To make this recipe quick and easy, buy fresh or frozen packages of green beans designed for microwaving.

If your ingredients are flavorful, you don't need a lot of fat. One Italian sausage link will do. Once your beans are cooked, this soup takes no time at all.

A great homemade bean dip for fresh vegetables or pita chips.

Boil potatoes with garlic, then mash with sour cream, and whip until smooth.

Blend fresh mango, reduced-fat sour cream, and lime juice.

The fillets are dipped in Japanese-style breadcrumbs and herbs before cooking.

Applesauce adds moistness without fat. A nonnutritive sweetener also cuts the calories.

Serve this dish hot, at room temperature, or chilled as a side dish - to grilled salmon, for instance.

A moist quick bread perfect for the holidays.

Keep this on hand for a quick meal, or prepare in batches to give as gifts.