Just enough spice, just enough glaze – this is a great grilled chicken.

Spicy Hot Glazed Chicken

4 servings
361 calories per serving

3 T honey
3 T soy sauce
1 t grated lime zest
3 T lime juice
1 t red pepper flakes
½ t hot chili garlic sauce (available in the Asian section of your market)
4 5 oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts

Mix honey, soy, lime zest and juice, and red pepper in a zip loc bag. Add chicken, seal and refrigerate for 2-12 hours. Preheat grill and spray with high heat cooking spray and cook chicken 5 minutes each side or to desired doneness.

What a great tangy yet mild sauce – it makes the chicken tenders simply splendid !!

Lemon Glazed Chicken

4 servings
210 calories per serving

1 ½ lb. chicken cutlets or tenders
½ t salt
½ t pepper
3 T lemon juice
Pam
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
2 garlic cloves minced
½ c fat free chicken broth
2 T chopped parsley
1 t cornstarch
¼ c water

Season chicken with salt and pepper and 2 T lemon juice then place in a heated skillet that has been sprayed with Pam and cook 5-6 minutes each site or until browned then remove from pan and keep warm. Add mushrooms and garlic to pan and cook 4 minutes then add the rest of the juice, the broth, and the parsley. Mix 1 t cornstarch with ¼ c cold water and add to the mix. Simmer and stir to thicken sauce and then return chicken to the pan. Cook 3-5 minutes or until heated through.

These were sure a hit ! Whenever you cook bananas, you bring out the flavor 10 times and this recipe is no exception. The toast makes a perfect vessel to make this a finger food. Try putting some Redi-Wip on top. Next time I may even add a little nutella to the toast – that would make it even better.

Rum Glazed Banana Tarts

4 servings
266 calories per serving

4 large slices wheat bread, crusts removed
2 T butter
2 T light brown sugar
2 T rum
3-4 ripe bananas cut in half and then sliced thinly into long slices

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Flatten bread with a rolling pin to 1/8 inch thick and place on a baking sheet. Melt butter and brush both sides of bread with half the butter and bake until lightly browned, about 4 minutes per side. Reheat the leftover butter and add sugar and bring to a boil then remove from heat and add in rum. Place banana slices on bread overlapping them a little and bake 5 minutes then remove from heat and brush with rum mix.

At 118 calories per cookie, these are a bit high cal, but they are so rich and so delicious that 2 definitely satisfy your sweets craving. A large portion of the calories is due to the walnuts in the recipe, but these are GREAT calories full of MUFA. So don’t feel too bad Serve with a nice Low Fat Latte for a great dessert.

Chocolate Drizzle Cookies

30 servings
118 calories per serving

5 T unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c sugar
1 large egg
1 t vanilla
1 oz. bittersweet baking chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
1 1/3 c flour
1/3 c walnuts, finely chopped
30 walnut halves
Chocolate Glaze (see below)

Beat butter on high 2 minutes or until smooth. Add sugar and beat until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and then stir in melted chocolate. Finally stir in flour and chopped nuts then cover and chill 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and shape dough into 30 balls about 1 inch big and place on cookie sheets. Press a walnut half into each and bake 10-12 minutes and then cool completely. When cool, drizzle chocolate glaze on cookies and let sit until glaze is set.

Glaze:
Melt 1 oz. sweet baking chocolate and 1 T butter then add ¼ t vanilla, 1 c powdered sugar and 2 T skim milk.

Sometimes when you marinate or cook with a glaze on, all the best flavor is worn off before you get to eat. But by slathering on the glaze at the very end, you end up with TONS of flavor. And this is a great one – vinegar, soy, honey and garlic – yummy !

Grilled Asian Drumsticks

4 servings
210 calories per serving

8 chicken drumsticks, skinned
Pam
3 T balsamic vinegar
3 T soy sauce
3 T honey
1 t garlic chili sauce (available in the Asian section of your market)

Preheat your grill and spray the rack with high heat Pam. Coat chicken with spray and grill 10 minutes then turn and cook another 10 or until done. Mix vinegar, soy, honey and chili sauce in a pan and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and cook until reduced to 1/3 c of glaze. Put chicken on a large baking sheet and pour the glaze over the legs.

The orange flavor in this dish is subtle and this is a perfectly easy way to make a great pork dish. The brine solution definitely tenderizes and flavors the pork so don’t skip that step !

Orange Glazed Pork

6 servings
263 calories per serving

½ c kosher salt
½ c sugar
2 1 lb. pork tenderloins, trimmed
½ c orange juice concentrate, thawed
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 t Italian dressing

Dissolve the salt and sugar in a bowl with 4 cups of water and add the meat and let stand 45 minutes. Then rinse the meat and pat dry. Heat a grill. Place the orange juice concentrate in a pan and on low heat cook until it is reduced by half them mix in the dressing and garlic and brush over the pork. Cook the pork about 7 minutes per side or until well seared and done throughout.

For those that like a little sweet with their savory, this is a great quick pork dish. The meat comes out nice and tender and the caramelized glaze is quite good ! Try Serving with Mushroom and Zucchini Orzo.

Caramelized Pork

4 servings
200 calories per serving

1 lb. pork tenderloin cut into 1 inch slices
2 t canola oil
2 cloves garlic minced
2 T brown sugar
1 T orange juice
1 T molasses
½ t salt
¼ t pepper

Flatten the pork slices to ½ inch thick each (place between pieces of plastic wrap and pound with the bottom of a heavy skillet). Brown the pork in oil on medium high heat and then remove from the pan and keep warm. Saute the garlic in the same skillet for 30 seconds and then stir in the brown sugar, OJ, molasses, salt and pepper then return the pork to the pan and cook 4 minutes.

The glaze makes an already great tasting steak that much better ! Pair this with Roasted Grape Tomatoes and Spinach Orzo for a meal just a teeny bit over 400 calories.

Filet Mignon with Red Wine Glaze

4 servings
203 calories per serving

½ t salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 4 oz. filet mignons
Pam
¼ c rich red wine
¼ c beef broth

Combine salt and garlic and rub evenly over the meat pressing some so it will stick well. Heat a large skillet to medium high and coat with Pam. Add meat and lower heat to medium and cook 4 minutes each side or until done. (alternately, you can cook them on a heated grill). Remove steaks to a plate and keep warm. Add wine and broth to pan and cook about 3 minutes, until reduced to about ¼ cup of liquid. Drizzle sauce over steaks.