So savory and sooooo tasty ! Cooking the onion right in the burgers is a nice touch and there is sooooo much flavor from the grilled onion.

Grilled Onion Burgers

4 servings
320 calories per serving

1 large onion
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 ½ t garlic powder
4 slices low fat Swiss cheese
2 t oil
4 slices thick, hearty bread, toasted
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel onion and cut off 4 ¼ inch thick slices. Shape meat into patties and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder and then press one onion slice into each burger and shape meat around the onion so it is even with the meat. Place burger onion side down on a hot grill and cook 5 minutes. Flip burger and cook another 5 minutes. Top with cheese during the last minute of grilling.

This recipe gives you a really nice creamy dressing since you use mayo instead of eggs and oil. If you like it with a lot of bite, add extra anchovy.

Creamy Caesar Salad

8 servings
88 calories per serving

½ c grated parmesan cheese
½ c fat free mayo
¼ c lemon juice
2 t anchovy paste
2 t Worcestershire sauce
½ t pepper
¼ t dry mustard
5 large cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. fresh bread cut into cubes
4 head romaine lettuce in bite size pieces

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine 1.2 c water with cheese, mayo, lemon juice, anchovy paste, Worcestershire, pepper, mustard and garlic. Whisk well and set aside. Place bread pieces on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes to toast them. When done combine croutons and romaine and then dress and serve immediately.

A Monte Cristo Sandwich is dipped in egg and fried – this version adds LOTS of gooey Gruyere cheese (the kind you find on top of French Onion Soup). If you prefer a milder cheese, switch to Swiss or cheddar.

Monte Cristo Sandwich

4 servings
350 calories per serving

1 T Dijon mustard
1 T fat free mayonnaise
8 slices Italian bread (1 oz. each) I recommend that you get a kitchen scale – it takes out the guess work !!
6 oz. deli ham, thinly sliced
1 c shredded Gruyere cheese (substitute Swiss or cheddar or jack if you don’t like Gruyere)
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 c Egg Beaters
1/4 c skim milk
Pam

Combine mustard and mayo. Spread each of 8 slices with an even amount of the mix. Then layer 4 slices each with ham and cheese. Sprinkle evenly with pepper and cover with other 4 pieces of bread. Combine eggs and milk. Dip both side of each sandwich in the mix. Heat a large skillet on medium high heat and spray with Pam. Cook sandwiches 3 minutes each side or until lightly brown.

Here is a kitchen scale like I use:

What a great appetizer or lunch. The sausage, beans and garlic make a perfect stew. Served with cheese toast, this makes a great dish to serve to guests. Even with the bread, this dish comes in under 400 calories !!

Sausage and Bean Stew (Crock Pot)

6 servings
350 calories per serving

2 t oil
3 t garlic, minced
4 2 oz. turkey sausages (any flavor you like, I used Italian hot) cut into chunks
1 c water
1 c chicken broth
2 19 oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 c baby spinach
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 t crushed red pepper
1/8 t salt
½ t garlic powder
2 T lemon juice
6 T shredded provolone cheese
6 1 oz. slices French bread

Heat oil and cook sausage until almost done. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add water, broth to crock pot then add spinach. Add salt and pepper and garlic powder. Add beans and then add sausage and garlic and any pan drippings to the top. Cook on low 3 hours. Add the splash of lemon during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Serve with Cheese Toasts. To make toasts, sprinkle bread slices with cheese and broil 2 minutes to melt cheese.

If you don’t have a crock pot, you can do this stove top is a soup pot – after cooking the sausage and combining all the ingredients, simmer on very low for 1 hour.

What a perfect meal – breakfast in a cup ! These cook up perfectly and are a satisfying NON DIET breakfast for only 175 calories each. Bacon just makes everything better !

Bacon and Egg Cups

8 servings
175 calories per serving

Butter flavored Pam
ICBINB Spray (I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter)
8 slices whole wheat bread
8 slices bacon
8 large eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray regular size cupcake pan with Pam. Slightly flatten bread with a rolling pin or by pressing out by hand and then cut into 8 4 ¼ inch rounds. Place the rounds in the cups. Make sure the bread comes up the edges to form a cup. Spray each cup with 5 or so sprays of ICBINB Spray. Cook bacon until almost crisp (or use precooked bacon right out of the package). Lay 1 slice in each cup letting it dangle over the edges of the cup. Crack 1 egg over each cup. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake 20 minutes or until egg whites are set.

