Sauteed Swiss Chard with Peppers and Onions
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This dish is full of vitamins. One cup of Swiss chard has over 700% of the vitamin K you need in one day. Over 200% of the vitamin A you need and over 50% of your vitamin C. Stand aside orange juice!
So venture into new veggies. You’ll be glad you did. This veggie is a great hit in Italian cooking. Those folks know how to eat!
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 onion, sliced thinly
- 2 bell peppers sliced into strips (I used part red, yellow and orange)
- 3 tsp of minced garlic (jar garlic can work)
- juice of ½ lemon
- ¼ cup of chicken broth
- 1 bunch of Swiss chard. There are different colors of Swiss chard and even rainbow chard; which is really pretty. Choose what looks good to you. To prep the Swiss chard, cut off the crusty ends. Wash and then chop the stems into one inch pieces and slice the greens crosswise into 1” wide strips.
- dash of hot pepper flakes (optional)
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
In a large sauté pan sprayed with olive oil add the onion and bell peppers. Begin to cook them on medium high until they loosen up and get wilted. Then add the garlic, lemon juice and broth. Heat til bubbling. Only takes a minute. Then add the Swiss chard, peppers and salt. Cook for about five minutes until the chard is wilted and the stem pieces get softened.
Serve.
I made the garlic ‘fried’ chicken to go with this. It all tasted very Italian.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Curried Asparagus Soup
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) and a Zola To Go! recipe.
Servings: Serving size 1-1/2 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of minced shallots
- 1 lb of asparagus (one large bunch)
- 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 tsp of curry powder
- salt to taste
Ingredients:
In a small soup pan add the shallots. Toss and stir around until they loosen up. Don’t brown them. Chunk up the asparagus into 1” pieces. Add them and the chicken broth. Heat to boiling. Cook the asparagus 5 – 7 minutes (it depends on how thick the spears are). You don’t want to cook them until the color fades to brown. Try to keep them fairly vibrant. You want them cooked through.
Cool it down some so you don’t burn yourself when you transfer the mixture in batches to your blender or your food processor. You are going to blend the mixture. Be CAREFUL if you are using a blender. Hold the top down with a towel or the force of the machine might blow the top off. Start off slowly.
Once it’s blended put it all back in the pan and heat with the curry powder added. Then taste. Add salt as you see necessary. This is one soup I add salt to more than once before I get it to the point I love it.
Serve in soup bowls with a protein of choice. In Z2 this is your veggie portion. You can have plain salad greens on the side if you need more. It’s very filling, though.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Easy Gazpacho (Cold tomato soup)
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This is super easy! Lovely in the summer when it’s hot. I served this with a simple grilled chicken breast.
Servings: Serving size 1-1/2 cups
Ingredients:
- 14 oz can of chopped tomatoes
- 2 Tbl of balsamic vinegar
- 28 oz can of chopped tomatoes (undrained)
- ½ English cucumber, peeled and cut into large dice
- 1 small yellow bell pepper cut into small dice
- ¾ cup of onion cut into small dice
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced (jar garlic will work fine)
- ½ of a small jalapeno, minced (I use my rasp for this project. Be careful not to get juice in your eyes)
- 2 Tbl of minced cilantro (or basil if you prefer)
Instructions:
In a blender whiz the 14 oz of tomatoes with the balsamic vinegar. Put in a large bowl. Add all of the other ingredients. Stir. Chill until cold throughout and serve. If you are in a hurry you can put this in your freezer for 30 minutes to chill it.
Serve cold.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Spicy Sweet Real Tomato Soup
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe that was contributed by Plan Z dieter Debbie.
Servings: Serves 3-4, ready in half hour.
