The PP Kitchen: January 10-Items-or-Less Quick Meal Contest

[Gaelen]

Announcing the January PP Kitchen Contest
Protein Power 10-Items-Or-Less Quick Meal

You've just come home from the market with the latest deals...an express lane shopping basket full of the following fresh foods. But now you're hungry, and you need dinner for four in the next 30 minutes! Can you create a Protein Powered meal in 30 minutes, that has no more than 10g ECC per serving for the entire dinner and gives at least 20g protein per serving? Can you do it with 10-Items-or-Less?

In this contest, choose five of these items from the Protein Power shopping basket of seasonal fresh vegetables, frozen fruit and the latest deals on protein. You do NOT have to use the entire package, but you must you some part of each of the five shopping basket items you choose. They are:

1 bag (4 cups) shredded red cabbage: for the entire bag, 76 calories, 1g fat, 4g protein, 17g carbs, 6g fiber (11g ECC per bag, or about 3g ECC/cup)
8 oz. of sliced portobella mushrooms: per cup of slices (approx. 3 oz.), 22 calories, 0g fat, 2g protein, 4g carbs, 1g fiber (3g ECC)
1 eggplant (about 3" diameter, 2 cups raw): 43 calories, 0g fat, 2g protein, 10g carbs, 4g fiber (6g ECC or about 2g ECC/cup)
1 lb. bag (4 cups whole) frozen unsweetened cranberries: per half-cup serving--30 calories, 0g fat, 0g protein, 7g carbs, 2g fiber (40g ECC for the whole bag, or about 5g ECC/half-cup)
2 lbs. of turkey thighs on the bone--net 24 oz. cooked dark meat and skin: 990 calories, 47g fat, 133g protein, 0g carbs/fiber/ECC
16 oz. of fresh salmon fillets, boneless (four 4oz. fillets): 654 calories, 27g fat, 97g protein, 0g carbs/fiber/ECC or per fillet--163 calories, 7g fat, 24g protein, 0g carbs/fiber/ECC)
8 oz. of swiss cheese: 852 calories, 62g fat, 64g protein, 8g carbs/ECC, 0g fiber or per ounce--107 calories, 8g fat, 8g protein, 1g carbs/ECC, 0g fiber
one package (15 oz.) of extra firm organic tofu: 500 calories, 25g fat, 60g protein, 5g carbs/ECC, 0g fiber
one lb. of cottage cheese (about 2 cups): 434 calories, 19g fat, 52g protein, 11g carbs/ECC, 0g fiber
a lemon, about 2 1/2 inches diameter: 24 calories, 0g fat, 1g protein, 8g carbs, 2g fiber (6g ECC).
note: 2 tablespoons lemon zest = 5 calories, 0 protein, 2g carbs and 1g fiber for 1g ECC


You may also choose up to five items from the typical low-carber's pantry--anything canned, jarred or dry-packaged in boxes/bags. Qualifying pantry items include spices, sauces, canned tomatoes, canned or boxed broths, sauces and dressing, nuts or nut butters, coffee and tea. You must provide the nutrient info (at least protein, carbs and fiber grams) for any pantry item used--read your labels! The only restriction is that these items should be commonly available in your local grocery or health food store. If you had to get your 'pantry' item mail-order or over the internet, you may use it, but it will cost you a point. Eggs and any variation of cream or half and half are also considered a 'pantry' item. Remember, you may only use five pantry items.

Salt, pepper, water, onions and garlic are all 'freebie' ingredients. You may include them in your recipe(s) as often as you like in any quantities, but they won't count toward the 10-items-or-less ingredients total. However, please include these nutrient values when calculating your recipes:
1 clove garlic, approx. 3g: 4 calories, 0g fat/protein/fiber, 1g carbs/ECC
1/2 cup diced onion, approx. 80g: 32 calories, 0g fat, 1g protein, 7g carbs, 2g fiber (5g ECC)
Remember, the entire recipe may only include 10 items or less total of fresh + pantry ingredients.

