Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms

May 28, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Another installment of stuffed mushrooms ! The pesto flavor really comes through and makes these a success story. Much easier than chopping stems and cooking sausage…these come together very quickly and are a great appetizer, snack, or side dish.

12 servings
50 calories per serving (1 serving = 2 mushrooms)

24 baby portobello mushrooms
1/3 c part skim ricotta cheese
3 T pesto (available in the refrigerator section of your local market)
2 t whole wheat flour
2 T grated romano or parmesan cheese
1 T breadcrumbs
Pam

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with Pam. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and place the mushroom caps on the baking sheet with the stem side facing up. Mix the ricotta, pesto and flour. Spoon the mix evenly into the mushroom caps and press down. Combine the parmesan and breadcrumbs and sprinkle on top of the mushrooms. Press down lightly. Bake 15-20 minutes or until browned.

Sides, Vegetables

Cucumber Raita

May 27, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This Indian condiment / sauce is great served next to any spicy dish. It will remind you of tzatziki because of the cucumber and yogurt, but the similarity ends there with a whole different flavor combination from the green peppers and cilantro. This is so refreshing and at 23 calories per serving, you can serve it next to just about anything.

7 ¼ c servings
23 calories per serving

8 oz. plain low fat yogurt
2 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped or grated
¼ c finely chopped green bell pepper
2 T finely chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
¼ t ground cumin
Black pepper
¼ t salt

Whisk yogurt and add all the rest of the ingredients other than the pepper. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Sprinkle with pepper just before serving.

Dinner, Salads, Sides, Summer, Vegetables

Tomato, Egg and Cucumber Salad

May 27, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Though the dressing is a simple vinegar and oil mix, this salad does not lack in flavor. The egg yolks and tomatoes give this most of its flavor. Try making a nice big serving dish instead of placing on individual bowls – it makes a pretty centerpiece to a party table 🙂

4 servings
190 calories per serving

4 large eggs, hardboiled and sliced
½ c balsamic vinegar
4 t oil
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
2 large cucumbers, thinly sliced
½ head lettuce separated into leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Set on medium heat and bring to a boil. Cover and keep at a low boil 2 minutes. Shut heat, but leave eggs in pan and covered for 13 more minutes. Then rinse eggs under cold water. Refrigerate eggs for ½ hour as they will peel easier this way. Combine oil and vinegar. Place the lettuce leaves down and then add the tomatoes and cucumbers to the plates. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then pour over the dressing. Finally place the egg slices on top of each plate.

Uncategorized

FOOD BLOGGER NETWORK

May 26, 2010 admin Leave a comment

If you’re a fellow food blogger, then we have the place for you…http://foodbloggernetwork.com

Sarah and I are fellow food bloggers with years of experience in webmaster support and online marketing. We share your passion for food and also have a penchant for helping bloggers – – putting those 2 things together, we’ve created FoodBloggerNetwork.com

Here you can find advice and help on all sorts of topics – food photography, food events, technical help, wordpress plugin recommendations, setting up Facebook fan pages, setting up a Twitter account – – and a whole lot more ! We have a discussion forum for asking questions and getting help not only from us, but from the food blogger community at large.

We hope you stop by and find some useful information.

Dessert, Kid Friendly, Summer

Yogurt Pie

May 26, 2010 admin Leave a comment

I’ve been making this recipe for years, and my Mom for years before that. It is always a great summer time treat that even yogurt non-likes find tempting and delicious. Sometimes I take the filling and make ice pops out of it rather than placing in a pie crust. No matter how you slice it, you will love this pie !

8 servings
200 calories per serving

1 prepared low fat graham crust
20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained well
8 oz. tub Cool Whip lite, thawed
6 oz. non fat lemon yogurt (don’t substitute – you need the lemon flavor to bring some tang to the pie)
6 oz. non fat yogurt – any flavor
Some fruit for garnish

Mix all ingredients and place in the pie crust. Cover and freeze at least 5 hours. Defrost 10-15 minutes before serving. If the pie has been frozen longer than over night, you may need to defrost 20 -25 minutes before serving.

