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.

The creamy, decadent topping is what makes this pie super special. This one is just a little sweet and a lot yummy

Sweet Potato Pie Deluxe

12 servings
287 calories per serving

1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes
1/3 c skim milk
145 oz can fat free sweetened condensed milk, divided
3 T brown sugar
2 T butter, melted
3/4 t ground cinnamon, divided
1/2 t vanilla
1/4 t salt
2 eggs
1 frozen pie crust bottom, thawed (or you can use refrigerated dough)
1/2 c low fat cream cheese, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap potatoes in foil and bake 1 1/2 – 2 hours or until very tender (you can also jump start these by piercing and microwaving for 5 minutes). Let cool a bit and then scoop out flash and mash. Add milk, 1/4 c condensed milk, brown sugar, butter, 1/2 t cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Mix well then add eggs 1 at a time. Pour into thawed pie crust and bake 45 minutes or until set. Mix the rest of the cinnamon with the cream cheese and beat with a mixer then add 1/2 c plus 2T of the condensed milk and beat on medium. Pour over the pie and let stand 15 minutes then serve.

Brie is just meant to go with fruit – the sweet fruit and the oaky brie just go so well together. This makes a great appetizer, breakfast, lunch or dessert. The melted brie is just divine !

Fruit and Cheese Quesadillas

6 servings
177 calories per serving

2 T honey
2 t lime juice
½ t grated lime rind

1 c peaches, peeled and sliced thinly
1 ½ Splenda brown sugar blend
3 oz. Brie, thinly sliced
6 6 inch fat free flour tortillas (80 calories each)
Pam

Stir together honey, juice and zest. Mix peaches and sugar and divide evenly into each tortilla. Add ½ oz. cheese to each. Fold over and place in a hot pan sprayed with Pam. Cook 2 minutes then flip over and cook another 2 minutes.

The whole kitchen smelled just glorious as these were roasting. The orange flavor is very subtle, the chipotle just hot enough and these disappeared very quickly !

Chipotle Nuts

Makes 2 ½ cups – 1 serving = 2 tablespoons
91 calories per serving

1 T grated orange rind
1 T orange juice
1 egg white
2 c mixed nuts (pecan halves, whole almonds, walnuts, whatever you have around the house!)
1 T brown sugar
1 T Kosher salt
1/2 t ground chipotle chile pepper
Pam
1/2 c sweetened dried cranberries
1 t Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Mix orange rind, orange juice and egg then stir in nuts. Mix sugar, salt and pepper and add to the nuts and mix well. Spread on a cookie sheet spray with Pam and bake 1 hours stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with another teaspoon of salt and mix then cool. When cool, mix in the cranberries.

A little gooey, a little chocolately, and a whole lotta fun to eat ! This toffee made with matza is very good.

Toffee Matza

30 servings
135 calories per serving

4 1/2 sheets matza
1 c margarine
1 c dark brown granulated sugar
8 ounces chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9×9 baking dish and cover the bottom of the dish with matzas (breaking up pieces to fit exactly) and make layers to use up all the matzas. Heat margarine and sugar until bubbly, about 3 minutes. Pour over the matzas and bake about 15 minutes or until the top is thickened and bubbly. Sprinkle with chips right when it comes out of the oven and then let sit for 5 minutes. Spread the chocolate and then cool completely and break into pieces. This can be a bit tough since once it hardens up, it gets very brittle. I usually don’t cool it quite all the way and take large pieces out onto a clean flat surface and then make it into smaller bits from there.

Sweet fruit with a spicy ginger and cardamom sauce. Serve with Cool Whip for a great dessert or serve with yogurt for a perfect breakfast treat.

Fruit Parfait

8 servings
91 calories per serving

8 oz. pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
15 oz. can peach slices in juice, drained
2 kiwis, peeled and chopped
1 c strawberries, chopped
2 T brown sugar
¼ t cinnamon
¼ t ground cardamom
¼ t ground ginger
1 ½ c cool whip, thawed

Drain pineapple and keep the juice. Chop pineapple and peaches and mix with kiwi, strawberries, brown sugar, spices and juice. In parfait glasses, place half the fruit in the cup. Add a layer of Cool Whip. Add the next layer of fruit and top with a dollop of Cool Whip.

Sweet, chewy, yummy Butterscotch Bars that the whole family will love !

Butterscotch Bars

36 servings
148 calories per serving

1 c packed brown sugar
5 T butter, melted
1 t vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten
9 oz. flour
2 1/2 c quick oats
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
Pam
3/4 c fat free sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 c butterscotch morsels
1/2 c finely chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugar and butter with a mixer until light colored and then stir in egg and vanilla. Mix flour, oats, salt and baking soda then add this mix to the sugar mix stirring with a fork until combined. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with Pam and then take 3 c of the oat mix and press it into the pan making a crust. Heat morsels and condensed milk until morsels are all melted and then stir in nuts. Spread this mix over the crust and then sprinkle with the rest of the oat mix. Bake ½ hour or until golden brown. When it comes out of the oven, loosen the edges with a knife and then let cool completely before cutting into bars.

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.

This dish uses yogurt to make a delicious and creamy sauce. But you don’t even know it’s yogurt ! Try this for a great filling one dish meal.

Creamy Beef and Pasta

4 servings
300 calories per serving

5 oz. uncooked FiberGourmet Penne or Rotini
¾ c low fat plain yogurt
1 T cornstarch
1 T oil
¾ lb. beef round steak cut into thin strips
1 onion sliced thin
2 T flour
½ c beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 green bell pepper in 1 inch squares
1 c fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 t basil flakes
½ t parsley flakes
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
½ t garlic powder
½ t brown sugar

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Combine yogurt and cornstarch and mix well. In a large skillet heat oil to medium high heat and cook beef and onion until beef is brown then add all the rest of the ingredients other than the pasta and yogurt sauce. Cover and cook on medium 8 minutes or until veggies are beginning to get tender. Remove from heat and gradually add 2 c meat mix into the yogurt sauce then return it to the skillet and stir over medium heat until well heated. Add pasta and toss to combine.

It doesn’t get much simpler and this is one of those recipes that is really versatile – use any canned fruit or even some apples and you get a great warm, homey dessert in no time.

Fruit Crisp

6 servings
280 calories per serving

2 15 oz. cans peaches in juice, drained
5 graham crackers, coarsely crushed (1 c)
1/3 c flour
3 T brown sugar
½ t cinnamon
¼ c cold margarine or butter, cut up into pieces
2 c low fat vanilla yogurt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spread peaches in a 8 inch square baking dish. Mix crumbs, flour, sugar, cinnamon and then using a pastry blender, cut in butter until the mix is the consistency of coarse crumbs then sprinkle them over the peaches and bake 25-30 minutes then cool slightly and serve with yogurt.