Sandy's Kitchen: Vegetables

Showing posts with label Vegetables. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vegetables. Show all posts
I am a huge pesto sauce lover! I usually make my own pesto using olive oil, basil, parmesan cheese and pine nuts, but I wanted to try it with an Italian salad dressing in place of olive oil for added extra flavor! It was a success!


This recipe uses all the usual ingredients when making pesto except the olive oil. In place of olive oil, I used Italian salad dressing. Ken's Steakhouse makes a wonderful basil and romano dressing that is perfect for this recipe.


Using this dressing instead of olive oil, allows you to use 2 tablespoons instead of 1 teaspoon as one healthy fat with chicken! The more the merrier!


I used my magic bullet to make the pesto sauce. First I added the dressing.


Then I added the chopped fresh basil.


Finally, I added the parmesan cheese, pine nuts and garlic.


Blend away until you get that desired consistency.


Yum! Look at that creamy goodness! Set aside until ready to use.

Spaghetti squash is one of those veggies that make a wonderful alternative to pasta. I love the slight crunch and sweetness of this veggie. Actually, I use it quite often when I am craving a pasta substitute. You can't go wrong with only 40 calories and 8 grams of carbs per 1 cup! Not to mention it is sooooo easy to prepare. The microwave is my preferred cooking method.


First, poke some holes around the spaghetti squash so steam  can be released. Otherwise, your spaghetti squash just might explode in your microwave! You can use a knife but I used a metal skewer. Place the squash on a plate and microwave in 3 minute intervals, turning the squash around between intervals so that the squash can cook more evenly. You know when it is done when it begins to get soft. Mine usually takes between 9 to 11 minutes, depending on the size of your squash.


 Let the squash cool before handling. Cut the squash in half lengthwise.


Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard.


Make sure you remove all the excess strands and the seeds.


Scrape the inside of the squash with a fork to loosen the spaghetti strands into a bowl or plate.


Spaghetti squash noodles!


Gather all your ingredients together... 2 1/2 cups prepared spaghetti squash, grilled or baked chicken chopped into pieces, 1/2 cup Italian diced tomatoes (not pictured) and 1/3 cup shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese (not pictured). You don't have to use mozzarella cheese but I am a firm believer in cheese making everything taste better :) If you want to leave the cheese out, then use 12 oz grilled or baked chicken.


Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and add the spaghetti squash, chicken and pesto over medium high heat. Toss the squash and chicken with the pesto sauce until evenly coated. I added the diced tomatoes at the last minutes. Divide the mixture into two portions and sprinkle with mozzarella.

Spaghetti Squash with Chicken and Pesto

Ingredients:
For the Pesto:
1/4 cup Kens Steakhouse Lite Northern Italian with Basil and Romano Dressing (2 Healthy Fats)
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped (1 Condiment)
2 tbsp reduced fat grated Kraft parmesan cheese (1 Condiment)
40 pine nuts (2 Condiments)
1 tsp minced garlic (1 Condiment)

 For the Chicken Spaghetti Squash Dish:
10 oz grilled or baked chicken (1 2/3 Lean)
1/3 cup shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese (1/3 Lean)
2 1/2 cups spaghetti squash strands, cooked (5 Greens)
1/2 cup Great Value Italian diced tomatoes, drained (1 Green)

Directions:
To make pesto, combine all the ingredients for the pesto in a small blender or food processor. I used my magic bullet. Blend until desired consistency. Set aside.

Lightly spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add spaghetti squash, chicken and pesto. Stir until combined and heated thoroughly. When heated, toss in the diced tomatoes. Divide the mixture into two portions. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese between the two portions. Enjoy!

2 servings with 
1 Leaner Lean, 3 Greens, 2.5 Condiments and 1 Healthy Fat per serving

Read more »
I really love potato salad, but potato salad is higher in carbs. How I miss potatoes, but alas ... I found another substitute. Cauliflower is an awesome alternative to potatoes and it is much lower in carbs. Cut up some florets and you are golden.

Now for the mayo? I got a substitute for you too! Plain low fat Greek yogurt! You can still have that creamy goodness of potato salad without adding only 1 or 2 tbsp of light mayo because yogurt counts as part of your Lean rather than a Healthy Fat. Add a little bit of Dijon mustard, pickles, salt, pepper, paprika, hard boiled eggs and you got a wonderful faux potato salad. The entire recipe is 1 Lean and Green but I like to split it into 3 equal portions. I mean I love potato salad, but not enough to have a big bowl as my entire meal. If you divide it into 3 portions, then you will have 1/3 Lean, 1 Green, 1 Condiment and 1/3 Snack. You would still need 2/3 Lean such as 4 oz of chicken or 4.6 oz of tilapia. Here is a chart that will help you determine how much 2/3 Lean would be:


I have this printed and posted on my fridge!


