Kristen's Recipes

2 C. whole blanched almonds
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 300°F. Place almonds in a baking pan; toss with oil, cumin, salt and pepper. Bake until lightly toasted, about 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Variation: Use curry powder and cayenne pepper in place of cumin and black pepper. The almonds will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Yield: 2 C.
Serving Size: 1 T.

Calories: 58
Fat: 5g
Fiber: 1g

Stuffing:
Dash of salt
2/3 lb. ground round
2 T. chopped green bell pepper
2 T. finely chopped lean smoked ham
3 T. tomato sauce
2 tsp. finely chopped garlic
1 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 bay leaf

Plantains:
8 yellow plantains, peeled
Cooking spray
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
1/2 C. (2 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°. To prepare stuffing, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add salt and beef; cook 2 minutes, stirring to crumble. Stir in bell pepper and next 7 ingredients (through bay leaf); cook 5 minutes or until bell pepper is tender. Discard bay leaf. To prepare plantains, working with one plantain at a time, cut a small portion from the outer curve to make a flat surface. Make a lengthwise cut on the inside curve, being careful not to cut all the way through (plantain will now resemble a canoe). Carefully scoop out about 1 T. of plantain from center cut to allow room for filling. Repeat with remaining plantains. Place plantains on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush oil evenly over plantains. Sprinkle plantains with 1/4 tsp. salt and red pepper. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until plantains are tender; let cool slightly. Fill each plantain with 1/4 C. stuffing; top each with 1 T. of cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until plantains are tender and cheese melts.

Yield: 16 servings
Serving size: 1/2 stuffed plantain

Calories: 170
Fat: 4.7g
Fiber: 2.2g

10 large green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

20 Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

1 tender celery stalk from the heart of the bunch, trimmed and minced

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Freshly ground pepper

 

4 large, smooth red bell peppers

Juice of 1 lemon 

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

8 thin slices Black Forest ham

8 thin slices provolone cheese

Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

lemon wedges

 

FOR THE OLIVE SALAD: In a bowl, combine the green olives, Kalamata or other black olives, celery, parsley, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and pepper to taste. Toss to mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or for up to 24 hours to blend the flavors. FOR THE PEPPER PINWHEELS: Preheat a broilers grill, or preheat an oven to 450 degrees F. Arrange the peppers on a baking sheet and place in the broiler or oven. Broil, grill, or bake, turning with tongs as necessary, until the skin is charred and blistered on all sides. Alternatively, one at a time, using tongs or a fork, hold the peppers over a gas flame until charred and blistered. Immediately place the peppers in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let steam until cool, about 15 minutes. Using your fingers, peel off the charred skin, then pull out and discard the stem and seeds. Cut each pepper in half and trim away any tough white ribs. Trim each half into a neat rectangle for easy rolling. Gather together all of the trimmings, mince them and add to the olive salad. Place the peppers in a bowl, sprinkle with the lemon juice and mix with the garlic cloves, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let marinate at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Discard the garlic cloves from the pepper mixture. Lay each pepper piece, smooth side down, on a work surface. Trim the ham and provolone slices into shapes similar to the pepper pieces. Lay a slice of ham atop each pepper piece and top with a slice of provolone. Starting from a short end, roll up each pepper stack tightly. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, using a sharp knife, cut each roll crosswise into 4 pinwheels. Arrange the pinwheels on a platter or on individual plates and drizzle with a little olive oil. Garnish with spoonfuls of the olive salad and lemon wedges. Serve immediately.

3 balls fresh mozzarella, 1/2 lb each, drained

1 jar grape leaves

salt and freshly ground pepper

vegetable oil for grilling

Tomato-basil sauce, warmed

lemon wedges

Soak enough raffia or kitchen string (4 yards) or enough wooden toothpicks (20-25) to secure each mozzarella slice in a grape leaf for at least 30 minutes, then drain. Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a ridged stove-top griddle until it is very hot. Meanwhile, cut the mozzarella into slices 1/2 inch thick. Lay them on paper towels to drain briefly. Remove the grape leaves from the jar, leaving the brine in the jar so any unused grape leaves can be returned to it. Rinse the leaves under running cold water and drain well. Using a small, sharp knife, trim away any long or tough stems from the leaves. Place 1 large leaf (or 2 overlapping smaller ones), shiny side down, on a work surface. Place 1 mozzarella slice in the center of the leaf and sprinkle to taste with salt and pepper. Bring up the sides of the leaf and wrap them around the cheese slice to enclose it completely. Tie the packets with raffia or kitchen string or secure with a toothpick. Repeat the process until all the mozzarella slices are wrapped. Brush some vegetable oil onto the rack of the grill or the surface of the griddle. Place the mozzarella packets on the grill rack about 6 inches above the fire or on the griddle and cook, turning once, until there are grill marks on the outside and the cheese has softened, 3-5 minutes total on a charcoal grill or about 5 minutes on a stove-top griddle. As soon as the cheese packets are softened and well marked from the grill, spoon some of the tomato-basil sauce onto a warmed platter or individual plates. Place the hot packets atop the sauce and garnish with the lemon wedges. Serve immediately.

