Savory Spinach Bites

It's been a while since my last entry.  Life got in the way, but I gotta admit this last recipe was a big pain.  But, I sure did have a lot of fun experimenting, learning and mostly taste testing!

As soon as I made these Savory Spinach Bites, I just knew that I had to try to make them lower in fat so that I could eat them more often.  They're extremely flavorful and it's impossible to eat just one or two or five!  Here's the original recipe.
http://www.thecurvycarrot.com/2011/02/04/savory-spinach-bites/

So, as you all know, flavor is important to me.  I want to keep the flavor and lose the fat at the same time.  Don't tell me I can't have it all!!  So, I started slowly taking out the fat, calories and other evil ingredients.  This is where the learning began.  I am here to tell you that not everything is swapable!  We know that Greek Yogurt can be a great swap for butter.  But, apparently, it doesn't work in all instances!  This recipe calls for you to melt the butter in a pan to saute the onions and garlic.  So, I figured I could just plop in the yogurt & saute away.  You can imagine my horror when the minute the yogurt hit the pan it began to separate.  Yep!  Little Miss Muffet I found your curds & whey!!  So, clearly THAT wasn't going to work.  What next?  Aha! I'll just use a little bit of butter to saute and then put the yogurt in when I mix everything together!  I'm such a genius!!  Not!  Everything came together fine and looked fine.  BUT, it DID NOT taste fine!  The end result tasted very sour.  The yogurt taste was very overwhelming.  So, now what?  Olive Oil?  It doesn't have nearly the amount of saturated fat that butter does.  But, it's not nearly as low as greek yogurt.  But, if it doesn't taste good, what's the point, right?  So, I substituted the butter for Olive Oil and it worked beautifully.

The next thing to try and reduce was the sodium in the stuffing.  I haven't couldn't find a low sodium stuffing mix.  So, I tried to use toast.  I made the toast and cut it up into little squares.  You couldn't tell the difference in appearance.  But, when I tasted the final product, it just wasn't as moist and chewy as the original.  So, since the toast didn't reduce the fat and calories that much and I'm not on a low sodium diet, I chose not to go that route.  But, I wanted to put that trial in here in case anyone else IS on a low sodium diet, you'll know what you can do to bring it down a little.

Here's the comparison & ingredient breakdown.

The Original Recipe
(Per 1" Ball)

Calories	46
Total Fat	2.7g
Saturated Fat	1.56g
Sodium	128mg
Fiber	0.30g
Sugar	0.31g
Protein	2.4g

The Swap
4 Tablespoons EVOO for 1/2 Cup of Butter
Eggs White for Eggs
Reduced Fat Parmesan Cheese for Parmesan Cheese

Swapped Recipe
(Per 1" Ball)

Calories	37
Total Fat	1.5g
Saturated Fat	0.44g
Sodium	131mg
Fiber	0.30g
Sugar	0.33g
Protein	1.5g

Although we lose a little fiber & protein and have a small jump in sodium, the calories, fat & saturated fat drop is pretty significant when you are eating 4 or 5 or 10 of these little morsels of yummy goodness!

Servings: Note: I cut the original recipe in half and yielded about 36 balls if you make them 1".  I used a 1" cookie scoop so that I was sure to get them all about the same size.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)1/2 teaspoon minced garlic1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained1/2 8-ounce bag of herbed seasoned stuffing mix (4-Ounces, Dry, not not cook it!)3 large egg whites1/2 cup Reduced Fat grated Parmesan cheeseSalt and pepper, to taste

Instructions1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.2. In a small sauté pan, heat the olive oil3. Add onion and cook until the onions are soft and slightly translucent, about 5 minutes4. Add the garlic and cook just a few seconds, until fragrant.  Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.5.  In the meantime, remove the excess water from the thawed spinach by pressing it between paper towels6.  In a large bowl, combine the stuffing mix, spinach, eggs, Parmesan, salt and pepper, and onion/garlic mixture.  I like to use my Kitchenaid on the slow speed with the paddle attachment.  So, it can do all the work while I clean up a little.  But, you can just as easily mix it all with your hands or a large spoon.7.  If you use a cookie scoop, scoop a batch out onto the baking sheet.  Then, go through and roll them all into balls.  This will keep your cookie scoop clean while you work.  If, you don't use a cookie scoop, one at a time, using your hands, roll the mixture into individual 1-inch balls.  Place each one on a parchment-lined baking sheet. I used my Pampered Chef stone dish, so if you have one, use it.  No need to line.  You don't need to place a lot of space between them.  They won't spread.8.  Bake the balls for about 20-25 minutes, or until very slightly browned.
9.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool and set a minute or two.  Then, use tongs to place them in your serving or storage dish.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!  Betcha won't miss that fat!

