These are a few dips you can make for a variety of fresh fruits. Change the extract flavor or products to suit your needs; sugar free, organic etc…

Peanut Butter Caramel Dip

1/2 cup Smucker’s Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Sugar Free Caramel Topping
1 TSP cinnamon
a few drops of Vanilla extract, paste if you have it
2 TBLS plain Greek yogurt
Milk to dilute

Mix together and add milk if you need to thin the dip out a bit.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Dip

1/2 cup Smucker’s Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Sugar Free Chocolate Topping
1/2 TSP Vanilla extract, paste if you have it
1/2 TSP Espresso Powder
2 TBLS plain Greek yogurt
Milk to dilute

Mix together and add milk if you need to thin the dip out a bit.

Yogurt Dip

1 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt
2 TBLS honey
1/2 TSP Vanilla
Dash of cinnamon

Mix together and serve.

This seafood rice dish is a meal on it’s own. Very easy to make and you can change the seafood to what ever you like or add minced cajun style sausage for a kicked up flavor.

Ingredients;
1LB mussels, cleaned OR you can buy them frozen
1/2 LB raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 cup rice
2 TBLS oil
1 med onion, diced
1/3 red bell pepper, diced
2 cups water or seafood broth/stock, low sodium
2 TBLS tomato paste
1 TSP dried parsley
Dash of dried basil
Dash of red pepper flakes
Salt to taste (I would not add salt if you use seafood broth or stock)

Directions;
In a 4 qt pot saute the onion and bell pepper in the oil just until soft. Add the rice, parsley and basil and stir. Add the water/broth, tomato paste, salt and pepper flakes. Bring to a low simmer for about 10 minutes covered. Add the shrimp and mussels, stir and simmer for about 10 more minutes, covered until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

This Stuffed chicken cutlets recipe is easy and very impressive without a lot of fuss.

Ingredients;
4 chicken cutlets, pounded thin
15oz container ricotta cheese
small bag of fresh baby spinach
garlic powder, not salt
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup Italian flavored bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions;
Preheat oven 375. Mix the ricotta cheese with salt & pepper to taste. Set aside. Lay the cutlets flat and sprinkle a little garlic powder on each one. Place about 2-3 heaping tablespoons of the ricotta down the middle of each cutlet. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly over each cutlet. Cover each cutlet with the spinach leaves, packing them down slightly. Roll the sides of the cutlets to the center leaving the only the ends with some of the stuffing exposed. Secure with a tooth pick. Dip the stuffed chicken into the beaten egg and then roll in the bread crumbs. Cut pieces of foil big enough to wrap around each cutlet. Spray the middle of each piece of foil wrap with cooking spray. Lay the cutlet in the middle and loosely wrap the foil closed. Place the wrapped cutlets on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Open the foil to expose the cutlets and bake another 15 minutes.

**use low fat cheese to make this health friendly

There are many variations of lobster roll recipes. I make it the classic New England way.

Ingredients;
8oz cooked lobster meat, chilled, (if you want to use live lobsters you’ll need about 3LBS of whole lobsters steam cooked, shelled and cooled)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 TBLS minced celery
1 TBLS minced onion
Salt and pepper to taste
1 TBLS melted butter
2 NE style hot dog rolls, lightly toasted, they are sliced on the top instead of the side but either will do

Directions;
Brush the rolls with melted butter and toast lightly in the broiler. Cut the chilled lobster meat into chunks. Mix in all other ingredients.
Fill the toasted rolls with the lobster mixture and serve.

**omit the butter and use lite or non fat mayo to make this health friendly

Raspberry crumble bars Ingredients:
½ LB (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 TSP pure vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
½ TSP salt
10 to 12 ounces good raspberry jam or any flavor you prefer
1/3 cup plain instant oats or one envelope
2 TBLS brown sugar
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed just until combined. With the mixer on low, add the vanilla.

Sift the flour and salt together and with the mixer on low, slowly add to the butter mixture, mixing until it comes together in a ball. Separate two-thirds of the dough and pat lightly – evenly on the bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan and about ¼ inch up the sides. Spread with the jam, leaving a ¼-inch border. Mix the oats, almonds and brown sugar into the remaining one third dough with your hands. Break the dough into small bits and distribute it on top of the jam, covering most of the surface. Bake the bars for 45 minutes, until lightly browned.

Cool for about 15 mins and cut into 12 or 16 bars or whatever size you like. But don’t remove from pan until completely cool. Sprinkle lightly with confectioners’ sugar.