It was another week of simple eating...not too many sauces, very little cheating and a 2 pound loss gain for the female half of this couple. Awesome! The male half of this couple is doing well too...maintaining his weight and eating healthy (but added whole grain carbs, etc).
We both miss our fabulous Dukan meals and are considering having those one or two nights per week, then sticking to simple Dukan foods for the rest of the week. The female half still wants to lose around 5 pounds, then see what her body's looking like and what her body fat percentage is at that time. If she needs to lose more, 2-3 pounds will be the next target.
The other day we had brunch with our friends and the female half ate a couple pieces of bacon before thinking about cutting the fat off...the fat made her stomach upset. First time! We also just discovered there are nonfat fraps at Starbucks...but they still are loaded with sugar. We're not Starbucks people, but it used to be our treat while traveling. Maybe after we reach our goal weight it can be part of our celebration meal.
Looking forward to dropping another dress size and keeping it off!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Dukan Lemon Oat Bran Muffins
These are our new favorite muffins! The orange is great and so is the key lime favor but these are even better! Our family liked them too!
We used the same recipe we've been using for our oat bran muffins, just substituted the orange creme yogurt for nonfat lemon chiffon yogurt and the orange extract for lemon extract. These are tasty.
The orange, key lime and lemon muffins look the same...although you could add food coloring if you wish.
We used the same recipe we've been using for our oat bran muffins, just substituted the orange creme yogurt for nonfat lemon chiffon yogurt and the orange extract for lemon extract. These are tasty.
The orange, key lime and lemon muffins look the same...although you could add food coloring if you wish.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Sesame Miso Dressing
RECIPE RATING:
WE SAID: Loved it!
This probably shouldn't be eaten during the Cruise Phase of the Dukan Diet, but since we use dressing sparingly, we did and we both loved it! We loved it so much we were ready to make a whole jar of it to keep. Sorry, we don't have a pic of this since we weren't sure we would post it.
It does have some sugar in it, but the dressing is strong enough that you really don't need a lot on your salad. We drizzled this dressing on our salad this past weekend, but it would be a great marinade too. This recipe only makes enough for two small salads.
2 T. sesame powder
1 T. miso paste (low sodium)
1 T. natural sweetener
1 T. rice wine vinegar
1 T. water
Mix all ingredients, chill and drizzle on your salads or use as a marinade. A little bit of sake would probably be nice in there too.
WE SAID: Loved it!
This probably shouldn't be eaten during the Cruise Phase of the Dukan Diet, but since we use dressing sparingly, we did and we both loved it! We loved it so much we were ready to make a whole jar of it to keep. Sorry, we don't have a pic of this since we weren't sure we would post it.
It does have some sugar in it, but the dressing is strong enough that you really don't need a lot on your salad. We drizzled this dressing on our salad this past weekend, but it would be a great marinade too. This recipe only makes enough for two small salads.
2 T. sesame powder
1 T. miso paste (low sodium)
1 T. natural sweetener
1 T. rice wine vinegar
1 T. water
Mix all ingredients, chill and drizzle on your salads or use as a marinade. A little bit of sake would probably be nice in there too.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Dukan Pollo in Potacchio
RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Very good.
SHE SAID: Great, but not the same as Cafe VII 1/2's! Tasted better the second day.
This is one of our favorite dishes at a local Italian restaurant. It is so flavorful, but not overpowering. Of course, the owner makes it with the skin on, fat still on and served with a lot of mashed potatoes. It's pretty much a Dukan recipe if you switch out the chicken thighs for tenderloins, but we decided to treat ourselves to some skinless, boneless thighs with the fat removed. Boy, did we remove a lot of fat...yuck!
The last time we tried making Pollo in Potacchio was in our crock pot and while it was delicious and made for a great crock pot lasagna the day after, it wasn't quite like Cafe VIII 1/2's. So, we decided to give it another try but on the stove this time.
RECIPE:
Serves 2, plus one day leftovers
Prep Time: 30 minutes (because we removed the fat off the thighs)
Cook Time: 1 hour
1 small red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (fat removed)
1 medium jalapeno, seeds removed and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 can tomato paste
1 c. dry white wine (next time we will go with 1/2 c., 1 c. was too much)
1 T. dried rosemary
1 c. low sodium chicken broth
Saute onions and garlic for about 5 minutes (spray your pot with a little bit of olive oil spray). Add chicken, jalapeno, salt and pepper and brown chicken on all sides. Mix tomato paste with wine and add to pot. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add chicken broth and rosemary. Simmer for 10 minutes or more (reduce by 1/4).
We had these with grilled asparagus spears. Enjoy!
HE SAID: Very good.
SHE SAID: Great, but not the same as Cafe VII 1/2's! Tasted better the second day.
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| Pollo in Potaccio - we were so hungry we forgot to take a photo before we ate! |
The last time we tried making Pollo in Potacchio was in our crock pot and while it was delicious and made for a great crock pot lasagna the day after, it wasn't quite like Cafe VIII 1/2's. So, we decided to give it another try but on the stove this time.
RECIPE:
Serves 2, plus one day leftovers
Prep Time: 30 minutes (because we removed the fat off the thighs)
Cook Time: 1 hour
1 small red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (fat removed)
1 medium jalapeno, seeds removed and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 can tomato paste
1 c. dry white wine (next time we will go with 1/2 c., 1 c. was too much)
1 T. dried rosemary
1 c. low sodium chicken broth
Saute onions and garlic for about 5 minutes (spray your pot with a little bit of olive oil spray). Add chicken, jalapeno, salt and pepper and brown chicken on all sides. Mix tomato paste with wine and add to pot. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add chicken broth and rosemary. Simmer for 10 minutes or more (reduce by 1/4).
We had these with grilled asparagus spears. Enjoy!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Dukan Diary Entry #7
Well, just as we suspected, the weight loss at the beginning of the week must have been from the asparagus because we're back to the same weight we were last Saturday. Decided the female half of this couple needed to do a mini attack phase. We also noticed other Dukan bloggers including Vicki C. and Little Miss Contrary have all done really well eating simple, low fat foods and have stuck to the approved Dukan food lists.
This weekend it's been mostly fat free turkey hot dogs, hard boiled eggs, oat bran muffins, non-fat Yoplait yogurt, plain chicken strips and a limited amount of Jell-o Sugar Free Chocolate Mousse Tempatations. Crossing our fingers in a day or two we'll see a couple pounds shed. We have a little less than a month left on the Cruise phase, but if we don't lose at least 5-8 pounds by then, we may stay on Cruise until we do.
This weekend it's been mostly fat free turkey hot dogs, hard boiled eggs, oat bran muffins, non-fat Yoplait yogurt, plain chicken strips and a limited amount of Jell-o Sugar Free Chocolate Mousse Tempatations. Crossing our fingers in a day or two we'll see a couple pounds shed. We have a little less than a month left on the Cruise phase, but if we don't lose at least 5-8 pounds by then, we may stay on Cruise until we do.
Dukan Miso Pork
RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Good.
SHE SAID: Tasty.
We decided to try another recipe from japanfoodaddict.com since we had some pork chop loins leftover from the other night and we have a tub of miso paste in the fridge. We probably should save the miso recipes for Consolidation though.
We pretty much followed this recipe exact except we ran out of green onions. We both found it to be tasty, yet not too salty. We only had 1/2 a pound of pork left, so this wasn't quite enough for the two of us...it's a good thing we were making twice baked potatoes for the male half of this couple!
This marinade can also be used for fish, beef, chicken and we're sure on veggies. With a little tweaking, the marinade would probably make a nice miso salad dressing.
RECIPE:
Serves 1 on protein only days or 2 on protein/veggie days
1/2 lb. pork chop loin (fat removed) or any lean pork
Marinade:
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 green onion (chopped into 2" pieces)
2 t. shoyu (soy sauce)
1 T. sake
2 t. sugar
2 T. miso paste (we used no MSG added)
2 t. mirin
1/4 t. sesame oil (optional)
Mix marinade ingredients together. Cut pork into 1" pieces or slices, place into a baggie, pour marinade in and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Spray your pan with a small bit of olive oil spray and fry pork over high heat for approx 5 minutes or until cooked. This dish can be grilled also.
HE SAID: Good.
SHE SAID: Tasty.
