I am in dire need of low cal recipes that have very few ingredients and easy to make. I like Cooking Light, and other online recipe databases, but the recipes tend to be too fancy for me.
Can you give me an idea of how few "very few ingredients" is? I ask because I have some recipes I've adapted and really love-- but I don't know if they are simple enough for you and I don't want to waste your time with recipes you won't use. ;-)
Baked Chicken Breast Rolls - 4 ingredients, plus salt and pepper:
Serves 4
Two 8 ounce boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1.5 cups fresh baby spinach, washed and trimmed.
4 laughing cow lowfat garlic and herb cheese wedges
2 tsp. dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cut each chicken breast in half to create two equal sized pieces (note: don't cut lengthwise. Cut so the pieces are as close to square as you can get, not long thin strips). Place each piece between two pieces of plastic wrap, and pound until very thin (try to get the pieces as evenly pounded as possible - its easier to roll the chicken if the pieces have roughly equal sides). Season each pounded breast on both sides with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, mix together the laughing cow wedges with the dijon mustard and a little bit of salt and pepper. Spread each pounded chicken breast with a quarter of the mixture, being sure to spread all the way to the edges.
On top of the cheese mixture, layer 1/4 of the trimmed and washed spinach. Leave a half inch seam without any spinach at one end of the chicken breast.
Carefully roll each chicken breast piece around the filling, starting with the spinach-covered end and rolling toward the seam, and secure with a toothpick.
Spray a nonstick pan with a light coat of cooking spray and heat pan over medium high heat. When hot, sear each side of the chicken breast rolls until golden. When all sides have been seared, place in a baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees until chicken is cooked through (use a meat thermometer if you have one, it took about 15 minutes). Let rest 5 minutes before serving. I sliced mine before serving for presentation purposes, but it isn't necessary. I served with wholewheat couscous and lemon garlic green beans.
I tried to post a few minutes ago, but I don't think it showed up. I am looking for simple ingredients. I guess it doesn't matter how many as long as it's somewhat a simple recipe. I don't carry hoisen sauce, sherry wine, and tofu on a weekly basis in my house. Do you get my point? lol Thanks!
Okay, so here's one I adapted from Rachel Ray. I like it because it's so filling I think I'm cheating. The bulk of the escarole really makes this seem like a big meal.
Pasta with Escarole
Serves 2 with left-overs and 3 without
1/3 pound dried spaghetti (I use soy pasta or a mix of whole wheat and regular)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 pound thickly sliced pancetta or 4 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
6 to 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 large heads escarole, washed and drained, roughly chopped
3/4 cup vegetable broth (I use the cubes)
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Heat a large skillet over medium heat with the extra-virgin olive oil. Add the pancetta or bacon and cook until crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Set aside.
Turn the heat on the pan back to low then add the sliced garlic and cook until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the garlic chips from the pan to drain alongside the crispy pancetta, reserve.
Fill a large pot with water, bring to a boil and add the pasta. Cook to al dente, with a bite to it. When the pasta is just a few minutes from being ready:
Over medium heat, add the crushed red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook for 30 seconds. Add the roughly chopped escarole, tossing to wilt it in the flavored oil and wilting it into the pan in stages. Once all the escarole has fit into the pan, add the vegetable broth, lemon juice, salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
Drain the hot pasta well and add it to the escarole pan. Add lemon zest and toss to distribute. Turn the heat off and add the parmesan cheese, toss to melt. Toss in the crispy pancetta/bacon and garlic chips.
416 calories per serving, 20 g fat, 10.5 g fiber, 28.75 g carbs, 22 g protein (assuming you eat half of it)
When I make this for four I use 3 heads of escarole and 1/2 lb of pasta, leaving all the rest of the ingredients the same.
And another one I think I got from Epicurious. Serve it with a crunchy salad and you're all set.
MEDITERRANEAN VEGETABLE-CHEESE PIE
4 servings (but it's so low calorie I have two servings without guilt)
Olive-oil cooking spray
2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced in 1/8-inch rounds
1/2 cup diced onion
8 oz (about 8 cups) baby spinach
3 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
2 whole eggs
3 egg whites
1 cup nonfat ricotta or fat-free cottage cheese
1 tbsp feta, crumbled
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil or dill, or 3 tsp dried basil or dill, divided into 2 equal portions
3 Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 1/2 tbsp grated Asiago or Parmesan
1 1/2 tbsp grated lowfat mozzarella
Heat oven to 350°. Coat a 9" pie plate with cooking spray. Line bottom of plate with potato slices. Cut remaining slices in half and arrange around side of plate. Bake 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Coat a sauté pan with cooking spray and sauté onion over low heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add spinach to pan and let wilt, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Drain excess fluid from onion and spinach mixture. Stir in olives. In a bowl, beat eggs and egg whites. Stir in ricotta and feta. Add half the basil or dill and set aside. Spoon onion and spinach mixture into pie plate over potatoes. Layer on egg mixture, then slices of tomato. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until egg is set and a knife inserted into pie comes out clean. Sprinkle grated cheeses evenly over top of pie and top with remaining basil or dill. Return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Cut pie into 4 wedges. Serve immediately.
192 caqlories per serving: 4.8 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 20.5 g carbohydrates, 17.5 g protein, 7.8 g fiber
One thing my family lives on these days is what we call Fake Snapple (idea from the Barefoot Contessa). I wanted to find something healthier for my kids. They love it and drink as fast as I can make it.
Fake Snapple
4 Red Zinger tea bags
4 Lemon Zinger tea bags
Boiling water
1 - 1 1/2 cups apple juice
Place tea bags in large heat-proof pitcher. Add boiling water to fill pitcher 2/3 to ¾ full. Let tea bags steep about 10 minutes and remove. Add apple juice to fill pitcher to top. Place in refrigerator to chill.
I don't know how many calories are in this because I haven't bothered to work it out, but the tea is zero calories and I know I'm getting a fraction of the calories found in a cup of apple juice. Just make sure that pitcher is mostly tea.
Anyway, if you like the recipes let me know-- I have more.
[QUOTE=idest]One thing my family lives on these days is what we call Fake Snapple (idea from the Barefoot Contessa). I wanted to find something healthier for my kids. They love it and drink as fast as I can make it.
Thank you! My son LOVES juice, and I am trying to wean him off of it or at least MAKE him drink more water. I water it down now, but he will love that. I'll try it.
I will add to my own thread. I love spicy food. I'm sure this is an old recipe, but I use shake and bake, but instead of water, milk, or egg I toss mine in Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce. It really spicy, but taste good! I like to use tenderloins.
Share low cal. recipes please!! :)
