Slimmed Down Six Layer Dip

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 15-ounce cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 teaspoons chili paste or your favorite hot sauce
• 1 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 ripe avocados, preferably Hass
• Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 5 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeno, stemmed and thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups plain nonfat yogurt, preferably Greek
• 2 cups finely shredded romaine lettuce
• 3 ripe medium tomatoes, diced

Directions

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, beans and chili paste and heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Using a potato masher or fork, mash the beans. Remove from the heat, add 2 tablespoons water and mash until somewhat smooth. Spread in a 2-quart glass casserole dish.

Scatter the cheese over the beans. Halve and pit the avocados; scoop out the flesh into a bowl and mash with 1 teaspoon salt and the lemon juice. Spread the avocado over the cheese.

Reserve some scallions, cilantro and jalapeno for garnish. Pulse the yogurt with the remaining scallions, cilantro and jalapeno in a blender or food processor. Spread over the avocado. Top with the lettuce. Season the tomatoes with another teaspoon salt and scatter over the lettuce. Top with the reserved scallions, cilantro and jalapeno.

Per serving: Calories 290; Fat 15 (Saturated 5); Cholesterol 18 mg; Sodium 702 mg; Carbohydrate 25 g; Fiber 10 g; Protein 18 g

Broccoli & Orzo Pasta

Broccoli and Orzo
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 3/4 cup • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 174.1 • Fat: 4.3 • Carbs: 30.2 • Fiber: 3.8  • Protein: 6.0

Ingredients:

• 4.5 oz uncooked orzo pasta
• 2 cups of fresh broccoli florets only (no stems)
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
• 3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• salt and fresh pepper to taste

Directions:

Trim stems off broccoli, cut into small pieces and season with salt. Steam covered with a little water until cooked, careful not to overcook. When broccoli is cooked,remove from pan and chop into smaller pieces.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in medium pot of salted water as directed for al dente.Reserve about 1/2 cup liquid before draining. Drain orzo in a colander and add the oil to the pot. Saute garlic a few minutes until golden, add broccoli, season with salt and mix well. Add orzo and stir to combine all. Add a little reserved liquid as needed so pasta isn’t dry. Serve with freshly grated cheese if desired (optional).

Makes 3 cups.

From Skinnytaste.com

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

makes 7-8 large patties

2 cans cannellini white beans, drained
1 large sweet potato, baked/peeled/mashed (about 2 cups)
2 Tbsp tahini
2 tsp maple or agave syrup
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning OR Cajun seasoning (or another fave spice!)
1/4 cup wheat flour
optional: additional seasoning (whatever you have on hand – I used a few dashes cayenne, black pepper and a scoop of nutritional yeast)
salt to taste if needed

plentiful Panko crumbs
safflower oil for pan

burgers: avocado, Dijon mustard, grain buns, romaine, onion, olive oil, pepper

Directions:

1. Bake sweet potato. Peel, place in large mixing bowl.
2. Add drained beans to mixing bowl. Mash beans and potato together.
3. Mash in seasoning, flour and any additional seasoning. Your mixture will be quite soft and moist. But you should be able to form a patty. Add more flour or a scoop of breadcrumbs – or dry rice to thicken the mixture if needed.
4. Heat 1 Tbsp safflower oil in a pan over high heat.
5. Form a patty from mixture and coat in Panko crumbs. Thick coating. Then drop the patty in the pan. Repeat until the pan is filled. Cook until browned on both sides. You could also bake. If baking, use less Panko.
6. Transfer cooked patties to paper towel. Cool for a few minutes.
7. Serve on toasted bun with lotsa toppings.

Note: yes this patty does fall kind of apart as you eat it. But that is OK because it tastes yummy. 

Chicken, Bean & Spinach Quesadilla

First some basics on the chicken. You can use any type of cooked chicken you can get your hands on, but I prefer to take a package of skinless, boneless chicken breasts (a little over two pounds this time) and poach it in some boiling, salted water for about 20 minutes. I remove the breasts from the boiling pot to a cutting board and tent them with foil to keep them moist while they cool for a bit. Then I dice them and season them with a generous handful of Montreal grill seasoning. I use what I need for the specific recipe I’m making, and then I freeze the rest in one cup portions for future quick-fix meals.

Cannellini beans remind me of potatoes. They’re so creamy and blend so well with other flavors and textures. You can sub in great northern or black beans for this recipe if you desire, but you’ll forfeit a bit of the creaminess factor.

Chicken, Spinach And Cannellini Bean Quesadillas

1 1/2 -2 cups seasoned, cooked and diced chicken breast meat
1 TBSP olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1 banana pepper, diced
a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (heaping) TBSP all purpose flour
3/4 cup chicken broth
4 cups fresh baby spinach, stems removed, coarsely chopped
1 (15.5 ounce) can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Cooking spray
Flour tortillas
Shredded cheese (Monterey Jack, cheddar or a combination of the two works well here)
Avocados, diced
Fat free sour cream

In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, red bell pepper and banana peppers. Season with the crushed red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Saute until veggies have soften, 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute or two. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir to combine. Cook while stirring for several minutes so that the flour loses it’s raw taste. Whisk in the chicken broth and stir until bubbly and smooth. Add the baby spinach and continue cooking for another minute or two or until spinach has wilted. Stir in the cooked chicken and cannellini beans and remove from heat.
Spray a large skillet or griddle with cooking spray. Heat over medium to medium-high heat. Place one tortilla on griddle and spread cheese over tortilla. Spread chicken, bean and spinach mixture over one half of the tortilla. Check underside of tortilla and when browned a bit, flip the half with just cheese over the half with the chicken. Remove from heat and cut into slices. Top with diced avocado and sour cream, if desired.

