No Mayo Potato Salad

Wow, it's been forever since I've posted! Thank goodness it is finally summer!

Speaking of summer, there are some foods that all of us associate with this time of year. One of those foods is potato salad. I've never been a fan of mayo though, so I've never seen the appeal of this summertime staple until I realized that it can be made without mayo. Traditional potato salad has about 360 calories and 20 grams of fat per serving (You should only have about 30-35 grams of fat per day)! This no mayo version has only 174 calories per serving and 9 grams of fat.

Cast of Characters:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 cup (6 tsps) lemon juice
- two garlic cloves, finely minced
- two tsps dried tarragon
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions (just the tops unless you like a really strong flavor)
- salt and pepper to taste (I used 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/8 tsp of salt)
- 1 1/2 lbs. unpeeled red new potatoes

Directions:

1. In a small bowl (I used my measuring cup), whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper. Set aside to let flavors mingle.

2. Scrub potatoes and then boil them for about 15-18 minutes. You can test one to see if it is done by inserting a fork or knife. If it goes in fairly easily, they're done. If it takes some extra pressure, give the potatoes a few more minutes.

3. Cut potatoes into about 1 inch chunks and toss with green onions and dressing.

4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator.

5. Enjoy!

Nutrition Info:
Serves 6
Calories: 174
Fat: 9 grams
Carbs: 13
Protein: 0 grams

Swiss Vegetable Bake

     For the first time ever, I actually decided to look at my weekly email that I got from recipes.com and it was a good thing! The theme this week was vegetarian dishes! This is one that jumped out at me immediately because it's easy and the list of ingredients I needed to go out and buy was very short (the only thing I didn't have at home was Swiss cheese). This turned out so yummy! It's good enough to use for a special occasion, yet easy enough for a weeknight.

Cast of Characters:

• 1 lb (1 bag) mixed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots)
• 3 Tbsp butter (divided)
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup soft whole wheat bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook frozen veggies according to directions. Drain.
3. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add in onion powder, salt, and flour. Continue stirring until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in milk. Return to stove and heat until boiling. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in shredded Swiss cheese until melted. Stir in veggies.
5. Transfer to 1.5 quart oven safe dish and bake for 20 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden.
6. Enjoy!

Nutrition Info:

Calories: 219

Fat: 13 g

Carbs: 16 g

Protein: 8 g

Soup on Sunday: Spinach Soup

I have devised another healthy creamy veggie soup, just for you! (Ok, for me too) I know creamy spinach soup sounds a little strange, but it's really good!

Cast of Characters:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 small Vidalia onion
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 medium baking potato (diced)
• 6 oz fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion until tender.
2. Add broth and diced potato. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for about 8 minutes (until potato is very tender).
3. Add spinach and recover until spinach wilts (should take no more than 2 minutes).
4. Place soup and Greek yogurt in a blender to puree.
5. Pour soup into bowl and garnish with a dollop of Greek yogurt. Enjoy!

Nutrition Info:

Servings: 4

Calories: 112

Fat: 2.4 g

Carbs: 18.5 g

Protein: 6 g

Soup on Sunday: Miss Amy's Cheesy Cauliflower Soup

Nothing is better on a chilly fall day than a rich and filling bowl of soup. One problem with rich and filling creamy soups is that they're typically high in calories and fat, so I set out to attempt to fix that. Here's my first attempt (it was delicious!)

Cast of Characters:

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 Cup green onions (only the tops)
• 2 Cups vegetable broth
• 1 16oz bag of frozen cauliflower, thawed
• 1 1/2 Cups skim milk
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. In large saucepan, saute onions until tender.
2. Add in vegetable broth and cauliflower. Cover and simmer on high for 12 minutes or until cauliflower is very tender.
3. Stir in milk and cheddar cheese. Cook until cheese is melted (this shouldn't take very long at all).
4. Pour contents into a blender along with the Greek yogurt and puree. Be sure to occasionally release the steam.
5. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and/ or chives.

Nutrition info:

Servings: 5

Calories: 190

Fat: 12 g

Carbs: 10 g

Protein: 11 g

Soup on Sunday: Gingery Carrot Soup

No cute anecdotes about this recipe, sorry :) I was just craving soup and wanted something simple, so here it is!

