Recipes Under 400

Ridiculously Easy Southwestern Coleslaw

• 1/2 medium cabbage
• 2 carrots
• 1-2 hot chile peppers, thinly sliced or chopped
• 5-6 tablespoons salsa verde
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons vegan mayo or lite silken tofu
• 1/2 teaspoon agave nectar (or other sweetener)
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Remove and discard the core of the cabbage, and cut cabbage in half. Use a food processor fitted with a shredding disk to shred the cabbage and carrots. Place in a serving bowl along with the sliced chile pepper.
2. Whisk all remaining ingredients together until smooth. (If you’re using silken tofu, you may need to blend it in a small blender or food processor.) Add the dressing to the cabbage and mix well. Add salt to taste. Cover and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Check seasonings before serving and add more salsa, lime juice, cumin, or salt if necessary.

Makes six servings, 25 Calories each (using lite silken tofu)

1g total fat, 151.3mg sodium,  5.1g carbohydrates, 1.1g fiber, 2.5g sugar, 1.4g protein, 

Baked Onion Rings

• 3/4 cup crushed corn flakes cereal
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon seasoning salt (such as Lawry’s)
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic
• 1 large sweet onion, peeled,cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
• 2-3 egg whites

1. Mix together the cereal, sugar, paprika, garlic powder, and seasoned salt.
2. Separate onion slices into rings- you will only need to use the large size rings, save the smaller rings for another use.
3. Beat egg until foamy in a small bowl.
4. Dip onion rings into first the egg, then coat with seasonings (you may need another egg or a little extra seasoning mixture if your onions are particularly large).
5. Set on greased baking sheets in one layer.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 F for about 15-20 minutes or until coating is crispy and onions are tender.

Makes three servings. 77 Calories each. (Or 116 if you make it two servings)

Baked Zucchini Sticks 
Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes

Ingredients: 

• 3 medium zucchini sliced into 3” x 1/2” sticks
• 1 large egg white
• 1/3 cup seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• cooking spray
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• salt
• fresh pepper

1. In a small bowl, beat egg whites and season with salt and pepper. In a ziplock bag, place breadcrumbs, garlic powder and cheese and shake well. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Dip zucchini sticks into eggs then into bread crumb and cheese mixture, a few at a time and shake to coat. 
3. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top. 
4. Bake at 425° for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes three servings, 1 zucchini, 122 Calories each

 Fat: 2.4 • Carbs: 21.0 g • Fiber: 6.0 • Protein: 6.7 g

Lighter Buffalo Chicken Dip

 
Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes

• 4 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup fat free sour cream (or plain nonfat yogurt/Greek yogurt)
• 1/2 cup Franks hot sauce (or whatever hot sauce you like)
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 2 cups (2 breasts) cooked shredded chicken (yes, you can use vegan “chicken”)

1. Mix the first 5 ingredients together until smooth. 
2. Add the chicken and put this in the crock pot on low for 3-4 hours. 
3. Serve warm. Makes 5 1/2 cups.

Makes nine 1/2 cup servings at 108 Calories each

 Fat: 4.9g / Carbs: 5.4g (Fiber: 0g)/ Protein: 10.3 g

via food.com (I believe…)

Vegetarian Chicken “Baseballs”

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots 
• 1 package vegan “chicken strips” (such as Morning Star Farms or Boca) 
• 6 ounces light cream cheese
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh sage or 1/4 teaspoon dried
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup dried cherries (optional)
• 1 cup Italian cheese crumbles
• 2 packages low fat refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted 
• 1/3 cup corn flakes, smashed into crumbs

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add onions, celery, carrots and chicken strips. Sauté 5 minutes or until heated through.
3. Place cream cheese and butter in large, microwave safe bowl. Heat at medium power until very soft, approximately 1 1/2 minutes.
4. Add vegetable mixture, rosemary, sage, thyme, pepper, dried cherries and cheese crumbles to bowl. Mix well.
5.  Open both crescent dough packages and divide each package into 8 squares. 
6. Place each square on baking sheet. Press lightly along perforations to assure dough stays together
7. Place 1/3 cup chicken mixture into the middle of each square. 
8. Gather the corners of the dough at the top to form a “bundle”. Twist ends together and press edges together to seal.
9. Brush melted butter over each bundle.
10. Sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon corn flakes crumbs.
11. Bake at 350°F approximately 20 minutes or until browned.