 

From The Other Side of 50

Low Carb Soy Ravioli

Soy Ravioli

2 cups soy flour
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 Tbsp canola oil
4-6 Tbsp water
Filling: Ricotta

In mixing bowl, combine soy flour and salt. Make a well in the center. Add egg and canola oil. With a fork, slowly whisk egg and oil into the surrounding flour/salt mixture until dough is coarse and crumbly. Add 1 Tbsp at a time of water at a time, incorporating with flour. Work dough with the heel of the hand for 5 minutes. Cover with inverted bowl and let rest.

Divide dough into 3 parts and roll on lightly floured board into 10″ X 20″ sheets. Using knife/pastry wheel, lightly mark dough parallel to the 10″ side, at 4″ interwals. Mark lengthwise at 2″ intervals, to make 4″ X 2″ strips.

Moving along the bottom of the 10″ side, place 1 tsp filling about 2/3 way up the strip. Fold bottom half up to cover filling. Seal edges with fork. Place on lightly floured board to rest.

Bring lightly salted water to a rolling boil in a 4-6 quart pan on the stove. Add pasta. Cook for 6 minutes. Drain and serve. Makes about 60 ravioli.

Nutritional Information for 1/6 recipe: Calories: 150 ,Carbohydrates: 14g, Fiber: 8g, Net Carbohydrates 6g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 0 g

BBQ Mexican Grilled Corn

 

Servings:

6 ears

 

Ingredients:

• 6 EARS CORN, HUSKED
• 1 TEASPOON CHILI POWDER
• 1/2 TEASPOON SALT
• 1/8  TEASPOON FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER
• COOKING SPRAY
• 1/4 CUP CREMA MEXICANA (CAN BE REPLACED WITH LOW-FAT OR REGULAR SOUR CREAM)
• 6  LIME WEDGES

Directions:

1. Preheat grill to medium-high.
2. In a small bowl, combine chili powder, salt and pepper.
3. Place corn on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; cook 12 minutes or until corn is lightly browned, turning frequently. Place corn on a platter; drizzle with crema. Sprinkle with chili powder mixture. Spritz with lime juice.

(Oven Directions: If you need to roast the corn in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and place the corn (in its husks) on the middle rack for about 30 minutes.)

 

Grilled & Glazed Carrots

 

Ingredients:

• 6 carrots (equal in size)
• 1/8 cup Balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 cup Honey

Directions:

• Combine the balsamic and honey in a small bowl, whisk to combine and set aside.

 

• Peel, trim and slice the carrots in half horizontally.

 

• Put them in a zip-top bag and seal, leaving about an inch unsealed.

 

• Cook the carrots on high in the microwave for two minutes, or until they are slightly flexible. This shortens the grilling time greatly. (Note: You may need to adjust the cooking time depending on the size of your carrots and the power of your microwave.)

 

• Grill the carrots on a medium-high grill (about 400*) for three minutes.

 

• Flip them over, brush them with the glaze and continue grilling another three minutes.

 

• Remove the carrots to a platter and brush them with the glaze.

 

• Serve and enjoy.

Marinated Greek Chicken Kabobs

Servings

4

Nutritional Information

• Calories: 243
• Total Fat: 7.5g
• Cholesterol: 85mg

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) container fat-free plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese with basil and sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 large red onion, cut into wedges
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

Directions

1. In a large shallow baking dish, mix the yogurt, feta cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Place the chicken in the dish, and turn to coat. Cover, and marinate 3 hours in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
3. Thread the chicken, onion wedges, and green bell pepper pieces alternately onto skewers. Discard remaining yogurt mixture.
4. Grill skewers on the prepared grill until the chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Grilled Chicken, Peach, Blackberry + Basil Pizza

 

Makes 1 pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 batch of whole-wheat pizza dough
• 1 sweet onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
• 2 grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 ripe peach, thinly sliced
• 2/3 cups blackberries, coarsely chopped
• 10-15 basil leaves, chopped
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

Pizza:

Prepare dough as directed and while it’s rising, heat a large nonstick skillet over low heat and add butter and onions with a pinch of salt. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, then stir in brown sugar and cook for 10 minutes more. Remove and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Shape dough as desired and top with garlic and olive oil. Add on the grated cheese, then top with the chicken, peaches, berries, basil and caramelized onions. Evenly place fresh mozzarella on top.  Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until cheese is melty and golden. Top with additional basil and finely grated parmesan if desired! It’s also delicious when topped with a balsamic glaze.

Glaze (Optional): 

While pizza is baking, heat vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Allow to come to a boil, then let simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes until reduced to about 1/3-1/2 cup. Set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes to thicken. When pizza is finished baking, drizzle glaze on top and serve.

 

Summery Pasta Caprese

Summery Pasta Caprese

Light and Refreshing

Serves 4 for an appetizer

Serves 2 for entree

1/2 pound orecchiette

1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 lb. mozzarella, preferably ciliegene (balls)

2 tablespoons basil pesto

12 basil leaves, sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

1. Bring a large pot of water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil. Add the pasta, stir a few times, and then cook until it’s al dente.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, basil leaves, mozzarella, olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

3. Drain the pasta and place back in the hot pot  on low heat. Add the basil pesto making sure to coat the pasta. Stir to incorporate.

4. Add pasta to large bowl and toss it with the tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. Add more salt and pepper to taste.