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:

Start a new tradition this fall by serving this luscious no-bake pie made with layers of Neufchatel cheese and pumpkin pudding in a graham cracker crust.

Servings: 10

Ingredients:
4 ounces PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese
1 tablespoon cold fat free milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cups COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping
1 (6 ounce) ready-to-use reduced fat graham cracker crumb crust
1 cup cold fat free milk
1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin
2 pkg. (4 serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Fat Free Sugar Free Instant Reduced Calorie Pudding & Pie Filling
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:
2. Cooking Directions
Beat Neufchatel cheese, 1 Tbsp. milk and sugar in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in whipped topping. Spread onto bottom of crust.
Pour 1 cup milk into medium bowl. Add pumpkin, pudding mix and spices. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. (Mixture will be thick.) Spread over Neufchatel cheese layer.
Refrigerate 4 hours or until set. Garnish with additional whipped topping, if desired. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.

Submitted by:
Angie

Notes:
This is NOT a diet recipe! I am going to make fortune cookies for my girl’s birthday party favors, and I have never made a glaze before. I found this recipe, and it seems to be well-reviewed.

Servings: 24

Ingredients:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
10 drops food coloring

Directions:
Stir confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, and water together. Stir in food coloring if desired. This glaze must be stirred each time you use it. If it is not stirred before each use it will dry with a mottled look instead of a solid color.

Advice given by others was: add a few drops of flavor (vanilla, almond or coconut extracts). If milk is used it seems to taste batter, but turns out matte, not glossy. No putting cookies in the fridge after glazing! Ruins the shine. One reviewer suggesting adding more sugar to thicken it a bit more,others concurred. Advice: Add the water very slowly. If you use a flavoring or an exract, add that first, then the water. Be careful not to add to much liquid and make the frosting runny. Always apply to completely cold cookies. Dries overnight.

on glazing: Just dip the cookie face-down in this glaze and twist, place on a piece of waxed paper and let sit for a couple hours. Make another bowl of this glaze in a contrasting color, take a spoon and drizzle it over the cookie for a neat effect too.

Submitted by:
Leida

Notes:
yummy cream cheese veggie spread, great on celery and carrots

Servings: 1 tbsp/veg.

Ingredients:
1 8oz. block cream cheese softened
1 pkg. Lipton onion soup mix

Directions:
In med. size mixing bowl, mix ingredients well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Spread on veggies of choice. My favorite is celery and carrots. Also, good on brocolli. You could also add 1 more 8 oz. cream cheese, form into a ball, and cover it by rolling in topping nuts or crushed pecans. Serve with crackers.

Submitted by:
Rachel

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:
Great for sandwiches, a spread on any protein, in soup…. let the imagination go…. 

My boyfriend thought we were in a restaurant when I made this spread for our chicken sandwich. YUM.

 This is a pretty traditional recipe, but I just thought it needed some zing…. the lemony kind. 

Servings: 4-8

Ingredients:
1 cup stuffed of fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4-6 walnut halves
1-2 garlic cloves chopped
juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a mini food processor or blender (which I use) and blend until well mixed. Store extra in fridge in a glass jar or glass container.

Submitted by:
Jennifer

Notes:
Marinara sauces cost a fortune so I want to try to make my own ones. Here is a bunch of recipes I found! Obviously, using no calt ingredients will reduce salt!

Servings: 20

Ingredients:
Please, see below for each recipe

Directions:
Basic Homemade Marinara Sauce Recipe
1 can (28 oz) Italian Plum Tomatoes (Undrained)
3 Garlic Cloves (Minced)
1/4 cup Tomato Paste
1 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tsp Basil (Dry)
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
Place the olive oil in a large pan and warm to medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until garlic is slightly brown. Then, stir in the rest of the ingredients. Bring the sauce to a slow boil then reduce the heat to low. Let the marinara sauce simmer for about 10 minutes and you are done. Serve the sauce immediately or let it cool to room temperature and place it the refrigerator. You could also freeze this sauce for later use.

This homemade marinara sauce recipe takes very well to being reheated but you should let it warm back up to room temperature before doing so. You may need to add a little bit of water to the sauce to prevent it from becoming too thick.

This next homemade marinara recipe is for a basic crock pot marinara sauce. This recipe is probably the simplest to make of all the homemade marinara sauce recipes listed in this article. It requires a crock pot though and a lot of time to cook.

Basic Homemade Crock pot Marinara Sauce Recipe
2 cans (56 oz, total) Crushed Tomatoes
1 Medium Onion (Chopped, Fine)
1 Garlic Clove (Minced)
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 1/2 tsp Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Salt
Place the olive oil in a small frying pan and warm to medium heat. Add the garlic and onions, cook until onions are slightly tender. Place the crushed tomatoes in a crock pot and, using your hands, mash the tomatoes until the larger chucks are well crushed. If you would like for the marinara sauce to be very smooth. You can run the tomatoes through a blender before placing them in the crock pot.

Now, add the rest of ingredients to the crock pot and stir well. Place the lid on the crock pot can cook on low for about 6 hours. Then you can remove the lid and cook the marinara sauce on high for one additional hour. Be sure you stir the sauce occasionally. If the marinara sauce becomes a little too thick, simply add some water to it towards to end of cooking.

