This recipe will make even the most finicky eater a spinach lover. The dish is light and fluffy with loads of cheesy flavor – the spinach flavor is definitely mellowed.

Spinach Souffle

8 servings
149 calories per serving

1/2 c chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T margarine, melted
8 oz. low fat cream cheese, at room temperature
8 oz. low fat cottage cheese
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 c egg beaters
20 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, and well drained
1/4 t paprika
1/8 t nutmeg
Pam

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt margarine and cook onion and garlic for 6 minutes. Remove to a bowl and add cream cheese, cottage cheese, salt and pepper and beat with a mixer. Add the egg beaters 1/4 cup at a time mixing well in between and then mix in the spinach. Spray a 9 inch baking dish with Pam and place the spinach mix in the dish and sprinkle with the paprika and nutmeg then cover and back 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes.

This is one of my daughter’s favorite dishes and she made it up for me the other night. My goodness, this has to be one of the best things I have EVER eaten. You can taste each individual spice and it’s like heaven on earth.

Chicken Tikka Masala

4 servings
403 calories per serving

Marinade:
1 c plain non fat yogurt
1 T lemon juice
2 t ground cumin
1 t cinnamon
2 t cayenne pepper
2 t black pepper
1 T ginger, minced
2 t salt
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken cut into bite size pieces

Sauce:
1 T butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced and then cut the rounds in half
2 t ground cumin
1 ½ t coriander
¼ t cardamom
¼ t turmeric
2 t paprika
¼ t cayenne
2 t salt
4 oz. tomato paste mixed with 4 oz. water
1 c heavy cream
¼ c cilantro, chopped

Mix all the marinade ingredients except the chicken. Place chicken in a zip loc bag and add the yogurt mix. Mush it around to coat all the chicken and then refrigerate 1 hour to overnight. Preheat grill. Grill chicken in a grill basket 5-6 minutes or until done. (You can also broil 4 minute a side)

Melt butter and sauté garlic and jalapeno 1 minute then add all the spices, tomato paste mix and cream. Simmer 15 minutes to thicken. Add chicken and simmer 5 minutes to heat through. Garnish with cilantro.

This is like a cross between a stroganoff and a goulash – very, very good and quite satisfying. The cream sauce is just delicious

Creamy Beef Dinner

4 servings
390 calories per serving

1 T oil, divided
1 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into strips
1/2 t pepper
3 c whole wheat egg noodles, uncooked
1/4 c Light Zesty Italian Dressing
2 onions, chopped
1/2 lb. Portobello mushrooms, sliced
3 T minced garlic
1 T paprika
3/4 c beef broth
1 c frozen peas
1/2 c light sour cream
1 small tomato, chopped

Heat 1 ½ t oil in a skillet and add beef. Sprinkle with pepper and brown meat 2 minutes. Work in batches with the rest of the meat and oil so as not to overcrowd the pan and make sure meat is patted dry – these 2 things will help make sure it browns nicely. Cook noodles according to package instructions. Heat dressing in skillet and add onions and cook 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic and paprika and cook 12 minutes. Stir in broth and peas and simmer 2 minutes then add meat and cook 5 minutes to heat through. Stir in sour cream at the very end and serve over noodles with the tomato sprinkled over the top.

Add a layer of healthy spinach, use low fat cheese and FiberGourmet pasta and quickly you have a healthy alternative and a fan favorite

Baked Mac and Cheese

4 servings
366 calories per serving

3 T breadcrumbs
1 t oil
½ t paprika
20 oz. frozen spinach, thawed
1 3/4 c skim milk, divided
3 T flour
2 c shredded low fat extra sharp Cheddar cheese
1 c low fat cottage cheese
1/8 t nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces FiberGourmet penne or elbow pasta
Pam

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with Pam. Mix breadcrumbs, oil and paprika. Squeeze out spinach in a colander so it is very dry. Mix ¼ c milk with flour. Heat 1 ½ c milk until steaming and them whisk in the rest of the milk and continue whisking until it is thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar until melted. Then stir in cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook pasta about 4 minutes (do not cook all the way or it will be too mushy after it bakes). Mix pasta and cheese and place half of it in the baking dish. Then add the spinach and top with the rest of the pasta. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb mix and then bake 30 minutes or until golden.

Crispy, moist, flaky fish – this recipe is nothing but good. Use any white fish you like and make sure you serve with lemon wedges for that citrus kick.

Crispy Fish

4 servings
215 calories per serving

2 egg whites, beaten lightly and placed in a shallow dish
2 c panko breadcrumbs
½ t paprika
¾ t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
4 6 oz. white fish fillets (cod, tilapia, haddock)
1 t pepper
½ t salt
Pam

Spray a baking sheet with Pam. Preheat broiler. Mix panko and spices in a shallow dish. Dip fish in egg, then into breadcrumb mix and place on baking sheet. Broil 4 minutes per side or until done. Serve with lemon wedges and
cocktail sauce.

