Brownies are my weakness, and the Fabulous Foods website has a low-fat brownie recipe that is very chocolate and pretty much virtuous, especially considering that dark chocolate is (really!) good for you and so are walnuts and prunes. If you want to explore the site further, find it at

http://www.fabulousfoods.com/index.html

     Note from Cheri [who owns the site]: I call this recipe, "Baby's" brownies, not because young kids will love it, which they will, but because the recipe uses a jar of baby food (prunes to be specific) to replace a large amount of the fat usually found in brownies.

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
4 oz. jar of baby food prunes
3 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Makes 12 brownies

     Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8 inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

     Melt chocolate over a double boiler, stirring occasionally, just until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and set aside. Combine flour, salt and walnuts to blend.

     Beat together baby food, egg whites, sugar and vanilla. Mix in melted chocolate. Blend in flour mixutre until just combined, spread batter in the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes. Cool on rack before serving.

LOW-FAT NO-GUILT CHERRY CHEESECAKE PUDDING PIE

     My beloved RECIPEZAAR.COM has posted this cheesecake “taste alike.” It got rave reviews.

6 ounces reduced fat graham cracker crust
21 ounces cherry pie filling
1 cup skim milk
6 3/4 ounces cheesecake flavor instant pudding and pie filling
8 ounces Cool Whip Free, thawed

1. Spoon half of the pie filling into crust.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine milk, and pudding mixes. Mix until smooth.
3. Fold in whipped topping.
4. Spoon mixture over pie filling in crust.
5. Refrigerate three hours or until set.
6. Top with remaining pie filling.
7. You can sprinkle with some shaved chocolate for a nice effect.

     One reviewer said, "For a low fat and very little calorie dessert, this is it. I loved it. I am very self-conscious about my weight and love cheesecake, but any traditional cheesecake is loaded with calories and fat. But with this I got the taste of a good cheesecake without the guilt. I usually freeze mine for a while to get a little different texture, it makes it a little more firm and tastes wonderful."

CINCINNATI CHILI

     Cincinnati chili has had a long run in my kitchen. I make a huge batch in early January, freeze most of it, and we enjoy it all winter. My version is highly bastardized, but Bill and I love it anyway. I'll give you the authentic recipe, venerated by generations of Cincinnati chili enthusiasts, and let you bastardize it to your own taste. It's good enough to withstand a lot of meddling. Proper Cincinnati chili is not only served over spaghetti, its special flavor is due to an exotic spice blend supplied by a Macedonian cook long ago. Or so they say. But . . . do watch out for that cayenne pepper.

2 tablespoons oil
2-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 quart cold water
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 large onions (diced)
1-1/2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon Lea & Perrin Worcestershire sauce
1 or 2 large cloves garlic (crushed)
2 tablespoons chili powder
5 bay leaves
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoons allspice
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1-1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
salt and pepper to taste

     In a heavy gauge pot, heat oil, cook beef until brown, add onions and water and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat, add tomato paste and all other ingredients, and let simmer 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Adjust with salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves before serving.

     In Cincinnati the true enthusiasts have their chili in one of five ways: 1. Plain. 2. "Two Way" - spaghetti and chili. 3. "Three Way" - chili, spaghetti, and cheddar cheese. 4. "Four Way" - chili, spaghetti, cheddar cheese, and onions. 5. "Five Way" - chili, spaghetti, cheddar cheese, onions and kidney beans.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

     This version is from http://homecooking.about.com/.

EASY PEACHY CHICKEN

     Bill and I love this one, which makes ordinarily dry chicken breasts moist and delicious. It's equally good with Del Monte lite apricots instead of peaches. Last night I tried it with frozen apple juice concentrate (no lemon), apple chunks, and a sprinkling of cinnamon on the apples. Bill thinks that version is best of all. (As you can tell, we’re both fans of “meat and sweet,” which a person either is or isn’t. People who aren’t seem to feel superior about it, but they usually enjoy pork with applesauce, turkey with cranberry sauce, bacon and eggs with jam on the toast, and ham with a pineapple glaze, so I’m not that impressed.)

4 boneless chicken breasts
1 (16 oz.) can Delmonte lite peaches
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

     Drain peach juice into a cup; add lemon juice. Place chicken in a baking pan. Pour peach juice over chicken. Bake about 25 to 30 minutes. Turn chicken over and add peach slices or peach halves to pan. Return to oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with 1/2 cup rice and green beans for a low calorie meal.

     The recipe came from:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1639,156165-234193,00.html

DELUXE GROUND TURKEY MEATLOAF

     This recipe transforms ordinary ground turkey into a delicious dish. If I ever invite Dr. Weigle over for dinner, I'll fix this. He'll love it.

1-1/2 (or 2) lbs. ground turkey
2 cups dry bread crumbs
1 onion, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup canned tomato sauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon (or other) mustard

DIRECTIONS

     Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ground turkey, bread crumbs, onion, egg, and milk. Season with balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and rosemary. In a separate bowl, blend together the tomato sauce, brown sugar, and mustard. Pour evenly over the top of the loaf.

     Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until juices run clear when pricked with a knife.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Healthy-Living/Low-Calorie/ViewAll.aspx