paste for a lovely sweet variation. Only 2 calories more.
Cook sweet potato in microwave or steam until soft. Mash with a fork and milk set aside.
Heat skillet and add olive oil. Immediately add red onions, garlic, corn kernels and coriander. Lightly sauté 2 minutes.
In a large bowl combine sifted flours, baking powder, Polenta, yeast flakes and seasoning.
Add mashed sweet potato and onion mix to dry ingredients and mix.
Finally add eggs, egg whites and enough water to create a thick pancake batter.
Dry fry in non-stick skillet for 3 minutes each side or until well browned.
Top with 1/2 sliced tomato and grated Parmesan and serve.
NOTES:
Nutritional Yeast Flakes have cheese flavour and are a great Vitamin B addition to your meal. The B vitamin is great for metabolism!
chickpea flour is high in protein as are eggs and will help fill you.
This recipe is a large filling serve. For a snack or children you may use half the batter recommended.
METHOD
Prepare cauliflower for Caulirice (process ready to microwave- see recipe).
Slice chicken breast against the grain into small slices and set aside.
Cut mushrooms into quarters and roughly chop snow peas. Open can of chickpeas and measure out plum sauce.
Heat non-stick pan adding oil. Quickly add chicken stiring until sealed.
Turn heat down low and add mushrooms, chickpeas and snowpeas.
Microwave the cauliflower (see recipe) while heating the vegetables and stirring through.
When cauliflower is cooked add plumb sauce to wok and stir through.
Serve immediately.
NOTES:
If Spicy Masala Chickpeas are not available use homemade or can with a low calories chilli sauce. The tin chickpeas above were not too spicy for my fussy 7 year old who hates anything even slightly spicy, so if you are looking for heat in this recipe add chilli.
METHOD
Soak wooden skewers in water (to prevent burning on the BBQ)
Finely chop spring onion and grate carrot.
Place in bowl with turkey mince, egg and 50ml of the plum sauce.
Combine well with a a fork and divide into 8 portions (approx 1/2 cup each)
Holding skewer in one hand, mould the portion of mince mixture around each skewer to form a sausage shape.
Place on plate and into the fridge to chill until cooking time.
Finely chop walnuts and place in small oven/BBQ proof bowl.
Heat BBQ and place a non-stick silicone BBQ mat over plate.
Place kebabs on mat and cook until brown and cooked through.
Place walnut bowl on on BBQ for 10 minutes and remove.
While skewers are cooking shred or slice lettuce and place on plates.
Slice tomato and arrange on the center of the lettuce.
Sprinkle walnuts over tomato and place 2 kebabs on each plate.
Using the extra 50ml of plum sauce, drizzle over centre tops of kebabs and serve.
NOTES:
The carrot in the kebabs take longer to cook than the turkey so you can microwave the grated carrot first (partly cook – not too mushy).
This will speed up the cooking time.
Omelettes are one of the best light but filling meals you can have to keep on track with a low calorie eating plan. These are my back stop for staying on track even when I am not so disciplined. They can keep the calories much lower for the day. Use whites instead of whole eggs whenever you can to save you calories and fat intake.
INGREDIENTS:
½ med zucchini (125g), grated – 15 Calories
3 mushrooms sliced (60g) -15 Calories
½ cup diced onion or leek (30g) – 10 Calories
1 tbsp. Hormel Real Bacon pieces – 25 Calories
Fresh finely chopped parsley – neg Calories
2 egg whites and 1 whole egg – 105 Calories
METHOD:
Sauté onion and mushrooms and add zucchini spreading over the frypan. Pour over whisked egg and sprinkle with bacon & parsley. Cook until done. Fold over with spatula and serve.
Healthier Carbonara with Chicken – 317 Calories per serve
Serves: 12 (312 Calories per 325g serve – approximately 97 Calories per 100g)
Total calories per recipe: 3750
Preparation Time: 10 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon minced garlic – 15 calories
1 cup chicken stock – 8 calories (Use stock to keep vegetables or meat from sticking as you stir-fry)
600g Broccoli (2 small heads) – 110 calories
420g Red and Green capsicums (approx 3 medium) – 90 calories
560g Carrots – 180 calories
120g Diced Onion (1cup) – 40 calories
500g Chicken breast fillets (no Skin) – 750 calories
80g Bacon (trimmed of all fat and rind & diced) – 160 calories
500g Vetta High Fibre Low GI Pasta – 1830 calories
560g Jar Dolmio Carbonara pasta sauce – 592 calories
METHOD
Wash and finely chop capsicum, carrots and onions (or use frozen onion) placing carrots in one bowl and capsicum & onion in another.
