Cold Asian Tofu Salad
Another recipe designed for vegetarians, but surprisingly popular with meat eaters, this salad can be mixed up from start to finish in less than five minutes and makes for a great side dish or main meal – especially on hot summer nights like this one. This recipe makes about two cups of salad, which I will usually serve on tender lettuce leaves. You can either eat the salad and the lettuce separate, cut them up into small pieces, or do what I like best which is to use the lettuce to make a low-calorie wrap-like sandwich. If you cannot find red pepper seasoned rice vinegar, you can use seasoned or plain rice vinegar and add hot peppers or additional cayenne pepper to taste. Roasted garlic seasoned rice vinegar also makes for a great dressing, and so does the addition of some roasted or fresh finely minced garlic. You should not toss together the salad in advance, but you can dice the tofu and mix the dressing ahead of time and just toss together quickly before serving. If you want to add some more vegetables, cucumbers, mushrooms, spinach, bean sprouts, and radishes are a few favorites – although almost any fresh, raw vegetable can work well. If you have the extra calories to work with, a tiny drizzle of toasted sesame oil makes for a nice touch. Likewise, to cut calories, you can omit the sesame seeds.
1 block of firm tofu (Nigari) (228 calories, 26.4 grams protein)
2 tablespoons red pepper seasoned rice wine vinegar (for testing we used Roland Crushed Red Pepper Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar (40 calories)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (16 calories, 2 grams protein)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
2 sliced scallions (10 calories, .6 grams protein)
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (or to taste)
Dash cayenne pepper
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 leaves of Boston or Bibb lettuce
1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (for testing we toasted Bob's Red Mill Sesame Seeds(23 calories, .8 grams protein)
Pat the tofu dry on paper towels, dice, and set aside. In a medium bowl whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, cilantro, ginger, and scallions until well-mixed. Taste and adjust the amount of salt, cayenne, and black pepper if needed. Add the tofu and toss well to coat with the dressing. Spoon the mixture into the lettuce leaf cups and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
Makes 4 ½ cup servings.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
317 calories, 29 grams protein total
79 calories, 7.25 grams protein per serving
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip
Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip
Someone mentioned last week that they missed chicken wing dip so I decided to experiment this week to see if I could work with my favorite recipe. It actually came out really, really good. I used cooked turkey when testing and used my "tastes just like chicken wings" cooking method. I cooked 3/4 pound turkey cutlets in non-stick cooking spray over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until well-browned, Once both sides are browned add a cup of water and simmer over medium heat until the water is all boiled off and the turkey is cooked through. Cool to room temperature and then shred finely, cutting each shred into smaller pieces (no longer than one inch). You can also use leftover cooked chicken or turkey from any other recipe as well. It divides well if you need to make a smaller amount, and can be microwaved rather than baked, especially if you want to make smaller batches rather than dip for a bunch. The cheese will not brown in the microwave, but the dip will taste the same otherwise. Traditionally the dip uses a bunch more shredded cheese, mixed in the dip and sprinkled on top, but no one could tell the difference without having any cheese mixed into the dip and with less cheese sprinkled on the top.
I started with the lower fat version I had switched out years ago for the extremely unhealthy original recipe for this popular dip and proceeded to make it even more bariatric friendly by upping the protein by substituting fat free Greek yogurt for the usual sour cream and increasing the amount of shredded chicken (which I shredded very finely) with the end result being a very tasty dip that with the addition of the chicken and increasing the amount of yogurt had the same consistency as the original recipe. I served it to a bunch of non-bariatric tasters and while they noticed that there was more chicken than normal no one guessed that it was low fat and high protein. Use the amount of ranch powder and hot sauce to your taste, and feel free to substitute fat free or regular shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterrey Jack, Mexican blend, etc. all would work just as well as the Colby Jack) or regular cream cheese for the reduced fat cream cheese. Do not substitute fat free cream cheese for the reduced fat cream cheese or else the dip will separate. This reheated well, but after sitting at room temperature for 20 minutes or so did start to separate a little bit, so if you need to keep it out longer for a party you might want to serve it in a small crockpot or chafing dish. You can use your typical dippers with this dip, but healthier alternatives are celery, cucumbers, or protein chips.
