Diet BBQ Part Dux( Memorial Day BBQ for 6 under $20...and under 10 grams of fat!)

Good thing the world didn't end or you would not have the chance to try my recipes ...now heres a BBQ to Diet for! It was a hard trying to come up with some recipes that combined would still keep with the guidelines I set out in the previous blog...BUT I did it!!! And the trial run this past Sunday with my good friends "crazypants"Jen Fitzgerald and "Bevans" proved a success!
  So heres whats on the menu...Brandy Mandarian BBQ Chicken, Salt and Vinegar Dill Potato Salad, Fresh Corn and a Watermelon Mint Greek Salad...all highlighting the seasons fresh herbs and flavors and saving you big time on the calories so you can enjoy some yummy Lemon Mint Julieups!
The best surprise of all however, is you can do this complete BBQ for 6 people at about $20 bucks!!!This week I got everything at Market Basket...split chicken breast were $2.21 each!! I bought 3 and some delicious buttery potatos for $2.99 a bag and corn $1.99 for 5 ears...and then the watermelon was only $1.70. Add in the little  incidentals and it came to just over twenty dollars!!
Everything can be prepped the night before so you can seriously relax! In fact I would even encourage you to prepare these dishes the day before allowing everything to marry together and really develope the flavors....So lets get started!
Orange and Brandy BBQ Chicken
3 split Chicken Breasts(washed and pat dry)
1/2 cup Orange Marmalade                        1tsp red chili sauce
1/2 cup BBQ sauce                                     1tsp soy sauce
1 nip of Brandy
In bowl comnine all ingredients...except chicken. Reserve 1/2 cup of sauce and place chicken in a baking dish and cover chicken with the sauce chill in fridge over night(minimum 2 hours) and when ready to grill cook till white all the way through and top with reserved sauce just before serving.

Salt and Vinegar Dilled Potatos
12 medium/small butter potatos               1/4cup scallions diced
fresh dill                                                   1tbsp olive oil
1tbsp MALT vinegar                             salt and pepper to taste
 Boil potatos until can be pierced easily with a fork. While warm quarter the potatos then add scallions and fresh chopped dill toss with olive oil vinegar and season with salt and pepper..then cover and chill in fridge till ready to serve.*by tossing everything together while warm it allow all the flavors from the dill to open up

Watermelon Greek Salad
2cups watermelon diced                        1/4 cup red onion sliced fine
1/4cup kalamata olives                           juice from one lime
1/2 cup fresh mint diced                        1/4 cup low fat feta
In a bowl comine the red onion and lime juice and allow to marinate min. one hour. Season with a little sea salt and pepper. When ready to serve layer watermelon mint olives and feta and at the last minute toss with the red onions and lime juice

*Fresh Corn(grill or boil your choice)

It's my BBQ and I'll Diet if I want too! (Strawberry Vanilla Almond Cream Pie with Honey Gram Crust)

My friend Jennifer called me in a panic...she's hosting a Memorial Day BBQ,and like most of us shes on a diet. (Years of Gourmet cooking finally caught up with me...and my ass so I am also on Weight Watchers with her) Anyway, shes a tad challenged in the kitchen and she wants this BBQ to be as WW-friendly as possible. SOOOOO..this whole week I will be experimenting and giving you all some Censational Low fat Weight Watchers friendly BBQ ideas. (Here's my challenge: Come up with a BBQ menu start to finish for around 10grams of fat and under 15 points...for some perspective a children's cheeseburger Happy Meal @McDonald's is 24 grams of fat and 15points and most importantly keeping the cost CENSATIONAL!!The total cost for this was $5.00 and that's for 2 pies!!)
  It's hard being a gourmet chef and being on any kind of calorie restricted anything but I must say it's been fun and so far I have lost 24lbs in 3 months. So this is for all of you who are also trying to loose some lbs. but still LOVE and appreciate Gourmet food.*please excuse some of the ingredients they may not all be made from scratch, however in order to keep with in the guidelines it's necessary.


Strawberry vanilla-almond cream pie w/ honey gram crust
1 quart strawberries thinly sliced
1 package sugar free / fat free vanilla pudding
1 cup fat free milk
1/4 tsp almond extract
1tub frozen fat free whipped topping(cool whip)
8 gram crackers finely crushed in food processor
Butter PAM

Spray 2 pie pans with Butter PAM..pour half gram cracker mix in each and spread to fill bottom of pan. In bowl mix pudding and milk together let set then mix with entire container of fat free Cool Whip pour 1/2 mixture in each and spread to cover the crust and then layer strawberries on top and freeze until ready to serve! 1/4 of this pie is 1POINT and only 2 grams of fat!!!

Feliz Cumpleanos Ben Warner !!...and Happy Cinco de Mayo all!

I have two reasons to celebrate Cinco De Mayo...first because it's a great way to pay tribute to all that the mexican culture has contributed to the US (Gracias for the tequila and salsa!!)..but also it is my friend Ben's birthday! Hopefully alot of you will be getting together to celebrate...my friends and I typically will do a pot luck..and everyone brings a dish or side of some sort for a big meal or we will just do apps and drinks before heading out to a local establishment to continue the party.
 In honor of Ben's birthday I am going to give you guys the BEST margarita recipe and an awesome Guac-dip. I have over 10 gauc recipes and have won many a "GUAC-OFF"!
 This one I actually got when I was working out in Hollywood...my friends Cherryl's roomate Chad used to make this...and let me just say there are photos somewhere of a group of us that actually took the guac and hid away in a closet and devoured the entire bowl! If this is all you do this Cinco De Mayo...it's enough! Enjoy!..Happy birthday Ben!

Ben's Birthday Margaritas
1 can frozen lime aid
6 limes squeezed
1 cup Orange juice
1 bottle tequila (smokey)
Throw all of it in a pitcure and mix....coat the rims of glasses with a salt sugar cayenne pepper mix and serve over ice!

The Chad's Guac Dip
4 ripe avacados peeled/pitted and smashed       1tbsp finelydiced jalepeno
juice from 1 lime and 1/2 lemon                         1tsp cumin
1 tomato diced                                                  salt and pepper to taste
1 onion diced                                                     1/2 cup finely diced cilantro
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese                        1/4 tsp habeneo sauce
1/2 tsp cayenne
Mixed it all together and chill..serve with chips or plantains!!