How to make seafood gumbo

Seafood gumbo

Makes 6 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: about 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup sliced cremini mushrooms

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons butter

1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, with liquid

2 cups unsalted chicken broth

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 (10-ounce) package frozen cut okra, thawed

3/4 pound cod or other whitefish, cut into bite-size pieces

1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 cups hot cooked rice

In a Dutch oven, cook onion, pepper, mushrooms and garlic in butter 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in tomatoes with liquid, chicken broth, cayenne pepper, thyme and basil. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in okra, fish and shrimp; cook 5 to 8 minutes or until fish is opaque and shrimp is pink. Serve hot rice on top of gumbo.

Per serving: 270 calories, 20 grams protein, 5 grams fat (17% calories from fat), 2.7 grams saturated fat, 34 grams carbohydrate, 82 milligrams cholesterol, 431 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.

Carb count: 2.

Asian chicken with vegetables and noodles

Makes 6 servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: less than 10 minutes, plus noodles

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces thin no-yolk egg noodles

1 (8-ounce) package fresh matchstick or shredded carrots

2 cups broccoli florets

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1/2 cup sweet-and-spicy or citrus stir-fry sauce

1 (11-ounce) can Mandarin oranges, with liquid

Cook noodles according to directions; stir in carrots and broccoli. Cook 2 more minutes or until vegetables are softened; drain and return to pot. Add chicken, stir-fry sauce and oranges with juice and toss to mix. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 306 calories, 19 grams protein, 5 grams fat (14% calories from fat), 0.6 gram saturated fat, 47 grams carbohydrate, 46 milligrams cholesterol, 392 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.

Carb count: 3.

Linguine with lemon parsley

Makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 4 minutes, plus linguine

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces linguine

1 teaspoon butter

1/3 cup minced onion

2 cloves garlic, pressed

8 ounces reduced-fat sour cream

1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook linguine according to directions; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook 4 minutes until softened. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Then stir in sour cream, pepper and parsley. Toss mixture with linguine. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Per serving: 325 calories, 11 grams protein, 9 grams fat (26% calories from fat), 5.4 grams saturated fat, 48 grams carbohydrate, 33 milligrams cholesterol, 92 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.

Carb count: 3.

Garlic-rosemary chicken

Heat oven to 450 degrees. From a 5- to 6-pound roasting chicken, remove and discard giblets and neck; remove excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, including drumsticks, loosen skin with your fingers and hand. Place several sprigs of fresh rosemary and crushed garlic cloves under skin of breast and drumsticks. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under. Place chicken, breast side up, on broiler pan. Insert meat thermometer into meaty part of thigh, not touching bone; bake 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 1 hour 15 minutes more or until thermometer registers 165 degrees. Remove from oven, tent with foil and let stand 10 minutes. Slice chicken, discarding skin to reduce fat and calories.

Chili pizza

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brown 1/2 pound ground turkey breast mixed with 1/2 pound lean ground beef in a nonstick skillet on medium heat for 6 minutes or until no longer pink; drain. Stir in 1 (1.25-ounce) packet less-sodium chili seasoning, 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can no-salt-added stewed tomatoes and 1 (15-ounce) can rinsed reduced-sodium pinto beans; cook 8 minutes or until heated. Arrange 8 burrito-size tortillas in a circle on a 12-inch pizza pan, overlapping edges where necessary. Spoon ground meat mixture onto tortillas. Top with 1 cup 50% reduced-fat shredded cheese. Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Braised pork medallions with apples

Slice 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin into 8 slices and season on both sides with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Heat 1 teaspoon canola oil in a large, nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Brown pork on both sides, remove from pan and set aside. Add 1 small chopped onion and 1 large cored and coarsely chopped apple to skillet; cook 6 minutes or until soft. Add 1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice to skillet. Reduce heat to low. Return pork to skillet, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Serve with brown rice, sugar snap peas and whole-grain rolls.