When it comes to preparing a delicious meal, ingredients are very important. I love my ingredients to be fresh, flavorful and healthy.

I stumbled upon the next concoction while searching for meals that contained cayenne or black pepper, spices that have been shown to aid in weight loss.

The Chef is GingerlyJ, a 25 year old wife, mom and business owner. She began to cook with her Grandmother at age 5 and watched her mother run a deli. After GingerlyJ’s mother passed at age 17, she was inspired to write a cook book and now running her own successful catering business. click here to connect to her Twitter page.

Not only is this recipe full of fat blasting ingredients like cayenne, ginger and garlic, but it’s also low in carbs and fat! Now, that’s my kinda meal!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 8 ounces flaked crabmeat
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 1/4 cup chopped red sweet pepper
• 1/4 grated carrots
• 1/4 cup low fat/ fat free mayo
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/3 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 lemon

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Toast coconut in a pan or microwave 3-4 minutes in microwave
• In a bowl, combine crab, ginger, scallion, red pepper, carrot, lemon juice, mayo, egg, rice vinegar, and garlic
• mix well
• combine bread crumbs and cayenne and mix again
• sprinkle half of coconut flakes on a plate or board
• using a spoon, or ice cream scoop, create even size portions and form into balls
• roll the balls into coconut flakes and place on baking sheet
• sprinkle remaining coconut flakes on top
• bake for 20 minutes until golden brown

GingerlyJ suggests an asian hot mustard to accompany these yummy crab cakes.

I would definitely serve this on a bed of ginger sauteed buk choy or chinese broccoli.

Enjoy!

Yay!

As I mentioned on Monday, I will be traveling to Hong Kong soon where I will be indulging in both the culture and cuisine. Inspired by my trip, I figured why not showcase an easy low-carb Chinese recipe:

Lobster Egg Foo Young. It sounds good already

If you’ve followed me enough, you know that I love eggs! And lobster, forget about it!

Get those chopsticks and woks ready! Here we go!

Ingredients:

• 8 eggs or 1/2 whole, 1/2 whites
• 1 cup shredded string beans
• 1 cup shredded celery
• 1/2 cup boiled and chopped lobster
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped onions
• Salt n Peppa

Preparation:

• Throw all ingredients in a mixing bowl
• Turn heat on high under skillet and coat with oil spray
• Scoop a little at a time (1/2 cup – 1 cup) and fry until golden brown
• Continue until you have finished with the mixture

There you have it! You just made an omelette, Chinese style! It’s healthy, veggie & protein loaded and tastes mm mmm good.

sihk juhk! (eat up in Cantonese)

On Friday, I posted an article about the powerful anti-oxidants found in red-fleshed fruits. I was inspired to search around for a simple and tasty recipe that featured red plums and preferably some protein to create a well-balanced meal.

I found this recipe that combines protein-packed shrimp, anti-oxidant rich plums and other interesting flavors.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb raw shrimp
• 2 plums, cut into wedges
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro
• Salt n Peppa
• Kebab skewer sticks

Preparation:

• Turn grill up on medium heat
• In a bowl, mix oil, lime juice and salt n peppa
• Save 3 tbsp of dressing for later
• Toss shrimp and plums in the bowl and marinate
• Hook up your skewer with shrimp-plum-shrimp-plum-shrimp
• Grill the kebab four minutes on each side
• Place on a plate and pour remaining dressing on top

These low fat kebabs incorporate sweet and sour flavors that will satisfy your taste buds while providing your body with muscle boosting protein and anti-oxidants. Serve this on a bed of fresh spinach salad and enjoy!

Mmm mm good!

My favorite place to go to for Sunday Brunch is a local Jewish Delicatessen called Pumpernicks Deli located in North Wales, PA. They offer a diner-like menu that serves the freshest foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner. My healthy Sunday treat to myself is their Russian Beef Borscht soup filled with chunks of tender beef, cabbage and other delicious flavors. If I love something, I try to figure out how to make it so I can have it more often! Plus, it will save me some money.

If you’re down to try a hearty, low cal, low fat recipe that tastes amazing then I suggest you put your apron on and start cooking!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean beef, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 cans low sodium beef broth
• 10 cups water
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1 tsp salt n peppa 
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (3 large cloves)
• 2 large onions, peeled and sliced lengthwise (2 cups)
• 4 cups coarsely shredded beets
• 4 cups coarsely shredded cabbage
• 2 cups coarsely shredded carrots
• 1-1/2 cups thinly chopped celery 
• 1-1/2 tsp sugar 

Preparation:

• Brown the beef cubes in a skillet for just a few minutes
• Transfer beef to a soup pot
• Add broth, water, tomato paste, salt n peppa, sugar
• Bring to a boil and then simmer for 1.5 hours
• As soup is cooking, use vegetable oil to saute garlic, onions and veggies for 5 minutes
• Add veggies in to soup after 1.5 hours
• Bring soup to a boil then reduce to simmer again for 45 min without lid on

This is a slow cooking soup but the flavors are so worth it. You can sprinkle some parsley and dill on top, and I’ve even seen a dop of sour cream in the middle. If you need more taste, try a drizzle of lemon juice. Keep the them going and try a slice of Rye bread on the side.

Overall, this hearty soup will make your partner’s heart melt.

Love,

Ghada

Sometimes the best tasting dishes happen by accident. When I started my healthy eating, I replaced my salt with lemon juice and dressed everything with it. One day, I drenched some grilled chicken and potatoes with so much lemon juice to test the taste. It was delicious!

Make this citrus infused roast for your love and make him think you’re the ultimate chef.

Ingredients

• 6 boneless chicken breasts or a whole cut up chicken
• 3 yellow onions
• 5 Gold potatoes sliced
• 1 cup Lemon Juice
• 1 can chickpeas (optional)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt n Peppa
• Italian seasoning

Preparation: So Easy!

• Preheat oven at 375 degrees
• cut up onions
• slice up potatoes
• open can of chickpeas
• Throw chopped onions, chickpeas, sliced potatoes, chicken in roasting pan or tin
• drizzle olive oil on top, throw in minced garlic, season with salt n peppa and italian seasoning and pour in the lemon juice
• Using your hands, mix all ingredients together
• Roast for 45 minutes

Your house is going to smell like chicken heaven! Serve this tangy chicken and potatoes with a side of steamed spinach or sprinkle some roasted almonds on top.

Let me know how it goes!

Love,

Ghada

Starting the new year off on the right foot, I decided to research low carb recipes to incorporate in my meals. I love me some mushrooms and I love me some mashed cauliflower, so I figured why not combine them. End result was scrumptious!

This recipe is great if you’re watching your carb intake and still looking for a satisfying meal.

Let’s cook it up!

Ingredients:

• 6 Portabella mushrooms
• 1 head of Cauliflower
• Salt n Peppa
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
• 1/2 cup non fat sour cream
• 1 cup low fat grated mozzarella
• 1/4 cup chopped chives
• oil spray

Preparation:

• Pre heat the oven at 350 degrees
• Steam your cauliflower until soft and mushy. Mash it up.
• Mix in minced garlic, chives, sour cream, butter and cheese. Blend concoction until all ingredients are well mixed.
• Spray your pan with oil spray
• Salt n Peppa your portabella halves and lay them on pan.
• Scoop your cauliflower mixture into the mushrooms. Don’t be afraid to stack it a little high.
• Bake for 20-30 minutes. I like to get them a little brown and crispy.

I like to combine my mushrooms with some greens like broccoli rabe or garlic spinach. If you’re honey needs some carbs, place your concoction on top of a bed of linguine.

I love to cook!

Love,

Ghada