Tomato and Bacon Tower

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 8 slices turkey bacon (4 oz. total weight)
• 1 small clove garlic, halved
• 4 slices light whole wheat bread, toasted
• 4-5 tomatoes, assorted colors, thickly sliced
• 1 onion, sliced ¼-inch thick
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

• Heat non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook turkey bacon about 1 minute per side until crisp.
• Rub garlic on toast slices, then place on plates. Stack half of the tomato, bacon and onion slices evenly on toast to make 4 towers. Season with salt and black pepper. Repeat layers with remaining tomato, bacon and onion. Drizzle each tower with 1 teaspoon of the oil.

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving : 163 Calories, 10 g Protein, 19 g Carbohydrates, 6 g Dietary Fiber, 7 g Fat, 1 g Saturated Fat, 229 mg Sodium

Pizza-Style Turkey Sliders

(makes 8 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 slice whole wheat bread, torn into pieces
• ¼ cup prepared pesto sauce
• 2 large egg whites
• 12 ounces extralean (97-99% fat-free) ground turkey breast
• ½ carrot, grated (about ¼ cup)
• ⅛ sweet onion, finely chopped (about ¼ cup))
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 2 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 8 slices
• 8 whole grain rolls (1.3 ounces each), split and toasted
• 2 plum tomatoes, each cut into 4 slices
• Cooking spray

Preparation:

• Preheat the broiler. Lightly coat broiler-pan rack with cooking spray and line broiler pan with foil.
• In a medium-size bowl, mix the bread, 3 Tbsp. of the pesto, and egg whites. Stand about 5 minutes, until bread is softened. Mash with the fork.
• Add the turkey, carrot, onion, pepper, and salt to bread-pesto mixture. Stir gently but thoroughly. Form into 8 patties (each will use slightly heaping ¼ cup).
• Place the patties on prepared broiler pan. Broil 2 to 4-inch from heat, turning once, about 10 minutes until browned and no longer pink in thickest part. Top each with 1 slice of the cheese and broil until cheese melts, 1 minute longer..
• Put roll bottoms on serving plate. Top each with a burger and a tomato slice. Dab evenly with remaining pesto. Top with other halves of rolls.

Make 8 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving : 203 Calories, 21 g Protein, 18 g Carbohydrates, 5 g Dietary Fiber, 7 g Fat, 2 g Saturated Fat, 311 mg Sodium

Braised Mini Meatballs

(makes 12 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1½ pounds extralean ground beef
• 2 large eggs
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup dry red wine (or reduced-sodium beef broth)
• ¼ cup low-sodium tomato paste
• 2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
• 2 teaspoon granular sugar substitute

Preparation:

• In a large-size bowl, combine the beef, eggs, onion, parsley, basil, pepper, and salt. Mix well with wooden spoon. Form into 36 meatballs.
• In a large-size skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the meatballs (in batches, if necessary) and brown all over, 5-7 minutes.
• Remove to a plate and pour off fat from the skillet. Return the meatballs to skillet and reduce heat to low.
• In a small-size bowl, whisk together the wine (or reduced-sodium beef broth) and tomato paste. Pour over the meatballs. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes until the tomato mixture has thickened.
• Add the broth and continue to simmer about 30 minutes. Stir in the sugar substitute. Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with additional parsley, if desired.

Make 12 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving : 120 Calories, 15 g Protein, 3 g Carbohydrates, 0 g Dietary Fiber, 4.5 g Fat, 1.5 g Saturated Fat, 132 mg Sodium

Peach-Mango Salsa with Pita Chips

(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (about 8 oz.) chopped grape tomatoes
• 1 small mango (about 6 oz.), peeled, seeded, and chopped
• ¾ cup chopped grilled peaches (2-3 halves)
• ½ red bell pepper (about 2.5 oz.), finely chopped
• ½ small onion (about 2oz.), finely chopped
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 jalapeňo chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon sugar or honey
• 1 Tablespoon orange juice
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 3 large whole wheat pitas (6-7-inch diameter), each cut into 8 wedges and split
• 1 teaspoon salt-free garlic and herb seasoning blend

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium-size bowl, combine the tomatoes, mango, peaches, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, and chile pepper.
• In a small-size bowl, whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, sugar, orange juice, and salt. Add to the tomato mixture and stir well. Chill, covered, at least 60 minutes to blend flavors.
• Place pita wedges on large baking sheet and coat lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle wedges with seasoning blend. Bake until edges just start to brown (about 5-6 minutes). Cool and serve with salsa.

Make 6 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving : 134 Calories, 4 g Protein, 30 g Carbohydrates, 4 g Dietary Fiber, 1.5 g Fat, 0 g Saturated Fat, 222 mg Sodium

Turkey Lettuce Wraps with Asian Pear

(makes 12 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. deli turkey, sliced into 4 thick pieces and chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ cup hoisin sauce
• ⅓ cup barbecue sauce
• 1 large Asian pear, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• ¾ cup peeled, seeded, and chopped cucumber
• ¼ cup torn fresh mint leaves
• ¼ cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
• 12 large Boston, butter, or iceberg lettuce leaves

Preparation:

• Coat large-size nonstick skillet with cooking spray over medium heat. Add turkey and onion and sauté, stirring, until the onion is tender (about 5 minutes).
• Stir in ginger, garlic, hoisin, and barbecue sauce. Reduce heat to low. Simmer 5 minutes. (Add a spoonful of water if mixture begins to look dry.)
• In small-size bowl, stir pear and lime juice, then set aside.
• Remove turkey mixture from heat. Stir in cucumber, mint, and almonds.
• Spoon warm turkey mixture into lettuce leaves and top with pear mixture.

