Posted By Vicky on December 16, 2009

Brrr-rrr-rrr!  Are you cold?  I am freaking freezing!  Therefore, I’ve been on a soup kick!   I tried my hand at lightening up an oyster stew recipe, and I was very pleased with the result.  Warmed my tummy, it did!

Ingredients
16 oz oysters shucked with liquor retained
4 cup fat free half & half
4 tablespoons margarine
salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
old bay, moroccan rub, or whatever spice you like to kick it up a notch!

Directions

• In a medium to large pot, cook oysters in their liquor until they look plump and firm and the edges start to curl a bit.
• Turn heat to low. Add half & half, margarine, salt and pepper.
• Turn heat back up just a little, bring to just shy of a simmer, and heat the stew through. Do not boil. Stir occasionally.
• Best served immediately but will keep for a day or two in the fridge in a sealed container.

Sure, you can shuck your own fresh oysters. I’m way too lazy to do that, so I found a pint of fresh shucked oysters… liquor and all. Liquor is the liquid inside an oyster’s shell and is a key component of the stew’s flavor.

Simmer the oysters right in their broth.  At first, it is hard to imagine that these will become plump and juicy… but they do, and you will know it when you see it.  They’ll appear a bit more sturdy, and the edges will start to curl up just a bit.

Once they’re firmed up a bit, turn down the heat and add in the rest of your ingredients.  Kick the stove back up a bit and heat the stew until it is warmed through and uniform.  You shouldn’t boil it, but I did bring it almost to a simmer.

Add whatever spices you like.  Traditionally, Old Bay is the way to go.  I had a Pampered Chef moroccan spice blend I wanted to try, so in it went.  Wonderfully different!  At the point, the stew is really open to interpretation.  Add herbs and spices… serve it with oyster crackers… make it special!  We had ours just like you see it here.   Plain and simple!

About 1/2  cup makes a serving, and this recipe yielded approximately 5 cups.  To make a more traditional batch, use milk or cream where I used fat free half & half.  Real butter would replace the margarine.

I made this yesterday.  Just took a taste of it cold from the fridge, and it kept just fine.  Can’t wait to heat up some more for lunch tomorrow!

Wonder how this would do in a slow cooker?  I’ll have to try it!

Find this recipe in my SparkRecipes recipe box.

Category: Protein Recipes, Recipes | No Comments »
Tags: Low Sugar, Protein, Seafood, Shellfish, Soup, Stew, Under 15 Carbs

Posted By Vicky on December 16, 2009

* NOTE:  I have found my two RZ buddies.   As I should have figured there would be, I’ve been made aware of a thread pertaining to this very topic over in the RZ forum.  (Thanks to The_Swedish_Chef!)

http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=320730

Greetings.  It’s been a bit since I’ve blogged about food.  Time has been a real issue for the last few weeks.  I do have a couple good things in the hopper, and as soon as I get a chance… you will be hearing about them!

Meanwhile, my RecipeZaar membership is about to expire.  It costs $24.95 per year for a premium membership whether renewing or buying new, but there is always a “sale” going on… buy 2, get 1 free.   That’s 3 premium memberships for a total of $49.90.  If 3 people split this cost, it comes to $16.63 per person.  I was wondering if anyone has been thinking about going premium and wants to share in this deal with me?

I believe we only need to trade email addresses… I would provide you with my PayPal associated e-mail addie so you can send me the $16.63, and you would provide me the email address with which you want your RZ account to be associated. (Existing members who want to renew/extend would give me the one they already use!)  Once I get payments from two people, I would then buy the three memberships.  You get an email from RZ saying “someone has bought you a membership”, and then you would login and start updating your member info.  I need no other personal info, and I would not have any access to your account.  Having said all that…  I still only feel comfortable doing this for people with whom I’ve had legitimate interaction, or for people with an established RZ account whether premium or not.  Apologies, but bloggers see tons of underhanded attempts at all sorts of mischief.  This caveat is to protect both you and me.

You can contact me for this with a comment here, an email via RZ’s messaging system, a message on Facebook, or a direct email if you have my addie.  Do whatever is the most comfortable for you.  Posting your email address publically is not advised.  First come, first served.  When I’ve interacted with, and received money  from, two interested people I will update the top of this post and also attempt to reply personally to anyone who has contacted me.

