Dinner, FiberGourmet, Fish, Mexican, Pasta

Shrimp and Pasta with Creamy Chipotle Sauce

April 16, 2012 admin Leave a comment

This creamy sauce has a nice little kick from the chipotle pepper – you can kick it up as much as you want ! All the ingredients here mix to perfection and you end up with a winner dinner.

Shrimp and Pasta with Creamy Chipotle Sauce

4 servings
371 calories per serving

10 oz. FiberGourmet fettucine noodles (regular or flavored)
1 T oil
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small bell pepper, sliced
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained well
1 canned chipotle pepper, minced, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from the can
1/2 t cumin
1 lb. peeled and cleaned shrimp
2 t lemon juice
1 1/2 c fat free half and half
1/4 c chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven and sauté onion 4-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, peppers, tomatoes and cumin and sauté another 4-5 minutes. Add chipotle, shrimp, lemon and half and half and cook 5 minutes or until shrimp are done. Add salt and pepper and cilantro. Stir in pasta and mix well.

Dinner, Fish

Milk Poached Fish

April 13, 2012 admin 2 Comments

Poaching fish in milk makes for a delicate and mild fish dish. It is simple to put together and so elegantly perfect.

4 servings
158 calories per serving

4 5 oz. tilapia filets
2 bay leaves
3 T fresh lemon juice
Chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Skim milk (enough to cover the fish)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place fish in a shallow baking dish. Cover with milk. Season with salt and pepper and add the lemon and bay leaves. Cook fish 20-25 minutes or until done. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Dinner, Italian, Pasta, Sides

Parmesan Orzo

April 12, 2012 admin Leave a comment

There is so much cheesy goodness in this side dish – don’t think of it as pasta with a sprinkling of cheese. It is much more pasta with a gooey, yummy cheese sauce.

4 servings
263 calories per serving

2 T butter
1 c uncooked orzo
1 14.5 oz. can chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a sauce pan and sauté orzo until lightly browned. Add the broth and bring to a boil then cover and reduce heat to low and cook 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Mix in cheese, basil, salt and pepper.

Sides, Vegetables

Roasted Grape Tomatoes

April 10, 2012 admin 6 Comments

Roasting tomatoes gives them a whole new taste – they become earthy and really savory. They make a meal feel special and there’s no easier recipe !

4 servings
45 calories per serving

2 pints grape tomatoes
Pam (olive oil flavor)
Coarse salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 t parsley flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking pan with Pam. Slice the tomatoes in half and lay on the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast uncovered for 1 hour. If you like them kicked up a bit, add some onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, etc. before roasting. But I prefer the pure taste of tomatoes in this recipe.

I can’t resist – here is another picture of the tomatoes – I just LOVE the color !

Roasted Tomatoes - again :) — Roasted Tomatoes - again 🙂

Sides, Vegetables

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

April 9, 2012 admin 1 Comment

Sometimes ‘simple’ is the best way. And these are certainly simple to prep, yet they taste anything but simple !

4 servings
52 calories per serving

4 c Brussel sprouts with the tops and outer leaves trimmed
Pam
2 t oil
1/4 c kosher salt
1/4 t black pepper
2 T grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place Brussel sprouts in a baking dish sprayed with Pam. Drizzle the oil over the sprouts and toss. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast 30 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.

Dessert

Coconut Custard Pie

April 8, 2012 admin Leave a comment

This makes such a great custard ! The coconut flavor is mild, the custard is creamy and this is a superb pie. Sometimes I add a little coconut to the custard itself. This is as good as any bakery custard and at only 280 calories per serving, it‘s a great choice.

8 servings
280 calories

¼ c flaked coconut
¾ Splenda
⅓ c cornstarch
½ t salt
2½ c skim milk
2 egg yolks
2 T butter
¾ c flaked coconut
1¼ t vanilla extract
¼ t coconut extract
1 low fat graham pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast ¼ cup coconut in a skillet on medium low heat 5 to 6 minutes or until toasted.
Mix Splenda, starch and salt and gradually whisk in milk. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thick. Beat egg until pale in color and then whisk in ¾ c of the milk mix. Then add that mix back to the rest of the milk and whisk (in this manner, the eggs do not curdle). Cook one minute to bring to a boil stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add butter, ¾ c coconut and extracts. Pour into crust, cover with plastic and gently press down on the filling. Chill 3 hours and sprinkle with toasted coconut and garnish with some optional whipped cream just before serving.

Pasta, Sides

Tomatoes and Orzo

April 7, 2012 admin 4 Comments

The lemon and lemon zest are what make this dish so special – it is unexpected paired with pasta but once you taste it, you definitely want more. And in my opinion, orzo is one of the best pastas out there – I love it in side dishes, in soups, in casseroles, any way it is served 🙂

5 servings
202 calories per serving

1 c uncooked orzo
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 T oil
1 T lemon zest
1 T lemon juice
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Cook orzo 9-11 minutes in boiling water. Drain and combine with the rest of the ingredients.

Dinner, Fish

Honey Tilapia

April 4, 2012 admin Leave a comment

Serve with Ginger Carrots and Steamed Potatoes with Garlic Sauce for an awesome meal 🙂

This is a very aromatic meal and the sauce can really be used on any white fish, delicate or firm. I make a little extra sauce and really smother the fish for extra goodness.

4 servings
230 calories per serving

Fish:
1 t oil
4 6 oz. tilapia filets
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Sauce:
2 1/2 T lemon juice
2 T green onions, chopped
1 T honey
1 T soy sauce
1 t bottled ground fresh ginger
1/4 t dark sesame oil

Prepare dressing by placing all ingredients in a bowl and mixing well.

Heat oil in a non stick skillet on medium high heat. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper and cook 3 minutes each side or until fish is opaque. Top each fillet with 2 T of dressing.

Dinner, Italian, Kid Friendly, Soups

Ravioli Soup

April 2, 2012 admin Leave a comment

This is a superb soup – the broth is so rich and full bodied it could almost be used as a tomato sauce if you thickened it up some. The ravioli are a great addition as the cheesiness mixes so well with the tomato based broth. Any cheese pasta would do well here, but the ravioli makes it just a little different and oh so yummy !

4 servings
274 calories per serving

1 T olive oil
2 c frozen bell pepper and onion mix, thawed and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t crushed red pepper
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
32 oz. vegetable broth
1 c hot water
1 t basil flakes
1 t oregano flakes
9 oz. frozen cheese ravioli
2 c diced zucchini
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large soup pot and add peppers, onions, garlic and red pepper. Saute for 4 minutes then add tomatoes, broth, water and spice. Bring to a boil and add ravioli and cook 3 minutes less than the package instructions. Add zucchini, return to boil and cook another 3 minutes. Garnish with some parmesan cheese if you would like (not included in calorie count).

Appetizers, Fish, Lunch

Tuna Salad in Endive

April 1, 2012 admin Leave a comment

This makes a great lunch or you can serve them up as appetizers as your next party. When you do away with the bread, tuna fish makes a great low cal lunch 🙂

1 serving
150 calories per serving

½ of a 5 oz. can of tuna fish
1 T light mayonnaise
½ t onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 rib celery, sliced
4 endive leaves

Make tuna by mixing all ingredients. Then place in endive leaves and plate.