Serving size: 1-1/2 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of vegetable stock
- ½ cup of diced onion
- 28 oz of diced tomatoes (canned will work; Hunts makes one with no sugar)
- 2 apples, peeled and diced
- 1 tsp of chili powder
- 3 Tbl of minced, fresh basil + a little more for garnish
Instructions:
Put a ¼ cup of stock in the bottom of a medium-large sauce pan. Add the diced onion and begin to cook it on medium until it wilts. The stock is just there to keep the onion from sticking and burning. Add the canned tomatoes, the rest of the stock and the apple bits. Then add the chili powder and basil. Cook 10 – 15 minutes until the flavors have melded and the apple is done.
CAREFULLY whiz in your blender to make a smooth soup. I always only fill the blender half way and hold the top down with a towel over my hand. The hot liquid will try to blow the top off so be very careful –or wait until it cools down to blend it and then reheat to eat. When you blend, start on low speed too. This won’t require a lot of power.
Garnish with fresh basil.
You can still have half of your fruit allotment for dessert.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Mediterranean Stewed Shrimp
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
This is an amazingly easy dish to make that is comforting and can be fancy enough to serve to company.
Servings: Serves 2. Can be doubled easily.
Each serving is 1-1/2 cups
Ingredients:
- 16 oz of medium-large cooked shrimp. If you use small shrimp you get more bites. I prefer a slightly larger shrimp that I can cut in half while I eat it. I think those shrimp are less likely to get tough.
- ½ cup of minced red onion
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 5 cloves of garlic sliced thinly (or 5 tsp minced)
- 3 tsp of minced, fresh oregano (or 1 tsp of dried)
- 1 pinch of saffron threads (optional)
- 2 cups of organic chicken broth
- 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
- olive oil spray
*About saffron: If you don’t keep saffron in your cupboard I’d say don’t buy it. It does lend a nice Mediterranean accent to the dish but it’s expensive and if you don’t use it fairly often it’s not worth buying for just this dish.
Instructions:
First thing to do is remove the tails from the shrimp. Just hold the main shrimp body and carefully yank off the tail. Set aside.
In a medium sauté pan lightly spray with olive oil. Then add red onion and red pepper. Saute lightly til loosened. Then add organic chicken broth, tomatoes, cloves of garlic, oregano and saffron. The garlic will become milder as it cooks but still lends a nice kick to the sauce.
Cook to reduce slightly. Then add the shrimp and continue to cook until the shrimp are hot.
Serve in soup bowls with your bread sticks and a simple side salad. Because you will be slightly short on your veggie portion you can add a few slices of cucumber and celery bits to your salad and still stay within the required veggie portion.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) and a Zola To GO! recipe.
This soup can be served hot or cold.
Serving size: 1-1/2 cups
Ingredients:
- 24 oz of roasted red bell peppers in a jar. Drain and rinse them thoroughly.
- 1-2 large shallots, minced
- 3 tsp of minced garlic (jar garlic will work)
- ¼ cup of tomato paste (no sugar)
- 3 cups of broth (you can use chicken or vegetable broth or a mixture of both)
- ¼ cup of heavy cream
- 1 Tbl of minced, fresh basil
- sea salt and pepper to taste
In a soup pot, spray lightly with olive oil and then add the shallots. Begin to cook on medium just until they loosen up. Add the garlic and tomato paste. Cook for one minute; the garlic should start to become fragrant. Then add the roasted peppers and the broth. Cook for about 15 minutes on a light bubbly boil to meld the flavors. Adjust seasoning with the addition of salt and pepper to your taste.
Now you are going to blend the soup in your blender. You might need to do this in two batches. If you are nervous about blending a hot mixture you can let it cool off and do this later. BE VERY CAREFUL. Whenever I blend something hot, I put a towel over the top of the blender and hold it down securely. The blender top will try to fly off if you don’t do this and you can end up with hot soup all over your kitchen!
Blend the soup and put it back in the soup pot. Add the cream and the basil. Bring it back to warm but don’t boil it again now that you’ve added the cream.
It’s ready to serve. You can chill leftovers in the refrigerator.
