Grilled Fruit with Strawberry Dip

Ingredients:

8 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese

2 Tbsp. plain, non-fat yogurt

1/4 tsp. dried, ground ginger

8 strawberries, halved

4 peaches, halved or quartered

8 chunks pineapple

4 plums, nectarines, or papayas, halved

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. granulated sugar

Directions:

In a blender, puree cheese, strawberries, yogurt and ginger together until smooth. Refrigerate the dip for 2 hours before grilling fruit.

When ready to grill fruit, thread pieces of prepared fruit onto eight skewers. Mix together vinegar and sugar. Grill fruit until lightly browned, turning frequently and brushing with vinegar mixture during grilling.

Serve grilled fruit with sauce on side.

Makes 8 servings. Per serving: 102 calories, 2 g. total fat, 18 g. carbohydrate, 4 g. protein, 2 g. dietary fiber, 40 mg. sodium.

–From the American Institute for Cancer Research

Grilled Veggie Sandwiches

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. balsamic or red wine vinegar

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 small eggplant sliced into thin rounds

1 zucchini, sliced thin

1 yellow summer squash, sliced thin

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin

1 small red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2 -inch slices

Cooking spray

1/4 cup plain, nonfat yogurt

2 Tbsp. reduced-fat mayonnaise

1 tsp. lemon juice

8 slices whole-grain sandwich bread

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Mix the vinegar, oil and 1/4 cup basil in large bowl. Add the vegetables and toss to coat. Let the vegetables sit in the marinade for several minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a grill or preheat your oven’s broiler. Lightly spray a grilling pan with cooking spray and add the marinated vegetables. Grill or broil until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned, turning frequently to brown all sides and avoid charring.

Transfer the vegetables to a plate and set aside to cool. Vegetables may be grilled in advance and refrigerated, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days. Bring the chilled vegetables to room temperature before assembling sandwiches.

Make the spread by mixing together the yogurt, mayonnaise, remaining basil and lemon juice. Mix together until well combined and smooth.

To assemble the sandwiches, spread the yogurt mixture on one side of four slices of bread. Next, divide the vegetable mix evenly between each. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and top each sandwich with remaining slices of bread. Slice and serve.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 250 calories, 7 g. total fat, 42 g. carbohydrates, 9 g. protein, 10 g. dietary fiber, 390 mg. sodium.

–From the American Institute for Cancer Research

Santa Fe Sunset Dip

Ingredients:

3 oz. sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)

2 (7 oz.) jars roasted red peppers, drained

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp. ground cumin, or to taste

1tsp. fresh lemon juice, or to taste

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup scallion, chopped

4 oz. reduced-fat Neufchatel cream cheese, softened

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Dash of Tabasco or hot chili pepper sauce (optional)

Directions:

Soak sun-dried tomatoes in hot water (enough to cover) for about 5 minutes. Drain well, reserving 3 tablespoons of the soaking liquid.

In a food processor, puree red peppers, drained sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, cumin, lemon juice, cilantro and scallion until smooth.

Add the cream cheese and puree again, adding enough of the reserved liquid to thin the dip to the desired consistency. Blend until smooth. Add the black pepper and hot sauce, if using, to taste.

Transfer the dip to a covered container and refrigerate up to 24 hours before serving. Serve with assorted cut vegetables or whole-wheat pita bread.

Makes 8 servings (2 Tbsp. each) Per serving: 80 calories, 3 g. total fat (1.5 g. saturated fat), 10 g. carbohydrates, 4 g. protein, 2 g. dietary fiber and 380 mg. sodium.

From the American Institute for Cancer Research

Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2 pints cherry tomatoes

4 tsp. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1/4 cup basil, thinly sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 F. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and place in baking pan. Cook in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes until tomatoes start to split.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving–75 calories, 5 g. fat, 7 g. carbohydrate and 2 g. protein.

–From the Duke Health website-www.dukehealth.org

New Orleans Style Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients:

2 tsp. olive oil

1/2 large onion, chopped

1/2 red or green bell pepper, diced

1 small stalk of celery, diced

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp. dried thyme, crumbled

1 Tbsp. paprika

1/2 Tbsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 cups canned red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 cups fat free, reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 cups brown rice

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and celery and saute for 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme and spices and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 2-3 minutes. Add the beans and broth. Simmer gently, uncovered, over low heat until the beans are creamy, 15 to 20 minutes (make sure not to overcook them). Serve the beans over brown rice.

Option: vegetarians can substitute the chicken broth with vegetable broth, or for a richer flavor try reduced-sodium tomato sauce.

Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 170 calories, 2.5 g total fat, 29 g carbohydrate, 6 g protein, 5 g dietary fiber and 140 mg sodium.

From the American Institute for Cancer Research