Monthly Archives: February 2012

Tuna Tartare Bites

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This is a recipe I got from my friend Kirstyn.  Kirstyn (and her whole family) is super creative.    Besides being a family of amazing cooks, her and her mom also have a great eco-friendly organic clothing line called kika paprika.   They sell exclusively through home parties and are always looking for more independent sales reps.  You should contact them and follow their pinterest if you are interested.  Honestly I love kika paprika!

Now, back to the food.  Kirstyn’s version of this fabulous appetizer is a bit more decadent because she serves it on a fried wonton wrapper and is definitely worth it once and a while.  As I am going the healthy route I put the tuna tartare on a cucumber slice and it is also very good and you feel better eating it.  This recipe has 170 calories per serving.  LOVE THAT!

You have to use sashimi grade ahi tuna which you can get from your seafood market or butcher.  Enjoy!

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Shrimp Fajita Salad

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If you read this blog or know me you might come to realize that I am obsessed with shrimp, and the truth is, you are right.  Seafood in general is my protein of choice.  But shrimp – shrimp is high up there.

It is easily available at all super markets and it is ridiculously low in calories, which makes it the ideal diet food.  But beyond the health benefits I think the texture (if done right) is what gets me.  Plump, juicy, and kissed pink, shrimp has my heart.  It also lends itself well to most cuisines.

This salad is filled with goodies and can be easily adjusted to your liking.  The whole salad comes in at about 300 calories.  Que Rico!
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Air Popped Butternut Squash Chips

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I found this recipe on Pinterest yesterday and today I was on top of it.  I love Pinterest!  First of all, being on a diet requires you to get really clever with your snack options.  Last year I experimented with Kale Chips and the other night I made sweet potato chips.  While I have to admit both of those were quite delicious, what we have here takes the cake.

They are virtually fat free, under 100 calories and you can make them sweet, salty, spicy, or all of the above.

The recipe I copied said to bake the chips which I experimented with.  However, as I don’t have a cookie sheet (odd, I know) I used a roasting pan and I don’t think the heat conducted as well.  They were still edible but a little burnt and not as crispy as I would have liked.

The second batch I microwaved for 7 minutes and they turned out perfectly as you can see below.  The picture below shows the two versions of chips.

The chips on the left were made in the oven, the chips on the right in the microwave.

As for toppings – you can do whatever you like. Sugar & Cinnamon, Spicy Mix , and Salt & Parmesan Cheese were all good for me.  Enjoy!
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Stacked Crab, Avocado & Cucumber Salad

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It’s crab season in San Francisco!  I love crab. It is healthy with very few calories.  As I am on a strict diet (wedding coming up) I thought this recipe would fill my sushi craving. It did.  This filling salad only has 220 filling calories.

I don’t have a ring/mold that you might want to use for this recipe to make it circular.  Instead I cut the bottom of a plastic cup and called it a day.  I am sure it would have turned out much prettier, like this one, with the real chef’s mold. But this DIY trick worked out fine.

If you wanted to go for it and create more of a deconstructed California roll, you could just add some rice to the bottom of the mold as well.
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Butternut Squash Soup

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Butternut Squash soup is one of my favorites.  It is thick and creamy but really healthy.  It is also so easy to make.  You can have it the purist way or doctor is up with the spices of your liking.  I use nutmeg and cayenne and a splash of apple cider vinegar.  I also the way you can serve soup in a mini martini glass for an elegant appetizer.
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