Tasty little meatballs in a aromatic steaming bowl of broth – this makes the whole house hungry as it cooks ! This is one of the best meatball soups I’ve made

Mini Meatball Soup

4 servings
384 calories per serving

2 t oil
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
3 c coleslaw mix shredded cabbage
1 ½ t oregano flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 c beef stock
2 c chicken stock
4 c water
2 T tomato paste
6 oz. lean ground beef
1 large egg
¼ c grated Parmesan cheese
¼ c bread crumbs
2 T parsley, chopped
½ t garlic powder
¾ t pepper
½ t salt
½ c chopped roasted red peppers
1 c minute rice

Heat oil in a heavy soup pan and sauté mushrooms for 4 minutes. Add cabbage, 1 t oregano and half the garlic. Cook 1 minute more and then add stocks, water and tomato paste. Reduce to medium heat. Mix beef, egg, cheese, bread crumbs, 1 ½ T parsley, garlic powder. pepper, salt, the rest of the oregano and the rest of the garlic. Make meatballs using only 1 teaspoon of mix per meatball, and place them in the broth and simmer about 10 minutes or until mostly done. Add peppers, rice and rest of the parsley. Let sit 6-7 minutes.

A granita is a frozen dessert with very much the same consistency of a ‘slushie’. It is a great refreshing dessert. This one uses Pom juice and just a hint of simple syrup to add a bit of sweetener. This is so good for you; it is packed with antioxidants. But the better part is just how wonderful it is – it’s POM WONDERFUL !

Pom Granita

2 servings
98 calories per serving

8 oz. Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice
1 T simple syrup (or 1 T of Starbucks Classic Syrup)

Place a metal bowl in the freezer to chill. Combine ingredients and pour into the bowl and place in the freezer for 30 – 60 minutes. When ice crystals form on the edges, stir with a fork being sure to pull away all the frozen pieces around the edges and freeze another 2-3 hours stirring every ½ hour. Best to serve right after the initial freeze time, but if f you let it sit overnight, be sure to defrost for 15 minutes or so before serving.

Serve 4 rounds per person for lunch or lighten it up and serve one round as an appetizer for only 42 calories !

But I bet you can’t eat just one !

Eggplant Tomato Rounds

4 servings
165 calories per serving (4 rounds)

2 small eggplants, peeled and cut into 8 slices each
2 T oil
½ t salt
⅛ t pepper
½ t garlic powder
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
½ t basil flakes
½ t oregano flakes
½ cup low fat provolone cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush both sides of each eggplant round with oil and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper then bake 5 minutes per side. Please a slice of tomato on each round and sprinkle with oregano and basil. Divide cheese among the rounds and bake 5 minute to melt the cheese.

Savory, hot chili – make it as spicy or as mild as you like. This one bulks up the veggies and uses turkey and very lean ground beef so it comes in at a low calorie count for a good sized portion. For 400 calories you can have a huge portion ! Try making this the next time you have a football party.

All the different tomato products used in this recipe have their own unique flavor and the combination of them is just perfect. But if you don’t particularly like one or another, feel free to substitute.

Cook this stovetop for hours to get that deep, rich, long simmer flavor – or you can cook this in the crock pot all day long while you are at work. Chili also does well in a pressure cooker. If you need instructions, just write to me and I’ll be happy to send you info.

Big Pot o' Chili

20 servings
210 calories per serving

2 T oil
1 onion, chopped
20 oz. lean ground turkey
16 oz. very lean ground beef
5 ribs of celery, sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
4 t minced garlic
10 oz. mushrooms, chopped
15.5 oz. can chick peas, rinsed and drained
15.5 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
15.5 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 15.75 oz. cans Campbells Pork and Beans (this addition really mellows out the tomato base)
28 oz. petite diced tomatoes
14.5 oz. fired roasted diced tomatoes
14.5 oz. stewed tomatoes
3 oz. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped (if you don’t like heat, remove this ingredient. If you like it very spicy, add more of this ingredient)
29 oz. tomato sauce
1 T salt
1 T pepper
2 T garlic powder
1 T onion powder
5 T chili powder
3 t cumin
2 t basil flakes
2 t parsley flakes
3 t oregano flakes

Heat the oil in the bottom of a large dutch oven or soup pot. Saute onions, celery and green pepper and yellow pepper 15 minutes. Add the turkey and beef and continue cooking until meat is done. Be sure to break up meat into little pieces as it cooks. (if cooking in a crock pot, do this first step stove top in a skillet and then turn it all into a heated crock) Add garlic and mushrooms and stir. Add all spices and mix well. Bring to a boil them lower and simmer for 2-3 hours on a low heat. Stir occasionally and adjust spice during the last half hour of cooking. (if cooking in a crock pot, cook on low 8-10 hours or high 5-6 hours)

The leftovers freeze well – so don’t be afraid of the huge serving size. You can also cut this in half and make 10 servings – just halve everything. Serve with low fat sour cream and low fat shredded cheddar as a garnish / topping.

