The lemony piccata sauce is just made for pork ! And this couldn’t be easier to put together – – yet you get a fancy, restaurant quality meal.
Pork Piccata
4 servings
216 calories per serving
1 lb. pork loin in 8 thin slices
2 T flour
1 T oil
1 t cornstarch
½ c chicken broth
3 T lemon juice
3 T chopped parsley
½ t salt
Heat oil in skillet. Dredge pork in flour and add to skillet browning each side. Stir together cornstarch, broth, juice, parsley and salt and add to pan along with pork and simmer 1 minute.
This soup is prepared a day ahead and refrigerated so that the flavors really mingle. If you want to serve the same day you make it, that works too 🙂
Chicken and Pasta Soup
6 servings
265 calories per serving
1/2 c cannellini beans
1 lb. chicken breasts, cubed
6 bay leaves
7 c water
1 onion, halved and sliced
1 carrot, sliced thinly
3 ribs celery, sliced thin
Leaves from the tops of the celery stalks
28 oz. diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
2 T minced garlic
½ t onion powder
2 t basil flakes
8 oz. FiberGourmet pasta (short alfredo, elbows or rotini)
In a soup pot combine chicken, bay leaves and water. Bring to a boil. Add onions, carrots, celery, celery leaves, tomatoes, tomato paste, onion powder, garlic and basil. Return to a boil and then lower heat and simmer 1 hour. Add beans and remove bay leaves. Refrigerate overnight. The next day heat the broth and cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and place in soup bowl and ladle soup into each bowl.
This is a very quick soup to make, but it tastes as good as soups that simmer for hours.
Meatball Soup
4 servings
223 calories per serving
12 precooked turkey meatballs ( I use Shady Brook Farms Italian flavor ones)
4 c vegetable broth
2 c water
1/2 c ditalini or orzo (or ¾ c FiberGourmet pasta for the same calories!)
1 14.5 oz. can Italian style diced tomatoes, undrained
2 c diced zucchini
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t garlic powder
¼ t crushed red pepper
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley, chopped
Bring broth and water to a boil. Cook pasta 4 minutes (if you are using the FiberGourmet pasta, add 2-3 more minutes here as the pasta tends to take longer to cook). Stir in tomatoes, zucchini, salt, pepper, garlic powder, crushed red pepper and meatballs. Bring back to boil, then reduce heat and keep at a low boil 7 minutes or until pasta is tender. Garnish each bowl with chopped parsley and 1 T cheese.
This has the most awesome Middle Eastern flavor ! It was spicy without being too hot and the texture of the cheese really went well with the chopped spinach – – it picked up the spices of the spinach nicely. This was my first time making cheese and it was well worth it. It was a definite ‘2 thumbs up’ from the whole family 🙂
Homemade Cheese with Curried Spinach
4 servings
302 calories per serving
2 quarts 1 % milk
1/3 c lemon juice
4 t oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 t ground coriander
¾ t turmeric
¼ t salt
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 c chicken broth
2 T tomato paste
2 t jalapeno pepper sauce or Asian chili and garlic sauce
Bring milk to a boil (be careful to not let the bottom scorch – be patient and do it on medium or medium high heat rather than cranking it up to high) then remove from heat and add lemon juice. Let stand about 15 minutes so that the curds and whey separate. Line a colander with a doubled piece of cheese cloth, place in the sink, and pour in the milk mix letting the whey drain away. Let sit 20 minutes or so and then pull together the cheesecloth and squeeze gently to remove any more liquid. You can use a light twisting motion and that helps. Then flatten into a disk on a plate and then place a small saucepan on top of it and place an unopened canned good in the pan to create a weight on top of the cheese. I used a large can of crushed tomatoes and it worked great. Do not refrigerate. Let stand 2 hours or until firm enough to cut.
In a large skillet heat 2 t oil and add onion and garlic and cook 7 minutes or until tender and then add the coriander, turmeric and salt. Mix and then add the spinach, broth, tomato paste and pepper sauce. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and wipe out skillet. Cut the cheese into ½ inch chunks. Heat 2 t oil in skillet and add the cheese cooking for 4 minutes or until light browned and crusty then gently stir in the spinach and cook another 2-3 minutes.
Here’s a couple more pictures of the cheese making process:
This is a great stand alone lunch with some Cheesy Bread on the side. Or it is a nice side to a lower cal chicken or fish dinner. The hint of cayenne adds a nice unexpected flavor dimension to the chowder.
Corn Chowder
6 servings
155 calories per serving
1 c chopped onion
1 leek, cleaned and chopped
5 c frozen corn
28 oz. chicken broth
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
¼ t cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Snipped chives for garnish
Pam
Spray a Dutch oven with Pam and heat on medium and cook onion and leek 5 minutes or until tender. If the onions start to get dry or crispy, add up to 3T of hot water to make sure they stay nice and moist. Then add corn and cook 5-6 minutes. Add half the broth and heat to boiling then reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Transfer half the corn mix to a blender and process until smooth. Return to the pan and add the rest of the broth, peppers, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt and heat through. Garnish with chives.
