Scalloped Potatoes with Shallots, Mushrooms, Roasted Garlic and Thyme

You are supposed to roast the garlic for this recipe, which already takes a long time to cook. So, I just skip it, but go ahead and prepare it by sauteing them. But keep in mind that the garlic becomes much more mellow when roasted, so you might need to use much less.

Preparing this dish doesn't take that long, but cooking it does so give yourself enough lead time with this recipe:) It makes no difference to me that it does take time because it is simply delicious. But be careful not to overdo the serving:)

Enjoy....

SCALLOPED POTATOES WITH SHALLOTS, MUSHROOMS, ROASTED GARLIC AND THYME

Ingredients:
4 whole garlic heads
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 1/3 cups minced shallots (about 15 medium)
3 cups chopped mushrooms (8 ounces)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced
Cooking spray
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Remove white papery skins from garlic heads (do not peel or separate cloves). Wrap each head separately in foil. Bake at 350° for 1 hour; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp (you should have about 1/4 cup). Discard skins.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté 3 minutes or until softened. Add mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar; cook 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates. Remove from heat.

Place milk, garlic pulp, flour, thyme, salt, and pepper in a food processor; process until smooth.

Arrange one-third of potatoes in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread half of the shallot mixture over potatoes. Repeat procedure with remaining potato slices and shallot mixture, ending with potato slices. Pour milk mixture evenly over potatoes.

Cover with foil; bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake, uncovered, 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese; bake 15 minutes or until cheese is golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)
Per serving:
Calories: 165
Fat: 5 g
Carbs: 22 g
Protein: 10 g
Fiber: 3.5 g

Meatloaf

I've had this relatively low calorie meatloaf recipe for some time. It's easy to prepare and you can cut down the cooking time by making it into small meatloaves which is what I always do, because you end up with a more available crunchy outside which I love.

And these make great leftovers for sandwiches, but if you are cooking for only two and don't want too much leftovers, you don't have to cook the whole recipe. Divide and freeze the second batch. You can keep it for at least 3 months.

I don't use meatloaf pans, I rather cook it in a regular pan so that all the fat can run out rather than be cooked into the meatloaf.

I like using barbecue sauce rather than catsup in the meatloaf. If you prefer, substitute with about 1 tablespoon of barbecue sauce, don't use 1/4 cup.

MEATLOAF

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef (85%)
1 egg white
1/4 cup catsup
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
2/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon mustard (I prefer Dijon)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons of catsup to spread outside the meatloaf
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cooking Spray

Directions:
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until just tender, about 6 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Transfer onion mixture to large bowl.

Combine the beef, breadcrumbs, onion mixture, 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce, and remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl. Do not overmix as it will make the loaf dense.

Shape meat mixture into a 9 x 5-inch loaf on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a thermometer registers 160°. Spread the 2 tablespoons of catsup during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Let stand 10 minutes. Transfer to platter and serve.

Makes 6 servings
Per serving:
Calories: 170
Fat: 7
Carbs: 10 g
Protein: 15 g
Fiber: 1 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

Orzo with Tomatoes, Feta, and Green Onions

Orzo is fun if you want to have pasta, but if you want the look and feel of rice. The recipe that I have on my other site which is called ORZO WITH TOMATOES, FETA, AND GREEN ONIONS is for 8 servings and as is per serving is about 450 calories. So I've make some changes to it to make it for diet friendly.

First the stuff that I skip completely:
1. Pine nuts which brings down the calories to 385 per serving. Crazy eh?
2. Honey, not because of calories because per serving the difference is only 3 calories, but because it doesn't suit my taste buds.

Then I bring down the calories by:
1 cup of feta cheese instead of 1,5 cups and the amounts per serving becomes 360 calories.
I use 2 cups of chicken broth and the rest just regular water and per serving calories become 320

And the dish is still very tasty.

So here is the amended recipe:

ORZO WITH TOMATOES, FETA, AND GREEN ONIONS

Ingredients:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups chicken broth
1 pound orzo (or riso)
2 cups red and yellow teardrop or grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup chopped green onions

Directions:
Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.)

Bring broth to boil in large heavy saucepan. Stir in orzo, reduce heat to medium, cover partially, and boil until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Transfer to large wide bowl, tossing frequently until cool.

Mix tomatoes, feta, basil, and green onions into orzo. Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Serve at room temperature.

Makes 8 servings.

And here are the tips:
To the sauce, add some garlic. You can also add about 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese which will bring the calorie count per serving to 335 calories.

Also use a little bit more lemon as the orzo really absorbs it. But don't add it to the dressing while you are preparing it. Adding it to the dressing doesn't make it sharp enough for the orzo. After you prepare the orzo see if you would like to add more lemon , and if you do add it directly to orzo.

Florentine Frittata

This recipe from Cooking Light is like my guide recipe. I change the ingredients according to what I have in hand.

I don't use butter, and use butter substitute spray instead which works out just fine.

Serve it with a nice mesclun salad and you have a complete meal which is really satisfying. Enjoy:)

FLORENTINE FRITTATA

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (16-ounce) carton egg substitute
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
2 teaspoons butter
2 cups thinly sliced Vidalia or other sweet onion
2 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
1 (7-ounce) bottle roasted red bell peppers, drained and sliced
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Combine the first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl; set aside.

Melt butter in a 10-inch cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add potatoes; cook 9 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

Pour egg mixture over onion mixture. Arrange bell pepper slices on top of frittata. Cook 7 minutes or until set. Sprinkle with cheese.

Wrap handle of pan with foil. Preheat broiler. Broil 5 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned. Cut into 4 wedges.

Makes 4 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)
Per serving:
Calories: 265
Fat: 8 g
Carbs: 32 g
Protein: 20 g
Fiber: 6 g