If you want a spicy soup you can add cayenne to the soup or when you serve it you can have hot sauce on the side. This is meant to be an Italian soup but you can easily turn it into a Mexican one with the addition of the heat and you can change the basil to cilantro if you want.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Tomato Soup
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) and Zola To Go! recipe. Talk about easy to make. This soup is done in a flash. If you’re like me you’ll make a triple batch. You can freeze the portions.
When I designed this I also came up with variations. You’ll be able to see some hints at the end of the recipe.
Servings: Serves 4
Each serving is 1-1/2 cups
Ingredients:
- Olive oil spray
- 1-1/2 cups of chopped onion. You choose which kind. I used Vidalia onions.
- 1 large rib of celery, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic (jar garlic will work)
- 3 cups of organic vegetable broth
- 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp of Truvia
- 2 tsp of Italian seasoning blend
- a pinch of cayenne (optional)
Instructions:
In a soup pot spray in the olive oil. Then add the celery and onion. Cook on medium until wilted. Just a couple of minutes. Then add the garlic and cook one more minute. Add the vegetable broth and the crushed and diced tomatoes. Stir. Add the Truvia, Italian spice blend and cayenne. Stir and cook on medium-high for 15 – 20 minutes. The soup will boil and bubble. Stir fairly often. The melding of the flavors comes together and you have great soup.
Hints for other options:
Serve with a garnish of shredded basil on top, OR
Float a couple of Melba rounds on top to act like croutons, OR
If you want a Middle Eastern zip to the soup add a tsp or two of ground cumin, OR
If you want a Cajun version just add a tsp of two of a sugarless Cajun blend
AND
If you want your soup smooth instead of chunky you can carefully transfer the soup in batches to a blender and whiz it to smooth it out.
Also,
This will be good cold. So in the summer you can chill it like a gazpacho in your refrigerator.
This soup will transport easily to work.
This will be your veggie supplement for this meal. You can add whatever kind of protein you want, like my recipe for a variation that’s a Tomato Shrimp Chowder.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Roasted Asparagus Soup
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Zola web site administrator's note: My boss, Zola, was kind enough to put this recipe together for me after I told her I was having my wisdom teeth removed. How awesome is that? I love my boss! ;-)
Servings: Serves 3 - 4
Each serving is 1-1/2 cups
Ingredients:
- 2 bunches of asparagus
- 2 shallots, minced
- 2 cups of organic chicken or vegetable stock
- 4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- 4 dashes of hot sauce
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ tsp of celery salt
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- water
Ingredients:
Cut the tops off of the asparagus and set them in a small oven proof pan. Cut the rest of the asparagus into chunks and put that in a separate oven-proof pan. Spray all very lightly with olive oil, season with sea salt and roast for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
While the asparagus is roasting….
In a large sauce pan, spray lightly with olive oil. Then add the shallots. Cook on medium-high just until loosened. Then add the stock, cream, Worcestershire, hot sauce and garlic with the celery salt. Cook on medium high to blend flavors and slightly reduce the stock. This will deepen the flavor of our soup. Will only take about 10 minutes.
When the asparagus is done you will put the chopped asparagus with a ½ cup of water in a blender or food processor to puree. Be careful if the asparagus is still hot. Don’t burn yourself. Leave the tips out. Those will float on top of your soup when you serve it.
When the asparagus is completely pureed (you may have to do it in two batches) add it to your soup. Stir to blend. Then add as much water as you’d like to get it to a consistency you like. I added about 2 cups. If you add at least 2 cups you can have 1-1/2 cups of soup as your portion.
Season to taste. I put a fair amount of pepper on top. My husband loves pepper on top of soup. Garnish with the asparagus tips and serve with a protein.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Italian Meatball Soup
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) and Zola To GO! recipe. So today you can “Enjoy a Bowl-a-Zola.”
Servings: This makes 6 servings. You can freeze extras. It also reheats well at the office or for another day.
