Chevy's Crab Enchiladas

My wife gave me a Chevy's restaurant cookbook for my birthday.   Chevy's used to be one of my favorite places to eat out.   I have written about Chevy's restaurant in a previous blog post. 

I decided to try to make the Crab Enchiladas using a recipe from the new cookbook.   This is not a light recipe... this is full fat!  I figured, though, that based on many months now of cooking lighter and healthier food, I could try the Chevy's enchilada recipe and if the dish turned out well, I could try making a lighter version of the enchiladas in the future.

The recipe for Chevy's Crab Enchiladas can also be found online in an article by Bay Crossings, a publication about maritime culture in the San Francisco Bay Area.

My crab enchiladas turned out really good.   It is really the sauce that makes these enchiladas so delicious.   The recipe yields about 6 enchiladas which made for 3 servings.   The sauce for the 6 enchiladas is very rich and includes 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, 4oz of cream cheese, and 1/2 cup of Monterey Jack cheese.   

Each serving ended up at about 800 calories.    I am sure I make a healthier version of this recipe without giving up a lot of flavor and will probably give this a shot in a couple of months.

Sesame Spaghetti with Chicken and Zucchini

The last time I made Sesame Spaghetti with Chicken and Zucchini was back in February.   One of my goals this year is to grow my repertoire of dishes.   I have made more than 50 different dishes for dinner so far this year.

Sesame Spaghetti was one of the first dishes I learned to make when I was learning to cook many years ago.   At that time, I was a vegetarian and got the sesame spaghetti recipe from a vegetarian cookbook called, Main Course Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin.   If you want to do more vegetarian cooking, I highly recommend this book.   The recipes are simple and delicious, although not necessarily low fat or low calorie, but then when you cut out the meat, then generally, you are pretty far ahead of the game when it comes to cooking light.   Jeanne also has a cooking blog worth checking out.

Of course, as you might have guessed, my version of this dish now includes chicken (please don't tell Jeanne!)

My well worn copy of Vegetarian Pleasures

Classic Roasted Chicken

Classic Roasted Chicken is amazingly delicious.    I usually eat a whole chicken leg which I did tonight.   A whole chicken leg is about 6 ounces of meat which is almost 400 calories.   Combined with roasted potatoes and broccoli sauteed in olive oil, my dinner was around 600 calories.  I try to target around 500 calories for dinner, so I have to be careful about how much I eat the rest of the day when I make roasted chicken or I maybe I just need to eat less chicken at dinner!

I used  Cooking Light recipe for herb roasted.   The recipe calls for fresh chopped parsley and fresh chopped thyme.   The concept is simple and delicious, but it took me longer than I expected, almost 40 minutes, to get the potatoes into the oven.   I use only the leaves when I chop fresh time and pulling all of those little tiny leaves off the stems takes too long.

Photo: Johnny Autry/Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr/Lindsey Lower

I steamed the broccoli and then sauteed the broccoli in olive oil and fresh minced garlic and some salt.

 

Greek Beef Pilaf

The weather feels like it is starting to change here in San Jose, CA.   I was wondering if we might have to turn the heat on last night.   It got down well into the 50s last night and the house was chilly this morning when I woke up.    Tomorrow morning will be the coldest Monday in quite awhile when it will be about 57 degrees when we leave the house.   And, after the rain on Saturday, we were in the mood for a fallish kind of dinner.

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross

I made Greek Beef Pilaf which is based on a Cooking Light recipe for Greek Lamb Pilaf.   The main difference in my version is that I used ground beef instead of ground lamb per request from my wife and I use just a little less cinnamon and about half the salt than the Cooking Light recipe calls for.    I have made this dish a few times before, but I thought the version I made tonight for dinner was the best instance of this dish I have made to date.  

There were a couple of other minor deviations from the Cooking Light recipe, which I don't think account for much difference.   I was out of long grain rice so I used jasmine rice instead.   And, I didn't have any yellow onion, so I used a red onion.    I also serve this dish with about 1 tablespoon of plain, lowfat yogurt per serving.   I like to mix the yogurt in with the dish.  