Your entree has to go from prep to table in 30 minutes or less, ala Rachel Ray. Every recipe entered will receive points as follows:

One point for::

entering
per 10g of protein per serving (so three points if serving = 30g protein)
per shopping basket ingredient included (max of 5 points)
for one good picture of your dish (extra pictures will not equal extra points)
each 'thumbs up' vote from the membership


One point lost if:

recipe(s) served together go over 10g ECC per serving
recipe(s) served together don't provide at least 20g protein per serving
recipe doesn't include five (5) shopping basket ingredients (example: you'll lose one point if recipe only includes four items from the Protein Power shopping basket)
per special order/mail order pantry ingredient (e.g. special low carb products which are not commonly available in retail stores)


Post your recipe in this thread from Jan 22 through Jan 29. If you can't figure out your protein/ecc per serving, PM me (Gaelen) and I'll help you with them based on the numbers provided for the shopping basket and freebie items and the numbers you provide for any pantry items you use. All provided nutrient totals and all totaling of recipes will be rounded (rounded UP to the next whole number when the fraction of grams is equal to or greater than 0.5g; rounded down to the next whole number when the fraction is less than 0.5g.) On Monday, Jan. 29, I'll total up the points earned and lost for each recipe and post them. The prize for winning the January PP Kitchen Challenge is a seat on the judging panel for the February PP Kitchen Contest.

Is everybody ready?
On your marks--Get set--Get cooking! :D

[Missy]

OH!! HOW CUTE GAELEN!!!! lol :D I just may HAVE to become a REAL COOK now! lol

[LisaS]

that's some list - sounds fun though.
You say max of 10 ECC for the entire dinner and at least 20g protein per serving
is that what you intended to say?

[Gaelen]

Well--what I was aiming for was that the recipe or recipes combined into a meal should offer no more than 10g ECC and at least 20g protein per serving. So if the dish or dishes combined into a meal serve four, the recipe total ECC could be up to 40 grams, and needs to have at least 80g protein (so that the per serving ECC is no more than 10g and the serving provides at least 20g protein.) Editing is a harsh mistress; thanks, Lisa--I'll try to make that clearer.

[LisaS]

that's what I assumed you meant - the entire meal - per serving - must be 10 ECC or less and at least 20g protein. just wanted to be be sure.

[BeccainSC]

One point lost if:

recipe(s) served together go over 10g ECC per serving
recipe(s) served together don't provide at least 20g ECC per serving
recipe doesn't include five (5) shopping basket ingredients (example: you'll lose one point if recipe only includes four items from the Protein Power shopping basket)
per special order/mail order pantry ingredient (e.g. special low carb products which are not commonly available in retail stores)


I think this goes back to what Lisa was asking.... but shouldn't bullet #2 be 20g protein not ECCs? :)

I am not a cook, not even close, but am looking forward to reading what others come up with!

'becca

[Gaelen]

great eyes, 'Becca...thanks! I'll fix that, too.

[maxlharris]

Questions:
1 - Courses? Do we have to do an appetizer, main and dessert?
2- Does Main have to have a side item?
3- Does Parmesan count as a "variation of cream"?
4- Can I have Whole Portabella caps instead of sliced?

[Anniesnan]

I'm gonna try, but man, what a list...5 of those ingredients this picky eater doesn't eat :rolleyes: .
I guess I'll have to pretend I do :p .

[BeccainSC]

I'm gonna try, but man, what a list...5 of those ingredients this picky eater doesn't eat :rolleyes: .


My thoughts exactly Agnes ;)

I'm tempted to give DH a crack at it, he likes to cook, unlike me.

'becca

[Gaelen]

Questions:
1 - Courses? Do we have to do an appetizer, main and dessert?

Max, if you want to do courses that's great--if you do a one-dish meal, that works too. The only limit is that a single serving of the entire recipe or recipe(s) served together come in at or under 10g ECC, and provide at least 20g protein.

2- Does Main have to have a side item?

Nope...but if you can pull that off with your shopping basket and pantry, by all means go for it!

3- Does Parmesan count as a "variation of cream"?

You could certainly use parmesan as one of your pantry ingredients, since it's commonly available. You just need to provide the nutrient information and count it in your recipe.

Becca, Anniesnan--I know sometimes a shopping basket can be a mixed blessing. ;) There used to be a FoodTV cooking show called "Ready, Set, Cook" where a pair of guest celebrity chefs had to each put together a meal from $10 worth of ingredients plus the show's 'pantry'--in 30 minutes. The shopping baskets were created by their sous chefs, a non-celebrity partner who would help them cook. The chefs never knew what they'd be working with...one time a famous French chef got a tube of Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits and he couldn't even figure out how to *open* them. ;) I'm sure this show is the model for the Recipe*zaar contest.

At this time of year, it's sometimes hard to find a shopping basket full of PP-items that everyone in the family will eat and that isn't the same-old-thing. So some of this may be about stretching horizons with a new ingredient...or about being more creative with an old standby. But please take a shot--you can do this!

