Throw away those kabob skewers and get a grill basket – it makes cooking small pieces of things on the grill a snap ! Just cut it up, marinate and then throw in the grill basket. It’s like stir frying on the grill and you get a great even cook on all the bits.

Teriyaki Grill Basket

6 servings
244 calories per serving

1/3 c soy sauce
2 T vegetable oil
1 T brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t ground ginger
1 t seasoned salt
Pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
12 whole fresh mushrooms
1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into wedges
12 cherry tomatoes
Pam

Mix soy, oil, sugar, garlic, ginger, pepper and salt. Place chicken pieces in a Ziploc bag and pour over the marinade. Seal and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. During the last hour, add the veggies to the bag. Heat grill and spray a grill basket with high heat Pam. Cook veggies and chicken until chicken is done.

It’s not hard to cook fish – some people shy away because they think it is too complicated. This recipe even does away with the ‘is the fish done?” fear. By cutting it into small cubes it is sure to be done during the 6 minute broil time. And even done simply, fish can taste just amazing !

Halibut Kebobs

4 servings
111 calories per serving

1 lb. halibut steak, about 1 inch thick
¼ c fresh lemon juice
¼ c oil
3 medium shallots, thinly sliced
¼ t oregano flakes
¼ t parsley flakes
¼ t garlic powder
½ t thyme
Pam
½ large onion cut into chunks
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Preheat broiler. Rinse and dry fish and cut off skin. Cut fish into 16 cubes. Mix lemon juice, oil, shallots, herbs, spices and thyme. Add fish and mix well. Cover and marinate ½ hour. Spray baking sheet with Pam. Peel onion into single layers and place on sheet with fish cubes. Broil 3 minutes each side or until fish is done. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Alternately, you can spray a grill basket with Pam and place the ingredients in there, being careful to stir gently and not break up the fish. Cook approximately 6-8 minutes or until fish is done.

I recently got a Zoku Quick Pop Maker. BEST THING EVER ! I love making pops but hate the wait time. Now I have ‘em in 7-9 minutes This is one of the recipes I pulled from the Zoku book – of course, I’ve tweaked many of the recipes to suit my own tastes, bring down calories, and to get creative with the pops, but some are in their original goodness.

You can make any of these recipes in traditional pop makers – each pop here is 2 oz. so adjust accordingly. And if you love pops like me, then do yourself a favor and get a Zoku

Zoku Quick Pop Maker

6 servings
265 calories per serving

1 c water
2 1/3 oz. bittersweet chocolate (I used ghiradelli bittersweet morsels)
1/3 c sugar
1 pinch salt
1/3 c skim milk
1 T fat free half and half
½ c very thin banana slices
6 T Magic Shell chocolate shell for ice cream
3 T chopped peanuts

In a saucepan whisk chocolate, sugar, water and salt and cook until completely melted, about 5 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes in the fridge and then whish in the milk and half and half. Then return to the fridge and cool completely (about ½ hour).

Working in 2 batches – Place bananas on the sides of the maker molds then pour in the mix. In 7-9 minutes you’ll have creamy, fudgy goodness with a bit of banana thrown in for interest

If you are using traditional molds, you can suspend the bananas by filling the molds half way. Freezing a bit, then adding the bananas and the rest of the mix. Or you can just let the drop to the bottom – it will still taste dandy ! Freeze 6 hours.

Simple grilled chicken made super special with the addition of a creamy pesto sauce. This is lightened up quite a bit compared to plain pesto and the sour cream and yogurt make a great cream base for the pesto flavor to shine. Serve this one next time you are grilling with friends. The pesto sauce can be made hours ahead and left in the refrigerator.

Grilled Chicken with Creamy Pesto Sauce

4 servings
298 calories per serving

4 5 oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts
Pam
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t garlic powder
4 T plain low fat Greek yogurt
4 T fat free sour cream
2 T prepared pesto (available in the refrigerated section of your grocer)

Heat grill and spray with high heat Pam. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Grill chicken 4 minutes per side or until done. Meanwhile combine yogurt, sour cream and pesto. Spread pesto sauce on plate and serve chicken atop it.

At only 160 calories, make this one often ! The lite buttermilk, lemon and wine is a nice change from your typical mayo and vinegar dressing. The flavor is right on and this will definitely satisfy your potato salad craving.

