Curried Pumpkin Squash Fish Chowder recipe for Lenten weight loss, gluten-free, keto diet food swaps

 Hello my friends of Great Food 4U! We are this blog are in the midst of Lent. As Catholics we abstain from meat on Fridays and part of our Lenten fast includes abstaining throughout Lent. I'm also on a mission to lose weight through keto diet, calorie restricting and intermittent fasting. Part of how I lost weight 12 years ago was with diet food swaps and eating more gluten-free foods. Here's a weight loss fish recipe that addresses all of those, perfect for Lenten Fish Fridays. It also works great for leftover use-up recipes and meals in minutes! 

Currying Flavor Curried Fish Chowder

So I did that thing I do too often where I thaw fish, planning to make my Cajun fried fish, and then I get busy and tired and don't feel like it. So I came up with this quick recipe that I could throw in the oven. And we ended up loving it. I was able to do a fresh vegetable leftovers use-up too. 

Start with some not too dense fish like tilapia, whiting, blue whiting, catfish, pollock or cod. Rinse and  place pieces in baking pan. Season with celery salt, pepper and dill. 

Prepare sauce. I took a short cut and used Aldi Pumpkin Squash pasta sauce. It did have more cream and sugar than I'd have liked. But it was quick and delicious. For a low carbohydrate, vegan fish sauce, blend canned pumpkin or squash or leftover cooked squash, carrots or pumpkin. You can mash canned carrots if easier.  For a creamier taste, add whole plain Greek yogurt. Add sugar-free salsa or chopped mire poix vegetables: garlic, red or yellow onions, colored peppers and celery. 

Blend curry spices or use prepared curry. My curried fish blend includes: red pepper, white pepper, turmeric, ginger, curry powder, cardamom, coriander, celery salt, celery seed, cloves, cumin, fenugreek (just a little).  Season sauce to taste. Pour sauce over fish and add two or three bay leaves. Bake till bubbly and done. Add fresh chopped tomatoes and cilantro leaves. 

Serve as whole fish with sauce or break into pieces and serve as curried fish chowder. We had fish pieces the first night and ate the leftovers as curried fish chowder. 

Gluten free weight loss food swaps: keto, crustless quiche and frittata recipes for leftover use-ups

Hello my friends! Today we take on gluten-free weight loss with breadless food swaps for popular foods. These are high protein, low carbohydrate keto diet friendly and vegetarian food swaps designed for Lenten fasts and calorie restricting weight loss. Today's are Quintessential Crustless Quiche and Free-up Frittata recipes. 

So first let me say, frittatas have revolutionized my omelets. I call them Free-Up Frittatas because they free up time, labor and ingredients and save money. One pan does it all. And these gluten-free goodies are crammed with low to no carbohydrate vegetarian protein. I list the crustless quiche and frittata recipes separately but basically they're the same thing. My frittata is just quiche without the crust, give or take. 

First, and this is an absolute must, no exceptions, ya gotta use a cast iron skillet. I was never a fan, being the one who had to wash my dad's anvil-heavy skillet. But once dear daughter Molly Cate got me one of my own, well, now it's all I use for most pan fried cooking, especially frittatas. 

You can add pretty much any ingredients you want as long as you have eggs. I'm sure there's a vegan food swap for eggs in quiche but I've not explored that. So my preference is to do a weekly fridge leftovers clear out, dice 'em up and fritatta-ize them. You know, that thing of chopped onions, the half used carton of mushrooms, the six open bags of shredded cheese. (yes, six, why would we bother to see if one is already open before tearing into another?) Don't forget the sprouting garlic bulb or clove, never can remember which is the whole and which is the part. And the three cut into colored peppers. Use up leftover  milk about to expire. And that half package of bacon or bacon bits or cooked sausage, you get the idea. 

First, dice vegetables and sauté in cooking olive oil, ghee leftover bacon grease (favorite). Arrange in pan so there's an even amount spread around the bottom. Season with cracked pepper and celery salt. Lower heat. Beat about 6-8 eggs with a little milk till smooth. Pour into pan so cooked stuff is covered. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  DO NOT TOUCH IT. Just let it cook till eggs have begun to set. Add top with shredded cheese. I actually add my cheese into egg mixture but you can do it either way. Top with fresh herbs like basil, dill, rosemary or oregano. Bake till cheese is melted, eggs are bubbly and edges are browning. 

