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Tag Archives: low fat

Mini Dukan Lemon Cheesecakes and a Sneak Preview of The Foodie Corner

19 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by On Top Of Spaghetti in Cakes and Baked Goodies, Dessert, Dukan Diet Friendly

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

baking, cheesecake, dessert, diet, dukan, Dukan diet friendly, egg, Greek yogurt, lemon, low fat, oat bran

The Foodie Corner logoLike it? The Foodie Corner is soon to become a reality. From wire frames and sample pages to a real live blog. Just a few weeks (or even days) away now! I know most of you won’t be able to follow me there as it’s going to be in Greek (unless you’ve been taking lessons?) but I really wanted to share this image here so you guys have a small sneak preview of what is to come. I have no intention of dropping On Top Of Spaghetti, and after the first few months of ups and downs I aim to be back blogging here as often as possible. In the meantime, what do you think? Cool isn’t it? I have been working with a fabulous team of designers and developers, whom I will introduce in a later post (when you have more than just the one image to see!). They have done such a great job. So I’m adding this little gem of a picture to my side bar!

At first I thought I would just post this without a recipe. But you know me. Can’t write anything on here without sharing something delicious. And today I have an extra special treat; a Dukan dessert. I’m not on this diet anymore, but once in a while I will have a Pure Protein day (or two) because it makes me feel better. Just to remind you, the diet is based on protein and vegetables, cutting out fat and carbs. I know the human body needs fat and carbs, but this human also needs to fit into certain jeans. So a little Dukan Attack here and there won’t kill me. Also, I enjoy thinking up recipes that will help those who are on the diet. Like this one!
Mini Dukan Lemon Cheesecakes
These mini Dukan lemon cheesecakes are based on two recipes. The first is for Dukan cookies, which I thought could be my base if made in mini form (digestives and graham crackers are sadly not allowed!). The second is a lightened up version of lemon and blueberry cheesecake using lemon flavoured yogurt, on the blog “Whatever Gets You Through The Day”. Iris took part in a challenge and used a lemony yogurt to create this lovely looking dessert. It’s pretty light as it is but not quite suitable for the Dukan Diet, so I got to thinking of ways to adapt it. There is a dairy company here in Greece called Mevgal, which produces this amazing 1% lemon yogurt. It’s like no other I’ve ever tried. (And I’m not getting paid or compensated in any way for saying that! I just love it.) For a while now I’ve been thinking of making some sort of cheesecake with it, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. So, with a bit of mixing and matching, I came up with these babies! I still can’t believe how close they are to real cheesecake! Ok, the base is not like a biscuit base, it’s much softer and -let’s be honest- not as tasty, but it does provide a nice contrast to the lemony filling. When I offered one to The Mister he didn’t believe they were Dukan approved, he was worried that at 23:50 I had finally given in and spoiled the Pure Protein day. Now that was a good sign. I had quite a bit of leftover filling because my mini muffin pan is very mini. So I just poured it into ramekins and baked it alongside the little guys, without a base. This too was very nice, I’ve just finished one now. Just sweet enough and very cheesecakey! This morning I had one with a teaspoon of raspberry jam on. Mmm! But that’s only for non-Dukaners. Right, I’ve gone on about this too much. Here is the recipe!

Mini Dukan Lemon Cheesecakes

Ingredients

For the base
1 egg
3 Tbs oat bran
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbs Splenda or equivalent sweetener
2 Tbs plain yogurt (mine was 1.5% fat)

For the cheesecake filling
1 x 200g pot lemon flavoured Greek yogurt (mine was 1% fat)
100g low fat cream cheese (mine was 5% fat – a tiny cheat as it should be below 2%)
1 Tbs oat bran
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs Splenda or equivalent
2 egg whites (mine were pretty large)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan)
2. For the base: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Pour mixture into a non-stick 12-hole mini muffin tin (a regular muffin tin would work too, you’d probably get 6 or 8). You only want a little bit of mixture in the bottom of each mould, remember this is the base. Pour any leftover mixture into individual muffin moulds, you can make more cheesecakes or leave them plain – they would be lovely with scrambled egg!
3. Bake for 10-15 minutes till lightly browned (see note at end).
4. In the meantime mix all the filling ingredients together (you can use the same bowl for less washing up! yay!).
5. Take the muffin tin out of the oven and pour filling over each little oat bran base. Fill to the top, these will rise a little then fall back down. Pour any leftover mixture into some ramekins or over the stray muffins from above. Pop them back in the oven for about 20-25 minutes till set and lightly browned (see note).
6. Take out of the oven. You will be excited at how nice and fluffy and risen these will look while baking; be prepared to see them sink back down! But that’s ok because they taste good.

