Tag Archives: garlic

Black Bean Chili

December 17, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This is a great quick chili – you can serve it with rice, drop the whole thing in some broth to make a soup, or eat as is with a nice dollop of sour cream on top.

4 servings
253 calories per serving

2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 oz. diced tomatoes
1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
2 t chili powder
1 t oregano flakes
1 t ground cumin
2 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam

Place onion and garlic in a hot saucepan sprayed with Pam and cover and cook on low 5 minutes stirring occasionally and adding up to 1 couple of tablespoons of water to keep them from scorching. Stir in tomatoes and their juice, peppers, chili powder, oregano and cumin and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to low and simmer 5 minutes then add the beans and simmer another 5 minutes.

Chicken, Dinner, Mexican

Sofrito Chicken Stew

December 9, 2010 admin Leave a comment

A rich stew with lots of flavor – the dark meat chicken definitely gives this dish extra texture and the olives give it great authenticity. Sofrito is a tomato, pepper, onion and garlic base for many Latin dishes. The mixture of flavors is sooooooo good. Serve with Rice Pilaf for a perfect meal.

2 servings
238 calories per serving

2 boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts (3 oz. each)
1 T oil
¼ t kosher salt
1/8 t pepper
¼ c diced onions
1 T garlic clove, minced
¼ c diced red bell pepper
¼ c diced yellow bell pepper
¼ c diced green olives
4 T tomato paste
1 c chicken broth
2 T cilantro, chopped

Cut chicken into thin strips. Heat 1 t oil and cook chicken over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking about 5 minutes, Place on a plate and keep warm. Add rest of oil to pan and sauté onion 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 1 minute. Stir in peppers and olives and cook 1 minute then add chicken back to the pan along with tomato paste and broth. Simmer about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Pork

Pork Medallions and Potatoes

December 1, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Sometimes the simplest of ingredients makes the best meals. This recipe has just a few components, but they complement each other beautifully. This was an excellent meal !

4 servings
285 calories per serving

2 T oil
1 lb. red potatoes cut into small cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c water
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 lb. pork tenderloin
1 lemon, sliced thin
1/4 c cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t garlic powder

Heat 1 T oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook 8-10 minutes or until brown. Add 1/2 c water, cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add scallions and cook 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm. Cut tenderloin into 12 slices and press down to flatten into even pieces and dry on a paper towel (wet meat will not brown up nicely), sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Heat 1 T oil in skillet on medium high heat. Cook pork in batches 2-4 minutes per side. Serve with potatoes and lemon slices and garnished with cilantro leaves.

Appetizers, Chicken

Chicken Liver Pate

November 24, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Don’t be afraid of pate – if you like liver, you’re going to love this ! This is such a great appetizer dish – people always go crazy for pate ! This one is so simple to prepare and is sooooo tasty. You can make it a day ahead and have it ready to go for a cocktail party.

1 cup
79 calories per serving (1 serving = 1 T pate and 2 crackers)

2 slices bacon
8 oz. chicken livers
½ c chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T milk
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
¼ t nutmeg
Crackers or Melba Toast rounds

Cook bacon until crisp and remove from skillet and reserve 2 T drippings. Crumble bacon. Add chicken livers, onion and garlic to reserved drippings and cook 10-15 minutes or until done then cool slightly. Mix livers, bacon, 2 T milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg in processor. Line a mold with plastic wrap and spoon in mixture. Cover and chill at least 4 hours. Unmold onto a plate and serve with crackers.

Appetizers

Mushroom Shallot Spread

November 20, 2010 admin 1 Comment

What a perfect flavor ! This can be served on toast points as an appetizer, or you use can use it as an addition or topping to other foods. The flavor is FANTASTIC !

4 servings
68 calories per serving

1 lb. coarsely chopped mushrooms
6 shallots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 T oil
Salt

Chop the ingredients pretty finely in a food processor to get a nice consistency. Heat oil in a skillet and cook shallots 7 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook until all the water is released from the mushrooms (about 10 minutes) then season with salt and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the water is dried up and the mushrooms are dry (about another 10 minutes. Spread on toast points, use in scrambled eggs, or soup, serve aside grilled steaks – or even try spreading this on rolls and make mini pizzas (recipe to be posted soon !).

