Bruschetta with Pesto

Where I'm from (New York City), Italian bread comes in a long, skinny loaf like a French baguette. When I moved to MA, I found that the local Italian bread is a short, fat loaf that you can't really slice into small appetizer-size pieces, which is why I tend to use a French baguette for this particular dish.

I promise the appetizer will disappear very quickly, so be sure to make plenty. Or serve it as a side dish like I do when I'm grilling steak.

1 long crusty loaf of bread (French baguette or Italian bread)
4 ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
6 ounces buffalo mozzarella, diced
10-15 basil leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup pesto
fresh Parmigiano Reggiano to garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice bread on the diagonal, making about 30 slices, each about 1/2" thick (quantity based on a loaf about 2' long). Lay slices on a baking sheet and bake until crispy.

While the bread is in the oven, toss the tomatoes, onion, mozzarella, basil and olive oil in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.

Spread about 1/2 teaspoon of pesto on each slice of bread. Top each with a about 2 tablespoons of tomato mixture and thin sliver of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Yields about 30 slices (depends on length of bread loaf).

White Bean Garlic Dip

Move over hummus. White Bean Garlic Dip is moving in. I found this recipe in my Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook. It is AWESOME! I'm slightly obssessed with cannellini beans ever since I discovered them for my Tuscan Bean Soup, but my problem is that I don't like chewing on beans. The texture is not my bag, but I like them all mushed up. Black beans? Yuck. Refried beans? Yes, please. Chick peas? Blech. Hummus or falafel? Yum.

6 large garlic cloves
1 (15 ounce) can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 400 degrees. Place 4 garlic cloves in the center of a small square of foil and tent foil over cloves to create a pouch. Roast cloves for about 30 minutes. Unwrap foil and allow cloves to cool.

Squeeze the garlic from the skins into the bowl of a food processor. Add remaining 2 cloves of garlic, beans, lemon juice, salt and olive oil; puree. Stir in half the chopped red pepper and transfer to serving bowl. Garnish with remaining red pepper and parsley to serve.

Yields 1 1/2 cups.

WW info:
core - included
flex - 2 points per 1/4 cup serving.

'Tater Skins

I am really looking forward to the Super Bowl this year for many reasons.

1. The New York Giants are in it! Go Giants! I hope they cream the Pats. I'm a New Yorker living in Massachusetts and I absolutely depise the New England Patriots.
2. We have a brand new 46" Sony LCD and we will be watching the game in HD.
3. Most of the yummy traditional football snacks I'm preparing are Weight Watchers Core-friendly!!!!! Which brings me to the point of this post....

So I don't remember the conversation my husband and I were having the other night, but in the middle of it, it all of a sudden occurred to me that I could make CORE potato skins and have no guilt about indulging in them!

8 baby white potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
3 Tbsp fresh chives
1 cup fat-free sour cream
4 strips lean Canadian bacon, fat trimmed
1 1/2 cups fat-free shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until soft in the middle, about 25 minutes. (You can also speed up this process by microwaving them at this step for 5 minutes). Stir 1 tablespoon of chives into sour cream and mix well; set aside.

Meanwhile, spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray and place trimmed bacon in skillet. Cook until brown on both sides and crispy, about 4 minutes each side. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel to absorb any residual grease. When cooled, chop into fine pieces. Set aside.

Slice potatoes in half and spray the skin sides of them with non-stick cooking spray and season generously with salt and pepper. Place potato halves back on baking sheet, skin side up, and cook for 10 minutes,

After 10 minutes, flip potato halves over and scoop out about 1/4 of each potato and discard. Distribute half the cheese over the tops of the potatoes. Layer the bacon evenly over this layer, followed by the remaining cheese. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of chives over tops and lightly spray finished skins with cooking spray. Return to oven and bake until cheese has melted.

Serve with sour cream.

Yields 8 servings (2 halves each).

WW info:
core - included
flex - 1 point each

Fried Mozzarella Caprese

This is my husband's favorite. I've been feeling bad that I haven't cooked any of his favorites since I've been so focused on healthy cooking. I haven't fried a thing in about 8 months. Tonight I gave in because he's been having a bad week. And since I've been so good, I indulged myself in one piece of cheese. Damn, that was good.

1 egg, beaten (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)
1/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
8 oz whole milk, low moisture mozzarella ball
extra light olive oil
1 cup marinara sauce
fresh basil to garnish

Add egg to a wide, flat bowl and mix the breadcrumbs and flour in a second wide bowl. Slice the mozzarella ball into 8 equal slices, about 1/4" thick. Dip each slice into the egg and then dredge through the breadcrumbs and coat evenly.

Pour olive oil (1/4" deep) into a skillet. Heat over medium heat. Add slices to oil and cook for 30-60 seconds per side, until golden brown.

