Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Thinny Mini 'Meatless loafs'

'Thinny' Mini Meatless Loafs'












Ingredients
1 can black beans drained, (not rinsed)
1 bag faux meat crumbles (I used Morningstar)
1 Tbsp ketchup
2 eggs
1 onion coarsely diced
10 button mushrooms coarsely diced
*1 Tbsp flax seed blended, then mixed with a little bit water to form a paste (this adds more fiber and acts as a binder) instead of using another egg-but a third egg would be a fine substitute.  if vegan, you could probably just use flax and no egg, but I haven't tried that, so do so at your own risk. ;)
1 Tbsp canola oil.
3 cloves garlic chopped
generous amount of garlic powder
generous amount onion powder
liberal with the paprika
salt & pepper (couple shakes of each)


*SERVES 4

Step 1
preheat oven for 15 minutes at 400 degrees

Step 2
Drain your beans, and mush them up by hand (clean hands), it will look a bit watery, but thats ok, add your faux meat crumbles (frozen) and the rest of the above ingredients in a big bowl, mix this up very well, it will be REALLY cold cause the crumbles are frozen, I had to keep taking a break and running my hands under warm water lol.

Step 3
Get your baking sheet and line it with foil and then give it a good spay with mist oil(baking spray)

Step 4
Take your mixture and make it into one big ball patty type thing, then take the pinky side of your hand and cut it into fours,(or use a knife) take each section and mold it to a meatloaf shape, they don't really bind thickly together, but once cooked they stay together, put all 4 on baking sheet, pop them in the oven and cook for 30 minutes!

PRE-ovenAfter 30 minutes, take them out and let them cool down for about 10 minutes, take a thin spatula and carefully plate them! You can top with a little bit of ketchup spread with a spoon, or BBQ sauce.


Cooked, and ready to eat..just wanted to show you the inside!

Finito! serve with mashed potatoes, veggies, corn, salad, whatever you like! If you have any left overs, have a meatless sandwich for lunch! You could even use this mixture for meatballs! But for the meatballs, I would add in some italian herbs, like oregano! ;)


I have tried many "meat"less meatloaf recipes in my day, and they are usually a disaster, but, EUREKA! I  have finally got it!


Or for an extra hearty meal, follow my 'Thinny fries' recipe!!






Mangia!

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Holistic Gals Thinny 'Fries'

Holistic Gals Thinny 'Fries'


Ahhhh, fries! You'll be hard pressed to find someone who dislikes these crispy little spuds! Undoubtedly one of my favorite foods, for sure! Reminiscent of youth, and all things that were simple and joyful.  However, I now enjoy them baked and not fried, I actually think they taste better without the copious injection of lard. I'm positive that I certainly am not the only one, nor the first, and certainly not the last to put up a recipe of a healthy french 'fry'... but, I digress, and still want to share my simple method, hope you enjoy it as much as I do!


Things you'll need
Preheated oven at 450 degrees (15 minutes is good)
Nonstick Baking sheet and/or a piece of foil
Ziplock bag (or similar type bag) or a bowl
2 Potatoes
Few generous shakes of dried Thyme & Oregano
Few generous shakes of Garlic powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
Few shakes of Paprika
3-4 Tbsp Olive oil
(If you have a favorite herb that you want to add and think it would be a nice addition, go for it!-Rosemary or a bit of sage would probably be great!)


*Serves 2








Step 1;
Take your potatoes (washed and patted dry) and slice them in half length wise, then keep slicing them length wise till it looks like the above photograph! 

Step 2;
Take your ziplock bag (or bowl) and throw the potatoes in there, then add all other ingredients. Take that bag and give it a real good shake and feel it up! I mean make sure every nook and cranny has been evenly coated with the oil and herb goodness!

Pre-Oven

Step 3;
Grab your baking sheet and lay it with foil, spray the foil with an oil mister or baking spray, not a lot,  just enough to ensure the potatoes won't stick. 