Cook your cauliflower in boiling water. I used frozen cauliflower and followed the directions on the back of the package.


Drain the cauliflower and pat dry. Cut the cauliflower into small florets or chunks. Place in a medium sized bowl.


Add two chopped pickle spears which you must deduct from your Snack for the day.


Add chopped hard boiled eggs to the mixture. You can always buy the eggs already hard boiled at the grocery store if you want to save time.


Combine the yogurt with Dijon mustard, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Then add it to the cauliflower mixture. Toss until combined.


Great for those hot BBQ grilling parties!

Cauliflower Salad

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups or 9.5 oz cauliflower, cooked from frozen (3 Greens)*
2 cooked hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped (2/3 Lean)
1/2 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt (1/3 Lean)
2 tsp Dijon mustard (2 Condiments)
1/8 tsp salt (1/2 Condiment)
1/8 tsp fresh black pepper (1/4 Condiment)
1/8 tsp paprika (1/4 Condiment)
2 pickle spears, chopped (1 Snack)

Directions:
Chop cooked cauliflower into small florets. Place in a medium sized bowl.
Add eggs and pickles.

In another small bowl, combine yogurt, dijon mustard, salt, pepper and paprika.
Add to the cauliflower mixture and toss to coat.
Refrigerate until serving.

Makes 1 Serving
Each serving provides
1 Lean, 3 Greens, 3 Condiments and 1 Optional Snack

 * If you would like to add celery, decrease the cauliflower to 1 1/4 cups and add 1/4 cup chopped celery.

You can also divide this salad into 3 equal portions as
1/3 Lean, 1 Green, 1 Condiment and 1/3 Optional Snack

 or in 2 equal portions as
1/2 Lean, 1 1/2 Greens, 1 1/2 Condiments, and 1/2 Optional Snack


Read more »
Oh pasta... how I love you, but I must admit... my waistline doesn't! What to do, oh what to do, but find an alternative! By golly... I think I've got it!

Zucchini!

I know zucchini isn't pasta, but it sure does make a great substitute. You won't even miss pasta if you give zukes a try. My favorite way is to saute them in a pan with a little bit of water, oil or butter (depending on what I am making) but only a few minutes.

I have already been a fan of substituting zucchini for pasta for quite some time now (ever since I started doing Medifast), but I have never tried cooking it with a lemon cream sauce. The lemon flavor is not overpowering and it tastes great with the slight crunchiness of the zucchini and the acidity of the tomatoes. It is a colorful dish that is sure to impress!


Instead of using a julienne peeler, I used this amazing contraption I got from Amazon. It is called a Paderno World Cuisine Spiral Vegetable Slicer. I love this spiralizer! It is so easy to use and clean up is a breeze so what's not to love? You get these really neat spiral cut veggies in a matter of minutes and it makes your dish look oh so pretty! Simply stick the zucchini on the slicer and turn the handle. It's that easy!


If you are interested in purchasing one, you can head on over to Amazon or you can always use a julienne peeler and make thin zucchini strips as your pasta.


Saute 1 teaspoon of olive oil with garlic over medium-high heat.


Add the laughing cow cheese and lemon juice.


Stir until the cheese is melted.


Add the zucchini.

As you can tell from the photo, the laughing cow cheese was still clumpy and thick on the zucchini so I added 1 1/2 tbsp of water.


After adding the tiny bit of water, the sauce was smooth.


Toss the sliced cherry tomatoes in and let it cook for about a minute or until the tomatoes get warm. Serve with your favorite Leanest Lean!


Zucchini Pasta in a Lemon Cream Sauce

 Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup zucchini, peeled with a julienne peeler (2 1/2  Greens)
1 tsp olive oil (1 Healthy Fat)
1/2 tsp minced garlic (1/2 Condiment)
2 garlic and herb light laughing cow cheese wedges (1 Healthy Fat) 
2 tsp lemon juice (1 Condiment)
1 1/2 tbsp water
1/4 tsp kosher salt (1 Condiment) 
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper, to taste (1/4 Condiment)
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced (1/2 Green)

Directions:
In a large saute pan over medium high heat, heat olive oil and add garlic. Cook for 30 seconds.
Add laughing cow cheese, lemon juice, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of water stirring until cheese is melted.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add zucchini noodles, tossing to coat in sauce, and cook for 2 - 3 minutes until wilted. 
You don't want to overcook the noodles -- you want that slightly crisp texture! 
Toss in the cherry tomatoes and heat until warm, about 1 minute. Serve with your favorite Leanest Lean immediately.

