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Its holiday time again! Its time for festive food, family and fellowship. We hope you enjoy these holiday menus filled with familiar holiday smells and flavors but light on the fat and calories. For more delicious recipes, visit our recipe archives.

This menu is ideal for a casual Sunday brunch for 6 to 8 people. Offer Cranberry Tea to take away the chill in the air. It stays ready and waiting in your slow cooker. Change the fruit in the salad to suit your preference and what is available in the market. Look for light eggnog for the French toast in the refrigerated section of the supermarket. Prepare the blintzes a day ahead to save time in the morning. Heat them when your guests arrive. Offer the toppings in bowls or small pitchers. They are suitable for the blintzes or the French toast. Have some sugar free syrup on hand for friends who have diabetes. Slice turkey ham into 4 ounce portions and heat in apple juice to keep it moist. Offer a selection of light breads and muffins to round out the meal.

Enjoy the delightful tastes of South America this holiday season! Marinate the pork for one or two days in the refrigerator so that it absorbs the flavor of the marinade. Look for yucca and plantains in the produce section of a large supermarket. Look for black beans and sour orange juice in the ethnic foods section. Prepare the flan the day before and refrigerate.

This home-style meal is a great way to celebrate the season with family. Look for already shredded hash brown potatoes in the refrigerated section of the produce aisle. If you cant find them, substitute peeled and shredded fresh potatoes that have been squeezed dry in paper towels.

This meal is ideal for a family of four. The flavors are rich but the preparation time is limited. Make the sweet potatoes and sorbet one to two days ahead of time. Use a small (8 ounce) cornbread mix. Prepare it with fat free milk and 2 egg whites instead of a whole egg to cut back on fat. Saut the turkey cutlets just before serving.

• Apple Crumb Cake
• Berry Sauce
• Carrots and Dried Cranberries
• Cranberry Sorbet
• Cranberry Tea
• Cream of Shrimp Soup
• Easy Winter Fruit Salad
• Eggnog French Toast
• Glazed Plantains
• Green Beans with Red Peppers and Basil
• Green Salad with Pears and Walnuts
• Light Cheese Blintzes
• Light Crepes
• Marinated Beef Roast
• Mashed Orange Sweet Potatoes
• Moros y Christianos (Black Beans and Rice)
• Pork Marinated in Mojo
• Potato Latkes
• Pumpkin Flan
• Sauteed Greens
• Turkey Cutlets with Lemon and Sage
• Yucca with Mojo

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup reduced calorie margarine
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup chopped apple

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom of a 9 x 9 inch square cake pan with no stick spray. Combine topping ingredients and set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well and set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream brown sugar and margarine until well combined. Add egg substitute and vanilla and mix well. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, mixing well after each addition. Stir in apples. Pour into prepared baking pan and sprinkle evenly with topping. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.

• 1 (16 ounce) bag of mixed frozen berries
• 2 Tbsp. sugsr
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. water

In a medium saucepan, combine berries and sugar. Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves and berries begin to release their juice. Combine cornstarch and water and add to berry mixture. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Serve blintzes topped with berry sauce.

• 1 lb. (about 6 large) carrots
• 3 Tbsp. dried cranberries
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. light margarine
• Salt and pepper

Peel carrots. Cut diagonally into ovals 1/2 inch thick. Place in a saucepan, cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook until tender (7 to 10 minutes). Drain well. Add cranberries, margarine and salt and pepper. Stir well and serve.

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water

• 1 (12 ounce) bag fresh cranberries
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp. raspberry flavored liqueur (optional)

Combine water and sugar in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over moderate heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar has completely dissolved, about 10 minutes. Cool. Transfer to a glass container and refrigerate.

Wash cranberries and pick over. Combine cranberries, water and sugar in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook until berries pop (about 10 minutes). Cool. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Push on solids in strainer with a wooden spoon to release juice and pulp. Discard seeds and solids. You should have 2 cups. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or until very cold.

Combine sugar syrup, cranberry puree and liqueur (if using). Freeze in an ice cream maker according to instruction booklet. Transfer sorbet to a plastic container and freeze for several hours or until firm.

• 6 apple cinnamon herbal tea bags
• 3 cups boiling water
• 4 1/2 cups light cranberry juice cocktail

In a large measuring cup, combine tea bags and boiling water. Let stand 5 minutes. Remove tea bags. In a slow cooker, combine tea and cranberry juice. Heat on low for 2 hours.

• 1 lb. medium raw shrimp, in shell (see recipe note)
• 1/2 of a lemon
• 2 Tbsp. light margarine
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped green pepper
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1 cup 1 percent reduced fat milk
• 1/2 of a (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed 98% fat free tomato soup
• 1/2 cup clam juice
• 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp. seafood seasoning (plus additional to cook shrimp)
• Garlic powder and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup fat free half and half

Fill a large saucepan 3/4 full with water. Cut lemon into 2 wedges, squeeze and add to pan. Season water to taste with seafood seasoning. Bring to a boil over moderate heat. Add shrimp and cook 3 minutes. Drain and cool immediately in ice water. Peel.

