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Homemade Hummus

21 Jul

I spent a long time in my life believing that I hated hummus. In fact, i spent 10 years as a vegetarian who hated hummus, which was interesting, because that’s what everyone thought I should be eating. But I tried it once, and it was terrible. Turns out, I just had a bad hummus… because 15 years later, I tried it again, and fell in love. I was able to lower the calories significantly from a store bought hummus, by omitting the olive oil, and using about 1/2 the tahini. My favorite way to eat it is on sliced cucumbers. That allows me to have more hummus, since the vessel is super-low in calories!

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of chick peas (garbanzo beans) drained
  • 2 Tbsp of Tahini (sesame seed paste)
  • 4 Tbsp miced garlic
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 5 Tbsp water (give/take)

 

Directions:

1. Pay attention folks. The directions for this one are intense.

2 See all that stuff up there in the “Ingredients” list? Throw it all in the food processor, and grind it all down until you are happy with the texture. For me, that meant “until i could no longer stand the sound of the food processor” but I have a bit of sensory sensitivity… Add a little more water if it’s too think. You may need to stop now and then to scrape the edges.

 

Makes 1 1/2 cups of hummus.

 

1/4 Cup = 99 Calories

Approximately 3 ww points plus per serving

 

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Zucchini Noodles with Pesto and Sun Dried Tomatoes

9 Jul

This easy side item was delicious! I really liked the last minute addition of sun dried tomatoes. I hope you like it. Can’t wait to serve it with a nice grilled chicken or fish!  If you want the Calorie Content, recipe, etc for Just the Pesto, click here.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 2 tbsp slivered almonds
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic (or 1 clove fresh, chopped)
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tbsp shredded parmesan (the shreds, not the powder)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 4 Medium/Large Zucchini
  • 1 TBSP Olive Oil (separate from the olive oil listed above)
  • Sea Salt to taste
  • 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped

 

Directions:

1. Place everything but the Olive oil into the food processor. You’ll want to use a small food processor, and you may need to scrape the sides down periodically to continue blending. Due to the small portion size, the pesto may collect around the edges of the food processor.

2. Once all other ingredients are well blended, add Olive oil and pulse until all ingredients are smooth. Your Pesto is done!

3. Use a Mandolin or other julienne tool (I used a Vegetti) to slice your zucchini into strands (resembling noodles).

4. Heat the 1 Tbsp Olive oil in a skillet. Add Zucchini and sautee 3-5 minutes.

5. Season Zucchini with sea salt, and mix in Pesto and Tomatoes.

 

Makes 4 Servings= 198 Calories per Serving

Approximately 5 weight watchers points plus per serving

 

 

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Homemade Pesto

9 Jul

So, I grew a couple things in my yard, for the first time this year! Basil, and Cilantro 🙂 Tragically, the Cilantro did not make it. But the Basil did GREAT, and led to this lovely Pesto, which I served with Zucchini noodles 🙂 YUM. A couple of notes: Pesto is very caloric, so I made a small batch full of rich flavor, to use in combination with a very low-calorie alternative to pasta. It was delicious. Because a little goes a long way, I recommend this pesto as a compliment to grilled chicken, or a lovely side dish. One last thing. Traditionally, pesto is made with pine nuts. but I chose almonds because they are lower in calories, and lend the same nutty flavor to the dish.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 2 tbsp slivered almonds
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic (or 1 clove fresh, chopped)
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tbsp shredded parmesan (the shreds, not the powder)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

 

Directions:

1. Place everything but the Olive oil into the food processor. You’ll want to use a small food processor, and you may need to scrape the sides down periodically to continue blending. Due to the small portion size, the pesto may collect around the edges of the food processor.

2. Once all other ingredients are well blended, add Olive oil and pulse until all ingredients are smooth.

 

Makes about 3 tablespoons=144 Calories per tablespoon

Approximately 3 weight watchers points plus per serving.

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Strawberry Cream Pie with Chocolate Crust

30 Jun

This is a good pie. I am going to post the recipe, because it is very yummy… but please note: The texture is a little soft. I’m still working on perfecting it…but even with a too-soft texture, the taste is so good that I thought, for the first time, I’d post this recipe before it’s final version. (if you see this message I’m still working on it. I will remove this intro once the recipe is in it’s final stage.) What I did, was make it, and then stick it in the fridge a few hours… then the freezer to firm it up a bit. But really, i liked it just fine being soft.

