"Healthy" Stuffing - From Naturally Thin

"Out of this World" Stuffing

This is from Bethenny Frankles's NYT Best seller: Naturally Thin.  The book is great and you can buy it on Amazon.  I got it very reasonably.

She intros this recipe by saying this stuffing has the same yummy flavor of traditional bread stuffing with a fraction of the calories and fat.  It has many ingredients but the process itself is easy.

OK, Ingredients...

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 stalks of celery, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 0.5 tsp salt, add more as needed
• 0.5 tsp pepper, add more as needed
• 1-2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
• 4 sprigs sage, finely chopped
• Leaves from 6-8 springs of thyme, finely chopped
• 0.5 pound of turkey sausage
• Splash of dry white wine
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 pound fresh mushrooms --- This is where I changed this to chopped granny smith apples
• 0.5 cup dried morels, chopped and soaked in water until soft
• 0.5 loaf of multi-grain bread, toasted and chopped
• 0.5 - 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 egg, beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Saute the onion and celery in the oil in a nonstick pan.  Add in salt, pepper, sage, and thyme.
3. Break up sausage and add to the pan, saute until brown.  Add in wine and butter.
4. Stir in apples, morels and the water from soaking the morels.
5. In a large bowl put the breadcrumbs adn pour the sausage mixture overtop and toss to coat.  Add chicken stock to add moisture as needed.
6. Add salt and pepper to tast, as desired.
7. Stir in the beaten egg and stir all together.
8. Ok, here is where I totally change up the recipe and use the ol' Monts family muffin pan stuffing trick:
1. Form the stuffing mixture into balls and add into lightly greased muffin cups.
2. Bake under a watchful eye (30 minutes?) and remove once tops are lightly darkened.

Enjoy!!

Balsamic Chicken

Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar and Vegetables

Chicken on sale and you are tired of the same old recipes??? There is nothing like chicken for low-fat, low calorie meals. This recipe- thanks to Joy Bauer is also filled with what is good for you. This is only about 250 calories and packed with flavor! This is pretty pungent so plan to serve it with something pretty simple. I was stuck at home without a car and substituted green peppers for the red ones. I think the balsamic vinegar overwhelms either so you would not know the difference. I even had to substitute part of the balsamic vinegar with some pomegranate infused balsamic vinegar- it still worked. It might have even been better.

INGREDIENTS:
1 large onion, yellow, thinly sliced
1 large pepper red, bell, sliced
4 garlic, cloves, minced (may substitute 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
4 chicken, breast, boneless, skinless, medium-thin (may substitute 8 chicken tenders)
1/2 cup vinegar, balsamic
1 can tomatoes, diced, (15-ounce) with liquids, preferably no salt added

DIRECTIONS:

1. Liberally coat a large sauté pan with oil spray, and preheat it over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic (or sprinkle in the garlic powder if using). Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until the onions and peppers begin to soften. Add additional oil spray or a tablespoon of water if the vegetables start to stick to the bottom of the skillet.
3. Add the chicken to the pan and sauté for about 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
4. Add the balsamic vinegar and canned tomatoes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with optional salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.

Good for:
Heart Health
Eye Health
Arthritis
Celiac Disease
Type 2 Diabetes
Mood
Hair
Skin
Cancer Prevention

"Skinny" Eggplant Parmesan 70 calories

Only 70 Calories!

I "borrowed" this from Joy Bauer from the Today Show. She shared this on her segment of KLG and Hoda this morning. The regular Eggplant Parmesan is a weakness of Kathy Lee and she did not want to put her fork down after sampling this version. I cannot wait to try it myself. Jerilyn had Eggplant Parmesan at Olive Garden this weekend and I had to have a couple bites- we both love it. With only 70 calories, it is almost too good to believe. Cross your fingers!
I have made this about 5 times already and it is wonderful!

Ingredients:
Eggplant
Olive oil
Kosher Salt
Marinara Sauce
Shredded Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Grated Parmesan
Oregano
Crushed Red Pepper

Directions:
Slice an eggplant into rounds and place on a baking sheet.
Mist rounds on both sides with olive oil spray, and lightly sprinkle with kosher salt.
Roast in oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
Top each roasted eggplant slice with marinara sauce, shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, some grated Parmesan cheese, oregano, and crushed red pepper.
Pop back in the oven for about 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is hot and bubbly.

Caramelized Onion Dip- Low Fat!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp low-fat mayonnaise
2 tbsps low-fat sour cream
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsps sliced parsley
3 c sweet onions, finely sliced
1 oz low-fat cream cheese
2 tsps vegetable oil
1/8 tsp salt

Directions:
Step #1 In a large nonstick skillet sprayed with vegetable spray, heat the oil & add the onion. Step #2 Sauté for 5 mins, stirring frequently.
Step #3 Simmer on low heat for another 10 mins or until the onion is soft & browned, stirring every once in awhile.
Step #4 Add the sour cream, cream cheese, mayonnaise, salt & pepper & mix until well mixed & the cheese is melted.
Step #5 Garnish with parsley & serve this with whole wheat crackers, baked tortilla chips or pita wedges.