Asian, Beef, Dinner

Ginger Beef

November 9, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Ginger and garlic just go together so well. And making a paste of them along with cilantro and sesame oil just adds so much flavor to the already flavorful beef. This is a great quick dish that you will make again and again.

4 servings
298 calories per serving

1/4 c cilantro leaves
1 garlic clove, minced
4 quarter size slices peeled fresh ginger
2 T water
2 T dark sesame oil
1 lb. boneless sirloin cut into long slices
16 cherry tomatoes
2 small zucchini each in 8 pieces
2 c cooked brown rice

Preheat broiler. Spray baking sheet with Pam. Mix cilantro, garlic, ginger, water and oil in a food processor until a paste forms. Place the steak in a bowl and add cilantro paste and mix well. Turn out the meat mix onto the baking sheet and add the tomatoes and zucchini. Broil 3 minutes. Stir well. Broil another 3-4 minutes. Serve with warm brown rice.

Asian, Dinner, Fish

Asian Fish Packets

November 7, 2010 admin Leave a comment

When fish steams in a packet it gets a wonderful consistency – meaty and rich. The sauce that goes with this has a great Asian flair – the ginger, garlic and soy combine to perfection. Pair with Homemade Lo Mein for a great meal.

4 servings
236 calories per serving

1 T lite soy sauce
1 T maple syrup
2 t oil
2 T lime juice
2 t finely grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ t pepper
1 bell pepper cut into thin slices
2 T minced parsley
4 scallions, sliced
1 ½ lb. flounder, tilapia or other white fish
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine soy, maple syrup, oil., lime juice, ginger, garlic and pepper. Create 4 foil packets and spray lightly with Pam and place fish in packet. Lay pepper strips atop the fish and sprinkle with parsley and scallions. Close foil tightly and bake 20 minutes or until fish is done. Serve with lemon wedges.

Fish, Lunch, Product Reviews, Soups

Spicy Hot Tomato Soup with Shrimp

October 24, 2010 admin Leave a comment

For those that like it HOT, HOT, HOT – – this is the soup. The addition of the Spicy Hot V-8 makes for a perfect spicy base. Be sure to remember the lime splash just before serving – it makes a big difference in the flavor.

4 servings
348 calories per serving

3 c chicken broth
2 c Spicy Hot V-8 juice
1 c Minute Rice
1 T oil
1 t minced garlic
¼ c sliced shallots
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and cleaned
4 lime wedges
1 c chopped mushrooms
1 c bean sprouts (fresh or canned)
3 T chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix broth, juice and water in a soup pot and bring to a boil then stir in rice and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in bean sprouts and let stand 5 minutes. Heat oil and sauté garlic and shallots for 2 minutes. Stir in shrimp, mushrooms, salt and pepper and sauté 3 minutes or until shrimp are done. Stir shrimp and cilantro into soup. Sprinkle with lime just before serving.

Dinner, Sides, Vegetables

Zucchini Boats

October 22, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This has a definite Middle Eastern flair to it with the coriander and cumin as the main seasoning. Serve next to Eastern Fried Rice for a great vegetarian meal.

4 servings
107 calories per serving

2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
½ T oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 oz. button or Portobello mushrooms, chopped
1 t ground coriander
¾ t ground cumin
½ c chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 T lemon juice
2 T chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with Pam. Scoop the flesh out of the middle of the zucchinis to create boats for the filling. Chop the removed flash and reserve. Heat oil in a skillet and cook onions 5 minutes then add garlic and cook another minute. Add chopped zucchini and mushrooms and cook 5 minutes then add coriander, cumin, chick peas, lemon, parsley, salt and pepper. Stuff the zucchini shells and bake 35-40 minutes.

Lunch, Soups

Mushroom Soup

October 16, 2010 admin Leave a comment

It’s amazing how such a quick cook soup can produce such a flavorful broth ! The mushrooms really release all their mushroomy goodness in this one 🙂

4 servings
140 calories per serving

1 t oil
½ c finely chopped onion
¼ c chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 lb. slices assorted mushrooms (canned and fresh)
32 oz. fat free chicken or beef broth
1 c water
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
½ t garlic powder
½ t onion powder
½ c nonfat sour cream

In large saucepan heat oil and add onion, parsley and garlic and cook 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add mushrooms, broth, water, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper and bring to a boil and cook 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes then stir in sour cream and serve.