Black Bean Broccoli

July 18, 2011 admin Leave a comment

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.

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.

Appetizers, Dinner, Italian, Vegetables

Grilled Antipasto

July 17, 2011 admin Leave a comment

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.

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.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Uncategorized

Bacon and Cheese Hotdog

July 15, 2011 admin Leave a comment

What a great change to your regular hotdog. The kids will gobble these up ! If you use a low fat bun and non fat hotdogs, you can get this calorie count down quite a bit.

1 serving
330 calories per serving

1 low fat beef hot dog
2 slices cooked turkey bacon, crumbled
1 whole wheat hot dog bun
1 slice Kraft fat free cheese
1 T barbeque sauce or ketchup

Grill or boil the hot dog. Place cheese in bun and add hot dog. Top with sauce and bacon crumbles.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

My Favorite Pudding Pie

July 14, 2011 admin Leave a comment

There are lots of pudding pie recipes out there, but this one is my favorite because it has a bit of everything – bananas, chocolate, shipped topping, peanut butter, nuts – this is decadence at its best 🙂 High on the calories, but still under 400 and if it’s your only snack of the day along with other 400 calories meals, then definitely allowed !

10 servings
357 calories per serving

1 Nilla Pie Crust (pre-prepared pie crust made with Nilla wafers – much like a graham crust)
1 1/2 squares Bakers semi sweet chocolate
1/2 c peanut butter
2 bananas, cut lengthwise in half, then make long thin slices
1 3.4 oz. pack of sugar free vanilla instant pudding
1 1/2 c skim milk
2 c Lite Cool Whip
2 T salted peanuts, chopped

Take half of one chocolate square and grate it with a coarse cheese grater to make chocolate flakes for the top of the pie. Take the rest of the chocolate and microwave 1 minute then add the peanut butter and microwave for another minute, until completely melted. Put banana pieces in the crust and add the chocolate mix. Whisk pudding and milk for 2 minutes and then fold in 1 c of the Cool Whip and spread over the bananas. Spread the rest of the Cool Whip on top and then garnish with peanuts and chocolate flakes.

Lunch, Salads, Vegetables

Spring Salad

July 13, 2011 admin 2 Comments

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 🙂

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.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Sides

Quick and Easy Mushroom Risotto

July 12, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This consistently turns out an awesome risotto textured dish yet takes so little time to make ! Be sure to use Arborio rice or it just won’t turn out tasting like risotto. Get creative with your mushrooms – mix it up, use some canned, some fresh, some baby bellas, some portobellos – have fun 🙂

4 servings
164 calories per serving

1/3 c chopped shallots
1 T butter
2/3 c Arborio rice
2 c water
1 t chicken bouillon powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 c mushrooms (your choice on type of mushroom) diced very small
Pam
½ t onion powder
¼ c grated parmesan cheese

Heat butter and cook shallots until tender. Add rice and cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in water, flavoring, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Spray a small skillet with Pam and sauté mushrooms with onion powder for 3-4 minutes. Stir mushrooms into finished rice (it will still be quite moist) and let stand covered 5 minutes. If not a creamy texture, add in some hot water. Finally stir in parmesan cheese.

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Chicken, Dinner

Chicken Stuffed with Garlic Cream Cheese

July 11, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Adding cheese and fresh herbs transforms regular chicken thighs into a restaurant worthy dish. You can really change these up by just adding different herbs to the cream cheese. I always use fresh herbs for a crisp, fresh flavor. But dried herbs will do in a pinch !

Chicken Stuffed with Garlic Cream Cheese

6 servings
247 calories per serving

6 4 oz. boneless skinless chicken thighs
3 cloves garlic, minced
12 t fat free cream cheese
7 basil leaves, chopped
Pam
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat small skillet and add Pam. Saute garlic 2 minutes. Add garlic and basil to cream cheese. Chicken thighs are usually folded over in the package. If they are not, or if you are using chicken breasts instead, then you will need to make a deep slit in the meat so that later you can stuff them. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and place in a baking dish sprayed with Pam. Cool 35 minutes. Remove and carefully place 2 t of the cream cheese mix in the pocket (either the folded over section or the slit that you cut). Put chicken back in the over and bake another 5 minutes or until done throughout. Cool 5 minutes then serve.

Asian, Beef, Lunch, Sandwiches

Sesame Beef Wrap

July 10, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Part sandwich wrap, part egg roll – this is a great lunch or dinner wrap packed with flavor and crunch.

1 serving
335 calories per serving

1 large size 100 calorie wrap
3 oz. leftover lean beef (such as filet mignon or sirloin) sliced very thin
1 c shredded cabbage
½ t minced garlic
¼ c green bell pepper, sliced very thin
½ of a large rib of celery, sliced thin
2 T light Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing (by Kraft)
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam

Heat a skillet and spray with Pam. Add peppers and celery and sauté for 5 minutes. Add a tablespoon or so of water along the way to keep the veggies moist. Add garlic and sauté another 30 seconds. Add beef and cabbage and continue cooking 1-2 minutes. Add salt and pepper and then place it all in your wrap and roll it up. Here’s a link to a video that shows you how to wrap them up securely

Dinner, Sides, Vegetables

Buttery Broccolini

July 9, 2011 admin Leave a comment

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

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.

400 Calories or Less

Monthly Archives: July 2011