Recipe report

[anotheranon]

One was promising, the other really wasn't:

So the copyright cops won't come after me: both recipes from Prevention's Quick and Healthy Low-Fat Cooking: From Entertaining to the Everyday, over 200 Delicious Recipes

Juicy Burgers

Ingredients	For 1	For 2
Extra lean ground beef	4 ounces	8 ounces
Mashed soft tofu, well drained	1/4 cup	1/2 cup
Minced onions	1/4 cup	1/2 cup
Dry bread crumbs	3 Tablespoons	6 Tablespoons
Ketchup	1 Tablespoon	2 Tablespoons
Fat-free egg substitute	1 Tablespoon	2 Tablespoons
Dried oregano	1/4 Tablespoon	1/2 Tablespoon
Kaiser Roll	1	2

In a large bowl, mix the beef, tofu, onions, bread crumbs, ketchup, egg and oregano. Form into 1 patty (2 patties). Cook in a no-stick frying pan over medium heat until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Serve in the rolls.

Review: This was actually pretty good. I especially liked the "Italian" flavoring from the oregano, because I so seldom get anywhere near Italian since D. and I swore off pasta.

I ended up using firm tofu because that's what the local grocery had in stock; I'll definitely go to an Asian market for soft tofu next time because the firm just didn't hold the patties together, which is what I think it (and the egg) were supposed to do. The patties were crumbly and fell apart in the bun, but tasty!

This makes a huge amount of "burger"; I made 8 Krystal burger-sized minipatties and still had a good bit left over. D. cooked up the leftovers for breakfast as a kind of "hash browns" but wants to try the burger format again. Note: tastebuds say it goes well with cream havarti cheese, though my stomach disagrees :P

Tuna Tarts

Ingredients	For 1	For 2
Water-packed canned tuna, drained and flaked	3 1/2 ounces	7 ounces
Fat-free egg substitute	1/2 cup	1 cup
Nonfat sour cream	1/4 cup	1/2 cup
Dijon mustard	1/4 teaspoon	1/2 teaspoon
Dried oregano	1/4 teaspoon	1/2 teaspoon
Seasoned dry bread crumbs	1 Tablespoon	2 Tablespoons

In a medium bowl, mix the tuna, eggs, sour cream, mustard and oregano. Coat 1 (2) 2-cup caserole dish(es) with no-stick spray. Add the bread crumbs and swirl to coat evenly. Add the tuna mixture. Bake at 400F for 25 minutes, or until the filling is set.

Review: I included the recipe for completion's sake, but... oh gawd, no! I was expecting a dense, meaty casserole with the egg acting as a binder; what the results were - even after doubling the amount of tuna - is more of a fish custard - lots of dairy with a little bit of tuna for texture. The flavor is ok, but the texture is so completely wrong that neither of us cared for it, which works out because it didn't agree with D. at all - and the only reason I was ok was because I had the presence of mind to take a Lactaid tablet before dinner. Skip this one, especially if you're lactose intolerant.

Comments

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

I think I need to just find a different tuna recipe, one that emphasizes the meat over the filler!

[jlsjlsjls.livejournal.com]

Interesting (makes notes)

This is probably verboten on Atkins, but as an occasional treat, they'll likely satisfy your "Italian" cravings ...

Pizza Muffins

1 egg
1/2 cup tomato sauce (to jazz it up, used spicy, garlic, or other "enhanced tomato sauces)
1 cup buttermilk or yogurt
4 slices mozzarella cheese, cut in dice (soy mozzarella could likely be substituted)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tsp crushed dry oregano leaf
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I usually substitute barley flour)
3 tbsp wheat germ
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
sliced tomatoes and more cheese for garnish

Blend together egg, tomato sauce, and buttermilk/yogurt. Add diced cheese and spices. In another bowl, mix together the pastry flour, wheat germ, baking powder, and baking soda. Combine the two mixtures and stir gently just until no flour is visible. Spoon batter into muffin cups and top each muffin with a slice of tomato, cover it with cheese (just cheese alone works too). Bake 20-25 minutes in oven preheated to 400F. Makes 12 muffin, approx. 88 calories each.

Personal note: these are yummy when hot, but taste bloody awful cold. Fortunately, they reheat beautifully in the microwave. :-)

Recipe from Smart Muffins

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the tip! These might make a nice goodie now and again :)

[jlsjlsjls.livejournal.com]

They will. Unlike many pizza "substitutes", these smell like pizza while baking and taste like pizza in your mouth, even if the texture is a little wrong. :-) I confess that, being a melted cheese junkie, I usually double the amount of mozzerella. And, now that there is realistic veggie pepperoni on the market, I'm toying with the idea of adding some of that (cubed) as well (I suspect that real pepperoni would make the inside of the muffins greasy and could affect their baking).