7. Grilled Caesar Salad
This is close to your typical Caesar salad—but better. The lettuce, croutons, and chicken are all grilled, providing a mouthful of flavor in just a little over 400 calories. This is also a great weight loss meal idea because you’re giving your body a nice boost of protein and keeping calories, fat, and sugars on the lower end.
Caesar salad may be the most misleading food in America—it’s the type of dish you order when you want to be good to your body, only to find out it’s eating up half of your day’s calories. This recipe transforms the high-calorie dressing into a lighter vinaigrette and adds substance, flavor, and nutrition in the form of sun-dried tomatoes and olives. Think of this as the Caesar salad, reimagined.
NUTRITION: 410 calories, 29 g fat (3.5 g saturated), 610 mg sodium
SERVES 4
YOU’LL NEED
Dressing
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
2 anchovies (soak in milk for 10 minutes if you want to mellow the flavor)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
6–8 turns of a black- pepper mill
1⁄2 cup olive oil
Salad
4 hearts of romaine
2 English muffins, split
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6–8 oz each)
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
¼ cup black or green olives, pitted and roughly chopped
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
¼ cup finely grated Parmesan
HOW TO MAKE IT
- Preheat the grill.
- Combine all the dressing ingredients except the oil in a food processor, and pulse to blend. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil.
- Cut the romaine down the middle lengthwise, leaving the root end intact so the leaves hold together.
- Brush the romaine, English muffins, and chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- When the grill is hot, add the chicken and grill for 4 to 5 minutes per side until firm and caramelized. Remove the chicken and allow to rest.
- Place the lettuce and English muffins on the grill. Cook the lettuce for 1 to 2 minutes, just enough to lightly char and wilt the leaves. Cook the English muffins until brown and crispy.
- Slice the chicken into thin strips.
- Cut the muffins into bite-size pieces.
- Arrange both, along with the olives and sun-dried tomatoes, over the individual lettuce halves. Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with cheese.
Eat This Tip
Grill Outside the Box
Seem strange to grill lettuce? How about potatoes? Or even peaches? Truth is, there are very few fresh foods that don’t benefit from the char of a fiery grill. The concentrated heat teases out the natural sugars in food, which in turn creates caramelization (i.e., those nice grill marks) and extra layers of flavor. Test out the theory: Place a bunch of grapes directly over a low flame, and turn a few times until soft (but still holding their shape). Toss with toasted almonds, feta, and baby spinach. You can thank us later.
8. Sweet and Spicy Beef Stir-Fry
Stir-fry is one of the easiest and most versatile dinners you can make, and this beef recipe can be made in about 20 minutes. Another
Stir-fries by their very nature—fresh vegetables, a bit of protein, a thin veneer of sauce—should be bona fide healthy eats. Unfortunately, America’s adaptation of Chinese food involves less of the fresh vegetables, a fatty rather than lean protein, and an abundance of oily sauce that makes every dish taste just like the last. Hence the cavalry of 1,000-plus-calorie meals swimming in sodium. This spicy-sweet beef treatment is exactly what a stir-fry should be: fast, flavorful, and incredibly good for you.
NUTRITION: 300 calories, 13 g fat (5 g saturated), 570 mg sodium
SERVES 4
YOU’LL NEED
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
12 oz flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
1⁄2 Tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
8 scallions, greens and whites separated, chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 cups mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 cups green beans, ends removed, or sugar snap peas
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce
HOW TO MAKE IT
- In a large shallow dish, stir together the soy sauce and cornstarch with a fork.
- Add the steak, toss to coat, and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a wok or large sauté pan over high heat. When the wok is screaming hot, add the scallion whites and the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant but not browned. Add the mushrooms and green beans and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, using a metal spatula to keep the vegetables in near-constant motion.
- Add the beef, along with the soy sauce, and continue to stir-fry for 3 minutes, until the beef is fully browned on the outside. Stir in the hoisin and chili sauce, and cook until the sauce lightly clings to the surface of the meat and vegetables. Garnish with the scallion greens.
Eat This Tip
“Mise en place” (pronounced meez a plas) is the fancy French phrase that basically means “have all your ingredients ready before you start cooking.”
For serious cooks, it’s not just a suggestion, it’s a religion. Nowhere is that dictum more essential than with stir-frying. Mince, dice, and chop your way through all the vegetables and proteins you’ll need, then arrange on a plate or cutting board in the order you’ll need them. Have sauces and condiments measured out, and, most importantly, always have salt and pepper at arm’s length.