Salads & Sandwiches

This diner classic is served open-faced to not only keep the calories down to a mere 200 per sandwich, but it also allows you to easily melt the cheese under the broiler. We top our Tuna Melts with sliced tomatoes for a hint of fresh flavor and contrasting texture, but don’t forget the knife and fork!

Open-Faced Tuna Melts

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Author: The Perfect Portion

Recipe type: Soups, Salads & Sandwiches

Makes: 4 Lunch portions

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons light mayonnaise*
• 2 tablespoons minced yellow onion
• 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 2 (5-ounce) cans chunk light tuna, drained
• 4 slices light wheat bread (see tip)
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• ½ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Add the light mayonnaise, onion, mustard, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to a mixing bowl, and stir to combine.
2. Add the tuna to the mixing bowl, and gently fold into the dressing to create the tuna salad.
3. Toast the wheat bread until golden brown. Transfer the toasted bread to a sheet pan.
4. Place the oven rack in the second highest position, and set the broiler to high.
5. Top each slice of toast with ¼ of the tuna salad. Arrange slices from ½ of a tomato over the top of the salad on each sandwich. Sprinkle the tomatoes with additional salt and pepper to season, if desired.
6. Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the top of each sandwich.
7. Broil for just 3–5 minutes, or until cheese has melted and begins to brown.

*Natural and organic light mayonnaise are in most supermarkets and are made with all natural ingredients.

HELPFUL TIP: Light bread is sold in loaves in the normal bread aisle. It usually contains only 45 calories (or less) per slice and far more fiber than ordinary bread.

Serving size: ½ tuna melt Calories: 100

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This longtime lunch classic packs a ton of protein goodness. Here’s a healthy culinary trick: Use only lean white meat, but create the texture of using a whole chicken. Chop half of the breast meat, and pull the other half. Toss with a lighter creamy base, onion, celery, and grapes for great texture and big flavor, and you’re left with a new and improved favorite.

Chunky Chicken Salad

 

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Prep time

25 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Author: The Perfect Portion

Recipe type: Soups, Salads & Sandwiches

Makes: 4 Salad or 8 Sandwich portions

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked (see tip)
• ¾ cup red grapes, halved
• ½ cup diced celery
• 3 tablespoons minced yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped celery leaves
• ½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons 2% milk
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Roughly chop half of the cooked chicken breasts, and use your hands to finely shred the other half.
2. Place the chopped and shredded chicken, grapes, celery, onion, and celery leaves in a large mixing bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, milk, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper to create a dressing.
4. Pour the dressing into the mixing bowl of dry ingredients, and fold together until all is well coated. Garnish with additional chopped celery leaves, if desired.

HELPFUL TIP: The chicken breasts can be cooked in any method (even grilled). The easiest method is simply to bake in an oven preheated to 375°F for 20 minutes, or until slicing into the thickest piece reveals no pink.

Serving size: ½ cup Calories: 100

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Mona’s Family Favorites: Martha’s Vineyard is my happy place! Every summer my family and I enjoy lazy beach days, bike rides, game nights, purchasing island-grown fruit and veggies at the farmer’s market, and preparing delicious homemade meals on the porch. The cool, crisp texture of these brightly seasoned veggies make the ideal refreshing meal for a warm summer day.

Summer Vegetable Salad

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Author: The Perfect Portion

Recipe type: Soups, Salads & Sandwiches

Makes: 5 lunch portions

Ingredients

• 1 (10-ounce) bag frozen corn kernels, thawed (see tip)
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 large zucchini, diced
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Place all of the ingredients in a large serving bowl, and toss to combine.
2. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

HELPFUL TIP: You can also make this with 3 ears of fresh corn, boiled for just 4 minutes and cooled completely before removing the kernels from the cobs to prepare the salad.

Serving size: ½ cup Calories: 100

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Anson’s American Treasures: Happy days are here again! Want it your way? Well you’re in luck. Whether you want a 100 calorie slider, a grilled quarter-pound beef burger on white, or a pan-fried turkey burger on wheat, this recipe allows you to pick and choose exactly what you want for the calories you’d like to allocate. We’ve even included the calorie counts for all of your favorite toppings!

