Super, healthy Easter dinner, on a shoestring!
Enjoying a hearty, delicious Easter dinner doesn't have to mean eating things that are bad for you, as Allison Fishman proved on "The Early Show on Saturday Morning."
Fishman, a cooking teacher, food writer, personal coach, and contributor and the TV spokesperson for Cooking Light magazine, agreed to take on our "Chef on a Shoesring" challenge of making a scrumptious, three-course dinner for four on our slim, $40 budget.
And it wasn't just any dinner this week - it was an Easter dinner.
Fishman is the author of "You Can Trust a Skinny Cook," in which she offers tips for staying thin and trim without giving up on the good things in life.
And she held true to those goals in her menu choices on the show (as well as how she prepared them!): Deviled Eggs, Roasted Rack of Lamb with Moroccan Carrots, and Rustic Cherry Pie.
Our "Chefs on a Shoestring" are automatically entered in our "How Low Can You Go?" competition, in which the one with the lowest ingredients cost will be invited back to spend whatever he or she wants on our year-end holiday feast!
And viewers have a say in what out "Shoestringers" serve up, by voting via their mobile phones. Click here to let us know which of the choices we're offering you'd like as our "Chef on a Shoestring" to prepare next week!
As for Allison:
FOOD FACTS:
Source: Food Lover's Companion
Deviled Egg: A hard-cooked egg that has been cut in half length-wise and the yolk removed, mashed and mixed with any of various flavorings, such as minced fresh herbs, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, curry powder, and so on. Other finely chopped ingredients including chives, toasted nuts, bell peppers, chutney, and so forth, may be added. Enough mayonnaise or sour cream is blended into the mixture to make it soft and moist. This mixture is spooned back into the egg-white halves, the top garnished with a sprinkle of paprika. Adding cayenne pepper or a hot sauce like Tabasco pepper makes it a deviled egg.
Rack of Lamb A portion of the rib section of a lamb, usually containing eight ribs. A rack of lamb can be cut into chops or served in one piece - either as a rack or formed into a crown roast.
Clafouti: Originally from the Limousin region, this country-French dessert is made by topping a layer of fresh fruit with batter. After baking it's served hot, sometimes with cream. Some styles have a cake like topping while others are more like a pudding. Though cherries are traditional, any fruit such as plums, peaches or pears can be used.
RECIPES
All of these are from Allison's book, "You Can Trust a Skinny Cook"
Deviled Eggs
- PREP Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Makes 4 servings
- Serving size: 3 eggs
The devilishness in these eggs comes from their heat, which is typically from a spoonful of Dijon mustard. If this recipe were a hand of poker, you'd "see" that Dijon and raise it one pickled jalapeño (you know, those spicy pickled peppers that come on top of nachos). Pickled jalapeños are one of my favorite condiments because the flavor-to-calorie ratio is high. Twenty slices of pickled jalapeño are a measly 5 calories. Eat'em and weep.
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 large eggs
- 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper
- 12 slices pickled jalapeño, finely chopped
- Chopped fresh chives or paprika, for garnish
METHOD:
1. Place the eggs in a small pot of cold water, covering by at least 1 inch. Bring to a simmer, cover, remove from the heat, and keep the eggs submerged until cooked through, 15 minutes. When done, place the eggs in a bowl of ice water until cool, about 10 minutes. Peel.
2. Halve the eggs lengthwise and remove the yolks. For a clean slice, wipe your knife with a damp towel between each cut. Place the egg yolks in a bowl and the egg whites on a serving plate.
3. Mash the yolks with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, and lemon juice and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Use a spoon to divide the filling among the egg halves. Top with pickled jalapeño and garnish with chives or a dusting of paprika.
Nutrition Information
(per serving):
Calories 135, Carbs 3g, Fiber 0g, Protein 10g, Total Fat 9g, Saturated Fat 2g
FOR ALLISON'S OTHER RECIPES, GO TO PAGE 2.
