Claire's Fish Tacos

A mild version of this delicious taco! The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count.

shown with optional corn tortillas

Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

4 fish fillets

½ cup avocado, mashed

1 cup iceberg lettuce, shredded

½ cup sweet red pepper, slivered

4 salsa flavor 10" tortilla wrap

Optional:
corn tortillas instead of flour
Serve with cilantro, red cabbage, tomatoes, hot peppers, lime slices, sour cream

Directions:

Bake the fish fillets according to the package directions.

Divide the avocado among the 4 tortillas, spreading it on 1/3 of the tortilla.

Cut the fillets into 3 lengthwise strips and place on the avocado.

Divide the shredded iceberg and slivered peppers among the four tortillas.

Fold up from the bottom, fold in the sides, and roll up.

Cut in half diagonally to serve.

Serve with salsa and sour cream on the side.

Aline's Pan Fried Tilapia

The nutrition facts for this very light and healthy fish can be found at Calorie Count!

Pan Fried Tilapia

Ingredients:

Tilapia

Tony Chachere's or red or black pepper and garlic powder or garlic salt

a light handed dusting of flour (white or corn)

Grapeseed oil

Directions:

Season Tilapia with Tony Chachere’s or Red or Black Pepper &Garlic Powder or Garlic Salt.

Dust lightly with flour.

Lightly coat bottom of pan with Oil of your choice.  I usually use Grapeseed Oil, Canola.

Heat oil in the pan. Place Tilapia in pan and fry 7 minutes on each side or fry to you feel that it is done.

I sprinkle with fresh lemon juice when it is served.

Aline's Baked Tilapia

Easy, quick, and healthy! The nutrition facts are set for one 3 oz serving at Calorie Count!

Tilapia In the Oven

Ingredients:

Tilapia filets

Tony Chachere’s Seasoning or Red or Black Pepper & Salt (the seasoning is up to you, make it spicy or not so your taste buds are happy!)

Garlic cloves

Directions:

Spray both sides of Tilapia with Pam (Olive Oil or Canola Oil) or brush with Grapeseed Oil

Sprinkle with seasonings and crushed Garlic.

Bake at 400 for about 5 to 8 minutes, turn over the filet and cook another 5 minutes or til done. Watch closely as the filets cook fast.

I sprinkle with fresh lemon juice when it is served.

Then enjoy.

LlThomas43's Low Sodium Black Bean Soup

Yes, you can enjoy flavorful broth rich dishes even on a low sodium diet! The nutrition facts for this easy soup are at Calorie Count!

Low Sodium Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups dried black beans, sorted, rinsed and soaked overnight (drain the water from the beans before adding to the crock-pot)
6 cups unsalted non fat chicken broth  or low sodium vegetable broth (Progresso is good, so is Pacific Organic low sodium vegetable broth)
1/2 c chopped onion
4 large baby carrots, chopped (or one small regular carrot)
14.5 oz can Hunt's stewed tomatoes, no salt added
2 large stalks celery with leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
Mrs Dash Extra Spicy seasoning (I use about a teaspoon, please adjust this to suit your tastes)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a crock-pot and mix well.

Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

Delicious with a slice of whole grain bread.

Makes 8 hearty servings

Juanita's Black Bean and Jalapeño Soup

Juanita has been making this knock your socks off soup for over 40 years much to the delight of those that know her!

Black Bean and Jalapeno Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups black beans

2 grated carrots

2 celery stalks with leaves, finely chopped

1 onion

3 cups vegetable stock

3 Tbsp. vegetable or olive oil

4 tsp. granulated chicken bouillon

garlic powder to taste

12 – 16 oz. of pork chunks

1/2 to 2 cans chopped jalapeños, to taste (or equivalent fresh jalapenos)

Directions:

Soak the beans overnight and then drain (or use canned).

In a large stew pot, sweat the onion, celery, and carrots in the oil. When the onion is translucent, add the vegetable stock, pork, bouillon, garlic powder, jalapeños, and beans. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 1 1/2 to 3 hours.

Serve with warm tortillas and honey butter.