Cast of Characters:

• 1.5 - 2 lbs of carrots (peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces)
• 1 small potato (peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes)
• 1 small Vidalia onion
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 32 oz vegetable broth (1 box)
• 2 cups water
• 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp ginger
• 3 Tbsp heavy cream

Directions:

• Combine garlic, onion, carrots, potato, vegetable broth, and water in slow cooker.
• Cover and cook for 6 hrs on high
• Stir in brown sugar, ginger, and heavy cream.
• Use a blender to blend until smooth.
• Enjoy!

Nutrition Info:

Servings: 6

Calories: 156

Fat: 3.2 g

Carbs: 31 g

Protein: 3 g

Miss Amy's Sweet Potato Casserole

Last week, my mother mailed me a bag of sweet potatoes. It took me a while to decide what to do with them, but then I figured since Thanksgiving is coming up (sort of), I'd try my hand at making a sweet potato casserole. Here's how it turned out.

Cast of Characters:

• 4 lbs sweet potatoes (6-8 potatoes)
• 1/2 Cup evaporated milk (or lowfat milk, if you prefer)
• 1/2 cup plus 3 Tbsp packed brown sugar divided
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter divided
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 eggs
• 6 oz pecans or walnuts (I recommend pecans)
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup mini marshmallows

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 400. Place sweet potatoes in a parchment paper-lined pan and baked for about 1 1/2 hours.
• Turn your oven down to 350.
• Peel sweet potatoes. Mix them until they are a smooth paste. Beat in milk, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 4 Tbsp butter, vanilla, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice.
• Melt the remaining 2 Tbsp butter. Pour over the nuts until they are coated. Mix in remaining 3 Tbsp of brown sugar and the cinnamon.
• Spread sweet potato mixture evenly in a 13x9 baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the nut mixture and the marshmallows.
• Bake at 350 degrees for half an hour or until marshmallows are browned.

Nutrition Info:

Servings: 12

Calories: 280

Fat: 17 g

Carbs: 32 g

Protein: 5 g

Protein Packed Mac & Cheese

As you may have noticed by now, I'm not really a fan of meat, so I'm always looking for new delicious ways to get protein in my diet (and peanut butter gets old really quick). I just thought I'd share with ya'll one way that I do this. Instead of adding 1/4 cup of milk when making my mac & cheese, I add 1/2 cup of nonfat plain Greek yogurt instead. 1/4 cup of milk only has about 2 g of protein, but the Greek yogurt has 23 g! Big difference! Not to mention, it gives the mac & cheese a richer flavor (without adding any fat!) and makes the sauce a bit thicker... cause no one likes watery mac & cheese.

Salmon, Asparagus, and Orzo Salad with Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette

It's time again for the Cookbook Challenge... Well, almost. This is my entry for August and it comes from Cooking Light: Fresh Food Fast (not to be confused with Fresh Food Fast: Weeknight Meals that I usually use). Since it's been so incredibly hot around here lately, I decided to do a light and refreshing pasta salad.

Cast of Characters:

Ingredients for Salad:

• 1 lb asparagus (cut into 3 inch pieces)
• 1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• 1 large skinless salmon fillets (I used two medium ones)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (I omitted this)

Ingredients for Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette:

• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 Tbs fresh chopped dill
• 3 Tbs lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler
2. Bring about 6 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add asparagus and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove asparagus from water using a slotted spoon or tongs reserving the water in the pan. Set aside.
3. Return reserved water to a boil and use it to cook the orzo. This should take about 9 minutes.
4. While pasta is cooking, sprinkle fillet evenly with salt and pepper. Place fish on a foil-lined broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Use 2 forks to break fish into chunks. (I actually chose to use my George Foreman grill to cook the fish since it was just too hot to turn the oven on today. It still turned out just great!)
5. In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the vinaigrette together. (I actually put all of the ingredients in a jar and shook it together. Created less of a mess than if I had chosen to use a whisk.)
6. Combine fish, asparagus, orzo, onion, and vinaigrette in a large bowl. Toss to coat evenly.
7. Allow to chill for 2 or more hours before serving.

This was incredibly simple to make, delicious, and absolutely perfect for a summer evening. It's filling enough to be the main dish, but would also work well as a side.