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| Miso Pork |
We pretty much followed this recipe exact except we ran out of green onions. We both found it to be tasty, yet not too salty. We only had 1/2 a pound of pork left, so this wasn't quite enough for the two of us...it's a good thing we were making twice baked potatoes for the male half of this couple!
This marinade can also be used for fish, beef, chicken and we're sure on veggies. With a little tweaking, the marinade would probably make a nice miso salad dressing.
RECIPE:
Serves 1 on protein only days or 2 on protein/veggie days
1/2 lb. pork chop loin (fat removed) or any lean pork
Marinade:
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 green onion (chopped into 2" pieces)
2 t. shoyu (soy sauce)
1 T. sake
2 t. sugar
2 T. miso paste (we used no MSG added)
2 t. mirin
1/4 t. sesame oil (optional)
Mix marinade ingredients together. Cut pork into 1" pieces or slices, place into a baggie, pour marinade in and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Spray your pan with a small bit of olive oil spray and fry pork over high heat for approx 5 minutes or until cooked. This dish can be grilled also.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Twice Baked Potatoes (Low Fat version)
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| Low Fat Twice Baked Potatoes |
He didn't want bacon, so we omitted that. We forgot to add the green onions, so these look plain, but he loved them. We weren't sure they would come out because we only have Silk Vanilla Milk but it actually made the mashed potatoes good and interesting.
When we first read the recipe, it sounded like a lot of work, but once you start making them, they really are simple. We chose the microwave/baking version to save time.
RECIPE:
Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 35-38 minutes
2 russet potatoes (scrubbed and dried)
kosher salt
olive oil
1/4 c. fat free sour cream
1/4 c. Silk Vanilla milk or regular non-fat milk
1 T. butter, softened
1/2 T. non-fat half-and-half
shredded fat free cheddar cheese (or whichever type you like)
Can add bacon bits (we usually bake our bacon)
salt and pepper to taste
Rub cleaned potatoes with olive oil (not soaking) then sprinkle with kosher salt. Place potatoes on a microwavable plate and cook in microwave for 10 minutes on high. Finish off potatoes in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for another 10 minutes or until potatoes are cooked. Allow potatoes to cool to the touch. We cut our potatoes in half once they cooled, then scooped out potato leaving approximately 1/4" left in the potato skin. Place scooped out potato into a bowl, add sour cream, milk, butter, and cream, then mash potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Scoop mashed potato mix into potato skins, sprinkle fat free cheese on potatoes and bake for an additional 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Dukan Fish With Wine and Capers
RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Good.
SHE SAID: Very tasty, should've used firmer fish.
We found this recipe on Hawaiian Electric's recipe website and it sounded great and easy...we just had to try it. We didn't serve this one Tofu Shirataki noodles since we just had noodles last night, but we're sure it would have tasted great on the angel hair shaped noodles.
We also only had tilapia fillets in the fridge and didn't want to run out to buy ahi, but if we make this again we will definitely used a firm fish versus a soft, flakey fish like tilapia. It still tasted great, it just looked like a pile of mush. This was a nice light, yet tasty lunch. Another note, we omitted the sun-dried tomatoes since the only ones we could find are in oil.
RECIPE:
Serves 2
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
1 lb. ahi fillet or other firm fish (we used tilapia - not a good idea), cut into cubes or medallions
1/2 red onion, diced (or sliced)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 T. white wine
2 T. capers
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 T. parsley, minced
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Spray pan with a small bit of olive oil spray and saute onions and garlic until golden brown. Remove onions and garlic from pan. Spray pan lightly again and saute fish for a couple of minute or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Add onions and garlic back to pan with wine, capers, salt and cheese. Toss gently. Garnish with parsley.
Enjoy!
HE SAID: Good.
SHE SAID: Very tasty, should've used firmer fish.
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| Fish with Wine and Capers |
We also only had tilapia fillets in the fridge and didn't want to run out to buy ahi, but if we make this again we will definitely used a firm fish versus a soft, flakey fish like tilapia. It still tasted great, it just looked like a pile of mush. This was a nice light, yet tasty lunch. Another note, we omitted the sun-dried tomatoes since the only ones we could find are in oil.
RECIPE:
Serves 2
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
1 lb. ahi fillet or other firm fish (we used tilapia - not a good idea), cut into cubes or medallions
1/2 red onion, diced (or sliced)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 T. white wine
2 T. capers
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 T. parsley, minced
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Spray pan with a small bit of olive oil spray and saute onions and garlic until golden brown. Remove onions and garlic from pan. Spray pan lightly again and saute fish for a couple of minute or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Add onions and garlic back to pan with wine, capers, salt and cheese. Toss gently. Garnish with parsley.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Dukan Diary Entry #6
Our diet has been coming along slow, but steady. Last week no weight loss, but this week, so far it's fluctuating between one and two pounds. Not getting too excited about it since we did have some fresh grilled asparagus on Sunday night and it may just be water loss.
We're leaving on a trip soon and although we are staying with family, it'll be a busy time and we may not have time to prepare oat bran muffins and low fat meals. Will have to be like the other Dukan Bloggers and try to make the best choices (although they are limited) while eating out or with family members. We'll have to go back to oat bran in yogurt for a while.
Again, the male half of this couple only needs to watch his fat intake to keep his cholesterol, so we're not keeping close track of his weight unless he starts loosing too much. The female half has lost 9.88 pounds (including the asparagus water weight loss). Almost half way to her goal of 20 pounds, but 5-8 more pounds would probably work too!
The Dukan Diet is great...it does take a lot of planning since most restaurants and takeout places don't have a wide variety of low fat options and you end up cooking your own meals all the time but it does train a person to make healthier food choices and become aware of how much fat you're really consuming on a daily basis...not to mention sweets. So far, we are pleased with the results and we're healthier.
One of our friends asked about the diet and we encouraged her to try it since she's gained about 30-40 pounds in two years.
We're leaving on a trip soon and although we are staying with family, it'll be a busy time and we may not have time to prepare oat bran muffins and low fat meals. Will have to be like the other Dukan Bloggers and try to make the best choices (although they are limited) while eating out or with family members. We'll have to go back to oat bran in yogurt for a while.
Again, the male half of this couple only needs to watch his fat intake to keep his cholesterol, so we're not keeping close track of his weight unless he starts loosing too much. The female half has lost 9.88 pounds (including the asparagus water weight loss). Almost half way to her goal of 20 pounds, but 5-8 more pounds would probably work too!
The Dukan Diet is great...it does take a lot of planning since most restaurants and takeout places don't have a wide variety of low fat options and you end up cooking your own meals all the time but it does train a person to make healthier food choices and become aware of how much fat you're really consuming on a daily basis...not to mention sweets. So far, we are pleased with the results and we're healthier.
One of our friends asked about the diet and we encouraged her to try it since she's gained about 30-40 pounds in two years.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Dukan Japanese Pasta
RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Very good, would eat again.
SHE SAID: Wow, it is better than I expected.
We both love pasta, so thanks to Dukanitout.com for inspiring us to try Tofu Shirataki noodles (although we've eaten regular shirataki noodles pretty much all of our lives as part of Japanese meals but never thought about using it as a pasta substitute), we've been trying quite a few pasta type Dukan recipe. The male half of this couple doesn't get excited about food, to him it's fuel. However, he really liked this. He said although he loves Italian pasta dishes, this was a nice change - light and flavorful.
We've both had Italian food in Japan and it is quite different. Most of the dishes we've had in Japan are definitely lighter. We've never seen lasagna or anything close to it in Japan (although we haven't travelled extensively throughout Japan, we have been there quite a few times in the past decade).
We found this recipe on japanfoodaddict.com and it sounded yummy. We went through most of the recipes she's posted on that website and some of them we've eaten in Japan and loved and are easily Dukan'd if they aren't already. We were going to use the spaghetti shaped noodles, but we didn't have time to run to the store last night and already had the angel hair shaped ones in the fridge. Also, we were intending to buy the brown Japanese mushrooms, but the store was out, so we got the white ones which added no color to the dish.
