Spring Salad

July 13, 2011 admin 2 Comments

Delightful ! It’s always great to find a salad that tastes different. Sometimes greens just start tasting all the same and salads get boring. But when you add nuts, grapes and goat cheese, you get a whole other flavor profile plus some great new textures and the salad takes on a whole new life. Try this one 🙂

4 servings
235 calories per serving

¼ c dry roasted pistachios (or other mixed nuts), chopped finely
½ c goat cheese
¼ c low fat balsamic vinaigrette
5 oz. spring salad mix (or any greens – I added some arugula this time for a great punch of flavor)
1 c seedless red grapes, halved lengthwise
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper

Put nuts in a dish and divide cheese into portions and roll them into balls then roll the balls in the nuts to coat them. Combine dressing and lettuce and mix well then divide between 4 plates. Top with grapes and cheese balls and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Sides

Quick and Easy Mushroom Risotto

July 12, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This consistently turns out an awesome risotto textured dish yet takes so little time to make ! Be sure to use Arborio rice or it just won’t turn out tasting like risotto. Get creative with your mushrooms – mix it up, use some canned, some fresh, some baby bellas, some portobellos – have fun 🙂

4 servings
164 calories per serving

1/3 c chopped shallots
1 T butter
2/3 c Arborio rice
2 c water
1 t chicken bouillon powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 c mushrooms (your choice on type of mushroom) diced very small
Pam
½ t onion powder
¼ c grated parmesan cheese

Heat butter and cook shallots until tender. Add rice and cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in water, flavoring, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Spray a small skillet with Pam and sauté mushrooms with onion powder for 3-4 minutes. Stir mushrooms into finished rice (it will still be quite moist) and let stand covered 5 minutes. If not a creamy texture, add in some hot water. Finally stir in parmesan cheese.

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Chicken, Dinner

Chicken Stuffed with Garlic Cream Cheese

July 11, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Adding cheese and fresh herbs transforms regular chicken thighs into a restaurant worthy dish. You can really change these up by just adding different herbs to the cream cheese. I always use fresh herbs for a crisp, fresh flavor. But dried herbs will do in a pinch !

Chicken Stuffed with Garlic Cream Cheese

6 servings
247 calories per serving

6 4 oz. boneless skinless chicken thighs
3 cloves garlic, minced
12 t fat free cream cheese
7 basil leaves, chopped
Pam
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat small skillet and add Pam. Saute garlic 2 minutes. Add garlic and basil to cream cheese. Chicken thighs are usually folded over in the package. If they are not, or if you are using chicken breasts instead, then you will need to make a deep slit in the meat so that later you can stuff them. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and place in a baking dish sprayed with Pam. Cool 35 minutes. Remove and carefully place 2 t of the cream cheese mix in the pocket (either the folded over section or the slit that you cut). Put chicken back in the over and bake another 5 minutes or until done throughout. Cool 5 minutes then serve.

Asian, Beef, Lunch, Sandwiches

Sesame Beef Wrap

July 10, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Part sandwich wrap, part egg roll – this is a great lunch or dinner wrap packed with flavor and crunch.

1 serving
335 calories per serving

1 large size 100 calorie wrap
3 oz. leftover lean beef (such as filet mignon or sirloin) sliced very thin
1 c shredded cabbage
½ t minced garlic
¼ c green bell pepper, sliced very thin
½ of a large rib of celery, sliced thin
2 T light Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing (by Kraft)
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam

Heat a skillet and spray with Pam. Add peppers and celery and sauté for 5 minutes. Add a tablespoon or so of water along the way to keep the veggies moist. Add garlic and sauté another 30 seconds. Add beef and cabbage and continue cooking 1-2 minutes. Add salt and pepper and then place it all in your wrap and roll it up. Here’s a link to a video that shows you how to wrap them up securely

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Dinner, Sides, Vegetables

Buttery Broccolini

July 9, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Broccolini is a cross between broccoli and kale. The stalks are more tender than regular broccoli and the flavor is so bright and fresh.

8 servings
61 calories per serving

4 quarts water
1 t salt
24 oz. broccolini
2 T butter, room temperature
1 t grated lemon zest
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t Molly McButter
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil water and add 1 t salt. Boil broccolini and then remove from hot water. Mix butter, zest and juice in the same pan once the water is removed. Add broccolini and mix well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and Molly McButter, then stir and serve.

