What a great side dish – the sweetness of the corn really shines though and makes this a tasty treat that the whole family will love. It’s like a savory pancake with corn and herbs.

Corn Cakes

5 servings (2 cakes each)
180 calories per serving

1/2 c white whole wheat flour
1/2 c skim milk
2 large eggs
2 T oil
1/2 t baking powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 c frozen corn, thawed
¼ c chopped basil and parsley
Pam

Whish together flour, eggs, milk, 1 T oil, salt, pepper and baking powder. Add in corn and basil. Working in batches, brush skillet with a bit of oil and spray with Pam and heat to medium high. Using a ¼ c measuring cup, pour batter into cakes about 3 inches wide leaving room in between so you can flip them easily. Cook 2 minutes then flip and cook another 2 minutes.

Crisp summer veggies with a twist ! The lemon, pepperoni and feta cheese add a nice Greek flair to this dish. If you have garden fresh zucchini, this tastes even better

Summer Squash Deluxe

4 servings
69 calories per serving

1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium cucumber
½ t salt
2 T sliced basil
1 T oil
1/2 t grated lemon zest
1 t lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 oz. sliced turkey pepperoni
1/4 c crumbled feta cheese

Peel the zucchini, cucumber and squash and then using a vegetable peeler, peel off thin strips or ribbons and place in a bowl When you get down to the seeds, discard the remainder. Sprinkle with salt and let sit. Whisk together basil, oil, lemon juice and lemon zest and then add to the zucchini. Heat a skillet and crisp up the turkey pepperoni and then garnish the zucchini with the pepperoni and cheese.

The addition of beans makes this salad filling and add extra fiber to your meal. This is a great summer side that hits the spot.

White Bean and Tomato Salad

4 servings
167 calories per serving

1 T white vinegar
1 T lemon juice
1 t Dijon mustard
1 drop Tabasco sauce
2 t oil
16 oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed
2 T chopped basil
1 T chopped parsley
1 scallion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
½ large red bell pepper, finely diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and Tabasco and whisk while adding the oil. Combine beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, basil, parsley, scallions and garlic. Add the dressing and toss well to coat the cover and refrigerate ½ hour. Just before serving add salt and pepper to taste.

This makes a great side dish or a perfect appetizer served with Crostini bread or crackers. Every caponata you find is a little different – there are so many components that it is easy to get different versions. This one uses very little oil and is my absolute favorite. By pre-cooking the eggplant in the oven, you use much less oil and you won’t even miss it ! It has all my favorite things and has a great depth of flavor.

Eggplant Caponata

6 servings
149 calories per serving

1 large eggplant, trimmed, but not peeled and then cut into 1 inch cubes
½ t salt
2 t oil
2 c chopped celery
¼ c celery leaves, chopped
1 c chopped onions
½ c water
2 t minced garlic
1 15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes (including the juice)
2 T tomato paste
20 small black olives, chopped (you can use green if you prefer)
2 T white wine vinegar
1 t unsweetened cocoa
½ t black pepper
Kosher salt to taste
¼ c chopped basil
¼ c toasted pine nuts
2 t oil
Pam

To toast pine nuts, sauté in a hot, dry skillet for a few moments – until golden and aromatic. Place eggplant cubes in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with ½ t salt. Mix well so that all eggplant is salted. Then place a small plate or bowl on top of the eggplant and weight it by placed a canned product or some other heavy object. The salt and the weight will draw some of the bitter liquid from the eggplant and you will end up with a much sweeter tasting caponata. Let sit for an hour then rinse eggplant and pat dry. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with Pam, and place eggplant on sheet in a single layer. Cook for 20 minutes then remove from oven and set aside.

Heat a skillet and add 2 t of oil. Also spray with a bit of pan and then sauté onions and celery on medium high heat until partially softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and sauté a minute longer. Add ½ c water and continue cooking another 10 minutes. If the mix gets dry, add up to ¼ c more water to keep it moist. Add tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste and olives and cook on medium for 10 minutes until sauce thickens a bit. Add eggplant, vinegar, salt, pepper and cocoa and cook on low for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in toasted nuts and 2 t oil. Serve room temperature or chilled.

What a burst of flavor you get from the fresh herbs in this soup ! Totally refreshing and so summery. Serve next to your lunch sandwich or as a quick palate cleanser in between courses of your favorite summer grill fare. At only 61 calories per serving, don’t think twice about adding this into a meal for a nice taste of summer.

Chilled Cucumber Soup

4 servings
61 calories per serving

1 c fat free sour cream
1/2 c fresh basil
1/2 c fresh mint
1/4 c sliced scallion
1 c water
½ of a large English cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into a few pieces
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t Tabasco sauce
Salt to taste

In a food processor mix sour cream, basil, mint, water and scallions very well. Then add cucumber, lemon juice and salt and just pulse a few times making sure you leave cucumber chunks. Chill up to 6 hours.

