Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

Save calories – picnic on produce, not carbs

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Bountiful picnic baskets often are jammed with sandwiches, potato salads, chips and cookies. In other words, lots of carbs.

Adding some equally portable produce is the best way to bring some dietary balance to your picnic.

Fresh fruit — especially those that travel well, such as apples, pears, peaches, plums and bananas — is an easy choice. As are low-fat cheeses, which contain plenty of hunger-quenching protein.

For snacking, pack lots of cut, fresh veggies. Crunchy carrots and celery sticks are filling and usually appeal even to kids.

Salads also are a fine way fill up with nutritious foods without adding heaps of calories. Of course, that theory only holds if those salads aren’t heavy on the pasta or doused with mayonnaise.

These easy-to-prepare salads take only minutes to make and can be packed in resealable plastic containers for outdoor dining. Each uses ingredients that are high in flavor but low in fat and calories.

Crunchy jicama, which has a sweet, nutty flavor, gets a zesty dusting of chili powder and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Look for jicama in most grocers alongside other exotic fruits and vegetables.

Spicy jicama salad

Start to finish: 5 minutes

Servings: 4

  • 1 small jicama
  • Chili powder, to taste
  • 3 tablespoons chopped scallions
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

Peel the jicama and cut into 1?2-inch sticks. In a medium bowl, toss the jicama with the chili powder, scallions and salt. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over the top.

Sesame cucumber salad

Start to finish: 5 minutes

Servings: 4

  • 1 large or 2 small cucumbers, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons black sesame seeds (optional)

In a bowl, toss the cucumbers with the sesame oil and salt. Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds, if using.

Pickled beet salad
Start to finish: 5 minutes

Servings: 4

  • 16-ounce jar sliced pickled beets, drained
  • 1 small onion red onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

In a small bowl, toss together all ingredients.

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Low-cost chicken and whole grains form filling salad

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

For picnic or potluck fare, a hearty grain salad can be a delicious, colorful and inexpensive option.

This seriously flavorful barley, bacon and avocado salad with roasted chicken can be served warm or cold and costs less than $1.50 per serving.

Quick-cooking barley is a convenient whole grain that has a subtle, nutty flavor and is quite filling, so it is well suited for stretching out a main-course salad.

The recipe calls for using the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken, which often is cheaper than buying a whole uncooked bird. Nonetheless, you can use your own roast chicken or almost any leftover meat you have on hand.

Many grocers also offer a discount on rotisserie chickens that were cooked but didn’t sell the day before. Look for these in the refrigerated section near the deli or meat counters.

Barley, bacon and    avocado salad with roasted chicken

Start to finish: 40 minutes (20 minutes active)

Servings: 10

For the dressing:

  • 4 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

    • For the salad:

  • 6 slices bacon, cut into thin strips
  • 1 cup quick-cook barley
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped red onion
  • 2- to 3-pound rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat remove from bones and shredded (4 to 5 cups of meat)
  • 2 medium tomatoes, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 small avocado, pitted, peeled and diced

    • To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.To make the salad, in a medium saucepan over medium, cook the bacon until crisp, about 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.Discard the fat from the saucepan. Add the barley, salt and water, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer.Cover the pan and cook the barley until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain in a colander, pressing out any excess moisture with the back of a spoon. Transfer to a large serving bowl to cool.Add the corn, onion, reserved bacon, shredded chicken and dressing, then toss well. Add the tomatoes and avocado and toss gently. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.

    Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 320 calories; 134 calories from fat; 15 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 49 mg cholesterol; 26 g carbohydrate; 21 g protein; 5 g fiber; 339 mg sodium.

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