THAI TUNA TOSS

THAI TUNA TOSS 

A serving of this one-bowl meal has 

just 268 calories per serving. It gets

 a punch of protein 

(30 grams to be exact) from the tuna,

 making it a smart choice for a 

diabetic meal plan. 

MAKES: 4 servings

CARB grams per serving: 14

6 cups shredded napa or Chinese cabbage

12 ounces cooked tuna, broken into chunks,

 or 2 6-ounce cans very 

low-sodium chunk white tuna,

 drained

1 red or yellow sweet pepper,

 cut into thin strips

1 cup fresh snow pea pods, 

trimmed and halved crosswise

1/4 cup sliced green onion

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 tablespoons chopped cashews

1.

 Combine cabbage, tuna, sweet pepper, pea pods, 

and green onion in a very large bowl. 

Gently toss to mix.

2.

 For dressing, combine rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce,

 toasted sesame oil, ginger, and crushed red pepper

 in a screw-top jar. Cover and shake well.

3. 

Pour dressing over cabbage mixture; toss to coat. 

Serve immediately or cover and chill up to 12 hours.

 Sprinkle with cashews before serving.

GRILLED MARINATED FLANK

GRILLED MARINATED FLANK 

Steak Salad 

Lean flank steak gets a flavor boost

 from a lime-and-cilantro dressing 

in this one-dish meal. Just toss 

marinated meat with fresh greens, 

peppers, tomatoes, and corn for 

a quick and easy dinner. 

MAKES: 2 servings

SERVING SIZE: 1 c. greens, 

3 oz. meat, 1/2 c. veg., 1-1/2 T. dressing

CARB GRAMS PER SERVING: 31

Cilantro Dressing

8 ounces beef flank steak

2 small yellow and/or red sweet peppers,

 stemmed, seeded, and halved

1 ear fresh corn, husked and silks removed

2 green onions, trimmed

Nonstick cooking spray

4 cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 of a small avocado, halved, seeded,

 peeled, and thinly sliced (optional)

2 cups torn romaine lettuce

Fresh cilantro sprigs

1. 

Divide Cilantro Dressing into two portions.

2. 

Trim fat from steak. Score both sides of steak

 in a diamond pattern by making shallow diagonal

 cuts at 1-inch intervals. Place steak in a 

resealable plastic bag. Pour one portion of the

 Cilantro Dressing over steak in bag; set 

remaining dressing portion aside. Seal bag; 

turn to coat steak. Marinate in the refrigerator

 for 30 minutes.

3. 

Coat sweet pepper, corn, and green onions

 with cooking spray.

4. 

For a charcoal grill, grill steak and corn on the

 rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium 

coals until steak is desired doneness and corn

 is tender, turning steak once halfway through 

grilling and turning corn occasionally. 

For steak, allow 17 to 21 minutes for medium

 rare (145 degrees F) to medium (160 degrees F). 

For corn, allow 15 to 20 minutes. Add sweet 

pepper halves to the grill for the last 8 minutes

 of grilling and green onions to the grill for the 

last 4 minutes grilling, turning frequently. 

(For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to 

medium. Place meat and, later, vegetables on 

grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.)

5. 

Thinly slice meat against the grain. Coarsely 

chop sweet peppers and green onions; cut corn

 from cob, leaving kernels in "sheets." Serve meat,

 vegetables, tomatoes, and, if desired, avocado 

slices over romaine lettuce. Drizzle with the 

reserved portion of the Cilantro Dressing. 

Garnish with cilantro sprigs. 

Makes 2 servings

 (1 cup greens, 3 ounces cooked meat, 

1/2 cup vegetables and 

1-1/2 tablespoons dressing per serving)

Egg Salad Sandwiches

Egg Salad Sandwiches 

Ingredients

8 hard-cooked eggs, diced

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup dried onion flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dill weed

8 slices white bread

Method

In a bowl, gently mix the eggs, mayonnaise, onion flakes, salt, mustard powder, garlic powder, pepper, and dill. Cover, and refrigerate 8 hours, or overnight. To serve, spread equal amounts on 4 slices bread; top with remaining bread slices to make sandwiches.

