Meal Favorites - A Continually Updated List

Follow the links to use recipes I found elsewhere.

APPETIZERs & SIDES

• Stuffed Mushrooms - remove caps and fill with a mixture of cheese, spinach, red wine vinegar, garlic and onion. Bake 20 minutes at 325 degrees.
• Faux Potato Salad - not a perfect replacement, but a delicious alternative.
• Egg Rolls - I think they're better than the original.
  
• Southwestern Egg Rolls - an excellent choice for Mexican cravings.
• Jalapeno Poppers - simply clean out the shells of jalapeno peppers, fill with fat-free cream cheese and bake or grill. So delicious, they don't even need to be breaded.
  
• Shrimp or Crab Cocktail - simply choose a "diet" or "low carb" cocktail sauce, or make your own here.
• Mussels, Oysters or Clams - eat them on the half-shell with horseradish, or lightly saute with Smart Balance, olive oil and lemon juice and place back in the shells for presentation.
• Egg Quiches- simply pour eggs or egg substitute into muffin cups, add chopped veggies and low-fat shredded cheese, and bake.
  

SOUPS & SALADS

• Seafood and Greens Salad - fill up a bowl of romaine lettuce, mushrooms, celery, or pretty much any veggie of your choice (see this list for SBD veggies.) Add canned tuna or salmon, shellfish or baked fish filets (I love tilapia) and dress it up with Newman's Own Lighten Up! Ceasar Dressing.
• Yum Nua - a delicious, flavorful and spicy Thai salad with sliced beef and lime dressing.
• New England Clam Chowder - the key is to skip the potatoes and thickening starches.
  
• Phase 1 Chili - add spices to your own taste.
• Cream of Cauliflower Soup - add pork or bacon for an extra kick.
• Seafood Gumbo - you won't even miss the flour.
  

MEALS

• German Delight - chicken sausage with sauerkraut and spicy stone ground mustard.
• Braised Beef - take very, very lean (usually the toughest) cuts of meat, marinade and braise in oyster sauce, lemon juice, low-sodium soy sauce and spices. Delicious alone or stir-fried with vegetables.
• Thai Peanut Chicken - kills the cravings for sweet, saucy foods without wrecking your diet.
• Meatballs and Gravy - use the recipe but substitute extra-lean ground beef, chicken or turkey. Replace the flour with 1/4 cup ground Fiber One cereal. Instead of using heavy cream and drippings for gravy, boil water and add a packet of powdered gravy (I like a combo of Mushroom Gravy and Country Sausage Gravy.)
• Chicken Parmesan - breaded with Fiber One cereal and topped with low-fat cheese.
• St. Patty's Special - cook beef brisket in a crockpot with beef broth and cabbage.
• Mustard Cream Pork & Sprouts - toss cubed pork tenderloin with cajun seasoning and saute in olive oil. Boil sprouts until tender. Heat 2 tbs butter & Dijon mustard, 1/2 cup half & half, thyme and salt and toss with sprouts and pork.
• Mushroom Chicken - bake chicken breasts until halfway done in a casserole dish. Saute chopped mushrooms in Pam and add 1 can of Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom soup with 2 parts water, 1 part sour cream and a dollop of fat-free cream cheese. Add to casserole dish and top with fat-free shredded Italian cheeses. Bake until done.
• Tuscan Chicken - a flavorful Italian dish with tomatoes and chickpeas.
  
• Lemon Chicken or Pork - a sweet replacement for the Chinese favorite.
• Italian Spaghetti Squash - just add baked or grilled meat of your choice.
• Chickpea Mushroom Curry - eat with chicken or lamb for a delicious meal.