Joel’s Black Bean Confetti Salad

This healthy salad goes well with an outdoor barbecue or a formal dinner. It is served cold and has black beans, multicolored bell peppers, red onions, and yellow corn in fat-free lime vinaigrette. A generous one cup serving has 97.63 calories, 5.86 g protein, 20.19 g carbohydrates, 4.75 g fiber, .32 g fat, and 81.82 mg sodium.

Ingredients

1 cup dried black beans
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 medium red onion, diced (I have used half red and half Vidalia onion)
1 large bell pepper’s worth of green, red, and orange peppers, diced
1 cup corn kernels (I undercook frozen corn, chill and add to salad)
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 lime, juiced
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
White pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste

Rinse and clean the beans in a colander with cold water. Cover the beans with cold water and soak overnight or at least 4 hours. Drain, rinse, and return the beans to a pot with bay leaf, ground black pepper, cumin, coriander, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Add 8 cups of water and bring to a boil, simmer until the beans are tender but not falling apart, about 1-1 1/2 hours.

Drain the beans, remove the garlic and bay leaf, and rinse under cold water until chilled. In a large bowl, add the onion, peppers, and corn, to the black beans. Spray lightly with olive oil spray and toss gently. Add the lime juice and seasonings and mix again. Refrigerate before serving to allow the flavors to blend, at least 30-60 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings before serving. This recipe makes six generous one cup servings or 8 three-quarter cup servings.

Here is my recap for yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-5/5/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1281.83	90.16 g	166.4 g	939.37 mg	21.92 g	15.39%

Baked Salmon in Dill Sauce on a Bed of Steamed Spinach

Tonight's dinner was a nice salmon filet baked in a mild dill sauce. Preparation was quick and easy and the result was impressive as well as being healthy.

Ingredients

2 filets wild salmon 4 oz. each
12 C raw spinach

Sauce
1/4 C non-fat sour cream
1/2 t. dill
1/2 lemon juiced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make the sauce by combining 1/4 C non-fat sour cream, about 1/2 t. dried dill, and the juice of 1/2 lemon. Set this aside in the refrigerator so the flavors can blend while rinsing and drying the salmon filets, about 4 ounces each. Wash about 12 cups of spinach and put them in a microwave safe bowl, covered.

Spray an ovenproof container with olive oil spray and spoon in enough sauce to cover the bottom. Place the salmon filets in the container, spoon more sauce over the filets, and put the container in the oven for fifteen minutes. While the salmon is baking, microwave the spinach on high for three minutes. Placed 1/3 of the cooked spinach, about four cups raw, onto each plate and top it with a salmon filet. Sprinkled each salmon filet with paprika and serve with remaining sauce on the side.

This entree' contains 136 calories, 23 g protein, 8.5 g carbohydrates, 4.17 g fat, and 151.25 mg sodium. As pictured with 2/3 C steamed corn, and two corn tortillas, warmed in the oven, the meal contains 286 calories, 28.08 g protein, 49.04 g carbohydrates, 5.33 g fat, 246.5 mg sodium.

Here is my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-5/2/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1121.5	57.42 g	180.76 g	906.25 mg	16.56 g	11.29%

Baked Sweet Potato, Roasted Squash and Mushrooms

Tonight I had a real hunger for vegetables and really had a nice assortment. I only had a small portion (3 oz.) of meat, roast pork, so I had plenty of room for veggies. I baked a sweet potato in the microwave and, and roasted 2 large mushrooms cut in half and a nice yellow straightneck summer squash. Preparation of the mushrooms was easy as I chose not to use any seasonings at all. I cut the mushrooms in half, and the squash in chunks and put them in an oven proof bowl. I gave them a light once over with olive oil pan spray and put them in the oven at 425°. I stirred them every 7-8 minutes and they were finished in about 15. I loved the earthy taste of the mushrooms and the slightly sweet and soft/crunchiness of the squash. I am grateful to be able to taste these subtle flavors without additional seasoning because I have cleared my taste buds of salt. There is nothing in these vegetables to hurt my diet as they have only 57 calories, 2.44 g protein, 11.68 g carbohydrates, 5.3 g fiber, .74 g fat, and only 7 mg sodium.

Sweet Potatoes

Sometimes when I eat baked sweet potato, I sprinkle it with ButterBuds, cinnamon, and/or nutmeg. Tonight I ate it unadorned and it was delicious. Baking sweet potatoes is a great way to add flavor to a low sodium diet. When I first started, I ate them almost every night. A whole cup of sweet potato baked this way has 180 calories, 6.6 grams of fiber, negligible fat and only 72 mg sodium. The glycemic index of sweet potatoes is lower than any form of white potato, coming in at 77. It is also high in vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin B6. According to Wikipedia, “the Center for Science in the Public Interest compared the nutritional value of sweet potatoes to other vegetables. Considering fiber content, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium, the sweet potato ranked highest in nutritional value. According to these criteria, sweet potatoes earned 184 points, 100 points over the next on the list, the common potato”. Also, 2/3 cups of sweet potatoes contain 100% of the Recommended Daily Allowance for vitamin E without the fat of other sources. It is also very low in sodium.

