Tag Archives: balsamic

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.

Lunch, Mediterranean, Pork, Sandwiches, Turkey

Greek Sub

February 24, 2011 admin Leave a comment

So much flavor !!! And I just love using cucumber instead of lettuce on a sandwich. This is a great lunch.

1 serving
399 calories per serving

1 small club roll
4 slices thin deli sliced lean ham (Oscar Mayer pre-packaged meats are great)
4 slices thin deli sliced lean turkey (Oscar Mayer pre-packaged meats are great)
2 T low fat crumbled feta cheese
4 thin slices cucumber
3 kalamata olives, slices (or black olives)
1 T low fat balsamic vinaigrette
¼ t oregano flakes

Place meats on roll. Top with cucumbers. Combine cheese, olives and dressing and pour over sandwich. Sprinkle with oregano.

Kid Friendly, Lunch, Sandwiches

Submarine Best

February 10, 2011 admin Leave a comment

A great sandwich that doesn’t send you over the top with calories – tasty, filling, and a great portable lunch.

1 serving
395 calories per serving

1 small club roll
4 slices thin deli sliced lean ham (Oscar Mayer pre-packaged meats are great)
4 slices thin deli sliced lean turkey (Oscar Mayer pre-packaged meats are great)
2 slices Kraft fat free singles
½ green pepper, sliced thinly
2 slices tomato
2 T sliced black olives
1 T fat free balsamic vinaigrette

Place meats and cheese on roll. Top with peppers, olives and tomatoes then drizzle with dressing.

Italian, Lunch, Sandwiches

Italian Combo

December 18, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This is a hearty sandwich – lots of meat, a great cheese and a nice filling roll. If you pack it for lunch, just pack the dressing separate and drizzle on last second.

1 serving
378 calories per serving

1 club roll (club rolls are small sub/hero rolls)
4 thin slices deli ham (Oscar Mayer pre-packaged meats are great)
15 slices turkey pepperoni
1 slice low fat provolone cheese
Chopped lettuce or a leaf of romaine lettuce
2 thin tomato slices
1 T fat free balsamic vinaigrette

Put all ingredients on roll and drizzle dressing over the top.

Beef, Dinner, Kid Friendly, Summer

Glazed Grilled Steak

September 23, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This recipe includes a simple marinade that makes the steak taste like a million bucks ! You’ll never grill a naked steak again !

4 servings
280 calories per serving

½ c steak sauce
½ c low fat balsamic vinaigrette
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t oregano flakes
1 t onion powder
2 beef rib eyes (total 1 lb.)

Mix all ingredients other than the meat and reserve ¼ c for later use. Place the meat in a zip loc along with the sauce, mush it around so the sauce coats the meat evenly, then refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to a couple hours). Heat grill and cook steak 4-5 minutes per side or to desired doneness. Serve topped with extra sauce.

Lunch, Salads, Vegetables

Chopped Salad

September 17, 2010 admin Leave a comment

The idea of a chopped salad is to get all the ingredients chopped uniformly and small – otherwise, it is just not a chopped salad ! And to me, prepping things in this fashion DOES make a difference in the flavor of the salad. There is something about getting a bunch of the ingredients in your mouth at the same time – it just makes for a flavor explosion !

6 servings
200 calories per serving

1/2 c white balsamic vinegar
3 stalks celery, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
1 large peach, diced
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
2 c coarsely chopped arugula or spring mix or any other crisp greens
1 c thinly sliced napa cabbage
3 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
3 oz. crumbed low fat goat cheese
½ c slivered almonds or pine nuts, toasted
1 large hard boiled egg, sliced
Smoked paprika

Mix together all the veggies with oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and then add in cheese and almonds. Top with eggs and sprinkle with paprika.

To toast the almonds, simply place in a hot skillet and sauté until toasty and starting to brown.

Dinner, Sides, Summer, Vegetables

Roasted Vegetable Salad

August 9, 2010 admin Leave a comment

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 ! 🙂

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.

Dinner, Fish, Summer

Grilled Scallops with Balsamic

July 26, 2010 admin 2 Comments

The combination of herbs along with the balsamic glaze was just fantastic. Scallops are such a sweet shellfish and this is a great recipe to showcase their great flavor.

4 servings
244 calories per serving

1 lb. sea scallops
¼ c oil
2 T fresh mint
2 T flat leaf parsley
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T parmesan cheese
1 t shredded lemon zest
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 c baby arugula
Pam

Rinse scallops and pat dry. Mix oil, mint, parsley, 2 T vinegar, cheese, lemon peel and garlic. Place scallops in a Ziploc bag and pour in the oil mix and marinate the scallops 2-4 hours in the refrigerator. Preheat broiler. Drain scallops. Spray a baking sheet with Pam and broil scallops 4 minutes each side or until done. In a saucepan bring 2 T vinegar to a boil and simmer 4-5 minutes. Serve scallops over arugula and drizzled with the reduced vinegar.

Alternately grill the scallops in a grill basket until done.

Beef, Dinner, Summer

Sirloin Kabobs

July 23, 2010 admin 2 Comments

You know the drill – if you’re using the grill, throw out the skewers and use a grill basket instead – it saves time, aggravation and the food turns out even better ! The meat in this dish is sooooo tender from marinating for hours in the tomato and vinegar based sauce.

4 servings
268 calories per serving

2/3 c chili sauce
½ c beef broth
½ c balsamic vinegar
2 T canola oil
5 t Worcestershire sauce
4 t dried minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
½ t ground mustard
¼ t salt
1 lb. boneless sirloin cut into cubes
16 baby bella mushroom caps, halved
2 medium red onions cut into wedges
2 medium red bell peppers cut into chunks
1 medium yellow bell pepper cut into chunks

Mix the first 9 ingredients and pour half of the mix into a zip loc bag. Add the beef cubes and mix around. Pour the rest of the mix into another bag and add the veggies and mix around. Refrigerate both bags 1-4 hours. Heat a grill pan or basket on the grill and spray with High Heat Pam. Drain the veggies and meat reserving the extra marinate for later basting. Grill 7-10 minutes or to desired doneness stirring and re-basting occasionally.

If you don’t want to grill this, you can preheat the broiler and place all on a baking sheet sprayed with Pam. Broil 5-6 minutes, turning half way through.

Dinner, Salads, Sides

Roasted Garlic Potato Salad

July 5, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Just one more, just one more ! That’s what you’ll be saying after you have a few bites of this warm potato salad. The flavors were outstanding and it’s a nice dish next to fish or chicken.

8 servings
173 calories per serving

2 lb. small new potatoes, quartered (about 20)
2 T oil
1 bulb garlic
1 t oil
½ c sliced green onions
2 T white balsamic vinegar
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
2 T oil
¼ c sliced olives
¼ c sun dried tomatoes, drained and cut into thin strips

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put potatoes in a baking dish and drizzle with 2 T oil and toss then roast 10 minutes and stir. Cut the top off the bulb of garlic (DO VIDEO) and remove any loose paper skin and then cut side up in a baking cup and drizzle with 1 t oil. Cover with foil and place in oven and continue roasting 10 minutes. Stir potatoes and add onions and continue baking another 15 minutes or until potatoes and garlic are tender. Let stand until garlic is cool enough to handle. Squeeze out garlic cloves and mash with vinegar, salt and pepper then whisk in 1 T oil. Mix in the olives and tomatoes with the potatoes and then add the dressing and toss to coat.