Orange Roughy in Scallion and Ginger Sauce with Roasted Asparagus

Another one of my resolutions this year is to eat more fish. Fish is in my cauliflower category - not a big fan unless it is covered up with lots of creamy, rich goodness to almost disguise what I am eating! As with cauliflower, I try out new recipes every now and then to see if I can find some new ways to like fish. This recipe I would consider a success because I would make, and eat, this again. We just place on a bed of brown rice with some of the sauce and served with roasted asparagus.

Orange Roughy in Scallion and Ginger Sauce

From: The South Beach Diet by Arthur Agatston, M.D.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/3 cup dry sherry or vermouth

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/4 cup finely chopped green onion

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (I was out of fresh, so I used 1/4 teaspoon dried, ground)

2 orange roughy fillets (1 pound)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the sherry or vermouth, soy sauce, sesame oil, onion, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl.

Place the fish fillets in an oven proof casserole dish. Drizzle the marinade over the fish and bake for 12 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily.

You can substitute cod, sole, or flounder for the orange roughy.

242 calories

Roasted Asparagus

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut off the bottom, rough sections of the asparagus (usually you can use the bottom rubber band as a guideline for the cuts) and place the tops on a cookie sheet. Drizzle a little olive oil and shake some salt and pepper on top of the asparagus. Roll asparagus around to evenly coat the stems. Cook for 10 minutes.

For a little more flavor, once you take the asparagus out of the oven, drizzle with a LITTLE soy sauce and balsamic vinegar and roll around to coat. This is really good!

Super Special Family Recipe - Grace's Individual Meatloaves

This is a very special family recipe from my sister-in-law, Grace. I love, love, love meatloaf! I don't have the time to cook it on weeknights, until now! Because these are made in individual portions and done on the stove top, they don't take as long as a traditional meatloaf. This makes great leftovers. Once, I sliced it in half and had a meatloaf sandwich. Yum! Grace puts a slice of cheese on hers and serves with mashed potatoes. This makes the most wonderful tomato gravy as it simmers in the pan! Can you tell I am excited just talking about it?


I do not like cauliflower that much. However, every now and then, I will try a new recipe to see if I have developed a taste for it. This was my first time to try it roasted and I have to say that it was not bad. Not mind-blowing good by any means, but not that bad at all!



Grace's Individual Skillet Meatloaves




Serves 4




(1) pound lean ground beef

(1) egg (I use 1/4 cup Eggbeaters)

(1) piece of bread, torn into small pieces or put in food processor to create fresh bread crumbs

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)

1 can of tomato soup ( I usually use an all natural soup like Amy's)

1 teaspoon of yellow mustard




Mix the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs/pieces, salt, pepper, and onion in a bowl. Add about 1/4 of the can of tomato soup to the meat mixture. Make into 4 patties and cook in a skillet for approx. 5 minutes per side until cooked through. Drain fat, if needed.




In a two cup measuring bowl, combine the remainder of the soup with one teaspoon of yellow mustard and water to make two cups. (I like to add a little garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce to the sauce.) Pour this over the patties in the skillet. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened to your liking.







Roasted Cauliflower




From: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/


Serves 4




1 head of cauliflower

2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely minced

lemon juice from 1/2, or a whole, lemon (we used 1/2 and next time I will use the whole lemon)

olive oil

salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese




Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut cauliflower into florets and place in an oven-proof baking dish or on a cookie sheet. Toss in the garlic and squeeze lemon juice over the cauliflower. Drizzle a little olive oil over the cauliflower and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown. Test with a fork for desired doneness. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

New Orleans Rubbed Chicken With Apricot-Mustard Sauce

The sauce on this chicken to to die for! It is spicy and sweet and very yummy! If you don't need all four servings for your meal, you can use the left over chicken for wraps, on top of salads, etc. without the sauce.



New Orleans Rubbed Chicken with Apricot-Mustard Sauce



From: The Biggest Loser Cookbook



Makes 4 servings



1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne, to taste

4 small (1/4 lb) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of visible fat

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup apricot preserves

2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard



Preheat the grill to high heat.



In a small bowl, combine the thyme, black pepper, garlic powder, cayenne, and salt. Mix to blend.



Place the chicken on a large plate or platter. Drizzle with the oil. Rub to coat both sides of the chicken evenly with the oil. Sprinkle the reserved seasoning mixture over both sides of the chicken. Rub to coat evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.



Meanwhile, spoon the preserves into a small microwaveable bowl. Cook on low power in 15 second intervals until melted. Stir in the mustard until well blended. Set aside.



Place the chicken on the grill and reduce the heat to medium. (If it is not possible to reduce the heat, cook the chicken away from direct heat.) Cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until no longer pink and the juices run clear. Serve each breast with 2 1/2 tablespoons of the reserved sauce spooned over the top.



197 calories.

Chocolate-Cherry Breakfast Smoothie

Oh my, but this is good! This is sooo good I feel guilty having it for breakfast because it certainly is good enough to qualify for a dessert!

