Green Rice

(makes 6-8 servings)

Ingredients:

• ½ cup tightly packed fresh cilantro sprigs
  
  


• ½ cup tightly packed spinach leaves, stemmed and thoroughly washed
  
  


• 2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
  
  


• Non-fat cooking spray
  
  


• 1 chopped onion
  
  


• 2 chopped garlic cloves
  
  


• 1½ cups long-grain white rice
  
  


• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  
  

Preparation:

• Place cilantro, spinach and chicken broth in a blender and puree until smooth.
  
  


• Spray a large-size saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium-heat. Add onion and cook until softened and translucent (about 8 minutes). Add garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  
  


• Add rice and stir to coat evenly. Add spinach mixture and bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed (about 20 minutes).
  
  


• Turn off heat and let stand for about 5 minutes. Add cayenne pepper and fluff with a fork.
  
  

Make 8 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(⅛ of recipe (129 g)): 146 Calories, 4 g Protein, 30 g carbohydrates, 1 g Dietary Fiber, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 28 mg sodium

Wild Rice Salad with Apples and Dried Cherries

(makes 8 servings)

Ingredients:

• 6 (¼ oz.) fast-cooking wild rice, cook according to package instructions. Don’t add butter or margarine if included in instructions
  
  


• 1 cup unpeeled and chopped apple
  
  


• ½ cup chopped celery
  
  


• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
  
  


• ⅔ cup chopped dried cherries
  
  


• 2 tbsp soy sauce
  
  


• 2 tsp sugar
  
  


• 2 tbsp water
  
  


• 2 tsp cider vinegar
  
  

Preparation:

• Spread cooked rice in an even layer on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes or until cool.
  
  


• In a medium sized bowl, combine apple, celery, green bell pepper and cherries.
  
  


• In a separate bowl, combine soy sauce, water, sugar and vinegar until sugar dissolves.
  
  


• Add soy sauce mixture and rice to apple mixture and toss ingredients until well-coated.
  
  

Make 8 Servings:

Weight Loss Recipes Amount Per Serving(⅛ of recipe (125 g)): 140 Calories, 4 g Protein, 31 g carbohydrates, 4 g Dietary Fiber, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 266 mg sodium

Wild Rice with Vegetables

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• Low-fat cooking spray
  
  


• 2 tsp olive oil (or vegetable oil)
  
  


• ¾ cup carrots, peeled and chopped
  
  


• 1 cup green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  
  li>½ cup mushrooms, sliced
  
  


• ¾ cup onion, chopped
  
  


• 1 (2¾ oz.) package wild rice, uncooked
  
  


• 1⅓ cups low-sodium chicken broth
  
  


• ¼ tsp salt
  
  


• ¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
  
  


• Fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
  
  

Preparation:

• Spray a medium-size saucepan with cooking spray, add olive oil then heat to medium-high heat. Add carrots, green bell pepper, mushrooms, onion then sauté until vegetables are crisp-tender.
  
  


• Stir in wild rice and chicken broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low. Simmer, uncovered until rice is tender (about 45 minutes), stirring occasionally or until broth is absorbed. Stir in salt and pepper.
  
  


• Let stand for about 5 minutes. Serve garnished with cilantro.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (200 g)): 139 Calories, 6 g Protein, 23 g carbohydrates, 3 g Dietary Fiber, 3 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 181 mg sodium

Vegetable Rice Pilaf

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 (14½ oz.) can of low-sodium chicken broth
  
  


• 1 medium onion, chopped
  
  


• ½ cup long grain rice, uncooked
  
  


• ½ cup dry lentils, drained and rinsed
  
  


• ¼ cup water
  
  


• 1 tsp lemon zest
  
  


• 1½ cups yellow summer squash and/or zucchini
  
  


• 1 chopped carrot
  
  


• ½ small eggplant, peeled and diced
  
  


• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
  


• 2 tsp vegetable oil (or olive oil)
  
  


• 3 plum tomatoes, chopped
  
  


• ¼ cup fresh basil, shredded
  
  


• Parmesan cheese
  
  

Preparation:

• Combine chicken broth, onion, rice, lentils, water and lemon zest in a medium-size saucepan. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer, covered for about 15 minutes.
  
  


• Add yellow summer squash and/or zucchini, carrot and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
  
  


• Cook eggplant and garlic in vegetable oil over medium heat in a medium skillet for about 8-10 minutes or until eggplant is soft.
  
  


• Remove lentil mixture from heat and let stand for about 5 minutes. Stir in eggplant mixture, tomatoes and basil.
  
