Category Archives: Vegetables

Corn Salsa

Perfect next to grilled fish, grilled chicken, burgers – – this corn salsa is so easy to put together and so refreshing on a hot summer night.

Corn Salsa
Corn Salsa

4 servings
105 calories per serving

1 avocado, peeled and diced
1 c frozen corn kernels, thawed (you can use canned, but the frozen tastes fresher)
½ can diced tomatoes, drained
2 T chopped cilantro
3 T lime juice
1/2 t cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all and serve immediately.

Avocado and Spinach Salad

Kraft has so many great dressing out there – as well as using them on their own, they make GREAT to use as ingredients in other dressings, sauces, marinades, etc. This salad is a Kraft recipe and it was so good !

Avocado and Spinach Salad
Avocado and Spinach Salad


2 servings
250 calories per serving

1/2 c sliced avocados
3 T mandarin orange juice
2 t lemon juice
3 c baby spinach leaves
11 oz. can mandarin oranges (reserve 3 T juice / rinse the oranges in cold water)
1/4 c Kraft Catalina dressing (sweet French dressing)
2 T pecans (or other nuts), toasted
To toast nuts, heat a skillet on medium high then add nuts. Cook, stirring frequently, until the heat brings out the flavors, about 2-3 minutes (when you smell the great aroma, they are just about done).

Mix dressing,. Lemon juice and orange juice. Pour over spinach, oranges and avocados. Garnish with nuts.

Skinny Eggplant Lasagna

This dish is a cross between lasagna and eggplant rollatini (which is a dish often served as an appetizer and is eggplant rolled up around ricotta cheese and topped with pasta sauce – yum!). In this recipe, instead of rolling it up, I have layered it in a baking dish much like a lasagna would be made. The results – a skinny lasagna full of yummy cheese.

Skinny Eggplant Lasagna
Skinny Eggplant Lasagna

9 servings
142 calories per serving

2 medium eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise into thin slices (1/4 inch thick)
1 jar (26.5 oz.) pasta sauce (I used Hunts Pasta Sauce for this dish)
1 ½ c fat free ricotta cheese
2 c fat free cottage cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t garlic powder
1 T chopped basil
2 t chopped parsley
4 T parmesan cheese
½ c fat free shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread ½ c or so of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Mix cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, 2 T parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and parsley. Layer 1/3 of the eggplant slices to fully cover the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then spread half of the cheese mix on top of the eggplant slices. Cover with ¾ c of sauce then layer the next third of eggplant slices to cover the whole dish. Add the rest of the cheese mix and then another ¾ c of sauce. Finally add the last third of the eggplant slices to make the top. Spread the rest of the sauce over the top and then sprinkle with 2 T parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove cover and spread the mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake another 10 minutes. Remove and cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Curried Cucs and Avocado

My friend grows the tastiest cucs ! And they are just perfect in this salad. Just a bit of curry, just a bit of Tabasco, lotsa lime and great veggies. This is one you’ll make again and again.

Curried Cucs and Avocado
Curried Cucs and Avocado

3 servings
106 calories per serving

1 large cucumber peeled, seeded and diced
1 t salt
½ red bell pepper, diced
Zest of one lime
Juice of one lime
2 T chopped cilantro or parsley
1 ½ t sugar
½ t curry powder
A Couple of dashes of Tabasco
1 avocado, diced

Take the cucumber pieces and sprinkle with salt and set in a colander to drain. This helps some to remove some of the bitterness that some cucumbers have. Mix pepper, lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, sugar and Tabasco. Pat the cucumbers dry and add to the pepper mix. Finally add the avocado and serve immediately.

Black Bean Broccoli

I like broccoli – this recipe makes me LOVE broccoli. The black bean sauce is a perfect addition to crispy broccoli. The flavor is definitely Asian – so serve the next time you have an Asian themed menu.

Black Bean Broccoli
Black Bean Broccoli

4 servings
53 calories per serving

1 t sesame seeds
1/2 c water, divided
1 t rice wine vinegar, or white-wine vinegar
1 t cornstarch
2 t black bean-garlic sauce (readily available in the Asian section of your market)
2 t canola or vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 c broccoli florets

Heat a small skillet on medium low and add seeds. Cook 2-3 minutes to toast and bring out the flavor. Set aside. Mix ¼ c water, vinegar and cornstarch then add black bean sauce and stir well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet and add garlic. Cook 30 seconds then add broccoli and stir well. Add ¼ c water to the pan, cover and steam broccoli 3 minutes. Then push the broccoli to the sides and pour the sauce in the center and stir a minute or so until it thickens then mix sauce well with the broccoli. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Grilled Antipasto

This is a super savory, super healthy dish and a perfect summer dinner. The platter is just stunning to look at and this makes a great dish for entertaining. Serve as a full dinner or as an appetizer.

