Omg, MORE great low-fat/cal recipes!!

Still bored with the same ol' same ol', so broke out the Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery recipe book again. These are so good it's almost like cheating! Twice now I've been very happy with the results of the recipes as they have tasted very savory.

Tonight's meal consisted of:

Flank Steak Basquaise

1 pound lean flank steak
olive oil cooking spray
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 teaspoons concentrated beef broth
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place flank steak on broiling pan and score top so it won't curl. Broil for 3-5 minutes on each side until medium rare.
2. While steak is broiling, heat cooking spray in a medium nonstick skillet until it's hot but not smoking. Saute onions and garlic for 3 minutes until lightly browned.
3. Add pepper and mushrooms and cook, covered, for 3-5 minutes until soft. Add wine, tomatoes, and beef broth concentrate and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by half.
4. Slice steak, on diagonal, very thin. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 servings

Calories: 229.94, Protein: 24.18g, Fat: 9.45g, Carbohydrates: 9.12g; Cholesterol: 65mg, Fiber: 2.03g, Sodium: 292.07mg

I highly recommend doing the meat last, or at least towards the end of the sauce preparation. I did it first, and it was done before everything else was; AND because I was busy and wasn't paying attention, it got broiled for too long. To add to that, I had to stick it back in the oven (covered) before serving because by the time I was done with everything the meat was not too warm.

I did this side to accompany it:

Cauliflower, Mushroom, and Cheddar Casserole

3 cups cauliflower, steamed till soft, about 12 minutes
1 cup fresh white mushrooms, chopped
5 cloves roasted garlic
1/2 pound low-fat cheddar cheese, diced [I used mild cheddar personally, thinking sharp would be too strong]
butter-flavored cooking spray
2 tablespoons ground soy nuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, mix cauliflower, mushrooms, roasted garlic, and cheese
3. Coat a small nonstick baking dish with cooking spray; pour in cauliflower mixture and sprinkle ground soy nuts on top.
4. Spray top with cooking spray and bake for 30 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

Cooking Tip: To roast garlic, take whole unpeeled head of garlic and cut off top, or however many cloves you need. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil, wrap in foil, and bake at 275 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. can be stored in refrigerator for up to one week.

(Okay, my note -- we have elephant ear garlic [very large single cloves] and I peeled mine, wrapped in tinfoil, and roasted in the toaster oven on about 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Came out just fine! I'm sure if you use traditional garlic, you can follow all the other directions given by the book but roast hotter and shorter in a toaster oven as well.)

Calories: 151.96, Protein: 17.90g, Fat: 5.58g, Carbohydrates: 8.73g, Cholesterol: 11.88mg, Fiber: 9.11g, Sodium: 370.44mg

I can't tell you how good this stuff was! Next time I will be more careful with the meat, and I can only imagine it will be that much better.