RECIPE:
Serves 2
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
2 pkgs. House Brand Tofu Shirataki angel hair noodles (or spaghetti)
1 pkg. Japanese mushrooms or 5-7 regular mushrooms sliced
1/2 lb. pork, sliced (we used lean pork loin chops with fat removed)
1/2 onion, diced (ok to slice, but the male half doesn't care for large pieces of onion)
1/4 c. green onion
Sauce ingredients:
3 T. sake
3 T. mirin (it does contain a small amount of sugar, but you can make your own too)
2 T. shoyu (soy sauce)
2 T. ponzu (we used fat and sugar free yuzu ponzu)
1 t. natural sweetener
1 t. kosher salt
Boil noodles in salty water for 5 minutes, then drain. Do not rinse after boiling. Mix all sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Spray pan with a small bit of olive oil spray and cook onion over high heat for approximately 4 minutes. Add pork and stir fry another minute. Add mushrooms and cook for two more minutes. Add sauce and green onions, mix, then add pasta and toss.
Enjoy!
HE SAID: Very good, would eat again.
SHE SAID: Wow, it is better than I expected.
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| Japanese Pasta |
We've both had Italian food in Japan and it is quite different. Most of the dishes we've had in Japan are definitely lighter. We've never seen lasagna or anything close to it in Japan (although we haven't travelled extensively throughout Japan, we have been there quite a few times in the past decade).
We found this recipe on japanfoodaddict.com and it sounded yummy. We went through most of the recipes she's posted on that website and some of them we've eaten in Japan and loved and are easily Dukan'd if they aren't already. We were going to use the spaghetti shaped noodles, but we didn't have time to run to the store last night and already had the angel hair shaped ones in the fridge. Also, we were intending to buy the brown Japanese mushrooms, but the store was out, so we got the white ones which added no color to the dish.
RECIPE:
Serves 2
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
2 pkgs. House Brand Tofu Shirataki angel hair noodles (or spaghetti)
1 pkg. Japanese mushrooms or 5-7 regular mushrooms sliced
1/2 lb. pork, sliced (we used lean pork loin chops with fat removed)
1/2 onion, diced (ok to slice, but the male half doesn't care for large pieces of onion)
1/4 c. green onion
Sauce ingredients:
3 T. sake
3 T. mirin (it does contain a small amount of sugar, but you can make your own too)
2 T. shoyu (soy sauce)
2 T. ponzu (we used fat and sugar free yuzu ponzu)
1 t. natural sweetener
1 t. kosher salt
Boil noodles in salty water for 5 minutes, then drain. Do not rinse after boiling. Mix all sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Spray pan with a small bit of olive oil spray and cook onion over high heat for approximately 4 minutes. Add pork and stir fry another minute. Add mushrooms and cook for two more minutes. Add sauce and green onions, mix, then add pasta and toss.
Enjoy!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Dukan Lavender Oat Bran Biscuits
RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: A little too healthy for me.
SHE SAID: At first I didn't like these, but they are a nice change.
Last Christmas we made Lavender Scones for our family. The scones were a hit! We both loved them too because they weren't too sweet and the scones were made with sour cream which gave them a bread-y texture compared to a regular scone which is a bit hard and dry.
We had some leftover lavender buds and tried to Dukan our scone recipe, but it didn't turn out quite the way we liked it. However, it may have been because we didn't bake them long enough. This morning we put two in the microwave and they actually taste pretty good, but it's so far from being a scone we decided to call them biscuits. If you're into really sugary sweets, you probably won't care for these, or you could try adding more sugar.
The male half prefers not to have any more of these, but if we have the time, the female half may make these just to have another oat bran treat to munch on. Also, we would probably cut the recipe in half to make a small batch. We will post the original scone recipe later which can be eaten during Consolidation if you use whole wheat flour.
RECIPE:
Makes 8 small biscuits or 4 medium sized biscuits
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit
1/2 c. oat bran
2 T. wheat bran
1/2 - 1 tsp. dried lavender buds, chopped
1/4 t. baking soda
1/8 c. natural sweetener
1/2 c. fat free sour cream
Mix dry ingredients well. Add sour cream, mix in but do not over mix. Your dough will be very wet. Make 8 biscuits, place onto cookie sheet (we used parchment paper) and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until done.
We recommend heating your biscuit up before eating, it really helps.
Enjoy!
HE SAID: A little too healthy for me.
SHE SAID: At first I didn't like these, but they are a nice change.
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| Half eaten Lavender Oat Bran Biscuit |
We had some leftover lavender buds and tried to Dukan our scone recipe, but it didn't turn out quite the way we liked it. However, it may have been because we didn't bake them long enough. This morning we put two in the microwave and they actually taste pretty good, but it's so far from being a scone we decided to call them biscuits. If you're into really sugary sweets, you probably won't care for these, or you could try adding more sugar.
The male half prefers not to have any more of these, but if we have the time, the female half may make these just to have another oat bran treat to munch on. Also, we would probably cut the recipe in half to make a small batch. We will post the original scone recipe later which can be eaten during Consolidation if you use whole wheat flour.
RECIPE:
Makes 8 small biscuits or 4 medium sized biscuits
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit
1/2 c. oat bran
2 T. wheat bran
1/2 - 1 tsp. dried lavender buds, chopped
1/4 t. baking soda
1/8 c. natural sweetener
1/2 c. fat free sour cream
Mix dry ingredients well. Add sour cream, mix in but do not over mix. Your dough will be very wet. Make 8 biscuits, place onto cookie sheet (we used parchment paper) and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until done.
We recommend heating your biscuit up before eating, it really helps.
Enjoy!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Dukan Puerto Rican Fricassee de Pollo
RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Ok, a little dry.
SHE SAID: This was ok, we will stick to Cuban Fricassee and chicken thighs in the crock pot.
The first time we had Fricassee de Pollo was at Soul de Cuba here in Downtown Honolulu. It was SO delicious. We've tried to make Cuban Fricassee and have gotten fairly close, but not the same. The not so great thing about going to Soul de Cuba is you get a couple pieces of fabulous chicken, then 2/3's of your plate is beans, rice and plantains..which are all just as fabulous, but carbs, carbs, carbs!
We'll be making our Cuban Fricassee once we get to Consolidation, but since we're in Cruise, we decided to try the Puerto Rican version which doesn't call for orange juice. Most recipes we found called for potato which we omitted and bell peppers (we omitted since it's our Pure Protein day). After trying this, which wasn't terrible, but if you've had Cuban Fricassee, this isn't nearly as delicious. We'll be sticking to chicken thighs with the skin and fat removed for the crock pot. Tenderloins are moist grilled and pan fried, but too dry in the crock pot. Perhaps not using the bell peppers made a big difference.
RECIPE:
Serves 4-6
4 qt. crock pot
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cook Time: 5-6 hours
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenderloins (we recommend boneless, skinless, fat removed chicken thighs)
1 T. adobo seasoning
1 packet sazon seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large red onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic
1 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves only
a few drops of olive oil
1/2 c. dry red wine
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. dried oregano
2 dried bay leaves
Wash chicken and pat dry, then place in the crock pot. Season with adobo seasoning, sazon and salt. Puree the onions, garlic, cilantro, olive oil, wine, cumin, and oregano in blender (if you're using bell peppers, add 1 large red bell and 1 large green bell). Pour over chicken and add the bay leaves. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
Enjoy!
HE SAID: Ok, a little dry.
SHE SAID: This was ok, we will stick to Cuban Fricassee and chicken thighs in the crock pot.
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| Crock Pot Puerto Rican Fricassee de Pollo - the sauce actually looks greener but the photo doesn't show it |
We'll be making our Cuban Fricassee once we get to Consolidation, but since we're in Cruise, we decided to try the Puerto Rican version which doesn't call for orange juice. Most recipes we found called for potato which we omitted and bell peppers (we omitted since it's our Pure Protein day). After trying this, which wasn't terrible, but if you've had Cuban Fricassee, this isn't nearly as delicious. We'll be sticking to chicken thighs with the skin and fat removed for the crock pot. Tenderloins are moist grilled and pan fried, but too dry in the crock pot. Perhaps not using the bell peppers made a big difference.
