Sunday, February 15, 2015

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes & Baked Masa Empanadas filled with Cuban Picadillo

For Valentines Day I made my husband breakfast - Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes and Turkey Bacon.  (He took me out to Sonnys for lunch because it was a pp/pv day for me and i had sauceless meat, green beans, and cottage cheese)



I found a recipe on this site http://dukantopia.com/tag/dukan-chocolate-pancakes/  and basically followed it except I used Hersheys sugar free syrup,  Hersheys sugar free chocolate chips, and i actually put the chips in the pancake batter.


Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes





Ingredients
  • 1 cup oat bran
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tbs Splenda
  • 3tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4tsp baking powder
  • 6 fluid ounces reduced fat chocolate soy milk
  • 2/3 cup hersheys sugar free chocolate chips
  • 3tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

  1. In a blender, food processor, or coffee grinder, process the oat bran to a powdery, flour-like consistency
  2. Pour oat bran into a bowl along with the baking powder, cocoa powder, splenda and mix.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, soy milk, and vanilla extract.
  4. Add dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix well. Once all mixed add the chocolate chips and mix again.
  5. Heat a pan on medium-low heat with cooking spray.
  6. I used a 1/4 cup for measuring out the batter for each pancake. Cook for 1-2 minutes until bubbles form and edges begin crisping.
  7. Top with cooking spray, flip, and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
  8. Serve pancakes with chocolate sauce.







So tonight for dinner I am making Cuban Picadillo Baked Empanadas.  I found the recipe on this site http://hotspicyandskinny.com/2012/11/16/corn-masa-empanadas-with-cuban-picadillo/    It does not need much tweaking except for the butter we have to use unsalted butter. I also took out the jalapenos, mushrooms,  and changed the diced can of tomatoes to fresh diced tomoatoe and used splenda brown sugar not regular brown sugar. 


Cuban Picadillo             
Ingredients:
  • 1 ¼ lbs ground beef, 95% lean
  • ½ medium onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • diced tomatoes
  • a pinch of splenda brown sugar (a little less than ¼ teaspoon)
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • ½ bunch cilantro, chopped
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 can green olives, roughly chopped (plus 2 tablespoons brine)
  • salt and pepper
Directions:
1.         Cook the beef, onions, garlic and jalapeƱo until the beef is cooked through. Stir often, breaking up the ground beef.
2.         Add the can of tomatoes and the pinch of sugar. Stir well. The sugar isn’t going to add sweetness; it’s actually going to cut the acidity of the tomatoes.
3.         Add the mushrooms, bell pepper, cilantro, cumin, and olives (plus the 2 tablespoons of brine). Stir well to mix all the flavors. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4.         Continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated. Serve with a side of veggies, rice, beans or tortillas!
Yields 4 servings
Serving Size: ¼ of dish (a little more than 4 ounces)


Baked Masa Empanadas filled with Cuban Picadillo
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup masa harina
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon  unsalted butter or olive oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups of Cuban picadillo
Directions:
1.         Mix the masa harina, water, butter and salt well. Mix for 2-3 minutes and add a bit of water if the dough is dry. When you finish, you want to have the consistency of play-doh (not sticky but moist and malleable).
2.         Divide the dough into 8 sections. Don’t worry about making them perfect balls yet because you’ll have to reshape them right before flattening them.
3.         The secret to getting perfect round discs is… plastic. Cut apart a plastic gallon bag. Place one section of plastic on your work surface.
4.         Now, take a section of dough and work it into a little ball. If you don’t work the dough with your hands right before flattening, the dough tends to crack and break. Place the dough ball on top of the plastic and cover with the other section of plastic.
5.         Take something with a flat bottom (I’m using a pyrex baking dish) and press down gently on the dough ball. Watch it flatten into a disc the size of a tortilla. Gently rock the baking dish back and forth to spread it out completely. You’ve started your first empanada.
6.         Gently peel away the top plastic. Fill the bottom portion of the empanada with ¼ cup of the Cuban picadillo, leaving a margin at the edges.
7.         Carefully fold over the dough so that the two edges meet. Use a fork to seal the edges, making a pretty scallop design.
8.         Repeat for all the empanadas.
9.         Bake the empanadas for 15 minutes at 300˚.
Yields 4 servings
Serving Size: 2 empanadas







Thursday, February 12, 2015

Dukan "Granola" Bars, Pistachio Pudding, Butterscotch Pudding

I am trying something different besides the Dukan Pancake to get my oat bran.   So I am making these Dukan "Granola" Bars. 

