Haven't made this yet, but it's full of stuff I like! I think it'd be better if it was refrigerated for a while, and I'd probably put in 2 or 3 cloves of garlic. I got it off "Recipes from Friends" site. BLACK BEAN & CORN SALAD 1/3 cup fresh lime juice 1/2 cup olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced 1 red bell pepper, chopped 2 tomatoes, chopped 6 green onions, thinly sliced 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional) Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small jar. Cover with lid, and shake until ingredients are well mixed. In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Shake lime dressing, and pour it over the salad. Stir salad to coat vegetables and beans with dressing, and serve. Serves 6.

Go to any used bookstore, yard sales or even half.com. I am always buying cookbooks but need to use them more :) Dottie's weight loss zone on the internet has recipes too for Weight Watchers but they are usually low fat. Same with Bootcamp buddies. Another tip - did you know some ground beef is lower in calories than ground turkey? Unless you use ground turkey breast (it specifically says that) you are getting higher fat dark meat and anything else they might put in there. Good luck and just remember because it is low fat does not mean it is low calorie! Kathy_PA

Check the Yahoo egroups, there are several weight watchers groups. People exchange recipes and tips, plus lots of moral support. You can join and select no mail, read the postings at the website.

My BF was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer 3 1/2 yrs ago and after chemo, radiation, loss of part of his tongue, jaw replacement and throat replacement with muscle from his arm was told he would have to live with a PEG tube for the rest of his life. He refused and learned to down Ensure, aspirating a little each time but swallowing tests show it is not detrimental as he has learned to drink over a sink and he coughs out the last little bit. He has not been able to gain weight beyond 140 lbs (he looks like a stick man) even downing 16 bottles of Ensure a day and eventually adding whey protein powder until I met him. He likes to race in Enduro motorcycle competitions so is high energy. I am an RN and can't stand to see people using Ensure as a meal replacement, it is only meant to be a supplement and other than the vitamins and protein only contains oil and sugar with milk solids. I figured if he could down anything I could get him back to consuming vitamins, fat, etc. through natural foods and put some weight on him. The sugar in the Ensure has also taken a toll on what was beautiful white teeth. He had purchased a Vitamix 5200 (pricey but worth it) to mix another powdered sweet drink he found (can't remember the name) to put weight on. The vitamix will actually dessimate anything you place in it and is so fast it will heat the food so hot that you can't drink it. I have learned to blend the weirdest foods together to get the high calories and the only problem I've had is with the broths/juices/milk you have to add to get it to the very liquid consistency will sometimes dilute the flavors. I literally blend anything I eat for him and he is eating better than ever. I now taste everything (sometimes it sounds like it would be gross) and have been astounded at how flavorful meals can be. He has gained 10 lbs over the last 2 months since I add cheese, butter, use whole milk, and for shakes blend high fat nuts like Macadamia and coconut (he loves) and add to them. I have noticed that chicken and dumplings is his favorite because the base of the soup is all I need to use to thin it so it is full flavor. Also for some reason the italian dishes like spaghetti, lasagna, etc. even when thinned severely with beef broth keep the original taste. White sauces are best thinned with chicken broth and milk (both) and sweet and sour chicken is best thinned with apple juice. He is Jewish so when we made potato latke's I put the apple sauce and sour cream in and thinned with apple juice and milk and it tasted almost just like mine in a liquid version. One potato latke thinned equalled 64 ounces so thank goodness he can drink alot! Next time I may add a few potato flakes for extra calories. He has started blending sushi and thins with seafood broth found only at Central Market here. I've done steak with potato including sour cream, butter, bacon bits and thinned one time with milk and another with beef broth and added beef gravy...he loved it! Most of our "soups" come out restaurant quality:-)My next jump is to make steak with Au Jus and Demi Glace to try to get the flavor to come out better. I encourage you all not to be afraid to try different things together and remember that on a liquid diet you need to increase your calories significantly. His Oncologist said he can't believe I've been able to put weight on him but he's defied all of them from the start:-)