A great low cal treat that is definitely out of the ordinary. Great mushroom flavor in a savory little treat.

Popped Mushrooms

1 serving
63 calories per serving

1 small can mushrooms, stems and pieces
1 t salt
½ t garlic powder
1 clove garlic, minced
½ t basil flakes

Heat broiler. Drain mushrooms and lay on a paper towel to dry. Spread them on a cookie sheet and season. Cook 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven when just slightly crispy.

Fresh fruit, tons of antioxidants, low cal – this is the perfect sweet side dish. Serve with fish, chicken, next to a sandwich, as a snack….just eat it up before your kid eats the whole bowl on you !!

Pom Cranberry Relish

8 servings
70 calories per 1/2 c serving

The addition of Pom juice to an already incredibly fresh cranberry relish … I’d call it a stroke of genius. You have to try it to believe how good it is !!

1 bag cranberries
3/4 c Splenda
1 granny smith apple, cored and in quarters
1 seedless oranges (peel and all !), in quarters
8 oz. Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice

Rinse the cranberries and pick out any bad ones. Place in a food processor and process until they are in small pieces. Remove to a bowl. Place apples in processor and blend until small pieces. Remove to bowl with cranberries. Place oranges in processor and process until all skin is in small pieces. Remove to bowl with cranberries and apples. Add Splenda and juice and mix well. Refrigerate at least 4 hours so flavors blend.

Pomegranates ! One of my favorite fruits. They’re not well know, but they’re well worth getting to know.

While I love them, they are a HUGE pain to prep – just cutting into them leaves you with little stain marks all over the place – no matter how you do it, it can’t be done neatly. But between the unique taste and the healthy benefits, I don’t want to give up pomegranates….and in walks POM WONDERFUL This amazing beverage is 100% pomegranate juice…Already all cut up, all squeezed out, and all right there in a cute little bottle just waiting in the refrigerator for you

Even without all the health benefits, I would drink this up like there’s no tomorrow. I love the rich, tart flavor. I think I am actually addicted to it And then there’s the recipes….Pom is great for making reduction sauces, as a syrup, in frozen desserts, and as an ingredient in other beverages. It’s versatile, fun, healthy and flavorful.

Be on the lookout – I have about 3 POM recipes coming up for you shortly ! And grab yourself some POM WONDERFUL !

This is great as a dinner or lunch – very filling, very tasty, and just the perfect portion.

Shrimp and Pasta Salad

4 servings
335 calories per serving

8 oz. FiberGourmet Rotini Pasta (without FiberGourmet, add 80 calories per serving)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 yellow squash, thinly sliced
1/3 c coarsely chopped kalamata olives
4 c baby spinach leaves
1 t grated lemon zest
2 T lemon juice
2 T oil
1 lb. peeled, cleaned shrimp

Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain and then mix with squash, olives, spinach, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 T and 1t oil, salt and pepper. Heat 2 t oil in a skillet and quickly cook shrimp until done, about 5 minutes. Top pasta mix with shrimp. Season with salt and pepper and add a splash of extra lemon juice.

There’s nothing quite like a good sweet potato pie – and this is definitely a good one. Not too sweet, full of flavor, and super easy to put together.

Sweet Potato Pie

8 servings
280 calories per serving

1 15 oz. cans sweet potatoes in light syrup, drained
1 1/4 c low fat evaporated milk
2 large eggs
1/4 c Splenda brown sugar
1 t pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t salt
6 oz. low fat graham cracker crust
2 T chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash potatoes with a mixer on medium speed. Add milk, eggs, sugar, spice and salt. When blended, put into crust and top with pecans. Bake 45 minutes and cool completely on a wire rack.

Gruyere cheese is the cheese often found on the top of French onion soup. It is a hard cheese with a very rich and nutty flavor. These quesadillas take perfect advantage of the distinctive flavors of both gruyere cheese and basil, combining them to make a taste treat you won’t forget.

Golden Gruyere Quesadillas

2 servings
354 calories per serving

2 flour tortillas
4 oz. Gruyere cheese, sliced thinly
Fresh basil leaves
Pam

Heat skillet and spray with Pam. Make a sandwich with the tortillas, cheese and basil. Cook a few minutes on each side to melt the cheese and then cut into wedges.