Notes:
Portabello Mushrooms are only about 30 calories each and have almost no carbs.  If you don’t go crazy with the cheese and toppings, you can keep these at 100 to 200 calories each and enjoy two for dinner with a salad.  They are filling too.

Servings: 2

Ingredients:
Portabello mushrooms
sugar free tomato sauce
low fat motz cheese
toppings of your choice such as onions, peppers, black olives, etc

Directions:
Simple! Just assemble the pizzas and place under the broiler until the cheese is melted. I personally don't like the taste of raw mushrooms, so I pre-cook mine either on the grill or in a skillet for about 5 minutes before I add the sauce and cheese. If you like raw mushrooms, you don't have to do this. These are really good when you are craving pizza or just need a change from the usual dinner. People on a gluten-free diet can enjoy these as well as vegetarians. Soy cheese can be used if you're vegan or allergic to dairy.

Submitted by:
LoriAnn

Notes:
This is a healthy chili.  You can eat a generous portion and stay in your calorie limits.

Servings: 12-one cup

Ingredients:
3 Cups chopped yellow onions
1.25 pounds of 99% lean ground turkey or turkey sausage
3 Cups diced tomatoes or 1 28 oz can, undrained
1.5 Cups cooked pinto beans or 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1.5 Cups cooked black beans or 1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 cup sliced black olives (if you want)
1/2 cup chopped scallions or chopped fresh cilantro (if you want)

Directions:
Coat a large saucepan or Dutch oven with a few sprays of olive oil cooing spray. Add the onions and cook over medium-high heat until they're soft and just starting to brown. Add the ground turkey or sausage and cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat with a spoon, for about 6 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, pinto and black beans, broth, garlic, chili powder, oregano, cumin, and mustard powder. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Garnish with the olives and scallions or cilantro.

Makes 12 servings Each serving is 1 Cup
150 Calories, 16g protein, 17 g carbohydrates (3 g sugars), 2 g fat (0 g saturated), 20 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 150 mg sodium

Submitted by:
Autumn

Notes:
The perfect recipe for baked chicken… Guaranteed to make your family drool!

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
(Can be doubled, etc depending on your family's needs)

1 whole frier chicken (We prefer the organic ones from Whole Foods) Pre cut chicken works great as well!
Extra virgin olive oil (If desired)
Spices as desired (Our favorites for this recpie are: Rosemary, Thyme, Sea Salt, Pepper, Cayanne, Paprika, Cumin, Garlic Powder, a dash of Nutmeg and a dash of Cinnamon)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Cut up chicken into quarters if working with whole chicken (You should end up with 2 breasts and two legs/thighs)
If using Olive Oil, spread thin layer over each chicken, already placed in baking pan
Sprinkle on desired spices
Cook about 1 hour, putting oven on Low Broil for the last 5-10 minutes to get a crispy skin! (Watch to prevent burning)

Submitted by:
Chelsea

Notes:
I absolutely love this recipe.. For those of you who have never eaten buffalo, what are you waiting for? We get our ground buffalo from the local Whole Foods and the flavor is amazing, not to mention it’s lower in fat than beef!  We make these burgers the same way we do our beef ones, but we use sesame seeds instead of breadcrumbs with the egg to get a perfect consistency and great flavor without the carbs of the breadcrumbs.

Servings: ~4

Ingredients:
(adjust to your family needs)

1lb ground buffalo (We prefer the grass fed variety from Whole Foods)
1 egg
Sesame seeds
Spices as desired (Sea Salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika are our favorites)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Mix buffalo, egg and breadcrumbs until desired consistency is reached
Seperate into chunks of preferred size and form into burgers
Sprinkle on spices
Cook for about 20 minutes or until desired preference

Submitted by:
Chelsea

Notes:
My favorite first cool-weather recipe to make while listening to the mournful blues of Billie Holiday. It’s a very healthy chili recipe I love…all the men in my life have loved it too, so it’s not just a weight-loss recipe!! Full of fiber and low in fat when you use just-enough extra-lean ground beef, or omit the meat all together because the beans will do if for ya if you’re a bean lover like me!!! This is really a satisfying meal, especially when the weather is getting cooler as it is now (damn it, why have you forsaken me summer breezes!!!). Don’t get too caught up in the measurements; just keep tasting till it’s perfect for you!!

