WLS-friendly Mozzarella Sticks

Warning: These rarely come out pretty but they are always good!

I love mozzarella sticks. Do you?

The kind you get from the take-out place cause all sorts of problems for WLSers, though. There's the fat (they are generally quick-fried). There's the carbs (they are generally dipped in batter). 

But as we like to say here at Bariatric Foodie...play with your food!

This recipe originally comes by way of my friend Shari, who refuses to start her own food blog. So I am forced to repost my remakes of her recipes without linking to her because there's nothing to link to! Shari is the QUEEN of playing with her food. She's been doing it before there was a Bariatric Foodie or a motto!

I'll warn you. This recipe has been on  the blog for years and each time I get a pic of someone who has made it they note the recipe is NOT pretty when it comes out of the oven (the cheese tends to bubble through whatever coating you use. But everyone notes it IS yummy! And that's what matters, right?

(Nik’s version of) Shari’s Mozzarella Sticks

Ingredients: 

• 3 part-skim mozzarella string cheese sticks, cut in half (not to sound like a broken record, but Fit & Active at Aldi’s makes a good one that is 20 calories less than every other string cheese on the market with the same amount of protein!)
• 1/2 c. high fiber cereal (I use Fiber One Original), crushed into crumbs (NOTE: One Foodie told me she crushes pork rinds which adds a little flavor kick. These are no carb but pretty high in fat so use at your own discretion! If you do use them you'd probably just need one serving.)
• 2 tbsp whole wheat bread crumbs (if you don't like Fiber One, you could just use 1/3 c. whole wheat bread crumbs)
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp onion salt (if you use onion powder, add ¼ tsp of salt)
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ c. egg substitute
• Optional: 1/8 tsp Italian seasoning for authenticity

Directions:

Mix seasonings and crumbs in a bowl

Dip your cheese stick portions into the egg substitute, then the crumbs then repeat.

Coated sticks ready for the oven.

Lay on a sprayed cookie sheet. Bake on 350 for about 10 minutes or until coating is crispy.

I serve this with a side of warmed, reduced fat marinara sauce. Spaghetti sauce works in a pinch. Any way you do it, though, this is one of those crazy good, “I can’t believe I am really allowed to eat this!” recipes.

Thank you Shari!

Dig In!

Jen's "Buffalo Wing" Cheese Ball

~~posted by Jen

Dig in!

Earlier this week Nik shared her scrumptious Buffalo Chicken Salad. I too, am a hardcore devotee of Shari's original Buffalo Chicken dip. That stuff definitely helped me get real food in when I was early out.

My ex-husband Ken LOVES LOVES LOVES buffalo wings. I am not kidding. So I created this dish for him to snack on when watching football, and he says it's "the bomb." That was one of his Christmas gifts from me, along with his DVD Snack Basket. I'm not even a big fan of actual buffalo wings, but I love this cheeseball.


Jen's Buffalo Wing Cheeseball
(makes 2 cheese balls or logs, whichever shape you prefer)
Ingredients:

For the cheese ball:

16 oz. Neufchatel cheese (1/3 less fat cream cheese), softened

1/4 cup Greek Yogurt

2 stalks celery diced fine, I chopped mine in my Ninja (note: Celery is optional, and only recommended if you are a year out or more. Celery is very stringy and can bother newer pouches! Some plans even prohibit it for life so check yours before using it. You can substitute celery salt or dried celery leaves for the same flavor profile.)

1 can chicken breast meat, drained and shredded fine with a fork

1 package bleu cheese crumbles

1/2 packet Ranch dip mix (I used Hidden Valley)

2 tsp Hot Sauce (I used Frank's Hot Sauce, or Tabasco would work. I don't like spicy, if you do, feel free to add more.)

2 scoops Any Whey Unflavored Protein Powder

For the coating:

1c. slivered almonds

2 tbsp Ranch dip mix

Directions:

In a bowl, combine cheese and yogurt and beat with a hand mixer until just blended. Add protein powder and dip mix powder and beat again until fully incorporated. 

