EASY ZUCCHINI PARMESAN

Easy Zucchini Parmesan 

This quick and healthy snack tastes like a gormet side-dish, but just takes minutes to prepare! And as a bonus, it's an easy way to get the kids to eat their vegetables.

INGREDIENTS
Zucchini, 1 cup, sliced
Parmesan Cheese, grated, 1 tbsp
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, Original Buttery Spray, 10 sprays
Non-stick cooking spray

DIRECTIONS
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, then coat with some non-stick cooking spray. Place the zucchini slices out on the pan, then spritz with them with the butter spray. Sprinkle on the parmesan cheese and then pop it in the oven. Broil for a few minutes - until the cheese starts to brown. Enjoy it while it's warm!

Make a larger batch for a delicious and healthy side dish for any meal! Your family will love it!

Number of Servings: 1

Nutritional Info

Amount Per Serving:

Calories: 51.6

Total Fat:	1.6g
Total Carbs:	7.3g
Dietary Fiber:	2.5mg
Protein:	3.2g

COLD CUCUMBER SOUP

Cold Cucumber Soup

A creamy and refreshing cucumber soup.

Ingredients 1 medium garlic cloves , peeled 2 medium cucumber , peeled, seeded, and sliced 2 cup low sodium chicken broth 8 oz plain yogurt 1 cup sour cream 2 tbsp distilled white vinegar 1 pinch black pepper , to taste 1 oz canned pimientos, sliced , 2 tbsp 2 fresh green onions , chopped 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions 1 In blender, purée garlic, cucumbers, and 1/4 cup broth. 2 Add remaining broth, yogurt, sour cream, and vinegar, blend quickly. 3 Pour into serving bowl, season with pepper. 4 Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Serve topped with pimiento, green onions, and almonds. Nutrition Facts Makes 6 servings Amount Per Serving Calories 127.2 Total Carbs 7.5 g Dietary Fiber 1.3 g Sugars 5.6 g Total Fat 7.1 g Saturated Fat 4.6 g Unsaturated Fat 2.5 g Potassium 230.1 mg Protein 6.2 g Sodium 236.7 mg Dietary Exchanges 1 1/2 Fat, 1/2 Vegetable

Red Clam Sauce over Spaghetti Squash 

Preparation time: 10 min	Servings: 4
Cooking time: 40 min

Ingredients:

4 cups spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

2 cups canned red clam sauce

Cooking Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Halve squash lengthwise and discard seeds. 

Place squash, cut side down, in a baking dish. 

Add .5 in. of water.  

Bake 40-45 minutes, or until squash is tender. 

Remove squash from water and cool. 

Microwave Directions: Place squash, cut side down, in a baking dish and add 1/4 cup water. 

Cover the dish with heavy-duty plastic wrap and make vent holes.  

Microwave at HIGH 15 minutes, or about 5 minutes per 1 lb, until squash is tender. 

Remove the spaghetti-like strands by scraping squash with a fork. 

Heat red clam sauce in a heavy non-reactive saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until heated throughout. 

Set aside and keep warm. 

Serve over cooked spaghetti squash. 

Nutrition Facts

Calories 89

% Calories From Fat 8.3%

Total Fat 0.8g

Saturated Fats 0.1g

Mono-unsaturated Fats 0g

Poly-unsaturated Fats 0.2g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 450mg

Total Carbohydrates 20g

Dietary Fiber 0.5g

Sugar 4g

Protein 1.4g

Cheesy Bruschetta

Ingredients

1 large ripe tomato, seeded, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 slices sourdough bread
4 Kraft 2% Milk Mozzarella Singles

Cooking Instructions

Mix tomato, garlic, oil, basil, salt and pepper.
Make-Ahead: Tomato mixture can be made a day ahead.
Store covered in the refrigerator.
Place bread on cookie sheet.
Broil 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly toasted.
Spoon tomato mixture on toasted bread; top with 2% Milk Singles.
Broil 2 to 3 minutes or until 2% Milk Singles begin to melt.
Cut into quarters.

Servings Per Recipe: 16

• Calories 40
• Calories From Fat 18
• Total Fat 2 g
• Saturated Fat 0 g
• Cholesterol 5 mg
• Sodium 95 mg
• Total Carbohydrate 4 g
• Dietary Fiber 0 g
• Sugars 1 g
• Protein 2 g  
• Diabetic Exchanges: 
• 1/2 Starch

Cucumber Pate

Ingredients

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 onion, cut into wedges
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 pkg. unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup boiling water
1 pkg. assorted crackers
1/4 cup cold water

Cooking Instructions

Spray a 5-cup mold or a 1-1/2 quart mixing bowl with nonstick cooking spray.
In a food processor, coarsely chop the cucumber, green pepper, celery, and onion.
Remove the vegetables from the food processor and set aside.
Combine the cottage cheese and mayonnaise in the food processor and blend until smooth.
In a medium bowl, dissolve the gelatin in boiling water; slowly stir in the cold water.
Add the chopped vegetables and cottage cheese mixture and mix thoroughly.
Pour the mixture into the prepared mold and refrigerate overnight or until firm.

