Hi!
Did you know that .....if you use the "thread tools" function, that you can "subscribe" to a thread without posting to it?

And while I'm here, if anyone has any questions, please ask them in the forum itself, not in this thread. Thank you!!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies (Phase 2)

Description
Who would believe you can get such a delectable cookie out of such a simple recipe and with so few ingredients? (And that’s right, there’s no flour!) The not-too-sweet, deep nutty flavor — topped with a touch of fruit — is perfect for kids young and old. These cookies are so good that I need to remind you to limit yourself to one serving!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 14 minutes

Serves 12

Ingredients
3/4 cup granular sugar substitute
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup creamy trans-fat-free peanut butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar-free jam, any flavor

Instructions
Heat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix sugar substitute, egg, and vanilla together with an electric mixer on low for 3 minutes. Add peanut butter and baking soda. Mix on medium until dough comes together, about 30 seconds.

Form dough into 24 (2-teaspoon) balls and place on baking sheet 1" apart. Gently press your thumb into the center of each to make an indentation. Fill each indentation with 1/2 teaspoon jam.

Bake until lightly browned on the bottom, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutritional information
Per 2-piece serving:
140 calories
11 g total fat (2.5 g sat)
7 g carbohydrate
6 g protein
1 g dietary fiber
210 mg sodium
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SBD- Daily Dish 11/11/09
A Satisfying Barley Dish
You already know that whole-grain foods like brown rice and whole-wheat bread and pasta are essential to a healthy diet, but if you’re eating the same ones time and again you could feel like you’re in a food rut. Why not try barley instead? This one-pot dish is a perfect addition to a comforting dinner and can be made in advance to accommodate a busy schedule.

Barley Risotto With Spinach and Parmesan (Phase 2)

Description
This warm and wonderful dish will help fill you up and boost your fiber intake.

Serves 4—6

Ingredients
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3/4 cup barley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, divided
1 package (10 oz) frozen spinach, thawed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
Warm oil in large, heavy nonstick saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion; cook 4 minutes, stirring. Add barley and thyme; stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of the broth; bring to a simmer. Cook 10 minutes, stirring often.

Stir in remaining 3 cups broth. Cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add spinach, breaking up chunks with a wooden spoon. Cook 5 to 8 minutes, until warmed through and barley is tender yet chewy. Serve hot, garnished with cheese.

Nutritional information
Per serving:
180 calories
4 g fat (1 g sat)
26 g carbohydrate
11 g protein
661 mg sodium
4 mg cholesterol

This is from Lynn's blog....Its a good recipe as it would fit into phase I if you leave out the carrots and beyond if you don't. I'm going to try this one.

SBD Daily Dish 12/27/09
A Warming Winter Soup
It’s cold outside! And as the temperature drops, you’ll want to cuddle up inside with this tasty, warming winter soup. Chock-full of healthy ingredients and easy to prepare, this savory soup is sure to warm you up on a chilly winter day.

White Bean Soup With Greens (Phase 1)

Description
This southern Italian soup features white beans and healthy dark greens. Choose from great northern beans, cannellini beans, or any other white bean you happen to have on hand.

Serves 6

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds Swiss chard, escarole, or beet greens, trimmed
6 cups chicken broth
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup cooked white beans
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Red-pepper flakes, for garnish

Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the greens — it is not necessary to cut them, because they will break apart while they cook in the soup — and cook for 7 minutes, or until barely tender. Drain the greens, squeezing out as much water as possible. (This can be done several hours before cooking in the soup.)

Bring the broth to a simmer in large pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and greens. If using canned white beans, place them in a strainer and rinse them under cold running water to remove excess sodium. Add the beans to the broth. Simmer gently, partially covered, for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper to taste. (Do not add salt before the soup has finished cooking, or it may become too salty.)

Ladle the soup into heated bowls. Pass the cheese and pepper flakes at the table.

Nutritional information
Per serving:
79 calories
2 g fat (1 g sat)
12 g carbohydrate
6 g protein
4 g dietary fiber
1,008 mg sodium
0 mg cholesterol

WoW! What a great collection of recipes. Thanks everyone!

Your welcome....and Welcome!!

