Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake Bites

A great, easy dessert that is both low cal and low carb.  Courtesy of SparkRecipes.

Ingredients
Vanilla extract, imitation, alcohol, 0.5 tsp
Splenda, 1tbsp
Cream Cheese, Fat Free, 5 tbsp
Hershey’s Cocoa, Special Dark, .5-1 tbsp
Light Whipped Topping, 16 tbsp (1 cup)
Chocolate Chips, Mini Semisweet, 1 tbsp

Directions
Mix coolwhip, cream cheese, vanilla, and splenda (using mixer, blender, or bowl and fork).

For chocolate cheesecake bites, add cocoa and stir in thorougly (to create swirl cheesecakes, divide batter in half and add the cocoa to half the batter – mix thoroughly, then recombine batter, swirling chocolate batter into plain batter).

Spoon into 10-15 slots of an ice cube tray.

Top each bite with 5-10 mini chocolate chips, one teaspoon sugar free chocolate syrup, or smucker’s sugar free fruit preserves (rasberry, strawberry, blueberry, etc – 3 calories per teaspoon).

Freeze for 2 hrs. After fully freezing, they should pop right out, or you might need to run water over the bottom of the tray to help them come out.

Nutritional Information
Fat: 1.1g
Carbohydrates: 3.3g
Calories: 29.8
Protein: 1.0g

Chicken Dijon

A quick and delicious main dish.  Courtesy of FoodFit.com.

This recipe serves: 2
Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1/2 clove garlic, crushed
2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, (about 4 ounces each) cut into 1-inch strips
1 pinch salt
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Cooking Instructions
1. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until the onion becomes tender, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
2. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the skillet. Saute the chicken until it is golden brown on all sides, about 4 minutes.

3. Quickly add the chicken broth and stir with a wooden spoon to release any caramelized bits that are stuck to the pan. Cook until the chicken broth has reduced by half. Stir in the mustard.

4. Serve with Skinny Mashed Potatoes or Rice Pilaf .

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size:1 chicken breast
Amount Per Serving
Calories:168
Protein: 27 g
Total Carbohydrate: 2 g
Dietary Fiber: 0 g
Soluble Fiber: 0 g
Insoluble Fiber: 0 g
Sugar: 1 g
Total Fat: 5 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g

Homemade Salsa

Salsa is a great healthy condimnt or side that can go with so many things.  Here is a wonderful homemade salsa from AllRecipes.com!

Ingredients:
6 pounds roma (plum) tomatoes
1/4 pound roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 red onion, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 pound jalapeno peppers, chopped
1/3 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:
1. Bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Briefly place 6 pounds tomatoes into water to loosen skins and set color. Drain, peel and crush.
2. Mix chopped tomatoes, garlic powder, lemon juice, salt, cayenne pepper and cumin into the saucepan with crushed tomatoes. Whip to desired thickness. Bring to a boil. Mix in red onion, white onion, yellow onion, jalapeno peppers and cilantro. Continue boiling until vegetables are soft and mixture has reached desired consistency. Remove from heat. Refrigerate until serving.

Nutrition Information
Servings Per Recipe: 96
Calories: 10 Amount Per Serving
Total Fat: 0.2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 112mg
Total Carbs: 2.2g
    Dietary Fiber: 0.6g
Protein: 0.4g

Broccoli with Black Bean-Garlic Sauce

A great low-cal side courtesy of EatingWell.com.
 
Makes 4 servings, 3/4 cup each

Ingredients
 
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
½ cup water, divided
1 teaspoon rice-wine vinegar or white-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons black bean-garlic sauce (see Ingredient note)
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups broccoli florets

Instructions
 
1. Toast sesame seeds in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
2. Mix 1/4 cup water, vinegar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add black bean sauce and stir until smooth.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or stir-fry pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broccoli and stir to coat. Add the remaining 1/4 cup water; cover and steam just until the broccoli is tender-crisp, 1 to 3 minutes. Push broccoli to the sides and pour the sauce mixture in the center. Stir until the sauce begins to thicken, about 1 minute. Stir in the broccoli to coat. Serve immediately, sprinkled with the sesame seeds.

 
Ingredient Note: Black bean-garlic sauce, made from pureed salted and fermented black soybeans, is a widely used condiment in Chinese cooking and can be found with the Asian food in most supermarkets.
Nutrition Information
 
Per serving: 53 calories; 3 g fat (0 g sat, 2 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 6 g carbohydrate; 2 g protein; 2 g fiber; 133 mg sodium.

Asparagus, Canadian Bacon, and Cheese Frittata
From Food Network Kitchens

I’m still keeping the low carb theme for the week.  Here is another great recipe from the Food Network.

Prep Time: 20 min Inactive Prep Time: 5 min Cook Time: 15 min Level: Easy
Serves: 2 servings 

Ingredients
5 large eggs
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces medium asparagus stalks (about 8), woody stems trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 medium slices Canadian bacon (about 2 ounces), coarsely chopped

Directions
Position an oven rack in the upper part of the oven and preheat the broiler. Whisk the eggs, 3 tablespoons of the cheese, the milk, lemon zest, salt, and pepper to taste together in a bowl.

Heat the olive oil in an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus and Canadian bacon, and cook until the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low, pour the egg mixture into the skillet, stirring gently to distribute the fillings evenly. Cover, and cook until the bottom sets, but does not get too brown, about 9 minutes. Remove the cover, scatter the remaining 1 tablespoon of cheese over the surface. Run the frittata under the broiler until the top sets and browns slightly, about 1 minute. Set aside for about 5 minutes before unmolding. Slip the frittata out of the pan onto a cutting board, cut into wedges. Serve warm or room temperature.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 372
Fat: 26 grams (8 g saturated)
Carbohydrates: 6 grams
Fiber: 1.5 grams
Nutrient Value: Per Serving