The following recipes have been adapted from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's "Stay Young At Heart" program. These recipes have been designed to use less fat and/or sugar than conventional recipes; however, they may not be appropriate for people with certain diseases or nutrition needs. Ask your doctor or healthcare specialist for specific recommendations.

Bean & Macaroni Soup

2 cans (16 oz) great northern beans

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 C onion, coarsely chopped

2 C carrots, sliced

1 C celery, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

3 C cut-up peeled fresh tomatoes or 1-1/2 lbs canned whole tomatoes cut up

1 tsp dried sage

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried oregano

to taste black pepper

1 bay leaf, crumbled

4 C cooked elbow macaroni

Drain beans and reserve liquid. Rinse beans.

Heat oil in a 6-quart kettle; add mushrooms, onion, carrots, celery and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes, sage, thyme, oregano, pepper and bay leaf.

Cover and cook over medium heat 20 minutes. Cook macaroni according to directions on package using unsalted water. Drain when cooked. Do not overcook.

Combine reserved bean liquid with water to make 4 cups.

Add liquid, beans and cooked macaroni to vegetable mixture.

Bring to a boil; cover and simmer until soup is thoroughly heated. Stir occasionally.

Yield: 16 servings--Serving Size: 1 cup

Each serving provides:

Calories: 158

Total fat: 1 g

Saturated fat: less than 1 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 154 mg*

* If using canned tomatoes, sodium would be higher.

Gazpacho

This classic chilled tomato soup is chock full of garden-fresh vegetables, cholesterol free and made with very little added oil.

4 C tomato juice*

1/2 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 small green pepper, peeled, cored, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 small cucumber, peeled, pared, seeded and coarsely chopped

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1 drop hot pepper sauce

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large tomato, finely diced

2 Tbsp minced chives or scallion tops

1 lemon, cut in 6 wedges

Put 2 cups of tomato juice and all other ingredients except diced tomato, chives and lemon wedges in the blender.

Puree.

Slowly add the remaining 2 cups of tomato juice to pureed mixture. Add chopped tomato.

Chill.

Serve icy cold in individual bowls garnished with chopped chives and lemon wedges.

Yield: 6 servings--Serving Size: 1 cup

Each serving provides:

Calories: 87

Total fat: 5 g

Saturated fat: less than 1 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 593 mg*

*To cut back on sodium, try low-sodium tomato juice

Chicken Marsala

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 C flour

4 chicken breasts, boned, skinless (5 ounces)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 C Marsala wine

1/2 C chicken stock, skim fat from top

1/2 lemon fresh lemon juice

1/2 C sliced mushrooms

1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Mix together pepper, salt and flour. Coat chicken with seasoned flour.

In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat oil. Place chicken breasts in skillet and brown on both sides. Then remove chicken from skillet and set aside.

To the skillet, add wine and stir until the wine is heated. Add juice, stock and mushrooms. Stir to toss, reduce heat and cook for about 10 minutes until the sauce is partially reduced.

Return browned chicken breasts to skillet. Spoon sauce over the chicken.

Cover and cook for about 5-10 minutes or until chicken is done.

Serve sauce over chicken. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Yield: 4 servings--Serving Size: 1 chicken breast with 1/3 cup sauce

Each serving provides:

Calories: 277

Total fat: 8 g

Saturated fat: 2 g

Cholesterol: 77 mg

Sodium: 304 mg

Mediterranean Baked Fish

This dish is baked and flavored with a Mediterranean-style tomato, onion and garlic sauce to make it lower in fat and salt.

2 tsp olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

1 can (16 oz) whole tomatoes, drained (reserve juice) and coarsely chopped

1 bay leaf

1 clove garlic, minced

1 C dry white wine

1/2 C reserved tomato juice, from canned tomatoes

1/4 C lemon juice

1/4 C orange juice

1 Tbsp fresh grated orange peel

1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed

1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed

1/2 tsp dried basil, crushed

to taste black pepper

1 lb fish fillets (sole, flounder, or sea perch)

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet. Add onion and sauté over moderate heat 5 minutes or until soft.

Add all remaining ingredients except fish.

Stir well and simmer 30 minutes, uncovered.

Arrange fish in 10x6-inch baking dish; cover with sauce.

Bake, uncovered, at 375º F about 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily.

Yield: 4 servings--Serving Size: 4 oz fillet with sauce

Each serving provides:

Calories: 177

Total fat: 4 g

Saturated fat: 1 g

Cholesterol: 56 mg

Sodium: 281 mg

Chicken Gumbo

This easy-to-make main dish helps to increase the amount of vegetables you eat and can be made all in one pot.

1 tsp vegetable oil

1/4 cup flour

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast, skinless and boneless, cut into 1-inch strips

1 cup white potatoes (1/2 lb), cubed

1 cup onions, chopped

1 cup carrots (1/2 lb), coarsely chopped

1/4 cup celery, chopped

1/2 medium carrot, grated

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 stalks scallion, chopped

1 whole bay leaf

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp black pepper, ground

2 tsps hot (or jalapeño) pepper

1 cup okra (1/2 lb), sliced into 1/2-inch pieces

Add oil to a large pot.

Heat pot over medium flame.

Stir in flour.

Cook, stirring constantly, until flour begins to turn golden brown.

Slowly stir in all the broth using a wire whisk and cook for 2 minutes. The mixture should not be lumpy.

Add all ingredients except okra. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

Add okra and let cook for 15 to 20 more minutes.

Remove bay leaf.

Serve hot in a bowl or over rice.

Makes 8 servings--Serving size: 3/4 cup

Each serving provides:

Calories 165

Fat 4 g

Saturated fat 1 g

Cholesterol 51 mg

Sodium 81 mg

Macaroni and Cheese

Low fat cheese and skim milk help to make this favorite dish heart-healthy.

2 cups macaroni

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup evaporated skim milk

1 medium egg, beaten

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 1/4 cups sharp cheddar cheese (4 oz), finely shredded, low fat

nonstick cooking oil spray

Cook macaroni according to directions. (Do not add salt to the cooking water.) Drain and set aside.

Spray a casserole dish with nonstick cooking oil spray. Preheat oven to 350° F.

Lightly spray saucepan with nonstick cooking oil spray.

Add onions to saucepan and sauté for about 3 minutes.

In another bowl, combine macaroni, onions and the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Transfer mixture into casserole dish.

Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings--Serving size: 1/2 cup

Each serving provides:

Calories 200

Fat 4 g

Saturated fat 2 g

Cholesterol 34 mg

Sodium 120 mg

Note: These recipes have been designed to use less fat and/or sugar than conventional recipes; however, they may not be appropriate for people with certain diseases or nutrition needs. Ask your doctor or healthcare specialist for specific recommendations.