When I got the latest issue of Cooking light, I was tantalized by their “Secrets of Juicy Healthy Burgers” headline. One of the recipes was for a turkey burger with roasted eggplant puree. Sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a try. And boy am I glad I did. I was easily the best turkey burger I’ve ever had. By far. I’d take one of these over a hamburger any day.

The secret ingredient is marmite. Marmite is a concentrated yeast paste found in supermarket baking aisles and health-food stores. Just a quarter teaspoon, but man did it make a huge flavor impact. And the eggplant puree itself gave the burgers a fantastic moist consistency. All around and A+.

My modifications to their recipe included using lean ground turkey (7% fat) instead of grinding my own, and I used the whole eggplant. Not sure why they recommend skinning it, but the skin ads great color and nutrients to the dish.

I served them on EarthGrains Thin Buns, with some arugula and tomato. Mmmmmm. I want another.

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They come in Teriyaki Chicken Breast with Papayas and Mangoes, Chicken Breast with Italian Seasoning and Romano Cheese, Chicken Breast with Black Bean Salsa and Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese, Beef Sirloin with Honey Glazed Apples and Cherries, Teriyaki Beef Sirloin with Pineapples, and Beef Sirloin with Cranberries and Blueberries. They’re all delish, but I tend to grab the chicken varieties (10-12), which have more protein than the beef (8-10). All of the flavors have only 50 calories.

They’re a little on the pricey side, so make sure to order in bulk to save. The 72 piece  bag will run you just under $100. But believe me, it’s worth it for those of us always looking for delicious ways to get more protein in our diets!

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FiberGourmet Cheese Crackers: These taste just like Cheez-Its, but with half the calories, PLUS 12 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein in the 80 calorie pack. (They also come in smaller 50 calorie packs, if you’re really trying to ration your calories.) They come in original cheese or nacho flavors.

Chobani Greek Yogurt: This is by FAR the best sweetened greek  yogurt I’ve tried. I had been eating the Trader Joe’s brand, but this blows TJ’s out of the water. So smooth and creamy…. PLUS fruit on the bottom. My favorite of flavor is peach, but they don’t carry all of the available flavors at my store…. so I haven’t had a chance to try the pomegranate or honey. The blueberry and strawberry are fantastic, as well. At just 140 calories, with  14 grams of protein, this is a decadent treat you won’t feel guilty about.

Eggland’s Best Hard-Cooked Peeled Eggs: If you’re like me and you love hard boiled eggs, but hate actually boiling/peeling them…. you’ll love the new hard-cooked peeled eggs from Eggland’s Best. And though I haven’t tried it yet, this will make my egg white salad recipe MUCH easier.

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• 3 tbs shredded “three cheese” Italian cheese blend (something with a little more moisture than just parm)
• 3 tsp minced garlic
• 9 medium portabello mushrooms (approx 2.5 inches)
• 3 tbs real crumbled bacon (I used Hormel premade bacon bits, it the salad dressing aisle)
• 1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
• 3 cups raw baby spinach, chopped
• 2/3 cup Trader Joes Greek style yogurt (plain, 0%)
• 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Strain yogurt for at least 2 hours in a cheese cloth to remove moisture. You should end up with about 1/2 cup of “yogurt cheese” when it’s done. If you’re making real yogurt cheese, you should let it sit over night, but for this purpose, 2 hours is plenty.

Wash the mushrooms and remove the stems without breaking the caps. Finely chop the stems, and saute them with the garlic, vinegar and soy sauce over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the spinach and cook until it wilted and there is no more liquid in the pan. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

Once the mushroom/spinach mixture has cooled to room temperature, stir in the yogurt cheese, bacon, blue cheese, and Italian cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spray a baking dish with olive oil non-stick spray and sprinkle the bottom of the dish with garlic salt. Stuff each mushroom cap with 1-2 tablespoons of the filling and place into the baking dish.

Bake for 25 minues at 350, or until tender. Let them sit for a few minutes to set before serving. Yields: 9 mushrooms; 2-3 servings

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I think I tried every single flavored water out there. My criteria are these: Less than 20 calories per serving (preferably zero), sweetened with something other than nutrasweet/aspartime (hate that stuff), and not too hard to find.

Unfortunately, as luck would have it… my two favorite beverages seem to have been discontinued (Dasani Plus and Aquafina Alive). As I mourned their loss this week, I happened across a brand new beverage from SoBe – SoBe Lifewater. One of the first beverages in the U.S. to be sweetened with PureVia (stevia), I must say….. I have a new favorite. Lifewater comes in 4 calorie-free flavors (rest of them have 80 cals per bottle):

• Yumberry Pomegranate
• Fugi Apple Pear
• Black and Blue Berry
• Mango Melon

Not overly fond of the mango melon, but the others are fantastic. Yumberry Pomegranate is my favorite. High marks from the Smart Snacker!

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Just found a similar recipe at the Hungry Girl website. Just ad a bit of red pepper for some kick, and I bet it would be very similar to the spicy ranchero flavor from Trader Joe’s.

I’m heading to the store this afternoon, and I’ll pick up the ingredients. I’ll let you all know what the verdict is.

Check out Hungry Girl’s recipe after the jump.

