Monday Lunch Project

Week 8 (ish) – Creamy Pumpkin Soup
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Sorry for the late posts in October. My, and the roommate’s, schedules have been a bit more hectic since returning from Spain, but I do promise to post something new at least every few weeks.

With the start of fall, and the nice chill in the air, I decided some warm soup-based meals were in order. Soup is one of those magic foods that always keep you full when counting calories. I look forward to soup season all summer when it’s just too hot to get out the stock pot.

I’ve never really cooked with Pumpkin that much in the past, so have decided to embrace it this fall and see what I can make – that isn’t a pumpkin pie (one of my least favorite desserts).

Ingredients:
2 small pie pumpkins (heavy for their weight, which means more flavor)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 bay leaves
7 whole pepper corns
1 whole clove
1 sprig fresh thyme
6 parsley stems (save these when you use fresh parsley in a bag in the freezer, great for stock-making)
5 cups water
1 tsp smoked paprika
Pinch Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp kosher salt (or more to taste)
3 tbsp creamy peanut butter (we use Simply Jif (r) for the reduced sugar content)
4 tbsp cream (regular, not heavy)
1 tbsp cider vinegar

To Make Soup:
Pre-heat oven to 350

Slice pie pumpkins in half and scoop out seeds (save to toast as a nice topping to the soup)

Using a paper towel dipped in olive oil, wipe the inside surfaces of the pumpkin (flesh) with a thin coat of olive oil and sprinkle a little salt, pepper, and smoked paprika across.

Place pumpkins flesh side up on a foil-covered cookie sheet and bake 45 minutes until flesh is soft and outsides have just started to brown.

While Pumpkin is baking, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large stock pot and add diced onion. Cook five minutes until onion is translucent and starting to brown. Add garlic and red pepper flakes.

After about 1 minute, when you can smell garlic cooking, add carrots and celery and sauté 2 minutes longer.

Add water, bay leaves, pepper corns, thyme and parsley stems to pot and let simmer uncovered until pumpkin is done roasting.

When pumpkin is ready, let stand 5-10 minutes to cool, then scoop flesh from skin and add to the stock pot (discard skin). Continue to simmer while preparing pumpkin seeds.

To Prepare Pumpkin Seeds:
Spread cleaned seeds (rinsed in water and patted dry) across a foil-lined cookie sheet. Spray Pam (r) over seeds to coat and add desired seasoning. Salt is a must. I usually add some cracked pepper and cayenne to give mine a little kick. Any savory seasoning will be good with the soup (cumin?)

Continue With Soup:
Bake seeds at 250 for 10-15 minutes until you start to hear seeds pop. Remove from oven and let cool on the cookie sheet.

Once seeds are in the oven, remove pot from heat and discard bay leaves, parsley stems and thyme sprig. Add remaining ingredients and use a hand blender or a food processor to combine. Puree soup until smooth. Taste and add more cayenne, salt and pepper as needed.

Sprinkle a few pumpkin seeds on the top to serve.

If you’re feeding more than one, this will stretch a few meals. If you’re making for your single-self, consider freezing half for another week. It reheats beautifully.

Because the calories on this are so low, it’s best to combine soup with either half a sandwich or a simple salad to complete the meal.

I recommend making a quick salad of field greens, red onion, 2 oz soften goat cheese, half a fresh apple (cored and diced) and 1 tbsp balsamic. The goat cheese will emulsify with the vinegar when tossed for a creamy dressing.

(If Ina Garten is coming to dinner, by all means whisk cheese and vinegar in a separate bowl to make dressing. If you’re just taking this to work, throw cheese and vinegar in the bottom of your container, cover with veggies and shake to toss at lunch time. No need to get another bowl dirty.)

Top with a little salt/ fresh cracked pepper, and some roasted pumpkin seeds to serve.

