Tag Archives: vegetable

Grilled Antipasto

July 17, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This is a super savory, super healthy dish and a perfect summer dinner. The platter is just stunning to look at and this makes a great dish for entertaining. Serve as a full dinner or as an appetizer.

4 servings
291 calories per serving

6 T lemon juice
3 T white balsamic vinegar
2 t oil
¼ t kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 plum tomatoes
2 red peppers, quartered
2 yellow peppers, quartered
2 zucchini cut lengthwise into thick slices
1 red onion cut into thick slices
1 large eggplant cut into thick slices
Pam
4 oz. prosciutto slices
1 oz. peppered ham
2 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
Basil as a garnish
6 green olives
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the first 5 ingredients as a marinade and dressing for the veggies. Take ¼ c of the dressing and brush it over the veggies. Spray a grill rack with Pam and grill veggies 5 minutes a side or until they have a bit of char on them. Place veggies on a platter and brush with the rest of the dressing and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the rest of the items to the platter and serve immediately.

Lunch, Salads, Vegetables

Spring Salad

July 13, 2011 admin 2 Comments

Delightful ! It’s always great to find a salad that tastes different. Sometimes greens just start tasting all the same and salads get boring. But when you add nuts, grapes and goat cheese, you get a whole other flavor profile plus some great new textures and the salad takes on a whole new life. Try this one 🙂

4 servings
235 calories per serving

¼ c dry roasted pistachios (or other mixed nuts), chopped finely
½ c goat cheese
¼ c low fat balsamic vinaigrette
5 oz. spring salad mix (or any greens – I added some arugula this time for a great punch of flavor)
1 c seedless red grapes, halved lengthwise
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper

Put nuts in a dish and divide cheese into portions and roll them into balls then roll the balls in the nuts to coat them. Combine dressing and lettuce and mix well then divide between 4 plates. Top with grapes and cheese balls and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Dinner, Sides, Vegetables

Buttery Broccolini

July 9, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Broccolini is a cross between broccoli and kale. The stalks are more tender than regular broccoli and the flavor is so bright and fresh.

8 servings
61 calories per serving

4 quarts water
1 t salt
24 oz. broccolini
2 T butter, room temperature
1 t grated lemon zest
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t Molly McButter
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil water and add 1 t salt. Boil broccolini and then remove from hot water. Mix butter, zest and juice in the same pan once the water is removed. Add broccolini and mix well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and Molly McButter, then stir and serve.

Dinner, Sides, Vegetables

Succotash

July 4, 2011 admin Leave a comment

I was a weird kid – I loved succotash and asked for it regularly ! I had not made it in quite some time, but now that I have the perfect recipe, I’ll be making it a whole lot more often.

8 servings
182 calories per serving

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
16 oz. frozen lima beans
1/2 c water
10 oz. frozen corn
1/2 c skim milk
2 T butter
2 T cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t Molly McButter

Heat a skillet and cook bacon until crisp then remove it and drain on paper towels. Add onion and cook 5-6 minutes. Add beans and water and cook 5 minutes then add corn, milk, butter and vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in bacon. Add Molly McButter, salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Dinner, Sides, Vegetables

Brussel Sprouts Gratin

June 24, 2011 admin Leave a comment

B A C O N. Bacon makes everything better and this is no exception. So tasty !

6 servings
133 calories per serving

2 slices hickory smoke bacon (or use regular bacon and ad a drop of ‘smoke’ flavor seasoning)
4 shallots, thinly sliced
2 lb. brussel sprouts, halved
1 c water
½ t kosher salt
¼ t pepper
Pam
2 oz bread crumbs
3 T butter

Preheat broiler. Cook bacon until crisp then remove from pan, cool and crumble. Add shallots to bacon drippings and sauté 4 minutes. Add sprouts and 1 c water and bring to a boil then cover pan loosely with some foil and continue cooking 6 minutes or until tender. Add salt and pepper and mix. Melt butter in a small pan and add breadcrumbs and some salt and sauté to toast the crumbs. Add bacon crumbles to breadcrumbs. Turn sprouts into a baking dish sprayed with Pam and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mix. Broil 3 minutes.

