Skinny Basil Pesto

Every summer this time of year the basil plants in my garden are lush and beautiful, full of fragrant leaves I love to pick and add to whatever I'm cooking – a simple garden sauce, an heirloom tomato salad, grilled chicken bruschetta, a lovely summer fish dish, just to name a few dishes. 

Pesto is one of the things I whip up all summer long, but pesto can have a lot of oil and fat when made traditionally which can make a dish heavier than I would want, so to make it skinny I use a bit less oil and leave the pine nuts out and no one ever complains. 

Making pesto at the end of the summer and keeping it in the freezer is also a great way to use up the last of the basil from your garden so that you can enjoy it year round. 

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Cherry Custard

This simple dessert is similar to a French Clafoutis, only made lighter and served in individual ramekins for better portion control.

Happy Friday everyone!! Before the summer comes to an end, I am trying to enjoy all my favorite summer fruits, especially cherries, watermelon and peaches. This cherry custard is a must, I just love the flavor and you'll be surprised how easy it is to make.

I used raw sugar as my sweetener, but Stevia or Splenda would work fine too. By the way, if you haven't read the Skinny on Sweeteners yet, I highly recommend it – a very informative article on  a very confusing topic written by Heather K Jones, RD.

And speaking of pitted cherries, I am loving my new cherry pitter, from Amazon, it makes pitting cherries a breeze!

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Summer Vegetables with Sausage and Potatoes

Lean Italian chicken sausage with summer bell peppers and zucchini sauteed with baby red potatoes and fresh herbs for a quick one pot meal.

I love a meal that only dirties one pot because although I may love to cook, I really don't love to clean! I labeled this as kid-friendly because my older one (the pickier one) loves this and my younger one will eat the sausage and peppers, but picks out the potatoes. Since every child is different I'll let you decide! This is also gluten-free for those of you with a gluten intolerance, dairy-free and egg-free.

You can use Italian chicken sausage or turkey sausage depending on what is available to you in your area. I've tasted several brands and really came to love Al Fresco's sweet chicken sausage and Premio's chicken sausage. My local health food store and Italian deli also carry their own homemade sausage which is wonderful. If rosemary isn't your thing, use fresh thyme instead.

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Skinny Pina Colada Ice Pops

Easy Piña Colada Ice Pops, made with pineapple, coconut milk and a splash of rum will whisk you away on a tropical island with every bite you take! Head on over to Dash Recipes for the full recipe where I will be contributing a skinny dessert once a month. For those of you following Weight Watcher Points Plus, only 3 points + each (2 without the rum).

Summer is great for luau themed parties, another fun dessert you can make this summer if you have an ice cream maker is this yummy Piña Colada Sorbet; serve it in hollowed out coconuts for a cool presentation.

If it's cupcakes you crave, then these ever so popular Skinny Piña Colada Cupcakes are quick, easy and always a crowd pleaser!

Stay cool and enjoy your weekend!

Crust-less Summer Zucchini Pie

A simple savory pie made with summer zucchini, shallots, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. If you're looking for a tasty way to use up your summer zucchini, this is it!

It makes a wonderful side dish to any meal or serve it at a potluck or brunch.

To make shredding the zucchini easier,  just throw it in the food processor. You'll want to put the zucchini in a cheese cloth and give it a good squeeze to take out all the moisture.

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Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Breasts

Chicken breast stuffed with cheese, shredded carrots and minced celery, then rolled, breaded, baked and drizzled with hot sauce. Sound enticing? It should be, this is good stuff!

This recipe was so kindly shared with me from one of my subscribers. I love it when my fans share their recipe creations with me to share with all of you, especially when it's something really good! If you know how much I love stuffed chicken breast, you know I was all over this!

I served this with a crisp salad of lettuce, cucumbers, carrots and celery drizzled with homemade skinny blue cheese dressing. It was the perfect compliment and a wonderful meal.

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Easy Garden Tomato Sauce

When grape tomatoes are overflowing in your garden, whip up a quick simple sauce! Grape or cherry tomatoes sauteed with olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs are perfect over pasta, grilled chicken or fish. Take advantage of summer tomatoes now while they are at their peak!

This recipe is from the archives from last summer, I've been making it quite often these past few weeks now that grape tomatoes are at their peak so I decided to bring this recipe forward. Perfect over your favorite pasta shape for meatless Mondays in less than 30 minutes.

