You know the drill – toss the skewers and throw this in a grill basket ! But I still call it a “Kabob” recipe so you can visualize it The yogurt sauce is JUST PERFECT in this recipe. Serve with some cous cous on the side.

Curry Lime Chicken Kabobs

4 servings
261 calories per serving

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
½ c plain yogurt
¼ c chopped cilantro
1 t grated lime zest
2 T lime juice
2 T oil
1 T honey
1 T Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ t curry powder
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
2 green bell peppers cut into 1 inch pieces
1 zucchini in ½ inch slices
10 grape tomatoes
Pam

For the marinade, mix yogurt, cilantro, lime peel and juice, oil, honey, mustard, garlic, curry, salt and pepper. Place chicken in a zip loc and pour in the marinade and refrigerate 4-24 hours. Heat grill and spray a grill basket with Pam. Cook 15 minutes or until chicken is done, stirring occasionally so that all sides of the meat and veggies get browned.

Cobb salads are a perfect lunch. They are packed with protein and give you the energy to get through the afternoon without any ‘3 o’clock sleepies’.

Turkey Cobb

8 servings
200 calories per serving

12 c mixed salad greens
6 oz. thin deli sliced roasted turkey breast, cut into strips
1 chopped avocado
1 ½ c grape tomatoes, halved
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 hard boiled eggs cut into wedges
1 c low fat shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz. light balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Place greens on a platter and then lay other ingredients in strips across the top. Place dressing on top of individual portions.

These make a great side dish to a chicken or fish dinner. Or make a double batch and serve as appetizers at your next get together. Warm and homey without being a heavy dish and these make a really nice presentation – just perfect !

Zucchini Quiche Cups

12 servings
115 calories per serving

2 c zucchini, in small cubes
2 t olive oil
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
12 slices light wheat bread, crusts removed
12 grape tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup soft low fat cream cheese spread
¾ c egg beaters
1/4 c light cream
2 T chopped fresh chives
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix zucchini with oil and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper them bake until tender, about 15 minutes. Spray a cupcake tin with Pam. Flatten bread with a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy pan and cut out a notch in the top so that when you place it in the cucpcake tins, it will wrap around nicely.

Zucchini Quiche Cups

Then press into the bottom of the cupcake cups. Mix zucchini and tomatoes and spoon into the cups. Beat eggs, cream cheese, cream, chives, salt and pepper. Pour into the cups and bake 15-20 minutes or until they are set.

I am very passionate about my sauce ! My Italian Grandma and Mom taught me well I have been making my own since I was 16 and over the years developed a recipe that is LOVED and CRAVED by many. That recipe included cooking sausage and meatballs in the sauce – and that gives it a very rich flavor. But it also adds calories. So in my quest to keep things lower cal, I’ve been trying a few batches of sauce without meat and this one is really, really good. It comes quite close to my regular recipe !

I’ve added beef bouillon to make up for some of the lost flavor from the meat, I’ve added roasted garlic which gives a great depth of flavor (much different than dropping in raw or sautéed garlic) and I make sure to use tomato paste. Tomato paste is to tomatoes what lemonade concentrate is to lemonade – - it is highly concentrated and adds a different flavor than any other tomato product out there. And finally I add 2 secret ingredients – shhhhhhh ! Fennel and anise seeds add the flavor you would get if you cooked sausage in the sauce. It is the finishing touch that so many sauces are missing. You only get the slightest hint of taste of the seeds in the finished product. But let me tell you, without them, the sauce is just not the same.

If you’ve never tried sauce before – try !! This one starts from canned products, not raw tomatoes – so it is NOT labor intensive. And even a bad batch of homemade is better than a jar of Ragu It’s what makes a pasta meal special, so do it up !

Basil Garlic Marinara Sauce

12 servings
58 calories per serving

8 cloves roasted garlic, minced
2 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
¾ c water
1 T oil
2 t basil flakes
6 basil leaves, torn into small pieces
1 t oregano flakes
½ t red pepper flakes
½ t garlic powder
½ t onion powder
½ t whole anise seeds
1 t whole fennel seeds
2 packets or 2 cubes beef bouillon
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ c parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients in a crock pot, cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-5 hours.

You can also put this in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes or simmer stove top for 2-3 hours.

The length of time does make a different – the sauce tastes much richer when simmered for hours than a quick sauce (which have their place in some recipes, but don’t equal a traditional slowly simmered sauce).

Freeze your extra portions and next time it’s pasta night, just defrost in the frig over night and quickly reheat in a sauce pan.

Let me know how you like it !

Bella Sun Luci is a premium brand of Mooney Farms in Chico, Calilfornia. The company has been family owned and operated and their dedication to value and quality shines through in their products !

I have used sun dried tomatoes in many of my dishes – I love the flavor of them. Sometimes I find certain brands are just a little too sweet for my liking. Bella Sun Luci products are just perfect to me – they are sweet, but not overly sweet. All the sweet goodness you expect from a sun dried tomato is there, but without the sweet aftertaste that you get from some other products. To me, this makes them just PERFECT.

You can use sun dried tomatoes in sooooo many ways. I often put them on a sandwich. Add a few and you’ll find no need for mayo or mustard – the POW of flavor from the tomatoes is all you need. Try their herbed julienne cut or even their tomato halves. They are packed with lycopene and other good healthful things – but more importantly, they are packed with flavor. Flavor you won’t forget and flavor you will find yourself craving !!

Sun Dried Tomatoes

As well as sandwiches, try the julienne cut in pasta salads of all types. Just cook pasta, add the tomatoes, artichoke hearts, some sliced prosciutto, some diced kalamata olives and sprinkle with some feta cheese for a great salad that goes well next to just about anything.

