Recipes from the Ridge

This time of year is when we all make new resolutions, break them immediately, but still try to watch the calories and lose those unwanted holiday pounds. Here are some low-fat, yet tasty dishes to start the year off right!
Breakfast Tostados
(And they're definitely not just for breakfast!)
1/4 cup skim or 1% milk
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. black pepper
4 egg whites
2 eggs
4 corn tortillas
1/2 cup shredded, low-fat cheddar cheese
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed & drained
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup salsa
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
Whisk together the eggs, egg whites, milk, salt and pepper, and then scramble in a pan sprayed with vegetable spray. Divide evenly on each tortilla. Layer each one with cheese, beans and onions. Place under the broiler for 20 to 30 seconds. Top each one with salsa and a dollop of sour cream. Serves four.
Breakfast Smoothie
1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/2 cup pineapple juice
4 ice cubes
2 t. wheat germ
1 t. honey
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 banana, peeled & cut into chunks
Blenderize all the ingredients. Serves two.
Smoky Pasta Bake
1 lb. penne, cooked & drained
1 (26 oz.) jar marinara sauce
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1 pkg. frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed dry
1 1/2 cups fat-free sour cream
1 cup shredded, smoked Gouda cheese
1 T. cried basil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the marinara sauce, add the salt, pepper and spinach for 10 minutes and then add the cooked penne. Spray a 13" by 9" casserole dish with cooking spray, and then spread half of the tomato sauce-penne mixture in it. Combine the sour cream, Gouda cheese and basil —spoon over tomato sauce-penne mixture in the pan. Add the other half of the tomato sauce-penne mixture and sprinkle with the grated parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving. Serves six to eight.
Italian Pork Cutlets
1 pork tenderloin, fat trimmed
2 T. flour
3/4 t. salt, divided
1/2 t. black pepper
Olive oil
1 onion, sliced (

1 head garlic (6 cloves)
1 cup prepared tomato-basil pasta sauce
1/4 cup crushed red pepper
Fresh basil, torn (about 2-3 T.) (or 1 T. dry)
Grated Parmesan cheese

Slice the pork tenderloin into 10 or 12 slices. Pound between two sheets of plastic wrap to about a quarterinch thick. Combine a half-teaspoon of salt, a halfteaspoon of pepper and the flour in a dish —dredge the pork slices. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large skillet and brown the pork quickly on both sides —remove to a plate. Add one teaspoon more of oil to the pan and cook the onion, garlic and a quarter-teaspoon of salt until golden. Add the pasta sauce and red pepper —heat through. Remove from the burner and stir in the basil. Place the pork in one layer in a baking pan. Top each one with a spoonful of the sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Bake for five to eight minutes at 450 degrees or until the pork is done. Serves four.
Apple Slaw
1/2 cup no-fat sour cream
3 T. mayonnaise*
1 12/ T. white vinegar
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. black pepper
1/4 t. salt
2 cups chopped apple
1 cup raisins or craisins
1 1/2 cups grated (or shredded) cabbage
1 cup grated carrot

Make the dressing by combining the sour cream, mayo, vinegar, sugar, pepper and salt. Toss with the apples, raisins, cabbage and carrot. Serves eight.

(*I tried the low-fat mayonnaise that was in the original recipe. It was watered down and had less flavor for me —so the extra calories are worth it!)
And here's another good dressing:
1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 t. fresh lemon juice
Combine all the ingredients well, and then chill. (Eight
calories, 0% fat!)