Vegetable spray

4 pieces sun-dried tomatoes

4 leaves fresh basil

3 tubs, 6 ounces each, soft garlic and herb cheese (recommended: Alouette brand)

1/4 cup sun-dried tomato tapenade

1/4 cup prepared basil pesto

1 baguette or whole grain baguette, pre-sliced at the bread counter

Handful baby carrots

Handful grape tomatoes

 

Line a small shallow dish or bowl with plastic wrap or waxed paper. Coat wrap with vegetable spray. Arrange a pattern in bottom of the dish using the sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Add 1 1/2 tubs of garlic and herb cheese (about half a pound) to the dish and smooth over, then layer in the sun-dried tomato spread and the pesto. Spread the remaining cheese on top of the pesto. Place a serving plate over the bowl and invert the bowl. Hold on to the edges of the waxed paper or wrap to release the cheese. Remove the waxed paper or plastic wrap. Arrange the sliced baguette along 1 side of the torta.  Arrange carrots and tomatoes along the opposite side of the torta.

1/2 Pink Grapefruit (Oranges or Clementines may be substituted)

4 oz. cooked Sea Bass, cut into small chunks

4 oz. peeled, cooked medium Shrimp

1/4 C. finely chopped Yellow, Orange or Red Bell Pepper

1/4 C. finely chopped Celery

2 T. minced Cilantro

Pinch of Salt

Hot Pepper Sauce to taste

4 Lettuce or Radicchio Leaves

 

Over small bowl, use a serrated knife to cut sections from grapefruit. Squeeze any remaining juice in rind into bowl. Add sea bass, shrimp, peppers, celery, cilantro, salt and hot pepper sauce to taste; stir.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to allow flavors to mellow and blend. Stir and spoon into lettuce lined appetizer plates.

 

Yield: 4 servings

Calories: 84

Fat: 1g

Fiber: 1g

6 or 6 1/2 oz. package pizza crust mix

14 1/2 oz. can no salt added diced tomatoes, drained

3 T. no salt added tomato paste

1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning, crushed

1 tsp. bottled minced garlic

2 C. sliced or chopped cooked chicken

1/2 C. pimiento stuffed green olives and/or pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped

1/4 C. chopped onion

2 T. sliced almonds and or pine nuts

1/2 C. shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

1TBSP snipped fresh flat leaf parsley

 

Preheat oven to 425F. Grease 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Prepare crust according to package directions. Press into prepared pan (crust will be thin). Bake for 5 minutes, In a small bowl, combine tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning and garlic; spread over crust. Top with chicken, olives, onion, and almonds. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake about 15 minutes or until edges of crust are golden. Sprinkle with parsley. Cut pizza into 12 squares; cut each piece in half diagonally.

1 11-ounce package refrigerated French bread dough

2 C. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8 ounces)

2 C. sliced mushrooms

1/3 C. sliced green onion

1/3 C. coarsely chopped pistachio nuts

1 tsp. fennel seed, crushed

 

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Carefully unroll bread dough; press into bottom of a greased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Sprinkle evenly with about half of the cheese, all of the mushrooms, green onion, pistachios, and fennel seed. Top with remaining cheese. Bake about 15 minutes or until edges of crust are golden brown. Cut into 15 squares; cut each square in half diagonally. Makes 30 servings.

8 4-inch pita bread rounds

1/2 of a 7-ounce container hummus

3/4 C. roasted sweet red peppers, drained and chopped

1/2 C. crumbled feta cheese (2 ounces)

1/2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese (2 ounces)

8 pitted kalamata olives, halved

8 oregano leaves or small sprigs

 

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Place pita rounds on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 3 minutes. Spread each pita with hummus; top with red peppers, feta, and mozzaella. Bake for 6 minutes more or until cheese has melted and edges are lightly browned. Top with olives and oregano. To serve, cut pizzettas in half. Makes 16 servings.

1/2 C. cranberries, dried

Boiling water

3/4 C. mango chutney

1 1/2 tsp. ginger, fresh

4 ounce cream cheese, reduced-fat

20 crackers, water

1/4 C. nuts, walnuts

 

In a small bowl, cover dried cranberries with boiling water; let stand for 10 minutes. Drain. Snip any large pieces of mango chutney. In a small bowl, stir together chutney, drained cranberries, and ginger. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. For each appetizer, spread about 1 tsp. cream cheese on a water cracker. Top with about 2 tsp. of the chutney mixture. If desired, sprinkle with walnuts. Serve immediately.