Light Potato Salad

12 servings
160 calories per serving

4 lb. small red potatoes, quartered
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ c dry white wine
4 T lemon juice
½ c low fat buttermilk
¼ c low fat mayo
1 T Dijon mustard
1 c packed basil leaves sliced very thin
Cilantro for garnish

Add cold water to potatoes to cover them by 2 inches, cover and bring to a boil then add 1 t salt, recover and reduce heat to medium low and cook 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain. Add wine and 1 T lemon juice them toss and cool to room temperature.

Whisk buttermilk, mayo, mustard, ¼ t salt, pepper and 3 T lemon juice. Blend well and then toss with potatoes and basil.

This is flavorful and as good as you’ll find at any restaurant…I think even better ! It’s what a gourmet burger should be. The sautéed spinach and cheese are heaven. Eat yours without any toppings or add some Dijon or a slice of lettuce and tomato.

Spinach Burgers

8 servings
310 calories per serving

10 oz. baby spinach
2 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 c shredded low fat cheddar cheese
2 T Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
Salt and pepper to taste
8 small Portugese rolls
Pam

Preheat grill. Spray a skillet with Pam and heat. Add garlic and sauté 1 minutes. Add spinach and 1 T Worcestershire and cook until spinach is wilted down. Remove from skillet and chop (I find kitchen shears work great here) the cool to room temperature or cooler. Mix beef, cooked spinach, salt, pepper and 1 T Worcestershire. Make 8 burgers and grill to desired doneness.

A special parmesan butter atop a fresh grilled piece of corn just spells S U M M E R !!

Grilled Corn

4 servings
200 calories per serving

4 ears of corn, husked and cleaned
¼ c butter, softened
2 T parmesan cheese
2 t basil, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Shuck corn and clean it well. Wrap in foil and grill 15-20 minutes or until tender.

Grilled Corn

Mix butter, cheese and parsley. When corn is done, open foil and place a pat of butter on the corn. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

This is so completely and utterly delicious ! You won’t even miss the CREAM in this ice ‘cream’. The yogurt and sugar make a great, sweet and creamy base and then the minced up frozen strawberries just take over and you have an explosion of flavor with each bite. This is an award winner. And at 70 calories per serving – soooooooooooo guilt free !

Strawberry Ice 'Cream'

4 servings
70 calories per serving

1 lb. frozen strawberries
1 c 2 % plain Greek yogurt
¼ c sugar
½ t vanilla extract

In food processor pulse 1 c frozen berries until finely chopped and then transfer to a metal bowl (a metal bowl will get colder quicker in the freezer). Process yogurt, sugar, vanilla and the rest of the berries – move to metal bowl and stir with the other strawberries. Cover and freeze 1 hour (do not let get too hard).

Mojitos are a GREAT summer drink. They are basically a lime and mint flavored drink – most often served with rum. But kids love the flavor, so make a batch of virgin mojitos without the rum – not only will the kids love them, but without the rum, the calorie count is seriously low. So get lotsa limes, lotsa mint and get ready to smile.

Virgin Mojitos

1 serving (12 oz.)
20 calories per serving

6 mint leaves
1 T Splenda or Equal
Juice of one lime
12 oz. can diet lemon lime side
Garnish with fresh mint and lime slices

Mull mint leaves and Splenda at the bottom of the glass with the handle of a wooden spoon. Add lime juice and stir. Pour in soda and stir well. Garnish with lime slices and extra mint.

You know the drill – toss the skewers and throw this in a grill basket ! But I still call it a “Kabob” recipe so you can visualize it The yogurt sauce is JUST PERFECT in this recipe. Serve with some cous cous on the side.

Curry Lime Chicken Kabobs

4 servings
261 calories per serving

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
½ c plain yogurt
¼ c chopped cilantro
1 t grated lime zest
2 T lime juice
2 T oil
1 T honey
1 T Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ t curry powder
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
2 green bell peppers cut into 1 inch pieces
1 zucchini in ½ inch slices
10 grape tomatoes
Pam

For the marinade, mix yogurt, cilantro, lime peel and juice, oil, honey, mustard, garlic, curry, salt and pepper. Place chicken in a zip loc and pour in the marinade and refrigerate 4-24 hours. Heat grill and spray a grill basket with Pam. Cook 15 minutes or until chicken is done, stirring occasionally so that all sides of the meat and veggies get browned.