The nutritional info in the Cooking Light recipe said this dish is 446 calories per serving, but when I added up the calories for all the ingredients, I came up with 364 calories (380 including the yogurt) per serving.   I used 90% lean ground beef.  I am pretty sure the difference in calories is due to the use of lean ground beef instead of lamb.   Using ground lamb would add 360 calories to the dish or about 90 calories per serving.

Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken with Quinoa and Toasted Pine Nuts

I was in the mood for some grilled chicken today before I went grocery shopping.   After searching through my list of recipes, I decided to make Green Beans and Quinoa with Toasted Pine Nuts to go along with the chicken.  

Photo: Johnny Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr

I sprinkled the chicken with salt and pepper and then marinated the chicken in a little bit of olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic in ziploc bag in the fridge for about 2 hours.   I grilled the chicken on charcoal grill using my technique of banking all of the hot coals around the outer edge of the grill and placing the meat in the center so that it is not directly above any of the hot coals.   I put the chicken on the grill, covered the grill, and let the chicken cook on one side for about 3 minutes.   Then I turned the chicken over, covered the grill again and let the chicken cook for another 8 minutes and then turned it again and let it cook for another 3 minutes.   The chicken turned out perfectly.   There is a similar Cooking Light recipe on myrecipes.com.

I snapped 4lbs of green beans and then steamed them for about 10 minutes.   I sauteed about a quarter cup of shallots in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for about 2 minutes and then added the green beans and sauteed the steamed green beans for another 5 to 6 minutes.   While the green beans were in the pan, I added about between 1/4 and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.    This makes about 8 servings of green beans and they were delicious.

I have made the Quinoa with Toasted Pine Nuts before.   For, its the toasted pine nuts that really make this dish.  I use about 1 oz of pine nuts for 6 servings.   This is a Cooking Light recipe I found on myrecipes.com.   I really like this dish.

With about 4 oz of cooked chicken, 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa per serving, and about a cup of green beans, this is about a 400 calorie meal.  

Thai Red Curry Tofu and Shrimp Cakes

I have been thinking about making shrimp or crab cakes for quite awhile now and decided to try a Cooking Light recipe for Thai Shrimp Cakes.  

Photo: Brian Woodcock; Styling: Cindy Barr

 I bought frozen, wild-caught, pink Key West shrimp from Whole Foods in Campbell, CA.  The shrimp were lovely and I hesitated to chop them up for the shrimp cakes.   I forgot to add the egg to the shrimp cake mixture and I used all of the shredded coconut in the mixture and had to add more coconut to the breading later.   I also needed a bit more oil when I cooked the shrimp cakes than is called for in the recipe.   Still, the shrimp cakes turned out to be pretty good.   My wife really liked them.

At only 83 calories per shrimp cake (per the recipe), I needed something else to make this a dinner, so I made the shrimp cakes a side dish to one of my favorite Thai dishes-- Thai Red Curry Tofu.

The Red Curry Tofu recipe is based on a Cooking Light Recipe for Thai Red Curry Shrimp.   I marinated the tofu in some Sarachi hot sauce, salt, and a little sesame oil for about an hour and then sauteed with a little more oil before adding the tofu to the curry mixture.   I served the Red Curry Tofu with plain rice.

This was a higher calorie dinner than I usually eat and the fact that I used more coconut than I should have and more oil, my shrimp cakes came out to around 150 calories per cake.   The tofu dish was around 320 calories per serving and with 3/4 cup of rice at 181 calories, the complete dinner was 650 calories!

Halibut with Peach and Pepper Salsa

In the San Francisco Bay Area, our peaches came in kind of late this year.   It seems like locally grown, ripe peaches didn't show up in the stores until just a few weeks ago.   Its been a long wait.

Photo: Gentl and Hyers; Styling: Kendra Smoot

I saved this Cooking Light recipe for Halibut with Peach and Pepper several weeks ago and have been waiting for the right opportunity to try it.   I thought it might be too soon after I made the pineapple salsa with pork, but I just couldn't wait any longer and I wasn't sure if the peaches could wait any longer.

