Lighter Guac

Guacamole a Little on the Lite Side

Ingredients:

1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice
1 ripe avocado, peeled and cut in chunks
1 tomato, peeled and chopped

Instructions:

In a food processor add onion, salt, lemon or lime juice, cottage cheese, garlic, cayenne pepper, and avocado. Blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl and gently stir in the chopped tomato. Cover with plastic wrap allowing the plastic to actually touch the entire surface of the guacamole.

Southwest Chicken Wonton Cups

These are great little party treats to make. Filling and easy to serve warm right out of the oven. Just do steps 1-5 ahead of time and pop them in the oven for the final cooking as guests are chatting. Healthy and yummy and they’ll never know! I also love to serve these for kids slumber parties

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken breasts, boneless, skinless and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 envelope reduce sodium taco seasoning
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) jar low sodium salsa, divided
1 (8 ounce) package low fat cheddar cheese, divided
36 wonton wraps

Cilantro Pesto

Ingredients for about ½ cup of pesto:
2 cups cilantro leaves
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil (preferably extra virgin)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced

Directions:
Place the cilantro leaves and the minced garlic in the bowl of a food processor and with the motor running carefully and slowly add the lemon juice and olive oil until you get a smooth paste.

Put the pesto into a serving bowl and add the salt and pepper. Cover and chill until needed.

Favorite Veggie Dip

This recipe is SO yummy! Easy to make and the only thing unhealthy about it is the possibility of eating too much. lol

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/3 cup zucchini, finely chopped
1/3 cup celery, finely chopped
1/3 cup eggplant, peeled and finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh basil, finely chopped (dried is fine as well)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/3 tsp sugar

Pesto Deviled Egg

This little dish makes a good mid-morning snack, especially for people trying to restrict their carbohydrate intake. Pestos are a great ingredient to have on hand; experiment with some of the more innovative varieties – just make sure to read the labels carefully.

Prep time: 2 minutes

1 hard boiled egg
2 tsp pesto

Peel a hard-boiled egg and cut in half lengthwise. Remove the yolk, mash the yolk with the pesto and replace it in the egg white.

Nutritional Information:

Per serving:
116 calories
9 g total fat (3 g sat)
190 mg cholesterol
1 g carbohydrate
7 g protein
0 g fiber
124 mg sodium

Onion Rings

Yes, I said onion rings! I LOVE onion rings, but stay away from them now because the grease makes me sick. So here’s a yummy baked version that is sure to curb the craving.

Ingredients:

1 large onion
1/2 cup original Egg Beaters
1/2 cup packaged breadcrumbs

You won’t use all of the dipping stuff, but have you ever tried to to add more mix when your fingers are goey?

Directions:

Grilled Eggplant and Mozzarella Rolls

1 large eggplant
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 mozzarella cheese ball, cut into 8 slices
2 plum tomatoes, each cut into 4 slices
8 large basil leaves
Salt and black pepper
Balsamic vinegar for drizzling (optional)

Cut the eggplant length-ways to make 10 thin slices, discard the two outermost slices. Sprinkle the slices with salt and leave for 20 minutes. Rise and pat dry with paper towels. This process helps get rid of the bitter taste.

Place the eggplant slices on a non stick baking try and brush with olive oil. Place under a hot grill for approximately 10 minutes or until golden and tender. Turn once halfway through grilling.