Low-cal Labor Day picnic recipes, light BBQ grill entrees, meatless menu pleasers for weight loss, special diets

Labor Day is the last official picnic day of summer. With everyone on some special diet--vegan, vegetarian, kosher, weight loss, lactose intolerant, gluten-free, diabetic, halal--it's difficult to plan a picnic buffet that suits everyone. Throw some picky, fussy eaters (a.k.a. kids) into the party crowd and the harried Labor Day hosts are at their collective wits' end to know what to feed the hungry multitudes. Here are low-cal Labor Day picnic recipes, light grill entrees, menu pleasers that dieters and everyone else will love!

Whip up the Ultimate Labor Day Salad Bar Buffet. Make your own restaurant-style salad bar and hot buffet. If you do the whole thing, it may get expensive, so trim corners as you need to. Or have guests each bring 3-4 salad toppings. Create an outdoor refrigerated salad bar by laying a clean bath or beach towel on the buffet or picnic table. Cover towel with a layer of ice cubes. Place another clean towel over ice. Replace ice as it melts.

Next make a huge bowl of greens. Get a package of six romaine lettuce heads. Tear up lettuce, rinse with warm water and drain or spin to dry. Place lettuce in zippered plastic bag and chill in the refrigerator until serving. This makes lettuce extra crisp. Or use pre-cut bagged salad like Dole Classic Romaine, with Romaine lettuce, matchstick carrots and purple cabbage. If you serve field greens, remember these lettuces are much more delicate and must be used immediately. Serve in a large stainless steel mixing bowl or salad bowl.

Here are salad toppings guests can pick and choose from to fit any special diet. Arrange salad toppings in individual bowls with forks, spoons or mini tongs for sanitary self- service. Set out diced cucumbers (leave skin on),sliced mushrooms (white or Baby Bella), chopped celery, chopped sweet onions, chopped green, red, yellow and orange peppers, baby spinach, sprouts (alfalfa, broccoli, onion, or spicy), chopped broccoli and cauliflower or broccoli slaw mix, shredded carrots, chopped tomatoes, shredded beets, shredded purple cabbage, pea pods and avocado slices.

Make a relish tray of assorted olives: Spanish (green),black, pitted Greek olives, capers, sports peppers, banana peppers, hot pepper rings, sweet pickles, dill pickles and canned beets. Set out fruit
toppings: raisins, dried cranberries, strawberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges and pineapple tidbits. Set out nachos, croutons, chow mien noodles, sliced almonds, mixed nuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.

Set out garbanzo beans, cottage cheese, shredded Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese grater, cubed feta cheese (for Greek salad) and diced hard-boiled eggs, salad shrimp, flake crab meat, sliced pepperoni and anchovies. To season salad, set out fresh chopped herbs (dill, rosemary, oregano, sage, basil), pepper grater and Himalayan pink salt grater.

For hot buffet items, place in three-sided warmer. Grill chuck steak, ham slice, salmon and chicken breast and cube each. Grill bacon and crumble. Make taco meat. Warm nacho dip in a crock pot. A good salad bar should include these dressings: vinegar and olive oil in separate cruets, a lite or low calorie salad dressing (spray-on salad dressing like Raspberry vinaigrette is good), ranch (Hidden Valley is best), French (Russian, Western, sweet and sour) Thousand Island and bleu cheese (Marie's) and Caesar. Serve with french bread. Guests can make their own taco, Caesar, Greek, Salad Nicoise, Antipasto, Cobb or other specialty salads.

Red White and Blue Recipes for 4th of July, All-American Patriotic Foods

For Memorial Day, how about red white and blue recipes and creative American patriotic foods?

Here's RWB appetizer-to-dessert menu. It's perfect for July 4th, BBQs, Father's Day and summer

picnics and parties.

* Red White and Blue Chip Mixer. Make chips swing American. Blend any combination of blue corn

chips, red corn chips (available at specialty and holiday food stores) red BBQ chips, pink taro chips

(available in Terra's root vegetable chip blends), homemade parsnip chips (white) and beet chips. For

white, use white corn chips, popcorn or white cheddar cheese puffs.

* Old Glory Veggie Platter:</b> Use a tri-section platter for crudites (cut vegetables) or arrange them in

stars and stripes. For red use red pepper strips, tomato wedges, radish roses. For blue, cut purple

pepper strips, purple brocciflower, egg plant slices or shredded purple cabbage. For white veggies,

use parsnip slices, cauliflower, water chestnuts. Cut some peppers and parsnips into star shapes (with

star cookie cutter).

* Stars and Stripes Fruit Kebobs: On skewers, alternate any combination of watermelon chunks,

blueberries, raspberries, grapes, strawberries, pale green honeydew, apple stars, banana slices (dash

of pineapple or lemon juice prevents browning).

