Mmmmm GRITS.

Savory Grits Breakfast...or lunch...or serve it with a salad and call it dinner

This is simple enough I won’t even bother typing a recipe. It’s hot and filling and wonderfully comforting, especially on a cold winter morning.

Fix yourself a couple servings of grits according to the directions on the box. White, yellow, quick, original…your choice.

While they’re cooking, sauté a couple big sliced-up mushrooms in a skillet. Add some garlic, crushed tomatoes, herbs, salt & pepper, or a bit of pasta sauce if you have some in the fridge. Or use the mushrooms & garlic by themselves, that would be great too.

Poach a couple eggs.

Split up the grits into two bowls, top with the mushroom mix, top with an egg or two.

Make a vegan breakfast by skipping the eggs.

Serves 2
250-300 calories per serving, with one egg, depending on how large a portion of grits you use.

Poached Egg & Lardon Salad

I make this for weekend breakfast or brunch a lot. It's also a nice light lunch or dinner, especially if you serve it with a little bread or small pasta dish. (In the photo, I've served it with a small amount of fried potatoes, a tomato, and some apple slices.)

Dressing:
1 T olive oil
2 t red wine vinegar
1 t Dijon mustard
Juice of a quarter or half a lemon
Salt & pepper to taste

Salad:
2 big handfuls mixed greens
2 eggs
3 slices thick cut bacon, cooked and broken into pieces; or, cut into dice, cook, and drain

Set a nonstick skillet with about an inch to an inch and a half of water—and a couple of tablespoons of white vinegar—over heat to boil.

While it's coming to a boil, mix dressing ingredients well in a jar or small cup. Place the greens in a mixing bowl, add dressing, and toss. It's very important not to overdress the salad, since the runny yolk of the egg will also dress it, so keep in mind that you may not need all the dressing.

Divide the greens between 2 plates and top with bacon pieces.

By this time, the water should be boiling. If you don't know how to poach an egg, here's an easy method: crack each egg into a small bowl or cup and tip into the water. Cover and remove from heat. After 10 minutes, the eggs should be perfectly poached. (Me, I just lower the water to a simmer, tip the eggs in, and keep an eye on 'em.) Remove with a slotted spoon and drain the water off before topping each salad with an egg. Add a little salt & pepper to the egg if you like.

Serves 2
250 calories per serving

Stuffed Squash

This is hearty, lovely for fall and winter, and feeds a crowd really cheaply. Make it vegetarian and lower in calories by eliminating the pork.

4 smallish to medium-sized acorn squash, halved, seeds removed
1 T olive oil
1 lb lean ground pork (or buy some lean pork loin and chop it into very small pieces yourself)
1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 c cranberries, fresh or frozen
4 oz goat cheese crumbles
1 c cooked brown rice
Salt & pepper
Sage, fennel, whatever spices you like

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Arrange the squash halves cut side up on baking sheets. If they don't sit up nicely, make a thin slice off the back so they are stable. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until nearly cooked through; the squash should be about 20 minutes away from being fully cooked.

While squash is cooking, brown the pork in a nonstick pan with canola spray.

When pork is fully cooked through, combine with remaining ingredients and season to taste with salt, pepper, and any other spices you like. I used sage, fennel seeds, a little Chinese 5 spice, and I don't remember what else.

Remove squash from oven; fill cavities with pork mixture. Put them back in the oven for about 20 minutes. Serve 1 squash half per person.

8 servings
About 310 calories per serving

Chicken Salad with Rice and Fruit

Chicken Salad with Rice and Fruit

1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
2/3 c cooked brown rice, cooled
2 c fruit, cut up
¼ c fresh chopped herbs (basil, parsley, tarragon, or a combination)
Juice of 1 lemon, well-reamed
1 T balsamic vinegar
Black pepper (plenty)
Salt (just a pinch)

3 c arugula or watercress

I should really come up with snazzier recipe names.

Combine all ingredients (except greens) in a medium bowl, gently.

Divide greens between 2 plates and top each with half the chicken and rice mixture.

2 servings
200 calories per serving

I used raspberries, a nectarine, and a plum this time. Other berries, apricots, apples, pears, etc. would all work well.