BTW, I'm not competing...but I think I'd choose the tofu, eggplant, red cabbage, mushrooms, and the swiss cheese. I think...

[Stephie]

This sounds like fun. I've got to give this some serious thought. :)

[Gaelen]

Questions:
4- Can I have Whole Portabella caps instead of sliced?

Max, I missed that you edited in this question--sorry.
The shopping basket items are what they are. The virtual basket has sliced portobellos, but not portobello mushroom caps--so adjust your recipe accordingly.

Or you could reshape them into 'caps' with a ring mold...;)

Last call for recipes is today and tomorrow, gang...any cooking going on out there? I know there are some people who can make a meal out of some of these ingredients...:cool:

[cmcole]

Here it is the 28th, and it's the first time I saw this post (and I haven't even read it in its entirety).

Oh, well, it's still a challenge, and I may pursue it at a later date, even if January ends before I get to it (which is likely, because I have a busy two weeks ahead of me).

[Gaelen]

Here are some suggestions of ways that the shopping basket items could be combined into a 30-minute, 10 items-or-less per recipe challenge:


Grilled Eggplant and Cheese Rolletini (grilled eggplant, swiss cheese, garlic and dried Italian seasoning rolled up together and served with a mushroom butter sauce) served with a dessert of sweetened cottage cheese/cranberry frozen parfaits.
Szechuan Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry (tofu, mushrooms, eggplant, red cabbage, lemon, red pepper/ginger paste, soy sauce)
Grilled Marinated Tofu Strips with grilled mushrooms and hot red cabbage slaw with eggplant and lemon dressing
Turkey Stroganoff (turkey strips, mushrooms, thyme, sour cream and shredded swiss cheese on top) served over steamed buttered red cabbage with caraway seeds, with cranberry-whipped cream parfaits for dessert
Open-faced turkey 'reubens' with mushrooms, hot red cabbage and melted swiss cheese, served on grilled eggplant medallions
Steamed salmon fillets with mushroom/lemon/tarragon sauce and cranberry/cottage cheese parfaits for dessert
Pan-grilled salmon with cranberry/lemon barbeque sauce, served with buttered red cabbage and mushrooms


Those are just a few ideas of ways that you could use the January Challenge shopping basket...enjoy!

[LisaS]

I think I was a little confused - how did you get to use sour cream and whipped cream? those are not pantry and not on the list?

[LisaS]

also = if we have ideas but not actually made them - can we still enter them (no picture of course in that case)

[Gaelen]

I think I was a little confused - how did you get to use sour cream and whipped cream? those are not pantry and not on the list?

Lisa, from the first post--Eggs and any variation of cream or half and half are also considered a 'pantry' item. Whipped cream is just heavy cream or half and half, whipped, and if you stick the soft-whipped cream into the freezer while you're making the rest of dinner and eating, you have parfaits. Check out George Stella's recipe for whipped cream (basically just heavy cream, splenda and vanilla) as part of this recipe for neopolitan parfaits: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_26767,00.html?rsrc=search.

As for the sour cream--the contest from which I pulled these rules uses that language, and allows sour cream, heavy cream, half and half, light cream, purchased whipped cream and even cream cheese as 'any variation of cream' allowed to be equal to a pantry item. Since those are all things that would be reasonably found in a low carb refrigerator, I figured the Protein Power definition of 'any variation of cream' could be that elastic, too...

Interestingly, these were some of the contest submissions, and although that wasn't low carb focused, these ideas were all plan friendly, with very minor alterations (if you took out the accompanying pasta, the toasted rye bread under the reuben, the sugar out of the whipped cream, etc.)

We could all post ideas of ways to use the shopping basket items--I just thought the contest challenge aspect might be kind of fun. But it's only a contest if people have recipes to weigh in on, because otherwise someone else has to run all the numbers for them. Pictures aren't mandatory; they're just one way to earn a point...but some people, especially people who are just starting out, really need the recipes to figure out how eat on-plan things that they create. They need to see a formula and amounts of ingredients to put the recipes together. Some people need to see 'how do I use that?' for an ingredient they don't use a lot of or thought was off-limits--like eggplant, or tofu, even lemons. I posted those ideas to get people thinking.

In the absence of actual recipes, we could always just toss around ideas, rather than actually having a contest--there were at least four other ways to handle the salmon and the turkey and the tofu. :)

[Anniesnan]

I'm sorry I never posted a recipe Gaelen.

