Monthly Archives: June 2010

Dinner, Fish, Italian, Summer

Tuna with Gremolata

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Gremolata is a just a mixture of parsley, lemon, garlic and oil. It is a wonderful condiment that is packed with flavor. Serve with some Roasted Grape Tomatoes for a great meal.

Tuna with Gremolata
Tuna with Gremolata

4 servings
170 calories per serving

¼ c chopped parsley
2 T grated lemon zest
1 t oil
1 garlic clove, minced
4 4 oz. tuna steaks
¼ t salt
1/8 t pepper
Pam

Combine parsley, lemon, oil and garlic and set aside. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with Pam. Place tuna on sheet and sprinkle with salt. Broil 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Alternately spray fish with Pam and grill to desired doneness. Top fish with gremolata during the last minute of broiling.

Leftover tuna makes a GREAT tuna fish salad. Just mix it with mayo and some diced pickles – it is sooo much fresher than the canned stuff and you can really taste the difference.

Appetizers, Lunch, Mexican, Snacks

Nacho Pizzas

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Just made this one again after a few months – – it is still just as delicious 🙂

Appetizer, lunch, snack – no matter how you serve them, these are a crowd pleaser. I used a nice spicy salsa so that these had a little punch to them and they are definitely on my list of things to make again SOON 🙂 If there is an ingredient you don’t like, just leave it off the ‘pizza’ – it won’t hurt a thing !

Nacho Pizzas
Nacho Pizzas

5 servings (2 pizzas each)
270 calories per serving

1 can refrigerated biscuit dough
3 T black bean dip
1/3 c thick salsa (or petite cut diced canned tomatoes)
2 T canned chopped green chilies
2 scallions, chopped
2 T sliced black olives
¾ c shredded low fat cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out each biscuit into a 5 inch circle and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Top with bean dip, salsa, chilies, onions and olives. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 12-15 minutes or until crust is brown and cheese is melted.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Coconut Fudgies

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There is nothing quite as decadent as chocolate. Make it fudgy by adding in marshmellows and evaporated milk, and it is just sinful ! If you don’t like coconut, leave it off – if you want different nuts, go for it. But don’t skip this recipe – this is a real winner !

Coconut Fudgies
Coconut Fudgies

32 servings
240 calories per serving

1 c butter, divided
14 Honey Grahams, finely crushed
1 c sugar
5 oz. evaporated milk
10.5 oz. package mini marshmellows
12 squares Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 c chopped walnuts
1 c coconut, toasted
Pam

Line a 13×9 pan with aluminum foil making sure it folds up over the ends so you can use it to lift out the dessert later. Spray the foil with Pam. Melt ¾ c butter and mix in the crumbs then press into the bottom of the pan to make a crust. Bring the rest of the butter, sugar, milk and marshmellows to boil, stirring constantly then add chocolate and stir until melted. Pour over the crust and top with the nuts and coconut then refrigerate 2 hours.

(To toast the coconut, simply place it in a hot skillet and stir frequently until it gets brown and toasty)

Dinner, Italian, Pasta, Vegetables

No Bake Lasagna

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Even my non-lasagna-loving kid had to have seconds of this one. It is just cheesy enough without that part being overpowering. Much like the physical layers of the lasagna, there are great flavor layers here since the cheese mix, zucchini mix and tomato mix are all flavored independently. This was a really superb dish !

No Bake Lasagna
No Bake Lasagna

4 servings
376 calories per serving

½ c low fat ricotta cheese
3 T parmesan cheese
3 T plus 2 t oil
Coarse salt
Pepper
8 lasagna noodles broken in half
1 garlic clove, minced
2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
½ t red pepper flakes
2 zucchini, thinly sliced
½ t garlic powder
1 T basil leaves, torn

Mix cheeses and 2 t oil. Add salt and pepper. Cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions and then drain. Heat 2 T oil in a skillet and cook garlic and tomatoes with some salt and pepper and the crushed red pepper about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and then add 1 T oil and zucchini to the skillet, season with garlic powder, and cook about 8 minutes then remove to a bowl and add basil. Place some tomatoes on plates and top with a noodle and a small spoonful of ricotta and a spoonful of zucchini and then some more tomatoes. Repeat layers twice and then top with the rest of the noodles and tomatoes and garnish with basil.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Sides

Pepper Muffins

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These make a great side to just about any dish. They are simple to put together, they cook up on no time and they disappear fast ! If you want to zest them up more, try adding some sauteed onions or garlic along with the peppers.