Stir in the chicken, bleu cheese crumbles, and celery until well mixed. 

Lay out a large piece of waxed paper and, using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, scrape half of cheese 

mixture onto it. Roll it into a log (or ball, your choice) and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Repeat the process with remaining half of the mixture. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Nuts and Dip Mix waiting for the cheese to drop!

In a rectangular bowl or plate, combine the coating ingredients until mixed well. Drop the first cheese log/ball into the coating mix and roll it around until all sides are completely covered. Repeat with the second log. If you're planning to serve right away, transfer to your serving platter. Otherwise wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. They're good for up to a week as long as kept refrigerated. 

The completed cheese log 

I serve this with Wheat Thins or those new Flatbread Thins Olive Oil and Sea Salt crackers. You could use pita chips or veggie dippers as well.

YUM!

Of course, I blame Nikki for my newfound love of cheeseballs. It all started with the curry. So this combines my love of the flavors associated with buffalo wings and the snackability of a cheese ball. THIS is what we mean when we say Play With Your Food™!

Think of a flavor combination that you enjoy, and remix it with healthier, more WLS-friendly ingredients. Snap a pic and send us your creations! Rock on, Pouch Party™ Nation!

Nik's Angelic Eggs

~by Nikki

Nik's Angelic Eggs

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Don’t care? Me either! What’s important to me is that they are both excellent (and yummy) sources of protein.

But here’s the issue with eggs, in my experience. Those suckers are deceptively filling. I am hard pressed to finish two hard boiled eggs even at three years post-op. While they have good protein in them (about 7g per egg, depending on the size you eat), they keep me full a long time, sometimes impeding my ability to take in more protein.

My handy dandy nutritionist has told me that for my level of activity, I need to take in about 100g of protein a day. Two eggs gives me 14 and keeps me full about 4 hours. So what’s a gal to do???

Get more protein into that egg! So again I ask…what came first, the chicken or the egg? I still don’t care and I don’t have to choose with this protein packed little gem!

Nik's Angelic Eggs
(makes 1 - 4 servings, depending on how far out you are from surgery)

Now that I think about it the chicken or egg dilemma is a very valid philosophical question? Which do YOU think came first?

2 large eggs, hard boiled


4 heaping tablespoons of your favorite chicken salad recipe (can’t do or don’t like chicken? This also works great with tuna! In fact, to boost protein, try my TVP tuna!)

Optional: Real or imitation bacon bits for topping.

Directions:

First, a tip: If you’re trying to make this for lunch and don’t have a lot of time, after you boil your eggs, immediately transfer them to an ice water bath (bowl of cold water with ice). It quickly stops the egg from cooking and cools the shell so you can get on with it!

Slice your egg in half and discard the yolk (it hurt my heart to do this but there just isn’t room for that yolk and since the protein is in the egg white…well…I just had to do it!!!).

Fill in the cavity in the egg half with your chicken salad and top with bacon bits!

Did this egg know it was destined for protein glory?

Now if you aren’t adept at making chicken salad, here’s my basic recipe. Keep in mind I like to keep my chicken salad simple so this is not fancy AT ALL. Feel free to add whatever accoutrements you see fit.

Nik’s Basic Chicken Salad

1 small can chicken breast
3 tbsp 0% unflavored Greek yogurt
2 tbsp light mayo
1 tbsp diced onion
A few cherry tomatoes, quartered
A few shakes each of: onion salt, garlic powder, ground black pepper

Directions:

In a bowl, break up chicken meat chunks with a fork and mix in onion.

In a separate bowl, mix together yogurt, mayo and spices. Taste and adjust. When it’s the way you want it, THEN dump it into your chicken mixture.

Add tomatoes and away we go!

For those of you can’t do eggs or chicken…my deepest apologies. I know something of your pain. Beef and I have not been friends since surgery. I look at a nice, bloody steak with desperate longing but alas…it’s just not worth the pain!

Jen's "Moroccan" Curried Cheese Log

Ready to slice!