 1 Serving with 
3 Greens, 2 Healthy Fats, and 2.75 Condiments

Click Here to Print

Read more »
I absolutely love this dish as a quick and easy Lean and Green meal! I mean... it doesn't even require cooking so you don't have to get your kitchen hot from turning on the oven! Leave the heat outside!

Peanut flavored dressings or sauces have always been a favorite of mine, but I haven't found a great low carb one yet so what is there to do but create my own. Plus, you know never know what is really in those dressing you purchase pre-made. When you make it yourself, you can always vary the ingredients in the dressing to your own liking. For instance, if you don't like spicy, leave the crushed red pepper out! It is a great way to get your water in though!

The peanut dressing mixed with already packaged cole slaw mix is phenomenal! The cole slaw mix I used was from Wal-Mart and it is called Market Fresh Tri Color Cole Slaw mix. It has a mixture of cabbage, red cabbage and yes.... carrots. You can pick the carrots out, but there isn't much inside the bag. A cup and a half of this mix is only 5 grams of carbs! That's all your greens with only 5 grams of carbs! One serving of greens needs to be less than 5 grams of carbs. Yeah... so I left those orange tid-bits in! This will definitely be a regular menu item for me! 


Shrimp Salad with Peanut Dressing

 Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups tri-color coleslaw mix OR 1 1/2 cup shredded cabbage (3 Greens)
7 oz cooked shrimp - I had the frozen ones in the bag with... tails and shells removed defrosted (1 Leanest)

Dressing:
2 tbsp powdered peanut butter aka PB2 (1 Optional Snack)
1 1/2 tbsp water
2 tsp lite soy sauce (2/3 Condiment)
1/4 tsp ground ginger (1/2 Condiment)
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper (1/4 Condiment)
1/2 packet stevia or to taste (1/2 Condiment)
2 tsp sesame oil (2 Healthy Fats)

Directions:
 Combine cole slaw mix and shrimp in a medium sized bowl.
Mix all the ingredients for the peanut dressing together in a small bowl.
Pour over shrimp and veggies.
Toss to coat. Enjoy!

Makes 1 Serving
Each serving provides
1 Leanest, 3 Greens, 2 Condiments, 2 Healthy Fats and 1 Optional Snack

 Don't care for shrimp? Use 6 oz of cooked chicken breasts and decrease the sesame oil to 1 tsp in the peanut dressing for 1 Healthy Fat.

Read more »
I had a wonderful 4th of July weekend with my husband and son! The best part about it? I stayed on plan! OP all the way baby! Holidays always seem the hardest for me, but luckily we decided not to go to one of the infamous buffets here in Vegas that happen to be everywhere! I think that would have been asking for trouble... BIG trouble. Instead, we grilled some shrimp for me and steak for the hubs. I can happily say I had No Regrets this 4th of July weekend! My loss for the week was 1.6 lbs! Great week week for me indeed!

As you can tell by my many posts of shrimp recipes, I love shrimp. I usually have it at least once a week because they cook pretty fast and they absorb a lot of flavor. Plus they belong to the leanest lean category. Not to mention they are just plain old delicious.


I needed to make something that would be quick and easy to put together, hence the name of the recipe, since I am still studying for my real estate license. Study, study , study is all I seem to do these days. I didn't have too much time to spend in the kitchen so this recipe did the trick. With a little preparation, the dish only took a few minutes to make. Well, a few minutes of cooking time. If you like the cauliflower mashed "potatoes" mixed with laughing cow cheese wedges, then you will love this dish. It is definitely keeper! 


I used frozen cauliflower, which didn't take long at all to cook. Add the frozen cauliflower to boiling water and let it cook for about 5 minutes.


Drain the cauliflower. Use a food scale to measure out 270 grams of cauliflower or 186 grams if using fresh cauliflower. You can also measure out 1 1/2 cups of cauliflower if you do not have a food scale.



Place the cooked cauliflower in a food processor and use the shredding disk too shred the cauliflower. You could also use a hand grater if you don't have a processor.
 

Set aside the grated cauliflower.


 Measure out 7 oz of cooked shrimp and set aside. Make sure the shrimp is peeled with tails removed.

 
Saute 1 tbsp of butter with 1 minced garlic clove.


 Add the rest of the ingredients cooking until heated thoroughly. Only a few minutes! Voila! Dinner is served!


