Rich, buttery, zesty, tangy – this one is a real treat for your mouth !
Ham and Swiss with Tangy Sauce
1 serving
355 calories per serving
1 small club roll
8 slices thin deli sliced lean ham (Oscar Mayer pre-packaged meats are great)
1 slice low fat swiss cheese
1 t butter
1 T sliced scallions
1/8 t pepper
1 t Dijon mustard
1 t horseradish
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter, mustard, pepper, horseradish and scallions. Brush butter mix onto the insides of both sides of the roll. Add ham and cheese to roll. Wrap in foil and bake 15 minutes.
This was on of the most excellent lunch salads I have had in a long time ! The curry flavor is just divine, the meal is filling, and it will be a lunch to remember !
Chicken Couscous Salad
2 servings
343 calories per serving
1 ¼ c chicken broth
1 c (6 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breast cut into thin strips
3 t curry powder
½ c whole wheat couscous
½ c diced red bell peppers
½ c chickpeas, drained and rinsed
¼ c scallions, sliced
¼ c cilantro, chopped
1 T Dijon mustard
¼ t kosher salt
1 c lettuce leaves
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
Bring broth to a boil. Cook chicken in broth 5 minutes or until cooked through and then remove to a plate and toss with 1 t curry. Bring broth back to boil and add couscous. Remove pan from heat, cover and let sit 5 minutes. Fluff couscous and place in a bowl with peppers, beans, scallions, and cilantro. Then add the mustard, remaining curry and salt. Put lettuce and tomato slices on plates and top with the chicken curry mix. Can be served cold or warm.
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 !!!
This is a great combination of an empanada and a pita – the recipe is fun to make and is a great healthy alternative to traditionally fried empanadas. You can easily change this up and use leftover pork or turkey instead. And you can even make it a bit more authentic by adding some sofrito to the mix. This was a great meal !
Empanapita
4 servings
373 calories per serving
2 6½-inch whole wheat pitas
1 c Tangy Salsa (see recipe below – or you can sub a store bought salsa)
For filling:
2 c canned low-sodium black beans, rinsed
2 c frozen broccoli, corn, and pepper vegetable mix, thawed
2 c grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced (Perdue Shortcuts work great here !)
½ c shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese
¼ c sofrito tomato cooking base (in the Goya section of your market) – optional
1 T fresh cilantro, chopped
2 T scallions, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
For Tangy Salsa (22 calories per serving):
½ c jarred roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry
½ c no-salt-added diced tomatoes (or substitute 1 medium tomato, chopped)
1 small lime, peeled and cut into small chunks
¼ t ground black pepper
¼ t ground cumin
1 T fresh cilantro, rinsed and chopped
Tangy Salsa
Preheat oven to 400 ºF. Combine beans, vegetables, chicken, cheese, sofrito and seasonings. Mix well.
Cut pitas in half, and open the pockets. Divide filling evenly between the four and place on a nonstick baking sheet, and bake for about 10 minutes until the filling is hot, cheese melts, and chicken is reheated. You can make these a bit ahead of time and heat when ready – this makes it a great recipe for when you are having guests.
For salsa, combine all ingredients and toss well (it is best if you make this ahead and let sit an hour or 20 so let the flavors mingle). Serve each empanapita with ¼ cup of Tangy Salsa.
Don’t skimp on the salsa – it really makes the meal ! I added ¼ c lime juice, 1 T sliced scallions, salt and pepper and omitted the roasted red peppers. The lime pieces add such a nice fresh flavor !!
This is an excellent soup ! Be sure to remember the lime splash just before serving – it makes a big difference in the flavor.
Shrimp and Rice Soup
4 servings
320 calories per serving
4 c chicken broth
2 c water
1 c Minute Rice
1 T oil
1 t minced garlic
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1 1/2 lb. large shrimp, peeled and cleaned
4 lime wedges
1 c bean sprouts (fresh or canned)
3 T sliced scallions
3 T chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix broth and water in a soup pot and bring to a boil then stir in rice and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in bean sprouts and let stand 5 minutes. Heat oil and sauté garlic, onions, shrimp and pepper flakes 3 minutes or until shrimp are done. Stir shrimp into soup, add salt and pepper, and garnish with cilantro. Sprinkle with lime just before serving.
There is something so homey about this dish. It is savory, filling, and sooooo does not say ‘diet’ – – it makes a fantastic dish to serve guests.
Ham and Barley Bake
8 servings
222 calories per serving
1 T buttery spread
1 c uncooked barley
1 c chopped carrots
4 scallions, sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. cooked smoked ham, cubed
2 t basil flakes
1 t oregano flakes
¼ t pepper
28 oz. beef broth
½ lb. fresh green beans cut into 1 inch pieces
Pam
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with Pam. Melt buttery spread in a skillet on medium high and add barley, carrots, onions, celery and garlic and cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in ham, basil, oregano and pepper and then pour into the baking dish. Bring broth to a boil in a saucepan and then pour over ham mix. Cover tightly with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven, stir in beans, recover, and bake another 30 minutes or until barley is tender.
