Stick to Your Skillet!

Stick to Your Skillet!

By: Leanne Ely

The skillet is one of the best inventions since (yeah, I’ll use that food metaphor), sliced bread. This wonder of precision crafted metal can handle your dinner with ease and gives you the extra bonus of being easy on the clean up, too.

As simple and wonderful as the crockpot is for making stews and soups, the skillet is likewise just as simple and wonderful for quick sautés, stir fries and other easy to make dinners, plus you don’t have to wait all day to get it cooked!

I know a lot of people swear by their nonstick cookware, but I’m not one of them. The fact is a heavy stainless skillet will make fabulous sauces the way a nonstick cannot. Why? Because there is no “stick” and you need the “stick” on the bottom of the pan to give you those golden nuggets of flavor left by chicken (or whatever else you’re cooking) to infuse savor into your sauce. This is the secret to richly flavored sauces. If you have a nonstick skillet, by all means use it for making eggs, but skip it for skillet dinners!

So what are you waiting for? Get your skillet out and let’s get busy! Here’s an easy recipe for you that I guarantee you will make again and again. It’s a SavingDinner.com classic with a huge fan base, so make sure you print it off and keep it. :-)

RECIPE RAVE: Garlic Lime Chicken
Serves 6

“Oh that Garlic Lime Chicken! I think I could serve that a few times a week and my husband and kids would be thrilled!” ~Kate Brown

1 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
4 tablespoons lime juice

On a dinner plate, mix together first 7 ingredients. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breasts (or double the spice mixture if you like it a little spicier).

In a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium high heat. Saute chicken until golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes on either side. Remove chicken and add lime juice and chicken broth to the pan, whisking up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly. Add chicken back to the pan to thoroughly coat and serve.

Per Serving: 271 Calories; 10g Fat; 40g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 109mg Cholesterol; 507mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 5 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat. Points: 6

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Serve with garlic mashed potatoes (make mashed potatoes; add garlic powder to taste), steamed broccoli and a salad if you want more greens.

Enjoy!

Are you a raving Garlic Lime Chicken fan? Tell us about it here!

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Raspberries

Raspberries

By: Leanne Ely

Today’s focus is on RASPBERRIES.

This particular berry is my personal favorite; delicious, fragrant sweet raspberries make my mouth water! From the flavor to the texture to the smell, how can you not just love them?

But the real beauty of raspberries is their nutritionally powerful punch. Ellagic acid is the mighty antioxidant found in this berry that makes it particularly potent and cancer fighting. Additionally the flavonoids found in raspberries not only help fight cancer, but fungal cooties too as they are a powerful antifungal.

Here’s today’s TRICK:

Don’t wash these highly permeable berries till just before you are ready to use them or they will get moldy quickly.

Here’s a TIP:

If you’re lucky enough to have a basket of fresh raspberries, toss them in your dinner salad with whatever else you’ve got in there. A great combo is walnuts, raspberries and my vinaigrette with a red leaf lettuce—sublime and wonderful. (my vinaigrette is one clove pressed garlic with a 3:1 balsamic vinegar to extra virgin olive oil)

And your RECIPE (from Saving Dinner The Vegetarian Way):

Raspberry Salad
Serves 6

SALAD:
3 cups Romaine lettuce, torn into bite size pieces
1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 cup English cucumber, sliced
2 cups raspberries (reserving 2 tablespoons for dressing)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons chives, chopped

DRESSING:
3/4 cup olive oil
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of raspberries
2-3 tablespoons of honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

In a large bowl, combine salad ingredients. Blend dressing ingredients in blender. Toss greens and berries with dressing and serve immediately.

Per Serving: 296 Calories; 27g Fat; 1g Protein; 14g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 26mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fruit; 5 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates. Points: 8

SERVING SUGGESTION: Serve this pretty salad with open faced melted cheese croissants. Using whole wheat croissants, slice them down the middle, add whatever sliced cheese you have laying around the fridge and broil the croissants till hot and bubbly. Or serve croissants with cold sliced cheese if the weather is too hot and skip the broiling.

Raspberries are also GREAT in smoothies! Be sure to check out Leanne’s smoothie video here!

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Support Your Community!

Support Your Community!

