Baked Zucchini with Lemon and Chives

This has been formulating in my head for a few days now… for some reason I have been craving zucchini and have been trying to come up with a way to cook it that The Captain will enjoy.

He thinks he doesn’t care for zucchini, but I think what he really doesn’t like is soft and MUSHY zucchini so I decided to bake it with a bit of lemon and olive oil… it should be a bit crisper and he does love lemon.. and he also really likes chives.

Baked Zucchini with Lemon and Chives
Makes 2 servings

• 1 medium zucchini
• 1/2  lemon cut crosswise
• 2 tsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tbs chopped fresh chives

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. Wash and dry the zucchini. Slice it lengthwise and scoop out some of the seeds and place the pieces, cut side up, on a baking sheet.
3. Slice the lemon as thin as you can and arrange half of the slices over each piece of zucchini .
4. Drizzle the olive oil over the lemon slices, 1 tsp per zuke half.
5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. Bake in oven for 18 to 20 minutes – don’t let the lemon slices burn.
7. Remove and sprinkle with bits of chives to serve.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 2.
Calories 62; Protein 1g; Carbohydrate 4g; Fat 5g; Fibre 2g.

This is one of those recipes where the only food item that really needs to be counted is the olive oil, which has a P+ value of 1, so you could count this dish as 1 if you prefer.

Scoop out the centre of the zuke with a small spoon.

Cover each half with lemon slices then drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper before baking.

Sprinkle with chopped fresh chives to serve.

The Captain was somewhat skeptical when I served this to him, but he said he really liked it and would happily have it again.  Success!

Printable Recipe

What is your favorite way to prepare zucchini?

Massage Your Kale for Quickie Salads

I had never heard of massaged kale until I read a blog post by Tamara at fitknitchick about making it up and keeping it in the refrigerator, in order to have a quick base for salads when you need it.

I thought it was an interesting idea, and then quite promptly forgot about it.

Now, I am a big fan of kale… I like it baked into Kale Chips, and I love using it in soup, or in my White Bean and Kale pasta sauce, and I also like to use it in place of, or with, spinach when I make Coconut Chicken.

I had really never thought to use raw as a salad green.  I just assumed the kale leaves would be too tough for that.  Oh, boy, was I wrong!

Whenever I find what we call curly kale at my local market for a really great price, I stock up.  Then I wonder what I am going to do with it all!  (Do you ever do that?)

Well, Tamara’s method for massaged kale is such a good idea.  All you do is mix the washed and torn kale leaves with a nice dressing, and then store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 or 5 days… taking enough to make your salads as you need, and leaving the rest behind. 

The dressing makes the leaves a bit softer after a couple of days, and it really does make a nice base for lots of different salads.

I made a batch of massaged kale this past week using the following method and I got 3 good sized salads out of it. Now when I have salad for dinner, I have a plate full, so if you don’t eat as much as I do, you might get more servings out of it.  Of course you might want to use the whole thing for one big salad to serve many… up to you, but the method is the same.

Massaged Kale
Enough for 3 dinner salads

• 1 bunch kale, large stems removed and leaves torn… washed and dried in salad spinner

Dressing

• 1Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbs lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed and minced

1. Mix well and then pour over the kale in the bowl.
2. Massage the dressing into the kale with your hands for a few minutes. Kale leaves should be completely covered with dressing mixture.
3. Cover bowl and place in refrigerator for up to 5 days
4. Use as needed for salads.  Give the remainder a stir, cover and refrigerate till needed.

If you are a Weight Watcher, and counting Points Plus, then the only thing to be concerned about is the olive oil which has a P+ value of 1 for each tsp of oil. So, for the whole recipe, the P+ value is 3.  You can divide that by the number of servings you make and eat.

The possibilities for salads are only limited by your imagination and your tastebuds. 

When I made my first salad with the massaged kale, I added a bit of torn red lettuce leaves to it… then some slices of grape tomato, mushroom, onion, and cucumber, and then topped it with some roast chicken breast, oregano, and dark balsamic vinegar.




I was so good that the next day, I used some more.  This time my salad was made of slices of red pepper, onion, mushroom, and cucumber, and topped with pieces of a navel orange, some roast pork loin and drizzled with blueberry balsamic vinegar.  I also blanched some green beans to eat alongside.

I think you could probably massage your kale with any oil and vinegar combination you like too, or even a nooch and vinegar combo instead of the olive oil and lemon juice that I used… and I am sure you could leave out the garlic too, but why would you?

Have you tried massaged kale yet?

What is your favorite salad green?

Homemade Babaganoush

It has been years and years since I last tasted Babaganoush… it was in a little out of the way cafe that I visited with my younger brother when I was in LA. with him the summer he was pitching at a try-out camp for the California Angels… but when I saw this recipe on The Healthy Dynamic Duo, the taste and texture of this garlicky, creamy dip came right to mind… and to mouth! 

It is a traditional Mediteranean dish, and although it is normally served with warm pita bread, it is also very good with fresh veggies, and as a salad topper and a sandwich filling.

 

I knew I had to make it.

We did a huge grocery shop recently and I made sure to pick up the ingredients for the Babaganoush that I didn’t already have on hand… 2 beautiful large eggplants and a jar of Tahini (sesame seed paste)… to go along with the freshly squeezed lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, cumin, and salt that round out the list.

I had never purchased Tahini before and was quite surprised by the size of the jar and the taste… it is kind of like bitter peanut butter, and I can see why some recipes say that you can sub creamy peanut butter if you don’t have tahini.  I couldn’t see anywhere on the jar where it says it should be refrigerated after opening, but the only ingredient is sesame seeds, so I am storing it in the fridge, just to be safe.

