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.

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.

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.

The ginger in this recipe is a nice unexpected flavor that makes it just perfect. This works just as well with regular bread and with a quick dip rather than chilling over night.

Spiced French Toast

2 servings
352 calories per serving (1 serving = 3 slices)

2 eggs
2 egg whites
¾ c skim milk
1 T sugar
1 T molasses
¼ t ground ginger
¼ t ground allspice
1/8 t salt
6 slices French bread (3/4 inch thick)
2 t butter

Mix eggs, whites, milk, sugar, molasses, ginger, allspice and salt. Place bread in a 13×9 baking sheet and out the egg mix over it and refrigerate overnight. Heat butter on a griddle and cool bread 3 minutes each side.