Stuffed Mussles    Serves 6 213 calories    21.8 g protein    19 g carb.    4.2 g fat    43 mg chol.    485 mg sodium
1 cup water 1/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth 2-3 black peppercorns 2-3 slices fresh lemon 2 lbs. mussles (scrubbed & de-bearded) 3-4 green onions, finely chopped	11/2 grated lemon zest 4 to 6 sprigs fresh parsley,  finely chopped 1 cup cracker crumbs, (fat-free & salt-free ) 1/8 tsp. crushed red chile pepper 2 egg whites, lightly beaten 2 tbs. grated nonfat cheese
Preparation: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Combine water, wine, peppercorns, and lemon slices in a large pan. Bring to a boil; add mussels, cover, and steam over high heat for about 6 to 8 minutes or until mussels open. Discard any that do not open. Remove mussles from shells; reserve broth and shells. Chop mussles. 3. Heat 2 tablespoons reserved broth in a nonstick skillet; add onions and cook until soft, but not brown. Add chopped mussels; stir in remaining ingredients except cheese. Place about 1 tablespoon of mussle mixture on each shell; sprinkle with cheese. Place shells on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Chicken Gumbo    Serves 4 207 calories    20 g protein    17 g carb.    7g fat    47 mg chol.    92 mg sodium    Fiber 4 g
tbs. unsalted margerine large yellow onion, chopped garlic clove, minced 1/2 small sweet green pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped 1 medium-stalk celery, chopped 1 can (1 lb.) low-sodium crushed tomatoes in their juice	2 tbs. flour 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or (Thermojetics® Gold Soup) 1/4 tsp. hot red pepper sauce 2 cups sliced fresh okra or 1 package (10 oz.) frozen sliced okra 11/2 cups cubed cooked white meat chicken or turkey meat 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
Serve as soup or a main course!Preparation: 40 min. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. In a large heavy saucepan, melt margarine over moderate heat. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper, and celery. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. 3. Blend in the flour and cook, stirring for 3 minutes. Slowly stir in the tomatoes and chicken broth. Then add red pepper sauce. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and comes to a boil -- 3 to 5 minutes. Add okra and return to a boil, covering and cooking another 6 to 8 minutes. Add chicken, reduce to low heat, and bring to serving temperature. Stir occasionally -- about 4 minutes. Stir in lemon juice.

Muffaletto Sandwich    Serves 4 240 calories    17 g protein    27 g carb.    7 g fat    21 mg chol.    609 mg sodium
1 jar (7oz.) roasted sweet peppers, cut into inch-wide strips 2 tbs. chopped green chilies (to taste) 1/4 cup drained medium-size pitted green olives, chopped fine 3 large stalks celery, sliced thin 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled	1 tbs. red wine vinegar/cider vinegar 1 loaf (1/2 lb.) French Bread 1/4 lb. cooked turkey breast, sliced thin 2 oz. Swiss cheese, sliced thin 2 tbs. grated nonfat cheese
Preparation: 15 min. (plus 1 hr. marination) 1. In medium-size bowl, combine the roasted peppers, green chilies, olives, celery, garlic, oregano, and vinegar. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour. 2. Halve the french bread lengthwise, scooping out the soft center, saving it for another recipe. Arrange the turkey and cheese slices on the bottom half of the bread. Top with pepper-olive mixture, and cover with top half of bread. Cut the loaf into 4 equal sections and wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Variation: Omit turkey and spread 1 can (6 1/2 oz.) water-packed light tuna. drain and flaked over the bottom half of the bread.

Grilled Oriental Steak   Serves 4 280 calories    22 g protein    8 g carb.    17 g fat    59 mg chol.    461 mg sodium    15 cal. sugar
1 lb. flank steak, fat trimmed 2 tbs. reduced-sodium soy sauce 1 tbs. brown sugar 1 tbs. lemon juice 2 tsp. Dijon or spicy brown mustard 2 tsp. minced fresh ginger 2 cloves garlic, minced	2 tsp. Oriental sesame or peanut oil 1/4 tsp. black pepper 1/4 cup dry sherry/white wine non-stick cooking spray 2 tbs. white vinegar 2 tbs. water 1 tbs. granulated sugar
Preparation: 20 min. (plus overnight marination) 1. Place the steak in a baking pan just large enough to hold it and pierce all over with a fork. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, mustard, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, pepper, and half the sherry; pour over steak. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning the steak once. 2. Remove the steak from the marinade, pat dry and score crisscross fashion. Lightly coat a heavy 10-inch skillet with the cooking spray and set over moderate heat about 30 seconds. Cook the steak 3 minutes on each side for rare, 2 to 3 minutes longer for medium rare or medium. Transfer to a warm platter. 3. Cool the skillet for 1 minute. Meanwhile, to prepare glaze, combine the remaining sherry with the vinegar, water, and granulated sugar in a small bowl; add to the skillet and cook, stirring, over moderate heat until thickened--1 to 2 minutes. 4. Spoon the glaze over the steak, then slice the meat on the bias 1/2 inch thick.

