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

Bulgur Stuffed Tomato

You can think of this as an appetizer or just something different to prepare and enjoy while dieting.

To hollow out the tomatoes, use a serrated grapefruit knife and a teaspoon, scoop out the inside of the tomatoes and leave the shells intact. Place the tomatoes cut side down, on a double thickness of kitchen paper to drain. Or you can always use your hands, but be careful not to squeeze them tightly.

Keeping them in the fridge overnight helps it blend together and not come apart when served, but you don't have to wait if you want to eat them as soon as you prepare them.

I actually skip the mint, I just don't like the taste of it. And skip apples too, which give a nice crunch, but for me it just doesn't work. If you want, you can substitute equal amount of mushrooms with apples. The calorie count doesn't change that much, maybe about 5 calories more than if you would use apples.

BULGUR STUFFED TOMATO

Ingredients:
1 cup fine-grain bulgur
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped red delicious apple (tossed in a little lemon juice to prevent browning)
4 beautiful ripe tomatoes, hollowed and 2 tablespoons finely-chopped tomato pulp reserved
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped mint
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
Salt and pepper
Greens

Directions:
Rinse the bulgur wheat in a sieve and place in a bowl, covered with cool water. Let stand for 30 minutes, drain excess liquid.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small saute pan, add the onions and apple and cook for 2 minutes.

Hollow out the tomatoes to make room for the salad: reserving 2 tablespoons of the pulp.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the bulgur wheat, onions, apples, chopped tomato innards, and all the remaining ingredients (except greens); blend well. Adjust the seasonings.

Refrigerate overnight and check seasonings before you fill the tomatoes. Serve on greens.

Makes 4 servings
Per serving:
Calories: 265
Fat: 11 g
Carbs: 40 g
Protein: 8 g

Chicken Marsala

This one is an easy chicken recipe which is also very delicious. You can serve with a salad and have a complete meal. And it takes only 20 minutes to prepare it.

And you get to use wine:)

Sage is a great herb that works with this recipe. Use about 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage if you have any available. You can use dried also, but fresh is always nicer. You can also use rosemary, especially if you are serving a boiled potato next to it which would add about 160 calories for a medium sized one (about 200 g).

You can also substitute shallots with the onion if you want a more garlicky taste. I just use whatever is handy.

CHICKEN MARSALA

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, boned, skinless (5 oz. each)
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 onion, sliced thin
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Mix together pepper, salt, and flour. Coat chicken with seasoned flour.

Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Place chicken breasts in skillet and brown on both sides. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.

Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet and sauté onion and mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated. Add Marsala and cook mixture, stirring, until Marsala is almost evaporated. Add broth and chicken with any juices that have accumulated on plate and simmer, turning chicken once, until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken with tongs to a platter.

Simmer mushroom sauce until liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Spoon mushroom sauce around chicken and sprinkle with parsley.

Makes 4 servings:
Per serving: 1 chicken breast with 1/3 cup sauce
Calories: 235
Fat: 6 g
Carbohydrates: 35.5 g
Protein: 8 g

Open Faced Burgers with Onion Mushroom Topping

This one is an old recipe from Cooking Light and it's very easy to prepare. The calories are not so high, and you can even bring it more down by skipping the English muffins. I like using regular burger buns and the calories are about the same.

But I skip the mushrooms which are about 30 calories, so it's no so much, but I'd rather use a slice of cheese instead:)

I use my panini maker to grill the burgers, but you can just as easily cook it in a pan. Enjoy:)

OPEN FACED BURGERS WITH ONION MUSHROOM TOPPING

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, sliced and separated into rings
2 (8-ounce) packages presliced mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground round
2 English muffins, split and toasted

Directions:
Preheat grill. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook for 5 minutes or until golden.

Add mushrooms and salt; cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add vinegar; remove mixture from pan. Set aside.

Combine the paprika and the next 4 ingredients (paprika through black pepper). Divide the ground round into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Coat patties with spice mixture.

Grill patties 4 minutes on each side or until done.

Place burgers on muffin halves, and top each burger with 1/4 cup onion mixture.

Makes 4 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)
Per serving:
Calories: 320
Fat: 10.5g
Carbs: 27 g
Protein: 29. g

Gourmet Chicken Salad

Chicken is a must when you are dieting. It is low in calories, it is filling and it's a good source of protein. This version of the recipe uses regular mayo. It's not so much, so I didn't touch the recipe, but if you want to save a bit of calories use low fat version.

Most of the calories come from the walnuts, which is 200 calories for the 1/4 cup. Since the recipe is for 2 servings, if you skip the walnuts you would be saving 100 calories etc. You get the picture:)

1 chicken breast is 130 calories, and 1 tablespoon of blue cheese is about 60 calories etc. So this dish as is would be 400 calories which should be one course without anything else served with it so that you can have enough for the rest of the day. If you think this course is too small for you just serve it on a bed of greens which will add only 10 calories per cup.

You can also substitute blue cheese with feta cheese but the taste would change completely and be careful with how much salt you are using as feta is usually salty.

GOURMET CHICKEN SALAD

Ingredients:
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 lemon, zested and juiced
3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons chopped celery
2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1-1/2 teaspoons brown mustard
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste

Directions:
Place chicken in a skillet, and sprinkle with lemon juice and 1/2 the rosemary. Pour broth into the skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 25 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear. Drain, cool, and dice chicken.

In a large bowl, toss chicken with lemon zest, remaining rosemary, walnuts, celery, blue cheese, mayonnaise, brown mustard, salt and pepper, and garlic powder. Chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving.

Makes 2 servings
Per serving:
Calories: 400
Fat: 36 g
Carbs: 5 g
Protein: 17 g