The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[ascicles]

I love sauces. I like to add different things to my chicken every night, and recently I've loved the homemade teriyaki sauce posted in the Lean Cuisine area. Now, I'm trying to make a sesame chicken (type of chicken served in Americanized Chinese restaurants) version.

Here is a recipe I found online...

1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1/8 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon chile paste
1 clove garlic, minced

Looking at this, I plan on ommiting the cornstarch. That would be mainly used to thicken it (since the recipe is intended for deep frying, which I am obviously not going to do). I may add some guar gum to thicken it a bit.

Anyway, I could substitute splenda for the sugar and lite soy sauce for dark. I'm not sure about the nutritional data of sesame oil.

Chili Paste doesn't have much in the way of anything that is damaging, so I think that would be fine. So...looking at my new recipe, would this work? Keep in mind, I only plan on using 1-2 tbsp per meal.

1 cup splenda
1 cup chicken broth (bouillon???)
1/2 cup water
1/8 cup white vinegar (I'm not sure about this??)
2 tablespoons lite soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon chile paste
1 clove garlic, minced

What should I change to make this a legal recipe?

[Shana]

That looks like it should be great!
Sesame Oil is one of the "healthy oils" - like olive, flax & almond - I know it's not specified in Quick Start, and if you feel the need, you can verify with Medifast, but it IS a healthy oil, with all of the good stuff, so you should be fine with it.

a couple of things to remember..
SUGAR actually helps to thicken recipes, so you may need a touch more Guar Gum, but Guar Gum is all fiber, and can act as a laxative in some people, so use a bit of caution until you know how you'll react.

And me being me, I would add more garlic & some ginger

[mellowmom]

I'm not a cook, (I have a "burnt" thumb!)

But just to let you know sesame oil stats are:

1 TBS equals

Calories: 120
Fat: 14 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: -
Protein: 0 g
Sodium -
Carbs: 0 g
Fiber: 0 g
Calcium: 0 g

Good luck on finding the Medifast teriyaki sauce equivalent. If you do figure it out...please share.

Thanks,
Carmel

[ascicles]

a couple of things to remember..
SUGAR actually helps to thicken recipes, so you may need a touch more Guar Gum,

Good idea. I added some guar gum to my teriyaki sauce and it didn't seem to cause me any trouble...so I think I'll be ok in that respect.

[ascicles]

I'm not a cook, (I have a "burnt" thumb!)

But just to let you know sesame oil stats are:

1 TBS equals

Calories: 120
Fat: 14 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: -
Protein: 0 g
Sodium -
Carbs: 0 g
Fiber: 0 g
Calcium: 0 g

Good luck on finding the Medifast teriyaki sauce equivalent. If you do figure it out...please share.

Thanks,
Carmel

Someone has already posted a very good teriyaki sauce in the Lean Cuisine area. I use it almost every night. Check it out.

[ascicles]

I'm not a cook, (I have a "burnt" thumb!)

But just to let you know sesame oil stats are:

1 TBS equals

Calories: 120
Fat: 14 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: -
Protein: 0 g
Sodium -
Carbs: 0 g
Fiber: 0 g
Calcium: 0 g

Hmmm, I wonder how horrible that would be when you consider that this is making about 2 cups worth of sauce. One batch would probably be at least 8-10 servings. It still seems a little risky though. I wonder what the sesame oil actually adds? I don't really know what it is.

Maybe I could omit it and see how it tastes. At worse, I still have a sauce that doesn't sound too bad.

[Shana]

According to FitDay, the nutrition information for both olive & sesame oils is nearly identical.

OLIVE OIL
Amount Per 1 tablespoon
Calories 119.34
Calories from Fat 121.5

% Daily Value *

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total Fat 13.5g 21%

Saturated Fat 1.82g 9%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.13g
Monounsaturated Fat 9.95g

SESAME OIL
Amount Per 1 tablespoon
Calories 120.22
Calories from Fat 122.4

Total Fat 13.6g 21%
Saturated Fat 1.93g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 5.67g
Monounsaturated Fat 5.4g

[falisamarie]

I personally am staying away from all oils while on weight loss but it does not seem to me that if you use a small amount but if you use 1/2 a cup that is still adding 60 calories and 7G of fat so if you are comfortable with this then go for it. I am not even sure if you would have to use a half cup maybe you could use less to get what you are aiming for.

Lisa

[Shana]

Shoot, I posted too soon!

Okay, Sesame Oil is going to add a slightly nutty flavor, and is really somewhat key if you're trying to recreate Sesame Chicken in a MF friendly way.