Note: I think with these times mine turned out a little overbaked as they were sliiiightly dry. This might just be due to the ingredients, especially the oat bran, but I think it was the time in the oven. Iris made a whole cheesecake and baked hers for 25 minutes so I think my tiny muffins really didn’t need that long! I liked the fact that they were browning (goodness knows why) and left them, but next time I will check at 15′ by touching the surface. If it’s set I’ll take them out. Don’t forget the base has already been cooking quite a while.
Also noteworthy is the fact that these are much better the day after! Sounding all the more like proper cheesecake!

Protein Packed Chicken & Egg Salad – Dukan Perfect

03 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by On Top Of Spaghetti in Chicken, Dukan Diet Friendly

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

buttermilk, chicken, dressing, dukan, egg, low fat, protein, salad, tarragon, yogurt

A white bowl of chicken & egg salad, placed on a blue and gray tablecloth with a silver spoon laying next to it

Antique Russian silver spoon dating to 1845 – on kind loan by The Collector

I really should be packing right now. And I’m expecting 3 different repair people today, electrician, solar water heater fixer and handyman who will be taking over the evening ritual of watering my tomato plants. I haven’t even rummaged through our store room to find a suitcase. Where am I off to? The 5th Food Blogger Connect conference in London! I can’t believe it was November when I booked my place; where has the time gone?

I’m so looking forward to this gathering. I am hoping to experience, learn, taste, enjoy and make loads of foodie friends! And above all, fill my head with ideas for my blog! Do you know that amongst the speakers are David Lebovitz, Penny De Los Santos and Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen? Wow. Any food blogger reading will know that these are seriously interesting people! There are many more of course, like David Loftus (a photographer who works with Jamie Oliver), a team from the Food Network and a group of well known UK bloggers.

Right, on with the recipe so I can get on with the packing! I have been back on the Dukan for a couple of weeks now, trying to get into shape. This is so I can stuff my face without a second thought during the conference. Then it will probably be back to square one, but it will have been worth it!

I noticed this salad on The Perfect Pantry, a site which has inspired me more than once to adapt recipes for this particular diet. Lydia makes many lovely light dishes which, with minor alterations, are perfectly suitable and make a great change to the same old grilled chicken breasts.

Here we have a chicken and egg salad, with a gorgeous vinaigrette dressing which I have lightened up even more by using runny natural yogurt instead of olive oil. You could also use buttermilk. Make sure it’s under 2% fat though for the diet! Dukaners can also eat this on Protein Only days, limiting the parsley quantity (use as an aromatic herb rather than a vegetable). If you are on a Protein and Vegetable day, let your imagination run wild and add whatever you fancy! The original recipe includes celery leaves which sound lovely.

This is a great way to eat up leftover chicken. I usually make a whole one in the slow cooker, with just a few herbs rubbed onto to the skin (ok, I help them stick with a tsp or two of oil, but what’s that for a whole chicken, right?). I pop it in for 8 hours on low, no liquids or anything else added, and hey presto – rotisserie style chicken. Which leaves me with loads of lean protein to enjoy in my lunch for a couple of days.

Protein Packed Chicken & Egg Salad – Dukan Perfect

Serves 1 hungry Dukaner

Ingredients

1 cup cooked chicken, chopped or torn into bite size pieces
2 hard boiled eggs, cut into bite size pieces
2 Tbs chopped parsley
3 Tbs runny natural yogurt or buttermilk (under 2%)
1 tsp mustard (I used Dijon)
¼ tsp dried tarragon
2 tsp white wine vinegar (it’s quite tart, use less if you don’t want that)
salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Add chicken, eggs and parsley to a bowl.
2. Add the dressing ingredients to a clean jam jar, cover and shake well.
3. Pour over salad, toss and dig in!

Notes: You can make more dressing and leave it in the jar for later or the next day. It is also lovely with smoked salmon.

Due to limited time today I’m not sharing the blog love. Click on the box “Food Blog Search” located on my side bar to search through loads of great recipes. See ya!

Red Pepper, Feta and Oat Frittata Cake – A Power Breakfast!

