Monthly Archives: January 2008

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

January 24, 2008

Posted by LK under Light, Mexican and Southwestern, Quick Weeknight Meals

These were really filling! Could use a little improvement, but not at all bad as is. I think next time I’ll up the seasoning a bit, add some brown rice, and use bigger tortillas (but then have one for dinner instead of two). I bet they would alos be really good baked without the enchilada sauce sothey crip up like a chimichanga.
2 Yams, cut into cubes
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained
chili powder, cumin, cayanne to taste
2 T. soy sauce
1 chili pepper, minced
8 Mission low carb tortillas
10 oz green enchilada sauce
1/3 c. reduced fat cheddar

Boil the yams in a large pot until soft.

Preheat oven to 350.

Meanwhile, sautee onion and garlic until the onion begins to carmalize. Remove half the onion from the pan and reserve. Add beans to pan and mash into a pulp. Add spices and soy sauce, and heat until warm.

Drain the yams and mash them. Add the yams and chili pepper to the bean mixture. Combine.

Divide filling between tortillas. Wrap, and place in a baking pan. Cover with enchilada sauce and top with cheese. Bake until cheese melts and sauce is warm- about 15 minutes.

Serves 8. Approx. 270 calories, 3.5 g. fat, 16 g. fiber.

Mmmmm… Mussels and Leeks

January 16, 2008

Posted by LK under French, Light, One Pan, Quick Weeknight Meals

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This came together really quickly (under 20 minutes) and made well more than the two of us needed to eat (with a side, 1 lb of mussels per person is probabaly enough). Of course, it was so delicious that none went to waste…. We got the mussels at a local seafood market and they were realy fresh and a total steal- I think the entire recipe came in somewhere around $4.50. Not bad for foodies on a budget!

I served them with oven fries. And ketchup, because my attempt at homemade mayonaisse was a bust. This would be great served with some nice grilled bread too. And good beer or wine. YUM.

1 large leek, washed and cut into half moons
2 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can petit cut tomatoes, undrained
Italian Seasoning (to taste, about 1/4 tsp.)
3 pounds mussels

Heat oil in the bottom of a heavy pan. Add leek and garlic. Cook until leeks soften and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes (and juice) and seasoning and bring to a simmer.

While that’s simmering, scrub and debeard the mussels. Discard any mussels that are open and won’t close easily.

Add mussels to pot, give it a quick stir and cover it. Let the mussels steam until they open (5-8 minutes), stirring occasionally. Serve up nice big bowls of mussels with the sauce spooned over them.

Seared Scallops with Grapefruit and Shallot Sauce with Orzo

January 7, 2008

Posted by LK under Sides, Special Occasions, Weekend Meals

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This was delicious and surprisingly filling for something that tasted so light (not too bad on calories either). I thought I had parsley and was planning on adding it to the orzo, but I must have inadvertently thrown in out. So the dish came out very…white. I didn’t bother taking a picture. It would have been beautiful with parsley though.

Dry scallops will sear the best. Look for ones that aren’t in a solution, and pat them with a paper towel to remove excess moisture before cooking.

For the scallops:
2 shallots, minced
juice from 1/2 pink grapefruit
1/5 c. white wine vinegar
4 T. olive oil
1 lb. scallops
salt, pepper, and sugar to taste

Sautee shallots until golden. Add next 3 ingredients and set aside.

Heat a heavy pan until hot. Add scallops and cook about 4 minutes on each side.

Add the reserves sauce and cook until heated through. Serve immediately.

For the Orzo:
1 c. Fat Free Chicken broth
6 oz. orzo
1 T. lemongrass
1 T minced garlic
1 T butter
1 oz. shredded romano

In a small saucepan, bring the broth to a boil and let reduce to about half. After the broth reduces, add lemongrass, garlic, and butter.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo according to package directions.

Add the orzo to the broth mixture, stirring well to combine. Add cheese and stir well.

Serves 4. The orzo has around 210 calories and 6 grams of fat. The scallops have about 240 calories and 14 grams of fat.

Gnocci with Leek and Sausage Ragu

January 2, 2008

Posted by LK under Italian, One Pan

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This was really rustic and delicious. I usually cook with hot sausage, but the sweet was nice for a change- it went really nicely with the leeks. This only takes about 40 minutes to make, so not too bad for a weeknight (especially since the sauce is homemade!). I used mostly dried herbs, but I bet it would be amazing with all fresh.

The portions are a little small, but you can’t really expect otherwise for a pasta-type dish. One serving with a salad made a decent dinner for me.

1 28oz can whole tomatoes (I used plum)
1 T. olive oil
1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage, casing removed (about 3 links)
1 leek, cut into half moons
parsley, fresh to taste
marjoram, dried
basil, dried
1/2 tsp salt
1 pkg. gnocci
parmasean cheese

Add tomatoes and liquid to food processor. Pulse a few times to crush them. (You could also just buy crushed tomatoes, but i got a new food processor for Christmas, so you know that wasn’t happening!)

Heat oil in large a skillet. Crumble in sauage. Break up as well as you can with a spoon. Cook through, and remove to a plate (leave the fat in the pan).

Add leek and spices (to taste) and cook until soft.

Add sausage, salt and tomatoes. Reduce heat to low. Place lid on pan slightly askew (so some steam will escape and let it reduce). Cook 30 minutes. Remove cover and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook gnocci according to package directions. Drain and stir into sauce. Topp with grated parmasean.

1/6 of the sauce is 200 calories. Total calorie count will depend on your brand of gnocci, but mine came to 6 servings at 320 calories apiece.