Make 12 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving : 95 Calories, 8 g Protein, 13 g Carbohydrates, 2 g Dietary Fiber, 2 g Fat, 0 g Saturated Fat, 631 mg Sodium

Low Fat Salad Sandwiches

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1¼ tsp. Dijon mustard
• ¼ tsp. chopped garlic
• 8 slices whole wheat bread
• 4 leaves lettuce or 1 cup mixed salad greens
• 2 large tomatoes, sliced
• ½ cup drained jarred roasted red peppers, sliced
• 4 slices sweet onion or red onion
• Red wine vinegar

Preparation:

• In a small-size bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, and garlic. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Spread over the bread slices.
• Top 4 bread slices with the lettuce, tomato, red peppers, and onion. Drizzle the vegetables with vinegar to taste and top with the remaining bread slices.

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving : 188 Calories, 9 g Protein, 33 g Carbohydrates, 6 g Dietary Fiber, 3 g Fat, 1 g Saturated Fat, 477 mg Sodium

New England Lobster Roll

(makes 2 servings)

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces cooked lobster meat, chopped (about 3 cups)
• ¼ cup finely chopped celery
• 3 Tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped red onion
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• ⅛ teaspoon fleshly ground black pepper
• 4 top-split New England-style hot dog rolls, toasted

Preparation:

• In a medium-size bowl, combine the lobster, celery, mayonnaise, onion, tarragon, lemon juice, and pepper, stirring gently so as not to break up lobster pieces. Divide mixture among rolls.

Make 2 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving : 260 Calories, 21 g Protein, 24 g Carbohydrates, 1 g Dietary Fiber, 8 g Fat, 2.5 g Saturated Fat, 640 mg Sodium

Wasabi Salmon Sandwiches

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup (2 ounces) fat-free mayonnaise
• ½ teaspoon wasabi paste (sold in the ethnic-food section of most supermarkets)
• 2 cup cooked wild salmon or canned cooked salmon, flaked with fork
• 8 thinly slices (½ ounces each) whole wheat bread, toasted
• 4 thinly slices red onion
• 4 thinly red bell pepper rings
• 4 Tablespoons sliced pickled ginger
• 1 cup arugul

Preparation:

• In a small-size bowl, combine the mayonnaise and wasabi paste until smooth. Start with ¼ teaspoon of the paste and add more to taste. Gently fold in the salmon.
• Place 4 slices of the bread on flat surface and top each with ½ cup of the salmon mixture, 1 onion slice (separated and evenly spread over salmon), 1 pepper ring, 1 tablespoon ginger, and ¼ cup arugula. Top sandwiches with the remaining bread slices.

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving : 203 Calories, 14 g Protein, 21 g Carbohydrates, 3 g Dietary Fiber, 5.5 g Fat, 0.5 g Saturated Fat, 367 mg Sodium

Chicken Fajita Burrito with Mango Salsa

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• ¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 4 whole wheat tortillas (10-inch diameter)
• 3 cups (about 1½ pounds) roasted chicken, cut into strips
• ½ cup mango salsa

Preparation:

• In a large-size nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat oil and Add the bell pepper and onion then cook about 10 minutes or until soft. Stir in the cilantro. Remove from heat and cover skillet to keep warm.
• In a large-size, dry skillet over medium heat, place each tortilla and warm about 30 seconds per side.
• Divide the vegetables evenly among centers of each tortilla. Arrange the chicken over vegetables and top salsa. Fold in sides then roll tortillas into tight cylinders.

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving : 350 Calories, 35 g Protein, 29 g Carbohydrates, 5 g Dietary Fiber, 9 g Fat, 1 g Saturated Fat, 347 mg Sodium

Portobello Swiss Cheese Burgers with Caramelized Onions

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 4 portobello mushroom caps (about 3½-4 oz. total)
• ⅛ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 4 slices reduced-fat Swiss cheese (about 2 oz. total)
• 4 light multigrain English muffins, (100 calories each), such as Thomas’, split

Preparation:

• In small-size nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tsp. of oil. Add onion and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5-6 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat.
• In small-size bowl, combine vinegar and remaining oil. Brush over mushroom caps and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill, covered, turning occasionally, about 9-11 minutes or until tender. Top each mushroom with 1 slice cheese and grill about 1-2 minutes or until cheese melts. Transfer to plate and keep warm.
• Toast English muffins. Place bottom half of each muffin on plate and top with 1 mushroom and one-quarter of the onion. Top with remaining muffin halves.

Make 4 Servings:

Weight loss recipes Amount Per Serving : 210 Calories, 11 g Protein, 31 g Carbohydrates, 5 g Dietary Fiber, 6 g Fat, 2 g Saturated Fat, 210 mg Sodium