Low Calorie & Low Carb Recipes

Store-bought pasta sauce just can't compare to homemade marinara--and the slow cooker makes marinara from scratch much easier. This fresh tomato recipe was developed to preserve the summer bounty from your garden or farmers' market; it freezes well for up to 6 months so you can pull out pasta or pizza sauce anytime. Keeping the skins on makes it even easier, plus they contain pectin, which helps thicken the sauce.

This mini quiche recipe uses classic Provençal flavors--garlic, oil-cured olives, anchovies, caramelized onions--to season these very-green egg cups. They keep well, perfect for breakfast on the fly, but the flavors are sophisticated enough to serve for brunch. If you frequently make mini quiches, consider investing in silicone mini muffin tins; they make popping these out a dream!

Slowly cooking summer-ripe tomatoes in a low oven makes them candy-sweet. Turn to this recipe to preserve the summer bounty from your garden or farmers' market; it freezes well for up to 6 months. Tuck these tasty bites into sandwiches; stir them into risotto; or chop them and mix with Kalamata olives, olive oil and fresh herbs to scoop up with pita chips.

Sweet peppers are the name of the game here, but tossing a few hot ones into the mix would be nice as well. This recipe was developed to preserve the summer bounty from your garden or farmers' market; it freezes well for up to 3 months. Try this mélange of peppers, tomatoes and onions with a plate of cheese and crackers; toss it with pasta and chopped herbs; or pile it on grilled chicken and melt some fontina on top.

This versatile sauce draws inspiration from the fiery Yemeni hot pepper-herb sauce zhoug. This recipe was developed to preserve the summer bounty from your garden or farmers' market; it freezes well for up to 6 months. Spoon it over grilled meat, mash with egg yolks to make deviled eggs or stir into Greek yogurt to make a dip. Taste your jalapeños before adding them--if they're particularly hot, adjust as you see fit.

Minced dried cherries and pistachios make these energy balls a salty-sweet snack to satisfy all your cravings. Almond butter and cocoa add substance and chocolaty appeal. Serve any time of day as a snack or dessert, or pack them for a hike.

This easy energy ball uses natural ingredients to give you a quick bite of energy when you need it. Dried apricots and honey hold together the coconut and oats, while ginger and tahini deepen the sweet flavors. Ready in just 25 minutes, you can have these as a grab-and-go breakfast, afternoon snack or sweet treat after dinner.

The secret to getting these scrambled eggs creamy is whisking plain kefir into the uncooked eggs. Using the French method for soft curds, the beaten eggs are cooked slowly. For the best results, use a nonstick pan.

This pickling liquid gives bright flavor to carrots--try it with green beans or peppers as well.

Here, tangy raspberries and tarragon transform into a shrub--a sweet vinegar-based syrup that's been around since Colonial times. Mix into sparkling water for a refreshing sip. You'll make enough shrub to mix up 20 drinks.

Here's a salad to toss together during the dog days of summer, when peaches and tomatoes are both at their best. Use a combination of lettuces that have different textures and flavors--a tender, more buttery variety with something more substantial and peppery, for instance.

While spinach is a good leafy substitute for the sorrel in this salad, Ben Bebenroth, chef and owner of Cleveland's farm-to-table Spice Catering, sometimes uses thinly sliced raw rhubarb to mimic sorrel's tangy flavor in this summer squash salad.

Traditional French rillettes are made by slowly cooking pork or duck in its own fat to make a spread. This recipe takes inspiration from that technique to make a plant-based version with carrots. Serve with crackers or bread.

These can't-stop-at-one healthy crackers are like cheesy shortbread cookies. The texture is slightly crisp on the edges and a bit tender in the center.

This take on gazpacho replaces the tomato with melon or grapes for a sweeter taste and gets its silky texture from Marcona almonds. If you can't find them, use skinless almonds and add 1 tablespoon oil and a pinch more salt.

At Handsome Hog, his restaurant in St. Paul, Minnesota, Justin Sutherland offers this chopped salad topped with any barbecued meat on the menu. The chef recommends brisket--it takes this already Southern-inspired salad a step further.

This super-fast and healthy smothered chicken tastes best on the deck with a chilled glass of gewürztraminer. The fruity white pairs nicely with the peaches here.

We made this chopped salad with pico de gallo in mind. Tangy tomatillos add fresh crunch to the classic mixture of tomatoes, cilantro and onion to brighten up this broiled salmon recipe.

One of chef Kippy Kuboy's most popular dishes at the Poplar Haus in Grand Marais, Minnesota, is his walleye po'boy. Here we serve the walleye recipe deconstructed, but go ahead and pile everything on a soft roll if you like.

Cutting the steak immediately after cooking breaks all the rules on meat cookery, but in this recipe we do it intentionally in order to capture the juices and incorporate them into the dressing. Serve this grilled flank steak recipe with crusty bread to soak up the deliciousness.