Rocco’s Dinner Party may be wrapping up tonight (with special guest star Lucille II, aka Liza Minelli), but that doesn’t mean he has to disappear out of your life. I’m giving away a signed copy of his cookbook Now Eat This!, which boasts “150 of America’s Favorite Comfort Foods All Under 350 Calories.”
In the spirit (or should I say DiSpirito) of cooking, submit your own healthy recipe in the comments section. The winning selection will get the book!
And now the important stuff: This prize was provided by the BRAVO Network but BRAVO is not a sponsor, administrator, or involved in any other way with this giveaway. All opinions expressed in the post are my own and not those of BRAVO. So think about that for a moment.
Also, stay tuned for the results of the Anastasia of Beverly Hills contest results!
BaconMac
Ing.
3 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
12 ounces strozzapreti or penne pasta
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups skim milk, divided
2 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 slices center-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
Cooking spray
Prep.
1. Preheat broiler.
2. Bring 6 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Add pasta; cook 8 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add 1 cup milk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until it cools to 155°. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, onions, hot sauce, pepper, and bacon; stir. Add pasta; toss. Spoon into a 2-quart broiler-safe dish coated with cooking spray; top with 1/2 cup cheese. Broil 7 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
CALORIES: 399 ( from fat)
FAT: 13.8 g (sat: 8.5 g, mono: 4 g, poly: 0.8 g)
CARBOHYDRATE: 48.7 g
FIBER: 2 g
CALCIUM: 358 mg
CHOLESTEROL: 44 mg
IRON: 2.1 mg
PROTEIN: 20 g
SODIUM: 544 mg
This was a no-brainer for me. This dish is super-healthy, cheap and easy to make, and delicious to boot!
Mini Black Bean Cakes With Green Onion Cream and Avocado Salsa
Ingredients
Cakes:
1/2 cup salsa (pick whatever flavor/spice level you like)
2-3 teaspoons ground cumin
28 ounces canned black beans, seasoned, rinsed and drained
1 cup dry breadcrumbs (I use panko crumbs), divided
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
salt to taste
nonstick cooking spray
Topping:
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
2 avocados, peeled, diced
small container grape or cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 teaspoon lime juice
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°. To prepare cakes, combine first 3 ingredients in a food processor, process until smooth. Stir in l/2 cup breadcrumbs, ¼ cup green onions, and salt. Divide mixture into 24 equal portions, shaping each into a ½-inch-thick patty. Place 1/2 cup breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Dredge patties in breadcrumbs. Place patties on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 14 minutes, turning after 7 minutes.
To prepare toppings, combine sour cream and 1/4 cup green onions in a small bowl. Combine avocado, tomato, and juice in a small bowl. Top each patty with 1 teaspoon green onion cream and 1 teaspoon avocado salsa.
Nutritional information:
Serving size=3 cakes, Calories 182
Calories from Fat 33 (27%)
Total Fat 3.6 g (4.5%)
Saturated Fat 1.35g (6%)
Cholesterol 5.85mg (1.5%)
Sugars 1.65 g (4%)
Sodium 734mg (30%)
Total Carbohydrate 29g (9%)
Dietary Fiber 8.25g (33%)
Protein 9g (16.5%)
Yum! I am all over this. Wonder if they would still hold together with a little corn.
I think they would hold together with corn as long as you didn’t use too much or whizzed those up in the food processor as well. Sounds like something my husband would like to add since one of his mantras is that beans + corn = complete protein.
Bell peppers stuffed with lean turkey meat
Directions:
1. Cut off tops of peppers (red or green) and take seeds out… steam them in water or microwave.
2. Cook brown rice (I use non-fat veggie broth instead of water).
3. Brown lean turkey meat and onions and add in tomatoe sauce (you could add
mushrooms or other veggies if you want).
4. Stuff the cooked meat concuction into the pepper.
5. Sprinkle with cheese of your choice
6. Put in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes
Around 350 calories
There’s something about Rocco that just makes me want to punch him in the face.
seconded.
hb
Thirded. He is a smug douchebag who had never had any real career success himself but is totally condescending with contestants. He is unwatchable.
Fourthed…. he is awful. I hated him from the first five minutes of that stupid ‘Restaurant’ show he did ages ago… his staying power, I cannot understand.
Maybe he will choke on a meatball.
Mama Mia!
My mother’s delicious artichokes are simple and seasoned to merely complement the natural flavor of the vegetable, not mask it. These “measurements” are guestimates since it has never been written down. I can only share what my mother said when I first asked her the question, How much? She said, “Erin, you just know!” Cooking times also vary depending on size of the artichoke.
Take your artichoke and cut the stem leaving only a ¼ to ½ inch left (Make the cut level so that the artichoke can sit in the pot). Cut off the top ¼ or so of the artichoke. Most leaves have a sharp tip that is annoying to contend with.
