Charred Summer Vegetables

Corey really enjoyed this Cooking Light side dish. The hotter it gets, the more I want to make lots of vegetables for dinner to take advantage of summer's bounty!

Recipe Notes

I used a 10-oz. package of frozen corn instead of the fresh corn kernels. It worked really well and took up ZERO time that otherwise would have been spent shucking corn and cutting off kernels.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves six, 2/3 c. servings)
102 calories - 3.2 g. fat - 3.3 g. protein - 2.7 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 c. corn kernels (about 5 ears) or one package frozen corn kernels
• 2 c. chopped fresh green beans, ends removed
• 1 c. chopped zucchini (about 4 oz.)
• 1 c. chopped red bell pepper
• 2 tbsp. finely chopped shallots
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray.

2. Add corn kernels, green beans, zucchini, and red bell pepper to pan. Stir to combine, cover, and cook for five minutes.

3. Combine shallots and remaining ingredients in a bowl.

4. Stir well and add shallot mixture to vegetable mixture. Toss to coat.

Corn, Zucchini, and Basil Saute

This is a great, fresh summer side dish, courtesy of Martha Stewart Everyday Food.

Recipe Notes

Be sure to add the basil right before serving. As many of you know, as soon as basil gets wet for any period of time it starts to turn brown. Tastes great either way, but it will look more fresh and summery if you add it right before serving. I use frozen corn instead of fresh to save time and effort - you can just add the frozen corn straight to the skillet.

Ingredients

• 6 ears corn, husks and silks removed, kernels sliced from cob OR 1 package frozen corn
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly-sliced crosswise
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 c. fresh basil leaves, torn
• 1 tsp. white wine vinegar

Instructions

1. Heat oil over medium high heat in saucepan.

2. Add zucchini and garlic and cook, tossing, until zucchini is bright green. (1 to 2 minutes)

3. Add corn and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing until corn is heated through (1-3 minutes with fresh corn, 5+ minutes with frozen).

4. Remove from heat, stir in basil and vinegar, and serve.

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Herbs & Capers

Summertime means the grill and it also means tomatoes. This is a tasty Cooking Light salad that is worth the extra price of the heirloom tomatoes. I also LOVE the abundance of fresh herbs! Serve with a grilled steak or grilled chicken, vegetables, and any other favorite summer fare.

HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD WITH HERBS & CAPERS

Recipe Notes

Don't put this salad together until right before you plan to eat. The acidity in the vinegar starts to break the tomatoes down almost immediately.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 6)

112 calories - 4.2 g. fat - 5.6 g. protein - 2.6 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs. assorted beefsteak and cherry heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges or in half (depending on size of tomatoes)
• 1/2 c. (2 oz.) reduced-fat feta cheese
• 1/4 c. thinly-sliced basil
• 3 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh mint
• 1 tbsp. capers, drained and chopped (I skip the chopping part for this ingredient)
• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 6 slices sourdough bread, toasted or grilled

Instructions

1. Combine first nine ingredients in a bowl.

2. Sprinkle tomato mixture with salt and pepper and toss gently.

3. Serve with bread.

Roasted Eggplant Spread

I love the Barefoot Contessa. Ina Garten's recipes are simple and generally healthy and just remind me of summer. I broke out her original cookbook, The Barefoot Contessa, which is still my favorite of her cookbooks. I made this VERY healthy dip/spread to take to a dinner last weekend that I thought I would share.

ROASTED EGGPLANT SPREAD

Recipe Notes

Serve with toasted pita wedges or as part of a Mediterranean platter with hummus, Greek olives, feta cheese, pitas, etc. I like this a bit more tomato-ey, so I double the tomato paste.

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant, peeled
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded
• 1 red onion, peeled
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbsp. good-quality olive oil
• 1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cut eggplant, bell pepper, and onion into 1-inch cubes. Toss them in a large bowl with garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

3. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes, until the vegetables are lightly browned and soft. Toss once during cooking and cool slightly.

4. Place vegetables in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add tomato paste and pulse 3-4 times to blend. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Broccoli with Cheese Sauce

This Cooking Light recipe is an easy addition to dinner, especially if you happen to be making rice to go with dinner. I put the broccoli in the steamer basket in the top of my rice cooker, so the broccoli was ready when the rice was and all I had to do was throw together the cheese sauce.