By: Leanne Ely

Dear Friends,

Summer is almost here!

One of the best ways to start off Summer in earnest is to hit your nearest farmer’s market. This is the place where you can buy good, locally grown veggies and see what’s in season.

With few exceptions, this stuff is less expensive than your grocery store. Not only that, but some farmer’s market’s feature a lot of organic produce that you can get for a good price. If not, the local farmers usually don’t use as many pesticides and again, most often you will find a great deal, plus probably get into a fun conversation about what you’re buying, where it’s grown and the weather.

Farmer’s market’s are a wonderful way to support your local community, learn more about locally grown stuff, educate your children about healthy eating and how their food is grown, and maybe even buy some locally produced honey, eggs, homemade breads and pies. At my farmer’s market in Matthews, NC, they even have music, local chef’s cooking and huge bouquets of fresh flowers. I’d rather be at a farmer’s market than in a mall, that’s for sure.

See what your town offers and then seek it out. I’m going to bet you’ll pick up a little local flavor and a whole lot of healthy stuff at your local farmer’s market just like I do. Enjoy yourself and while you’re at it, say hi for me and give them a hug. I love local farmers!

Here’s a delicious recipe you can make once you get home from the farmer’s market–if you’re lucky enough to grab some local cauliflower:

Leanne’s Baked Cauliflower
Serves 4

1 head cauliflower steamed
1 tablespoon (thereabouts) butter
1 tablespoon (thereabouts) Dijon mustard
1 cup (thereabouts) low fat shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place steamed cauliflower in an 8 x 8 baking dish. Rub butter over the top, rub the mustard over the top, sprinkle cheese on the top. Place cauliflower in the oven for about 10 minutes or cheese is hot and bubbly.

Per Serving: 113 Calories; 5g Fat; 10g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 14mg Cholesterol; 292mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates. Points: 3

Love,
Leanne

What do you LOVE picking up at your local farmer’s market this time of year?

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Parsley – Not Just Another Pretty Decoration

Parsley – Not Just Another Pretty Decoration

By: Leanne Ely

Today’s focus is on PARSLEY.

Parsley, the world’s most popular herb, is a common accompaniment to many dishes in the kitchen and is often used as a beautiful garnish. A rich source of antioxidants, vitamins C and A all of which are thought to reduce infection rates and keep you healthy. Replete with heart healthy folic acid it is a great addition to your diet and so much more than a pretty decoration on your plate.

You can combine with garlic and lemon for a nice rub for your roasted chicken, or add to pesto, or marinara and salads to kick up the flavor of your favorite dishes.

Here’s today’s TRICK:

Choose fresh parsley over dried due to the superior nutrient and flavor content. Keep it stored in the fridge, in plastic bag, sprinkled with a bit of water. Wash right before using by swishing it around in a bowl of cold water to avoid damaging the fragile leaves.

Here’s a TIP:

Pregnant women should avoid high doses of parsley in its supplement or oil forms because it can cause preterm labor. For dishes that require long cooking times over an hour, add parsley toward the end of the cooking time to avoid losing flavor and nutrition.

And your RECIPE:

Parsley Garbanzo Dip
Yield: 2 cups

2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (can use canned, drain and rinse)
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, packed
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Using your food processor blend all ingredients until smooth adding oil slowly at the end. Great with all kinds of raw cut up veggies.

Per Serving (based on 8 servings): 131 Calories; 8g Fat; 4g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 123mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat. Points: 4

Our Menu-Mailer recipes incorporate numerous fresh herbs, including parsley. Not a member? Click here to see what you’re missing!

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Simplify Your Meals

Simplify Your Meals

By: Leanne Ely

In our pursuit for saving money, we find ourselves scouring the world and the web for ways to cut corners and expenses. And nowhere is that more apparent than in our weekly quest to feed the family.

We kill ourselves searching high and low for coupons. We seek out the bargains, willingly investing our gas and time to get the lowest prices, even if it means a big drive. We’re saving a lot of money, we say to ourselves.

But what about the concept of simplifying? It seems to me that we humans have this tendency to overcomplicate things and make it harder than it has to be. It’s good to save money—especially when it comes to your grocery budget, don’t get me wrong. But at some point, there needs to be a line drawn in the sand. It needs to make sense, not just cents!