 SERVES : 4

Salad with Avocado and Grilled Shrimp

Salad with  Avocado and Grilled Shrimp

Ingredients

1 lb. medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Ginger Dressing (see make-ahead recipe below)
1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored and diced
2 mangoes, peeled, seeded and diced
1 papaya, peeled, seeded and diced
1 head butter lettuce, core removed, washed and chopped
1 ripe, Fresh Hass Avocado, seeded, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices

Ginger Dressing
2 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp. finely chopped ginger
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
2 lemons, zested and juiced
3 Tbsp. canola oil

Method
Place shrimp a medium bowl. Mix with half of the Ginger Dressing. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Thread shrimp onto pre-soaked wooden skewers.
Pre-heat a grill or grill pan to high heat. Grill shrimp until cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from heat. Using a fork or tongs, slide shrimp off of skewers and place shrimp in a bowl covered with foil to keep the shrimp warm.
In a medium bowl, toss together pineapple, mango and papaya.
Divide lettuce equally among salad plates and top each plate with even amounts of pineapple mixture, avocado slices and shrimp. Drizzle with reserved dressing.

Ginger Dressing 

Place garlic, ginger, cilantro, lemon zest and juice, and oil in a food processor. Blend until smooth.

The grilled shrimp can be served warm or cold with this salad.

Note: Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados adjust the quantity accordingly.

Shrimp Cobb Salad

Shrimp Cobb Salad

Ingredients:

Dressing:

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1 tsp Grey Poupon

1/2 large Shallot

1 Garlic Clove

4-5 Chives

Salt/Pepper to taste

Dice the garlic and chives. Slice the shallot into paper-thin strips.

Cobb Salad:

1/2 head Red Leaf Lettuce

1/2 head Romaine

3 Hard Boiled Eggs (quartered)

1 Large Avocado (diced)

1 Tomatillo (diced)

3 Roma Tomatoes (diced)

1 Yellow Tomato (diced)

1 Garlic Clove (minced)

1/2 Large Shallot (minced)

3 Tbsp Vinegar

7oz Roquefort Cheese

1/2 lb Shrimp (peeled)

1/4 cup White Wine

2 Lemons

4 sliced of Bacon (cooked and diced)

Method

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and refrigerate for an hour.

Since I can't stand plain raw tomatoes, combine the tomatoes, tomatillo, shallots, and garlic with the vinegar and juice from one lemon. Salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate for an hour to allow flavors to set.

If you don't mind the tomatoes raw, just add them to the salad without marinating them.

Sautee the shrimp off in some Olive Oil. As they near doneness, add the juice from the other lemon and wine.

Chop the romaine and red leaf up and layer in a shallow salad bowl.

Add the dressing. Layer each ingredient in a row.

Horiatiki Salata - Greek Salad

Horiatiki Salata - Greek Salad

This is a great recipe for the Greek salad. It's just that people call every salad with feta cheese in it "Greek". This is the real deal.

First thing you gotta do is buy good, quality tomatoes. Make sure they are ripe.

Ingredients:

3 tomatoes

1/2 cucumber

1/2 onion

1 sweet pepper

4-5 olives

some feta cheese

1/2 spoons oregano

1/2 spoons thyme

olive oil

salt, pepper

Method

The olive oil is the next important thing. If you know your oils, skip this. As for you newbies, get a bottle of extra virgin olive oil. Make sure that those exact words are printed on the label. Good olive oils tend to be expensive, so you should get different brands for cooking and salads.

You can use any feta you like. I prefer older goat feta, but if that's too strong for you, stick with cow milk feta - "Macedonian feta" is good (not from FYR Macedonia though).

Chop up your veggies, add salt and olive oil and mix it together. Put a big slice of feta on top of it, and cover it with spices. After the salad is served, you break the feta into little pieces with your fork, and mix it with the veggies.

For extra goodness some fresh Italian bread ready for dipping into the tomato juice and olive oil mix from the bottom of the bowl. Yes, I know you're fat and shouldn't be dipping into oil, but it's good for you.

Tzatziki Sauce for Gyros - Greek Salad Dressing

Tzatziki Sauce for Gyros - Greek Salad Dressing

Tzatziki is awesome not only because it tastes good, but you can serve it with anything. It's good as meze, in gyros, as a salad or as a side-dish.

Ingredients:

1 cucumber

1 cup yogurt

1 cup sour cream

2 spoons garlic powder

1 spoons oregano

1 spoons mint

1 pinch dill (optional)

2 tbs olive oil

salt

Method

Since I can't find galaktokrema anywhere (the proper ingredient for tzatziki), I had to improvise. Mix the sour cream and yogurt (drain the yogurt first!) in a bowl until it forms a creamy homogenous mass.

Take a big cucumber and skin it, then grate it. Using a paper towel, drain as much water as you can. We don't want water ruining our creamy texture.

Mix it with the sour cream and yogurt, and then add garlic, salt, olive oil and the spices to taste. Stick it in your fridge for an hour or so.

