Frozen Banana Bites

Last week my husband bought a big bunch of bananas, ate one, and forgot about them. I ate one (half chopped up in my breakfast oatmeal, the other half chopped up in my breakfast yogurt another day). In the old days, I might have made some banana bread with the surplus ripe bananas, but I'm not all that crazy about banana bread, bready type foods aren't agreeing with my band right now, and turning the oven on when the thermometer's reading over 100 degrees just doesn't make sense. So I made a batch of frozen banana bites, and they are divine.

1. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.
2. Cut a banana (or 2, or 3) into 1/2" crosswise slices and place the slices on the waxed paper
with the sides of the slices very close to each other.
3. Drizzle chocolate syrup (I used Hershey's lite chocolate syrup) over the slices. Don't overdo it
- there's no such thing as too much chocolate, but you don't want to create a sticky mess.
4. Put the baking sheet in the freezer for one hour.
5. Transfer the banana slices to a plastic storage container, using waxed paper (I just cut up
the big piece that lined the baking sheet) to separate the layers.
6. Store the banana bites in the freezer for up to 3 days.

Kids of all ages will love these treats. I eat 3-4 slices at a time. They taste like ice cream without all the fat. Next time I make them, I'm going to "frost" the slices with a thin layer of creamy peanut butter before I drizzle on the chocolate.

Vietnamese Fish with Pineapple Relish

When I lived in the Northeast and could get a wide variety of fresh fish, I would occasionally poach a salmon and serve it cold with some kind of sauce. Here in Tennessee, it's hard to get any fish fresh unless it's catfish or crappy (believe it or not, crappy is a kind of fish, not an adjective). But it turns out that poached catfish is very tasty with Asian style seasonings, and poaching keeps the fish moist enough for a bandster to enjoy. We ate it hot, but I think it'd be good cold as well. Don't be put off by the amount of sesame oil in this recipe. It seems like a lot, but you won't be consuming all that oil unless you drink the poaching liquid. You can substitute other fish for the catfish, but make sure it's a meaty fish that won't fall apart in the poaching liquid.

FISH
2 tablespoons brown sugar (or 1 tablespoon Splenda brown sugar blend)

3/4 cup water

1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1-2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce

3 tablespoons Nuoc Mam (fish sauce)*
1 pound fish fillets, cut in thirds
2 scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the water with the brown sugar in a medium saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Add sesame oil, garlic, ginger, chili-garlic sauce, and fish sauce and heat until it simmers. Add the fish pieces and turn them to coat with the poach liquid. Return the mixture to a simmer, cover and cook 5 minutes. Uncover and cook another 2-3 minutes, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Remove from heat and garnish with scallions and cilantro. Serve with pineapple relish (recipe below). Serves 3-4.

* for the fish sauce, you can substitute 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of water, and 1/4 teaspoon anchovy paste

PINEAPPLE RELISH
1/2 fresh pineapple, cored and diced small
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (a mix of red and green works well)
2 scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon grated lemon or lime rind
3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
1 teaspoon hot sauce (or more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving (to allow the flavors to blend).

Creamy Herb Dressing

1/4 cup roasted red pepper (patted dry), or red tomato (skinned, seeded & chopped)
1 cup cottage cheese (I use the 1% fat version)
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind (optional)
1 scallion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (see note below)

Whiz in a food processor until smooth, adding more lemon juice if a thinner consistency is desired.

For herbs, I use whatever's growing in the potted herb garden on the front porch, or whatever fresh herbs are affordable at the supermarket. This dressing is especially good with dill, or with a mix of herbs. I use no more than three different herbs so that the herb flavors stay distinct. Favorite combinations: mint, cilantro, parsley; basil, oregano, thyme; tarragon, dill, parsley.

Creamy Feta Salad Dressing

If you like feta cheese, you will love this creamy, low-fat, high-protein salad dressing.

1/3 cup reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Whiz the ingredients in a mini food processor until smooth enough to suit you. I like it with the feta cheese broken down into bits but not completely obliterated.

Serve with green salad or a salad of mixed chopped raw vegetables (with or without chickpeas).