  


• Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese as desired.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (243 g)): 238 Calories, 11 g Protein, 44 g carbohydrates, 11 g Dietary Fiber, 3 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 28 mg sodium

Lemon Rice with Zucchini and Feta Cheese

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
  
  


• 1 sliced onion
  
  


• 1 small lemon, peeled and sliced
  
  


• 3 crushed garlic cloves
  
  


• 1 cup long-grain rice
  
  


• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  
  


• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
  
  


• 1 sliced large zucchini
  
  


• 2 red bell peppers, remove stem, seeds, and membranes, cut into quarters
  
  


• 1 yellow bell pepper, remove stem, seeds, and membranes, cut into quarters
  
  


• 4 ounces feta cheese
  
  

Preparation:

• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium-size saucepan. Add the onion and sauté for about 3 minutes.
  
  


• Add the lemon, garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes.
  
  


• Add the rice, vegetable broth, rosemary and bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium. Partially cover the saucepan and let simmer until broth is completely absorbed and rice is just tender (about 15-20 minutes).


• Add more vegetable broth if mixture becomes too dry.
  
  


• Roast the peppers:
  
  
  • Line a baking sheet with foil. Place peppers down on foil, skin side up and press each segment to lie flat on sheet.
    
    
  
  
  • Bake in oven at 425 degrees F until skin is blackened and blistered (about 20 minutes).
    
    
  
  
  • Remove peppers from oven and place in a paper bag. Close bag and let cool for about 10 minutes.
    
    
  
  
  • Remove and discard skins then slice each pepper.
    
    
  
  


• Heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil on medium-high heat in a large-size frying pan, then add the zucchini and cook until the zucchini begins to soften (about 5 minutes) then reduce heat to medium.
  
  


• Add the peppers, rice and feta cheese to the frying pan then gently fold ingredients together. Cook for an additional minute until heated through then serve warm.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (431 g)): 406 Calories, 12 g Protein, 51 g carbohydrates, 4 g Dietary Fiber, 18 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 360 mg sodium

Orange Scented Rice

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter
  
  


• 4 shallots, finely chopped
  
  


• 1 cup Basmati rice, washed (choose brown if


• available, may require longer cooking time)
  
  


• 1” fresh ginger, smashed and minced
  
  


• 1 cinnamon stick
  
  


• 2 star anise
  
  


• 2 bay leaves
  
  


• Grated rind and juice of 1 medium orange (Before grating, wash the outside of the orange rind with warm water and soap)
  
  


• 1 tbsp raisins, chopped
  
  


• 1¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable)
  
  


• Salt and pepper, to taste (Nutrition Facts calculated without extra salt)
  
  

Preparation:

• In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook while stirring until they become softened (about 3-4 minutes).
  
  


• Add the rice and cook until well coated (about 3 minutes), stirring constantly.
  
  


• Add the ginger, cinnamon stick, star anise and bay leaves.
  
  


• Stir in the grated rind, orange juice and raisins and mix thoroughly.
  
  


• Stir in the chicken broth (or vegetable). Raise the heat and bring to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until rice is cooked through and liquid is absorbed (about 15-17 minutes).
  
  


• Remove from heat, uncover and discard the cinnamon stick, star anise and bay leaves. Place cover back on saucepan and let stand for 15 minutes to rest then serve warm.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (184 g)): 271 Calories, 6 g Protein, 47 g carbohydrates, 1 g Dietary Fiber, 7 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 16 mg cholesterol, 88 mg sodium

Cranberry and Wild Rice Salad

(makes 8 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup wild rice, cooked follow package instructions.
  
  


• 1 tsp salt
  
  


• ½ cup walnuts
  
  


• 8 oz. fresh cranberries, or thawed frozen
  
  


• ½ cup sugar
  
  


• 2 tbsp olive oil
  
  


• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  
  


• 3 green onions, chopped (including green tops)
  
  

Preparation:

• In a large-sized saucepan, combine wild rice, salt and one quart of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 45-60 minutes or until rice is tender to bite and most grains have split open. Drain in a colander and let cool.
  
  


• At the same time, spread walnuts on a cookie sheet and toast in oven at 325 degrees F for about 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Coarsely chop.
  
  


• Sort cranberries, discarding any stems and bruised or decayed fruit, cut each cranberry in half.
  
  


• In a small-sized saucepan over medium-high heat, stir the sugar and ½ cup water until the sugar is dissolved and mixture boils. Remove from heat, stir the halved cranberries, stir occasionally for about 8-12 minutes or until insides of cranberries have turned red but are still firm. Pour through a strainer into a bowl, reserving the cranberry-sugar syrup.
  
  


• Mix wild rice, cranberry halves, olive oil, and rice vinegar in a large bowl. Stir in 2 tbsp cranberry syrup, taste and add up to ¼ cup more syrup to sweeten and moisten salad as desired. Stir in green onions. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 1 day.
  
  


• Stir in walnuts before serving.
  
  

Make 8 Servings:

Weight Loss Recipes Amount Per Serving(⅛ of recipe (69 g)): 166 Calories, 4 g Protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 3 g Dietary Fiber, 9 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 293 mg sodium