Be still my chocolate loving heart, a moist chocolate cake made from scratch with only three tablespoons of oil in the entire cake! Top this with some chocolate syrup and fresh raspberries and oh my, what a chocolate dessert!


I've been experimenting making a cake from scratch with less fat for a few days now and after a few rounds I finally got it to where my taste testers (aka husband and friends) all thought it was great and couldn't believe it was light.

My secret? There's pudding, yogurt and applesauce in the mix!


This recipe was created for those of you who like to make their cakes from scratch, but if you prefer a quicker method by using a box cake mix as an ingredient, see my Super Moist Low Fat Chocolate Cupcake recipe.

This cake rises beautifully and the coffee brings out the flavor of the chocolate. Will it work without the pudding? Yes, however the texture will change and you'll need to increase the sugar. Can you use less oil? Yes, but I've already cut out more than half, and using less will work, but the texture will be drier.

I made this in a 13 x 9-inch pan and used a heart cookie cutter to cut out hearts, but you can make this into 24 cupcakes, a bundt cake or 2 rounds. Hope you enjoy!

Coconut milk, thyme, scallions and scotch bonnet peppers give this rice dish an island flair! The perfect side dish to Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken, or enjoy this as a meatless main dish with a simple avocado and tomato salad on the side. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free!

Rice and beans are a staple in most Latin and Caribbean countries because they are  inexpensive and nutritious. Beans are an excellent source of fiber, protein and complex carbohydrates.

The rice is not spicy since the pepper is cooked whole for added flavor and is discarded before it's finished. Of course, if you want a spicy rice dish, you could chop the scotch bonnet and add it to the rice, but be warned, it will be hot!


You can easily make half the recipe for less servings, but sometimes using a half a can of coconut milk could be such a waste, so I find it easier to make more and save the rest for leftovers.

A fabulously spicy chicken dish made light with skinless chicken legs and thighs, simmered in a pot with light coconut milk, scallions, onions, tomatoes, garlic, thyme and one very hot scotch bonnet pepper. I served this with Jamaican rice and beans (recipe coming tomorrow), and a simple tomato avocado salad, and boy was this delicious!


I just love the tropical flavors in Jamaican cuisine, it's similar to Latin cuisine only a whole lot hotter! The scotch bonnet pepper is commonly used in Jamaican cuisine, but I warn you, it's spicy!! This small little pepper packs a whole lot more heat than a jalapeño so a little goes a long way. I like spicy foods, but I personally can only tolerate using 1/2 pepper for my taste and wearing gloves when handling the pepper is a must. If you like really spicy food, then add the whole pepper and please, keep them away from the kids and pets!!

I'm a dark meat lover so I chose the legs and thighs, but you can use a whole chicken cut up, or just the breast if you prefer white meat. I recommend using chicken on the bone, because bones give stews flavor and although it would still work with boneless chicken, it won't be as good. My husband loved this dish, and it will absolutely be going into our dinner rotation. Enjoy!!

Skinny potato skins loaded with mildly spiced turkey, black beans, corn and tomatoes topped with cheese - you won't be able to stop at just one!

Seriously, I doubled the turkey filling and couldn't stop eating it. I had it with eggs for breakfast and on tortillas for lunch, even made some enchiladas with the extra... it is THAT good!


The serrano peppers give the filling a little extra kick that I just loved. I found them jarred in my Mexican aisle, the brand I used was Goya, a little goes a long way. You can make the potatoes and the filling the day before, then bake when you are ready to serve!

And did I mention they are gluten-free? To make them vegetarian, simply leave out the turkey and add a little more corn and beans to the filling.

Let the games begin!!

Part-skim mozzarella sticks coated with crispy seasoned breadcrumbs and baked until hot and golden. Serve them with my quick marinara sauce and you have yourself an appetizer everyone will love.

Hot mozzarella sticks, I can't think of a more popular finger food with both kids and adults alike! I mean, what's not to like? Baking them as opposed to frying and using part skim cheese doesn't effect how good these are. The cheese still melts, see for yourself!


Of course, you'll want to serve them hot right out of the oven, because like any cheese, as they cool they harden.

It actually took me several attempts to get these perfect. I played around with different brands of light string cheese to see which yielded the best results. The winner was Sargento part-skim, low-sodium. Although it's not the cheese with the least amount of fat compared to some other brands, it had the best flavor and wasn't as salty as I found some brands to be.

These are freezer friendly, in fact these MUST be frozen before you bake them or you will have one big cheesy mess in your oven! The good news is you can bread them all ahead of time then place them on tray with wax paper and freeze them until you are ready to bake. Make the marinara sauce a day ahead as well. Happy Superbowl Sunday!!

Mushroom caps are generously stuffed with a combination of sautéed baby spinach, chopped mushrooms, bacon, bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. A lighter alternative to traditional stuffed mushrooms yet loaded with tons of flavor. The stuffing is so good, I could eat it by the spoonful!

I like the flavor of real bacon, so I buy center cut which is a bit leaner than regular bacon and I drain it well after cooking. Can you make them with turkey bacon? Sure, if you don't eat pork that would work.

Can you make these vegetarian? Why not replace the bacon with a little Feta cheese and chopped fresh herbs.

Can you make them ahead of time? Yes, you can prepare the stuffing ahead, then fill and bake them right before serving.

They are only 34 calories each or for those of you on Weight Watchers, only 1 point each so I know what some of you will be making Superbowl Sunday!! Enjoy!

Penne pasta is tossed with garlicky escarole, lean Italian chicken sausage, cannellini beans, crushed red pepper and grated cheese. I cannot even begin to describe how good this is, I hope the photos can at least do this dish some justice! If you can't find escarole use kale.


I've tried many alternatives to Italian pork sausage, not because I don't like pork but because I have a hard time finding lean pork sausage. I'm a bit picky when it comes to Italian food growing up here in New York where we're surrounded by great Italian restaurants and stores  so finding a good sausage alternative is not easy. I must say, I'm pretty impressed with Al Fresco's uncooked Italian sweet chicken sausage if your lucky enough to find that near you give it a try. I can't vouch for their cooked sausages since I haven't tried them. Turkey Italian sausage would work just as well in this dish.


This pasta is a winner with everyone in my home, even the picky kids. You can easily make this gluten free by using brown rice pasta. Or make it vegetarian by leaving the sausage out, using vegetable broth and adding another cup of beans. Enjoy!!