Diva Taunia's Backstage Pass Official Blog

DIVA RECIPE: LOW-FAT LOW-CAL (really!) CREAMY PORTABELLA MUSHROOM SOUP!

I HATE mushrooms. I loathe them. But Rob loves them, so despite my aversion for the nasty fungi, I have to give in every once in a while and make him something mushroom-y. I had two large portobello* mushroom caps left over, and I figured I'd try making him a healthy version of cream of mushroom soup. And let me tell you something: this is so good that I would make it again and eat it for myself (swimming around the mushrooms, of course).

This recipe is adapted from a recipe in the Weight Watchers Miracle Foods Cookbook, given to me as a gift by my good friend Susan (thanks, Sioooooooux!). I made a few alterations, and bageezus, this is friggin' AMAZING. Even my step-daughter Brittany (a 12 yr old) was gulping it down and begging for more.

The cream base is low-cal and low fat with these minor adjustments, and would be perfect for any cream-based soup or sauce. Because of that, I'll also do a separate recipe HERE for that.

Try this, you will NOT be disappointed! Oh, and it only takes about 20 minutes to make.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tblsp of light stick butter
• 2 cloves garlic. minced
• 2 large portobello mushrooms caps, chopped and cubed
• 3/4 cup chopped green onion/scallions
• 1 pre-cut slice of canadian bacon or ham, minced (you can opt to leave this out, but great flavor)
• 2 tblsp all-purpose flour
• 1 can of fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup of nonfat yogurt
• 1 small can (5 oz) evaporated milk

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and ham and cook, stirring constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add green onions and cook 2 more minutes.

2. Whisk together the flour, broth, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and then add the mixture to the mushrooms. Bring all of this to a full boil, reduce, and then let simmer for another 5 minutes.

3. In a separate small bowl, combine the non-fat yogurt and evaporated milk and stir until well blended. Then pour this mixture into mushrooms in the saucepan. Cook uncovered over medium-low heat for approx 12 mins or so...just use your judgement when it starts to thicken.

Serve warm and creamy and enjoy! (Top with any extra green onions for color.)

*Note: portobello mushrooms have a high level of Vitamin D - which is great for wls patients!

NUTRITIONAL INFO (makes four 1 cup servings):

(I am not a nutritionist or medical professional of any kind...check with your medical team before putting stuff in your mouth!)

Calories: 191.75g (without canadian bacon, 125g)

Fat: 8g (without canadian bacon, 8g)

Protein: 12.25g (without canadian bacon, 3.5g)

DIVA RECIPE: LOW-FAT, LOW-CALORIE CREAMY SOUP OR SAUCE BASE

I love, love, love creamy soups.  I want to bathe in them.  Problem is, my belly does NOT like creamy soups, because they will make me fat again.  So how do I get around this?  Create an easy go-to low-calorie, low-fat, good source of protein cream-base that tastes phemonenal and you don't have to feel guilty about. 

You can use this as either a creamy-soup base OR a creamy pasta sauce base.  Deeelish!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tblsp of light stick butter
• 2 cloves garlic. minced
• 1 pre-cut slice of canadian bacon or ham, minced (you can opt to leave this out, but great flavor)
• 2 tblsp all-purpose flour
• 1 can of fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup of nonfat yogurt
• 1 small can (5 oz) evaporated milk

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and ham and cook, stirring constantly, approx 3 mins. 

2.  Whisk together the flour, broth, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and then add the mixture to the saucepan.  Bring all of this to a full boil, reduce, and then let simmer for another 5 minutes.

3.  In a separate small bowl, combine the non-fat yogurt and evaporated milk and stir until well blended. Then pour this mixture into the saucepan.  Cook uncovered over medium-low heat for approx 12 mins or so...just use your judgement when it starts to thicken.

4.  Add whatever you want to the base:  corn, potatoes, meat, mushrooms, chicken - doesn't matter, it will ALL taste yummy!

NUTRITIONAL INFO (makes four 1 cup servings) PER SERVING:

(I am not a nutritionist or medical professional of any kind...check with your medical team before putting stuff in your mouth!)

