Want to enjoy a Christmas feast but don’t want to wake up the next morning feeling puffed up like our chef friend there on the left? Then you’ll definitely want to take a look at The Greenhouse Spa’s Christmas dinner menu. From the savory shrimp mini-empanadas for starters to the marble pumpkin cheesecake for dessert, the entire meal has just 485 calories. The Greenhouse is a destination spa only, so you can’t just go for dinner, but the spa has shared its Christmas dinner recipes with us, and now I’m passing them on to you. Jump for full recipes for the previously mentioned items as well as butternut squash soup with lobster and ginger cream and roasted stuffed pork tenderloin with red pimento mashed potatoes, asparagus, and Madeira sauce.
SAVORY SHRIMP MINI-EMPANADAS
Yields: 12 Servings
Ingredients:
1/4 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp diced leeks
2 tbsp diced onions
½ tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced jalapeno pepper
2 tbsp chopped red bell pepper
2 tbsp chopped tomatoes
6 oz shrimp, peeled, deveined & diced
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp Zsweet (zero calorie sweetener), Erythritol
⅛ tsp ground white pepper
⅛ tsp salt
4 sheets phyllo dough
Pam spray
Preheat Oven to 400º
Heat olive oil in a saucepan, add leeks, onions and garlic and cook until tender. Add jalapeno pepper, red bell pepper and tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes over low heat. Add shrimp and continue to cook until shrimp is done (about 5 minutes). Add cilantro, vinegar, Zsweet, salt and pepper and cook until all liquid in the mixture has evaporated. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Place one sheet of phyllo on a dry, flat service; spray Pam lightly on top covering the entire area. Place a second sheet of phyllo dough on top of the first one and spray Pam again. Cut the longest section into six strips. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the shrimp mixture on the far end of each strip. Fold into triangle shape using the entire strip. Repeat the process with the remaining strips. Spray all of the mini-empanadas with Pam and bake in the oven for about eight minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.
Per serving:
Calories 40.56
Protein 3.51 g
Fat 0.77 g
Saturated Fat 0.15 g
Carbohydrates 4.77 g
Cholesterol 21.53 mg
Sodium 76.7 mg
Fiber 0.41 g
Butternut Squash Soup with Lobster and Ginger Cream
Yields: 16 Servings
Ingredients:
1 oz butter
12 oz onions, diced
6 oz leeks, diced
6 oz celery, diced
2/3 oz ginger root, minced
4 ea garlic cloves
2 ½ lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, diced large
12 oz sweet potato, peeled, diced large
1 gal lobster stock (or chicken stock)
2 ea cinnamon sticks
½ tsp nutmeg, ground
2 tsp salt
1 oz lime juice
2 oz white wine
40 oz evaporated, condensed skim milk, hot
Garnish:
Lobster meat, diced butternut squash, steamed ginger cream
In a large stock pot, melt butter; then ad onions, leeks, celery, ginger, and garlic and cook until tender. Add squash, sweet potatoes, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, salt, and lobster stock (or chicken stock). Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 25-30 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks and discard them. Puree the soup mix in a food mill or blender. (If not used immediately, it can be cooled and stored at this point.)
Bring the pureed soup to the boiling point and reduce heat. Add hot, condensed skim milk, wine, and lime juice. Do not boil again. Serve immediately or keep warm in a double boiler. Serve the soup garnished with diced cooked lobster, diced cooked butternut squash and ginger cream.
Per Serving:
Calories 101
Protein 5.7 g
Fat 1.5 g
Carbohydrates 16.5 g
Fiber 2.0 g
GRILLED STUFFED PORK TENDERLOIN
Yields: 12 servings
Serving Size: 7 oz
Ingredients:
2 ½ lb pork tenderloin, silver skin and visible fat removed (about 2
medium pork tenderloins)
1 tsp olive oil
1 ½ cups diced onion
1 ½ cups diced celery
1 ½ cups mixture red, green and yellow bell peppers
2 tsp fresh minced garlic
1 lb Granny Smith apples, cored and diced (do not peel)
¾ cup diced prunes
2 tbsp fresh chopped thyme
4 tbsp fresh chopped basil
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
½ tsp salt
1 tsp fresh cracked white peppercorns
Pam spray or equivalent
Preheat grill and oven to 350˚F.
Cut Pork tenderloins into a thin sheet looking like piece (if to thick it can be pounded with metal mallet). Set aside in the refrigerator. Heat olive oil in large sauté pan. Add onion, celery, peppers and garlic, and cook until vegetables are tender crisp. Add apples and prunes and continue to cook until apples are tender (about 10 minutes). Mix fresh herbs and add only half of this mixture to the vegetables. Also add only half of the salt and pepper to season. Toss very well and remove vegetable and apple stuffing to a sheet pan to cool. When the vegetables are already cooled to room temperature, and then start to stuff the pork tenderloins by placing half of the vegetable mixture on one end of the sheet -formed pork; then form a roll enclosing the stuffing. Using butcher’s line, tie the roll of pork to keep it from loosing its shape and exposing the stuffing. Spray pork tenderloins with Pam and season with remaining fresh herbs, salt and pepper. Mark the stuffed pork tenderloins on the grill and then transfer to the oven to finish the cooking process (it will take approximately 40 to 50 minutes to properly cook them. Temperature should reach a minimum of 170˚F in the center). After properly cooked, transfer the stuffed pork tenderloins to a cutting board and let rest for at least 10 minutes before untying and slicing.