OH… when you contact me, please note whether you are willing to have me match you up with two other interested people to do this deal if you don’t get to me in time!  :)   I will take the next three WILLING people and email you each other’s contact info as a group.

I have ABSOLUTELY NO affiliation with RecipeZaar other than being a premium member and a huge fan.  I wish I did, as I have recruited many new members for them over the past few years!  :)

To contact me on RecipeZaar: http://www.recipezaar.com/member/429104

To contact me on SparkPeople, send a message to PrairieHarpy.

Contact me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tradition-Moderation-Simplicity/190076701310

Read about the benefits associated with a premium account:  http://www.recipezaar.com/members/premtour.php

Couple more notes… I think you can send me the email addie of anyone, so if you want to buy someone’s Christmas gift…  

Lastly, I’m reminded that PayPal is going to scrape a few cents off each payment I get.  I’m still saving money and really not bothered… but if you’re feeling charitable, round up your payment to an even $17 and that should cover it.  (I don’t care, really.  Love to share, and don’t feel like looking up percentages and doing math. lol)

Category: General | 2 Comments »
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Posted By Vicky on December 9, 2009

Been promising to get back to some healthier recipes. Being short on time, and needing to eat healthier this holiday season, I turned to my old friend RecipeZaar and found this recipe for Seared Ahi Tuna Glazed With Wasabi Butter.  Of course, I made a couple of changes… mostly born from lack of time and laziness.  This whole thing took just 15 minutes or so to whip up, and the Return On Investment was well worth it.

Ingredients
1 large tuna steak, big enough to serve 2 or 3 people
2 tablespoons sesame chili oil
salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons creamy horseradish sauce, wasabi
3 green onions, sliced
1 lemon, juice of

Directions

• Drizzle sesame oil on both sides of the tuna steak. Season with salt and pepper.
• Combine remaining ingredients in a small sauce pan. Heat over low heat until butter is melted, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.
• While sauce is heating, heat a heavy frying pan on another burner with high heat. Place tuna in pan and sear until crispy and brown. Turn and sear on the other side. About 2 minutes per side if you like it rare. Up to 5 if you like it well done.

For starters, I bought just enough tuna to feed my husband and I.  I wound up with leftover sauce, but I don’t mind.  It is good!  To sear the tuna, you want the pan pretty darn hot before you put the tuna in.  Notice that you drizzle the tuna with the oil, and then you put the tuna in the pan.  You don’t heat the oil in the pan.  I think this is key to getting the nice crispy brown outside without burning anything.

I used real butter here.  I believe regular butter is fine when not consumed alongside a lot of white carbs.  I think your favorite margarine would probably be ok here, if that is what makes you happy.   I doubt it will taste quite as good as real butter would, but I don’t think it would completely ruin the effort.  There are 28 reviews of this recipe over on RecipeZaar.  I bet at least one of them touches on the subject.  You can get LOTS of info and ideas by reading through the recipe reviews.

As always, I used low sodium soy sauce.   Now, for the wasabi, I did not use the more traditional tubed stuff.  I happened to eyeball a Manischewitz Wasabi Style Horseradish sauce on the grocery store shelf.  Who knew?  Looked interesting and was cheaper per ounce.  And guess what?  It worked very well in this recipe.  I would not recommend it for a bonafide sushi sit-down, but to add flavor to sauces or sandwiches… it’s pretty darn neat!

I sliced up the tuna and piled it on top of fresh spinach and sliced tomatoes to form a lovely salad.  I drizzled the sauce, in moderation, over the whole thing for a nice dressing.  Added a little fresh ground pepper over top.  It was a delicious dinner.

My buddy, TJ, gave me a link to an alternate recipe that looks well worth trying.  Maybe next week!

Category: Protein Recipes, Recipes | 2 Comments »
Tags: Fish, Low Carb, Low Sugar, Protein, Tuna

Posted By Vicky on December 5, 2009

Awhile back, some friends of mine asked me to export my bookmarks to them.  Forgot I had done this until my friend Erika found them again today.  My list has grown substantially since this one was created!

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DISCLAIMER: I do not necessarily agree with, approve, or endorse the contents of each website listed here. Many of them are sites I have skimmed just long enough to deem worthy of a bookmark so that I may return later for further perusal.

Feel free to question me about the extent of my experience with particular sites, recipes, products, etc.

