Snack Time

Bigger IS better!

When it comes to snacks and dieting of course!!  I find myself once again bored with the snacks (and lunches) I create while dieting - or "Changing my lifestyle" as WW puts it!  The fresh fruit is great and pea pods nice and crispy but sometimes I just want something to sink my teeth into that doesn't cost half my daily points.

I came across this idea the other day while perusing the internet and although I'm not a fan of the baked egg roll wrappers I figured I'd give it a try.  So many recipes want you to bake these papery wrappers and that's exactly what they come out like...  baked paper!  Maybe I was really hungry this time but these were really quite tasty!

Ham & Swiss Rolls
1 cup lean ham, minced
1/2 cup 2% Swiss cheese
1 green onion, minced
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
8 egg roll wrappers
1 tsp honey
2 tbsp half & half, fat free

Preheat oven to 400F.  Mix ham, cheese and green onion to combine.  Place an egg roll wrapper diagonally on work surface and spread 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard in the center.  Put two tablespoons of ham mixture on the mustard.  Fold the bottom of the wrapper over the filling and gently but firmly pull slightly towards you.  Fold the left and right sides in and roll to the tip, creating a nice firm roll.  Place on sprayed baking sheet and continue with remaining wrappers.  Lightly spray rolls with cooking spray.  Bake for 8 minutes, turn rolls over, bake for an additional 8 minutes until lightly browned.  Mix together remaining tablespoon of mustard, honey and half & half for dipping.

Eaten hot or room temperature, these little rolls do the trick!  At a mere 2 pts each they can be a quick snack or a nice filling lunch.  I'm going to experiment with some different cheeses and maybe a spinach leaf or two but other than that, I think I'll keep it simple and enjoy the flavors just like they are!

Keep It Simple!

Another non-recipe recipe for you!  This one's the simplest appetizer you'll ever make unless you consider putting some chips and store bought dip out on the table an appetizer!  This is pretty close though...

Spicy Egg Shooters (12)
6 Eggs
Mayonnaise
Pickled Jalapeno Slices
Red Bell Pepper

Place the eggs in cold water and bring to a boil.  Continue boiling the eggs for as long as you normally do!  There are so many "perfect" methods out there I hesitate to say anything specific so if you're like me, just boil them until you think they're done!  Slice the bell pepper (raw or roasted) into small strips about 1/4" x 1".  If you are using raw pepper, saute it for a couple minutes in a tsp or so of olive oil to soften it.  Once the eggs have cooled enough to handle, peel them and cut them in half.  Put a tiny dab of mayonnaise on each egg half (maybe 1/4 tsp), a slice of pickled jalapeno and a strip of bell pepper.  Place in the refrigerator if not serving right away.

That's it!  So simple!  No mixing, smoothing, seasoning or guessing!  Once you eat one of these you may never go back to regular deviled eggs again.  The kick of the jalapeno and the sweetness of the pepper combined with the creamy mayonnaise and rich egg yolk will make your taste buds sing!

Oh, by the way, these are perfect for 4th of July!

Doing What We Love

I love Mother's Day! Not only do I get to celebrate my mother, and celebrate with her, I get to be celebrated as well! For many, this means you don't have to go anywhere near your kitchen! For me, it means I get the opportunity to STAY in my kitchen, undisturbed, creating, playing and doing exactly what I love to do!

This year I was able to share some extraordinary delights with my mother and family, including my very dear friend Jackie! I created a brunch that had a little bit of everything for everybody and the menu went something like this....

Lemon Curd French Toast Panini ~ Sausage Gravy ~ Potato Roast ~ Tuscan Baked Eggs
Strawberry Strata ~ Son-In-Law Eggs ~ Crescent Rolls

For this post, I'm going to highlight the strangest and newest creation because it gave me the greatest pleasure to create and sample. A popular street fare in Thailand is now a treat at home!

Son-In-Law Eggs
1 can coconut milk
1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 tsp chopped lemon grass
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 lime, juiced
6 eggs, soft boiled
2 tbsp peanuts, chopped
1 green onion, sliced

In a small saucepan over medium high heat, reduce half of the can of coconut milk until it splits into oil. Add the curry paste and the lemongrass to the oil and cook for about 1 minute. Reduce the heat and add the rest of the coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar and lime juice. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the sauce is a creamy consistency. Keep sauce warm.
Heat a couple of inches of oil in a small saucepan over high heat. Once heated carefully add two eggs at a time to the oil and fry until the outer white turns golden brown and expands int a crisp honeycomb texture. Placed fried eggs on a paper towel prior to placing in a small serving dish. Spoon on prepared sauce, sprinkle with chopped peanuts and green onion.

I tell people about these eggs and they look at me like I was crazy for deep frying the egg - I thought I was too! Who ever heard of such a thing? Not to mention deep frying anything is pretty much never mentioned in this house!

It being Mother's Day and all - yes, I used every extra point I had and probably points leftover from last week and the week before! This one tasty, delightful morsel alone is 8 points plus per warm, comfortable egg!

Note: This is a bit spicy! Okay, it's a lot spicy! Use less curry paste to tone down the heat but I wouldn't omit it completely.