Cheesy Baked Tomatoes

Saw this on Facebook, and finally got around to making them. They're really quite tasty and pretty healthy as well. I changed the recipe up a little to fit what we had at home.

4 tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 oz Asiago cheese, shredded
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 450° F.
Place tomatoes cut-side up on a baking sheet.
Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl, and top tomatoes with mixture.
Mist lightly with non-fat cooking spray and bake until the tomatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Bacon and Swiss Quiche

Found these recently and tried it out. It was great! I really love quiche, so this was a nice version that was a bit healthier.

I didn't ahve any phyllo that would have thawed in time, so I used a pre-made pie crust instead. It was a bit more calories, but not too bad. The original recipe can be seen on WeightWatchers.com.

Ingredients
2 sheet(s) phyllo dough, cut into three strips each  
3 large eggs
1/4 cup regular egg substitute
1 cup(s) fat free half and half
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup(s) (shredded) low-fat hard cheese, Swiss, grated
4 oz cooked crisp turkey bacon, diced 


Directions
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.

Lay phyllo dough in pie plate, one piece at a time, coating each layer with cooking spray — dough should cover bottom and sides of dish. Fold in any overhanging corners.

Whisk together eggs, egg substitute, milk, flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Sprinkle cheese and bacon over phyllo dough. Pour in egg mixture and place quiche on a baking sheet. Bake until firm, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool at least 5 minutes before cutting into 8 wedges.

Easy Parmesan Knots

Original recipe from Real Mom Kitchen

Ingredients

1 tube (12 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

Directions

1. Roll each biscuit into a 12-in. rope and tie into a knot; tuck ends under. Place 2 in. apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
2. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; brush the warm knots with the mixture. 

Yield:10 knots.

I used 1/4 cup Wegman's Basting Oil in place of the canola oil, garlic powder, oregano and parsley. It was AMAZING!

Mozzarella Sticks

Original recipe from Taste of Home


INGREDIENTS

12 pieces string cheese

12 egg roll wrappers

Oil for deep-fat frying

Marinara or spaghetti sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Place a piece of string cheese near the bottom corner of one egg roll wrapper (keep remaining wrappers covered with a damp paper towel until ready to use). Fold bottom corner over cheese. Roll up halfway; fold sides toward center over cheese. Moisten remaining corner with water; roll up tightly to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers and cheese.
2. In an electric skillet, heat 1/2 in. of oil to 375°.
3. Fry sticks, a few at a time, for 30-60 seconds on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with marinara sauce.

Honey-Apple Brie Bites

Ingredients

1 lemon

1 cup toasted walnuts

2 medium red baking apples such as Jonathan (2 cups finely diced)

¼ cup honey

1 4-in. round (8 oz) Brie or Camembert cheese with rind

2 pkg (1.9 oz each) prepared mini phyllo shells (30 shells total)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Zest lemon using Microplane® Adjustable Grater to measure 1 tsp zest. Coarsely chop walnuts using Food Chopper. Finely dice apple using Santoku Knife. Combine zest, walnuts, apple and honey in Classic Batter Bowl; mix gently.
2. Cut Brie into thirty ½-in. cubes using Utility Knife. Arrange phyllo cups on Large Sheet Pan. Place one Brie cube into each cup. Using Small Scoop, top Brie with a level scoop of apple mixture. Bake 6-8 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Yield: 30 servings

Chef's Tip: To finely dice apple, slice off each side of apple, avoiding core. Thinly slice apple lengthwise; cut slices into thin strips. Finely dice strips.

Prepared mini phyllo shells can be found in the freezer section of most major grocery stores.

Make-Ahead: Brie cheese can be cut into cubes and placed into phyllo shells; place phyllo shells onto sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 1 day in advance. Remove plastic wrap, prepare apple mixture and proceed as recipe directs.

© 2009 The Pampered Chef used under license.