* Americana Lemonade Spritzer: Color lemonade blue with purple cabbage or blueberry juice. Or

leave plain. Garnish by spearing strawberries or colored, star-shaped marshmallows on straws. Make

star-shaped ice cubes with clear or grape soda or red pop. For clear ice cubes, put a blueberry in

each.

* All-American Cocktails and Coolers: Buy Seagram's blue coolers. Garnish with strawberry-blueberry

bow-tie (stick berries on toothpick). Use these for clear cocktails with gin or vodka. Serve blue

curacao or Blue Hawaiian Schnapps with grenadine, Raspberry or Strawberry Pucker (DeKuyers') or

Jagermeister ice cubes. Partially freeze liqueurs to make colored liquid layers.

* RBW Pinwheels:Flatten four pieces of white bread thin. Spread one with strawberry jam, another

with cream cheese and another with grape jam. Stack in alternate colors. Roll into log. Slice through

all layers to make pinwheels.

* Patriotic Cole Slaw: Mix chopped purple cabbage, red peppers and radishes. Dress with vinegar,

olive oil, salt, cracked pepper, horseradish and sugar. Cut peppers like stars if desired.

* American Flag Grill: Grill red smoked sausage, hotdogs, burgers (with beet juice added), or pink

salmon. Garnish with purple cabbage shreds, purple and red pepper stars and mayonnaise. Poke tiny

flag toothpicks in burgers.

* Festive American Fries: Julienne potatoes or use frozen French fries. Coat some in paprika or

Louisiana red pepper and leave others white. Dye mayonnaise blue (naturalistas, use purple cabbage

juice). Serve with red ketchup, plain and blue mayo. Dieters, use olive oil mayo.

* Lady Liberty Sundaes: Serve vanilla ice cream drizzled with strawberry and blueberry syrup. Mix

colored gelatin for syrup. Decorate with blue and red candies (M&Ms, Nerds, Runts). Make fruit

sundaes with blueberries and strawberries. Serve strawberry or spumoni ice cream topped with blue

colored topping. Serve Blue Moon ice cream with red and blue gummy worms, sprinkles, mini

marshmallows and red fruit snacks. Or made a RWB ice cream buffet and let guest decorate their

own.

* Star Cookies. Make star-shaped cookies easy using refrigerated sugar cookie dough. If you don't

have star-shaped cookie cutter, cut into thin circles. Cut each circle into five pie-shaped wedges.

Arrange in a circle, point side out. Place red or blue M&M or hard candy in the center. Hard candy will

melt to clear "stained-glass" look. Or sprinkle with colored sugar. Or draw stars on cookie with colored

spray frosting. Frost with strawberry cream cheese

A-Z Fiber Foods, Omega Rich, Fatty Acid Fat Burners

I've lost almost 100 pounds and dropped nine sizes. I burned excess belly fat and trimmed other body fat. How? By swapping saturated and hydrogenated fat, starch, refined sugar and flour for high-fiber, fatty acids foods. Ironically, good fats--omega oils, MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids) plus fiber are natural bad fat burners. Fiber and fatty acids work together to purge fat, especially belly fat. Many fiber-rich foods are high in fatty acids and also low in saturated fats. Here's an A-Z list of good-fat, high-fiber foods.   

Weight loss is about portion and calorie control, but it's not so much about eating less as eating

differently. Carbohydrates and fat, long thought to be the enemies of weight loss are enjoying a new

vogue in the ketogenic and high carb diet. Ketogenic good fats and unsaturated fatty acids are found

to burn fat (that bad, white adipose fat that sags from bellies, buttocks, arms and legs, that is). And a

high carb diet, rich in soluable fiber and insoluable resistant starch fiber, helps you feel full and lose

weight. Good carbs burn slow and keep your body busy digesting and burning calories while feeling

satisfied. That's important because weight loss fails when the dieter is constantly hungry and

obsessed with food. So here are high carb diet breakfast recipes with foods chockful of good fats,

resistant starch fiber and protein.

High fiber sandwich breakfast recipes: Spread one tablespoon almond butter on light whole grain

bread (35 calories per slice). Or mix PB2 peanut powder with Greek yogurt and spread on bread.

Slice one barely ripe medium banana and place on whole grain bread. Sprinkle with cacao nibs,

flaxseed, chia seed and sliced strawberries.

Superfood whole grain weight loss oatmeal: This is called oatmeal, but actually it's a wondrous blend

of good carbs, good fats, resistant starch fiber, protein and antioxidant superfoods. Use Bob's Red Mill

10-Grain cereal but don't cook it. High carb diet dishes are best served cold. If you must have hot

cereal, don't cook it to mush. You can also use Cheerios. Add berries, chia seed, cacao nibs, pumpkin

seeds, walnuts and almonds. Blend cashew, flaxseed or almond milk with berry juice to sweeten.

Slice barely ripe banana on top. Serve with milk.