Each serving is 1-1/2 cups
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs of ground sirloin
- 1 Tbl + 2 tsp of Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp of grated sea salt
- 1-1/2 cups of chopped celery
- 1-1/2 cups of chopped red onion
- 1 cup of organic vegetable broth
- 2 cups of organic beef broth
- 1 20 oz can of crushed organic tomatoes (no sugar)
- 1 Tbl minced garlic
- ½ tsp of Truvia (stevia) (optional)
- 1 cup of water
- ¼ tsp of cracked pepper flakes (if you like your Italian food to have some zip)
- 2 - 4 handfuls of spinach, washed and chopped or baby spinach leaves will work too. The amount of spinach you add it up to you. These are suggested amounts.
Instructions:
Put your sirloin in a large bowl. Add the seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix up really well. Using a small spoon, grab bits of sirloin and round them, in your hand into baby meatballs. They will be one inch in diameter or less. Keeping them small makes them cook faster and makes you feel like you got to eat more.
Lightly spray a large sauté pan (or two medium ones) with a bit of olive oil spray. Saute the meatballs on medium high until they brown on one side. Then begin rolling them around on medium high until they all get browned on most of the outside edges. Keep browning until there is no pink left in the meatball middles.
While the meatballs are cooking….
You can pull out a soup pot. Add a bit more olive oil spray and then add your celery and onion. Saute until loose on medium. Add the garlic and stir. Then add the veggie broth and the beef broth as well as the crushed tomatoes. Stir and begin to heat on medium high. You want to bring it up to a low boil. Add the stevia and water as well as the optional cracked pepper flakes. When it begins to warm add the meatballs from your other pan. Heat the whole pot of soup until it just comes back up to a boil. Then add your chopped spinach. Stir just until the spinach wilts. You are ready to serve.
A serving of Italian meatball soup on Plan Z is 1-1/2 cups.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Chili
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) and Zola to GO! recipe. This is a great comfort food. Make a big pot and pack it up for lunches on future days for a nice hot meal on a cold day.
Serves: 12 servings. This recipe makes a big pot of chili! The recommended amount for each serving is 1-1/2 cups per serving.
Ingredients:
- large can of sugar-free tomato juice
- 12 oz can of tomato paste no sugar added
- 15 oz can of sugar-free tomato sauce with basil and herbs
- pound of ground sirloin
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 large onions chopped
- 2/3 of bunch of celery, chopped
- 6-8 cups sliced cabbage
- 2-3 Tbl chili powder
- approx 3 cups of water
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp of Truvia
- cayenne pepper (optional)
- cumin (optional)
Instructions:
Start to brown the meat with the chopped garlic. When the meat is more than ½ done, add onions, chili powder, celery and sauté until the meat starts to soften, then add 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil.
Put the cabbage in a separate pan with an inch or so of salted water in pan. Cook the cabbage until it is hot and softened, then add it to the meat, mixing in all the tomato products.
You can add salt, pepper, and more chili powder to taste. For a more intense flavor, use cayenne or cumin. Add the truvia. Bring the chili to a high simmer, and serve.
In general, chili always tastes better the next day, after the meat has "marinated" in the spices and the flavors have had time to meld together.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
French Onion Soup
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Servings: Serves 4
Each serving is 1-1/2 cups
Ingredients:
- 2 medium onions, sliced thinly. I used my mandolin to slice.
- 1 spray of olive oil
- 4 cups of organic beef broth
- 1 cup of organic chicken broth
- 1 Tbl of Worcestershire sauce
- a sprinkle of nutmeg
- pepper to taste
- 3 Melba toast rounds
Instructions:
Spray your soup pot with a teeny bit of olive oil spray. Add onions and sauté on medium until they are translucent. Stir often. This will take about 7 minutes. They will begin to get golden.
Add the broths, Worcestershire sauce, nutmeg and some pepper and raise the heat to high.
Bring it to a low boil and turn back to medium and simmer for 3 minutes, just to heat it through completely.
When ready to serve put the soup in your bowl. Float the Melba toast rounds on top. You can dunk them around so they get mushy.
This will taste pretty darn official!
