Sunday Strategist: A Week of Healthy Dinners - June 19 - June 23

June 13, 2017
Photo: Jennifer Causey
If you like having a healthy meal plan but want something customized to your dietary or caloric needs, check out The Cooking Light Diet. It’s a calorie-driven weekly meal plan—breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner—based on your dieting goals and food preferences. All of these recipes are from our July issue. Look for one on a newsstands to find more delicious dinner inspiration.
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Monday: Pasta with Chickpea Sauce

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Pasta with Chickpea Sauce

Onions, carrots, and garlic cook in olive oil until buttery soft, then get blended with chickpeas and water to form a deeply savory puree that coats pasta beautifully. It’s a satisfying dish that just happens to be vegan. Try to let the blender run for a minute or two when pureeing the ingredients; the smoother the sauce, the better the dish. A flourish of fresh herbs at the end brightens and freshens the dish; you can use all parsley or all basil if you don’t have both on hand. Serve with Blistered Balsamic Cherry Tomatoes.

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Tuesday: Seared Cajun-Style Steak with Green Tomato Relish

Photo: Victor Protasio
View Recipe: Seared Cajun-Style Steak with Green Tomato Relish

Many seasoning blends now offer low- or no-salt options, making spice rubs an easy, instant way to spruce up quickly seared chicken, seafood, or steak without overdoing the sodium.

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Wednesday: Turkey Sliders with Crunchy Green Apple Slaw

Photo: Victor Protasio
View Recipe: Turkey Sliders with Crunchy Green Apple Slaw

Sliders make any burger night more fun, especially since you get double the creamy, crunchy slaw. Look for ground turkey rather than ground turkey breast—the former has a bit more fat and flavor from dark meat while still keeping a lean profile.

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Thursday: Chicken Breasts with Brown Butter-Garlic Tomato Sauce

Photo: Victor Protasio
View Recipe: Chicken Breasts with Brown Butter-Garlic Tomato Sauce

Browned butter is the quick cook's best-kept secret. It takes less than 2 minutes to caramelize the milk solids in butter for a fragrant, nutty note in any dish.

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Friday: Sesame Shrimp with Smashed Cucumber Salad

Photo: Victor Protasio
View Recipe: Sesame Shrimp with Smashed Cucumber Salad

Gently smashing fresh cucumber slices helps them absorb more vinaigrette, almost as if they've been marinating overnight. Serve over hot cooked brown rice.

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Dessert Bonus: Sweet-and-Sour Cherry Tartlets

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Sweet-and-Sour Cherry Tartlets

We like the "naked" look of a couple of tartlets with just a few star cutouts, as shown. If you don't, this recipe makes enough dough for each tartlet to have its own pastry lid.

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