Penne with Feta Kalamata Marinara

This is one of my favorite pasta sauces; it also reminds me of my greek friend who taught me the dish.

Penne:
2 oz Fiber Gourmet penne (130kcal)

Greek Marinara Sauce: (makes 3 servings)
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 garlic cloved, minced or microplaned
1/2 ts extra virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow or red bell pepper, cut into thin slices or small cubes
1 TB capers
1/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced
1 ts anchovy paste (or 2 anchovy filets)
1 can diced tomato (no-salt) (I used cherry tomatoes)
a few fresh tomatoes, diced
1 TB tomato paste, dissolved in some water
1 TB dried oregano
salt (little), pepper
2 oz fat-reduced feta cheese
splash of chardonnay
Optionally: 4 oz of shrimp

Cook the pasta in a pot for 10 min. At the same time, heat the olive oil in a pot, and sautee the onion first, and once translucent add the garlic for 1-2 mins. Then, add bell paper, capers, olives, stir and heat for 1-2 min. Add the can of tomatoes, the fresh ones, tomato paste and the anchovy paste. Stir well and heat through. Add oregano, salt and pepper, the white wine, and crumble the feta cheese into the sauce. Stir well, and the feta cheese will dissolve into the sauce making it creamy. Simmer for a few more min.

Drain the pasta, leave a bit of pasta water in the cooking pot, and place it back on the stove. Add enough sauce for 1 serving to the pot, heat again, add the pasta back into the sauce, stir, and serve with some fresh grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Entire dish as pictured above is about 200kcal.

Thai Peanut Noodles and Vegetables

This is a wonderful spicy, tangy, sweet and peanut-buttery sauce for vegetables, pasta, chicken, seafood or beef.

Spicy Thai Peanut sauce:
1-1 1/2 ts garlic ginger paste (jar)
1 TB rice wine vinegar
1 TB Asian spicy chili sauce
1 TB teriyaki marinade
1 - 1 1/2 ts brown splenda
1 -1 1/2 ts PB2 (peanut butter powder by BellPlanatation)
1/4 cp low-sodium, ff chicken broth
optionally: 1 ts lime juice

1 cp vegetable
2 oz Fibergourmet fettucini

Heat the garlic ginger paste in a saute pan for 1/2 min. Add the remaining ingredients for the sauce, mix, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat. After boiling for 1-2 min, the sauce will reduce to a thick consistency. Add vegetable, and heat through. Serve over fettucini!

Fettucine Carbonara with Porcinis

2 oz FiberGourmet fettucine (I used the pepper-flavored ones) (130kcal)
1 ts pancetta dices (15gr) (50kcal)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 onion or 1 shallot, minced
1 oz dried porcini mushroom, rehydrated in hot water
salt, pepper
1/4 cp egg beaters (30kcal)
fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Cook pasta according to instructions. Meanwhile, saute the pancetta until crisp and remove the pancetta from the pan onto a paper towel. Sautee the garlic and onion in the released fat from the pancetta; once browned, add the porcini mushroom, salt and pepper and a bit of the fluid from the rehydration. Sautee until all liquid is evaporated. Take off stove.

In a small bowl, pour the eggbeaters. Add the hot, drained pasta, and the mushroom sautee. Mix it all, and microwave for 45 sec to make sure the eggbeater stock. Remove from microwave, stir, and place on a serving plate. Grate parmesan cheese on top of pasta, and add the crisp pancetta. Serve immediately!

230kcal. Makes a dinner if you add a protein (e.g. 4oz of chicken)

Recipe is highly inspired by NS member Sharon ('rehabnurse'). I added rehydrated porcini mushrooms, and also microwave the mix to have the egg mixture solidify.

Frozen Raspberry Yoghurt

1 sm container Danone carb-control yoghurt (strawberry or vanilla flavor)
1 regular sized cup Danone non-fat yoghurt
1/4 cp thawed frozen raspberries
liquid sweetener

Mix in magic bullet or blender, and serve!

1 breakfast including protein and fruit. (190kcal)

Baked Penne in Tomato Sauce with Cheese Crust

2 oz fiber gourmet penne
1/3 onion, diced
1/2 garlic clove, grated
1 TB tomato paste
1 TB low-fat ricotta
a few basil leaved, thinly sliced
1/4 cp low-sodium chicken stock
salt, pepper to taste
1 laughing cow cheese wedge (any flavor), cut in small cubes

Cook penne in salted water for ca. 8 min. Meanwhile, sautee onion and garlic in ICNIB spray. Add tomato paste, ricotta, chicken stock and basil, and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat for 2 min, and turn off the heat.

