Hi!

Sure, join us on the South Beach Babes thread....but its become more of a weighin thread...not too much chat on it. Please feel free to start a thread for chatting.

Hows it going for you? Did you find the food lists and meal plan charts on the first page of my journal?

From today's SD Daily Dish:


Please note that both are good for phase I and on.

Chicken Cacciatore

hmmmm, hmmmm good!! I made a pot of this last night and it came out so good that I have to share it.

Ingredients-
1-2 lbs chicken breast tenders cut into approx 1" squares
2- 1 large or 2 medium onions, sliced thin
3- 2 bell peppers, I used 1 cubanella and 1 red bell- chopped smallish
4- tops of one bunch celery, including the greens filled with flavor- chopped small
5- 1 tbs crushed red pepper
6- evoo- 1-2 tbs
7- 6-7 grated garlic cloves
8- 1 small can tomato paste
9- 1 x28 oz can crushed tomatoes
10- 8-10 ozs of sliced mushrooms


1 tbs coriander
1 tbs hot paprika
1 tbs grill mates garlic chicken
2 tbs oregano
salt to taste

step 1- brown chicken and set aside to drain
step 2- heat in large sauce pan- evoo, crushed red pepper and grated garlic. when you can smell the garlic, start to add in all the chopped veggies, onions, peppers, celery tops, mushrooms and allow it all to cook down into its own juices- approx 20-30 minutes.
step 3- when the veggies are cooked down, add in all the chicken and cans of tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. cook this on a simmer for at least 30-40 minutes stirring occasionally.

I don't know that utritional info for this but its gonna be low in total calories.

From today's SBD Daily Dish:

Thanks!
Lately I have been eating chicken with spices and salsa so these recipes will definitely change it up for me!

Thai chicken cakes! YuM!
I made them for dinner tonight and even have some leftover for tomorrow!

Very, very cool!
Good for you!

Wow there are so many good recipes in this thread! I think I might even be able to please my never-wants-to-eat-the-same-thing-twice husband for a while with this list.

I wanted to bring this post down to where it can be seen again. This index, that we can thank Demi for creating, is great!!

This is from today's SBD Daily Dish:

2 Ways to Enjoy Eggplant
Eggplant is a shiny purple vegetable that's popular in Italian, Middle Eastern, and Asian cuisines. Its mild flavor and "meaty" texture make an ideal contribution to a variety of dishes. Because eggplant hits its peak from July to October, now is the perfect time to incorporate it into your meals. Try one of these delicious options.
Vegetarian No-Pasta Lasagna (Phase 1)
Stuffed Eggplant (Phases 2 & 3)

Vegetarian No-Pasta Lasagna (Phase 1)
Makes 4–6 servings
Ingredients
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped fine
2 tablespoons onion, chopped fine
2 (14.5-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 large eggplants
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 large yellow squash, thinly sliced lengthwise (optional)
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1/2 cup fresh-grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups (4 whole) roasted peppers
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
1/4 cup fresh basil, shredded
2 cups spinach (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450°F. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in skillet and cook garlic and onion until they become aromatic and begin to brown. Add stewed tomatoes and 1 tablespoon dried oregano. Once tomatoes begin to bubble, stir in tomato paste. Reduce heat to low, add salt and pepper to taste, cover, and let simmer lightly while you continue.
Slice eggplant lengthwise in 1/4" slices. Spread out eggplant slices on a rimmed cookie sheet sprayed lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Salt the slices generously on both sides, sprinkle with thyme, and lightly brush (fingers are fine) with the remaining olive oil. Roast eggplant in oven until tender and slightly browned. If using yellow squash, also roast briefly until soft and pliable. Remove and let cool enough to be able to handle. Reduce oven to 375°F.
Meanwhile, stir together ricotta cheese, egg, remaining oregano, and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. In a 12" x 9" baking dish, spread 1/4 cup of tomato sauce. Cover with 3 or 4 eggplant slices, then half of the roasted peppers, and then a third of the ricotta-cheese mixture, followed by a third of the mozzarella. Sprinkle half the basil over cheeses, and then spinach and yellow squash (if using). Cover with more tomato sauce, eggplant, peppers, ricotta, mozzarella, and basil. Top with remaining eggplant, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and any remaining Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for about 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for about 15 minutes more or until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Remove and let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Nutritional information
354 calories
12 g sugar
18 total fat (7 g sat)
67 mg cholesterol
35 g carbohydrate
17 g protein
3 g fiber
755 mg sodium

