Gnocchi with Bacon, Escarole, and Tomatoes

The next few dishes are going to be inspired by the "clean out the pantry" philosophy.  Lol. We are moving and the less pantry items we have to move the better off we'll be.  So it's all about creativity....oh and The Food Network Magazine.

Source: Ever so slightly adapted from The Food Network Magazine

Ingredients: 

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 slices center cut bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 small head escarole, roughly chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 17 .5-ounce package potato gnocchi
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions: 

Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 7 minutes. Add the onion and continue cooking until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the escarole, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook until the escarole is completely wilted, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain the gnocchi and add to the pot with the escarole mixture. Add the reserved cooking water and stir to coat, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, parmesan and parsley; season with salt and pepper.


Yield: 4 Servings
Nutrition info per serving: 481 calories, 23 g fat, 35 g carbs, 6 g fiber, 13 g protein

Buffalo Turkey Burgers with Blue Cheese Broccoli Slaw

Back from a short hiatus and thought it would be appropriate to share a grill recipe! Tis the season! This is a fun way to make a turkey burger not so boring....it's got a little kick but not too spicy so if you want to turn up the heat use your favorite brand of hot sauce! Another fantastic recipe from Gina at Skinnytaste.com!

Source: Skinnytaste

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups broccoli slaw
• 1/4 cup skinny blue cheese dressing
• 1.25 lbs 93% lean ground turkey
• 2/3 cup grated carrots (grate in food processor) 
• 1/4 cup seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs 
• 1 clove garlic, grated 
• 1 tbsp red onion, grated
• 1/4 cup Franks Hot Sauce
• salt and fresh pepper
• oil spray
• 5 slices reduced fat cheddar
• 5 whole wheat burger buns 

Directions: 

In a medium bowl combine broccoli slaw and skinny blue cheese dressing. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, carrots, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Makes 5 equal patties, 5.5 oz each

Heat a large skillet on high heat. When hot, lightly spray the oil. Add burgers to the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low.

Cook on one side until browned 4-5 minutes, then flip. Cook another 4 minutes or until burgers are cooked all the way through (keep heat medium-low to prevent burning); top with cheese and place on a toasted burger buns topped with broccoli slaw.

Nutrition info per serving:

Calories: 358 • Fat: 15 g • Protein: 38.3 g • Carb: 22.7 g • Fiber: 5.6 g • Sugar: 5.9

Blackened Halibut w/ Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Yum. Yum. Yum. I'm pretty sure blackened is one of if not the best way to cook fish.  Picked up some Alaskan Halibut from Keegan's on my way home from work, threw some blackened seasoning on it, and had Brian throw it on the grill.  Doesn't get much easier than that! Serve with a salad and some haricot vert for a low carb meal!

Source: Amy Hart

Ingredients:

• 4-6 oz Halibut filet per person
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Your favorite blackened seasoning ( I used Zatterain's)

Sauce:

• 1/3 cup roasted red peppers (jarred works well for the consistency)
• 1 tsp garlic paste (you can use 1 garlic clove instead....just mash it up)
• 1-2 TBSP of reduced fat mayo
• 1 TBSP reduced fat sour cream
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
• Dash cayenne pepper
• Salt and Pepper to taste 

Directions:

• Chop the roasted red bell peppers finely. 

• In a bowl combine the garlic, peppers, and liquid from the peppers. Stir together and mash the mixture with a fork or back of a spoon.

• Add mayo and sour cream and keep mashing and stirring.

• Add seasonings and stir vigorously until there are no lumps from the mayo and sour cream. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

• Turn on the grill, rub the fish with the olive oil and coat with the blackened seasoning.

• Grill 5 mins per side. Careful when flipping the fish.

• Warm up the sauce from the refrigerator, squeeze lemon juice over the fish, and serve with a dollop of the sauce on top.

Nutrition info per serving ( 1 filet + 1 TBSP of sauce): 425 calories, 23 g fat, 25 g protein, 5 g carbs

Bacon Cheeseburger Wraps

The next best thing to a nice big juicy bacon cheeseburger all bundled up in a low calorie, low carb wrap! You won't even miss the bun!  Emily Bites does such a great job coming up with fun recipes like this. You MUST check out her site!