Scallops Marinated in Orange & Fennel   Serves 4 244 calories    21 g protein    7 g carb.    15 g fat    42 mg chol.   188 mg sodium    1g fiber
1/4 cup olive/vegetable oil 2 tbs. lemon juice 2 tbs. minced parsley 1/2 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed orange zest 1 lb. sea scallops (large scallops) 1 medium-sized zuchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 1/2 lb.)	1 clove garlic, minced 1 medium-size red onion, quatered, then cut into wedges 1/4 cup dry sherry/white wine non-stick cooking spray 2 tbs. white vinegar 2 tbs. water 1 tbs. granulated sugar
Preparation: 15 min. (plus 4 hr. marination) 1. In a medium-size shallow bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, fennel seeds, garlic, and orange zest. Add the scallops snd toss well; cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours up to overnight. 2. Preheat broiler, or place oven on broil. Threads scallops onto 4 lightly greased metal skewers, alternating with zuchini and onion wedges. 3. Lay skewers on the broiler pan rack and broil 4 to 5 inches from heat source, turning once or twice until scallops are just opaque--about 5 minutes. Transfer to heated dinner plates.

Sugar Snap Peas with Chives   Serves 4 61 calories    2 g protein    6 g carb.    3 g fat    37 mg sodium    2 g fiber
3/4 lb. sugar snap peas/snow peas, trimmed, with the strings removed 1 tbs. unsalted margerine 2 tsp. snipped fresh chives or minced green onion
Preparation: 13 min. 1. In large saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil; add the peas, cover, and cook for 1 minute. Drain, transfer to a bowl, and set aside. 2. In same saucepan, melt the margarine over moderate heat; add the peas and toss. Stir in the chives/green onion and toss again.

Basic French Bread   Makes 1 Loaf (18 slices) 80 calories    2 g protein    17 g carb.    3 g fat    61 mg sodium    1 g fiber
1/2  a .25 oz. enveleop of active dry yeast 1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degregress Farrenheit) 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tbs. yellow/white cornmeal Variation: Make dough with Thermojetics® Gold Country-Style Bread Mix as a low-carb. alternative (instuctions included) !
Preparation: 40 min. (plus 2 1/2 hr. rising time) 1. In a small bowl, combine yeast with 1/2 cup of the water. Let stand for about 5 minutes, then stir until the yeast dissolves. 2. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour and salt. Beat in the yeast mixture and the remaining water and continue beating until the mixture forms a ball, adding a little more flour or water as necessary until you have a workable dough. 3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic--about 10 minutes. Lightly coat a large bowl with cooking spray, shape the dough into a ball, place in bowl, and turn so that the dough is coated on all sides. Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size--about 1 hour. 4. With your fist, punch down the dough. Cover again and let the dough rise a second time until doubled in size--about 45 minutes. 5. Punch the dough down again and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then roll and shape it into a cylinder about 1 foot long. Coat a large baking sheet with the cooking spray and sprinkle with the cornmeal. Place the dough on the baking sheet, cover with the dish towel, and let it rise once more for 30 minutes. 6. Toward the end of the rising period, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farrenheit. Fill a 13"x 9" x 2" baking pan with an inch of hot water and place it on the floor of the oven. Using a sharp knife, slash the dough 1/4 inch deep down the center, then brush with water. Place bread in the center of the oven spraying the sides of the oven with water using a spray bottle. Continue to spray every 5 minutes during the first 15 minutes of baking time. Bake for a total of 30 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Baked Ziti with Mozzarella   Serves 4 376 calories     17 g protein     55 g carb.     9 g fat     18 mg chol.     208 mg sodium     3 g fiber
1 can (1 lb.) low-sodium tomatoes 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped fine 1 can (8 oz.) low-sodium tomato sauce 3 cloves garlic, minced	1/2 tsp. oregano 1 tsp. basil 1/4 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed 1/8 tsp. black pepper 8 oz. ziti or rigatoni 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces) 2 tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation: 1 hr. 5 min. 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Farrenheit. In an electric blender or food processor puree the tomatoes for 10 to 15 seconds. Set aside. 2. Heat olive oil in a heavy 10-inch skillet over moderate heat for 1 minute; add onion and cook, uncovered, until soft--about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic, oregano, basil, fennel seeds, and pepper; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered, for ten minutes, stirring often, until the sauce thickens slightly. 3. Meanwhile, cook the ziti according to packaged directions omitting the salt. Rinse with cold water, drain well, and place in an ungreased shallow 1 1/2-quart casserole dish. Cover with sauce and sprinkle with Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. 4. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes, or until bubbly and golden. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.