Place saucepan over moderate heat. Add margarine and melt over low heat. Add onion and green pepper and saute until limp. Add flour and saute 2 minutes. Add milk, all at once, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add tomato soup, clam juice and seasonings. Stir well and reduce heat to low. Set aside 8 whole shrimp for garnish. Coarsely chop remaining shrimp and add to soup. Stir in fat free half and half and heat gently. Do not boil. Ladle into bowls and garnish each bowl with 2 whole shrimp.

Make salad the morning of the party. Acid containing fruits like oranges and kiwi keep the bananas from turning black. Save the yogurt to add at the last minute. It gets thin when it stands.

• 3 medium navel oranges
• 2 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
• 2 medium bananas
• 1 cup seedless red grapes
• 1 cup light vanilla flavored yogurt
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar

Peel oranges and cut into sections. In a glass bowl, layer oranges, bananas, kiwi fruit, and grapes. Cover tightly and refrigerate until serving. Uncover and top with dollops of yogurt and sprinkle with brown sugar.

• 8 (1 inch thick) slices stale French bread
• 1 1/2 cups light prepared eggnog
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp. light margarine

Place bread in a large flat dish. Combine eggnog and nutmeg. Pour over bread. Let soak 2 minutes. Turn and let soak until all the liquid is absorbed. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with sides with no stick cooking spray. Put margarine on the tray and place in oven until melted. Add bread to pan in a single layer. Bake 15 minutes; turn and continue baking 10 minutes or until golden. Serves 4 as the only brunch dish or 8 with other dishes.

• 3 yellow plantains
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. light margarine
• 6 Tbsp. white sugar

Peel plantains. Cut in half lengthwise. Cut each half in 3 pieces. Melt margarine in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat. Add sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until sugar melts. Add plantain pieces. Cook, turning frequently until tender and coated in syrup.

• 1 (16 ounce) bag frozen petite whole green beans
• 1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup roasted red peppers, cut into ½ inch strips
• 1/4 tsp. dried basil
• Fresh ground pepper

In a large saucepan, combine beans and broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook 6 to 7 minutes or until tender. Drain. Add red peppers, basil and pepper and heat through on low heat for 5 minutes.

• 1/4 cup walnut pieces
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 6 cups green leaf lettuce, washed and torn into bite-size pieces
• 2 medium ripe pears
• 6 Tbsp. fat free raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a small baking pan with foil. Spray with no stick spray. In a small bowl, combine walnuts and honey. Spread on baking pan. Bake in preheated oven about 12 minutes or until golden. Let cool. Can be made ahead and stored in an air tight container. Chill greens until serving time. Arrange greens on chilled salad plates. Wash pears, halve and core. Cut into 1/4 inch thick slices. Arrange on greens. Sprinkle with walnut pieces and top each salad with 1 Tbsp. of salad dressing.

• 1 recipe Light Crepes (see index for recipe)
• Filling:
• 1 (16 ounce) package low fat cottage cheese
• 2 Tbsp. Neufchatel cream cheese
• 1 large egg white
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Place cottage cheese, cream cheese, egg white, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla in the blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with no stick spray. Spoon 2 Tbsp. of filling in the center of each pancake. Fold bottom of pancake up over filling. Fold opposite sides of pancake toward center. Roll up to completely enclose filling. Place blintzes, seam side down in prepared pan. (Blintzes can be prepared to this point and refrigerated overnight.) Bake in preheated oven 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through.

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup fat free milk
• 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. melted margarine

Combine all of the ingredients and beat until smooth. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Spray an 8 inch nonstick skillet or crepe pan with no stick spray. Place over moderate heat. Stir batter. Measure a scant 1/4 cup of batter. Pour into prepared pan and tilt quickly to cover bottom of pan. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute more or until very lightly browned. Turn out on waxed paper and repeat to make a total of 12 crepes.

• 1 (3 1/2 lbs) beef eye round roast
• 1 1/2 cups dry red wine (such as Merlot)
• 1 large shallot, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. peppercorns
• 1 tsp. whole allspice
• 1 large Bay leaf
• 1 large oven roasting bag
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Wipe beef roast with a damp paper towel. Place in large self sealing plastic bag. Combine wine, shallot, thyme, peppercorns, allspice and Bay leaf. Pour over roast. Seal bag and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Add 1 Tbsp. flour to the oven bag. Shake well to coat. Remove roast from marinade and transfer to oven bag. Strain marinade. Add ¼ cup marinade to oven bag. Close bag. Place in roasting pan. Cut 6 (1/2 inch) slits in top of bag. Roast in preheated oven for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees.

Meanwhile, transfer remaining marinade to a small saucepan. Reduce liquid by 1/3 over moderate heat. Remove meat from oven. Place meat on a platter and tent with foil. Add any juices from bag to saucepan. Combine beef broth and cornstarch. Bring marinade to a boil, stir in cornstarch mixture and cook until thickened. Season with additional salt, pepper and thyme to taste.

