Looking for a special salad ? This one has the extra special something that makes it great for entertaining and holiday meals. But it’s so easy to put together you that you’ll find yourself making it all the time !
Strawberry Feta Salad
4 servings
140 calories per serving
5 oz. baby arugula
1 c sliced strawberries
1/2 c low fat crumbled feta cheese
3 T walnuts, chopped and toasted
1/4 c balsamic vinaigrette
Salt and pepper to taste
Place the arugula on 4 separate plates – add all the other ingredients and serve immediately.
This is a great dinner or lunch side. The curry and apples give it nice surprise flavor.
Curried Slaw
16 servings
120 calories per serving
1 c Miracle Whip
1 T curry powder
¼ of a medium head of green cabbage, shredded
¼ of a medium head of napa cabbage, shredded
1 medium zucchini, shredded
1 large carrot, shredded
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced
Mix dressing and curry then add all the other ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate several hours so flavors mingle well.
The ginger and lime flavors were very subtle in this dish – you can definitely dial them up if you want a more robust dish. But the subtlety was very nice and when combined with the great scallop flavor, this made a great seafood dish. The rich sauce made with butter and cream is soooo lovely !
Ginger Lime Scallops
6 servings
224 calories per serving
1/2 c dry white wine
1/2 c unsalted chicken broth
2 T minced shallots
1 t grated fresh ginger
1/4 t grated lime peel
1 1/2 lb. scallops
1/4 c unsalted butter
1/4 c whipping cream
Pam
Mix wine, broth, shallots, ginger, and lime peel in a skillet and boil uncovered until reduced by half. Stir in cream and boil until reduced to 3/4 c. Over medium heat add butter and incorporate into sauce. Keep warm. Rinse scallops and pat dry.. Spray scallops and another skillet with Pam. Saute scallops 7 to 10 minutes or until done. Pour sauce onto a warm platter lay scallops in sauce. Serve with optional brown rice (add 120 calories for each ½ c rice).
G
Crisp summer veggies with a twist ! The lemon, pepperoni and feta cheese add a nice Greek flair to this dish. If you have garden fresh zucchini, this tastes even better 🙂
Summer Squash Deluxe
4 servings
69 calories per serving
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium cucumber
½ t salt
2 T sliced basil
1 T oil
1/2 t grated lemon zest
1 t lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 oz. sliced turkey pepperoni
1/4 c crumbled feta cheese
Peel the zucchini, cucumber and squash and then using a vegetable peeler, peel off thin strips or ribbons and place in a bowl When you get down to the seeds, discard the remainder. Sprinkle with salt and let sit. Whisk together basil, oil, lemon juice and lemon zest and then add to the zucchini. Heat a skillet and crisp up the turkey pepperoni and then garnish the zucchini with the pepperoni and cheese.
Use tart plums if you don’t want this dish to be too sweet. Fruity yet savory and plums just go so well in fruited dishes !
Pork and Plums
4 servings
287 calories per serving
1 T oil
1 lb. pork tenderloin cut into thin, short strips
1 T plus 1 ½ t cornstarch
1 carrot thinly sliced on the diagonal
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. plums cut into ½ inch slices
1 c chicken broth
2 T plum jam
1 T cider vinegar
1 T soy sauce
½ t ground ginger
Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Mix pork with 1 T cornstarch and rub it in. A good way to do this is place both in a Ziploc bag, seal and then mush it around repeatedly. Cook the meat 5 minutes and then transfer to a plate. Reduce heat to medium and cook the carrot, scallions and garlic for 1 minute and then add the plums and cook for another 5 minutes or until they start to get soft.
Whisk broth, jam, vinegar, soy, ginger and the rest of the cornstarch and pour into the pan and bring to a boil and cook 1 minute then lower the heat and place the pork back in the pan and cool 3 minutes or until all is heated.
What a beautiful aroma as these cook up in the oven – the cheese and spinach make a perfect stuffing for succulent, meaty Portobello mushrooms. Serve as an appetizer or as a dinner side.
Spinach Stuffed Portobellos
4 servings
181 calories per serving
4 large portobello mushroom caps
1 c part skim ricotta cheese
1 c finely chopped fresh spinach
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
2 T finely chopped kalamata olives
½ t oregano flakes
1/2 t parsley flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with Pam and place mushrooms with the gills facing up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes them take them out and tip each cap to make any juice run out of them. Mix ricotta, spinach, half of the parmesan cheese, olives, herbs, salt and pepper and divide mix among the mushroom caps. Sprinkle the rest of the parmesan on top and then back for another 10 minutes to heat through. Switch to broil and brown the tops just a bit.
This is a great side to ham and other pork dishes. It’s sweet, but not too sweet and the grilling brings out all the great pineapple flavor – it’s pineapple to the 10th degree ! 🙂
Grilled Pineapple
4 servings (2 slices per serving)
123 calories per serving
1 small fresh pineapple, peeled and cored – about 8 slices
(most supermarkets have fresh pineapple already peeled and sliced available in the produce section near the fruit salads)
Cinnamon
Heat grill or a grill pan on medium. Spray with Pam. Heat pineapple in the grill until light brown, about 10-15 minutes. Immediately sprinkle with cinnamon so it ‘melts’ in.
The addition of beans makes this salad filling and add extra fiber to your meal. This is a great summer side that hits the spot.
White Bean and Tomato Salad
4 servings
167 calories per serving
1 T white vinegar
1 T lemon juice
1 t Dijon mustard
1 drop Tabasco sauce
2 t oil
16 oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed
2 T chopped basil
1 T chopped parsley
1 scallion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
½ large red bell pepper, finely diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and Tabasco and whisk while adding the oil. Combine beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, basil, parsley, scallions and garlic. Add the dressing and toss well to coat the cover and refrigerate ½ hour. Just before serving add salt and pepper to taste.
This one is as versatile as it gets – take any veggies, steam them, and then add the sauce ! The mustard and scallions add a nice dimension to the cheese sauce too 🙂
Veggies in Cheese Sauce
6 servings
80 calories per serving
1 lb. broccoli separated into florets
4 thin carrots peeled and cut lengthwise in half
4 oz. Velveeta cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 T water
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 t dijon mustard
Place carrots and broccoli in a steamer basket and steam 5 minutes. Mix water and velveeta and microwave 1- 2 minutes or until well blended then add scallions and mustard. Drizzle sauce over vegetables.
