Lite Side: Roasted Butternut Squash and Shallots

Inspired by a dish at Whole Foods, I found this recipe on the Internet to which I added dried cranberries; the tartness of which nicely offset the sweetness of the butternut squash.

Not as light as plain roasted squash, but far more satisfying and a tasty addition to the autumn repertoire. It was a hit at Kevin's Friends' Thanksgiving a month ago and Ragav loves it so much he asks for it weekly. It is especially good when the squash and shallots get browned. YUM!

3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 shallots, peeled and halved lengthwise (I cut them a bit smaller)
handful of dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 475. Combine ingredients in bowl. Pour into a lightly sprayed jellyroll pan. Bake at 475 for 20 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan and toss with dried cranberries.

Lite Dinner Tonight: Cajun Garlic Pork Roast

A simple recipe for the "other white meat" from Cooking Light (CL). Worthy of company and has a little kick - it only took 70 minutes, not 90. I served it with broccoli and an old CL standby, Honey Mustard Mashed Sweet Potatoes. And since dinner was healthy, we hardly felt guilty indulging in the exquisite pecan pie from Petsi Pies, definitely NOT light, but well worth every last calorie!

1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (2-pound) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Rub first 7 ingredients over roast; place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155°. Let stand 10 minutes.

Honey Mustard Mashed Sweet Potatoes

1 tablespoon margarine
1/2 cup sliced onion
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (~1 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup low-fat chicken broth

Preparation
Melt margarine in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sweet potatoes; saute 5 minutes. Add mustard and remaining ingredients.; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are very tender.

The recipe says to put the sweet potato mixture in a food processor, but I just "smoosh" them manually with a potato masher.

Lite Dinner Tonight: Coconut Shrimp with Pineapple Dipping Sauce

This recipe I adapted from a cooking light recipe. It tastes like fried coconut shrimp but is oven baked so without all the fat. Yummy!

Shrimp:
1 to 1 1/2 pound bag frozen, peeled but not cooked large shrimp
1/3 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups flaked sweetened coconut (toasted lightly in oven)
Cooking spray

Pineapple Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup Pineapple preserves (Apricot or other preserves would also work)
2 Tbsp Rice wine vinegar
(optional) Lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Rinse shrimp in cold water in colandar; drain on paper towels until dry.

Combine cornstarch, salt, and red pepper in a shallow dish; stir with a whisk. Place the egg whites in a medium bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until frothy (about 2 minutes). Place coconut in a shallow dish.

Working with one shrimp at a time, dredge in cornstarch mixture. Dip in egg white; dredge in coconut, pressing gently with fingers. Place shrimp on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat the procedure with remaining shrimp, cornstarch mixture, egg white, and coconut. Lightly coat shrimp with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until shrimp are done, turning after 5 minutes.

To make dipping sauce combine pineapple preserves and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; stir to combine.

Lite Dinner Tonight: Pork Chops with Sauteed Apples

This is an easy weeknight dinner option. I made this last week after seeing it in my sister’s recipe file. Easy, light, and yummy!


Ingredients

* 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
* 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
* Cooking spray
* 1 teaspoon butter
* 4 cups (1/2-inch) slices peeled Granny Smith apples (about 4 medium)
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* Dash of salt

Preparation

Combine first 3 ingredients, and sprinkle over the pork. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add pork; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove the pork from pan. Cover and keep warm.

Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add apples and remaining ingredients, and cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Serve the apples with pork.

4 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and 3/4 cup apple mixture is 5 POINTS)

Lite Soup - Roasted Fennel and Tomato Soup

After renewing our at work WW program yet again, I decided to start making soups as often as possible that are close to zero points yet filling for before dinner or as a supplement to lunches. This one is excellent and flavorful - especially in summer when the tomatoes are at their best.

1 fennel bulb
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 medium onion
2 tsp olive oil
cooking spray
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice Fennel and onion into 1/2 inch chunks and arrange evenly on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Half cherry tomatoes and add to pan. Drizzle with olive oil and mix vegetables around on the pan with your hands to coat. Roast for 15-20 min or until fennel is tender when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile heat a 4 quart saucepan on medium high and add broth. When vegetables are ready transfer them to the pan and simmer in the broth 10 minutes. Remove soup in batches and puree in blender or food processor or use immersion blender until smooth consistency.

Makes 6 servings - 0 POINTS!

Mexican Black Bean Dip/Salad

This recipe came from my fiancé Kevin who has made it several times for parties. It is always a hit and everyone asks for the recipe so here it is! It is great as a dip served with tortilla chips (“scoops” work especially well) or even as a side salad. Some people commented that it reminds them of fresh ceviche which is typically made with some type of seafood or fish and similar ingredients – I think it is the lime juice in it that gives it that fresh flavor. The recipe makes a large quantity so if you only want it for a dip you might half the recipe or save extra for later or another day.

Enjoy!

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 15 ounce cans black beans, drained/rinsed well

1½ cups fresh corn kernels

1½ cups red onion

1½ cups chopped tomatoes (about 3)

1 finely chopped/seeded poblano or chili pepper

1 large avocado

Spices/guideline measurements (adjust to your taste):

¼ cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons of Adobo (or to taste)

Mix together and chill before serving.