Lay your potato slices on the foil and pop those babies in the oven! After the first 15 minutes, flip them and let them cook for an additional 15 minutes,  after that if you want them even crunchier, let it cook for another 5 minutes, then take them out!

Ready to serve!


























I Paired this with my 'Thinny aioli', granted it doesn't really taste like the fat filled mayo version, it has more of a tang cause I used greek yogurt, but It's great anyways! and if your a garlic lover, like myself, this is for you, if not...pass on the 'aioli' and stick with the good old stand by,  Ketchup.  Or whatever else you like. 


The simple 'Thinny aioli'
3 heaping Tbsp of Greek yogurt, 1 or 2 garlic (2 if your really like that intense flavor)cloves minced then mash it some more till it forms a paste with your knife, then add it to the yogurt,  a drizzle of Olive oil, few dashes of salt, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, mix that all up well, then put it in the fridge for at least 40 minutes. Garnish with
dried Oregano if desired.


Mangia!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Holistic Gals "Thinny Pizza"

I use the word "Thinny" cause I think skinny is overly-used. Although I don't think thinny is an actual word, but I like it!
Fresh out of the oven!
The other day I was craving a slice of pizza, but didn't want to sacrifice the calories for it, so I ransacked my kitchen and made a fillo dough mushroom pizza! Easy,healthy, and really good!!  I did use 1 cup of low fat mozzarella but that can be easily omitted to make this vegan, and even less calories. This is one of those dishes that really has endless flavor combinations, Next time I make it, I think I will just use oil and garlic and make it a veggie herb type of pie, again, experiment with your favorite toppings, possibilities are endless with this one, just keep in mind if you start adding meat and more cheese the calories will shoot up! What makes this a "Thinny pizza" is the use of fillo dough, these paper thin sheets are very low in calories and fat, if you have never worked with this simple dough before, I find you will be delighted in how yummy and low cal it is! Not hard to work with at all, and inexpensive!


Only 16 Weight Watcher points for the whole pie! (that's on the old point system) thats 2.6 points(rounded to 3 points per slice!) Don't let this pie deceive you, it is filling!




              Ingredients
  • 7-10 sheets of fillo dough 
  • (don't open till ready to use, and store in the fridge so it's already thawed when needed)
  • 1 package of button or baby portebello mushrooms sliced
  • 1 large onion (sliced, fried in a tbsp oil)
  • 2 garlic cloves(sliced)
  • Olive oil in a mister, or cooking spray.
  • 5-6 cherry tomatos (quartered)
  • oregano,thyme (dry)
  • 1 cup low fat shredded mozzarella cheese
  • plain tomato sauce, about 8 tbsps.
  • 2 Tbsp parmigiano cheese(grated, optional)
  • few dashes of salt,(optional)



Start by washing, and slicing your mushrooms Or buy the pre-sliced mushrooms to save time,  slice your onion, and thinly slice your garlic.Heat up a skillet with 1 tbsp of oil, once hot, throw the onions in and cook till browned on the edges, Get your baking sheet, put down one sheet of foil, spray with your mist oil,  and generously sprinkle oregano and thyme on the foil. Start laying your fillo sheets, lay the first one, then spray with the oil mist, continue till you get to the top layer.




Pre-oven
Top layer; add about 8 tbsps of sauce spread evenly, top with sliced garlic, spread them as evenly as you can, then top with the onions, then the mushrooms, then the cheese, add your quartered tomatoes, sprinkle again with oregano and thyme, top with the grated parmesan cheese. then slightly roll the sides to form a "crust", pop it in a preheated 425 degree oven, cook till crispy and cheese is slightly browned....cool, slice and serve with a salad, or enjoy it as is!  (About 40 minutes in the oven) just check on it.

Ready to serve!








Mangia!


*I will post another variation soon*


I would love to hear your variation,  or thoughts on this recipe, please feel free to leave a comment!