08 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by On Top Of Spaghetti in Breakfast, Meatless, Pies, Quiches, Frittatas

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

baking, cake, eggs, feta, frittata, low fat, oats, red pepper, vegetables, vegetarian

An orange plate with three pieces of frittata on it, a glass of milk and the frittata cake in the backgroundThe other day I was looking through an old stack of magazine cutouts and pages printed from the internet, all containing recipes of course. I have a few of these stacks, waiting to be “sorted out”. They’ve been waiting a while and, let’s be honest, they will continue to do so for a good long time. There are always more pressing matters to attend to, like watching Law & Order.

This recipe jumped out at me. It has 5 main ingredients and can be thrown together in minutes, literally. That coming from me is something, as I can never complete a recipe within the time mentioned. Written in Greek, the page had no reference to a site, meaning it was from my pre-blogging days when recipes were saved just to cook and eat, not to share online! A quick search remedied that and I found that it’s actually from one of the biggest food related sites in Greece called “Nistiko Arkoudi” which means Hungry Bear.

Its title on the site is Oat Cake, but that just confuses things in English (oatcakes being an entirely different thing), and it’s not really a cake as it doesn’t contain flour of any kind! What it is, is a frittata baked in a loaf pan. So it looks like a loaf cake. Anyway, all that is besides the point. This frittata/cake/loaf is very tasty, and very healthy. It is especially good eaten for breakfast or as a snack, as it has loads of protein (eggs and dairy) and good carbs that release energy slowly throughout the day (oats). With the addition of a veggie (red peppers) you couldn’t make it more balanced if you tried! It will keep you full for ages.

I added a bit of freshly cracked black pepper and a pinch of oregano to the mix, as I thought these flavours would suit it, leaving out the salt as I expected the feta to make it salty enough. Next time however I will add half a teaspoon to give it a boost. This of course largely depends on the type and brand of feta used. I might also experiment with other herbs as well, like rosemary for instance. Come to think of it, sumac might be interesting; I’ve heard it goes really well with eggs. One thing is for sure, I will definitely be making this frittata cake again, whatever the combo. Stored in the fridge it will last for at least 5 days, but it’s nicer served warm (I warmed it up on my toaster rack, worked a treat).

Red Pepper, Feta and Oat Frittata Cake

Ingredients

2 Tbs olive oil
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
4 eggs
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup oats, rolled or quick cooking (I used quick cooking so they would blend better)
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
A pinch of dried oregano

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan). Grease a loaf pan (mine was 23.6×10.3cm – approx. 9”x4”) and sprinkle with a bit of flour. Move the pan around so the flour coats the bottom and sides, then empty it of any excess by tapping the bottom. This is an important step as egg tends to stick to pans.
2. Heat the oil in a small frying pan on medium and add chopped pepper. Gently cook till softened. I added some water when some pieces started to blacken. You could probably soften the pepper in a bowl in the microwave with a tablespoon or two of water.
3. While your peppers are cooking, lightly beat the eggs in a large bowl.
4. Add the feta, oats, seasoning and herbs, and then the peppers (without the liquid from the pan – I used that in a salad). Mix till incorporated and pour into the prepared baking pan.
5. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes till a toothpick comes out clean and the frittata cake is starting to turn golden on top.

More eggy goodness in other frittata recipes
Beet Greens and Red Pepper Frittata, by me!
Baby Peas and Cheese Frittata, by Family Fresh Cooking
Kale and Goat Cheese Fritatta Cups, by The Kitchn
The Secret to a Perfect Frittata and Chickpea & Rosemary Frittata, by Stonesoup

Dukan Moussaka – Fabulously Healthy Protein and Vegetable Dish

22 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by On Top Of Spaghetti in Beef, Dukan Diet Friendly, Meat, Slow Cooker

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

aubergine, beef, cauliflower, crockpot, Dukan diet friendly, eggplant, Greek, low fat, meat sauce, protein, red pepper, slow cooker, vegetables

A piece of moussaka on a pretty blue plateThis is a complicated recipe. It’s not at all difficult, but there are many steps to it. It’s not a throw-together-right-after-work meal, but you can make it in stages over a couple of days; and that makes life a lot easier. The seed for this idea was planted when I made the Healthier Mac & Cheese using a cauliflower béchamel. I started wondering if I could use this sauce in a lasagna, but then it occurred to me that it’s actually Dukan friendly. So my thoughts turned towards adapting a classic dish to suit this protein and veg based diet. Lasagna was out due to the pasta, so what else could I make? Moussaka of course! Sadly the potato had to be replaced, but layers of red peppers compensated by lending their sweetness and bright colour to the dish.

