Dorothy's Delicious Dinings

Copy Cat Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Chicken Burgers from Iowa Girl Eats

Look healthy, flavorful and delicious!  Might be a good Float Trip recipe?!

Nutritionals for one burger with cheese & guacamole, served on a Sandwich Thin:  518 cals, 26g fat, 27.9g carbs, 9.9g fiber, 46.4g protein (Remove the cheese and save 111 cals, 9g fat = 10 Weight Watchers Points +)

Chicken and Prosciutto Salad with Arugula and Asiago - Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

This was such a simple recipe, perfect for at work lunches for the week!  I simply prepped all the ingredients and have been portioning it out each day for the entire week at my office.  It would be perfect for picnics or float trip as well!

Chicken and Prosciutto Salad

Makes 6 lunches

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. french bread loaf, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• Olive Oil Cooking Spray
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 2 oz. prosciutto, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 container or bag of arugula salad mix, approx. 10 oz.
• 1 1/2 oz. Asiago or Parmesan cheese, shaved
• 6 oz. shredded, skinless boneless rotisserie chicken breast
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

Directions - prep ahead:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (or use toaster oven).
2. Place bread cubes onto baking sheet.  Spray with cooking spray, sprinkle with basil and garlic powder.  Toss well.  Bake in preheated oven (or toaster oven) approx. 6-8 minutes until golden brown.  Once cooled, place croutons in container or baggie for transport.
3. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 tsp. olive oil and swirl to coat.  Add prosciutto and cook until crisp, approx. 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Drain on paper towels.  Once cooled, place in container or baggie for transport.
4. Combine remaining 2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, lemon juice and salt in a jar with tight-fitting lid (I used a leftover jelly jar).  Shake to combine as needed.
5. Place cheese, chicken and halved tomatoes in separate containers or baggies for transport.  Keep all ingredients (except croutons) separated in refrigerator until ready to eat, up to 5 days.  (Don’t forget to pack a plate (or plates), fork(s) and napkins!)
6. To serve, layer 1/6th of each of the ingredients on a plate in the following order:  Arugula (or salad mix), tomatoes, chicken, prosciutto, cheese.  Shake dressing to mix well and pour 1/6th of mixture over top.  Add croutons.  Serve with a piece of fruit or berries.

Nutritionals per serving:  193 cals, 11.5 g fat, 8.9g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 14.4g protein.

I’m so excited to bring you my first Recipe ReDux post!

The Recipe ReDux is a group of healthy food bloggers who “focus on taking delicious dishes, keeping them delicious, but making them better for you!”

This month’s theme is “Stick with Maple Honey Sweetness.”  I knew right away that I wanted to challenge myself with a baked good, and started researching maple substitutions for sugar.  Several Sources suggested using a ratio of 3/4 c. maple syrup for every cup of sugar, and reducing the liquid ingredients to compensate for the syrup.  Sounds good to me. 

And I was off to the races!

I decided to base my recipe on this, Low Fat Lemon Blueberry Loaf, but knew I could do better.  So I did a little side-by-side comparison, substituting cheaper and fresher-looking raspberries for the blueberries that were looking sub-par at the grocery store.

Cast of Characters:

Original Recipe Offenders:  Oil, Sugar, All-Purpose Flour

Recipe ReDux Specialties:  Unsweetened Applesauce, Greek Yogurt, Maple Syrup, Whole Wheat Flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare pan:  spray with cooking spray and coat with flour.

In a small bowl, mix wet ingredients.  Both recipes looked similar, though with the maple syrup, the ReDux took some extra stirring, and looked a bit darker.

In a larger bowl, mix dry ingredients.  Form a well.  Add wet mixture to dry mixture.  Again, the ReDux looked a bit darker compared to the original, but overall still the same at this point.

Stir together until just moistened.  Here’s where the changes started.  The ReDux recipe was definitely thicker and darker than the original, but still very easy to work with.

Add raspberries and lemon zest and carefully fold in to combine.

