Asparagus Spread

1 c low-free mayonnaise
1 c grated sharp cheddar cheese, low fat
1 large bunch asparagus, cut, microwaved until just tender, and cooled
1 T Parmesan cheese, grated

Place the mayonnaise, cheddar cheese and asparagus in a food processor. Blend until smooth.

Pour mix into a glass pie plate and bake 375 degree for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle the top with the Parmesan cheese. When the bubbling stops, serve with crackers and a butter knife for spreading.

Garlic Butter

Prepare a few heads of garlic at a time. It stores very well in the fridge. You can spread it on bread as is but it is also great for cooking, marinades and anywhere you might want a milder garlic flavor.

In the center of a square of aluminum foil place whole garlic pods, in tack (unpeeled). Spray well with nonstick cooking spray (I like the butter flavored but olive oil works too.)

Wrap and seal and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. The garlic should "smoosh" easily when it is done. Let it cool until you can handle it then squeeze the cloves and collect the soft inside garlic. Can be added to butter, margerine, spray "butter", added to soups, etc.

Tex-Mex Enchiladas

8 corn tortillas
can of Wolf Brand Turkey Chili no beans
can of enchilada sauce
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 c fresh spinach, chopped (you could use frozen thawed and moisture removed)
1/2 c carrot, shredded
olive oil, 2 t
1/2 c each Cheese, cheddar, extra sharp cheddar, mozzarella

Spray the pan with nonstick spray. Add olive oil and cook all the veggies except spinach until tender. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Add 1/2 turkey chili and take off the fire.

Spray rectangle casserole type dish. Mix all the shredded cheeses together (save a bit to sprinkle across the finished enchiladas). Take one tortilla and put 1/8 of the cheese in then top with 1/8 of the chili mixture. Roll up and put seam down in the pan. Make the remaining tortillas.

Mix the rest of the chili with the can of the enchilada sauce then pour over the enchiladas and make sure to cover everything. Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve with fat free sour cream and Mexican brown rice (cook 1 cup rice with 1 can of Rotel style tomatoes and 1 can water).

Healthy Version Buffalo "Wing" Nuggets

Shake and Bake, Extra Crispy Style
Chicken, skinless, boneless, and cut into bite size nuggets
Red Hot or any Cajun hot sauce (Not Tabasco - it isn't vinegary enough)
I can't Believe it's not Butter, SPRAY
Fat Free Blue Cheese Dressing
Blue Cheese crumbles, the light version

Cover the chicken with the hot sauce and marinate. Overnight is hotter than an hour would be. Drain well and pat dry on paper towels. Follow shake and Bake instructions pressing the crumbs in also. Place in fridge for an hour to allow to set.

Cook in the oven according to the instructions but half way through turn the chicken over. Cook until firm.

Sauce: Mix equal parts of butter with hot sauce. You may want to adjust according to your heat/tang sensitivity. You can either cover the chicken in the sauce or serve for dipping on the side along with the blue cheese.

Add 1 tablespoon of the blue cheese crumbles to the dressing to give it more of the blue cheese flavor.

Low-cal Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

1/2 c low-fat mayonnaise
3/4 c low-fat blue cheese (I've only seen it in the already crumbled form)
1/2 c fat free sour cream
1/4 c fat free cream cheese
Garlic, minced very fine
Black Pepper

In a food processor add the cream cheese, sour cream and mayo and garlic and 1/4 c of the blue cheese. Process. Pour into a bowl and fold in the rest of the cheese and add pepper. Refrigerate until served.

Crock Pot Chocolate Brownie Fluff

The recipe makes a lot - a crock pot full. Served with vanilla ice cream it can probably serve as many as 16, served alone about 8-9 helpings of about 1/2 cup servings I would guess.

Crock Pot
Egg White or Egg Beaters equal to 5 eggs
1 pint fat free sour cream
1 chocolate cake mix
1 sugar free/fat free instant pudding mix
1/2 c sugar free apple sauce (one of those little one serving size)
1 c water

Spray the crock pot with nonstick spray. In separate bowl stir all ingredients together. Pour into crock pot, cover with lid and cook on low for 4 hours.