~posted by Jen

I was never much of a Curry fan, mainly because I don't like spicy foods. In fact, I had never really given it an honest try until our Holiday Preview this past November. Nik made her Curried Cheeseball as one of the appetizer demos, and when the party ended there was a small bit left that I got to take back to the hotel with me.

Let me tell y'all, that thing was GOOD. I could have (and...er...did) eaten it right by itself! I called her the next morning to tell her she'd made a Curry Convert out of me, which of course she thought was hysterical. So, I've been making Curried Cheeseball in some way shape or form ever since. 

Ingredients

Y'all know what I love most about the idea of a cheeseball? It's just like a trifle or a frittata, it's one of those "blank canvas" type of recipes. You can make it a million different ways and it never tastes like you're eating the same thing twice. I dig that! 

Kitchen shear work best on the apricots, but you can also use a VERY sharp knife.

This recipe is my twist on Nik's original (sorry, it was an exclusive recipe for people who attended the Preview or who ordered the Portable Preview only). I’ve made it a few times with different variations, and this one is both mine and the boys' favorite thus far. It's really easy to make, you can add protein to it, plus it makes an elegant but simple appetizer. Perfect to pass around or put on the buffet table for your family dinner.

Any Whey and the chopped fruits

You could even make a "Cheeseball Sampler" (I won't tell you that I sometimes do this on Sundays for football game snacks). On a pretty platter, put this one, Nik's Cheese Cake Cheeseball, and one made from whatever variation YOU come up with, along with some dippers (crackers, carrot sticks, celery, apple slices, possibilities are endless) and a spreader for each cheeseball. 

Dried fruit is high in natural sugar, so go easy the first time you try this. If you know fruit sugar makes you dump, consider omitting the fruit and using nuts instead.

This is a simple yet stunning dish to bring if you need to an appetizer for a potluck or work party. I usually make them 2 at the time, because to me it gets better as it's in the fridge, so my recipe makes 2 cheese logs. (I roll mine into logs, makes them easier to slice and serve.) But you do what makes you happy! Play with your food, people! 

Here's how it's done:

Jen’s Moroccan Cheese Log

Cheese Log Ingredients:

16 oz. Neufchatel cheese (1/3 less fat cream cheese), softened

1/4 cup Greek Yogurt
2 scoops Any Whey unflavored protein powder

1 tbsp Curry Powder (I used McCormick, it's pretty mild--start with 1tbsp and adjust to your taste) 

1/8 cup dried cherries 

1/8 cup golden raisins 

1/8 cup dried apricots, cut into pieces with kitchen shears

Coating Ingredients:

1 c. chopped walnuts

1 1/2 tbsp Curry Powder

1 tsp salt

Directions:

In a bowl, combine cheese and yogurt and beat with a hand mixer until just blended. Add protein powder and curry powder and beat again until fully incorporated. Stir in the fruit pieces until well mixed. 

Lay out a large piece of waxed paper and, using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, scrape half of cheese 

mixture onto it. Roll it into a log and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Repeat the process with remaining half of the mixture. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Hitting the waxed paper, ready to chill!

In a rectangular bowl or plate, combine the coating ingredients until mixed well. Drop the first cheese log into the coating mix and roll it around until all sides are completely covered. Repeat with the second log. If you're planning to serve right away, transfer to your serving platter. Otherwise wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. They're good for up to a week as long as kept refrigerated. 

This is after chilling overnight, about to take a dip in the curry and walnut mixture.

Coating Mixture

To me, they taste better if you make them the day before you want to serve so the flavors have time to "marry." I serve them with Wheat Thins or those new Flatbread Thins Olive Oil and Sea Salt crackers. You could use pita chips or veggie dippers as well. 

Dig In!

Nik's Protein Cheesecake Cheeseball

~by Nikki

First, forgive me for my lack of process pictures. In general I’ve been working on snapping pictures as I go along making a dish, but this one didn’t get “the treatment.” Why? Well, because I didn’t originally plan to post this!