Sesame Oil is almost idential in nutritional value to Olive oil, which is allowed on program (not all fat is bad, and it is necessary for your body - gallbladder in particular - to function properly).

Assuming the recipe makes 8 servings, you'd only be consuming 1/4tbls of oil per serving, which works out to 30 calories and 3.4g fat.
My personal opinion is that the nominal amount of fat is worth all of the flavor it will add, and I would not omit it from the recipe if I were making it.

[Tiolazz]

and they make 99% ff chicken broth... I used to use that making my "skinny mashed potatoes", my oh my, how I miss those....

[Serendipity]

I would be careful with the kind of vinegar you choose. In my cupboard right now, I have several kinds. I looked, and they have anywhere from 1-6 carbs/tablespoon. The balsamic vinegars are the worst.

I would probably add up the total fat/calories/carbs in my ingredients, divide by the number of servings and see if it falls within reasonable guidelines for condiments. I would compare this sauce with low fat salad dressing and if it was in that range, it should be ok to use a little bit.

I really shouldn't be commenting on this thread, though. My screen name used to be h8s2cook.

[thefinest]

A little of that sesame oil goes a long ways as far as flavor. It's gives things a smoky nutty flavor and I don't think a touch of it in your sauce will hurt you.

I made a delicious lean and green the other night. I was hungry for those lettuce wraps that I order from Houlihans. I sprayed my pan with PAM and added cut up pieces of Chicken breast. I browned them and then added Maple Grove Farms FF Teryaki Sauce. I put in just a couple of dribbles of sesame oil and added a little bit of sesame seeds. Next I grated lots of ginger (thanks for getting me addicted to ginger Shana!!) into the sauce. I also did some mushrooms the same way.

Then I just got my lettuce and we put some of the chicken and mushrooms in to the leaves and ate and it was DELICIOUS!



I also tried making the cauliflower mashed potatoes yesterday. I added a bouillion cube while the cauliflower was steaming and some fresh garlic. Then I just drained and added some butter buds and mashed it up with a splash of skim milk. They were really good and my hubby says he liked them BETTER than mashed potatoes!

[ascicles]

I would be careful with the kind of vinegar you choose. In my cupboard right now, I have several kinds. I looked, and they have anywhere from 1-6 carbs/tablespoon. The balsamic vinegars are the worst.

There are 16 tbsps in a cup, so 1/8 cup would be 2 tbsps. Considering this would make about 10 servings, I don't think it would be that bad. It's the question about how much everything in this recipe would add up to, that's the concern.

I think I'm probably just going to put this recipe aside for now.

[ascicles]

A little of that sesame oil goes a long ways as far as flavor. It's gives things a smoky nutty flavor and I don't think a touch of it in your sauce will hurt you.

I made a delicious lean and green the other night. I was hungry for those lettuce wraps that I order from Houlihans. I sprayed my pan with PAM and added cut up pieces of Chicken breast. I browned them and then added Maple Grove Farms FF Teryaki Sauce. I put in just a couple of dribbles of sesame oil and added a little bit of sesame seeds. Next I grated lots of ginger (thanks for getting me addicted to ginger Shana!!) into the sauce. I also did some mushrooms the same way.

Then I just got my lettuce and we put some of the chicken and mushrooms in to the leaves and ate and it was DELICIOUS!

I don't like lettuce, but I need to think of a good way to simulate a wrap. My job has a cafeteria that is pretty horrible for the most part. Once a week though, they make wraps, and the teriyaki version is incredible. It's one of the few "bad" foods that still tempts me anymore.

[jump4joy]

A little of that sesame oil goes a long ways as far as flavor. It's gives things a smoky nutty flavor and I don't think a touch of it in your sauce will hurt you.

I made a delicious lean and green the other night. I was hungry for those lettuce wraps that I order from Houlihans. I sprayed my pan with PAM and added cut up pieces of Chicken breast. I browned them and then added Maple Grove Farms FF Teryaki Sauce. I put in just a couple of dribbles of sesame oil and added a little bit of sesame seeds. Next I grated lots of ginger (thanks for getting me addicted to ginger Shana!!) into the sauce. I also did some mushrooms the same way.

Then I just got my lettuce and we put some of the chicken and mushrooms in to the leaves and ate and it was DELICIOUS!



I also tried making the cauliflower mashed potatoes yesterday. I added a bouillion cube while the cauliflower was steaming and some fresh garlic. Then I just drained and added some butter buds and mashed it up with a splash of skim milk. They were really good and my hubby says he liked them BETTER than mashed potatoes!

You should add these recipes to the Lean Cuisine section (if you haven't already)---they sound great!