Eggplant Stacks


Ingredients:

Marinade:
◦1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
◦3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
◦1 large garlic clove, pushed through a press
◦1 teaspoon dried oregano
◦1/2 teaspoon salt
◦1/2 teaspoon pepper
◦8 half-inch-thick slices eggplant
Pesto:
◦1 cup packed basil leaves
◦1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
◦1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or pumpkin seeds
◦1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
◦1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
◦1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
◦1/2 teaspoon salt
◦1/8 teaspoon pepper
Also:
◦1 large tomato, cut into 12 very thin slices
◦4 ounces reduced fat fresh mozzarella, cut into 8 thin slices
Directions:

Combine marinade ingredients in a large bowl, add eggplant, toss well, and let stand 1 hour, turning eggplant occasionally.In a food processor, blend all pesto ingredients until a smooth paste forms. Transfer to bowl and cover entire surface with plastic wrap.Combine oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a pie plate; add tomato and turn to coat. To assemble stack: Arrange 3 tomato slices so they overlap in the center. Top with 1 eggplant slice and spread 1/2 tablespoon pesto over eggplant. Top with 1 mozzarella slice. Add another layer of eggplant, pesto, and cheese. Drizzle any extra tomato juices around each stack.
Net Carbs: 7.5 grams

Fiber: 3.5 grams

Protein: 10.5 grams

Fat: 30.0 grams

Calories: 347

Recipe Information:
Makes: 4 servings
Prep Time: 0:19:00
Marinate Time: 1:00:00
Cook Time: 0:10:00
Cool Time: 0:00:00

these look good and are actually an Atkins recipe, just be sure to use reduced fat cheese to make it SBD friendly.

Somehow, I'm missing the cooking instructions in that recipe, even though you say it takes 10 minutes to cook.

I buy eggplant (and most of my vegetables) in the discount bin at the supermarket. Just yesterday, I cut the eggplant (peeled) in thick slices, baked them (naked!) and then cooked them in some homemade plain tomato sauce. After they had cooked to the point of being much softer, I used a stick blender to mix them up in the sauce to make it chunky. Prepared some crumbly tofu (cutting in small pieces and baking at 350) which I then sauteed with onion and garlic in olive oil. Then I built layers of tofu and sauce in a casserole dish, poured eggbeaters mixed with shredded parmesan over it all. Topped with a few slices of mozzarella. Baked at 400. It puffed up like a stata, kind of souffle-ish.
It was really pretty good! Good enough to eat hot, like a souffle, but also good cold, spread on some no-sodium water crackers. Most important was making the tofu very garlicky and onion-y (even added garlic powder along with the fresh!) and using fresh basil leaves in the tomato sauce.
Eggplant parmesan it is not. But it is light and tasty!

I just checked and that was all the directions they gave...I'd bake it first too, like you did.
I've made a tasty eggplant parmigiana by roasting the slices of eggplant first then layering it with sauce and cheese and baking it a second time for 20 minutes ....

Hi Demi:
Your recipes look great! I am going to try the chicken cakes--love spicy Thai stuff. Getting ho-hum about grilled chicken breast all the time.
I discovered konnyaku--use it in noodle form in soups. Wonder if you can get it in your part of the world. Really versitile and 0 carb. I intrroduce it into all sorts of dishes--bland unless tarted up with spices.

Thanks for the great recipes,
Jiru

I found this on the web. I made it tonight. It's absolutely delicious. I used double the amount of onions.

Easy Spinach Casserole

This spinach casserole is easy to throw together. If you have certain spice mixtures or salad dressing seasonings that you like, feel free to add them. It's easy to adapt. One thing I like to do, depending on what I'm serving the casserole with, is add half a teaspoon of Chinese Five Spice Powder for a different twist.
Ingredients:
• 2 boxes frozen chopped spinach, 10 oz each
• ¼ chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 8-oz package cream cheese (fat free or low fat
• 1 cup lowfat shredded cheese (cheddar or a mixture is nice)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt or other spice mixture to taste
• 1-2 Tablespoon dry white wine if you have it around
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice if you don't have the wine
• 1 drop liquid sweetener or a pinch of a powder (just a small amount to balance flavors)
• 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350° F.

Defrost spinach in the boxes or in a 2-quart casserole dish.

Fry onion in the oil until it begins to soften.

Mix all ingredients except for the Parmesan cheese in the casserole dish. Sprinkle Parmesan on top.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean and cheese on top begins to brown.

Makes 8 servings.

Is there a way to sort these recipes? I NEED ( I said NEED!!!) to find a recipe for a SBD salad that will allow blu cheese or gorgonzola, walnuts and some sort of dried fruit ( my fave is dried cranberry but will replace if necessary). If this type of salad is permissible, I could eat it every single day. Please help??

Hi,
If you are following South Beach and have read the book and follow the food lists, blue cheese and gorgonzola are not cheeses that are your best choice and are actually cheeses that we are told to avoid.

BUT, if you "NEED" to eat this kind of salad and don't go crazy with large amounts of your chosen cheeses, go ahead and eat them.
You are not overweight so you should feel free to make these choices for yourself.
Walnuts and dried fruits are allowed.
Why not make your own recipe for this salad?

