Slimmer Egg Salad Pita

Posted on by
Reply


This is the best egg salad I’ve ever had.  First, it’s in a pita, which I’d never considered.  Second and third, it has mustard and feta cheese.  Yummy!

Slimmer Egg Salad Pita (recipe from Slimmer: The New Mediterranean Way to Lose Weight by Harry Papas, recipe used with permission, book released in June 2012, to buy the book click here or visit website at www.theslimmerbook.com)

2 large hard-boiled eggs (1 yolk only)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons low-fat mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 Tablespoon crumbled feta cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

1/2 medium whole wheat pita

Place the eggs in a small bowl and, using the back of a fork, mash them to desired consistency.  Stir in the remaining ingredients and fill the pita with the mixture. Wrap and refrigerate until ready to eat or serve immediately.

Makes 1 serving. Enjoy the Egg Salad Pita – let me know what you think…

Love Always Wins…

Posted on by
Reply

Pink and Orange Party

When my husband and I are not exploring new Mediterranean recipes, chasing the kidlets around and, of course, working, we like to have people over for dinner.  This photo is from a party we had for a friend’s birthday.  It was a pink and orange party, and the table looked beautiful. For a great effect, hang as many paper lanterns as you can fit. As Harry Papas, author of The Slimmer Book, says, Love always wins!


Spaghetti Bolognese (with Greek Yogurt)

Posted on by
Reply

This Spaghetti Bolognese (with Greek Yogurt) is a lighter version of a Mediterranean classic that’s easy to make and uses Greek yogurt to replace the cream you’d normally find in a Bolognese.  I think it’s much better and tastier than my regular Spaghetti Bolognese and I don’t think I’ll make Bolognese without Greek yogurt again.  Delish! And the kidlets loved this one.

Slimmer Spaghetti Bolognese (recipe from Slimmer: The New Mediterranean Way to Lose Weight by Harry Papas, recipe used with permission, book released in June 2012, to buy the book click here or visit website at www.theslimmerbook.com)  Serves 1.
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced white mushrooms
4 oz lean ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons dry white wine
One 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 small cinnamon stick (optional)
A pinch of ground allspice (optional)
0 to 2/3 cup water depending on how thick you want the sauce to be (also, if you use more water you may want to cook it down some)
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped parsley leaves
1 Tablespoon non-fat Greek yogurt
2 oz. spaghetti, cooked according to package instructions
1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese to serve

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat, add the onion, green pepper , mushrooms, and beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook, using a fork to break up the meat, until the beef is browned and the vegetables are softened, 6 to 8 minutes.  Add the wine and cook a further minute.

2. Stir in the tomato sauce and paste and add the cinnamon and allspice if desired.  Cook the mixture while stirring for an additional minute.  Pour in the water, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat until the mixture is thick and well blended, 10 to 12 minutes.  Add the parsley and yogurt. Stir well to combine, and cook 2 minutes more.  Add the cooked spaghetti to the pan, toss well to coat and heat through.  Serve topped with the Parmesan.

Makes 1 serving.

Enjoy your Spaghetti Bolognese with Greek Yogurt and let me know what you think!

Slimmer Greek Salad Pita Pizza

Posted on by
Reply

Greek Salad Pita Pizza was very easy and a big crowd pleaser.  Fun for guests!  You can also make it on the grill.

Slimmer Greek Salad Pita Pizza (recipe from Slimmer: The New Mediterranean Way to Lose Weight by Harry Papas, recipe used with permission, book to be released in June 2012, to buy the book click here or visit website at www.theslimmerbook.com)  Serves 1.

1 individual pre-baked pizza crust or 1 whole wheat pita
Marinara sauce, about 1-2 Tablespoons (for homemade, see below)
1 cup Mediterranean greens such as arugula, escarole, romaine or radicchio
4 or 5 cherry or grape tomatoes
2 Tablespoons sliced cucumber
2 Tablespoons sliced green bell pepper
1 Tablespoons shaved red onion
2 or 3 Kalamata olives
1 ounce crumbled feta cheese

Method 1
1. Preheat the oven according to pizza crust directions. Place the crust on a baking sheet and spread the sauce over. Chop the olives and sprinkle them with the crumbled feta over the sauce.
2. Bake according to package instructions until the cheese melts and the pizza is well heated and crisp on the edges, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving dish.
3. Toss the salad with the dressing in a medium bowl and pile on top of the cooked pizza.  Serve immediately.

Method 2 (if you like warm salad!)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit.
2. Spread marinara sauce over pita bread or pizza crust.
3. Pile all ingredients on top.
4. Bake for about 12 minutes.