Tortilla Pizzas

I can't think of a single person that I know who doesn't love pizza.  So, why shouldn't my 2nd blog post be about one of America's favorite foods?  I used to love a good greasy deep dish pizza from Pizza Hut.  But, now that I have gotten older and wiser and am watching my weight, I am trying to find more healthy and less fattening ways to have my favorite foods.  Now that I have found this healthier version of pizza, we have it at least once a week for dinner and I don't have to feel the least bit guilty!  The big BONUS is that it tastes soooo good and even better than the comparisons below.

I love a good Greek Pizza and my youngest son and husband love the traditional Pepperoni Pizza.  So, I will show you both here.

First, for comparisons sake, let's take a look at the nutritional values for the originals.  All nutritional values below are estimates using the My Fitness Pal app.

2 Slices Little Ceasars Pepperoni Pizza
Calories	560
Total Fat	22
Saturated Fat	10
Sodium	1120
Fiber	4
Sugar	6
Protein	28

1/2 California Pizza Kitchen Thin Crust Greek
Calories	647
Total Fat	36
Saturated Fat	9.5
Sodium	1317
Fiber	4
Sugar	3
Protein	28

I used Cast Iron Skillets just because they are good at not having the pizza stick to the pan.  But, they aren't required.  If you use another type of pan or cookie sheet, just be sure to spray it with a little non-stick cooking spray.

Here's what mine look like before & after cooking:

Before Cooking

After Cooking

For each pizza, just layer the ingredients below in order listed.  Bake at 350° for approximately 20-25 minutes or until the edges begin to brown and look cripsy.

Pepperoni Pizza
Soft Taco Flour Torilla
Calories	130
Total Fat	3.5
Saturated Fat	1
Sodium	300
Fiber	1
Sugar	1
Protein	3
2 TBSP Ragu Old World Style Pasta Sauce
Calories	20
Total Fat	0.6
Saturated Fat	0
Sodium	120
Fiber	0.5
Sugar	1.8
Protein	0.5
15 Slices Publix Turkey Pepperoni
Calories	75
Total Fat	4.3
Saturated Fat	1.6
Sodium	407
Fiber	0
Sugar	0
Protein	9.6
Total	Per Pizza
Calories	225
Total Fat	8.4
Saturated Fat	2.6
Sodium	827
Fiber	1.5
Sugar	2.8
Protein	13.1

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This one is my favorite.

Greek Pizza
Ole Fajita Flour Torilla
Calories	90
Total Fat	2.5
Saturated Fat	0.5
Sodium	200
Fiber	0
Sugar	0
Protein	2
1 TBSP Classico Basil Pesto
Calories	60
Total Fat	5.8
Saturated Fat	1
Sodium	145
Fiber	0.2
Sugar	0.5
Protein	0.8
2 Tomato Slices (cut into quarters)
Calories	12
Total Fat	0
Saturated Fat	0
Sodium	0
Fiber	0.4
Sugar	2
Protein	0
1/8 oz. Goat Cheese
Calories	9
Total Fat	0.7
Saturated Fat	0.5
Sodium	13
Fiber	0
Sugar	0
Protein	0.7
1/2 oz Publix Mild Pepper Rings
Calories	5
Total Fat	0
Saturated Fat	0
Sodium	155
Fiber	0
Sugar	0
Protein	0
Total	Per Pizza
Calories	176
Total Fat	9
Saturated Fat	2
Sodium	513
Fiber	0.6
Sugar	2.5
Protein	3.5

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This one is good too.  But, it is harder to get the whole grain tortilla and it sends to be a little more soft and floppy.  This recipe also substitutes the Goat Cheese for a Fat Free Feta.