Nutrition Facts (estimated) per serving (makes 8, 1-cup servings)
104.8 calories
9.9 g fat
2 g dietary fiber
7.3 g carbs
2.4g protein
- or – 2.4 points (out of 20)

Week 7 – Classic American Chili
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Now that the temperature has started to drop it’s finally time to start making soups and stews again! Hearty and low calorie; these are my favorite kinds of meals.

3/4 LB ground pork
3/4 LB ground turkey
1 large Spanish onion, diced
1 yellow sweet pepper, seeded and diced
1 orange sweet pepper, seeded and diced
1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced (you can add a jalapeno for extra heat if you like)
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 20 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can black beans, with canning liquid
1 15 oz can cannellini beans, with canning liquid
1 15 oz can pinto beans, with canning liquid
1 15 oz can kidney beads, with canning liquid

Brown meat in a large stock pot until fat renders and begins to fry the meat a bit. Drain all but 2 tbsps fat and add onions and peppers. Cook until veggies begin to sweat and turn translucent.

Add all spices and stir to distribute evenly throughout pot. Cook one or two minutes until you can smell the spice, then add tomatoes and beans with canning liquid and 1 cup water.

Turn down stove to low heat and simmer 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent sticking. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve.

Nutrition Facts (estimated) per serving (makes 8 )
342 calories
11.4 g fat
12.25 g dietary fiber
56.7 g carbs
25.6 g protein
- or – 6.8 points (out of 20)

Week 6 – Autumn-inspired Roast Turkey and Squash
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1 large turkey leg, bone in/skin on (1 lb)
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped carrots
1 small white onion, peeled and chopped
salt/pepper/paprika to taste

1 cup water

1/2 acorn squash, peeled/seeded, and sliced into 1/4″ thick pieces
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cayenne (or less to taste)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
salt / pepper to taste

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp light cream

Pre-heat over to 375.

Mound carrots, celery and onion in the center of a low-sided small baking dish (large enough to hold the turkey leg) and top with the turkey leg. Coat the outside of the skin in salt/pepper/paprika and bake 30 minutes until beginning to brown.

Once turkey is in the oven, arrange sliced squash in one layer on a large cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coast. Sprinkle squash with cranberries salt, pepper, cayenne and cinnamon.

After 30 minutes take turkey out of oven and reduce oven temperature to 300. Pour water into the bottom of the baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Return turkey to the oven and put squash in as well.

After 45 minutes drizzle balsamic over squash and bake 15 minutes longer. Remove squash from oven. Re-set the timer for 30 minutes (to finish the turkey) and let squash cool in pan.

When turkey is done, carefully open the foil and disguard. Let turkey cool in the pan after pouring off all liquid (no veggies) into a medium saucepan.

Heat liquid on the stove till boiling and whisk in cream and salt / pepper to taste. (3 tbsp flour will make this a nice thick gravy, but we’re avoiding carbs so we’re going to get a thin pan sauce). Whisk until liquid comes back to a boil and turn off heat.

To serve, discard skin and shred turkey on top of squash, top with a few spoon fulls of pan sauce.

Nutrition Facts (estimated) per serving (makes 4)
328.5 calories
17.4 g fat
8.4 g dietary fiber
21 g carbs
25.6 g protein
- or – 7 points (out of 20)

Week 5 – Summer Salmon Croquettes
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1 lb salmon
2 tbsp light mayonnaise
1 large carrot, shredded
1 small zucchini, shredded
2 tbsp fresh dill
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp old bay
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp hot sauce

Baby spinach
Cucumber
tomato
red onion

-Dressing
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Season salmon with salt, pepper and a little cayenne and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and shred into a large mixing bowl.

Add shredded vegetables and all other ingredients and stir to combine. Place in fridge for 1 hour to help firm up.

Make dressing while salmon is chilling. Combine all ingredients except oil in a bowl. Drizzle in oil slowly while whisking together to create a creamy emulsion. Taste and adjust salt/honey content as needed.

