Omnivore

It always seems that when John and I really like some convenience food that is low in calories and fat that it disappears from the market. Case in point? Michelangelo’s baked eggplant parmesan. For around 300 calories each we could split this large frozen entree and have a tasty, quick dinner. I think it was what won the diet war back in 2001. Sadly it no longer is made in the family size for Costco. So it was no surprise to us that Morningstar chipotle bean burgers also disappeared about 6 months ago from Costco. Although the chipotle bean burgers were a little high in calories and fat for a lunchtime treat, they were perfect for a quick dinner. When time was pressing and I was really hungry, I could microwave up a bean burger and serve it on a toasted sandwich round in about 2 minutes – a real lifesaver sometimes.

Much to our surprise the Morningstar chipotle bean burger was back on Costco’s shelves this past week. It is a large patty with a slightly spicy, smoky taste. Tonight we had a big salad of arugula, roasted golden beets, mushrooms and tomatoes and a bunch of steamed new potatoes along with the burger. It was a fast, satisfying dinner.

Morningstar chipotle bean burger on a sandwich round, new potatoes and salad

How hard is it to be at a party where everyone is eating hamburgers and hot dogs and you are eating salad? Too hard!! The next time you have to go to one of these get-togethers, bring your own burger – a portobello mushroom burger. Take the stem off the mushroom. Marinate it in a combo of olive oil, garlic, and balsamic vinegar and have the grill master give it about 5 minutes on each side. Make up an aoli of light mayo, non-fat yogurt, garlic powder and tabasco. Have some arugula to top it. Place the mushroom, aoli and arugula along with the mushroom on a sandwich round. You don’t need to feel deprived. This combo is really good!

As side dishes to the burger, I microwaved baking potatoes and then sprayed them with olive oil spray. They were finished on the grill while the mushroom was cooking. The salad consisted of pre-washed arugula, roasted beets and fat-free Good Seasons Italian dressing. Golden beets are especially delicious when roasted.

No beef? No problem. It’s easy to stay healthy with a portobello mushroom burger.

Mushroom burger, grilled baked potato and arugula salad with roasted golden beets

Today for lunch I made null soup again. I was home alone since John had to work today which means I got to eat the whole thing myself. This morning I had half of a bagel with a little faux butter. Not eating protein at breakfast means that I am going to be extra-hungry at lunch time. But those halves of bagels had been tempting me all week every time I looked in the freezer. Better to eat one and get it out of my system. So since about 10 o’clock I had been thinking about lunch. A great way to fill up without doing damage is to make a vegetable soup. Today mine consisted of chicken broth, rutabaga, carrot, celery, mushrooms, cabbage, green onions and parsley. I also had two thin slices of black forest ham with mustard on a sandwich round. Hopefully this lunch will keep me out of the refrigerator until dinner time.

The reason I call this fast food is because I turn on the broth to heat, add the vegetables in order of length of cooking time, make my sandwich while the soup is simmering, eat my sandwich and work on a sudoku, and by then, the soup is done.

Null soup

The last time we made chili, it turned out really well. We used ground turkey, a variety of beans and spices and created a depth of flavor by using soy sauce and a lot of mushrooms. Actually, though, the turkey didn’t lend much except for texture. So what could we do that would give us some texture that could keep our chili vegetarian (and thus lower in calories.) We decided to use a pound and a half of mushrooms, some chopped small like ground beef and some in larger pieces. The small chopped mushrooms I really browned hard so they would have texture. We also included canned tomatoes and three different canned beans as well as onions, peppers, garlic, tomato paste, cilantro and spices. However, the chili came out tasting way too bright and acidic. I had already used soy sauce for a low note and the salt level was fine. So I didn’t want to put in more soy sauce. We tried a large teaspoon of ground instant coffee. That helped. But the only thing that cut the acidic taste was oil. Much to my disappointment we had to use two teaspoons of oil to get the flavor balance correct. I don’t think we will try this again.

Vegetarian chili