Category Archives: Sides

Sauted Peppers and Onions

Regular bell peppers will do fine here, but I often like to mix in fryers, and special varieties that you find at farmer’s markets. At the very least, I try to mix colors of the store bought peppers to make this a colorful dish. At only 38 calories per serving (which is a WHOLE pepper and ¼ of an onion), don’t be afraid to have an extra portion ! This is great next to steak and even next to hot sandwiches.

Sauted Peppers and Onions
Sauted Peppers and Onions

4 servings
38 calories per serving

4 bell peppers, varied colors, cut into thin strips
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 T oil
Pam
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
hot water

Place oil in large skillet and heat to medium high. Put onions in pan and saute 5 minutes. Move onions to the side, remove pan from heat and spray skillet with Pam. Return to heat and add peppers to skillet. Let cook down a little and then season with all the spices. After about 5 minutes, lower heat to medium and continue cooking to desired doneness. I like mine pretty soft and let them cook a good 20 minutes. If you do the same, you will likely need to add a couple tablespoons of hot water a couple times during the cooking process so that the veggie stay moist and do not burn.

Roasted Vegetable Salad

Adding balsamic to grilled or broiled vegetables brings out a whole new dimension of flavor. Vinegar is often used as a flavor enhancer and boy does it do the trick here. This is a great side, lunch, appetizer – – however you slice it, you gotta make it ! 🙂

Roasted Vegetable Salad
Roasted Vegetable Salad

8 servings
140 calories per serving

1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
8 oz. Portobello mushroom caps
6 eggplant slices
1 c low fat Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Cut peppers lengthwise into quarters and place all veggies on a broiler rack or on a wire rack atop a baking sheet and brush them with 1/2 c of the dressing. Broil 6-8 minutes turning and brushing a few times with the another ¼ c of the dressing. Slice mushrooms and mix all ingredients together and dress with the last ¼ c of dressing.

Red Rice

This is so much better than any of the pre done rice mixes and it is so much healthier too !

Red Rice
Red Rice

4 servings
209 calories per serving

2 t oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T tomato paste
1 c white rice
1 ¾ c chicken or beef broth
½ t oregano flakes
Coarse salt to taste
Pepper

Heat oil and cook garlic and shallot until shallot begins to brown, about 7 minutes. Then add tomato paste and stir well. Add rice, broth, oregano, salt and pepper and bring to a boil them reduce heat to low, cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Let sit covered 5 minutes.

Creamy Herb Salad Dressing

This dressing has a nice rich flavor – almost like that of the old Axelrod onion dip that I can’t find in stores any more. It’s very oniony and has just the right amount of spices. This also makes a great dip for veggies.

Creamy Herb Salad Dressing
Creamy Herb Salad Dressing

Makes 1 ¼ cups
2 T = 19 calories – very low cal for a salad dressing !

½ c plain low fat yogurt
½ c nonfat sour cream
1 green onion, minced
2 T minced fresh parsley
1 t lemon pepper
½ t honey
¼ t garlic powder
½ t onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Whip together yogurt and sour cream. Stir in the rest and refrigerate to chill well.

Mexican Mac and Cheese

This is one of the better mac and cheese recipes I have done. Make sure you stir the mix enough to get all the cheese melted. And try not putting in the half and half until a good amount of the cheese is already melted so you don’t get unmelted lumps. This really hit the spot and you can certainly change it up by adding bits of different vegetables, maybe even some hot peppers 😉

Mexican Mac and Cheese
Mexican Mac and Cheese

4 servings
245 calories per serving

2 c FiberGourmet rotini pasta (without FiberGourmet, the recipe comes in at 285 calories per serving)
¼ c sliced black olives
½ c fat free half and half
½ t salt
1 small red bell pepper chopped
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies, drained
4 slices fat free Kraft American cheese slices

Cook pasta according to package instructions and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Cook over low heat 5 minutes or until cheese is all melted.