Slice meat and top with gravy.

• 1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes
• 1 orange
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. light margarine
• 1 Tbsp. orange flavored liqueur (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

Peel sweet potatoes and cut in 1 1/2 inch cubes. Place in a large saucepan. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain well. Grate 1 tsp. orange rind. Cut orange in half and squeeze 2 Tbsp. juice. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, margarine, orange juice and rind, liqueur, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whip with an electric mixer until smooth. If too thick, add more orange juice. Keep warm or place in a casserole and reheat in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Can also be topped with marshmallows and browned.

• 1 cup dried black beans
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 ounces lean ham, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 tsp. vinegar

Pick over the beans, removing any small rocks or dirt. Put beans in a strainer or colander and rinse with cold water. Place in a stockpot or plastic container. Cover beans with water to cover beans by 2 inches. Cover container and refrigerate for 6-8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse the beans. Place in a large saucepan. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until tender (about 1 hour). Drain and reserve.

Place a large saucepan over moderate heat. Add olive oil and tilt pan to coat. Add onion, ham and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, until onion is limp. Add water, seasonings and beans. Simmer 30 minutes. Add rice, mix well and cook an additional 45 to 60 minutes. Stir in vinegar and serve.

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup sour orange juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 Bay leaf
• Fresh ground pepper
• 4 lb. lean boneless pork loin roast

Combine olive oil, onion and garlic in a 2 cup glass measuring cup. Microwave on High 1 minute. Remove from microwave and add sour orange juice, water, oregano, cumin, Bay leaf and pepper. Mix well.

Wipe pork with damp paper towels poke all over with a large fork. Place pork roast in a large self sealing plastic bag. Pour marinade over pork. Refrigerate 8 hours, turning occasionally.

Preheat gas grill or light charcoal fire. Remove roast from marinade. Place directly over coals or heat source and sear on all sides. Move to side of grill and cook over indirect heat for 20 minutes to the pound (about 1 hour and 20 minutes) or to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Remove from grill and tent with foil. Let stand 10 minutes. Carve into thin slices and serve.

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 (1 lbs. 4 ounce) package refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes
• 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 3 1/2 Tbsp. flour
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 tsp. oil

In a bowl, combine onion, potatoes, egg substitute, flour, salt and pepper. Mix well. Place a large no stick skillet over moderate heat. Add 1 tsp. of oil. Tilt pan to coat. Make sure pan is hot. For each pancake, spoon 1/3 cup potato mixture into the skillet and flatten to form a pancake. Cook 3 pancakes at a time until golden on one side. Turn and cook until browned. Transfer to a cookie sheet and keep warm in a 200 degree oven. Add another teaspoon of oil to the pan and continue as above.

Serve hot with applesauce or fat free sour cream.

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 (14 ounce) can fat free condensed milk
• 1 cup fat free milk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup egg substitute
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8(8 ounce) ramekins with no stick spray. Place a heavy skillet over medium heat; add sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar is melted and golden brown. Immediately pour into prepared ramekins.

In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour into ramekins; place in a large roasting pan. Add hot water to pan to come halfway up outside of ramekin. Bake 50-60 minutes or until set. Remove from pan and chill. To serve, loosen with a knife and invert onto serving plate.

• 1/2 lb. kale
• 1/2 lb. collard greens
• 1/2 of a small head of cabbage
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp. very low sodium chicken broth powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar

Wash kale and collard well. Cut out heavy stems with scissors. Wash again. Pat dry and cut into thin shreds. Core cabbage and cut into thin shreds. Heat a large skillet with lid over moderate heat. Add oil; tilt pan to coat. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add kale, collard, cabbage and water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and steam for 4 minutes. Uncover, stir constantly and continue cooking until greens shrink. Add salt and pepper and stir well. Sprinkle with vinegar, turn off heat, cover and let stand 5 minutes.

• 1 lb. turkey cutlets (about 4 four ounce) cutlets
• 1 tsp. grated lemon rind
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice (divided)
• 1/2 tsp. dried sage, crumbled
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1/2 cup ready to serve, reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Wipe turkey cutlets with a paper towel. Season turkey with lemon rind, sage and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice. Let stand 20 minutes. Place a large nonstick skillet over moderate heat. Add 1 1/2 tsp. oil. Tilt pan to coat. Dredge 2 turkey cutlets in flour. Shake off excess. Place in skillet and cook, turning once, until browned. Place on a small platter and keep warm. Repeat with remaining turkey.

Add chicken broth to skillet and deglaze, scraping up any browned bits in pan. Combine 2 Tbsp. water, cornstarch and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice. Stir into broth in skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Pour sauce over turkey and garnish with parsley, if desired, and serve.

• 2 lbs. yucca
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Peel yucca and cut into 1 inch chunks. Place in a large saucepan. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and cook until fork tender. Drain well and return to pan. Cover and steam 5 to 10 minutes. Combine remaining ingredients. Mix well and pour over yucca. Stir gently.