Source: Emily Bites

Ingredients:

1 lb 95% lean ground beef 
1 T McCormick Hamburger Seasoning
4 Laughing Cow Light Queso Fresco & Chipotle Wedges, cut into pieces
2 T Ketchup
2 t Yellow Mustard
1/3 cup 2% shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 T Hormel Real Bacon Bits
4 light wraps (I recommend Flatouts...I used a different brand here and they were too flimsy)
½ a medium tomato, cut into pieces
1 – 1 ½ cups shredded lettuce

Directions:

1. Bring a large skillet to medium heat. Add the ground beef and hamburger seasoning and cook until meat is browned. Drain meat. Clean skillet and set aside.
2. Place meat in a medium bowl and add the cheese wedges, ketchup, mustard, cheddar and bacon bits. Stir to combine. Microwave on high for one minute. Stir again until meat is evenly coated.
3. Spoon a quarter of the meat mixture (around a generous ½ cup) onto the center of each flatout and spread the mixture lengthwise, leaving about an inch at each end. Evenly distribute the shredded lettuce and tomato pieces across the top of the meat. Fold in the 1” ends of the flatout over the filling and then fold in the long ends to cover it.
4. Lightly mist the large skillet with cooking spray and bring over medium-low heat. Place the wraps fold-side down onto the skillet (I did them in batches of two) and let them cook for 3-4 minutes or until golden. Flip the wraps and continue to cook until golden on the bottom. Cut in half and serve.

Yield: 4 wraps

Nutrition info per wrap: 335 calories, 13g fat,  22g carbs, 40g protein 

Baked Chicken Parmesan

I love chicken Parmesan because it’s a meal pretty much anyone will eat without complaint. This version isn't bad for you since it’s baked not fried.  I saw this recipe over at  Skinnytaste and wanted to try it because it is only 251 calories per serving! I added some seasonings and served this with a little whole wheat spaghetti.

Source: Adapted ever so slightly from Skinnytaste


Ingredients: 

• 8 chicken cutlets (or breasts sliced in half)
• 3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp italian seasoning
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp butter, melted 
• 3/4 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese 
• 1 cup low sugar marinara 
• cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray
2. Combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and seasonings in a shallow bowl. Melt the butter in another bowl. Lightly brush the butter onto the chicken, then dip into breadcrumb mixture. Place on baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken.
3. Lightly spray chicken with a little more cooking spray (this makes it crispy) and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, spoon sauce over chicken and top with shredded cheese. Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted and chicken is done. Serve over whole wheat spaghetti.

Yield : 8 servings

Nutrition info per serving: 251 calories, 9.5 g fat, 13 g carbs, 31.5 g protein
*does not include the spaghetti 

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

One of my all time favorite dishes I have ever made.  I could seriously eat this everyday and be completely happy.  Most traditional stuffed pepper recipes are made with rice and sour cream but I left those out to keep this low fat, low carb, and packed with protein.  Not to mention the nutritional benefits of the antioxidants and vitamin C in the bell peppers! The smoky sweetness of the bell peppers in this dish marry so well the flavors in the filling.  Yum!

Source: Amy Hart

Ingredients:

• 4 large red bell peppers
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 lb extra lean ground turkey
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. beef bouillon granules
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp chil powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
• 1 c. mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 c. shredded reduced fat cheese
• 1/2 c. green onion, thinly sliced
• 1 c. hot water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Halve the red bell peppers through the stem. Clean out the insides and seeds. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat and brown the turkey, chopped onion and garlic until pink is gone. Add 1 tsp. beef bouillon and all seasonings. Stir. Add the mushrooms and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted and remove from heat. Set aside. Mix the hot water with the remaining bouillon. Stir and let dissolve. Fill the red pepper halves with filling. Pour the water/bouillon mix into a baking dish and place the filled peppers into the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, remove cover and spoon some juice onto the meat filling. Replace cover, and bake for an additional 10 minutes.  Garnish with the green onions and serve.

Yield: 4 servings (2 halves per serving)

Nutritional info per serving: 316 calories, 9 g fat, 17 g carbs, 39 G protein

Calculated using myfitnesspal.com

Almost Cuban Panini

I could honestly eat this sandwich everyday and be happy. I looooooove a good Cuban sandwich and even though this isn't a true Cuban, it is equally as good and guilt free!  It's a little lighter and a little quicker.  I look at it as a "souped-up" version of a ham and Swiss. : )  You can serve these with a whole serving of  Alexia Yukon fries and the whole meal is under 500 calories!

Source: Amy Hart


Ingredients:

• 1 Sub bun ( I used Kroger's bakery brand. You could also use french bread)
• 2 oz Oscar Meyer Carving Board Turkey breast (warmed up)
• 1-2 slices of ham ( I use Private Selection Rosemary ham)
• 2 slices of fat free Swiss singles
• 3 slices of sandwich stuffer pickles
• Dijon mustard
• Red fat mayo with olive oil
• Pam cooking spray-butter flavor

Directions: 

Slice the bun open and spread mustard on one side and mayo on the other. Place cheese and pickles on the bread. Add turkey and top with ham. Close your sandwich, spray a Panini grill  (you could also make this in a grill pan and place a heavy object on top of the sandwich to help smash it down) with buttered flavored Pam and press down until the cheese is melted and the crust is a little crispy. Cut and enjoy!

Yield: 1 sandwich

Nutrition info per serving: 335 calories, 5 g fat, 37 g carbs,  33 g protein

(Calculated using myfitnesspal.com)