Pizza Dough for 12-inch pizza

1 oz. vegetable oil (to brush on dough)

1/4 tsp. garlic, granulated

1 tsp. basil, dried

1 tsp. oregano, dried

1 1/2 cups zucchini, coarsely shredded

2 large tomatoes, sliced thin

3/4 cup chicken, diced

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, low-fat, shredded

2 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Place dough to fit 12 inch pan. Brush dough with oil and sprinkle granulated garlic evenly on dough.

Lay on sliced tomato. Scatter zucchini evenly on dough. Scatter chicken evenly on dough.

Combine basil and oregano in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly across dough.

Combine Parmesan and mozzarella in a medium-sized bowl and sprinkle across dough.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until the dough is done and the cheese has melted. Turn halfway through cook time. Check often.

–This recipe, from Hillcrest Elementary School, was one of the first-place winners in the Love Your Veggies contest held last spring. The contest was inspired by an idea from Winter Park Health Foundation trustee Tom Holley and coordinated through the Orange County Public Schools Food Services office.

Refrigerated butter-flavored cooking spray

6 oz. whole wheat medium shells, elbow macaroni or other small pasta

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

3/4 cup evaporated skim milk

6 ounces low-fat sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 1/4 cups)

2 to 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Freshly ground white pepper

2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced

Directions:

Coat an eight-inch square baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain, and set aside.

Preheat the broiler.

In a saucepan, stir the cornstarch into 1 tablespoon of evaporated milk, then whisk in the remaining milk. Add the cheese, mustard to taste and pepper. Bring to a simmer and stir until the sauce thickens a bit and the cheese is completely melted. Stir in the cooked pasta and spoon into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the diced tomatoes and place under the broiler for 2 to three minutes, until the top browns. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for five minutes before serving.

Makes four servings. Per serving, 290 calories; 7 g. total fat; 4 g. saturated fat; 20 g. protein; 42 g. total carbohydrate; 6 g. dietary fiber; 20 mg. cholesterol; 330 mg. sodium and 387 mg. potassium.

–From the Cleveland Clinic Healthy Heart Lifestyle Guide and Cookbook, featured in B.Well, A Cleveland Clinic Publication.

Canola oil cooking spray

4 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into thin slices or bite-size pieces

1/2 cup raisins

3 Tbsp. apple juice

1/4 cup whole-wheat flour

1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Combine apples, raisins and apple juice in bowl; toss well. Transfer apple mixture to baking dish.

In another bowl, combine flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

With pastry blender or knife and fork, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Sprinkle the mixture evenly over surface of apples.

Lightly coat top with cooking spray. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes more or until apples are tender. Remove from oven and let stand on wire rack at least 20 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes six servings. Per serving, 170 calories, 2.5 g. fat, 39 g. carbohydrate, 2 g. protein, 4 g. dietary fiber, 10 mg. sodium.

–The American Institute for Cancer Research

3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon light molasses

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

4 trout fillets, each five ounces

Directions:

Preheat the broiler (grill). Position the rack four inches from the heat source.

Arrange tomatoes cut side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment (baking) paper. Broil (grill) until the skins wrinkle and begin to brown, about five minutes. Set aside and leave the broiler on.

In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until soft and translucent, about four minutes. Add the vinegar and molasses and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until slightly reduced, about two minutes. Add the broiled tomatoes, lemon zest, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Stir to combine. Remove from the heat, set aside and keep warm.

Lightly coat a broiler pan with olive oil cooking spray. Sprinkle the thyme and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt over the fillets and place on the prepared pan. Broil (grill) until the fish is opaque throughout when tested with the tip of a knife, about five minutes. Transfer to warmed individual plates and serve topped with the warm tomato relish.

Serves 4. Per serving: calories–259, cholesterol–84 mg., protein–31 g., sodium–359 mg., carbohydrate–10 g., fiber–2 g., total fat–10 g., saturated fat–3 g., potassium–863mg. and calcium–108 mg.

–From MayoClinic.com

1 jar (12 oz.) roasted red peppers, rinsed and drained

1 can (15 oz.) white beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup tomato paste, preferably reduced sodium

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 Tbsp. lowfat mayonnaise

1 tsp. dry oregano

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. ground chili powder or pinch cayenne pepper

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Coarsely chop peppers. Place in food processor or blender and puree. Add beans, tomato paste, garlic, mayonnaise, oregano, cumin and chili powder or cayenne. Process to smooth puree. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand one hour before serving. Keeps up to three days, tightly covered and refrigerated. Makes 2 1/4 cups.

Per two tablespoon serving: 32 calories, <1 g. total fat, 6 g. carbohydrate, 1 g. protein, 1 g. dietary fiber, 120 mg sodium.

–From the American Institute for Cancer Research

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

Canola oil spray

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/3 cup canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup raisins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet with canola oil spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the syrup, oil and vanilla extract. Add the liquid mixture to the oat mixture, stirring well until the oats are coated.

Spread the mixture across the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and sprinkle the granola with the raisins. Using a large spatula, mix the raisins and granola well, breaking up any large pieces. Return it to the oven and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes. 

Allow the granola to cool completely. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freeze some for later use.

Makes 10 servings. Per serving: 250 calories, 8 g. total fat (<1 g. saturated fat), 42 g. carbohydrate, 5 g. protein, 4 g. dietary fiber, 35 mg. sodium.

–From the American Institute for Cancer Research

Cooking spray

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)

1/2 cup salsa of your choice

4 (9-inch) whole-wheat tortillas

12 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded

1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup chopped scallions

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a shallow baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the beans, chili powder, cumin, jalapeno and 1/4 cup of the salsa. Mash the ingredients with a fork until blended.

Spoon the mixture onto the center of each tortilla. Divide the chicken evenly among the four tortillas and place over the bean mixture. Roll each tortilla, fold in the ends and place side-by-side in the bottom of prepared pan. Top each rolled tortilla with the remaining salsa, cheese and scallions.

Cover the pan with foil and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes, until the cheese is golden. Serve immediately.

Makes four servings. Per serving, 390 calories, 9 g. total fat (2 g. saturated fat), 35 g. carbohydrate, 38 g. protein, 6 g. dietary fiber, 510 mg. sodium.

–From the American Institute for Cancer Research

3 skinless, bone-in chicken breast halves, each 6 ounces

3 skinless, bone-in chicken legs with thigh pieces, each 8 ounces

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced, or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup orange juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Lightly coat a baking pan with cooking spray.

Rub each piece of chicken with garlic. Dab fingers in oil and rub with oil and sprinkle with rosemary and pepper. Place chicken pieces in the baking dish. Pour the orange juice over the chicken. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Using tongs, turn the chicken and return to the oven until browned, about 10 to 15 minutes longer. Baste the chicken with the orange juice from the pan as needed to prevent it from drying out.

Transfer the chicken to individual serving plates. Spoon orange juice from the pan over the top of the chicken and serve immediately.

Serves 6. Per serving, 170 calories; 25 g. protein; 76 mg. cholesterol; 70 mg. sodium; 6 g. total fat; 1.5 g. saturated fat; 16 mg. calcium.

–From the Mayo Clinic’s Housecall email newsletter

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