I was thinking about this idea of simplifying while I enjoyed my wonderful breakfast this morning. It wasn’t fancy, but it was simple. Two lovely eggs, basted to my liking on top of a bed of lightly sautéed garlicky spinach. Very satisfying, very inexpensive and no huge Madison Avenue ad campaign behind any of that food, no coupons, no nothing and yet it cost me less than a dollar to have breakfast.

The take away lesson here is that real food doesn’t usually have a lot of hoopla and fanfare telling you it’s there. Packages of dried beans and bunches of fresh broccoli aren’t advertised on TV. You won’t see any cartoon characters on anything in the produce department of your grocery store, nor will you see celebrity endorsements for grass fed beef or wild fish. Think about that.

And while you’re thinking, here’s a recipe using simple, easy to find, healthy ingredients. Enjoy!

Crock-Nutty Chicken
Serves 6

1/3 cup peanut butter
6 tablespoons soy sauce–divided
3 1/2 teaspoons onion — minced
2 cloves garlic — pressed
several drops tabasco
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 tablespoon butter — melted
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons corn starch

Mix peanut butter, 3 tablespoons of the soy sauce, onion, garlic, tabasco and ginger.

Spread peanut butter mixture inside of each chicken breast halves piece. Fold in half; close with small skewer or toothpick. Place in crockpot. In a bowl, mix remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce with honey, butter and broth and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.

Remove chicken from crockpot and keep warm. Transfer remaining cooking liquid to a saucepan and heat to a boil. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in small amount of cold water and stir into sauce. Cook for about 5 minutes or until sauce thickens nicely. Serve with sauce spooned over the top of chicken. Don’t forget to remove toothpicks before serving!

Per Serving: 478 Calories; 14g Fat; 40g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 98mg Cholesterol; 1497mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 5 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Brown rice or quinoa, a spinach salad and some baby carrots.

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Salad Spin

Salad Spin

By: Leanne Ely

I get a lot of email from readers (feel free to email your questions—I may include it in an upcoming article, Dinner Diva at Saving Dinner dot com) and this one warrants an article.

I hate to trouble you with a silly salad question, but I’ve never eaten salad on a regular basis before joining Flylady, and I don’t know who else I can ask! I have been buying three heads of lettuce a week, tearing them up and storing them in plastic baggies to eat a little bit at a time (instead of buying those prepackaged salad bags, which are expensive). But should I wash the greens before they go in the bag? They stay really wet when I do this, and I’m not sure if this helps preserve them, or it might help turn them wilted and slimy. Thanks for your advice. We’ve been eating SO much better since we found you! –Susan

Well Susan, let me help you out. I don’t have much of an opinion on kitschy kitchen gadgets, but here’s one gadget that you should make a point of getting: a salad spinner! I am a big believer in eating salads, but it’s no fun eating mushy salads. The spinner makes the diff!

I have noticed that when I’m eating salads on a regular basis, my skin is nicer, my weight is better kept under control and I just plain feel better. As a matter of fact, if you eat one salad a day with a meal, you can lose up to 15 pounds a year. It’s a matter of volume and nutrition—the more you fill up on better, more voluminous healthier foods, the weight comes off (as long as you’re not overdoing it).

I serve salad almost every time we eat dinner at my house. I also throw a bowl of those baby carrots on the table to pass around. As a rule, we don’t eat enough raw stuff and salads are one delicious way to make that happen. Here are some hints for making a healthy, nutritious salad:

A good rule of thumb for building a good salad should be COLOR. Color is a great indicator of what’s ahead: good nutrition or near-empty calories. The more vibrant the color, the healthier it is.

Take a look at Iceberg lettuce. It’s pale green and white. The iceberg lettuce’s value is mostly the water it carries. Fiber is minimal and nutrition almost non-existent. This is not the basis for a good, healthy and nutritious salad.

The first place to start is with GREEN. Green like spinach, salad bowl or romaine lettuces–all wonderful examples of what green should look like. The color is there and so is the nutrition.

Next, look for RED. Tomatoes come to mind. Vine ripened and full of vitamin C, tomatoes also contain the important phytochemical lypocene that helps fight cancer.