1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini

40 pimiento-stuffed olives

40 large pitted ripe olives

3/4 C. Italian salad dressing

40 thin slices pepperoni

20 thin slices hard salami, halved

small fresh Mozzarella Balls

Cherry Tomatoes

Fresh parsley sprigs, optional

 

Cook tortellini according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the tortellini, olives and salad dressing. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Drain and discard marinade. For each appetizer, thread a stuffed olive, folded pepperoni slice, tortellini, mozzarella ball, cherry tomato, folded salami piece, ripe olive and parsley sprig if desired on a toothpick

 

1/2 C. dried cranberries

1/4 C. water

2 T. sugar

1 T. finely chopped fresh ginger

3/4 C. mango chutney

Soft cheese or cream cheese

Apple slices

Toasted baguette slices or crackers

 

Combine dried cranberries, water, sugar, and ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to boiling. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 15 minutes. Snip any large pieces of mango chutney. Stir chutney into cranberry mixture. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Serve cranberry chutney with soft cheese or cream cheese, apple slices, and crackers, or with toasted baguette slices. Makes about 1-1/3 C. chutney (twenty-one 1-T. servings). Make-Ahead Tip: Refrigerate chutney, covered, up to 2 days.

30 wonton wrappers

Nonstick spray coating

2 T. olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. dried basil, crushed

1/4 C. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

 

Use a sharp knife to cut wonton wrappers diagonally in half to form 60 triangles. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick coating. Arrange one-third of the triangles in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl stir together the olive oil, garlic, and basil. Brush the wonton triangles lightly with some of the oil mixture; sprinkle with some of the Parmesan or Romano cheese. Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 8 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining wonton triangles, oil mixture, and Parmesan or Romano cheese

3 heads of Belgian Endive (or try Escarole)

1 T. finely chopped lemongrass

3 T. champagne (or sweet white wine)

1 stick unsalted butter, cold

1/4 lb. smoked salmon

2 T. olive oil

Sea salt, to taste

 

Preheat your grill over low heat. If your grill has multiple zones, set the front zone to medium high and leave the back zone off. You can also make this recipe in the oven, but you’ll miss all the sunshine flavor. Slice each head on endive lengthwise and coat all sides with olive oil. Lightly salt both sides of the endive. Place the endive, round side down, on the cool area of your grill and close the lid. Grill, turning once, for 15 minutes per side. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, add the lemongrass and sweat it for 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Add the champagne or wine and boil for another 1-2 minutes or until the liquid has reduced to a syrupy consistency. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for 1-2 minutes. Working 1 tsp. at a time, add the cold butter while constantly whisking. The butter should not melt right away and at no point should it start to bubble. Wait until each tsp. of butter is completely absorbed until you add the next one. If the butter stops melting in to the sauce, put the pan over low heat for just a moment. Just don’t stop whisking! Once the butter is completely added, your sauce is done. Crumble some of the smoked salmon over the cut side of the endive and top with a small amount of the beurre blanc. Season with a sprinkling of sea salt, to taste.

8 cherry tomatoes, stems removed

Salt

2 1/2 dry-pack sun-dried tomato halves

3 T. part-skim ricotta cheese

1/4 T. grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 T. snipped fresh chives

1/2 clove garlic, minced

Pinch of ground black pepper

1/2 T. minced fresh basil

 

Cut a thin slice from the top of each cherry tomato. Carefully scoop out the seeds and flesh, leaving the shell intact. Lightly salt the insides of the tomatoes to draw out excess liquid. Invert on a rack to drain for 10 minutes. Rinse the tomatoes and set aside.  Meanwhile, place the sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl. Cover with boiling water and set aside for 15 minutes, or until softened. Remove the tomatoes from the water. Finely chop the tomatoes and transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the ricotta, Parmesan, chives, garlic, and pepper. Mix well.  Spoon the cheese mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip. Pipe the mixture into each cherry tomato. Sprinkle each with a small amount of the basil. Serve chilled or at room temperature.  The sun-dried tomato soaking liquid may be reserved to use in sauces, soups or other dishes where a rich tomato flavor is desired. Freeze the liquid in an airtight container until ready to use.