Pour mixture into prepared pan.  Here’s a little comparison just before going into the oven.  Original above ReDux.  You can see the mix is a bit smoother in the original. 

Place into preheated oven and bake 40-50 minutes.  The original baked for about 50 minutes, the ReDux took 45 minutes.

At this point I thought, well the original looks more uniform, but where are the raspberries?  Apparently, because of the smooth batter, they all sunk to the bottom.  Score 1 for the ReDux!

In the end, the ReDux recipe was not quite as sweet, but equally moist and delicious, and much healthier!  I’m definitely impressed that the batter was thick enough to keep the raspberries floating throughout, and they stayed whole, rather than disintegrating in the bottom like the original.  Definitely a success!

Dorothy’s Raspberry Lemon Bread

Adapted from About.com

Serves 12

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 Tbsp. non-fat, plain Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. lemon zest
• 1 cup fresh raspberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare loaf pan:  coat with nonstick spray and flour bottom and sides to prevent sticking.
2. In a small bowl, combine applesauce, yogurt, lemon juice, eggs, maple syrup and skim milk.
3. In a larger bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Form a well and add wet ingredients.  Stir to combine, just until moistened.
4. Add lemon zest and raspberries, carefully folding in to combine.
5. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Nutritionals per serving:  117 cals (169 original), 1 g. fat (5.5 g), 31 mg cholesterol (35 mg), 211 mg sodium (293 mg), 24.5 g carbohydrates (27.1 g), 0.9 g fiber (0.7 g), 3.1 g protein (3 g)

For more March Maple Honey Recipe ReDuxs, visit my fellow “Recipe ReDuxers” following the links below:

getthe InLinkz code

My attempt at Red Beans & Rice!

This turned out REALLY well!  I made a few substitutions:  Mini Peppers for the Green Pepper, and Turkey Kielbasa for the Andouille Sausage.

I also served up my Red Beans & Sausage over Spinach and Steamed Broccoli.  Delicious!

Pictured above:  Red Beans in the Crockpot, Ben’s Red Beans & Rice, Dorothy’s Red Beans over Veggies

Nutritional Comparison:  Zataran’s Red Beans & Rice w/ Sausage Mix vs. Iowa Girl Eats Lighter Red Beans & 1/2 c. white Rice vs. Dorothy’s Even Lighter Red Beans & Sausage over Veggies

Calories:  560 vs. 837 vs. 360

Fat:  19g vs. 19.6g vs. 4.7g

Total Carbs:  76g vs. 126g vs. 54g

Fiber:  7g vs. 14g vs. 14g

Protein:  18g vs. 37g vs. 30g

I had a few random ingredients in my kitchen, and desperately wanted to make a spinach and tofu stuffed mushroom dish to go with grilled chicken for dinner.  I searched high and low, but then remembered a Dairy-free Spinach Stuffed Shells recipes from Jenna at Eat, Live, Run, and decided that would be the perfect base for this creation.

Vegan Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

Based on recipe from Eat, Live Run and fANNEtastic food

Serves 2 as a side dish, or 16 as an appetizer

Ingredients

• 8 oz. container of baby portabellas, washed and stems removed
• 1/2 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1/4 c. finely chopped onion
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. oregano
• 4 oz. tofu, drained and patted dry with paper towels
• 1 small clove garlic
• 1 tsp. nutritional yeast (may sub 2 tsp. Parmesan for non-vegan version)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Place mushroom tops in baking dish, set aside.
4. In medium skillet over medium heat, add 1 tsp. olive oil.  Add chopped onions and cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes.  Add spinach and cook down, about 3-5 minutes more.  Remove from heat.
5. Once cooled slightly, chop spinach mixture and return to pan off heat.
6. In food processor or blender, mix remaining 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil, salt, oregano, tofu, garlic and nutritional yeast (or parmesan) until mostly smooth
7. Add tofu mixture to chopped spinach mixture and stir to combine.
8. Spoon tofu and spinach mixture into portabella caps.  (At this point, the dish can be covered and refrigerated for several hours if prepping dish ahead of time)
9. Bake until mushrooms are cooked and mixture is heated through, about 10 minutes.
10. Serve immediately!

