Just adding some spices to ground beef before grilling it can make SUCH a difference. Don’t think that you need cheese and tons of condiments on a burger for flavor. Instead, try adding some lower cal herbs and spices to the meat and see what great burst of flavor you get !
Yummy Burgers
4 servings
314 calories per serving
¼ c beef broth
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 t chili powder
1 t onion powder
½ t red pepper flakes
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
1 pound lean ground beef
4 burger buns
Combine all the spices with the meat and make 4 patties. Grill burgers 6-8 minutes or until desired doneness. Serve on buns.
The soda really marinates and tenderizes the roast – this has a special flavor, one you’ll find yourself craving ! Pictures of pot roast never do it justice. Believe me, no matter how it looks, you want to make this one because it tastes just great.
12 servings
170 calories per serving
3 lb. beef roast
2 cans low fat cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
32 oz. diet Pepsi or diet Coke
Place meat in crock. Mix together soups and soda and pour over the roast. Cover and cook on high 6 hours.
At the end, put a nice brown on it by broiling for 5 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes, then slice.
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A rich stew with lots of flavor – the dark meat chicken definitely gives this dish extra texture and the olives give it great authenticity. Sofrito is a tomato, pepper, onion and garlic base for many Latin dishes. The mixture of flavors is sooooooo good. Serve with Rice Pilaf for a perfect meal.
Sofrito Chicken Stew
2 servings
238 calories per serving
2 boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts (3 oz. each)
1 T oil
¼ t kosher salt
1/8 t pepper
¼ c diced onions
1 T garlic clove, minced
¼ c diced red bell pepper
¼ c diced yellow bell pepper
¼ c diced green olives
4 T tomato paste
1 c chicken broth
2 T cilantro, chopped
Cut chicken into thin strips. Heat 1 t oil and cook chicken over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking about 5 minutes, Place on a plate and keep warm. Add rest of oil to pan and sauté onion 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 1 minute. Stir in peppers and olives and cook 1 minute then add chicken back to the pan along with tomato paste and broth. Simmer about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.
This is a great recipe to use up leftover rice from the Chinese food take out order. Just place it in a colander and place the colander over a pot of steaming water for 5-6 minutes. That brings it back to life nicely 🙂 The veggies look like little jewels in a sea of rice. It’s a very pretty side dish !
Jeweled Rice
6 servings
183 calories
1 c basmati rice (stickier than regular long grain rice)
2 c water
1/4 c roasted peanuts
1 shallot, sliced
2 T water
1 t minced fresh ginger root
3/4 c grated carrots
½ c corn
Salt to taste
¼ t cayenne pepper (double this if you like it spicy !)
3 T chopped cilantro
Add rice to water and bring to a boil on high heat then lower to a simmer, cover and cook 20 minutes or until water is absorbed (or use steamed leftover rice as mentioned above). Mash peanuts finely or puree in a blender. Heat a skillet and sauté shallots in a couple of tablespoons of hot water. Saute 5 minutes. Add more water if needed to keep them moist. Then add ginger, carrots, corn and salt. Turn to low and cook 5 minutes then stir in rice, pepper, cilantro and peanuts.
Pot Roast is just a special dish – it is so homey and so inviting. I love the way the meat gets so super, super tender. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can cook this stove top in Dutch Oven for 2 hours at a low simmer. But if you have a pressure cooker, then definitely try this recipe in there – the pressure cooker method adds even more flavor to an already fantastic dish.
Pot Roast
4 servings
310 calories per serving
1 lb. beef round steak ½ inch thick (thin London broil), cut into 4 pieces
2 T oil
6 large carrots, in 2 inch pieces
6 small new potatoes, halved
1 large onion, peeled and cut into wedges
1 t rosemary flakes
1 t thyme flakes
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
½ t garlic powder
¾ c fat free beef broth
2 T flour
¼ c water
Heat oil in pressure cooker and brown meat on both sides. Remove and set aside. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add carrots, potatoes, herbs, salt and pepper and then add the beef back. Pour the broth over the mix. Lock lid, bring to pressure and cook ½ hour. Quick release the pressure and remove meat and veggies to a platter and keep warm. Mix flour and water and stir into broth and cook until thickened and serve over meat.
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, do this stove top in a dutch oven and for the final cooking period, cook 2 hours on a low simmer.
