Tastes of summer...

Grilled food and slaw. These are two things that are synonymous with summertime for me. Nostalgia points to cookouts with friends and family, slaws of various recipes, the smell of BBQ and charcoal...  ahhh.

Grill... everything!

Since I don't have a grill, I use a grill pan. It's a cast iron grill pan, heavy duty and a pain to clean - but I love the way it grills food! Inside! At any time!

So I made some grilled zucchini, squash and onions. Simple, simple seasoning - olive oil spray - sea salt. That's it! I like the vegetable's natural flavor to shine through. Doesn't this look delicious??

Paired with a grilled chicken breast (4oz) and a roma tomato - guess how many calories??

Give up?

220!

Now, onto slaw...

FITTER ASIAN SLAW

1 bag broccoli slaw

1/2 small yellow onion

2 tbsp. white vinegar

2 tbsp. olive oil mayo

1 tbsp. baking Splenda

1 tbsp. lite Teriyaki  sauce

1 - 2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. ground ginger

Makes 6 -1/2 cup servings: 38 calories each

Everyone's got their recipe for broccoli slaw - especially Asian style - but- it's packed with calories! One serving of a recipe I found on food.com has 300 calories and 19 fat grams per serving!! Traditional Asian slaw has Ramen noodles (which are ridiculously high in calories!), sunflower seeds & almonds (healthy but also - calorie ridden) - all for crunch. But here's the thing - broccoli slaw all ready has crunch! It's raw broccoli, carrots and cabbage - add some onion for more crunch. If you must add nuts - choose one and only one serving (usually 1/4 cup).

Enjoy these recipes while you reminisce about those warm summer nights, surrounded by good company, watching lightening bugs and drinking a cool, light cocktail.