Calories:  141   g
Fat:  3.75g
Protein:  9.75g

DIVA RECIPE: SPICY CASHEW VEGGIE CHICKEN

Rob and I are on a mission to remove as many extraneous carbs as we can from our diet.  We want to bulk up the protein and veggies, and here's a recipe I made last night that did just that.  PLENTY of veggies, great chicken protein, and super, super tasty.  A little bit of sweet, a little bit of sour, and little bit of kick.  And a WHOLE lot of YUMMY.  I'll put my best estimates of nutritional data below, but remember, always check with your doctor and nutritionist about what you should be putting in your mouth and pouch, yo! (I'm over 2 yrs out from WLS)

INGREDIENTS TO PREPARE THE CHICKEN:

• 3 thinly sliced (or butterflied) boneless chicken breasts
• 1 tblsp of reduced salt soy sauce
• 2 tblsp of sesame oil (one for pan, one for chicken)
• 3 tblsp of oyster sauce
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tblsp of corn starch
• 1/2 tblsp of baking soda

Cube the chicken in put into a large bowl. Mince garlic.  Put all of the above ingredients (note:  only 1 tblsp of sesame oil) in with the chicken, toss and coat the chicken.  Cover bowl and put in the fridge while preparing veggies.

INGREDIENTS TO PREPARE THE STIR-FRY:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium to small pablano pepper, chopped (seeds removed)
• 1 large portabella mushroom

In a HOT pan, use 1 tblsp of sesame oil and ake all of the above chopped veggies and stir fry until veggies start to soften.  After they begin to soften, add the chicken from the fridge and stir fry until the chicken becomes seared on each side.  Then add the following ingredients at the end:

INGREDIENTS TO FINISH THE STIR-FRY VEGGIES:

• 1 can of water chesnuts
• 1 large can (15-16 oz) of chunk pineapple - drain most, but leave a little juice for the sauce
• 1/2 cup of fresh chopped scallions/green onions
• 1 cup of cashews

Stir fry the remaining ingredients until warm, and then eat and enjoy!  Don't be daunted by this recipe: it looks deceptively difficult, but it's actually quite easy and quick to make.  The toughest part is chopping and preparing the veggies.  The cooking is lickety-split!   Super veggie-protein  (count the veggies and fruit: SEVEN! EIGHT if you count the garlic.  lol)  This meal is DIVALICIOUS!

Nutrition Estimates:

This makes about 4-5 normal people meals, 8-10 pouch-sized meals.  I'll base my estimates on 8 servings:

Calories:  Total, 1056g.  Per serving = 132 g
Fat:  Total, 31 g.  Per Serving = approx 4 g
Protein:  Total, 76 g.  Per serving= approx 9.25 g

Note:  I haven't checked the carb content, but it's not that high - minus the corn starch and baking soda, which you could omit if necessary.

DIVA RECIPE: CHOCK FULL O' CHUNKY CHICKEN SALAD!

This may very well be the most delicious chicken salad on the planet. Yep, I said it.  Seriously.  OMG YUMMY.  Sometimes I just get it right, and believe me lovelies, this is right.  That being said, this recipe is probably not good for WLS newbies.  Ask your doctor what you should and shouldn't eat, yo, don't count on me for nutrition....but count on me for delicious!  (Ok, that was obnoxious, but I couldn't help myself...)

 CHOCK FULL O' CHUNKY CHICKEN SALAD (this is a GRILLED chicken salad)

Ingredients:

• 2 large boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and pounded out thinner
• 2 tblsp cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 green apple, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 cup of red grapes, halved
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup of either pecans or walnuts
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup of nonfat plain yogurt (more or less to taste)
• 1 heaping tblsp of light mayo
• 1 heaping tblsp of Nance's Sharp and Creamy Mustard  (believe me when I tell you that this is the only mustard you should ever buy again...it's DELICIOUS)

Directions:

• After you've flattened the chicken breasts, dust both sides with the cumin, salt, and pepper.  Then GRILL the chicken for 3-5 mins on each side (until cooked - depending on thickness). Once the chicken has cooled (put it in the fridge to cool, easier to cut!), cut into small cubes.
• Mix all other ingredients well and then salt and pepper to taste. 
• Put in fridge to chill.

I don't even deal with bread when it comes to this.  It's ridiculously delicious and filling all on it's own. Taking out the mayo cuts down on the fat and there's plenty of healthy stuff in here.  Enjoy!

DIVA RECIPE : CUCKOO FOR COCONUT RICE!

DISCLAIMERS:

1)  Rob didn't love this.  I did.  A little sweet, a little nutty, all sorts of yummy. 

2)  I'm not pimpin' this out as WLS friendly.  Just yummy.  Not pouchy-worthy, especially for beginners.  (HA!)  

 
You probably heard me brainstorming out loud on Facebook and Twitter today about this rice dish.  (I say this as if I've stumbled upon something really extraordinary here.  Disclaimer # 3, it's good, but not good enough for me to get THAT pompous about. Just so you know.  I'm just down with the yummy-ness.)

