Sauteed Shrimp with Arugula

June 21, 2010 admin Leave a comment

What an excellent meal ! The bitter arugula offset the sweet tomatoes and shrimp just perfectly. And at 144 calories per serving – – EAT UP 🙂

4 servings
144 calories per serving

1 T plus 1 t oil
1 c grape tomatoes
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and cleaned
4 oz. baby arugula (4 c)
Coarse salt and pepper
1 T lemon juice

Heat oil and add tomatoes and cook 2 minutes then add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook until almost done, about 4 minutes. Add arugula, salt and pepper and toss until the arugula wilts some. Finally add lemon juice, toss, and serve.

Breakfast, Kid Friendly, Lunch, Snacks

Bacon and Cheese Muffin

June 21, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This is basically an eggless version of a great breakfast sandwich. This is so satisfying when you need something bacony and cheesy !

1 serving
245 calories per serving

1 light whole wheat muffin (100 calories)
6 sprays I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray
2 slices fat free Kraft singles
3 slices turkey bacon

Cook the bacon according to package instructions. Toast the muffin and when done, immediately spray each half with butter spray and place the cheese slices on so they get melty. Top with the cooked bacon and eat open faced or make a sandwich.

Lunch, Sandwiches, Vegetables

Portobello Burger

June 20, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This is a great, hearty sandwich that fills you up and contains no high calorie meat. Sometimes when you get these in a restaurant, they have the same calorie content as having a burger (sometimes they are done in tons of oil or butter). But this version keeps the oil to a minimum and adds a nice amount of cheesy goodness to the sandwich.

1 serving
299 calories per serving

1 large portobello mushroom cap, stem removed
1 t oil
Salt and pepper
Sprinkle of cayenne pepper
¼ c shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
1 100 calorie Arnold Select Sandwich Thins bun
1 t buttery spread
Garlic powder to taste
1 large onion slice
1 large tomato slice
Lettuce leaves
Pam

Coat mushroom with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cayenne. Spray skillet and heat to medium high. Place mushroom in the pan rounded side up. Cook 5 minutes. Flip. Sprinkle with garlic powder, top with cheese and cook another 4-5 minutes. Meanwhile, toast bun and spread butter on it. Place mushroom on bun and top with tomato, onion and lettuce.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Peanut Butter Fudge Pie

June 19, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This tastes just like a Peanut Butter Silk pie that a restaurant around here used to serve. When the restaurant closed, we all mourned the loss of the pie ! But now I’ve found just the right mixture of ingredients to reproduce it ! It’s a little high in calorie count for a dessert, but it is sooooooooooooo worth it, so save it for a splurge day and dig in 🙂

8 servings
380 calories per serving

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ c sugar
¼ c creamy peanut butter
2 c cool whip, thawed
1 oreo pie crust
¼ c hot fudge topping, warmed

Beat cream cheese with sugar and peanut butter and then whisk in cool whip. Spoon into crust and drizzle with topping and gently swirl with a knife. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Dinner, Italian, Sides, Vegetables

Roasted Peppers and Garlic

June 18, 2010 admin Leave a comment

When you roast peppers, you make them ultimately sweet and bring out tons of natural flavor. When paired up with some simple oil, garlic, and seasoning, you get quite a treat !

If you only have one color pepper, don’t let that hold you back from roasting them up. In the line up of most sweet to least sweet, you have the red, orange, yellow and green bell pepper. All have a very distinct flavor and all are delicious ! I add a bunch more garlic to these than the recipe calls for – just because 🙂

4 servings
97 calories per serving

1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
2 T oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ t oregano flakes
Coarse salt
Ground pepper
Handful of basil leaves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Halve the peppers and remove the seeds. Place cut side up on a cookie sheet and drizzle with oil. Add garlic slices to pepper halves along with oregano, salt and pepper. Roast 35 minutes or so (or until skin starts to blister) and then remove from oven and sprinkle with a handful of fresh torn basil leaves.

Breakfast, Lunch, Sandwiches

Open Faced Egg and Bacon Sandwich

June 17, 2010 admin 1 Comment

This is a great take on a bacon and egg sandwich – the addition of the mustard and mayo give it a great extra zing and the watercress adds a great dimension not usually found in a sandwich like this.

