Now Eat This! Cookbook!

I am always looking for ways to enjoy the foods I love without neglecting my waistline. I come from a southern background, and I am not a stranger to soul food. The problem with southern cuisine is that its dishes are typically high in calories, fat, and sodium. Although this combination is a recipe for numerous health ailments, it seems a bit unfair to completely cut these delicious and savory foods from our diets. Let’s face it…these dishes are delectable and comforting, and is usually the backdrop for all of my family gatherings. But what if there was a way to enjoy these foods in a healthy way without sacrificing taste? I think I may have found the solution!

Head to your favorite bookstore, and pick up Now Eat This! 150 of America’s Favorite Comfort Foods All Under 350 Calories by Rocco Dispirito. This cookbook deconstructs some of your favorite comfort foods, and makes them healthier by substituting key ingredients. For example, the Penne Alla Vodka recipe uses low fat Greek yogurt and marinara sauce, instead of heavy cream and tomato sauce. This simple swap eliminates almost 300 calories per serving! Amazing, right? There’s more where that came from. This cookbook provides recipes for reduced-calorie appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, seafood, beef, and chicken entrees, pastas, side dishes, and desserts. It also discusses and explains fat-free cooking techniques, such as faux frying, poaching, and flash frying. In a nutshell, this cookbook is AWESOME!

With that said, I encourage you to check out Now Eat This!. You will not be disappointed with the recipes. They are easy, and delicious! You can thank me later!


LEX

Peach and Gorgonzola Chicken Pizza!

So...you woke up super early to get ready for work. You had a long 9+ hour work day. You pushed through a 1 hour workout. You fought traffic to make it home. Now what? It's dinner time! 

But wait...your dinner didn't prepare itself, but you're hungry...and tired! What do you do now? Well, you can hit the drive-thru of your favorite fast food restaurant (no good!). Or you can order pizza or Chinese takeout (a better option!). Or you can prepare a quick meal that is healthy and satisfying (win!). 

Why not try the Peach and Gorgonzola Chicken Pizza! This recipe is one of my favorites from Cooking Light magazine. It is deliciously filling, and surprisingly low in fat and calories. And get this...prep time is only 20 minutes...I swear! So check out the Peach and Gorgonzola Chicken Pizza, and let me know how you like it!

Ingredients 

1 (10-ounce) pre-baked thin pizza crust

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil 

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided 

1 cup shredded cooked chicken breast 

1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

1 medium unpeeled peach, thinly sliced 

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

Cooking spray 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Place pizza crust on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil evenly over crust. Top evenly with 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, chicken, Gorgonzola cheese, and peach slices. Top with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella. Bake at 400° for 11 minutes or until crust browns.

3. Place vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 5 minutes). Drizzle balsamic reduction evenly over pizza. Cut pizza into 8 wedges.

That's all! Quick and easy, and perfect for busy Divas. This recipe serves 4 and is only 384 Calories per serving. If you would like to see this and other great recipes, check out Cooking Light Online. 

LEX

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake...The Healthier Way!

Greetings Divas! And welcome to the end of another productive work week. I thought it would be a great idea to end the week with a delicious recipe that is perfect for Sunday dinner. Over the past few years, I have developed somewhat of a sweet tooth. Every few days or so, I crave something sweet...cake, cookies, candy, anything with sugar in it! Obviously, partaking in this habit is never beneficial to my waistline...or my hips...or my thighs...you know where I'm going with this!

I am a big fan of Cooking Light Magazine. Their recipes always taste great, and they're healthier for you than their traditional counterparts. So when I started getting a craving for Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, I immediately went to Cooking Light's website in search of a recipe...and I found one! The recipe looked easy and simple, and I already had many of the ingredients in my cabinets. I made a trip to the supermarket to retrieve the rest of the ingredients, and I was ready to make my cake.

Check out these nutritional stats and make it happen!

Classic Recipe

367 Calories Per Serving

367 Milligrams of Sodium

14 Grams of Fat

Cooking Light Recipe

264 Calories Per Serving

280 Milligrams of Sodium

7.9 Grams of Fat

Ingredients

- 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple slices in juice, drained

- Cooking spray

- 1/3 cup fat-free caramel topping

- 9 maraschino cherries, drained

- 5 tablespoons butter

- 2/3 cup sugar

- 2 large eggs

- 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Press 9 pineapple slices between paper towels until barely moist; set aside. Reserve the remaining pineapple for another use.

3. Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray; drizzle caramel topping over bottom of pan. 

