I just made this recipe up today, using some random vegetables that were on sale at the grocery store this week, and of which I therefore had a copious supply in the fridge. Turned out fantastic! It is easy, it’s refreshing... and it is very low calorie! Inspired by the traditional stir-fry, but without a drop of oil. Yes, it is absolutely possible to make a scrumptious stir-fry without oil – just put a bit of water in the bottom of the pot (you may have to repeat this every few minutes) and stir very often.
Ingredients:
· 1/2 lb (3 cups) white mushrooms, sliced
· 1lb (5 cups) broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces
· 2 medium red onions
· 3 large cloves garlic
· 1-2 tsp reduced salt soy sauce
· 1-2 tsp lemon juice
· 2 packets of Splenda (1g each)
· A sprinkle each of crushed chilis ground pepper
· 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1. Over medium heat and with a bit of water in the bottom of the pan (no oil!), ‘saute’ the onion, garlic, and broccoli x2 minutes, then add the mushrooms, dried crushed chilis, pepper, Splenda, and 1tsp each lemon juice and soy sauce.
2. Continue to ‘saute’, stirring often, until broccoli is just a bit softened, but still quite firm. (Note: the less the broccoli is cooked, the longer it takes to consume and digest, meaning you will feel fuller and more satisfied from the vegetables, and will therefore want less other food that you may be serving along with this dish. A sneaky little portion control strategy!)
3. Taste and evaluate. Go ahead and add the second tsp of lemon juice and/or soy sauce as you like. Add even more lemon juice if you like the tang, but don’t go too overboard with the soy, as it is quite high in salt. Some like it hot – ramp up the flavour with your crushed chilis! Spice is another fabulous method of portion control... and possibly birth control if you don’t brush your teeth afterwards.
4. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on the top and serve. (Don’t ramp up the sesame seeds beyond the 1 tbsp – they are pure fat and add a lot of calories. Believe it: one tbsp of sesame seeds in this recipe contributes over 1/3 of the entire calorie count of this dish!) Toasting the sesame seeds brings out the taste, and enables you to need less for the same flavour.
Makes 4 big servings. It is OK to eat a big serving of this dish, because it is comprised almost entirely of Free Veg, and this will leave you with less room to eat other, more calorie-rich food at your meal!
Calories per serving: 110
mmmmmm.....
:) Dr. Sue © 2009 drsuetalks@gmail.com