On my first go at this experiment I tried to dry fry slices of aubergine (no oil is allowed in the diet) so as to keep with the traditional layering of meat and veg. That didn’t really go too well; aubergines like their olive oil. Also, I made the cauliflower sauce based on the mac & cheese recipe, which turned out a bit too watery and meant the top layer was very thin. So the second time round, I cooked the aubergine (eggplant) together with the meat in order to overcome the dryness issue, and made a thicker cauli sauce without the addition of water. There were less layers than traditional moussaka, but everything held together much better, and the result was tastier and much prettier!
view from the top of the moussaka's creamy cauliflower topping
I used the slow cooker to make the meat part, since this is by far the best method for cooking without oil or any other kind of fat. It’s also a great way to make minced meat sauces in general, as they always benefit from long simmering on low heat. I always leave my Bolognese on for a good 10 hours. If you don’t have a slow cooker I’m sure it would work just fine on the stovetop. Use water to gently cook the onion, then add the meat, and don’t forget to drain the fat before adding the rest of the ingredients. You want the result to be quite thick so watch the amount of liquid you add.

Before it’s cooked , the aubergine needs a bit of alone time with a good sprinkling of salt (don’t worry, it’s rinsed off!). This helps get rid of the bitterness that sometimes comes with this vegetable. I recently heard an interesting tip for those who grow their own aubergines; apparently if you plant them next to basil they’ll be less bitter to begin with!

As regards the preparation of this dish, what I did was make the meat sauce the first day. Then in the evening I made the cauliflower puree. Both went in the fridge overnight. The next day I made the peppers, mixed the puree with the rest of the topping ingredients, layered it all up in the baking dish and baked it. Broken up like that it’s not that big a deal really. And it’s well worth it! Oh, you could also use store bought roasted red peppers, but since they are usually preserved in oil it would be cheating a bit.

If you are not on the Dukan Diet, this is still a recommended recipe. It’s super healthy, low in fat, and very tasty. I suggest you sprinkle some grated cheese on top before baking! (Also allowed in the Consolidation phase of the diet)
My Dukan Moussaka in the baking dish, straight from the oven!

Dukan Moussaka – Fabulously Healthy Protein and Vegetable Dish

Step 1

Slow Cooker Meat Sauce with Aubergines (Eggplant)

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
3 Tbs water
500g minced lean beef
2 Tbs water
2 Tbs white wine vinegar
400g chopped tomatoes with juice + 2 Tbs water to rinse tin
1/2 cup tomato passata
2 medium aubergines, cut into chunks
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper
1 bay leaf
Salt

Instructions

  1. Prepare aubergines by putting the chunks into a colander and sprinkling with salt. Give them a shake and sprinkle again, so that all the pieces have salt on them. Leave for 20-30 minutes (on a plate, as the veg will release a bit of water).
  2. Sautee the onion in the 3 tablespoons of water on medium low heat till softened. Add to the slow cooker. Or just put the raw onion in the slow cooker and save yourself a step – to be honest I doubt it makes much difference to the end result.
  3. Put the pan back on the heat, turn it up to high, and add the 2 tablespoons of water followed by the minced meat. Stir continuously breaking up any clumps. The meat will release fat and juices and start bubbling. When it’s brown all over with no pink showing, add the vinegar. Stir well and let it all bubble till the liquid in the pan has reduced. Transfer meat to the slow cooker with a slotted spoon and discard the remaining fatty juices (this is a diet dish!).
  4. Add the tomatoes, passata, cinnamon, bay leaf and pepper to the slow cooker. Stir well.
  5. Rinse and strain the aubergine well. Add to the slow cooker and stir into the mixture.
  6. Cook on low for 10 hours (I imagine it would be fine after 8, but I was out so I don’t know for sure!). If you are around give it a stir halfway through.

