January 7, 2012: Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli With Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

Part of getting healthy and losing weight is incorporating more vegetables into your diet. I can do this easily as there are very few things I won’t eat but my husband has a harder time (to his credit, he hasn’t complained about our new eating habits and happily munches on salads and soups along with me).

While just about anyone will eat broccoli or cauliflower smothered in a rich cheese sauce, it’s harder to allow these vegetables to stand on their own merit. Roasting root vegetables at a high temperature, however, caramelizes them and gives them a different flavor profile that meshes perfectly with this vinaigrette.

Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli With Balsamic Vinaigrette

2 cups cauliflower florets

2 t. olive oil

1 cup broccoli florets

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/8 cup olive oil

1 ½ t. capers

1 T. finely minced shallot

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

½ t. Dijon mustard

¼ t. sea salt

¼ t. freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss cauliflower with olive oil. Place cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.

While cauliflower is roasting, make vinaigrette. In a small, heavy saucepan, heat olive oil to medium low. Add capers, shallots and garlic; fry for about 2 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients.

Toss broccoli with vinaigrette. Add to cauliflower and return to oven to roast for an additional 20 minutes.

Makes about 3 servings with 130 calories per serving.

January 6, 2012: Hot and Spicy Pumpkin Dip Recipe

The Wednesday edition of the Arizona Republic newspaper contains the weekly food section and I always eagerly await it to see what kind of new recipes it might contain. Usually I’m not impressed but this week I took notice of a recipe for a sweet potato dip I wanted to try. I only had pumpkin so I did a bit of my own makeover magic in the way of substitutions and less fat to come up with this very tasty recipe.

Hot and Spicy Pumpkin Dip

1 cup cooked pumpkin (or canned pureed)

1 T. roasted pumpkin seeds

½ chipotle pepper in adobo sauce + about ½ teaspoon sauce

2 cloves garlic

½ t. paprika

½ t. cumin

½ t. sesame oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a small food processor and process until smooth. (I just got a stick blender with attachments, which worked wonderfully for this application!)

Serves 2 with calories of approximately112 (1/2 cup serving size)

Serve this Hot and Spicy Pumpkin Dip with a 10” flour tortilla torn into strips and sprayed on both sides with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle them with kosher salt. Bake the strips in a 450 degree oven for about 10 minutes, turning them over once, for guilt-less chips (total calories about 220).

January 4, 2012: Shrimp, Potato and Pea Salad Recipe

I know I’ve talked about the need to lose weight on and off over the past year but now it’s time to get serious about it. I attended a Weight Watchers meeting last night as the guest of my friend Kathy. I was NOT impressed by the organization – I wasn’t allowed to use the scale (really? I snuck up there anyway) and at the end of the regular part of the meeting I wanted more information but was told by the gals manning the tables in back that they were “closed”. They gave me a flyer advertising a special deal and sent me on my way. This was not the way to get me to sign up and spend my money with Weight Watchers!

So…when I got on the scale I wasn’t too surprised to see that my weight was even worse than I’d thought. So my goal is to lose 36 pounds over the upcoming year. I did some sleuthing online and found out that to lose one pound with light activity (I walk about 3 – 4 miles in the park as often as possible but I guess walking isn’t considered even moderate exercise) I can only take in 1,214 calories per day. Okay, that’s difficult but not impossible. My usual breakfast of yogurt, string cheese and a few crackers along with two cups of coffee and creamer came out to 433 calories. That leaves me roughly 800 calories for the rest of the day. I’m doing my best to stick to that.

Here’s a recipe my Aunt Jean wrote out for me some years ago. She found it in a book from the library but I have no idea which one so I can’t give credit where it’s due. Anyway, by changing the regular mayonnaise to low fat or non fat or even substituting Greek yogurt, this recipe is very healthy and a great lunch or brunch dish.

Shrimp, Potato and Pea Salad

1 ½ lbs. cooked shrimp

5 medium-sized red potatoes, cooked, cooled and diced

1 10-ounce package frozen peas, cooked and cooled

3 medium dill pickles, chopped

4 green onions, chopped

Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise (low fat or non fat or substitute Greek yogurt)

3 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 T. minced fresh dill weed

¼ t. black pepper

In a large bowl, combine shrimp, potatoes, peas, pickles and onions. Cover and refrigerate.

In a small bowl mix dressing ingredients. Add to salad and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate a couple hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.

Serving suggestions: serve with fresh sliced tomatoes and cucumber sticks along with a bread thin spritzed with spray margarine and garlic powder. Or serve with bran muffin and fresh fruit.

January 2, 2012: Navy Beans With Leeks and Bacon Recipe

Well, here it is – the start of a new year. Although I’m not one to make resolutions per se, I do think about things I want to accomplish in the upcoming months. And one of those always seems to be “lose weight”. Ugh! For someone who truly loves food and cooking, it’s difficult to eat less but nevertheless, that’s what I’m aiming to achieve this year.

