COTTAGE CHEESE as a SUBSTITUTE
a great low-fat alternative to many dishes that require thickening agents. Use it in place of heavy creams, mayo or a flour and water paste, blend the same amount of a good-quality cottage cheese in a food processor and add to your favorite dips or sauces to thicken them up. Most cold vegetable dips that require sour cream or mayo, can be made using pureed cottage cheese as instead. These can be made in ahead and stored in the refrigerator until serving time.
TUNA SALAD SANDWICHES
1 can (12 ounces) tuna, drained
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup creamy Italian salad dressing
2 to 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons dill pickle relish
Serve on rye or any bread. Can serve on crackers.
ZUCCHINI DIP
1 medium zucchini, cubed
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 clove garlic, chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups mayonnaise
Place zucchini in a saucepan, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Add the garlic, sugar, and oregano and process until blended.
Transfer the pureed mixture to a serving bowl, and stir in the mayonnaise. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
Serve with vegetables, crackers, or bread.
CHILE CREAM CHEESE SPREAD
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 small can diced green chiles, drained
or 1 jalapeno chile, minced
Mix cream cheese and chiles, adding a bit of milk to get to desired consistency. Spread cooled bread slices with Chile Cream Cheese Spread.
BACON CHEESE RING
3 cups cheddar cheese
1/2 cup heavy mayonnaise
1/2 cup bacon bits
16 ox strawberry preserves
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup softened cream cheese
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup pecan pieces
In a bowl, mix shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Add chopped green onions for color and 1/2 cup bacon pieces. Mix softened cream cheese and mayonnaise to firm up the mixture. Do not make mixture too creamy or it may not hold its form. In a tiara pan, or pie dish, either coat with a non-stick spray or lay a sheet of saran wrap. Sprinkle edges with pecan pieces and pat cheese mixture into pan. Flip onto serving dish and top with strawberry perserves. Serve with butter crackers.
SHRIMP & BACON DEVILED EGGS
Instant potato flakes give the filling body. You can prepare this a day ahead; cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Crumble leftover egg yolks over a spinach salad.
8 hard-cooked large eggs, shelled
1/4 cup instant potato flakes
1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 cup cooked medium shrimp, peeled and chopped (about 4 ounces)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 center-cut bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
Cut eggs in half lengthwise; remove yolks. Place 4 yolks in a medium bowl; reserve remaining yolks for another use. Add potato flakes and next 6 ingredients (through red pepper) to yolks; stir well. Stir in shrimp and parsley. Spoon about 1 rounded tablespoon shrimp mixture into each egg white half. Sprinkle with bacon.
MARGARITA DIP
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup frozen limeade concentrate, partially thawed
2 Tbsp. orange juice
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
BEAT cream cheese, limeade concentrate and orange juice in medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping; cover.
REFRIGERATE at least 1 hour.
SERVE with cut-up fresh fruit and NILLA Wafers.
VARIATION
Serve in a wide-brimmed margarita glass. Dip rim of glass in sugar before filling with dip.
ITALIAN PARTY BITES
1 (12-inch) or 2 (8-inch) prepared pizza crusts
1 cup shredded mozarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 cup thinly sliced vegetables, such as red bell pepper, zucchini and mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 cup sliced black olives
Preheat oven to 450°F. Place pizza crust on large baking sheet.
Mix mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses in small bowl. Toss vegetables and 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture, olive oil, Italian seasoning and garlic powder in medium bowl. Spread mixture evenly over crust. Top with olives and remaining cheese mixture.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into 2-inch pieces to serve.
Tomato Party Pizza: Substitute 1 cup coarsely chopped tomatoes for the sliced vegetables.
FRUIT 'N' NUT SPREAD
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c orange juice
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 c. chopped pecans
Beat cream cheese and orange juice til smooth. Fold in cranberries & pecans. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 min. Serve with crackers or breads. Makes 1 1/2 cups.
FRUIT AND CHEESE SPREAD
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 1/4 oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained
4 oz. Blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 c. chopped nuts
Combine well and chill, serve with crackers. Makes 2 2/3 cups.
ORANGE SLUSH
3 cups water
3 cups sugar
Boil 2-3 minutes, stir until syrupy.
Let cool. Then add
1 large can crushed pineapple
1 large can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 large can water that the orange juice was in
6 finely chopped bananas
1 bottle maraschino cherries
1 can mandarin oranges
Freeze. Serve slushy
VEGGIE PIZZA MINIS
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup halved grape tomatoes
3 English muffins, sliced in 1/2
3 cups diced eggplant
1/4 Vidalia onion, sliced
1 small yellow squash, thinly sliced
1 small zucchini, grated
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup grated mozzarella
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
3/4 teaspoon Greek seasoning
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and add tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are softened. Add salt, to taste.
Spoon cooked tomatoes evenly over English muffin halves. In a skillet, saute eggplant and onions in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add squash and zucchini and cook until tender. Do not over cook, since they will cook some more in the oven. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauteed vegetables evenly over the tomatoes. Sprinkle each mini pizza with balsamic vinegar. Top with mozzarella and feta cheese. Sprinkle pizza with Greek seasoning and basil.
Bake 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is lightly browned.
CHEESE DIP FOR VEGETABLES
1 large container Cheez Whiz (about 8 ounces)
12 ounces of soft cream cheese
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Mix all ingredients well. Good with fresh vegetables and crackers.