Skinny Blini

This recipe was inspired by one of my OH pals. In my usual meddlesome way, I had to fiddle with it, and loved the result. Blini or blintzes are Eastern European style crepes (thin pancakes) filled with goodies. When I used to visit New York city frequently, I would order blini with cottage cheese for breakfast. Here is a lower-calorie, higher-protein version.

Whiz in a blender or food processor:
3/4 c. Egg Beaters
1 c. fat-free milk
1/4 c. low-fat cottage cheese
1/3 c. flour (wheat or soy)
1 packet sweetener (I use Truvia)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, mix:
1/2 c. low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 c. fat-free plain Greek yogurt
1-2 packets sweetener
1/2 c. fresh berries (whole or cut up) or other fruit (roughly chopped)
1 tablespoon chopped unsalted nuts (I use walnuts)

For sauce, use one of the following:
1 cup pureed fresh berries sweetened to taste
1 cup no sugar added jam (microwave it for 1+ min. until slightly liquefied, then stir it)

Optional garnish:
whole fresh berries

Spray an 8" nonstick saute pan with butter flavor or plain Pam and heat over medium heat until the Pam starts to bead up. Pour in enough crepe batter (about 1/4 cup) to thinly cover the bottom of the pan, tilting the pan to swirl the batter evenly over the surface of the pan. Cook until bubbles start to form on the top surface of the crepe. Flip the crepe over with a pancake turner (these crepes are very tender, so be careful). Cook for another minute or until the bottom is pale gold and dry. Gently transfer the cooked crepe to a plate and repeat the process until all the batter is used, being sure to spray the pan with Pam between each crepe. You may have to turn down the heat a bit after the first crepe is done.

To assemble the blini, put a crepe on a salad plate with the nicest-looking side down. Put 2-3 tablespoons of the cottage cheese & yogurt mixture in the center of the crepe. Roll the crepe up. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of sauce over the crepe. If desired, scatter a few whole fresh berries on top. Serve.

Yield: about 8 blini

Sunflower Cheese Balls

This recipe makes a tasty party appetizer or snack. If desired, serve them with whole-grain crackers, bagel crisps, and raw veggies and fruits (apple & pear slices, grapes)

4 oz. Muenster cheese, at room temperature (or other cheese - if using hard cheese like Swiss or cheddar, shred the cheese first)
4 oz. reduced fat or fat free cream cheese, at room temperature
2 scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary, basil)
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (or soy sauce)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
cayenne pepper to taste
salt to taste
1/2 cup roasted, salted sunflower kernels

Put all ingredients except sunflower kernels in a food processor and whiz until well combined (you may have to stop once or twice and scrape down the sides of the processor bowl).

Put the sunflower kernels in a shallow bowl.

Scoop out small spoonfuls of cheese mixture and form into 1" balls. Roll the balls in the sunflower kernels and put them in a shallow storage container. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Makes 15 cheese balls.

Quinoa with pistachios & herbs

This stuff is great - you get your whole-grain carb fix with a boost of protein (in the quinoa and nuts). It's good served at room temperature or cold, though I prefer to let it sit about 10 minutes after I take it out of the fridge, because the olive oil needs to liquefy. For variety you can use other grains, like bulgur wheat or brown rice. If I'm using fresh lemon, I grate about 1/2 of the lemon rind and add it to the cooked mixture. I use whatever fresh herb is happening in our garden or that's affordable at the supermarket. I haven't tried different nuts with this yet, but cashews could be in my future...

1/2 cup shelled pistachios
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water or broth (chicken or veg)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
grated lemon rind (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh mint, cilantro, or thyme, chopped

In a heavy medium saucepan, stir the pistachios over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, or until fragrant and brown. Transfer to a cutting board, allow to cool slightly, and chop roughly. Set aside.

In the same saucepan, heat 2 cups water or broth until it boils. Add the quinoa and salt, stir, cover, and cook on low heat for 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Transfer the cooked quinoa to a large bowl.

Add the pistachios, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, and mint or other herbs to the quinoa and mix well. Let stand about 20 minutes for the flavors to develop.

Adjust seasonings.

4 servings