High carb diet potato salad. Did you miss potatoes on your old diet? Well now you can have 'em!

Cold potatoes are a great source of resistant starch fiber. Dice leftover cold cooked potatoes, yams

and/or carrots. Add fresh sliced celery, green pepper,scallion or onion. Season with Himalayan pink

salt, cracked pepper, celery seed and dill. Blend with light olive oil mayonnaise. Or mix avocado,

Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar and olive oil. If you're up for it, add high fiber good fats like

pumpkin seeds and chia seeds.

Roasted plantain breakfast recipes. Saute peeled plantain in non-stick cooking spray. Or bake

plantain in it's own skin till tender. Serve with Greek yogurt or lowfat sour cream. Serve with cold

beans and rice for super resistant starch fiber breakfast recipes. Mix white, red or garbanzo beans

and brown rice with chopped cilantro, tomatoes, green peppers and onions. Add chopped mangoes

or pineapple if desired. Season with cumin, salt and pepper.

High carb diet pancakes for weight loss. Start these breakfast recipes with oat or whole grain

pancake mix or Bob's Red Mill 7-Grain Pancake Mix. Add in your choice of: good quality granola,

cranberries, pomegranate seeds, blueberries or strawberries, oat bran, sliced bananas, cooked corn,

almonds, walnuts, chia seeds or flaxseed. Serve with pure maple syrup and light butter.

Bean and banana or plantain "burgers." Mix white or red beans or mashed garbanzo beans with

mashed plantain or banana. Form into balls and flatten like burgers. Fry in non-stick cooking spray.

Serve with Greek yogurt for good fats.

Homemade granola: Blend dried oatmeal, walnuts, millet, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia

seeds and flaxseed. Add unsweetened coconut or cacao nibs if desired. Blend and PB2 peanut

powder, almond or cashew milk and blue agave syrup. Pour over grain blend to coat. Spread in one

layer and toast on low till crunchy. Serve with sliced bananas, chopped apples, strawberries or

blueberries.

Lowfat Garam Masala Butter Chicken or Tofu Masala with Veggies

Our family has developed a devotion to Indian food. An Indian restaurant opened near us. We ate there once and were instantly in love. I've always been a curry hound. But the curry was only the beginning. I can't get enough butter chicken, masala, tikka, vindaloo, tandoori and other fragrant dishes. I don't need meat--just the spicy sauces is enough, but only level one heat please. Here's my vege-fied diet tweaked garam masala butter chicken recipe for calorie counters.  

It's Lent for us Catholics. I'm not giving up any particular food, but I am dieting. I have lost 95 pounds. And my husband and daughter have given up meat. So I made a vegan Indian masala. Each one-cup serving has about 100 calories, little fat and 10 grams of protein. It's similar to butter chicken. 

Cube one pound light silken firm tofu. Chop leek, celery (leaves and all) and green pepper. Saute in olive, coconut, safflower or sunflower oil. Season with garam masala, celery seed, turmeric, curry powder, ginger and salt-free Spike to taste.

Add two teaspoons Better Than Bouillon vegetable soup base, six ounces of tomato paste, one can coconut milk, one can sweet peas, and two cups light soy milk. Blend. Add dash of Bragg's Liquid Amino if desired. Serve with jasmine rice and fresh greens salad. 

This recipe is therapeutic for those with arthritis, as turmeric and ginger are anti-inflammatory. Enjoy.

Baked Bean Soup with Holiday Leftovers

 Is your leftover holiday ham glaring at you, saying "eat me!" Are the sweet potatoes threatening to go sour? Are you sick of eating them but out of recipe ideas? Well before those leftovers go bad, stage a refrigerator coup and take the other food hostage, here's a healthy, lowfat, high protein and fiber recipe to use them up. Great for dieters. Vegetarian options, too. 

Baked Bean Soup

 

Place in large kettle, ham bone and any leftover ham meat or fat you want to use up. You can even use spiral honey baked ham. It will give the bean soup that sweet-smoky baked bean flavor. You could use bacon or sausage, too. Had a vegetarian holiday? No matter. It's just as good meatless. Skip to step two. 

 

Rinse, sort and add one package dried beans. Navy, pinto, kidney, garbanzo, turtle or any combination (about two cups total) My favorite is Hambeens 15-bean soup mix. Simmer in lots of water.

 

Season with bay leaves, celery seed, black or red pepper (or pepper blend).

 

Dice up leftover or fresh sweet potatoes, carrots, yams or pumpkin.

 

When beans are about half cooked, add mirepoix: chopped onions, celery, green peppers (any combination).

 

If desired, add pineapple toward the end for that Hawaiian baked beans taste.

 

 I made mine with sweet potato and green pepper. It was a lovely yellow color and it's chock full of vitamin A.

 

This soup is great for dieters. Just let it chill and remove surface fat--about 150 calories a one-cup