Look for imported Italian cherry tomatoes at your favorite gourmet grocery in the canned tomato aisle. The divas love to stock a variety of imported goodies to keep our culinary brains buzzing with inspiration.
A low-carb love story, “When Feta met Pork Chop,” begins simply enough. Four boneless chops, wishing to shed their
Enter bold and beautiful feta cheese. Sharp, pungent, she crumbles effortlessly with sweet basil and sultry sun-dried tomatoes to fill her chop’s desire. But the romance truly sizzles when our dynamic duo hits a hot grill, melting feta and caramelizing the tender chop.
Happy endings are enjoyed by all with knife and fork, the unwashed dishes disappearing into a glorious sunset.
Be my heart-healthy valentine. Flageolet, the “caviar of beans,” are tiny, tender and French – their creamy white texture and delicate flavor create this dreamy dish, a seductive ménage a trois with slow-roasted tomatoes and fresh spinach.
Don’t dare substitute navy beans – just skip this recipe if you can’t find sophisticated flageolet (we order the heirloom beans at ranchogordo.com). Low in fat and high in fiber, these beans are good for your (sweet)heart. The recipe takes a little time, but let supper simmer while you heat up the romance.
Super Bowl XLIV is coming to Miami's Dolphin Stadium on Feb. 7, and, well, OK, the divas won’t be there – but we’ll be near a big-screen TV with an excuse to create some attention-grabbing noshes.
Chocolate Banana-rama has only 200 calories.
While cold brews and hot wings are top picks for the guys, this sippy sweet will keep the kids happy, a yummy concoction from our pals at the Dairy Council of Florida who are rolling out a new healthy kids initiative in schools with the NFL. Just 200 calories a serving and cinch to throw in the blender so you can get back to checking out those cute football players.
Who said that dinner has to be an ordeal? Multiple courses are for teensy people with lots of time and gravy boats. Sometimes it’s all about quick and fabulous—a small perfect something that nourishes body, mind and spirited taste buds.
Now more than ever, there are tons of ready-made gourmet goodies winking from ordinary supermarket shelves. Four such items comprise this beguiling, pantry-savvy salad. Ready-cooked beets, a hassle to roast and peel (and not optimal canned), are now available in vacuum-sealed packets in most produce departments. Fresh, firm, earthy and sweet, we love them tossed with fire-roasted red bell peppers and crumbled Gorgonzola. A dark, gooey drizzle of best-quality aged balsamic makes this winter salad sing in, what, two tantalizing minutes?
Put down your fork and slowly back away from the high-calorie holidays. And while some of us can abandon the butter and never look back, others need a little richness to get through January. This classic pâté has just enough—pumped up with spices and less fat than the classic version.
Inexpensive and easy to make, pâté makes a light bite with bread or crackers, grainy mustard and cornichons. Though it can be eaten the day it's made, we love the earthy flavor more a day or two later. Sip a German Riesling and call it dinner.
That sound you hear is the crunching of diet-crazed America, at full tilt this month after mindless holiday grazing. We are diving in to fruits and veggies with all the gusto we can muster, amping up flavors with little or no fat.
There’s something so satisfying about the sweet-salty flavors of Asian cuisine – and this crispy slaw does it without an ounce of fat. Skinny slices of jicama beautifully absorb the flavors of the dressing – and pack a punch of Vitamin C. Tart Granny Smith apples and crunchy cabbage add to the harmony.
Top with warm grilled shrimp for a meal in a bowl and the diet survives another day.
The holiday cookie binge is over and you’re still too fat for the chimney. Since everyone knows that diets don’t work, you’ll 
need a few a mouth-watering, adipose-punishing recipes to find your way back to a more reasonable bathroom scale.
Instead of knives and forks to ravage a rubber chicken breast, might we suggest you slurp your way to slim? Soup not only leaves you feeling fuller longer, but also speaks fluently to comfort food cravings.
Tender cuts of chicken and fresh asparagus tips defy diet doldrums in a bright, citrus-infused broth. Fresh basil, thinly sliced scallions and Roma tomatoes make this a soup to a healthy treat to die-t for.
The best sub shops know that marinating a mix of veggies and herbs to top freshly baked bread, meats and cheeses make their sammies irresistible. And now, so do you.
Behold and be-taste diva sammy slaw. A part naughty, part nice, part salad, part topping of sweet bell peppers, Roma tomatoes, onion, fresh garlic, fresh basil, pepperoncini peppers and oregano bathed in extra-virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar. Make it 30 minutes before serving on artisan rolls or baguette, with best-quality deli meats and cheeses, no mayo necessary. Or lighten up with whole grains, turkey and reduced fat Swiss cheese. To a happy, healthful 2010!
The divas’ ongoing wish for world peace through food gets a boost with this can’t-put-our-fork-down delicious dinner compliments of Salwa, the new mother-in-law of our diva in training.
Salwa grew up in Ramallah, a tiny town in Palestine, and her family recipes are the greatest treasures she brought to America. This traditional Arabic dish Msakkhan (pronounced “im-sohcken” with a throaty second syllable) was traditionally regarded as peasant food. Though its origins are Middle Eastern, it’s basically her version of a comfort casserole.
Happy holidays and warm wishes for world peace!