Makes 16 servings. Each “baseball” is 220 Calories each.

14g fat (8 saturated) / 16g Carbs (3g sugar) / 9g protein 

Vegetarian Meat Loaf

• 12 ounces MorningStar Farms Recipe Crumbles
• 1/2 cup refrigerated egg substitute (2 eggs, or five egg whites)
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
• 1 cup finely chopped onions
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup ketchup

1.  In mixing bowl, combine MSF crumbles, egg substitute, parsley, Italian seasoning and bread crumbs.
2. In small saucepan cook onions and celery in oil until tender. Add to Crumbles mixture, mixing until thoroughly combined. Press into 8 x 4 x 2-inch loaf pan generously coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 350° F for 45 minutes. Spread ketchup over loaf. Bake at 350°F about 15 minutes more or until set.

Makes eight servings at 130 Calories per slice

3g fat / 15g carbs (6 sugar, 3 fiber) / 11g Protein / 470mg sodium

Via MorningStar Farms’ website

(via spoonfulofglass-deactivated2011)

Berry Yogurt Popsicles
Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes

Ingredients:

For the purple:

• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup blackberries
• 6 oz fat free blueberry yogurt
• 1 cup crushed ice

For the white:

• 14 oz fat free vanilla yogurt
• 2 tbsp agave or sugar (or sweetener)
• 1 cup crushed ice

For the pink:

• 3/4 cup raspberries
• 3/4 cup strawberries
• 6 oz fat free strawberry yogurt
• 1 cup crushed ice

*You can add more sweetener as needed

1. Blend each color smoothie separately in a blender and set aside. 
2. Pour the first color into the popsicle mold 1/3rd of the way and freeze for 30 minutes.
3. Remove from the freezer and insert the sticks, then freeze one hour.
4. Add the white yogurt into each popsicle mold another 1/3 of the way and freeze an additional hour. 
5. Add the purple smoothie and fill it to the top of the mold and freeze until ready to eat.

Makes 16 popsicles (about 1/2 cup llquids), 51 Calories each
 

Fat: 0.1 g • Protein: 4.0 g • Carb: 8.7 g • Fiber: 1.1 g • Sugar: 7.0 g \Sodium: 14.1 mg  

And don’t worry if you don’t have a mold. You can use disposable cups as well (though I’d check out your local grocery store or dollar store, since they’re fairly cheap)

Vegan Chili-Stuffed Peppers

If you don’t want to go to the trouble of stuffing peppers, this chili makes a delicious filling for tortillas or pita.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 1 large portabello mushroom, diced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, minced (or more to taste)
• 1 16-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed well (or 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans)
• 1 1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
• 1 15-ounce can can fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder* (or more, to taste)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 red bell peppers
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Heat a large non-stick skillet or saucepan. Add the onion and cook, stirring often until it softens, about 4 minutes. (Add a splash of water as necessary to prevent sticking.) Add the mushrooms and jalapeno and continue to cook until mushrooms soften.
2. Add black beans, corn, tomatoes, and seasonings. Cook for a few more minutes to allow most of the tomato liquid to cook off.
3. Preheat oven to 400F.
4. While the chili is cooking, prepare the peppers by cutting them in half through the stem end, removing the seeds and membranes, and rinsing the insides to make sure all the seeds are out. Check to see if they will stand upright, and if not, peel a strip off of the back side. Oil a baking dish big enough for the peppers (or line it with parchment paper). Fill each pepper half with the chili and place it in the baking dish. Bake until peppers are tender, about 40 minutes.
5. Sprinkle each pepper with sliced green onions and serve hot.

*Note: Penzey’s Chili 9000 is used here, a chili powder that contains cumin, oregano, and other spices as well as chiles. Depending on the spiciness and flavor of your chili powder, you may need to add more or less.