Hi, I thought maybe I can give you a few recipes from our national cuisine. Turkey is at the Mediterenean region and neighbours with Greece. So if you like Greek and Lebanese food you may like them. They are usually cooked with more olive oil or white rice instead of brown rice, or with more fatted ground beef or cheese. I converted them to more SBD friendly forms since I started my diet. I also wanted to put the photos of them but I still couldn't learn to insert images to mu texts

Stuffed peppers- for servings of 2

6 green bell peppers
1 tomato- finely diced
1 big onion- finely diced
6 coffee spoons of couscous/cracked wheat(bulgur) or cooked brown rice(put them in boiling water until they get a little bit softer)
0.6 pounds ground meat
1 clove of garlic- finely diced
1 regular spoon of dried mint or you may prefer fresh mint as much as you like
1/5 cup parsley- finely diced
black pepper, sodium reduced salt or himalayan salt
3 table spoons of olive oil
1/4 cup tomato sauce or tomato paste

Instructions
Remove the head of the bell peppers carefully. Keep them aside for later. Mix the diced tomatoes, onion, garlic,parsley,mint, spice, couscous/cracked wheat/cooked brown rice,ground meat, salt and 2 table spoons of olive oil all together in a bowl. then stuff your bell peppers with this mixture. do not stuff them all full, have some space on the top. then put the top of the peppers back on their places(if you don't like to cook them with their tops you may also put a piece of tomato instead). put the stuffed peppers in a stewpan/saucepan. Mix the tomato sauce/tomato paste with 2 cups of warm water and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Pour this mixture on the peppers. Close the top of the saucepan and cook it at low heat until the peppers and filling gets soft.(takes around 20miutes) I advice you to serve them with low fat yogurt but it's optional

Zucchini Boats- serving for 2

4 zucchinis- medium sized zucchini
1/2 cup of low fat low salt feta cheese or any low fat you prefer(choose a type suitable for heat and cooking)
2 cloves of garlic finely diced
spices(I prefer black pepper, chilli red pepper and oregano)
low sodium salt
2 table spoons of olive oil

Instructions
Peel the zucchinis. Put around 5-6 cups of water in a pot and put the zucchinis in it when it boils. take out the zucchinis when they are just a little bit softer.(Do not wait until they are fully cooked) Cut them into two. Take the middle parts of them with the help of a spoon into a plate. Mash them together with cheese, garlic, olive oil and spices. Then put this mixture back on your zucchinis. Preheat your oven to 320F and cook them about 15 minutes until the zucchinis are fully cooked.


Green beans cooked in mediterenean style- servings for 2-3

1pound of green beans(french beans)
2 medium sized tomatoes- finely diced
2 cloves of garlic as wholes
1 onion- chopped
3 table spoons of olive oil
1 small carrot(optional depending on your sbd phase)- diced in circles

Instructions
Peel the sides of the beans if you are not using already peeled frozen ones. Put your olive oil in a stewpan/saucepan and stir the onions and the carrots until the onions look more trasparent. Then put the rest of the ingredients in, add 1 cup of hot water. Close the top and cook it at low heat until the beans get soft and cooked.
Alternative: You can apply the same recipe with okra(gumbo), zucchini, too. Or you may add minced beef/meat cubes after the onions and carrots, stir until they look golden brown and then add the veggies for a meal with meat and veggies together.

Mousakka- servings for 3-4
3 Eggplants(aubergines)
2 tomatoes- diced
1 big onion- chopped
2 cloves of garlic- diced
1 green bell pepper- diced
1 red bell pepper/Chilli pepper/paprika
1 cup fresh parsley-diced
0.5-0.7 pounds of ground meat or 2 medium sized beef- minced
spices(I prefer oregano, bleck pepper, red pepper)
3 table spoons of olive oil
low sodium salt
1 coffee spoon of lemon juice

Instructions
Cut the top of the eggplants and slice them thickly(1 inch thick is ok) put them into a bowl of water with a pint of salt and 1 coffe spoon of lemon juice. Let them wait in it for about 10 minutes. It will extract any bitter taste of the eggplants. then soak and dry the eggplants. Put a non stick pan on your oven and roast their both sides at medium heat until they are golden brown. (Or you may prefer to roast them in the oven too.but you need to put some liquid oil on them if you don't want them to dry out. I sometimes roast them on our grill if we have BBQ and keep them in fridge for later on) If you feel like their tops were roasted brown but raw in the middle, lower the heat and put a lid on your pan until they get soft. Then place all of them on a pyrex/casserole pot as a layer.
Put the olive oil on a pan, cook the onions until they look more transparent. Then add peppers and garlic and stir 1 more minute until the peppers look paler and add ground meat. After stirring about 2-3 minutes add the tomatoes and the spices. Lower the heat when it boils and let it simmer for about 1 minute. Then pour this mixture on the eggplants as a layer. Pour 1 cup of hot water onto it and cook it 25-30 minutes in a preheated oven at medium temperature(320F) Serve it with the rest of the parsleys on top.