The ingredients of the salsa are fresh peaches, red bell pepper, fresh oregano, arugula, green onions, lemon juice and garlic.   I added a little sugar as well which was not in the recipe.   You could serve just about anything with this salsa and it would taste great, I'm sure, but the salsa with the halibut was wonderful.  

I served this with zucchini sauteed in olive oil and buttery corn on the cob.   My wife and I really enjoyed this dinner.

5oz of cooked halibut per serving, plus about 3/4 cup of the salsa, half an ear of corn with some butter, and a quarter cup of zucchini came out to about 400 calories.

Grilled Pork Chops with Pineapple Salsa

I have been wanting to try something new and decided to have a go at a Cooking Light recipe for Pork Chops with Pineapple Salsa.   I have really been into making salsas this summer.   This turned out great and I wanted to keep eating the salsa when my pork chop was gone!    My wife enjoyed this dinner as well.

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Melanie J. Clarke

The recipe calls for pan grilled pork chops, but I really enjoy grilling outside on a warm day, so I grilled my pork chops over a charcoal grill.   I made the salsa on the stove.  

I served this with rice noodles and an southeast asian style salad with lettuce, shredded carrots, mint, cilantro, onion and a dressing made with sesame oil, chile garlic sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, and some sugar.

Everything was really delicious and the whole meal with a 3.5 oz cooked pork chop and 4 oz of cooked rice noodles and the salad was under 500 calories.

Spice Rubbed King Salmon with Orzo and Asparagus

While I generally cook fresh, wild-caught Salmon for dinner every couple of weeks while its in season, it has been quite awhile since I have cooked salmon with my favorite spice rub.    I think the last time was in May at the start of the season..   My spice rub includes  garlic powder, brown sugar, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and all spice.   I cover the salmon with the spice rub and then broil the salmon for about 15 minutes. 

To go along with the Salmon, I made a side dish I use often, orzo with butter and parsley.   The orzo with butter and parsley is also a very simple and delicious Cooking Light side dish recipe that I found on myrecipes.com.    I also sauteed some fresh asparagus in a little bit of olive oil as another side dish. 

I ate 4.5 oz of cooked salmon, 3 oz of cooked orzo with butter and parsley, and about 6 asparagus spears.   Dinner was delicious and healthy and less than 500 calories.

Chicken Enchiladas with Ranchero Sauce

I know I say a lot of dishes are my favorite, but Chicken Enchiladas really could be at the top of my all time greatest hits!   They are so good and this dish is usually good for dinner for two nights and at least a couple of lunches.   I get to enjoy this dish for several meals after I make it.

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr

Its really the home made ranchero sauce which make this dish so good.   The recipe for the chicken enchiladas is based on Cooking Light recipe for bean and cheese enchiladas with ranchero sauce I found on myrecipes.com.   The ranchero sauce is made with fresh oregano, boiled ancho chiles, sauteed onion, tomato paste, lime juice, and cumin.   I boil the chicken in water, broth, and some water from the ancho chiles.    The enchiladas are stuffed with cheese, black beans, and chicken and then smothered in cheese and ranchero sauce.   Oh man, this is delicious!

I am getting hungry writing about it.  I try to limit myself to making this dish once over couple of months so I don't get too tired of it.   If I didn't restrain myself, I would make enchiladas a couple of times per month.

We usually eat two enchiladas per serving which comes out to about 450 calories per meal.  

Dinner at Il Fornaio

It has been many weeks since we have gone out for dinner.   When we do go out for dinner we often eat Italian since we can order pasta for my daughter.    Its hard to stay on a diet and go out for dinner.   The food served in restaurants is often too rich, the portions are large, and then there's the high sodium!   But both my wife and I have been doing so well on our diets it seemed like we deserved a night out.

We went to Il Fornaio in downtown San Jose.   The restaurant is located inside the historic St. Claire Hotel.    I always like walking through the lobby of the hotel to get to the restaurant.   It feels like I have gone back in time for a few moments.