Here’s a recipe, courtesy of Relish.com, for a very hearty main dish that has 350 calories (for a sixth of the total prepared recipe). If you want fewer calories, you can cut the olive oil in half. It’s so filling it should be easier to eat less of it. Serve this dish with a tossed green salad and low fat dressing for a healthful meal.

Navy Beans With Leeks and Bacon

1 pound dried navy or small white beans

4 slices thick bacon (or 6 slices regular bacon)

2 T. olive oil

2 leeks, cleaned and white and tender green parts sliced thinly

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 t. kosher salt

Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste

Place beans in a Dutch oven. Cover with water to two inches above beans. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Let stand, covered, for one hour minimum. Drain water from beans. Cover with fresh, cold water and bring to a boil again. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for about an hour, until beans are tender but not mushy. Drain beans, reserving about a cup of the cooking water.

Fry bacon at medium-high heat in a skillet, until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel or paper plate. Add olive oil to skillet. Add leeks and garlic; sauté 10 minutes. Add mixture to beans. Crumble bacon and add to beans along with salt and pepper. Add reserved cooking water if mixture is too dry.

Serves 6

December 27, 2011: Ham and Corn Chowder Recipe

For Christmas dinner I prepared a big ham. Although we had nine diners that night, there were still lots and lots of leftovers. Of course, we ate ham sandwiches and had slices on crackers with cheese, but I wanted something more substantial for dinner the next night. I quickly put together this recipe using leftover Gratin Dauphinois potatoes from Christmas dinner and the ham bone. The verdict? Almost everyone said it was some of the best soup they’d ever tasted and went back for seconds. I guess it was a hit!

The ham bone I used for the base of this chowder was so big I had to cook it in a roasting pan in the oven.

Ham and Corn Chowder

One large ham bone, with meat still on the bone

1 ½ cups diced celery

1 medium-sized white onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. dried parsley flakes

2 t. dried thyme

2 t. freshly cracked black pepper

1 T. kosher salt

32 ounces chicken stock

3 cups water

2 cans corn, drained

4 cups Gratin Dauphinois*

2 pints heavy whipping cream

In a large Dutch oven (or roasting pan) combine ham bone, celery, onion, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper, chicken stock and water. Bring to a boil and then simmer on the stovetop for three hours (or place in 350 degree oven). Remove ham bone and let cool; remove any meat on the bone and add back to the pot. Add remaining ingredients and heat through thoroughly. If necessary, combine ¼ cup cornstarch with ¼ cup cold water and add to soup to thicken.

*You can substitute a package of prepared scalloped potatoes plus a teaspoon of dehydrated garlic.

Serves 10

November 10, 2011: Cornbread Stuffing and Chicken Bake Recipe

Here’s a quick and easy weeknight meal perfect for serving the family. It’s hearty and the juicy, tender chicken is sure to please even your finicky eaters. And because you can often find the ingredients for this dish on sale, it’s very economical, too.

Cornbread Stuffing and Chicken Bake

1 package cornbread stuffing mix (such as Stovetop)

1 T. butter

1 2/3 cup hot water

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Garlic salt and black pepper

1 can corn, drained

1 can cream of chicken soup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Stir together stuffing mix, butter and hot water with a fork; set aside.

Grease a casserole dish. Place the chicken breasts in a single layer in the bottom. Sprinkle with garlic salt and black pepper. Combine soup and corn. Spread over the top of the chicken breasts. Top with stuffing.

Bake for 45 or until juices from chicken breasts run clear.

Serves 4

September 26, 2011: Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

When you make my favorite Mixed Green Salads recipe, try your hand at making a homemade dressing to go with it. If you have a fairly well stocked pantry, you should have all of these ingredients on hand and it only takes a few minutes to whip up this dressing that is the perfect complement to the mixed baby greens, tomatoes, nuts and Gorgonzola cheese in the salad.

Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 cup mayonnaise (or substitute Greek yogurt if you want to cut down on calories a bit)

3 T. balsamic vinegar

2 T. lemon juice

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

2 T. olive oil (best quality)

1 t. finely minced garlic

¼ t. freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour into a jar. Chill several hours before serving to allow flavors to meld.

Note: This dressing will last a couple weeks in the refrigerator.

September 21, 2011: Citrus Marinade for Fish Recipe

I came up with this marinade for any type of fish; we were grilling salmon and halibut at the same time on the barbecue, using a piece of cedar, and I wanted a flavor profile that would work equally well for both types of fish - something that wasn't too Oriental or Mexican or otherwise overpowering in flavor. This is what I came up with and it was quite refreshing and delicious!

Citrus Marinade for Fish

1 cup pineapple mango juice (or orange juice)

1 T. lemon juice

1 t. dried or dehydrated cilantro or 1 T. fresh cilantro

1 t. minced garlic

1 t. olive oil

Whisk all ingredients together in a glass container. Add the fish (about 1 ½ to 2 pounds).

Sprinkle the fish with 2 t. citrus peel seasoning, freshly ground black pepper, and 1 t. garlic salt. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or in the refrigerator for one hour before grilling (or baking).