Can you have a plate that looks like this while trying to lose weight on Dad’s Diet?

Sure you can. This perogie dish weighs in at 350 per serving. The flavours are astounding and you have just enough to feel full.  The Feta and Spinach-stuffed perogies blend well with the tomato/orange sauce for a taste bud experience that will blow you away. You can, of course, substitute the perogies for ones you like but try to stay away from the potato, cheese and bacon filled ones; they’re higher in calories. The secret to this dish is that you never cook the whole bag. Take only 4 per person and put the rest back in the freezer.

INGREDIENTS

Feta and Spinach-stuffed frozen perogies (8 for 2 servings)
1 small yellow onion
1 small yellow or red pepper
fresh mini-pepperoni (16 thin slices)
1 cup tomato sauce of your choosing (I like red wine and herbs, marinara, or basil tomato)
2 tbsns orange chipotle dressing (this is usually in the gourmet sauce section and you can replace with mandarin orange dressing if you like)
1/2 tbsn worcester sauce
salt and pepper to flavor
2 tbsns olive oil
2 garlic cloves (crushed) (You can buy pre-diced garlic in the grocery store, usually near the onions)
1 small cocktail tomato, sliced thinly

METHOD

1. Boil water and put perogies in. Allow to boil for about 5 minutes only
2. Meanwhile, put oil in cast iron pan and sautee onions and garlic till golden.
3. Move onions to one side of pan and place slices of pepporoni on the other side.
4. Pre-heat oven to 350
5. After a couple of minutes, flip the pepporoni over and push toward the onions. Add the peppers (diced) to the pan and make sure they’re covered with oil. If not, add a little more oil.
6. After a couple of minutes add tomato sauce and orange dressing and worcester sauce and mix everything together. Turn heat down and simmer for a minute.
7. Drain the perogies and add them to the pan, making sure you carefully cover them with the sauce (they are fragile at this point, so use a wooden spoon and be careful)
8. Add grated cheese to cover the top (like you would a pizza), add the tomato slices on top, and place in oven for five minutes, or until cheese is melted well
9. Serve in small dishes–4 perogies per serving with lots of sauce covering them; fill the plate with the sauce.
10. If you want to add a salad, any one will do. I used the leftover Mixed Green and Orange salad I had from the last meal. This will add about 160 to the caloric count for the meal but it’s better than having more perogies. (One perogie averages 50 calories, depending on the brand. Homemade ones are even higher and usually larger)
11. If you don’t want a salad, a piece of crusty bread goes nicely with this dish, adding about 80 calories per slice. Calabrese bread is my fave!

This and other recipes are suggested for men following the Dad’s Diet strategy (copyright 2021). They are also served at the Artichoke Hart restaurant (New York Fried, copyright 2016) and sometimes served by 5-star chef London Cartwright (Menu of Passion, copyright 2017).