Claire's Fat Free Creamy Potato Leek Soup

Marvelous way to take a traditional Potato Leek soup and make it low fat, low sodium (if you use low sodium chicken broth or stock), and lower calorie! The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count!

Fat Free Creamy Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound potatoes

½ cup leeks, chopped

½ cup celery, chopped

2 cups water

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup milk, fat free

¼ tsp pepper

3 tbs Wondra flour

Directions:

Peel and quarter the potatoes.

Put into a pot with the leeks, celery, water and chicken broth.

Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.

Remove the pot from the stove and place on a kitchen towel to prevent slipping.

Using a potato masher, crush the potatoes.

Using a hand held beater or stick blender, puree the soup. Or pour into a blender or processor to puree.

Combine the cold milk with the pepper and Wondra flour, mixing until smooth.

Stir this into the soup.

Return the pot to the heat and bring to just the boiling point. Stir and cook until thickened.

Claire's Action Packed Vegetable Soup

This is a soup that will make you healthy just from reading the ingredient list! The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count!

Action Packed Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups water

16 ounces V8 juice, low sodium

2 cups vegetables, frozen, mixed

1 cup tomatoes, diced

1 cup salsa

1 cup cabbage, chopped

½ cup celery, chopped

½ cup onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup parsley, fresh, minced

1 cup potatoes, diced

  

Directions:

Put all the ingredients in a soup pot

Bring to a boil

Reduce to a simmer

Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are done.

Very good the next day

Claire's Butternut Squash Soup

Very low calorie and delicious! The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count.

With a drizzle of herbed oil instead of nutmeg

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups squash, butternut

2 cups chicken broth, low sodium

1 cup milk, whole

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

Peel and dice the squash to yield 2 cups.

Put into a soup pot with the broth and cook for 30 minutes.

Puree in a food processor or blender and return to the pot. Or use a blending stick.

Stir in the milk and heat to serving temperature (do not boil after adding milk).

Taste and season to taste.

Serve with a little grated nutmeg on top of each bowl.

Claire's Lentil Soup

Simple and delicious. The nutrition facts for this healthy soup can be found at Calorie Count!

Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup lentils, dry

½ cup carrot, diced

½ cup celery, chopped

½ cup onion, diced

2 tablespoons parsley, minced

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

8 cups water

Directions:

Put everything into a soup pot.

Bring to a boil.

Reduce to a slow simmer.

Cover and cook for 1 hour.

Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Claire's Beef Barley Soup

The nutrition facts for this awesome soup live at Calorie Count!

Beef Barley Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound beef sirloin

6 cups water

1 cup barley

1 cup onion, chopped

½ cup celery, chopped

½ cup carrot, chopped

½ cup corn

½ cup lima beans

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ cup parsley, fresh, minced

Directions:

Cut the beef into 3/4" cubes.

Put into a soup pot with 6 cups cold water.

Bring to a boil, skimming of any foam that rises to the top.

When no more foam rises, add the rest of the ingredients.

Bring back to the boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.

Taste and adjust the seasoning (add additional sodium to the total sodium).

Garnish with more fresh minced parsley.

Claire's Cream of Anything Soup Mix

Claire had an amazing way with soup. Add water and any veggies of your choice to make a wonderful "cream" soup. The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count!

Cream of Anything Dry Soup Mix

Ingredients:

4 C powdered milk
1 1/2 C cornstarch
1/2 C instant chicken bouillon granulese
4 t dried onion flakes
2 t dried thyme
2 t dried basil
1 t pepper 

To make the mix:

Measure all the ingredients and place in a large ziploc bag. Shake it vigorously (and log the calories burned!), transfer to a vacuum sealed bag or other well sealed container and store for up to a year.

To use the mix:

In a medium pot, combine 1/3 C of the mix with 1 C of water. Cook over low - medium heat until it thickens. 

Variations:

Add 1/2 cup of minced anything you want!

Suggestions:

onions, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, celery, cooked chicken, diced potatoes, tomato, cooked shrimp, etc....