Spray a little Pam in a cast iron skillet and heat on medium. Create loose patties using 1/6th of salmon mixture and brown on each side for 4 minutes.

Serve over greens.

Nutrition Facts (estimated) per serving (makes 6)
238.5 calories
15.3 g fat
.42 g dietary fiber
5.75 g carbs
21.8 g protein
- or – 5.94 points (out of 20)

Week 4 – Lettuce Tacos
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1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 sweet pepper, finely diced
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp granulated garlic (not garlic salt)
1 jar taco sauce

Butter lettuce (also known as Boston) leaves
Light sour cream
sliced avocado
limes
Fresh cilantro leaves

Brown meat in a cast iron skillet until fat has rendered and meat begins to fry up a bit. Drain if there is excess fat. Add onion, garlic, pepper and spices and cook for 5 minutes till onion begins to turn translucent. Add taco sauce a bit at a time until meat is well coated but not to moist, simmer 1 minute. Adjust with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon meat into prepared lettuce leaves and top with a little sour cream (2 tbsp per serving), fresh tomato, cilantro, and avocado and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. A little hot sauce is good too.

Nutrition Facts (estimated) per serving (makes 4)
285 calories
9.1 g fat
3.25 g dietary fiber
14.5 g carbs
15 g protein
- or – 5.65 points (out of 20)

Week 3 – Baked Eggplant Caponata over Spaghetti Squash
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1 large spaghetti squash (or two small)

1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4″ cubes
1 large Spanish onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup almond slivers
1 8 oz can of tomato paste
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Typically you would make this dish in a dutch oven on the stove, but I thought baking it would be an easier option for lunch as you can basically throw everything in the oven and come back in an hour when it’s ready.

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees.

Slice the spaghetti squash through its equator leaving you two equal halves (one with the stem attached, and one with the blossom end). Fill a baking dish with 2-3″ water and place both halves of the Squash cut-face down in the water.

In a large casserole dish combine all remaining ingredients and mix together with your hands to fully coat everything in tomato paste/vinegar solution. Cover the casserole tightly with aluminum foil and bake both this and squash for 1 hour.

Remove squash from dish and let cool until easy to handle with your bare hands. scope out seeds and throw away. Using a fork, scrape the inside flesh of the squash from bottom to top. The squash should come out in long strings, resembling spaghetti. Divide into 4 1 cup servings.

Stir eggplant and add salt/pepper to taste. Spoon over squash and add a little Parmesan cheese if you like. Otherwise have a big breakfast today as this is pretty low on the calories.

Nutrition Facts (estimated) per serving (makes 4)
249 calories
9.1 g fat
7.9 g dietary fiber
39 g carbs
12.5 g protein
- or – 5.64 points (out of 20)

Week 2 – Pesto Chicken salad
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2 1/4 chicken pieces (leg + thigh) bone in/skin on

-Pesto
1 tbsp good olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced in half
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups loose basil leaves
1/4 cup walnuts, browned in the over until golden
Salt and pepper to taste

- Salad
2 tbsp light mayonnaise
Salad greens
Grape tomatoes
Red onion

Season chicken with salt, pepper and a little paprika if you like. Roast in the oven on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for 45 minutes until well browned and the the leg easily separates from the joint. Let cool to room temperature.

Throw away skin and bones and shred chicken into bite size pieces. You can chop if you like, but I prefer pulling it apart with my fingers for a more rustic look.

In a small skillet add oil and garlic and fry on medium heat until garlic is nicely browned (watch carefully to make sure the garlic doesn’t burn).

Add cleaned (dry) basil leaves to a food processor and pulse a few times to break up. Add nuts and browned garlic and pulse until a paste begins to form. Continue to process while adding chicken stock a tbsp at a time until the mixture looks moist. Be careful not to add too much liquid as you do not want the pesto to be soupy. Pour pesto into a bowl and toss with the now garlic-infused olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

To make salad, combine mayonnaise, chicken and pesto to taste. Serve over salad greens.