Pepper Muffins
Pepper Muffins

12 servings
118 calories per serving

¼ c chopped green bell pepper
¼ c chopped red bell pepper
¼ c chopped yellow bell pepper
2 T butter
2 c flour
2 T sugar
2 ½ t baking powder
½ t salt
½ t basil flakes
¼ t cayenne pepper
¼ t garlic powder
¼ c egg beaters
1 c skim milk
Pam

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Saute pepper in butter until tender and set aside. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, basil, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and salt. Mix egg and milk and stir into the dry ingredients until moist then fold in peppers. Spray muffin cups with Pam and fill 2/3 full then cook 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes before removing from muffin cups.

Food Buzz Daily Special

Salt and Pepper Mills

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As part of FoodBuzz Daily Specials, I’ll be making a some special posts over the next couple of weeks that relate to a specific topic. Today’s special is about Salt and Pepper Mills.

Salt and Pepper mills come in all shapes and sizes….they are made out of all sorts of materials, some are manual while some are electric, and prices really vary.


For years I used only ground black pepper and Morton’s salt out of the box – I never ventured beyond that. But a few years ago I got interested in using sea salt and I got a mill just for that. Then I decided to use different peppercorns and got some mills for those. And my collection has grown quite a bit.

For some recipes, there is nothing like the taste of sea salt. For some, nothing as great as Kosher salt – there truly is a difference.

And the same goes for peppers – different peppercorns definitely yield different flavors and it’s great to have a few on hand. I even have a mill to freshly grind red pepper flakes.

Grab one next time you’re out – I bet you get addicted like me 🙂

Kid Friendly, Summer

Root Beet Float Pops

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These really taste like you are sipping a root beer float – but they also cool you off on a hot summer day.

Root Beet Float Pops
Root Beet Float Pops

6 servings (6 oz. pops)
67 calories per serving

12 oz. diet root beer, very cold (so it foams less)
6 maraschino cherries, stems removed
1 ¼ c lite vanilla ice cream, left out for 10-15 minutes so it gets melty and easy to work with

Pour an inch worth of root beer in each mold spooning off any foam that develops then drop in a cherry. Freeze one hour. Divide ice cream amount molds and freeze for an hour. Add the rest of the root beer spooning off any foam, insert sticks and freeze at least 5 hours.

Asian, Salads, Sides, Vegetables

Korean Bean Sprout Salad

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Serve next to just about anything !

Korean Bean Sprout Salad
Korean Bean Sprout Salad

6 servings
68 calories per serving

1 lb. fresh bean sprouts
1 T sesame seeds, toasted
1 T sesame oil
2 T soy sauce
1 1/2 T finely chopped scallions
1 1/2 T sugar
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
1 t salt

Place sprouts in boiling salt water for 3 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Add all other ingredients and mix well. Chill at least ½ hour.

To toast sesame seeds, just stir fry them for a few minutes in a hot skillet.

Dessert, Fruit, Kid Friendly, Summer

Peach Cobbler

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Definitely serve this one warm with some vanilla ice cream or some whipped cream – it’s a great dessert that bakes up quickly and tastes so homey.

Peach Cobbler
Peach Cobbler

8 servings
190 calories per serving

5 c sliced frozen peaches
1/3 c maple syrup
1/4 c firmly packed brown sugar
2 T MINUTE Tapioca
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1 c Bisquick
2 T sugar
¼ – 1/2 c milk
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix peaches with syrup, brown sugar, tapioca, lemon juice and cook on medium heat until it comes to a boil then pour into 9 inch square baking pan. Stir Bisquick, sugar and milk until soft dough forms then drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto hot fruit. Optionally sprinkle with a little more cinnamon then bake 28 – 30 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Italian, Lunch, Sandwiches

Grilled Provolone and Peppers

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Any grilled cheese sandwich is a winner in my book and this one is no exception – and here the sweet roasted peppers are a nice contrast to the provolone.

Grilled Provolone and Peppers
Grilled Provolone and Peppers

2 servings
200 calories per serving

4 slices 45 calorie bread (Pepperidge Farm Light Multi Grain)
4 slices low fat provolone (sliced thin)
2 roasted red bell peppers, drained, rinsed and dried – and cut into strips
Pam
ICBINB Spray

Make sandwiches and spray the outsides with the butter flavored spray. Heat a skillet to medium high and spray with Pam. Cook each side 2-3 minute or until browned and the cheese is all melted.

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