Tasty little meatballs in a aromatic steaming bowl of broth – this makes the whole house hungry as it cooks ! This is one of the best meatball soups I’ve made 🙂
Mini Meatball Soup
4 servings
384 calories per serving
2 t oil
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
3 c coleslaw mix shredded cabbage
1 ½ t oregano flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 c beef stock
2 c chicken stock
4 c water
2 T tomato paste
6 oz. lean ground beef
1 large egg
¼ c grated Parmesan cheese
¼ c bread crumbs
2 T parsley, chopped
½ t garlic powder
¾ t pepper
½ t salt
½ c chopped roasted red peppers
1 c minute rice
Heat oil in a heavy soup pan and sauté mushrooms for 4 minutes. Add cabbage, 1 t oregano and half the garlic. Cook 1 minute more and then add stocks, water and tomato paste. Reduce to medium heat. Mix beef, egg, cheese, bread crumbs, 1 ½ T parsley, garlic powder. pepper, salt, the rest of the oregano and the rest of the garlic. Make meatballs using only 1 teaspoon of mix per meatball, and place them in the broth and simmer about 10 minutes or until mostly done. Add peppers, rice and rest of the parsley. Let sit 6-7 minutes.
Serve 4 rounds per person for lunch or lighten it up and serve one round as an appetizer for only 42 calories !
But I bet you can’t eat just one ! 🙂
Eggplant Tomato Rounds
4 servings
165 calories per serving (4 rounds)
2 small eggplants, peeled and cut into 8 slices each
2 T oil
½ t salt
⅛ t pepper
½ t garlic powder
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
½ t basil flakes
½ t oregano flakes
½ cup low fat provolone cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush both sides of each eggplant round with oil and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper then bake 5 minutes per side. Please a slice of tomato on each round and sprinkle with oregano and basil. Divide cheese among the rounds and bake 5 minute to melt the cheese.
Gruyere cheese is the cheese often found on the top of French onion soup. It is a hard cheese with a very rich and nutty flavor. These quesadillas take perfect advantage of the distinctive flavors of both gruyere cheese and basil, combining them to make a taste treat you won’t forget.
Heat skillet and spray with Pam. Make a sandwich with the tortillas, cheese and basil. Cook a few minutes on each side to melt the cheese and then cut into wedges.
1 T light Ranch dressing
1 Whole wheat wrap (80 calorie version by Smart and Delicious)
1 lettuce leaf
6 slices deli turkey breast
2 slices tomato
1 Laughing Cow light cheese wedge
2 avocado slices
Spread the cheese on the wrap then fill with the rest of the ingredients and wrap it up. Here is a video that shows you how to make a wrap that does not leak 🙂
This is so cheesy that you can’t help but think you’re cheating on your diet – but you’re not ! Not by a long shot ! This is quick and easy to prepare and a great dish that deserves to be added to your permanent recipe box.
Cheesy Stovetop Chicken and Veggies
4 servings
280 calories per serving
1 T oil
1 lb. chicken tenders
¼ t pepper
¼ t salt
¼ t garlic powder
¼ t onion powder
20 oz. package of broccoli and cauliflower in cheese sauce
3 oz. frozen peas and carrots
2 t basil flakes
¼ c grated parmesan cheese
Heat oil on medium high heat and add chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes or until brown. Stir in veggies and reduce heat to medium and cook 10 minutes until chicken is done and cheese sauce is melty. Then stir in parmesan and basil and continue cooking on low 3 minutes or so.
This spicy broth is a nice contrast to the mild and creamy wontons. The ricotta mixed with the spinach for the filling makes for a very creamy textured wonton center. Wontons are definitely NOT hard to make ! Give it a shot ! Even if they don’t come out quite the right shape, as long as they stay sealed, that is really all that matters 🙂 And at only 137 calories per serving, double up the portion and you still have room for some crispy homemade flat breads as a side !
Spinach Soup with Wontons
8 servings
137 calories per serving
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
½ c part skim ricotta cheese
1 t chopped basil ( or ¼ t basil flakes)
½ t pepper
32 wonton wrappers
4 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth
2 T soy sauce
2 t chili sauce (available in the Asian section of your market)
½ c scallions, thinly sliced
For this recipe, be sure to use a pot that is large enough that the wontons have room and don’t get all piled on top of one another. Mix spinach, ricotta, basil and pepper in a blender until smooth. Place 1 T filling in each wonton and fold according to package instructions being sure to seal the last fold with a bit of water. Bring broth, soy and chili sauce to a boil. Add wontons and scallions and bring back to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes or until wontons are tender.
Here is a video to help you lean how to prepare wontons –
I modeled this recipe after a restaurant favorite of mine – it is a wild mushroom ravioli appetizer that I could not help but order every time I frequented a certain restaurant, but the calorie count was over the top. Not this one !! Between the RICH cream sauce and the multiple mushroom flavors, this meal tastes just as decadent but with so few calories, you can eat it without any guilt.
Portobello and Ricotta Wontons
Thanks to Marxfoods.com for the wild mushrooms to create this masterpiece ! The different varieties lend quite a flavor to this dish. The dish would just not be the same using run of the mill mushrooms. The mixture of the chanterelles and matsutakes inside the little packet of goodness combined with the flavors of the porcini, lobster and black trumpet mushroom sauce … well, it’s just a little bit of heaven right here on earth.
