Even my young teenage nephew liked this one ! So it’s kid approved 🙂 Lotsa flavor, lotsa veggies, and a great side to just about anything.
Corn Salad
7 servings
140 calories per serving
Dressing:
¼ c oil
1 T chopped parsley
3 T rice vinegar
1 T soy sauce
½ t crushed red pepper
Salad:
1 lb. frozen corn
¼ c shredded carrots
¼ c sliced radishes
¼ c sliced green onions (green part only)
Combine all dressing ingredients and refrigerate. Bring a pan of water to a boil and cook corn 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool then pat dry and add to all the rest of the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours so flavors mix.
To me, there is nothing more heavenly on my tongue than a melting morsel of brie. Now add in that I am a carb hound and cannot live without pasta…follow me to Pasta and Brie courtesy of Baltimore International College School of Culinary Arts. This recipe is PERFECT !! It combines 2 of my most favorite things in the world. I don’t know who at the Baltimore International College School of Culinary Arts came up with this recipe, but it outranks any pasta and cheese recipe that I have ever tried. It is true heaven.
Along with the perfect brie flavor, the fresh herbs and pine nuts are just a flavor explosion. This is definitely one of those meals that will impress…and it’s not hard to put together at all.
I tweaked their version just a bit to bring this in under 400 calories. It’s a bit high on the calorie count, so serve as a side to a light piece of fish – or have it for lunch. The portion size is definitely enough for a filling lunch and you won’t forget the cheesy brie goodness.
PASTA AND BRIE (BALTIMORE INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE)
Baltimore International College School of Culinary Arts has many, many recipes for you to try out (just go to the menu option ‘Programs” and then you will see a link to the recipes. And if you know someone with a passion for food looking for formal schooling, pass along the link. So make sure to visit – just click the banner below 🙂
4 servings
387 calories per serving
4 oz. brie (I removed the coating but you don’t have to)
1 T olive oil
3 T chicken broth
15 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
2 t minced garlic
1 T chopped parley
4 basil leaves, sliced thinly
1 oz. pine nuts, toasted
Salt and pepper to taste
6 oz. FiberGourmet pasta (penne, rotini or short fettuccine) – without FiberGourmet, you have to add 80 calories per ounce of pasta)
Heat oil and broth and add in the tomatoes. Add in the garlic, parsley, basil, nuts, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Stir brie into tomato mix and mix well to melt then pour it over the pasta and serve immediately.
These taste just like the ones I get at my favorite Greek restaurant. So good and a great side to most any dish 🙂
Greek Potatoes
8 servings
214 calories per serving
4 medium russet baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 c water
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 T oregano flakes, plus more for garnish
1 t salt
½ t pepper
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Toss potatoes with water, oil, juice, oregano, salt and pepper. Turn potatoes and liquid onto a baking sheet and arrange in one layer. Bake uncovered about 50 minutes or until ford tender. Half way through, turn potatoes and add water if liquid is all absorbed. Garnish with extra oregano.
There is an Italian dish called Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (spaghetti with garlic and olive oil) – the way it sounds and not being able to pronounce it, my daughter used to say we were having ‘Spaghetti Hallelujah’ for dinner. It still makes me giggle whenever I think about it 🙂 This recipe is for a similar dish, but with some added shrimp to make it a great complete meal. It is one of my favorite Italian dishes – so simple yet scrumptious… like some of the best homemade dishes.
This version removes a lot of the oil replacing it with chicken broth to save a ton of calories. The flavor profiles are still there, though and while not quite authentic, this is a great low cal version.
Garlic Shrimp with Spaghetti
4 servings
397 calories per serving
Pam
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1 t basil flakes
1 t oregano flakes
½ t pepper
Salt to taste
½ t garlic powder
8 oz. FiberGourmet Spaghetti
1 c chicken broth
1 T olive oil
5 T chopped parsley
4 T grated parmesan cheese
Spray skillet with Pam and add garlic and mushrooms and cook 4 minutes. Add shrimp, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and cook another 4 minutes or until shrimp get translucent. Cook linguini according to package instructions. Drain, cover and keep warm. Add broth to skillet and bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer. Stir in parsley and cook another 4 minutes to meld flavors. Mix shrimp mix and pasta together with oil and serve each portion with 1 T of parmesan cheese over the top.
Savory umami goodness all in a nice little puff pastry package. These make great appetizers, sides, and snacks. The gruyere cheese is a perfect complement to the shallot and mushroom. This is a crowd pleaser !
