Freckled Turkey Patties With Relish

Betty Crocker's "California-Style Turkey Patties with Corn and Tomato Relish" from Low-Carb Lifestyle Cookbook.

Ingredients: lean ground turkey, fresh whole wheat bread crumbs, minced red onion, Penzeys salt-free Arizona Dreaming seasoning blend, low-sodium chicken broth, "fiesta" corn, sliced celery, quartered grape tomatoes, light Italian dressing.

Using whole wheat bread crumbs gave the patties an unfortunate freckled look, but they tasted just fine. I seasoned them with Penzey's salt-free Arizona Dreaming instead of salt and pepper, because I thought the use of "fiesta" corn called for a more Southwestern flavor.

I wasn't sure The Husband would like the relish with lemon, so I used light Italian dressing, instead, and he seemed to like it that way. I will be making it that way again when the weather warms up a bit more and the grilling bug bites.

Easter, Yum!

Easter Menu 2011

~*~

~ Garlic Pork Roast ~
(modified from Cook's Country April/May 2010)
~ Spinach Slaw ~
(Cuisine at Home Smart Carb Cooking January 2005)

~ Mom's Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes ~

~ Green Beans w/ Garlic & Lemon ~
(The South Beach Diet Parties & Holidays Cookbook)

~ Buttery Carrots ~

~ Cucumber Salad ~

~ Colored Eggs ~

~ Floury Rolls & Butter ~
~ Pickle Tray ~

~*~

~ Fresh fruit ~
(c/o Edible Arrangements)
~*~

Sipping Splenda

Last month I borrowed The Splenda World of Sweetness from my library because, well, the cover was really pretty and I'm always on the lookout for a delicious sugar-free baked good to bring to family holiday dinners as so many members of my family are diabetic.

So that was last month and, while I still haven't baked any of the book's dessert recipes (not even the pretty lemon cake), I have made several of the beverage recipes with really yummy results:

• "Lemonade by the Pitcher"
5 cups cold water combined with 1 cup lemon juice (I rolled and squeezed about 5 lemons to get a cup of juice), and 1 cup Splenda.

• "Limeade" (lemonade variant)
Used 1 8oz bottle RealLime lime juice concentrate, because I was lazy and didn't feel like rolling and squeezing a bunch of limes. Tasted just as yummy as the lemonade.

• "Southern Iced Tea"
6 tea bags steeped in 3 cups boiled water for 5 minutes, then combined with 2 cups cold water, and 1 cup Splenda.

This was addictingly good when made with Harney & Son's Raspberry Herbal, but after the second pitcher or so I started cutting the Splenda back to half a cup, because otherwise it was too much like drinking Hawaiian Punch (I kid you not).

I also brewed a pitcher of green tea using this recipe and it came out really delicious. I used Stonewall Kitchen's Tangerine Tea and, again, only half a cup of Splenda. It was way better than any bottled iced green tea I've tried. (I'm a little worried about how long I've owned that tea as Stonewall Kitchen no longer sells it).

• "Pineapple Tea" (iced tea variant)
2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice plus ⅓ cup lemon juice replaced 2 cups of cold water.

I brewed this with green tea and did not like it very much as the pineapple juice made the drink taste too much like punch for me.

Supper of Infinite Suckitude

Last week I made "Mahi Mahi with Citrus" from The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook, wheat pilaf, and caesar salad for supper one night.

This was the first time I ever cooked mahi mahi and I was really pleased with how it turned out. The Husband is extremely picky about fish so I wasn't expecting him to embrace it with open arms so much as pick at it for a bit before pronouncing it okay. I figured he'd be fine with the salad and pilaf as I'd served both before ...

However, The Husband utterly disdained the entire meal! Didn't like the mahi mahi, thought the caesar salad was meh, and gave decidedly low marks to the bulgur pilaf.

I ended up taking him to Wendy's. Facepalm?

Monday Chicken

Boneless skinless chicken breasts smeared with a paste of lemon zest, olive oil, pressed garlic, thyme, rosemary, oregano, and black pepper, then broiled for about 5 minutes on each side.

Served with "Green Beans with Mushrooms and Balsamic" from The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook which was so easy and definitely worth repeating.  I used two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and cooked the mushrooms with a little sliced red onion because I just think green beans and red onions go together so well.

Menu Plan Monday, 12 April

Well, so it's actually Menu Plan Tuesday. Close enough for horseshoes and hand grenades, as they say.