I had a couple of ideas, but got hung up on "cooking" them because I have never cooked with tofu, and decided to make that one of two proteins.

I called my daughter, who is my "tofu expert" - she was vegan for a number of years, and she then got me all wound up in more confusing details:rolleyes: -
I wanted tofu the consistency of chicken breast and she informed me the best way would be to take the extra firm (and told me, specifically what brand to buy) and freeze it overnight before cooking...

brown the turkey in a frying pan, and just before it's done, top with the swiss cheese
and
melt butter, salt, pepper in another pan, saute the red cabbage, add some apple cider vinegar, saute in half the tofu and 1 cup of the cranberries

but, I tend to "wing" it with recipes, and felt I shouldn't "enter" the contest without actually trying to make it and, and, and...

please have another - and I will make a better effort!

[laughingW]

I paid attention to this too late, too. Please, another try?

[Gaelen]

No problem, gang...I get two or three every month in recipe*zaar's newsletter.

They've got a lunchbox challenge; a cook once, eat twice challenge; an iron-chef-style 'secret ingredient' challenge where you have to come up with three courses that use the secret ingredient and the SI changes every day for a week; a rotissiere chicken challenge...

Any preferences? ;)

[Anniesnan]

No problem, gang...I get two or three every month in recipe*zaar's newsletter.

They've got a lunchbox challenge; a cook once, eat twice challenge; an iron-chef-style 'secret ingredient' challenge where you have to come up with three courses that use the secret ingredient and the SI changes every day for a week; a rotissiere chicken challenge...

Any preferences? ;)


they all sound interesting and fun!

[maxlharris]

Hey Galen...

Sorry about this challenge. I kind of dropped the ball. Actually, I was working on a Fondue Themed Dinner, or at least as an entree. If you're interested, I can post my idears.

I would be very interested in:
Cook Once, Eat Twice
or
Iron Chef style

I don't understand the "Lunchbox Challenge" unless this is a cook once, eat twice thing.

[maxlharris]

Whoops, forgot Recipes:

I'm gonna take, from the cart:

Mushroom Slices
Turkey Meat
Swiss Cheese
Lemon
CranberriesFrom my pantry, I will take:

1 750 ml bottle, dry white wine
1 large bunch - Asparagus
8 oz - Le Gruyere Cheese
4 tsp - Cornstarch (yeah, I know)
Extra Virgin Olive OilFrom my freebies, I will use:

2 cloves of garlic
Salt
PepperAppetizer:
Le Fondue:

8 oz swiss cheese
6 oz Le Gruyere
1 clove garlic
1/3rd cup Wine
1/4 tsp pepper
8 oz porto 'shrooms
25 asparagus tips
4 tsp Cornstarch
Rub inside of fondue pot with 1 peeled clove of garlic
In sauce pan, bring wine to boil (med-high heat) then reduce to LOW.
Grate swiss and Le Gruyere, mix together and add, by handfuls, to wine, stir slowly, until cheese is just melted (go figure 8 or zig zag on the stir... gentle heat is also important here)
Stir in pepper & cornstarch. Simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes until it thickens, do NOT allow to boil!
Transfer to fondue pot. Serve with mushrooms (cut to bite sized pieces) and asparagus tips.By my calculator:
By my math, we have, assuming no leftovers:
Asparagus: 100g = 2 Pro, 4g carb - 2 g fiber, 2g ecc
Cornstarch: (1 cup = 117g carb - 1g fiber, 116 carb, 48tsp to a cup, so 10g ECC for 4 tsp), and 0 protein
Shrooms: 4g CHO-1g Fiber = 3g ECC, 2g Protein
Wine: (100g (@3g ecc) * .7733 (100g to 1/3rd cup) = 3g ecc), 0g protein
Swiss:64g protein, 8g carbs
Le Gruyere: 51g protein, 1g carb (REALLY)
Garlic: too trace to measure (Gaelen, will defer to your judgment on this)

To me, that works out to:
29.75G Pro/serving
6.75 G ECC/serving
Assuming no leftovers (there are always leftovers with fondue... use it as a sandwich filling or topping.... MMMM!)