To serve, carefully invert mold onto serving plate and remove the mold.
Surround the pate with assorted crackers.

Serves 12.

• Calories 61
• Calories From Fat 32
• Total Fat 4 g
• Saturated Fat 1 g
• Cholesterol 6 mg
• Sodium 146 mg
• Total Carbohydrate 4 g
• Dietary Fiber 1 g
• Sugars 3 g
• Protein 4 g 
• Diabetic Exchanges: 
• 1 Vegetable
• 1 Fat

CHEESY GRILLED BANANA PEPPERS

Cheesy Grilled Banana Peppers

This sophisticated version of poppers uses mild banana peppers, creamy Gouda cheese, a bit of bacon for a smoky richness, and tomatoes to offer a bit of freshness. Serve these as an appetizer or unexpected side dish at your next barbecue!

INGREDIENTS
4 banana peppers, fresh
2 slices bacon
1 red or yellow tomato, diced
3 oz smoked Gouda cheese, diced
1 T parsley or cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup panko* (Japanese breadcrumbs)

*You can substitute whatever breadcrumbs you have on hand.

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the grill to medium heat. Wash and cut the stems off the peppers. Using a fork or vegetable peeler, scoop out the seeds. Cook bacon until brown but not crisp; drain and crumble. Combine all remaining ingredients and stuff them into the peppers. Wrap each pepper in a piece of aluminum foil, taking care to cover the tops tightly. Place foil packets on the grill so they stand upright, keeping the filling inside the peppers. Cook with grill lid closed for 10 minutes.

Number of Servings: 4

Nutritional Info

Amount Per Serving:

Calories: 140.7

Total Fat:	7.8g
Total Carbs:	10.4g
Dietary Fiber:	2.2mg
Protein:	8.1g

BAKED CHICKEN & SUN DREID TOMATOES

Baked Chicken with Garlic and Sun Dried Tomatoes 

INGREDIENTS
1 lb chicken breasts, boneless, cut into 4 oz portions
1 oz vegetable or olive oil
20 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 medium yellow or white onion, cut in half root to tip then sliced thin
1/2 c sun dried tomatoes, chopped, (not packed in oil)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2-3/4 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon dried oregano
white pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Rinse the chicken under cold running water and pat dry. Crush two of the 20 garlic cloves.

Place an ovenproof skillet over moderate heat. Once warm add oil. Once oil is hot, add crushed garlic to pan then place chicken in the pan on top of the garlic. Toss in remaining garlic cloves.

Cook chicken for about 8 minutes or until it will release itself easily from the pan then flip to cook the other side. Continue to cook for 4 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the skillet. Set aside.

Place onions and tomatoes over the caramelized garlic. Allow the onions and tomatoes to sweat in the pan for 3-4 minutes. Reduce heat and add wine. With a spoon stir the pan to remove the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. This deglazing technique will remove the flavor stuck to the bottom of the pan and release it to the vegetables.

Add chicken back to the skillet. Add stock just until the liquid level reaches halfway up the sides of the chicken. Add oregano and pepper to taste. Cover with tight fitting lid and place in oven. Bake 30 minutes.



Pantry Note:
You can substitute Frieda's Tomato Toss, which is a mixture of tomato slivers, mushrooms, garlic, onion, spinach, celery, bell pepper and spices, for the sun-dried tomatoes. Use kitchen shears to cut the sun-dried tomatoes.

If you purchase stock it usually does not contain salt. Broth does contain salt. If you choose stock you may want to add 1/4 teaspoon of salt with the herbs and spices.

Wondra, a superfine flour, is a great pantry item. It is a sauce thickener. If you would prefer a sauce with the dish; remove the meat and vegetables from the skillet. Combine 1 tablespoon of Wondra with 2 tablespoons of water. Whisk mixture into skillet over heat. Whisk until sauce thickens.


Number of Servings: 4

Nutritional Info

Amount Per Serving:

Calories: 256.5

Total Fat:	8.9g
Total Carbs:	12.5g
Dietary Fiber:	1.8mg
Protein:	29.2g