Chipotle Shrimp Cups+

2 points


36 wonton wrappers
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped cooked shrimp
1 cup chopped bottled roasted red bell peppers – or try little red peppers from Byerly’s olive bar
1 cup bottled chipotle salsa
1/2 cup chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 350º.

Fit 1 wonton wrapper into each of 36 mini muffin cups coated with cooking spray, pressing the wrappers into sides of cups. Bake at 350º for 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Keep wontons in muffin cups.

Combine cheese and remaining ingredients, and spoon about 1 tablespoon cheese mixture into each wonton cup. Bake at 350º for 6 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from muffin cups. Serve immediately.


Yield:  3 dozen (serving size: 2 filled wonton cups)

  • CALORIES 98
  • FAT 2.6g
  • FIBER 1.4g

 

Beef Bourguignonne with Egg Noodles+

1/3 c flour
2 tsp salt, divided
¾ tsp ground black pepper, divided
2 ¼ lbs beef stew meat
3 bacon slices, chopped and divided
1 c chopped onion
1 c sliced carrot
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ c dry red wine
1 (14 oz) can beef broth
8 c halved mushrooms (1 ½ lbs)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 (16 oz) pkg frozen pearl onions
7 c hot cooked medium egg noodles
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Combine flour, 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper in a large zip-top plastic bag.  Add beef, seal and shake to coat.

Cook half of bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon; set aside.  Add half of beef mixture to drippings in pan; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides.  Remove beef from pan; cover and keep warm.  Repeat procedure with remaining bacon and beef mixture.  Remove beef from pan; cover and keep warm.

Add chopped onion, sliced carrot, and minced garlic to pan; saute 5 minutes.  Stir in red wine and broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.  Add bacon, beef, remaining 1 tsp salt, remaining ½ tsp pepper, mushrooms, tomato paste, chopped thyme, bay leaves, and pearl onions; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes.  Uncover and cook 1 hour or until beef is tender.  Discard bay leaves.  Serve beef mixture over noodles, sprinkle with parsley.

Yield: 9 servings.

Note: After browning beef, I assembled ingredients and used a crock pot to prepare the stew.

Fleur-de-Lis Chicken+

4 points

Note: I just made this without the crabmeat and without the ricotta, and it was still terrific and was probably worth fewer points (for those who care)

1 can crabmeat
1 c chopped spinach
¼ c finely chopped mushrooms
¼ c chopped green onions
¼ c part-skim ricotta cheese
2 Tbs grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 ½ tsp chopped fresh oregano
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 (4 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 Tbs butter

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine first 10 ingredients in a medium bowl.  Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each breast half to form a pocket.  Stuff 1/3 c crab mixture into each pocket.
Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned.  Carefully transfer chicken to baking dish and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is done.

Yield 6+ servings.

  • Calories: 206
  • Fat: 6.7 g
  • Fiber: 0.4 g

Chipotle-Lime Crab Crisps+

2 points or less

BIG HIT!


48  baked tortilla chips
1/2  cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1  teaspoon chopped canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1  tablespoon fresh lime juice
3/4  pound lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed (2 cans)
1/4  cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2  tablespoons finely chopped peeled jicama
2  tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
2  tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
2  tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 350°.

Arrange tortilla chips in a single layer on 2 baking sheets.

Combine mayonnaise, chile, and juice, stirring with a whisk.

Combine crab and next 6 ingredients (through celery) in a medium bowl. Add mayonnaise mixture, stirring until well combined. Spoon about 1 tablespoon crab mixture onto each chip. Bake at 350° for 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.


Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 3 crisps)

 

  • Calories: 85
  • Fat: 3.3g (with avocado which I have taken out)
  • Fiber: 1.2g

Black Bean Salsa with Chili Baked Chips+

2 points

19 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
14 1/2 oz canned crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted, drained
1 can fire-roasted chopped jalapenos
2 medium tomato(es), chopped
1/2 cup(s) red onion(s), chopped
1 Tbsp minced or chopped garlic
1/4 cup(s) cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp table salt
8 medium tortilla, flour, fat-free
1 spray(s) cooking spray, or enough to coat tortillas
2 tsp chili powder

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a medium bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, onion, cilantro and salt; set aside. (Note: If you cannot find fire-roasted tomatoes, substitute any type of canned crushed tomatoes, with or without additional flavors.)

Slice tortillas into 8 triangles each. Place on 2 nonstick baking sheets and lightly coat with cooking spray; sprinkle with chili powder. Bake until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes.

Serving size: 8 chips and about 1/2 cup of salsa

 


 

Beef and Gorgonzola Toasts with Herb-Garlic Cream+

2 points

1 (1 1/4-pound) beef tenderloin, trimmed
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
30 (1/4-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut French bread baguette, toasted
10 tablespoon Herb-Garlic Cream
30 baby spinach leaves
5 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Preheat oven to 475°.

Place tenderloin on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 475° for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 425° (do not remove tenderloin from oven); bake an additional 20 minutes or until thermometer registers 145° (medium-rare) to 160° (medium) or until desired degree of doneness. Cover tenderloin with foil; let stand 10 minutes. Cut tenderloin across grain into very thin slices.

Spread each baguette slice with 1 teaspoon Herb-Garlic Cream; top each with 1 spinach leaf. Divide beef evenly among bread slices; sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon cheese.

Yield : 30 appetizers (serving size: 1 toast)


Herb-Garlic Cream

2/3 cup fat-free sour cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl; cover and chill.

Yield: 1 cup (serving size: 1 teaspoon)

  • Calories: 97

  • Fat: 4.1g

  • Fiber: 0.5g

 

Avocado-Tomatillo Dip with Cumin Pita Chips

2 points


Chips:

3  (6-inch) pitas, split in half horizontally
Cooking spray
1  teaspoon cumin
1  teaspoon dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2  teaspoon salt


Dip:

1/2  pound tomatillos (about 5 large)
1/2  cup chopped onion
2  tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1  finely chopped partially seeded jalapeño pepper
1/2  teaspoon salt
1/3  cup fat-free sour cream
2  ripe peeled avocados chopped


Preheat oven to 375°.

To prepare chips, coat rough side of each pita half with cooking spray; sprinkle pita halves evenly with cumin, oregano, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cut each pita half into 8 wedges; arrange wedges in a single layer on baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

To prepare dip, discard husks and stems from tomatillos. Place tomatillos in a small saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook 5 minutes or until tender. Cool to room temperature. Place tomatillos, onion, cilantro, jalapeño and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Add sour cream and avocado; process until smooth. Serve with chips.


Yield: 12 servings (serving size: about 2 1/2 tablespoons dip and 4 chips)

  • Calories: 106
  • Fat: 5g
  • Fiber: 2.8g

 

 

 

 

Peppery Pecans

3 points

Serve as part of a cheese plate with sharp cheddar and sliced apples.

1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pound pecan halves
Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°.

Combine all ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl, tossing well to coat. Spread mixture evenly on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Coat nuts with cooking spray. Bake at 325° for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Remove from oven; cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Yield: 3 1/2 cups (serving size: about 2 tablespoons)

  • Calories: 99
  • Fat: 10.3g
  • Fiber: 1.4g