Mini-Spanakopitas

Photo Courtesy of Cooking Light

Source: Cooking Light, June 2001

Filling:
1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped green onions
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

Remaining Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg white
5 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed

Preheat oven to 350º.

To prepare filling, place spinach in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Place over medium heat; cook until spinach wilts. Place spinach in a colander, pressing until barely moist. Combine spinach and cheeses in a bowl; set aside.

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add green onions; sauté 2 minutes or until soft. Stir green onions, dill, and next 4 ingredients into spinach mixture.

Combine 1 tablepsoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 egg white in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Working with 1 phyllo sheet at a time, (cover remaining phyllo dough to keep it from drying) cut each sheet lengthwise into 4 (3 1/2-inch wide) strips (NOTE: I could only get 3 strips from my sheets of phyllo); lightly brush phyllo sheet with egg mixture. Spoon about 1 tablespoon spinach mixture onto one end of each strip. Fold one corner of strip over mixture, forming a triangle; keep folding back and forth into a triangle to end of strip.

Place triangles, seam sides down, on a baking sheet. Bake at 350º for 20 minutes or until golden.

Yield: 20 appetizers (serving size: 1 triangle).

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 43(44% from fat); FAT 2.1g (sat 0.6g,mono 1.1g,poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 2.3g; CHOLESTEROL 2mg; CALCIUM 44mg; SODIUM 147mg; FIBER 0.8g; IRON 0.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 4g

Crispy Mozzarella Sticks

Source: Cooking Light, January 1999

4 (3 x 1/2 x 1/2-inch) sticks part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 3 ounces) (I used mozzarella string cheese, cut in half)
2 teaspoons commercial pesto
4 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
Olive oil-flavored cooking spray
1/4 cup fat-free tomato-and-basil marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 400°.

Coat cheese with pesto.

Cut phyllo sheets in half crosswise to form 8 (13 x 9-inch) rectangles. Place 1 phyllo sheet on a cutting board or work surface (cover remaining dough to keep from drying); coat with cooking spray. Place 1 sheet on top of first sheet. Fold in half crosswise to form a 9 x 6 1/2-inch rectangle. Place 1 stick of cheese at center of a short end of rectangle; fold long sides of phyllo over cheese, coat with cooking spray. Starting with the short end, roll up phyllo jelly-roll fashion. Coat with cooking spray. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining phyllo and cheese. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Heat the marinara sauce in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until thoroughly heated. Serve marinara sauce with mozzarella sticks.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 2 cheese sticks and 2 tablespoons marinara sauce)

CALORIES 275(41% from fat); FAT 12.4g (sat 5.1g,mono 4.1g,poly 1.9g); PROTEIN 14.1g; CHOLESTEROL 25mg; CALCIUM 318mg; SODIUM 439mg; FIBER 0.2g; IRON 2.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.1g

Cooking Light, JANUARY 1999

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Salmon Packets

Source: Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

Serves 4; Prep time: 15 minutes; Total time: 25 minutes

To ensure that the packets cook evenly, buy salmon fillets that are uniform in size.

8 phyllo sheets, thawed
2 to 3 tablespoons butter, melted (I used olive oil to cut down the saturated fat)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
4 boneless, skinless salmon fillets (6 ounces each)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 1/3 tablespoons creamed horseradish
1 egg, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Lay 1 phyllo sheet on a clean work surface. Brush with melted butter; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parsley. Top with another phyllo sheet.

2. Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Place one fillet 3 inches from short end of dough; spread 1 teaspoon creamed horseradish on top.

3. Make salmon packet: Carefully fold the end of the dough over one fillet; gently fold in both of the long sides of the dough. Roll salmon over folded sides to form packet. Repeat process, making four packets. Brush tops and sides of packets with egg.

4. Place packets on a baking sheet; bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

I talked about this recipe HERE.