Avocado and Spinach Salad

July 25, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Kraft has so many great dressing out there – as well as using them on their own, they make GREAT to use as ingredients in other dressings, sauces, marinades, etc. This salad is a Kraft recipe and it was so good !

2 servings
250 calories per serving

1/2 c sliced avocados
3 T mandarin orange juice
2 t lemon juice
3 c baby spinach leaves
11 oz. can mandarin oranges (reserve 3 T juice / rinse the oranges in cold water)
1/4 c Kraft Catalina dressing (sweet French dressing)
2 T pecans (or other nuts), toasted
To toast nuts, heat a skillet on medium high then add nuts. Cook, stirring frequently, until the heat brings out the flavors, about 2-3 minutes (when you smell the great aroma, they are just about done).

Mix dressing,. Lemon juice and orange juice. Pour over spinach, oranges and avocados. Garnish with nuts.

Chicken, Dinner

Tandoori Chicken

July 24, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Tandoori Chicken is an Indian dish with so much flavor. Though it is not cooked in a tandor as you would for authentic Tandoori chicken, this recipe is pretty darned good !

4 servings
152 calories per serving

1 ½ c plain low fat Greek yogurt
2 T grated onion (grate it just like you would a hunk of cheddar cheese)
1 T grated ginger
1 T vegetable oil
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground red pepper
1/4 t ground turmeric
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 6 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 t salt
Pam

Mix the yogurt and spices in a Ziploc bag. Add the chicken and seal and marinate in the frig for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place chicken in a baking dish and roast ½ hour. Turn on the broiler and cook 5 minutes or so to crisp it up.

Dinner, Italian, Vegetables

Skinny Eggplant Lasagna

July 22, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This dish is a cross between lasagna and eggplant rollatini (which is a dish often served as an appetizer and is eggplant rolled up around ricotta cheese and topped with pasta sauce – yum!). In this recipe, instead of rolling it up, I have layered it in a baking dish much like a lasagna would be made. The results – a skinny lasagna full of yummy cheese.

9 servings
142 calories per serving

2 medium eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise into thin slices (1/4 inch thick)
1 jar (26.5 oz.) pasta sauce (I used Hunts Pasta Sauce for this dish)
1 ½ c fat free ricotta cheese
2 c fat free cottage cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t garlic powder
1 T chopped basil
2 t chopped parsley
4 T parmesan cheese
½ c fat free shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread ½ c or so of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Mix cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, 2 T parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and parsley. Layer 1/3 of the eggplant slices to fully cover the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then spread half of the cheese mix on top of the eggplant slices. Cover with ¾ c of sauce then layer the next third of eggplant slices to cover the whole dish. Add the rest of the cheese mix and then another ¾ c of sauce. Finally add the last third of the eggplant slices to make the top. Spread the rest of the sauce over the top and then sprinkle with 2 T parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove cover and spread the mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake another 10 minutes. Remove and cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Beef, Dinner, Kid Friendly

Prime Rib Roast

July 20, 2011 admin 2 Comments

Prime rib is definitely not a low cal meat – but either in very small portions or having it on cheat day, I just gotta do it every so often. It has a flavor unlike any other cut of beef.

3 oz. serving = 250 calories

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rub liberal amounts of salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder onto all sides of the roast. Place in a roasting pan and cook 20 minutes per pound for medium. Remove from oven and let rest 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Dinner, Fish, Kid Friendly

Lemon Shrimp

July 19, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This dish is great served warm or chilled. I use this as the ‘surf’ portion for my Skinny Surf and Turf – it is so flavorful and fresh ! Shrimp is so low cal – it makes a perfect dinner.

6 servings
146 calories per serving

3 T minced garlic cloves
2 T olive oil
1/4 c lemon juice
1/4 c chopped parsley
1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 t pepper
1 1/4 lb. cooked shrimp

Heat skillet and add oil. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add lemon juice and parsley and heat 1 minute. Stir in shrimp and cook 1 minute to heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper just before serving.