Dinner, MUFAs, Salads, Sides, Vegetables

Tomato and Avocado Salad

June 17, 2011 admin Leave a comment

The wonderful texture of flavor of avocado shines through in this simple recipe. As well as tasting delicious, avocados are full of healthful MUFAs. This time I used all sliced Campari tomatoes for this salad – they are so sweet !

4 servings
161 calories per serving

2 lbs. assorted tomatoes, sliced (green tomatoes, grape tomatoes, heirlooms, etc. – whatever you have)
1 avocado, sliced
1 T Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 T chopped cilantro or parsley.

Mix all except avocados in a bowl – then add avocado and gently mix so that avocados do not break up. Serve immediately.

Dinner, Sides, Vegetables

Onion Blossom

June 11, 2011 admin 1 Comment

My family declared that this tastes better than the Blooming Onion at Outback – that has a bajillion calories while this…only 70 per serving 🙂 If there are any leftovers save them for soups, mixing with potatoes, etc.

4 servings
70 calories per serving

1 large Vidalia onion
2 T A.1. Steak Sauce
3 T grated parmesan cheese
½ t kosher salt

Peel onion and cut partially into 6 wedges – do not cut all the way down , just get close to the bottom. Place on a sheet of foil and loosen the layers so that the sauce and cheese will sink in. Drizzle with the steak sauce and sprinkle with cheese and salt then wrap rightly and grill for 40 minutes. Alternately place foil pouch on a baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for an hour or until desired tenderness.

Dinner, Sides, Vegetables

Gruyere Cauliflower

June 5, 2011 admin 1 Comment

How completely decadent this is !!! The cheese sauce is just fantastic – I think gruyere and cauliflower were meant to go together. If you don’t like gruyere, swap out the cheese – but makes sure it is a harder cheese (less calories) and one that has a pretty distinct flavor – maybe a nice shaved romano or provolone.

6 servings
151 calories per serving

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
Pam
1/2 t kosher salt, divided
2 t buttery spread
1/3 c panko breadcrumbs
1/2 c shredded Gruyere cheese, divided
1/2 c onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 T flour
2 c skim milk
3 T chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with Pam. Top cauliflower with salt and pepper and bake one half hour. Preheat broiler. Melt spread and stir in breadcrumbs then mix in ¼ c of the cheese and set aside.

Heat a pan and spray with Pam. Cook onion 5 minutes adding water if necessary to keep the onion moist. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add flour and cook 1 minute stirring constantly and then gradually add mill whisking constantly. Bring to a boil then lower heat to medium and continue cooking 3 minutes to thicken up the sauce. Remove from heat and still in the rest of the cheese, some salt and pepper, and the parsley. Pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower and broil 3 minutes.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Sides, Vegetables

Corn and Broccoli

May 30, 2011 admin Leave a comment

The natural ‘sugariness’ of the corn and the addition of a little bit of sugar make this a very sweet dish. It was just great served next to a mild flavored broiled pork chop. If you prefer less sweet, just leave out the sugar and this will still turn out a great side dish !

6 servings
133 calories per serving

15 oz. can creamed corn
½ c Egg Beaters
2 t sugar
2 T flour
1 t salt
½ c shredded low fat cheddar cheese
10 oz. package frozen broccoli, thawed and drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine corn, eggs, sugar, flour and salt and then fold in cheese and broccoli and place in a baking dish and bake 1 hour.

Salads, Sides, Vegetables

Cucumber Tomato Salad

May 27, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Always a great side – such a nice change from a regular green salad !

4 servings
70 calories per serving

4 small tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 small cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
½ c lite Zesty Italian dressing

Arrange all veggies on a plate and drizzle with the dressing.