With the goal of eating lighter, we love this idea from Ozery Bakery: the pita tartine.

Tartine is the French term for an open-face sandwich. In this version, Ozery piles on the healthful ingredients: black beans, radishes, grape tomatoes, red onions, greens and guacamole.

You can add:

 
For a spread, hummus adds protein; a slick of chipotle mayonnaise adds kick.
 
You can slice the pita in half horizontally for even less bread, or use a wrap. Then, roll and enjoy!

Family-owned Ozery Bakery started 15 years ago, its delicious products making their way to the U.S. in recent years. It was a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week, and continues to be a favorite here.

Here are more tartine sandwich ideas.

Make single cups with smaller capsules, or a
small carafe with a larger capsule. Photo
courtesy Keurig Green Mountain.

The 2.0 is a game changer in the single-serve coffee category. It makes both single cups, and 28-ounce carafes; the latter provides a bit more than four six-ounce pours into eight-ounce cups. (Alternatively, it will fill almost three mugs, if you pour ten ounces of coffee into a 12-ounce mug.)

Here are the changes that may or may not affect you:

THE THREE KEURIG MODELS

The Keurig 2.0 Brewing System comes in three sizes, with an option that includes a variety of K-Cups and K-Carafe packs for an additional $10.

 
The differences:

 
Our philosophy is, when offered decisions like these, spend the extra few bucks and go deluxe. If you’re counting your dollars, you shouldn’t be paying more for coffee via a single cup system.
For more information, visit Keurig.com.

Really good, and ready to party. Photo
courtesy American Beverage Marketers.

Master of Mixes, a brand from American Beverage Marketers, and award-winning Food Network chef Anthony Lamas, have launched “Chef Inspired” Bloody Mary Mixes. We received samples last year, but saved them for January 1st, National Bloody Mary Day.

We’re sorry we didn’t enjoy them earlier. They’re excellent!

Quality fresh ingredients, and “unique” (per the company) spices, deliver an abundance of flavor in three varieties:

Chef Lamas, proprietor of the Louisville-based Latino/Southern restaurant Seviche, had a “farm fresh” concept in mind: a more palatable, flavorful, bright Bloody Mary mix. He has succeeded!

While one would think that the market didn’t need another Bloody Mary mix, truth be told, many of them are substandard. We typically mix our own—it’s pretty easy—but would happily use Master Of Mixes.

In fact, they’re so natural and flavorful, they make an excellent Virgin Mary, a.k.a. tomato juice cocktail, straight from the bottle.

About that bottle: It’s a pretty downscale design, given the high quality of the product inside. Don’t judge the book by its cover.

The mixes are available at major retailers in all 50 states, well-priced at $3.99/liter and $6.99/1.75 liter. To learn more, visit BoldFlavorAdventure.com. You can purchase Master of Mixes products online at MasterOfMixes.com.

American Beverage Marketers Inc., is a leading worldwide producer and marketer of cocktail mixes.

Yes, please! Photo courtesy American Beverage Marketers.

Make tomato soup with sundried tomatoes.
Photo courtesy Bella Sun Luci.

Winter tomatoes lack the deep flavor of summer tomatoes, but you can enhance that flavor with canned tomato purée or sundried tomatoes.

This tomato soup recipe uses both. It’s both comfort food and holiday food, with vivid red and green colors. If you prefer a creamy soup, we’ve got Sundried Tomato Cream Soup, below.

This recipe is courtesy Bella Sun Luci, sundried tomatoes grown in sunny California.

RECIPE: SUN DRIED TOMATO SOUP

Ingredients For 4 Servings (1 Quart)

Preparation

1. CUT the carrot, celery, onion and garlic into very small pieces. Simmer them in the vegetable stock until very soft, about 15 minutes.

