Try serving this with Cinnamon Tortilla Crisps. This has such a flavor explosion already then you add the kick from the jalapeno and this is a dessert or snack that is near perfection ! Be sure to chop everything very small and very uniform – that is part of what makes this as special as it is.

Fruit Salsa

Makes 3 cups
1 T = 44 calories

1 c finely chopped strawberries
1 orange, peeled and finely chopped
3 small kiwi, peeled and finely chopped
8 oz. crushed pineapple, drained
¼ c finely chopped yellow bell pepper
1 T lime juice
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

Fruit Salsa

Combine all ingredients and cover and chill at least 6 hours.

This is all the good stuff out of the salad and leaves the lettuce behind. Crisp, refreshing and a great summer salad.

Mediterranean Salad

8 servings
109 calories per serving

2 large tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 green pepper chopped coarsely
1 red or 1 yellow pepper chopped coarsely
1 zucchini, cut lengthwise in half, and chopped coarsely
½ of a small cucumber, peeled, seeded and julienned
1/2 c fat free Italian dressing
2 T chopped basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 low fat mozzarella sticks, sliced into small rounds

Mix all together and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Cooking the potatoes and peppers in a foil packet basically steams them and they come out a wonderful consistency and packed with flavor. Serve alongside 3 oz. of broiled steak or a 4 oz. chicken cutlet for a meal balanced with protein, veggies and that all mighty carb that keeps you feeling more full

Foiled O'Brien

4 servings
155 calories per serving

1 lb. red potatoes, washed and sliced thinly
2 c red bell pepper slices
2 c yellow bell pepper slices
6 T sliced shallot (regular onion will work here too)
Pam
2 cloves garlic, mashed
3 T chopped parsley
½ t onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take 4 sheets of aluminum foil, each about 12 inches by 12 inches (about 1 inch longer and 4 inches wider than a sheet of paper) and place them on a flat surface. Spray each with a little bit of Pam. Divide the potatoes, peppers and shallots evenly among the foil sheets. Sprinkle with the minced garlic, parsley, onion powder, salt and pepper.

Create a packet out of each by folding the foil sides up to make a tent and folding the edges over 2 times – then take each side and fold (roll) over twice and seal firmly so that the packet will say sealed keeping all the steam inside.

Place packets on a baking sheet and place in oven. Bake ½ hour to 45 minutes. Open packets and transfer contents to plates. Be careful opening packets as they will be full of steam.

For more instructions folding, Reynold’s says:
For each foil packet, bring up the two sides of the foil and double fold with about 1-inch wide folds. Leave room for heat circulation inside the packet as the food cooks. Double fold each end to form the foil packet.

And the Scouts site has a nice diagram.

The cheese just melts into the marinade and really coats all the veggies – every bite is so full of flavor

Parmesan Veggies

8 servings
60 calories per serving

2 zucchini cut into ½ inch thick slices
2 yellow squash cut into ½ inch thick slices
1 red pepper cut into strips
1 green pepper cut into strips
1 yellow pepper cut into strips
1/3 c light Italian dressing
¼ c grated parmesan cheese
Pam

Spray a skillet with Pam and heat to medium high. Add veggies and sauté 5 minutes. Add dressing and cheese and continue cooking 5 minutes or until veggies are desired tenderness (I like mine pretty crisp).

This tastes much like the spinach dip you often find in a hollowed out bread bowl – but this one adds many more veggies and is a much healthier and lower cal option.

Spinach and Ranch Snack

18 servings
170 calories per serving (2 T dip and 15-17 crackers)

1 c low fat sour cream
¼ c light ranch dressing
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 shredded carrot
½ c finely chopped yellow bell peppers
Wheat Thins or Triscuits

Mix sour cream and dressing then stir in veggies.

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.

A rich stew with lots of flavor – the dark meat chicken definitely gives this dish extra texture and the olives give it great authenticity. Sofrito is a tomato, pepper, onion and garlic base for many Latin dishes. The mixture of flavors is sooooooo good. Serve with Rice Pilaf for a perfect meal.

Sofrito Chicken Stew

2 servings
238 calories per serving

2 boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts (3 oz. each)
1 T oil
¼ t kosher salt
1/8 t pepper
¼ c diced onions
1 T garlic clove, minced
¼ c diced red bell pepper
¼ c diced yellow bell pepper
¼ c diced green olives
4 T tomato paste
1 c chicken broth
2 T cilantro, chopped

Cut chicken into thin strips. Heat 1 t oil and cook chicken over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking about 5 minutes, Place on a plate and keep warm. Add rest of oil to pan and sauté onion 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 1 minute. Stir in peppers and olives and cook 1 minute then add chicken back to the pan along with tomato paste and broth. Simmer about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

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.

Adding balsamic to grilled or broiled vegetables brings out a whole new dimension of flavor. Vinegar is often used as a flavor enhancer and boy does it do the trick here. This is a great side, lunch, appetizer – - however you slice it, you gotta make it !

Roasted Vegetable Salad

8 servings
140 calories per serving

1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
8 oz. Portobello mushroom caps
6 eggplant slices
1 c low fat Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Cut peppers lengthwise into quarters and place all veggies on a broiler rack or on a wire rack atop a baking sheet and brush them with 1/2 c of the dressing. Broil 6-8 minutes turning and brushing a few times with the another ¼ c of the dressing. Slice mushrooms and mix all ingredients together and dress with the last ¼ c of dressing.

This meal as just the right amount of each ingredient and everything tasted great. To save yourself time, use the pre-cut carrots and zucchini available at your grocer !

Chicken and Veggies with Orzo

4 servings
380 calories per serving

1 c uncooked orzo
½ c chicken broth
1 T lemon juice
2 t cornstarch
2 T oil
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (3/4 lb.) cut in half lengthwise and then cut in thin strips
2 cloves garlic minced
½ t salt
1 c julienne cut carrots
1 yellow bell pepper cut into thin strips
2 c julienne cut zucchini

Cook orzo according to package instructions. Combine broth, juice and cornstarch and mix well. Heat 1 T oil and cook chicken, garlic and salt 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink then remove from skillet and keep warm. Heat 1 T oil and cook carrots and bell pepper 3 minutes then add zucchini and cook another 3 minutes. Stir the broth mix until smooth and then add to the skillet and cook 2 minutes or until thickened then add orzo and chicken and heat through.