So for those of you who can handle rice without busting a gut, and who (like me) tend to like things a little on the sweet side sometimes, this is a nice change-up on regular ol' rice.  Coconut-cashew-pineapple-cranberry-brown rice goodness:

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups cooked whole grain rice
• 1 can low-fat/low-sugar evaporated milk (small 5 fl oz can)
• 1/2 cup of dried, unsweetened coconut flakes
• 3/4 cup chopped cashews 
• 3/4 cup pineapple chunks 
• 1/2 cup of dried cranberries
• 1/2 tsp of nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

• Cook brown rice as directed and put aside
• Heat a saucepan to medium low and heat the evaporated milk, coconut, and nutmeg til warm
• Turn off heat, add the remaining ingredients, mix together
• EAT.  YUM.

I'm not a medical professional or nutritionist AT ALL, so I'm just giving you a recipe that I made for myself.  Always,check with the pro's, yo and don't eat this if you're not sure if you can or not.  Makes about 8 normal people sized portions, and about 1000 pouch portions.  Hey, I like to stock up....

DIVA'S BOLLYWOOD SOUP

Many of the big stars of Indian cooking come together in this really yummy and really healthy soup that I created today.  The standout flavors:  ginger, garam marsala, turmeric and cinnamon.  OMG, this is so, so, so yummy.

Most of you know that I generally start with a basic vegetable stock that's pretty standard in most of my soup recipes.  This makes it super-easy for me to get all my vitamins and veggies in, so I load up with veggies that may not always be in the traditional versions of some of these. 

Anyhow, this was so, so good.  A little bit of work with prepping and sauteing the veggies, but this  makes a ton of soup that freezes well and makes many, many servings. 

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

makes 8-10 normal servings or 12-14 pouch servings

• 12 cups (Two 49.5 oz cans) of low-sodium chicken broth
• 2-3 potatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsp of good olive oil
• 2 large yellow onions, diced
• 3 large carrots, diced
• 1 large red pepper, diced
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1.5 cup of frozen sweet peas
• 2 cups of yellow lentils (holy protein!)
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp of fresh grated ginger
• 1 tbsp of fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp of Garam Marsala powder
• 2 tbsp of Turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp of Cumin powder
• 1 tbsp of Hot Yellow Curry powder
• 1 tsp of Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tsp of Cinnamon
• Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

• Saute the onions, peppers, carrots, and celery until soft
• Add frozen peas, garlic, and fresh ginger along with half of all the spice ingredients.  Let the spices saute with the veggies for approx 10 mins.
• Add chicken stock to crock pot, add remainder of spices
• Add lentils and potatoes to chicken stock, start crock pot on low.
• Add all sauteed veggies to the crock pot, cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
• EAT AND ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:

I'm not a medical professional or nutritionist AT ALL, so I'm just giving you my best estimates here.  But as always, check my lousy math, and check with the pro's, yo. Estimates given based on 10 servings.

Calories:  120g
Fat: 1.5g
Protein:  9g

SOUTHWESTERN SOUP - GIDDY UP!

There are some things that are always just staples in my pantry and in my soups.  A lot of these ingredients play a starring role in most of my soups, so sometimes there's pretty interchangable.  It's the spices that make all the difference, and this one has a nice, zippy southwestern feel to it.  It's spicy, but not over the top.  Plus, it's full of protein and healthy goodness!

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb ground or cubed meat (any normal protein would work here - chicken, pork, beef)
• 8 cups of chicken stock
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup frozen frozen peas
• 2 packages of taco seasoning
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced or 1 tblsp of garlic powder
• 1 15-16oz can of black beans
• 1 package of taco seasoning
• 1 tblsp of cumin
• 1 tblsp of thyme
• 1 tsp of Cayenne pepper (I like more, but I'm playing it safe in case you don't like FIRE in your mouth)
• 1 tsp of chili powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tblsps oil for sautee

DIRECTIONS:

• Pour chicken stock into crock pot and put on low.  
• While stock begins warming, heat oil in sautee pan on medium high, and then sautee'  ONIONS, PEPPERS, CELERY until onions begin to get transluscent.  At that point, transfer to chicken stock.
• Add frozen peas, corn, black beans to stock.
• In the same pan as you sauteed veggies, sautee' meat and add salt and pepper to taste.  Add ONE PACKAGE of taco seasoning to mix with 2/3 cup of water until sauce thickens (just like you were making tacos).
• One meat has finished cooking, transfer to chicken stock.
• Add additional package of taco seasoning, cumin, thyme, cayenne pepper and chili powder to stock, stir well.
• Let this cook for several hours/the afternoon to get the flavors all working.
• Serve with a dollop of sour cream and/or some tortilla chips.  (Note:  I eat this as-is...deeelish!)

GRAMMY CHERYL'S KICK-ASS COLE SLAW!