Top with fresh chopped tomatoes. Cut into pie slices and enjoy this gluten-free quiche-frittata.  If you're eating vegetarian weight loss food swaps, omit meat and top with a little Parmesan cheese. Load up on the vegetables. This frittata recipe is so versatile! We make it for our meatless Lenten entree at least once a week. You will notice ours is not neatly cut, LOL we keep doing that "oh just a smidge more." 

Cheap diet food swaps: meatless, high protein recipes for weight loss

 Hello my friends! We here at GreatFoods4U are all about healthy eating on shoestring, or as economical as possible. Currently, it's Lent in the Catholic church and we are focusing on budget-friendly meatless, vegetarian high protein food swaps to follow our Lenten fast. And value added, these cheap diet foods are great for weight loss. Eating them was part of how I lost 100 pounds without weight loss drugs or gastric bypass surgery. And one of the complaints I hear, ironically, is how expensive weight loss is. Well, the good news is that weight loss doesn't have to break the bank if you use these cheap diet food swaps. 

Split peas or canned peas. You don't have to buy the costly pea protein powder. Just use these cheap diet food swaps. Just blend a cheap bag of split peas in a food processor and swap these for pea protein powder. Or make meatless, vegetarian split pea soup with carrots, onions, celery, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Or, drain, rinse and eat canned peas. You get up to 15 grams per serving in split pea soup. 

Dried beans. Soybeans or edamame are the highest protein beans with 30 grams per serving. Other beans for high protein diet food swaps are lentils, cannellini, black beans, garbanzo or chickpeas. You can grind these and use for gluten-free breadless flour food swaps. You can mash and fry canned beans as pancakes. Or  make homemade gluten-free falafel with besan (chickpea flour). All of these diet food swaps are super cheap. Eating this way is how I lost 100 pounds. 

Pumpkin seeds or pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds). 1/4 cup serving give 7-9 grams of protein. You can find cheap pepitas for under $2 at Aldi. So that's about $.30 a serving for these cheap meatless, high protein food swaps. You can make these into any of your favorite vegetarian dishes such. 

Nut Roast. (or Nut Loaf). Mill gluten-free dried beans or peas. Grind up leftover nuts, any kind. Then sauté leftover bits of onions, celery, garlic, peppers and mushrooms, seasoned with sage, oregano, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Blend in nuts and milled beans. Add eggs if desired, oil loaf pan and bake as you would meatloaf. These vegetarian food swaps substitute for pot roast or meatloaf and can have up to 30 grams of protein for 500 calories. The beauty of this economical diet food swap is that it's also a leftover use-up recipe. 

Parmesan Reggiano cheese. This superfood is lactose free, high protein, filling, curbs cravings and good for weight loss if eaten in moderation. One ounce gives 10 grams of protein. This isn't as cheap a diet food swap but if you buy on sale, a one ounce serving is about $.75. I eat parmesan cheese wedges as a snack and it fills me up. Swapping Parmesan Reggiano cheese for other cheeses is part of how I lost 100 pounds. 

Barilla Protein+ Pasta. So you pay a little more than regular pasta but if you buy on sale, it's under $.30 a serving. You get 10 grams of protein for 190 which is fewer calories and more protein than regular pasta. Plus this cheap meatless diet food swap fills me up and curbs cravings. 

Mushrooms. Believe it or not, these meatless food swaps can have as much protein as meat per calorie. Mushrooms make great vegetarian high protein food swaps in all recipes. I love veggie mushroom burgers with white or baby bella mushrooms, garlic, onions, oatmeal, eggs and Parmesan Reggiano cheese. 

How I lost 100 pounds eating high protein vegetarian keto sandwich recipes, perfect for Lent

 Hello my dear friends! We're into Lent now and are featuring more of our Lenten Kitchen meatless recipes. Eating vegetarian plus keto (yes you can do both) is part of how I lost 100 pounds. Here are high protein, vegetarian Keto sandwich recipes with vegan and vegetarian food swaps. 

Spicy pickle Salmon sammy on keto bread. I got home from work starved and whipped up this high protein sandwich recipe on the spot. It was so good I might have another! How I lost 100 pounds was by eating filling high protein foods to curb hunger and keep cravings at bay. And this one of them. 

Start with high protein keto bread like Aldi's. This seed-dense bread gives you calorie forward (sugar and starch balanced with fiber and protein) 14 grams of protein per 150 calorie 2-slice serving. It you're calorie restricting to lose weight or for a religious fast like Lent, keto bread should be your go-to. Seeds are the shiznit for packing in protein. Although I lost 40 pounds just by doing intermittent fasting twice a week on plain old Admiral bread and water. If you're gluten-intolerant, try a gluten-free veggie tortilla. Aldi also makes a lentil red pepper tortilla that is 2 Diet 4! 

