Low Fat Weight Loss Tips

Recipe for Pork and Vegetable Stir Fry Burritos

Low calorie and low fat recipe makes 4 burritos and can be doubled or halved.
237 calories and about 5 grams of fat per burrito.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil.
3. Combine sherry, soy sauce and sugar in a small cup
4. Heat tortillas in preheated 350 oven for 10 minutes or until warm
5. Meanwhile, heat very large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil. When oil is hot, add pork. Stir fry 3 minutes or until browned and just cooked through. Remove with slotted spoon to small bowl.
6. Add remaining oil to skillet. When oil is hot, add red pepper, snow peas and green onion; stir fry 2 minutes. Add cabbage and reserved sherry mixture; stir fry 1 minute. Return meat to skillet; cover and cook 2 minutes or until cabbage just starts to wilt.
7. Remove tortillas from oven. Brush each with plum sauce. Fill center of each tortilla with pork mixture. Fold up bottom of tortilla and fold sides over so burrito can be eaten in hand.

Note: If you’d like an even lower calorie alternative to the tortilla, you can instead, wrap the filling in fresh spinach, cabbage or lettuce leaves.

Recipe for Low Fat Muffuletta

Traditionally, a muffuletta is made with salami and provolone, but for a low fat muffuletta, you can make it with lean baked ham and turkey instead, at 11 grams of fat.
This is a make ahead recipe that requires some refrigeration before consuming, but is worth the wait!

1. Combine mixed vegetables and olives in small bowl
2. Heat oil in small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and oregano; cook two minutes, do not brown. Halve bread horizontally. Pull out some of bread from each half. Brush inside of bottom half with oil mixture. Top with half of vegetables. Add ham and turkey. Top with remaining vegetables. Cover with top half of bread.
3. Wrap sandwich tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least two hours or overnight. Cut into 4 wedges and serve.

Enjoy!!

Of course, “frying” means cooking food in fat. The fat provides flavor and also prevents foods from sticking to the pan. Two techniques provide low fat cooking alternatives to frying in large quantities of oil and fat.

Stir-Frying: Food cut into uniformly small pieces and stirred constantly in a very hot wok, deep sauté pan or skillet cooks quickly with very minimal oil. In place of oil, you can even use small amounts of chicken or beef broth instead.

Nonstick Sautéing: Traditionally, sautéing means cooking food in a small amount of fat or oil. Nonstick pans, which greatly reduce the need for fat, are a must for the health-conscious cook. With a good nonstick pan, you can scramble an egg without butter or sauté vegetables, chicken or fish in just a few drops of oil.

Recipe for Low Fat Chicken Stock

Low fat chicken stock can be used for low fat cooking methods, and perfect for poaching foods. It can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 2 months. Always bring to a boil before using.
Recipe makes about 12 cups and contains 2 grams of fat and 44 calories per cup.

1. Combine chicken, wings, carrot, celery, parsley, bay leaf, leek, salt and peppercorns in large dutch oven or stockpot. Add 12 to 14 cups of cold water or enough to cover the ingredients by 2 inches. Slowly bring to boiling, skimming any scum that rises to surface.

2. Partially cover pot and simmer 2 hours. Strain through colander lined with double-thick dampened cheesecloth. Discard solids, reserving chicken for other uses if you like. Cool stock in separate smaller bowls. Then refrigerate, covered, until next day.

3. Skim fat from surface of stock. Transfer stock to large saucepan. Bring to boiling. Pour into three 1-quart refrigerator or freezer containers. Let cool. Refrigerate or freeze.

Broiling, grilling, baking and roasting are all methods of dry heat low fat cooking that do not call for added fat. Ideally, dry heat sears food on the outside and leaves it juicy on the inside. However, dry heat cooking does not reduce the toughness, so it’s best to either marinate your foods first, or stick to tender foods. Be careful not to overcook foods with dry heat methods.

Baking and Roasting: Since this is low fat cooking, be sure to set meats or poultry to be baked or roasted on a rack in a baking or roasting pan so the fat drains off. Or you can use a gravy separator to isolate the fat and use the meat juices as a light sauce. Turning food during cooking is not necessary, although basting with pan juices or other liquids helps keep the food moist inside, crisp outside. You can also bake poultry or fish on a bed of vegetables, such as carrots and onions, to add flavor and retain moisture.

Grilling: Everyone loves a barbeque and your backyard barbeque provides it’s own wonderful taste, but you can also add extra flavor. Try a low calorie topping of lemon juice with bits of fresh or dried herbs instead of the bbq sauces. (there are some low fat ones out there on the market)

Broiling: Broiling is just an indoor version of grilling, but without the smoky flavor. Broiled foods also must be turned and watched very carefully so they don’t burn. Broil meats on a rack in your broiler pan so the fat can drain off.

Recipe for Low Fat Steak Sandwich with Yogurt Mustard Sauce

A delicious, satisfying low fat meal that will fill! Contains just 8 grams of fat and is 299 calories.
Recipe makes 6 sandwiches and can be doubled or halved.

1. Preheat broiler
2. Combine yogurt, mustard and salt in small bowl
3. Drain artichokes, but keep the artichoke marinade in separate medium size bowl. Coarsely chop artichokes. Score top and bottom of steak with sharp knife. Add steak to artichoke marinade, turning to coat.
4. Broil pepper 6 inches from heat until blackened on all sides. Place in paper bag and close. When cool enough to handle, remove blackened skin from pepper. Core, seed and thinly slice pepper. Leave broiler on.
5. Broil steak 6 inches from heat for 5-6 minutes on each side for medium rare or until desired doneness; brush with marinade after turning. Let stand 10 minutes. Thinly slice.
6. Meanwhile, cut bread crosswise into thirds. Slice each third in half horizontally. Toast bread. Brush a little yogurt sauce on each slice.
7. Arrange steak slices, artichokes, roasted pepper and onion on the cut side of each of the 6 slices of bread. Drizzle each sandwich with a little yogurt sauce. Serve sandwiches warm.

Enjoy!!

Recipe for Low Fat Vegetable Stock

Low fat vegetable stock can be used in a variety of ways for low fat cooking, like poaching, and can be used for vegetarian soups and stews, or used in place of chicken broth in your favorite recipes. Can be covered and refrigerated for several days, however, does not do well with freezing, so use soon after preparing.
Recipe makes about 8 cups and contains no fat, (0 grams fat) and 59 calories per cup.

1. Combine tomato, carrot, potato, onion, celery, apple, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf and water in a 5-quart Dutch oven or large saucepot. Bring to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1 hour.

2. Remove from heat and let stand 30 minutes. Strain, reserving cooked vegetables for other uses. Cool broth and refrigerate.

Recipe for Low Fat Turkey Stock

Perfect for after holiday meals where turkey is involved, and you want to make the best of what’s left of the turkey for some low fat cooking later, such as with poaching foods! Can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen up to 2 months. Always bring to a boil before using.
Recipe makes about 8 cups and contains 2 grams of fat and 46 calories per cup.

1. Cut carcass into pieces with cleaver or large knife. Place in large kettle or stock pot. Add water, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, parsley, bay leaf, basil and thyme. Bring to boiling. Lower heat and simmer partially covered for 3 to 4 hours, skimming and discarding any foam from surface.

2. Carefully strain through colander lined with double thick dampened cheesecloth. Discard solids. Cool stock in separate smaller bowls. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

3. Skim fat and discard. Transfer stock to large saucepan. Bring to boiling. Pour in refrigerator or freezer safe containers and let cool before refrigerating or freezing.