Next, mince garlic for “stuffing”. I’ve been known to use 2 garlic cloves for one artichoke if it is really big, but use your judgment. Nothing is cooking yet so you can always mince more if you’re no happy with the amount.
Now you stuff the artichokes by taking a little bit of the garlic and stuffing it in between the leaves working one at a time from the outside in. Try and push it down as best you can, but don’t force it and break the leaf off.
Sprinkle the artichoke with salt and pepper according to your tastes. We’ve always had it a little heavier on the pepper side and it seems to really make a difference flavor wise.
Drizzle olive oil over the whole artichoke. Be sure not to spray the oil from a mister because drizzling will help push the garlic, salt and pepper further down the leaves where the “meat” is. If you’re on a diet, as I am, use only a tablespoon. If you’re not, feel free to adjust according to your tastes.
Place each artichoke standing up in a pan (that’s big enough to fit all the artichokes you’re using in one row) and fill up to half the height of the artichoke with cool water.
Cover, turn the stove to medium heat and cook until you can easily pull an outside leaf off the artichoke*.
*This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 depending on the size and heat. Check it often and don’t take it out until it’s ready. There’s nothing tougher than an undercooked artichoke!
Tips:
The water will evaporate as you go, so peek in every once in a while to check if it needs replenishing.
Don’t forget to scoop out the dreaded choke before you get to the heart!
Tequila Scallops
Serve with rice and your favorite vegetable.
Servings: 4
TEQUILA SCALLOPS (these are so yum!)
• 1/4 cup tequila
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (HAS to be fresh)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sugar (start with 1/3 and add to taste)
• 1 – 2 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup green onion, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound large sea scallops
• 1 – 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 lime, quartered for garnish
• 3 teaspoons minced cilantro for garnish
Place tequila, lime juice, lemon juice, sugar, jalapenos, green onion, 1 cup cilantro leaves, garlic and salt in a blender or food processor and purée. Taste the mixture and add more jalapeño as desired. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and set aside.
Rinse scallops in cold water, and pat dry. In a non-stick sauté pan over high heat, heat the olive oil just until smoking. Add the scallops to the sauté pan and sear well without stirring or tossing.
Add the citrus mixture to the pan, and bring to a boil. When the liquid reaches a boil, turn the scallops and cook for a minute more. Remove the scallops, cover to keep warm, and reduce the sauce to half its original volume over high heat.
To serve, divide the scallops among the plates. Pour the sauce from the pan directly over scallops. Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro.
Serve with rice and your favorite side vegetables and NOM NOM NOM
Per Serving: 289 Calories
3g Fat (10.8% calories from fat)
20g Protein
40g Carbohydrate
1g Dietary Fiber
37mg Cholesterol
457mg Sodium
Definitely trying the artichoke recipe!!! looks delicious! Rocco is a total a#$hole but man is he easy on the eyes!!!!
Salmon with Lentils from Barefoot Contessa
About 300 calories per serving and ohhhh so delicious!
ngredients
1⁄2 pound French green lentils (lentilles du Puy)
1⁄4 cup good olive oil, plus extra for salmon
2 cups chopped yellow onions
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 1⁄2 cups chopped celery (4 stalks)
1 1⁄2 cups chopped carrots (3 carrots)
1 1⁄2 cups Homemade Chicken Stock, recipe follows, or good canned broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons good red wine vinegar
4 (8-ounce) center-cut salmon fillets, skin removed
Directions
Place the lentils in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 15 minutes, then drain.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saute pan, add the onions, leeks, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the drained lentils, celery, carrots, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Add the vinegar and season, to taste.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
For the salmon, heat a dry oven-proof saute pan over high heat for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, rub both sides of the salmon fillets with olive oil and season the tops very liberally with salt and pepper. When the pan is very hot, place the salmon fillets seasoning-sides down in the pan and cook over medium heat without moving them for 2 minutes, until very browned. Turn the fillets and place the pan in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until the salmon is cooked rare. Spoon a mound of lentils on each plate and place a salmon fillet on top. Serve hot.
Homemade Chicken Stock:
3 (5-pound) chickens
3 large onions, unpeeled and quartered
6 carrots, unpeeled and halved
4 celery stalks with leaves, cut in thirds
4 parsnips, unpeeled and cut in 1/2, optional
20 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
15 sprigs fresh thyme
20 sprigs fresh dill
1 head garlic, unpeeled and cut in 1/2 crosswise
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
Place the chickens, onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic, salt, and peppercorns in a 16 to 20-quart stockpot with 7 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Skim the surface, as needed. Simmer uncovered for 4 hours. Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander, discarding the chicken and vegetables, and chill. Discard the hardened fat, and then pack the broth in quart containers.
Yield: 6 quarts
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