You can add a cup of chocolate chips or pecans or both if you aren't worried about the calories and fat but it is good just like this!

Artichokes

Buy artichokes that are as tightly closed as possible and the darker the green the better too. Like a flower, once the leaves start opening up they aren't as fresh and the leaves get tough. The secret is the boil - this gives the choke the flavor, then you can dip in the "butter" and not miss the fat.

The 'Choke

Just trim the end a little the stalk is actually eatable and very good like the center. If you want to trim the top you can but I usually don't bother.

The Boil

Big pot of water (pot should have a lid). Add the following to boil 4 chokes.

4 bay leaves
1-2 T cracked black pepper
4 gloves unpeeled garlic
1 t sea salt or 1 t crab boil if you want spicy
Sprig Rosemary
1 c chicken stock (non-fat, low sodium)
1 lemon cut in half

You want to boil them until you can very easily pluck a leaf off. It can take 45 minutes if they are big - or only 25 if small. You have to check-but they must be tender!

Parmesan "Toast" Chips or Cheese Cookies

These little Cheesy-Cookies are very simple and are quite lovely on a simple salad as a "crouton" topping.

As always GOOD QUALITY Parmesan grated coarsely, not fine, about 1 cup. To this add freshly ground pepper and 1 tablespoon of flour. Place by tablespoon on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes in the oven at 350.

Top a salad with one cookie and it becomes very special indeed!

New Year's Eve Salad with Goat Cheese

Mixed salad greens
2 t Dijon Mustard
Granny Smith Apple, diced, spray with lemon or dip in lemon-water (so it doesn't brown)
4 oz. Goat Cheese
Sugar Glazed Pecans, chopped roughly (you can just buy these rather than making them but to make them wet the pecans and then shake them in Splenda brand brown sugar and bake until glazed. Store in air tight container.)
Good Quality Basamic Vinegar
Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
About 6-9 Melba Toast rounds, crushed fine in processor)

The goat cheese needs to be divided into 4-1/2 inch pieces that are like a small golf ball that has been squashed. (The normal recipe calls for flouring, dipping it in egg wash, then bread crumbs. I found that crushed melba toasts provided the "crunch" once baked without the added calories and fat.)

Cover cheese in the crumbs - sort of press them in -and cover well. Freeze them before baking so that when you bake them they stay together and don't melt into a puddle. Once frozen, spray with cooking spray and bake at 475 degrees on the top position in the oven for about 10-11 minutes.

While they are cooking, pull together your salad. Place pecans, greens and apple in a big bowl and dress. The dressing is Dijon mustard with oil & vinegar mixed well, pour over salad and toss to coat. When you plate you want the cheese underneath the salad sort of like a surprise!

A hint on the pecans. I chopped them up so that a mere tablespoon in a salad seems like a lot more when you are eating the salad.

Healthy Cheesecake Minis

Filing:
8 oz fat-free cream cheese
2/3 c egg beaters
1 c Splenda for baking
1 T lime juice
pinch salt

Pre-made mini 6 to a package graham cracker crusts.

Place all in food processor and process until smooth. Pour equally into between 6 crusts. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes (firm-not hard-just not jiggly). Once cool refrigerate.

BBQ Shrimp Cajun Style

This is something that we used to eat in New Orleans when we lived there. I have never seen it on any other menu in any other place other than Louisiana...and they don't share the recipe so I had to figure it out myself. Since we live near the ocean it is easy to get the biggest freshest shrimp with head on-not so for others-but it is a very important part of the dish.

2 lbs shrimp
1 lb butter
1 c olive oil
garlic, rosemary
Black Pepper

Shrimps, head-on unpeeled, in a deep baking dish. They can be crammed in but only one layer please. Sprinkle the rosemary and crushed garlic around. The butter cut it in to pieces and placed around and on the shrimp. Pour the olive oil all over the top-you need not use the entire cup but do drizzle all over.

