More cookbook recipes for intermittent fasting

Salt-free food makes imagine days of restrictive diets and not being able to eat whatever I want.  So, I always approach salt-free recipes with trepidation, fearing lost flavor.

That was the case with the 90-calorie-per-serving recipe for mushroom stroganoff from "The 5:2 Cookbook: 100 Recipes for Fasting" from Angela Dowden. Admittedly, I have not tried the 5:2 eating plan where you eat 500 to 600 calories two days of week and then whatever you want on the other days.

However, recipes like this one make me think I could do it. Each serving is about 2 cups of sauteed mixed mushrooms with a good amount of onions and celery. It gets a rich color from the generous addition of smoked paprika. Traditional beef stroganoff is, of course, served over egg noodles, but Dowden's recipe has this dish being eaten alone. 

The whole stroganoff idea puts in mind the idea that the dish should go over something, so I steamed some frozen cauliflower and mashed it with a fork into rice-like size. The addition brought the total for the dish to about 105 calories with four mashed flowerets. 

The combined result was a dish where sweet, caramelized flavors of the stroganoff enhanced the subtle sweetness of the cauliflower. Truly delicious. 

Try incorporating shiitake mushrooms into the mix; their assertive flavor plays off that of the milder mushrooms.

Dowden, a British nutritionist, advises fasters to fill up on fruits and vegetables. "These foods are bulky and low in calories, take up empty room on your plate (a psychological boost), and are linked with lower risk of killer diseases, such as heart disease and cancer,” she writes. The cookbook’s 100 recipes are organized by calorie count, and the book includes a list of 50 snacks up to 100 calories, and 50 more up to 50 calories.

Angela Dowden's mushroom stroganoff cooking in my pan. Mushroom stroganoff recipe

(4 servings)

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

4 celery stalks, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

8-1/2 cups (1-1/4 pounds) coarsely chopped mixed mushrooms

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 cup vegetable stock

2/3 cup sour cream

ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet, add the onion, celery and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes or until beginning to soften. Add the mushrooms and paprika and cook another 5 minutes.

2. Pour in the stock and cook for another 10 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by half.

3. Stir in the sour cream and season with pepper. Cook over medium head for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

-- From "The 5:2 Cookbook" by Angela Dowden (Octopus, $9.99)

Doctor's orders: Skip breakfast

In “The Mini-Fast Diet,” Julian Whitaker, MD, takes a slightly different approach to fasting, advising us to skip breakfast and have exercise instead. This encourages the body to burn its stored fat for fuel, he says.  And, he writes, “Skipping one meal per day is easier than counting calories and eating less.” His book, which also includes recipes, covers exercise and eating strategies based on techniques used at his private clinic in California.

Whitaker addresses physiological roadblocks to weight loss, including thyroid dysfunction, decline in estrogen or testosterone or estrogen, chronic stress, prescription medications, lack of sleep, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome. In addition to the mini-fast program, he discusses supplements and medical therapies, such as hormone replacement, that he prescribes to address them. 

The book includes testimonials from Whitaker's patients. One was using the diet to manage metabolic syndrome and was pleased with the rate of weight loss. "My appetite is reduced; I rarely even want anything before lunch, and I eat less for lunch and dinner as well." 

Italian tuna lettuce wrap recipe

(4 servings)

1 can (6 ounces) water-packed light tuna, strained

1 can (15 ounces) small white beans, drained and rinsed

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

2 dry pack sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

3 black olives, finely chopped

4 cherry tomatoes, chopped

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 large lettuce leaves, butterhead or romaine

1. In a medium bowl, combine the tuna, beans, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, cherry tomatoes, vinegar and oil.

2. Spread about 1/2 cup of tuna mixture down the center of each lettuce leaf. Carefully roll each leaf to form a wrap. Serve.  

-- From "The Mini-Fast Diet" by Julian Whitaker, MD (Rodale, $26.99)