 

Ingredients:

– 1 oreo pie crust (found with graham cracker crusts)

– 1 tub of cool whip light

– 1 small box of cheesecake pudding, instant, sugar free

– 3/4 cup milk

– 2 tsp lemon juice

– 2 packets of splenda (or 1/2 tsp)

– 3 tbsp sugar free strawberry preserves

– 1 tbsp water

– 1-2 cups sliced strawberries

 

Directions:

1, In a medium sized bowl, mix milk and pudding mixture until thick. Stir in splenda and lemon juice.

2. Slowly mix in coolwhip, until well incorporated.

3. Pour this mixture into pie crust.

4. In a small bowl, mix strawberry preserves and water together until smooth. Spread over top of pie.

5. Top with Sliced strawberries and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

 

Makes 8 Servings= 205 Calories per serving

approximately 5 weight watchers points plus per serving.

 

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Grilled corn on the cob

30 Apr

Ingredients:
– cobs of corn, as many as you like
– cold water
– spray butter (fat free)
– sea salt
– fresh cracked pepper (opt)

Directions:

1. Pull husks down to base of cob, exposing silks, without removing husks completely.

2. Remove silks and throw them away.

3. Pull husks back up onto corn, as tight as you can get it.

4. Fill a large bowl, or clean sink with cold water. Place corn cobs in water. Submerge and soak 20 minutes.

5. Heat grill to medium heat. Place cobs, in husks, on the grill. The husks might smoke, or even catch fire. That’s ok.

6. Allow corn to cook about 20 min, turning every 5 min or so. Until kernels feel tender and are easily punctured with a fork.

7. If corn does not have the char marks to your satisfaction, remove husks and place directly on grill to char.

8. Spray cobs with butter, and top with sea salt and pepper.

1 ear= 130 calories

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Tomato Basil Tortellini Soup

22 Mar

You could easily do this in the crockpot too. 5 hrs on low.

Ingredients:

– 2 cans of chicken broth
– 2 cans italian style diced tomatoes
– 3 cups fresh spinach
– 1/4 tsp or 1-2 packets of Splenda
– salt and pepper to taste
– 1 tsp dried basil
– 1 bag of frozen cheese tortellini
– 1 block of fat free cream cheese

Directions:

1. Cut cream cheese into blocks.

2. In a large pot, Mix broth, tomatoes, cream cheese, basil, salt and pepper, and Splenda and heat, stirring until cream cheese melts.

4. Add spinach and tortellini and heat on warm, stirring regularly.

5. Heat for 10-15 min.

Makes 6 (1 1/2 cup) servings= 280 calories per serving

Apps 7 weight watchers points plus

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Oven Roasted Potatoes

22 Mar

This recipe requires about 45 minutes, which is a luxury I don’t often have with our busy schedule. If you have all the time in the world…continue on. I prefer the results of the “slow cook” method. However, If you’re interested in speeding this up, you can use a ziplock steamer bag, and cook your potatoes 1/2 of the time listed on the bag. Then toss in olive oil and bake for only about 15-20 min.

Ingredients:

– 3 medium size (4 inches) Red potatoes
– 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
– 1 tsp salt
– 1/4 tsp pepper
– 1/4 tsp garlic powder
– 1/4 tsp paprika (optional)

Instructions:

1. Cut potatoes into cubes, no more than 1 inch wide.

2. Place potatoes, and olive oil in a large ziplock bag. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and shake until all potatoes are lightly oiled.

3. Spray a flat baking sheet liberally with nonstick spray, and spread potatoes in a single layer on pan.

4. Cover pan with aluminum foil, making sure all corners are tucked under to create a seal.

5. Bake at 425 for 25 minutes. Uncover, turn potatoes, and bake another 10-15 minutes.

Makes 3 (1 cup) servings= 205 Calories per serving

Butterscotch Bars

10 Mar

These left me on the fence, but after much consideration, i decided that this was a good recipe… but I’m just not a huge fan of butterscotch. Next time i make these, i’m going to use Chocolate pudding, and I’m really looking forward to it. The recipe itself, is a keeper.

