Category Archives: Sides

Stuffin’ Muffins

These are just FANTASTIC ! Forget about regular stuffing next Thanksgiving – I am going to make these ahead of time and simply reheat in the oven while the turkey is being carved. These are simply delicious !

Stuffin' Muffins
Stuffin' Muffins

10 servings
209 calories per serving

1/4 c butter
3/4 c celery, chopped fine
1/4 c carrots, chopped fine
1 1/2 c water
6 oz. Stovetop stuffing mix
1/3 c Craisins or raisins
1/4 c chopped walnuts
1 1/2 c low fat shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup egg beaters
Pam

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with Pam. In a skillet, melt butter and cook celery and carrot 5-6 minutes. Add water and bring to a boil them remove from heat and stir in stuffing mix, craisins and nuts then add 1 cup of cheese and the egg beaters and mix well. Spoon into 10 muffin cups and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese then back 10 minutes to melt cheese.

Curried Cauliflower

This dish has a subtle yet delicious curry flavoring – it’s perfect next to chicken and fish dinners. If you haven’t tried curry before, but you like cauliflower, this is a great dish to try. It’ll get you hooked on curry, I bet 🙂

Curried Cauliflower
Curried Cauliflower

8 servings
100 calories per serving

1/4 c olive oil
2 t curry powder
2 t sugar
1 t lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
4 c cauliflower florets
1/3 c slivered or sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix oil, curry, sugar, lemon, salt and pepper than mix in cauliflower. Pour all into a 13×9 baking dish and cover. Bake 15 minutes then stir and add almonds and cook another 10-15 minutes uncovered.

Creamy Caesar Salad

This recipe gives you a really nice creamy dressing since you use mayo instead of eggs and oil. If you like it with a lot of bite, add extra anchovy.

Creamy Caesar Salad
Creamy Caesar Salad

8 servings
88 calories per serving

½ c grated parmesan cheese
½ c fat free mayo
¼ c lemon juice
2 t anchovy paste
2 t Worcestershire sauce
½ t pepper
¼ t dry mustard
5 large cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. fresh bread cut into cubes
4 head romaine lettuce in bite size pieces

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine 1.2 c water with cheese, mayo, lemon juice, anchovy paste, Worcestershire, pepper, mustard and garlic. Whisk well and set aside. Place bread pieces on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes to toast them. When done combine croutons and romaine and then dress and serve immediately.

Spinach Tarts

These little crustless tarts make a great side dish to lunch or dinner. Very cheesy, very chic 🙂

Spinach Tart
Spinach Tart

8 servings
124 calories per serving (serving=2 tarts)

16 oz. frozen spinach
3 egg whites
12 oz. 2 % cottage cheese
1 c shredded part skim mozzarella
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1/4 t black pepper
Pam

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put spinach in a colander and rinse with hot water until thawed. Using your hand or the back of a spoon, press it down firmly to drain all the water out of it. Mix egg whites, cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese and then add spinach and mix well. Spoon mixture into 16 muffin / cupcake cups sprayed with Pam. Bake 35 minutes.

Kidney Bean Salad

Very refreshing – very summery…it’s the perfect side to any grilled meat.

Kidney Bean Salad
Kidney Bean Salad

8 servings
150 calories per serving

2 15 oz. cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed (1 can red and one can white makes a nice salad)
10 oz. grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 ½ small cans mandarin oranges, drained and rinsed well
1 medium green pepper, chopped
6 green onions, sliced
½ c light zesty Italian dressing
¼ c sliced almonds

Mix beans, tomatoes, oranges, peppers and onions. Add dressing and mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Sprinkle with almonds before serving.

Foiled O’Brien

Cooking the potatoes and peppers in a foil packet basically steams them and they come out a wonderful consistency and packed with flavor. Serve alongside 3 oz. of broiled steak or a 4 oz. chicken cutlet for a meal balanced with protein, veggies and that all mighty carb that keeps you feeling more full 🙂

Foiled O'Brien
Foiled O'Brien

4 servings
155 calories per serving

1 lb. red potatoes, washed and sliced thinly
2 c red bell pepper slices
2 c yellow bell pepper slices
6 T sliced shallot (regular onion will work here too)
Pam
2 cloves garlic, mashed
3 T chopped parsley
½ t onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take 4 sheets of aluminum foil, each about 12 inches by 12 inches (about 1 inch longer and 4 inches wider than a sheet of paper) and place them on a flat surface. Spray each with a little bit of Pam. Divide the potatoes, peppers and shallots evenly among the foil sheets. Sprinkle with the minced garlic, parsley, onion powder, salt and pepper.

Create a packet out of each by folding the foil sides up to make a tent and folding the edges over 2 times – then take each side and fold (roll) over twice and seal firmly so that the packet will say sealed keeping all the steam inside.

Place packets on a baking sheet and place in oven. Bake ½ hour to 45 minutes. Open packets and transfer contents to plates. Be careful opening packets as they will be full of steam.

For more instructions folding, Reynold’s says:
For each foil packet, bring up the two sides of the foil and double fold with about 1-inch wide folds. Leave room for heat circulation inside the packet as the food cooks. Double fold each end to form the foil packet.

And the Scouts site has a nice diagram.

Cucumber and Radish Salad

This is a crisp salad with the ultimate pairing of zesty dressing and feta cheese. The olives are just a bonus 🙂

Cucumber and Radish Salad
Cucumber and Radish Salad

7 servings
90 calories per serving

4 large cucumbers
8 radishes, thinly sliced
½ c low fat crumbled feta cheese with basil and tomato
1/3 c low fat zesty Italian dressing
1/3 c pitted kalamata olives

Peel the cucs (optional) and cut into thin slices. I like to use English cucumbers as they are basically seedless. Toss cucs with the radishes, cheese and olives and dress the salad.

Corn and Avocado Salad

Using just citrus means the dressing on this salad is nice and light. So even though you have higher cal avocados and corn, the salad is still a good side dish coming in at just 133 calories per serving. The avocado is what really makes this special – the creaminess blends so nicely with the corn and tomato !

Corn and Avocado Salad
Corn and Avocado Salad

4 servings
133 calories per serving

1 small 8.5 ounce can corn
2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, diced
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 T fresh lime juice
1 T oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients. Serve alongside many different dishes to bring a little spark and flavor – This is great next to chicken, fish, sandwiches, etc.

Citrus Tomatoes

What a great flavor ! The orange gives these tomatoes a great fresh flavor. Try on your favorite heirloom or farmer’s market tomatoes for a great side dish so low in calories, but so big in flavor !

Citrus Tomatoes
Citrus Tomatoes

2 servings
36 calories per serving

2 T fresh squeezed orange juice
1 ½ t orange zest
1 ½ t lime zest
1 T lime juice
Dash if kosher salt
Dash of Tabasco sauce
2 small tomatoes, sliced
1 t fresh chives, sliced

Mix together all except tomatoes and chives. Plate tomatoes and drizzle with dressing. Then sprinkle with chives.

Grilled Corn

A special parmesan butter atop a fresh grilled piece of corn just spells S U M M E R !!

Grilled Corn
Grilled Corn

4 servings
200 calories per serving

4 ears of corn, husked and cleaned
¼ c butter, softened
2 T parmesan cheese
2 t basil, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Shuck corn and clean it well. Wrap in foil and grill 15-20 minutes or until tender.

Grilled Corn
Grilled Corn

Mix butter, cheese and parsley. When corn is done, open foil and place a pat of butter on the corn. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

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