Please let me know what you think of this new recipe. It came out incredibly well for us but of course testing in others’ kitchens is key. Thanks!

New England Light and Creamy Clam Chowder

Prep + Cook = 30 minutes

4 servings

I’ve always had a weakness for creamy clam chowder but the creaminess also meant lots of fat and calories—until I created this new, absolutely delectable low fat version!  Serve it with oyster cracker and crispy snow peas.

2 slices turkey bacon, chopped

1 tsp. butter

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

½ tsp. minced garlic (about 1 clove)

1 tsp. Italian seasoning blend

1 Tbsp. flour

1 can (6.5 oz.) chopped clams

8 oz. bottled clam juice

1 ½ cups canned evaporated nonfat milk

2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the bacon, onions, garlic and Italian seasoning until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, drain the clams, reserving the juice, and set them aside. 

Stir the flour into the saucepan, then add the bottled and reserved clam juices, and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the milk and potatoes to the pot. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the clams and corn and heat the soup back to serving temperature (but don’t let it boil!), and serve it immediately.

Scramble Flavor Booster: Season the soup with ¼ tsp. white or black pepper.

Crunchy Tacos

Prep + Cook = 20 minutes

4 servings (or 6?)

Who doesn’t love crispy tacos, even though they are practically designed to fall apart at first bite?  If the crumbling gets to you, make soft tacos or crumble up the shells or use tortilla chips and make taco salad instead.  In my version, I use lower fat (and less greasy) turkey instead of ground beef, and make my own seasoning blend to flavor the meat.  Serve it with a green salad with chopped tomatoes and cucumbers.

1 lb. ground turkey

1 Tbsp. chili powder

¼ tsp. salt, or more to taste

2 Tbsp. salsa, plus extra for serving

12 taco shells (or use whole wheat or white flour tortillas)

½ head iceberg lettuce, thinly shredded

1 ½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  In a nonstick skillet, brown the turkey over medium heat, mixing in the chili powder, salt and salsa as the meat starts to cook, and breaking the turkey with a spatula into small pieces as it browns, 8 – 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the lettuce, cheese and extra salsa in serving bowls.  When the meat is nearly done, put the taco shells on a baking sheet, overlapping them a little bit, and heat them for about 2 minutes until they are warm (this makes them extra crispy).  Serve the tacos immediately, letting family members layer the fillings to their own tastes.  (We like to add the meat, then cheese, then lettuce, and finally drizzle salsa over everything.) 

Spiced Chicken Soft Tacos

Prep + Cook = 30 minutes

6 servings

These tacos are melt in your mouth delicious, although the can be a little messy to eat.  They can also be served over rice instead of inside tortillas, if you prefer a neater feast.  Serve them with a Caesar salad. 

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped

1 ½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half crosswise (the short way)

12 oz. salsa or picante sauce

½ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth or water

½ tsp. cumin

½ tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. honey

1 avocado, peeled and diced

12 corn tortillas

In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the chicken, and cook for about 2 minutes per side until the outsides start to brown.  Pour the salsa, broth or water, spices and honey over the chicken, stir to combine, and simmer it for 8 to 10 minutes, partially covered, flipping the chicken once or twice.  When the chicken is just cooked through, remove it from the sauce, and using two forks, pull it apart to shred it into bite size strips.  Return the chicken to the sauce to warm it. 

Heat the tortillas by wrapping them in a clean damp dishtowel and warming them in the microwave for about 1 minute until they are warm and soft.  Serve the chicken inside the tortillas, topped with the avocado, if desired. 

Tip:  when measuring honey, spray the spoon first with nonstick cooking spray so the honey doesn’t stick to the spoon. 

Prep (25 minutes) +  Cook (40 minutes)
10 side dish servings

 I spotted this recipe on the POM Wonderful web site a few years ago, and tinkered with it a bit to make it healthier-it’s heavenly on the Thanksgiving table.  You can make the stuffing up to a day ahead and heat it in the oven before dinner. 

 1 pomegranate
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1 cup dried cranberries
2 - 3 stalks celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 - 4 scallions, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
12 oz. cornbread stuffing mix
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
20 oz. reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

To remove the pomegranate seeds from the fruit, deeply score the pomegranate and place it in a bowl of water.  Break it open underwater to free the seeds (also called arils).  Keep breaking and freeing seeds until they’re released from the pomegranate’s skin.  Remove the white membranes that are floating in the water and drain the seeds.  Reserve 1 cup of seeds and refrigerate the remainder for another use (or, if you’re like me, eat them immediately).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a large round casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. 

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Sauté the apricots, cranberries, celery, and scallions for about 5 minutes until softened.  Remove them from the heat.