Spread with salmon cream cheese and a drizzle Herdez guacamole salsa. If you're vegan try my homemade cumin hummus recipe featured here. Hummus makes great food swaps for weight loss, vegan diets and Lenten fasts. Mustard is another great low-calorie spread. I choose stone ground mustard with the seeds. 

Add any kinds of veggies you want to your vegetarian high protein sandwich recipes. My concoction featured home 

sprouted spicy sprouts. You can buy cheap sprouting seeds and lids from Amazon, then just reuse canning jars. 

dill pickle relish (cause I didn't have dill pickles but oh my, once you go dill relish, you'll never go sweet again). 

sliced tomatoes

sliced Havarti cheese

smoked salmon (canned in oil, not the slimy gelatinous stuff in paper envelopes) or smoked tuna. The envelopes of salmon are okay but not nearly as tasty and you really don't save that many calories. 

artisan lettuce leaves or romaine (use romaine leaves as breadless food swaps to wrap your sandwich, if you're eating gluten-free)

Enjoy with a handful of berries for extra high protein fruit goodness. Or try a few dates, to beat sugar cravings and boost metabolism, energy, antioxidants and electrolytes. Plus dates just taste so ambrosial! Stay tuned for more on how I lost 100 pounds with keto diet food swap recipes.

Vegetarian high-protein tuna tetrazzini recipes for Lenten fasting and weight loss

Hello my friends! And a blessed Ash Wednesday to you. Here at Great Food 4U, we observe a meatless, vegetarian Lenten fast throughout the 40-day period leading up to Holy Week and Easter. One of the trickier parts is to eat enough protein to feel satisfied and not too hungry. Here are vegetarian high protein tuna recipes from the Lenten Kitchen. Following a Lenten diet with intermittent fasting is part of how I lost 100 pounds. Plus, value added these "waste not want not" recipes feature leftover use-up ingredients as well. And we've included food swaps for a quick or longer from-scratch version. 

Now I know, the point of a Lenten fast is to feel hunger, but too much calorie restricting in a starvation diet is not the way to do. Let me just say from experience that feeling too hungry actually defeats the purpose of the fast, plus it derails weight loss, if that's your goal. Over calorie restricting, makes me shaky and irritable as blood sugar drops. I am more likely are more likely to break my fast and overindulge. I have fainted several times, due to calorie restricting.  That's why eating enough protein with fewer cards, and warding off blood sugar spikes is crucial, both to religious and intermittent fasting for weight loss. Keeping blood sugar in balance and curbing hunger played an integral role in how I lost 100 pounds without gastric bypass surgery or weight loss drugs. 

So here's my quick version tuna and strict vegetarian tetrazzini recipes for Lenten fasting and weight loss

8 ounces Barilla Protein+ Pasta, cooked in brine from canned tuna, mushrooms and black olives and rinsed soup cans ( "waste not want not" tips like this fit right in with Lent ). This vegan pasta gives 10 grams of plant-based protein for 190 calories per serving, using chickpea and lentil flour plus pea protein. It's not gluten-free so if you need that, substitute a chickpea, red lentil, black bean or edamame pasta. Aldi makes less expensive versions of these. 

one can each low sodium cream of mushroom and cream of celery soups. Rinse the cans and use the water to cook the pasta in. (that's for the quick version, you can make your own soups too. I recommend swapping blended cottage cheese for milk and butter. It will be a little tangier but you get so much more protein with less fat. 

two small or one large can tuna in water (drain brine into pasta water, again, waste not want not.) You can skip the tuna if you're doing a completely meatless fast. 

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (this low moisture cheese gives a high protein low carb kick)

sliced black olives (drain the brine and add to pasta cooking water) 

sliced mushrooms (drain the brine and add to pasta cooking water)

Mix well and season with dill, black pepper, onion and garlic.

For homemade from-scratch tuna tetrazzini, sauté fresh sliced celery, onions and mushrooms in high heat oil. Add wheat flour or gluten-free chickpea flour to thicken into roux. Then add milk or water till roux forms a soup consistency. Swap blended cottage cheese for a creamier, high protein alternative to milk. Blend in Parmesan cheese and mix with cooked pasta, canned tuna (or not), sliced olives and seasonings. 

