From Mama's Table to Mine (20 page)
Read From Mama's Table to Mine Online
Authors: Bobby Deen
The Lady’s House Seasoning
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the lima beans until tender, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, turning, until brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel–lined plate, then coarsely chop. Set aside the skillet with the drippings.
When the limas are tender, drain and add to the skillet, along with the corn, chicken broth, and House Seasoning. Cook over medium heat, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the tomato and chopped bacon and cook, stirring, until heated through, another 2 to 3 minutes.
After: 4g fat, 130 calories
6g protein | 20g carbohydrate | 4g fiber | 359mg sodium
Here’s my trick for getting myself to eat more vegetables. Every time I sit down to a meal, I eat my veggies first. That way, if I start to fill up, I fill up on vegetables, rather than the higher-calorie foods on my plate.
Sunday Roast Chicken
. After all, one day a year is just not enough for giving thanks.
Serves 4 to 6
The Lady’s House Seasoning
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Spray two rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray.
Place the mushrooms on one baking sheet and the onions on the other. Spray lightly with cooking spray and season with ¼ teaspoon of the House Seasoning. Place in the oven. After 5 minutes, give the mushroom baking sheet a shake and turn the onion baking sheet around (this will help them to cook evenly). Roast until browned, about 3 minutes more for the mushrooms and 7 minutes more for the onions. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F.
Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the green beans until tender, 5 to 7 minutes, and drain.
In a medium bowl, stir together the drained green beans, the mushrooms, onions, mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce, and remaining ¼ teaspoon House Seasoning.
Lightly coat a baking dish with cooking spray and fill with the green bean mixture. Bake for 20 minutes, then top with the Swiss cheese and bake until melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes.
After: 3g fat, 111 calories
10g protein | 13g carbohydrate | 2g fiber | 504mg sodium
Nutritional count based on 5 servings
Serves 4
In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium-low heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Stir in the butter, onions, bell peppers, thyme, and garlic powder. Cook until the vegetables are soft, 5 to 7 minutes.
Stir in the black-eyed peas, rice, and chicken broth. Simmer until the mixture is hot and most of the liquid is evaporated. Season with the salt and give it a nice dash of hot sauce.
After: 5g fat, 280 calories
13g protein | 46g carbohydrate | 8g fiber | 433mg sodium
Nutritional count using white rice, and not including hot sauce to taste
Many Southerners like to serve this dish with greens like mustard or collards. In fact, there’s yet another superstition that holds that eating greens on New Year’s Day, because they represent the color of money, will bring wealth throughout the new year. Personally, I like to serve greens with hoppin’ John because they add vitamins and taste so darn good.
Serves 4
In a medium bowl, toss the cucumbers with the vinegar and salt. Cover with plastic wrap and let the cucumbers stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Pour off any excess liquid and stir in the yogurt and dill. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the salad until you are ready to serve.
After: 0g fat, 32 calories
3g protein | 4g carbohydrate | 1g fiber | 593mg sodium
If you like the skin on your cucumber, go ahead and leave it on. After all, the skin is where the nutrients are. You’ll find fiber and beta carotene in the peel and you’ll give your salad a little extra crunch. If you plan to leave the peel on, it’s best to use Kirby cucumbers.
Serves 4 to 6
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the chicken livers and brown quickly. Add the sliced scallions, along with the celery and bell peppers. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Fold in the rice and parsley and season to taste with pepper or hot sauce. Thinly slice the dark green scallion tops and scatter over the rice before serving.
After: 5g fat, 273 calories
16g protein | 37g carbohydrate | 2g fiber | 391mg sodium
Nutritional count based on 5 servings, with hot sauce to taste
If you’ve never prepared chicken livers before, you want to make sure that you clean them properly before you cook them. It’s important to remove the bitter-tasting connective tissue between the two lobes of the liver. Place the liver on a cutting board and gently spread the lobes apart. Hold one lobe steady while pressing the side of a small sharp knife against the other lobe to separate them. Gently scrape the tissue from the lobe to which the tissue is still attached. Give the lobes a rinse and pat them dry.
THERE WAS A TIME when I just didn’t see the point in eating breakfast. I guess I was so eager to get my day started I’d rush right on by it. Out the door I’d go with nothing in my body to get it going, much less keep it going. Then I’d hit the gym and work up a monster appetite. I’d be so hungry after my workouts that I didn’t care what I ate after getting out of there. And that was not a good position to put my body in.
But now, I’m proud to say that I’ve seen the light on breakfast. I make sure that I wake up each and every morning and get myself together a hearty, healthy breakfast. And you know what? I feel so much better for it. I have loads more energy, and I find I’m not starving by the time the afternoon rolls around. Why, a satisfying breakfast even helps me make the right choices when it comes to dinner.
But we’re all busy, right? Besides Sunday morning, who has time to spend hours on breakfast? So these recipes are not only healthy and satisfying, but fast and easy. They’ll make you feel like it’s Sunday brunch every day of the week. Take, for instance, my slimmed-down version of
Tomato Grits and Sausage
. It doesn’t get more down home and comforting than that. But at 170 calories and 9 grams of fat, you won’t feel weighed down after a plate of this in the morning. The same goes for my
French Toast Casserole
. My Mama does amazin’ breakfast casseroles like this one. As a kid, I dreamt about these casseroles all night when I knew she was fixing to serve one the next day. I think my version stands up pretty well, and it won’t have you loosening your belt buckle after you eat it.