8 ounces softened reduced fat (Neufchatel) cream cheese (560 calories, 16 grams protein)
3/4 cup Frank's RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce (or your favorite hot sauce to taste) (60 calories)
6 ounces fat free plain Greek yogurt (90 calories, 15 grams protein)
1 tablespoon ranch dressing or dip powdered mix (or to taste)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey breast (480 calories, 48 grams protein)
1/2 cup shredded 2% reduced fat Colby Jack cheese (160 calories, 14 grams protein)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a pie plate or shallow casserole dish. In a medium bowl beat the cream cheese until soft and creamy. Add the hot sauce, yogurt, and ranch dressing powder and mix until well blended and smooth. Add the shredded chicken and mix until well blended. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pie plate and sprinkle with the cheese. Cover with foil and bake for fifteen minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned. Serve hot.
Makes 20 2-ounce servings. 1360 calories, 93 grams protein total
68 calories, 4.65 grams protein per serving.
Someone mentioned last week that they missed chicken wing dip so I decided to experiment this week to see if I could work with my favorite recipe. It actually came out really, really good. I used cooked turkey when testing and used my "tastes just like chicken wings" cooking method. I cooked 3/4 pound turkey cutlets in non-stick cooking spray over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until well-browned, Once both sides are browned add a cup of water and simmer over medium heat until the water is all boiled off and the turkey is cooked through. Cool to room temperature and then shred finely, cutting each shred into smaller pieces (no longer than one inch). You can also use leftover cooked chicken or turkey from any other recipe as well. It divides well if you need to make a smaller amount, and can be microwaved rather than baked, especially if you want to make smaller batches rather than dip for a bunch. The cheese will not brown in the microwave, but the dip will taste the same otherwise. Traditionally the dip uses a bunch more shredded cheese, mixed in the dip and sprinkled on top, but no one could tell the difference without having any cheese mixed into the dip and with less cheese sprinkled on the top.
I started with the lower fat version I had switched out years ago for the extremely unhealthy original recipe for this popular dip and proceeded to make it even more bariatric friendly by upping the protein by substituting fat free Greek yogurt for the usual sour cream and increasing the amount of shredded chicken (which I shredded very finely) with the end result being a very tasty dip that with the addition of the chicken and increasing the amount of yogurt had the same consistency as the original recipe. I served it to a bunch of non-bariatric tasters and while they noticed that there was more chicken than normal no one guessed that it was low fat and high protein. Use the amount of ranch powder and hot sauce to your taste, and feel free to substitute fat free or regular shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterrey Jack, Mexican blend, etc. all would work just as well as the Colby Jack) or regular cream cheese for the reduced fat cream cheese. Do not substitute fat free cream cheese for the reduced fat cream cheese or else the dip will separate. This reheated well, but after sitting at room temperature for 20 minutes or so did start to separate a little bit, so if you need to keep it out longer for a party you might want to serve it in a small crockpot or chafing dish. You can use your typical dippers with this dip, but healthier alternatives are celery, cucumbers, or protein chips.
8 ounces softened reduced fat (Neufchatel) cream cheese (560 calories, 16 grams protein)
3/4 cup Frank's RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce (or your favorite hot sauce to taste) (60 calories)
6 ounces fat free plain Greek yogurt (90 calories, 15 grams protein)
1 tablespoon ranch dressing or dip powdered mix (or to taste)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey breast (480 calories, 48 grams protein)
1/2 cup shredded 2% reduced fat Colby Jack cheese (160 calories, 14 grams protein)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a pie plate or shallow casserole dish. In a medium bowl beat the cream cheese until soft and creamy. Add the hot sauce, yogurt, and ranch dressing powder and mix until well blended and smooth. Add the shredded chicken and mix until well blended. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pie plate and sprinkle with the cheese. Cover with foil and bake for fifteen minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned. Serve hot.
