Healthy Cookie: Kickin’ Italian Veggie Skillet (140 Calories)

It’s been scientifically proven that we eat with our eyes first. Well then, it’s a good thing that this dish is so colorful. Your eyes will greedily eat up my Kickin’ Italian Veggie Skillet, and then your mouth will happily follow. You see, it’s not just this skillet’s appearance that’s colorful; there is a rainbow of flavors working together here as well. Wonderful garlic, sweet tomatoes, spicy red pepper flakes, robust onion, and salty parmesan. The elite Italian seasonings came together to make one incredible dish that sings with flavor. Your mouth will go nuts (in a very good way).

Perhaps as awesome as this veggie skillet’s flavor is its fabulous texture. The secret is the broccoli slaw upon which the recipe is built. It cooks down to acquire a slight softness, but still packs some crazy crunch in every bite. Then you get the smooth marinara sauce as well. It’s crunchy, tasty, and amazing.

And did I mention you can eat HALF of this entire ginormous pot of vivacious veggies for only 140 CALORIES?

This is insane, my little cookies! Someone call the police! Call the army, the navy, and anyone with a gun because the Apocalypse is upon us!

Okay, not really, but this is still UNBELIEVABLY awesome. This is such a hearty and crazy delicious dish. It’s not diet food. I mean, it is in the sense that it’s ridiculously low-calorie and low-fat, but that’s merely technical. This is just too yummy to be classified as “diet.” Even my parents loved it and they have a strange hatred for all things healthy. You know how you have food that’s really good and then you have diet food that’s really good considering it’s diet food? Well, it’s the former. This is just good, plain and simple. And you’ll feel really good about eating it.

The use of broccoli slaw as the star here may seem unorthodox, but don’t knock it until you try it. It’s so crunchy, tender, and packing awesome veggie flavor. You’ve never had a dish  like this, I guarantee it. So give it a try; you won’t be sorry!

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

1. If you can’t find the light marinara sauce, you can use low-fat creamy tomato soup (like Amy’s) or a can of crushed tomatoes. I recommend the sauce though!
2. The best thing about the marinara sauce is that you can use the leftovers for other things like a low-cal pizza or for dipping mozzarella sticks, veggies, and all kinds of good stuff.
3. This is a great healthy & hearty side dish, but it’s also a fantastic vegetarian meal!

Kickin’ Italian Veggie Skillet

Recipe adapted from Hungry Girl

Ingredients

• 1 (12-ounce) bag dry broccoli cole slaw (4 cups)
• 1 cup light marinara sauce (like this)
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, or more to taste
• Dash onion powder, or more to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Dash crushed red pepper, or more to taste
• 3 tablespoons reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping

Directions

Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove. Add slaw and 1/4 cup water. Stirring occasionally, cook until water has evaporated and slaw has softened slightly, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Add sauce, garlic, onion powder, dash each salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, and 2 tablespoons grated topping. Stir and continue to cook until hot, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Season with additional spices, if you like. Top with remaining tablespoon grated topping. Enjoy!

PER SERVING (1/2 of recipe): 140 calories, 3g fat, 610mg sodium, 24.5g carbs, 6g fiber, 10g sugars, 8g protein

Easy, healthy, and SO GOOD!