 

Herbed Ricotta Snow Peas : Replace the cherry tomatoes with 8 snow peas. Remove the strings and ends from the snow peas. In a medium saucepan, bring a small amount of water to a boil. Add the snow peas and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

 

Yield: 2 servings

Calories: 86

Fat: 2.5g

Fiber: 2.1g

1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 C. sun-dried tomato halves, packed without oil (about 2 1/2 oz.)
2 (13.8-oz.) cans refrigerated pizza crust dough
1 C. thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1/2 C. (2 oz.) grated fresh Romano cheese
2 T. chopped fresh rosemary

Combine first 4 ingredients; let stand for 1 hour.Cover sun-dried tomatoes with boiling water in a bowl; let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain and chop. Preheat oven to 425°. Working with one can of dough at a time, unroll dough onto a lightly floured surface; pat into a 15 x 10-inch rectangle. Brush about 1 T. oil mixture over dough. Sprinkle half of sun-dried tomatoes, 1/2 C. basil, 1/4 C. cheese, and 1 T. chopped rosemary evenly over dough. Starting at long edge, roll up jelly-roll fashion. Cut into 12 (1-inch) slices; place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten each pinwheel with hand. Brush tops with about 1 T. oil mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining can of dough, oil mixture, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, cheese, and rosemary. Bake at 425° for 12 minutes or until golden.

Yield: 24 pinwheels
Serving size: 1 pinwheel

Calories: 122
Fat: 1.4g
Fiber: .8g

1 T. olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
4 oz. block nonfat cream cheese, softened
1/3 C. chopped pimento-stuffed green olives
1 (11-oz.) can refrigerated soft breadstick dough
Vegetable cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400°. Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer until smooth. Stir in olives. Unroll breadstick dough (do not separate the dough into breadsticks). Spread cheese mixture evenly over dough. Beginning at one short side, roll up dough tightly, jelly-roll fashion, and pinch the seam to seal (do not seal ends of roll). Cut the dough along perforations into 8 slices. Place the slices, cut side up, into muffin C. coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes.

Yield: 8 rolls
Serving size: 1 roll

Calories: 143
Fat: 4.7g
Fiber: 1.2g

22 dry roasted unsalted almonds
1 tablespoon dark chocolate chips
2 tablespoons raisins

Toss all together and go. Eat instead of an energy bar.

Calories: 217
Fat: 16g
Fiber: 3.9g

2 slices of roast turkey or turkey bologna (2 ounces)
2 tablespoons fat free cream cheese with chives (or garden vegetable flavor)

Place meat slices on flat surface. Spread thinly with cream cheese mixture. Roll tightly. Cover and refrigerate until use.

Yield 2 servings
Calories: 83
Fat: 5g
Fiber: 0g

6 six-inch whole grain pita breads
Olive oil cooking spray
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, or seasoning such as Mrs. Dash

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. With a sharp knife, cut each pita bread in half, then each half into 4 triangles. Carefully separate each triangle into 2 pieces. There should be 16 small triangles per pita bread. Arrange triangles in a single layer on two baking sheets. Lightly coat triangles with cooking spray. Sprinkle with seasoning powder. Gentle toss and rearrange to cover baking sheet Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and using a metal spatula, gently turn pitas over and continue to bake until crisp and golden brown, about 8 minutes longer. Chips will get crispy as they cool. Store in airtight containers or self-sealing plastic bags.

Yield: 12 eight- triangle servings
Calories: 96
Fat: 1g
Fiber: 2.6g

2 pitas, sliced in half to make 4 round pieces
4 T. olive oil
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 12-oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into strips
4 slices lemon
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 C. grated provolone

Heat broiler to high. Arrange the pitas on a baking sheet, cut-side up. Brush with 2 T. of the oil, then sprinkle with the paprika, oregano, and 1/4 tsp. of the salt. Place under broiler to crisp, about 2 minutes; set aside. Heat the remaining 2 T. of oil in a skillet. Add the peppers, lemon, garlic, and the remaining salt. Saute until the peppers are hot and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Spread the peppers evenly over the pita halves and sprinkle with the provolone. Return to broiler and cook until the provolone is melted, about 3 minutes. Cut into strips, if desired.

Tip: Almost any prepared vegetable from the deli counter can make a delicious substitute for the peppers. Try cured olives or marinated artichoke hearts or mushrooms.

Yield: 4 servings
Calories: 377
Fat: 21.5g
Fiber: 1g

2 large eggs, or 1/2 C. egg substitute
6 T. whole-wheat flour
1 10oz package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed
2 C. low-fat cottage cheese
2 C. reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 pinch nutmeg
3 T. wheat germ

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the flour until the mixture is smooth. Add the spinach, cheeses, cayenne and nutmeg, and mix the ingredients well. Pour mixture into a nonstick coated 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Sprinkle the top with wheat germ and bake at 350 degrees F. for about 45 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes and then cut into 1-1/2-inch squares for serving.

Yield: 18
Serving Size: 2 squares

Calories: 66
Fat: 2g
Fiber: 1g