Grilled Stuffed Jalapenos

These are a cleaned up version of cream cheese, bacon wrapped jalapenos. They are also a good alternative to jalapeno poppers. you can grill them or broil them.

4 jalapeno peppers, cut in half lengthwise, seeds/membranes scraped out
4 slices Oscar Meyer turkey bacon , cut in half
4 wedges Laughing Cow Light Queso Fresco & Chipotle flavor

Fill each jalapeno half with half a wedge of cheese, then either wrap the half pepper with 1/2 slice turkey bacon (or if the peppers are too wide to wrap, lay it on top. it depends on the size of the peppers) use a toothpick to secure the bacon if it wraps around.

Place on a hot grill (Or place under broiler), and cover, cook about 5-8 minutes, until pepper is browned on bottom and bacon is warm/crisp.

MMMMMMMMM

Whole recipe:
calories 296.8
fat 18.3g
carbohydrates 11.3g
protein 16.8g

per half pepper:
calories 37.1
fat 2.28g
carbohydrates 1.41g
protein 2.1g

Baba ghanouj (garlicky eggplant dip)

Pierce the skin of and Roast two eggplants on a the grill, or bake in the oven at 350, until they are soft through and collapsed (on the grill they get a nice smoky flavor)

In a food processor combine:

1/4c tahini (sesame seed butter)
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
4-6 cloves garlic, minced

Process to a smooth puree.

Scoop the flesh out of the eggplant skins (when they have cooled enough to handle) and ad to food processor. Puree til smooth and blended.

Feed 1/4c good quality olive oil through the processor tube as processor is going, puree til smooth.

Serve with cut up veggies, pita bread, whole grain crackers. Yummy

"Caramelized" Black Bean "Butter"

This is a rich dip or spread, full of flavor. Good with baked tortilla chips or you could use it for a spread on a sandwich. I made it as one of the appetizers for a New Year's Eve party and served it with baked pita chips and baked bagel chips.

It is from Cooking Light Magazine originally.

1 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups chopped onion
2 (15oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, saute 10 minutes or until golden. Place onion, beans, vinegar, cocoa, salt, and paprika in a food processor; process until smooth. place bean mixture in bowl, garnish with parsley. Yield 3 cups.

1 tbsp =
17 calories
0.4g fat
0.7g protein
3.1g carb
0.8g fiber

Unfried Breaded Vegetables

We made these with zucchini because its what we had in the vegetable drawer.. mushrooms would be good, and I think low fat string cheese cut into quarters would make a decent "mozzarella stick" - I will follow up on that one soon and post if its good!

3 tbsp flour (wheat pastry flour , white flour or chickpea flour)
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 egg whites (used egg product because its what I had on hand)
1 Tbsp milk
1 1/2c whole-wheat bread crumbs (we used Italian seasoned)
nonstick cooking spray

3-4 medium green and yellow zucchini - or vegetables of choice

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Generously coat a medium baking sheet with cooking spray. Cut the vegetables into 1/2" thick slices.

Place oven rack on top position. (recipe didn't say to do this, but mine was in that position and I thought it may have helped crisp the veggie coating up a little).

Place the flour and spices in a shallow dish, the egg whites and milk in a small bowl (beat slightly), and the bread crumbs in a third shallow dish.

Dredge the vegetables, one at a time, in the flour, then dip in the egg, then roll in the bread crumbs. Place on prepared baking sheets.

Place sheet in oven on top rack and bake 8-10 minutes (we did ten for the zucchini, you might want less with mushrooms) on one side, then loosen with a spatula to be sure the coating doesn't stick and turn them over and bake another 8-10 minutes.

Serve hot with reduced fat ranch dipping sauce (or we had it on the side with pork that had an herb gravy and they went well).

The Nutrition Data is for 24 breaded mushrooms, 6 per person
per serving:
97 calories
6g protein
17g carbohydrate
1g fat
2g fiber

Baked Coconut Shrimp with Pineapple Salsa

This is a great recipe! Its a healthy version of one of my old fat-life favorites - Gold Coast Shrimp( or whatever name the restaurant you find them at calls them) - the restaurant versions are fried and full of unnecessary calories.This is from Cooking Light magazine.

28 large shrimp - peeled, tail-on

1/3c cornstarch

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 - 3/4 tsp ground red pepper

3 large egg whites

1 1/2 c flaked unsweetened coconut

cooking spray

Pineapple salsa:

1c finely chopped, fresh pineapple

1/3c finely chopped red onion

1/4c chopped fresh cilantro

1/4c pineapple preserves

1 tbsp finely chopped seeded jalapeno peppers

1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine cornstarch, salt and red pepper in a shallow dish, stir with a whisk. Place the egg whites in a medium bowl, and beat with a mixer at med-high speed until frothy (about 2 minutes). Place cocnut in a shallow dish.

working with one shrimp at a time, dredge in cornstarch mixture, dip in egg white, dredge in coconut, pressing gently with fingers. place shrimp on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. repeat the procedure with emaining shrimp. Lightly coat shrimp on baking shet with cooking spray. bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until shrimp are done, turning after 10 minutes.

Mix salsa ingredients together in a medium bowl, stir to combine.

4 servings (7 shrimp and about 1/4c salsa)

per servings:

397 calories

11.4g fat

29.9g protein

45g carbs

2.2g fiber