1 serving
297 calories per serving

Bottom half of a hoagie roll
1 t whole grain mustard
1 t light mayonnaise
2 slices bacon, cooked
1 egg, cooked over easy in a skillet sprayed with Pam
1 handful watercress, stems removed
Coarse salt
Pepper

Spread roll with mustard and mayo and then layer with bacon, watercress and egg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve open faced.

Dinner, Fish, Italian, Summer

Tuna with Gremolata

June 16, 2010 admin 1 Comment

Gremolata is a just a mixture of parsley, lemon, garlic and oil. It is a wonderful condiment that is packed with flavor. Serve with some Roasted Grape Tomatoes for a great meal.

4 servings
170 calories per serving

¼ c chopped parsley
2 T grated lemon zest
1 t oil
1 garlic clove, minced
4 4 oz. tuna steaks
¼ t salt
1/8 t pepper
Pam

Combine parsley, lemon, oil and garlic and set aside. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with Pam. Place tuna on sheet and sprinkle with salt. Broil 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Alternately spray fish with Pam and grill to desired doneness. Top fish with gremolata during the last minute of broiling.

Leftover tuna makes a GREAT tuna fish salad. Just mix it with mayo and some diced pickles – it is sooo much fresher than the canned stuff and you can really taste the difference.

Appetizers, Lunch, Mexican, Snacks

Nacho Pizzas

June 15, 2010 admin 1 Comment

Just made this one again after a few months – – it is still just as delicious 🙂

Appetizer, lunch, snack – no matter how you serve them, these are a crowd pleaser. I used a nice spicy salsa so that these had a little punch to them and they are definitely on my list of things to make again SOON 🙂 If there is an ingredient you don’t like, just leave it off the ‘pizza’ – it won’t hurt a thing !

5 servings (2 pizzas each)
270 calories per serving

1 can refrigerated biscuit dough
3 T black bean dip
1/3 c thick salsa (or petite cut diced canned tomatoes)
2 T canned chopped green chilies
2 scallions, chopped
2 T sliced black olives
¾ c shredded low fat cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out each biscuit into a 5 inch circle and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Top with bean dip, salsa, chilies, onions and olives. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 12-15 minutes or until crust is brown and cheese is melted.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Coconut Fudgies

June 15, 2010 admin 1 Comment

There is nothing quite as decadent as chocolate. Make it fudgy by adding in marshmellows and evaporated milk, and it is just sinful ! If you don’t like coconut, leave it off – if you want different nuts, go for it. But don’t skip this recipe – this is a real winner !

32 servings
240 calories per serving

1 c butter, divided
14 Honey Grahams, finely crushed
1 c sugar
5 oz. evaporated milk
10.5 oz. package mini marshmellows
12 squares Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 c chopped walnuts
1 c coconut, toasted
Pam

Line a 13×9 pan with aluminum foil making sure it folds up over the ends so you can use it to lift out the dessert later. Spray the foil with Pam. Melt ¾ c butter and mix in the crumbs then press into the bottom of the pan to make a crust. Bring the rest of the butter, sugar, milk and marshmellows to boil, stirring constantly then add chocolate and stir until melted. Pour over the crust and top with the nuts and coconut then refrigerate 2 hours.

(To toast the coconut, simply place it in a hot skillet and stir frequently until it gets brown and toasty)

Dinner, Italian, Pasta, Vegetables

No Bake Lasagna

June 14, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Even my non-lasagna-loving kid had to have seconds of this one. It is just cheesy enough without that part being overpowering. Much like the physical layers of the lasagna, there are great flavor layers here since the cheese mix, zucchini mix and tomato mix are all flavored independently. This was a really superb dish !

4 servings
376 calories per serving

½ c low fat ricotta cheese
3 T parmesan cheese
3 T plus 2 t oil
Coarse salt
Pepper
8 lasagna noodles broken in half
1 garlic clove, minced
2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
½ t red pepper flakes
2 zucchini, thinly sliced
½ t garlic powder
1 T basil leaves, torn

Mix cheeses and 2 t oil. Add salt and pepper. Cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions and then drain. Heat 2 T oil in a skillet and cook garlic and tomatoes with some salt and pepper and the crushed red pepper about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and then add 1 T oil and zucchini to the skillet, season with garlic powder, and cook about 8 minutes then remove to a bowl and add basil. Place some tomatoes on plates and top with a noodle and a small spoonful of ricotta and a spoonful of zucchini and then some more tomatoes. Repeat layers twice and then top with the rest of the noodles and tomatoes and garnish with basil.