Sauteed Sweet potato Snack

I can’t keep my hands off snacks and these sweet potato are the best alternative. They're  tasty treat that you can enjoy guilt-free. Also sweet potatoes have many health benefits especially for anti aging and rich in antioxidant.

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato unpeeled and cubed

1 tabs olive oil

1 tabs Italian seasoning

Directions:

On medium low heat, cover and sauté the sweet potato cubes in olive oil for 15 minutes or until tender.

Turn off the heat and add the Italian seasoning.

Enjoy!!!



Skinny Whole Wheat Pita Bread

The secret to getting a home cooked pita hollow is to bake it in a really hot oven and it puffs up!! They are best when fresh out of the oven.

Pita pockets are to make delicious sandwiches…just slice along one edge and gently open it. 

My favorite filling is almond butter and bananas. What is yours???

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup bread flour

1 tabs instant yeast

½ tabs sugar or honey

1-1/2 cups warm water, divided

1/2 tabs salt

Flour, for dusting

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together yeast, sugar and ½ cup of warm water.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until doubled in bulk and bubbly, about 7 minutes.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade, combine bread flour, whole wheat flour and the salt. Add the yeast mixture and the rest of the warm water.  Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes.  If you are kneading the dough with hands, you should do it for at least 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl (1tabs olive oil), turning once to coat.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Once the dough has risen, punch down. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface, and divide it into 8 equal pieces.  Form each piece into a ball and Cover with kitchen towels.  Let rise again for about 20 minutes or until slightly puffy.

Place oven rack in the middle position.  Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Roll out each ball to about ¼ inch thick using flour for dusting.  Transfer as many as you can onto the preheated baking sheets.

Bake until puffy, about 2-4 minutes. 

Gently flip over with tongs and bake another 1-2 minutes. 

Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Repeat with remaining balls.

Makes: 8 pitas

 

Imitation Lobster Salad

I used Imitation Lobster for this salad because it is high in flavour and low in calories. It is also high in Omega 3's.



This low fat salad is so refreshing. I like the combination of sweet and salty, which make it so tasty. I can eat it everyday.

Ingredients: (2 servings)

1/2 package (4 oz ) imitation lobster meat

1 tomato, sliced

¼ cup cucumber julienned

1 pear, thinly sliced

1 green onion, thinly sliced

1 peeled medium avocado, petted and cut into chunks

2 tabs fresh lemon jus

2 tabs minced fresh cilantro

Salt & pepper

Directions:

In a blender, place avocado, lemon and seasoning. Process until smooth. Spoon pureed mixture into a small bowl; stir in cilantro. Cover and chill.

Separate lobster meat and place it in a large salad bowl. Add tomato, cucumber, pear and green onion.

Before serving, add avocado mixture and toss well.

Tender Chicken Kebab

Yogurt, mustard, lemon…all these ingredients create a very tender and juicy Chicken Kebabs.  
You’ve got to try them.

*photo:Garlic Brown Rice with Cilantro and Corn Clic here.

Ingredients:

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into medium cubes.

Garlic to taste

1 tabs Dijon mustard

2 tabs plain yogurt OR light mayonnaise

¼ cup lemon jus

¼ cup low sodium chicken stock

1 tabs thyme

Hot sauce to taste

Salt and pepper

Directions:

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together then add the chicken cubes.

Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 5 to 6 hours.

Thread chicken onto skewers and place them on a preheated grill pan.

Cook 15 to 20 minutes, turning frequently, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Enjoy them with your favorite side dish!!!

Skinny Lemony Poppy Seed Bread

If you ask me to describe this bread I would probably say "light and lemony". So please try it and let me know how YOU would describe it!!! 

 Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup all purpose flour

¾ cup sugar

½ cup oat bran

1 tabs poppy seeds

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup low fat milk

¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce (Or ¼ cup melted butter)

1 egg

2 tabs fresh lemon jus

2 tsp grated lemon zest

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray an 8x4 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, oat bran, poppy seeds, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl mix together milk, butter, egg, lemon zest and jus.

Fold the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and pour batter into prepared 8x4 inch pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes before removing it from the pan.

Transfer the loaf to a rack and let cool completely.

Cover the loaf with plastic wrap and store at room temperature or in refrigerator.

Enjoy!!

Moroccan Style Baked Fish

This is a skinny and tasty baked fish.

Ingredients:

1 whole or fillets fish (Any kind you like)

1 can diced tomatoes

3 carrots, cut into matchsticks

3 potatoes, peeled and sliced (Tip: you can boil potatoes to save on cooking time)

1 red or green pepper, cut into matchsticks  

For the marinade:

3 tabs olive oil

½ cup chopped parsley

1 tabs salt

1 tabs pepper

2 tabs paprika

1 tabs crashed chillies

4 cloves of garlic, minced

3 tabs lemon jus




Preparation:

In a pan sauté for 2 minutes the ingredients for the marinade on medium low heat.

Turn off the heat and add lemon jus.

Clean the fish and use ½ of the marinade to cover it. If it's a whole fish, make 3 cuts into the fleche to absorb the marinade.

In a baking Dish place potatoes in a single layer. Add carrots, green peppers and place the fish on top.

Mix the rest of the marinade with the tomatoes and cover the fish and the vegetables.

Cover and cook on preheated oven 400F for 1 hour.

Enjoy!!