Marxfoods offers a bunch of wild mushroom varieties – I think my favorite in this dish were the black trumpet mushrooms – they have a very delicate texture and the aroma is akin to a truffle. These are definitely on my list of favorites.
8 appetizer servings (3 wontons each) – 106 calories per serving
4 dinner servings (6 wontons each – 212 calories per serving
Filling –
1 t oil
4 shallots, sliced
¼ c water
2 oz. reconstituted dry chanterelle mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
2 oz. reconstituted dry matsutake mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
2 oz. Portobello mushrooms, sliced
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
1/3 c part skim ricotta cheese
To reconstitute dried wild mushroom, place in a glass bowl and cover with very hot water. Let sit 20-30 minutes. Reserve the water to use as when boiling the wontons.
Heat 1 t oil in a skillet and sauté the shallots on medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add 1-2 T of water if needed to keep the shallots moist. Add the reconstituted mushroom and sauté another 2 minutes. Finally add the Portobello mushrooms and sauté another 7 minutes. When done, place all in a food processor and pulse 14 times. (It’s best to chop or mince the woodier mushrooms like chanterelles and matsutakes). Turn into a bowl and mix with the ricotta. Set aside.
Sauce –
1 t oil
1.5 oz. reconstituted dry porcini mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
.25 oz. reconstituted dry black trumpet mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
.50 oz. reconstituted dry lobster mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
1 T water
1 c beef broth
2 t cornstarch
¼ c fat free evaporated milk
1 t red vinegar
To reconstitute dried wild mushroom, place in a glass bowl and cover with very hot water. Let sit 20-30 minutes. Reserve the water to use as when boiling the wontons.
Heat 1 t oil in a skillet and sauté the mushrooms 6 minutes. Add up to 1 T of water to keep the mixture moist. Mix starch and broth and add to the pan along with the evaporated milk. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cook 2 minutes to thicken the sauce. During the last minute of cooking, add the vinegar. Set aside.
Wontons –
24 wonton wrappers
Small bowl of water
Reserved mushroom liquid
Water
2 t salt
Put reserved liquid in a pot and add enough water to make 2 quarts. Add salt and bring to a boil.
Fill wontons with 1 T of the filling – – either use instructions on the back of the wonton package or watch this short video tutorial:
[youtube]Z4wO-gLYPfU[/youtube]
Complete all wontons then boil in 2 batches. Use a slotted spoon to lift the wontons out of the pot – put on a platter and cover with the sauce.
This is a meal that the family was raving about…there was much satisfaction around the dinner table the night I made this one ! Even though it is a very quick sauce, it grabs the flavor from the pork and quickly becomes a sauce full of depth. Be sure to add on the fresh herbs – they really add to the awesome flavor of this dish.
Parmesan Pork and Penne
4 servings
380 calories per serving
If you don’t use the FiberGourmet pasta, the meal does not come in under 400 calories.
8 oz. FiberGourmet penne pasta
3 T bread crumbs
3 T grated parmesan cheese
¾ lb. pork tenderloin sliced thinly
2 t oil
Pam
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained this time
8 oz. tomato sauce
2.25 oz. can sliced black olives, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t basil flakes
½ t oregano flakes
½ t parsley flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
2 T fresh chopped basil
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Combine breadcrumbs and cheese in a zip loc bag then add the pork slices and shake. Heat oil in skillet and also spray it with Pam and then cook pork 4-6 minutes or until browned on both sides. Add tomatoes, sauce, salt, pepper and olives and bring to a boil the reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes or until pork is tender. Serve pork mix over cooked penne. Garnish with fresh chopped basil.
Great as an appetizer, a snack, a lunch side – and this antipasto does not skimp on the ingredients…olives, sausage, cheese, peppers, oh my ! This is very lemony – if you prefer, you can substitute vinegar for the lemon.
Lemon Marinated Antipasto
12 servings
220 calories per serving
1 lb. spicy turkey sausage
1 T oil
½ c oil
2 t grated lemon zest
½ c lemon juice
2 T chopped basil
½ t oregano flakes
1 t parsley flakes
½ t basil flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz. roasted red peppers, drained and cut into small strips
12 oz. mozzarella cheese cut into cubes
1 c pitted kalamata olives
Cook sausage in 1 T oil until done. When cool, cut into slices. Whisk oil, lemon juice and spices with garlic. Layer sausage, pepper strips, cheese and olives in 2 quart size jars and pour over the dressing. Cover and chill 1-2 days. Try to remember to shake the jars a bit each time you open the frig those 1-2 days – that way the lemony marinade coats all the bits of goodness. Let stand at room temp 30 minutes before serving.
(you don’t need the jars – you can do this in a bowl or even a zip loc bag !)
This has sooooo much flavor in it that you just want to keep eating and eating ! It was just a perfect mix of ingredients and makes a great lunch serving.
Mushroom and Feta Salad
2 servings
270 calories per serving
6 T Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette dressing, divided
2 large Portobello mushroom caps
1 medium yellow squash, sliced
5 c mixed salad greens
½ c chopped roasted red peppers
½ c low fat crumbled feta cheese
2 T toasted pine nuts
Brush mushrooms and squash with oil and 2 T of the dressing, Grill or broil 3-4 minutes each side and then cut mushrooms into slices. Add mushrooms and squash to lettuce and peppers. Add the rest of the dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and nuts and serve immediately.
To toast nuts, heat a dry skillet and sauté nuts 5 minutes or so. You will know they are done because you will star to smell the nutty aroma 🙂
