Reduced-Fat Pimento Cheese

I really love pimento cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches, and the full fat version of pimento cheese is outrageously high in calories. It's 9 WW points per serving just for the pimento cheese if you made it full fat. If you make it reduced in fat, it's only 4 WW points per serving. That's 5 WW points less!! This recipe is great for weight watchers, and I'm currently on weight watchers and this is a nice treat to eat once in a while without feeling quite so guilty about it. :)

Six 2.5 oz. servings
WW Points: 4 points per serving

* 3 oz. light cream cheese
* 4 oz. / 1 cup reduced-fat shredded cheese (I used Sargento Reduced-Fat 4 cheese mexican blend)
* 1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
* 1/4 tsp crushed garlic, or 1/4 tsp garlic powder
* 1/4 cup pimentos, or chopped roasted red peppers (I used the roasted red peppers, it was very good in flavour)
* salt and pepper to taste


Place 3 oz. cream cheese in a small bowl, and microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power.

In a medium size bowl mix with a whisk together cream cheese, mayonnaise, salt and pepper, and garlic paste.

Clean off whisk, and using a spoon mix in the pimentos/red peppers and shredded cheese until combined thoroughly. Place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours to set up. However, if you plan to make grilled cheese with the pimento cheese, you can use it right away.

Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.


If you make grilled cheese sandwiches with this awesome pimento cheese, be sure to use a reduced-fat butter spread on each slice of bread.

Weight Watchers Friendly Chicken-Etti

This is a great recipe, and it's low in fat but still tastes great! It's called Chicken-Etti. The original recipe has one pound of full fat cheese, and it comes out a bit oily and greasy... This is great because it's less cheese, but less oily. I actually like it better with less cheese. Plus the cheese used in this is reduced fat cheese. It's also only 5 weight watcher points per serving!

* 18 oz cooked whole wheat spaghetti cooked in salt water, drained
* 2 cups 2%/reduced fat sharp cheddar (I bought the Kroger 2% sharp cheddar)
* 1 can cream of celery
* 11 ½ oz. of Foster Farms fully cooked grilled chicken strips, defrosted in the microwave, and cubed (if you don’t use the foster farms grilled chicken, the points won’t be the same. We bought our foster farms grilled chicken at Costco.)
* 1 can mild Rotel tomatoes with green peppers/chilis, with juice
* 1 cup chicken broth
* 1 green bell pepper, diced
* No added salt, or pepper.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease, or spray a 13 x 9 pan.

Spread out your cooked, and drained pasta on the bottom of the pan.

In a 1 quart glass pyrex measuring cup, place the can of cream of celery, chicken broth, rotel tomatoes with juice, and whisk. Add 1 cup of cheddar to the liquid mixture and microwave for 2 minutes, stir, then cook for another 2 minutes or until the cheese is just barely melted.

Add the diced bell pepper to the hot liquid and stir.

Spread out the cubed chicken over the spaghetti and pour the sauce over the top. Stir it around a little bit, then top with the remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Serves 8

Weight Watcher Points: 5

Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Cream

I really love these cupcakes, they are so moist and light. The raspberry cream adds another dimension that makes them a taste sensation. If you don't like raspberry you could use blueberries, or even blackberries. I don't know how well strawberry would work. Give these a try, they are very light and refreshing. :)

Lemon Cupcakes:

* 1 1/3 cups flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 6 tablespoons butter, softened
* 2/3 cup sugar
* 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 tablespoon ground lemon zest
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract

Preheat oven to 350F; Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.

To make the batter whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a small bowl; set aside.

In medium bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy.

With mixer on high speed, gradually beat in sugar, and continue beating until mixture is very light and fluffy.

Lower speed to medium, beat in eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended, then beat in lemon juice, and zest and extract.

Lower speed to low, alternately beat in flour mixture and sour cream, beating just until blended.

Bake cakes about 20 minutes.

Raspberry Cream:

1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 - 2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 10 oz. bag frozen unsweetened raspberries

Thaw raspberries; When thawed, blend in a blender until pureed.

Place sieve over a bowl, strain raspberry puree. With a rubber spatula press the sides of the sieve to get all the juice out.

Mix whipped cream until soft peaks form, add 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup of sugar depending on how sweet you'd like it to the whipped cream. Once heavy peaks form, spoon in the strained raspberry puree a little at a time into the whipped cream and continue to whip with the mixer. Once you've added as much raspberry as you'd like, cut the cupcakes in half and dollop the raspberry cream between the two halves. Dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!