RECIPE:
Serves 4-6
4 qt. crock pot
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cook Time: 5-6 hours
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenderloins (we recommend boneless, skinless, fat removed chicken thighs)
1 T. adobo seasoning
1 packet sazon seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large red onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic
1 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves only
a few drops of olive oil
1/2 c. dry red wine
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. dried oregano
2 dried bay leaves
Wash chicken and pat dry, then place in the crock pot. Season with adobo seasoning, sazon and salt. Puree the onions, garlic, cilantro, olive oil, wine, cumin, and oregano in blender (if you're using bell peppers, add 1 large red bell and 1 large green bell). Pour over chicken and add the bay leaves. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
Enjoy!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Dukan Diary Entry #6
It's been a busy week and we haven't had much time to cook during the week. Plus we had two outings this week and tried as best we could to eat Dukan approved foods but everything you order is covered in fatty sauce or as Vicki mentioned, a lot of marinades here have sugar..well, a lot of the Asian ones do.
The female half of this couple is hovering around 7.5 and 8 pounds lost total. Nothing lost this week for either of us...no weight gain either which is good. Wondering if it's because of all the Dukan desserts we've been making. Will try to cut down if not cut out those for a bit to see if it makes a difference.
We are surprised there's been no weight gain since this week we've missed three days of exercising. The nice thing is, the body seems to still be shrinking, even if it's only a little. The female half is down a jeans size and that jeans size is now feeling like it's getting loose!
We've got one more dinner out this week...Japanese restaurant, so we should be ok since our go to Dukan orders at a Japanese restaurant are sashimi (raw fish) and grilled fish or an Asian salad. Next week we've got more friends in town, so two more dinners out!
The female half of this couple is hovering around 7.5 and 8 pounds lost total. Nothing lost this week for either of us...no weight gain either which is good. Wondering if it's because of all the Dukan desserts we've been making. Will try to cut down if not cut out those for a bit to see if it makes a difference.
We are surprised there's been no weight gain since this week we've missed three days of exercising. The nice thing is, the body seems to still be shrinking, even if it's only a little. The female half is down a jeans size and that jeans size is now feeling like it's getting loose!
We've got one more dinner out this week...Japanese restaurant, so we should be ok since our go to Dukan orders at a Japanese restaurant are sashimi (raw fish) and grilled fish or an Asian salad. Next week we've got more friends in town, so two more dinners out!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Dukan Foil Packet Wasabi Salmon
RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Good, moist.
SHE SAID: Very good! Gotta work on the texture though, a little too thick.
Baking fish in a mayonnaise based sauce is very popular in Hawaii. We've had it all sorts of ways - mayo with lemon, mayo with portuguese or chinese sausage and green onions, etc. All ways have been tasty and moist.
Decided to have salmon today, but didn't know what kind of sauce to make it in and we came up with a wasabi, fat free sour cream based sauce, well not really a sauce, more like a cream to put on top of our salmon. We've also missed our foil packet fish recipes we used to make in our crock pot and since the crock pot is currently cooking dinner, we decided to throw the foil packets in the oven.
This cream is similar to a simple Japanese dipping sauce where they mix mayonnaise with shoyu (soy sauce). It's simple and tasty although it did come out a bit too thick, but not bad.
RECIPE:
Serves 2
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes (depending on how well done you like your fish)
2 salmon filets (washed and patted dry)
1/2 c. fat free sour cream
1/8 c. shoyu (soy sauce) - we used low sodium
2-3 t. wasabi (if you can get the real thing, that's best!)
1 T. rice wine vinegar
1 t. natural sweetener
1 T. ground sesame
1 t. black sesame seeds (optional)
foil
Place salmon filets in foil. Mix sour cream, then add the rest of the ingredients in. Cover salmon with cream sauce. Fold foil around salmon making sure all seams are facing up. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 20 minutes (depending on how well done you like your fish and how thick your fish is). Sprinkle black sesame seeds on finished dish for garnish (optional).
Enjoy!
HE SAID: Good, moist.
SHE SAID: Very good! Gotta work on the texture though, a little too thick.
 |
| Foil Packet Wasabi Salmon |
Decided to have salmon today, but didn't know what kind of sauce to make it in and we came up with a wasabi, fat free sour cream based sauce, well not really a sauce, more like a cream to put on top of our salmon. We've also missed our foil packet fish recipes we used to make in our crock pot and since the crock pot is currently cooking dinner, we decided to throw the foil packets in the oven.
This cream is similar to a simple Japanese dipping sauce where they mix mayonnaise with shoyu (soy sauce). It's simple and tasty although it did come out a bit too thick, but not bad.
RECIPE:
Serves 2
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes (depending on how well done you like your fish)
2 salmon filets (washed and patted dry)
1/2 c. fat free sour cream
1/8 c. shoyu (soy sauce) - we used low sodium
2-3 t. wasabi (if you can get the real thing, that's best!)
1 T. rice wine vinegar
1 t. natural sweetener
1 T. ground sesame
1 t. black sesame seeds (optional)
foil
Place salmon filets in foil. Mix sour cream, then add the rest of the ingredients in. Cover salmon with cream sauce. Fold foil around salmon making sure all seams are facing up. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 20 minutes (depending on how well done you like your fish and how thick your fish is). Sprinkle black sesame seeds on finished dish for garnish (optional).
Enjoy!
Dukan Lime Tofu Dessert
RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Not bad, but not a go-to dessert.
SHE SAID: Although it is lighter, which I like, I don't care for the tofu and filmy aftertaste. If we make these again, they will just be cream cheese, no tofu.
We thought this would be a great idea since we both tend to stay away from cheesecake since it's too heavy for us and it seemed really simple (versus making cheesecake delight and making our own non-fat whipped cream). The recipe was originally a "Lemon Tofu Cheesecake", but we changed it to lime since we both love lime and we just couldn't bring ourselves to call it cheesecake since it doesn't taste like it. It really tastes like a tofu gelatin. We enjoy eating tofu with ponzu sauce, in stir fries, in sukiyaki and shabushabu, but not so much as a dessert.
We suppose if you LOVE tofu, you may enjoy this recipe. Although we didn't care for the tofu filmy aftertaste, the female half did eat one entire piece! You can really make this with whichever flavoring you like best, however, we will either take the time to make cheesecake delight, use two blocks of cream cheese and omit the tofu or try the Lemon Cheesecake Loaf Vicki tried!
RECIPE:
Makes 16 muffin cup
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Chill Time: Overnight
1-12 oz container of sukui or silky tofu (rinsed and drained)
1-8 oz. package of fat free cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2 c. natural sweetener (if you don't like your desserts too sweet, try half the sugar, then taste your batter)
grated zest of one lime
juice of one lime
1 tsp. lime extract
1 t. vanilla extract
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 c. water
Beat tofu, cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Stir in lime zest, lime juice, lime extract and vanilla extract. In a small saucepan, soften gelatin in 1/4 c. water, use low heat until gelatin is dissolved. Stir gelatin mixture into tofu mixture. Pour into muffin pan or a regular pan. Refrigerate overnight.
HE SAID: Not bad, but not a go-to dessert.
SHE SAID: Although it is lighter, which I like, I don't care for the tofu and filmy aftertaste. If we make these again, they will just be cream cheese, no tofu.
 |
| Lime Tofu Dessert |
We suppose if you LOVE tofu, you may enjoy this recipe. Although we didn't care for the tofu filmy aftertaste, the female half did eat one entire piece! You can really make this with whichever flavoring you like best, however, we will either take the time to make cheesecake delight, use two blocks of cream cheese and omit the tofu or try the Lemon Cheesecake Loaf Vicki tried!
RECIPE:
Makes 16 muffin cup
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Chill Time: Overnight
1-12 oz container of sukui or silky tofu (rinsed and drained)
1-8 oz. package of fat free cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2 c. natural sweetener (if you don't like your desserts too sweet, try half the sugar, then taste your batter)
grated zest of one lime
juice of one lime
1 tsp. lime extract
1 t. vanilla extract
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 c. water
Beat tofu, cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Stir in lime zest, lime juice, lime extract and vanilla extract. In a small saucepan, soften gelatin in 1/4 c. water, use low heat until gelatin is dissolved. Stir gelatin mixture into tofu mixture. Pour into muffin pan or a regular pan. Refrigerate overnight.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Spicy Sesame Noodles
RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Great!
SHE SAID: Yum! Should have added more veggies.
The other day the female half of this couple came across an article about Tan Tan Ramen. We've had Tan Tan Ramen many times, but pretty much stopped since the ramen noodles are carbs...not to mention it's summer and we prefer not eating hot soupy thing when it's hot. After reading the article, the female half of this couple really wanted that spicy sesame flavor so we decided to make what we call in Hawaii, "Fried Saimin"...a fried noodle dish.