Makes 20 2-ounce servings. 1360 calories, 93 grams protein total
68 calories, 4.65 grams protein per serving.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Go-To Tuna Salad
Go-To Tuna Salad
This was a standby recipe for me during the soft stage after surgery. The only bad memory I have of this salad was when I put it in the food processor thinking that processing it would make it even easier to digest. For the record, processed tuna is incredibly nasty and grainy. If you have lots of chunks, just mash it really well with a fork to break it up. Making drained yogurt is really easy. Just put yogurt in a strainer lined with cheesecloth or paper towels and place on top of a bowl or plate to catch the juices. I usually will set it up the night before and the next day you will have “yogurt cheese” - a thicker, more flavorful yogurt with the consistency of cream cheese. When making salads like this using the drained yogurt gives you a texture that is more like a traditional mayonnaise-based salad. You do not have to use the yogurt cheese, it will be good right out of the container – just use a little bit less yogurt so the salad is not too loose. You can of course still use mayonnaise, but do try the yogurt first. Packed full of protein it does make for a healthier alternative – and the flavor is great when you make it this way. You can store the salad in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week, but it does not freeze well. I always was looking for recipes that would allow me to sneak in some extra protein with unflavored protein powder, and this salad works perfectly since it has a flavor strong enough to completely hide the taste of the protein powder. I still enjoy this salad regularly, but now I eat it on cucumber or tomato slices.
¼ cup yogurt cheese made from fat free Greek yogurt (see above) (75 calories, 13.75 grams protein)
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Dash cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon seasoned salt (or to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 6-ounce can drained tuna in water (198 calories, 43.4 grams protein)
2 finely sliced scallions (10 calories, .6 grams protein)
In a small bowl whisk together the yogurt cheese, mustard, lemon juice, and seasonings. Mix in the tuna and scallions and mix well to combine. Serve immediately, or for best flavor, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Makes about 5 2-ounce servings.
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
283 calories, 57.75 grams protein total
56.6 calories, 11.6 grams protein per serving
This was a standby recipe for me during the soft stage after surgery. The only bad memory I have of this salad was when I put it in the food processor thinking that processing it would make it even easier to digest. For the record, processed tuna is incredibly nasty and grainy. If you have lots of chunks, just mash it really well with a fork to break it up. Making drained yogurt is really easy. Just put yogurt in a strainer lined with cheesecloth or paper towels and place on top of a bowl or plate to catch the juices. I usually will set it up the night before and the next day you will have “yogurt cheese” - a thicker, more flavorful yogurt with the consistency of cream cheese. When making salads like this using the drained yogurt gives you a texture that is more like a traditional mayonnaise-based salad. You do not have to use the yogurt cheese, it will be good right out of the container – just use a little bit less yogurt so the salad is not too loose. You can of course still use mayonnaise, but do try the yogurt first. Packed full of protein it does make for a healthier alternative – and the flavor is great when you make it this way. You can store the salad in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week, but it does not freeze well. I always was looking for recipes that would allow me to sneak in some extra protein with unflavored protein powder, and this salad works perfectly since it has a flavor strong enough to completely hide the taste of the protein powder. I still enjoy this salad regularly, but now I eat it on cucumber or tomato slices.
¼ cup yogurt cheese made from fat free Greek yogurt (see above) (75 calories, 13.75 grams protein)
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Dash cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon seasoned salt (or to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 6-ounce can drained tuna in water (198 calories, 43.4 grams protein)
2 finely sliced scallions (10 calories, .6 grams protein)
In a small bowl whisk together the yogurt cheese, mustard, lemon juice, and seasonings. Mix in the tuna and scallions and mix well to combine. Serve immediately, or for best flavor, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Makes about 5 2-ounce servings.
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
283 calories, 57.75 grams protein total
56.6 calories, 11.6 grams protein per serving
Asian Style Shrimp and Scallion Frittata
Asian Style Shrimp and Scallion Frittata
I know, Frittatas are technically Italian, but who can resist this savory combo of flavors? The simple combination of creamy eggs, sweet shrimp, fresh scallions, and a bit of Asian seasonings makes for a fantastic breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Frittatas offer infinite variations, and this one is no exception. You can use crab or lobster in place of the shrimp, can add other vegetables (asparagus is another favorite), skip or increase the amount of cream cheese, and if your diet allows for it, use regular cream cheese or add extra butter for a more traditional-style Frittata. You can also use your favorite milk and yogurt with excellent results. My favorite thing about Frittatas is how versatile they are. You can eat them hot, warm, at room temperature, or chilled and they store well tightly wrapped in the refrigerator and even freeze well, making them perfect for bariatric kitchens. I wrap individual wedges well in plastic wrap and then place the wedges in a heavy freezer bag. They will freeze well for up to two months. If you get overly enthusiastic when mixing the eggs and they start breaking up and resembling scrambled eggs, you can either finish scrambling them in the pan and serve them that way, or you can try to meld the ingredients back together by adding another beaten egg and seeing if you can glue it all back together before placing it back in the oven. Your end result might not be as pretty, but it certainly be just as tasty. I cut these into twelve slices for bariatric-friendly servings, but a “regular” serving would be two slices.
