Tortellini Salad

This is a tasty salad and very simple to prepare. And having pasta in the salad makes it a comfort food.

More or less:)

I use only one kind of tortellini, and actually make half the recipe because it does come out to be a lot.

You can add vegetables too, such as peas. 1 cup, which would be a lot for this recipe is 200 calories. I just add a small can of mixed vegetables for the whole salad.

I always add a tomato which is only 20 calories, and it is really a must.

I also use another dressing for this salad which is lower in calories because it uses less olive oil.
Alternate Dressing - 270 calories:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons spicy brown or Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced

TORTELLINI SALAD

Ingredients:
1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated or dried cheese-filled tortellini
1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated or dried cheese-filled spinach tortellini
2 medium carrots, sliced (1 cup)
2 medium green onions, thinly sliced (2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves or parsley
1 tablespoon freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Basil-Caper Dressing - 660 calories:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
2 tablespoons capers

Directions:
Cook and drain plain and spinach tortellini as directed on packages. Rinse with cold water; drain.

Shake all Basil-Caper Dressing ingredients in tightly covered container. In large glass or plastic bowl, place tortellini and all remaining Tortellini Salad ingredients. Add dressing; toss until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours to blend flavors but no longer than 24 hours. Toss before serving.

Makes 6 servings:
Per serving:
Calories: 250
Fat: 17 g
Carbs: 18 g
Protein: 7 g
Fiber: 1 g

Fresh Tomato Lasagna

I don't think of this as a low calorie recipe from Cooking Light which had it copied from The Culinary Institute of America., it's more like a recipe that I can enjoy at any time. It is really basic and very tasty. The tomatoes does take some time to cook, but it really is not a big deal.

I like adding other herbs to the tomatoes too, such as dried oregano, thyme, and marjoram. Add about 1/2 teaspoon each. You can even add parsley if you like, although I would add fresh parsley rather than dried.

FRESH TOMATO LASAGNA

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
7 cups chopped peeled tomato (about 4 pounds)
2/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Cooking spray
8 cooked lasagna noodles
1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil

Directions:
Heat oil in a small Dutch oven over medium heat; add onion and garlic. Cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add tomato; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and 20 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat; stir in 2/3 cup basil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Heat ricotta in a medium saucepan over medium heat until hot; stir in mozzarella, stirring until melted. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

Spread 2 cups tomato mixture in bottom of 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange half the noodles over tomato mixture; top with ricotta mixture. Arrange remaining noodles over ricotta mixture; top with remaining 2 cups tomato mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts and filling is bubbly. Remove from oven; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon basil. Let stand 5 minutes.

Makes 8 servings
Per serving:
Calories: 290
Fat: 12 g
Carbs: 29 g
Protein: 18 g
Fiber: 3 g

Chicken and Farfalle Salad with Walnut Pesto

The pesto dressing is what makes this salad exceptional. According to Cooking Light where I copied this recipe from, to make sure the walnut pesto ingredients are evenly minced, stop the food processor halfway through processing, and scrape down the sides.

I add a little bit of Parmesan cheese and cheat a bit, but the recipe just isn't complete without the cheese:)

You can substitute black olives instead of kalamata olives, which usually is less salty.

Enjoy:)

CHICKEN AND FARFALLE SALAD WITH WALNUT PESTO

Ingredients:
Salad:
2 cups uncooked farfalle (bow tie pasta; about 6 ounces)
2 cups cubed cooked skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped pitted kalamata olives

Walnut Pesto:
1 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove

Remaining ingredient:
4 curly leaf lettuce leaves

Directions:
To prepare salad, cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; rinse with cold water. Combine pasta, chicken, tomatoes, and olives in a large bowl.

To prepare walnut pesto, combine basil and next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor; pulse 6 times or until finely minced. Add pesto to pasta mixture, tossing gently to coat. Place 1 lettuce leaf on each of 4 plates; top each serving with salad mixture.

Makes 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups salad)
Per serving:
Calories: 375
Fat: 12.5 g
Carbs: 36 g
Protein: 30 g
Fiber: 3 g

Zucchini Lasagna

The calories of this tasty lasagna is not bad at all. And it is very tasty. The only change that I made was to use skim ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese simply because I like the taste better.

The recipe is from National Institutes of Health, so you know it is healthy:) Enjoy....

ZUCCHINI LASAGNA

Ingredients:
1/2 lb lasagna noodles, cooked in unsalted water
3/4 c part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated
1-1/2 c fat free or skim ricotta cheese
1/4 c Parmesan cheese, grated
1-1/2 c raw zucchini, sliced
2-1/2 c no salt added tomato sauce
2 tsp basil, dried
2 tsp oregano, dried
1/4 c onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray 9- by 13-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray.

In small bowl, combine 1/8 cup mozzarella and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

In medium bowl, combine remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese with all of the cottage cheese. Mix well and set aside.

Combine tomato sauce with remaining ingredients. Spread thin layer of tomato sauce in bottom of baking dish. Add a third of noodles in single layer. Spread half of cottage cheese mixture on top. Add layer of zucchini.

Repeat layering. Add thin coating of sauce. Top with noodles, sauce, and reserved cheese mixture. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for 30-40 minutes. Cool for 10-15 minutes.

Makes 6 servings
Per Serving:
Calories: 260
Fat: 10 g
Carbohydrates: 40 g
Protein: 16 g

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

You have to have comfort food while dieting. So here is an easy recipe which is also very tasty. It is a lot of food, but you can always freeze it by the serving and just nuke it when you are ready to eat.

If you don't have mustard around you can add mustard powder instead. But be careful with the rest of the ingredients. If you change too much of it you are really playing the calorie content and can go over 300 calories per serving. I've calculated this dish as either a 6 or a 8 serving dish. So, after you prepare the dish you have the choice of deciding how many servings you want out of the dish and then calculate it per serving.

Enjoy:)

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

Ingredients:
12 oz uncooked macaroni, elbow-type
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
12 oz fat-free evaporated milk
8 oz low-fat cheddar or colby cheese, shredded
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp dried bread crumbs
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Cook pasta according to package directions without added fat or salt; drain and transfer to a large bowl. While pasta is still hot, stir in sour cream; set aside.

Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until tiny bubbles appear just around the edges (known as scalding). Reduce heat to low, add cheese and simmer until cheese melts, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, about 2 minutes; remove from heat and stir in mustard, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Add cheese mixture to pasta; mix well. Transfer to a 3-quart casserole dish.

Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over pasta.

Bake until top is golden, about 30 minutes. Yields about 1 cup per serving

Number of Servings: 8
Per serving:
Calories:265
Fat: 4g
Carbohydrates: 40g
Protein: 17g

Number of Servings: 6
Per serving:
Calories:350
Fat: 5g
Carbohydrates: 55g
Protein: 23g