Note, typically you would also add a handful of Parmesan cheese to the pesto as well. Me and D skipped as we were not eating dairy yet and didn’t miss it a bit…

Nutrition Facts (estimated) per serving (makes 4)
245 calories
16.5 g fat
0.4 g dietary fiber
1 g carbs
23.5 g protein
- or – 6.18 points (out of 20)

Week 1 – Stuffed Peppers
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To kick off our diet full force we decided to take drastic measures for one week only, and avoid all grains, processed sugars, gluten and dairy (basically Paleo). This worked well for Danielle knocking off a solid 5 lbs. I decided that I really need the dairy so one week was more than enough.

Stuffed Peppers (non-dairy and grain)
4 sweet bell peppers (get the yellow/orange/red variety as they look nice)
1/2 lb ground lamb
1/2 lb lean ground turkey
1 medium red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Small can diced tomatoes
4 tbsp golden raisins
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 mint leaves, chiffonade
salt and pepper to taste

Cut tops off of peppers and discard seeds and tops. Place on a baking sheet and back 1o minutes in a 350 degree oven until just softened but still firm. Set aside to cool

Brown turkey and lamb over medium heat in a well seasoned cast iron skillet. If you’ve treated yours right you won’t need any oil. If you do not have a cast iron skillet, you can use a regular frying pan with 1 tbsp olive oil to keep meat from sticking. While browning use a fork to break up the meat. Let the meat brown until fat renders and meat begins to to get a little crispy looking (important for flavor). This should take 5-10 minutes

Add onion, garlic, chili, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne and oregano and continue to brown another 2-3 minutes until you can smell the spices cooking. If there is excess fat you can drain a little off but make sure to keep everything moist to avoid burning.

Add tomatoes with juice, raisins and balsamic and simmer for a minute or two. Consistency should be that of thick sauce. If too dry you can add a splash of water or stock, but avoid adding too much as you can’t take it back out.

Add mint, salt and pepper and cook 1 more minute.

Spoon mixture into peppers and press gently. Serve with a green vegetable, like roasted brussels sprouts or salad greens with balsamic and a splash of good olive oil.

Nutrition Facts (estimated) per pepper
265 calories
12.5 g fat
2.8 g dietary fiber
16 g carbs
16.63 g protein
- or – 6.64 points (out of 20)

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Project Background
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Following our July 4th trip to my hometown of Rochester, New York (read garbage plates, fish fry and endless cookouts) my roommate, Danielle, decided she needed to change her diet.

To help her out, I started cooking us meals following a couple rules borrowed from various fad diets, but mostly common sense.

Overarching rules:
> no “diet” products – we will not eat weight watchers meals and call them food
> no fake food – NO tofu dogs and soynaise – unless we already like/eat it on its own merit
> no processed food – fresh things from farms and gardens only please
> portion control – sticking to about 1000-15000 calories per day
> exercise – we will run so we can eat more
> quality over quantity – make every cheat worth it by eating only the best. EX cookie from City Bakery = worth every calorie, cookie from ChipsAhoy bag not so much (Sorry Nabisco)
> no guilt – sometimes a girl just needs chocolate (or fried cheese in my case)

The Results
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After 5 weeks:
> Danielle (12 lbs)
> Katie (5 lbs)

The Unexpected Results:

I realized upfront that the only way Danielle and I could stick to a shift in eating long term was to avoid creating a sense of loss. We love to eat, and we love to eat everything, so our new diet would need to be full of flavor, variety, and the occasional inclusion of “bad for you” foods.

This lead me to plan not only our dinners for the week, but our lunch and breakfast as well. Danielle’s homemade lunches have apparently looked good enough to make her coworkers jealous, and I have received requests for the recipes… So here it is – my new blog section, devoted to healthy (and simple) homemade lunches for those who wish to eat right, and give up nothing.