BROCCOLI WITH CHEESE SAUCE

Recipe Notes

I added slightly more cheddar cheese than the recipe called for (probably an extra tbsp.) so my calorie count was probably slightly higher than Cooking Light's tally. Also, full-fat cheddar cheese generally melts better than reduced-fat (which is called for here). If you do decide to use full-fat cheddar cheese, it will likely just up the fat count slightly (but not appreciably, because there is not much that is used).

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 8)

69 calories - 2.3 g. fat - 6.2 g. protein - 2.5 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. all-purpouse flour
• 1 c. skim milk
• 1/2 c. shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 1-1/2 lb. broccoli florets (about 9 cups)

Instructions

1. Place flour in a medium saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat or until mixture is bubbly and thickened, stirring constantly. Cook one additional minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

2. Add cheeses, mustard, salt, pepper, and thyme, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Keep warm.

3. Steam broccoli until crisp-tender (either in a saucepan with a vegetable steamer or in the top of a rice cooker). Serve broccoli immediately with sauce.

Sausage & Bean Casserole

Wow, I am a negligent blogger. Unfortunately, after more than 100 postings, I am starting to run out of "new" recipes (new to the blog, at least) to post. Some of you have sent me some great recipes, and I look forward to trying them and sharing them on the blog as well! But here's a Cooking Light casserole that we had last week for dinner. It's vaguely French, kind of like a cassoulet? Easy to throw together because lots of canned things and precooked things in the recipe.

SAUSAGE & BEAN CASSEROLE

Recipe Notes

This recipe calls for a Dutch oven, which I really recommend because it can go from the stovetop into the oven. Just be careful, because you do have to hand wash it due to the ceramic glaze.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 8)

205 calories - 3.3 g. fat - 12.1 g. protein - 4.4 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 1 c. finely chopped onion
• One 16-oz. package light smoked turkey sausage (such as Hillshire Farm), cut into 1/4 in. slices
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 14 oz. can fat-free chicken broth
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• Three 16-oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper (optional)
• Three 1-oz. slices white bread
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion and turkey sausage to pan. Saute for five minutes until browned, then add garlic and saute for two minutes more.

3. Stir in chicken broth, scraping down sides of pan. Stir in brown sugar, tomato paste, thyme, pepper, beans, and bay leaf. Add ground red pepper, if desired. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes and then remove from heat.

4. Place bread crumbs and parsley in a food processor and pulse approximately 10 times until fine crumbs form. You should have approximately 1-1/2 cups of breadcrumbs.

5. Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly over bean mixture and lightly coat top with cooking spray.

6. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until browned on top. Discard bay leaf and enjoy!

Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Grilled Tomatillo Salsa

I served this Cooking Light dinner with black beans and a salad last night. It is always a hit with Corey. This recipe makes a really nice, chunky green salsa. If you are lazy like I was last night and want to skip making your own salsa in favor of jarred tomatillo salsa, you can have this meal on the table in 20 minutes or less.

Recipe Notes

You can also make these shrimp in a grill pan if more convenient than grilling outdoors. Also, save money and time by buying the smaller peeled and deveined shrimp with the tails already removed.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves four with 2 tacos per person)
252 calories - 3.9 g. fat - 26.9 g. protein - 5.5 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. tomatillos, husks and stems removed
• 2/3 c. chopped green onions
• 1/4 c. chopped cilantro
• 3 tbsp. lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 lb. medium peeled and deveined shrimp
• 1 tbsp. hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco or Cholula)
• 1/2 tsp. ancho chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 8 six-inch corn tortillas
• 2 c. shredded cabbage
• 1 c. shredded carrot

Instructions

1. Preheat grill or grill pan.

2. Prepare salsa. Place tomatillos on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 10 minutes or until slightly blackened on each side, turning occasionally. Cool and coarsely chop.

3. Place tomatillos, green onions, cilantro, lime juice, salt, jalapeno pepper, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped.

4. Prepare tacos. Thread shrimp onto six 10-inch skewers. Place skewers on grill and grill two minutes per side or until done.

5. Remove shrimp from skewers and place in a medium bowl. Add Tabasco, cumin, chili powder, and salt to taste. Toss to coat.

6. Heat tortillas either in the microwave or on the grill. Top with shrimp, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, and tomatillo salsa. I also top mine with a dollop of low-fat sour cream.