We used the Tan Tan Ramen recipe as a guide and came up with something we really liked. It's not truly Dukan since we used some sesame oil and chili oil, but it's pretty close and we feel as long as we don't have this dish all the time, we'll be ok. This dish is probably more suitable for those in consolidation or stabilization phases.
RECIPE:
Serves 2 or 4 as a side dish
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
1/2 c. lean meat, cut into thin slices or small chunks (we used lean char siu because we already had it)
1 c. won bok (you can use any green veggie, like regular cabbage, choi sum, etc), cut into small pieces or thin slices
1 pkg. Japanese mushroom (or regular mushrooms)
2 pkgs. House Brand Tofu Shirataki Spaghetti shaped noodles (boiled in salt water for 5 minutes)
1/8 - 1/4 t. chicken base (paste or powder)
2-3 T. ground sesame seeds or sesame powder
1 T. chili oil
1 t. sesame oil
2-4 T. shoyu (soy sauce)
2 t. natural sweetener
a pinch or two kosher salt
2 T. green onions, chopped (optional)
1-2 t. black sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
In a stir fry pan or wok, on high heat, fry up your meat and veggies. Add the oils, ground sesame seeds, shoyu, natural sweetener and chicken base. Taste test. Once you have it to your liking, add in the noodles and green onions, toss, taste again. Serve with green onions and black sesame seeds as a garnish. If you prefer your noodles with more sauce, try adding chicken broth with some cornstarch instead of just the chicken base paste. The male half of this couple prefers his noodle dishes on the drier side.
Enjoy!
HE SAID: Great!
SHE SAID: Yum! Should have added more veggies.
 |
| Spicy Sesame Noodles |
We used the Tan Tan Ramen recipe as a guide and came up with something we really liked. It's not truly Dukan since we used some sesame oil and chili oil, but it's pretty close and we feel as long as we don't have this dish all the time, we'll be ok. This dish is probably more suitable for those in consolidation or stabilization phases.
RECIPE:
Serves 2 or 4 as a side dish
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
1/2 c. lean meat, cut into thin slices or small chunks (we used lean char siu because we already had it)
1 c. won bok (you can use any green veggie, like regular cabbage, choi sum, etc), cut into small pieces or thin slices
1 pkg. Japanese mushroom (or regular mushrooms)
2 pkgs. House Brand Tofu Shirataki Spaghetti shaped noodles (boiled in salt water for 5 minutes)
1/8 - 1/4 t. chicken base (paste or powder)
2-3 T. ground sesame seeds or sesame powder
1 T. chili oil
1 t. sesame oil
2-4 T. shoyu (soy sauce)
2 t. natural sweetener
a pinch or two kosher salt
2 T. green onions, chopped (optional)
1-2 t. black sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
In a stir fry pan or wok, on high heat, fry up your meat and veggies. Add the oils, ground sesame seeds, shoyu, natural sweetener and chicken base. Taste test. Once you have it to your liking, add in the noodles and green onions, toss, taste again. Serve with green onions and black sesame seeds as a garnish. If you prefer your noodles with more sauce, try adding chicken broth with some cornstarch instead of just the chicken base paste. The male half of this couple prefers his noodle dishes on the drier side.
Enjoy!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Dukan Diary Entry #5
Well, as mentioned earlier, our weight loss has been coming along slowly but surely. The male half of this couple is looking great, love handles are slimming down (although they weren't bad at all). The female half of this couple still has about 12.5 pounds to lose to reach her goal, but if she drops down to a size 5 or 6, she'd be really happy and amazed.
We both lost another pound this week. The female is the one keeping track of her weight and she's lost 7.5 pounds since starting Dukan back at the beginning of July. We actually started to lower our carb and sugar intake back in June, so counting weight lost in June, the total would be around 9 pounds lost!
Friday night was a challenge. We got home late and were both tired from work so we put the cooking plans aside and decided to take out. Most of the restaurants in our area close pretty early, some even close at 7:30PM! After we mulled over the menus in our drawer and figured out we couldn't eat most of what was available, we were almost going to grab salads from McDonald's or drive all the way into town to get our favorite, Lemon Beef Salad from a local Vietnamese restaurant. Luckily, the male half of this couple remembered a new restaurant opened up right down the street so we thought we'd give it a try.
The restaurant is called Grylt in the Manoa Marketplace. It's actually a healthier fast food restaurant, although they were anything but fast on Friday night. We got there around 8PM and there were three other people in front of us (with two others waiting for their food). The food choices are limited, but healthy. You choose your greens, if you want an entree or a sandwich and if you want an entree you can either have a starch or extra greens. We both tried the seared ahi which was pretty good even though you can tell it was a previously frozen piece of fish. It was cooked to perfection and they give you a very generous portion of fish. The gal in front of us got a very generous portion of grilled tofu too. We tried the Caesar salad which they grill also....heavenly! The prices were reasonable for the fish dish, but we didn't get to see how much beef they give on the $10 plate. As mentioned, the service was very slow. There were 4 people there, but the cashier is just that, a cashier, she doesn't get involved in anything else. There was even a gentlemen in a chef's uniform. We'd definitely try this place again. Sorry, we were starving, so we forgot to take photos of the food!
The rest of the weekend we cooked, so sticking to the Dukan diet was no problem. We tried making some hazelnut ganache cups, but we put too much non-fat half-and-half, so we'll need to try that recipe again this coming weekend. Will be posting some recipes this coming week.
We both lost another pound this week. The female is the one keeping track of her weight and she's lost 7.5 pounds since starting Dukan back at the beginning of July. We actually started to lower our carb and sugar intake back in June, so counting weight lost in June, the total would be around 9 pounds lost!
Friday night was a challenge. We got home late and were both tired from work so we put the cooking plans aside and decided to take out. Most of the restaurants in our area close pretty early, some even close at 7:30PM! After we mulled over the menus in our drawer and figured out we couldn't eat most of what was available, we were almost going to grab salads from McDonald's or drive all the way into town to get our favorite, Lemon Beef Salad from a local Vietnamese restaurant. Luckily, the male half of this couple remembered a new restaurant opened up right down the street so we thought we'd give it a try.
The restaurant is called Grylt in the Manoa Marketplace. It's actually a healthier fast food restaurant, although they were anything but fast on Friday night. We got there around 8PM and there were three other people in front of us (with two others waiting for their food). The food choices are limited, but healthy. You choose your greens, if you want an entree or a sandwich and if you want an entree you can either have a starch or extra greens. We both tried the seared ahi which was pretty good even though you can tell it was a previously frozen piece of fish. It was cooked to perfection and they give you a very generous portion of fish. The gal in front of us got a very generous portion of grilled tofu too. We tried the Caesar salad which they grill also....heavenly! The prices were reasonable for the fish dish, but we didn't get to see how much beef they give on the $10 plate. As mentioned, the service was very slow. There were 4 people there, but the cashier is just that, a cashier, she doesn't get involved in anything else. There was even a gentlemen in a chef's uniform. We'd definitely try this place again. Sorry, we were starving, so we forgot to take photos of the food!
The rest of the weekend we cooked, so sticking to the Dukan diet was no problem. We tried making some hazelnut ganache cups, but we put too much non-fat half-and-half, so we'll need to try that recipe again this coming weekend. Will be posting some recipes this coming week.
Dukan Crock Pot Chicken Artichoke Pasta
RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Very good (he had seconds)
SHE SAID: Yes, agreed.
We tried this recipe before using heavy whipping cream and both enjoyed it. Decided to Dukan the recipe since it looked simple enough. Also, we use crushed tomatoes since the male half of this couple doesn't like tomatoes but will eat tomato sauce. We recommend using Italian style diced tomatoes for this recipe.
This is a nice, light dish and went nicely on the House Brand Angel Hair Tofu Shirataki Angel Hair Noodles although you can really serve on any of the Tofu Shirataki noodles. We did add some of our Rustica sauce from our lunch dish to add flavor. If you prefer a thicker sauce, add a cornstarch paste made with 1 t of cornstarch and just a little bit of water. Our original recipe calls for 1/2 c. pimento stuffed olives which doesn't seem to be allowed on the Dukan Diet.
