Veggie Dip

In developing this recipe, I was inspired by Debbie Does Dinner. I love the idea of a low-calorie and low-fat veggie dip. It makes sense, doesn't it? If I'm going muster up the strength to bypass the cookies and snack on some carrot sticks, I don't want to ruin the effort with an unhealthy dip.

This dip uses Greek yogurt as its base, which has a similar taste and texture to sour cream but sports a much friendlier nutrition label. One batch of this recipe contains roughly 75 calories and 4 grams of fat, and makes enough to share with a couple of friends.


VEGGIE DIP

1/3 c fat-free Greek yogurt
1 tbsp light mayonnaise
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp dried dill weed
1/2 tsp freeze dried chives
1/8 tsp onion powder

1. Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Enjoy with cut veggies.

This recipe is shared with Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Craft-O-Maniac, On the Menu Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, Made by You Monday, Tuesday Talent Show, This Chick Cooks, Full Plate Thursday, It's a Keeper, Foodie Friday, Sweet Tooth Friday, Sweets for a Saturday

Homestyle Fries

I might not be a meat and potatoes kind of girl, but put a french fry in front of me I will eat it. I probably should feel some shame about this, but I don't. I've excused myself on the grounds that I don't like potatoes any other way. Cut it into a chip or mash it, and suddenly I'm no longer interested. French fries are my one starchy weakness.

I came up with this recipe for Homestyle Fries as a way to recreate my love for fried potatoes in a way that is healthier for me. Also, it involves no piping-hot oil, which is always a bonus.

There are many things to love about this recipe. You can prepare these in minutes, and they can bake at whatever temperature you need them to. It's hard to ruin a potato. These can be served alongside a burger, but they are equally appropriate on the side of some scrambled eggs. Most important of all, these potatoes are super yummy. They develop that all important firm on the outside and soft on the inside texture. And the dried thyme provides the perfect bit of seasoning for the red potatoes.


HOMESTYLE FRIES

1 lb red potatoes
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Note: I often bake mine at 350 because of other things I'm baking at the same time. I add an extra 20 minutes to the baking time and finish them off under the broiler.

2. Scrub and then pat dry the red potatoes. Dice them. In a large bowl, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Spread potatoes out on a large baking sheet.

3. Bake for about 25 minutes.

This recipe is shared with Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Craft-O-Maniac, On the Menu Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, Made by You Monday, Tuesday Talent Show, This Chick Cooks, Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday, Sweets for a Saturday

Simply Grilled Chicken

I love to use lemon in savory dishes. That's one of the great things about lemon, that it can be used in both sweet and savory foods. Here, lemon brightens up an otherwise ordinary chicken breast and gives it a punch of flavor.

This recipe starts with lemon juice, adds some lemon zest, and then a little more lemon flavor from lemon-pepper seasoning. Are you sensing a theme? All this citrus-y goodness is soaked up by boneless, skinless chicken beasts, which are then grilled to perfection. Grilled chicken is a great dinner to serve during these dog days of summer.

The marinade need not be exact, so this is a great recipe for those who shun measuring spoons and love to experiment. You can really make this your own. And if you hit on any great flavor combinations, please let me know! I'd love to try it.


SIMPLY GRILLED CHICKEN

1 lb package chicken breast
the juice of two lemons (~ 1/2 c.)
the zest of one of the lemons
a splash of extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp onion powder
some lemon pepper seasoning (somewhere around 1/4 tsp is fine)
a couple of leaves of Italian flat leaf parsley, torn

1. In a shallow dish, whisk together all ingredients, minus the chicken breast. Pound out the chicken breasts, using the side of your meat pounder that has the little spikes on it. If you do not own such a device, pound out the breasts with the back of a frying pan and then poke with a fork. We want the marinate to seep into the chicken as much as possible.

2. Place chicken breasts in marinade, coating both sides. Allow to chicken to marinate, covered, in refrigerator, for about 15 minutes. Flip breasts over and marinate another 15 minutes.

3. Heat an outdoor grill to medium-high (since I don't have an outdoor grill, I used my little indoor one and cranked it up full-blast). Place chicken breasts on grill and cook for about 10-15 minutes on each side. Before serving, use a meat thermometer to make sure the thickest part of the breast has reached 160 degrees.