Sometimes the simplest of ingredients makes the best meals. This recipe has just a few components, but they complement each other beautifully. This was an excellent meal !
Pork Medallions and Potatoes
4 servings
285 calories per serving
2 T oil
1 lb. red potatoes cut into small cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c water
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 lb. pork tenderloin
1 lemon, sliced thin
1/4 c cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t garlic powder
Heat 1 T oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook 8-10 minutes or until brown. Add 1/2 c water, cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add scallions and cook 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm. Cut tenderloin into 12 slices and press down to flatten into even pieces and dry on a paper towel (wet meat will not brown up nicely), sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Heat 1 T oil in skillet on medium high heat. Cook pork in batches 2-4 minutes per side. Serve with potatoes and lemon slices and garnished with cilantro leaves.
This is a great ‘white pasta’ dish – the ricotta, parmesan, spinach and garlic just work so well together. And when you add in the toasted pine nuts, the flavor meter goes off the charts. You definitely have to try this one !!
Penne with Spinach
2 servings
357 calories per serving
4 oz. whole wheat penne pasta (if you use FiberGourmet pasta, the calories drop by 60 calories per serving !)
6 oz. fresh or frozen spinach
½ c part skim ricotta cheese
2 T shredded parmesan cheese
1 t lemon zest
¼ t kosher salt
½ t pepper
2 T toasted pine nuts
Cook pasta according to package instructions adding frozen spinach to the water the last 2 minutes. If using fresh spinach, put spinach in colander and drain pasta over it. Put pasta in bowl with spinach and stir in cheeses, lemon, salt and pepper. Plate and add pine nut garnish.
This recipe packs so much flavor into one dish – the milky sauce mixes just perfectly with the cayenne and onion to create a rich vegetable dish that has you coming back for more.
Spicy Corn and Peppers
6 servings
127 calories per serving
2 T butter
½ c onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
¼ t cayenne pepper
Coarse salt
16 oz. frozen corn
½ c diced tomatoes, drained (canned)
½ c whole milk
Melt butter in a skillet and add onion, pepper, cayenne and 1 t salt. Cook 7-8 minutes or until onion is soft then add the corn and tomatoes and cook 10 minutes. Stir in the milk and then remove from heat and serve.
This is a great quick meal – the chops are tender and tasty and the corn mixture is not your boring old corn ! Try serving with Cheesy Spirals.
Mexican Pork Dinner
4 servings
320 calories per serving
3 t chili powder
1 t cumin
½ t salt
¼ t cayenne pepper
4 4 oz. boneless pork chops
1 t oil
½ c finely chopped onion
½ medium green bell pepper finely chopped
1 lb. frozen corn
Pam
Combine chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne. Rub half the mix over both sides of the pork chops. Spray a skillet with Pam ad cook chops 5-6 minutes each side on medium high heat. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm. Spray skillet again and cook onion and bell pepper 4 minutes or until tender. Add corn, the rest of the seasoning and continue cooking 3 minutes.
This is one of my favorite dishes, but the restaurant version will kill you with calories. This one has been lightened up quite a bit – it comes in at only 324 calories and that includes a generous side of pasta (thanks FiberGourmet!!)
Chicken Parm with Pasta
4 servings
324 calories per serving
4 4 oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts
Water
1/2 c bread crumbs
¼ c parmesan
½ t garlic powder
½ t oregano flakes
½ t parsley flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam
¼ c shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
½ c marinara sauce for chicken (Paul Newman’s is good)
1 ½ c marinara sauce for pasta
2 T parmesan
6 oz. FiberGourmet penne, fettucicine or rotini pasta
Preheat broiler. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with Pam. Mix breadcrumbs with ¼ c parmesan cheese. Mix herbs and spices. Rinse chicken breasts in water and then sprinkle with herb mix before dipping in breadcrumbs to coat. Press crumbs into the chicken so they stick well. Lay chicken in pan and sprinkle with any remaining bread crumbs.
Broil 6 minutes, turn and lightly spray the tops with Pam (so they will brown nicely) and then broil another 6 minutes. Meanwhile cook pasta according to package instructions. Heat 1 ½ c sauce (for pasta) in microwave or on stovetop. When pasta is done, drain, mix with sauce and sprinkle with 2 T parmesan cheese.
Remove chicken from oven and cover with ½ c sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Turn off broiler and turn oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken back in oven 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melty.