Five servings of 2 pepper halves each, 190 calories

1.2g total fat, 820.1mg sodium, 38.3g carbohydrates, 11.7g fiber, 9.4g sugar, 10.3g protein

vegan pizza muffins!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 whole wheat english muffin (120)
• 1/4 cup pizza sauce (33)
• [half of 1/3 cup] veggie shreds “cheese” (35)
• 6 veggie pepperonis (23)
• other toppings you want!

put sauce on the muffin, then whatever you want however you want. bake for about 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees F. it may look pretty weird after baking because it’s all pseudo-animal products, but it tastes great!

one serving (aka 2 pizza muffins) at 213 calories

—in the picture, the left has spinach under the cheese; the right has kale—

Vegan’s be careful, since most English muffins are not going to be dairy and egg free.

Chicken Pot Pie

• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup (use low sodium!)
• milk
• 2 large (boneless, skinless) chicken breasts, cooked and diced
• 1 (4 1/2 ounce) jar sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 1/2 cups diced frozen peas and carrots
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• salt and pepper, rosemary, parsley, etc (whatever seasonings you love best)

Topping

• 1  cup biscuit mix
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1    egg, beaten

1. Put soup into a casserole dish and stir, adding milk a little at a time until desired consistency is reached.
2.  Add chicken, mushrooms, carrots, peas and onions, stirring to blend well.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired.
4. Blend biscuit mix and add 1/2 cup milk and beaten egg, stirring until smooth.
5. Pour batter over top of pie filling.
6. Bake 45 minutes at 375° or until top is golden brown.
7. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Chickpea Burgers

• 1 carrot (medium size grated)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 (19 ounce) can chickpeas
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• salt & pepper
• 1 large egg (or two egg whites)
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• oil (just enough for cooking; oil spray is fine)

1. Peel the carrots, grate them coarsely and set them aside. Peel and roughly chop the garlic.
2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and put them into a food processor with the garlic, ground spices, salt and pepper.
3. Slightly process to obtain a rough paste then add the carrot, egg, and flour and process briefly until evenly mixed but slightly rough.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan and divide the mixture into 8.
5. Fry in batches for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden, then drain on kitchen paper.

Makes eight burgers, 128 Calories each.

*For vegans, combine 1 tablespoon ground flax with 2 tablespoons boiling water (make this separately first, please) to replace the egg (or whatever egg replacement you have — it’s the binding agent here).

I broke mine moving it onto a napkin, but it’s still delish. I didn’t have ground coriander, so I added some taco seasoning and hot sauce to the mix. My roommate likes them too, and he’s a meat and potatoes kind of guy.

Paula Dean’s White Bean Chili

• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 3/4 cup diced onion
• 1 Pound Skinless, Boneless chicken breasts, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 Teaspoon ground white pepper
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 Pound collard greens, stemmed and roughly chopped (about 5 cups)
• 1 1/2 Cups chopped green chiles (fresh or canned)
• 1 Quart low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 15-ounce Cans navy beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 Bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
*Light sour cream, chopped tomatoes and/or lime wedges, for garnish (optional)

1. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil (*In her recipe - I omitted) over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion; cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the chicken, cumin, oregano, white pepper and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and 1 to 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring, until the chicken is slightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add the collard greens and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are slightly wilted, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the chiles and chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 20 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in the beans and cook for another 10 minutes. Stir in the cilantro.
4. Transfer the chili to bowls and garnish with light sour cream, chopped tomatoes and/or lime wedges, if desired.

10 servings, 172 Calories each

BLT Egg Scramble

• 1/2 cup Egg Whites
• 2 pieces Turkey Bacon
• 1/3 cup Chopped Tomato
• 1/2 tsp Minced Garlic (optional)
• Olive Oil Nonstick Cooking Spray

Directions

Cook bacon according to package directions, either in a pan with nonstick spray or in the microwave. Once cool enough to handle, chop the bacon into bite sized pieces. Set aside.

Bring a pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Add frozen spinach, tomato’s and garlic (optional) and use a spatula to break it up and crumble it as it cooks. Once spinach is completely thawed out and cooked add egg whites.

Add bacon pieces and continue to cook until the scramble is fluffy and fully cooked. Finish it off with your favorite egg-friendly add on: ketchup, hot sauce, salt, pepper, etc.

One serving, 165 Calories each