Now, this is the difficult part and I cannot stress this enough - you must do this to get the sauce right. COVER ALL THE SHRIMP VERY VERY (VERY) heavily with regular black pepper. This is the key to the entire dish.

Bake at 350 degrees until the shrimp are done (pink and firm)and serve in the middle of the table with a lot of good French bread for dipping into the butter/oil sauce.

You have to let it cool or it will burn your hands trying to peel it.

Calories: too numerous to count

Potato Latkes

1 lb Potatoes, peeled and grated
1 Onion, grated
2-1/2 T whole wheat flour
2 Egg Whites (egg beaters style)
1/2 t Salt
1/8 t pepper
Cooking spray
1/4 c oil

In a small bowl, combine first 6 ingredients until blended. Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray then heat 1/8 cup of oil in a fry pan. When the oil is hot, scoop a heaping tablespoon of latke batter into oil. Continually turn latkes over until they are brown on both sides and potatoes are cooked. Remove latkes from pan and place on dish with paper towels for draining. Repeat with remaining latkes until all the batter is used adding oil as needed and allowing to get hot. Place in hot oven for about 5 minutes to firm and crisp.

Serve with fat free sour cream and/or apple sauce.

Indian Chickpeas

can chickpeas
2 t oil
1 onion, chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 garlic cloves, squashed
1 t fresh ginger, chopped
1 green chili pepper, finely chopped
2 t ground coriander
3/4 c of chopped tomatoes (from a can)
1 t garam massala
1 T cilantro, chopped

Spray a frying pan with non-stick spray and add 2 t oil, fry onion until golden. Add cinnamon stick (or cloves) and cook a few seconds. Add garlic, ginger, chili pepper,
ground coriander and cook 5 minutes, stirring. Add tomatoes, with the juice and cook until all liquid has evaporated.

Add the chickpeas to the pan, mix well, cook 5 minutes. Add water if too dry and simmer for 25 minutes, until all the liquid is gone. Sprinkle with the garam massala and cilantro.

Lighten Up!

Light Basil Pesto:
Mix 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves, 3 tbsp grated fresh Parmesan cheese, 3 cloves garlic and 1/2 cup chicken broth in food processor bowl or blender jar. Cover and process until smooth.

No-Fat Oven Roasted Garlic:

Cut off top of garlic bulb. Spray with no-stick cooking spray like Pam. Wrap in aluminum foil. Roast garlic until softened. Add roasted garlic to mashed potatoes, meat gravies and soups/stews. Roasted garlic is also perfect for making garlic toast or to "butter" your bread.

Corn Muffins:

Use chicken broth instead of milk when preparing your favorite corn muffin mix. Follow package directions, substituting an equal amount of broth for milk.

Moist and Savory Stuffing:

Use broth instead of water when preparing stuffing mix or scratch recipe. Substitute an equal amount of chicken broth for water in your stuffing preparation.


Fat-Free Sun dried Tomatoes:
Soak dry-pack tomatoes in hot chicken or vegetable broth. Add tomatoes with some of the liquid to salads and pasta dishes — you'll never miss the oil. This trick also works well when re-hydrating dried fruits such as apricots, raisins, dried fruit blends, cranberries, and cherries, for a savory dish like soup, stuffing, or rice pilaf.

Italian Salad Dressing:
Cut half the fat by using a package of dry Italian salad dressing mix and substituting seasoned chicken broth with roasted garlic for half of the oil. Chill until thickened.

Hamburger Patties:
Make your hamburger patties plumper and juicier by adding 1/4 cup beef broth and 1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs for every pound of ground beef. Also great with ground turkey.

Cranberry Trifile

You will need a large glass container to arrange the trifle in - I used one on a pedestal.

While you make the 2 liquid ingredients thaw the pound cake, cut it into thirds and then cubes - keeping each third separate since you will make three levels.