I love to make things earlier in the day and then come home to a nice hot meal. The rich sauce makes you barely notice that the meatballs are done with turkey instead of beef.
Swedish Meatballs (Crock Pot)
4 servings
228 calories per serving
3 slices bread, cubed
1 c evaporated skim milk, divided
1 T buttery spread
¼ c shallots, minced
½ lb. ground turkey
¼ – ½ c bread crumbs (optional – to bring mix to a dry enough consistency)
¼ c Egg Beaters
½ t salt
½ t pepper
¼ c plus 2 T flour
3/4 c chicken broth
1 T Worcestershire sauce
Mix bread cubes and ½ of the milk and let stand 5 minutes. Melt margarine in a pan and add shallots. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add shallots, meat, egg, salt and pepper to bread. Mix well and if you need it to be drier, add the optional bread crumbs, then make equally sized meatballs. Place ¼ c flour in a bowl and roll meatballs in flour to coat. Place in crock and add broth and Worcestershire. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours. Mix rest of the flour with the rest of the milk. Remove meatballs to plate and keep warm. Stir milk and flour mix into cooking juices and cover and cook on high 10-15 minutes. Put meatballs back in the pot and serve immediately.
Another recipe that because of FiberGourmet pasta, you can eat a real satisfying portion size ! That means plenty of room for some grated parmesan cheese on top…and even room for a grilled chicken cutlet. You won’t believe the portion size when you make this. The sauce on the pasta and artichokes is very flavorful, light, well-textured and colorful – – it was surprisingly good !
Pasta and Artichoke Hearts in Green Sauce
3 servings
279 calories per serving
1 T oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 9 oz. packages of frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
¾ c chicken broth
¾ c water
8 oz. pasta (shells or rotini – FiberGourmet pasta recommended)
1 c frozen peas, thawed
1 T lemon juice
½ t tarragon flakes
½ t salt
½ t pepper
¼ c low fat sour cream
2 t flour
¼ c finely chopped red bell pepper
Heat the oil in a skillet, add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Then add the artichokes and cook another minute then add broth and ¾ c water and bring to a boil and reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes or until the artichokes are tender. When done, drain any remaining liquid into a measuring cup. Cook the pasta according to package instructions and then drain but keep enough of the liquid to fill the measuring cup to ¾ c of total liquid. In a food processor mix the reserved liquid, peas, lemon juice, tarragon, salt and pepper. Process until smooth and then pour the sauce into the skillet with the artichokes and bring to a boil. Whisk together the sour cream and the flour and place in the skillet and cook 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Pour mix over the pasta and toss well. Sprinkle with the peppers and serve immediately.
Without FiberGourmet pasta, this recipe comes in at 359 calories. Not horrendous, but when it comes to pasta, I want as much as possible 🙂
This is so lemony and refreshing and is easy, easy to prepare. It’s a great addition to a lunch time wrap or sandwich.
Lemon Soup
2 servings
37 calories per serving
2 c chicken broth
3 t lemon juice
¼ t thyme
1/8 t salt
4 leaves spinach, torn
1 green onion (green part only) thinly sliced
Lemon slices for garnish
Combine all except spinach and onions and bring to a boil on high heat. Place spinach in bowls. Spoon soup over spinach and top with sliced green onions.
Pierogies are the Polish version of the Italian ravioli or the Mexican empanada. They are little pockets of dough filled with a mixture of cheese and potato. There is nothing NOT to like and tons to love – it’s carbs wrapped up in carbs with some cheese thrown in for good measure 🙂
Pierogies in Mushroom Sauce
4 servings
233 calories per serving
1 t oil
2 c sliced mushrooms
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1 T flour
2/3 c skim milk
1/2 c vegetable broth
1 lb. frozen low fat potato pierogies (I used the mini ones)
2 T light sour cream
Heat oil in skillet and add mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook until tender, about 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over and stir well. Add milk and broth and stir until smooth. Add the pierogies and bring to a boil and then cook on medium heat 4 minutes or until heated throughout. Remove skillet from heat and stir in the sour cream. Be sure to remove from heat or the sour cream may curdle. Serve immediately.
Orzo is one of my favorite pastas – I have to be careful because when it’s around, I have a hard time keeping to my serving size ! This recipe is especially good and incorporates 2 strong flavors that go well together, sun dried tomatoes and feta cheese. Next time I might add some fresh basil just before serving.
Greek Orzo
2 servings
293 calories per serving
1 ½ c chicken broth
½ c orzo
2 T minced sun dried tomatoes
2 T crumbled feta cheese
1/8 t kosher salt
1/8 t pepper
Bring broth to a boil and stir in orzo and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 9 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes and feta. Stir until feta melts a bit. Season with salt and pepper.