Sometimes the simplest of ingredients makes the best meals. This recipe has just a few components, but they complement each other beautifully. This was an excellent meal !
Pork Medallions and Potatoes
4 servings
285 calories per serving
2 T oil
1 lb. red potatoes cut into small cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c water
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 lb. pork tenderloin
1 lemon, sliced thin
1/4 c cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t garlic powder
Heat 1 T oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook 8-10 minutes or until brown. Add 1/2 c water, cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add scallions and cook 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm. Cut tenderloin into 12 slices and press down to flatten into even pieces and dry on a paper towel (wet meat will not brown up nicely), sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Heat 1 T oil in skillet on medium high heat. Cook pork in batches 2-4 minutes per side. Serve with potatoes and lemon slices and garnished with cilantro leaves.
When fish steams in a packet it gets a wonderful consistency – meaty and rich. The sauce that goes with this has a great Asian flair – the ginger, garlic and soy combine to perfection. Pair with Homemade Lo Mein for a great meal.
Asian Fish Packets
4 servings
236 calories per serving
1 T lite soy sauce
1 T maple syrup
2 t oil
2 T lime juice
2 t finely grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ t pepper
1 bell pepper cut into thin slices
2 T minced parsley
4 scallions, sliced
1 ½ lb. flounder, tilapia or other white fish
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Pam
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine soy, maple syrup, oil., lime juice, ginger, garlic and pepper. Create 4 foil packets and spray lightly with Pam and place fish in packet. Lay pepper strips atop the fish and sprinkle with parsley and scallions. Close foil tightly and bake 20 minutes or until fish is done. Serve with lemon wedges.
This salad uses Israeli couscous which is a bigger grain and is more like a piece of orzo in size than a piece of pastina. This makes for a heartier couscous suitable for all type of salads. This on is particularly good !
Couscous Salad
5 servings
346 calories per serving
2 T oil
1 c Israeli couscous
1 ½ c water
Kosher salt to taste
Pepper to taste
½ lb sliced mushrooms
4 scallions, sliced, greens and whites separated
1 ¼ c frozen corn, thawed
15/5 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 T lime juice
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 avocado, sliced
Heat 1 T oil and add couscous. Stir until it begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Then add water and salt and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Heat 2 t oil in a skillet and cook mushrooms until brown, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper and move to a bowl. Add another teaspoon of oil to the pan and cool scallion whites with corn about 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper and add to the mushrooms. Add couscous, black beans, lime juice, jalapeno and scallion greens to the mushroom mix, season with salt and pepper and divide into bowls. Top with avocado slices.
This spicy broth is a nice contrast to the mild and creamy wontons. The ricotta mixed with the spinach for the filling makes for a very creamy textured wonton center. Wontons are definitely NOT hard to make ! Give it a shot ! Even if they don’t come out quite the right shape, as long as they stay sealed, that is really all that matters 🙂 And at only 137 calories per serving, double up the portion and you still have room for some crispy homemade flat breads as a side !
Spinach Soup with Wontons
8 servings
137 calories per serving
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
½ c part skim ricotta cheese
1 t chopped basil ( or ¼ t basil flakes)
½ t pepper
32 wonton wrappers
4 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth
2 T soy sauce
2 t chili sauce (available in the Asian section of your market)
½ c scallions, thinly sliced
For this recipe, be sure to use a pot that is large enough that the wontons have room and don’t get all piled on top of one another. Mix spinach, ricotta, basil and pepper in a blender until smooth. Place 1 T filling in each wonton and fold according to package instructions being sure to seal the last fold with a bit of water. Bring broth, soy and chili sauce to a boil. Add wontons and scallions and bring back to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes or until wontons are tender.
Here is a video to help you lean how to prepare wontons –
Take what is typically a dry dish when served plain (couscous), add some love, and you get a couscous dish to rave about ! The sun dried tomatoes and portobellos are just the perfect addition to couscous.
Couscous with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Mushrooms
4 servings
178 calories per serving
1 c dehydrated sun dried tomatoes
½ c plus 2 T raw couscous
1 t oil
3 cloves garlic, minced fine
2 scallions, chopped
1/3 c chopped basil
¼ c chopped cilantro
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
4 oz. portobello mushroom caps, chopped
Soak tomatoes with 1 c hot water for ½ hour then drain, but reserve the water. Chop tomatoes. Combine reserved water with enough more water to make 1 ½ c and bring to a boil then stir in the couscous and oil, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes then fluff with a fork. Spray the skillet with Pam then stir in the tomatoes, garlic and onions and cook 5-6 minutes. If it starts to get too dry, add a tablespoon or more of hot water during the cooking process, then add the fresh herbs, juice, salt and pepper and the mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes. Combine all in a bowl and mix well.
