Homemade French Dressing

May 31, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This tangy, savory dressing really hits the spot over field greens. And you’re certainly not going to find a bottled dressing weighing it at only 18 calories per tablespoon. So whip some up and pour it on…thick ! 🙂

Makes 1 ¼ c
18 calories per T

¾ c water
2 t cornstarch
¼ c lemon juice
¼ c ketchup
2 T oil
1 t Worcestershire sauce
¾ t salt
¼ t paprika
¼ t pepper
¼ t dry mustard
¼ t Equal or Splenda

Mix water and cornstarch in a pan and bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat and cook 5 minutes or until thick and clear. Remove from heat and let cool. When cool add the rest of the ingredients and beat until smooth. Cover and refrigerate. Shake well before using.

Asian, Dinner, Sides, Vegetables

Veggie Stir Fry

May 30, 2010 admin 2 Comments

Stir fry is a nice way to add a veggie side dish without it being a green salad or just a can of veggies opened up and heated. They don’t take much time (especially if you buy pre-chopped veggies at your supermarket). And I like that you can throw in just about anything and easily change it up – try adding some baby corn, or water chestnuts or bean sprouts (all available in the canned in the Asian section of your market) and you have a whole new dish – the same sauce still works !

4 servings
34 calories per serving

¼ c chicken broth
1 T orange juice
1 T soy sauce
1 ½ t cornstarch
1 ½ t grated ginger root
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ t red pepper flakes
1 ½ c small cauliflower florets
1 c julienned carrots
1 c zucchini, halved and thinly sliced
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
½ t garlic powder
2 t chili garlic sauce (available in the Asian section of your market)
Pam

Stir broth, juice, soy and starch together and set aside. Spray a large skillet with Pam and heat on medium high – then add ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds or so. Then add cauliflower and cook 2 minutes. Then add carrots and cook another 2, then add zucchini and cook 2 more. Stir in the broth mix and bring to a simmer then cover, add the chili garlic sauce and cook 1 minute or until the sauce is thick and turns glossy.

Appetizers, Italian, Snacks

White Bean and Garlic Dip

May 29, 2010 admin 1 Comment

This is great served with sliced up veggies or pita chips. It has a nice mellow flavor and makes a great snack or appetizer.

8 – ¼ c servings
71 calories per serving

10 cloves garlic
1 19 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 T low fat sour cream
2 T lemon juice
2 t sesame oil
½ t ground coriander
¼ t salt
¼ c chopped parsley
1 t paprika

In a small pot of boiling water cook the garlic for 3 minutes. Drain and reserve 2 T of the cooking liquid. Peel the garlic and in a food processor mix the garlic, reserved cooking liquid and beans and mix until you have a smooth puree. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, oil, coriander and salt and process to blend. Serve sprinkled with parsley and paprika.

Dinner, Fish

Curried Shrimp and Broccoli

May 28, 2010 admin Leave a comment

The curry sauce in this dish is just perfect – very creamy and just enough of it. This makes a great professional tasting dinner and does not take long at all to put together.

4 servings
290 calories per serving

1 c uncooked brown rice
1 c water
1 t oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 c small broccoli florets
½ c fat free chicken broth
3 t curry powder
1 c fat free evaporated milk
1 T cornstarch
½ t salt
4 t lime juice
¾ lb. cleaned and shelled shrimp
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice in water according to package instructions. Heat oil in skillet and add garlic and cook 30 seconds then add broccoli, broth and curry and heat until simmering. Cover and continue cooking 8 minutes or until broccoli is starting to get tender. Mix milk, starch and salt and add to skillet. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in lime juice and shrimp and cook until shrimp is done and all is heated through. Add salt and pepper.

Appetizers, Italian, Sides, Snacks

Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms

May 28, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Another installment of stuffed mushrooms ! The pesto flavor really comes through and makes these a success story. Much easier than chopping stems and cooking sausage…these come together very quickly and are a great appetizer, snack, or side dish.

12 servings
50 calories per serving (1 serving = 2 mushrooms)

24 baby portobello mushrooms
1/3 c part skim ricotta cheese
3 T pesto (available in the refrigerator section of your local market)
2 t whole wheat flour
2 T grated romano or parmesan cheese
1 T breadcrumbs
Pam

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with Pam. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and place the mushroom caps on the baking sheet with the stem side facing up. Mix the ricotta, pesto and flour. Spoon the mix evenly into the mushroom caps and press down. Combine the parmesan and breadcrumbs and sprinkle on top of the mushrooms. Press down lightly. Bake 15-20 minutes or until browned.

