This makes a great lunch or you can serve them up as appetizers as your next party. When you do away with the bread, tuna fish makes a great low cal lunch

Tuna Salad in Endive

1 serving
150 calories per serving

½ of a 5 oz. can of tuna fish
1 T light mayonnaise
½ t onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 rib celery, sliced
4 endive leaves

Make tuna by mixing all ingredients. Then place in endive leaves and plate.

A Waldorf salad has apples and nuts and celery and is mixed with mayo. Here I recreate it but in sandwich form and serve it atop lean turkey slices. So good !!

Waldorf Sandwich

1 serving
396 calories per serving

100 calorie English muffin, toasted
1/2 small apple sliced
¼ c chopped walnuts
¼ c thin celery slices
1 T non fat mayonnaise
4 slices thin deli sliced lean turkey (Oscar Mayer pre-packaged meats are great)
2 lettuce leaves

Spread bread with mayo. Make sandwich with turkey and apples. Sprinkle with walnuts and celery slices. Top with lettuce.

Not quite authentic, but a great no fuss alternative to the awesomely delicious dish named Ropa Vieja. Serve next to rice or use as a filling in flour tortillas. This has WOW taste, great texture and is so, so satisfying.

No Fuss Ropa Vieja (Pressure Cooker)

10 servings
271 calories per serving

1 c beef broth
1/4 c sherry vinegar
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 T ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
3 lb. flank steak, trimmed of fat, each steak cut into thirds
1/2 c cilantro, chopped
10 flour tortillas, heated in oven or microwave

Place beef in pot. Mix broth, vinegar, celery, onion, pepper, tomatoes and spices and pour over the beef. Cover and 1 1/2 hours on high pressure. Let naturally cool down. Place meat on a large platter and let cool 10 minutes then using 2 forks, shred it well. Place it back in the pot with the cilantro and let sit 10 minutes. Serve with tortillas.

The colors are so vibrant that you can taste this dish with your eyes ! And the flavor was just tremendous !!! I served it with a little brown rice right in the broth and it was a meal that we are still talking about. You definitely have to try this one.

Poached Fish in Asian Broth

4 servings
203 calories per serving

Broth:
3 c chicken broth
2 T sherry or white wine
2 T soy sauce
2 slices lemon
3 thin slices peeled ginger root
¼ t cayenne

Fish:
1 lb. orange roughy or other thick mild fish fillets
Extra water if necessary
6 green onions (green part only) in thin slices
1 medium red bell pepper in thin slices
1 rib celery cut in ¼ inch pieces
½ t sesame oil
1 carrot, grated
Fresh pepper to taste

In a large non aluminum skillet bring broth ingredients to a boil over high heat. Rinse and dry fish. Reduce heat and place fish in broth. Add water if needed to cover the fish all the way. Simmer for 10 minutes per inch of fish thickness or until fish is done. Remove fish with slotted spoon and place into 4 soup bowls. Boil liquid and add green onions, peppers and celery and cook 3 minutes. Remove and discard lemon and ginger. Take vegetables and place over fish. Stir oil into broth and then pour into bowls. Sprinkle carrot over bowls and season with pepper.

So rich, so creamy, so flavorful – this risotto is perfect next to anything.

Risi e Bisi (Rice and Peas)

6 servings
231 calories per serving

5 cups chicken stock
1 sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
2 springs of parsley
2 T oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 celery stalk, chopped
2 strips bacon, chopped
1 c raw arborio rice
2 c frozen peas
1 T butter
2 T chopped parsley
3/4 c grated parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

Place stock and fresh herbs in a soup pot and bring to a boil then reduce heat and keep at a simmer. Saute onion, celery and bacon 5 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat then cook 1 minute. Remove herbs from stock and add 1/2 c of stock to rice mix and stir constantly so stock is absorbed. Add another 1/2 c and cook until stock is absorbed. Then add peas. Continue to add stock 1/2 c at a time and cook until absorbed until rice is tender and the mix is a little thinner than risotto. When done, stir in parsley, butter and parmesan and serve immediately.

This warm potato salad adds brussel sprouts, apple and a horseradish/mustard dressing. It turns out a robust side that is a welcome change to the typical brussel sprout preparations.

Winter Salad

4 servings
151 calories per serving

½ lb. small red potatoes, quartered
10 oz. Brussel sprouts, quartered
1 red apple in ½ inch chunks
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
3 scallions, thinly sliced
½ c apple juice
1/3 c white vinegar
2 T flour
1 T brown mustard
1 T white horseradish
1 t oil
½ t salt

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil and cook potatoes 5 minutes then add the sprouts and cook another 5-8 minutes or until the sprouts are firm but tender. Drain and place in a bowl with the apple, celery and scallions. In a small pan whisk the juice, vinegar, flour, mustard, horseradish, oil and salt and bring to a simmer and then cook 2 minutes on low heat. Pour over the other ingredients and toss well. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This rice dish adds in veggies and lots of extra flavor from the shallots and garlic – this is definitely not your boring rice side dish !

Rice Pilaf

4 servings
167 calories per serving

½ c finely chopped shallots
½ c sliced mushrooms
¼ c chopped celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T butter
¾ c long grain rice
1 ½ t chicken or beef bouillon powder
¼ t pepper
½ t salt
1 ½ c water
2 slices bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled

Melt butter in a pan. Cook shallot, mushrooms, celery and garlic until tender. Stir in rice, flavoring, salt and pepper and water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat., cover and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in bacon just before serving.

Fresh from the garden ! A quick side salad of cucumbers and celery. Oh so good.

Celery and Cuc Salad

4 servings
38 calories per serving

4 celery stalks sliced thin
1 small-medium cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded and cut into very thin slices
1/3 c packed parsley leaves
3 t sherry vinegar
2 t oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all in a bowl and mix well.

I love mixing red wine and brown gravy mix – it gives you such an awesome gravy – definitely restaurant worthy !

Burgundy Pork

4 servings
400 calories per serving

2 lb. pork tenderloin
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 c red wine (I used cooking wine and it came out great!)
.75 oz. packet dry brown gravy mix
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with Pam. Sprinkle pork with spices and then top with onions and celery. Pour wine over pork. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until done. Let meat rest and then cut into thin slices. Pour gravy mix into pan with the cooking juices and stir until thick – serve over the sliced meat.

This is a great dinner or lunch side. The curry and apples give it nice surprise flavor.

Curried Slaw

16 servings
120 calories per serving

1 c Miracle Whip
1 T curry powder
¼ of a medium head of green cabbage, shredded
¼ of a medium head of napa cabbage, shredded
1 medium zucchini, shredded
1 large carrot, shredded
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced

Mix dressing and curry then add all the other ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate several hours so flavors mingle well.