No-Cook

I am pretty limited in the veggies I love, so I find myself eating the same ones often. Many years ago, I went to a restaurant in Beverly Hills, and they had an arugula salad. I’d never had arugula, but I was feeling adventurous. Ever since, arugula has been my favorite salad green—in part because I love it, but also because it’s one of the darker greens and thus has more nutrients than iceberg. Now I admit it’s a bit bitter and may not be everyone’s favorite. But I’d definitely recommend giving arugula a try. If you like it half as much as I do, you’ll love this simple salad.

Though I love traditional salads, I’m a big fan of salads that don’t include lettuce, especially in summer months when it’s warm. There’s something about a bowl of fresh, crisp veggies spiked with a bit of cheese that I find satisfying. And it doesn’t hurt that they provide fiber and fill you up with so few calories. Here’s one variation I make often.

When using fresh herbs, be sure to dry them thoroughly after washing them so they are fluffy, not dense, when chopped. You not only get a more precise measurement, but they’ll also distribute more evenly in your dishes.

I love dips because I think they “force” people to eat more veggies. Now that’s great if the dip isn’t doing more damage than the veggies are adding in health benefits, which is not the case with many dips. But fortunately, this is one that helps people eat more veggies and adds extra nutrients.

I’ve tried making onion dip with fat-free sour cream but just couldn’t stomach it. The texture is just so off. On occasion I’d indulge by using light sour cream, but then I felt I had to be mindful of how much dip I was eating. Using a thick Greek yogurt, like Fage, I can finally eat as much dip as I want. Though it doesn’t taste exactly like full-fat sour cream, it does provide the same texture and a great (though different) flavor. Please note that depending on the brand of soup mix you use, the perfect amount will vary slightly. I’d start with 2 teaspoons and then continue adding, tasting as you do, until it suits your tastes. You can look for all-natural or organic onion soup mixes. I find the flavors differ significantly among brands, so try numerous brands if you don’t love the first you try.

I know a lot of people who love to eat apples and Cheddar in tandem. And I’m no different. One of my favorite 100-calorie afternoon snacks is a light string cheese and a small apple. It’s well balanced and contains protein and calcium and is thus quite filling. So I created these skewers as a more festive version of this classic pairing. I love to serve it along with dessert when hosting a girls’ night for my friends. Be sure to thread the cheese onto the skewers gently to keep the cubes from breaking. I tend to use red-skinned apples because they’re the most colorful, but any variety will be delicious. For even more variety, try the skewers with cut-up lowfat string cheese instead of the Cheddar.

One of my all-time favorite dishes to order at sushi bars is albacore or yellowtail sashimi with ponzu—a citrus-based soy sauce—and jalapeño (though they sometimes add way too much sesame oil for my taste). The name changes from menu to menu, but no matter the title, I absolutely love it. Here’s an at-home version that’s a cinch to throw together and super-nutritious. It’s perfect for you or to impress your sushi-loving guests. Though you might be tempted to omit the salt, I wouldn’t recommend it. This is actually a great dish for exotic sea salt. A light sprinkle can add real depth to the dish.

It can be a bit tricky to spread the cheese over the cucumber because the cucumber pieces are so moist. But this super-simple snack is more than worth the mini-challenge!

I worked on a teen weight-loss show by the producers of The Biggest Loser that took place at a camp in Wisconsin. The night I arrived, I was talking to one of the producers about food, of course. He mentioned his ex-wife used to make tuna with hummus instead of mayo and serve it on bagels. He said that she suggested it to a restaurant and they started serving it. When I told him I was going to borrow the idea he said I had to credit his ex-wife—only he never mentioned her name. Though I created this myself, Matt’s ex-wife deserves the credit for the general concept . . . whoever and wherever she is.