Sides, Vegetables

Cucumber Raita

May 27, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This Indian condiment / sauce is great served next to any spicy dish. It will remind you of tzatziki because of the cucumber and yogurt, but the similarity ends there with a whole different flavor combination from the green peppers and cilantro. This is so refreshing and at 23 calories per serving, you can serve it next to just about anything.

7 ¼ c servings
23 calories per serving

8 oz. plain low fat yogurt
2 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped or grated
¼ c finely chopped green bell pepper
2 T finely chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
¼ t ground cumin
Black pepper
¼ t salt

Whisk yogurt and add all the rest of the ingredients other than the pepper. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Sprinkle with pepper just before serving.

Dinner, Salads, Sides, Summer, Vegetables

Tomato, Egg and Cucumber Salad

May 27, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Though the dressing is a simple vinegar and oil mix, this salad does not lack in flavor. The egg yolks and tomatoes give this most of its flavor. Try making a nice big serving dish instead of placing on individual bowls – it makes a pretty centerpiece to a party table 🙂

4 servings
190 calories per serving

4 large eggs, hardboiled and sliced
½ c balsamic vinegar
4 t oil
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
2 large cucumbers, thinly sliced
½ head lettuce separated into leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Set on medium heat and bring to a boil. Cover and keep at a low boil 2 minutes. Shut heat, but leave eggs in pan and covered for 13 more minutes. Then rinse eggs under cold water. Refrigerate eggs for ½ hour as they will peel easier this way. Combine oil and vinegar. Place the lettuce leaves down and then add the tomatoes and cucumbers to the plates. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then pour over the dressing. Finally place the egg slices on top of each plate.

Uncategorized

FOOD BLOGGER NETWORK

May 26, 2010 admin Leave a comment

If you’re a fellow food blogger, then we have the place for you…http://foodbloggernetwork.com

Sarah and I are fellow food bloggers with years of experience in webmaster support and online marketing. We share your passion for food and also have a penchant for helping bloggers – – putting those 2 things together, we’ve created FoodBloggerNetwork.com

Here you can find advice and help on all sorts of topics – food photography, food events, technical help, wordpress plugin recommendations, setting up Facebook fan pages, setting up a Twitter account – – and a whole lot more ! We have a discussion forum for asking questions and getting help not only from us, but from the food blogger community at large.

We hope you stop by and find some useful information.

Dessert, Kid Friendly, Summer

Yogurt Pie

May 26, 2010 admin Leave a comment

I’ve been making this recipe for years, and my Mom for years before that. It is always a great summer time treat that even yogurt non-likes find tempting and delicious. Sometimes I take the filling and make ice pops out of it rather than placing in a pie crust. No matter how you slice it, you will love this pie !

8 servings
200 calories per serving

1 prepared low fat graham crust
20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained well
8 oz. tub Cool Whip lite, thawed
6 oz. non fat lemon yogurt (don’t substitute – you need the lemon flavor to bring some tang to the pie)
6 oz. non fat yogurt – any flavor
Some fruit for garnish

Mix all ingredients and place in the pie crust. Cover and freeze at least 5 hours. Defrost 10-15 minutes before serving. If the pie has been frozen longer than over night, you may need to defrost 20 -25 minutes before serving.

Breakfast, Kid Friendly

Cheesy Eggs and Sausage Breakfast

May 25, 2010 admin Leave a comment

When you are on a 400 calorie a meal plan, you don’t have to shy away from breakfast. In fact, you can have quite a plate of food for only 265 calories !!! That even leaves room for more toast or eggs or sausage – but, believe me, this plateful is quite filling just like it is 🙂

1 serving
265 calories per serving

Plate includes:
2 turkey sausage patties cooked according to package instructions (100 calories)

1 slice wheat toast (45 calorie per slice bread) with 1 T buttery spread (45 calorie pet T)

1/2 c egg beaters scrambled (spray pan with Pam) and during the last minute of cooking, add 1 Laughing Cow light cheese wedge that has been cut into little cubes (it will melt pretty fast)

400 Calories or Less

Monthly Archives: May 2010