Source: adapted from Allrecipes

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

Burgers have always left me cold. When I was a kid, and my mom would take me to Burger King, she would order me a cheeseburger, hold the burger. On the other hand, I'm a card-carrying mushroom lover, so I was pretty excited to try this recipe for Portobello Mushroom Burgers. I was not disappointed.

I made these burgers on my little indoor electric grill. I can only imagine how outrageously good they would taste if cooked over charcoal. The marinade for these mushrooms is their perfect compliment, bringing out their meaty flavor. Top with a slice of provolone cheese and some fresh lettuce, serve on a bakery bun, and it's out-of-this-world tasty. I spread some low-fat mayonnaise on mine for good measure.


PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM BURGERS

• 4 portobello mushroom caps
• 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 slices provolone cheese

 1. Rinse mushroom caps under cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel. With a spoon, remove gills from mushrooms and discard.

2. In a shallow dish, whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, basil, oregano and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Place mushroom caps in dish and allow to marinate for 15 minutes, turning once

3. Heat grill to medium-high heat (since I was using a small indoor grill, I turned it up to its highest setting). Grill for 10-15 minutes, turning mushrooms several times, and continually basting with remaining marinade. Aim for sear marks on the tops of the mushroom caps. Mushrooms are done when they are tender. Top with provolone and desired condiments.

Source: Allrecipes

Salmon with Yogurt Dill Sauce

A while back, my husband took a business trip to San Diego. When he landed back home, the first thing he wanted to talk about was a salmon dish he'd eaten during a business meeting. The sauce served with the salmon had left a lasting impression, and he wanted to know if I could recreate the recipe.

It took some experimenting, but I did come up with a nice sauce, although quite possibly nothing like its original inspiration since all my husband could tell me about it was that it was white and not too thick. My version had sour cream as its base, which is all well and good, except for my new efforts to cook healthier. See, we love sour cream here in the Cats and Casseroles household. Loooove sour cream. Anything we can top with sour cream, we will. It's not the healthiest of habits. When I did the math, that old salmon sauce turned out to be a whopper of calories and saturated fats.

I think it's apparent I'm not a health food junkie. But I'm also not the type of cook who relishes in drowning ingredients in butter and cream. I think there's a middle ground. I hope recipes like this will help me get there.

For my new healthier sauce, I've replaced the sour cream with fat-free Greek yogurt. Unlike most reduced fat dairy products, Greek yogurt manages to remain thick and creamy. I kept the ingredient list simple, as not to strangle the dill flavor. I've noticed that different brands of Greek yogurt (I used Oikos) have a different level of tang to them. Depending on your taste preferences, you might want to add a little lemon juice to the mix.

SALMON WITH YOGURT DILL SAUCE

• 1 1/2 lb salmon, preferably a thick cut
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced

• 1/2 c fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1 1/4 tsp dried dill
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cut your salmon into four equal portions and transfer to a 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Brush olive oil over salmon and season with salt and pepper. Top each piece of salmon with one or two lemon slices. Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Once out of oven, let salmon rest in dish for a minute or two. Squeeze lemon slices over salmon and discard.

3. In small mixing bowl, combine yogurt, dill, salt and pepper. Spoon over salmon. Serve immediately.

Source: Cats and Casseroles original recipe

Black Bean Chili

A couple of weeks ago, our grocery store had a display of cans of organic black beans being sold at a steep discount. The cans had apparently fallen off a truck and gotten dinged up in the process, but there was nothing wrong with the beans inside the can. Never able to resist a good deal, I picked up a few cans. The next week, I picked up a few more cans. And then the next week.

I came to have more black beans on hand than I had recipes to deal with them. So I came up with this chili recipe. The ultra lean ground beef makes this chili a healthy option, something that is, unfortunately, sorely lacking from my usual recipe repertoire. It's quick to prepare and cooks in a crockpot, perfect for busy days. Normally, with chili, I'm a dedicated kidney bean girl. However, my husband said this chili was the best I've ever made, and I've tried dozens of recipes over the years. See, the black beans falling off the truck was a sign!

BLACK BEAN CHILI

• 1 lb very lean ground beef (at least 95% lean)
• 29 oz can tomato sauce
• 3 15oz can organic black bean, drained
• 2 or 3 large tomatoes, diced
• 2 c frozen chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. In medium skilled, fully cook and drain ground beef. Transfer to slow cooker (4 quart size or larger). Add all other ingredients to slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours.

Source: Cats and Casseroles original recipe