RECIPE
Serves 2-3 (depending on how much you eat)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5-6 hours
4 qt. crock pot
1 - 28 oz. can Italian tomatoes (diced, stewed, etc)
1 - 13 or 14 oz. can of artichokes hearts in water, drained and lightly chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. non-fat half-and-half
1/2 c. Rustica sauce from leftovers (recipe here)
2 packages of House Brand Tofu Shirataki Angel Hair Pasta
Cut chicken into bit size pieces and put into crock pot. Pour tomatoes into crock pot. Lightly chop the drained artichoke hearts and toss those in. Add garlic. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours on low or until chicken is no longer pink. Just before the meal is done cooking, boil noodles in salty water for at least 5 minutes, drain (do not rinse after boiling). Before serving, mix in the non-fat half-and-half, Rustica sauce and pasta.
This tastes great with the stuffed olives, so we're looking forward to having the full recipe during Consolidation and Stabilization.
Enjoy!
HE SAID: Very good (he had seconds)
SHE SAID: Yes, agreed.
 |
| Crock Pot Chicken Artichoke Pasta |
This is a nice, light dish and went nicely on the House Brand Angel Hair Tofu Shirataki Angel Hair Noodles although you can really serve on any of the Tofu Shirataki noodles. We did add some of our Rustica sauce from our lunch dish to add flavor. If you prefer a thicker sauce, add a cornstarch paste made with 1 t of cornstarch and just a little bit of water. Our original recipe calls for 1/2 c. pimento stuffed olives which doesn't seem to be allowed on the Dukan Diet.
RECIPE
Serves 2-3 (depending on how much you eat)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5-6 hours
4 qt. crock pot
1 - 28 oz. can Italian tomatoes (diced, stewed, etc)
1 - 13 or 14 oz. can of artichokes hearts in water, drained and lightly chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. non-fat half-and-half
1/2 c. Rustica sauce from leftovers (recipe here)
2 packages of House Brand Tofu Shirataki Angel Hair Pasta
Cut chicken into bit size pieces and put into crock pot. Pour tomatoes into crock pot. Lightly chop the drained artichoke hearts and toss those in. Add garlic. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours on low or until chicken is no longer pink. Just before the meal is done cooking, boil noodles in salty water for at least 5 minutes, drain (do not rinse after boiling). Before serving, mix in the non-fat half-and-half, Rustica sauce and pasta.
This tastes great with the stuffed olives, so we're looking forward to having the full recipe during Consolidation and Stabilization.
Enjoy!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Dukan Pollo Saltado
RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Tastes great, but could do without the onions and tomatoes
SHE SAID: One of my favorite dishes, but still can't get it exactly like El Pollo Inka!
A couple of years ago we were in San Francisco and had lunch at Fresca, a Peruvian restaurant (the West Portal location). The food was great...very tasty, but not as yummy as El Pollo Inka in the Los Angeles area. One of the dishes we always order at any Peruvian restaurant we try is the Saltado (either pollo - chicken or lomo - beef and we've seen shrimp too).
The dish is usually made with french fries, but subtract the fries and the rice they usually serve it with and you've got a Dukan qualified dish! We feel the same about Peruvian and Thai food...both cuisines are bursting with flavor.
Today we made some Pollo Saltado with dried aji amarillo peppers (we usually use the frozen ones) but we actually found these dried ones in a local health food store here. We didn't really care for them...they were ok, but we think the frozen whole ones are better. We haven't tried the paste form yet. Don't leave the aji amarillos out, these really make the dish.
RECIPE:
Serves 2-3
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes or less (depends on if you make chicken or beef)
3/4 lb. chicken breast tenderloin (skinless, from Costco), cut into bite size pieces
1/2 red onion, sliced in thin(ish) strips lengthwise
1 small tomato, sliced in thin(ish) strips, remove seeds
2 aji amarillo peppers (1 if you prefer less heat), remove seeds and slice into strips
1-2 T. cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 - 1 T. red wine vinegar
2 T. shoyu (soy sauce)
1 tsp. ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Use a stir fry pan or wok, spray a little olive oil non stick spray and stir fry chicken on high heat. Do not overcook. Add onions to pan, stir fry for about one minute, then add the tomatoes, cilantro (reserve some for garnish), aji amarillo, vinegar, cumin and shoyu. Stir fry until tomatoes start to soften. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Enjoy!
HE SAID: Tastes great, but could do without the onions and tomatoes
SHE SAID: One of my favorite dishes, but still can't get it exactly like El Pollo Inka!
 |
| Pollo Saltado |
The dish is usually made with french fries, but subtract the fries and the rice they usually serve it with and you've got a Dukan qualified dish! We feel the same about Peruvian and Thai food...both cuisines are bursting with flavor.
Today we made some Pollo Saltado with dried aji amarillo peppers (we usually use the frozen ones) but we actually found these dried ones in a local health food store here. We didn't really care for them...they were ok, but we think the frozen whole ones are better. We haven't tried the paste form yet. Don't leave the aji amarillos out, these really make the dish.
RECIPE:
Serves 2-3
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes or less (depends on if you make chicken or beef)
3/4 lb. chicken breast tenderloin (skinless, from Costco), cut into bite size pieces
1/2 red onion, sliced in thin(ish) strips lengthwise
1 small tomato, sliced in thin(ish) strips, remove seeds
2 aji amarillo peppers (1 if you prefer less heat), remove seeds and slice into strips
1-2 T. cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 - 1 T. red wine vinegar
2 T. shoyu (soy sauce)
1 tsp. ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Use a stir fry pan or wok, spray a little olive oil non stick spray and stir fry chicken on high heat. Do not overcook. Add onions to pan, stir fry for about one minute, then add the tomatoes, cilantro (reserve some for garnish), aji amarillo, vinegar, cumin and shoyu. Stir fry until tomatoes start to soften. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Enjoy!
Dukan Creamy Rustica Chicken
RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Very good.
SHE SAID: Mmm...good!
This sauce is actually a copycat recipe of Romano's Macaroni Grill's Penne Rustica sauce, but it's been Dukan'd and we didn't bake it. It was still great. Great flavors and not as heavy as the real thing. This dish can be served over House Brand Tofu Shirataki noodles.
We omitted a few ingredients and the sauce still came out great! A slice of Dukan Cheddar Rosemary would be great with this dish also!
RECIPE:
Serves 2, plus one serving of leftovers
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins (unless you decide to bake yours)
3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins
2 T. minced garlic
3 T. marsala wine
2 c. non-fat half-and-half
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 T. cornstarch
1 T. dijon
1 t. dried rosemary
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. ground cayenne
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Pan fry chicken. Removed cooked chicken from pan and keep warm. Saute garlic for a minute in olive oil non-stick spray in the same pan. Don't let garlic brown. Add marsala wine, cook 5 minutes. Add cornstarch gradually (the wine and garlic sauce will look like a paste). Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Bring mixture to simmer and keep at a simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Place cooked chicken back into sauce to warm. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
HE SAID: Very good.
SHE SAID: Mmm...good!
 |
| Creamy Rustica Chicken |
We omitted a few ingredients and the sauce still came out great! A slice of Dukan Cheddar Rosemary would be great with this dish also!
RECIPE:
Serves 2, plus one serving of leftovers
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins (unless you decide to bake yours)
3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins
2 T. minced garlic
3 T. marsala wine
2 c. non-fat half-and-half
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 T. cornstarch
1 T. dijon
1 t. dried rosemary
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. ground cayenne
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Pan fry chicken. Removed cooked chicken from pan and keep warm. Saute garlic for a minute in olive oil non-stick spray in the same pan. Don't let garlic brown. Add marsala wine, cook 5 minutes. Add cornstarch gradually (the wine and garlic sauce will look like a paste). Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Bring mixture to simmer and keep at a simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Place cooked chicken back into sauce to warm. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Dukan Diary Entry #4
Not much of a weight loss week for the female half of this couple, but she did have a 1% body fat decrease! The male half did lose 2 pounds this week. Trying to be stricter with our diet since we went a little crazy with cream sauces this week...even though we're using non-fat half-and-half.
This weekend we're home all weekend, so we'll mostly be eating in. We've got a stir fry planned as well as one crock pot meal...all Dukan'd. We may also try a fried noodle dish if we have time.
