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Maple-Glazed Ham

Forget about those corn syrupy “glaze” packets that come with hams. We wanted the real deal for our holiday stunner. We make a thickened glaze of maple syrup, apple juice, brown sugar, coarse mustard, and cloves and coat our ham not once, but twice, for a fabulous looking and tasting ham.

Maple-Glazed Ham
 
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Recipe type: Holiday Favorites
Makes: 12 Dinner portions
Ingredients
  • 1 semi-boneless lean smoked half ham, about 6 pounds
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
  • ¼ cup apple juice
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon whole-grain deli mustard
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  2. Use a sharp knife to slice a patchwork pattern across the skin of the ham, only slicing ⅛ inch into the meat of the ham.
  3. Place the scored ham in a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil, and bake for 1 hour.
  4. Whisk the maple syrup, apple juice, brown sugar, mustard, cornstarch, and cloves in a small sauce pot over medium-high heat. Bring up to a boil, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 3 minutes to create the glaze.
  5. Spoon half of the glaze over the entire surface of the ham, and return the ham to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes.
  6. Top the ham with the remaining glaze, and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Let the ham rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
Perfect Portion Maple-Glazed Ham

HELPFUL TIP: Lining your roasting pan with aluminum foil or using a disposable pan is highly recommended for easy cleanup.
Serving size: 2 oz. ham Calories: 100

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Spinach & Pear Salad

Anson’s American Treasures: While on the set directing Melrose Place, I met Joanna Connell, a top makeup artist, whose clients include Madonna and Tom Cruise. JoAnna is also a well-known skincare expert, creating special products for some of the most famous faces in the world. Together, we took her formulas and started our successful company, Starmaker Products. Joanna made sure always to introduce me to new and healthy salads that the caterer would whip up for lunch. One of my favorites is this fabulous Spinach and Pear Salad. The hearty spinach and sliced pear balance each other perfectly. Red onion adds a bit of spice, walnuts add crunch, and crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, well, that’s just delicious.

Spinach & Pear Salad
 
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Recipe type: Soups, Salads & Sandwiches
Makes: 2 Lunch portions
Ingredients
  • 1 (6-ounce) bag fresh spinach leaves
  • 1 medium pear, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
  • ¼ cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
  • 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
Directions
  1. Place the spinach leaves in a large salad bowl, or split evenly into serving bowls.
  2. Top the spinach with the pear slices, red onion, Gorgonzola cheese, and walnuts.
  3. Serve alongside the Raspberry Vinaigrette, page 246, or a dressing of your choice.
Perfect Portion Spinach & Pear Salad

HELPFUL TIP: Regular or baby spinach leaves can be used, although baby spinach is typically preferred in salads, as it contains more moisture and is slightly more tender when eaten raw.
Serving size: 1¼ cups Calories: 100

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Apple Pie Turnovers

There’s nothing more quintessentially American than Mom’s apple pie. Inspired by the iconic cinnamon-scented apples encased in buttery crust, we created “perfectly portioned” turnovers in a quarter of the calories by swapping the traditional double crust for puff pastry sheets.

Apple Pie Turnovers
 
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Recipe type: Desserts
Makes: 24 Mini turnovers
Ingredients
  • 1 green apple, peeled, cored, and diced
  • 1 red apple, peeled, cored, and diced
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon apple pie spice (may use ground cinnamon)
  • ½ teaspoon lemon juice
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 (17.3-ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 2 teaspoons coarse sugar (optional)
Directions
  1. Position the oven racks 3 slots apart, and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
  2. Place apples, sugar, apple pie spice, lemon juice, and salt in a sauce pot over medium-high heat.
  3. Whisk the cornstarch into the water, and stir into the pot. Bring up to a simmer, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover, and let cook for 5 minutes.
  4. Remove cover, and simmer for an additional 4 minutes to thicken the apple mixture further. Let cool.
  5. Unroll 1 sheet of puff pastry, and use a pastry cutter to cut 3 lines vertically by 4 lines horizontally to create 12 rectangles. Use a floured rolling pin to roll these rectangles about ⅓ larger, pushing the rolling pin away from you to roll the rectangles into more of a square shape. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry.
  6. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the apple filling in the center of each pastry square. Brush the edges of the pastry with water, fold over, and press hard to fully seal. Use a pastry cutter to trim any uneven excess to make perfectly folded triangles.
  7. Transfer the filled turnovers to the prepared baking sheets, and brush the tops with the beaten egg. Make a ¼-inch-thick cut in the center of each to vent. Sprinkle coarse sugar over each, if desired.
  8. Bake for 12–14 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Perfect Portion Apple Pie Turnovers
Serving size: 1 turnover Calories: 100

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Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s Pie, a layered casserole of sautéed ground lamb and vegetables topped with mashed potatoes and baked until golden, is the quintessential casserole of the United Kingdom. Inspired by this fantastic combination, American Cottage Pie mirrors its predecessor except that ground beef is used in place of the lamb. Regardless of what you call it, this savory meal of meat and vegetables topped with golden brown mashed potatoes is a hearty, one-dish supper that can more than feed your whole family.