Drain cooked pasta, and fill into a baking dish. Layer sauce on top, and distributed LC cheese on top. Bake at 450F for 8-10 min in toaster oven, until cheese melted and slightly browned.

200kcal.

Giant Butter Beans in Smokey Tomato Sauce

1/2 garlic clove, minced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 fresh tomato, diced
sprinkle of extra-virgin olive oil (@Wholefoods Market)
1/2 15oz can butter beans, rinsed (150kcal) (Goya brand)
1/3 can plum tomatoes (whole)
2/3 cp low sodium, ff chicken stock
1 ts Herbs de Provence
1/2 ts smoked paprika
1 TB Morningstar Farm meal starter crumbles
salt, pepper to taste

Sautee garlic, tomato and onion in olive oil. Add herbs de provence, and butter beans. Stir, add canned tomatoes, and break them up with a laddle. Add smokey paprika and chicken stock. Stir, and simmer on very low heat for 30 min. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

1 lunch entree (220kcal)

Italian Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Basil

1 oz of wholewheat rotini (I use Ronzini Healthy Harvest)
1 large fresh tomato
1 oz mozzarella, cubed
5 fresh basil leaves (large ones)
1 garlic clove, microplaned
1/2 ts good olive oil
zest of 1/2 lemon
salt, pepper
1/2 cup of passata di pomodori


Cook pasta according to instructions. Meanwhile, cube tomato, mozzarella and basil and fill into a larger bowl. On the stove, heat the olive oil and add the garlic. Saute only 30 sec (burns easily) and add the passata, salt and pepper, and heat through. Also add the lemon zest. 1 min before the pasta is done, pour the tomato sauce over the fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, and stir. Then add the drained pasta, and 2 TB of preserved hot pasta water. Mix through, and serve!

1 lunch entree (200 kcal)

Red Current Cheese Cake

Cake base layer:
1/4 cup Krusteaz pancake mix
1/4 cp vanilla soy slender milk
1 Tbsp egg whites (or eggbeaters)
¼ ts vanilla
¼ ts baking soda

Cheese cake filling
4 TB lf quark (or ff greek yogurt)
1/2 ts vanilla
1 TB eggwhites (or eggbeaters)
1 TB splenda
1/2 TB Krusteaz pancake mix

Red current topping:
1/2 cp frozen or fresh red currents
1/2 ts vanilla
1 TB Torani SF Raspberry syrup

Make the batter and the fillings in three separate bowls. For the cheese cake filling, mix quark and other ingredients until it is a really smooth, creamy texture. Mix the red current topping with the vanilla and the raspberry syrup.

Fill all batter in a larger single, sprayed spring form or divide it between a small sprayed spring form and a small metal pan for more dessert size cheese cakes. Bake at 400F for 5 min. Take out of oven, pour cheese filling over solid surface of the cake base, and pour red current filling on top of cheese filling. Bake for another 20 min at 400F. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

This a entire breakfast or 2 desserts. (250kcal for breakfast)

For a simple version of quark, you can also strain yogurt.

Vanilla Light Yoghurt w. Banana and Pomegranate

A wonderful light choice for the breakfast protein and fruit:

1 sm container Danone vanilla light yoghurt (60kcal)
1/3 ripe banana
seeds of 1/3 pomegranate

French Lentil Stew

1 ts olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced
Freshly ground black pepper, salt
1 large garlic clove, microplaned
1/2 can of diced tomatoes (no salt) or 1 cp of canned cherry tomatoes (WholeFoods brand)
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalked, diced
2 bell peppers ( red, green), diced
1/2 summer squash, diced
1/4 cup red wine
fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme and several bay leaves)
3/4 cp french lentils, dried
1 rapunzel vegetable bouillon cube, dissolved in 1 cup of hot water

Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil. Add all the vegetables (besides the lentils), and sautee for 5 min. Add red wine, and sautee until the liquid is evaporated. Add herbs, lentils and bouillon. Simmer at low heat for 30 min.

Makes 8 servings a 110 kcal.