Corn Chowder
3 tablespoons light margarine
½ cup red pepper finely chopped
½ cup onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
3 tablespoons flour
3½ c skim milk
2 tablespoons light cream cheese (optional)
1 medium potato, cooked and diced
2½ c corn kernels, fresh or frozen
½ teaspoon salt
ground black pepper
2 T fresh parsley, minced
In a Dutch oven or large sauce pan, melt margarine. Over low heat, sauté red pepper, onion, and thyme for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Whisk in flour and cook for an additional two to three minutes, taking care not to scorch the roux. Slowly add in milk, (you may add the cream cheese at this point) Add remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes, adding more milk or water if chowder is too thick. Add salt & pepper & correct for seasoning. Garnish with fresh parsley. Serves 6.

Nutrition analysis per serving 160 calories, protein 6 g, fat 2.5 g, carbohydrates 25 g, sodium 304 g, fiber 2 grams.

Pattie D’s Smoky Collards
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
2 pounds collard greens - rinsed, trimmed and chopped
½ cup water
1 tablespoon molasses
Liquid smoke flavoring to taste
Ground black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pot. Saute onion and garlic until onions are translucent. Place chopped collard greens in pot, and add water. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, or until greens are tender. Stir in molasses. Add liquid smoke a few drops at a time, until desired taste is reached. Season with pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, or until greens are tender. Serves 6.

Calories per serving:74, protein:2 g carbohydrate:65 g fat:2 g fiber:2g sodium:43 g
*You can also add 1 cup of finely diced vegetarian ham at the end of cooking, if desired.

Stuffed Acorn Squash w/ Whole
Wheat Couscous and Dried Cranberries
1 large acorn squash, halved and seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
1 cup chopped onion
1 ½ cups cooked whole wheat couscous
½ cup dried cranberries
½ teaspoon thyme
ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
chopped parsley for garnish

Baked acorn squash halves in a preheated 350 oven for 30 mins or until tender. Meanwhile in a large sauté pan, add olive oil and sauté garlic and onions until translucent. Remove from heat and stir in cooked couscous, dried cranberries and thyme. Add ground pepper to taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Fill each squash half with approximately ¾ cups of couscous mixture. Top with slivered almonds and garnish w/ parsley. Serves 2 (This recipe maybe doubled or tripled)

Calories per serving: 509, protein:9 g carbohydrate:46 g fat:10 g fiber:19g sodium:42g


Candied Yams
(Courtesy of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute as part of the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.)

3 medium yams (1 ½ cups)
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp flour
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon and nutmeg
¼ tsp orange peel
1 tsp soft tub margarine
½ cup orange juice

1. Cut yams in half and boil until tender but firm (~20 minutes).
2. Peel and slice into ¼-inch pieces
3. Combine sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange peel.
4. Place half of the sliced yams in a medium-sized casserole dish.
5. Sprinkle with spice/sugar mixture.
6. Dot with half of margarine.
7. Add a second layer of yams, using the rest of the ingredients in the same order as above.
8. Add orange juice.
9. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Yields 6 servings, each with 110 calories, <1g fat, <1g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 115 mg sodium.


Garlic Mashed Potatoes
(Courtesy of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute as part of the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

1 lb (about 2 large) potatoes
2 cups skim milk
2 garlic cloves, chopped
½ tsp white pepper

1. Cook potatoes, covered, in a small amount of boiling water for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat. Drain and recover.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, cook garlic in milk until garlic is soft, about 30 minutes.
3. Add milk-garlic mixture and white pepper to potatoes. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed or mash with a potato masher until smooth.

Yields 4 servings, each with 141 calories, <1g fat, <1g saturated fat, 2 mg cholesterol, 70 mg sodium.

Green Beans Sauté
(Courtesy of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute as part of the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.)

1 lb green beans, fresh or frozen
1 Tbs. olive or canola oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs. fresh parsley, minced

1. For fresh green beans, cook in boiling water for 10 to 12 minutes or steam for 2 to 3 minutes until barely fork tender. Drain well. (Thaw frozen green beans first).
2. Heat oil in large skillet.
3. Sauté onion until golden.
4. Stir in green beans, salt and pepper. Heat through.
5. Toss with parsley before serving.

Yields 4 servings, each with 64 calories, 4g fat, <1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 282 mg sodium.

Pumpkin Flan
(Recipe by Lillian Kayte from Vegetarian Times, November 1995. Copyright © Vegetarian Times. Reprinted with permission.)

A new twist to an old favorite

¾ cup sugar
2 Tbs. water
6 large eggs or equivalent egg substitute
14-oz can low fat, sweetened condensed milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground cloves

One day before: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Set out a 1 1/2 -quart nonstick baking dish or loaf pan.

Combine sugar and water in a small heavy nonstick sauté pan. Bring to a boil; continue boiling until bubbles become big and shiny, and caramel turns a medium golden-brown color. Remove from heat; pour into baking dish, quickly rotating dish to distribute caramel over bottom. Set aside.

Place eggs in a large mixing bowl; beat eggs well. Beat in condensed milk, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and water. Pour into baking dish over caramel.

Place baking dish in a slightly larger pan; add enough hot water to half-fill outer pan. Bake until knife comes out clean. Makes 8 servings.