Shepherd's Pie
 
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Recipe type: Casseroles & One-Pot Meals
Makes: 10 Lunch or 8 Dinner portions
Ingredients
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 batch
    Home-Style Mashed Potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 2 pounds (96%) extra lean ground beef
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • 1 cup diced carrots
  • ¾ cup diced celery
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 ¼ cups frozen peas
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F, and spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Prepare the Home-Style Mashed Potatoes (page 221) according to the recipe’s directions.
  3. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef to the skillet, and brown well, crumbling the beef as it cooks.
  4. Add the onion, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the skillet, and sauté for 5 minutes, or until onions are translucent and celery begins to soften. Stir the flour into the beef and vegetables, and sauté for 1 minute.
  5. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and peas to the skillet, and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 minutes, or until the sauce has slightly thickened and the carrots are tender.
  6. Spread the beef and sauce mixture evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Spoon the Home-Style Mashed Potatoes over the top of the beef, and spread to even out.
  7. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until the top of the potatoes has lightly browned. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing. For 100 calorie portions, slice into 32 sections by cutting 4 rows by 8 rows.
Perfect Portion Shepherd's Pie
Serving size: 1/32 shepherd's pie Calories: 100

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Chicken Noodle Soup

This comfort food classic is chock-full of white meat chicken, vegetables, and tender egg noodles. It makes the perfect soup and salad combo lunch. There’s no need for you to simmer this recipe all day, as it develops a surprising depth of flavor in only 30 minutes. That said, like most soups, you may find that the leftovers taste even better the next day!

Chicken Noodle Soup
 
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Recipe type: Soups, Salads & Sandwiches
Makes: 6 Lunch portions
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 ½ cups sliced carrots
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • ¾ cup sliced celery
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 12 cups chicken broth (see tip)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 8 ounces egg noodles
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • Salt
Directions
  1. Melt the butter in a stockpot over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the chicken breasts to the pot, and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate, and set aside.
  3. Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and thyme to the pot, and sauté for 3 minutes, just until onions are translucent.
  4. Transfer the browned chicken back to the pot, and then add the chicken broth, lemon juice, bay leaf, and pepper.
  5. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes.
  6. Add the egg noodles and raise the heat to medium. Bring back to a simmer and let cook for 5 minutes, or until noodles are tender. Turn off heat.
  7. Transfer the chicken breasts to a clean plate, and use 2 forks to shred the meat. Return the shredded chicken to the pot.
  8. Stir in chopped parsley, and season with salt to taste before serving.
Perfect Portion Chicken Noodle Soup

HELPFUL TIP: Chicken base mixed with water (according to the package directions to make 12 cups) can be used in place of the chicken broth in this recipe. You can find chicken base in small jars near the cartons of broth in the grocery store.
Serving size: ¾ cup Calories: 100

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Asparagus Gratin

We pair creamy, flavor-packed Gorgonzola and a dusting of crisp panko bread crumbs with asparagus for a refined, yet rich and satisfying gratin. Just a small reduction of the cheese and butter still gives you great flavor without the extra calories!

Asparagus Gratin
 
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Recipe type: Sides
Makes: 6 Side dish portions
Ingredients
  • 1 ½ pounds asparagus
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
  • ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • Paprika
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a pot of water over high heat, and bring to a boil.
  2. Trim 1 inch from the bottoms of the asparagus stalks, and discard. Cut each stalk of asparagus into 3 pieces, each 2–3 inches long.
  3. Boil the asparagus for 2 minutes if pencil-thin or 3–4 minutes if any thicker. Drain, and transfer to a baking dish.
  4. Add the butter, garlic, salt, and pepper to the baking dish, and toss the asparagus to fully coat.
  5. Top the asparagus with the Gorgonzola cheese and then the panko bread crumbs. Lightly spray the bread crumbs with nonstick cooking spray to moisten, and then sprinkle a pinch of paprika over the top, for color.
  6. Bake for 12–15 minutes, just until the bread crumbs begin to brown. Serve immediately.
Perfect Portion Asparagus Gratin

HELPFUL TIP: If you like your cooked asparagus to have more of a crisp snap to it, pencil-thin asparagus can be made into this gratin without preboiling.
Serving size: ½ cup Calories: 100

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Shrimp & Grits

Classic Shrimp and Grits is an out-of-this-world meal for any time of day. Creamy cheese grits topped with a fresh tomato sauce studded with tender, flavor-packed shrimp and vegetables…what’s not to love? “Yellow grits” (not “quick cooking” or “instant”) are most often used in this dish and can usually be found in the organic grains section. That being said, you can also prepare this with the white “old-fashioned” grits sold in the breakfast aisle.

