Tag Archives: lemon

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.

Chicken, Dinner, Mexican

Chimichurri Chicken and Green Beans

July 19, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Chimichurri sauce just makes everything better ! It’s a great mix of parsley, vinegar, garlic and lemon and is much like the Italian gremolata. Serve with some coucous for a great complete meal !

4 servings
280 calories per serving

3 T oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1.25 lb.)
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
12 oz. fresh green beans
1 T water
¾ c parsley
1 T cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, halved
¼ t red pepper flakes
Zest of 1 lemon

Brush chicken with 1 T oil and sprinkle with half the salt and pepper. Heat grill and cook chicken 12-15 minutes or until done. While the chicken is cooking place beans and water in a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave 3 minutes. In a food processor combine 2 T oil, the rest of the salt and pepper, parsley, vinegar, garlic and red pepper and process until almost smooth. Place chicken on bed of beans, with sauce and lemon zest on top. Squeeze extra lemon juice over top and user lemon slices as garnish.

Chicken, Dinner, Summer

Lemon Pepper Chicken

July 14, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Lemon Pepper is a great spice for poultry – and when I do a grill basket version of this chicken recipe, I really pour it on !

4 servings
243 calories per serving

12 oz. chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
4 c mix of sliced onion, yellow bell peppers, and halved mushrooms
2 T oil
1 T lemon pepper seasoning
1 t finely shredded lemon zest
Lemon wedges
Pam

Heat grill. Toss shrimp and 1 T oil. Mix veggies and 1 T oil and seasoning.

Spray grill basket with Pam and heat. Add chicken and cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add veggies and cook 6 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in juice of one lemon. Serve topped with lemon zest.

Dinner, Fish, Lunch

Tilapia with Lemon Pepper

July 1, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Tilapia is a great white fish that is farmed raised making it widely available in restaurants and grocery stores throughout the US. It cooks quickly, and has a nice texture when quickly pan fried. Even doubling this recipe to 6 oz. leaves you another 200 calories for a filling side dish such as Foiled O’Brien; potatoes and peppers steamed in a foil packet.

1 serving
100 calories per serving

3 oz tilapia
Pam
Salt to taste
Lemon pepper to taste (I pile it on!)

Heat a small skillet on medium low and spray with Pam. Place the fish in the pan and sprinkle with salt and lemon pepper. Cook 3 minutes. Gently flip the fish and sprinkle with more salt and lemon pepper. Cook another 3-5 minutes or until fish is done. It is done when the flesh is flaky and opaque rather than translucent.

Dinner, Fish

Lemon and Herb Cod

June 27, 2010 admin 1 Comment

This is a great quick recipe that produces a really moist and flavorful fish fillet. And you even get enough cod broiled to use it in a great chowder recipe that I’ll post in the next day or two 🙂 If you are not going to make the chowder, just reduce the cod to 1 ½ pounds and proceed accordingly.

4 servings (plus leftovers for chowder)
255 calories per serving

1 garlic clove, peeled
2 slices whole wheat bread torn into pieces
2 T parsley leaves
1/2 t lemon zest
2 t oil
2 T plain fat free yogurt
2 t lemon juice
1 3 lb. cod fillet cut into 8 pieces
16 oz. package frozen stir fry vegetables
Pam

Mince garlic in food processor. Add bread and parsley and pulse until crumbs form. Add lemon zest, 1 t oil and 1/8 t salt and pulse to mix. Place in a bowl. Combine yogurt, lemon juice and 1/8 t salt. Preheat broiler and spray the rack of a broiler pan with Pam. Place fish on rack and broil 4 minutes. Turn and broil another 4 minutes or until fish is done.

Take 4 pieces and refrigerate up to 2 days for the New England Chowder recipe. Spread yogurt mix on the other 4 pieces and then sprinkle with the bread crumb mix and press so that the crumbs stick. Spray with Pam and broil 1 minute to brown crumbs. Remove to a plate and keep warm. Heat 1 t oil and add vegetables and stir fry 4-5 minutes. Serve with the fish.

Dessert, Kid Friendly, Snacks, Summer

Sun Tea Pops

June 23, 2010 admin Leave a comment

What a great ice pop ! Sweet and flavorful and so refreshing. Pops make a great snack or dessert.

