Rice Salad With Peas and Red Pepper

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

2 cups long grain brown rice, cooked

1 small red pepper, diced

1 small bunch watercress, chopped

2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tbs rice vinegar

1 small clove garlic, finely minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 Tbs pine nuts

Microwave peas on high for 1 minute. In a medium salad bowl, combine peas, brown rice, red pepper, and watercress. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, rice vinegar and garlic. Add to rice mixture, tossing well to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with pine nuts.

Makes 8 servings.

Per serving: 118 calories, 5 g total fat (less than 1 g saturated fat), 15 g carbohydrate, 3 g protein, 2 g dietary fiber, 19 mg sodium.

Shrimp with Black Bean Salsa

2 pink grapefruits, peeled

3 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 med (or pickling) cucumber, peeled and diced

½ cup diced red onion

¾ cup canned or cooked black beans

1 jalapeno or serrano chile pepper seeded and minced

Juice of ½ orange

Juice of ½ lime

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

16 extra large shrimp (10–12 count), about 1½ lbs

2 Tbs finely chopped cilantro

1 Tbs finely chopped mint

Holding the fruit over a medium bowl to catch juices, release sections from the membrane and collect them in the bowl. Cut sections crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Add tomato, cucumber, onion, beans, and chile pepper and mix to blend. Pour in orange and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add shrimp and cook until pink, curled and opaque all the way through, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain immediately. When cool enough to handle, peel and devein shrimp, then slit them horizontally along the back, cutting almost all the way through, but not completely, from tip to tail.

Arrange 4 shrimp in a pinwheel design, on each of 4 dinner plates. Spoon a tablespoon of salsa into the slit in each shrimp. Mound remaining salsa in the center of the plate. Sprinkle ¼ of cilantro and mint over each plate and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 146 calories, 1 g total fat (0 g saturated fat), 25 g carbohydrate, 10 g protein, 5 g dietary fiber, 199 mg sodium.

Spinach, Red Bell Pepper, And Feta Cheese Salad

½ cup nonfat plain yogurt

1 tsp honey

2 Tbs minced fresh dill

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 bag (5 oz) baby spinach, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)

1 large red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)

1 stalk celery, trimmed and diced (about 1 cup)

¼ cup thinly sliced green onions (scallions)

1 oz feta cheese, drained, rinsed and crumbled (about ¼ cup)

In a small bowl, stir together yogurt, honey, dill and black pepper until blended. In a large serving bowl, toss together spinach, red pepper, celery, and green onions. Drizzle dressing over top and lightly toss to coat. Sprinkle with feta and serve.

Makes 6 servings

Per serving: 41 calories, 1 g total fat (less than 1 g saturated fat), 6 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 1 g dietary fiber, 91 mg sodium.

Tomato Egg Nests with Spinach Bruschetta

4 med vine tomatoes at room temperature

4 large eggs at room temperature

2-3 tsp extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 bunch flat-leaf spinach, stemmed, washed, and dried

4 thick slices whole-wheat bread, grilled or toasted

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Set baking rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice tops off tomatoes. Scoop out soft flesh and seeds, turning each tomato into a cuplike shell. Break 1 egg into small cup. Slide it into one tomato shell. Set shell in a casserole dish (that has a cover) large enough to hold 4 tomato shells. Repeat with remaining eggs. Sprinkle eggs with salt and pepper. Cover casserole.

Bake until egg whites are softly set all the way through (not runny), about 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté garlic 1 minute, taking care not to let it color. Add spinach all at once. Stir with wooden spoon until leaves are coated with oil and wilted. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Turn spinach onto cutting board and chop coarsely. To serve, spread a quarter of spinach over each slice of bread. Place one slice on each of 4 plates. Using tongs or large spoons, set a baked tomato on each spinach-topped bread slice. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 254 calories, 10 g total fat (2 g saturated fat), 30 g carbohydrate, 13 g protein, 5 g dietary fiber, 300 mg sodium.

Meringue Tartlets with Strawberries and Chocolate

2 cups slice fresh strawberries

¼ cup plus 1 Tbs sugar, divided

4 large egg whites, at room temperature

Dash of cream of tartar

Dash of salt

2 Tbs plus 2 tsp shaved good-quality dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, mix the strawberries with 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Refrigerate the strawberries until ready to use. In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for about 1 minute, until the eggs are frothy. With the mixer at high speed, add the remaining ¼ cup sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, beating for 5 to 7 minutes, until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Drop the meringue onto the prepared baking sheet in eight 3- to 4-inch-diameter rounds, smoothing the edges. Bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, but leave the meringues in overnight or for about 12 hours. Do not open the oven door. If the meringues will not be served immediately, remove them from the oven and store in a tightly covered dry container until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, gently peel the meringues off the parchment paper. Top each meringue with ¼ cup strawberries and garnish with 1 teaspoon shaved chocolate, and serve.

Makes 8 servings.

Per serving: 68 calories, 1 g total fat (less than 1 g saturated fat), 13 g carbohydrate, 2 g protein, 1 g dietary fiber, 65 mg sodium.