It’s not hard to cook fish – some people shy away because they think it is too complicated. This recipe even does away with the ‘is the fish done?” fear. By cutting it into small cubes it is sure to be done during the 6 minute broil time. And even done simply, fish can taste just amazing !

Halibut Kebobs

4 servings
111 calories per serving

1 lb. halibut steak, about 1 inch thick
¼ c fresh lemon juice
¼ c oil
3 medium shallots, thinly sliced
¼ t oregano flakes
¼ t parsley flakes
¼ t garlic powder
½ t thyme
Pam
½ large onion cut into chunks
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Preheat broiler. Rinse and dry fish and cut off skin. Cut fish into 16 cubes. Mix lemon juice, oil, shallots, herbs, spices and thyme. Add fish and mix well. Cover and marinate ½ hour. Spray baking sheet with Pam. Peel onion into single layers and place on sheet with fish cubes. Broil 3 minutes each side or until fish is done. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Alternately, you can spray a grill basket with Pam and place the ingredients in there, being careful to stir gently and not break up the fish. Cook approximately 6-8 minutes or until fish is done.

Gruyere is so tasty – so earthy. This is a great sandwich with quite a bite to it.

Grilled Mushroom and Gruyere

4 servings
305 calories per serving

1 T butter
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
4 t Dijon mustard
8 slices whole wheat bread
5 oz. spinach leaves
¼ c shallots, sliced very thinly
1 c shredded Gruyere cheese
Pam
ICBINB Spray

Heat butter and sauté shallots 3 minutes then add mushrooms and sauté another 6 minutes. Add up to 2 T of hot water if the mix gets too dry. Spread mustard on bread and add spinach leaves, ¼ c cheese and ¼ of the mushroom and shallot mix. Top with the rest of the bread. Spray a hot skillet with Pam. Spray each side of the sandwich with ICBINB Spray and then cook 2-3 minutes per side or until golden and cheese is melted.

I’m forever on a quest to find new broccoli recipes. This is a nice simple one that makes a great dinner side dish.

Broccoli and Shallots

4 servings
48 calories per serving

12 oz. broccoli florets
1 t butter
1 t oil
Salt and pepper to taste
3 T minced shallots

Boil water and cook broccoli for 5-6 minutes then drain. Heat butter and oil and add shallots and sauté for 3 minutes. Add in broccoli, salt, pepper and if you like it spicy, some red pepper flakes.

What’s not to like in a dinner or chicken, mushrooms, shallots and herbs?! This is a great meal and if you have leftovers, cut up the chicken and place in broth with the mushrooms and shallots – you end up with a great soup !

Mushroom Herb Chicken

4 servings
226 calories per serving

4 6 ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts (if not very thin cutlets, pound them down)
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
Pam
3 large shallots, thinly sliced
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1/3 c dry sherry or chicken broth
1 t marjoram flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet and spray with Pam. Cook chicken 6-7 minutes per side or until browned. Remove chicken and spray with Pam again. Add shallots and cook 3 minutes adding a tablespoon full of hot water if they start to dry out. Add mushrooms, sherry and marjoram, then add back chicken and cook until chicken is fully cooked.

This rice dish adds in veggies and lots of extra flavor from the shallots and garlic – this is definitely not your boring rice side dish !

Rice Pilaf

4 servings
167 calories per serving

½ c finely chopped shallots
½ c sliced mushrooms
¼ c chopped celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T butter
¾ c long grain rice
1 ½ t chicken or beef bouillon powder
¼ t pepper
½ t salt
1 ½ c water
2 slices bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled

Melt butter in a pan. Cook shallot, mushrooms, celery and garlic until tender. Stir in rice, flavoring, salt and pepper and water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat., cover and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in bacon just before serving.

Simple ingredients combined to make a perfect complete meal – chicken, potatoes, spinach and a few other yummy things.

Chicken Hash

4 servings
295 calories per serving

2 6 oz. chicken breasts (bone in)
2 t oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 T fresh thyme leaves
1 ½ lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, in ¼ inch pieces
2 large shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T water
½ lb. spinach, chopped
Fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put chicken in a baking dish and drizzle with 2 t oil and season with salt and pepper and thyme. Roast 35 minutes or until done. Cut meat into bite sized pieces. Bring potatoes to a boil in salted water and cook 15 minutes or until tender. Heat 4 t oil in a skillet and cook shallots 3 minutes then add garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add potatoes and cook 7 minutes or until browned. Then mix in chicken and spinach and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with salt, pepper and some fresh lemon juice.

Tender filets in a bourbon cream sauce … to die for !

Peppered Filets with Sauteed Spinach

2 servings
287 calories per serving

Beef:
2 4 oz. filet mignons
¼ t kosher salt
½ t cracked black peppercorns
2 t oil
2 T bourbon
¼ c beef broth
1 T shallots, minced
2 T half and half

Spinach:
½ t oil
½ c grape tomatoes, halved
1 t garlic clove, minced
6 c fresh spinach
1 t lemon juice
1/8 t kosher salt
1/8 t black pepper

Season filets with ¼ t salt and press the peppercorns into one side of each filet. Heat oil in a skillet and add filets. Cook 6-7 minutes per side then remove from pan and keep warm. Remove pan from heat and add bourbon – be very careful –the alcohol will ignite and burn off in this step… return to heat and burn off alcohol then simmer until sauce is reduced by half then add the half and half. Heat ½ t oil and sauté tomatoes and garlic for a few minutes and then add spinach and sauté for 2 minutes. Season with juice, salt and pepper. Plate steak with sauce over top and the spinach on the side.

The ginger and lime flavors were very subtle in this dish – you can definitely dial them up if you want a more robust dish. But the subtlety was very nice and when combined with the great scallop flavor, this made a great seafood dish. The rich sauce made with butter and cream is soooo lovely !

Ginger Lime Scallops

6 servings
224 calories per serving

1/2 c dry white wine
1/2 c unsalted chicken broth
2 T minced shallots
1 t grated fresh ginger
1/4 t grated lime peel
1 1/2 lb. scallops
1/4 c unsalted butter
1/4 c whipping cream
Pam

Mix wine, broth, shallots, ginger, and lime peel in a skillet and boil uncovered until reduced by half. Stir in cream and boil until reduced to 3/4 c. Over medium heat add butter and incorporate into sauce. Keep warm. Rinse scallops and pat dry.. Spray scallops and another skillet with Pam. Saute scallops 7 to 10 minutes or until done. Pour sauce onto a warm platter lay scallops in sauce. Serve with optional brown rice (add 120 calories for each ½ c rice).
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This quick cream sauce can be used on just about any pasta dish – added to the flavored fettuccine from FiberGourmet and topped with sauted shrimp – mmmm, mmmmm good !

Fettuccine and Shrimp

4 servings
346 calories per serving

8 oz. FiberGourmet Fettucine (without it you have to add 80 calories per serving) – I used a pepper flavored pasta and it was so awesomely spicy
2 T butter
½ c thinly sliced shallots
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c canned diced tomatoes, drained
1 lb. cleaned, peeled shrimp
½ t red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
½ c fat free half and half
1/3 c chopped parsley
1/3 c thinly sliced basil leaves

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Melt butter and sauté shallots 4 minutes then add garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add shrimp to skillet and sprinkle with spices and cook until shrimp is just about done. Add tomatoes , parsley and basil and cook another minute. Then add half and half and keep warm on low temperature. Pour over pasta and serve immediately.

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.

Quick 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

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. Stir in peas and let stand covered 5 minutes. If not a creamy texture, add in some water. Finally stir in parmesan cheese.