ORANGE or YELLOW? How about some colorful bell pepper or (when in season) summer squash? Carrots are fantastic sources for beta-carotene, a pre-vitamin for vitamin A. Beta carotene has so many important functions, but the best part about beta-carotene is that it will convert into only as much vitamin A as the body needs so there’s no worry about taking in too much. You know what happens if you have too much beta-carotene? You turn orange! My son was orange for the first and second year of his life–he LOVED sweet potatoes.

This is all common sense nutrition here, but the point is to get you thinking next time you’re meandering your way through the produce section at the grocery store. Think in vivid, living color–you NEED the nutrition and so does your salad!

Love,
Leanne

We have some great salad recipes, take a look here!

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A Great Gluten Free Substitute and Recipe!

A Great Gluten Free Substitute and Recipe!

By: Leanne Ely

Today’s focus is on BUCKWHEAT FLOUR.

Buckwheat flour comes from a plant, not a grain and is naturally gluten free. The flour is milled from buckwheat groats, the seeds of the buckwheat plant, which incidentally is related to rhubarb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

With lots of naturally occurring fiber, this is a good choice for a regular flour substitute for the celiac or gluten intolerant. Nutritionally, buckwheat flour is phytonutriently rich, full of B vitamins and is rock star for manganese and magnesium.

Here’s today’s TRICK:

You can use buckwheat flour for anything that you would use regular wheat flour for. As a thickener for sauces, it works well and in recipes, though it has a stronger flavor than wheat flour, it is an easy swap.

Here’s a TIP:

If you’re thinking of starting your baby on cereal, consider a cream of buckwheat cereal instead of rice or some other grain. Amylase, an enzyme that is produced in the saliva for digestion (and is necessary to digest grains) doesn’t form enough in a baby till after 1 year of age. Baby won’t have any issues with buckwheat cereal because it’s technically a fruit, not a grain.

And your RECIPE:

Buckwheat Pancakes
Makes about 8 pancakes

1 cup buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar, sucanet or honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk or buttermilk
2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat griddle or skillet (if electric, go about 375 degrees). Lightly grease griddle.

In a bowl, place all dry ingredients, mix together and make a well in the bottom of the bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix wet ingredients together, add in the middle of the well you just created and mix together well.

Now make your pancakes and enjoy with a little butter and real maple syrup for an amazing treat!

Per Pancake: 116 Calories; 5g Fat; 4g Protein; 15g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary
Fiber; 38mg Cholesterol; 249mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean
Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates. Points: 3

Looking for some great gluten free recipes? Check out our 20 for the Freezer Gluten Free menus! With 3 different volumes to choose from, you can’t go wrong!

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How NOT to Overcook Meat

How NOT to Overcook Meat

By Leanne Ely

Dear Friends,
You’ve decided what to make for dinner. You’ve shopped, chopped, cooked, cleaned, and placed a gorgeous meal on the table. You take your first bite and start chewing and chewing and chewing it’s tough, it’s dry, it’s over cooked. Don’t worry, we’ve all been there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cooking meat can be tricky. You want to cook it long enough so that it’s safe to consume, but not so long that it becomes tough and unappetizing. Sometimes there is a very fine line between the two. Even worse, overcooking some types of meat can create carcinogens. Lucky for you, the Dinner Diva is here to save the day! Here are a few tips to help you avoid overcooking meat.

When grilling meat, be sure to grill slowly over low heat. This will help reduce charring which poses a cancer risk. If you do end up with black areas on your grilled meat, scrape them off before serving. Marinating meat before cooking can help avoid overcooking as well.

