Cilantro Cabbage Salad

Cabbage is an uber-healthy vegetable to work into your diet—and even more so if you can squeeze in a few different types. They're all high in fiber, low in calories, and totally fat free. Eat it steamed, and it could lower your cholesterol. Eat it raw, and get a little dose of cancer-prevention. Here, we're going with the latter:

1/2 head of green cabbage

1/2 head of purple cabbage

cilantro
1/2c chopped walnuts

juice of 2 limes

salt and pepper

Slice the cabbage thin and chop roughly into 2" length pieces. Add the walnuts and a bunch of fresh chopped cilantro, or 2 to 3 T. of this prepared stuff, which I like to keep on hand in case of emergency. Squeeze in the juice of two limes, season with just a touch of salt and pepper and toss until all the cabbage is well coated. 

I had a big bowl of this as my vegetable, along side my entrée—in the interest of full disclosure—a piece of pizza. (Crustless at least, and the filling cabbage did keep me from digging back in for a second slice!) But if you’re gonna be awesome and healthy, enjoy this with whatever high protein option you can scrounge up: cottage cheese, a piece of fish, whatever ya got.

This salad also keeps pretty well. Cabbage is hearty and the lime juice will keep it crisp and bright for a day or two in the fridge. (Try it with a piece of cajun-seasoned fish on day two.) Enjoy!

Spinach Feta Fritatta

Breakfast is one of the easiest meals to make low fat and high protein, thanks to products like Egg Beaters and fat free cheeses. And while I love scrambled eggs, sometimes I like to just change up the final form a little bit to keep it interesting.

1 3/4c egg substitute
2oz fat free feta cheese crumbles
1 scallion, finely chopped
2 handfuls fresh baby spinach
salt and peppers

Spray your frying pan with non-stick spray; cook the spinach, covered, on medium-high, for about 2 minutes till wilted.

Add the egg beaters, sprinkle in almost all of the feta, and stir briefly. Cover and let cook all the way through. Top with the rest of the fat free feta, and your 27g breakfast for two is served!

Cajun Tilapia over Cilantro Coleslaw

Tilapia isn’t my favorite fish (as I’ve probably mentioned) but it does have its pluses: it’s low cal and low fat, doesn’t have an overpowering flavor, is a super inexpensive protein, and my favorite part—it’s quick to thaw and cook.

So if you’re in the mood for something southwestern-ish that doesn’t have to be wrapped in a high-carb taco shell, this is the ticket!

Fish:
2 tilapia filets (serves 2)
cajun seasoning
non-stick spray

Cilantro Coleslaw:
purple cabbage
green cabbage
cilantro
lime juice

You can prepare the coleslaw a day ahead of time; it’s not necessary, but it does allow the flavors to really combine well. To make the slaw, all you have to do is slice the cabbage thin and toss together with cilantro, lime juice and a little salt and pepper.

To prepare the fish, spray skillet with non-stick spray and heat over a medium-high flame. Once the pan is hot, place in the tilapia filets and season generously with cajun seasoning. You’ll want to use a cajun mix with a good amount of spice (since the coleslaw will balance the heat), but not too much salt. I love this one from Penzey’s. Cook the fish for about 2–3 minutes on each side. (Fast, right!?) When it’s done, it should have a nicely browned surface, and flake appart easily.

Serve the tilapia hot off the skillet onto a bed of the chilled cilantro coleslaw. Though you could put this combo in a tortilla shell, I don’t think you’ll miss it one bit!

Spicy Garlic Eggplant with Shrimp

Spicy food is great for a healthy diet—it forces you to take your time eating, and even kicks your metabolism up a notch. Try this one for sure!

3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 eggplant
1 red bell pepper
1 tray mixed gourmet mushrooms
22 medium shrimp
2 T lite soy sauce
1 T garlic chili sauce
1 T tamarind paste
2/3c water

Spray a wok with non-stick spray and heat on high. Toss in the chopped garlic (do not mince—without oil, finely minced garlic can stick quickly) and stir constantly for about 30 seconds. Add in the eggplant, water, chili sauce, tamarind paste and soy sauce and stir well until eggplant is completely coated. Cover and cook for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally until the eggplant begins to soften.

Add in the red bell pepper, mushrooms and shrimp; stir, cover and cook for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally until the shrimp is done all the way through. The peppers should still be bright red and have a little snap.

And that's it! I added 1 whole hot red chili pepper while I cooked mine for a little extra kick. This super filling dinner serves 2 people, 27g each.

Eggplant with Tzatziki

My mouth waters just thinking about this one!

Ingredients:
1 1/4c fat free plain greek yogurt
1/2 cucumber, diced
2 T. mint, minced
1 clove garlic, minced (Though it's way better with the garlic, when I'm making this for a workday lunch, I skip it.)
salt & pepper to taste
1 large eggplant

Stir together the yogurt, cucumber, mint and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate—the longer the tzatziki sits together, the better the flavors come together.

While that's in the fridge, line a broiler pan with foil and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Slice your eggplant vertically, 1/8"—1/4" thick, and lay out flat on the pan (do not overlap pieces). Spray the eggplant lightly with the spray, or you can brush with a little olive oil if you're not super concerned about a little healthy fat. Then season with salt and pepper.

Place under the broiler on high—I usually put it on the second rack from the top. Broil for about 10 minutes, until the first side begins to brown. It will look dry, but trust me, it is softening! Once it begins to brown, flip all the pieces over, spray lightly and sprinkle with salt and pepper again. Broil for another 8 minutes.

This is good eaten right away, or for lunch the next day. The recipe makes only one 27g serving, which is kind-of a lot to eat, so it's a great lunch choice when you know you might be eating a skimpy breakfast in the morning. Enjoy!