6 eggs or 1 ½ cups egg substitute (for testing I used egg substitute) (201 calories, 45.2 grams protein)
1/4 cup regular or low fat milk or soy milk (for testing I used regular soy milk) (66 calories, 4 grams protein)
1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt (60 calories, 11 grams protein)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (16 calories, 2 grams protein)
2 teaspoons sesame oil (for testing we used Kevala Organic Toasted Sesame Oil (87 calories)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash cayenne
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon margarine or butter (for testing I used 1 tablespoon light butter) (50 calories)
1 tablespoon olive or other cooking oil (119 calories)
½ cup sliced scallions (white and green parts divided) (16 calories, 1 gram protein)
2 minced garlic cloves
3/4 pound peeled and deveined small shrimp (320 calories, 72 grams protein)
2 ounces cubed light cream cheese (148 calories, 5.6 grams protein)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the eggs, milk, yogurt, soy sauce, sesame oil, and spices in a medium bowl and set aside. Heat a large, heavy oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and olive oil together in the pan, and once hot add the white part of the scallions and the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes, or until the scallions are starting to soften and the garlic is transparent. Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring continually, until the shrimp is mostly pink on the outside. Add the egg mixture and cook until the eggs are just starting to set, only stirring gently to move the eggs around and to prevent sticking. Make sure not to over mix the eggs – you do not want them to resemble scrambled eggs. Fold in the cream cheese and reserved green scallions and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the eggs and shrimp are cooked through and the edges are lightly browned. Let cool in the pan for at least 3-5 minutes to make removing from the pan easier. Remove from the pan and cut into 12 wedges.
Makes 12 servings.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Cooling Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
1083 calories, 116.8 grams protein total
90.3 calories, 11.7 grams protein per serving
I know, Frittatas are technically Italian, but who can resist this savory combo of flavors? The simple combination of creamy eggs, sweet shrimp, fresh scallions, and a bit of Asian seasonings makes for a fantastic breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Frittatas offer infinite variations, and this one is no exception. You can use crab or lobster in place of the shrimp, can add other vegetables (asparagus is another favorite), skip or increase the amount of cream cheese, and if your diet allows for it, use regular cream cheese or add extra butter for a more traditional-style Frittata. You can also use your favorite milk and yogurt with excellent results. My favorite thing about Frittatas is how versatile they are. You can eat them hot, warm, at room temperature, or chilled and they store well tightly wrapped in the refrigerator and even freeze well, making them perfect for bariatric kitchens. I wrap individual wedges well in plastic wrap and then place the wedges in a heavy freezer bag. They will freeze well for up to two months. If you get overly enthusiastic when mixing the eggs and they start breaking up and resembling scrambled eggs, you can either finish scrambling them in the pan and serve them that way, or you can try to meld the ingredients back together by adding another beaten egg and seeing if you can glue it all back together before placing it back in the oven. Your end result might not be as pretty, but it certainly be just as tasty. I cut these into twelve slices for bariatric-friendly servings, but a “regular” serving would be two slices.