Make sugar-free, fat-free vanilla pudding, once made fold in about 1 1/2 cups fat free cool whip. Set aside.

Grate the peel of two oranges and place in boiling pot. Cut all the peel and pith from the oranges then cut the slices from the orange then squeeze the juice out. Toss the skin etc. Add one bag of cranberries and 1 cup Splenda and bring to a boil. The berries will pop as they cook. Add 1/8 teaspoon of ginger, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon allspice. It takes about 15-20 minutes. Cool to about room temp. before the next step.

Once it is all ready it is time to compile. Place 1/3 of the cake in the bottom, pour 1/3 cranberry mixture over that and then 1/3 whipped pudding mixture over that. Continue until last layer is done. I sprinkled a couple of raw cranberries on top to pretty it up.

Healthy Green Beans

lb fresh beans prepped for cooking
chicken broth, as needed
1 T Better than Bullion HAM flavor
2 t Thyme
2 t - 1 T Olive oil
1 bay leaf
l Red Onion, sliced thin
1 clove garlic

Saute sliced onion in a little less than 1 tablespoon of the oil with a clove of crushed garlic. (I also sprayed the pan with nonstick spray). Cook the onion until carmelized and then sprinkle with the thyme and set aside. In a pot place the beans, bay leaf and bullion and enough chicken broth to just cover the beans. Boil until the consistency you desire - I like them soft.

Once beans are done, discard the broth and the leaf and add beans to the onion and toss.

Serve.

Starbucks Style Vanilla Milk

1 cup non-fat milk
1/2 to 1 t vanilla (to taste)
1 packet Splenda

Microwave until very hot. Add 10 mini marshmallows and nuke again for a few seconds or top with 1-2 tablespoons of whipped cream.

Crab Wontons AKA Crab Rangoon

cooking spray
2 tsp olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 medium scallions, minced
2 T snow peas, chopped
6 oz canned crab meat, drained
4 oz light cream cheese
2 t low-sodium soy sauce
24 items wonton wrapper(s), half of a 12 oz package

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, scallions and snow peas and saute until just tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in crab meat, cream cheese and soy sauce with a wooden spoon; mix gently to combine.

Place wonton wrappers on a flat surface. Drop crab mixture by teaspoonfuls onto the center of each wrapper. Dip a finger into water and use it to moisten edges of wrapper; fold over one corner of wrapper to make a triangle and press sides together to seal.

Transfer filled wontons to prepared baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Bake until wontons are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Yields 4 pieces of crab rangoon per serving.

Serve with reduced-sodium soy sauce mixed with chopped scallions or prepared sweet-and-sour or duck sauce, if you want.

Hummus

When you serve it pour just a touch of good quality olive oil on the top and a black olive.
Serve as an appetizer along with cucumbers and pita bread.

15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained
2 cloves garlic
2 T lemon juice
1/2 t ground cumin
2 T Tahini
1/4 c chopped fresh Italian parsley, stems removed
Salt

Place garlic and parsley in a food processor, and chop fine. Add garbanzo beans, salt, cumin and lemon juice and tahini, process until smooth. Use bean liquid to thin if necessary. Serve with baked tortillas, vegetables or toasted pita bread.

Crock Pot Chicken

4 bone-in chicken breast halves (remove skin)
1 1/2 c cubed potatoes
1 1/2 c baby carrots
1/2 med onion, coarsely chopped
1 pkg Chicken Gravy Mix
1/2 c water
1/2 t Thyme
1/8 t Ground Sage
1/2 t Salt
1/2 c non-fat sour cream

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Place potatoes, carrots and onion in slow cooker. Top with chicken, overlapping slightly. Mix the Gravy Mixes, thyme, sage and salt in small bowl. Pour mixture over chicken and vegetables. Cover. Cook for 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.

Place chicken and vegetables on platter or in large bowl. Whisk sour cream into drippings in pot; pour over chicken and vegetables.