It is a well-known fact that my mother Cheryl is not a very good cook.  It's kind of amazing that my brother and sisters and I have any reasonable amount of culinary skills, considering.  Still, there are a few things that she's perfected after years and years of trial and error, and her cole slaw is one of them.  In fact, it happens to be Rob's most favorite cole-slaw recipe of all time, so for his recent birthday, I decided to make a big tub o' slaw for him.  And it was DEE-LICIOUS.  

Best of all?  Pretty decent for WLS pouchy-pouches.  (But seriously, don't be a dope!  I'm not a doctor or nutritionist, so always check with them about what you can and can't eat.)

INGREDIENTS (this is SUPER-EASY):

1 large bag of ready-to-use slaw chop (I get the lettuce, cabbage, carrot blend)
1/2 of a large red onion, diced (more or less to taste - remember, I like spicy!)
1/2 cup lowfat or no-fat mayo
3 tblsp of rice vinegar (I recommend Marukan Rice Vinegar)
1 tblsp of fresh chopped dill

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and chill in fridge.  You may want to use more or less mayo depending on your own personal preferences.  Easy and delicious!

DIVA RECIPE: WHITE CHICKEN CHILI - (Semi Diva-Made)

Ok, I'm not going to lie:   this is mostly a package recipe, but I've doctored it up a bit to make it divalicious and super-easy to make.  And this is extra spicy, because you know how I roll!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pkg of McCormick's White Chicken Chili Seasoning Mix
• 1/2 pkg of Ortega's Fajita Seasoning Mix
• 1 lb chicken tenders, cubed
• 1 can of white navy beans
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 cup of frozen corn niblets
• 1 small can of jalapeno peppers (you can usually find this in the taco aisle - omit if too spicy!)
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 tblsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

• In large saucepan, put 1 tblsp of olive oil and begin to brown the chicken on medium, about 10 mins, salt and pepper to taste
• In a separate fry pain, put 1 tblsp of olive oil, onions, corn, and jalepeno peppers to sautee until the onions become transluscent and soft, salt and pepper to taste
• Once veggies are done, transfer them to the chicken then add in white navy beans (drained)
• Add white chicken chili seasoning package and fajita seasoning (only use 1/2 package), chicken stock
• Let simmer for a few hours on low.  Top with grated cheese and a dollop of sour cream (which you'll need because this is spicy!)
• Enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFO*:

 The totals are (for the entire chili - minus any cheese and/or sour cream):

• Calories:  1159
• Fat:  30.5
• Protein 76

This makes about 6 really good size portions, or 8-10 mini diva portions.   At SIX servings, the totals per serving are:

• Calories:  193.17
  
• Fat:  5.1
  
• Protein 12.7

(* I'm not a medical professional AT ALL, so I'm just giving you my best estimates here.  But as always, check my lousy math, and check with the pro's, yo.  lol)

DIVA RECIPE #4: SUPERSTAR HEALTHY CHILI!

I think it's pretty clear now that I'm a Diva who likes spicy.  And a lot of it.  Until my mouth is on fire.  Unfortunately, Rob is not always on board with that, so I sometimes have to tone it down.  I think I found a happy medium with this super-healthy, super-easy, protein-heavy, medium-spicy superstar chili:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 2 packages of Old El Paso Hot & Spicy Taco Mix
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1-2  tblsp of minced garlic
• 1 can of kidney beans (15-16 oz)
• 1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 tblsp of hot sauce
• 1 tblsp of cinnamon (I know, wacky!  But it gives it a nice, smoky flavor.)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

• Brown the ground turkey in a pan, and use ONE PACKAGE of the Taco Mix as directed as if you were making tacos.  (Yes, you DO use the water as directed on the package for this. 2/3 cup)
• Drain and rinse the kidney beans.
• While the turkey is browning, start warming your crock pot and add all other ingredients.  (Check list:  tomatoes, kidney beans, chopped peppers, onions, garlic, hot sauce, second taco seasoning package, cinnamon, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper)
• Add cooked and prepared turkey to crock pot.
• Let this cook on low for a good portion of the day to get all the spicy to combine and be happy.

TOPPING SUGGESTION:

This is good all own it's own, but we always like a little cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream on top.  You can also use some tortilla chips for crunch.  

NUTRITIONAL INFO*:

 The totals are (for the entire chili - minus any cheese and/or sour cream):

• Calories:  806
• Fat:  13
• Protein 39

This makes about 6 really good size portions, or 8-10 mini diva portions.   At SIX servings, the totals per serving are:

• Calories:  134.3
  
• Fat:  2.17
  
• Protein 6.5

This is one you can feel really good about eating.  Let me know if you make it and how you like it.  Enjoy!

(* I'm not a medical professional AT ALL, so I'm just giving you my best estimates here.  But as always, check my lousy math, and check with the pro's, yo.  lol)