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Peanut Butter Dream
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3 (ZReboot) recipe. Think peanut butter chiffon pie without the crust. For a low carb diet this is perfect. I have made it for guests a few times. The servings I gave out were generous and I figured no one would finish. Ha. Everyone snarfed up every bit. Served in a pretty glass (I use antique champagne saucers) or a fun, tiny bowl, this is perfect for a party. People love the fact that it’s so light and yet decadent.
Servings: Serves 4 – 6 depending on size of serving you decide on.
Ingredients:
- 8 oz of cream cheese (softened)
- 3-4 tsp of Truvia
- 1 cup of smooth peanut butter. I use organic peanut butter that is emulsified and unsweetened.
- 3 cups of whipped topping. TruWhip is one brand you can use. Or you can whip your own cream and use that.
- cocoa powder for dusting (optional)
Instructions:
Load a medium bowl with the cream cheese, Truvia and peanut butter. Whiz until blended. Then add your whipped cream or the TruWhip. Whip again until it’s all mixed. Put into your pretty serving dishes and put in the refrigerator covered (I just use little pieces of plastic wrap to cover them). Remove covers when you want to serve and dust with the cocoa powder. You’re all set for a fancy party. It’s also great all by yourself watching TV. If you have them, you can even serve this with demitasse spoons to make the experience take longer. Small spoonfuls. Listen for the moaning at the table. You’ll hear it. I promise.
I recommend you make this the afternoon you serve it. Leftovers do well in the refrigerator for a few days. They never last long in my house.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Tomato Pizzettas
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe, submitted by Plan Z dieter Karen.
Servings: Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbl no-sugar tomato paste
- 1 Tbl no-sugar ketchup
- Italian or pizza seasoning
- 1/4 cup cottage cheese
- 1 medium tomato sliced thick
- fresh basil, chopped
- black pepper to taste
Instructions:
Mix paste, ketchup and seasoning. Arrange tomatoes on a plate. Spread with tomato paste mixture and top with cottage cheese. Microwave 1 minute. Sprinkle with basil and pepper.
Serve with freshly sliced cucumber. This dish also makes a great appetizer platter to bring to a party or get-together.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Tomato Leek Casserole
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) and Zola To GO! recipe. Super Easy!
Servings: A serving size is 1 cup
Ingredients:
- 4 leeks, cleaned, sliced into narrow rings (white part and light green part only)
- 3 – 5 tomatoes, sliced
- 1 tsp of Italian herb blend
- 2 Tbl of crushed crumbs from breadsticks or crackers
- a light dusting of cayenne (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Oil the bottom of a 9" x 13" heat-proof pan with olive oil spray. Spread ½ of the leeks in the bottom. Top with half of the tomato slices. Dust on the tsp of Italian herb blend. Layer with the other half of the leeks and the other half of the tomatoes. If you are going to put on the cayenne for zip, dust it on now. It won’t take much. Be careful.
Sprinkle on crumbs. Spray one more time with olive oil spray and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the crumbs begin to brown. Ready to serve.
Each portion on the diet would amount to up to 4 slices of tomato with the accompanying leeks as a side dish. 1 cup total.
This dish will re-heat just fine in a microwave or oven if you're taking it to work or another event.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Cowboy Onions
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. I LOVE this dish! I have served these several different ways. I have served them for company and everyone raved. Being able to do dinner parties and be on a serious diet at the same time is a real bonus for me. These can be served fancy or as part of comfort food. So you enjoy either way.
These onions are NOT spicy. In fact they are almost sweet and have a little zing at the end. You can kick them up hotter as you add the hot sauce.
Serves: Serves 2
Serving size: Up to 1 cup
Ingredients:
- 2 large onions, peeled, cut in half and then cut into half-moon shaped pieces
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced (jar garlic will work fine in this dish)
- 2 tsp of chili powder
- 1 tsp of dried oregano
- ½ cup of no sugar tomato sauce
- 2 Tbl of cider vinegar
- 1 tsp of Truvia
- 1 Tbl of lemon or lime juice (fresh)
- 3 Tbl of Worcestershire sauce
- salt to taste
- a few squirts of hot pepper sauce
Instructions:
Put the onions in a large sauté pan with a spritz of olive oil spray and cook on medium high just to loosen them up. Then add all of the other ingredients through Worcestershire sauce. Cook for 15 – 20 minutes on medium to medium low just to meld the flavors. Stir periodically. If they start to get dry or gloppy you can add a bit of water.
