Here are this past weeks' recipes that went over well in our house. Try them. They are all delicious!!

Risa's South of the Border Turkey and Rice
Serves 6
4 grams of fat per serving

2 cups raw rice
1-1/2 cups cooked turkey (preferably white meat)
1-2 teaspoons ground cumin
14 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
8 ounce can kernel corn, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon ground chipotle
1 cup shredded fat free cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 13x9 inch baking
dish lightly with vegetable oil cooking spray.

Cook the rice according to directions, leaving out any
margarine or butter called for. Set aside.

Coat the turkey with the cumin and rub it in a bit. Then
brown it a bit in a nonstick skillet. Set aside.

In same skillet, saute the peppers in a little vegetable
oil spray until soft. Add turkey and stir to combine. Stir
together the tomato sauce and ground chipotle in a small
bowl.

Mix together the corn and the cooked peppers in a small
bowl. Set aside.

Spoon the rice into the prepared baking dish. Layer the
remaining ingredients in this order: beans, corn and
peppers, turkey, tomato sauce mixture and cheese.

Bake uncovered for 25-35 minutes or until heated through.C
Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Note: If you wish a little more fat in the dish, shred
2 ounces of monterey jack cheese, full fat, and add to
the fat free cheddar cheese. This will add a bit more
of that real "telephone wire" thing that cheese does, if
you decide to serve this to guests.
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Grilled Vegetables with Vinaigrette
Adaptation of So Fat, Low Fat, No Fat Italian by Betty Rohde
Serves 6

1 medium eggplant
2 medium zucchini
2 medium yellow squash
2 medium red or green bell peppers

Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup light olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Italian dressing, your favorite

Remove a thin lengthwise slice from two opposite sides of
the unpeeled eggplant to facilitate even slicing. Cut the
eggplant lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices and soak
for 15-20 min. in salted water (2 tbsp. salt to 2 quarts
of water).

While the eggplant is soaking, prepare the remaining
vegetables: remove strips of skin on 2 sides of the
zucchini and yellow squash and slice the squash lengthwise
1/2 inch thick. Core and seed the peppers and cut into
1 inch wide pieces.

Make the vinaigrette: in a small bowl, combine the oil.
vinegar, and seasonings. Beat with a whisk until thickened.

Drain the eggplant and pat dry. Layer the eggplant,
squash, and peppers in a glass dish or deep non-aluminum
bowl. Pour the vinaigrette mixture over and let stand
for 30 minutes.

Prepare a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill; lightly
spray the grill rack with vegetable oil spray. Drain the
vegetables, reserving the vinaigrette. Working in batches,
grill the vegetables on both sides for about 8-15 min
(the eggplant will take longest), until fork tender.
As the vegetables are done, return them to the dish and turn
to coat again in the vinaigrette. Or cut the vegetables
into bite-size pieces and toss in the sauce. Serve at
room temperature.
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Simmered Lentils with Vegetables and Herbs
Adapted from Fresh & Fast by Marie Simmons
Serves 6

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup carrot, diced
1/2 cup parsnip, diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced*
1 16-ounce bag lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 teaspoon each fresh rosemary and thyme or 1/2 tsp.
dried each
2 cups chicken broth, low salt
2 cups water
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/2 cup scallions, sliced green tops
2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar**
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the oil, carrot, parsnip, bell pepper in a large
deep skillet or a wide saucepan. Cook, stirring, over medium
low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 8 min.

Add the lentils and dried herbs, i fusing (add the fresh
herbs later) stir to blend. Add the broth and water and
heat to boiling. Cover and cook until the lentils are tender,
20-30 minutes. Uncover and cook over high heat to
evaporate any excess liquid in the bottom of the pan,
about 2 min.

Chop the parsley and the fresh herbs together, if using.
Add the herbs and the scallions to the cooked lentils
and vegetables. Serason with the vinegar, salt and
pepper and serve.

* You can use any color pepper. I used white peppers because
that is what my husband brought home from a farm stand
that day.

** I used tarragon vinegar because that is what I had. It
didn't seem to change the flavor too much. Just added to
the herb-y taste that the dish had.
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Oven-Baked Polenta with Parmesan and Mozzarella Cheese
Adapted from Fresh & Fast by Marie Simmons
Serves 4, with leftovers

I cut the recipe in half because we didn't need that many
leftovers and only 2 of us were eating it. I also made this
less fattening by using some fat free mozzarella instead of
all the full fat mozzarella she uses. I also used less oil
to saute the onion in.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
5 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup half and half or milk, warmed
4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound mozzarella, coarsely shredded (about 2 c.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a shallow
2 quart baking dish.*

Heat the butter or oil in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the
onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add 2-1/2
cups of the broth; heat to boiling.

Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 2-1/2 cups broth into
the cornmeal, and stir to blend (this prevents lumps.)

Slowly stir the cornmeal mixture into the boiling broth.
Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until
the mixture begins to boil (protect your hands from
splattering cornmeal with a towel or pot holder.) Reduce
the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently,
until the cornmeal is very thick, about 15 minutes.

Gradually stir in the half and half or milk; add 2
tablespoons of the parmesan and the salt. Remove from
the heat. Spoon half of the polenta into the prepared
pan. Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella and 1 tablespoon
of the parmesan. Spread with the remaining polenta and
top with the remaining mozzarella and remaining 1 tbsp.
parmesan.

Bake until the edges brown and the cheeses are melted
and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes
or more before serving.

* Note: For even lower fat content, spray the baking
dish with some PAM or other spray. I used olive oil
spray for a little nicer flavor too.

Also, I didn't heat the milk before adding it to the polenta.
It was fine without heating.
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Smothered Spinach
From Fresh & Fast by Marie Simmons
Serves 4

2 pounds (or two 10 ounce bags) fresh spinach,
stems trimmed and washed and rinsed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 garlic clove, crushed
salt and pepper

Place a collapsible vegetable steaming rack in a large,
wide saucepan filled with about 1 inch of water. Heat the
water to boiling. Stack the spinach on top of the steamer
rack, cover and set the timer for 3 minutes. The spinach
should be wilted and limp. Carefully lift the rack from
the pan with a mitted hand. Discard the water and wipe
the pan dry.

Add the oil and garlic to the pan, and heat over low heat
just until the garlic begins to sizzle, about 1 min. Remove
the pan from the heat. Add the spinach all at once, and
sprinkle with salt and a little pepper. Stir to blend
and serve immediately.

Notes: There was too much spinach for my collapsible
steamer rack so I did it in two batches.

Also, I stirred the wilted spinach into the garlic oil
and replaced the garlic before serving. I figure why
waste the garlic. It is good for you and we love it!!!