Lager Molasses Steak Sauce

Beef is not permitted for the first year of the Swank Diet but after that 4 oz per week is allowed if it is lean and well trimmed.  But steak sauce is so good on many things like eggs, chicken, salmon, stews, soups and it would be great on the Engine 2 Meatloaf recipe on this blog.  This sauce is one of the best I have tried.  

Makes 2  1/2 cups

Keeps in the fridge a few weeks

Ingredients:

·         1 tbsp (15 ml) dry mustard powder (such as Keens)

·         2 tsp (10 ml) cold water

·         1 tbsp olive oil

·         1 medium onion, finely diced

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         2 cups (500 ml)  ketchup

·         3/4 cup (175 ml) lager beer

·         1/2 cup (125 ml) molasses

·         1/2 cup (125 ml) apple cider vinegar

·         1/4 cup (60 ml) brown sugar, packed

·         2 tbsp  (30 ml) Worcestershire sauce

·         1 tbsp (15 ml) Dijon mustard

·         1 tbsp (15 ml) cayenne

·         1 tbsp (15 ml) smoked paprika

Directions

In a small bowl, stir together mustard powder and water until smooth.  Set aside

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil and onion.  Cook stirring until softened but not browned 5 - 7 minutes.  Add garlicand cook stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Whish in remaining ingredients, including prepared mustard.  Increase heat to medium- high and bring to a boil, whisking constantly.

Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until sauce has reduced to about 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) 50 - 60 minutes.  Reduce heat and stir more often toward the end of coking time to prevent sauce from scorching. 

Remove saucepan from heat and let sauce cool to room temperature.

Home-made Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup

Makes about 16 ounces (2 cups)

Like Hersheys chocolate syrup but without the chemicals and high fructose corn syrup.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dash salt

Directions:

1. In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the cocoa powder, water, sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix with a whisk until smooth.
2. Stir constantly with a whisk or a wooden spoon until it boils.
3. Allow it to boil for 1-2 minutes.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Add vanilla.
6. Syrup will be very thin. Allow to cool completely and it will thicken to about the same consistency as Hershey’s syrup.

Store the syrup in a mason jar or any other container. It will keep for several weeks in the fridge.

Original Recipe at Babysavers.com

Pumpkin Brown Sugar Cashew Biscotti

M-m-m, cookies! These are on my list to bake for Christmas this year.  I found this recipe at Whole Foods website. Their nutritional count says 0 grams saturated fat per cookie but there are 2 eggs in the recipe. I ran the recipe through my nutrition calculator and it came out the same. Maybe 2 eggs spread over 36 cookies works out to be only a trace of sat fat. Just to be safe, count it as 0.5 gram sat fat per cookie.

Ingredients:

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup pumpkin purée

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup raw cashews, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, pumpkin, vanilla and eggs until well combined. In a second bowl, whisk together flour, cashews, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and salt. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture and stir until just combined.   

Using slightly damp hands, shape dough into 3 (6x2 1/2-inch) logs and arrange on a large, parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, spacing them a few inches apart. (This will result in medium-size biscotti. For smaller cookies, shape into 8x2-inch logs.) Bake until just firm and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Set aside to let cool for 10 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 300°F.   

Using a serrated knife, cut each log crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange on 2 large, parchment-paper-lined baking sheets and bake, rotating the baking sheets and flipping biscotti every 10 minutes or so, until dried out and just crisp, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely, and then serve. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 36 biscotti
Amount Per Biscotti
calories 62
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 1 g	1 %
Saturated Fat 0 g	1 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g

Original Recipe at Whole Foods

Turkey, Avocado, and Hummus Roll Ups

No bread or wrap, the turkey is the wrap!