Monday

• Baked herb-rubbed chicken breasts with "Green Beans with Mushrooms and Balsamic" from The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook. Ingredients: boneless chicken breasts (from freezer), olive oil, black pepper, oregano, thyme, rosemary, lemon zest, pressed garlic, red onion, green beans, sliced mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, black pepper.

Tuesday

• "Pork Scaloppine with Herbs" from The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook with caesar salad. Ingredients: pork cutlets, basil, thyme, olive oil, lemon juice, capers, black pepper, caesar salad kit.

Wednesday

• "Mahi Mahi with Citrus" from The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook with tossed salad. Ingredients: wild caught mahi mahi fillets, lemon, lime, olive oil, garlic, thyme, black pepper, tossed salad fixings.

Thursday

• Chef salad -- leftover tossed salad topped with slice rolled-up turkey and ham, diced Cabot 50% reduced-fat cheddar, light red wine vinaigrette, and plenty of black pepper.

Friday

• Broiled lamb loin chops with "Feta, Cucumber, and Radish Salad" The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook. Ingredients: lamb loin chops (from freezer), Dijon mustard, cucumbers, radishes, red onion, olive oil, red wine vinegar, feta cheese, black pepper.

Saturday/Sunday

• Frontier Soups' "Dakota Territory Beef Barley Bean Stew." Ingredients: stew mix, stew beef (from freezer), onion, low-sodium beef broth, potatoes, black pepper, sliced mushrooms, sherry.

Spring Snow Soup

It snowed last Friday -- hopefully, the last snow of the season -- and snow is the perfect excuse for soup-making. I have lots of barley on hand so was looking for a recipe for something tomato-y and heavy with vegetables when I found Betty Crocker's recipe for "Vegetable-Beef-Barley Soup." I tweaked the recipe a little based on the ingredients I had on hand, but still think the soup came out really well.

Ingredients: last of the farmer's market ground beef, Muir Glen no-salt-added diced tomatoes, low-sodium tomato sauce, low-sodium beef broth, random leftover frozen vegetables, quick-cooking barley, pressed garlic, black pepper, salt-free Italian seasoning blend.

This soup came out super (soup-er?) thick -- more like a stew -- which was fine by us as we are not fond of brothy soups.

Served this soup with slices of garlic toast. (They're a little misshapen because I had to trim them after I burnt the edges. Tip: don't broil and gab).

Menu Plan Monday, 4 April

Took an inventory of our freezers last Friday and was a bit aggravated to discover a few things needed to be tossed due to freezer burn or sheer ancientness. I've since made myself a tidy spreadsheet to track our freezer contents and we shouldn't waste any more food as long as I start working the older food into my weekly menu plan!

I used to be pretty good at rotating food up out of the basement freezer, but those six months I spent in a wheelchair meant food in the basement freezer largely went untouched. When I started walking again, I was still very wary of stairs and continued to neglect the basement. Stair wariness is (mostly) gone, but the basement remains largely unvisited.

Basement good. Basement stairs friendly. Basement freezer full of noms.

Monday

• "Cod with Artichokes and Basil" (modified as discussed here) from The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook served over brown rice pilaf. Ingredients: cod (from freezer), olive oil, basil, marinated artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, feta cheese, quinoa, low sodium chicken broth.

Tuesday

• Caesar salad topped with grilled salmon fillet (from freezer), sugar free gelatin with peaches, 2% cottage cheese.

Wednesday

• Using up some odds-and-ends in a vegetable pot pie we will eat with salad. Ingredients: thawed pie crust, thawed frozen vegetables from too many open bags, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, heat-and-serve corn chowder, salt, pepper, parsley, rehydrated mushrooms.

Thursday

• Chef salad -- tossed salad topped with slice rolled-up turkey and ham, diced Cabot 50% reduced-fat cheddar, hard cooked egg, light red wine vinaigrette, and plenty of black pepper.

Friday

• Using up more odds-and-ends with Betty Crocker's "Black Bean and Salsa Noodle Soup." Ingredients: salsa, low-sodium vegetable broth, low-sodium black beans, thawed frozen corn from one of many open bags, broken ramen, rehydrated cilantro, cumin, chili powder, black pepper, lime juice, shredded Parmesan.

Saturday (Read-a-thon!)/Sunday

• Slow cooker dump -- thawed boneless skinless chicken breasts chopped into one-inch pieces, mixed with one bag frozen pearl onions, low-sodium cream of chicken soup, rehydrated mixed mushrooms, onion flakes, black pepper, thyme, and parsley. Cooked in slow cooker for about six hours then served over quinoa.