I found a recipe on this site http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1726796  and tweaked it a little 


Dukan "Granola" Bars 




Ingredients
  • 2 cups Hodgson Mill oat bran
  • 1 cup Chobani Greek yogurt, non-fat, plain (I used vanilla flavor yogurt)
  • 1/2 cup Splenda
  • 1/2 cup Egg Beaters
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 3 tbs sugar free syrup (this is one i added myself)
  • PAM Cooking Spray



Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray an 8x8 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
  2. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until well mixed. Pour the batter in the baking dish and bake for 45 minutes at 325 degrees F (175 degrees C). 
  3. Allow to cool completely and cut into 8 equal pieces.




For a desert after dinner I made Pistachio Pudding and Butterscotch Pudding

I used sugar free Jell-o pudding and followed the directions on the box (use 2 cups of skim milk and mix with pudding powder until thick).  This is a healthy and allowed snack on the cruise phase and higher.   The pudding serves 4 so you can have 1/2 cup of it. 



Pistachio Pudding 

Butterscotch Pudding 


Monday, February 9, 2015

Tilapia, Key lime muffins, Caramel Chocolate muffins.

For dinner I made Tilapia.

Tilapia Recipe

Ingredients
  • one package of Tilapia filets (4-6 filets)
  • one package Sazon
  • Adobo (to taste)
  • one tomato (only to flavor)
  • one onion
  • water

Directions
  1. Put water, Adobo, and Sazon in a large bowl and mix together. 
  2. Rinse off the tilapia filets and put into the bowl
  3. Cut the onion into rings, dice the tomato and put both into the bowl with the fish and seasoned water.  Let it soak for a couple of hours. 
  4. Pour everything into a big sauce or frying pan and bring to a boil.  Let the fish cook on each side for 5 minutes.  

NOTE:  If you are on the attack phase you can not eat the tomato but you can eat the onion.  
If you are on the cruise phase or higher you can eat both the tomato and onion if on a veggie day.


I also make Key Lime Oat Bran Muffins and Chocolate Caramel Oat Bran Muffins.





I used the recipe from this website: http://mydukandiet.com/recipes/oat-bran-cookies.html and just tweaked it. 


Key Lime Oat Bran Muffins





Ingredients
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 6 tbs oat bran 
  • 2 tbs sweetener (I used splenda)
  • 1 container (53oz) Greek light and fit Key Lime yogurt

Directions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F
  2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl into a thick and smooth mass.
  3. Pour the mixture into muffin tins
  4. Bake the mass for about 15 minutes 







Chocolate Caramel Oat Bran Muffins





Ingredients
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 6 tbs oat bran 
  • 2 tbs sweetener (I used splenda)
  • 1 container (53oz) salted caramel yogurt
  • 3 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F
  2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl into a thick and smooth mass.
  3. Pour the mixture into muffin tins
  4. Bake the mass for about 15 minutes 

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Ranch Chicken Tenders (baked) & Turkey Polish Kielbasa

Today for lunch after church I made Ranch Oat Bran Coated Chicken Tenders and Turkey Polish Kielbasa. 




For the Turkey Polish Kielbasa all I did was lightly spray the frying pan with nonstick spray (no calories) and heated the  Turkey Polish Kielbasa till it has a little crisp to it (we like it that way). 