Vegan gluten-free falafel with homemade hummus and other Mediterranean diet recipes for Lent

Hello my friends! We at GreatFood4U are preparing to observe a Lenten fast and part of that involves stocking our pantries and shelves with vegan and vegetarian ingredients so we can make Lenten Kitchen dishes. Check out this article for vegan "mock" food swap recipes for Lent. 

Our Lenten Meal of the Day focuses on gluten-free vegan falafel with homemade hummus. Eating Mediterranean Diet foods like this was part of how I lost 100 pounds. And living a little more minimally, eating a little simpler more sustainable so others might simply live--wins for all of us. And with that in mind, remember, our recipes are endlessly adaptable to what you have on hand, personal preferences, etc. We are all about leftover use-up recipes too, That's part of living sustainably which is part of the Catholic Lenten discipline of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. 

Vegan falafel platter with homemade hummus

I'm going make this Lenten Meal of the Day into a platter with all kinds of yummy, high protein, Mediterranean diet favorites. You can choose whichever of these you like or have on hand. 

Gluten-free vegan falafel ingredients

1 and 1/2 to 2 cups mashed chickpeas (I'll be honest, I use canned and drained garbanzo beans because I usually have those on hand but dried chickpeas are better. Just soak them first overnight, rinse, drain and blend in food processor or blender. I'm using my blender more lately. 

fresh cilantro, parsley and/or oregano one cup each minced very fine or shredded. I use the same scallion shredder I use for my homemade sushi. Or one of those herb wheels would work too. But to save time, just pop it in blender with a few drop of water. Some recipes say to remove stems but I just mince it all up. Stems are soft enough and contain a lot of the flavor. 

1 garlic bulb (or minced equivalent. If you're like me, and don't have time or patience to hand mince, jarred is just fine.) Use the whole bulb, btw, not just one clove. 

1/2 cup minced onion, preferably red (I'm test-driving that onion holder thingy I just bought. I'll let you know if it was worth it. Though preferred way is for my husband and partner on this blog, to dice. The most important thing is to HAVE A GOOD SHARP KNIFE and sharpen it between uses. Religiously, no pun intended).

1 T besam (gram or chickpea flour) this is a gluten-free binder.

1 T. sesame seeds (toasted preferred by me but your choice)

2 tsp. ground cumin (this is one ingredient you cannot omit. If you don't have any, let me know and I'll send you some!)

1 tsp. smoked paprika (I go back and forth on the smoked or not. There's just something so addictive about that rich campfire-y aroma I can't resist. But be careful if you use it or it will overpower every other flavor. )

Za'atar--buy premade or just mix sesame seeds, thyme, SUMAC (another of my Mediterranean diet heartthrobs) and salt. I add marjoram oregano and cumin. 

1 tsp. baking soda (for poofiness, lol)

1 tsp. celery salt (or regular salt with dried minced celery leaves)

multicolored pepper to taste (this is another one that can hijack the entire dish). 

cayenne pepper if desired

water and lemon juice mixed equal parts to make 5 tsp. Add slowly till ingredients are firm but not too sticky. If sticky, roll in sauteing olive oil (not extra virgin as that has too low a smoke point). 

Sauteing olive oil (aka light for grilling) or avocado oil. If too expensive, vegetable or peanut oil is fine. 

Roll into small balls, one inch in diameter and than flatten slightly. Drop into heated oil (about half  inch in cast iron pan) Use a falafel scoop if you have one. Fry till fluffy and crispy. Serve immediately. 

Homemade gluten-free vegan cumin hummus. Please, don't use store bought hummus unless you've bought it from a shop in the Middle East. Grocery store hummus is the reason people hate hummus. It is seriously so easy and cheap to make. Filling up on good fat, calorie forward foods like this is how I lost 100 pounds. 

Drain one can chickpeas into blender or food processor (yeah, I know, dried and soaked are better but everyone loves my hummus with canned beans, so I'll take that shortcut.) Reserve juice and add a little back into blender. Add in about 1/4 cup lemon juice and blend till down to small chunks. Add in tahini about half cup. If you like that nutty taste and we do, you can add more but it's pretty rich and  oily so don't let it take over the hummus. Next add 1 T minced garlic, 1 tsp cumin and celery salt and blend till creamy. Some recipes call for olive oil but we find it tastes greasy. And it's not necessary with the tahini which is already quite oily. Add in more reserved chickpea juice if dry. Taste occasionally and add more salt or cumin till you hit the taste you like.

Honestly,  I've never seen too many hummus recipes with cumin. But mine never quite hit it for me, till I, on a whim, tossed in some cumin and BOOM! Houston, we have liftoff! 