Prep: 15 min.

Cook: 1 houre.

Yield: 4 Servings

Ground Beef, Orzo Soup

This thick and low fat soup is a simple, inexpensive and quick-to make comfort food.

Baked Tilapia Tacos

This recipe is a quick, easy and inexpensive one dish meal. It is also a healthy meal since Tilapia is a fish loaded with protein with fewer calories.
 

Quinoa, Guacamole Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup frozen veggies (corn, peas, carrots & green beans)
For the Guacamole:
1 ripe avocado
1 clove of garlic finely grated
2 tabs fresh minced parsley
2 scallions (green onions)
2 tabs lemon juice
1 tabs Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Cook the quinoa in the water, following the directions on the package. Let cool a bit.
2. Cook veggies in a pan on low heat until done. Let cool.
3. Right before serving, mash the avocado with a fork; add garlic, parsley, scallions, lemon juice, salt, pepper and the extra virgin olive oil. Stir the mixture into the veggies.

4. Combine quinoa with this mixture and adjust spices if needed before serving.
Enjoy!!



Makes: 2 servings, Preparation time: 20 minutes

Marinated Eggplants Salad

This is a nice Moroccan winter salad. It is a different and tasty way to eat Eggplants or Aubergines
If you've never tried them before…this is the right recipe for you.

Ingredients:
4 baby eggplants
2 tabs olive oil
1 clove of garlic finely grated
1/4 cup parsley finely shopped
1 tsp cumin
Salt & pepper
Some lemon jus
 Preparation:
Cut eggplants in quarters half way to the stem – They should stay attached at the stem.
Steam eggplants over high heat until softened (about 7 minutes). Remove from the heat and cool completely.
Whisk together the remaining ingredients to make a sort of “vinaigrette”.  Pour over and inside the eggplants making sure not to break them.
Marinate in the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.

 It is also delicious as a snack over a crostini bread with some feta cheese on top. Hmmmm!!

Enjoy!!

"Tea Biscuits" Cake

For this recipe, you could use any tea biscuits you like. Also the amount of sugar depend on the sweetness of the chocolate.

Ingredients:

3 cups of Arrowroot Cookies or any tea biscuits you like.
½ cup dark chocolate (I used semi sweet dark chocolate)

1/4 cup brown or white sugar

4 tabs melted butter (see tip) 

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut for toping.

Directions:

Break each of the biscuits into 4 pieces by hand and set aside.

Place the dark chocolate in a double boiler to melt.

Mix the sugar into the butter until creamy and fluffy. Add this mixture to the chocolate, stirring constantly.

Add the egg, vanilla extract and continue stirring. Fold in the biscuit pieces until they are all coated with the chocolate mixture.

Spoon the chocolate biscuit mixture into a piece of wax paper and shape it into a triangular prism. Try to fill all of the gaps by gentle pressing. Sprinkle with the shredded coconut.

shape it into a triangular prism

 Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least three hours (the more you leave it in the fridge the easier it will be to cut it without breaking it).

Serve Cold! Enjoy!!

Tip: to reduce fat, use only 2 tabs butter + 2 tabs unsweetened apple sauce.

  

Rice cake, Snack

Ingredients:
1 Plain rice cake
1/4 cup (1%)cottage cheese
Nuts mix

It is a quick and a very handy snack for busy days.
Just spread cottage cheese on rice cake and top it with nuts...use your imagination to suit your taste.
Enjoy!!

Stove top "Baked" Bananas

Instead of baking the bananas in the oven, I use a non stick skillet to caramelize them. I also use nuts instead of ice cream to save on fat and calories.

Ingredients:(1 serving)

1 ripe banana

Cinnamon

Nuts mix

Peel and slice lengthwise the banana. Sprinkle with cinnamon and cook on medium heat until brown and caramelized. Serve on a plate topped with nuts. Enjoy!!

Low fat Fettuccine Carbonara

For this recipe, I used spinach fettuccine pasta. You could use any kind you like.



Super easy Quinoa

This is a flexible Quinoa recipe!!!
You could use it as a side dish (photo) or you could turn it into a main dish by adding some cooked chicken, canned tuna or smoked salmon. Also you could have it as a salad with some avocado and lemon jus.

Paella with frozen seafood

Paella is a typical Spanish dish but my recipe is not done the traditional way. It is more skinny, simple and busy days way with a lots of flavours. Check it out...

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen uncooked seafood medley (340g)

2 tabs olive oil

1 medium onion finely shopped

OR ½ cup dried onion (not powder)

¼ cup finely shopped parsley

2 to 3 cloves of garlic

1 red pepper finely sliced

1 can of mushroom

1 can of tomato sauce or diced

1 tabs Paprika

1 bay leaf (optional)

Salt & Pepper

1 cup of brown rice 

 Directions:

 Start by cooking Rice (follow instructions on the packet).

1.   In your cooking pan add the olive oil, onion, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, paprika, bay leaf, mushroom and seafood. Cover and let all the ingredients cook for 15 to 20 minutes on low medium heat.

2.   After the seafood is done, add the tomato sauce. Cover your pan and let the sauce thicken for 30 minutes on low medium heat. Stir from time to time.

3.   Turn off the heat and add the rice to your pan. Fold gently everything together and let sit for 5 minutes to get the rice flavoured with the sauce before serving.
Enjoy!

 

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 4 small servings