Tag Archives: Sides

Spinach Tarts

October 5, 2014 admin Leave a comment

These little crustless tarts make a great side dish to lunch or dinner. Very cheesy, very chic 🙂

8 servings
124 calories per serving (serving=2 tarts)

16 oz. frozen spinach
3 egg whites
12 oz. 2 % cottage cheese
1 c shredded part skim mozzarella
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1/4 t black pepper
Pam

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put spinach in a colander and rinse with hot water until thawed. Using your hand or the back of a spoon, press it down firmly to drain all the water out of it. Mix egg whites, cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese and then add spinach and mix well. Spoon mixture into 16 muffin / cupcake cups sprayed with Pam. Bake 35 minutes.

Salads, Sides, Summer, Vegetables

Cucumber and Radish Salad

August 2, 2014 admin 2 Comments

This is a crisp salad with the ultimate pairing of zesty dressing and feta cheese. The olives are just a bonus 🙂

7 servings
90 calories per serving

4 large cucumbers
8 radishes, thinly sliced
½ c low fat crumbled feta cheese with basil and tomato
1/3 c low fat zesty Italian dressing
1/3 c pitted kalamata olives

Peel the cucs (optional) and cut into thin slices. I like to use English cucumbers as they are basically seedless. Toss cucs with the radishes, cheese and olives and dress the salad.

Mexican, Salads, Sides, Summer

Corn and Avocado Salad

July 28, 2014 admin Leave a comment

Using just citrus means the dressing on this salad is nice and light. So even though you have higher cal avocados and corn, the salad is still a good side dish coming in at just 133 calories per serving. The avocado is what really makes this special – the creaminess blends so nicely with the corn and tomato !

4 servings
133 calories per serving

1 small 8.5 ounce can corn
2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, diced
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 T fresh lime juice
1 T oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients. Serve alongside many different dishes to bring a little spark and flavor – This is great next to chicken, fish, sandwiches, etc.

Sides, Summer, Vegetables

Citrus Tomatoes

July 24, 2014 admin Leave a comment

What a great flavor ! The orange gives these tomatoes a great fresh flavor. Try on your favorite heirloom or farmer’s market tomatoes for a great side dish so low in calories, but so big in flavor !

2 servings
36 calories per serving

2 T fresh squeezed orange juice
1 ½ t orange zest
1 ½ t lime zest
1 T lime juice
Dash if kosher salt
Dash of Tabasco sauce
2 small tomatoes, sliced
1 t fresh chives, sliced

Mix together all except tomatoes and chives. Plate tomatoes and drizzle with dressing. Then sprinkle with chives.

Sides, Vegetables

Roasted Green Beans

September 17, 2013 admin 1 Comment

Get the pre-washed, pre-trimmed beans and your prep time is literally 1 minute. Using kosher salt can really make a difference in recipes and it does in this one. Kosher salt is a much larger crystal (much like sea salt) and instead of melting into the food, it kind of stays on the surface giving you a much bigger burst of the salt flavor – I think it works really well with green beans.

4 servings
42 calories per serving

1 pound fresh green beans
1/2 T olive oil
1 t balsamic vinegar
2 t minced fresh basil
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Mix together green beans, oil, vinegar and basil. Place on a non-stick baking sheet in one layer and roast for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Sides

Mashed Potato Bake

November 20, 2012 admin Leave a comment

Potatoes, cheese and sour cream – they are just meant to go together ! The little bit of baking gives the potatoes a nice crispy crust and this is a great side to anything – especially a grilled meat such as Grilled Chili Rubbed Sirloin.

3 servings
185 calories per serving

24 oz. potatoes, peeled and quartered (you can use the frozen Oreida Steam and Mash here for a quick alternative)
2 oz. low fat cream cheese, cubed
1/4 c low fat sour cream
1 T skim milk
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t salt
¼ t pepper
Pam
ICBINB spray (I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil them reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes or until tender. Mash the potatoes and add the rest of the ingredients then place in a 13×9 baking dish sprayed with Pam. Spray with a few spritzes of ICBINB. Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Sides, Vegetables

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

April 9, 2012 admin 1 Comment

Sometimes ‘simple’ is the best way. And these are certainly simple to prep, yet they taste anything but simple !

4 servings
52 calories per serving

4 c Brussel sprouts with the tops and outer leaves trimmed
Pam
2 t oil
1/4 c kosher salt
1/4 t black pepper
2 T grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place Brussel sprouts in a baking dish sprayed with Pam. Drizzle the oil over the sprouts and toss. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast 30 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.

Pasta, Sides

Tomatoes and Orzo

April 7, 2012 admin 4 Comments

The lemon and lemon zest are what make this dish so special – it is unexpected paired with pasta but once you taste it, you definitely want more. And in my opinion, orzo is one of the best pastas out there – I love it in side dishes, in soups, in casseroles, any way it is served 🙂

5 servings
202 calories per serving

1 c uncooked orzo
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 T oil
1 T lemon zest
1 T lemon juice
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Cook orzo 9-11 minutes in boiling water. Drain and combine with the rest of the ingredients.

Dessert, Sides, Snacks

Grape Salad

March 30, 2012 admin 1 Comment

This is one of those dishes that has everyone at the table making yummy noises 🙂 The cinnamon and cardamom are a FANTASTIC addition to the grapes. And the yogurt is really just a way to get the spices to stick to the fruit. The gingery goodness of the cardamom really makes this dish so be sure to add it in. Serve it as a dessert, a snack or a side dish.

4 servings
70 calories per serving

¼ c low fat vanilla yogurt
1/8 t cinnamon
1/8 t cardamom
1 c seedless green grapes halved lengthwise
1 c seedless red grapes halved lengthwise

Combine yogurt, cinnamon and cardamom – then mix in grapes and toss to coat. Cover and chill.

MUFAs, Salads, Sides, Summer

Simple Avocado Salad

March 20, 2012 admin Leave a comment

Get those MUFAs into your diet to help with your weight loss ! Avocado is a great way to achieve this.

1 serving
165 calories per serving

½ c sliced avocado
1 T low fat Zesty Italian Dressing

Mix it all up and serve next to soup or a light sandwich.

Whether you’re slicing avocados for sandwiches, salads or snacks, it’s nice to have pretty slices rather than gouged out chunks. Avocados are not the easiest things to work with – but they are well worth the work! Nothing tastes quite like an avocado. And there is now a kitchen tool out there that takes all the hard work out of it. Just slice your avocado in half, remove the pit, and then use the tool to do the rest. I made a quick video so you can see how they work.

And here is a link to buy one on Amazon !