[photo courtesy Sacramento Bee]

As I continue to cook and demonstrate recipes from the book, I inevitably make some variations. Sometimes it's a matter of not having the exact ingredient on hand. Other times, as when I teach at LifeStyle Rx in Livermore, CA, I'm trying to reduce the fat content of a recipe. Recently, for example, I substituted evaporated 2% skim milk for the cream in the Ricotta-Pesto Souffles with great success. The texture was still light and the souffles were still flavorful, but without the extra fat.

I've been making a lot of the Chilled Avocado-Tomatillo Soup lately, since it's peak avocado season here in California. My husband suggested we use some leftover soup as an enchilada sauce and it worked well. We rolled corn tortillas with cooked, shredded chicken, sliced onions, and fresh chard. Then we poured on plenty of soup as the sauce and topped it with some shredded Cheddar. Thirty minutes at 350 degrees and it was hot through and bubbling. Tasty and quick--and still Hands Off!