PAN-SEARED SALMON W/ PLUM-CUCUMBER SALAD

Pan-Seared Salmon with Plum-Cucumber Salad

This sunset-hued dish is as delicious as it is gorgeous, so it's sure to impress whether you serve it on a weeknight or to weekend dinner guests. The seasoned rice vinegar enhances the sweet and tangy salad for a lovely counterpart to the salmon. 

Serves 4

4 small ripe plums (12 oz.), pitted and thinly sliced
1/2 cup seeded, small-diced English cucumber
1/4 cup small-diced red onion
1/4 cup small-diced orange bell pepper
Scant 1/4 cup small fresh cilantro leaves
4 tsp. canola oil
2 tsp. seasoned rice vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Four 6 oz. skin-on salmon fillets (preferably scaled, each about 1-inch thick)

---

Tip: If you can't find ripe plums, pluots or apricots will work just as well.     

Stir the plums, cucumber, red onion, bell pepper, cilantro, 2 tsp. of the canola oil, the vinegar, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside at room temperature.
Season both sides of the salmon with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tsp. canola oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat. Swirl to coat the pan. When the oil is shimmering hot, add the fillets skin side down and cook without moving for 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to medium high and continue to cook until the skin is well browned and the sides of the fillets are opaque about halfway up, 2 to 4 minutes. Turn the salmon and cook, without moving, until the fillets are slightly firm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes more. Serve skin side up with the salad.

Serving Suggestions

Serve with golden Saffron Couscous.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 360; 

Fat (g): 17; 

Fat Calories (kcal):  150; 

Saturated Fat (g):  2.5; 

Protein (g):  39; 

Monounsaturated Fat (g): 7; 

Carbohydrates (g): 10; 

Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 6; 

Sodium (mg): 300; 

Cholesterol (mg): 105; 

Fiber (g): 1;

Grilled Jerk Shrimp Orzo Salad 

• 2 Servings
• Prep: 25 min. Grill: 25 min.

25 25 50

Ingredients

• 1 large ear sweet corn in husk
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/3 cup uncooked whole wheat orzo pasta
• 6 fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
• 1/2 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon Caribbean jerk seasoning
• 1 small sweet red pepper, chopped
• 
  DRESSING:
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Carefully peel back corn husk to within 1 in. of bottom; remove silk. Brush corn with oil. Rewrap corn in husk and secure with kitchen string. Grill corn, covered, over medium heat for 25-30 minutes or until tender, turning often.
• Meanwhile, cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water; set aside.
• Thread asparagus spears onto two parallel metal or soaked wooden skewers. Rub shrimp with jerk seasoning; thread onto two skewers. Grill asparagus and shrimp, covered, over medium heat for 5-8 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender and shrimp turn pink, turning once.
• Cut corn from cob; place in a large bowl. Cut asparagus into 1-in. pieces; add to bowl. Add the shrimp, orzo and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Yield: 2 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 2 cups equals 

352 calories, 1 cup: 176

12 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 1 cup: 6g fat

138 mg cholesterol, 

719 mg sodium, 

38 g carbohydrate, 1 cup: 19 g Carbs

8 g fiber, 

26 g protein.  1 cup: 13 protein

Diabetic Exchanges: 

3 lean meat, 

2 starch, 

1 vegetable, 1 fat.

Makeover Hearty Egg Casserole

Here’s a down-home breakfast bake that’s true to its name. Packed with sausage, veggies, eggs and cheese, this dish will get you going and keep you feeling satisfied. 

• 12 Servings
• Prep: 20 min. Bake: 35 min.

20 35 55

Ingredients

• 1 pound bulk pork sausage
• 3/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 6 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups egg substitute
• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

• In a large nonstick skillet, cook the sausage, mushrooms and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Remove from the heat; stir in spinach and 1/2 cup cheese. Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs, egg substitute, cream, milk and nutmeg. Pour over sausage mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings.

Lighter version: Hearty Egg Casserole

Nutrition Facts: 1 piece equals 

195 calories, 

14 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 

137 mg cholesterol, 

332 mg sodium, 

5 g carbohydrate, 

1 g fiber, 

13 g protein.

ROMANO SKILLET

ROMANO SKILLET

Serves 6

1 6-oz. package hash brown potatoes
6 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup chopped ham (about 4 ounces)

Cooking Directions
In large skillet, prepare Hash Browns according to package directions for crispy hash browns, except reduce salt to 3/4 teaspoon. Combine beaten eggs, cheese, green onion and milk. After turning potatoes over, sprinkle ham evenly on surface. Pour egg mixture over all. Cover and cook over medium medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes or until eggs are set. Cut in wedges to serve.

Serving Suggestions
This versitile meal can be served anytime. A breakfast dish for Saturday morning with juice and muffins or an easy weekday supper with salad and breadsticks.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 186 calories; 

Protein 14 grams; 

Fat 11 grams; 

Sodium 419 milligrams; 

Cholesterol 232 milligrams; 

Saturated Fat 5 grams; 

Carbohydrates 7 grams; 

Fiber 1 grams

THE PERFECT BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

The Perfect Buttermilk Pancakes

No doubt about it--these featherweight cakes stack up as the best you'll ever taste.

2 cups all-purpose flour *add your favorite unflavored protein powder here and boost the protein values up. adjust nutritional values accordingly for recipe.
2 Tbs sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 Tbs butter, vegetable oil or shortening, for frying
1/2 cup pure maple syrup and additional butter (optional)


1 Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk until blended. Combine buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter in a medium bowl. Whisk until blended.
2 Heat a large nonstick griddle according to the manufacturer's instructions. (Or heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.) When griddle is hot, add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients; vigorously mix batter with a wooden spoon just until blended. If lumps of flour are visible, that's okay.
3 Reduce heat to medium and grease griddle with butter, oil or shortening. Using a ladle or a 1/3-cup dry measure, pour spoonfuls of batter a few inches apart onto the hot greased griddle. Cook until small bubbles begin to form on the top and some pop, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully turn pancakes with a flexible spatula, then cook 1 to 2 minutes more, until golden brown. Serve immediately with maple syrup and additional butter, if desired (or keep pancakes warm in oven). Repeat process with remaining batter. Makes about 14 pancakes.(Nutrition facts are based on 1 pancake per serving without maple syrup or additional butter.)

Servings: 7
Yield: 14 pancakes
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 3 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1 serving
Percent daily values based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information provided by the recipe author.


Amount Per Serving
Calories 140.00
Total Fat 5.00g
Saturated Fat 3.00g
Cholesterol 44.00mg
Sodium 302.00mg
Carbohydrates 18.00g
Dietary Fiber 0.00g
Protein 4.00g