Fat Frog Diary

New England Clam Chowder and Fish Chowder Intro: Everyone knows New England Clam Chowder. But let me introduce you to its lesser-known twin, Fish Chowder. I'm allergic to shellfish <insert mild curses here> and I miss them horribly, but Fish Chowder keeps me from doing something stupid that requires Benadryl at the very least.    RECIPE INGREDIENTS 1 lb fresh or frozen fish steaks, cut in 3/4-inch cubes while still partially frozen. 1 cup water 2 slices bacon, halved. (See Notes) 2-1/2 cups finely chopped potatoes (or use frozen cottage-style hashbrowns) 1 cup chopped onion  1/2 cup sliced carrot 1 tsp instant chicken  bouillon 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce 1/4 tsp dried thyme 1/8 tsp black pepper (or white pepper, if you don't want the black grains to show) 2 cups milk 1 cup light cream (or half-n-half) 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour Method:  Mix the water, bacon fat, potatoes, onions, carrots, bouillon, Worcestershire, thyme, and pepper in a larg...

Fish Creole I have a confession to make. As a Floridian and surrounded by the sea, you'd think I'd be able to prepare any sort of seafood known to mankind. Nope! I was intimidated by all the admonitions that it was easy to overcook seafood, and it was difficult to prepare, etc. I was wrong. If anything, fish is easy to prepare if you pay attention to how FAST it cooks. Yes, fast. As in fast food. As in, how easy can you get? And this is much healthier than opening a can.  RECIPE INGREDIENTS 1 16 oz frozen cod fillet, cut up into bite-sized morsels (more to taste, if desired) 1 T butter 1-1/2 c chopped onions 1/2 c. chopped green peppers 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 med ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped OR 1 can stewed tomatoes 2 T parsley 2 t. paprika 1/2 t. sugar 1/8 t pepper 1 bay leaf ***** 1 T cornstarch 1 T water ***** hot cooked rice, optional but recommended.   METHOD 1. Cook the rice first. Keep it handy and covered.  2. Throw the first set of ingredie...

  Syllabub Yes, I know the name seems rather –pardon the pun—silly. But Syllabub (sil-la-bub) is a delightful, no cook, easy recipe that only requires one slightly exotic ingredient- orange blossom water. ( Orange Blossom Water: https://amzn.to/2XxCLBh ) Here’s the original video where I learned about this delightful dessert: (3) History's Fluffiest Dessert! - Everlasting Syllabub - YouTube MODERN RECIPE INGREDIENTS 1 1/4 pint (590ml) heavy cream (or double cream) 1/2 cup (120ml) of a medium sweet wine (white port, sherry, etc) The Juice of 1 orange (approx. 1/4 cup) The Zest of 1 large lemon (or 2 small)  1/2 pound (227g) powdered sugar  1 tsp orange blossom water METHOD 1. Mix the cream and sugar together in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved. 2. Whisk in the remaining ingredients. 3. Whisk either by hand for 30 minutes or with an electric mixer until you form stiff peaks. Yes, it’s worth breaking out the stand mixer for this part. ...

Cabbage Beef Soup Ingredients: 2 T vegetable oil 1 lb ground beef ½ lg onion, chopped 5 cups chopped cabbage 2 (16 0z) cans red kidney beans, drained 2 cups water 24 oz tomato sauce 4 beef bouillon cubes 1-1/2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper Directions: Heat oil in a large fry pan or electric fryer and cook ground beef and onion until beef is well browned and crumbled. Drain and transfer to a large slow cooker. Add cabbage and the rest of ingredients. Stir to dissolve bouillon cubes. Cover with slow cooker lid. Cook on high 4 hours or on low 6-8 hours. Stir occasionally. Serve in large soup bowls with crusty artisan loaves if desired.

Best darn low carb ice cream I've had to date. It's easy, cheap, delicious, healthy, and not pretentious at all. Because it's made and ready to be eaten in less than an hour, it kills that "I want ICE CREAM!" craving before it sabotages your diet. 

Breakfast Migas Crock Pot Ingredients     Plastic slow cooker liner 1   pound  bulk breakfast sausage, browned and drained 1   4.5-ounce package  tostada shells, coarsely broken 3/4   cup  chopped red sweet pepper (1 medium) 1/2   cup  chopped onion (1 medium) 1   4-ounce can  diced green chiles 12     eggs, or 3-1/2 cups refrigerated or frozen egg product 1   10.75-ounce can  conde...

Country Sausage and Bean Soup The original version of this recipe was published by Favorite Name Brand Recipes in 2006. I have made certain changes and recommendations. 4 cans (14 oz ea) chicken broth or the equivalent in ounces of homemade chicken broth. 2 cans black beans, drained (Be careful! Don't get refried beans) 2 cups yellow onion, chopped 4 bay leaves 2 tsp sugar substitute (Splenda) 1/8 t cayenne pepper 12 oz bulk pork sausage 2 c chopped tomato 2 T chili powder 2 T Worcestershire sauce 4 tsp olive oil (opt) 3 t ground cumin 1 t salt Fry sausage until no longer pink. Drain, pour into lined crock. Combine broth, beans, onion, bay leaves, sugar substitute, and cayenne. Pour on top of sausage. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. You may serve with cornbread if desired. We dieters didn't need it, but the guys expressed a wistful request that cornbread would be a great accompaniment. (sigh)

Kathy said: Hi Lena, I am making a split pea soup this afternoon. It has been simmering for about an hour now almost done. Just wanted to know if you had a split pea soup recipe? I am kinda winging it. There is a recipe on the back of the pea package but I did not have all those ingredients. I have only been make my own food these days and I think it has helped my weight loss. I control the salt, sugar and fats in my recipes. I will let you know how it turns out. Thanks for all the quick and easy recipes. imaluckydog kathy March 6, 2010 4:47 PM  Here's my best answer: Pea soup is normally high in carbs, but there is a way to lower the carbs by substituting some of the peas with creamy peanut butter. I've not personally tried this, so that's a rumor right now. If anyone does try it, please let me know. In the meantime, here's my best split pea soup:   Whoops. Came out crooked. Fortunately, it's still legible. Frankly, I follow the package dire...