PER SERVING (half of recipe, about 1 cup): 90 calories, 1g fat, 556mg sodium, 9g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 4g sugars, 11g protein — POINTS® value 2*

Ingredients:
6 large hard-boiled egg whites, chopped (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
3 tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise
1 tsp. creamy Dijon mustard
1 tsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Directions:
Place onions in a small microwave-safe bowl with 1 tbsp. of water. Cover and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, drain water and allow to cool completely.

In a separate dish, stir together the mayo, mustard, lime juice, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Once the onions have cooled, combine them with the chopped egg whites, red pepper and celery. Then add the mayo mixture, and stir until thoroughly mixed. Now devour…

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

http://hungry-girl.com/week/weeklydetails.php?isid=1375

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L’Ortolano Wild Mushroom and Cabernet Pasta Sauce: I put it on everything BUT pasta. This sauce has amazing flavor and is very low cal. With 45 calories, 2 g protein, and 2 g fiber per 1/2 cup, it’s almost too good to be true. Take a look at any other pasta sauce on store shelves, you’ll be hard pressed to find any with such a great nutritional profile AND a fantastic flavor. I would buy it even if I wasn’t watching my calories. It’s that good.

Treasure Cave Reduced Fat Blue Cheese Crumbles: If you’re a blue cheese fan, you know that a little dab’ll do ya. There are other brands of reduced fat blue cheese out there, but Treasure Cave is by far the best. Very soft and creamy with “realistic” texture and flavor, unlike some of the other brands.

Just Roasted Garlic: With 100 calories, 4 g protein, and 5 g fiber per ounce, these all natural dried roasted garlic pieces are an easy way to add some extra flavor to any meal. The container has 5 servings, so you’ll see that a full ounce “serving” into any recipe would be insane. This garlic is VERY flavorful. You’ll just need a little bit. Trust me.

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But my world changed last week when I was browsing Trader Joe’s. I picked up a container of Fage greek strained yogurt. The non-fat plain has 90 calories and SIXTEEN grams of protein. And the serving size is huge. Much larger than the Dannon cups.

My new nightly ritual is greek yogurt with mixed berries. It’s so decadent, that I really feel like I’m having a bad-for-you dessert. I use half-thawed frozen berries (a blend of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries from the frozen food section of Trader Joe’s) and a few pumps of liquid splenda. Stir it all together, and enjoy!

If you’d rather a pre-blended yogurt, it comes in a number of lightly sweetened flavors, too. Can’t vouch for any of them, as I haven’t tried them yet. But from what I hear, the’re awesome.

I also learned that Stonyfield makes it’s own Greek yogurt called Oikos, that supposedly is available at Safeway (at least locally here in Sacramento). I have yet to check it out… though I honestly don’t recall seeing it at my usual Safeway at 19th and S.

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There are three flavors. Spicy ranchero and chive (50 cals, 7 g protein per serving) are both good, but the newest flavor “Santorini Style” with feta and spinach (70 cals, 8 g protein) is absolutely to die for. I just hope they keep the Santorini style variety around. If not, I may just have to deconstruct the recipe myself!

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Now that fall is here, I often find myself craving a steaming hot bowl of soup. One of my absolute favorites is a modified Italian Wedding Soup. Reminds me of grandma’s house (but without all the fat and carbs of her recipe!)

First, a little history lesson for you. I’m ashamed to say I didn’t know where “Italian Wedding Soup” got it’s name. I just kinda assumed the obvious. But I have since learned that what we call “Italian wedding soup” in the United States is a mistranslation of the soup’s proper name “Minestra Mariata,” or “married soup.”

It is so called because all the ingredients “si sposano,” they “marry” (or blend) well together, hence the name “Minestra Maritata.” Somewhere along the way someone translated it as “Wedding Soup.” If you thought (as I did) that Italians serve this soup at weddings: They don’t.

Ok, now on with the show….

My modified version of Italian wedding soup is low cal, low carb, and obviously high protein. And it’s very satisfying! The secret here is the wheat bran. I used to make the meatballs without any sort of carbohydrate “filler” like breadcrumbs, but the meatballs turned out too firm (especially when you use the extra lean meat).

Ingredients:

• 1.25 pounds extra lean ground turkey
• .5 cup wheat bran
• .25 cup reduced fat Parmesan cheese (the powdered kind)
• .25 cup egg beaters
• .5 teaspoon garlic salt
• .5 teaspoon onion salt
• pepper to taste
• 6 cups fat free chicken stock
• .5 of a 10 oz bag of frozen spinach (loose leaf, not the boxed kind)
• 1 bag shirataki noodles (any of the tiny sizes… I use “tiny pasta” from Konjac foods)

In a large pot, bring the broth to a boil. Mix together the ground turkey, wheat bran, cheese, egg, salt, and pepper. Make into mini meatballs, I like mine about .75 inches in diameter. Drop the meatballs into the boiling broth and top with the frozen spinach and cover. Give the pot about 5 minutes to heat back up to almost boiling and then reduce heat to medium and cook for about 5 additional minutes. Toss in RINSED shirataki pasta and remove from heat. Let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with a little bit of parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Makes about 5 generous bowls. Comes in just under 220 cals, 25 protein, and 2 usable carbs per bowl.

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