Long story short…remember how I said I went to my annual bariatric reunion on Sunday? Well my surgeon’s office has been a BIG support to Pouch Party™ and, in fact, has a party scheduled for early January as a part of its “Back on Track” month. At the reunion, a staff member from my surgeon’s office reminded me that yesterday was support group and that it’d be a GREAT time to hand out fliers for the next party. (Cue panic on my part as I’d not yet made any fliers for the party!) Then a fellow post-op who heard about Bariatric Foodie asked, “will you be bringing something yummy to group?”

Initially I answered no but my brain chews on stuff like that. I wanted to bring a sample of something, as I always do when I announce a party at a support group, but I simply didn’t have time to make anything complicated. The theme of the support group that night was holiday eating. So I thought, and I thought and I thought…then my head hurt. Then I thought some more and this recipe came to mind!

I’ve made it a few times and it scored well with the family and is so quick and easy to make. For those of us who, after surgery, want to avoid big indulgent desserts, it’s a neat way to get your cheesecake fix in. And NOBODY can ever tell there’s added protein unless I tell them.

Nik’s Protein Cheesecake Cheese Ball

Cheese Ball Ingredients:

12 oz. Neufchatel cheese (1/3 less fat cream cheese)
1/3 c. 0% unflavored Greek yogurt
2 scoops Any Whey unflavored protein powder
1 c. no-calorie sweetener (I used Splenda)
2 tsp. lemon juice

Coating Ingredients:

1 c. Whole Grain Cheerios
2 tbsp no-calorie sweetener
3 pumps SF Davinci Caramel Syrup

Directions:

In a bowl, combine cheese and yogurt and beat with a hand mixer until just blended.

Add protein powder, Splenda and lemon juice and beat again until fully incorporated.

Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and, using a wooden spoon, scrape cheese mixture onto it.

Wrap it and form it into a ball. Refrigerate 2 hours.

In a mini-chopper or food processor, combine all coating ingredients and pulse until a moist crumb forms.

Once the ball is firm, lay out coating on a plate and drop the ball onto it. Roll until completely coated.

Transfer to a plate and serve with reduced fat graham cracker pieces or fruit.

At support group I served this with half-slices of Macintosh apples. I think that was a good choice. Macintosh apples are fairly starchy but sweeter than a red delicious. One of my group members suggested a Granny Smith. That could work too, although the tartness of the lemon juice in the cheese ball and the tartness of that apple might not play nicely together. But you know what we always say…play with your food!

This is a great thing to bring to your office holiday party as a safe and tasty dish. Stay tuned later this week for the official "BF Survival Guide for Holiday Office Parties" for even more strategies to get through the party season!

To my support group peeps…thanks for giving this recipe a try! From what I could tell it was two thumbs up! I mean…when I walked into the room, I had a cheese ball. When I left the room, I had no cheese ball. So…yeah. I think it was good!


Enjoy.



Leftovers Week: Sweet Potato Pancakes

~by Nikki



Leftovers week continues, if you've missed our other offerings, you can find everything we've posted thus far here. For my family dinner, I was charged with the duty of bringing pies. My family bestowed this duty on me for a specific reason. I do NOT believe in store bought pies. Especially not when it comes to sweet potato pie. I don't know how the bakers in the factories get the pies to that unnatural, neon orange color but it frightens me. I'd rather eat my pie. At least I KNOW what's in it.

But...it'd been a long time since I'd last made a sweet potato pie and when I went to the grocery store I bought way too many of the spuds. And when I say way too many, I mean that in addition to the two I made for the dinner, I had enough mashed sweet potato left to make three more pies AND the recipe you see here. Yeah...I bought too much sweet potato.

Moving on...this is a great snack for folks who like sweet/salty combos and especially if you want sweet potato pie and can't have it. It's a bit different but your tongue gets the gist of it. This got a thumbs up from both divas who tried to steal my stash before I could get a photo. Luckly I quickly snapped a shot before they dug in!

