If you're looking for a romantic Valentine's Day gift that's truly from the heart, why not give the best gift of all — a mouth-watering, healthy meal you make yourself?
This week's main course recipe is my version of a trendy dish — lobster potpie. A typical version will cost you around 680 calories and 46 grams of fat per serving. But I've downsized that to just 330 calories and 6 grams of fat by making it a cobbler. Mine also adds beef, making it surf 'n' turf.
And for dessert, I came up with this recipe for red velvet cupcakes, which remain satisfyingly large, yet have just 98 calories and under than 3 grams of fat each. It captures the richness of its namesake (minus the butter, sugar and white flour). Whole-wheat pastry flour and flaxseed meal replace nutritionally bankrupt white flour, while stevia and agave syrup replace the sugar, while cutting calories. And the cream cheese frosting has a sweet, decadent flavor and hardly any calories.
VALENTINE'S DAY SURF AND TURF COBBLER
Start to finish: 45 minutes (30 minutes active)
Servings: 2
1 1/4-pound live lobster
4 ounces fresh asparagus spears (12 to 16 spears, depending on thickness), trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 ounces beef tenderloin, cut into 8 cubes
Salt and ground black pepper
14 1/2-ounce can red beets with liquid
16 pumps butter spray
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
2/3 cup Bisquick Heart Smart Pancake and Baking Mix
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
In a large stockpot, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. Set a bowl of ice water nearby.
Submerge the lobster in the boiling water, then return the water to a boil. Cook the lobster for 4 minutes, adding the asparagus to the water for the last 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the asparagus to the ice water to cool for 2 minutes, then transfer to a kitchen towel to dry. Remove the lobster from the water and place on a sheet pan. Let cool until easy to handle.
Heat a medium nonstick skillet over high.
Season the beef with salt and pepper, then spritz the pan with cooking spray and add the beef to the pan. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the outsides are well browned and the centers are rare, turning once. Transfer the beef to a small plate and set aside.
Drain the beets, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid. Cut two-thirds of the drained beets (about 1 cup) into bite-sized pieces (save the remaining beets for another use). Add half of the beet pieces to a blender along with the 1/4 cup of reserved liquid. Cover and blend until smooth.
Add the 16 pumps of butter spray and cover and blend again just until combined. Pour the pureed beets into a medium bowl and add the remaining chopped beets. Add the asparagus to the beet mixture along with the cooked beef cubes and fresh tarragon.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Remove the meat from the lobster and cut into bite-sized pieces. Add to the beet mixture and stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture evenly into a 1-quart oven-safe glass bowl or souffle dish.
In a medium bowl, mix the pancake mix and water. Drop the dough into 6 small mounds over the lobster mixture. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the top is browned and the filling is heated through. Remove and top with horseradish.
Nutritional information per serving: 330 calories, 6g fat (16 percent of calories from fat, 1g saturated), 80mg cholesterol, 40g carbohydrates, 29g protein, 5g fiber, 1,356mg sodium.
TIP
Save yourself some trouble and ask to have your lobster steamed for you while you shop. The seafood department at most grocers will do this for free. Some will even remove the meat from the shell for you.
RED VELVET CUPCAKES
Start to finish: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
2 eggs
5 packets natural Stevia sweetener (powder), divided use
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided use
1 teaspoon red food coloring , divided use
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons prepared vanilla sugar-free, fat-free pudding (such as Jell-O)
2 tablespoons fat-free cream cheese, softened
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 4 large (2 1/2-inch) muffin cups with paper liners. Lightly coat the liners with cooking spray.
Separate the egg yolks and whites, discarding 1 of the yolks. Place the remaining egg yolk in a medium bowl. Place the 2 egg whites in another medium bowl.
To the whites, add 2 packets of the Stevia, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla, and 1/2 teaspoon of the food coloring. Mix and set aside.
Add the remaining 3 packets Stevia, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/2 teaspoon food coloring to the egg yolk. Whisk the yolk mixture for 3 minutes. Add buttermilk and agave. Whisk until combined.
In a small bowl whisk together flour, flaxseed meal, cocoa powder and salt. Add to yolk-buttermilk mixture and beat on low just until combined.
Using an electric mixer, beat the egg white mixture on medium to high until stiff peaks form. Working in 3 batches, fold the egg whites into the buttermilk mixture, being careful not to deflate the whites.
Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin cups. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and cool.
Meanwhile, to prepare the frosting in a small bowl combine the pudding and cream cheese. Mix until smooth. Spread or pipe evenly over each cupcake.
Nutritional information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 98 calories, 3g fat (24 percent of total calories, 1g saturated), 54mg cholesterol, 14g carbohydrates, 5g protein, 2g fiber, 187mg sodium.
News
Loading...