This quick cream sauce can be used on just about any pasta dish – added to the flavored fettuccine from FiberGourmet and topped with sauted shrimp – mmmm, mmmmm good !

Fettuccine and Shrimp

4 servings
346 calories per serving

8 oz. FiberGourmet Fettucine (without it you have to add 80 calories per serving) – I used a pepper flavored pasta and it was so awesomely spicy
2 T butter
½ c thinly sliced shallots
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c canned diced tomatoes, drained
1 lb. cleaned, peeled shrimp
½ t red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
½ c fat free half and half
1/3 c chopped parsley
1/3 c thinly sliced basil leaves

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Melt butter and sauté shallots 4 minutes then add garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add shrimp to skillet and sprinkle with spices and cook until shrimp is just about done. Add tomatoes , parsley and basil and cook another minute. Then add half and half and keep warm on low temperature. Pour over pasta and serve immediately.

Basil is in the mint family – don’t let its addition to a dessert throw you – but if you can’t get past it, then just substitute mint instead. But whatever you do, don’t skip this recipe – it is a FANTASTIC summer dessert.

Lime Basil Sorbet

8 servings
220 calories per serving

1 ½ c sugar
2 c lime juice (about 20 small limes)
½ c light corn syrup
¾ c basil leaves, chopped
2 c water
1 T grated lime zest

Mix sugar, 1 c juice and syrup and cook for 2 minutes to melt sugar then add the basil or mint and remove from heat. Pour into a metal bowl (mixture will cool quicker) and add rest of the juice, water and the zest. Cover and chill completely. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions then move to your freezer for an hour or so. If you don’t eat it right away, then defrost 10 minutes or so before eating.

This is a perfect summer soup – full of great fresh garden offerings…zucchini, squash, parsley, basil. Just a bit of pasta and cheese make this perfectly amazing.

Summer Soup

4 servings
304 calories per serving

6 c vegetable broth
3 c water
6 oz. uncooked pasta (ditalini, orzo, elbows – anything small)
2 c diced yellow squash
2 c diced zucchini
1 T chopped parsley
1/3 c chopped basil
1 T lemon juice
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 t onion powder
1 t thyme flakes
1 t oregano flakes
Red pepper flakes to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
½ c grated parmesan cheese

In a large soup pot bring broth and water to a boil. Add pasta and cook 5 minutes less than the suggested cooking time and then at that point, add squash, green beans, zucchini, chopped parsley and basil, lemon, onion powder, thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to the broth. Cook for 5 minutes and then place in bowls. Sprinkle with cheese.

This dish is a cross between lasagna and eggplant rollatini (which is a dish often served as an appetizer and is eggplant rolled up around ricotta cheese and topped with pasta sauce – yum!). In this recipe, instead of rolling it up, I have layered it in a baking dish much like a lasagna would be made. The results – a skinny lasagna full of yummy cheese.

Skinny Eggplant Lasagna

9 servings
142 calories per serving

2 medium eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise into thin slices (1/4 inch thick)
1 jar (26.5 oz.) pasta sauce (I used Hunts Pasta Sauce for this dish)
1 ½ c fat free ricotta cheese
2 c fat free cottage cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t garlic powder
1 T chopped basil
2 t chopped parsley
4 T parmesan cheese
½ c fat free shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread ½ c or so of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Mix cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, 2 T parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and parsley. Layer 1/3 of the eggplant slices to fully cover the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then spread half of the cheese mix on top of the eggplant slices. Cover with ¾ c of sauce then layer the next third of eggplant slices to cover the whole dish. Add the rest of the cheese mix and then another ¾ c of sauce. Finally add the last third of the eggplant slices to make the top. Spread the rest of the sauce over the top and then sprinkle with 2 T parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove cover and spread the mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake another 10 minutes. Remove and cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

This is a super savory, super healthy dish and a perfect summer dinner. The platter is just stunning to look at and this makes a great dish for entertaining. Serve as a full dinner or as an appetizer.

Grilled Antipasto

4 servings
291 calories per serving

6 T lemon juice
3 T white balsamic vinegar
2 t oil
¼ t kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 plum tomatoes
2 red peppers, quartered
2 yellow peppers, quartered
2 zucchini cut lengthwise into thick slices
1 red onion cut into thick slices
1 large eggplant cut into thick slices
Pam
4 oz. prosciutto slices
1 oz. peppered ham
2 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
Basil as a garnish
6 green olives
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the first 5 ingredients as a marinade and dressing for the veggies. Take ¼ c of the dressing and brush it over the veggies. Spray a grill rack with Pam and grill veggies 5 minutes a side or until they have a bit of char on them. Place veggies on a platter and brush with the rest of the dressing and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the rest of the items to the platter and serve immediately.