Tag Archives: parmesan

Parmesan Green Beans from the Keep the Beat ™ cookbook from the National Institutes for Health We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & Nutrition) Campaign

August 14, 2011 admin Leave a comment

I’m always looking for new ways to serve up green beans – the family loves them but it gets a little boring. Sprinkling with parm just before serving is a great way to prepare them !

Check out the online cookbook, Keep the Beat ™ (available in pdf format) for some great ideas for healthful food that kids will eat and they will enjoy preparing with you. Kids learn by example – show them how good healthy food can be !!!

4 servings
95 calories per serving

1 T olive oil
1 t garlic, minced (about 1 clove)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 bag (16 oz) frozen green beans
1 c low-sodium chicken broth
¼ c grated parmesan cheese
¼ t ground black pepper

Combine olive oil and garlic in a large saucepan. Cook until garlic is soft, but not browned (about 30 seconds). Add onion, and continue to cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat until soft. Add green beans and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes, until the beans are heated through. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and pepper, and serve.

Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch

Spinach Pie

August 9, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This is basically a crustless quiche. It is great served for brunch, lunch, as an appetizer, or even as a dinner side dish. So good !

8 servings
150 calories per serving

16 oz. low fat cottage cheese
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, and drained well (press in a sieve to get rid of all the water)
1 c shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
4 eggs, lightly beaten
6 oz. roasted red peppers, well drained, and chopped
1/3 c grated parmesan
1 t oregano flakes
½ t garlic powder
½ t onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix spinach and cheeses. Add eggs, peppers and spices. Pour into a 9 inch pie plate or cake pan sprayed with Pam. Bake 40 minutes or until the center is set. I like to use a glass pie plate for this, that way if the center does not set before the top is getting brown (which sometimes happens), you can slip it into the microwave for a few quick minutes to finish it up. This reheats great !

Dinner, Soups, Summer, Vegetables

Summer Soup

August 3, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This is a perfect summer soup – full of great fresh garden offerings…zucchini, squash, parsley, basil. Just a bit of pasta and cheese make this perfectly amazing.

4 servings
304 calories per serving

6 c vegetable broth
3 c water
6 oz. uncooked pasta (ditalini, orzo, elbows – anything small)
2 c diced yellow squash
2 c diced zucchini
1 T chopped parsley
1/3 c chopped basil
1 T lemon juice
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 t onion powder
1 t thyme flakes
1 t oregano flakes
Red pepper flakes to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
½ c grated parmesan cheese

In a large soup pot bring broth and water to a boil. Add pasta and cook 5 minutes less than the suggested cooking time and then at that point, add squash, green beans, zucchini, chopped parsley and basil, lemon, onion powder, thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to the broth. Cook for 5 minutes and then place in bowls. Sprinkle with cheese.

Dinner, Italian, Vegetables

Skinny Eggplant Lasagna

July 22, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This dish is a cross between lasagna and eggplant rollatini (which is a dish often served as an appetizer and is eggplant rolled up around ricotta cheese and topped with pasta sauce – yum!). In this recipe, instead of rolling it up, I have layered it in a baking dish much like a lasagna would be made. The results – a skinny lasagna full of yummy cheese.

9 servings
142 calories per serving

2 medium eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise into thin slices (1/4 inch thick)
1 jar (26.5 oz.) pasta sauce (I used Hunts Pasta Sauce for this dish)
1 ½ c fat free ricotta cheese
2 c fat free cottage cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t garlic powder
1 T chopped basil
2 t chopped parsley
4 T parmesan cheese
½ c fat free shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread ½ c or so of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Mix cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, 2 T parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and parsley. Layer 1/3 of the eggplant slices to fully cover the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then spread half of the cheese mix on top of the eggplant slices. Cover with ¾ c of sauce then layer the next third of eggplant slices to cover the whole dish. Add the rest of the cheese mix and then another ¾ c of sauce. Finally add the last third of the eggplant slices to make the top. Spread the rest of the sauce over the top and then sprinkle with 2 T parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove cover and spread the mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake another 10 minutes. Remove and cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Sides

Quick and Easy Mushroom Risotto

July 12, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This consistently turns out an awesome risotto textured dish yet takes so little time to make ! Be sure to use Arborio rice or it just won’t turn out tasting like risotto. Get creative with your mushrooms – mix it up, use some canned, some fresh, some baby bellas, some portobellos – have fun 🙂

4 servings
164 calories per serving

1/3 c chopped shallots
1 T butter
2/3 c Arborio rice
2 c water
1 t chicken bouillon powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 c mushrooms (your choice on type of mushroom) diced very small
Pam
½ t onion powder
¼ c grated parmesan cheese

Heat butter and cook shallots until tender. Add rice and cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in water, flavoring, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Spray a small skillet with Pam and sauté mushrooms with onion powder for 3-4 minutes. Stir mushrooms into finished rice (it will still be quite moist) and let stand covered 5 minutes. If not a creamy texture, add in some hot water. Finally stir in parmesan cheese.