Shrimp & Grits
 
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Recipe type: Everyday Meals
Makes: 4 Dinner portions
Ingredients
  • 4 cups water
  • ½ teaspoon salt, divided
  • ½ teaspoon pepper, divided
  • 1 cup stone-ground grits
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 ¼ pounds extra large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • ½ cup diced green bell pepper
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 large tomato, diced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ¼ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Directions
  1. In a sauce pot over high heat, bring the 4 cups of water, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper to a boil. Add the grits, cover, and reduce heat to low. Let cook for 20–25 minutes, or until all water is absorbed.
  2. Meanwhile, start preparing the shrimp by placing the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  3. Add the shrimp, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet, and sauté for 2 minutes.
  4. Stir the diced tomato, tomato paste, lemon juice, thyme, the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper into the shrimp, and continue sautéing for 3 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink on the outside and opaque on the inside.
  5. Once the grits have finished cooking, remove from heat, and stir in the butter and Cheddar cheese.
  6. Serve the cheese grits topped with the shrimp and vegetables, sprinkled with the chopped fresh parsley.
Perfect Portion Shrimp & Grits

HELPFUL TIP: For a little heat, add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or a splash of hot sauce in step 4.
Serving size: ¼ cup Shrimp + 2 Shrimp Calories: 100

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Beef Stew

Anson’s American Treasures: My close friend, who loves to cook, turns his home into a dining experience once a month. He made a beef stew last year that was to die for. Bob and Mona reviewed the recipe, did their magic again, and created the masterpiece below! By increasing the volume of hearty vegetables and slightly reducing the beef, they made it possible to truly eat what you love, and more of it! So good!

Beef Stew
 
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Recipe type: Casseroles & One-Pot Meals
Makes: 8 Lunch or 6 Dinner portions
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 pounds beef stew meat, trimmed of excess fat
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 cup chopped onions
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
  • 5 cups beef broth
  • 1 cup dry red wine (see tip)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 pound Red Bliss potatoes, chopped
  • 1 ½ cups sliced carrots
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
Directions
  1. Heat the oil and butter in a stockpot over medium-high heat.
  2. Generously season the stew meat with the salt and pepper. Add the seasoned meat to the pot, and brown well.
  3. Add the onions and mushrooms to the pot, and sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the beef broth, red wine, tomato paste, thyme, garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper to the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 1 hour.
  5. Add the potatoes and carrots to the stew, cover, and let simmer for 45 additional minutes, or until both meat and vegetables are tender.
  6. Raise heat to medium. Ladle ¼ cup of the broth into a bowl, and let cool for 1 minute. Whisk the flour into the broth, and then stir into the pot of stew.
  7. Add the chopped tomatoes to the stew, and let simmer for 5 minutes before serving.
Perfect Portion Beef Stew

HELPFUL TIP: An additional cup of beef broth, 2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar, and 2 teaspoons of sugar can be substituted in place of the red wine.
Serving size: ½ cup Calories: 100

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Blackened Cod

Why turn to butter or mayonnaise-based sauces to flavor cooked fish when you can infuse big flavor without the guilt? We “blacken” our fish with a quick coating of spice rack staples and pan-sear until toasty and cooked through.

4.4 from 5 reviews
Blackened Cod
 
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Makes: 4 Lunch or Dinner portions
Ingredients
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 4 (6-ounce) cod fillets
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
Directions
  1. In a small bowl, combine the paprika, pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt to create a blackening spice.
  2. Generously coat both sides of each cod fillet with the blackening spice, pressing the spices into the fish.
  3. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, until butter is almost sizzling.
  4. Place the seasoned cod into the skillet, and cook for 4 minutes on each side, or until the fish is easily flaked with a fork. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh lemon, if desired.
Perfect Portion Blackened Cod

HELPFUL TIP: This combination of spices cooked at a high heat will create a lot of smoke (this is completely normal), so be sure to turn your overhead exhaust fan on as you cook.
Serving size: ½ Fillet Calories: 100

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100 Calorie Alfredo Sauce

Mona’s Family Favorites: My family LOVES Alfredo sauce, but then again, who doesn’t? To lighten up the traditional combination of heavy cream and Parmesan cheese, I’ve made a simple swap from heavy cream to thickened milk to significantly lower the calories without sacrificing any of the rich, nutty Parmesan. This luscious Alfredo is absolutely off the charts!

100 Calorie Alfredo Sauce
 
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Makes: 8 Sauce portions
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 ¾ cups 2% milk
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
  1. Heat the butter in a sauce pot over medium-high heat, until it has melted.
  2. Whisk the flour and garlic into the butter in the pot, and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.
  3. Add the milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to the pot, and whisk constantly, until the flour and butter mixture has dissolved and the sauce has slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat, and stir in Parmesan cheese before serving.
Perfect Portion 100 Calorie Alfredo Sauce

HELPFUL TIP: You want to bring the milk up to a very low simmer without burning or bubbling over, so whisking constantly is extremely important. If the milk begins to bubble up too quickly, temporarily remove the pot from the heat.
Serving size: ¼ cup Calories: 100

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