Category Archives: Dinner

Pork Filets

September 8, 2010 admin Leave a comment

What a great pork recipe ! Any time you serve a sauce with something, it just makes it so much more special. And this sauce is special unto itself ! It is very flavorful with just the right amount of tang from the mustard and Worcestershire. Put the 2 together and you get a meal fit for a king !

2 servings
255 calories per serving

Pork:
8 oz. pork tenderloin
1/8 t kosher salt
1/8 t pepper
2 t oil

Sauce:
2 T minced shallots
¼ c white cooking wine
½ c chicken broth
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t Dijon mustard
1 t lemon juice
1 T fresh parsley, chopped
1 t butter
1/8 t kosher salt
Tabasco sauce to taste

Cut pork loin into 4 thick pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in skillet until browned, about 6 minutes per side. Also sear the edges cooking the pork for a total of 16 minutes or until done throughout. Remove pork and keep warm. Saute shallots in same skillet 2 minutes. Add wine and simmer until reduced by half. Stir in broth, Worcestershire, Dijon and lemon juice and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in parsley, butter and Tabasco. Drizzle sauce over filets.

Dinner, Sides, Videos

Pesto Potato Salad

September 7, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Instead of basil, this pesto is made with arugula and adds a nice tang to the salad. Sometimes instead of the yukon gold potatoes I use unpeeled new potatoes and the recipe is just as delicious !

8 servings
208 calories per serving

2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes
2 ½ c arugula leaves
1/3 c parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 c pine nuts, toasted
3 T water
2 t lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ t salt
½ t pepper
¼ c olive oil
1 c grape tomatoes, halved

Cook potatoes covered in salted water 25 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool. Then peel the potatoes and cube them. Here is a great video on how to easily boil and peel potatoes.
[youtube]9xTbClZ-_t0[/youtube]

In a food processor mix arugula, 1/3 c cheese, 1/3 c pine nuts, water, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper then slowly add the oil and mix thoroughly. Pour mix over potatoes and stir in tomatoes. Serve at room temperature.

Chicken, Dinner, Kid Friendly, Summer

Mojo Chicken

September 2, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This marinade is reminiscent of a Mojito – it makes a great, refreshing, summery chicken recipe. Sometimes instead of boneless breasts I par boil split breasts and then slightly score the breast meat before marinating and grilling.

6 servings
200 calories per serving

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (Perdue Perfect Portions work great here !)

Marinade:
¾ c orange juice
3 T lime juice
3 T oil
2 T parsley, minced
2 t mint, minced
2 t oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ t salt
½ t ground ginger
½ t ground allspice
Pam

Make some shallow slits in the chicken and place in a zip loc bag along with all the other ingredients. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Spray a grill with High Heat Pam and grill chicken to desired doneness.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Pork, Summer

Grilled Pork Roast

August 31, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Cooking the pork in this manner turns your grill into a big oven. Be sure to sear the pork at the end of the cooking process so you get a nice browned outside. Serve with Oven Fries and a salad for a great balanced meal. Leftovers are great for making Cuban Sandwiches.

10 servings
253 calories per serving

3 pound pork top loin roast or pork loin
2 T parsley, chopped
1 t fennel seeds, crushed
1 t minced dry onion
½ t rosemary, crushed
¼ t salt
¼ t ground cloves
¼ t pepper
¼ t garlic powder
¼ t onion powder
1/8 t ground coriander

Trim fat from roast. Mix all spices together to create a rub and sprinkle it evenly over the meat and rub it in. Heat grill – lower heat to medium low – shut off one side of the grill so that you can grill with indirect heat. Place meat on a rack in a baking pan and place on the side of grill that is NOT on. Cook 1 ½ hours. Sear the meat on the side of the grill that is on for just a few moments, then remove from grill and let sit 15 minutes before slicing.

[FA_Lite id=”9343″]

Dinner, Fish

Cat Cora’s Truffled Halibut (Masterchef)

August 27, 2010 admin 18 Comments

Last night I was watching Masterchef and the most awesome looking recipe was cooked ! It was Cat Cora’s Truffled Halibut, which in recipe books by Cat Cora is also referred to as Pan Seared Halibut with Sweet Corn Zabaglione.

Today I am going to make an exception and list a recipe here that comes in higher than 400 calories – this one just looks too exquisite to miss. And it’s just a few calories over 400 – barely enough to count 😉 With all original ingredients this one comes in at around 850 calories per serving. But by using fat free half and half instead of heavy cream and frying the zabaglione onions in Pam and some water instead of oil , you can come in at about 449 calories – not bad at all for a gourmet dish.

As soon as I make this, I will post pictures – for now, I just wanted to get the recipe up for you.

4 servings
449 calories per serving

Sweet Corn Zabaglione (cream sauce)
Pam
1-3 T water (instead of oil)
1/2 c fresh yellow corn kernels (about 1 ear)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c fat free half and half (instead of heavy cream)
1 egg yolk
Kosher salt to taste

Halibut
2 T olive oil
4 6 ounce halibut fillets
Kosher salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
2 c arugula, stems removed
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c thinly sliced red onion
1/4 c fresh yellow corn kernels (about 1/2 an ear)
1/2 c fava beans

Prepare the cream sauce – Heat a skillet and spray with Pam and cook corn and garlic 4 minutes. Add the half and half and simmer on very low heat 10 minutes. Because the half and half has no fat, you have to be careful to not let this come to a boil.

Transfer all to a blender and puree until smooth and then strain through a fine mesh sieve. Bring 1 inch of water to boil in a double boiler and pour the corn puree into a bowl and whisk in the egg yolk then place in the top pan of the double boiler and whisk until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt.