What a great goulash ! The caraway flavor is mild, yet it really steals the show and makes this a great tasting goulash.

Crock Pot Goulash

8 servings
181 calories per serving

2 lb. beef stew meat, trimmed and cubed
2 t caraway seeds
2 T paprika
1/4 t salt
Pepper, to taste
1 large onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
14 oz. can diced tomatoes (undrained)
14 oz. can beef broth
1 t Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 T cornstarch mixed with 3 T water
2 T chopped parsley
Pam

Place beef in the crock pot. Crush caraway seeds in an herb grinder or with the back of a heavy pot. Mix crushed seeds with paprika, salt and pepper and sprinkle on the meat pressing the spices into the meat so they stick. Add onion and pepper to a skillet sprayed with Pam and cook 5 minutes. Mix tomatoes, broth, Worcestershire and garlic and add to pan and bring to a simmer. Pour into the crock and then place the bay leaves on top of the meat. Cover and cook 4-5 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low. Discard the bay leaves and then add the cornstarch mix and cook on high 15 minutes to thicken the sauce. Garnish with parsley and serve with optional whole wheat egg noodles.

What a great way to make cauliflower ! The spicing is subtle and the coating is just right. No more boring cauliflower !!

Crispy Cauliflower

6 servings
92 calories per serving

4 c cauliflower florets
6 T flour
¼ t garlic powder
¼ t onion powder
¼ t paprika
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
2 ½ c cornflakes, crushed
2 egg whites
Pam

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with Pam. Place cauliflower in a pan with 2 T water, cover and cook 6 minutes or until still crisp yet tender. In a zip loc bag mix all the spices and flour. In another zip loc, place the cornflakes. Beat the eggs lightly and one at a time roll the florets in the egg mix, then toss in the spice bag, the coat with egg again, then toss in the crumbs being sure to press so the flakes stick to the florets. Then place on baking sheet and cook 15-20 minutes or until golden.

This is loaded with veggies and tastes so good ! It’s way quicker than a regular paella and if you really want some seafood in there, add some Buttery Baked Shrimp. Paella is a great healthy dinner that the whole family will enjoy.

Vegetable Paella

6 servings
362 calories per serving

3 T oil
½ onion, chopped
½ green bell pepper, chopped
½ poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
12 oz. sliced mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t paprika
1 t oregano
½ t pepper
¼ t red pepper flakes
1 ½ c brown rice (MINUTE rice)
2 ½ c vegetable stock / broth
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 ½ t salt
9 oz. baby spinach leaves, chopped roughly
1 c frozen peas and carrots, thawed
1 c frozen or canned artichoke hearts
2 T red vinegar
¼ c chopped parsley

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot on medium heat and cook onion 7 minutes. Add bell pepper, poblano pepper, mushrooms and salt and cook 5 minutes then add garlic, paprika, oregano, red pepper and black pepper and continue cooking another minute or two. Add stock and tomatoes and salt and bring to a boil. Then stir in rice. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook 7 minutes. Stir in spinach, peas, artichokes, vinegar and half the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cover again and let sit 5 minutes for all the juices to absorb. Serve with parsley garnish.

The idea of a chopped salad is to get all the ingredients chopped uniformly and small – otherwise, it is just not a chopped salad ! And to me, prepping things in this fashion DOES make a difference in the flavor of the salad. There is something about getting a bunch of the ingredients in your mouth at the same time – it just makes for a flavor explosion !

Chopped Salad

6 servings
200 calories per serving

1/2 c white balsamic vinegar
3 stalks celery, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
1 large peach, diced
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
2 c coarsely chopped arugula or spring mix or any other crisp greens
1 c thinly sliced napa cabbage
3 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
3 oz. crumbed low fat goat cheese
½ c slivered almonds or pine nuts, toasted
1 large hard boiled egg, sliced
Smoked paprika

Mix together all the veggies with oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and then add in cheese and almonds. Top with eggs and sprinkle with paprika.

To toast the almonds, simply place in a hot skillet and sauté until toasty and starting to brown.

Steaming these first gives them a nice texture and with the added garlic cloves to eat with the potatoes, this is a heavenly side dish. The egg wash makes them brown up nicely, so don’t skip this step.

Oven Fries

4 servings
155 calories per serving

2 large russet potatoes sliced into strips
1 egg white, lightly beaten
¼ t paprika
10 garlic cloves, whole
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with Pam. Steam the potatoes and garlic 10 minutes to soften some. Then place all on the baking sheet and brush the egg whites and sprinkle with paprika. Bake 20 minutes then season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.