Lower Fat Greek Pizza
Whole Grain Tortilla
Calories	90
Total Fat	0
Saturated Fat	1
Sodium	350
Fiber	9
Sugar	0
Protein	5
1 TBSP Classico Basil Pesto
Calories	60
Total Fat	5.8
Saturated Fat	1
Sodium	145
Fiber	0.2
Sugar	0.5
Protein	0.8
2 Tomato Slices (cut into quarters)
Calories	12
Total Fat	0
Saturated Fat	0
Sodium	0
Fiber	0.4
Sugar	2
Protein	0
1/8 oz Fat Free Feta
Calories	1.25
Total Fat	0
Saturated Fat	0
Sodium	16.25
Fiber	0
Sugar	0
Protein	0.25
1/2 oz Publix Mild Pepper Rings
Calories	5
Total Fat	0
Saturated Fat	0
Sodium	155
Fiber	0
Sugar	0
Protein	0
Total	Per Pizza
Calories	168
Total Fat	5.8
Saturated Fat	2
Sodium	667
Fiber	9.6
Sugar	2.5
Protein	6

Try them out and let me know what you think!  Get creative and mix & match your own toppings, too!

Cheesecake Cupcakes

I love cheesecake!! So, of course my first post on this blog had to be Cheesecake!  Wonderful, fluffy goodness all wrapped up in a delicious dessert!  Who wouldn't love it?!  The only problem with Cheesecake is all the fat and calories in it!  Such a sinful dessert indeed!

So, my BFF Cara and I took the challenge to see how low fat we could make it!  But, first things first.  I have to give credit where credit is due. You can find the original recipe we tried here:
http://www.cookingclassy.com/2013/04/cheesecake-cupcakes/

The original recipe was so delicious we knew that with such a great starting point, we just might have a shot at this whole low fat cheesecake idea.  As you know, the main ingredient in cheesecake is cream cheese.  But, fat free cream cheese is pretty disgusting.  So, we decided not to just jump right in with that exchange.  This recipe needed to be made with low fat ingredients first.  If that tasted good, then we knew we could try more fat free ingredients.

All values below are estimates using the My Fitness Pal app.

In order to understand the true fat & calories lost, I'll show you the Nutritional Values of all 3 Recipes.

The Original Recipe
(Per Cupcake)

Calories	183
Total Fat	13g
Saturated Fat	8g
Sodium	161mg
Fiber	0.25g
Sugar	7g
Protein	3g

The Swap - Trial #1 (This recipe was really good and there was hardly a difference between this one and the original.  We were both extremely surprised and excited.  Even the kids loved it!)

Graham Crackers for Low Fat Graham Crackers
Butter for Oikos Non-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt
Cream Cheese for 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese
Eggs for Egg Whites
Sour Cream for Fat Free Sour Cream
Heavy Cream for Fat Free Half & Half

Swapped Recipe #1
(Per Cupcake)

Calories	122
Total Fat	6g
Saturated Fat	3g
Sodium	182mg
Fiber	0.50g
Sugar	8g
Protein	3g

We didn't see a huge drop in calories.  But, we did see big drops in Total Fat & Saturated Fat.  The sodium went up.  But, unless you have high blood pressure.  This isn't a big concern.  So, could we go further?  This recipe taste was almost identical to the original.  Could we go even further and still maintain that fabulous taste?

The Swap - Trial #2 (This recipe was not as good as the first or second.  It wasn't bad.  It was good enough to eat.  We certainly didn't throw any away.  If you are really trying to cut the fat it'll do for a good Cheesecake Fix!)

Graham Crackers for Reduced Fat Nilla Wafers (Placed whole into the bottom of the cupcake liners)
Butter for Not Needed
Cream Cheese for Fat Free Cream Cheese
Sugar for Equal
Eggs for Egg Whites
Sour Cream for Fat Free Sour Cream
Heavy Cream for Fat Free Half & Half

Swapped Recipe #2
(Per Cupcake)

Calories	51
Total Fat	0.25g
Saturated Fat	0g
Sodium	212mg
Fiber	0g
Sugar	3g
Protein	4g

The numbers on Swapped Recipe #2 are really amazing!  We were able to cut the Fat & Calories.  The sodium went up.  But, not enough to concern me.  Of course, I'm not a doctor or nutritionist.  But, I think most foods have more sodium than this.  So, I'll overlook that little increase.  Plus, the taste was good enough that I think if I made it a couple of times, I would get used to the minor difference.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!  Betcha won't miss that fat!