As for desserts, this week we tried an Easy Low Fat Dark Chocolate Truffle Recipe, but we'll need to tweak it a bit. If we have time, we'll attempt a new dessert this week too and maybe some strawberry oat bran muffins.
This weekend we're home all weekend, so we'll mostly be eating in. We've got a stir fry planned as well as one crock pot meal...all Dukan'd. We may also try a fried noodle dish if we have time.
As for desserts, this week we tried an Easy Low Fat Dark Chocolate Truffle Recipe, but we'll need to tweak it a bit. If we have time, we'll attempt a new dessert this week too and maybe some strawberry oat bran muffins.
Dukan Tamagoyaki (Japanese Fried Egg Roll)
RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Good (he ate a bunch)
SHE SAID: Mmm, always been one of my favorites.
Here in Hawaii we have Okazu-ya, which are restaurants that sell food you can buy by the piece or cup, side dishes. There are still a handful of these left. Most times you will find musubi (rice balls) of all sorts, konbu maki, shoyu (soy sauce) chicken, fried chicken, teri beef, all kinds of tempura, corned beef hash patties and much more. You will also find all different versions of our favorites, tamagoyaki. Everyone has their own way of cooking it, different flavors, they add different things in it, but we prefer it simple.
We had traditional tamagoyaki in Japan and it's simple, tasty, moist and not too sweet. Often times we find it on the buffet line at Japanese hotels served with some grated daikon (radish). This is also a popular picnic food in Hawaii, we've made it several times to take to the beach.
We don't know why we didn't think about this, but the last batch we made was made with xylitol and it's pretty much a Dukan'd recipe!
RECIPE:
Makes 2 egg rolls or 1 larger egg roll, cut them into as small or large as you want them. We usually cut them about 1 1/2 to 2" wide.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
4 eggs
3 T. dashi (we use bonito packets, a fish stock, this isn't the one we use, but it's similar, we use the low sodium one)
1 1/2 - 2 T. natural sweetener
Beat eggs. Add dashi and sweetener and mix well (we whisk, but it's really up to you). Once you make one batch, you'll find which taste you like best. Some like it sweeter, some like a stronger dashi taste. You can probably use chicken broth too if you don't care for fish. Heat a frying pan (medium heat) or if you have a square tamagoyaki pan, heat that. Use a non-stick pan and a little bit of olive oil non-stick spray. Scoop in some of the egg mixture, we like to make it a thin coat. Cook until half done, then start rolling your egg carefully with a hashi or chopstick (ok to use a spatula if you prefer). Once your egg roll is complete, move the egg roll to one side of the frying pan, spray a little more olive oil non-stick spray in the pan (under your cooked egg roll too) and add another scoop of egg mixture and repeat process. Spread your egg mixture and make sure the raw egg mixture gets under the cooked egg roll. If you prefer a smaller roll, half your mixture and make two rolls.
If you are using a regular pan and want the square look for your egg roll, use a sushi mat to shape it. Cut into pieces (your choice on size). We usually cut ours 1 1/2" to 2" wide. Most times we've been served tamagoyaki cold or room temperature. This makes a great snack.
Enjoy!
HE SAID: Good (he ate a bunch)
SHE SAID: Mmm, always been one of my favorites.
 |
| Tamagoyaki (Japanese fried egg) |
We had traditional tamagoyaki in Japan and it's simple, tasty, moist and not too sweet. Often times we find it on the buffet line at Japanese hotels served with some grated daikon (radish). This is also a popular picnic food in Hawaii, we've made it several times to take to the beach.
We don't know why we didn't think about this, but the last batch we made was made with xylitol and it's pretty much a Dukan'd recipe!
RECIPE:
Makes 2 egg rolls or 1 larger egg roll, cut them into as small or large as you want them. We usually cut them about 1 1/2 to 2" wide.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
4 eggs
3 T. dashi (we use bonito packets, a fish stock, this isn't the one we use, but it's similar, we use the low sodium one)
1 1/2 - 2 T. natural sweetener
Beat eggs. Add dashi and sweetener and mix well (we whisk, but it's really up to you). Once you make one batch, you'll find which taste you like best. Some like it sweeter, some like a stronger dashi taste. You can probably use chicken broth too if you don't care for fish. Heat a frying pan (medium heat) or if you have a square tamagoyaki pan, heat that. Use a non-stick pan and a little bit of olive oil non-stick spray. Scoop in some of the egg mixture, we like to make it a thin coat. Cook until half done, then start rolling your egg carefully with a hashi or chopstick (ok to use a spatula if you prefer). Once your egg roll is complete, move the egg roll to one side of the frying pan, spray a little more olive oil non-stick spray in the pan (under your cooked egg roll too) and add another scoop of egg mixture and repeat process. Spread your egg mixture and make sure the raw egg mixture gets under the cooked egg roll. If you prefer a smaller roll, half your mixture and make two rolls.
If you are using a regular pan and want the square look for your egg roll, use a sushi mat to shape it. Cut into pieces (your choice on size). We usually cut ours 1 1/2" to 2" wide. Most times we've been served tamagoyaki cold or room temperature. This makes a great snack.
Enjoy!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Dukan Pork Chops with Creamy Ponzu Sauce
RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Not bad, prefer chicken or fish
SHE SAID: Great, doesn't taste the same without the butter, but it really didn't make that big of a difference.
Years ago Hiroshi's Eurasian Tapas here in Honolulu served a simple, but great steak with a creamy ponzu sauce (citrusy soy based sauce). It was so goooo. They no longer have that dish on the menu, but the simple recipe is forever etched in our brains. The original recipe calls for butter, but we omitted the butter and the sauce was still great.
There are actually several kinds of ponzu sauce and last night we found a no fat, no sugar Yuzu Ponzu Sauce at Marukai here in Honolulu produced by Kikkoman. If you can't find Ponzu Sauce in a market near you, it's very easy to make. Google 'Ponzu Sauce Recipe' and you'll have your choice of ponzu sauces to choose from, depends on what kind of taste you prefer. Ponzu is very citrusy, so if you prefer a milder citrus taste, we would add more non-fat half-and-half to your sauce.
Also, this sauce went well with beef, pork and we're sure it would go great with chicken and fish too.
RECIPE:
Serves 2, plus leftovers
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes (we have a small pan)
4 boneless pork loin chops, fat trimmed (we cut ours kind of like medallions for easier eating)
1/2 c. ponzu sauce
1/4 c. non-fat half-and-half
1 t. cornstarch
salt and pepper
Season pork chops and pan fry. We used our non-stick pan and didn't need any oil or non-stick spray. Place cooked pork chops on a plate and keep warm. You'll want to have your sauce, half-and-half and cornstarch measured out since the sauce cooks quickly. In the same pan (lower your heat), pour in your ponzu sauce and swirl around scrapping all the grease from the pork (which isn't a whole lot). Swirl around for a couple of minutes. Add some of the heated ponzu sauce to your non-fat half-and-half, mix and slowly add back to your pan. Turn heat up and let simmer. In the meantime, make a paste with your cornstarch using some of the ponzu cream sauce, then add to the pan and constantly stir until your sauce thickens. Lower heat and add pork back in to heat pork up and serve.
Enjoy!
HE SAID: Not bad, prefer chicken or fish
SHE SAID: Great, doesn't taste the same without the butter, but it really didn't make that big of a difference.
 |
| Pork Chops with Creamy Ponzu Sauce |
There are actually several kinds of ponzu sauce and last night we found a no fat, no sugar Yuzu Ponzu Sauce at Marukai here in Honolulu produced by Kikkoman. If you can't find Ponzu Sauce in a market near you, it's very easy to make. Google 'Ponzu Sauce Recipe' and you'll have your choice of ponzu sauces to choose from, depends on what kind of taste you prefer. Ponzu is very citrusy, so if you prefer a milder citrus taste, we would add more non-fat half-and-half to your sauce.
 |
| Yuzu Ponzu Sauce by Kikkoman |
RECIPE:
Serves 2, plus leftovers
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes (we have a small pan)
4 boneless pork loin chops, fat trimmed (we cut ours kind of like medallions for easier eating)
1/2 c. ponzu sauce
1/4 c. non-fat half-and-half
1 t. cornstarch
salt and pepper
Season pork chops and pan fry. We used our non-stick pan and didn't need any oil or non-stick spray. Place cooked pork chops on a plate and keep warm. You'll want to have your sauce, half-and-half and cornstarch measured out since the sauce cooks quickly. In the same pan (lower your heat), pour in your ponzu sauce and swirl around scrapping all the grease from the pork (which isn't a whole lot). Swirl around for a couple of minutes. Add some of the heated ponzu sauce to your non-fat half-and-half, mix and slowly add back to your pan. Turn heat up and let simmer. In the meantime, make a paste with your cornstarch using some of the ponzu cream sauce, then add to the pan and constantly stir until your sauce thickens. Lower heat and add pork back in to heat pork up and serve.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Dukan Chocolate Cups
RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: Same as her rating.
