Ok, so these are two dishes that are a couple of mainstays in my diet. I love them; I think they're tasty, easy, cheap, and healthy -- and they stick to the ribs. They're both in line with my plan, so the carbs are low-GI, and they're high-protein, low-fat, low sodium, low cholesterol, and have a healthy protein percentage. FYI, One of them, the second one I eat all the time; people think sounds gross when I describe it to them, but when they taste it, they like it a lot. I lived in Italy for a few years, and both dishes are definitely Italian-influenced.
Ginger Penne with Garbanzo Beans, spinach, and Tuna
2 1/2 cups uncooked penne
1 can garbanzo beans, unsalted
2 pouches (NOT cans) Starkist albacore
5-6 heaping handfuls of fresh baby leaf spinach (I get those pre-washed bags)
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tbsp. minced garlic (fresh is preferable to jarred, but jarred is just fine)
5 tbsp. minced ginger (fresh is ambrosia, and the jarred is conveniently found next to the garlic, usually in your produce section)
1 tsp garlic powder
black pepper to taste
I don't add salt because the tuna already adds a salty flavor, but if you have to, try to use a small amount of kosher salt; it contains less sodium, and it tastes saltier, so a little goes farther. Also, try to hold off adding it until you've had a chance to taste the unsalted finished product rather than assuming that you'll need it.
Cook the penne in unsalted water until it's cooked
al dente; there should still be a bit of resistance when you cut it with your fork, and chewing should still be necessary in order to eat it!
Drain it and toss it into a large bowl. Add the olive oil and lemon juice and gently stir to cover. Add the garlic, ginger, and pepper and stir again. Add well-drained can of garbanzo beans and the pouches of tuna UNDRAINED (just open 'em up and pour dump 'em in,) and a couple of handfuls of spinach, and turn them in gently. Keep adding the spinach a little at a time, till it's fully incorporated, adding more lemon juice as needed for moisture. At the end, taste it for salt, and then rethink the salt by adding additional ginger instead! (I'm on an anti-salt crusade!)
You can eat this heated, chilled, or at room temp. This batch should yield 6 servings. Each serving has 350 calories, 7.5 grams fat (1.42 saturated,) Carbs - 45.2 g (dietary fiber - 5.54,) Protein - 26.9 g. The breakdown is Carb 46%, Protein 35%, Fat 19%.
Brown Rice with Kidney Beans and Tuna
1/2 cup brown long grain rice
1 can kidney beans, unsalted
chicken broth, low-sodium and fat free
2 pouches (NOT cans) Starkist albacore tuna
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp. minced fresh garlic
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (to taste)
No salt is needed, since the chicken broth already has sodium, and the tuna is salty.
Cook the rice in the minced garlic and chicken broth. When it's done, add the garlic powder, kidney beans and tuna, and stir gently to combine ingredients. Once everything is combined, add the cayenne pepper as you like it; it really adds a lot to round out the flavors, so add as much as you like.
This is great hot. This recipe yields 4 servings, each with 299 calories, 2.53 g fat (.9 saturated,) Carbs - 36.2 (Dietary fiber 2.76,) Protein - 34.6 g. The breakdown is Carb 46%, Protein 46%, Fat 8%.
Hope you like these.....I have plenty more where these came from! (My culinary degree comes in handy sometimes!)