What a great quick and easy meal for a weeknight ! It’s kinda like having sausage and peppers over rice – definitely a great flavor !

Rice and Sausage

4 servings
397 calories per serving

Pam
10 oz. low fat andouille sausage or kielbasa, cut into bite sized pieces
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 c cooked brown rice

Heat skillet and spray with Pam and cook sausage until crispy, about 10 minutes. Add onion, garlic, red pepper, celery, salt and pepper and cook 8-10 minutes then add tomatoes and cook another 4 minutes. Serve with brown rice.

Since your carbs and veggies are together in one dish, this recipe is a great side dish to complete a fish or chicken dish. It has just the right amount of veggies and a lovely mild flavor.

Rice and Veggies

6 servings
147 calories per serving

1 T oil
1 c chopped onion
½ c chopped carrots
1/2 c chopped celery
½ c chopped red peppers
14.5 oz. chicken broth
1 ½ c Minute white rice, raw
1 c frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet and sauté onions, carrots, celery, peppers, salt and pepper for 7 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil and stir in the rice and peas. Cover and simmer 5 minutes then remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes so liquid is absorbed.

Last night I was watching Masterchef and the most awesome looking recipe was cooked ! It was Cat Cora’s Truffled Halibut, which in recipe books by Cat Cora is also referred to as Pan Seared Halibut with Sweet Corn Zabaglione.

Today I am going to make an exception and list a recipe here that comes in higher than 400 calories – this one just looks too exquisite to miss. And it’s just a few calories over 400 – barely enough to count With all original ingredients this one comes in at around 850 calories per serving. But by using fat free half and half instead of heavy cream and frying the zabaglione onions in Pam and some water instead of oil , you can come in at about 449 calories – not bad at all for a gourmet dish.

As soon as I make this, I will post pictures – for now, I just wanted to get the recipe up for you.

4 servings
449 calories per serving

Sweet Corn Zabaglione (cream sauce)
Pam
1-3 T water (instead of oil)
1/2 c fresh yellow corn kernels (about 1 ear)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c fat free half and half (instead of heavy cream)
1 egg yolk
Kosher salt to taste

Halibut
2 T olive oil
4 6 ounce halibut fillets
Kosher salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
2 c arugula, stems removed
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c thinly sliced red onion
1/4 c fresh yellow corn kernels (about 1/2 an ear)
1/2 c fava beans

Prepare the cream sauce – Heat a skillet and spray with Pam and cook corn and garlic 4 minutes. Add the half and half and simmer on very low heat 10 minutes. Because the half and half has no fat, you have to be careful to not let this come to a boil.

Transfer all to a blender and puree until smooth and then strain through a fine mesh sieve. Bring 1 inch of water to boil in a double boiler and pour the corn puree into a bowl and whisk in the egg yolk then place in the top pan of the double boiler and whisk until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt.

If you do not want to go out and buy a double boiler, you can carefully fit together 2 sauce pans and accomplish the same thing – the main purpose of a double boiler is to make sure the pan with the food in it does not come in direct contact with the heat – it is like cooking with indirect heat. It is much gentler for sauces and other preparations. So just fill the bottom pan with a bit of water, rest a smaller pan on top making sure it does not touch down to to the other pan. It takes some coordination, but it can be done

For the fish – Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Heat 1 T oil to very hot and them saute fish 2 minutes per side being sure to get a nice golden sear on each side. Transfer to oven and bake 5-6 minutes to cook all the way through.

Bring 2 c of water to a boil and boil the shelled fava beans for just a minute or 2 to soften them some.

Toss together arugula, beans, tomatoes, onion and corn and mix with 1 T oil, salt and pepper.

Divide the cream sauce on dishes, plate the fish atop it and add the salad bits to the top.

I have made other dishes like this that turn out to be a healthier Hamburger Helper (like my Turkey Stroganoff), but this one is THE one – it is a little moister than my other version, and the flavoring is just perfect. You definitely have to try this one out !!

Turkey and Noodle Bake

6 servings
352 calories per serving

1 ¼ lb. lean ground turkey
1 ½ c sliced mushrooms
½ c chopped onion
½ c chopped green bell pepper
21 oz. fat free brown gravy
½ t onion salt
½ t salt
½ t pepper
3 c cooked yolk free egg noodles
1 c shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook turkey, mushrooms, onion and green pepper in a skillet until turkey is no longer pink then add onion salt, salt and pepper and mix well. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes then place noodles in a 3 quart dish sprayed with Pam and top with the meat mix. Pour the gravy over. Sprinkle with cheese, cover and bake 20 minutes then uncover and bake another 15 minutes.

This is one of those PERFECT meals. Some meals are just spiced perfectly, cook up perfectly time and time again, and deserve a place in the Hall of Fame of recipes – this is one of those. If you love Mexican inspired dishes, you have to give this one a try !

South of the Border Chicken

4 servings
289 calories per serving

12 oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts
¼ t pepper
¼ t salt
2 t oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c fat free beef broth
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 4.5 oz. can chopped chilies
1 t chili powder
½ t ground cumin
3 c hot cooked rice
Pam

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and place in a hot skillet sprayed with Pam. Cook 5 minutes or until they begin to brown then set aside and keep warm. Heat oil and add onion, garlic and 2 T of the broth. Cook 6 minutes or until tender then add tomato sauce, beans and the rest of the broth and mix well. Add the pepper, chili powder, cumin and chicken and bring to a boil the reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Serve over rice.