Servings: 12

Ingredients:
1 TBS olive oil
1 pound very lean ground meat
1 yellow, orange or red bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 can petite diced tomatoes with jalapenos, or 1 can petite diced tomatoes + 1 can diced green chiles
2 cloves fresh garlic, finely diced
3 TBS tomato paste
1 can low sodium beef broth
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can cannellini or great northern beans
2 TBS chile powder
1 TBS ground cumin
couple pinches of ground cloves
couple pinches of cayenne pepper
several dashes of HOT paprika
several dashes of hot sauce (I like chipotle hot sauce)
around a tsp of brown sugar
around a tsp of salt
a little low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
a bit of fresh cilantro to garnish

optional SUPER-SECRET ingredients:

2 TBS balsamic vinegar
–or–
1 TBS peanut butter

Directions:
…You don't have to be exact on the ingredient amounts, add less or more to taste…
FIRST THINGS FIRST…Put some Billie Holiday on the old computer/CD player/MP3 player!!!
1) Brown ground meat in a skillet…easy peasy, you can sautee the onion, garlic and bell pepper in the olive oil right in the same pot you are going to cook your chili in while you are browning up your meat in the skillet. Drain the meat of excess fat and leave it chill for a minute while you work on you sauteed veggies.
2) Season the veggies with all your spices…cumin, chile powder, brown sugar, salt, cloves and paprika. Stir those newly-aromatic veggies around for a few minutes and breathe in the awesome smell!
3)Stir in the diced tomatoes (with juices), tomato paste, the hot sauce, and the beans…be sure to drain and rinse the beans first because this reduces the sodium and makes the chili super-healthy!! Stir in your cooked ground beef that's been so patiently waiting in the skillet.
4) Pour in enough low-sodium beef broth (you can also use water or veggie broth, if you are a vegetarian and omitting the meat) to cover everything. Give it a good stir and let that sucker come to a boil.
5) Reduce heat, cover, and let your pot-o-yumminess simmer on the stove…I like to leave it go for about an hour to an hour and a half, but it will be ready to go in about a half hour if you're pressed for time or the kids are screaming they're hungry. Your house will smell so good from this, you can kiss your glade plug-in good-bye!! (mmm…if only they made chili-scented Glade Plug-Ins…what a wonderful world it would be…)
6) If using the peanut butter add at the end of the simmering stage…if using the balsamic vinegar stir in after you've removed the pot from the heat, right before serving.
7) Garnish with the low-fat mozzarella cheese, and enjoy!!! You can also stir in some fresh cilantro, if that's your bag, baby!

Submitted by:
Jennifer

Notes:
I call this the compromise burger because it is not completely meatless, but not a greasy patty of beef, either. Equal portions of tofu and lean ground beef are used to create satisfying volume for half the caloric cost. I recommend eating this burger without the traditional bun–it’s very soft and fluffy, prone to fall apart easily, but is also chock full of flavor on its own. Great for when you want the satisfaction of a hamburger without giving in to your diet! It does require some Asian ingredients, but they can all be obtained at Wegmans (in the Asian aisle).

Servings: 4-5 patties

Ingredients:
300 grams lean ground beef
1 pack (about 300 grams) of soft tofu (you know, those big tubs of tofu you see?)
200 mL of Panko (bread crumbs, usually available in the Asian section)
1/2 a medium sized onion, finely chopped
1 egg
1/2 a bouillon cube (preferable vegetable, but any is fine)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:
1. Place the tofu in a large mixing bowl and begin mashing it up with a whisk. Continue until it's as close to a paste as you can get it.

2. Add the panko (bread crumbs) to the tofu and mix it up. Let the panko soak up the tofu's moisture. To give the panko time, start crushing the bouillon cube to a powdery state.

3. Add the ground beef, egg, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and bouillon powder to the tofu mix, and begin mixing it with your hand until well blended.

