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Classic Lamb Curry

  • YIELD: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup lamb mixture and 1 cup rice)
  • COURSE: Main Dishes

Ingredients

  • Cooking spray
  • 2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 3 cardamom pods
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander seeds
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
  • 2 teaspoons Garam Masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups finely chopped plum tomato (about 1/2 pound)
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
  • 4 cups hot cooked long-grain rice

Preparation

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add lamb, and cook for 5 minutes on all sides or until browned. Remove lamb from pan.

Heat the oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 4 ingredients (onion through cinnamon); cook for 4 minutes or until onion is browned. Stir in coriander and next 6 ingredients (coriander through garlic); cook 1 minute. Add lamb, tomato, water, and salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until the lamb is tender. Stir in 1/4 cup cilantro. Serve over rice; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cilantro.

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

  • Calories: 457
  • Calories from fat: 22%
  • Fat: 11.2g
  • Saturated fat: 3.5g
  • Monounsaturated fat: 4g
  • Polyunsaturated fat: 1.8g
  • Protein: 40.4g
  • Carbohydrate: 46.8g
  • Fiber: 4.5g
  • Cholesterol: 112mg
  • Iron: 5.7mg
  • Sodium: 477mg
  • Calcium: 70mg
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Rita’s Lemon Bars+

Crust:

1 ½ cup flour

¾ cup melted butter

1/3 cup powdered sugar

Mix together and put in 9 x 13 ungreased pan.  Bake 20 minutes at 350 degree oven.

 

Batter:

3 eggs

4 ½ Tb lemon juice

4 ½ Tb flour

1 ¼ cup sugar

¾ tsp baking powder

¾ cup fine coconut

Beat together.  Spread mixture over crust and return to oven for another 25 minutes.

 

Frosting:

Let it cool and frost with:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tb butter

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tb milk

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Fettuccine with Butternut and Gorgonzola Sauce+

9 points/11 plus points

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)


1 tablespoon butter
3 cups vertically sliced onion
3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 pound)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, divided
8 cups hot cooked fettuccine (about 1 pound uncooked pasta)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, squash, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper; sauté 6 minutes or until the squash is almost tender. Add minced garlic; sauté 1 minute. Cover and set aside.

Bring 2 cups milk to a boil in a saucepan. Combine the remaining 1 cup milk and flour, stirring well with a whisk; gradually add to boiling milk, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup cheese, and stir until smooth.

Combine squash mixture, pasta, and cheese mixture in a large bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon salt; toss well to combine. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup parsley, chopped walnuts, lemon rind, and the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Serve immediately.

CALORIES 429 (25% from fat); FAT 11.9g (sat 6.6g,mono 2.2g,poly 2g); IRON 3mg; CHOLESTEROL 26mg; CALCIUM 299mg; CARBOHYDRATE 65.5g; SODIUM 723mg; PROTEIN 17.6g; FIBER 5.4g

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Clams Casino with Pancetta+

Soak the clams for about 10-15 minutes before shucking.  I found a great video demonstrating how to shuck clams.  It is kind of time-consuming, but these appetizers were well liked by all.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 3 clams)

Cooking spray
3/4 cup finely diced pancetta – get the store to slice this thin
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1/3 cup finely diced red bell pepper
3 tablespoons minced shallots
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (1 1/2-ounce) slice day-old country white bread (I used some stuffing mix but crushed croutons would also work)
1 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
36 littleneck clams, cleaned (this was about 2 lbs)
Lemon wedges (optional)

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pancetta to pan; cook 6 minutes or until pancetta begins to brown, stirring occasionally. Add wine; cook until liquid evaporates (about 30 seconds), scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add bell pepper, shallots, and garlic to pan; cook 4 minutes or until tender. Place pancetta mixture in a medium bowl.

Place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure about 3/4 cup. Add breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley, and black pepper to pancetta mixture; stir until blended.

Preheat broiler.

Discard any clams with broken or open shells. Shuck clams; discard top halves of shells. Top each clam with about 1 rounded teaspoon pancetta mixture. Broil 4 minutes; turn pan. Broil an additional 3 minutes or until tops are browned and clams are done. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.