Cut stalks off broccoli heads and chop finely and add to carrots. Cut heads into bite size florettes and place in another bowl.
Cut chicken breasts into small bite size pieces and set aside.
Bring to the boil approximately 4 litres of water in large saucepan for cooking pasta. Add pasta and cook until entente.Drain pasta and set aside.
While cooking pasta heat a large wok or non-stick fry-pan, add garlic stirring for 30 seconds then add carrots and broccoli stems. Stir-fry until almost cooked through and set aside.
Use stock a little at a time to keep vegetables or meat from sticking as you cook each ingredient.
Next add bacon pieces and onion and cook well. Set aside.
Add chicken to pan and cook through. Make sure you don’t overcook and dry out the chicken. Set aside with bacon and add the pasta sauce and stir through.
Add broccoli tops and capsicum to pan adding a little stock and cook with lid on. This will make the broccoli bright and green!
Place all ingredients back into the wok/pan and stir through. Cook for about 5 minutes or until you are sure the meat is cooked.
Serve on its own in a bowl or with a side salad.
Freeze left overs for ready made low-calorie hunger buster meals.
Dice onion or use frozen diced onion.
Finely dice chicken breasts and set aside. Grate carrot and place in heat proof bowl and add stock cubes.
Finely chop asparagus and add to carrots.
Boil 4 cups of water and add to grated carrot to dissolve the stock cubes.
Combine olive oil and Guar gum well in small bowl and set aside.
Lightly spray large saucepan with coconut or olive oil. Add garlic and onion and cook I minute.
Add chicken to onion mix and cook stirring until meat is sealed.
On medium heat add stock and carrot asparagus mixture to saucepan and stir.
Boil remaining 10 cups of water and pour into saucepan.
Add mushrooms, barley, Parmesan and ricotta and stir well.
Bring to the boil then lower the heat to simmer for 20 minutes.
Add oil and Guar gum mixture, slowly drizzling it into the mixture as you stir to thicken.
Cook for a further 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with fresh herbs if desired.
Serves: 8 (231 calories per serve using spring roll sauce)
Serving as pictured – 2 dumplings with salad. Preparation Time: 25 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
520g lean pork mince – 610 calories
2 tablespoons Ketjap Manis – 60 calories
2 egg whites – 30 calories
60g currents – 168 calories
1 teaspoon sesame oil – 90 calories
2 tablespoons of dried chives – neg
190g Chinese cabbage (approx 3 leaves) – 25 calories
50g celery leaves – 7 calories
16 rice paper wrappers – 528 calories
4 cups rocket – 40 calories
4 medium tomatoes – 120 calories
4 tablespoons Vietnamese style spring roll dipping sauce – 168 calories
OR use 4 tablespoons of Ketjap Manis – 120 calories
Ground pepper to taste – neg
METHOD
Slice Chinese cabbage fine and dice stems placing aside in large bowl.
Finely dice celery leaves and add to cabbage.
Add Ketjap Manis, oil, currents and chives and stir well.
Lastly rub in pork mince ensuring all ingredients are mixed evenly.
Prepare a wide flat tray with warm water and place rice papers beside tray.
Lay a clean tea-towel on bench to catch excess water from wrapper.
Dip a single wrapper in warm water until it softens and lift out onto tea-towel. Using a 1/4 cup measure scoop out a packed 1/4 cup of mixture and place in centre of softened wrapper. Gather up sides of wrapper and lift into steamer. Twist top of wrapper as best as possible. The wrapper will seal as it cooks and the rice pastry sticks to itself.
Repeat for the remaining 15 wrappers placing in steamer trays. This will take up 2 trays.
Steam for 40minutes and serve with salad.
Salad: Prepare each plate with 1/2 cup rocket and 1/2 ripe tomato. Season tomatoes with freshly ground pepper.NOTES:
Freeze cooked dumplings and reheat in oven in a tray covered in foil. They can be fried but the calorie count soars.
Try other fruits for different flavours like dried mango, pineapple and apple.
Ketjap Manis is Indonesian sweet soy sauce and thicker than regular soy sauce. We use all the time in stir fries. It has become a family favourite, replacing soy sauce more and more.
