1)Healthy Chocolate Ice Cream! In fact I’m making it right now, it’s in the freezer, & I just told Bob -- who grinned a mile wide. “When will it be ready!?” He’s suddenly lost his power of concentration & is pacing around in the kitchen. “Close the freezer door!” I holler. Ok, here’s the recipe:

Chocolate Ice Cream, serves 6, 120 calories per serving

1 lg (2.1 oz) pkg Jello Sugar-Free FF Instant Chocolate Pudding…………………………………………………………..210 calories
3 cups cold Fat Free milk………......................270 calories
2 tbsp canola oil ………..……...........................240 calories

                                                                Total 720 calories

Follow package directions to make pudding, then whisk in canola oil.
Freeze in bowl for 1 hour. Take out &, using wide serving spoon, quickly re-stir to aereate, starting with pushing down sides of mixture, which freeze first.
Return to freezer for another hour. Optional: Sugar-&Fat-Free whipped topping, fudge sauce, strawberries, etc.

(The trick is in the aeration. Ice cream machines churn constantly. If Ben & Jerry’s were to use their best sugar & heavy cream ingredients without this aeration, the result would still be tasty ice.)
Optional: Fat Free Whipped Topping is 15 calories per 2 tablespoons. Two tbsp Fudge Sauce added is another 40 calories.

Note: If ice cream freezes for more than 4 hours, it gets really hard. So remove from freezer 20 minutes before serving. Or you could make it into fudgicles...

Try the same with Jello Vanilla Sugar-Free Fat-Free Instant Pudding topped with Fudge Sauce. (Recipe for Fudge Sauce: dry mix equal amounts unsweetened, non-alkalinized cocoa & Splenda; add water to desired consistency.) Click here for Cocoa info: 20 calories per tbsp, 2 tbsp make a serving with 40 calories and 8,000 antioxidants.
Good brands of unsweetened, non-alkalinized cocoa: Hershey’s (little brown box in bakery aisles), Trader Joes, & Whole Food/Wild Oats. (Alkanization, aka Dutch process, destroys the antioxidants.)

You can also add Soy Protein Powder to the ice cream mix. Even more protein, & it tastes the same! Here’s the SPP info again: Each SPP serving of 2 scoops (= 1/3 cup) has 110 calories and 23 grams of protein, no fat, no carbs, no cholesterol, & no sugar. A hamburger has just 12 g protein.

 
2) Now for Tuna Nicoise, Serves 2, 320 calories per person. A year-round favorite, serve hot or cold, makes a terrific salad (& you can substitute sun-dried tomatoes for fresh ones).

*1/2 cup Vinaigrette sauce (recipe below)
1/2 bag frozen broccoli florets
1 6 oz can of tuna
1 can (15 oz) red or dark kidney beans, drained
1 can sliced small black olives
small onion, sliced
2 small tomatoes, diced (or sun-dried; Trader Joes are great; also cheapest)

Pour the vinaigrette into skillet. Add broccoli, heating till thawed. Add water to stretch sauce further with fewer calories. Lower heat, add tuna, kidney beans, & olives, stirring until evenly warmed.  
Add tomatoes & onions last, stir briefly but leave onions crunchy

If you prefer this as a salad you can still heat it first, serve cold later.

3) *Vinaigrette sauce, Indispensable, used in many recipes. Make lots & keep handy in fridge. 125 calories per serving, serves 4:

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
garlic powder
tarragon, dried

Pour olive oil into container. Add red wine vinegar, then Dijon; stir.
Add powdered garlic & tarragon. Lots.
Stir with fork, or if using old Dijon jar, screw cover back on and shake vigorously.

Recipe thus far is your true vinaigrette. If you wish fewer calories in it water it down and shake again. You can add more garlic & tarragon; the calorie count won’t change & they’re what really gives vinaigrette its taste.

Health Alert: Be sure to wash all fresh veggies well; even better, cook them. Getting them up to as little as 160 degrees (medium heat) will kill any bacteria. Concern shouldn’t be just about tomatoes. Last year there were E. coli outbreaks in broccoli, scallions, beef/hamburgers especially in fast food chains...& there are always salmonella concerns with poultry & eggs. The reason (for meats) is: undercooking.  The reason (for veggies) is undercooking &/or inadequate pre-washing.
Here’s a CDC page on this salmonella outbreak:
http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/saintpaul/#advice  ...& halfway down the page:
Advice to consumers

At this time, FDA is advising U.S. consumers to limit their tomato consumption to those that are not the likely source of this outbreak. These include cherry tomatoes; grape tomatoes; tomatoes sold with the vine still attached; tomatoes grown at home; and raw red Roma, red plum, and round red tomatoes from specific sources listed at: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html*. Consumers should be aware that raw tomatoes are often used in the preparation of fresh salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo, are part of fillings for tortillas, and are used in many other dishes.

Customers everywhere are advised to:
    •     Refrigerate within 2 hours or discard cut, peeled, or cooked tomatoes.
    •     Avoid purchasing bruised or damaged tomatoes and discard any that appear spoiled.
    •     Thoroughly wash all tomatoes under running water.
    •     Keep tomatoes that will be consumed raw separate from raw meats, raw seafood, and raw produce items.
    •     Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and counter tops with hot water and soap when switching between types of food products.

FDA recommends that U.S. retail outlets, restaurants, and food service operators offer only fresh and fresh cut red Roma, red plum, and round red tomatoes and food products made from these tomatoes from specific sources listed at: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html#retailers*. Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached from any source may be offered.

FDA information on this investigation can be found at: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html

The CDC home page is a good one to bookmark. In the right top corner are listed the most important topics:
http://www.cdc.gov/

Don’t worry. Just be aware, & all’s well…

Joyce & Bob