Place the stuffing mix in a large bowl; add the apricot mixture, pomegranate seeds, melted butter, egg, and broth, and mix well.  Smooth the stuffing mixture into the casserole and cover it with foil.  Bake it for 25 minutes, remove the foil, and return it to the oven for 15 more minutes or until the stuffing is golden brown. 

Nutritional Information per serving(% based upon daily values):
190 calories, 6 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 32 g carbohydrate, 62 mg cholesterol, 332 mg sodium, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein

This fabulous recipe, created by my friend (and co-author of my first cookbook), Lisa Flaxman, is a guaranteed winner-it won second prize in Parenting magazine’s Recipes 2000 Contest.  This can provide a lovely start to the Thanksgiving feast.

 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into medium chunks
1 firm apple, such as Gala or Jonagold, peeled, cored and quartered
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
2 whole cloves garlic, peeled
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste (optional)
3 - 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
3/4 cup nonfat sour cream for serving (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Put the sweet potatoes, apples, onions and garlic in a roasting pan.  Toss them with the oil and a few shakes of salt and pepper (optional).  Roast, tossing every 10 minutes, until they are soft, about 30 minutes. (Meanwhile, prepare the Zucchini Fritters, if you are serving them.)

Puree the vegetable/apple mixture in a blender or food processor (or in the pot using an immersion blender), adding just enough broth to cover it.  Add more broth to the blender until the soup reaches the desired consistency, so it is smooth and not too thick.  If you are using a blender, you will probably need to puree the soup in two batches. 

Warm the soup over low heat in a stockpot until ready to serve, or refrigerate it for up to 1 day or freeze it for up to 3 months.  Stir in sour cream at the table for a creamier taste, if desired.

Scramble Flavor Booster:  Add 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. ground ginger or 1 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger to the roasted vegetables before blending, or 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. ground chipotle chili pepper for a spicy bite.

Nutritional Information per serving (% based upon daily values):
Calories 120, Total Fat 5g, 8%, Saturated Fat 0g, 0%, Cholesterol 0mg, 0%, Sodium 310mg, 13%, Total Carbohydrate 16g, 5%, Dietary Fiber 2g, 9%, Protein 2g, Sugar 9g

Prep (20 minutes +) + Cook (2 hours)

8 servings 

This wonderful side dish has graced my family’s Thanksgiving table for as long as I can remember, and everybody seems to want the recipe-so here it is!  The sweet potatoes don’t need to be tended to while boiling, so you can cook them any time during the day, and you can make the filling up to a day in advance.  This pie can be part of a weeknight meal with cornbread and a rotisserie chicken.     

3 Tbsp. butter
3 medium sweet potatoes
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp. nutmeg or cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup nonfat or low fat milk
1 prepared pie crust, or make your own (see directions below) 

Remove the butter from the refrigerator to soften it.  In a medium pot, bring enough water to cover the potatoes to a boil.  Meanwhile, peel and cut the potatoes into large cubes, and add them to the heating water and boil for 15 - 20 minutes until they are fork tender.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  

Drain the potatoes thoroughly and put them in a large bowl (alternatively, use an electric mixer). Mash the sweet potatoes with the butter and all the remaining ingredients except the crust.  Whip the mixture until it is mostly smooth.  (At this point, you can refrigerate the filling for up to 48 hours).  Spoon the sweet potatoes into the crust and bake it for an hour (or up to 1 1/2 hours if you like a browner top).  Let it cool for 10 minutes before serving it.

 To make your own 20 minute pie crust:  Combine 1 cup of flour and 1/2 tsp. salt in a bowl.  With two forks, cut 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. butter or Crisco into the flour mixture until it looks like coarse cornmeal.  Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. ice water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, over the pastry mixture, tossing lightly with the fork after each addition and sprinkling only the dry portion.  Pastry should be just moist enough to hold together, but not sticky.  With a large piece of waxed paper underneath and on top of the dough so it doesn’t stick to the rolling pin, roll the dough into a circular shape. Lift off the top piece of wax paper, and flip the dough into a pie plate, gently pressing it into the plate and removing the waxed paper.  With your fingers, flute the crust to the rim of the pie plate to adhere it.  Trim the edges with a paring knife and patch the crust if needed.  Refrigerate the crust until you are ready to fill it. 

Nutritional Information per serving (% based upon daily values):
Calories 210, Total Fat 10g, 15%, Saturated Fat 3.5g, 18%, Cholesterol 40mg, 13%, Sodium 270mg, 11%, Total Carbohydrate 28g, 9%, Dietary Fiber 1g, 5%, Protein 3g, Sugar 10g