I went back to the blog post and followed the instructions pretty much as written, although I did use more garlic than the recipe called for as well as a few dashes of salt, and a short while later... about an hour or so, I was rewarded with had 3 cups of tasty, creamy, VERY garlicky Babaganoush.  I put it into the refrigerator and managed not to taste it again until the next day when I served it for lunch with some cut up fresh veggies.

Wonderful!  You really ought to try it.

Be sure to check out the original blog post for the recipe and the full instructions.

 

The nutritional information, as I made it:

.
Per 1/2 cup serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 146; Protein 3g; Carbohydrate 13g; Fat 10g; Fibre 5g.

Eggplants washed, dried and skin pierced in several places with a fork.

 

 

After baking for 40 minutes.

 

 

Removing the peel after the eggplants have cooled.

 

 

Reaming the lemon... this little tool has holes to allow the juice to escape, but not the seeds. 

 

 

Everything in the food processor....

 

 

and afer pureeing.

 

 

Served up with fresh veggies for lunch.

And as a sald topper along with some hard boiled eggs... delicious!

 

 

 

Have you ever eaten Babaganoush? 

 

What is your favorite dip for fesh veggies?

White Tuna is the Star of This Avocado and Tuna Salad

We always have canned, water-packed chunk tuna in the cupboards, and I often have it on greens for lunch.  But recently we shopped at  Costco, and they had water-packed solid white tuna on sale.  I couldn't resist as I think it is so much nicer than the light, when it takes centre stage on my plate.

I had an avocado that was just ripe and so I created a really nice lunch salad for The Captain and me, and even he approved!

If all came together so quickly and easily.  I didn't use an oily dressing on this salad, only a sprinkle of fresh lemon juice.  There is enough healthy fat in the avocado, and I didn't want to overpower the delicate tuna.  Of course I used some of the fresh cilantro that is growing on our balcony right now.



Avocado and Tuna Salad
Makes 2 servings

• 4 or 5 cups of mixed lettuces and baby spinach, cut to desired size
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 1 can tuna, drained (133g solids after draining - approx 4 ounces)
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 oz. fresh lemon juice
• Dashes of salt and pepper
• Fresh cilantro as desired

1. Wash and cut the greens and divide between 2 serving plates.
2. Add half the grated carrot to each plate and toss into the greens.
3. Break the tuna chunks up with a fork and layer over the greens mixture.
4. Slice the avocado and place over the tuna.
5. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the salads.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve immediately.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 5.
Calories 190; Protein 17g; Carbohydrate 10g; Fat 12g; Fibre 7g.

Plated and ready!



 Printable Recipe

Low Calorie Lemon Bars

I came across these lemon bars a couple of years ago on a blog called Cooking Done Light, bookmarked the recipe, and then completely forgot about it.  I found it today when I was looking for something lemony to make for The Captain.  He has been doing lots of little things for me lately and I wanted to make him something new and lemony to say Thank You.  Lemon is his favorite flavor, and I think caramel is a close second.

This lemon bar recipe did the trick... as soon as I started to zest the lemons, he commented on how good that smelled, so I knew he would be happy with the results.  And he was.  Win win.  Gotta love that.

I never have pastry flour on hand, so I just used whole wheat flour and hoped for the best.  And the two small lemons I had didn't yield  the 2 Tbs of zest that the original recipe calls for so I just used what they gave me.... but when I squeezed the juice from them, I did make sure to include some of the pulp too. I think it enhanced the flavor.  I squeezed the lemons into a 1/3 cup measure and then just topped it off from a bottle of lemon juice from concentrate.

Here is how I made them.  And I calculated my own Nutrition Information as the numbers given in the blog post just didn't make sense to me (unfortunately as they are about half of what I came up with).

I hope you will give them a try.

Low Calorie Lemon Bars
Makes 12 servings

• 1/4 cup icing sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Dash of salt
• Dash of additional icing sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F and and lightly coat the bottom of an 8 inch square baking pan with nonstick spray.
2. Beat the 1/4 cup of icing sugar and butter on medium speed until creamy.
3. Gradually add the 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour and mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly. Make sure not to overmix.
4. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake until just golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack and lower the oven temperature to 325° F.
6. While the oven temperature reduces, whisk the eggs on medium speed until foamy.
7. Add the white sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until combined.
8. Pour the mixture over the baked crust and return to the oven until “set”, about 20 to 25 minutes.
9. Do not touch the filling with your fingers or it will stick to them and you will have a big dent in your bars!  
10. Cool completely (about an hour at least) on a wire rack, then cut into 12 squares and dust with icing sugar.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 4.
Calories 136 calories; Protein 2g; Carbohydrate 22g; Fat  4g; Fibre 0g.

Mix butter and icing sugar together...

until creamy and light.

Add whole wheat flour a bit at a time and mix until crumbly.  Don't overmix.

With your fingers or the back of a spoon, press the mixture into prepared baking pan.

Remove from oven after is is golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.

While crust and oven are cooling, beat eggs till frothy, the mix in the white sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.

Pour over the crust and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until it is 'set'.

Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.

Allow to completely cool before trying to slice... Don't touch it!  It takes about an hour to cool enough to cut.  You can hold your hand above it, and when you no longer feel heat, it will be all right to cut.

It shrinks and cracks a bit when it is cool.  Sprinkle with icing sugar and cut into 12 pieces.

Just barely cooled.

A lovely, creamy, lemony filling on a light crust.

The Captain asked for a double slice!

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