By mixing the cream and the vinegar, you are almost making your own ‘sour’ cream. This is a very rich tasting dressing for the cucs and it is a nice side dish to serve with chicken or fish dishes.
2 servings
70 calories per serving
2 medium cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
2 t salt
2 T heavy cream
2 t vinegar
¼ t salt
1/8 t pepper
Mix cucs with salt and let stand 1 hour in a colander. Drain and pat dry. Mix cream, vinegar, salt and pepper and add cucs. Chilll 3-4 hours.
Tender filets in a bourbon cream sauce … to die for !
2 servings
287 calories per serving
Beef:
2 4 oz. filet mignons
¼ t kosher salt
½ t cracked black peppercorns
2 t oil
2 T bourbon
¼ c beef broth
1 T shallots, minced
2 T half and half
Spinach:
½ t oil
½ c grape tomatoes, halved
1 t garlic clove, minced
6 c fresh spinach
1 t lemon juice
1/8 t kosher salt
1/8 t black pepper
Season filets with ¼ t salt and press the peppercorns into one side of each filet. Heat oil in a skillet and add filets. Cook 6-7 minutes per side then remove from pan and keep warm. Remove pan from heat and add bourbon – be very careful –the alcohol will ignite and burn off in this step… return to heat and burn off alcohol then simmer until sauce is reduced by half then add the half and half. Heat ½ t oil and sauté tomatoes and garlic for a few minutes and then add spinach and sauté for 2 minutes. Season with juice, salt and pepper. Plate steak with sauce over top and the spinach on the side.
This quick cream sauce can be used on just about any pasta dish – added to the flavored fettuccine from FiberGourmet and topped with sauted shrimp – mmmm, mmmmm good !
4 servings
346 calories per serving
8 oz. FiberGourmet Fettucine (without it you have to add 80 calories per serving) – I used a pepper flavored pasta and it was so awesomely spicy
2 T butter
½ c thinly sliced shallots
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c canned diced tomatoes, drained
1 lb. cleaned, peeled shrimp
½ t red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
½ c fat free half and half
1/3 c chopped parsley
1/3 c thinly sliced basil leaves
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Melt butter and sauté shallots 4 minutes then add garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add shrimp to skillet and sprinkle with spices and cook until shrimp is just about done. Add tomatoes , parsley and basil and cook another minute. Then add half and half and keep warm on low temperature. Pour over pasta and serve immediately.
I modeled this recipe after a restaurant favorite of mine – it is a wild mushroom ravioli appetizer that I could not help but order every time I frequented a certain restaurant, but the calorie count was over the top. Not this one !! Between the RICH cream sauce and the multiple mushroom flavors, this meal tastes just as decadent but with so few calories, you can eat it without any guilt.
Thanks to Marxfoods.com for the wild mushrooms to create this masterpiece ! The different varieties lend quite a flavor to this dish. The dish would just not be the same using run of the mill mushrooms. The mixture of the chanterelles and matsutakes inside the little packet of goodness combined with the flavors of the porcini, lobster and black trumpet mushroom sauce … well, it’s just a little bit of heaven right here on earth.
Marxfoods offers a bunch of wild mushroom varieties – I think my favorite in this dish were the black trumpet mushrooms – they have a very delicate texture and the aroma is akin to a truffle. These are definitely on my list of favorites.
8 appetizer servings (3 wontons each) – 106 calories per serving
4 dinner servings (6 wontons each – 212 calories per serving
Filling –
1 t oil
4 shallots, sliced
¼ c water
2 oz. reconstituted dry chanterelle mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
2 oz. reconstituted dry matsutake mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
2 oz. Portobello mushrooms, sliced
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
1/3 c part skim ricotta cheese
To reconstitute dried wild mushroom, place in a glass bowl and cover with very hot water. Let sit 20-30 minutes. Reserve the water to use as when boiling the wontons.
Heat 1 t oil in a skillet and sauté the shallots on medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add 1-2 T of water if needed to keep the shallots moist. Add the reconstituted mushroom and sauté another 2 minutes. Finally add the Portobello mushrooms and sauté another 7 minutes. When done, place all in a food processor and pulse 14 times. (It’s best to chop or mince the woodier mushrooms like chanterelles and matsutakes). Turn into a bowl and mix with the ricotta. Set aside.
Sauce –
1 t oil
1.5 oz. reconstituted dry porcini mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
.25 oz. reconstituted dry black trumpet mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
.50 oz. reconstituted dry lobster mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
1 T water
1 c beef broth
2 t cornstarch
¼ c fat free evaporated milk
1 t red vinegar
To reconstitute dried wild mushroom, place in a glass bowl and cover with very hot water. Let sit 20-30 minutes. Reserve the water to use as when boiling the wontons.
Heat 1 t oil in a skillet and sauté the mushrooms 6 minutes. Add up to 1 T of water to keep the mixture moist. Mix starch and broth and add to the pan along with the evaporated milk. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cook 2 minutes to thicken the sauce. During the last minute of cooking, add the vinegar. Set aside.
Wontons –
24 wonton wrappers
Small bowl of water
Reserved mushroom liquid
Water
2 t salt
Put reserved liquid in a pot and add enough water to make 2 quarts. Add salt and bring to a boil.
Fill wontons with 1 T of the filling – – either use instructions on the back of the wonton package or watch this short video tutorial:
Complete all wontons then boil in 2 batches. Use a slotted spoon to lift the wontons out of the pot – put on a platter and cover with the sauce.
What a GREAT sauce this makes ! I think it would be equally as good on chicken or even steak. You definitely have to give this one a try for a nice change to pork chops – these are definitely NOT boring, old pork chops. Try serving with Roasted Brussel Sprouts.
6 servings
200 calories per serving
6 4 oz. boneless pork chops
¼ t salt
1/8 t pepper
¾ c beef broth
1 T barbecue sauce
1/3 c fat free evaporated milk
1/3 c fat free sour cream
3 T flour
Pam
Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper and cooked in a heated skillet sprayed with Pam. Cover and cook 3 minutes on each side. Combine ½ c broth and the barbecue sauce and pour over the chops and cover the pan, reduce heat to medium low and cook 10 minutes. Remove pork chops and keep warm. Combine ¼ c broth, milk, sour cream and flour and mix with a whisk. Pour into skillet and stir over medium heat for 3 minutes and thick. Pour over chops and serve.