Category Archives: Side Dishes

When you need that extra special something…..

Dairy-free, Lean & Green Meal Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian

Zucchini Chips

My first trial at zucchini chips using my dehydrator – and boy are they tasty!

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I made them as thin as possible on my mandolin – they were just amazing when used as a crust for chicken or fish. Made a little thicker – the crunch is oh so satisfying! Made a spicy blend on it for extra excitement!

1 medium zucchini
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 tbsp lemon juice

The dehydrator just takes out the fear factor of burning the chips, and your house down 🙂 love it!

WHAT IF YOU DON’T HAVE A DEHYDRATOR?

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place zucchini chips in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the zucchini rounds until browned and crisp, about 15 minutes depending on thickness. And watch it! I love the dehydrator because I can’t possibly burn my house down 😉

Check out my Zucchini Coated Chicken here

Question: how do you know how much is equivalent to a 1/2 cup serving for your green? I weighed my raw sliced zucchini according to this chart of weights for vegetables, and saw how much it came out to before dehydrating them.

https://dashboard.medifast1.com/forum/filedata/fetch…

In my dehydrator, 1/2 cup serving conveniently comes out to 2 rows 🙂 see this picture below to get an idea.

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**I created these recipes as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.

Dairy-free, Jewish Traditional foods, Kabocha, Side Dishes

Kabocha “Kishke” (faux stuffed derma)

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Low fat Low Carb Kishke (faux stuffed derma)
Yeah, I got that… Nutrition Support approved!

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Every ethnic cuisine has some greasy, unhealthy delicacy that people just go nuts for. This is an amazing plan makeover of the food that was created by one of my clients in response to a joke someone made about making this food plan approved. It CAN be done!

Servings: 8 generous, thick slices

1 tbsp smart balance margarine
4 cups kabocha squash peeled
1 leek (sautéed with Pam)
1/4 cup egg beaters
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp to 1 tbsp cayenne pepper (or less – to taste – sprinkle on top)

Cook and mash kabocha squash and mix all ingredients except cayenne. You can use a food processor to smooth it all together as well.

Roll into log in parchment paper and cook at 375 for 35 mins. Cool to room temperature and freeze until it is hard about 3 hrs. Slice into 8 equal slices, sprinkle with cayenne, and bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.

This recipe yields 8 servings, per serving: 1 ½ Green | ¼ Healthy Fat | 3 Condiments (using the full 1 tbsp cayenne – she has a heavy hand!)

**Additional serving suggestions: roll it up inside chicken cutlets to make spirals, stuff it under the skin of chicken breast on the bone, bake the slices and spread a bit of Walden Farms BBQ sauce on top).

An alternative recipe is to add 6 tbsp ground up French’s fried onion to the loaf, which adds 2 healthy fats to the whole loaf (with 8 servings so 1/4 healthy fat per serving). Of course it was delicious! ***The status of French’s Fried Onions was hesitatingly confirmed by Nutrition Support as 3 tbsp = one healthy fat.

***Since I am MUCH lazier than my client, I made the whole recipe and just baked it like a casserole or kugel in the oven at 350 until it was done. I scooped out 1/2 cup servings of it and placed it in the bottom of a bowl, and then added in some plan-approved cholent on a cold winter’s day. Really hit the spot!

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**I created these recipes as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.

Fish, Lean & Green Meal Recipes, Side Dishes

Salmon Over “Fettuccine” Alfredo

Wow. Just wow. Salmon over delicious, creamy fettuccine Alfredo! Just can’t believe that this is low calorie!
Full lean and green.
1.5 condiments
For extra decadence, double the sauce and go crazy for 3 condiments. You know I do:)

alfredo

2 tbsp Walden Farms Alfredo Sauce
1 tbsp low fat cream cheese
6 oz uncooked salmon
One package Shirataki fettuccine noodles (I like the House Foods brand)

Prepare Shirataki noodles by straining, rinsing well, and dry skillet frying in a skillet. This means you don’t spray any Pam in the pan, just sautee them DRY. At this point, you can lower the flame and put in the cream cheese to melt and stir it in. Then add the alfredo sauce (if you cook it too much it will evaporate as it is mostly comprised of water).

OR you can place the sauce and cream cheese in the microwave for 30 seconds, then whisk to blend in cream cheese.
Mix the sauce into the fettuccine and plate.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Sear 5 oz salmon in nonstick skillet. Just use pam. You need nothing else. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add 1/2 cup any vegetable of your choice. I have broccoli here, but mushrooms are also an excellent choice.

Sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese (optional).

Don’t have the WF Alfredo sauce? Use a little almond milk or plain water to thin the sauce out a bit instead.

**I created these recipes as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.

Dairy-free, Kabocha, Side Dishes, Vegetarian

Coach Gin’s Kabocha “French Fries”

Coach Gin’s Kabocha Squash “French Fries”
1/2 cup per serving is a green

kobacha

Did you know that the Kabocha squash has less than half the carbs of a butternut squash? I created this original recipe to replace the sweet potato fries that I love so much. This hits the spot!

Take a kabocha squash and microwave it 5 mins while so that it’s nice and soft. Cut wedges and cut skin off (the skin is edible and delicious but won’t taste like french fries). Place wedges in a bag and spray with Pam.

Take French’s Fried Onions – or a gluten free equivalent – and crush them thoroughly in a second bag. Throw the fried onions in the big bag and shake well to coat. Use 1 tbsp fried onion per 4 thin wedges. Bake until soft and golden (approx 30-40 mins). I used 6 tbsp French’s fried onions per one small Kabocha.

Mmmmmmm

The Fried Onions count as a healthy fat. 3 tbsp = one healthy fat or 3 condiments. As per Nutrition Support, they are reluctant to call something with “fried” in the name “healthy,” BUT it does satisfy the criteria on plan as a healthy fat because it’s 5g fat and less than 5g carbs.

You can easily make a whole tray:

tray kobacha

And what is a kabocha squash? It’s this beauty – which is Japanese in origin:

kobacha pic

**I created these recipes as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.