This one is as versatile as it gets – take any veggies, steam them, and then add the sauce ! The mustard and scallions add a nice dimension to the cheese sauce too 🙂
Veggies in Cheese Sauce
6 servings
80 calories per serving
1 lb. broccoli separated into florets
4 thin carrots peeled and cut lengthwise in half
4 oz. Velveeta cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 T water
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 t dijon mustard
Place carrots and broccoli in a steamer basket and steam 5 minutes. Mix water and velveeta and microwave 1- 2 minutes or until well blended then add scallions and mustard. Drizzle sauce over vegetables.
This makes a great side dish or a perfect appetizer served with Crostini bread or crackers. Every caponata you find is a little different – there are so many components that it is easy to get different versions. This one uses very little oil and is my absolute favorite. By pre-cooking the eggplant in the oven, you use much less oil and you won’t even miss it ! It has all my favorite things and has a great depth of flavor.
Eggplant Caponata
6 servings
149 calories per serving
1 large eggplant, trimmed, but not peeled and then cut into 1 inch cubes
½ t salt
2 t oil
2 c chopped celery
¼ c celery leaves, chopped
1 c chopped onions
½ c water
2 t minced garlic
1 15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes (including the juice)
2 T tomato paste
20 small black olives, chopped (you can use green if you prefer)
2 T white wine vinegar
1 t unsweetened cocoa
½ t black pepper
Kosher salt to taste
¼ c chopped basil
¼ c toasted pine nuts
2 t oil
Pam
To toast pine nuts, sauté in a hot, dry skillet for a few moments – until golden and aromatic. Place eggplant cubes in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with ½ t salt. Mix well so that all eggplant is salted. Then place a small plate or bowl on top of the eggplant and weight it by placed a canned product or some other heavy object. The salt and the weight will draw some of the bitter liquid from the eggplant and you will end up with a much sweeter tasting caponata. Let sit for an hour then rinse eggplant and pat dry. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with Pam, and place eggplant on sheet in a single layer. Cook for 20 minutes then remove from oven and set aside.
Heat a skillet and add 2 t of oil. Also spray with a bit of pan and then sauté onions and celery on medium high heat until partially softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and sauté a minute longer. Add ½ c water and continue cooking another 10 minutes. If the mix gets dry, add up to ¼ c more water to keep it moist. Add tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste and olives and cook on medium for 10 minutes until sauce thickens a bit. Add eggplant, vinegar, salt, pepper and cocoa and cook on low for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in toasted nuts and 2 t oil. Serve room temperature or chilled.
I’m always looking for new ways to serve up green beans – the family loves them but it gets a little boring. Sprinkling with parm just before serving is a great way to prepare them !
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 !!!
Parmesan Green Beans
4 servings
95 calories per serving
1 T olive oil
1 t garlic, minced (about 1 clove)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 bag (16 oz) frozen green beans
1 c low-sodium chicken broth
¼ c grated parmesan cheese
¼ t ground black pepper
Combine olive oil and garlic in a large saucepan. Cook until garlic is soft, but not browned (about 30 seconds). Add onion, and continue to cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat until soft. Add green beans and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes, until the beans are heated through. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and pepper, and serve.
What a burst of flavor you get from the fresh herbs in this soup ! Totally refreshing and so summery. Serve next to your lunch sandwich or as a quick palate cleanser in between courses of your favorite summer grill fare. At only 61 calories per serving, don’t think twice about adding this into a meal for a nice taste of summer.
Chilled Cucumber Soup
4 servings
61 calories per serving
1 c fat free sour cream
1/2 c fresh basil
1/2 c fresh mint
1/4 c sliced scallion
1 c water
½ of a large English cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into a few pieces
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t Tabasco sauce
Salt to taste
In a food processor mix sour cream, basil, mint, water and scallions very well. Then add cucumber, lemon juice and salt and just pulse a few times making sure you leave cucumber chunks. Chill up to 6 hours.
This is a perfect summer soup – full of great fresh garden offerings…zucchini, squash, parsley, basil. Just a bit of pasta and cheese make this perfectly amazing.
Summer Soup
4 servings
304 calories per serving
6 c vegetable broth
3 c water
6 oz. uncooked pasta (ditalini, orzo, elbows – anything small)
2 c diced yellow squash
2 c diced zucchini
1 T chopped parsley
1/3 c chopped basil
1 T lemon juice
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 t onion powder
1 t thyme flakes
1 t oregano flakes
Red pepper flakes to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
½ c grated parmesan cheese
In a large soup pot bring broth and water to a boil. Add pasta and cook 5 minutes less than the suggested cooking time and then at that point, add squash, green beans, zucchini, chopped parsley and basil, lemon, onion powder, thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to the broth. Cook for 5 minutes and then place in bowls. Sprinkle with cheese.