Marinara Sauce (Homemade) (recipe from Slimmer: The New Mediterranean Way to Lose Weight by Harry Papas, recipe used with permission, book to be released in June 2012, to buy the book click here or visit website at www.theslimmerbook.com)

2 cups chopped fresh or canned tomatoes
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 Tablespooon olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano

1. Combine all the ingredients except the herbs in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring often.
2. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes.  Add the herbs and cook a further 3 to 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Blend on low in a blender or food processor or with a handheld blender just until smooth. The sauce can be frozen in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 months.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups. Enjoy your Greek Salad Pita Pizza!  Let me know in comments what you thought…

Baked Fish and Vegetables Aegean Style

Posted on by
Reply

Everyone liked the Baked Fish with Vegetables (Aegean Style!) although kiddies did not touch the onions.  It was terrific and we’ll definitely be making it again.  As usual, Slimmer style, remember to serve with a big salad!

Baked Fish and Vegetables Aegean Style (recipe from Slimmer: The New Mediterranean Way to Lose Weight by Harry Papas, recipe used with permission, book to be released in June 2012, to buy the book click here)
serves 2

2 teaspoons olive oil
8 ounces red snapper (I used grouper instead as Harris Teeter was out of snapper)
1 medium garlic clove, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1/2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch circles
3 baby carrots, thinly sliced
2 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
Finely chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Drizzle the olive oil in the bottom of a medium-size casserole with a lid. Place the fish in a single layer on the bottom, sprinkle the garlic, salt, and pepper over, and place the onion, pepper, zucchini, carrots, and tomatoes evenly over and around.  Sprinkle again with salt and pepper, and drizzle the white wine over all.

2. Cover and bake in the oven, occasionally stirring the vegetables to cook evenly, being careful not to break apart the fish, until they are tender and the fish is cooked through, about 1 hour.

3. Before serving sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

Makes 2 servings. Easily doubles. 

Easy Seafood Risotto

Posted on by
Reply


This was terrific.  You make the seafood risotto part separately so I fed that to the kids with white rice before mixing the risotto together – the seafood risotto was fantastic but too exotic for them!  The kiddos seem to do well with the rule of 7 – by the time we’ve stuck something in front of them 7 times they love it.  1 down, 6 to go.

 

Easy Seafood Risotto (recipe from Slimmer: The New Mediterranean Way to Lose Weight by Harry Papas, recipe used with permission, book to be released in June 2012, to buy the book click here)

 

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion or shallot, minced (I used 1 large onion when I doubled it)
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tableespoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup crushed tomatoes
A dash of cayenne pepper (this added a great kick to it)
2 cups cooked mixed seafood such as small shrimp, mussels, baby scallops, or calamari (when I doubled it I used 1/2 lb scallops and 1 lb shrimp, not sure how many cups it was but it worked well)
2 cups cooked plain Arborio rice, hot
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

 

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.  Add the vinegar and cook a further minute.

 

2. Stir in the tomatoes and cayenne, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cook until thickened and somewhat reduced, about 10 minutes.

 

3. Add the seafood and continue cooking until heated through, about 3 minutes.  Remove from the heat, stir in the rice and parsley, and serve immediately.
Makes 2 servings (I doubled this and were no leftovers)

Enjoy the Easy Seafood Risotto! Let me know what you think…

 

Shrimp with Lemon Sauce

Posted on by
Reply

Shrimp with Lemon Sauce


The Shrimp with Lemon Sauce recipe was fantastic.  It could easily be titled Shrimp with Broccoli.  Either way, it was fast and easy.  Kids liked it too, although my son varied the recipe a bit by dipping the shrimp in ketchup and coating the broccoli with shredded cheese (even a 6-year-old knows that shredded cheese is good on pretty much everything.  Note that shredded cheese, unfortunately, does not appear to be part of the Slimmer Mediterranean Diet, although I haven’t gotten far enough into the book to confirm this).

Shrimp with Lemon Sauce (serves 1 – I quadrupled for 4 and had plenty)
(recipe from Slimmer: The New Mediterranean Way to Lose Weight by Harry Papas, recipe used with permission, to buy the book click here)

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
4 oz jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup broccoli florets, steamed to crisp yet tender (steam for 6-8 minutes before you start the recipe, take off stove immediately and run under cool water to stop the cooking)
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
Juice of 1 lemon

1. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and add to the skillet.

2. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp is pink, about 2 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients, stir well to coat, and cook for 1 minute more. Serve immediately.

Remember to increase the recipe if making for more than one!  And serve with a big tossed salad.