Grilled Antipasto
Grilled Antipasto

4 servings
291 calories per serving

6 T lemon juice
3 T white balsamic vinegar
2 t oil
¼ t kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 plum tomatoes
2 red peppers, quartered
2 yellow peppers, quartered
2 zucchini cut lengthwise into thick slices
1 red onion cut into thick slices
1 large eggplant cut into thick slices
Pam
4 oz. prosciutto slices
1 oz. peppered ham
2 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
Basil as a garnish
6 green olives
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the first 5 ingredients as a marinade and dressing for the veggies. Take ¼ c of the dressing and brush it over the veggies. Spray a grill rack with Pam and grill veggies 5 minutes a side or until they have a bit of char on them. Place veggies on a platter and brush with the rest of the dressing and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the rest of the items to the platter and serve immediately.

Spring Salad

Delightful ! It’s always great to find a salad that tastes different. Sometimes greens just start tasting all the same and salads get boring. But when you add nuts, grapes and goat cheese, you get a whole other flavor profile plus some great new textures and the salad takes on a whole new life. Try this one 🙂

Spring Salad
Spring Salad

4 servings
235 calories per serving

¼ c dry roasted pistachios (or other mixed nuts), chopped finely
½ c goat cheese
¼ c low fat balsamic vinaigrette
5 oz. spring salad mix (or any greens – I added some arugula this time for a great punch of flavor)
1 c seedless red grapes, halved lengthwise
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper

Put nuts in a dish and divide cheese into portions and roll them into balls then roll the balls in the nuts to coat them. Combine dressing and lettuce and mix well then divide between 4 plates. Top with grapes and cheese balls and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Buttery Broccolini

Broccolini is a cross between broccoli and kale. The stalks are more tender than regular broccoli and the flavor is so bright and fresh.

Buttery Broccolini
Buttery Broccolini

8 servings
61 calories per serving

4 quarts water
1 t salt
24 oz. broccolini
2 T butter, room temperature
1 t grated lemon zest
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t Molly McButter
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil water and add 1 t salt. Boil broccolini and then remove from hot water. Mix butter, zest and juice in the same pan once the water is removed. Add broccolini and mix well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and Molly McButter, then stir and serve.

Succotash

I was a weird kid – I loved succotash and asked for it regularly ! I had not made it in quite some time, but now that I have the perfect recipe, I’ll be making it a whole lot more often.

Succotash
Succotash

8 servings
182 calories per serving

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
16 oz. frozen lima beans
1/2 c water
10 oz. frozen corn
1/2 c skim milk
2 T butter
2 T cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t Molly McButter

Heat a skillet and cook bacon until crisp then remove it and drain on paper towels. Add onion and cook 5-6 minutes. Add beans and water and cook 5 minutes then add corn, milk, butter and vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in bacon. Add Molly McButter, salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Brussel Sprouts Gratin

B A C O N. Bacon makes everything better and this is no exception. So tasty !

Brussel Sprouts Gratin
Brussel Sprouts Gratin

6 servings
133 calories per serving

2 slices hickory smoke bacon (or use regular bacon and ad a drop of ‘smoke’ flavor seasoning)
4 shallots, thinly sliced
2 lb. brussel sprouts, halved
1 c water
½ t kosher salt
¼ t pepper
Pam
2 oz bread crumbs
3 T butter

Preheat broiler. Cook bacon until crisp then remove from pan, cool and crumble. Add shallots to bacon drippings and sauté 4 minutes. Add sprouts and 1 c water and bring to a boil then cover pan loosely with some foil and continue cooking 6 minutes or until tender. Add salt and pepper and mix. Melt butter in a small pan and add breadcrumbs and some salt and sauté to toast the crumbs. Add bacon crumbles to breadcrumbs. Turn sprouts into a baking dish sprayed with Pam and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mix. Broil 3 minutes.

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