Caesar Salad

CAESAR SALAD

Ingredients:

1 large head romaine lettuce

1 cup olive oil

3 cups French or Italian bread

2 large cloves garlic

8 anchovy filets

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dry mustard

2 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh is best)

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 teaspoon coarse ground salt

2 egg yolks for large eggs, at room temperature*

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded or shaved

Method

Trim the romaine lettuce of bruised or browned leaves, then cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Wash and drain the lettuce, pat it dry and refrigerate for 30 minutes to crisp the leaves.

To make the croutons, cut the bread into cubes, heat the 1/2 cup olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Fry the bread cubes in the oil, tossing frequently, until they're crisp and golden. Drain the croutons on a paper towel until ready to use.

Peel the garlic cloves then put in a large wooden salad bowl. Mash the cloves against the sides of the bowl with the back of a wooden spoon. Rub the pieces against the bowl until they begin to disintegrate. Remove most of the mashed garlic from the bowl and discard (oil from the garlic will remain in the bowl and flavor the salad).

Add the anchovies and repeat the procedure you used with the garlic, but leave the anchovy pieces in the bowl. Now add the dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, black pepper, and egg yolks and blend well. Slowly drizzle in the remaining olive oil mixing with a wire whisk until a creamy mayonnaise type dressing forms.

Add the lettuce, croutons, Parmesan cheese and salt. Toss everything together and serve directly from the salad bowl!

*Note: The original recipe may have called for coddled whole eggs (warmed to 120F degrees, to coddle simmer in water 1 minute and cool in cold water) so they are soft and runny. Some chefs who make this salad today use the whole egg at room temperature.

Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients

Broccoli Florets 2 cups

Carrot 1 cup grated

Tomato 1 cup sliced

Pasta Penne 1 cup boiled

Oil 1 tspn

Cheese 1 tbspn grated

Salt to taste

Paprika or Chilli flakes 2 pinches

Method

Boil the broccoli in an open pan for two minutes and cool.

Boil the penne in water, to which a tspn of oil and ½ tspn of salt is added. Cool.

Mix with all other ingredients, toss and serve.

Serves: 5-6

Greek Pasta and Chicken Salad

Greek Pasta and Chicken Salad

Ingredients

1 package PERDUE® SHORT CUTS® Carved Chicken Breast, Grilled Italian Style

(alternate: PERDUE® SHORT CUTS® Carved Chicken Breast, Original Roasted)

1 cup grape tomatoes

1 jar (6 ounces) marinated quartered artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

1/2 medium cucumber, quartered lengthwise, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch slices

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, drained and halved

1/3 cup coarsely chopped red onion

1 cup coarsely crumbled feta cheese

Freshly ground pepper for garnish

For the pasta:

6 ounces (2 cups) penne pasta

For the dressing:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Preparation Steps

Cook the pasta according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, whisk together the dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in the chicken, tomatoes, artichokes, cucumber, olives, onion and feta cheese.

When the pasta is done, drain well. Rinse with cool water; drain again. Add to the salad mixture and toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Garnish the servings with pepper.

Egg Salad Sandwich

Egg Salad Sandwich

I've realized that 90% of the challenge here is properly boiling the egg. You need to boil it so the center sets yet stays moist. You also need to avoid the green/grey ring thing that surrounds the yolk in many hard boiled eggs. I use the same technique here that I learned camping with a hardcore egg enthusiast. It has worked for me flawlessly ever since. The key is to avoid over cooking, and to dunk the eggs in a bowl of icy water to stop the cooking after you remove them from the hot water. I always use good quality eggs - but something to keep in mind, the fresher they are, the harder they are to peel after boiling.

Ingredients

6 large eggs

1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Salt and pepper

A tiny squeeze of lemon juice

2 stalks celery, washed and chopped

1/2 bunch chives, chopped

2 small handfuls of lettuce

8 slices of whole grain bread, toasted

Method

Place the eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by a 1/2-inch or so. Bring to a gentle boil. Now turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for exactly seven minutes. Have a big bowl of ice water ready and when the eggs are done cooking place them in the ice bath for three minutes or so - long enough to stop the cooking. Crack and peel each egg, place in a medium mixing bowl. Add the mayonnaise, a couple generous pinches of salt and pepper, now mash with a fork. Don't overdo it, you want the egg mixture to have some texture. If you need to add a bit more mayo to moisten up the mixture a bit, go for it a bit at a time.

Stir in the celery and chives. Taste, and adjust the seasoning - adding more salt and pepper if needed.