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!