Here is my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-4/4//2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1374.67	77.42 g	232.25 g	1442.67 mg	18.25 g	11.95%

General Tso’s Tofu, and Roasted Turnips, Onions, and Garlic

Today I am going to share a couple of recipes that turned out really well. I’ll finish the diet secrets tomorrow.

General Tso’s Tofu

This recipe is based on a similar recipe from VegWeb. I made some changes to lower the calories, substituted a few ingredients (not strictly vegan), and was thoroughly happy with the delicious result. This recipe has lots of flavor and a delicious sauce. The next time I make it I will add some pineapple making it more of a traditional sweet-sour dish.

Ingredients

1 box of firm tofu (I used NaySoya Lite Firm Tofu)
6 T cornstarch (reserve 1 T to thicken sauce)
3 chopped green onions (with green parts too)
1 T grated ginger
1 T pressed garlic
10.5 oz. very low sodium chicken broth (for vegan version, use vegetable broth)
1 T low sodium soy sauce
5 T sugar (or other sweetener)
2 T white wine vinegar
1 red bell pepper coarsely chopped
red pepper to taste

Steamed broccoli (to serve with the main dish)

I prepared the tofu by freezing it overnight (this optional step gives it a chewier texture), let it defrost, and pressed the water out of it between two plastic cutting boards with a weight on top for 30 minutes. I cut the tofu loaf in half from the top and then into eight slices, I cut those slices into four pieces (essentially cubes) making 32 pieces. I put 5 tablespoons of the cornstarch in a press-to-close plastic bag and added the tofu cubes in batches, shaking to coat.

I then sprayed a skillet with olive oil pan spray, heated to medium low, and added the tofu. When one face of the cubes was golden brown, I turned the cubes so eventually all side of the tofu were a golden brown. In another skillet, also sprayed with olive oil pan spray, I tossed the green onions, garlic, ginger, and red bell pepper over medium heat for two minutes and set it aside.

I added the chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper, and vinegar to the vegetables. I mixed ¼ C water with 1 T cornstarch and added it stirring well. While the sauce was thickening, I added the browned tofu. I served it with the broccoli over brown rice. Serves 4.

One-fourth recipe (about 8 cubes with sauce) has 174.15 calories, 10.6 g protein, 18.7 g carbohydrates, 2.07 g fat, and 213.46 mg sodium.

Roasted Turnips, Onions, and Garlic

I know of few vegetables that aren’t enhanced by roasting. It seems to enhance their natural flavors. Roasting, and the vinegar, brings out the natural sweetness of the turnips and onions. Accompanied by the onions and garlic, it becomes a robust side dish. I served it with the tofu dish, and found that both recipes reheat well and made a great lunch reheated in the microwave at school. The aroma when it was reheating brought lots of positive comments so you might want to take enough to share. The proportions aren’t critical so you can use what you have on hand. Serves 4.

Ingredients

3 medium turnips peeled and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 medium head garlic
3 small sweet onions cut into wedges
1 t. poultry seasoning
4 T white or balsamic vinegar
ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add turnips, onions, poultry seasoning, and vinegar to a roasting pan and stir to distribute the vinegar and spices. Add the garlic head whole, or if you prefer, simmer the garlic for 7 minutes in water, peel, and add the garlic cloves whole. Roast for about 45 minutes stirring three times and increase the temperature to 425 degrees. Bury the whole garlic head under the vegetables or add the previously prepared garlic and roast until the vegetables are nicely browned. Finish by grinding black pepper to taste, and serve hot.

This dish contains 105.25 calories, 3.3 g protein, 24.26 g carbohydrates, .31 g fat, and 77.75 mg sodium per serving.

When these two dishes are served together with the broccoli, they make a veritable feast that is low-sodium, low-calorie, and very low fat.

Here is my recap for the lst two days.

Daily Dietary Recap-4/1//2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1104	63.10 g	154.11 g	850.53 mg	14.05 g	11.45%

Daily Dietary Recap-4/2//2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1346.98	68.4 g	223.26 g	1022.74 mg	14.78 g	9.86%

Summer Squash: How Sweet It Is

Tonight I pigged out on yellow straightneck summer squash. We are starting to get some really nice fresh vegetables in and I love squash. I usually cook it with butter, onions, some Italian seasoning, and garlic salt. With the remodeled recipe, two cups carried only 49 calories, 2.44 g protein, 10.52 g carbohydrates, .62 g fat, and 5 mg sodium.

Ingredients

1 Yellow Summer Squash (about 2 cups sliced 3/8" thin)
Olive Oil Pan Spray
3 T Rice Wine Vinegar
Onion Powder to taste
Poultry seasoning to taste
Ground Black Pepper to taste

I sprayed a skillet with olive oil pan spray, heated it to medium heat, and put in the sliced squash. I sprinkled the squash with poultry seasoning and onion powder. I sprayed the squash with a little more olive oil spray and turned the squash until it was tender crisp. I then splashed the skillet with rice wine vinegar and stirred until the vinegar evaporated. Just before serving, I gave the squash a few turns of freshly ground black pepper.

The result was a sweet fragrant delight with some of the squash softer and some of it still crisp. Who says you have to have fat and salt to have flavor?

By the way, I weighed in at the fitness center today and my cumulative weight loss since January 3 is 32 pounds.

Here is my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-3/27/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1185.3	67.18 g	197.15 g	900.98 mg	18.78 g	14.24%