Meryl's Sticky Lemon Chicken

A wonderful recipe that Meryl modified from the fantastic Gordon Ramsay's wonderful cookery book "Fast Food". Once you try this version, do rush out and get Mr. Ramsay's book so you can make the dish his way. I hear that you don't have to curse to cook like Ramsay. Sticky Lemon Chicken is as amazingly fast to make as it is delicious. The nutrition facts for Meryl's version are at Calorie Count!

Sticky Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

4 chicken thighs

1 t sea salt*

1 t black pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

10 garlic cloves, sliced

1 t dried thyme

1 t Sherry (this is an as you like it amount. If you are not a Sherry person, you can use a splash of white vinegar, but if you like Sherry, do feel free to use quite a bit more and let it reduce a bit after adding it.)

2 tbsp soy sauce, dark (low sodium for those on low sodium diets, but if you make the salt and soy sauce change, do remember that the nutrition facts are based on if you salted the whathaveyou out of it)

3 tbsp honey

1 lemon, sliced as thin as you can

1 c flat leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:

Sprinkle the chicken with *salt and pepper - if you are on a low sodium diet do feel free to give the salt a skip entirely as there is enough flavor in this dish to rock your socks.

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. When the oil is hot (don't let it smoke!), brown the chicken pieces over a high heat with the garlic and thyme for about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. If it's not browning in that time, your heat is too low, so raise the temp. If your pan is not roomy enough to give space between the chicken pieces, brown in a couple batches - just put the first batch on a plate to wait.

Put all the chicken to the pan, add the sherry and reduce to a simmer. Sprinkle with soy sauce and honey and shake the pan to mix...ok, stir if you are not a chef and a skilled pan shaker.

Buy it here!

Heat a little water (a few tablespoons to 1/4 cup max and add to the pan with the lemon slices. The liquid will reduce a bit and thicken, which will take about 10 minutes, but keep on simmering until the chicken is cooked through.

Put the chicken on your prettiest platter and sprinkle over the chopped parsley. Parsley is good for you so use a lot and eat it!

Remember, to see the real Ramsay way to make this dish, get the book.This is what you will look for. Worth every penny.

Sharpshootinstar’s Butternut Squash Beef Stew

This recipe came about by accident. If you are a squash fan you will love it. Can be made with chicken or pork and easily transitions to a curry with the addition of a teaspoon or two of curry powder. Make with light coconut milk for a skinny version.

The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count!

Butternut Squash Beef Stew

Ingredients:

4 cups Squash Butternut

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

3 cups chicken stock

1 cup onion chopped

1 cup celery chopped

1 lb ground beef

Directions:

Cook one pound of lean ground beef, drain and set aside (you can use chicken or pork, or leave the meat out entirely if you like). Peel and chop one large butternut squash. You should have approx. four cups of cubed squash. 

Next chop one large onion, and four to six stalks of celery. You want about one cup of each. You may also add chopped carrots if you like. 

Put the vegetables and beef into your slowcooker, and pour in the coconut milk and chicken stock. As this cooks down, it will thicken. You may want to add more stock or water, depending on how thick you like it. 

Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 7-9. 

I recommend adding a few teaspoons of smoked paprika and a dash or two of cayenne. Or add your favorite curry spice blend.

Meganr's Vegetarian Sloppy Joe with Tempeh

A delicious twist on a sandwich usually associated with meat. So easy to make you can do this on a work night! The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count.

Vegetarian Sloppy Joe with Tempeh

Ingredients:

(Makes 2 servings)

1 tbsp olive oil

½ cup onions, chopped

½ cup red bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

2 zucchinis, chopped

½ cup catsup

2/3 cup water

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp mustard

1 tsp celery seeds

½ tsp chili powder

4 ounces tempeh, chopped

Directions:

Heat olive oil in medium saucepan. Saute onion, bell pepper until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, saute 1 minute.

Stir in mushrooms, zucchini, catsup, water, brown sugar, mustard, celery seeds and chili powder. Heat to bubbling.

Stir in tempeh, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 10 minutes.

Spoon mixture onto your choice of bread or buns.