Chocolate-Cherry Breakfast Smoothie

From: The Biggest Loser Cookbook

Makes 1 serving

3/4 cup frozen, unsweetened sweet cherries (not thawed)
1/2 cup sugar free, fat free vanilla yogurt (I use organic)
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
4 ice cubes
1 teaspoon honey (optional)

My shortened directions: Put everything in a blender and blend for about 30-60 seconds, or until smooth.

160 calories

Vincent Van Gogh Starry Night Cake

This is the coolest cake!

http://www.geekologie.com/2010/01/sweet_literally_van_gogh_starr.php

Starry Night is my husband's favorite painting. I wonder if I could come up with an easier version for his birthday this year?

Vanilla Spice Oatmeal

This is some good oatmeal! I made it on the weekend and reheated the left overs during the week for a quick breakfast. I added the milk and nuts after microwaving the left over oatmeal mixture.

I think Ellie Krieger is one class act and adds a wonderful element to the Food Network line up. I wish there were more health-minded shows to watch. Also, more variety of cuisines represented would be nice. I would love to see an Indian and Asian cooking show.

I just purchased So Easy by Ellie Krieger and think this will be my go-to book this year as I try to eat better and watch my calorie intake.

Vanilla Spice Oatmeal

Ellie Krieger, So Easy

Makes 4 servings

Serving size: 1 1/4 cups, calories 370

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pecans

3 1/2 cups water

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of ground nutmeg (I grated some whole nutmeg)

2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar, can add more to taste

1 cup low-fat milk, or to taste

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Chop them coarsely.

Combine the water, oats, raisins, and salt, if using, in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring a few times, until the oats are tender, about 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and nutmeg. Swirl in the brown sugar and place the oatmeal in serving bowls. Pour 1/4 cup of milk over each bowl, sprinkle with the toasted pecans and cinnamon, and serve.

Low-Fat Creme Brulee with Berries

I was contemplating giving up desserts. What? Am I out of my mind? Desserts are one of the best things in life! So, I am determined to find some healthy desserts that I can continue to enjoy and not compromise my diet goals. This turned out to be a very elegant dessert and at only around 100-150 calories, one I will make again!





I have never made creme brulee before. I love ordering it at restaurants. I have a very cool Williams Sonoma kitchen torch that has been collecting dust since my husband bought it for me several years ago. This was my first try and I think they turned out well. I may need to perfect my sugar broiling technique, but it sure was a lot of fun to use the torch for the first time! There is no picture (they were gorgeous) because I had no idea not to broil the sugar in advance on the ones we would eat later in the week and stored in the refrigerator. I thought I would take a photo later and the sugar turned to a brown liquid. Lesson learned: don't apply the sugar topping until you are ready to eat that day!
Low-Fat Creme Brulee with Raspberries

(Art Smith recipe as featured on Oprah)


Serves 6 (My ramekins must have been smaller than his as this filled 8 of mine)


1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (I would suggest adding more extract)
2 cups 2% milk (I used 1 percent for additional calorie reduction)
1 cup low-fat egg substitute, like Egg Beaters
4 Tablesppons granulated sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar for topping
1/2 pint raspberries (there were no good raspberries to be found, we used blackberries)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. If using a vanilla bean, cut bean in half lenthwise and take knife and scrape out all of the seed. Set aside. In a bowl, combine the milk, vanilla bean seeds or extract,egg substitute and granulated sugar. Beat well. Pour the mixture through a sieve and strain well.


Divide the berries evenly amoung six 4-ounce broiler safe ramekins (mine are smaller so this recipe made 8 servings). Pour the custard mixture over the berries. Place the dishes in a large 13-by-9 inch pan. Carefully pour boiling water into the pan until halfway up the sides of the dishes. PLace in the oven and bake 40-45 minutes until the custard centers are set, but still soft in the middle. Remove from the oven and allow the costard to cool. PLace in the refrigerator and chill well, or even better, overnight.


Preheat the oven broiler to high (or use kitchen torch). Sprinkle sugar evenly over the tops of custards. Place the cups on a baking sheet and broil 1 to 2 minutes until the sugar ecarmelizes (melts and browns slightly). You may have to move the custards around to get even carmelization. Refrigerate about 15 minutes to set.

Weight Watchers Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers

We were looking for a good appetiser for a night of watching football. I came across this recipe in one of my old Weight Watchers cookbooks, "Slim Ways Mexican". They went fast! I think I would add some crumbled hot sausage or bacon, or something for another texture when we make them again.

Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers

Makes 8 servings

12 large jalapenos, halved lengthwise, and seeded and deveined. (Reserve 2 tsp of seeds)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/3 cup nonfat cream cheese, at room temp (we used Neufchatel cheese)

3 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated (we used 2% cheddar)

2 Tablespoons plain, dry bread crumbs

1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil; spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small skillet, toast reserved jalapeno seeds and cumin seeds over medium-low heat for about 2-5 minutes, stirring often, until fragrant and golden; transfer to a bowl.

Add cream cheese and cheddar to toasted seeds and mash all together with a fork until combined.

Stuff each pepper half with an equal amount of the cheese mixture.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and oregano. Dip the cheese side of the jalapenos into the bread crumb mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Approx. 74 calories for 3 halves.

New Years Resolution

Well, it is that time of year. Time for resolutions. I will try to post more and also continue with making healthy dishes for my family!