Healthy Recipe: Crispy Sweet Onion Rings

With the Super Bowl approaching, snacks are on everybody's mind!  It is possible to snack on that day without going too overboard!  This recipe is one way to do it - it came from my WW Comfort Classics cookbook (LOVE that book!).  These are delicious!!  The family loved them!  Make sure you buy sweet onions, not regular yellow onions - makes a big difference.

 

Crispy Sweet Onion Rings

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

3/4 cup plain dried bread crumbs (I only had seasoned, but thought it made it yummy)

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

2 (1/2 pound each) sweet onions, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices and separated into 32 rings

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray two large rimmed baking sheets with nonstick spray.

2.  Place the flour, salt, paprika, pepper, and cayenne in a large zip-close plastic bag.  Place the bread crumbs in a shallow dish.  Place the egg whites in another shallow dish.

3.  Place the onion rings, a few at a time, in the flour mixture and shake to coat.  Dip each ring into the egg whites, then coat lightly with the bread crumbs.  Arrange the rings in a single layer on the baking sheets (reserving for another use any broken or small inner rings) and lightly spray the tops with nonstick spray.  Discard the excess flour mixture, egg white, and bread crumbs. (I didn't have any extra; had to use more 'cause I didn't coat "lightly" enough!)

4.  Bake until the bottoms of the onion rings are browned, about 10 minutes.  Turn the rings and bake until browned, about 5 minutes.

1 serving = 8 onion rings

Per serving: 154 cal, 2 g fat, 3 g fiber, 3 WW pts

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Other healthy snack ideas would be fresh crunchy veggies, Crunchy Party Mix, and I found a couple yummy snack ideas on the WW site (only 2 pts per serving!): Beef Nachos and Beef, Blue Cheese and Spinach Quesadillas.

Do you have a plan for Super Bowl snacking?  Let me know if you try the onion rings!  I'm linking this up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam!

Have a healthy day!

Lisa  :)

Healthy Recipe: Crunchy Party Mix

Finally - I'm giving you the recipe I promised!! I found this recipe in Weight Watcher's magazine a couple of years ago. It's a yummy little snack and the portion is surprisingly satisfying. I love that you make this snack in your slow cooker rather than the oven!

Crunchy Party Mix

6 tablespoons light butter
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 cups Rice Chex cereal
5 cups Corn Chex cereal
1 cup tiny pretzel twists
1/3 cup lightly salted peanuts

1. Place the butter in a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook until melted, about 5 minutes on high. Add the curry powder, soy sauce, sugar, cumin, and salt; mix well. Add the remaining ingredients; mix well.

2. Cook, uncovered, about 45 minutes, stirring well every 15 minutes.

3. Reduce the heat to low. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is crisp and fragrant, 3-4 hours. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool completely. Store in ziploc bags in pantry up to 6 weeks.

1/2 cup serving: 89 cal., 3 g fat, 1 g fiber, 2 WW pts.

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This has a very strong curry smell. It's a good mix, but we decided that we might like more traditional Chex Mix seasonings. I made it the exact same way, except that after melting the butter, I replaced the curry powder through salt with: 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt, 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder. Yum!!

After it's done, I portion out 1/2 cups into separate snack bags so I know I can grab a 2-pt. snack later! I hope you get to try this - so fun to make in the slow cooker!

I'm linking this to Crockpot Wednesday at Dining With Debbie - yummy ideas!

Lisa :)

Healthy Recipe: Chocolate Chip - Orange Scones

I saw this recipe in my Weight Watchers Best Ever Desserts cookbook and really wanted to try it. I love scones, but they usually throw off my healthy eating plans so I save them for special occasions. Now I can have them anytime!

Chocolate Chip - Orange Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg
1 tablespoon grated orange zest (about 1 orange)
1 cup powdered sugar
4 teaspoons fresh orange juice

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray.

2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or 2 knives used scissor-fashion, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs with some small pieces of butter remaining. Stir in the chocolate chips. Whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest in a small bowl. Add to the flour mixture and stir just until a dough forms.

