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Parmesan Zucchini Sticks with Smoky Roasted Romesco Sauce+

One Note:  the sauce for this appetizer is amazing and can be served with pasta for a side or main dish.  It is A LOT of work to make.  So – if you’re in a rush, you can definitely buy a marinara dipping sauce that all will love – and it will likely be saltier and meet the expectations of unsuspecting guests who don’t know what they are missing.

Ingredients

  • Sauce:
  • 3 medium red bell peppers
  • 2 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
  • 1/2 cup (1/2-inch) cubed French bread baguette, crusts removed
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons smoked almonds
  • 1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 1 large garlic clove
  • Zucchini:
  • 3 large zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 1 cup dry breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
  • 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup egg substitute
  • Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.

2. To prepare sauce, cut bell peppers in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place bell pepper halves and tomatoes, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten bell peppers with hand. Broil 10 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel and coarsely chop, reserving any liquid.

3. Combine bell peppers, reserved liquid, tomatoes, and next 8 ingredients (through garlic) in a blender or food processor; process until smooth.

4. Preheat oven to 400°.

5. To prepare zucchini, cut 1 zucchini in half crosswise; cut each half lengthwise into 8 wedges. Repeat procedure with remaining zucchini. Combine breadcrumbs, panko, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper in a shallow dish. Dip zucchini in egg substitute; dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place zucchini on a wire rack coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat zucchini with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately with sauce.

Nutritional Information

  • Amount per serving
  • Calories: 170
  • Calories from fat: 30%
  • Fat: 5.6g
  • Saturated fat: 1.3g
  • Monounsaturated fat: 2.5g
  • Polyunsaturated fat: 1.3g
  • Protein: 8.4g
  • Carbohydrate: 23.4g
  • Fiber: 3.9g
  • Cholesterol: 3mg
  • Iron: 1.9mg
  • Sodium: 434mg
  • Calcium: 107mg

 

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Peppery Pasta with Arugula and Shrimp+

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic, divided
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons black pepper, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1 (5-ounce) package fresh baby arugula
  • 4 quarts water
  • 8 ounces uncooked linguine
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp, cut in half horizontally (I used a pound and didn’t split them)
  • 2 tablespoons minced shallots
  • 3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shaved fresh Romano cheese

Preparation

1. Combine 2 teaspoons garlic, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and arugula in a large bowl; toss well.

2. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add pasta; cook 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Add hot pasta to arugula mixture, and toss well until arugula wilts.

3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper; sauté 1 minute. Add remaining 1 teaspoon garlic and shallots; sauté 1 minute or until shrimp are done. Remove shrimp from pan. Add broth and juice to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; cook 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Return shrimp to pan. Remove from heat; stir in butter.

4. Arrange 1 1/2 cups pasta on each of 4 plates. Spoon 1/3 cup shrimp mixture over each serving. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons cheese.

Nutritional Information

  • Amount per serving
  • Calories: 409
  • Fat: 12.5g
  • Saturated fat: 5g
  • Monounsaturated fat: 4.5g
  • Polyunsaturated fat: 1.1g
  • Protein: 26.1g
  • Carbohydrate: 46g
  • Fiber: 2.1g
  • Cholesterol: 107mg
  • Iron: 3.3mg
  • Sodium: 671mg
  • Calcium: 231mg

 

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Spinach and Feta Stuffed Focaccia+

6 servings – 7 points

 

1 Tbsp olive oil

½ c chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 (6 oz) pkgs baby spinach

¾ c (3 oz) crumbled feta cheese

2/3 c golden raisins

3 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 ½ tsp chopped fresh oregano

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground red pepper

1 (13.8 oz) can refrigerated pizza crust dough

cooking spray

1 Tbsp milk

1 Tbsp water

¼ c (1 oz) grated Parmesan cheese

 

1.  Preheat oven to 450.

 

2.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic; saute 1 minute.  Add half of spinach; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts.  Add remaining spinach cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until spinach wilts.  Remove from heat; stir in feta and next 6 ingredients (through pepper).

 

3.  Place dough on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat dough into a 15 x 12 inch rectangle.  Spread spinach mixture lengthwise over half of dough, leaving a 1 inch border.  Fold other half of dough over filling; press edges together with a fork.  Cut 5 (1 inch) diagonal slits in top of dough.

 

4.  Combine milk and water; brush evenly over dough.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 450 for 15 minutes or until golden.  Yield: 6 servings.

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Sesame-Soy Meatballs

6 points

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 5 meatballs)

1/3 cup minced green onions
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon chile paste (such as sambal oelek)
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 pound ground sirloin
Cooking spray

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.

2. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Add beef; mix gently to combine. With moist hands, shape beef mixture into 20 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs.

3. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the meatballs to pan; cook 4 minutes, turning to brown meatballs on all sides. Arrange browned meatballs in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining meatballs. Bake meatballs at 400° for 7 minutes or until done.


CALORIES 241 ; FAT 11.3g (sat 2.7g,mono 4.8g,poly 3g); CHOLESTEROL 42mg; CALCIUM 36mg; CARBOHYDRATE 10.3g; SODIUM 491mg; PROTEIN 23.5g; FIBER 0.3g; IRON 1.9mg

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Sautéed Chicken and Zucchini with Parsley-Chervil Pan Sauce

6 points
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half, 1 1/2 tablespoons sauce, and 1/2 cup zucchini)

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 1/2 teaspoons chilled butter, divided
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 cups (3/4-inch-thick) slices zucchini (about 2 medium)
1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried chervil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; keep warm.

2. Add zucchini and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until crisp-tender. Remove from pan; keep warm.

3. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add broth and chervil; bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes or until reduced to 1/4 cup. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, lemon juice, and parsley. Serve chicken with sauce and zucchini.


CALORIES 276 ; FAT 12.6g (sat 5.4g,mono 4.6g,poly 1.4g); CHOLESTEROL 110mg; CALCIUM 39mg; CARBOHYDRATE 3.8g; SODIUM 479mg; PROTEIN 35.9g; FIBER 1.3g; IRON 1.7mg

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Pistachio Granola

2/3 c packed brown sugar
¼ c apple cider
2 c regular oats
2/3 c chopped pistachios
2/3 c Grape Nuts
2/3 c dried sweet cherries
½ c sunflower seeds
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt

Combine sugar and cider in a large nonstick skillet; cook over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently.  Stir in oats and remaining ingredients; cook 5 minutes or until granola is lightly browned, stirring frequently.  Cool completely.  Store in an airtight container for up to a week.  Yield: 5 cups.

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Cheese Muffins

Be sure to splurge on freshly shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano for these muffins because the flavor is superior. Serve any leftover muffins with soup or a salad for a light lunch.

Ingredients

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (4 1/4 ounces) fresh finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 10 ounces)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 3/4 cups 1% low-fat milk
2 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large egg
Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

Place 3 tablespoons cheese in a small bowl; set aside. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, remaining cheese, sugar, and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, oil, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Spoon batter into 15 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with reserved 3 tablespoons cheese. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pans immediately; place on a wire rack.

Yield:  15 servings (serving size: 1 muffin)