Taste at this point and decide how hot (spicy) you want them. I usually add 3 – 4 drops/small squirts of hot sauce. Then taste again. I have made these with varying levels of heat depending on the occasion I need them for. After the hot sauce taste and adjust seasoning for salt. You may or may not need it. Then serve any of the ways listed below or on their own. You can even come up with your own creative ideas… like put them in a the middle of an omelet with cheese! YUM!
Ideas for serving these onions when you are on ZReduction:
- Pile them over a burger
- Serve with a small steak, either on top or on the side
- Serve with the crispy chicken
- Serve with your favorite grilled fish
- Serve instead of onion rings
If you are on ZReduction you can have a smaller portion of the onions (1/2 cup or less) so you can have a ½ cup of another veggie and a plain salad or a bigger salad and with the other veggies.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Roasted Asparagus with Artichoke Heart “Sauce”
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) and Zola To GO! recipe. This would also taste very good cold!
Servings: Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 1-3/4 cups of asparagus spears. You’ll have to eyeball this one but about 4 thicker spears cut to 4” long or 6 skinny spears cut to 4” long
- sea salt
- ½ cup of artichoke hearts thoroughly rinsed, drained and chopped
- ¼ cup of veggie broth
- ½ tsp of garlic minced
- pepper
- lemon wedges
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
In a high heat oven proof pan put in your asparagus. Give it a teeny spritz of olive oil spray; just enough to wet it. Grate a generous amount of sea salt over the top. Put in your oven to roast. Thin asparagus will take about 10 minutes to roast. Thicker pieces can take up to 15 minutes to roast. You want it a bit crisp when it comes out of the oven--or cook to your specifications.
While the asparagus is roasting…
In a small sauté pan add the chopped artichoke hearts. Then add the garlic and vegetable broth. Heat and toss around. Then season with grated sea salt and pepper.
Serve your asparagus with a narrow strip of artichoke hearts across the top. ¼ cup of hearts per serving.
Leftovers of artichoke hearts keep well in the refrigerator.
Serve this with a simple small filet or grilled chicken breast for a wonderful meal. Don’t forget you can have a plain salad too.
Zola's Bonus Idea: Make a bit of an anti-pasti tray with these and celery sticks as well as sea salt roasted green beans and sautéed red pepper strips and even steamed asparagus spears dusted with fresh ground pepper. Even your dinner guests can eat like you on Plan Z. In Z3 you can put all of these on a try with chunks of cheese of various types and have a field day as an appetizer course.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Italian Roasted Tomatoes
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe.
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 6 Italian plum tomatoes (the egg-shaped ones)
- olive oil spray
- Italian seasoning blend
- sea salt
Instructions:
Cut each tomato in half. Place the halves in an oven-proof pan.
Spray lightly with olive oil. Season with a sprinkle of Italian seasoning and a grate of sea salt.
Roast in the oven at 450 degrees for between 15 minutes and 45 minutes.
The ones in the picture were roasted for 30 minutes. The longer you roast them the sweeter tasting they become. The longer you roast them the more likely the edges will blacken. This is actually a good thing. The tomatoes caramelize and get really sweet as they begin to blacken.
Let sit for a while before serving our you’ll burn your mouth.
These go with any grilled meat or fish. Or any Italian meal as a side dish, like the chicken scallopini.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Eggplant Salad
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This salad can be served as a side dish. It can be warm, room temperature or cold; depending on the weather outside and your tastes. It’s an earthy dish with some zip from the vinegar.