Meat lovers can add chicken or shrimp for a spectacular summer pasta dish! And for a spectacular way to prepare fish, try this simple fish dish with summer tomato sauce.

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Cherry Lime Ice Pops

Sweet summer cherries with a touch of lime make these sweet popsicles a perfect treat on a hot summer day.

I love the deep red color you get from using real cherries and the flavor is not that artificial cherry taste you get from those imitation flavored pops, it's richer with a more intense cherry taste.

If you plan on making these, I highly recommend buying a cherry pitter, there are so many to choose from on Amazon. Stay cool!

PS- You can find the popsicle molds on Amazon too! I used this mold, with regular popsicle sticks.
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Bacon Topped Petite Turkey Meatloaf with BBQ Sauce

If you like the sweet smoky flavor of BBQ sauce, then you'll love these petite turkey meatloaves combined with a little zucchini, my homemade Kansas City Style BBQ sauce, and bacon! A fun twist on an my classic Petite Turkey Meatloaf.

I've been playing around with this recipe for a few weeks to get it just right. This first started on the grill in foil pockets. When we go camping, my husband makes a meatloaf on the camp fire and we all really enjoy it. But doing this on the grill can yield different results depending on your grill so I decided to stick with the oven for more precision. Feel free to test this on the grill if you don't want to heat up the kitchen!

I love adding zucchini to the mix because it adds moisture to otherwise dry turkey. I've done this before in my turkey burgers and meatloaf cupcakes and it turns out great and no one knows it's in there! I've made this with both 99% lean turkey and 93% percent lean and we all like the 93% lean best. You can use either, the points remain the same. I used my homemade BBQ sauce, but you can certainly use any BBQ sauce you like. If you are watching your sodium, you could cut back on the bacon or eliminate it all together. Hope you enjoy!


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Warm Pasta Salad with Corn and Zucchini

This pasta salad is heavy on summer vegetables (corn and zucchini) and gets a bit of a kick from red pepper flakes. It's a great alternative to potato salad and will be a perfect meatless entree or side dish for your next picnic or family potluck. 

Please enjoy this guest post from my friend Olga of Mango & Tomato. Olga is a culinary wiz and I'm happy to have her share a recipe with all of you here on Skinnytaste!

Hi! My name is Olga and I'm the creator of Mango & Tomato, where I've been sharing my original recipes, restaurant reviews and food photography for the last four years. Through blogging I get to tell my readers about my childhood food memories, how travel influences the food I make today and my favorite places to eat out. Most importantly, though, I get to meet the other people who are passionate about food. Mostly, these "meetings" happen through social media, but in rare cases I'm lucky to meet them in real life. Gina, is one of those people: we met during a trip to the POM Wonderful orchards and have stayed in touch ever since.

I'm psyched to be able to share a recipe with you all on Gina's blog! 

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Broccoli and Orzo

A simple side dish which combines orzo, a rice shaped pasta with fresh broccoli, garlic and oil. A perfect side for fish or chicken or enjoy it as a main meal. This was one from the archives that was ((gasp)) missing a photo. As soon as I realized this I whipped this up real quick and updated this post.

I love orzo as a side dish because it's quick and incorporates my vegetables and carbohydrates all into one easy dish. If you can find whole wheat orzo, it's great here too. I make often and everyone loves it, sometimes I even enjoy it alone for lunch by doubling the portion. Enjoy!

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Frozen Mango, Kiwi, Raspberry Pops

Cool off with these homemade frozen fruit pops made with fresh fruit puree.

Aren't these the prettiest things! I just love the vibrant colors you can get from using fresh fruit, and the flavors are refreshing and sweet.

Use any fruit you wish, I added a little sugar because my fruit tasted a little tart, but you can leave it out or use stevia if you prefer.

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Summer Potato Salad with Apples

Apples add a sweet crunch to every bite of this lightened up potato salad.

A perfect side for any backyard BBQ or picnic. You can easily double this recipe to serve a larger crowd.

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Watermelon On A Stick

Watermelon on a stick, isn't that the coolest idea? No cooking required for this one! Sometimes it's the simplest things that make the best desserts.

Take sweet watermelon for example, the perfect summer dessert as is - but add a stick to it and you have a fun way to present it at your backyard parties. I saw this on Real Simple and I knew I wanted to share this idea with you all. My husband thought it was brilliant as we happily enjoyed this after dinner.

Note: not a recipe, simply a fun idea I thought I would share. No cooking requires : )

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