 Quick and Easy Mock Shrimp "Risotto"

Ingredients:
1 tbsp Land O' Lakes light butter spread with canola oil (1 Healthy Fat)
1 tsp minced garlic (1 Condiment)
2 tbsp Philadelphia garden vegetable 1/3 less fat cream cheese or light cream cheese (1 Healthy Fat)
9 oz shrimp peeled, tails removed ~ 7 oz cooked shrimp (1 Leanest)
1 1/2 cups (270 g) cooked cauliflower, grated (3 Greens)
1 tbsp reduced fat grated Kraft Parmesan Cheese (1/2 Condiment)
1/4 tsp salt (1 Condiment)
1/8 tsp black pepper (1/4 Condiment)
1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes (1/6 Condiment)

Directions:
In a medium sized skillet, melt butter and add garlic. Saute garlic in butter until light brown over medium high heat. Lower the temperature to medium heat and add the cream cheese. Stir until slightly melted. It is okay to have some lumps. They will blend nicely with the rest of the ingredients. Add the shrimp to the cream cheese mixture and then add the grated cauliflower, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Stir until combined. Heat for about 3 to 4 minutes or until heated thoroughly. Sprinkle parsley flakes on top. Enjoy!

Makes 1 Serving
Each serving provides
1 Leanest, 3 Greens, 3 Condiments, and 2 Healthy Fats per Serving

 Click Here to Print

Read more »
I have got a great recipe for you... well you know it is that time of year when we all bring out our grills and enjoy the beautiful sunshine outdoors! Considering Vegas gets well over 100 degrees quite often (hey what can you expect living in the desert), so we typically grill in the morning or in the evening because the afternoon heat can get unbearable. At least for us, considering we came from Colorado.

My husband and I love to grill... well actually, he likes to grill and I like to eat the grilled food! My famous words, "Call me when it is done honey!" Yeah, we make a great team! This recipe contains two of my favorite things! Shrimp and Frank's hot sauce! You just can't go wrong there! It's the perfect dish for Summer! The best thing about this recipe is that it is great dish to bring to a pot luck or enjoy at home with the family. A crowd pleaser for sure! I would limit this dish to have on occasion because Frank's hot sauce does have a lot of sodium so weigh in on Friday and eat this on Saturday!

Don't want shrimp? Use chicken! Chicken requires only 1 healthy fat so if using butter in the buffalo sauce, you will have to serve it with another side that doesn't use a healthy fat. If you really want to have the ranch slaw, just omit the butter in the buffalo sauce. Use about 8 to 9 oz raw to get 6 oz cooked. If using cheese in the ranch broccoli slaw, then you will only need 4.5 oz cooked chicken.


Grilled Buffalo Shrimp

Ingredients:
  • 9 to 10 ounce raw, peeled, deveined shrimp - should yield 7 ounces cooked (1 Leanest)
  • 1/4 cup Frank's Hot Sauce (2 Condiments)
  • 1 tbsp. light butter - I like to use Land O Lakes Light Butter with Canola Oil (1 Healthy Fat)
Directions:
  1. Melt butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds. 
  2. Add butter and hot sauce in a small bowl, stirring until combined.
  3. Place shrimp on skewers. 
  4. Baste very lightly with the sauce, saving majority of the sauce for when they are done cooking.
  5. Grill until shrimp are cooked, about 2 minutes on each side. 
  6. Baste with remaining buffalo sauce.
Don't forget to weigh your shrimp after they are cooked. You should have 7 ounces of cooked shrimp. If you are serving the ranch broccoli slaw with this meal, you will only need 3/4 Leanest which will be 5.25 ounces cooked.

Make 1 Serving
Each serving provides:
1 Leanest, 2 Condiments, and 1 Healthy Fat 
(You still need 1 more Healthy Fat)


Here is a recipe for ranch broccoli slaw. As you can tell, both recipes are really, really easy to make. This one requires no cooking at all so no burning down the house! Just mix the ingredients together and you have a quick tasty side dish. The coolness of the ranch dressing pairs so well with the bit of heat from the shrimp and it adds a nice crunch! A match made in heaven!

I bought the broccoli slaw at Wal-Mart. It does have bits of carrots mixed in, but I picked them all out. Well, most of them anyways. It wasn't easy, but I did it! If you don't mind the carrots, leave them in! The added cheddar cheese and bacon bits really complete the dish so don't leave them out! Have a wonderful weekend you guys! Stay on plan and you won't regret it when Monday comes right around the corner!


Ranch Broccoli Slaw

Ingredients:
  • 1- 1/2 cups broccoli slaw or fresh broccoli florets (3 Greens)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Great Value light ranch dressing (3/4 Healthy Fat)
  • 1/4 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded (1/4 Lean)
  • 1 tbsp Oscar Meyer turkey bacon pieces (1 Condiment)
Directions:
  1. Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. 
  2. Stir until combined. 
  3. Serve chilled.

Makes 1 Serving
Each serving provides:
1/4 Lean, 3 Greens, 3/4 Healthy Fat, and 1 Condiment

If you omit the cheese, you can use 2 tbsp of ranch dressing.


Read more »
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
Powered by Blogger.