Nutrition Facts:

Serves 5

Calories: 370

Fat: 16

Carbs: 28

Protein: 31

Salade Nicoise Inspired Pasta Salad

Today I was walking through the produce section of the grocery store and I noticed the very fresh looking green beans they had... and right above those were the red potatoes, so... long story short, I came up with this little pasta salad that's inspired by salade nicoise.

Cast of Characters:

• 6-8 oz whole grain penne pasta
• 8 oz fresh green beans
• 4-6 red or new potatoes (I prefer the flavor of red potatoes)
• Two 5 oz cans of tuna
• 4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1-2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Cook pasta. Add in trimmed green beans for the last 4-6 minutes of cooking (the longer the green beans cook, the softer they will be).
2. Boil or steam the potatoes until they are soft. Cut potatoes in half and then cut each half into 4 pieces.
3. Mix pasta, green beans, potatoes, and tuna together in a large bowl.
4. Mix together olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, pepper and salt.
5. Pour dressing over pasta and mix well.
6. Allow to chill in refrigerator before serving.

I served mine with a sliced hard boiled egg since those are typically included in a salade nicoise.

Nutritional Info:

Servings: 4

Calories: 390

Fat: 15 g

Carbs: 39g

Protein: 25 g

Dijon Green Beans

Last night's dinner was full of new recipes. To go along with my Panko Pan-Fried Fish Strips, I made a new green bean recipe. I'm still trying to decide if this recipe is a keeper or not, but I decided to post it anyway and let you decide for yourself.

Cast of Characters:

1 Tbs butter

2 tsp dijon mustard (more on this later)

1 Tbs fresh parsley

salt to taste (yes, my salt shaker is an owl)

Directions:

1. Cook the green beans according to the directions on the package or, if you bought fresh green beans like I did, cook them on the stove. (In a large saucepan on medium-high heat, bring water to a boil. Add in trimmed green beans and allow to boil, uncovered, for about 5-8 minutes until they are cooked to your liking.)
2. Once green beans are cooked and drained, mix in all other ingredients until coated evenly.
   
   Recipe Review: I am not a huge fan of dijon mustard, so I think the next time I make these, I will only use about 1.5 tsp of dijon mustard instead of the full 2. Aside from the small tweak that needs to be made, I really like this recipe. It's a little more exciting than just plain green beans and the only thing I had to buy for this recipe was the green beans. I think I just made up my mind about this recipe. I suppose I will try it again. :)

Nutrition Info:

Servings: 4

Calories: 35

Fat: 1.5 g

Carbs: 6 g

Protein: 1 g

Sweet Potato Fries

This past week, on their way to the beach, my parents decided to stop at a little roadside produce stand where they bought peaches, cantaloupe, and a big brown paper bag full of sweet potatoes. I decided that since we some sweet potatoes to spare, I would try a new side to go with my Meyer lemon and dill fish parcels that I was making. I settled on the sweet potato fries recipe that I found in the latest issue of GreenWise.

Cast of Characters:

• Sweet potatoes
• Salt
• Pepper
• Ground cumin
• Paprika
• Chili powder
• Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut potatoes lengthwise into quarters and then cut each quarter into thirds. (Anyone else feel like this is a 3rd grade math lesson?)
3. Spray a cookie sheet with the cooking spray and then spread out potato wedges. Wedges shouldn't be overlapping.
4. Sprinkle wedges evenly with salt, pepper, ground cumin, paprika, and chili powder.
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until soft.

Play around with trying some different seasonings. Let me know if you come up with a new combination.

Zucchini Medallions with Parmesan Cheese

When I was in high school, this was one of my favorite things that my mom would make. So simple, but so tasty! Perfect as an appetizer or a side.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium zucchini
• Parmesan cheese
• Olive oil cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Line a cookie sheet with foil
3. Cut zucchini into 1/4 inch thick slices (discard ends)
4. Place medallions on lined cookie sheet without any overlap
5. Quickly spray the tops of the medallions with the cooking spray
6. Top each medallion with about 1/8 tsp of Parmesan cheese
7. Bake for about 6-8 minutes
8. Enjoy!

Nutrition Info:

Serving Size: 8 pieces

Calories: 60

Fat: 4g

Carbs: 4g

Protein: 3g

Servings of fruit/ veggies: 1