Our next homemade marinara sauce recipe is for a shrimp marinara sauce. This marinara sauce can be served hot or cold but is probably best served cold with hot shrimp fresh off the BBQ. It is also excellent with fried, breaded shrimp.

Homemade Shrimp Marinara Sauce Recipe
1 pound Miniature Shrimp (Shelled, Deveined)
1 can (15 oz) Tomato Sauce
1 can (6 oz) Tomato Paste
2 tbsp Fresh Parsley (Chopped)
1/2 tsp Oregano
1 Garlic Clove (Minced)
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Sugar
Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
Place the olive oil in a large pan and warm to medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until garlic is slightly brown. Add all the ingredients to the pan except for the shrimp. Bring the ingredients to a boil then reduce to low heat. Allow the marinara sauce to simmer for about ten minutes then add the shrimp.

Cook the marinara until the shrimp are tender. This will not take more than a couple of minutes if you are using fresh shrimp. If you are using frozen shrimp to make this marinara, you should expect it to take about about 10 minutes before the shrimp are tender. In either case, make sure you stir the marinara sauce often while it is cooking.

This last homemade marinara recipe is for a smoky mushroom marinara sauce. This marinara is very tasty and can be used to make great burgers. All the homemade marinara sauce recipes listed in this article are good with most types of meat, especially chicken, but this recipe is so good that it goes with just about anything and everything.

Homemade Smoky Mushroom Marinara Sauce Recipe
2 cans (56 oz, total) Roasted Italian Tomatoes (Crushed, Undrained)
2 cans (8 oz) Sliced Mushrooms
3 Garlic Cloves (Minced)
3 tbsp Fresh Basil (Chopped)
2 tbsp Fresh Parsley (Chopped)
2 tbsp Fresh Oregano (Chopped)
2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
Place the olive oil in a large pan and warm to medium heat. Add the garlic, mushrooms, basil, oregano and parsley and cook until garlic is slightly brown. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Reduce the heat to low and allow the marinara to simmer for about 10 minutes.

If you really like mushrooms, try adding an additional can or two of them. This is an especially good tip for when you are planning to use this marinara on burgers. You can also try adding half a teaspoon of thyme and a tablespoon of red wine to this recipe to add some extra flavor.

Submitted by:
Leida

Notes:
You know when you really want pizza but it’s kind of high-calorie? Well this version, made with phyllo (thin sheets you can stack to make a thin crust) is delicious, has veggies, and you can eat a quarter of it for the same number of calories as a regular slice of pizza. Yay!

Brought to you courtesy of Good Housekeeping Best Recipes: Vegetarian

Servings: 1/4 pizza

Ingredients:
6 sheets 17"x12" fresh or frozen phyllo
2 tbsp butter or margarine (I use a little less)
4 oz. soft, mild goat cheese
1 jar (6 oz.) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and cut in 1/4 in. pieces
1 and 1/2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes (red and yellow) each cut in half

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 F
2. Put sheet phyllo on ungreased cookie sheet and brush with some margarine or butter
3. Layer remaining sheets, brushing each one, but don't brush the top layer.
4. Crumble on cheese and add artichokes and tomatoes to top.
5. Bake until edges are golden-brown, about 12-15 mins.
6. Cut as desired

Nutrition Info (per 1/4 pizza): 245 cals, 8 g protein, 20 g carbs, 19 g fat, 29 mg cholesterol, 387 mg sodium

Happy Pizza!

Submitted by:
Kari

Notes:
Calories-134 to 168 (small or medium potato) per serving

Serving size-1 potato per person

This is a quick and easy recipe that my daughter loves.

Servings: 1+

Ingredients:
1 small or medium potato per person
seasoned salt, mrs. dash, cajun spice or any seasoning you like
pam cooking spray (i like the olive oil spray or butter flavor)

Directions:
slice each potato in to thick rounds.
lightly spray baking sheet with pam.
arrange potato rounds in single layer.
sprinkle with seasoning.
lightly spray tops of potatoes with pam.
bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until done.

Submitted by:
laurie

Notes:
A pasta-free, vegatarian lasagna that is flavorful and filling. You can freeze it if you like.

Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients:
Three cans of Tomato Sauce, two zucinni, two squash, one 16 oz container of ricotta(part-skim/lowfat), one 9 oz bag of mozzarella one 9 oz bag of Italian chesse, one cup of any type of mushrooms you like, one whole green pepper(diced), one whole red onion(diced), garlic powder, onion powder, italian seasoning and pizza seasoning.
Two to three eggs. (Three eggs give it a creamier texture and it makes it more plentiful.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 for 15 minutes.
Sautee onions, peppers and mushrooms in two tbls of olive oil. Add tomato sauce, two tbls of garlic powder, One tbl of onion powder, sprinkle italian seasoning and pizza seasoning to your liking, stir and let simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.
Pour one third of sauce into a 9 by 13 in baking dish or slightly smaller. (9 by 9 is too small).
Slice zucinni and squash (horzontal or vertical is fine either way.) Layer over top of sauce. Take one fourth cup of mozzarella and mix with ricotta and eggs. Spread half of the mixture over top of the zucinni and sqaush, then repeat the layer again. Top it all off with one one cup of mozzarella and one cup of Italian chesse and sprinkle with Parmesan. ( If you are a cheese lover, throw in one extra cup of cheese) Place in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes. It's Delicious!

Submitted by:
Jasmine