This dish may be grilled, by simply placing stuffed mushroom caps on aluminum foil on the hot grill until cooked & heated through, approx. 15-25 minutes, depending on the heat of the grill.

You may also wish to use full size portabellas or white button mushrooms if baby bellas are unavailable.

Nutritionals for Side Dish (1/2 of full recipe):  150 cals, 9.6g fat, 10.5g carbs, 3.6g fiber, 9.4g protein

In an attempt to make a delicious, healthy, portable and substantial snack for a cross-country train trip that I’m taking with my Mom, I began searching out a muffin or cookie recipe to try and ended up adapting one to fit my needs and tastes.

These cookies turned out wonderfully - the husband even loved them!

Oatmeal Cran Raisin Breakfast Cookies

Adapted from this Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe

Makes 24 cookies, 2 cookies per serving

Ingredients:

2 cups oats (I used rolled oats)

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup dried cranberries

2 Tablespoons cashew pieces (optional)

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In medium bowl combine, oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.
• In large bowl combine unsweetened applesauce, brown sugar, egg whites and vanilla.
• Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until combined. 
• Add dried fruit & nuts (optional).
• Using a large cookie scoop or spoon place cookies on prepared baking sheets and flatten slightly with spoon or spatula.
• Bake cookies 10 - 12 minutes.
• Remove cookies to cooling rack.

These cookie freeze well for up to 2 months when placed between waxed paper and stored in air-tight container.

Feel free to substitute any dried fruit (I think apples would be delicious) and nuts.

Creamed Spinach Recipe

Adapted from Shape Magazine’s vegan recipe in the November 2011 issue

This turned out delicious with a few adaptations based on ingredients I had on hand.

Serves:  3 as a side dish, 1 as a full meal

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh spinach
• 4 oz. tofu, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 c. non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/4 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. dried or fresh parsley
• 1/2 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice
• 1/2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add spinach and cook for 2 minutes.  Drain & squeeze out as much liquid as possible.  Once cooled slightly, chop spinach and transfer to a bowl.
2. In a food processer or blender, mix tofu, yogurt, garlic, parsley, lime juice, oil, salt & pepper until smooth. 
3. Pour tofu mixture into a small saucepan and gently cook over medium-low heat, making sure mixture doesn’t boil.  Once warmed through, remove from heat, pour over spinach, and gently mix together.  Serve immediately.

(Creamed spinach is difficult to photograph)

Nutritionals for full recipe:

269 calories, 13g fat, 21g carbs, 25g protein, 11g fiber

I made this healthier seven layer dip from fANNEtastic food to take to a friend’s Super Bowl Party.  It’s made healthier using vegetarian refried beans as well as subbing non-fat plain Greek yogurt for the typical sour cream & mayonnaise.  I hope it tastes as good as it looks!

Healthier Seven Layer Dip

Serves 25

Ingredients:

• 3 medium ripe avocados
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• 1/4 tsp. each salt & pepper
• 1 c. non-fat, plain Greek yogurt
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 2 cans Vegetarian Refried Beans
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 3 medium tomatoes, diced
• 6 oz. can sliced black olives, drained
• 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Peel, pit and mash avocados with lime juice, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
2. In a separate bowl (or yogurt container) mix yogurt with taco seasoning.
3. Assemble in large glass container in the following order:

• Refried Beans
• Avocado mixture
• Taco seasoned yogurt mixture
• Chopped Green Onions
• Diced Tomatoes
• Sliced Black Olives (I put these on just half, assuming that several people might not want them)
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese

    4.  Serve chilled with pita chips and crudites.

Nutritionals for 1/25th of the recipe:  143 cals, 8.7g fat, 10.6g carbs, 4g fiber, 6.7g protein

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Veggie Enchiladas from fANNEtastic food

These look delicious and easy!

Quinoa Mac & Cheese

Healthified version of Macaroni & Cheese using Quinoa in place of the pasta.

Y-U-M!