Dinner, Salads, Sides, Vegetables

Curried Cucs and Avocado

July 18, 2011 admin Leave a comment

My friend grows the tastiest cucs ! And they are just perfect in this salad. Just a bit of curry, just a bit of Tabasco, lotsa lime and great veggies. This is one you’ll make again and again.

3 servings
106 calories per serving

1 large cucumber peeled, seeded and diced
1 t salt
½ red bell pepper, diced
Zest of one lime
Juice of one lime
2 T chopped cilantro or parsley
1 ½ t sugar
½ t curry powder
A Couple of dashes of Tabasco
1 avocado, diced

Take the cucumber pieces and sprinkle with salt and set in a colander to drain. This helps some to remove some of the bitterness that some cucumbers have. Mix pepper, lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, sugar and Tabasco. Pat the cucumbers dry and add to the pepper mix. Finally add the avocado and serve immediately.

Asian, Dinner, Sides, Vegetables

Black Bean Broccoli

July 18, 2011 admin Leave a comment

I like broccoli – this recipe makes me LOVE broccoli. The black bean sauce is a perfect addition to crispy broccoli. The flavor is definitely Asian – so serve the next time you have an Asian themed menu.

4 servings
53 calories per serving

1 t sesame seeds
1/2 c water, divided
1 t rice wine vinegar, or white-wine vinegar
1 t cornstarch
2 t black bean-garlic sauce (readily available in the Asian section of your market)
2 t canola or vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 c broccoli florets

Heat a small skillet on medium low and add seeds. Cook 2-3 minutes to toast and bring out the flavor. Set aside. Mix ¼ c water, vinegar and cornstarch then add black bean sauce and stir well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet and add garlic. Cook 30 seconds then add broccoli and stir well. Add ¼ c water to the pan, cover and steam broccoli 3 minutes. Then push the broccoli to the sides and pour the sauce in the center and stir a minute or so until it thickens then mix sauce well with the broccoli. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Appetizers, Dinner, Italian, Vegetables

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.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Uncategorized

Bacon and Cheese Hotdog

July 15, 2011 admin Leave a comment

What a great change to your regular hotdog. The kids will gobble these up ! If you use a low fat bun and non fat hotdogs, you can get this calorie count down quite a bit.

1 serving
330 calories per serving

1 low fat beef hot dog
2 slices cooked turkey bacon, crumbled
1 whole wheat hot dog bun
1 slice Kraft fat free cheese
1 T barbeque sauce or ketchup

Grill or boil the hot dog. Place cheese in bun and add hot dog. Top with sauce and bacon crumbles.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

My Favorite Pudding Pie

July 14, 2011 admin Leave a comment

There are lots of pudding pie recipes out there, but this one is my favorite because it has a bit of everything – bananas, chocolate, shipped topping, peanut butter, nuts – this is decadence at its best 🙂 High on the calories, but still under 400 and if it’s your only snack of the day along with other 400 calories meals, then definitely allowed !

10 servings
357 calories per serving

1 Nilla Pie Crust (pre-prepared pie crust made with Nilla wafers – much like a graham crust)
1 1/2 squares Bakers semi sweet chocolate
1/2 c peanut butter
2 bananas, cut lengthwise in half, then make long thin slices
1 3.4 oz. pack of sugar free vanilla instant pudding
1 1/2 c skim milk
2 c Lite Cool Whip
2 T salted peanuts, chopped

Take half of one chocolate square and grate it with a coarse cheese grater to make chocolate flakes for the top of the pie. Take the rest of the chocolate and microwave 1 minute then add the peanut butter and microwave for another minute, until completely melted. Put banana pieces in the crust and add the chocolate mix. Whisk pudding and milk for 2 minutes and then fold in 1 c of the Cool Whip and spread over the bananas. Spread the rest of the Cool Whip on top and then garnish with peanuts and chocolate flakes.