6 eggs or 1 ½ cups egg substitute (for testing I used egg substitute) (201 calories, 45.2 grams protein)
1/4 cup regular or low fat milk or soy milk (for testing I used regular soy milk) (66 calories, 4 grams protein)
1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt (60 calories, 11 grams protein)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (16 calories, 2 grams protein)
2 teaspoons sesame oil (for testing we used Kevala Organic Toasted Sesame Oil (87 calories)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash cayenne
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon margarine or butter (for testing I used 1 tablespoon light butter) (50 calories)
1 tablespoon olive or other cooking oil (119 calories)
½ cup sliced scallions (white and green parts divided) (16 calories, 1 gram protein)
2 minced garlic cloves
3/4 pound peeled and deveined small shrimp (320 calories, 72 grams protein)
2 ounces cubed light cream cheese (148 calories, 5.6 grams protein)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the eggs, milk, yogurt, soy sauce, sesame oil, and spices in a medium bowl and set aside. Heat a large, heavy oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and olive oil together in the pan, and once hot add the white part of the scallions and the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes, or until the scallions are starting to soften and the garlic is transparent. Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring continually, until the shrimp is mostly pink on the outside. Add the egg mixture and cook until the eggs are just starting to set, only stirring gently to move the eggs around and to prevent sticking. Make sure not to over mix the eggs – you do not want them to resemble scrambled eggs. Fold in the cream cheese and reserved green scallions and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the eggs and shrimp are cooked through and the edges are lightly browned. Let cool in the pan for at least 3-5 minutes to make removing from the pan easier. Remove from the pan and cut into 12 wedges.
Makes 12 servings.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Cooling Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
1083 calories, 116.8 grams protein total
90.3 calories, 11.7 grams protein per serving
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Mango Protein Smoothie
This was breakfast this morning and was surprisingly good. I used plain protein powder, but next time I will try mango-flavored protein powder. And I will experiment with other fruit as well. I had frozen mango chunks in the freezer, but you could also use fresh mango if you prefer. I used powdered non-fat milk and water, but you could use 1/2 cup of skim milk instead. I have experimented with cottage cheese in other fruit smoothies with mixed results, but it does work with mango really well, and you don't get a strong cottage cheese or protein powder flavor. The key with using cottage cheese when making shakes and smoothies is to thoroughly blend the mixture so you do not get any larger pieces of cottage cheese. I make this, along with most of my single-serving smoothies in my Hamilton Beach 51101B Personal Blender with Travel Lid since I can just mix it and drink from the same container which means less dishes. Because of the small size I suggest adding the ingredients in the order listed, but if you are using a bigger blender you can just toss everything in together and blend until smooth. I tried a quarter of the recipe as is (good), a quarter with cinnamon (OK, but not great), a quarter with vanilla (good), and the last bit with a mix of cardamom and ginger (my personal favorite, but probably not to most people's taste.) This is not a very sweet smoothie, so if you would prefer something sweeter you can add some artificial sweetener or sugar free mango syrup. If you do not have frozen mangoes, you can use fresh berries plus additional ice cubes. To make sure the smoothie is not too diluted you can just put the ice cubes in a one cup measuring cup and then add enough water to measure one cup.
1/2 cup ice cubes
1/2 cup frozen mango (46 calories, 0g protein)
1/4 cup fat-free cottage cheese (26 calories, 4g protein)
1 1/2 tablespoons non-fat dry milk powder (45 calories, 4.5g protein)
1/2 scoop unflavored protein powder (for testing purposes we used 1 scoop (22 grams) which is equivalent to a 1/2 scoop of other protein powders) Syntrax Nectar Medical Unflavored Protein Powder (80 calories, 20g protein)
1/2 cup water
Combine the ice and mango in the blender and pulse until finely chopped/crushed. Add the cottage cheese, dry milk powder, and protein powder and blend until smooth. Slowly add the water while blending until smooth, adding more water if desired for a thinner smoothie.
Makes one 12-ounce smoothie.
197 calories, 28.5 grams protein
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Chocolate "Super Fudge" Pudding
The first month post-op this pudding - or the frozen pudding pops - were a total lifesaver. When I mix up a batch of pudding I typically will package some of the mixed pudding in 1-ounce and 3-ounce containers and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you package the pudding in these smaller containers it will chill and set in 5-10 minutes. I make two sizes of pudding pops. The first is in a typical 3-ounce ice pop mold and the second is a "baby" 1-ounce mold. Before I purchased the molds I just used a 1-ounce medicine cup with a sturdy toothpick stuck in it, but I now make so many of pudding pops and ice pops that the plastic and silicone molds are much handier and environmentally friendlier. (They are also easier to handle and a lot less messy!)