Per Serving:
Calories 178.10
Protein 20.69g
Carbohydrates 15.60g
Fat 3.8 g
Saturated Fat 1.16 g
Cholesterol 61.42 mg
Sodium 156.5 mg
Fiber 2.58 g
RED PIMENTO MASHED POTATOES
Yields: 12 servings
Serving Size: 2.5 oz
Ingredients:
1 lb caking potatoes (Idaho or Russet)
½ lb cauliflower florets
1 medium red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, pureed
¼ cup skim milk, warm
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp ground white pepper
⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
Pam Spray
Peel potatoes and cut into one-inch pieces; and then place them in a medium size pot along with enough water to cover. Cook potatoes until tender; but still firm. Do not over cook potatoes otherwise they will absorb too much water. Drain potatoes and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook cauliflower florets in boiling water until very tender (about 10 to 12 minutes) and then drain them very well.
Place cooked potatoes and cauliflower in a food mill and puree. Add red pimento puree, milk, chives, parsley, salt, pepper and nutmeg and mix well with rubber spatula until mixture has a uniform appearance. Serve immediately or keep warm in a double boiler.
Per Serving:
Calories 41.55
Protein 1.28 g
Carbohydrates 9.24 g
Fat 0.18 g
Saturated Fat 0.04 g
Cholesterol 0.09 mg
Sodium 20.5 mg
Fiber 1.42 g
MADEIRA SAUCE
Yields: 2 Cups
Portions: 10
Portion Size: 1.5 fl oz.
Ingredients:
3 tbsp Chopped Shallots
1 tsp Chopped Garlic
¼ cup Madeira Wine
2 cups Veal Jus (or demi-glace) *
¼ tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Ground White Pepper
Pam Spray
Sauté shallots and garlic in sauce pan sprayed with Pam until lightly browned. Add wind and bring to boil. Teduce heat and let simmer until almost dry. Add veal jus (or demi-glace), bring back to boil and let simmer slowly for about 10-15 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. If sauce is too thin, it can be thickened with cornstarch diluted in cold water )mix about 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon cold water), adding it slowly while stirring fast. Use only the amount needed to thicken the sauce and give a nice glossy appearance. Do no thick the sauce too much, otherwise it will be necessary to add chicken broth or water to thin it back; bringing as a consequence a weaker flavor.
*Note: Demi-glace is a refined brown stock usually made in upscalr food establishments to be used as a base for brown sauces. It can be purchased in a gourmet food store by the pint or quart; it is usually expensive due to the process used to make it. If not available, you may use canned beef consommé (low sodium) as an alternative. The flavor will of course be different, but acceptable. There might be a need of adding about 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and increasing the amount of cornstarch to thicken.
Per Serving:
Calories 19.66
Protein 1.19 g
Carbohydrates 1.75 g
Fat 0.05 g
Saturated Fat 0.02 g
Cholesterol 0.0m g
Sodium 191.47mg
Fiber 0.01g
CRUST-LESS MARBLED PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE
Yields: 1 cheesecake (16 servings)
Ingredients:
20 oz Fat Free Cottage Cheese (2 ½ cups)
12 oz Fat Free Cream Cheese (1 ½ cups), softened
1 cup Zsweet (zero calorie sweetener), Erythritol
6 tbsp Corn Starch
1 Egg
2 Egg Whites
8 oz Fat Free Sour Cream
1 ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
1/8 tsp Salt
1 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
¾ cup Good Quality Canned Pumpkin Puree (or fresh roasted pumpkin puree)
3 tbsp Brown Sugar
2 tbsp Unsulfured Molasses
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
¼ tsp Ground Ginger
1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
Preheat over to 325˚F. Lightly coat a 9-inch spring-form pan with non-stick cooking spray. Wrap the outside bottom of the pan with a double thickness of aluminum foil to keep out water while the cheesecake is baking.
In a food processor, puree cottage cheese until very smooth, stopping once or twice to scrape the sides of the bowl. Add cream cheese, Zsweet, 4 tbsp of corn starch, egg, egg whites, sour cream, vanilla extract and salt, and then process until smooth. Measure 3 ½ cups of the batter, stir in lemon juice and set aside. This will be your vanilla flavored cheesecake mix.
Add pumpkin puree, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and 2 tbsp of corn starch to the remaining mixture in the food processor and mix well. This will be your pumpkin cheesecake mix.
Pour about 1 cup of the vanilla flavored cheesecake mix into the center of the prepared spring-form mold. Then pour about 1 cup of the pumpkin flavored cheesecake mix into the center of the vanilla filling. Add remaining mixtures in the same manner, alternating cups of vanilla and pumpkin filling. Concentric circles of vanilla and pumpkin mixtures will form as the fillings spread. To create a marble effect, gently swirl a toothpick or skewer through the fillings.
Place the cheesecake in a shallow roasting pan or cookie sheet pan and pour in enough hot water to come ½ inch up the side of the spring-form pan.
Bake for about 50 minutes or until set (the center no longer jiggles when the pan is tapped).
Turn the oven off and transfer cheesecake to a cooling rack. Spray a knife with non-stick cooking spray and quickly run it around the edge of the cake. Let cheesecake cool and room temperature for about 2 hours and then refrigerate uncovered until chilled. Carefully remove the cheesecake from the spring-form mold and then cover with plastic wrap. Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Per Serving:
Calories 91.49
Protein 11.18 g
Carbohydrates 9.96 g
Fat 0.49 g
Saturated Fat 0.22 g
Cholesterol 15.58 mg
Sodium 181.46 mg
Fiber 0.75 g