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 1-2 slices of turkey
• 2 slices of avocado
• 1 tablespoon hummus

Instructions

1. Lay the turkey out flat. If using 2 slices then lay slices onto one another.
2. Spread hummus on top of the turkey. Add the avocado and roll up.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 roll up Calories: 100 Fat: 6 Carbohydrates: 6 WW Points +: 3 Fiber: 3Protein: 8

Original Recipe: Organize Yourself Skinny

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 4-oz uncooked Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, trimmed of any visible fat
• ¼ cup Honey (local if possible)
• ¼ cup Mustard (preferably stone ground)
• 1 tablespoon Parsley, fresh chopped
• 1 tablespoon Dried Basil
• 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• 1 tablespoon fresh Lemon Juice
• Sea Salt & Pepper, to taste
• Mrs Dash Extra Spicy Seasoning Blend (Optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit.
Rinse and pat dry chicken breasts and place in a large glass dish. Season them with sea salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken. Flip each one over a few times to coat it well.
Cook for 45-50 minutes, turning and basting them half way through.
Note: Make sure the chicken breasts are fully cooked by inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast to assure an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, slice into the thickest part of the breast to assure there is no pink.
Nutrition Information
Serves: 4  |  Serving Size: approx. 4 ounces of cooked chicken breast
Per serving: Calories: 282; Total Fat: 5g; Saturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 98mg; Sodium: 295mg; Carbohydrate: 19g; Dietary Fiber: 1g; Sugar: 18g; Protein: 39g
Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 61mg; Vitamin A: 8%; Vitamin C: 7%; Iron: 11%; Calcium: 4%

Original Recipe: My Fitness Pal

Peppermint Meringue Cookies

Makes 56 very small cookies

Ingredients 

2 egg whites

1/8 teaspoon cider vinegar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup white sugar

3 peppermint candy canes, finely crushed

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
2. In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites, vinegar and salt to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar while continuing to whip until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Fold in 1/3 of the crushed candy canes, reserving the rest. 
3. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls, one inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheets, or use a piping bag.  Sprinkle remaining crushed candy canes over the top.
4. Bake for 90 minutes in the preheated oven, or until dry. Cool on baking sheets.

Notes:

1. Be careful, they will brown if the oven is too hot. 
2. A plain cookie is easy to make too. Substitute 1/2 teaspoon vanilla for all of the crushed peppermint. Or experiment with other additions like finely chopped walnuts.
3. Pipe them on to the cookie tray with a large star tip and they make pretty cookies.

Original Recipe:All Recipes

Low Fat Chicken Cacciatore

The original recipe from Giada De  Laurentiis received excellent ratings. This one is a healthier version of Giada's and its delicious, easy and Swank friendly. 

Ingredients:

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste (about 1 teaspoon)

1/2 cup all purpose flour

3 tablespoons of olive oil 

1 large bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3/4 cup dry white wine

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice

3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

3 tbsp drained capers

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped coarsely 

Directions:

1. Mix flour, salt and pepper together. Then, dredge the chicken lightly in the flour. 
2. In a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook until brown, about 5 minutes per side then set the chicken aside on a plate. 
3. Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic to the pan.  Add a little oil to the pan if necessary.  Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Check seasoning, add more if needed.
4. Add the wine to the pot and cook it until it reduces by half, about 3 to 5 minutes. 
5. Add the tomatoes with their juice, capers, chicken broth, and oregano. 
6. Return the chicken to the pan and cover with the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook the chicken for about 20-30 minutes.  Once the chicken is cooked through, remove the chicken with tongs and place on a platter.  
7. If necessary, cook the sauce longer to thicken it. Pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with basil. 
8. Serve on a bed of whole wheat spaghetti

Nutrition Facts
Servings 6.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 280
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 12 g	18 %
Saturated Fat 2 g	11 %
Monounsaturated Fat 5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %

Tangy Apple Fennel Slaw

Prep Time  15 min  | Total Time  15 min
Servings  6

Ingredients

3 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced
1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced
1/4  cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon cream-style prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1/4  teaspoon salt
1/8  teaspoon pepper
Lemon peel strips, if desired

Directions

1. In large bowl, place apples and fennel.
2. In small bowl, mix lemon juice, horseradish, oil, honey, salt and pepper until blended. Pour over apples and fennel; toss to coat. Garnish with lemon peel.

Tips

Add chives, parsley, mint or basil for extra color and freshness.This slaw can sit in the refrigerator up to 1 hour before serving. Make sure you cover it tightly.

Recipe Source: Betty Crocker