Ambrosia Salad

Ambrosia, just the name congers up all sorts of memories.  Picnics, days at the beach, or potluck dinners.  As for the recipe, the calorie count is under 100 per serving, and only 1 gram of saturated fat.  This is all made with canned fruit & sour cream. The only thing fresh is the grapes.  If you want to add 1/4 Cup coconut flakes, the recipe is still under 100 calories. Quick? You bet only about 5 min prep.  Easy?  Well how hard can it be to open a can of fruit.  You can put this together in the morning, refrigerate and you've got a great salad for dinner.  Or, instead of a late night snack of cookies, or ice cream how about a serving of ambrosia?  My only variation to this recipe I added 1 packet of equal.  

Amount	Unit	Ingredient	Preparation
1	Cup	Fruit Cocktail	Drained
½	Cup	Mandarin Oranges
½	Cup	Pineapple	Bits
½	Cup	Mini Marshmallows
¼	Cup	Maraschino Cherries
¾	Cup	Sour Cream	Light
¼	Cup	Red Grapes	Seedless

   Drain fruits well.

  Combine all ingredients mixing lightly but thoroughly

  Chill Well
Serve in lettuce cups if desired

Fresh Tomato Salad

This is the best!  This is one recipe that has been handed down through the generations.  My Nona (grandmother) brought from Piana degli Albanesi, Sicily.   It's quick, easy & delish.  The best tomatoes are, of course, fresh from the garden.  But, that can sometimes be difficult.  Try to buy vine ripen tomatoes, or if you go to the local farmers market they will have a better selection of locally grown tomatoes.






4 Vine Ripened Tomatoes
Salt & Pepper

Vinaigrette Dressing
Olive Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
Basil
Garlic minced

Wash and cut tomatoes into wedges.  Add Olive Oil & vinegar.   Add minced garlic and top with Fresh chopped basil.

A good rule of thumb for your dressing - Use about 2 parts olive oil to 1 part vinegar.  I've also tried store bought balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  Both are good.



This is a "to your taste"  recipe.

Chicken Cacciatore

The secret is out!  My chicken cacciatore recipe was given to me by a chef from Rome, Ugo, over 30 years ago.  I've been making chicken cacciatore this way for over 30 years and it comes out perfect every time. If you google for chicken cacciatore recipes, you'll get a lot of recipes that are very similar, but none of the recipes I saw told the secret to making a great chicken cacciatore.

As you all know, I'm all about quick & easy.  This meal can be made in 30 minutes (multi-tasking required).  To make it go a little faster, instead of using whole chickens just get the thighs and drumsticks.  They do not have to be boned.  The recipe will serve 10, which is about 230 calories per serving.  

Serving suggestions:  Serve over any kind of pasta or rice.

And the secret?? is in step 2.  Bake out the fat and moisture.

Amount	Unit	Ingredient	Preparation
5	Each	Chicken Thighs
5	Each	Chicken Drumsticks
3	Tablespoons	Olive Oil
1	Each	Onion	Chopped
2	Each	Bell Peppers	Chopped
3	Cloves	Garlic	Minced
1	Cup	White Wine
1	Teaspoon	Oregano
1	Teaspoon	Sweet Basil
		Salt & Pepper	To Taste
6	Each	Tomatoes	Peeled & Chopped

1.       Wash chicken pieces & pat dry with paper towels.           

2.       Bake chicken in a 350 F preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until some of the
    fat and water bakes out of the chicken

3.       Put the chicken in a colander so all the liquids can drain.

4.       Discard the liquid

5.       Heat olive oil add onion, bell pepper & garlic

6.       Add chicken to onion mixture

7.       Cook another 10 minutes stirring occasionally

8.       Add  wine,  oregano, sweet basil, salt & pepper

9.       Cook another 10 minutes

10.   Add tomatoes & cook another 10 minutes

11.   Transfer to a platter & serve

Orange Roughy with Orange Sauce

Orange roughy is a white versatile fish.  It can be a little hard to find and a little pricey.  In this recipe I used cod, another option is tilapia, which is much more reasonable in price.  The calorie count...under 200 calories.  

Amount	Unit	Ingredient	Preparation
1	Lb	Orange Roughy
¼	Cup	Skim Milk
½	Cup	Orange Juice
½	Cup	Orange Marmalade
1	Tablespoon	Green Onions	Sliced
1	Teaspoon	Cornstarch

Soak orange roughy in milk for about 10 minutes

Coat non stick skillet with vegetable spray

Brown orange roughy over medium high heat

Remove fish to a serving platter & keep warm

Stir together cornstarch and water to a paste.