Lite Sides - Roasted Apples and Sweet Potatoes

My favorite way to cook almost any vegetable is to roast them in the oven. Not only is it super easy (throw a cookie sheet in the oven and leave it) but the vegetables get a nice caramelized nutty flavor to them and crisp texture. I do this with asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower – all fabulous.

I am always looking for ways to make the same vegetables more interesting. This is a twist on roasted sweet potatoes that came out really great so I thought I’d share. The apples give the sweet potatoes a nice sweet/tart contrast.

Roasted Apples and Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

4 or 5 medium-size sweet potatoes – washed and tough bits removed
2 large Granny Smith apples, cored
2 tablespoons orange flavored olive oil (or regular if you don’t have it)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
salt and pepper to taste

Cut sweet potatoes and apples into 1-inch cubes (or whatever size you like but try to be consistent so they cook evenly). You can peel them or not – up to your taste – personally I don’t bother and love the texture the skins add.

Stir together olive oil, brown sugar, and grated orange rind in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag until blended – (you can do this right in the pan and toss around if you are lazy like me). Add cubed sweet potatoes and sliced apples. Seal bag, and toss to coat.

Place potato mixture in a single layer in a lightly greased 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake at 400° for 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes and apples are tender and lightly browned.

4 servings – estimated 3 WW points per serving

Lite Dinner Tonight - Pork Tenderloin with Ginger-Maple Sauce

I made this dish for a family gathering a week ago. The spice rub on the pork is very tasty and the sauce adds additional flavor. Delicious and easy! Everyone loved it and there were literally no leftovers. My only recommendation is to make a little extra for a crowd as the serving size is a bit smaller than what people actually ate. Enjoy!

Spicy Pork Tenderloin with Ginger-Maple Sauce

2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons bottled ground fresh ginger
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; rub pork with spice mixture. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat; add pork. Cook 6 minutes; brown on all sides. Place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until thermometer registers 155°. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

While pork bakes, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, and cook 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Add ginger, and cook 4 minutes. Stir in broth and syrup, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring broth mixture to a boil; cook until reduced to 3/4 cup (about 10 minutes). Cut pork into 1/4-inch-thick slices; serve with sauce.

6 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork and 2 tablespoons sauce) at approx 5 WW Points each

CALORIES 263(28% from fat); FAT 8.2g (sat 3.9g,mono 2.8g,poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 25g; CHOLESTEROL 78mg; CALCIUM 39mg; SODIUM 663mg; FIBER 1.1g; IRON 2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 21.7g

Lite Dinner Tonight - Sea Bass with Pinapple Glaze

Sea bass is arguably my favorite fish. It is very flavorful and firm and if you like shellfish but typically don't like fish I still recommend trying sea bass. While not always easy to find and sometimes pricey it is worth it if you can find it. Whole foods and even Shaws has it but it is very expensive - around $17.99/pound. Sometimes you can get it at Trader Joe's in the frozen fish section for much less, or if you are lucky enough to live near a Stew Leonard's (like my mom in CT) then they have it often and at excellent prices $8.99/pound. I bought some last time I was in CT and it was excellent!

Broiled Sea Bass with Pineapple-Chili-Basil Glaze

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons pineapple preserves
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
4 (6-ounce) sea bass or other firm white fish fillets (about 1 inch thick)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray

Preparation:
Preheat broiler.
Combine first 5 ingredients and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl.
Sprinkle the fillets with 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Place the fillets on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 5 minutes. Remove from oven; brush fillets evenly with glaze. Return to oven; broil for an additional 5 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Yield 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet) – WW POINTS 4

Nutritional Information CALORIES 208(15% from fat); FAT 3.4g (sat 0.9g,mono 0.7g,poly 1.3g); PROTEIN 31.4g; CHOLESTEROL 70mg; CALCIUM 23mg; SODIUM 487mg; FIBER 0.2g; IRON 0.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 10.7g

Lite Restaurant Challenge - Stella

Stella
www.bostonstella.com

Stella has become a regular fixture in my restaurant repertoire. It started so because it is about a block away from my friend Kevin’s condo in the South End, but it continues to be so because of its amazing food at reasonable prices - and equally important it has a fun chic atmosphere and interesting bar scene. You never know who you are going to meet there and the bartenders all know us at this point which make this a perfect neighborhood spot for any night of the week. It can get crowded so make a reservation on opentable.com or wait for seats at the bar which is usually my preference unless you have more than 2-3 people.

Over time we have sampled most of the menu which never disappoints, but for now I will focus on last night’s experience. The Bolognese is still the best I have EVER had so I highly recommend it – but since I rejoined weight watchers in September I am challenged to find dishes at my favorite places that I enjoy but won’t break my POINTS budget for the week.

Let’s see how I did:

Crudo Misto - If you like sashimi or sushi like dishes this is your appetizer. Alternating fresh (raw) salmon and tuna covered with a limoncello vinaigrette is to die for.

