Spicy hot and spicy good. You can tone this one down by using chili powder instead of chipotles, but it you like it hot, roll with it

Southwest Chicken Panini

4 servings
360 calories per serving

2 c finely chopped cooked chicken breasts (Perdue Shortcuts work great here)
1 ½ t diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (available in the Mexican section of your grocery store)
2 T Miracle Whip lite
2 T light ranch dressing
8 slices Italian bread
8 slices tomato
4 fat free cheese slices
ICBINB Spray

Heat Panini grill. Mix chicken, chipotles and dressings and fill bread slices, then add tomatoes and cheese and spray outside of bread with I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter spray (about 5 squirts per slice of bread) and grill about 2 minutes per side or 4 minutes total in a Panini press.

Very refreshing – very summery…it’s the perfect side to any grilled meat.

Kidney Bean Salad

8 servings
150 calories per serving

2 15 oz. cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed (1 can red and one can white makes a nice salad)
10 oz. grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 ½ small cans mandarin oranges, drained and rinsed well
1 medium green pepper, chopped
6 green onions, sliced
½ c light zesty Italian dressing
¼ c sliced almonds

Mix beans, tomatoes, oranges, peppers and onions. Add dressing and mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Sprinkle with almonds before serving.

I’m not a huge fan of plain salads. But when you add lots of fiber (chickpeas) and cheese, then they become special and they do fill you up. This one has both and has a great citrus dressing. Add a few squirts of fresh lime of orange juice to give it even more citrusy taste.

Chickpea Salad with Feta Cheese

4 servings
178 calories per serving

1 15oz. can chickpeas, drained
2 scallions, sliced
1/2 c grape tomatoes, halved
3 T fresh parsley, chopped
3 C bagged salad mix (I like to use a mix of organic greens or mesclun mix)
2 oz. low fat feta cheese
1 t lemon zest
2 T lemon juice
1 t oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 t salt

Mix zest, juice, oil, garlic and salt. Add chickpeas, tomatoes, scallions, parsley and salad and toss well to coat. Sprinkle with feta and serve.

What an excellent meal ! The bitter arugula offset the sweet tomatoes and shrimp just perfectly. And at 144 calories per serving – - EAT UP

Sauteed Shrimp with Arugula

4 servings
144 calories per serving

1 T plus 1 t oil
1 c grape tomatoes
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and cleaned
4 oz. baby arugula (4 c)
Coarse salt and pepper
1 T lemon juice

Heat oil and add tomatoes and cook 2 minutes then add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook until almost done, about 4 minutes. Add arugula, salt and pepper and toss until the arugula wilts some. Finally add lemon juice, toss, and serve.

Even my non-lasagna-loving kid had to have seconds of this one. It is just cheesy enough without that part being overpowering. Much like the physical layers of the lasagna, there are great flavor layers here since the cheese mix, zucchini mix and tomato mix are all flavored independently. This was a really superb dish !

No Bake Lasagna

4 servings
376 calories per serving

½ c low fat ricotta cheese
3 T parmesan cheese
3 T plus 2 t oil
Coarse salt
Pepper
8 lasagna noodles broken in half
1 garlic clove, minced
2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
½ t red pepper flakes
2 zucchini, thinly sliced
½ t garlic powder
1 T basil leaves, torn

Mix cheeses and 2 t oil. Add salt and pepper. Cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions and then drain. Heat 2 T oil in a skillet and cook garlic and tomatoes with some salt and pepper and the crushed red pepper about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and then add 1 T oil and zucchini to the skillet, season with garlic powder, and cook about 8 minutes then remove to a bowl and add basil. Place some tomatoes on plates and top with a noodle and a small spoonful of ricotta and a spoonful of zucchini and then some more tomatoes. Repeat layers twice and then top with the rest of the noodles and tomatoes and garnish with basil.

The broth in this soup tastes like it’s been simmered for hours – it has a great depth of flavor. But this soup takes just 20 minutes or so of simmering time. And with all the veggies and pasta, it ends up being quite a hearty, thick soup. Just add some water during the last 7 minutes cooking time if you like it a little thinner. But I like gruely soup

Italian Bean Soup

6 servings
190 calories per serving

1 t oil
½ c diced Canadian bacon
½ c chopped green bell pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
28 oz. can peeled tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped
14.5 oz. chicken broth
½ c orzo
15.5 oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
8 oz. frozen cut green beans
¼ c chopped basil
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t garlic powder
½ t onion powder
¼ t celery salt

In a large pan heat oil on medium high heat. Add bacon, green pepper and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth and pasta and bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer 12 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in kidney beans, green beans, salt and pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt and basil and cook 7 minutes.

This was much like eating pepper steak over pasta. The flavors mingled together well and this was a very tasty twist on a beef stir fry.

Beef and Tomatoes over Fettucine

4 servings
270 calories per serving

2 c uncooked FiberGourmet fettucine noodles
1 T oil
1 c frozen stir fry pepper and onions
1 lb. thinly sliced beef
14.5 oz. canned diced tomatoes, undrained
1 t garlic powder
¼ t pepper
½ t salt
Fresh basil leaves, chopped

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Heat oil and meat 5 minutes then stir in peppers and onions and cook 3-6 minutes, stirring frequently. Then mix in tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper and cook 2 minutes. Stir in pasta and cook 2 minutes to heat through. Garnish with basil.

I always find tostados a bit hard to eat – do you crack the tortilla and scoop? Do you pick it all up and eat it like a pizza? For this one, I folded the shell over like a taco The flavors in this dish mix incredibly well and this is a GREAT lunch.

Chicken and Cheese Tostados

6 servings
280 calories per serving

6 6 inch flour tortillas
1 package (1.4 oz) taco seasoning
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts in bite sized pieces
½ c water
2 large tomatoes, chopped
7 oz. shredded non fat cheddar cheese
6 T low fat sour cream
¼ c chopped cilantro
Pam

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place tortillas on a cookie sheet and spray with Pam. Sprinkle with 1 t taco seasoning and bake 8 minutes or until tortillas are crisp and golden. Mix chicken with the rest of the seasoning mix and water and bring to a boil in a skillet then simmer 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Add 1 ½ c tomatoes and cook another 2-3 minutes them remove from heat and stir in 1 ¼ c cheese. Place the mix over the heated tortillas and then top with the rest of the tomatoes and cheese.

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 !

Corn and Avocado Salad

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.

You’d think this one would be bland with just the balsamic as the dressing – but that is definitely not the case. All the flavors from the peppers, cheese, olives, prosciutto and basil mix in with the vinegar to create a divinely simple and delicious to prepare lunch salad. And this filling salad is only 301 calories !

Greek Pasta Salad

3 servings
301 calories per serving

9 oz. package of fresh tortellini
1 quart boiling water
1/3 c jarred roasted red peppers cut into 1 inch strips
1 oz pepper jack cheese cut into 1/4 inch cubes (about 1/4 cup)
8 grape tomatoes
8 pitted kalamata olives
6 canned artichoke hearts
2 thin slices prosciutto cut into strips
1 T chopped fresh basil
3 T balsamic vinegar

Cook pasta 7 minutes in boiling water. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool down. Drain. Combine pepper and the rest of the ingredients other than the tortellini. Mix well. Then add tortellini and toss gently.