If you do not want to go out and buy a double boiler, you can carefully fit together 2 sauce pans and accomplish the same thing – the main purpose of a double boiler is to make sure the pan with the food in it does not come in direct contact with the heat – it is like cooking with indirect heat. It is much gentler for sauces and other preparations. So just fill the bottom pan with a bit of water, rest a smaller pan on top making sure it does not touch down to to the other pan. It takes some coordination, but it can be done 😉

For the fish – Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Heat 1 T oil to very hot and them saute fish 2 minutes per side being sure to get a nice golden sear on each side. Transfer to oven and bake 5-6 minutes to cook all the way through.

Bring 2 c of water to a boil and boil the shelled fava beans for just a minute or 2 to soften them some.

Toss together arugula, beans, tomatoes, onion and corn and mix with 1 T oil, salt and pepper.

Divide the cream sauce on dishes, plate the fish atop it and add the salad bits to the top.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Turkey

Turkey and Noodle Bake

August 15, 2010 admin Leave a comment

I have made other dishes like this that turn out to be a healthier Hamburger Helper (like my Turkey Stroganoff), but this one is THE one – it is a little moister than my other version, and the flavoring is just perfect. You definitely have to try this one out !!

6 servings
352 calories per serving

1 ¼ lb. lean ground turkey
1 ½ c sliced mushrooms
½ c chopped onion
½ c chopped green bell pepper
21 oz. fat free brown gravy
½ t onion salt
½ t salt
½ t pepper
3 c cooked yolk free egg noodles
1 c shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook turkey, mushrooms, onion and green pepper in a skillet until turkey is no longer pink then add onion salt, salt and pepper and mix well. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes then place noodles in a 3 quart dish sprayed with Pam and top with the meat mix. Pour the gravy over. Sprinkle with cheese, cover and bake 20 minutes then uncover and bake another 15 minutes.

Dinner, Sides, Vegetables

Sauted Peppers and Onions

August 11, 2010 admin 1 Comment

Regular bell peppers will do fine here, but I often like to mix in fryers, and special varieties that you find at farmer’s markets. At the very least, I try to mix colors of the store bought peppers to make this a colorful dish. At only 38 calories per serving (which is a WHOLE pepper and ¼ of an onion), don’t be afraid to have an extra portion ! This is great next to steak and even next to hot sandwiches.

4 servings
38 calories per serving

4 bell peppers, varied colors, cut into thin strips
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 T oil
Pam
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
hot water

Place oil in large skillet and heat to medium high. Put onions in pan and saute 5 minutes. Move onions to the side, remove pan from heat and spray skillet with Pam. Return to heat and add peppers to skillet. Let cook down a little and then season with all the spices. After about 5 minutes, lower heat to medium and continue cooking to desired doneness. I like mine pretty soft and let them cook a good 20 minutes. If you do the same, you will likely need to add a couple tablespoons of hot water a couple times during the cooking process so that the veggie stay moist and do not burn.

Dinner, Sides, Summer, Vegetables

Roasted Vegetable Salad

August 9, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Adding balsamic to grilled or broiled vegetables brings out a whole new dimension of flavor. Vinegar is often used as a flavor enhancer and boy does it do the trick here. This is a great side, lunch, appetizer – – however you slice it, you gotta make it ! 🙂

8 servings
140 calories per serving

1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
8 oz. Portobello mushroom caps
6 eggplant slices
1 c low fat Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Cut peppers lengthwise into quarters and place all veggies on a broiler rack or on a wire rack atop a baking sheet and brush them with 1/2 c of the dressing. Broil 6-8 minutes turning and brushing a few times with the another ¼ c of the dressing. Slice mushrooms and mix all ingredients together and dress with the last ¼ c of dressing.

Chicken, Dinner, FiberGourmet, Pasta

Pesto Chicken and Pasta

August 5, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This dish is so packed with flavor, so satisfying, so easy to make and I am so going to make it again very soon !

4 servings
200 calories per serving

½ c prepared pesto sauce
1 c fat free chicken broth
9 oz. prepared sliced chicken (Perdue Shortcuts work great here)
8 oz. FiberGourmet Fettucine noodles (without FiberGourmet pasta, you have to add another 80 calories per serving to this)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 large tomatoes, chopped

Mix pesto and ¾ c broth in a skillet and add the chicken and mix well then cover and cook on medium for 5 minutes. Cook the pasta according to package directions and toss with ¼ c broth and season with salt and pepper then add chicken mix and mix well. Garnish with chopped tomatoes.

Dinner, Fish, Summer

Lemon Shrimp Kabobs

August 5, 2010 admin Leave a comment

You know the drill 🙂 Throw away the skewers and forget kabobs – get a grill basket instead and make kabob cooking easy like it should be ! Cooking this with the lemon wedges as well as mixing in lemon juice makes this super citrusy and shrimp is just meant to be mixed with citrus.

6 servings
115 calories per serving

3 T honey
¼ c lemon juice
1 T finely chopped parsley
1 ½ lb. uncooked shrimp
3 medium zucchini, cut into 1 inch slices
2 medium summer squash, cut into 1 inch slices
1 small red bell pepper cut into 1 inch wedges
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small lemon cut into wedges
Pam

Mix honey, lemon juice and parsley in a dish. Add shrimp, cover and refrigerate ½ hour. Heat grill and spray a grill basket with Pam. Place shrimp and veggies in basket and grill 12 minutes stirring frequently. Brush more marinade on the fish during the cooking process.