Waterless Caulifower and Plantain, Bean and Lentil with Millet and Flax Crackers (Almost No Added Fat)

I had a head of cauliflower and decided to make a waterless main course. I simply cooked it in my large Saladmaster stock pan, putting in half moon red and sweet Vidalia onions, a chopped clove of garlic, then florets from almost the whole head of the cauliflower, and finally a little bit of spinach. I covered the pan and heated it on medium high until the vapor release started jiggling, then I reduced the heat to low till the jiggle stopped.

I let it cook for about 20 minutes, then I mixed in about 1 or 1 1/2 ounces that I had leftover of  an 8 ounce bag of Key Lime skillet sauce (I think it was 1g or 2g of fat per serving), a handful of chopped flat parsley, salt, and lemon pepper.

While that was cooking, I sauteed with no oil on a cast iron pan a plantain cut into 3/4" rounds. Once lightly blackened, I quartered the rounds and then, once the cauliflower was done, mixed them in to the main course.

When I was cooking a recent Food for Life class and needed baked tortilla chips, I instead used a cracker that I used to occasionally get, Sami's millet and flax
garlic and plain chips. They're great - I can't understand how they are so luscious (the garlic is quite strong!) and seemingly decadent, but they are only 2g (3g for the garlic) of fat per serving (sixth of the bag). I had (and still do!) plenty of leftovers from a few days ago when I made the bean and lentil soup; I didn't add more water but heated it up and spread the thick paste atop some of the crackers.

Results

Pending

Ideas for the future

Pending

Edamame with Kale and Shiitake Mushroom (No Added Fat)

For dinner tonight, I got a waterless dish going by putting, in this order, a chopped clove of garlic, 1/8 cup onion cut into approximately 1/4" thick half moon slices, a half dozen kale leaves roughly hand torn from the stem into approximately 1" squares, and 1 cup of frozen shelled edamame into a small Saladmaster stock pan. I covered the pan and heated it on medium high until the vapor release started jiggling, then I reduced the heat to low till the jiggle stopped. I let it cook for about 12 minutes, then opened the pan, mixed in 1/4 cup crushed tomato, a bit of salt and kala namak (pink salt), freshly ground black pepper, Italian seasoning, and cumin. I covered and continued to cook on low, and a little lemon juice.

In parallel, I had sauteed on a cast iron pan with no oil 4 large shiitake mushrooms and half moon slices of onion. I mixed this into the main course before serving.

I also made corn -on-the-cob (for the family) and -off-the-cob for me, including jerk seasoning, salt, and lemon juice. Brown rice completed the meal.

Results

The main course was surprisingly good. The lemon and tomato really brought the edamame alive.

Ideas for the future

I should use edamame more often in my dishes. I wonder what air fried edamame might be like.

Thai Mango Vegetables with Seitan (No Added Fat)

My daughter ate a simple Udon noodle dish by design, as her stomach had been a little upset, so I made a spicier main dish for my wife and I . Last week, I had purchased Thai Mango simmer sauce with no fat; I thought I'd use it with a noodle dish.

I sauteed some potato, bell pepper, onion, and garlic on a cast iron pan with no oil. After the potato had a little bit of browning, I put it in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes till just cooked.

I mixed in the vegetables with cooked Udon noodles, garlic powder, salt, freshly ground black pepper, a few chopped leaves of fresh basil and fresh mint, and the sauce. I simmered for a few minutes, then served with slices of tomato.

Results

Dinner was good! I like the sauce and am so happy it adds significant flavor without fat.

Ideas for the future

I'm generally not good with using sauces but especially when I can get quality fat-free sauces pre-made, I should take more advantage. I'd like to try cooking some savory dishes with chunks of mango, as well.

Tempeh Burger with Peanut, Waterless Broccoli/Spinach/Squash (Almost No Added Fat)

My wife and I like tempeh, but my daughter doesn't and tonight she wasn't eating with us, so I took advantage and made a tempeh dish. In addition, she's not crazy about squash, so I integrated squash into a side dish.

We were getting ready to go to the season finale for Flash Chorus, so I thought I'd make a quick and easy dish. I sauteed thin sheets of tempeh, along with onion and roasted red bell pepper, on a cast iron pan with no oil except for a little bit I rubbed on and then off. I served it on sourdough bread with less than 1/2 t of peanut butter smeared atop (peanut butter is 8g of fat per tablespoon, so this was about 8/6 = 1 1/3 g of fat, which is quite low) and a nice quality Dijon mustard with chablis, plus greens.

I made a waterless side of broccoli, spinach, squash, and jerk seasoning. Tomato slices completed the meal.

Results

Pending

Ideas for the future

Pending