Serve with marinara sauce and fresh basil.

Yields 4 servings (2 slices and 1/4 cup sauce per serving).

Spinach Dip

No secrets here.

1 (16 ounce) fat-free sour cream
1 packet vegetable dip mix
1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, defrosted

Mix sour cream and dip mix together well. Squeeze as much moisture from spinach as possible and fold into sour cream mixture.

Serve with veggies.

Yields 12 servings (1/4 cup of dip per serving).

WW info:
core-included
flex-1 point per serving

Crab Rangoon and Spring Rolls

The first time I ever ate a crab rangoon, I expected to bite into a big bite of crab, not cream cheese! It happened to be the grossest thing I ever ate. I love cream cheese on BAGELS, but not in a fried puff. Ew. The thought of it is just so gross...but they are my husband's favorite appetizer. So I decided to to make them for him (just 'cause I love him so much). But what can I do with the rest of the wonton wrappers? My favorite app: spring rolls!

The crab rangoons are the triangles on the right, and the spring rolls are the rectangles on the left. We tried 3 dipping sauces: sweet and sour sauce (straight from the jar with some red pepper flakes mixed in), homemade sesame-soy sauce (recipe here), and plum sauce (straight from the jar with a dash of rice vinegar stirred in to take down the sweetness level).

Crab Rangoon
10 ounces whipped cream cheese
10 ounces crab meat
1 tsp ginger root, grated
2 Tbsp scallions, finely chopped
24 wonton wrappers
non-stick cooking spray
1 Tbsp sesame oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, mix cream cheese, crab meat, ginger, and scallions until blended well. Place approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mixtures in the center of a wonton wrapper. Wet edges of the wrapper and fold over, corner to corner, to form a triangle. Seal edges by pressing firmly and pinching closed. Repeat until all wrappers and mixture is used.

Place all filled wrappers on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Lightly brush the tops of each wrapper with the sesame oil. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Yields 6 servings (4 rangoons each)

WW info: 2 points per crab rangoon.

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Spring Rolls
2 cups finely shredded green cabbage
1/4 cup finely shredded carrot
3 Tbsp scallions, finely chopped
6 ounces ground chicken or pork
24 wonton wrappers
non-stick cooking spray
1 Tbsp sesame oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Add the cabbage, carrot, scallions, and ground meat together. Toss lightly until mixed. Place about 2 tablespoons of the mixture in the center of each wrapper. Wet the edges of the wrapper and fold over in half, pressing the edges firmly and pinching them to seal the wrapper closed.

Place filled wrappers on a baking sheet sprayed lightly with non-stick cooking spray and brush the tops of each wrapper with the sesame oil.

Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.

WW info: 1 point per spring roll.

What am I, Chopped Liver?

If you squint, it looks like refried beans with some hard-boiled egg mixed in.
Hmm...that's even grosser than chopped liver!

Undoubtedly, the "grossest" item in my blog....but only gross if you don't like chopped liver! It's like comfort food for me. Anything Jewish and traditional is comforting to me. This is my first time making it and it came out great!

1 pound chicken liver
2 large onions
6 hard-boiled eggs
1 tablespoon chicken fat
salt to taste
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise

Chop one onion into small pieces and place in a large frying pan with chicken fat. Turn heat to medium-high and start to cook until onions are translucent. Drain liquid from liver in strainer and add to onions. Stir well and cover, leaving the lid tilted to vent out steam. You'll want all the liquid to cook off. Reduce heat to medium-low, stirring occasionally.

If after 15 minutes there is still too much liquid, remove lid. Cook until liver is cooked through (liver is cooked when it will break with the edge of a spoon). Remove when cooked through and place in a bowl and allow to come down to room temperature. Do not proceed when warm.

Chop remaining onion into small pieces and place in a wooden bowl. Separate egg whites and egg yolks. Add egg whites to bowl with onions. Using a mezzaluna (mincing knife), cut egg whites and onions together. When they are finely chopped, add cooled liver and onions and continue to cut together until well blended. Add salt and mayonnaise slowly and mix with a fork until desired consistency is reached.

Crumble egg yolks on top and mix with a fork until well blended.

Mini Crab Cakes with Herbed Aioli

These were fabulous! Very light and fluffy. And healthy! The original recipe from Cooking Light called for lump crab meat, but at $40/lb at Whole Foods, I opted for claw meat and they came out just fine. You have to be really careful when turning them in the pan and transferring them to a baking sheet. The lack of egg in this recipe causes them to be very delicate. Next time I'll add an egg white for good measure. Also, I did not need the canola oil for the pan. Cooking spray did just fine.

Yields 7 servings (1 serving equals 2 cakes and 1 Tbsp of aioli)

WW info: 3 points per serving.