Curried Deviled Eggs on Whole-Wheat Crackers

Servings: 12
Chill Time: 1 hour
Source: Cooking Light, May 1998, p.101
Copyright: © Cooking Light
6 hard-cooked large eggs
1 tablespoon freeze-dried chives
3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons 2% small-curd low-fat cottage cheese
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
12 reduced-fat whole-wheat crackers (such as Keebler reduced-fat wheat Toasteds)

Peel and slice eggs in half lengthwise. Mash yolks; stir in chives and next 6 ingredients (chives through red pepper). Spoon about 1 tablespoon yolk mixture into each egg white half. Cover and chill 1 hour.
Sprinkle with paprika; serve with crackers.
Serving Size: 1 filled egg half and 1 cracker
Nutritional information: 59 calories, 4 grams protein, 3 grams fat, 3 grams carbohydrate.

Traditional Dips & Dippers are dangerous for WLS patients because we can out-eat the pouch by grazing on these throughout a social event at which they are available. If you think you will be tempted by Dips & Dippers consider serving or providing one of these tasty WLS friendly alternatives to the traditional high-fat, high-calories offerings.

Toasted Pita Chips:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Open Pita pockets and cut into 8 wedges each. Place on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Lightly spray Pita wedges and season with course salt, garlic seasoning or other herbs and spices. Bake until edges turn slightly brown and chips are crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove from baking sheet to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container. These can be made up to a week in advance.

Toasted Tortilla Chips:
Using the instructions above replace the pitas with fat-free tortillas.

Toasted Pumpernickel:
Using a purchased loaf of cocktail pumpernickel bread (sold near the deli case) follow the directions above replacing the pitas with the pumpernickel slices.

Wasa Crisps:
Serve Wasa fiber crispbreads in place of traditional dippers. Low calorie, high fiber they make a tasty platform for many dips and spreads. 2 crisps have only 64 calories, 1.7 grams fat; 2.7 grams protein and deliver 5 grams of much needed fiber. Plus – no cooking required!

Vegetable Crudities:
I know if you're like me you could exclaim, “I got fat eating vegetable crudities!” Well, it was not the veggies, it was the dips that were fattening. Give that tired veggie plate another try with the dip recipes here, it’s good for you and you won't gain weight. If you have trouble digesting some veggies like cauliflower or broccoli after WLS try steaming them (separately) for 3 minutes and then chilling – it seems to help the digestibility for some patients and also perks-up the color.

Ingredients:
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Seasoning
1 cup non-fat plain yogurt

Directions:
Early in the day combine the dip seasoning with the plain non-fat yogurt. Chill until serving time. Serve as a dip for crudités or healthy dippers (see recipe above)

Ingredients:
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free refried beans
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
½ Cup non-fat plain yogurt
1 cup bottled salsa (without added sugar)
1 cup (4 ounces) pre-shredded reduced fat cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
Chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

In a small bowl mix the refried beans and black beans. Spread on the bottom of an 8” baking pan or glass pie plate.

In a small bowl combine yogurt and salsa, spread over beans. (hint- I use the same bowl as I used for the beans, one less dish to wash!)

Top with shredded cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and garnish with cilantro or parsley. Serve warm with healthy dippers toasted tortilla chips.

Pineapple Dip

1 (8oz) package nonfat cream cheese, softened
2 (8oz) cartons vanilla low fat yogurt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ grated orange rind
1 (8oz) can of unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add yogurt, lemon juice, and orange rind. Beat until smooth. Stir in pineapple. Cover and chill thoroughly.