For a lighter alternative to traditional pumpkin pie, try this deliciously easy mousse. From The Kitchens of The Food Channel.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serves: 5

Ingredients
1 package (4-serving size) sugar free fat free instant vanilla pudding
1 teaspoon McCormick Cinnamon, Ground
1/2 teaspoon McCormick Ginger, Ground
1 cup cold milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/2 cups thawed reduced fat whipped topping, divided
5 toasted pecan halves (optional)

Preparation
1. Mix pudding mix, cinnamon and ginger in large bowl. Add milk and pumpkin; beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. Gently stir in 1 cup of the whipped topping. Spoon mousse into serving bowl or 5 dessert glasses.

2. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to blend flavors. Just before serving, garnish with remaining 1/2 cup whipped topping. Garnish with pecan halves, if desired.

Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories: 104, Fat: 4 g, Carbohydrates: 15 g, Cholesterol: 4 mg, Sodium: 233 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Protein: 2 g.

Recipe courtesy of McCormick

[Reprinted with permission]

[Photo Credit: David Nehmer, FoodChannel.com]

Looking for more pumpkin recipes? Check these out!

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Got a favorite not-so-healthy recipe you want to lighten up, but don’t know how? Dietitians are standing by to give your dish a healthy and delicious makeover. Just send your recipe to these two websites:

That’s Fit – Submit your recipe and celebrity dietitian, Tanya Zuckerbrot will give it a healthy and tasty rehab.

Meal Makeover Moms – These two dietitian moms know just how to rescue your family favorites without losing the flavor.

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In honor of Diabetes Awareness Month, enjoy this zesty and easy Mexican meal from the American Diabetes Association.

Makes: 6 servings
Serving size: 1 enchilada
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes

Ingredients
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 tsp. olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp. chili powder
2 scallions, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. olive oil
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
6 (6-inch) whole-wheat tortillas
2/3 cup reduced-fat shredded Mexican cheese blend or Monterey Jack cheese, divided
Cooking spray
1½ cups canned enchilada sauce

Preparation
1. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken with the olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, scallions, salt, and pepper. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard any excess. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and sauté for 7 to 8 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken to a bowl and add the black beans.
3. Divide the chicken-and-bean filling among six tortillas. Top each with 1 Tbsp. of the cheese. Roll up each tortilla and place seam-side down in a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour the sauce over the enchiladas and bake, covered, for about 20 minutes. Add the remaining cheese and bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes until cheese melts.

Nutrition facts
Starch exchanges 1.5
Vegetable exchanges 1
Lean meat exchanges 3
Fat exchanges 0.5
Amount per serving
Calories 305
Calories From Fat 80
Total Fat 9 g
Saturated Fat 2.4 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 55 mg
Sodium 585 mg (without added salt)
Total Carbohydrate 30 g
Dietary Fiber 6 g
Sugars 4 g
Protein 26 g

[Recipe reprinted with permission]

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As the weather gets cooler, warm up with this low-fat Sweet Potato Bisque from registered dietitian, Tina at The Voice of Reason.

From Tina: This soup is so silky and satisfying; you’ll want to add it to your repertoire.  Not to mention the sweet potato is a good source of nutrition.

1 T canola oil
1 cup chopped white onion
2 t thyme
½ t cinnamon
½ t allspice
½ t salt
½ t black pepper
1 T sugar
1 lbs sweet potatoes (about 4 small), scrubbed, peeled and cut into small dice
4 c chicken broth or stock
1 c evaporated whole milk
½ c fat free half ‘n’ half

In a large stock pot, heat the oil.  Add the onion, thyme, cinnamon, allspice, salt, pepper and sugar.  Saute the mixture until the onions are soft and golden, about 7 minutes.  Add the sweet potatoes, stock, milk and half ‘n’ half, and cook at a low boil for 20 – 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.  Remove bisque from the heat and puree the soup until silky.  This can be done in a food processor or blender.  First, strain the soup and puree the solids, adding the soup a little bit at a time until the entire batch is smooth.)