SHE SAID: Didn't really care for these, needs some tweaking.
Chocolate is one of our favorite things. We really missed it the first couple of weeks on Dukan, but now, the cravings have gone away....until we came across mydukandiet.com's Chocolate Praline recipe. Wow, it sounded really good....not "can't wait to try them good", but a nice thing to add to our snack collection.
This recipe sounded perfect since we both prefer our chocolate plain, without nuts and gooey stuff. We turned these into Chocolate Cups since we have an ice maker and do not own ice cube trays! The muffin pan was the smallest "mold" we had.
This really was an easy recipe. Just didn't really tickle our fancy. First of all, we're dark chocolate lovers, not milk chocolate lovers. Again, the recipe was so easy, Dukan'd and chocolate...we couldn't resist trying it. We used Xylitol for the candy which of course since you're mixing ingredients without anything warm to melt the Xylitol, it doesn't dissolve. It gave it sort of a "crunchy" texture which was interesting. The recipe was too sweet for us. Also, the candy never really completely hardens even after refrigerating, so it melts fairly quickly and we ended up licking it off the muffin liners. Perhaps we did something wrong! However, it did inspire us to look for some dark chocolate candy recipes and hopefully this weekend we will have time to experiment.
We followed the recipe almost exactly as found on mydukandiet.com with the exception of using silk soy milk instead of regular skimmed milk and no egg yolk.
RECIPE
Makes 5 chocolate cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Chill Time: several hours
1 T. unsweetened cacao powder
2 T. silk soy milk (plus a little extra if your mix is dry)
7 T. nonfat powdered milk
3 T. natural sweetener (try less if you prefer less sweet, and maybe a liquid sweetener)
8 drops vanilla extract
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Add only enough milk to mix easily. Pour into your desired mold (ice cube tray, muffin pan, etc). Refrigerate for several hours.
If you like these, you can even add other flavorings.
HE SAID: Same as her rating.
SHE SAID: Didn't really care for these, needs some tweaking.
 |
| Chocolate cups |
This recipe sounded perfect since we both prefer our chocolate plain, without nuts and gooey stuff. We turned these into Chocolate Cups since we have an ice maker and do not own ice cube trays! The muffin pan was the smallest "mold" we had.
This really was an easy recipe. Just didn't really tickle our fancy. First of all, we're dark chocolate lovers, not milk chocolate lovers. Again, the recipe was so easy, Dukan'd and chocolate...we couldn't resist trying it. We used Xylitol for the candy which of course since you're mixing ingredients without anything warm to melt the Xylitol, it doesn't dissolve. It gave it sort of a "crunchy" texture which was interesting. The recipe was too sweet for us. Also, the candy never really completely hardens even after refrigerating, so it melts fairly quickly and we ended up licking it off the muffin liners. Perhaps we did something wrong! However, it did inspire us to look for some dark chocolate candy recipes and hopefully this weekend we will have time to experiment.
We followed the recipe almost exactly as found on mydukandiet.com with the exception of using silk soy milk instead of regular skimmed milk and no egg yolk.
RECIPE
Makes 5 chocolate cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Chill Time: several hours
1 T. unsweetened cacao powder
2 T. silk soy milk (plus a little extra if your mix is dry)
7 T. nonfat powdered milk
3 T. natural sweetener (try less if you prefer less sweet, and maybe a liquid sweetener)
8 drops vanilla extract
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Add only enough milk to mix easily. Pour into your desired mold (ice cube tray, muffin pan, etc). Refrigerate for several hours.
If you like these, you can even add other flavorings.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Exercise Game Review
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| EA Active More Workouts Game |
Recently we purchased the EA Active More Workouts game (since there was a used copy available at Game Stop) for the game console...to have a different workout available. After putting together a custom cardio workout, we definitely think Zumba is better (and fun too). We seem to have gotten a better workout, well we start working up a sweat sooner and end up dripping in sweat by the end of the workout.
EA Active More Workouts, while it does have some sprinting and jogging exercises, seems to be lower impact. However, it is a nice change. We're thinking about doing 10 minutes of EA Active to warm up, them moving on to do 20+ minutes of Zumba.
In any case, for those who do not want to dish out money for a gym membership, have a game console and enjoy the convenience of working out when YOU want to, game console exercise games can provide a great workout.
Dukan Breakfast Sandwich
RECIPE RATING:
HE SAID: It's ok, but a little heavy for me.
SHE SAID: Yum, just right!
We've been eating yogurt with oat bran, oat bran muffins and omelettes for breakfast, so we thought it would be nice to change things up a bit. After we made our Dukan Cheddar Rosemary Bread, we decided to throw together a breakfast sandwich to take to work.
The male half of this couple prefers lighter breakfasts so he doesn't fall asleep at his desk. The female half prefers heartier breakfasts so she doesn't get too hungry before snack time.
This is a low fat breakfast great for a Pure Protein day. Will be using this bread, maybe with other herbs for burgers.
RECIPE:
Serves 2
Prep Time: 10 minutes plus 40 minutes to bake bread
Cook Time: 7 minutes
4 slices low fat Canadian Bacon
2 eggs
4 slices Dukan Cheddar Rosemary Bread (recipe here)
2 slices fat-free cheddar slices
Slice bread horizontally so it looks around the slice of bread. Pan fry Canadian Bacon with a small spray of olive oil non-stick spray. Bacon is already cooked, so you just want to brown them a little. Place the bacon on the bottom slice of bread. Fry eggs to your liking (either scrambled, fried, etc). Place cheese on egg while cooking to melt. Place egg and cheese on bacon. Place the top slice of bread on the egg/cheese. If you want a condiment, a little bit of dijon mustard is ok.
Enjoy!
HE SAID: It's ok, but a little heavy for me.
SHE SAID: Yum, just right!
 |
| Breakfast sandwich |
The male half of this couple prefers lighter breakfasts so he doesn't fall asleep at his desk. The female half prefers heartier breakfasts so she doesn't get too hungry before snack time.
This is a low fat breakfast great for a Pure Protein day. Will be using this bread, maybe with other herbs for burgers.
RECIPE:
Serves 2
Prep Time: 10 minutes plus 40 minutes to bake bread
Cook Time: 7 minutes
4 slices low fat Canadian Bacon
2 eggs
4 slices Dukan Cheddar Rosemary Bread (recipe here)
2 slices fat-free cheddar slices
Slice bread horizontally so it looks around the slice of bread. Pan fry Canadian Bacon with a small spray of olive oil non-stick spray. Bacon is already cooked, so you just want to brown them a little. Place the bacon on the bottom slice of bread. Fry eggs to your liking (either scrambled, fried, etc). Place cheese on egg while cooking to melt. Place egg and cheese on bacon. Place the top slice of bread on the egg/cheese. If you want a condiment, a little bit of dijon mustard is ok.
Enjoy!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Dukan Diary Entry #3
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| Virgin Li Hing Margarita and Beer |
The female half considered having just water and a lemon, but decided to splurge and have a virgin Li Hing Mui Margarita. It was soooo good. The virgin margarita was made with a small amount of li hing powder in place of salt on the rim of your glass. They also put a small amount of li hing powder in the margarita.
So, there's another reason for our weight gain....drinks on Friday!
Being good and Dukan-ing full time on Sunday paid off, we lost a pound and looking forward to being good and hopefully losing at least a pound or two this week!
Altogether the female half of this couple has lost a little over 5 pounds since starting Dukan (we are half way through our Cruise Phase, we'll be on Cruise for a total of 69 days). The male half has lost 2 pounds which is good for him. He didn't have a lot of body fat to lost, but since his family (like mine) has a history of heart and cholesterol problems, he wanted to lose body fat.
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