WW POINTS – 6 total – 3 per person since we shared

Swordfish Siciliano with Capers and Asparagus. – Beautiful presentation with a perfectly seared swordfish filet perched on top of roasted potatoes and topped with asparagus, red onion and capers. The swordfish was moist and the topping very flavorful. I give it an A- overall.

WW POINTS – 8

Wine - 05 Argiolas “Costamolino” Vermentino - 2 glasses

WW POINTS – 2

Total damage: 14 POINTS – not bad for 2 courses and wine

Not too bad! And if you were doing core plan all you would need to count is the wine and some for oil that is likely in the swordfish dish.

Lite Soups - Leek and Cauliflower Soup

I admit I stole this recipe from another blog while surfing around one day online. It was described as having a creamy texture while not having any cream in the soup at all. After reading the ingredients I realized this soup would be ZERO points so I had to give it a try. It was as delicious and creamy as described and utterly guilt free. This is nice enough to serve at a dinner party or make a batch on the weekend and eat all week as a filling appetizer.

Enjoy!

Leek & Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 medium leeks, sliced into rounds and washed
• 1 medium sweet onion
• olive oil
• 1 large head cauliflower, cored and cut into florets
• ½ crown broccoli florets, optional
• 4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
• salt and pepper

Preparation:
In a large saucepan, saute onion and leeks with a bit of olive oil, until they soften but do not brown. Add cauliflower, broccoli, and stock and cook, covered, until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes.

Puree the soup in batches in the blender (or if you have an immersion blender like I do you can do this right in the pot) , placing pureed soup in a bowl. When finished pureeing, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Yield: 6 servings – zero WW points!

Lite Veggie Side - Roasted Fennel

I first discovered fennel while on vacation in Italy in Positano, one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. We ordered an antipasti appetizer at one of the many restauraunts down along the beach, and the roasted fennel that was part of that plate was incredibly delicious! Of course I decided I would try and make that at home (I am told I say that about a lot of restaurant dishes!) and it is a very easy and low calorie vegetable you can make any day of the week. I now make this at least twice a month and get requests for how to make it from friends and relatives often. So easy! Enjoy.

Roasted Fennel

Ingredients:
1 -2 Fennel Bulbs, stalks and fronds removed
Olive oil cooking spray
Sea salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Slice fennel bulb into 1/4 inch slices and arrange on baking sheet lightly coated with cooking spray. Spray tops of fennel with cooking spray and sprinkle with sea salt.

Roast in oven 12 minutes or until fennel is soft and staring to brown.


WW Points - ZERO - YIPPEE

Lite Dinner Tonight - Scallops Gremolata

This might be the easiest recipe I have and yet looks like a restaurant quality dish. Nice sea scallops are readily available at most grocery stores and are frequently on sale. While the other ingredients seem mundane, when put together the flavor of this is delicious. I make this frequently and my boyfriend asks for it all the time. Enjoy!

Scallops Gremolata

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1 1/2 pounds sea scallops
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
3/4 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Place breadcrumbs in large zip-top plastic bag; add scallops. Seal bag; shake to coat. Add scallops to pan; cook 4 minutes. Turn scallops; cook 3 minutes or until done. Remove from heat. Add parsley and remaining ingredients; stir gently to coat.

4 servings (serving size: about 5 ounces scallops) – 4 WW POINTS

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 217(28% from fat); FAT 6.7g (sat 0.8g,mono 3.8g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 29.3g; CHOLESTEROL 56mg; CALCIUM 60mg; SODIUM 557mg; FIBER 0.6g; IRON 1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 8.5g

Lite Dinner Tonight - Asian Meat Loaf

I am not a fan of meat loaf - in fact I loathe meat loaf and have since I was a kid (ask my mom!). But this is no ordinary meat loaf - this Asian inspired version is moist and full of flavor from the hoisin sauce and ginger, and has a nice crunch from the water chestnuts.

This recipe was adapted from Cooking Light, my favorite recipe resource. The only change I made was to separate the meat into 9 muffin tins and cooked for about 35 minutes at 350 degrees. It made enough for dinner, leftovers, and still some to freeze for future easy dinner on the fly. Served with sesame soy spinach and sauteed broccoli. Yum!

Asian Meat Loaf

(3 1/2-ounce) package plain rice crackers (such as ka-me)
1 pound ground turkey breast
1/2 pound lean ground pork
1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup hoisin sauce, divided
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup drained chopped canned water chestnuts
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 large egg whites
Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place crackers in a food processor; process until finely chopped.

Combine cracker crumbs, turkey, pork, green onions, 1/4 cup hoisin, and remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl.

Shape mixture into 6 (5 x 2 1/2-inch) loaves on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; spread 2 teaspoons hoisin over top of each meat loaf. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°. Let stand 5 minutes.

Yield 6 servings (serving size: 1 loaf) : 6 WW POINTS

Adapted for 9 muffin sized mini-loaves : 4 WW POINTS

CALORIES 288(16% from fat); FAT 5g (sat 1.8g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 29.5g; CHOLESTEROL 76mg; CALCIUM 33mg; SODIUM 651mg; FIBER 1.9g; IRON 1.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 28.2g