Perfect next to grilled fish, grilled chicken, burgers – – this corn salsa is so easy to put together and so refreshing on a hot summer night.
Corn Salsa
4 servings
105 calories per serving
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1 c frozen corn kernels, thawed (you can use canned, but the frozen tastes fresher)
½ can diced tomatoes, drained
2 T chopped cilantro
3 T lime juice
1/2 t cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Kraft has so many great dressing out there – as well as using them on their own, they make GREAT to use as ingredients in other dressings, sauces, marinades, etc. This salad is a Kraft recipe and it was so good !
Avocado and Spinach Salad
2 servings
250 calories per serving
1/2 c sliced avocados
3 T mandarin orange juice
2 t lemon juice
3 c baby spinach leaves
11 oz. can mandarin oranges (reserve 3 T juice / rinse the oranges in cold water)
1/4 c Kraft Catalina dressing (sweet French dressing)
2 T pecans (or other nuts), toasted
To toast nuts, heat a skillet on medium high then add nuts. Cook, stirring frequently, until the heat brings out the flavors, about 2-3 minutes (when you smell the great aroma, they are just about done).
Mix dressing,. Lemon juice and orange juice. Pour over spinach, oranges and avocados. Garnish with nuts.
This dish is a cross between lasagna and eggplant rollatini (which is a dish often served as an appetizer and is eggplant rolled up around ricotta cheese and topped with pasta sauce – yum!). In this recipe, instead of rolling it up, I have layered it in a baking dish much like a lasagna would be made. The results – a skinny lasagna full of yummy cheese.
Skinny Eggplant Lasagna
9 servings
142 calories per serving
2 medium eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise into thin slices (1/4 inch thick)
1 jar (26.5 oz.) pasta sauce (I used Hunts Pasta Sauce for this dish)
1 ½ c fat free ricotta cheese
2 c fat free cottage cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t garlic powder
1 T chopped basil
2 t chopped parsley
4 T parmesan cheese
½ c fat free shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread ½ c or so of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Mix cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, 2 T parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and parsley. Layer 1/3 of the eggplant slices to fully cover the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then spread half of the cheese mix on top of the eggplant slices. Cover with ¾ c of sauce then layer the next third of eggplant slices to cover the whole dish. Add the rest of the cheese mix and then another ¾ c of sauce. Finally add the last third of the eggplant slices to make the top. Spread the rest of the sauce over the top and then sprinkle with 2 T parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove cover and spread the mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake another 10 minutes. Remove and cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
My friend grows the tastiest cucs ! And they are just perfect in this salad. Just a bit of curry, just a bit of Tabasco, lotsa lime and great veggies. This is one you’ll make again and again.
Curried Cucs and Avocado
3 servings
106 calories per serving
1 large cucumber peeled, seeded and diced
1 t salt
½ red bell pepper, diced
Zest of one lime
Juice of one lime
2 T chopped cilantro or parsley
1 ½ t sugar
½ t curry powder
A Couple of dashes of Tabasco
1 avocado, diced
Take the cucumber pieces and sprinkle with salt and set in a colander to drain. This helps some to remove some of the bitterness that some cucumbers have. Mix pepper, lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, sugar and Tabasco. Pat the cucumbers dry and add to the pepper mix. Finally add the avocado and serve immediately.
I like broccoli – this recipe makes me LOVE broccoli. The black bean sauce is a perfect addition to crispy broccoli. The flavor is definitely Asian – so serve the next time you have an Asian themed menu.
Black Bean Broccoli
4 servings
53 calories per serving
1 t sesame seeds
1/2 c water, divided
1 t rice wine vinegar, or white-wine vinegar
1 t cornstarch
2 t black bean-garlic sauce (readily available in the Asian section of your market)
2 t canola or vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 c broccoli florets
Heat a small skillet on medium low and add seeds. Cook 2-3 minutes to toast and bring out the flavor. Set aside. Mix ¼ c water, vinegar and cornstarch then add black bean sauce and stir well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet and add garlic. Cook 30 seconds then add broccoli and stir well. Add ¼ c water to the pan, cover and steam broccoli 3 minutes. Then push the broccoli to the sides and pour the sauce in the center and stir a minute or so until it thickens then mix sauce well with the broccoli. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve immediately.