A digital probe thermometer is an excellent tool to help you discern the level of doneness when cooking meat. You insert the probe end of the thermometer into the meat and the readout end rests outside of your oven, Some models are wireless whereas others use a thin wire that doesn’t prevent the oven door from being closed. This enables you to check the meat’s internal temperature without opening the oven door and letting heat escape. Some can even be programmed to beep once a particular temperature is reached. Here are a few internal temperature guidelines for cooking different types of meat:
• Beef Roast: 155º F
• Ground Beef: 160º F
• Pork Roast: 160º F
• Ham: 135º F
• Lamb: 155º F
• Veal Chops: 155º F
• Whole Chicken or Turkey: 170º F
By using a thermometer to check the internal temperatures you will avoid guessing which can often mean a disaster for dinner. How many times have you cut into your turkey to find it is not done, so you put it back in the oven only to remove it later and its turkey leather? With a thermometer you can avoid that and with so many varieties on the market you are sure to find one that works for you.
Love,
Leanne Ely
Your Dinner Diva since 2001

http://savingdinner.com for a F*ree Menu-Mailer when you get a our Daily Dish

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A Little Lentil Legacy

A Little Lentil Legacy

By: Leanne Ely

Today’s focus is on: LENTILS

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am a huge fan of lentils and wanted to give you some background on why you want to include them in your diet. Lentils are the one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world. In the Bible, Jacob tricked Esau into giving up his birthright over a bowl of lentils! Yeah, they’re that good! High in protein, amazing in fiber, lentils have an earthy, satisfying flavor. They’re tops on my list!

Here’s today’s TIP:

Lentils can be dusty and have even a pebble or two in their contents which is hard to see if you put them directly into a strainer to wash. Lay them out on a cookie sheet first, pick through and take out the shriveled or bad looking lentils as well as anything else that shouldn’t be there, THEN put them in the strainer to wash.

Here’s today’s TRICK:

Avoid salting your lentils and adding acidic products (such as lemon or tomatoes) till after they’ve cooked or they won’t be as tender as you would like.

And your RECIPE:

Esau’s Potage
Serves 8

1 pound lentils, rinsed, drained and picked over
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions , chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 large stalk celery, chopped
5 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a soup pot over a medium high heat, add the oil. When hot, add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook till tender, add everything else except the tomatoes and simmer for an hour. When the lentils are tender, add the canned tomatoes; salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Per Serving: 271 Calories; 2g Fat; 24g Protein; 41g Carbohydrate; 19g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 539mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat. Points: 6

Lentils are wonderful in the crock cooker. Be sure and check out our Crock Cooker ebooks for some wonderful recipes using these treasured legumes!

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Go for the Good Stuff

Go for the Good Stuff

By: Leanne Ely

A lot of you know I have a foodie pet peeve that drives me nuts. That would be Iceberg lettuce. Honestly, I have no idea why this lettuce exists in the first place. It’s 97% water, completely bereft nutritionally, and licking an envelope is more flavorful than this sad sack of salad.

 

 

 

 

 

The antidote to lackluster salad is exchanging the bad stuff for the good stuff. And while it’s always best to buy heads of fresh lettuce, I sometimes fudge and get the ready to go stuff. I have found that if you’re careful and selective, you can get fabulous, already washed and ready-to-go lettuces in a wide assortment of flavors, types and styles. You can mix, match and pair these lettuces with already shredded carrots, cabbage and whatever else you find in the produce department willing to go home with you. Add a generous sprinkling of crumbled feta cheese, some pine nuts and a splash of olive oil, fresh pepper and touch of balsamic vinegar, and you have a cover girl of a salad that took all of three minutes to slap together.

Just keep in mind that salad should never take more time to prepare than the meal when it is served on the side. When it’s the main course, well, that’s different.

Here’s a main course salad that everyone will love.

Layered Summer Salad (can be served anytime!)
Serves 6

6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped coarsely
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup red bell pepper, deribbed, seeded and chopped
1 cup green onions, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
2 cups frozen petite peas, thawed
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

DRESSING
2 cups low fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon curry powder

GARNISH
2 tablespoons turkey bacon, cooked and chopped fine ½ cup low-fat cheddar cheese, grated

In a large bowl, layer half the lettuce on the bottom of the bowl.
Next, using all of the following ingredients, do a layer of celery, bell pepper, green onions, mushrooms, peas and egg. Top with the remaining lettuce.

Make the dressing by whisking together mayo, brown sugar, garlic powder and curry. Spread evenly over the top of the lettuce. Top with garnish—bacon and cheese. Refrigerate till ready to serve.

Per Serving: 317 Calories; 24g Fat; 7g Protein; 21g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 98mg Cholesterol; 478mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain (Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 4 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates. Points: 9

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