Verde is ‘green’ in Spanish and this dish is VERY green. The processed parsley and green onions put a great color on these shrimp. This is one of those restaurant worthy dishes – and it only takes minutes to prep ! Cut out the bread and you cut out tons of calories here – shrimp are very low cal !!

Shrimp with Verde Sauce

3 ½ T oil
6 garlic cloves
1 c chopped green onions
1 c chopped flat leaf parsley
½ t salt
½ t pepper
¼ t red pepper flakes
2 ¼ lb. large shrimp, cleaned and peeled
1/3 c dry white wine or chicken broth
6 oz. French bread in thin slices (more than ½ MB bread tub – 26 slices)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place oil and garlic in food processor and process until garlic is fine then add onions and parsley and process again. Place in a bowl and add salt and peppers. Add shrimp and mix to coat. Place in a shallow roasting pan and add wine. Bake 7 – 10 minutes or until done. If the shrimp are not in a single layer, you may want to stir halfway through to ensure even cooking. Serve with bread for dipping in extra sauce.

A hot open faced sandwich brings me back – they seem to be a more old fashioned food – but I want to bring them back ! My Mom used to serve hot open faced roast beef sandwiches a lot, sometimes even as a quick dinner. This one brings the calories down a bit using turkey and fat free turkey gravy.

Hot Turkey and Gravy Sandwiches

4 servings
220 calories per serving

2 T margarine
1 large onion, thinly sliced
¾ lb. cooked turkey breast, sliced thin
12 oz fat free turkey gravy
4 slices bread
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt margarine in a skillet and add onion. Cover and cool 6 minutes or until golden. Add turkey and gravy and cook until heated through. Place 1 slice of bread on each of 4 plates and top with the turkey mix. Season with salt and pepper.

Turkey with a zesty cheese sauce is the perfect lunch !

Turkey Panini

4 servings
272 calories per serving

3 T lowfat mayonnaise
2 T nonfat plain yogurt
2 T shredded (not grated) Parmesan cheese
2 T chopped basil
1 t lemon juice
Pepper to taste
8 slices light whole wheat bread
8 oz. thinly sliced deli turkey
8 slices tomato
2 t canola oil
ICBINB spray

Mix mayo, yogurt, cheese, basil, lemon juice and pepper. Spread 2 t of the mixture on each slice of bread and then fill the sandwiches with turkey and tomato. Heat 1 t oil in a large nonstick pan and put in 2 sandwiches. Use a Panini press to weight down the sandwiches. Cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Spray the top with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray and then flip the sandwich and cook until the second side is golden. Repeat with the 2 remaining sandwiches.

Great French onion flavor in a simple to prepare soup that has such a depth of flavor. The sweet onions cook to perfection and the melted cheese over the top of the French bread is just delicious. The parmesan really adds a nice touch.

French Onion Soup

6 servings
255 calories per serving

2 T margarine or butter
2 1/2 large Spanish onions, peeled, sliced very thin
½ t Kitchen Bouquet
2 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 oz. beef broth
2 1/2 c cold water
½ c cooking wine (red or white)
2 bay leaves
6 slices French bread, toasted
1 c shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter and add onions. Cook ½ hour or until golden brown. Stir frequently and add a tablespoon or 2 of extra hot water if needed to keep onions from getting crisp. Add Kitchen Bouquet, some salt and the minced garlic and cook a minute longer. Add broth, water, wine, and bay leaves. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Preheat broiler. Remove bay leaves and place in individual oven safe ramekins or bowls. Top with a slice of French bread and sprinkle with parmesan then the grated Swiss and broil 3-4 minutes or until cheese is all melted and just starting to brown.

These were sure a hit ! Whenever you cook bananas, you bring out the flavor 10 times and this recipe is no exception. The toast makes a perfect vessel to make this a finger food. Try putting some Redi-Wip on top. Next time I may even add a little nutella to the toast – that would make it even better.

Rum Glazed Banana Tarts

4 servings
266 calories per serving

4 large slices wheat bread, crusts removed
2 T butter
2 T light brown sugar
2 T rum
3-4 ripe bananas cut in half and then sliced thinly into long slices

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Flatten bread with a rolling pin to 1/8 inch thick and place on a baking sheet. Melt butter and brush both sides of bread with half the butter and bake until lightly browned, about 4 minutes per side. Reheat the leftover butter and add sugar and bring to a boil then remove from heat and add in rum. Place banana slices on bread overlapping them a little and bake 5 minutes then remove from heat and brush with rum mix.