Au Gratin Potatoes

Potatoes and cheese of any sort are just a winning combination. The parmesan in this recipe is a great hint of cheese without being overpowering.

Au Gratin Potatoes
Au Gratin Potatoes

4 servings
167 calories per serving

1 ½ lb. new potatoes
1 T margarine
1 T flour
¼ c chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
½ t black pepper
Salt to taste
1 ½ c skim milk
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced very thin
2 T grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Slice potatoes into ¼ thick slices and place half of them in a square baking dish. Top with half the onions, then do another layer of potatoes and another layer of onions and sprinkle with salt. Melt margarine and stir in flour, parsley, garlic and pepper and then gradually add milk stirring until thick and smooth. Remove from heat. Pour the sauce over the potatoes and cover and bake ½ hour. Stir gently, recover and bake another 30 minutes. Sprinkle the cheese over and bake another 20 minutes uncovered.

Tortellini and Veggies

Tortellini are so versatile. And this is a great recipe to show off their cheesy goodness 🙂 The sauce is light and packed with healthy veggies.

Tortellini and Veggies
Tortellini and Veggies

4 servings
182 calories per serving

1 9 oz. package of refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 T oil
2 medium shallots, minced
1 medium bell pepper in 1 inch pieces
2 c chopped plum tomatoes (about 6 tomatoes)
1 medium zucchini cut in half lengthwise and then sliced into half moons
½ t garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t basil flakes
½ t oregano flakes

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Heat oil in pan and cook bell pepper and shallots in oil 4-5 minutes then add tomatoes, zucchini and seasonings and cover and cook 5 minutes. Finally add in tortellini and cook 3 minutes or until hot.

Top off the dish with some fresh herbs of your choice (basil and parsley do quite well).

Twice Baked Potatoes

So very good ! You can stuff potatoes with just about anything but this recipe turns out a perfect twice baked potato – the sour cream and mozzarella are just perfect here.

Twice Baked Potatoes
Twice Baked Potatoes

4 servings
172 calories per serving

4 medium baking potatoes
1/3 c low fat sour cream
2 T chopped fresh basil and chives and parsley
2 T grated parmesan cheese
Skim milk
¼ c shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Clean potatoes, dry them and prick them with a fork. Bake one hour. Cut a 1 inch slit in the top and spoon out pulp into a bowl. Do this gently so the skin stays in tact. Use a blender so you get nice whipped consistency and mix together the pulp, sour cream, herbs and parmesan cheese. Add a few tablespoons of milk if the mix is too dry. Stuff the mixture back into the potato skins and sprinkle with mozzarella. Place in a baking dish and bake 20 minutes or refrigerate and then when you bake, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes then uncover and bake another 20 minutes.

To hollow out the potatoes, after you bake them, let them cool and then follow the instructions in this video.

Provolone and Peppers

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This is a great side and also a great quick appetizer. The melted cheese and pesto make such a nice accompaniment to the sweet red pepper.

Provolone and Peppers
Provolone and Peppers

8 servings
65 calories per serving

2 small red bell peppers
1 T oil
2 T basil pesto
2 oz. provolone cheese in 8 slices

Quarter peppers and remove seeds. Brush outsides with oil. Fill insides with pesto and cheese. Heat grill. Grill peppers 5-7 minutes or until cheese is softened. You can also broil these for a few minutes if you do not have a grill.

Oven Fries

Steaming these first gives them a nice texture and with the added garlic cloves to eat with the potatoes, this is a heavenly side dish. The egg wash makes them brown up nicely, so don’t skip this step.

Oven Fries
Oven Fries

4 servings
155 calories per serving

2 large russet potatoes sliced into strips
1 egg white, lightly beaten
¼ t paprika
10 garlic cloves, whole
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with Pam. Steam the potatoes and garlic 10 minutes to soften some. Then place all on the baking sheet and brush the egg whites and sprinkle with paprika. Bake 20 minutes then season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

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