Breakfast, Kid Friendly

Cheesy Eggs and Sausage Breakfast

May 25, 2010 admin Leave a comment

When you are on a 400 calorie a meal plan, you don’t have to shy away from breakfast. In fact, you can have quite a plate of food for only 265 calories !!! That even leaves room for more toast or eggs or sausage – but, believe me, this plateful is quite filling just like it is 🙂

1 serving
265 calories per serving

Plate includes:
2 turkey sausage patties cooked according to package instructions (100 calories)

1 slice wheat toast (45 calorie per slice bread) with 1 T buttery spread (45 calorie pet T)

1/2 c egg beaters scrambled (spray pan with Pam) and during the last minute of cooking, add 1 Laughing Cow light cheese wedge that has been cut into little cubes (it will melt pretty fast)

Food Buzz Daily Special

Grill Baskets

May 24, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Grill baskets are the best invention since sliced bread ! Really 🙂

I find threading kabobs too time consuming for the actual results. And I find cooking kabobs over the grill nightmarish as you watch great, tender pieces of onion and tomato slip off the skewer into the coals.

As part of FoodBuzz Daily Specials, I’ll be making a some special posts over the next couple of weeks that relate to a specific topic. Today’s special is about GRILL BASKETS.

And I am passionate about using grill baskets ! Just give them a little spray with Pam, throw in any of the ingredients that you would normally be skewering, toss a few times (like you would a big stir fry) and you come out with food that tastes even better because you don’t get those ‘undone’ patches from where the food was pressed up against other bits. And even better – you don’t lose pieces and prep time is a snap ! So grab yourself a nice big grill basket this season and enjoy !

Here are a few recipes I have posted in the past that recommend use of grill baskets.

Mexican Kabobs

Halibut Kebobs

Chicken, Dinner, Kid Friendly, Summer

Creamy Cheesy Chicken

May 23, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Creamy and cheesy this is ! The Swiss cheese in this made for a very mellow flavor that mixed very well with the chicken and broccoli. But I’m sure that any other flavor would do very well. This is one of those great recipes where you have everything incorporated – a protein, a starch and a veggie.

5 servings
390 calories per serving

3 c (6 oz.) uncooked wide egg noodles
2 t oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
3 c frozen broccoli florets
1 t minced dried onion
1 t onion powder
½ c white wine
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1 c (4 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese
2 t Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook noodles according to package instructions. Heat oil and add chicken and cook 4-5 minutes or until browned. Add broccoli, onion flakes and onion powder and cook 4 minutes or until hot then reduce heat and stir in wine. Cover and cook 4-5 minutes or until chicken is done. Add noodles, soup, cheese, mustard, salt and pepper and cook until cheese is melted and all is hot.

Italian, Lunch, Soups

Italian Bean Soup

May 23, 2010 admin Leave a comment

The broth in this soup tastes like it’s been simmered for hours – it has a great depth of flavor. But this soup takes just 20 minutes or so of simmering time. And with all the veggies and pasta, it ends up being quite a hearty, thick soup. Just add some water during the last 7 minutes cooking time if you like it a little thinner. But I like gruely soup 🙂

6 servings
190 calories per serving

1 t oil
½ c diced Canadian bacon
½ c chopped green bell pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
28 oz. can peeled tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped
14.5 oz. chicken broth
½ c orzo
15.5 oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
8 oz. frozen cut green beans
¼ c chopped basil
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t garlic powder
½ t onion powder
¼ t celery salt

In a large pan heat oil on medium high heat. Add bacon, green pepper and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth and pasta and bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer 12 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in kidney beans, green beans, salt and pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt and basil and cook 7 minutes.

Breakfast, Snacks

Bananas with Yogurt and Honey

May 22, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Cooking the bananas first brings out all the sweetness – so when you add in the tangy Greek yogurt, the 2 offset each other and you get a wonderful tasting breakfast or snack. The honey and nuts make a perfect topping.

4 servings
240 calories per serving

2 ripe bananas, peeled
2 ¼ c plain Greek yogurt
2 T honey
2 T chopped almonds or walnuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap the bananas in foil and bake 20 minutes then cool completely. Place banana in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add yogurt and gently fold then spoon into cups and sprinkle with nuts and drizzle with honey.