Stuffed Eggplant (Phases 2 & 3)
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients
1 eggplant (about 1 pound), halved
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
3/4 cup fresh whole-wheat bread crumbs
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
2 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely diced sweet red peppers
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/3 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Using a paring knife, carefully cut away the flesh of each eggplant half, leaving about 1/2" of flesh adhering to the skin. Discard any large clumps of seeds and finely chop the flesh; set aside. (If there are no seeds, discard about 1/3 of the flesh anyway.) Lightly brush the inside of each eggplant half with a small amount of the oil. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the eggplant flesh with the bread crumbs, garlic, onions, mushrooms, red peppers, oregano, rosemary, fennel seeds, 2 tablespoons of the tomato sauce, and the remaining oil. Stir in additional salt to taste. Divide the filling equally between the eggplant halves. Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of tomato sauce over each half.
Arrange the eggplant halves in a 9" x 13" baking dish. Add 1/4" water to the bottom of the dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and add more water to the bottom of the baking dish, if necessary. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender. Sprinkle with the parsley before serving.
NOTES
• You can bake the eggplant in two 10" pie plates.
• To make fresh bread crumbs, tear any type of dry, whole-wheat bread into large chunks. Place them in a food processor and process with on/off turns.
• For a tasty flavor boost, sprinkle the eggplant halves with grated Parmesan cheese before baking.
Recipe reprinted with permission from Prevention's The Healthy Cook, by David Joachim. ©1997 Rodale Inc.
Nutritional information
224 calories
8 g fat
0 mg cholesterol
35g carbohydrate
6 g protein
3 g fiber
309 mg sodium

Mmmm... eggplant Thanks, Judy!

I have a couple in my fridge for later this week when J fires up the grill. I like to brush them with a mixture of olive oil, minced garlic, chili powder, cayenne pepper, basil and oregano while they are grilling. Delish! This also comes out pretty darn good on an indoor grill.

From today's SBD Daily Dish:

Walmart has these great little no-stick muffin cups (you know how they are producing all kinds of no-stick, flexible rubbery things now - I don't know what the material is called but it is nifty!); I think it would be great to make these in the no-stick muffin cups and just heat them up in the microwave. The muffin cups are stand-alone so you don't have to make a whole muffin pan full at one time.
My problem is finding just the right sausage,,,

Thanks for the tip!!

We are allowed to eat turkey sausage on SB.

I thought I would share this delish pate that my DF makes - we used to eat it with pita bread but now we use chopped up veggies instead - green peppers go brilliantly.

Smoked Mackrel Pate
200 - 300 grams smoked Mackrel
1 tub of low fat cottage cheese
Horseradish sauce to taste
Fresh Lemon juice

1. Break the Mackrel up and put it in bowl. (You may have to peel the skin off first). Mash with a fork until it really is in small pieces.
2. Add the tub of cottage cheese and mix well, there should not be chunks of either, just a good blend of the 2 ingrediants.
3. Add as much Horseradish Sauce as you like, mix well (I like lots).
4. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the fish mixture and mix again.

Done! This is so tasty I am actually going to start making it and keeping it in the fridge for lunch. The above makes enough for 2 of us if we eat it with veggies, or enough for 2 + some leftovers with pita bread. DF is a big eater though so it may last you a lot longer.