CALORIES 61 (43% from fat); FAT 2.9g (sat 1.2g,mono 1g,poly 0.3g); IRON 3.9mg; CHOLESTEROL 15mg; CALCIUM 25mg; CARBOHYDRATE 3.2g; SODIUM 163mg; PROTEIN 5.3g; FIBER 0.1g

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Apple-Parsnip Soup

Pink Lady apples are wonderful for applesauce, and so work very well in this pureed appetizer soup. Sweet Fuji or all-purpose Spartan apples would also lend themselves nicely to the dish.

 

3 points

Yield: 8 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 1/2 cups chopped peeled Pink Lady apple (about 1 pound)
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 garlic clove, chopped
3 1/2 cups chopped peeled parsnip (about 1 1/2 pounds)
4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 cup apple cider
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 teaspoons crème fraîche

1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add apple and the next 4 ingredients (through garlic); cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add parsnip, chicken broth, and apple cider; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until parsnip is tender.

2. Place half of parsnip mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat the procedure with remaining parsnip mixture. Stir in salt and pepper. Ladle about 3/4 cup soup into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with 1 teaspoon crème fraîche.


CALORIES 136 ; FAT 5.6g (sat 1.6g,mono 2.6g,poly 0.6g); CHOLESTEROL 5mg; CALCIUM 30mg; CARBOHYDRATE 21.2g; SODIUM 381mg; PROTEIN 1.8g; FIBER 4.2g; IRON 0.7mg

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Chicken Stuffed with Spinach, Feta, and Pine Nuts

7 points

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 stuffed chicken breast half)

5 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Heat a large nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach to pan; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts, tossing constantly. Place spinach in a colander; press until barely moist. Wipe pan clean.

3. Combine spinach, cheese, nuts, thyme, juice, and garlic. Cut a horizontal slit through the thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff 3 tablespoons filling into each pocket. Seal with wooden picks. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

4. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until brown. Add broth, and cover pan. Place pan in oven. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until done.


CALORIES 297 ; FAT 11.6g (sat 3.4g,mono 4.4g,poly 2.4g); CHOLESTEROL 111mg; CALCIUM 131mg; CARBOHYDRATE 3.4g; SODIUM 493mg; PROTEIN 43.3g; FIBER 1.2g; IRON 2.7mg

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Parmesan Soufflé with Fresh Fines Herbes

Although chervil is a traditional component of fines herbes, oregano is more readily available and makes a tasty substitute. Serve as a side dish or a light dinner with a green salad.

Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup minced shallots (about 1 large)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups 1% low-fat milk
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano or chervil
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon (optional)
6 large egg whites
Dash of cream of tartar

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly coat a 2-quart soufflé dish with cooking spray; sprinkle breadcrumbs over bottom and sides of dish. Set aside.
Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shallots; sauté 2 minutes or until tender. Remove shallots from pan; set aside.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended; stir in wine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly; cook 1 minute or until thick. Remove from heat.
Place egg yolk in a medium bowl, and gradually stir about one-fourth of hot milk mixture into egg yolk, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add to remaining hot milk mixture, stirring constantly. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Add cheese; stir until smooth. Stir in shallots, parsley, chives, oregano, and tarragon, if desired. Spoon cheese mixture into a large bowl.
Place egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently stir one-fourth of egg white mixture into cheese mixture; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture. Spoon into prepared dish. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until puffy, golden, and set. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings

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French Toast Waffles

A waffle maker creates a crisp, brown French toast without a skillet. Just make sure you start with slightly hardened bread so that the toast won’t be soggy.

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 cup fat-free milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
16 (1/2-inch-thick) slices day-old French bread (about 7 ounces)

Preparation
Coat waffle iron with cooking spray, and preheat.
Combine milk and the next 5 ingredients (milk through eggs), stirring well with a whisk. Place bread in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; pour milk mixture over bread, turning to coat. Let stand 5 minutes.
Place 4 bread slices on hot waffle iron. Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until done; repeat the procedure with the remaining bread.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 4 waffles)