1 4-serving package sugar free chocolate pudding (for testing we used Better Bowls Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding (160 calories, 12 grams protein)
1 scoop unflavored or chocolate protein powder (for testing we used Unjury Chocolate Splendor Whey Protein Powder (100 calories, 20 grams protein)
1/4 cup dry skim milk (60 calories, 6 grams protein)
2 cups skim milk (172 calories, 16.8 grams protein)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whisk together the dry ingredients until well blended. Slowly whisk in the milk and stir until well mixed. Add the vanilla and mix until well-incorporated. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before serving. The mixture can also be poured into small cups or ice pop molds and froze for at least three hours before eating.
Makes 18 servings (about 1 ounce each)
492 calories, 54.8 grams protein
27.3 calories, 3 grams protein
1 4-serving package sugar free chocolate pudding (for testing we used Better Bowls Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding (160 calories, 12 grams protein)
1 scoop unflavored or chocolate protein powder (for testing we used Unjury Chocolate Splendor Whey Protein Powder (100 calories, 20 grams protein)
1/4 cup dry skim milk (60 calories, 6 grams protein)
2 cups skim milk (172 calories, 16.8 grams protein)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whisk together the dry ingredients until well blended. Slowly whisk in the milk and stir until well mixed. Add the vanilla and mix until well-incorporated. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before serving. The mixture can also be poured into small cups or ice pop molds and froze for at least three hours before eating.
Makes 18 servings (about 1 ounce each)
492 calories, 54.8 grams protein
27.3 calories, 3 grams protein
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Green Goddess Dip
Green Goddess Dip
I honestly do not know anyone who does not like this simple dip. Here is a simple and easy recipe that works great with every fresh vegetables, can be made ahead of time, and stores well for up to five days. You can use higher fat cream cheese, milk, and yogurt if you like, but this is one recipe that I actually prefer to be lower in fat because the flavor of the herbs really sings! You do need to use fresh herbs, but can use all chives or all parsley if needed. I use soy milk for testing, but you can use regular milk, reconstituted powdered non-fat milk , almond, rice milk, or even fat free half and half. Anyone who reads this blog knows how often I slip protein powder into well, everything, and this recipe is another one that masks the taste of unflavored protein powder really well and allows you to really make a protein-packed dip. I will add two scoops of unflavored powder to the whole recipe for 8 grams of protein in each 2-tablespoon portion of dip, but you certainly can add less and still have a generous amount of protein.
8 ounces softened fat free cream cheese (240 calories, 32 grams protein)
½ cup skim milk (45 calories, 4 grams protein)
3 tablespoons minced scallions (white and green parts)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons minced or snipped fresh chives
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt (80 calories, 14.5 grams protein)
Combine the cream cheese and milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, or until the cream cheese is all melted, mixing well each time. Add the herbs, then cool slightly. Mix in the yogurt, cover, and chill for at least 2 hours. Stir before serving.
Makes about 2 cups dip (16 2-tablespoon servings)
365 calories and 50.5 grams protein total
22.8 calories and 3.2 grams protein per serving
I honestly do not know anyone who does not like this simple dip. Here is a simple and easy recipe that works great with every fresh vegetables, can be made ahead of time, and stores well for up to five days. You can use higher fat cream cheese, milk, and yogurt if you like, but this is one recipe that I actually prefer to be lower in fat because the flavor of the herbs really sings! You do need to use fresh herbs, but can use all chives or all parsley if needed. I use soy milk for testing, but you can use regular milk, reconstituted powdered non-fat milk , almond, rice milk, or even fat free half and half. Anyone who reads this blog knows how often I slip protein powder into well, everything, and this recipe is another one that masks the taste of unflavored protein powder really well and allows you to really make a protein-packed dip. I will add two scoops of unflavored powder to the whole recipe for 8 grams of protein in each 2-tablespoon portion of dip, but you certainly can add less and still have a generous amount of protein.
8 ounces softened fat free cream cheese (240 calories, 32 grams protein)
½ cup skim milk (45 calories, 4 grams protein)
3 tablespoons minced scallions (white and green parts)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons minced or snipped fresh chives
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt (80 calories, 14.5 grams protein)
Combine the cream cheese and milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, or until the cream cheese is all melted, mixing well each time. Add the herbs, then cool slightly. Mix in the yogurt, cover, and chill for at least 2 hours. Stir before serving.
Makes about 2 cups dip (16 2-tablespoon servings)
365 calories and 50.5 grams protein total
22.8 calories and 3.2 grams protein per serving
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