I looked up the menu online before we left and had identified a couple of dishes I could eat and stay within my calorie budget for the day and also ate a lighter lunch to give myself a little more room.   But when we looked at the menu, I had a hard time making up my mind.   My wife was feeling the same way, so we decided to share and appetizer, pasta dish, and a main course.   We started with Carpaccio followed by Pennoni alla Vodka (giant penne pasta with a vodka-cream sauce), and Petto di Pollo al Peperoncino (chicken breast marinated with sage, rosemary, thyme, crushed red pepper, white wine, Dijon mustard and lemon; served with spicy peperoncino sauce).  

We passed on wine and the whole meal was around 700 calories and amazing.   I don't know if it was amazing because we just haven't gone out to dinner much or if was really amazing in an absolute sense, but we were very happy that we went out to dinner.   And the bill for the three of us came out to only $60 before tip!   I guess there are some financial advantages to watching the calories.

Greek Salad with Chicken

Whenever I don't have much time to cook, a greek salad something I can prepare quickly, especially if I have time to pick up a roasted chicken from grocery store.    When I make greek salad, each serving includes about 1/4 cup chopped cucumber, 2 cups lettuce, 1/4 cup chopped tomato, 1 oz of cumbled feta cheese, 4 or 5 kalamata olives, and 3 oz of roasted chicken breast.  

The dressing per salad is a tablespoon of some type of vinegar, a teaspoon of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. 

I made some hummus earlier in the week and so on both Thursday and Friday night, I had Greek Salad, hummus, and pita bread for dinner.   At only 450 calories per meal, its a light and delicious meal.

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

On  Tuesday, after salad and soup for two nights, I was in the mood for something richer, so I decided to make Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo.    It had been quite awhile since we had shrimp for dinner and I have been wanting to try Cooking Light's version of Alfredo sauce.   The last time I made Alfredo sauce at home, it was the full fat version and almost too rich.   This was before I started making healthier healthier dinners.  

Photo: John Autry and Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr

I usually buy frozen or previously frozen, wild caught shrimp.   Most of the frozen wild caught shrimp I find at Whole Foods in California seems to come from the Gulf of Mexico.  

I had some half-n-half left over from the Creamy Tomato Soup I made on  Sunday.   The Alfredo sauce is basically grated Parmesean cheese, half-n-half, and light cream cheese.    It was a nice bonus to make two dishes within a few days which both use half-n-half since I rarely use all the half-n-half I buy.

This is a pretty simple dish and really delicious.   I liked the Alfredo sauce better than my full fat version.   Its pretty rich though, even for a Cooking Light recipe.   A serving size of one cup, which is a little small for me, is about 450 calories.   I was able to limit myself to one cup and stay within my calorie budget for the day and have enough for left overs tomorrow night.   I did want to lick my plate, though.

Spring Garden Salad with Chicken and Champagne Vinaigrette and Creamy Tomato Soup.

When I am working out regularly, watching my diet, and getting plenty of rest, having a healthy salad for dinner brings at all together and leaves me feeling like I am living well.  

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Mary Clayton Carl

I like to try new dishes on the weekend when I have more time to shop and cook and I have had my eye on a Cooking Light recipe for Creamy Tomato Soup for some time.   So, tonight I decided to make the Tomato Soup and found a Cooking Light recipe this Spring Garden Salad with Chicken and Champagne Vinaigrette which I thought would go well with the soup.  

I was curious to try Champagne Vinaigrette.  I mentioned this to my wife and she said there are all sorts of exotic vinaigrettes these days and she was right.   There was a whole section of vinaigrettes at the store which I have never noticed before.

The combination of the honey, oil, and vinaigrette made for a sweet and light dressing for salad.   I bought a whole roasted chicken from Whole Foods and used the breast meat in the salad.

Photo: Johnny Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr

For me, the Creamy Tomato Soup was really the star of this meal.   The recipe says that it yields 6 servings of 3/4 cup each.   Those are pretty small servings, but with only 1/4 cup of half-n-half for the entire recipe, we had a little over a cup of soup per serving and easily stayed below my calorie budget for the day.

The soup really did turn out great.   I love tomato soup but I don't like the calories and sodium from the soup I find in stores and restaurants.   This was the first time I have ever made tomato soup at home and I am sure it will become part of my repertoire of delicious dishes for healthy dinners.