Yield: 6, 8-ounce servings
About 200 calories per serving

Go to The Voice of Reason to learn about the nutritional goodness of sweet potatoes, how to pick the best ones, and how to store them. You’ll also find helpful information from Tina about food issues, healthy eating, cooking and nutrition.

[Recipe re-printed with permission]

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Looking for some fun Halloween treats that don’t have a scary amount of calories? Check out these spooky snacks from Disney FamilyFun. They’re frighteningly healthy – perfect for parties or as an after-school treat.

Edible Eyeballs
Set out a platter of these creepy peepers, and your party guests are bound to do a double take. Simply slice carrots into 1-inch-thick chunks, top each with a blob of cream cheese and one half of a pitted black olive, and they’re ready to serve.

Melon Brain
Created from nothing more than a small, round seedless watermelon, this spooky cerebral creation is bound to turn heads. First, use a vegetable peeler to remove the entire green rind, exposing the inner white rind. Then slice off the bottom of the melon to make a flat base that will keep it from rolling.  With a toothpick, outline squiggly furrows that resemble the folded surface of a brain. Finally, carve narrow channels along the tracings with a sharp paring knife (a parent’s job) to expose the pink fruit beneath the rind.

Black Bean Cat Crudite´s
No bones about it, this kitty skeleton makes a healthy centerpiece for Halloween parties or school gatherings. Just arrange assorted fresh vegetables and a bowl of your favorite black bean dip in the shape of a spooky cat.

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I’m so impressed with how creative these are! And there are a lot more Healthy Halloween Recipes like Halloween Bug Juice, Pizza Mummies, and Goblin Tongues! Check them out here at Disney FamilyFun.

[Recipes re-printed with permission]

[Photo Credit: Disney FamilyFun]

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I love almost-anything pumpkin so much, I even drink Pumpkin Spice tea this time of year in my festive mug! It’s perfect on a chilly day. While I was sipping on it, I came across a bunch of healthy pumpkin recipes. Hopefully, there’s not a pumpkin shortage where you live and you can enjoy some of these goodies.

• Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf – Gluten-Free is Life

• Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake — American Council on Exercise

• Crustless Pumpkin Pie — One Day at a Time

• Pumpkin Cranberry Oat Bars — Finding Radiance

• Pumpkin Soup — Fitness & Spice

• Cheese Ravioli with Pumpkin Sauce — Meal Makeover Moms

• Pumpkin Muffin Tops — Kim Bensen

• Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancake — Kath Eats

• Light Pumpkin Bread — Cooking Light

• Healthy Pumpkin Butter — Danica’s Daily

With all these recipes, you can have pumpkin for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert!

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This yummy dessert recipe is from Fitness Magazine where I just found out October is National Dessert Month. Who knew there was such a thing?

You don’t have to look farther than your kitchen cabinets to make this sweet and simple dessert. It’s perfect in the fall after a day of apple picking.

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
12  ounce caramel ice cream topping
1/2  cup peanut butter
1/2  cup water
2 1/2  pounds cooking apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
Vanilla ice cream

Directions
Coat the inside of a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Add caramel, peanut butter, and water; whisk until smooth. Add apples; stir to coat. Cover. Cook on low heat for 3 to 4 hours. Serve topped with ice cream, if desired.

Makes: 8-10 servings

Nutrition facts per serving:
297 calories
4g protein
53g carbohydrate
8g fat (2g saturated)
5g fiber

[Re-printed with permission]

See more healthy recipes from Fitness Magazine here.

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Rich, earthy flavors make this quick-cooking soup a welcome treat after a day outdoors. Prep tip: Make ahead and reheat, or prepare ingredients the night before and toss in a pot at the end of the day for asatisfying soup in 15 minutes. Serving tip: Serve with whole-grain cornbread and hot green tea.