Serving Size: Serves up to 4, ¾ cup per person
Ingredients:
- 5 baby eggplants - There are different varieties. As babies they work in Z2. As they grow they become too fibrous and blow up inside you and stall your weight loss. Or you can use Chinese Eggplant. Those are the long, skinny ones.
- 1 clove of minced garlic. Jar garlic will work.
- 2 Tbl of balsamic vinegar, balsamic must or balsamic glaze aka reduced balsamic*
- 1 tsp of Italian seasoning
- sea salt and pepper to taste
*For the balsamic vinegar, you have choices here. Balsamic vinegar will be the easiest to get in a local grocery store. Balsamic must is my favorite. This is late harvest balsamic grapes so they are naturally sweeter. You can get Balsamic Must from our friends at Acadamia Barillla or some stores sell a Balsamic glaze too. I use this for all kinds of things when just a drizzle is enough.
Instructions:
Poke the baby eggplants a couple of times with a sharp knife same as you would a baked potato. Put in an oven-proof pan and roast at 375 for 30 minutes or until mushy when you poke them with the knife again. They will discolor a bit but that’s fine.
Remove them from the oven and cut off the stem end and toss it. Then cube the rest of eggplants and put them in a salad bowl. Don’t be alarmed that some of the eggplant has gone a light brown color. Eggplant is not pretty when roasted but it tastes authentic Italian. Add the other ingredients and stir. Let this sit for a minimum of 15 minutes to meld the flavors. I think eggplant needs salt to bring out the flavor. You decide for yourself and add as much pepper as you like. This can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to a few days. The longer it’s in there the more mushy it will look. Not pretty, but tasty. I served it room temperature with the Italian pork tenderloin with sun-dried tomato gravy. Tastes like a fancy, rustic Italian meal.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Eggplant Tomato Combo
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This eggplant tomato combo can be eaten as a side dish or as a spread. When I make an antipasti tray for an appetizer course, I’ll sometimes include this as a dip or spread for crackers. As with any dip, I take my portion of dip and put it on my plate so I can use my chip more than once. This keeps my carbohydrate consumption much lower. Or I just eat it with a fork.
It’s the roasting of the eggplant that is the flavor secret in this recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1 Chinese eggplant (Look for this long, skinny eggplant. DO NOT use a regular American globe eggplant in this dish. Most grocery stores now carry the Chinese eggplant. It’s much easier to cook with and no seeds to be removed.)
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes
- 2 tsp of minced garlic
- sea salt
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the ends off of the eggplant. Slice it into very thin slices. I use my mandolin to make the thin slices. You do not need to peel this type of eggplant. The skin is very thin and flavorful.
Lightly spray a cookie sheet and arrange the eggplant slices on the sheet. Bake in your oven until the slices begin to brown the edges. Even if some of them get completely browned that’s okay. That gives your final product some of the rustic flavor. This will take about 10 minutes.
Put the cherry tomatoes in an oven proof pan. Spray lightly with olive oil spray and put them in the oven at the same time you are toasting the eggplant. You want the cherry tomatoes to blister and begin breaking down. They will also get a bit of a browning tinge on them. That’s good. This will take more like 20 minutes.
When both items are cooked, just mix them in a bowl. Add the garlic and then grated sea salt (to your taste). If the tomatoes are not broken down you can sort of chop at them with a fork to get them to a consistency you like.
This combo can be eaten warm or room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator. I served this to some Italian ladies at a gathering and they loved it. They ate this more than anything else on the antipasti platter. It was a big success.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Cucumber Salad
Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) and Zola To GO! recipe.
Servings: The size of the portions here will depend on the size of your cucumber. Just remember that one cup is your limit. To serve 4 people with this you might need to double the recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1 large English cucumber peeled and chopped
- 1 tsp of minced, fresh ginger
- 1 Tbl of rice vinegar
- 2 Tbl of minced, fresh cilantro
Instructions:
In a bowl mix the cucumber salad. Let sit about 15 minutes at room temp or in the refrigerator before you eat it. You just want to make sure you mix up the flavors and they have time to develop.
Enjoy!
Cheers,