At only 160 calories, make this one often ! The lite buttermilk, lemon and wine is a nice change from your typical mayo and vinegar dressing. The flavor is right on and this will definitely satisfy your potato salad craving.

Light Potato Salad

12 servings
160 calories per serving

4 lb. small red potatoes, quartered
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ c dry white wine
4 T lemon juice
½ c low fat buttermilk
¼ c low fat mayo
1 T Dijon mustard
1 c packed basil leaves sliced very thin
Cilantro for garnish

Add cold water to potatoes to cover them by 2 inches, cover and bring to a boil then add 1 t salt, recover and reduce heat to medium low and cook 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain. Add wine and 1 T lemon juice them toss and cool to room temperature.

Whisk buttermilk, mayo, mustard, ¼ t salt, pepper and 3 T lemon juice. Blend well and then toss with potatoes and basil.

Orangey, creamy, tons of pudding flavor – all for so few calories ! If you want them to come in with even less calories and still have a nice portion, just cut out a few of the orange segments and some of the granola.

Orange Cream

4 servings
170 calories per serving

1 box (4 servings) sugar free low fat vanilla instant pudding
1 c orange juice
1 c fat free Cool Whip, thawed
2 granola bars, crushed
15 oz. can mandarin oranges

Beat pudding mix and juice with wire whisk 2 minutes. Refrigerate 5 minutes and then fold in Cool Whip. Divide into 4 parfait glasses. This step can be done up to a day ahead of serving. Just before serving top with granola and orange segments.

This makes a really different dessert – instead of just pudding or just fruit – you have a creamy pudding-ish base with tons of yummy fruit thrown in. Very refreshing and very different !

Fruit and Cream

16 servings
96 calories per serving

20 oz. can pineapple chunks in juice (not syrup), drained
15.25 oz. can sliced peaches in juice, drained
11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
4 apples, peeled and diced
1 ½ c skim milk
1/3 c orange juice concentrate
1 oz. package sugar free vanilla instant pudding mix
¾ c fat free sour cream

Mix fruit in a bowl. Whisk milk with pudding and orange juice for 2 minutes them mix in sour cream. Fold into fruit then cover and refrigerate.

This was one of those meals that just had that special extra something. Thanks to Baltimore International College School of Culinary Arts for another great recipe that brings gourmet cooking into your home. Sure, you could just brown up the chicken and call it done…but by adding these few extra ingredients to the pan, simmering, and then serving over the chicken, you have a restaurant quality dish that you will be proud to serve. And at only 277 calories per serving, there’s plenty of room for a nice side as well.

Breast of Chicken Hortelana

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

2 servings
277 calories per serving

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 4 oz. each
1 T flour
1 T olive oil
½ t salt
1 oz. finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ c mushrooms, sliced
1 oz. finely diced ham (I used some leftover Canadian Bacon)
¼ t pepper
2 oz. white wine
1 T lemon juice
2 oz. chicken broth
1 T chopped parsley or cilantro

Pound the chicken down a bit with a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan – make sure the meat is even so it cooks evenly. Dredge in flour and then cook in hot oil. Sprinkle with salt. Cook approximately 2 minutes each side then remove from pan and keep warm. Add ham, onion, garlic, and mushrooms to pan and cook 3 minutes. Add wine, stock, and lemon juice and simmer a minute longer. Place chicken back in pan, add parsley and cook 2-3 minutes or until done. Serve sauce over chicken breasts.

Breast of Chicken Hortelana

Pomegranates ! One of my favorite fruits. They’re not well know, but they’re well worth getting to know.

While I love them, they are a HUGE pain to prep – just cutting into them leaves you with little stain marks all over the place – no matter how you do it, it can’t be done neatly. But between the unique taste and the healthy benefits, I don’t want to give up pomegranates….and in walks POM WONDERFUL This amazing beverage is 100% pomegranate juice…Already all cut up, all squeezed out, and all right there in a cute little bottle just waiting in the refrigerator for you

Even without all the health benefits, I would drink this up like there’s no tomorrow. I love the rich, tart flavor. I think I am actually addicted to it And then there’s the recipes….Pom is great for making reduction sauces, as a syrup, in frozen desserts, and as an ingredient in other beverages. It’s versatile, fun, healthy and flavorful.

Be on the lookout – I have about 3 POM recipes coming up for you shortly ! And grab yourself some POM WONDERFUL !

V-8 juice is not just for beverage consumption (though a nice tall Bloody Mary comes to mind whenever I pour it!). Their ‘Spicy Hot’ variety makes a GREAT ingredient for cooking. From sauces to soups, this product is a great addition to your pantry staples. And they even have a low sodium version that has 70% less sodium than regular V-8 Spicy Hot

1 cup is only 50 calories and gives you 2 full servings of vegetables. So as well as being a tasty ingredient, it’s a very healthful one. There’s no fat and no cholesterol, but tons of flavor. And that makes it great for using in recipes.

I have a soup recipe coming up soon that uses V-8 as a main part of the soup base – it is DELICIOUS, and it’s very healthy – I can’t wait to get it posted for you. I am sure you will enjoy

In the meantime, think about using it in some of your favorite recipes for a low sodium, spicy, HEALTHY kick !

chili – instead of tomato sauce, try some V-8 and a few tablespoons of tomato paste (since you will need a little thickener)

tomato sauces for over pasta – as well as diced tomatoes, add some V-8 Spicy Hot to kick up the flavor

soups – use Spicy Hot V-8 as the main base or mixed with broth – such depth of flavor is added this way that quick soups taste slow simmered

This recipe is a little sweet, so try pairing it with some Asian inspired sides to keep the flavor combinations flattering.

Pineapple Pork

4 servings
163 calories per serving

1 pound bone out pork chops
1 ½ T teriyaki sauce
1 ½ t cornstarch
¼ t ground ginger
6 oz pineapple juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam

Spray large skillet with Pam and heat on medium high. When hot, place chops in pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook roughly 10 minutes per side or until browned and mostly done.

Combine the sauce, starch and ginger in a bowl and stir well, breaking up all the cornstarch lumps. Pour over the chops and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 3 minutes or until sauce is thickened.

A great recipe that is as tasty as my original ‘non diet’ version of this dish. It takes 5 minutes to throw it together and then it cooks for 6 hours in a crock pot leaving you time to blog while your dinner cooks Serve with Rice and Pasta with Parmesan Cheese and Sauteed Spinach with Garlic for a great complete meal under 400 calories.

Crock Pot 20 Clove Chicken

6 servings
170 calories per serving

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (120 calories each – 4 ounces each)
¼ c white cooking wine or dry white wine
20 cloves whole garlic
4 stalks of celery, sliced
2 T basil flakes
2 t parsley flakes
1/8 t red pepper flakes
¼ c white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of one lemon
Zest of one lemon (just the yellow, not the bitter white)
Pam

Zesting Lemons, Limes and Oranges is a snap with this tool. I have a whole set of Microplane graters from fine to coarse and they never fail to get the job done easily and quickly.

In a small bowl, mix the wine with the basil, parsley and red pepper flakes. Spray a skillet with a small amount of Pam and heat on high for a few moments. Quickly brown the chicken on both sides and remove from pan so they do not cook too much. Add the garlic and celery to the wine mix and stir around to coat well. Place the garlic mix in the bottom of the crock pot.

Place browned chicken breasts atop the garlic mix. Squirt the juice of one lemon over the chicken. Put the zest of one lemon over the chicken. Add salt and pepper. Cover the crock and cook on low 6 hours.