Serve with toum garlic dip. Sooooooo delicious. I tried making my own but was pretty annoyed with the poor result. Now I just let Mama Toom make it for me. 

Pickled turnips And you'll need to cut the salty richness with some rainbow veggie goodness. So I recommend slice baby cucumbers, red, yellow and orange pepper strips, fresh cilantro leaves and pickled turnips. Peel and matchstick turnips and beets. Brine in fine Himalayan pink salt and set aside to dehydrate. Add celery sticks and sliced jalapeno. Cover with vinegar and soak till veggies turn pinkish purple. Some recipes call for draining out salt water. I don't. They need salt anyway and waste not want not. 

Palestinian tomato cucumber or Jerusalem salad. I've seen this called harath salad too. Dice Persian (baby) cucumbers, tomatoes, scallions and or/red onions and red bell pepper. Chop Italian or flat leaf parsley. Add EVOO (extra virgin olive oil--the kind for salads and marinades) and fresh squeezed lemon. Season with sumac and mint if desired (not a fan, me). I'd substitute dill. 

Salatet Malfouf This simple dish elevates purple cabbage into ambrosia. It's just shredded purple cabbage dressed in EVOO, lemon juice and dried mint. I'd add celery seed to mine cuz, that's me. You can literally binge on foods like this without guilt. 

Serve with feta cheese if not eating vegan. Oh, bonus added all these recipes are kosher. Eating vegan foods like these was part of how I lost 100 pounds. Here are some more diet food swap recipes that feel decadent but aren't. 

(photo courtesy of yummyporky - https://www.flickr.com/photos/yummy-porky/3835239904/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9840096) Forgot to take picture of mine. 

 

Lenten Kitchen recipes: "mock" food swaps for sugar-less, vegetarian, vegan and meatless dishes

Hello my friends. Lent is right around the corner and for Catholic Christians, this means increased fasting, prayer and almsgiving. It's a time for lightening up our diets with vegetarian and meatless options. For seven weeks, the church calls us to eat vegetarian and vegan meals. Veganism is a lifestyle choice to eat no meat, dairy, nor animal products. A vegan diet has other benefits in weight loss and improved health. It also ties in well for Catholic observing a Lenten fast. But before people were choosing this diet, and around the world now, many are forced to follow it, by poverty, famine and war. They don't eat this way to lose weight, but to live.  Having said that, eating this way was part of how I lost 100 pounds. 

In the US and UK, depression and war time rationing meant going without or eating very little meat, eggs, cheese, milk, sugar and other foods. They got creative, making up "mock" recipes for favorite meat and dairy dishes.  Now they're called vegan haute cuisine and served in posh gastro-pubs.  Sadly the things that were abundant and not rationed are now so expensive THEY are the posh people foods. Turnips that you couldn't give away are now $2.79 a pound. So some of the vegan food swaps might actually be more expensive than the foods they replace. Just like fish that Catholic eat for Lent is now more expensive, thanks to over-fishing, than the chicken, pork and even beef, it subs for. But  I'll share cheaper food swaps for the food swaps, lol!

One popular dish in wartime rationing Britain was Murkey or mock turkey. Another was mock goose. Served at Christmas, this dish reimagined a game bird made from lentils and vegetables. Another mock turkey recipe shaped the bird from the stuffing normally used to fill the turkey. Here's the complete recipe for Thanksgiving Murkey (mock turkey). (I love the little parsnip drumsticks!) Her recipe calls for sausage which of course would not be used during Lent or by vegetarians. I'd mold the game bird from cooked chilled lentils or other mashed beans. You can even use refried beans with dried bread added. Or sub bread for nuts for a gluten-free version. Cook beans with diced onion, celery and bell pepper Season with sage, rosemary, bay leaf, pepper and celery salt. Mash and add any nuts you like. Mine is made from mixed nuts I let go stale accidentally. If you're feeling adventurous, add cranberries and apples. Substitute carrots for parsnips as parsnips which were considered desperation food are now over two bucks a pound. 

Vegan war cake. See my blog post here for my grandmother's dairy-free, milk-less, eggless, sugar-less, war cake recipe. This is perfect for Lent. I've updated it with oil food swaps. 

Veggie burgers. Check out my recipes for vegan, gluten-free, diet food swap veggie burgers. 

For vegan and diet hot dog recipes, see my post on Phoney Coney Island hot dogs 

Eating vegan and diet food swap recipes like this was part of how I lost 100 pounds without diet drugs or weight loss surgery.