Roast Rack of Lamb
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Makes 4 servings
- Serving size: Half a rack
Lamb is rich and delicious. It's more caloric than pork tenderloin or chicken breast, typically not what you pick when you want something lower in calories. But don't let the richness scare you; just get the best cut there is (the rack), and enjoy a smaller portion.
To serve, you can slice the individual ribs before and fan them on a plate. A rack has eight ribs; you cut it into eight individual ribs or four sets of two. I like to place two duos on a plate with the rib bones high in the air, as if they are crossing swords. After you've cut all the meat away with your knife and fork, pick that bone up and finish the job. The sweetest meat is closest to the bone, and Miss Manners gives you a full pass on this.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 1-pound racks of lamb
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 slices good quality stale white bread, torn into large pieces
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Heat the oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Season the lamb with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place the lamb fat-side down in the skillet and cook on all sides until golden, about 6 minutes total.
3. Place the lamb in the oven, fat-side up, and cook until the center of the lamb registers 125 degrees F on a meat thermometer, approximately 10 minutes.
4. Place bread in a food processor and process until crumby. Add the herbs and pulse to just combine.
5. Remove the skillet from the oven, remove the lamb from the skillet, and smear the top and sides of the lamb with mustard. Cover the mustard with the breadcrumb mixture. Return the coated lamb to oven and cook until the crumbs are lightly toasted and the thickest part of the lamb registers 130-to-135 degrees F on a meat thermometer for medium-rare, about 5 minutes.
6. Allow the lamb to rest for 10 minutes before carving. Carve and serve.
Nutrition Information
(per serving):
Calories 338, Carbs 13g, Fiber 1g, Protein 31g, Total Fat 17g, Saturated Fat 7g
Moroccan Carrots
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Makes 4 servings
- Serving size: Generous 1/2 cup
Serve this side when you're feeding friends who like flavor. These carrots bring their own point of view to the table, popping with the intense flavors of scallions, cumin, cinnamon, and mint. They're a terrific accompaniment to roast meats; plus, they're pretty, especially on a family-style platter.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices on the bias (about 21/2 cups)
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 scallion, green and white parts thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced mint leaves (optional)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Big pinch of ground cinnamon
- Big pinch of ground cumin
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
METHOD:
1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the carrots, return to a boil, and cook until the rawness is gone and the carrots are still firm, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the carrots.
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the parsley, scallion, mint (if desired), lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt, cinnamon, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Pour the marinade over the cooked carrots and stir to coat. The carrots will soak up the liquid as they sit. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Nutrition Information
(per serving):
Calories 84, Carbs 13g, Fiber 3g, Protein 1g, Total Fat 4g, Saturated Fat 1g
Cherry Clafouti
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Makes 12 servings
- Serving size: 1 slice
Clafouti is a French dessert that is made in the spring, when cherries appear. The batter is between cake and custard; it's most like a thick crepe.
It takes no more than 10 minutes to prepare the batter in a blender and pour it over the cherries. The clafouti gets puffy and golden as it cooks; it can be made, baked, and cooled in an hour.
This is a good option if friends come by for a snack in the afternoon. I like to make it in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet, which leads to ooohs and aaahs when you present it at the table.
INGREDIENTS:
- Cooking Spray
- 6 large eggs
- 11/4 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 12-ounce bag frozen sweet cherries, defrosted and at room temperature, or 1 heaping pint fresh black cherries, stems removed
- 2 teaspoons confectioner's sugar
METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Generously coat a 9-inch round cake pan or cast-iron skillet with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a blender, combine the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Blend to combine. Add the flour and pulse to incorporate.
3. Put the cherries in the prepared skillet and pour the batter over the cherries. Place the skillet in the oven and cook until puffed, golden brown, and firm in the center, 30 to 40 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.
Nutrition Information
(per serving):
Calories 129, Carbs 20g Fiber 1g, Protein 5g, Total Fat 3g, Saturated Fat 1g
So, how did Allison fare in our "How Low Can You Go?" competition?!
Her grand total: $39.74
Our Leader's Board to date:
1.Marco Canora $36.33
Hearth
2. Michael Lomonaco $36.82
Porter House
3.Franklin Becker $37.63
Abe & Arthur's