500 Calories or Less

Spring Focaccia Bake

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Breads, Posts, Recipes

 

It’s been feeling a lot like summer around DC lately. Strange, considering it’s March and we had a very mild winter and practically no spring. Honestly, spring time is my favorite time of year. I may be a bit biased because my birthday is in April. What’s not to love though? The weather is usually amazing – warm during the day with little-to-no humidity, and there are more outdoor gatherings. When the weather gets warmer, I start to crave lighter foods. That mean, more fruits, veggies and salads. The following is an easy recipe for Spring Focaccia Bake.

Adapted from D’s Kitchen.

Spring Focaccia Bake Recipe

Ingredients

1 loaf Focaccia Bread, cubed (or frozen cheesy focaccia rolls, cubed)
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1 Buffalo Mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch squares
1 package fresh Basil, chopped
15-20 Grape Tomatoes, halved
 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sprinkle olive oil on the bottom of a baking dish (or corning ware dish)
Lay focaccia squares in the dish, top with mozzarella, and then tomatoes.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Top with basil and serve.
 

 

Servings: 4

Nutrition Information: Cals 436. Carbs 53g. Fat 18g. Protein 16g. Sodium 554mg.

 

 

 

Pizza Cups

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Pizza, Posts, Recipes

 

Healthy Pizza – yes, it’s been done…. in my kitchen. Only 35 calories per cup, these pizza cups are the perfect snack, or even finger food. The best part? Prep to finish in less than 20 minutes.

Pizza Cups Recipe

Ingredients

24 Wonton Wrappers
1 can Tomato Paste
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1 cup Shredded Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
24 slices Turkey Pepperoni
 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Carefully place the wonton wrapper in a muffin tin (one wrapper per cup)
Mix together Italian Seasoning, tomato paste and a little bit of water (to loosen it up a bit).
Put a small amount of tomato sauce in each cup.
Cut the turkey pepperoni into fours, then arrange four cut up slices of pepperoni in each cup, top with mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 10 minutes.
 

 

Serving size: 1 cup

Nutrition Information: Cals 35. Carbs 4g. Fat 1g. Protein 2g. Sodium 74mg.

 

 

Red Snapper with Tahini-Parsley Sauce

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Posts, Recipes, Seafood

 

I love fish. All fish, really. I especially love crab legs – but that’s a discussion for another time. Because I try to limit my red meat intake to once a week, I have to get creative with chicken and fish. Enter red snapper with my mom’s tahini-parsley sauce. Usually, we make this sauce with Sayyadiyeh (a fish and rice dish). It’s super easy and so delicious with white fish.

Red Snapper with Tahini-Parsely Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

4 Red Snapper filets
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 tablespoon I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light
2 tablespoons Seven Spice
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup water
Lemon Juice, from one lemon
Sea Salt, to taste
3 tablespoons Chopped Parsley
 

Directions

For the Fish: Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over high heat.
Season the snapper filets with seven spice and sea salt, to taste.
Carefully add the fish to the skillet, bring down to medium-high heat and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side.
 
Tahini Sauce: Mix together tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic and parsley. Stir until mixed well. The consistency should be a little bit runny.

Garnish with toasted pine nuts

 

Servings: 4

Nutrition Information: Cals 401. Carbs 3g. Fat 25g. Protein 38g.

 

Arabic Food Made Easy Series: Imnazzaleh

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Arabic Food Made Easy, Posts, Recipes, Vegetables & Sides

 

Let’s face it, Arabic food takes forever to make. There are lots of steps and long cooking times, time I don’t have when I’m working full time and trying to conserve my culture simultaneously. That’s why I’ve decided to start a recipe series featuring traditional Arabic dishes, made much easier for those of us that have full time jobs and prefer to keep weekday cooking to 30 minutes or less. This is the fourth installment of the series. Don’t forget to check out previous posts in the Arabic Food Made Easy Series.

I’ve mentioned before my love for eggplant. I know for most it’s an acquired taste, but it’s a truly delicious veggie. A few months ago, I spent some time at my Tayta’s. My last night over, she asked me to come back the following night just for dinner. She was making a dish she had been craving for a while – Imnazzaleh (pronounced em-naza-lee). Well, she never got around to making it because she caught a bad case of pneumonia. I did, however, get her recipe and several weeks later I decided to try it out and bring her the dish she was craving.

Tayta’s Imnazzaleh Recipe

Ingredients

2 large Eggplants
1 can Diced Tomatoes
2 cloves Garlic (whole)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon Seven Spice
Sea Salt, to taste
Olive Oil
 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes.
Coat the eggplant with olive oil and place on a baking dish (or two).
Bake for 40 minutes.
In a large skillet, over high heat sauté onions until translucent.
Add Eggplant, diced tomatoes, and garlic.
Add seven spice, and sea salt. Mix well.
Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 15 minutes.
 

Serve with Arabic Bread.

Servings: 6

Nutrition Information: Cals 157. Carbs 13g. Fat 12g. Protein 2g.

Chunky Chocolate Blueberry Pancakes

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Breakfast, Posts, Recipes

 

 

I was having a mad craving for pancakes this Saturday. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize until after I started mixing ingredients together that we were low on eggs, and our applesauce went bad because I forgot to stick it in the fridge after opening – Woooops! So what’s a girl to do? I did some quick research online and found that I could use oil and water.

Chunky Chocolate Blueberry Pancakes Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups Bisquick Mix
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup egg substitute (or 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and water to desired consistency)
Chocolate Chips, to desired chunkiness (I used 1/4 – 1/2 cup)
Blueberries, to desired chunkiness  (I used 1/2 cup)
 

Directions

Mix dry ingredients together first, then add wet ingredients.
Add chocolate chips and blueberries.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook each pancake until browned to your liking.
Serve with Maple Syrup. 
 

 

Servings: 2 Pancakes

Nutrition Information: Cals 266. Carbs 37g. Fat 12g. Sodium 440mg.

 

Sea Scallops with Lemon Pepper Pasta

categories: 500 Calories or Less, Pasta, Posts, Recipes, Seafood

 

I have not abandoned Measuring cups, Optional.

I know it’s been over a week since I’ve posted new recipes – but all for good reason. It’s been a hectic two weeks around here. I started a new job with tons of new responsibilities. With a background in communications and public relations, I wanted to branch out of the agency world and move to an in-house position where I can focus all my efforts on one client – rather than seven, or more, at a time. Week one went great (for those of you interested)! With the earlier hours, I now have time to go to the gym (something I’ve been slacking on) and make dinner, with time to see my family, watch TV or blog.

I have been living on a combination of eating out, and quick meals. But I was able to make this light pasta dish with sea scallops – a seafood I’ve been wanting to experiment with.

Sea Scallops with Lemon Pepper Pasta Recipe

Ingredients

10 large frozen Sea Scallops
1/2 package Spaghetti Noodles
4-5 tablespoons I can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light
Lemon Pepper spice, to taste
Sea Salt, to taste
Olive Oil Cooking Spray
 

Directions

Defrost sea scallops in the microwave.
Meanwhile, boil spaghetti noodles, as directed on the package.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and spray with olive oil cooking spray.
Sprinkle salt on the sea scallops, then pan sear 3 minutes on each side.
Remove from heat.
Drain the spaghetti noodles, then mix in I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light and Lemon Pepper to taste. 
Serve the sea scallops on top of the pasta – or mix them in (but be careful not to break the scallops).
 

 

Servings: 2

Nutrition Information: Cals 370. Carbs 36g. Fat 12g. Protein 28g. Sodium 386mg.

 

 

 

 

 

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