Nik's Protein Sweet Potato Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 c. mashed sweet potato
2 tbsp low-fat butter spread (or butter, if that's what you're into), melted
2 eggs
3 scoops Any Whey unflavored protein powder
2 tbsp Atkins baking mix (in the absence of this, you can use either Carbquik or whole wheat pancake mix. Don't simply use flour as you need the baking powder that's in the mix!)
1/2 tsp salt (yes, I know this seems like a lot but you want it to read a bit salty to go with the sweet dipping sauce)

Directions:

Mix sweet potato and butter in a large bowl.

Add salt and eggs and mix completely.

Add protein powder and baking mix and stir again. The batter will be soft but thick. Like so:



Spray a skillet, set it over a medium flame and allow it to get HOT.

Drop dollops of the batter into the skillet (I used the 1 oz. scooper that came with my slider grill). Heat for about 3-5 minutes and then gently flip (it will be soft still).



Heat about 3-5 additional minutes on the other side and then transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.

Makes about 24 dollar-sized pancakes.

It's best to go "low and slow" with these. While you're cooking, you can putz around your kitchen or clean up the mixing dishes (which is what I did). It takes a bit to get all your pancakes cooked, but BELIEVE ME it is worth it!

With this you'd serve:

Nik's Cinnamon Caramel Dipping Sauce

1/2 c. unflavored Greek yogurt (digression: I accidentally bought full fat yogurt! It will take a priest, a nutritionist and an exorcist to get me back to fat free!)
2-3 tbsp no-calorie sweetener (I used Splenda)
2 tbsp sugar-free caramel sauce (like Smuckers)
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together. Makes four servings of one ounce each.

Three Cheese and Roasted Tomatoes Spread

~~posted by Jen

3 Cheese & Tomato Spread on half of a Pop Rice

Today was crazy busy, I went out to lunch and a double feature at the movies with some friends and got home just in time to watch a little football before "Amazing Race" came on. We needed some snacks for tv viewing of course. Well, the boys seemed to think they did.

That translates to, "Jen, will you please whip us up some snacks?" So I did! Wegman's, a northeastern grocery chain that I love and adore, makes this delicious spread at their cheese bar. They have several varieties, but one of my absolute favorites is the roasted tomato one. It's kind of pricey to buy the one they make for you, so I decided to make my own.

A little confession here--I cannot roast tomatoes if my life depended on it! I burn those suckers every.single.time.  Shari (Jupiter6 on OH) and Tara (TaraK) have tried to tell me time and time again precisely how to do it, but I screw it up every blessed time! (Somewhere in Baltimore, Nik just fainted at me admitting to a shortcoming! lol)

Now y'all know how much I love to cook and how I get all Martha-esque as my BFF calls it. So you can imagine how much it pains me to admit to the free world and blogosphere that I can't roast a fricken tomato. But I digress. Thankfully, Wegman's has an awesome olive bar that happens to have quite delicious roasted tomatoes on it all ready to go! I am all about a shortcut, so that absolutely works for me.

If you too are tomato-roastingly challenged, or don't have a groovy olive bar, you could also use sundried tomatoes packed in Olive Oil. They're usually near the pasta or in the International Foods section of the supermarket. I tweaked this a bit to get some more protein into it, here's the deets:

Jen's 3 Cheese Roasted Tomato Spread


Ingredients:
3 cups shredded three cheese blend (I used the cheddar/colby/monterey jack)
3/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1 pint roasted tomatoes, chopped fine in the mini food processor2 tbsp Herbs de Provence1 tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Onion Powder
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, herbs de Provence, garlic powder, and onion powder until thoroughly combined. In a larger bowl, combine the shredded cheese and finely chopped tomatoes, then fold in the yogurt mixture and blend it all together. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed to suit your taste.


Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.


Early out, I heated this up in the microwave just until the cheese melted together and ate it straight up. Nowadays, I love to eat this spread on Pop Rice or a warm slice of P-28 High Protein bread fresh from the toaster.

If you use unflavored protein powder, you could certainly add some to this to make the protein count even higher. This is delicious spread on thin-sliced deli meat to make "roll-ups" for lunch, too!