2. ADD the rest of the ingredients, except the olive oil and the fresh basil. Simmer for 15 more minutes, then use an immersion blender or a food processor to purée with the olive oil (with a food processor, take care that the hot liquid doesn’t shoot out of the top). Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

3. SERVE hot, garnished with the fresh basil leaves and optional crème fraîche/sour cream/Greek yogurt.

RECIPE: SUN DRIED TOMATO CREAM SOUP

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the drained tomatoes with 1 cup of tomato juice in blender or food processor; purée to a smooth consistency.

2. COMBINE the purée and the remaining cup of tomato juice in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients.

3. COOK over low heat until thoroughly heated. Do not boil; it can curdle the cream.

Cream of sundried tomato soup. Photo courtesy Bella Sun Luci.

These are similar, but not exactly the same.

 
Because of the higher fat content, heavy cream will whip better and hold its shape longer than whipping cream. Therefore, it makes a difference with pastry fillings, piping, dessert toppings and other applications.

Whipping cream will still whip well, but it loses its body more quickly. In a recipe like soup, the stiffness doesn’t make a difference.
 
SUN DRIED VS. SUN-DRIED VS. SUNDRIED VS. OVEN-DRIED: THE DIFFERENCE

Any of the three spellings of sun dried is correct. What’s more important is the meaning: sun dried tomatoes are dried naturally in the sun, over the course of 4–10 days. They are usually pre-treated with salt or sulfur dioxide to improve quality.

The drying process gives them a long shelf life, since most of the moisture, on which bacteria thrive and cause decay, is removed. They can also be preserved in olive oil or other vegetable oil.

Another technique to dehydrate tomatoes for preservation is oven drying. This is done at the lowest heat setting for 1-3 hours. If you have a bumper crop of tomatoes, or there’s a big sale on tomatoes, you can use this technique to create homemade dried tomatoes.

Skinny enchiladas: great flavor with lower calories and cholesterol. Photo courtesy Denise Austin.

As we were writing this, we heard two television newscasters discussing their diet resolutions for 2015.

“I lasted five minutes into the Rose Bowl,” said one. “I made it to yesterday [January 2nd]”, said the other.

Sure, it’s tough to diet. But on a daily basis, it’s easy to downsize the calories and saturated fat. If you must have Fettuccine Alfredo or cheesecake, look for Cooking Light-style alternatives to your favorite dishes, from Fettuccine Alfredo to cheesecake.

Here are two Mexican favorites “downsized’ by health and fitness expert Denise Austin, who debuted a new online diet and fitness program this month. Try them, and if they please your palate, look for more “skinny” versions.

RECIPE: DENISE’S SKINNY ENCHILADAS

Ingredients

Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with oil spray.

2. HEAT the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent and very soft, about 7 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano and cayenne and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, broth, and salt and cook until hot, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. RESERVE 3/4 cup of the sauce. Add the chicken and spinach to the remaining sauce and cook until the spinach is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.

4. WRAP the tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave for 30 to 60 seconds to heat through.

5. DIVIDE the chicken filling evenly between the 8 tortillas. Roll the tortillas and arrange them seam sides down in the baking dish. Spread the reserved 3/4 cup sauce evenly over the tortillas and top with the cheese. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and broil the top for 3 to 5 minutes to brown the cheese.

6. TOP each serving (2 enchiladas) with 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt and scallions.

Calories per serving: 510.

RECIPE: DENISE’S SKINNY NACHOS WITH VEGETARIAN CHILI

Ingredients

 
For The Vegetarian Chili

Skinny nachos amp up the flavor with spices. Photo courtesy Denise Austin.

Preparation: Nachos

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

2. ARRANGE the tortilla chips in a single layer on the baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese is just melted.

3. SPRINKLE the tomato, olives, and scallion evenly over the nachos. Divide into 2 equal portions and serve each portion with 2 cups Vegetarian Chili topped with 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt.

Preparation: Chili

1. HEAT the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.

2. ADD the onions, carrot, cilantro, tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir well and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 to 15 minutes.

3. ADD the tomato juice and beans. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Calories per serving: 430.