Conference turris::cooks

My summer food is low calorie and simple because I get lazy when it's hot.
For instance:

Rub chicken breasts with fresh lime juice and corriander, marinade for
30 minutes or so and charcoal broil.  Serve with lime wedges to brighten
the flavor.  Fresh grapefruit juice and cilantro works too.

Marinade lean beef steak in vermouth for approx. 30 minutes to 1 hour
and charcoal broil.  Tenderizing and no added calories - the alcohol
burns off - also low salt.  Don't cook lean meat past medium rare - it
will toughen up by the time you get to medium....well done is shoe
leather.

Make kabobs with meat or fish of choice, marinade for 1/2 hour to 2
hours in marinade below and charcoal broil.

In blender or food processor mix one onion with 1/2 cup lemon juice
and 1 cup dry white wine....blend to a puree mixture.  Add pepper
and garlic.  Marinade anything in this and then charcoal broil.

Instead of baked potato with sour cream, etc...peel and boil white or
red potatos until almost done.  place each potato on a piece of heavy
foil, sliced 1/4 inch thick, brushed with melted margarine and sprinkled
with fresh dill weed. Seal the foil packet and cook on grill while
broiling the chicken.  You can also use olive oil and baked garlic
to season this.

My version of Lite Ranch salad dressing:

1/2 cup reduced calorie Saffola mayonaise (no eggs - no cholesterol!)
1 and 1/2 cups low fat buttermilk
1 package regular hidden valley ranch dressing seasoning packet.
Mix together and add lots of fresh chopped chive and fresh chopped parsley.
Store in fridge for at least 1 hour to blend flavors.  You can also use
the "add milk" kind - use skim milk and same ratio as above.

Make a salad of pasta, fresh or frozen peas (blanched or cooked to a minimum),
lettuce chunks, tomato wedges, cucumber chunks, and shredded cooked chicken
breast meat and use the dressing above.  Serve with slices of melon and lots
of iced tea - and some sour dough bread brushed with olive oil and baked
garlic and browned under the broiler (you can season this with herbs).

for low calorie luxury, keep baked garlic around to season bread or meats
with before broiling them.  To bake garlic, wrap a whole bulb (unpeeled)
in foil and bake in low oven (250 degrees to 300 degrees maximum) for
approx 1 hour or more....until garlic bulb is soft to the touch.  Snip
the end off each clove and squeeze out the garlic puree into a small
jar.  Top the garlic puree with olive oil and store in fridge.  This stuff
is mild, sweet, and delicious - replaces much of the abuses of butter
in cooking.  Try it, you'll like it.

    I love the idea of the garlic in the oil!  How long can it keep
    in the fridge?
    

    Try DIRECTORY/KEYWORD=LOW_CALORIE .  You will find *LOTS* of low-cal
    dishes in this file.  In particular, there are some yummy Weight
    Watchers main dishes in note 402.
    
    Happy hunting!
    
    

    THANKS FOR THE REPLIES!  In response to .1, I'm going to try a
    few of your recipes tonight! I'll let you know how they come out
                                                 
    Maybe dieting won't be so bad afterall......
    
    Now, I'm going to check the the Low_calorie file that was suggested.
    
    	WHO HAS TIME FOR WORK, ANYWAY???
         

>    I love the idea of the garlic in the oil!  How long can it keep
>    in the fridge?
    
If you keep it covered with olive oil, it will last weeks.

    Here is a fairly low-cal, quick and very nutritious dinner that I 
    prepare for my husband and myself on hot summer eves....
    
    2 pieces of white fish filets. mine: 7 oz
                                   his : 9 oz
    Cod, scrod, haddock ... 
    
    1/2 cup white wine ( dry or table )
    1/4 cup lemon juice
    
    Season fish with pepper, paprika ( dash of cajun spice to make
    it interesting ) and garnish with scallion greens and fresh orange
    or lemon slices.
    Microwave on high for 8 + or - according to size, in low uncovered
    dish.
    
    serve with steamed asparagus or carrot srears placed on a bed of
    raw spinach.  Also arrange about 5 cucumber slices on plate between
    spinach bed and fish.  Serve. it not only looks like a cool low
    cal summer dish but it tastes great and is excellant for you!!!
    
    adding a tablespoon of butter to fish juice and using a bit of your
    favorite dressing on the cukes is a terrific enhancement for the
    not-so-concious dieter...I actually just cut out the fat to make
    this a low cal spot hitter..
    
    
    
    

    
     just to clean up a point about reply 1209.6....you use the wine
     and lemon juice to cook the fish in!! 
    
     also - a nice thing that went with that meal a time or two is
     about 5 slices of fresh bannana belive it or not.
    
     

    
          My wife and I enjoy steamed veggies or baked potatoes with
    the following low fat cheese sauce.
    
            1 packet of cheese food from a box of macaroni and cheese
    
            16 oz. Low-fat cottage cheese
    
          Place these two in a blender and puree until smooth. It tastes
    exactly like real cheese sauce and has no more calories than the
    cottage cheese had originally!
    
                                         Randy