Chicken, Dinner, Kid Friendly, Pasta

Chicken Piccata and Orzo

July 5, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Orzo, chicken, piccata sauce – – pure heaven ! This is one of my favorite dishes. It is definitely restaurant worthy and it’s so easy to do. It’s a great dish to make when entertaining – your guests won’t even know they are eating healthy 🙂

4 servings
346 calories per serving

1 c uncooked orzo
2 t grated lemon rind
4 4 oz. boneless skinless chicken cutlets
Salt and pepper to taste
1 T olive oil
1/4 c white wine
1/2 c chicken broth
1 T lemon juice plus 1 t lemon juice
1 T chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2 T chopped fresh parsley

Cook orzo according to package instructions. Stir in the lemon zest. 1 t lemon juice, salt and pepper and keep warm. Heat oil in a skillet. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and then cook chicken 3-4 minutes each site or until done. Remove the chicken from the pan and keep it warm. Add wine to pan and cook 2 minutes then add broth and 1 T lemon juice and bring to a boil and cook another 2 minutes or until it’s reduced to ½ c total. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley and butter until the butter is melted. Serve chicken over orzo.

Dinner, Sides, Vegetables

Succotash

July 4, 2011 admin Leave a comment

I was a weird kid – I loved succotash and asked for it regularly ! I had not made it in quite some time, but now that I have the perfect recipe, I’ll be making it a whole lot more often.

8 servings
182 calories per serving

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
16 oz. frozen lima beans
1/2 c water
10 oz. frozen corn
1/2 c skim milk
2 T butter
2 T cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t Molly McButter

Heat a skillet and cook bacon until crisp then remove it and drain on paper towels. Add onion and cook 5-6 minutes. Add beans and water and cook 5 minutes then add corn, milk, butter and vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in bacon. Add Molly McButter, salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Dinner, Lunch, Soups

Cheesy Broccoli and Bean Soup

July 3, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This sure doesn’t taste like it’s only cooked 8 minutes – it tastes much more like a soup that has been prepped and cooked for hours. The depth of flavor is fantastic. It has a bright and vibrant broccoli taste that is mellowed by the beans and cheese. Very, very good ! This is quite a good serving size – you can easily move this to 5 side servings and have this next to a salad or sandwich.

3 servings
220 calories per serving

14 oz. vegetable broth
1 c water
1 lb. broccoli florets
14 oz. cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 c shredded low fat cheddar cheese

Boil water and broth in a saucepan. Add broccoli and cover the pan and cook 6 minutes then add the beans, salt and pepper and cook 2 minutes. Place half the soup in a blender with ½ c of the cheese. Puree and place in a bowl. Repeat with the remaining soup and cheese.

Dessert, Summer

Butter Pecan Ice Pops

July 2, 2011 admin 1 Comment

I recently got a Zoku Quick Pop Maker. BEST THING EVER ! I love making pops but hate the wait time. Now I have ‘em in 7-9 minutes 🙂 This is one of the recipes I pulled from the Zoku book – of course, I’ve tweaked many of the recipes to suit my own tastes, bring down calories, and to get creative with the pops, but some are in their original goodness.

The maker gets sooo cold that sometimes the first batch come out with a crackling motif on them – looks kinda cool !

You can make any of these recipes in traditional pop makers – each pop here is 2 oz. so adjust accordingly. And if you love pops like me, then do yourself a favor and get a Zoku 🙂

6 servings
178 calories per serving

¾ c pecan halves
½ T salted butter
1 T brown sugar
¾ c water
2 ½ oz. butterscotch morsels
½ c half and half
½ t vanilla extract

Toast the pecans in a skillet with the butter and sugar. Cook about 3 minutes stirring often. Let nuts cool completely.

In a saucepan over low heat whisk water and butterscotch morsels and cook until melted, but don’t boil. Cool 10 minutes then stir in the half and half and vanilla and then refrigerate until completely cool, about 20 minutes. Whisk occasionally so that a skin does not form on top of the mixture.

Working in 2 batches – place approximately 6 pecan halves in each mold and then pour in the butterscotch mixture up to the fill line. In 7-9 minutes you’ll have rich, flavorful pops that rival the experience of butter pecan ice cream 🙂

If you are using traditional molds, freeze 6 hours.