6 servings (8 oz. pops)
44 calories per serving

1 c Splenda
2 peaches cut into wedges (skins still on)
1 lime, peeled and sliced
1 lemon, peeled, seeded and sliced
6 mint leaves
8 tea bags – orange pekoe black tea (this is just your standard Lipton, etc. tea bag)
2 c water
2 c cold water

Bring water to simmer in a sauce pan and dissolve Splenda – when all dissolved remove from heat and stir in 2 c cold water and then let sit 10 minutes. Pour sugar water into a glass bowl and add peaches, lemons, limes and mint then add the tea bags, cover and place out in the sun for 3-5 hours to get a nice sun brewed tea. Remove tea bags and divide mint and peaches into molds then pour in the tea (discard the lemon and lime), insert sticks and freeze 6 hours.

Dinner, Fish, Italian, Summer

Tuna with Gremolata

June 16, 2010 admin 1 Comment

Gremolata is a just a mixture of parsley, lemon, garlic and oil. It is a wonderful condiment that is packed with flavor. Serve with some Roasted Grape Tomatoes for a great meal.

4 servings
170 calories per serving

¼ c chopped parsley
2 T grated lemon zest
1 t oil
1 garlic clove, minced
4 4 oz. tuna steaks
¼ t salt
1/8 t pepper
Pam

Combine parsley, lemon, oil and garlic and set aside. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with Pam. Place tuna on sheet and sprinkle with salt. Broil 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Alternately spray fish with Pam and grill to desired doneness. Top fish with gremolata during the last minute of broiling.

Leftover tuna makes a GREAT tuna fish salad. Just mix it with mayo and some diced pickles – it is sooo much fresher than the canned stuff and you can really taste the difference.

Chicken, Dinner

Lemon Rosemary Chicken with Spinach

June 8, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This chicken is delightfully lemony while the spinach wilts just the right amount with the addition of the rice and shallots. This is a great quick chicken dinner that is restaurant quality.

4 servings
350 calories per serving

1 ½ lb. chicken tenders
1 t grated lemon zest
2 T lemon juice
1 T water
1 T oil
1 clove garlic, minced
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
¼ t rosemary
Pam

8.8 package precooked brown rice
¼ c chopped shallots
1 garlic clove, minced
2 c packed fresh baby spinach, chopped coarsely
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
½ t garlic powder

Heat a grill pan or skillet and spray with Pam and cook chicken 4 minutes per side or until browned and done. Combine lemon zest, water, juice, oil, garlic, salt, pepper and rosemary and spoon over chicken then cover and let sit 5 minutes.

Microwave the rice to heat it and keep it warm. Heat a skillet and spray with Pam then cook shallot and garlic 3 minutes or until tender. Put spinach in a bowl and add rice and shallots and mix together so the heat wilts the spinach a little. Stir in salt, pepper and garlic powder. Serve alongside the chicken.

Dinner, Salads, Sides, Vegetables

Lemon Curried Pea Salad

May 21, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This is a great salad to serve next to eastern inspired dishes such as Chicken Satay.

8 servings
80 calories per serving

Salad:
15 oz. can black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
11 oz. can corn, drained
½ c chopped red onion
½ c thinly sliced celery
1 t finely shredded lemon peel

Dressing:
2 T lemon juice
1 T water
1 t oil
1 clove garlic, minced
½ t curry powder
½ t Dijon mustard
1/8 t pepper

Mix salad ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together dressing ingredients and toss with salad. Cover and refrigerate several hours for flavors to mingle.

Mexican, Sides

My Salsa Verde

May 2, 2010 admin 1 Comment

When I first had this in a Brazilian restaurant I came home and scoured the net to find a recipe that was similar to what I had just tasted. After much trial and error, this is the recipe that grew out of many test batches.

When this is paired with meats and fishes, it makes the meal super refreshing and turns the simplest of grilled meats into a flavor sensation – it is soooo good ! But beware – this does leave you with some pretty heavy duty garlic breath – this is not a good recipe for date nite !

Just a tablespoon or 2 served with grilled beef, chicken or fish is a taste treat you won’t soon forget !

15 servings
39 calories per serving
(1 serving=1T)

7 cloves garlic
2 c fresh parsley
2 c fresh cilantro
10-12 T fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
¼ c olive oil
¼ – ½ c vinegar
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Place garlic in a good processor and mince finely. Add parsley and cilantro and mince finely – so fine that the mixture is more of a paste than chopped herbs. Place in a bowl and mix with all the other ingredients. Refrigerate 1 hour to overnight to let the flavors mingle.