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Dinner, Italian, Kid Friendly, Pasta, Turkey

Spaghetti with Sausage

June 30, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Spaghetti. Sausage. ‘Nuff said ! 🙂

4 servings
380 calories per serving

8 oz. hot Italian turkey sausage
8 oz. FiberGourmet spaghetti (if you use regular spaghetti, you have to add 80 calories per serving)
28 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 T oil
1/2 t red pepper flakes
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t kosher salt
½ t onion powder
½ t basil flakes
½ t oregano flakes
1/4 c basil, chopped
2 oz. shaved Parmesan cheese

Preheat broiler and cook sausage 5 minutes per side or until completely cooked. Slice sausage into ¼ inch thick pieces and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and broil another 2 minutes to get them nice and brown. Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat oil in a skillet and add pepper and garlic and sauté then add tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil, oregano and onion powder and cook 5-7 minutes. Add sausage and cook another 5 minutes. Garnish with cheese and basil.

Dinner, Italian, Sides

Quick Risotto

June 21, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This consistently turns out an awesome risotto textured dish yet takes so little time to make ! Be sure to use Arborio rice or it just won’t turn out tasting like risotto.

4 servings
179 calories per serving

1/3 c chopped shallots
1 T butter
2/3 c Arborio rice
2 c water
1 t chicken bouillon powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 c frozen peas
¼ c grated parmesan cheese

Dinner, Lunch

White Boboli

June 14, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Stock up on Bobolis when they go on sale and you always have a great dinner ready to go – I add some sauce and layer mine up with all the different leftovers from the week. This time I skipped the sauce and did a ‘white’ boboli using up left over ricotta and spinach. It was scrumptious !

6 servings
206 calories per serving

1 Boboli shell
½ c sliced canned mushrooms
½ c packed with baby spinach leaves
1 c broccoli florets
1 c part skim ricotta cheese
½ t garlic powder
2 T grated parmesan cheese
Red pepper flakes
Oregano flakes
Parsley flakes
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread ricotta cheese over Boboli leaving a ½ inch edge. Sprinkle with garlic powder, parsley, oregano and red pepper flakes. Lay spinach leaves on top of cheese and then layer on the mushrooms. Finally add the broccoli florets then sprinkle with salt and parmesan cheese. Bake 15 minutes or until heated through. Cut into 6 pieces.

Dinner, Sides, Vegetables

Onion Blossom

June 11, 2011 admin 1 Comment

My family declared that this tastes better than the Blooming Onion at Outback – that has a bajillion calories while this…only 70 per serving 🙂 If there are any leftovers save them for soups, mixing with potatoes, etc.

4 servings
70 calories per serving

1 large Vidalia onion
2 T A.1. Steak Sauce
3 T grated parmesan cheese
½ t kosher salt

Peel onion and cut partially into 6 wedges – do not cut all the way down , just get close to the bottom. Place on a sheet of foil and loosen the layers so that the sauce and cheese will sink in. Drizzle with the steak sauce and sprinkle with cheese and salt then wrap rightly and grill for 40 minutes. Alternately place foil pouch on a baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for an hour or until desired tenderness.

Dinner, Italian, Pasta

Tortellini with Tomatoes

May 9, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This is a great dinner – you can serve this warm, at room temperature or even cold. The cheesy tortellini are the perfect base for a savory dressing and tons of flavorful tomatoes and rich artichokes and asparagus. The arugula and fresh basil top it off perfectly.

6 servings
400 calories per serving

2 9 oz packs fresh cheese tortellini
1 lb asparagus, sliced into 1 ½ inch long slices
3 T red vinegar
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 T olive oil
Salt to taste
1/4 t pepper
4 c baby arugula
1 1/2 c cherry tomatoes, halved
3/4 c grated parmesan
1/3 c thinly sliced fresh basil
14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and cut in fours

Cook tortellini according to package instructions. Add asparagus into the pasta water during the last 2 minutes of cooking time then drain all. Mix vinegars, oil, salt and pepper and mix with pasta, arugula, tomatoes, cheese, basil and artichokes.