Baked Chick Peas

(Kek sent this one to me!)

8 oz. dry chick peas
4 tomatoes
2 onions
1 green pepper
2 cloves garlic
1/2 TSP marjoram
pinch of sage
1 TBSP chopped parsley
pepper
Light spray oil

Soak chick peas overnight or in boiling water for one hour. Boil them gently until just tender, or cook under pressure for about 20 minutes. Skin and quarter the tomatoes, peel and chop the onions and pepper and crush the garlic. Spray oil into pan and fry all the vegetables in it. Add the herbs and the cooked, drained chick peas. Season and cook in an oven proof dish, covered, at 325F for an hour.

Mocha Ricotta Creme

(Another one from the South Beach Diet email newsletter.)

Serves 1

This delicious creation is a chocolaty variation of the South Beach Diet® classic dessert — the Ricotta Crème. Like the original, it's a rich and satisfying dessert that is sure to be a big hit!

Ingredients

1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package sugar substitute
A dash of espresso powder (or instant decaf coffee)

Instructions

Mix together the ricotta, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and sugar substitute in a dessert bowl. Serve chilled with a dusting of espresso powder. (I would add 1/2 to 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder to boost the protein in this recipe and maybe some berries for fiber and bulk.)

Nutritional Information:
180 calories
9 g total fat (6 g saturated fat)
38 mg cholesterol
8 g carbohydrate
14 g protein
0 g fiber
155 mg sodium

South Beach Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus

Makes 2 cups hummus and 32 pita chips

Yogurt and sesame oil replace tahini in this hummus, creating a lighter texture than the norm.

Ingredients

8 (6-inch) whole-wheat pitas, cut into 4 triangles each
1 1/2 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), plus 1 tablespoon of the oil
1 small garlic clove, peeled
1/4 cup nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
Assorted raw and blanched vegetables, such as bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and scallions.

Heat oven to 350°F. Place pita wedges on a baking sheet and bake until crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Purée chickpeas, cannellini beans, tomatoes plus 1 tablespoon of their oil, and garlic in a food processor. Add yogurt, lemon juice, sesame oil, cumin, and salt; process until smooth. Serve at room temperature with pita triangles and vegetables for dipping.

Nutritional Information

Per tablespoon dip:
25 calories
0.5 g fat, 0 g saturated fat
1 g protein
4 g carbohydrate
0 g fiber
65 mg sodium

Per 4 pita triangles:
170 calories
1.5 g fat, 0 g saturated fat
6 g protein
35 g carbohydrate
5 g fiber
340 mg sodium

MAKE-AHEAD: The flavors of hummus improve when it's made up to 3 days in advance; refrigerate in a covered container until ready to use. Bring to room temperature before serving. Pita chips can be toasted up to a day ahead.

Blueberry Muffins

(Another recipe from buff goddess Kek!)

1 ¾ cups SR flour
2 scoops vanilla protein powder (such as Myopro)
1 cup rolled oats
¼ cup oat bran
¼ cup Splenda (optional)
2 tbs flaked almonds
½ cup frozen blueberries
¼ cup canola or grapeseed oil
½ cup low fat quark or low fat cottage cheese
½ cup fat free vanilla yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 eggs
3 egg whites
2 tbs skim milk

Sift flour and Myopro into a large bowl. Add oats, oat bran, Splenda and almonds and mix well. Add blueberries and mix through. Put remaining ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend for a few seconds until well combined. Add to the flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon till just combined. The mixture should be lumpy, and a few pockets of flour won’t matter. DON’T over mix, or you’ll end up with rocks.

Divide between 12 paper muffin cases and bake at 170 degrees for about 20 minutes or until cooked.

If you don’t have protein powder, leave it out and increase SR flour to 2 cups. You may need a little more sweetener if you do this.

Kek's Protein Cookies*

*based on an original idea by Sara L

3 scoops vanilla whey or soy protein powder
1-2 tbs nut spread (I usually use almond, but peanut or hazelnut work too)
½ cup Ladybird Protein Crunch **
¼ cup almonds, chopped
¼ cup dried apricots, chopped
½ cup rolled oats
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp Splenda or Xylitol
2-3 tbs warm water

Put protein powder into a bowl, rub in the nut butter with your fingers. Add oats, almonds and apricots, mix well. Dissolve Splenda in water, add vanilla. Add to other ingredients, mix in well with hands. If it’s too dry, add a little more water. It should stick together well when you squeeze it. Divide into 4 portions, roll into balls and flatten onto a tray lined with baking paper or foil, so they’re more or less cookie-shaped. Place in the fridge for an hour or so. No cooking required!

Wrap individually in foil – they transport fairly well, but I’d recommend putting the foil-wrapped cookie into a plastic container so it doesn’t get crushed.


Check the health food aisle at the supermarket for nut butter – it may be called almond spread, hazelnut spread, etc. If you use peanut butter, make sure it’s the Sanitarium 100% peanuts one – again, it’s usually in the health food aisle. (Or, Smuckers makes an all-natural peanut butter you can find at most regular grocery stores in the US.)


** If you can’t get Protein Crunch (available in Australia), substitute Lowan Soy Flakes with almond & apricot – it’s a gluten-free breakfast cereal, available in the health food section at Coles. In the States, look for the Atkins brand cereals or Kashi Go Lean, or substitute any low-sugar, high-protein, crunchy cereal of your choice.

Protein Pudding

1 package fat free, sugar free Jello brand instant pudding mix
1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder, such as Myopro or EAS 100% Whey Protein (~22 grams of protein per scoop and minimal carbs)
2 cups cold skim milk

Dump dry ingredients into a medium bowl. Add cold milk and whisk per package directions. Divide between 2 serving dishes and chill until set. Makes 2 servings.

(Try this one with any flavor fat free, sugar free pudding mix and your favorite protein powder! Butterscotch pudding with vanilla whey would be delish!)