Step 2

Red Pepper Layer

Ingredients

2 red peppers (I used the long Greek ones, but bell peppers would be fine)

Instructions

  1. Cut one side of a pepper from the stalk down to the bottom, then do the same on the opposite side. You want to end up with two big pieces, as wide and flat as possible. These will make up the layer that separates the meat from the topping. Don’t worry about the bottom or sides curling in, they will flatten a bit after they are softened. If necessary, measure the pepper pieces against the baking pan or dish that you will use. If needed, use another pepper.
  2. Take a large frying pan with a lid, cover the bottom of the pan with water, lay the pepper pieces in it and turn the heat to medium. Cook covered till the peppers are well softened, turning once. Mine took about 30 minutes. My mum suggested that I try doing this in the microwave next time. I wish she’d said it earlier… Anyway, make sure they don’t catch on the bottom of the pan. If necessary turn the heat down a bit or add more water. Set aside.

Step 3

Cauliflower and Yogurt Topping – The Fake Béchamel

Ingredients

1 smallish head of cauliflower (I forgot to weigh it – I think it was probably about 600-700g). You want it to produce 2 cups of puree.
1 Tbs vinegar
1 tub (200g) Greek yogurt (2% fat)
2 eggs
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Cut the cauliflower into florets and put in a pan with a fitted strainer. Add water to the bottom of the pan (don’t let it touch the bottom of the strainer), together with the vinegar. Cover with a tight fitting lid and steam the cauliflower till very soft. (Vinegar helps with the smell!)
  2. Remove the cooked cauliflower and blend it well, till it’s very smooth. Let cool a little. You want two cups. If you have some leftover, use it as a healthy sauce for meat or fish (you can thin it out with milk if necessary).
  3. Add the yogurt to the cooled cauliflower puree while stirring continuously, followed by the eggs, pepper, nutmeg and salt. Make sure it’s all well incorporated.

Step 4

The Dukan Moussaka – General Assembly!

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C. In a baking tin or dish, evenly spread the meat and aubergine sauce.
  2. Lay the peppers on top, creating a layer and trying to cover the meat as well as possible.
  3. Spoon the cauliflower mixture on top of the peppers and level it out. The dish I used is 16x25cm and everything fit perfectly.
  4. Bake in the hot oven for 50-60 minutes, till it’s bubbling at the sides and firm on top. It will probably start to brown on the top, but mostly around the sides. I couldn’t get mine to brown all over. It didn’t matter!

Other Moussaka recipes – but none of them Dukan!
Moussaka by Brown Eyed Baker
Vegetable Moussaka by The Shiksa in the Kitchen
Leek Moussaka by The Perfect Pantry
And something a little different… Mussaka by FatFree Vegan Kitchen

Apple Frozen Yogurt – A Sweet Moment on a Bitter Day

30 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by On Top Of Spaghetti in Dessert, Dukan Diet Friendly

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

apple, diet, dukan, froyo, frozen yogurt, Greek yogurt, low fat, no sugar, peach

A few days ago I went to a funeral. Someone I used to work with for over 10 years died in a senseless, stupid motorbike accident. He was a sweet guy who always wore a cheerful grin, even under extreme stress. I used to work in tourism, and M and I started out as newbies around about the same time. I still remember us trying to get a busload of tourists from the port to the airport, me shaking at the prospect of having to use the mic and make an announcement, him getting us lost while trying to join the motorway. Two not-even-twenty year olds playing at coach driver and transfer staff! Since then he had taken over his family’s business, learned to manage a fleet of coaches and found the correct route to the airport. Tourism is a tough, relentless industry, with long days, short (or non-existent) holidays and 7 day working weeks all through the summer. Watching all my former colleagues and associates at the funeral, one thought struck me more than any other. Is it really worth it? Yes, of course we have to make a living, but should we let work take over our whole life? All those years, while his friends were at the beach, M spent his summer weekends at the port, making sure cruise passengers got to their hotels, or arranging for 50 coaches to be available for an Acropolis tour, or answering my frantic 4 am phone calls and having me yell hysterically because the driver hadn’t shown up to pick up my group (not an infrequent occurrence). Yeah, I sure have some stories… he did too, until last week. We’ve all got stories “we can laugh about now”. Well, next time don’t wait “till you can laugh”. Laugh today. Do things that make you happy today. Eat whatever you feel like today. Go ride a horse today, or swim, or sing, or shop. Do something you love doing. Tomorrow you will have forgotten this and you’ll be back in your routine. So will I. But once in a while we have to take a step back and remember to live – today. Cliché? Maybe. But it really can all get snatched away so quickly.

Ideally, on that bitter day I would have liked to celebrate life with a decadent brownie, or a heavily frosted cupcake. But for a number of reasons baking was not an option. Instead I finished making the frozen yogurt I started the day before, because it was an experiment I was enjoying. Then I proceeded to eat the whole batch. All of it.