Potatoes and cheese of any sort are just a winning combination. The parmesan in this recipe is a great hint of cheese without being overpowering.

Au Gratin Potatoes

4 servings
167 calories per serving

1 ½ lb. new potatoes
1 T margarine
1 T flour
¼ c chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
½ t black pepper
Salt to taste
1 ½ c skim milk
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced very thin
2 T grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Slice potatoes into ¼ thick slices and place half of them in a square baking dish. Top with half the onions, then do another layer of potatoes and another layer of onions and sprinkle with salt. Melt margarine and stir in flour, parsley, garlic and pepper and then gradually add milk stirring until thick and smooth. Remove from heat. Pour the sauce over the potatoes and cover and bake ½ hour. Stir gently, recover and bake another 30 minutes. Sprinkle the cheese over and bake another 20 minutes uncovered.

You know the drill – if you’re using the grill, throw out the skewers and use a grill basket instead – it saves time, aggravation and the food turns out even better ! The meat in this dish is sooooo tender from marinating for hours in the tomato and vinegar based sauce.

Sirloin Kabobs

4 servings
268 calories per serving

2/3 c chili sauce
½ c beef broth
½ c balsamic vinegar
2 T canola oil
5 t Worcestershire sauce
4 t dried minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
½ t ground mustard
¼ t salt
1 lb. boneless sirloin cut into cubes
16 baby bella mushroom caps, halved
2 medium red onions cut into wedges
2 medium red bell peppers cut into chunks
1 medium yellow bell pepper cut into chunks

Mix the first 9 ingredients and pour half of the mix into a zip loc bag. Add the beef cubes and mix around. Pour the rest of the mix into another bag and add the veggies and mix around. Refrigerate both bags 1-4 hours. Heat a grill pan or basket on the grill and spray with High Heat Pam. Drain the veggies and meat reserving the extra marinate for later basting. Grill 7-10 minutes or to desired doneness stirring and re-basting occasionally.

If you don’t want to grill this, you can preheat the broiler and place all on a baking sheet sprayed with Pam. Broil 5-6 minutes, turning half way through.

The sauce in this dish and very flavorful – almost like an alfredo without being quite as creamy. Feel free to spice it up a bit more by adding extra pepper and red pepper flakes.

Fettucine with Ham

6 servings
254 calories per serving

12 oz FiberGourmet fettucine
¾ lb. lean ham, cooked and cooked
2 T oil
1 medium onion, chopped finely
½ lb. sliced mushrooms
1 T flour
½ t rosemary
¼ t pepper
1 ¼ c fat free evaporated milk
½ c frozen peas, thawed
2 T fat free sour cream

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Saute ham in oil to brown it a bit and then remove from pan and set aside. Cook onion 4 minutes then add mushrooms and continue cooking another 4 minutes. Mix in flour, rosemary and pepper then gradually add milk and bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes to thicken it up. Then reduce heat and add peas and sour cream and cook 2 minutes. Mix with the drained pasta and ham and heat through.

This steamy Indian inspired dish has just the right amount of curry. Pair it up with a vegetable side dish such as Ginger Steamed Carrots.

Curry Chicken

3 servings
190 calories per serving

3/4 lb. boneless skinless chicken cut into cubes
2 t oil
1/2 c onion, chopped
1/4 c celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T wheat flour
1 c chicken broth
1/2 c canned diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 t Worcestershire sauce
1-2 t curry powder
¼ – 1/2 t cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you like it)
1/4 c chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Add salt and pepper to chicken cubes. Put 1 t oil in skillet and cook chicken 4-6 minutes or until browned. Lower the heat and cook 4 more minutes then remove from pan. Heat pan to medium and add oil, onion, celery and garlic. Cook 5 minutes. Stir in flour and add broth and cook 5 minutes or until thickened up. Stir in tomatoes, Worcestershire, curry and cayenne. Add chicken back to skillet along with salt and pepper and simmer 3 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with cilantro.

This is one of the best chowders I have had ! The broth is just creamy enough without being too much – the chowder has just enough fish flavor (unlike some clam chowders that can really be too much) – and the potatoes and beans make it very filling. This mild chowder will be a favorite in your house in no time !

New England Cod Chowder

4 servings
380 calories per serving

16 oz. clam juice
1 C water
1 onion, chopped small
1 celery stalk, chopped
15.5 oz. cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
14/5 oz. can diced new potatoes, rinsed and drained
1 c frozen corn
1.2 t dried thyme
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 t onion powder
leftover cod from Lemon and Herb Cod recipe
3/4 c fat free half and half

Place first 4 ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. Cook, covered, 1 minute and then add beans, potatoes, corn, thyme, salt, onion powder and pepper and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, 10 minutes. Then break 1/3 of the potato and bean mixture with the back of a spoon and break the cod into large pieces and add to the chowder with the half and half. Reduce heat to low and simmer very gently about 5 minutes.

(If you haven’t made the cod recipe, you just need 1 1/2 lb. broiled cod for this dish)