This is a great spicy, low-carb snack when served with vegetables such as celery sticks and endive. It’s also great served with baked tortilla chips or low-fat whole-grain crackers. Until recently, canned tuna was most commonly available in 6-ounce cans. But lately, a lot of products have decreased in size—from cereals to ice cream to peanut butter, which now often has a bubble in the bottom of the jar to make it look as big as it once was—even though the prices have not gone down. Be wary of this when you determine how many calories you’re consuming. The numbers on this dish are based on the 5-ounce can, not a 6-ounce one—which, by the way, generally contains only 3 1/2 ounces of tuna (the rest is liquid).

Having been raised on the East Coast, I thought everyone knew what stromboli is—you really couldn’t go into a casual Italian restaurant without seeing it on the menu. Plus, my mother made it often. When I moved to the West Coast, I found most people had no idea what stromboli is. In case you aren’t familiar with it, stromboli is traditionally made by taking bread dough, flattening it into a rectangle, layering it with Italian ingredients (my family’s favorite was pepperoni and provolone), and then rolling it, jelly roll style. You seal the ends and bake it, so it’s like a stuffed loaf when it emerges from the oven. When we served it at cocktail parties, we would always cut it into slices and serve the pieces on their sides so they looked like pinwheels. This recipe is a much less fattening version of this Italian favorite. It is still a treat, but you won’t need to spend hours and hours on a treadmill after you eat it.

This wrap is a quick and easy twist on one of my favorite pizzas. I love the combination of barbecue sauce and goat cheese dripping from meaty bites of fresh chicken with a kick of fresh cilantro. Yum! I think you will too.

This wrap is filled with plenty of fresh ingredients. To make it easier to handle, be sure to finely shred the lettuce and cut the chicken into cubes, as this really is an overstuffed wrap—after all, the drippier the better (and more decadent!), right?

Open-ended wraps are a great way to ensure a balanced meal. A recommended serving of protein is about 4 ounces per adult meal. To fully encase that much protein in a tortilla, you would have to use a tortilla that’s higher in carbs than advised. So I keep many of my wraps partially open. That way I can stuff plenty of ingredients in them while keeping my meals in check. In this case, it’s a balanced meal that happens to be brimming with fillings.

If you’re looking for a healthy lunch, look no further. This sandwich comes together in minutes, packs easily, and carries well. And if you use homemade roast beef (or a fresh, extra-lean cut roast from the grocery store), it’s also not much higher in fat, but much lower in sodium than your typical turkey sandwich.

Growing up on the East Coast, it wasn’t hard to find all sorts of pickled peppers, both sweet and hot. You couldn’t go anywhere near a cheesesteak place in Philly without seeing them. In Los Angeles, they’re less common, but most grocery stores have at least one or two varieties. One of my favorites is sweet cherry pepper rings. They add plenty of flavor without any fat—you can’t go wrong with that.

The key to this sandwich is perfectly cooked chicken. Because this sub is jam-packed with grilled chicken, it’s important that the chicken isn’t dry or the sandwich will be dry. Just follow the directions for Basic Grilled Chicken (page 219), and you’ll be well on your way to prepping a delicious sub for the entire family. I love making the chicken on Sunday so I have it to use in recipes like this one over the next few days.

This simple breakfast is great to eat on the go. Just mix the Grape-Nuts and chocolate chips directly into the yogurt carton and take the whole thing with you. Cleanup’s as easy as tossing the container!

Juice bar smoothies have justifiably gotten a bad rap because they’re often chock-full of added sugar and calories. This twist on traditional raspberry lemonade uses only 1 teaspoon of honey, and the rest of the sweetness comes from real fruit. Note that it’s important to use frozen fruit in smoothies because if you use too many ice cubes to try to get that thick consistency, you’ll end up with a watery, not-as-good-as-the-juice-bar’s smoothie in minutes.

I am a huge fan of anything colada—piña colada, strawberry colada, even mango colada. This dish is a healthier twist on a banana colada that’s great for breakfast or any time of the day. For a real treat, tuck the kids into bed at night, and then try it with a small spike of rum.