Ingredients:
– Graham crackers (15 squares, or 30 little rectangles)
– 4 tbsp melted butter
– 2 8 oz blocks of fat free cream cheese, softened.
– 3 cups of 1% milk
– 1/4 cup Splenda
– 3 tbsp sugar
– 2 small boxes of sugar free, instant butterscotch pudding
– 1 container of lite cool whip
– 1/2 tsp rum extract.

Directions:

1. place graham crackers in food processor, and chop until finely crushed. Mix in a small bowl with melted butter. Press mixture evenly along the bottom of a 9×13 glass pan.

2. Mix cream cheese, 1/4 cup of milk, splenda, and sugar. Mix until smooth, and then spread evenly over graham cracker crust.

3. Mix remaining milk with packages of pudding, mixing until pudding begins to set. Spread pudding over the cream cheese layer.

4. In a clean bowl, mix coolwhip and rum extract until well blended. Spread cool whip mixture over top of pudding.

5. It is important to refrigerate this for at least 4 hours before serving. If you can afford to refrigerate overnight, that’s even better. The layers need to “set” and also, the rum extract needs a chance to marry with the cool whip. Otherwise, it tastes very strong.

6. Cut into 15 squares= 163 calories per serving

Approximately 4 weight watchers points per serving

*You can omit the sugar altogether with pretty good results. if you do, your calories will be 153 per serving. pp remain the same.

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Homemade Marinara Sauce

3 Mar

So, I love Italian Food, as you probably have noticed if you follow this blog. I also love to make my own sauce. Jarred sauce has so much sugar in it, it’s hard to find a good one that’s low calorie, plus I think the homemade stuff is so much better. Plus, it’s easy to make. Although, to get it right, you should let it simmer at least an hour or so. You can double, or triple, the batch and make it on low all day in a crock pot. The leftovers freeze well in a regular ziplock freezer bag.

Fun fact: this was originally going to be a post about turkey meatballs and marinara, but while I was multi-tasking, my dog ate my meatballs!

On a side note, if you’re going to opt for a jarred sauce, Prego “Smart Light” has almost half the calories of any other jar sauce I’ve seen, and it’s pretty good. That’s the only one I buy these days.

Ingredients:

– 29 oz can of crushed tomatoes
– 1/2 an onion, chopped
– 2 tbsp minced garlic
– 1 tbsp dried oregano
– 1 tsp dried basil
– 1 packet splenda no calorie sweetener
– 1/2 tsp salt
– 2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms (optional)

Directions:

1. Saute onion in a medium size pot, with non stick spray, until they begin to soften. Add garlic and stir over heat until well incorporated, but be careful not to burn garlic.

2. Add all other ingredients, and simmer on low for 1 hour or so, stirring occasionally.

3. Serve with meatballs, over spaghetti or other noodles, or with spaghetti squash. Delicious!

Makes 5 Servings, 1/2 cup each= 65 Calories per serving
1/2 cup= 1 weight watchers point plus

When served with 3 oz of Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta, and 1/2 cup of sauce= 350 Calories (appx 9 weight watchers points plus)

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Lemon Cake Bars

3 Mar

This is a light, lemony treat. It doesn’t have the texture of a traditional “lemon bar.” Meaning, it doesn’t have that sugary-creamy texture. Instead, it’s light and cake-y (it’s totally a word!). I love how low in calories this is, and also how totally simple it is to make. I’m thinking about making it this summer and topping with a can of light blueberry pie filling. yum. Anyway, for now, it’s simple and lemony, and delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

– 1 box of angel food cake mix
– 1 (17.5 oz) can of lemon pie filling
– 1 tbsp of lemon juice
– 1/2 tbsp powdered sugar.

Directions:

1. Mix cake mix, pie filling, and lemon juice.

2. Pour into a 9×13 pan, sprayed with nonstick spray.

3. Bake for 30 min at 350.

4. Remove from oven and allow to cool about 3-5 minutes before cutting into 15 bars. Sprinkle with Powdered sugar and refrigerate for 30 min or longer.

Enjoy.

makes 15 squares

1 square= 155 Calories

1 square= appx 4 weight watchers points plus

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