Build Your Own Burger

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Author: The Perfect Portion

Recipe type: Soups, Salads & Sandwiches

Makes: 1 or more burgers

Ingredients

• Sliders:
• 2 ½ ounces (93%) lean ground beef slider patty (100 calories)
• Salt and pepper

  ¼ Pound Patties:

• 4 ounces 93% lean ground beef (165 calories)
• 4 ounces 85% ground beef (200 calories)
• 4 ounces 99% extra-lean ground turkey (120 calories)
• 4 ounces 93% lean ground turkey (175 calories)

  Buns:

• Slider bun (90 calories)
• Hamburger bun (120 calories)
• Light wheat bun (80 calories)

  Burger Toppings:

• See below

Directions

1. Form your burger patties, and flatten to ½ inch thick. Generously season patties with salt and pepper.
2. Using nonstick cooking spray to grease the grill or pan, grill or pan-fry burgers for about 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare, 4 minutes on each side for medium, and 5 minutes on each side for medium-well. When in doubt, cut into a burger to test for doneness.
3. If adding cheese, top the burger with the cheese in the last minute of cooking, and cover the pan or close the lid of the grill to melt the cheese. Let burgers rest for 3 minutes before serving topped with your chosen toppings.

HELPFUL TIP: For an even lower-calorie option, serve your burger and toppings over a bed of lettuce (instead of a bun) as a diner-style hamburger and salad plate.

Serving size: 1 Slider Pattty Calories: 100

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Burger Toppings

¼ cup sautéed mushrooms or onions (15 calories)
Lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles (5 calories or less)
1⁄5 medium avocado (50 calories)
1 slice American cheese (70 calories)
1 slice Cheddar or Swiss cheese (80 calories)
2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese (70 calories)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (90 calories)
1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise (35 calories)
1 tablespoon ketchup (15 calories)
1 tablespoon mustard (5 calories)
1 tablespoon Thousand Island dressing (70 calories)
2 slices cooked bacon (90 calories)
2 slices cooked turkey bacon (50 calories)[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

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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Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Author: The Perfect Portion

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.

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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Bob’s Farm to Table: Our loaded quesadillas are a meal all their own. Serve this winning combination of gooey cheese, chicken, sautéed onions, and bell peppers with our Restaurant-Style Salsa (see page 209) or Fresh Guacamole (see page 206) to really knock it out of the park.

Chicken Quesadillas

 

Print Recipe

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Author: The Perfect Portion

Recipe type: Soups, Salads & Sandwiches

Makes: 4 Quesadillas or 4 Lunch portions

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• ½ pound boneless, skinless chicken
• breasts, sliced into strips
• ¾ cup sliced yellow onion
• ½ cup diced red bell pepper
• Juice of ½ lime
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 4 (10-inch) whole-wheat or multigrain flour tortillas
• ¾ cup shredded Cheddar Jack cheese

Directions

1. Spray a skillet with nonstick cooking spray, and place over medium-high heat.
2. Add the chicken to the skillet, and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the onion, bell pepper, lime juice, chili powder, salt, and pepper to the skillet, and sauté for 5 minutes, or until peppers are tender and chicken is cooked through.
4. Lay out 4 flour tortillas, and sprinkle ½ side of each with 1 ½ tablespoons of the cheese, leaving the other side of the tortillas clean (to fold over).
5. Spoon ¼ of the chicken and vegetables onto each flour tortilla and top with an equal amount of the remaining cheese. Fold each tortilla closed to create the quesadillas.
6. Spray a clean skillet or griddle with nonstick cooking spray, and place over medium heat.
7. Cook each quesadilla in the prepared skillet for 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown on the outside with melted cheese on the inside.

HELPFUL TIP: When shopping for flour tortillas, brands that are labeled as “high fiber” tend to not only contain more whole grains but are also usually as much as 30 percent lower in calories.

Serving size: ⅓ quesadilla Calories: 100

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