In the same skillet add orange juice, orange marmalade & onions.  Stir in cornstarch mixture and cook until slightly thickened.  Pour orange juice mixture over fish & serve.

Amazing Fruit Salad

The first holiday of the summer is coming up, and there will be a lot of picnics and backyard barbeque's.  This amazing fruit salad recipe can be made ahead, and it is very easy to transport.  The best part only about 110 calories and no fat.  

Amount	Unit	Ingredient	Preparation
8	Ounce Can	Pineapple Chunks	In Light Syrup
11	Ounce Can	Mandarin Oranges	In Light Syrup
15	Ounces Can	Fruit Cocktail	In Light Syrup
4	Ounce Box	Vanilla Pudding Mix	Instant

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the fruit with the juices

Add Instant pudding mix & stir until well incorporated

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours

Glazed Lemon Chicken with Rice

Here we are again, a great easy to do recipe from Betty Crocker.  This can be made in under 30 minutes.  The only thing left is a salad.  Calorie count about 570, if you replace the rice with orzo pasta calories are about 550, and if you use potatoes it comes down to about 350.  (of course, you can't load the potato with lots of butter).  To make things a little easier, try the microwave rice it's done in 90 seconds & you save cleaning another pot.

1/3	Cup	Water
1	Tablespoon	Lemon Juice	From Fresh Lemons
2	Teaspoons	Cornstarch
2	Tablespoons	Honey
1	Teaspoon	Lemon Zest
1	Cup	White Rice	Uncooked Instant
1	Cup	Water
1	Teaspoon	Olive Oil
½	Lb	Chicken Breast	Cut Into 1 Inch Pieces
½	Teaspoon	Salt
3	Each	Green Onions	Cut into 1 Inch Pieces
1	Small	Orange Bell Pepper	Cut Into 1 Inch Pieces

1.  In a 2-cup measuring cup, add 1/3 cup of water, lemon juice, cornstarch, honey & lemon
     zest.  Stir until cornstarch is dissolved; set aside.
2.  Cook rice in 1 cup of water as directed on package; keep warm
3.  Meanwhile, in a 10 inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add chicken
     & sprinkle with salt.  Cook 2 to 3 minutes stirring frequently until chicken is brown.
     Add onions & bell pepper.  Cook about 2 to 4 minutes more stirring frequently until
     chicken is no longer pink in the center
 4.  Reduce heat to low.
5.  Stir  lemon juice mixture into chicken and stir to coat the chicken.  Cook until slightly
     thickened.

1.    

Cherry Almond Dutch Baby

I always like to end my dinner with a little something sweet.  This recipe from Smucker's makes it very easy and enjoyable.  Calories about 211, but the good thing is only 2 grams of saturated fat.

Amount	Unit	Ingredient	Preparation
1	Tablespoon	Butter	Melted
¾	Cup	2% Low Fat Milk
½	Cup	Flour
2	Ea	Eggs
2	Tablespoon	Sugar
½	Teaspoon	Almond Extract
¼	Cup	Almonds	Sliced
½	Cup	Cherry Preserves

1.  Heat oven to 425F: melt butter in a 9-inch pie plate in the oven.  Remove from oven,
     & brush butter over  the inside of plate.
2.  Combine milk, flour, eggs, sugar & almond extract in blender.  Process using several
      pulses to make a smooth batter.  Pour batter into hot pie plate.  Sprinkle with almonds
      & bake for 15 minutes.
3.  Reduce heat to 350F and bake 5 to 8 minutes longer, or until golden brown.  Remove
     from oven, and spread with cherry preserves.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.
4. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

1

Roasted Peppers with Olive Oil & Garlic

As we all know, we eat with our eyes first.  If it looks good, then it must taste good.  So, this recipe is all that.  With so many different colored bell peppers in the super market today, this is truly an eye catching side dish.  The best part; we're talking about 90 calories and only 1 gram of saturated fat.  A great recipe from Sunset Magazine 

Amount	Unit	Ingredient	Preparation
8	Ea	Bell Peppers	Colored Bell Peppers
2	Cloves	Garlic	Minced
1	Teaspoon	Kosher Salt
4	Tablespoons	Olive Oil

1.        Preheat oven to 400 f.  Place peppers in a large baking pan & bake until soft when 

         pressed; about  40 - 50 minutes.  Let cool 10 - 20 minutes to loosen skin.

2.        Meanwhile, with a mortar and pestle, mash garlic with salt into a paste.

       ( You can also use the flat side of a chef's knife) Stir in olive oil to blend

3.     Peel, stem and seed peppers and cut lengthwise into ¾ inch wide strips.  

       Arrange peppers on a  platter and drizzle garlic oil on top

4.      Serve warm or at room temperature