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.

Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours and serve with low-fat tortilla chips, carrot sticks, celery, green pepper strips, and pita chips.

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

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Spray a large skillet with a non stick cooking spray and place over medium heat. Place the chicken into the skillet and sprinkle the taco seasoning over the chicken. Stir slightly to coat the chicken. Cook the chicken 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until juices run clear.

3. Place the cooked chicken into a mixing bowl. Add the onion to the chicken and toss.

4. Pour in half of the jar of salsa and half of the package of cheese. Stir well to combine.

5. Coat the cups of a mini muffin tin with a non stick cooking spray. Press the wonton wraps into each of the cups. Place the cups into the oven and bake 4 minutes or until a light golden brown.

6. Remove the cups and fill each one with the chicken mixture. Top each cup with the remaining salsa. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on each cup. Bake 8 minutes or until heated through and the cheese has melted completely.

Nutritional Information: (Approximate Values based on 2 cups)

124 calories; 3 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; 24 mg cholesterol; 408 mg sodium; 12 g carbohydrates; trace fiber; 10 g protein

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.

The pesto will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.

The cilantro pesto is delicious when added to whole wheat spaghetti and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. It can also be used as a dip and served with Black Bean nachos.

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

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onions and pepper and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the zucchini, celery and eggplant and stir for another two minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper and simmer uncovered for around 20 minutes.

3. Take pan off heat and let vegetables cool down.

4. Add all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth.

5. Add the wine vinegar and sugar, reblend, then taste. You might need to add more salt and pepper.

This dip is awesome served cold with crackers, tortilla chips or pita bread.

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

Serves one.

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:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut edges off onion, and remove outer layer. Cut onion into 1/2 inch wide slices, and separate into rings. Next, fill a small bowl (just large enough for onion rings to fit in) with Egg Beaters. Pour breadcrumbs onto a small dish. One by one, coat each ring in egg and then breadcrumbs (give each ring a shake after the egg bath). Place on an oven-safe baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray. Cook for 20-25 minutes, flipping rings over about halfway through. Serves one!

Serving Size: 15 rings; one recipe

Calories: 175
Fat: 1.5g
Sodium: 316mg
Carbs: 30g
Fiber: 2.5g
Sugars: 6g
Protein: 10.5g

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.

Remove the eggplant slices from grill but leave in baking tray. Place one slice of mozzarella, tomato and basil leaf in the center of each eggplant slice. Fold each end of the eggplant slice over towards the middle. Grill the slices seam side down for approximately 2 minutes or until heated through and mozzarella begins to melt. Drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar if using and serve.

* Low GI, Sommersize Plan, Atkins