Mushroom Tarts
9 servings
185 calories per serving
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed and cut into 18 rounds
1 T oil
1 shallot, diced
1 lb. sliced mushrooms
Kosher salt to taste
Pepper to taste
2 T chopped basil or parsley
¾ c grated Gruyere cheese (use sharp cheddar instead if you wish)
Pam
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Keep pastry rounds in the frig on a baking sheet so they remain cold. Heat oil and cook shallot 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook 10 minutes then season with salt, pepper and herbs. A baking sheet with Pam and place 9 rounds on the sheet. Divide mushrooms onto the rounds. Then top with cheese and then with a pastry round. Bake 25 minutes.
Looking for something a little different for lunch? Instead of regular old pasta salad, how about some Hawaiian pasta salad? Plentiful Pantry makes it so easy and it is such a refreshing change of pace.
Hawaiian Pasta Salad
8 servings
180 calories per serving
Their mix basically handles the noodles and the dressing spices – you just add some cooked chicken (I used leftover Thanksgiving turkey and it was great !), pineapple tidbits, mandarin oranges, onion and avocado. The mixture of noodles (colors and shapes) makes for such a fun salad! And their poppy seed dressing is so special – sweet without being too sweet and just a little tart with the mustard in the dressing and the vinegar bite. Just whisk up the dressing and pout over the fruits, meat and cooked pasta. Chill a bit and presto…LUNCH IS SERVED !
Hawaiian Pasta Salad
Plentiful Pantry does such a great job of getting you out of the kitchen fast providing mixes that are tasty and easy to put together. I have tried several of their products and I find them all to turn out very good food.
Check out our reviews of other Plentiful Pantry products:
This is great as a dinner or lunch – very filling, very tasty, and just the perfect portion.
Shrimp and Pasta Salad
4 servings
335 calories per serving
8 oz. FiberGourmet Rotini Pasta (without FiberGourmet, add 80 calories per serving)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 yellow squash, thinly sliced
1/3 c coarsely chopped kalamata olives
4 c baby spinach leaves
1 t grated lemon zest
2 T lemon juice
2 T oil
1 lb. peeled, cleaned shrimp
Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain and then mix with squash, olives, spinach, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 T and 1t oil, salt and pepper. Heat 2 t oil in a skillet and quickly cook shrimp until done, about 5 minutes. Top pasta mix with shrimp. Season with salt and pepper and add a splash of extra lemon juice.
This is a great salad served either cold or at room temperature. The arugula was a great addition to a classic salad and the buttermilk dressing was light and flavorful.
Pasta Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
4 servings
273 calories per serving (add 80 calories per serving if you do not use FiberGourmet pasta)
8 oz. FiberGourmet rotini pasta
1 c frozen peas
1/2 c fat free buttermilk
1 T minced chives
1 t chopped thyme
½ t salt
½ t pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 c baby arugula
1 t oil
3 oz. finely chopped prosciutto or deli ham
Cook pasta according to package directions adding in the peas during the last 2 minutes of cooking then drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. Mix buttermilk, chives, thyme, salt, and pepper and add pasta and arugula and toss well. Heat oil and cook garlic 1 minute then add ham or prosciutto and cook another 2 minutes. Drain and sprinkle on salad.
Great as an appetizer, a snack, a lunch side – and this antipasto does not skimp on the ingredients…olives, sausage, cheese, peppers, oh my ! This is very lemony – if you prefer, you can substitute vinegar for the lemon.
Lemon Marinated Antipasto
12 servings
220 calories per serving
1 lb. spicy turkey sausage
1 T oil
½ c oil
2 t grated lemon zest
½ c lemon juice
2 T chopped basil
½ t oregano flakes
1 t parsley flakes
½ t basil flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz. roasted red peppers, drained and cut into small strips
12 oz. mozzarella cheese cut into cubes
1 c pitted kalamata olives
Cook sausage in 1 T oil until done. When cool, cut into slices. Whisk oil, lemon juice and spices with garlic. Layer sausage, pepper strips, cheese and olives in 2 quart size jars and pour over the dressing. Cover and chill 1-2 days. Try to remember to shake the jars a bit each time you open the frig those 1-2 days – that way the lemony marinade coats all the bits of goodness. Let stand at room temp 30 minutes before serving.
(you don’t need the jars – you can do this in a bowl or even a zip loc bag !)
This is high cal for a vegetable dish but served as a lunch alongside some tuna sprinkled with lemon, it’s a nice change. You don’t even need to wait for good summer tomatoes, because the cooking brings out the sweetness.
Breaded Tomatoes
4 servings
285 calories per serving
Pam
1 1/2 c plain breadcrumbs
1/4 c parmesan cheese
1 T lemon zest
2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
4 large tomatoes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking dish with Pam. In a bowl combine breadcrumbs, cheese, zest and oil. Add salt and pepper. Slice tomatoes and arrange in dish. Season with salt and pepper and top with breadcrumb mixture. Bake 20-25 minutes.