Alice backed out of the spare one-room cottage the fairy Locarb had loaned her. “Thank you so much for that wonderful breakfast, Locarb! Who’d have thought I could have a whole two-egg scramble loaded with onions, peppers, broccoli and all the cheese I could want plus bacon and sausage! I’m stuffed!” “Wait!!” Locarb ran up and pressed a silver cylinder in Alice’s hand. You’ll need this today. “See? It comes with a lanyard string so you can clip it to your belt.” Suiting words to action, the fairy used a stainless steel clip in Alice’s favorite bright blue color to clip to the bright blue lanyard strap. Thanks to the elastic in the waist, the jeans sagged a little, but not uncomfortably. “There! Nice and tidy! Have fun today!” Alice waited until her friend had disappeared back into the cute cottage before beginning her journey to discover One-der-land. She pulled the magical map out of her pocket provided by the Lord and Master when she’d met him for the second time. As promised, mo...

Today's quickie post. Do try kale, if you haven't. This recipe is not only relatively easy, but also good for you. While the lentils do add some carbs, they are also high fiber. The tiny bit of flour isn't going to kill you, but I'd definitely consider purchasing Wondra flour (in the bright blue can) for this. Wondra is made to be used in soups, gravies, and sauces and therefore less likely to create lumpy messes.

Once there was a woman named Alice who fell down a spiraling hole of guilt and shame while following an elusive White Rabbit of Beauty. She discovered a magical place called One-der-land, though at first it seemed a place of madness and horror. I'll occasionally recount (not in chronological order because this is a place of madness, after all, at least to Alice) some of her adventures. Alice landed at the bottom of the Shame Spiral in tears, her body shattered by so many years of abuse, both from within Alice herself and from others, who felt she didn't deserve anything. She wondered if she'd ever be able to get up, but she managed to heave herself erect and walk, still hoping for another glimpse of the beautiful White Rabbit. Alice had to rest often, and had trouble breathing, but the path seemed familiar somehow, as if she'd traveled upon it or at least seen it many times. Her feet swelled, her knees hurt, and upon occasion she considered just lying down at the side...

OMG!! I despise onions. Really hate them. I cook with them normally only when I can whirl them to oblivion in the food processor. This recipe made me change my mind. I'd serve this ANYTIME. I made one major recipe change. At my favorite grocery, the sweet onions were available by the bag. Knowing I'd have to make this recipe, I wrinkled my nose and bought the bag of sweet onions. Do try the sweets for this. Vidalia is the best known.They're only available late April through mid-June and only from a certain area of Georgia. However, other sweet onions are available at different times of year. Mine this time came from Peru. Ingredients: 3 small onions, thinly sliced 1/2 T butter, melted 1 T. Splenda 1 dried bay leaf 3/4 lb. beef stew meat. Note to bandsters-- I whirled my beef in the food processor to get them small enough to pass my band. You may have to decide if you can cut up the chunks finer, or if you need the processor. 16 oz condensed beef consomme 2 T. dry s...

I was surprised to learn there are people in the world who don't know how to make this ubiquitous lunch food, or worse, who stir together canned meat, mayo, maybe a little instant minced onion, and call it good. Then again, I used to be one of them, until I found this recipe and made it, just to be different. I will never go back to plain old chicken salad ever again! I found Nirvana. Then I looked at the variations. YUM-OH!

For the low-carb version, skip the toast and just sprinkle shredded cheese right on top of the soup. If your band is very, very new or you've just had a fill, cool the soup completely then whirl it all up in the food processor before heating and eating.

Again, you can avoid the noodles and use a vegetable peeler on the carrots to produce noodle-like strips.

Baked Eggs With Spinach and Ham (Phase 1) Make-Ahead: Ham and spinach can be prepared 1 day ahead and stored in separate covered containers in the refrigerator until ready to use. Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes Serves 8 Ingredients 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 small onion, thinly sliced 4 (1-ounce) slices lower-fat, lower-sodium boiled or smoked ham (not honey glazed), cut into thin strips 4 ounces baby spinach, chopped (4-5 cups) 12 large eggs 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Instructions Heat oven to 350° F. Lightly coat an 8" by 8" glass baking dish with cooking spray. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add ham and cook 3 minutes more. Transfer to a large bowl. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Add to the bowl w...

I don't worry too much about the carbs on this one because as a bandster, I just don't eat that much of this chili. It's great during the "mushie" stage because everything gets cooked very well.

Giving credit where credit is due, South Beach has provided me with some excellent recipes to supplement the others I get from SavingDinner.com. I so needed a "quickie" breakfast I could eat and run with, though I may divide each "muffin" in half. I can't eat that much! Or maybe I'll fill 12 muffin pan cups instead of six. Hmm... Sausage-and-Cheese Breakfast Cups (Phase 1) Makes 6 servings Description These egg "muffins" make a hearty breakfast that can be eaten on the run. Make them ahead and warm them in the microwave for a fast and slimming breakfast treat. Ingredients 4 ounces turkey sausage or crumbled turkey bacon 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped 1/4 onion, chopped 5 large eggs 1 can (12 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese Instructions Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 6-cup nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups. In a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high he...