Week of November 27, 2005

Food - Food - Food - It's Everywhere!

This is the hardest time of the year for most of us that do not have any willpower.
It seems like from Thanksgiving to New Years, everywhere we go there is food, food and more food.

So what does a caring and health minded hostess serve for holiday gatherings? For elegant and healthy canapés try stuffed vegetables as an alternative to other calorie laden appetizers. Make up low fat chicken, tuna, shrimp, crab or surimi salads or goat cheese and yogurt or feta and low fat cream cheese or low fat sour cream stuffing and let your imagination go. Garnish with chives and pimentos or get truly lavish with caviar.

Great veggies for stuffing are Belgium endive, celery, cucumbers, small plum or cherry tomatoes, small pimento peppers, cherry peppers, pepperoncini peppers, Anaheim peppers and miniature colored bell peppers. If your guests like spicy or hot things, you may also stuff jalapeno peppers.

The best part is, most of these appetizers can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to serve. Then you can enjoy your guests.

Shrimp Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes
Serves 16 Appetizers

2 pints cherry tomatoes
1/2 pound cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 - 8 ounce package light cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Cut the top off each cherry tomato, and with a small spoon scoop out the pulp. Place the tomatoes upside down on paper towels to drain excess juices.
In a food processor, mix the shrimp, cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, horseradish, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.

With a pastry bag, pipe the shrimp mixture into the cherry tomatoes or carefully spoon filling into. Garnish with parsley, and refrigerate until serving. To serve, line tray with parsley and nest the tomatoes among the foliage.

Per Serving: 69 Calories; 4g Fat (49.3% calories from fat); 2g Saturated Fat; 5g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 38mg Cholesterol; 156mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Week of November 20, 2005

GO NUTS!

Nuts have traditionally received a bad rap for their high-fat, and therefore high-calorie, content, especially from people watching their weight. But recent research reveals many reasons to include nuts in your diet—one of which is the very fat that made you avoid them!

It does not take many nuts to add crunch and that special nutty flavor to your favorite breads, salads or desserts.

Week of November 13, 2005

Turkey Giblet Stock for Gravy
This will give you a wonderfully full flavor low fat base for a great gravy.

Neck and giblets (do not include liver) from turkey
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 rib of celery, chopped coursely
1 carrot, peeled and chopped coursely
1 onion, peeled and cut into chunks
10 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon salt

Pat neck and giblets dry. Heat oil in a 3-quart heavy nonstick saucepan over moderately high heat just until oil begins to smoke. Brown neck and giblets, 10 to 15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered, until neck and giblets are extremely tender, about 3 hours. Pour stock through cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, reserving gizzard and heart for gravy if desired but discarding remaining solids.

If you have less than 4 cups, add water to make 4 cups. If you have more stock, boil, uncovered, in clean pot until reduced to 4 cups.

Cool completely, uncovered, then chill, covered, before skimming fat (it will be easier to remove when cool or cold).

COOKS NOTE: This stock can be made up to 2 to 3 days and stored chilled and covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Per Serving (1/4 cup serving including neckmeat and giblets): 57 Calories; 2g Fat (37.0% calories from fat); 1g Saturated Fat; 7g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 58mg Cholesterol; 69mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fat.

Per Serving (1/4 cup serving including neckmeat but no giblets): 37 Calories; 2g Fat (40.3% calories from fat); trace Saturated Fat; 4g Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 15mg Cholesterol; 55mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fat.

Week of November 06, 2005

Are you tired of the same old canned stuff? This Thanksgiving give your family a real treat and make up some homemade cranberry sauce. The great part is, you can make this up 2 days ahead and it will be ready and waiting for your meal.

Spicy Cranberry Sauce
Makes 1 1/2 cups sauce

12 - ounce bag of cranberries
1/2 cup honey
5 to 6 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar, or to taste*
2 - 3 inch cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water

Pick over berries and remove any bad cranberries and throw away. In a saucepan combine the cranberries, the honey, the brown sugar, the cinnamon sticks, the cloves (place in cheese cloth if desired), the nutmeg, orange juice, and water and simmer the mixture, covered, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cranberries have burst and the mixture is thickened. Remove cloves or cheesecloth with cloves from sauce.Transfer the sauce to a bowl and let it cool. The sauce may be made 2 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Serve the sauce at room temperature.

* If you like a tarter sauce, cut bacvk to 3 or 4 tablespoons of brown sugar.