Omelet with Summer Vegetables

A great hight protein, post-workout meal!  Just take out the corn to make it a low carb breakfast.  Recipe courtesy of CookingLight.com.

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
2/3 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
3 tablespoons chopped green onions
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 large egg whites
1 large egg
2 tablespoons shredded smoked Gouda cheese

Instructions:

Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add corn, zucchini, onions, and 1/8 teaspoon salt to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from heat.

Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Combine 1/8 teaspoon salt, water, pepper, egg whites, and egg, stirring well with a whisk. Coat pan with cooking spray. Pour egg mixture into pan; cook until edges begin to set (about 2 minutes). Gently lift the edges of omelet with a spatula, tilting pan to allow uncooked egg mixture to come in contact with pan. Spoon corn mixture onto half of omelet; sprinkle corn mixture with cheese. Loosen omelet with a spatula, and fold in half over corn mixture. Cook 2 minutes or until the cheese melts. Carefully slide omelet onto a plate.

 Yield:  1 serving (serving size: 1 omelet)

CALORIES 281 (33% from fat); FAT 10.3g (sat 4.3g,mono 3.4g,poly 1.4g); IRON 2.1mg; CHOLESTEROL 229mg; CALCIUM 162mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.3g; SODIUM 947mg; PROTEIN 24.8g; FIBER 4.2g

Marinated Grilled Shrimp

I’m going low carb for a while and this is a great low carb entree.  It is a quick and easy to fix recipe from AllRecipes.com.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 6 Minutes Ready In: 55 Minutes
Servings: 6
 
Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
skewers

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, olive oil, tomato sauce, and red wine vinegar. Season with basil, salt, and cayenne pepper. Add shrimp to the bowl, and stir until evenly coated. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once or twice.
2. Preheat grill for medium heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade.
3. Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp on preheated grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until opaque.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 273
Total Fat: 14.7g
Cholesterol: 230mg
Sodium: 472mg
Total Carbs: 2.8g
Dietary Fiber: 0.2g
Protein: 31g

Photo: CookingLight.com

Grilled Sirloin Salad

I am a salad lover and I can guarantee you I will be trying out this recipe.  This one is easy to make low-carb…just leave out the corn! 

Recipe Courtesy of CookingLight.com

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 3 ounces steak and 3 cups salad)

Ingredients
1  tablespoon  chili powder
2  teaspoons  dried oregano
1  teaspoon  dried thyme
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1/2  teaspoon  onion powder
1/2  teaspoon  garlic powder
1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
1  pound  lean boneless sirloin steak, trimmed
8  cups  spring-blend salad greens
1 1/2  cups  red bell pepper strips
1  cup  vertically sliced red onion
1  tablespoon  chopped fresh parsley
1  tablespoon  red wine vinegar
1  teaspoon  olive oil
1  teaspoon  fresh lemon juice
1  (8 3/4-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, drained and rinsed

Preparation
Combine first 7 ingredients; rub over both sides of steak. Heat a nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Add steak; cook 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Cut the steak across grain into thin slices.

While steak cooks, combine salad greens and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; toss well to coat. Top with steak.

Nutritional Information
Calories:278 (28% from fat)
Fat:8.7g (sat 2.7g,mono 3.7g,poly 1g)
Protein:30.4g
Carbohydrate:22g
Fiber:6.1g
Cholesterol:76mg
Iron:6.1mg
Sodium:530mg
Calcium:106mg

Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Kebabs

Another great summer-time grilled chicken recipe courtesy of CookingLight.com.

Yield
8 servings (serving size: 2 kebabs)

Ingredients
1  cup  Pomegranate-Orange Dressing, divided
2  pounds  skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
2  large oranges
1/4  teaspoon  salt
1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1/4  cup  chopped fresh mint

Preparation
Combine 1/2 cup Pomegranate-Orange Dressing and chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning bag occasionally.

Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

Cut each orange into 8 wedges; cut each wedge crosswise into 3 pieces.

Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Thread chicken and orange pieces alternately onto each of 16 (10-inch) skewers. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Place kebabs on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is done, basting occasionally with remaining 1/2 cup Pomegranate-Orange Dressing. Place kebabs on a platter; sprinkle with mint.

Nutritional Information
Calories:205 (35% from fat)
Fat:8g (sat 1.6g,mono 4.1g,poly 1.4g)
Protein:22.7g
Carbohydrate:9g
Fiber:0.7g
Cholesterol:94mg
Iron:1.6mg
Sodium:320mg
Calcium:35mg

Grilled Turkey Burger

A great fourth of July burger on the grill!  Using turkey rather than ground beef sheds about 200 calories.
Courtesy of Mayo Clinic staff
 
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey breast
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco (hot) sauce
4 whole-grain buns
4 slices tomato
4 slices red onion
2 bibb lettuce leaves, halved
4 tablespoons ketchup

Directions
Combine the ground turkey breast, bread crumbs, chopped onion, parsley, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce in a large bowl. Mix well. Divide turkey mixture into 4 equal portions and form into patties.

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill or broiler (grill). Away from the heat source, lightly coat the grill rack or broiler pan with cooking spray. Position the cooking rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source.

Grill burgers until nicely browned on both sides and heated through, about 7 minutes a side.  Serve each burger on a bun topped with 1 tomato slice, 1 onion slice, 1/2 lettuce leaf and a dollop of ketchup.

Nutritional Analysis(per serving)
Serving size: 1 prepared burger including bun and toppings 
Calories 244
Cholesterol 59 mg
Protein 17 g
Sodium 340 mg
Carbohydrate 29 g
Fiber 4 g
Total fat 8 g
Potassium 324 mg
Saturated fat 2 g
Calcium 98 mg
Monounsaturated fat 2 g