Tag Archives: garlic

Buttery Baked Shrimp

This is a way lower cal version than your typical scampi. Instead of floating in a lake of butter, this shrimp dish takes the scampi flavor profiles and makes it well affordable in terms of calories 🙂 Use next to a pasta or rice dish (like paella) or use atop salads.

Buttery Baked Shrimp
Buttery Baked Shrimp

4 servings
46 calories per serving

1 lb. peeled, cleaned shrimp
Butter flavored Pam
Molly McButter
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray
½ t salt
1 t garlic powder
1 t parsley flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with Pam. Lay the shrimp out without overlapping. Spray with the butter spray then sprinkle with a little bit of the Molly McButter. Finally sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and parsley and bake 8 minutes or until done. Optionally sprinkle with just a bit of parmesan cheese just before serving.

Vegetable Paella

This is loaded with veggies and tastes so good ! It’s way quicker than a regular paella and if you really want some seafood in there, add some Buttery Baked Shrimp. Paella is a great healthy dinner that the whole family will enjoy.

Vegetable Paella
Vegetable Paella

6 servings
362 calories per serving

3 T oil
½ onion, chopped
½ green bell pepper, chopped
½ poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
12 oz. sliced mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t paprika
1 t oregano
½ t pepper
¼ t red pepper flakes
1 ½ c brown rice (MINUTE rice)
2 ½ c vegetable stock / broth
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 ½ t salt
9 oz. baby spinach leaves, chopped roughly
1 c frozen peas and carrots, thawed
1 c frozen or canned artichoke hearts
2 T red vinegar
¼ c chopped parsley

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot on medium heat and cook onion 7 minutes. Add bell pepper, poblano pepper, mushrooms and salt and cook 5 minutes then add garlic, paprika, oregano, red pepper and black pepper and continue cooking another minute or two. Add stock and tomatoes and salt and bring to a boil. Then stir in rice. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook 7 minutes. Stir in spinach, peas, artichokes, vinegar and half the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cover again and let sit 5 minutes for all the juices to absorb. Serve with parsley garnish.

Pasta Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

This is a great salad served either cold or at room temperature. The arugula was a great addition to a classic salad and the buttermilk dressing was light and flavorful.

Pasta Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
Pasta Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

4 servings
273 calories per serving
(add 80 calories per serving if you do not use FiberGourmet pasta)

8 oz. FiberGourmet rotini pasta
1 c frozen peas
1/2 c fat free buttermilk
1 T minced chives
1 t chopped thyme
½ t salt
½ t pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 c baby arugula
1 t oil
3 oz. finely chopped prosciutto or deli ham

Cook pasta according to package directions adding in the peas during the last 2 minutes of cooking then drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. Mix buttermilk, chives, thyme, salt, and pepper and add pasta and arugula and toss well. Heat oil and cook garlic 1 minute then add ham or prosciutto and cook another 2 minutes. Drain and sprinkle on salad.

Mushroomy Brown Rice

Umami – the fifth taste (after salt, sweet, bitter, and sour) – Umami tastes earthy and savory – and a perfect example of the taste is mushrooms or tomatoes – and this recipe has both – it is umami-delicious !

Mushroomy Brown Rice
Mushroomy Brown Rice

4 servings
108 calories per serving

Just about any mushroom with work in this recipe, but I like portobellos for their intense mushroom flavor.

1 t oil
1 c sliced baby portobello mushrooms
1/2 c grape tomatoes, halved
1 garlic clove, minced
2 containers precooked brown rice (4.4 oz each)
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high and add mushrooms. Cook for 2 minutes and add tomatoes and garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Heat rice in microwave according to package instructions. Add to mushroom mix along with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Ham and Bean Soup

A simple and hearty soup that tastes delicious. It’s a very versatile recipe – add some veggies, small pasta or extra spices to easily change it up. But don’t skip the ham – that is what really give it the great flavor 🙂

Ham and Bean Soup
Ham and Bean Soup

6 servings
273 calories per serving

15.5 oz. can navy beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
4 c fat free chicken broth
1 1/2 c diced extra lean ham (you can also use Canadian bacon)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t chili powder
¼ t pepper
¼ t salt
½ t onion powder

Combine all and mix well. Bring to a boil and cook 15 – 20 minutes or until soup is slightly thickened.

Lemon Marinated Antipasto

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
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 !)

Glazed Grilled Steak

This recipe includes a simple marinade that makes the steak taste like a million bucks ! You’ll never grill a naked steak again !

Glazed Grilled Steak
Glazed Grilled Steak

4 servings
280 calories per serving

½ c steak sauce
½ c low fat balsamic vinaigrette
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t oregano flakes
1 t onion powder
2 beef rib eyes (total 1 lb.)

Mix all ingredients other than the meat and reserve ¼ c for later use. Place the meat in a zip loc along with the sauce, mush it around so the sauce coats the meat evenly, then refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to a couple hours). Heat grill and cook steak 4-5 minutes per side or to desired doneness. Serve topped with extra sauce.

Rice and Sausage

What a great quick and easy meal for a weeknight ! It’s kinda like having sausage and peppers over rice – definitely a great flavor !

Rice and Sausage
Rice and Sausage

4 servings
397 calories per serving

Pam
10 oz. low fat andouille sausage or kielbasa, cut into bite sized pieces
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 c cooked brown rice

Heat skillet and spray with Pam and cook sausage until crispy, about 10 minutes. Add onion, garlic, red pepper, celery, salt and pepper and cook 8-10 minutes then add tomatoes and cook another 4 minutes. Serve with brown rice.

Couscous with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Mushrooms

Take what is typically a dry dish when served plain (couscous), add some love, and you get a couscous dish to rave about ! The sun dried tomatoes and portobellos are just the perfect addition to couscous.

Couscous with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Mushrooms
Couscous with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Mushrooms


4 servings
178 calories per serving

1 c dehydrated sun dried tomatoes
½ c plus 2 T raw couscous
1 t oil
3 cloves garlic, minced fine
2 scallions, chopped
1/3 c chopped basil
¼ c chopped cilantro
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
4 oz. portobello mushroom caps, chopped

Soak tomatoes with 1 c hot water for ½ hour then drain, but reserve the water. Chop tomatoes. Combine reserved water with enough more water to make 1 ½ c and bring to a boil then stir in the couscous and oil, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes then fluff with a fork. Spray the skillet with Pam then stir in the tomatoes, garlic and onions and cook 5-6 minutes. If it starts to get too dry, add a tablespoon or more of hot water during the cooking process, then add the fresh herbs, juice, salt and pepper and the mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes. Combine all in a bowl and mix well.

Teriyaki Chicken

Teriyaki give the chicken a great glaze that then gets nice and crispy when you put it on the grill. The flavor is simple and that means this dish pairs up well with a myriad of different sides.

Teriyaki Chicken
Teriyaki Chicken

4 servings
160 calories per serving

4 4 oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c teriyaki sauce
¼ c lemon juice
2 t minced garlic
¼ t pepper
2 t sesame oil

Marinate chicken in all the mixed ingredients in a zip loc bag in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Heat grill and cook the chicken 6 minutes each side or until done.

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