A note about recipes: I love to take traditional recipes and lighten them up or at least make them sugar free. Do not assume that I make a recipe AS IS nor that it is safe for you to do so. Be wise and wary, as always!

If you see a site that is owned by you or contributed by you and you would like some sort of credit or plug, by all means let me know. If you see unacceptable content I somehow overlooked, please let me know that too!

Enjoy!

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Cooking Reference

Cook’s Illustrated – Lighter Guide
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Joy of Baking
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Land O’Lakes Ingredient Substitutions

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Exercise Playlists – SparkPeople
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Almond Flour & Meal Info
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Organics 101 – Allrecipes
Protein in nutrition – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rainier Cherries
Reducing the Fat Content of Regular Ground Beef
Turkey Info
Vanilla – Joyofbaking.com
Wegman’s Lower Carb
Weight Loss Diets

Food Stats & Databases

Brand Stats – DietFacts
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The Morbid Me Weight Loss Surgery Recipes
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WorldPantry.comÆ – Recipes
YumYum.com – the free recipe site for everyday cooks

Restaurants

Dotti’s Restaurants A-Z (WW Friendly)
Restaurant Stats – DietFacts

Shopping & Products

Avi Glatt Kosher
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Jay Robb Enterprises, Inc.
Josephs SF Maple Syrup
Josephs
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Free to be Me!

Tips & Tricks & Blogs

100 Ways to Cut 100 Calories
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Eat Well Live Well – Wegmans
Estimating Portion Size
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She Spills The Beans
The Lighter Side of Low-Carb
The World According to Eggface
Virtual Grocery Store – American Diabetes Association
What Smells So Good
WLS Gourmet

Category: General | No Comments »
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Posted By Vicky on December 4, 2009

So, out come the recipes from last week’s Thanksgiving festivities.  I promise, I will break this up with something healthier very soon.  Having said that, these aren’t too bad for hors d’oeuvres.  My mother loved making these, and I’ve been carrying on the tradition in her stead.

Ingredients
16 ounces artichoke hearts, drained and mashed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Directions

• Mash 2 cans drained artichoke hearts.
• Put olive oil into frying pan.
• Saute cloves.
• Add mashed artichokes and eggs.
• Saute and stir about 5 minutes.
• Mix bread crumbs and cheese in bowl.
• Remove mix from heat, roll into balls, roll in bread crumb and cheese mixture.

I used canned artichoke hearts, though you should be able to use frozen or fresh ones you marinate yourself. (Google recipes for marinated artichoke hearts.)  I believe the canned ones come in marinades using things besides oil as a base.  Get the ones with the best nutritional stats.  I really don’t think it matters.  I did choose quartered hearts, as it made for quicker mashing.

Though I used real eggs, I’m willing to bet that egg substitute would work just fine. For the garlic, I used chopped from a jar. I always keep a jar of chopped garlic in the fridge. I love fresh pressed, but these are a real timesaver for me much of the time. As for parmesan cheese, I believe we originally used the grated stuff in the green can. However, I never use anything but fresh shredded from the cheese case. I believe I used Sargento.

Pick whatever breadcrumbs sound good to you. Normally, I use Italian style. I picked a garlic & herb variety this time. Anything works. This is a key way to add unique flavor, though, so be creative. Plain will work, but it will probably bore you.  Add your own seasonings, if you so desire.  Don’t know how panko or ground up Fiber One would work here.  Might try that for a friendlier “throughout the year” recipe.  Wouldn’t dream of it for delighting Thanksgiving feasters.

Mom managed to get 24 Artichoke Cheese Balls out of this recipe.  Somehow, I only got 18.  I rolled them just a tad too big.   (Yes, we ate three at home.  Sorry. lol)

The red stuff is Suzy Q’s no sugar added cranberry sauce.  It just happens to be in the picture.  I don’t think I’d recommend it as a dip for the Artichoke Cheese Balls.  It is so yummy, though, that I made a batch to bring along.  I did offer up some healthier items to the cause, and that was one.  :)

Find this recipe in my SparkRecipes Recipe Box.
Also find this recipe in my public recipes on RecipeZaar.
It was also included in my Thanksgiving 2009 Brainstorm menu on RecipeZaar.

Category: General, Recipes | 8 Comments »
Tags: Artichoke, Cheese, Eggs, Low Sugar, Sides, Thanksgiving, Under 10 Carbs, Under 15 Carbs