4. Finally, throw the onions in and mix it around lightly.

5. Split the mixture into about 4 or 5 patties. Rather than creating the traditional flat-squashed burger, make them more round and voluminous, so they don't break apart as easily.

6. Spread a small amount of your favorite oil (salad, olive) in a frypan and cook the burgers on high until both sides have a nice brown color. Don't worry about cooking them all the way through yet.

7. Once both sides are browned, add enough water to cover the bottom of the frypan (about 100mL for my pan), cover the pan and turn the heat down to medium.

8. After letting it steam for a couple minutes, take the cover off and check by breaking a small piece off of one of the hamburgers. If the whitish-pinkish color is consistent all the way through, then it is done. If not, then steam it longer.

9. Turn the heat back on high one last time and evaporate most of the water. You can put the hamburgers on a plate now~!

Submitted by:
Aisha

Notes:

Servings: 2

Ingredients:
1 tbsp of water
Half a can of crushed tomatoes, or one diced tomato
1 onion, chopped and diced
1 tspn of crushed garlic
1 cup of peas, lentils or 1/2 cup of chickpeas or corn
Herbs: basil, oregano, thyme…whatever you prefer or have
Seasoning: pepper, low sodium salt

Directions:
1. Place the water into a saucepan so that it covers the base of the pan. Put on low heat until the water is simmering.
2. Place the chopped onion into the hot water until it has softened and the colour becomes transluscent. (at this point the water may have evaporated if the heat is too high, if so, add a little extra water or tomato juice)
3. Chuck in the crushed garlic and stir.
4. Pour in the half can of crushed tomato/ diced tomato and seasoning to the pot, stirring to incorporate all the ingredients.
(if diced tomato was used instead of crushed canned tomato, pour in a cup of water or enough to fill half the pot and a tbspn of tomato paste)
5. Throw in your pulses (peas, corn, chickpeas, lentils…whatever) and stir
6. Let the sauce simmer (approx 15 mins) until thick and fragrant, tearing the herbs into the pot a minute before removing it from the heat.
6. Serve on a bed of wild or brown rice, or eat on its own as a soup. Et Voila!

Submitted by:
Sarah

Notes:
This is a delicious salad you can have as a side dish or entire meal plus the ingredients are always easy to find.

Servings: 4=6

Ingredients:
1 jar of Nopales (this is just sliced cactus in spanish find the jar with the least amount of ingredients)
1 bunch cilantro
lemon juice
salt
1 small white onion

Directions:
Empty jar of nopales in a strainer and rinse in cold water. Clean until the cactus has no more sludge and brine is washed away. Chop half of the cilantro and white onion into small pieces. In a bowl add nopales, cilantro, onion and toss. Add lemon juice and salt to taste. To make this recipe stretch give the nopales a few rough chops. Chill before serving at least an hour.

Submitted by:
Stefanie

Notes:
this is a tasty and filling side dish that will not add large amounts of calories or fat to your daily intake.  it has quite a bit of sodium, so if you are on a restricted salt diet, you might want to substitute water for most or all of the soy sauce.

nutritional info-per serving:  calories-36.3,  fat-0.5 g, cholesterol-0, sodium-214 mg, potassium-192 mg, carbohydrate-7.8 g, protein-1.5 g 

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
3 cups shredded green cabbage
1 cup sliced onion
pam cooking spray (i use either olive oil or butter flavored)
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp lite soy sauce

Directions:
spray skillet with pam. add all ingredients and simmer on med/med-low heat until desired tenderness is achieved. stir often and add small amounts of water if needed to keep moist.

Submitted by:
laurie

Notes:
when you want to watch your carb intake but still have great flavour!

Servings: 1

Ingredients:
-eggs
-milk
-sugar substitute (optional)
-cinnamon
-vanilla

Directions:
Mix in a bowl - eggs and milk, then add in 1 tsp vanilla, a pinch or two of cinnamon and sugar substitute (optional)

This mixture will be like french toast but without the bread, just pour mixture into heated pan and make like an omlette.

You can put jam, or SF syrup or maple syrup on top as you would with normal french toast!

Bon Appetit!

Submitted by:
Holly