3. Gather the dough into a ball and place on a lightly floured surface. Lightly knead 2 times. With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough to 3/4-in. thickness. With a 1 1/2-in. round cookie cutter, cut out rounds, dipping the cutter into flour between cuts to prevent sticking. Place the scones on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Gently gather the scraps, reroll and cut out more scones, making a total of 24 scones. Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet on a rack until warm, about 10 minutes.

4. Stir together the powdered sugar and orange juice in a small bowl until smooth. Place a sheet of wax paper under a rack. Dip the tops of the scones in the glaze; place, glaze side up, on the rack. Let stand until the glaze sets, about 1 hour.

per scone: 104 cal., 3 g fat, 0 g fiber, 2 WW pts

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When I made these, I must have used a little too much liquid because I had a batter rather than a dough and didn't want to take time trying to add more flour or chill the batter. So I just dropped spoonfuls of scone batter. They spread out and ended up looking more like cookies, but they were still good! They have a cake-like texture and a mild orange flavor. Perfect to go with a cup of tea!

*I made them again and had the same issue with the batter - was not a dough that I could knead.  Just dropped and shaped 24 small scones, but then let them rest on the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.  They definitely rose higher and looked nicer so I put the updated pic above now!

If you try them, let me know what you think!

I'm linking this up to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam! Stop over there for lots of good recipes, including Jen's Baked Oatmeal!

Lisa :)

Check Out This Cool WW Widget!

Thanks to Mel at A Box of Chocolates, who shared this great WW widget! It helps you choose a better snack when you are craving something that might really throw you off track!

You can get the code for the snack widget to put on your own blog. I did add a smaller version to my sidebar.

Try it out!


Also - be on the lookout for a great guest post from Mel this week right here on my blog!

Lisa :)

Healthy Recipe: Super Light Granola

I found this WW recipe online a year or so ago and made it for myself and to give as gifts to health-conscious relatives and friends. I like the flavor and the fact that it's good for me! It's not a difficult recipe, but is a bit time-consuming. When looking for walnut oil - compare prices as it's expensive. I bought some and then later discovered that the same store had some in the organic section for $2-3 less!

Super Light Granola
 
6 cups rolled oats (not quick or steel-cut)
2/3 cup frozen unsweetened apple juice concentrate, thawed (5 1/3 oz.)
6 tablespoons walnut oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup powdered fat-free dry milk
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped dried apples
3/4 cup chopped raisins (sometimes I use dried currants instead)

1. Position the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F.

2. Spread the oats on a large, rimmed baking sheet; bake in the top third of the oven until barely beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer the oats to a large bowl; maintain oven's heat.

3. Stir the apple juice concentrate, walnut oil, and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat until mixture begins to steam - just until the first sign of a bubble. Set aside to cool 5 minutes.

4. Mix the wheat germ, powdered milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt into the oats. Pour in the warm juice mixture; stir until well-blended.

5. Spray 2 large, rimmed baking sheets with nonstick spray; divide the oat mixture between them. Bake in the top and bottom thirds of oven for 10 minutes. Stir well, move top tray to bottom and bottom tray to top, bake 10 more minutes, tossing a couple of times.

6. Transfer sheets to wire cooling racks and immediately stir half of each dried fruit into each tray's oat mixture. Cool undisturbed to room temp, about 1 1/2 hours. Seal in bags. Store at room temp 3 months.

WW 4 pts per 1/2 cup serving (Makes 20 servings)

I know - sounds like a lot - but it is yummy. And I do at least 2 batches since I already have everything out.

Have a wonderful week and a Merry Christmas!

Lisa :)

Healthy Recipe: Baked pumpkin Bread

In honor of Pumpkin Potpourri Week on my other blog, I thought I would post a healthy pumpkin bread recipe here. The recipe came from the internet a few years ago.

Baked Pumpkin Bread
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup solid pack pumpkin puree
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, softened

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x5 in. loaf pan.

2. Sift (I just whisk it) the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large bowl. Mix in the pumpkin, brown sugar, buttermilk, egg and butter until well blended. Pour into loaf pan and smooth the top.

3. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

12 servings, approximately 3 pts per slice

Try it out and see what you think! Good for snacking or for breakfast.

Lisa :)