4. Arrange prepared pineapple slices in a single layer over caramel; place 1 cherry in the center of each slice.

5. Place the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave at high 1 minute or until the butter melts. Add sugar, stirring with a whisk. Add eggs, and stir well. Stir in low-fat buttermilk and next 4 ingredients (buttermilk through baking soda). Lightly spoon 1 1/4 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Add flour, stirring just until blended (do not overstir). Pour the batter into prepared pan.

6. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 1 minute in pan on a wire rack. Place a plate upside down on top of the cake, and invert onto plate. Cool completely. Cut cake into squares.

My next suggestion is to get a few of your friends to help you partake in the deliciousness that is the Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. And make sure you enjoy it with the satisfaction of knowing you are eating a lower calorie, lower fat version of cake...and it tastes good!

To view the Cooking Light recipe, Click Here!
 

For other delicious recipes courtesy of Cooking Light, check out its website at www.CookingLight.com.  

LEX

Burgers With Blue Cheese Mayo and Sherry Vidalia Onions!

Photo Credit: Anna Williams; Styling Credit: Pam Morris

It's barbeque season! And we all know how unhealthy traditional barbeque can be. Here is a delicious burger recipe that is great for a summer cookout. I found this recipe last year in my favorite cooking magazine, Cooking Light, and it quickly became a favorite in my home. The best thing about this recipe is that it doesn't take very long to execute. The other great thing is that it is pretty healthy. Try this burger, and I guarantee that it will become a favorite in your home as well!

In the spirit of full disclosure I must tell you that I always use ground turkey patties when making these burgers, and I always use a George Foreman grill to cook them...don't be judging! Enjoy!

Ingredients (Serves 4)

  

- 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese

- 1/4 cup canola mayonnaise 

- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided 

- 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco) 

- 1 pound lean ground sirloin (I use ground turkey!)

- 1 teaspoon black pepper, divided 

- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt 

- 1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil 

- 4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices Vidalia or other sweet onion 

- Cooking spray 

- 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar 

- 4 (1 1/2-ounce) whole-wheat hamburger buns, toasted 

- 2 cups loosely packed arugula

Recipe

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Combine 1/2 cup blue cheese, mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon thyme, and hot pepper sauce in a small bowl; stir well.
3. Divide beef into 4 equal portions, shaping each portion into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Sprinkle beef evenly with 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and salt.
4. Brush oil evenly over both sides of onion slices; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place the patties and onions on grill rack coated with cooking spray; cover and grill for 3 minutes on each side. Set patties aside; keep warm. Place onion slices in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 5 minutes; toss with remaining 1 teaspoon thyme and vinegar.
5. Spread cut sides of buns evenly with mayonnaise mixture. Arrange 1/2 cup arugula on bottom half of each bun; top with 1 patty, 1 onion slice, and bun top.

If you try this out, please let me know how you like it. To view this and other great recipe on the Cooking Light website, Click Here!

LEX

Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Macaroni and Cheese...the Healthier Way!

Greetings Divas! I love macaroni and cheese, but as traditionally prepared, it is not a healthy dish. Well, here is a recipe that is sure to please and that also sheds hundreds of calories from the traditional recipe. I found this recipe in Cooking Light magazine, and have made it on several occasions. This recipe combines bacon, garlic powder, onion powder, and chicken to create the decadent Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Macaroni and Cheese. I have tried this recipe a couple of times, and it was AMAZING! Even more amazing are the nutritional stats (because stats are important):

Classic Recipe

908 Calories Per Serving

963 Milligrams of Sodium

36 Grams of Saturated Fat

Cooking Light’s Recipe

497 Calories Per Serving

545 Milligrams of Sodium

7.4 Grams of Saturated Fat

WINNING! Now we can have our mac and cheese and eat it too! Check out the recipe for the Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Macaroni and Cheese.

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
1 slice applewood-smoked bacon
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups fat-free milk
1/3 cup condensed 45% reduced-sodium 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
¾ cup (3 ounces) shredded six-cheese Italian blend (such as Sargento)
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1/8 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
½ cup (2 ounces) shredded colby-Jack cheese

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

2. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Finely chop bacon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken to drippings in pan; sauté 6 minutes or until done.

3. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; sprinkle flour evenly into pan. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Combine milk and soup, stirring with a whisk; gradually add milk mixture to saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until sauce cools to 155°. Add Italian cheese blend, onion powder, garlic powder, dill, and salt, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in pasta and chicken.

4. Preheat broiler.

5. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with reserved bacon and colby-Jack cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts.

Voila! To see this recipe at Cooking Light Online, CLICK HERE!

For other delicious recipes courtesy of Cooking Light, check them out at CookingLight.com.

LEX