Rest in peace M.

Apple Frozen Yogurt
Serves 1 (just do it)

What you need:
2 apples, peeled, cored, chopped into small pieces
1/4 cup water
300g Greek yogurt (2%)
4 Tbs sugar or sweetener (I use Canderel)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp cinnamon

What you do:

  1. Put the chopped apple and ¼ cup water into a microwave safe bowl. Sprinkle with one tablespoon of sugar or sweetener and mix well. Microwave for a few minutes, with breaks in between to check softness. When the apple is mashably soft (it took mine about 3 min), remove it from microwave and let cool for a few minutes.
  2. With a hand held blender, blend the apples till smooth.
  3. Add the vanilla and cinnamon to the apples.
  4. Add the yogurt and mix well. Taste and adjust as needed (e.g. more cinnamon or sugar). Place in the fridge to cool completely.
  5. When cooled, freeze as per ice-cream maker instructions.

Note: I first made this with peaches (based on a recipe from the Bartolini kitchens). This too is absolutely gorgeous. Just substitute the apples with 2 ripe peaches and keep everything else the same.

Other lovely looking recipes for frozen yogurt:
Fat-Free Low-Sugar Strawberry Frozen Yogurt by Kalyn’s Kitchen
Sugar-free, low-fat lemon frozen Greek yogurt by The Perfect Pantry
Pistachio Nut Ice Cream from the Bartolini kitchens
A Frozen Yogurt Recipe to Rival Pinkberry’s Recipe by 101 Cookbooks
Lemon Curd Frozen Yogurt by Kitchen Confidante

Turkey Burgers – Dukan. Again.

01 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by On Top Of Spaghetti in Dukan Diet Friendly, Meat, Turkey

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

burgers, diet, dukan, grill, healthy, low fat, turkey

As you probably guessed from my inspired title, I’m getting a bit fed up with this whole diet thing. I can definitely see why most people give up during the Consolidation phase. It’s boring. Really boring. And looong. The worst part is that it’s still a diet but without the excitement of actually losing weight. Instead, the scales are disheartening as your body is retaining water and fighting hard to stock up its depleted reserves of fat, following the attack it underwent during the previous phases. But I’m sticking to it! It’s such a great workout for my willpower. Yesterday I made a Nutella Cheesecake for a friend’s BBQ without taste testing once!

Luckily, there are still some recipes that can cause some excitement during this period of kitchen boredom. In my last post I shared a recipe from The Perfect Pantry and mentioned that many of Lydia’s recipes are easily adaptable to the Dukan Diet. Well, this one doesn’t even need to be adapted. Everything in it is allowed in all phases. Turkey Burgers! Another healthy, tasty, non-fattening meal which you can literally throw together in minutes and stick on the grill. A great alternative to beef burgers if you’re cutting down on red meat or just want something lighter.

The first day I ate these with salad only, no sauces or anything. They are so juicy they don’t really need anything extra. For my leftovers however I made a quick yogurt sauce with curry, which unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of. Sorry! Lydia makes a yummy looking yogurt and feta sauce for these. Go over and check it out, if you’re not on the Dukan!

Greek Turkey Burgers by The Perfect Pantry
Serves 4

What you need:
450g minced turkey meat (breast has less fat)
3 Tbs Greek yogurt (0% for Dukan)
1 Tbs chopped parsley
¾ tsp lemon zest
¾ tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

What you do:

  1. Throw all the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with your hands, just until evenly incorporated. Don’t over mix.
  2. Make four burgers. Let them rest while you heat the grill.
  3. Spray grill with low fat cooking spray and heat to medium high.
  4. Place burgers on the grill and leave for about 7 minutes. Turn them over and continue grilling for another 5 minutes. Cooking time might depend on the thickness of the burgers so keep an eye on them.
  5. Lydia suggests using a food thermometer which should read about 165F when they are done. This is a great idea, and saves you from having to cut into one of the burgers to see the colour!
  6. Enjoy with salad or on a bun.

Simple Yogurt Sauce with Curry
Serves 1 or 2

What you need:
½ tsp curry powder
1 ½ – 2 tsp water
½ pot of Greek yogurt (0% for Dukan)

What you do:

  1. Mix curry powder with water to form a smooth paste.
  2. Mix paste into the yogurt.
  3. Dollop over turkey or chicken burgers (or any turkey or chicken).

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