Mix mustards, chutneys, pestos, and salsas with nonfat yogurt to create low-calorie, creamy dressings, dips and sauces. While condiments are great flavor-enhancers by themselves, transforming them into a creamy sauce adds versatility to your dishes. Using nonfat yogurt adds few calories compared with cream or sour cream. However, yogurt will separate when heated, so if you want a warm sauce, have the yogurt at room temperature and warm it ever-so-slightly. You can warm the mustard, chutney, pesto or salsa more easily, and then mix it with the yogurt.

• See more yogurt recipes and reviews of our favorite artisan yogurts.

A plump and juicy PB burger. Photo by Tanya F. | IST.

Put something different on the grill this Labor Day: a spicy peanut butter burger. Our recipe is courtesy of PB & Co., manufacturer of traditional and flavored all-natural peanut butter. For this recipe, they used “The Heat Is On,” their spicy PB, flavored with crushed red peppers, chili powder and a hint of vinegar. If you can’t pick up a jar, you can add these seasonings to your regular PB, to taste. You can use the recipe for beef, turkey or veggie burgers.

The PB adds richness and spice.If PB and burgers sounds strange to you, think of two classic dishes: chicken satay, with spicy peanut sauce (made with peanut butter); and a peanut butter and bacon sandwich.

The U.S. Open runs through September 13. It has an official cocktail, the Honey Deuce, created by sponsor Grey Goose Vodka. If you’re watching the Open today, mix up a Honey Deuce and toast along with the crowds at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows. You’ll save the $12 it costs at the Open, although you won’t get the souvenir cup.

Here’s the Honey Deuce recipe; it makes one drink:

Ingredients

Honey Deuce: the official cocktail of the 2009 U.S. Open Tennis Championships.

Preparation

1. Freeze melon balls: Place them in a the freezer in a single layer in a sealed plastic bag, for an hour or overnight.
2. Fill a chilled Collins glass with ice. Add vodka, then pour in lemonade to half an inch below the rim.
3. Sprinkle raspberry liqueur over the top of the ice, so it slowly trickles down.
3. Garnish with melon balls, speared on a long cocktail pick if you wish.

• Find quick and easy hors d’oeuvres and snacks to pair with your cocktail.

Cherry Chocolate Chunk gelato from Organic
Nectars, a sugar-free trifeca for healthy
eating. It’s organic, kosher and raw! Photo by
Corey Lugg | THE NIBBLE.

Previously, people on sugar-restricted diets were limited in their choice of ice cream. But there are two premium products on the market that provide premium alternatives to artificially-flavored supermarket ice cream. Both are sweetened with agave.

Agave Dream is a premium ice cream developed by two moms who wanted a better choice for their children. Organic Nectars is a vegan product made from cashew “milk”; it’s also raw, kosher and, as the name implies, organic. Both companies make sorbet or granita as well as ice cream. They’re a real find for people who are steering clear of sugar.

Along with Sauces ‘n Love, this is our favorite brand of fresh pasta and pasta sauces—refrigeration required. We like the sauces better than the sauces at our local restaurants. Retailers and restaurateurs should hasten to taste them and consider if they’re offering the best they can to their customers. We like nothing better than making a great pasta sauce…but we can’t make any this good!

With most marinaras, alas, the main characteristic is “red”—and worse, red with sugar thrown in to provide flavor that the other ingredients aren’t good enough to generate. With Cucina Fresca, lush tomatoes are joined by flavorful onions, fresh basil, garlic and oregano. It is a much-appreciated marinara. But there’s even more excitement with our favorites, the Basil Cream Sauce and the Tomato Vodka Sauce. The Basil Cream Sauce upon the Caramelized Pear And Gorgonzola Ravioli was simply heaven.

If your retailer isn’t carrying this line, ask!

Make restaurant-quality (or better) pasta dishes. Photo courtesy of Cucina Fresca.

With the 2007 government proclamation that “trans fat is bad for you,” some people switched to smaller, natural peanut butter brands while big manufacturers reformulated their products. And some people who switched stayed there, because to the refined palate, natural peanut butter tastes better. It’s also made without preservatives, and with less (or no) sugar and salt.

We’re big fans of Earth Balance Peanut Butter, made in creamy and crunchy varieties. The company also makes an equally delicious Almond Butter which we like even more. The products are certified OU kosher, and are gluten-free and vegan. Read more about them in the full review. You’ll also discover in detail the differences between traditional and natural PB.

A healthy snack: PB on a flaxseed cracker from Yaya’s Raw Rah. Photo by Emily Chang | THE NIBBLE.