The Main:
2 lbs of turkey thigh, boned
1 cup whole, unsweetened cranberries
a lemon
1 c + 4 tsp EVOO
1 c + 1 c white wine
Black Pepper
Salt
A garlic clove


cut thigh meat into thin strips
Mash cranberries with pestle until pureed
Juice lemon into cranberries, dump mix in ziploc bag
add 1 cup EVOO to bag(I hate Rachel Ray, really, but find EVOO to be easy) and 1 c white wine
Add 1 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp pepper to bag
Mix with a whisk (it's not gonna incorporate, but you want it to unclump somewhat.
Turkey strips into bag, lay bag flat, seal zipper 90% of the way and carefully press remaining air out of bag, then complete seal (if you are nuts, you can suck it out with a straw... if you have a vacuum marinater, so much the better)
Toss bag around a little to make sure turkey is well coated. Let marinate for 10-15 minutes
heat 4 tsp EVOO in a large skillet, on medium.
remove turkey from baggie, saute until browned and done, I expect this to take between 2-4 minutes a side, depending on your knife skills
remove turkey from oil, plate & tent with foil.
Lower flame under pan, add 1 c white wine, salt and pepper to judgement
raise flame to medium, reduce wine, oil, drippings by 1/2 to 3/4ths.
Dump pan sauce over turkey and serve.I need help with numbers, since we are losing a lot of the volume of the cranberries, lemon juice, olive oil and wine in the marinade (should be probably 90% left int he baggie). Since total ingredients work out to:
Turkey: 133 Pro, 0 ECC
Lemon: 1 g pro, 6 ECC
Cranberries: 0 pro, 10 ecc
White Wine:(3 g ECC / 100G serve * 4.64 (464 g to 2 cups) = 14 G ECC)
EVOO: 0 ecc, 0 pro

That works to:
33.5 G protein / serving
7.5g ECC / serving (assuming we guzzle the marinade)

[Gaelen]

Max, I think your numbers are just about right, and the marinade would likely be about 2g ECC from the berry juice, but probably no more. Very creative...fondue wouldn't have occurred to me, and I love fondue, which is why I love challenges like this. ;)

The lunchbox challenge, btw, was sort of the same as this--there's a list of ingredients from which to select, and a list of 'staples' which you can include at your discretion. You could also choose two 'appliances' of your choice--ice pack, cooler, refrigerator, microwave, hot pot. The challenge was to create one lunch that required no additional prep or cooking, and/or to create one lunch (with appliances you designated) that could be prepped and served in five minutes or less.

And then, of course, there's always the 'create a ready-to-eat lunch my (spouse/kid) will eat' version... ;)

[LisaS]

thank goodness - I feared the Lunchbox challenge might have to compete with the little schmoo's :)
(if you don't know - you've got to see it - it is vegan - but so imaginative (or over the top) )
http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/

[maxlharris]

Max, I think your numbers are just about right, and the marinade would likely be about 2g ECC from the berry juice, but probably no more. Very creative...fondue wouldn't have occurred to me, and I love fondue, which is why I love challenges like this. ;)

The lunchbox challenge, btw, was sort of the same as this--there's a list of ingredients from which to select, and a list of 'staples' which you can include at your discretion. You could also choose two 'appliances' of your choice--ice pack, cooler, refrigerator, microwave, hot pot. The challenge was to create one lunch that required no additional prep or cooking, and/or to create one lunch (with appliances you designated) that could be prepped and served in five minutes or less.

And then, of course, there's always the 'create a ready-to-eat lunch my (spouse/kid) will eat' version... ;)

So, with 2g for the main, and 7G from the appetizer, that's under 10 and way over 20 for the meal. Good for those of us at 40G+ per meal!

Lunchbox seems not my deal.

Create an Anything I will eat is a pretty good one (My Cookbook Will Be Titled "Masterworks with the Twelve Things I Eat").

[maxlharris]

I guess I am now obligated to work my fondue recipe on some unsuspecting guests. I made one about a month before I started PPLP that was pretty much like this, only we dipped bread & I burned the bottom while we were eating it. Leftovers made PHENOMENAL sandwiches, all by itself, and an Amazing replacement for cheese in other sandwiches. Have moved on to doing cheese plates for dessert, since this is:
a) Suave
b) LC friendly
c) pleasing
and
d) doesn't involve sugary desserts at all.

Our friends (hell, my wife) don't eat LC, but when I entertain, they wind up that way. No one has complained yet. Course, they don't notice.

[Gaelen]

thank goodness - I feared the Lunchbox challenge might have to compete with the little schmoo's :)
(if you don't know - you've got to see it - it is vegan - but so imaginative (or over the top) )
http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/

oooh, Lisa, I *love* that blog! I get a lot of ideas, even though I'm not vegan.
Of course, packing the lunch is a job in itself, but I can see what that part would be fun for me, too.