Pasta Nicoise

Pasta Nicoise

Found in Martha Stewarts Everyday FOOD magazine

Serves 4 or more!

517 calories per serving

*You can make this recipe gluten free by using gluten-free pasta noodles.

2 large eggs, *wash shells like you would fruits and veggies before putting in pot to boil

salt and pepper

½ lb short, twisted pasta *like cavatapi, fusilli, rotini,

¾ lb small red potatoes, thinly sliced

½ lb green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise (length)

2 cans (5 oz. each) of tuna packed in olive oil, drained *but reserve the oil!

1/3 cup pitted olives lightly chopped (kalamata are good) – or capers if you prefer!

2 large tomatoes, diced medium

2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

1. In a large pot, bring eggs and 6 quarts water to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 6 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, remove eggs and run under cold water.  Peel eggs when cool enough to handle. 
2. Salt water and return to boil over high.  Add pasta and potatoes and cook 3 minutes less than package instructions, then add green beans and cook until crisp-tender, 3 minutes.  Reserve ½ cup pasta water (or a little more in case you need it); drain the pot.  Return pasta, potatoes and green beans to the pot and add tuna, 1/3 cup reserved oil, tomatoes, olives, and vinegar.  If necessary, add enough pasta water to create a light sauce that coats pasta.  Season with salt and pepper.  Slice eggs and scatter over pasta.

This is great warm and it is even better cold for lunch the next day.  I added more salt on top of mine and it made all the wonderful flavors come out more.  So summery and fresh and light.  I love this one!  ENJOY!

Mediterranean-Style Herbed Tilapia - 200 calories per serving

This one was a HIT at our house.  It is great to find recipes that I can have that are low calorie and healthy for me while at the same time satisfying my hungry fiance, Jack.

This recipe also came from eatbetteramerica.com

For the Tilapia:
1 1/2 lb tilapia fillets (3/4" thick) - we just get the big frozen bag of tilapia filets - I pulled six of them out for this.
1 Cup Fiber One bran cereal
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 egg white
1 Tablespoon water
cooking spray
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

For the Sauce:
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained
1/2 cup sliced pitted kalamata olives (about 20 of them)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon water
1 teaspoon cornstarch

1.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray cookie sheet (large one that has sides) with cooking spray.  Place cereal in resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag and finely crush with rolling pin or meat mallet (or finely crush in food processor).
2.  In a shallow bowl, mix cereal, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.  In another shallow bowl, beat egg white and water.  Dip fish pieces into egg white, then coat with cereal mixture; place on cookie sheet.  Spray each fillet with cooking spray.
3.  Bake 10 - 15 minutes ( I did 12 )... or until fish flakes easily with fork.
4.  Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat sauce ingredients to boiling; reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes or until mixture thickens and flavors blend.
5.  To serve, spoon about 3 Tablespoons of the sauce over each filet; sprinkle with feta cheese.

There you have it.  I just know you will enjoy this one!

You can find the original recipe by clicking here.

Indian-spiced Tomato-Almond Shrimp 180 calories per serving!

This recipe is also from eatbetteramerica.com and takes 15 minutes to prepare!

We added quartered fresh mushrooms and chunks of red pepper after removing the shrimp at the end of step 2 below.  This was really great served with some pine nut couscous! Only takes 5 minutes!!!

1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil (we actually used EVOO)
1 lb uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (we used allspice)
1 can (15 oz) organic tomato sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro (we left this out because it was the only ingredient we didn't have in the house and we were too lazy to run and get it)


1. In a food processor or blender, place almonds.  Cover; process until almonds are finely ground.
2.  In a 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add shrimp; cook and stir 30-60 seconds, stirring constantly, just until shrimp turn pink.  Remove shrimp from skillet.
3. (This is where we added some red pepper and mushrooms)In the same skillet, add all remaining ingredients except cilantro.  Cook over medium heat 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened.  Stir in shrimp; cook about 1 minute until thoroughly heated.  Sprinkle with cilantro.


This makes 4 servings and each serving is said to have 180 calories!
Click here to find the original recipe on eatbetteramerica.com.

Roast Salmon Provencal

This was a GREAT recipe that we found on eatbetteramerica.com - which is a great resource for healthy and yummy recipes!

Apparently this one only has 260 Calories per serving.

4 Salmon filets or steaks, 1/2 inch thick (1 to 1.25 lb total)

3 cups of unpeeled potato wedges *we got the little sack of multicolored potatoes and just cut them into chunks

1.5 Cups small whole fresh mushrooms

1 medium red bell pepper cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup fat-free Italian dressing

1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1/4 cup pitted kalamata or ripe olives

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray your largest cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Place salmon, potatoes, mushrooms, bell pepper and zucchini in the pan.  Brush with half of the dressing (both veggies and salmon); sprinkle with basil.

2. Bake 20 minutes

3. Add olives to the pan and stir vegetables slightly.  Drizzle remaining dressing over salmon and vegetables.

4.  Bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily with fork and potatoes are tender.

YUM!

Sesame-Orange Shrimp

I got this recipe from Eatingwell.com.


3 Tablespoons sesame seeds (white, black or a mix)
2 Large egg whites
1/4 Cup Cornstarch
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 Pound peeled and deveined raw shrimp
2 Tablespoons canola oil, divided
3/4 Cup Orange Juice
1/4 Cup Dry Sherry - I just used cooking sherry
2 Tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 Teaspoon sugar
1 scallion, thinly sliced


1.  Whisk sesame seeds, egg whites, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Add shrimp and toss to coat.
2.  Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add half the shrimp and cook until golden, 1 - 2 minutes per side.  Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.  Repeat with the remaining 1 Tablespoon oil and the rest of the shrimp.
3.  Add orange juice, sherry, soy sauce, and sugar to the pan.  Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced by half, 4 - 6 minutes.  Return the shrimp to the pan and stir to coat with the sauce.  Serve immediately, with scallion sprinkled on top.

We added Bok Choy and quartered mushrooms and served it over angel hair pasta.  There are several ways you can serve this dish.  We loved it.