Ranch Oat Bran Coated Chicken Tenders



Ingredients

  • 3 chicken breasts 
  • 2 packets ranch seasoning
  • 4 tbs oat bran
  • one large egg


Directions

  1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
  2. cut the chicken breasts into strips and par boil them
  3. while chicken is cooling you can take the oat bran and put it in a food processor to make it smaller. 
  4. then put the oat bran and the ranch seasoning into a plastic bag and mix together. put the egg into a bowl and mix the yolk and white together to make a wash. 
  5. once the chicken strips are cooled you can dip them into the egg wash, then put in the plastic bag with the oat bran and ranch seasoning and shake the bag till the strips are coated. 
  6. put on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. 



Friday, February 6, 2015

Dukan Attack Phase Tacos!!

Dukan Attack Phase Tacos








First, make the Homemade Dukan Tortillas. (makes 4 tortillas)



Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup oat bran
  • 1 egg
  • 1 scoop unflavored protein powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 cup fat free shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1-2 tbs water







Directions:

  1. Use a food processor to blend together all ingredients except water.
  2. Add about 1-2 tbs water depending on how much you need to create a consistency in the batter that will allow it to be easily poured. (I used 3 tbs of water)
  3. Preheat pan with cooking spray on medium-high heat.
  4. Pour 1/4 of the batter at a time into pan and tilt to form a 5-6 inch tortilla.
  5. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until a crust forms on the edge. Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes.



Then, prepare the ground beef.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb extra lean ground beef
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 2/3 cup water
  • fat free cheddar cheese as condiment


Directions:

  1. In a large sauce pan, lightly brown ground beef.
  2. Add 2/3 cup water and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil while stirring.
  3. Reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.
  4. Serve ground beef and desired condiments on Homemade Dukan Tortillas.




I found the Taco recipe on this website(I just customized it for the Attack Phase:

Back on the Dukan Diet---Turkey Frittata

       Well it has been some time since my back surgery (July 2014) I am still in the healing process but I can go back on a diet now.  So my husband and I have been doing the Dukan Diet.  We started the attack phase on 2/3/15 and I have already lost 6.6lbs!!
 
     Breakfast usually consists of 3 egg whites, lean meat, and a  dannon light and fit greek yogurt or otherwise I make a egg white omelet with 3 whites, lean meat, and Kraft fat free cheddar cheese.

boiled egg whites

 

scrambled egg whites

 
 
 For lunch I make a savory Dukan pancake (See below) and put heated lean meat and reduced fat Sargento cheese on it. Today I even had a glass of diet orange soda.
 


Oat Bran Pancake
- 2 tbs oat bran
- 2 tbs vanilla greek yogurt (I use Dannon light and fit Greek)
-2 Egg whites
- Garlic and Herb seasoning (or ones you like)


Whip the egg whites in a bowl. Then add the oat bran and yogurt (use more yogurt if you want it to spread easier) and seasoning.  Use Pam cooking spray (or similar for no calories) and cook till the top get dry looking. Once dry looking flip it over and cook for a min or two on the other side.



Dinner tonight is going to be a turkey sausage frittata.



Turkey Frittata
Ingredients (Serves two)
1 diced medium onion
4 finely diced cloves garlic
16 ounces of  minced/ground turkey (I use Jenni-o breakfast sausage)
3 tablespoons of chicken stock
6 eggs or mixture of eggs and egg whites
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Method
  1. In a 9 to 10 inch pan dry fry the onion and garlic on a medium heat in a little chicken stock if needed.
  2. After about three minutes add the turkey and cook for a further three or four minutes stirring frequently to prevent clumps from forming.
  3. Add the remaining stock and cook for a further five minutes, reducing the heat halfway through to low.
  4. In a bowl beat the eggs and seasoning and pour over the meat mixture
  5. Continue cooking for a further three minutes but do not stir!
  6. Finally place the pan under a preheated grill/broiler and cook until the eggs are firm and serve immediately.

       I did mine a little different....... I cooked the meat with the onion and garlic in a skillet till the meat was browned then I added the stock and let it come to a boil.  I mixed the egg whites with a little milk and put it in a casserole dish then I carefully put in the meat and stock from the skillet. I ended up having to cook it so it would cook through after broiling it a little.