Recipe courtesy of Delicious Living magazine.
Ingredients:
4 cups low-sodium mushroom or vegetable stock or broth
1 4- to 6-inch piece kombu (a dried sea vegetable)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon miso
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
3 cups sliced fresh or rehydrated shiitake mushrooms (about 8 ounces), stems removed
4 green onions, sliced
¾ cup sliced celery
1 4- to 5-ounce package baby spinach leaves
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:
Combine stock or broth, kombu, ginger, miso, and soy sauce in a Dutch oven or large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Add mushrooms, onions, celery, and spinach. Cover and simmer for about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, mash black beans with a fork or potato masher. Add to pot and simmer for 2 minutes more or until heated through. Remove kombu before serving.

Serves 4

PER SERVING: 203 cal, 3% fat cal, 1g fat, 0g sat fat, 0mg chol, 9g protein, 35g carb, 9g fiber, 794mg sodium

[Reprinted with permission]

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Mmmm… fresh tomatoes and basil go so well together, especially when the tomatoes look this good! Grab a quality baguette, some garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil and you’re pretty much set. This gourmet, but simple recipe comes to us courtesy of the fabulous blog, Summer Tomato.  (Thanks!)

Ingredients:
2 c. diced summer tomatoes
1 clove garlic, worked through garlic press
1/4 c. good quality extra-virgin olive oil
juice of half lemon
8-10 basil leaves, sliced into ribbons
paprika, to taste (optional)
good sea salt, to taste
red bell pepper, fire roasted (optional)
splash of balsamic vinegar (optional)
sour baguette, sliced into 1/2 in. discs at an angle

Directions:
If you are roasting a pepper, start by turning on a burner and placing the pepper on top. Blacken the skin evenly by using tongs to turn periodically. When the pepper is completely blackened, remove from flame and allow to cool. Scrape off blackened skin with a dull knife or fork, remove seeds, dice and set aside.

In the meantime preheat oven to 325 F and slice bread.

Combine first 9 ingredients in a mixing bowl. Some people add sugar, but I prefer to add a splash of balsamic vinegar if I want a little more sweetness. Paprika is also optional, but I find it adds a nice, subtle complexity. Don’t be shy with your sea salt in this recipe. Allow mixture to marinate briefly, stirring occasionally.

Next brush your baguette slices on one side with olive oil and place in warm oven. Toast for 6-10 minutes. Monitor carefully and do not allow to burn.

Place baguette slices on your serving plate and heap marinated tomatoes on top. Add extra small spoonfuls of juice on top of the mixture to add flavor and soften bread.

Serve immediately and crack the champagne.

[Re-printed with permission]

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This recipe for Banana Pancakes with Walnut Honey comes to us courtesy of the new Flat Belly Diet Cookbook (thanks!)

Who needs syrup? Honey and walnuts make the perfect sweet and crunchy topping for these sensational pancakes.

20 minutes
4 servings (3 pancakes each)
425 calories
MUFA : Walnuts

Flat Belly Diet! Easy Pancake Mix
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
6 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon sale

1. Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Pancakes
1 1/3 cups Flat Belly Diet! Easy Pancake Mix
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup low fat buttermilk
¼ cup water
1 egg
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large banana, halved lengthwise and cut into thin slices
½ cup fresh raspberries

Walnut Honey
½ cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon water

1. To prepare the pancakes: Combine the pancake mix and cinnamon in a large bowl. Combine the buttermilk, water, egg, oil and vanilla extract in a separate bowl. Whisk into the pancake mix and stir until smooth. Fold in the banana. Set aside.

2. To prepare the walnut honey: Combine the walnuts, honey, and water in a small bowl.

3. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Add the pancake batter in scant ¼ cupfuls and cook, in batches, for about 2 minutes or until the pancakes have puffed and the undersides are lightly browned. Turn the pancakes and cook for about 2 minutes longer or until lightly browned. Serve with the walnut honey and raspberries.

Nutrition per Serving: 425 calories, 10 g protein, 67 g carbohydrates, 15 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 387 mg sodium, 5 g fiber

[Re-printed with permission]

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