By far my most favorite product from Bella Sun Luci that I tried was their Sun Dried Tomato Pesto. This is TO DIE FOR !! The complexity of flavor was astounding. There was just the right amount of tomato mixed with just the right amount of pesto and this has now become a staple in my pantry !! First I made some crostini and ate it pure and simple on the bread (with just a slight dusting of grated parmesan cheese on top). Delicious !

Sun Dried Tomatoes

Then I sauteed some onions and peppers and added a few tablespoons in right at the end of the cooking period. Can you say FLAVOR ? Now I can’t wait to try it mixed into a soup broth. Take any chicken or fish soup that has a chicken or vegetable broth. Stir in just a tablespoon or two…see what I mean !?! Utterly delicious!

Be sure to keep your eye out for my review of their new marinades, Carne Asada and Basque Norte. Mooney Farms certainly has my vote for delicious products and you’ll want to make sure you try these products soon – my local market carries many of their items and I’m sure yours does as well ! If not, you can always head over to the website and order there.

Looking for some more recipes that use sun dried tomatoes? Check out these recipes that I’ve posted:

Tilapia Puttanesca
Rotini with Ham
Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes
Couscous with Sun Dried Tomatoes
Sun Dried Tomato and Spinach Soup

This is a great seafood stew full of flavor and body. If you have leftover bits of cooked fish. you only need to put them in the crock for 15 minutes or so to heat up. If you like it a bit spicier, add some hot sauce and you get a jambalaya tasting dish.

Seafood Stew (Crock Pot)

8 servings
215 calories per serving

2 c chopped onions
2 stalks celery finely chopped (about 1 c)
5 garlic cloves, minced
28 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
8 oz. clam juice
6 oz. tomato paste
½ c white wine or water
1 T red vinegar
1 T oil
½ t basil flakes
½ t parsley flakes
½ t onion powder
½ t garlic powder
½ t oregano flakes
¼ t sugar
¼ t red pepper flakes
1/2 t dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 lb. firm white fish in 1 inch pieces
¾ lb shelled, cleaned shrimp, tailed removed
6.5 oz. can chopped clams and their juice
6 oz. can crabmeat (or fresh)
¼ c parsley, chopped

Combine onions, celery, garlic, tomatoes, clam juice, tomato paste, vinegar, spices, sugar, thyme, pepper flakes and bay leaf and mix well. Cover and cook on high 4 hours. Stir in fish, shrimp, clams and crab and reduce heat to low and cook 45- 1 hour minutes or until fish is done. Remove bay leaf before serving. Stir in parsley.

Warmed tomatoes are so flavorful – the heat just sweetens them and intensifies the already great taste. Add a little pesto and you get a divine side dish that can be served next to anything.

Roasted Pesto Tomatoes

4 servings
142 calories per serving

12 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
1 T oil
1/4 t salt
1/8 t red pepper flakes
1/4 c pesto

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with Pam. Mix the tomatoes with oil, salt, pesto and the pepper flakes and place on baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes and serve immediately.

This is a fantastic dish – the feta cheese brings a nice flavor and makes the dish much more special. It’s a great balanced meal in a bowl – all your protein, veggies and carbs all in one nice package.

Pork and Orzo

6 servings
373 calories per serving

1 ½ lb. pork tenderloin
1 t coarsely ground pepper
2 T oil
½ t Kitchen Bouquet (flavoring in the gravy or spice section of your market)
3 qt. water
1 ¼ c orzo
¼ t salt
6 oz. baby spinach
1 c grape tomatoes, halved
¾ c reduced fat feta cheese, crumbled
Lemon juice

Rub pepper into meat and cut into bite sized pieces then cook in oil over medium heat for 10 minutes or until no longer pink. Stir in Kitchen Bouquet and stir well. Cook pasta for 9 minutes in boiling water and then stir in spinach and cook a minute longer. Add tomatoes to the pork and cook 1 minute then add the drained orzo and finally add the feta cheese. Just before serving, splash with some fresh lemon juice.

This creamy sauce has a nice little kick from the chipotle pepper – you can kick it up as much as you want ! All the ingredients here mix to perfection and you end up with a winner dinner.

Shrimp and Pasta with Creamy Chipotle Sauce

4 servings
371 calories per serving

10 oz. FiberGourmet fettucine noodles (regular or flavored)
1 T oil
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small bell pepper, sliced
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained well
1 canned chipotle pepper, minced, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from the can
1/2 t cumin
1 lb. peeled and cleaned shrimp
2 t lemon juice
1 1/2 c fat free half and half
1/4 c chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven and sauté onion 4-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, peppers, tomatoes and cumin and sauté another 4-5 minutes. Add chipotle, shrimp, lemon and half and half and cook 5 minutes or until shrimp are done. Add salt and pepper and cilantro. Stir in pasta and mix well.

Roasting tomatoes gives them a whole new taste – they become earthy and really savory. They make a meal feel special and there’s no easier recipe !

Roasted Grape Tomatoes

4 servings
45 calories per serving

2 pints grape tomatoes
Pam (olive oil flavor)
Coarse salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 t parsley flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking pan with Pam. Slice the tomatoes in half and lay on the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast uncovered for 1 hour. If you like them kicked up a bit, add some onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, etc. before roasting. But I prefer the pure taste of tomatoes in this recipe.

I can’t resist – here is another picture of the tomatoes – I just LOVE the color !

Roasted Tomatoes - again