A little thinly sliced red onion or scallions would be good in this.

If you think it needs more zing, try some red pepper flakes. Crumbled blue, feta, or goat cheese, parmesan shavings, or toasted chopped nuts would all be great in this salad, but will add a significant amount of calories. At 200 to start, though, you can certainly afford to add a few.

Chèvre & jalapeño stuffed hamburgers

12 oz chuck steak, trimmed of fat, cut into 1-inch cubes (or 12 ounces ground chuck 85% lean beef)
1 t kosher salt
A few grinds black pepper

2 T Chavrie
Pickled jalapeños

2 hamburger buns (I found Sara Lee brand "80 Calories & Delightful" whole wheat hamburger buns. Normally I don't buy gimmicky crap like that, but decided to try them and they are just fine.)

Pulse the cubes of meat in a food processor 10-15 times, with the salt & pepper, until it is ground beef.

Divide into 4 equal amounts; make each into a thin patty.

On 2 of the patties, spoon 1 T of Chavrie and spread to 1 inch from the edge. Place pickled jalapeños on top of the cheese. Top each with the remaining patties; seal the edges well.

Heat a well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes (you may want to use a little canola spray or swipe the inside with a bit of high-heat oil).

Cook the burgers 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve on toasted buns.

Serves 2
400 calories per serving

Stuffed Peppers

4 large bell peppers, tops removed, seeded

Filling:
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped (more if you want it spicier)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 c cooked brown rice
2 chicken breasts, roasted and shredded
Half c each fresh cilantro and parsley, chopped
Quarter c grated parmesan
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a pot of boiling water, submerge the peppers until bright green about 2 minutes. They should be starting to soften, but still hold their shape. Remove to shallow baking dish.

In a nonstick skillet lightly coated with canola spray, over medium-low heat, cook the tomatoes, jalapeños, and garlic until soft and sauce-like.

Combine tomato mixture and the rest of the ingredients. Spoon a quarter of the mixture into each pepper. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

4 servings*
240 calories per serving

*Full disclosure: We are now both so accustomed to eating lighter meals that neither of us could finish an entire stuffed pepper (served with cucumber radish salad on the side). We each ate half of one before giving up.

Pad Thai

This recipe is dead easy, fast, and way better than take-out. I adapted it from a recipe from my friend Jesse, who in turn adapted it from Real Thai Cooking (I think). To keep it lower in calories, I reduced the amount of sugar and peanuts, as well as eliminating the oil and cooking it in a large non-stick skillet rather than a wok. Honestly, I can’t tell the difference. If you use a wok, or a skillet that is not quality non-stick, I would definitely use a tablespoon or two of oil, NOT canola spray.

8 oz flat rice noodles (fettucine-style)
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks; or 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks (optional)

6 scallions, chopped
Dried Thai chiles
1 12 oz package bean sprouts
½ cup chopped peanuts
Cilantro, chopped

Sauce:
3 T sugar
6 T white vinegar
4 T fish sauce
2 T ketchup (yes, really)
½ T chili powder
1/8 t cayenne pepper

Soak rice noodles in very hot tap water for 20-30 minutes, until just barely al dente. Drain.

In a bowl or a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine sauce ingredients until sugar is dissolved.

Lightly coat a non-stick skillet over medium heat with canola spray. Add garlic and cook, stirring, about 10 seconds (careful not to burn it). If using, add chicken and cook 2 to 5 minutes, until chicken is no longer visibly pink.

Add sauce; continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Add noodles and cook, stirring, until they have absorbed most of the liquid (5 to 7 minutes).

Add scallions and enough chiles for desired amount of heat; cook another minute or two. Remove from heat and stir in 2/3 of the bean sprouts.

Sprinkle the rest of the sprouts, the peanuts, and the cilantro on top. Serve with plenty of lime or lemon wedges.

4 servings
450 calories per serving

Instead of chicken, you could also use dry-fried tofu or cooked shrimp. If using either of these, add them in at the end of the noodle step, before adding the scallions, just so they heat through. Chopped scrambled egg would be good, too.