Entertaining

Avocados are known to be an expensive, temperamental fruit, so it’s no wonder that store-bought guacamole is often loaded with fillers and preservatives to bulk it up and prolong the shelf life. Yet the one thing they don’t seem to bulk up guacamole products with is flavor! We vastly prefer homemade! The best time to make guacamole is when avocados go on sale, as they’re not only less expensive, but they’re typically at their peak as well.

Fresh Guacamole

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Author: The Perfect Portion

Recipe type: Entertaining

Makes: 3 Dip or 6 Topping portions

Ingredients

• 2 medium Haas avocados, halved and pitted
• Juice of ½ lime
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 1 tablespoon seeded and minced jalapeño
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Use a large spoon to scoop the avocado out of the peel, then roughly chop.
2. Place the chopped avocado in a medium-size mixing bowl, and toss with lime juice.
3. Use a heavy fork or potato masher to mash the avocado until creamy and mostly smooth.
4. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately, or cover tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour to let the flavors combine.

HELPFUL TIP: A ripe Haas avocado has brown skin, is slightly soft to the touch, and reveals green when the short stem on the top is pulled out. Hard avocados should be ripened at room temperature. Ripe avocados can be kept in the fridge for 2–3 days before using.

Serving size: ¼ cup Calories: 100

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Fried green tomatoes are a southern staple made from firm, and somewhat tart, unripe tomatoes that cook up soft inside of a breading of flour and cornmeal. While the tomatoes in this recipe are actually baked, instead of fried, they still cook up crispy and golden brown. For the perfect dipping sauce, serve alongside our Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (see page 245).

Oven-Fried Green Tomatoes

 

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Author: The Perfect Portion

Recipe type: Entertaining

Makes: 16 Tomato slices or 8 Appetizer portions

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 4 medium green tomatoes
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cornmeal
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F, and spray a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Trim ends from the tomatoes, and discard. Slice each tomato into 4 thick slices.
3. In a wide bowl, whisk the eggs and buttermilk until well combined.
4. In a second wide bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, onion powder, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
5. Dip each slice of tomato into the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, and then back into the flour mixture to fully coat before placing on the prepared sheet pan.
6. Bake for 12 minutes before flipping the breaded tomatoes. Bake for an additional 10–13 minutes, or until the breaded tomatoes are crisp and lightly browned. If desired, sprinkle lightly with additional salt as soon as you remove them from the oven.

HELPFUL TIP: If you can’t find green tomatoes, this recipe can also be prepared with 1 large zucchini cut at a slight angle to make ½-inch-thick ovals. This reduces the calories to 95 calories per two breaded zucchini slices.

Serving size: 2 Fried Green Tomatoes Calories: 100

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Deviled eggs are a popular party option that packs much more protein than other snacks. We stick to a fairly classic preparation but uniquely salt the egg whites before filling them to ensure that every bite is well seasoned. This recipe allows you to have two deviled eggs (one whole egg) for 100 calories, only 30 more calories than a plain hard-boiled egg!

100 Calorie Deviled Eggs

 

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Prep time

40 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Author: The Perfect Portion

Recipe type: Entertaining

Makes: 12 Appetizer portions

Ingredients

• 12 large eggs
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon sweet relish
• 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper
• Salt
• Paprika, for garnish
• Chopped chives, for garnish

Directions

1. Place eggs in a large pot, and fill with enough cold water to cover the eggs by 2 inches.
2. Place pot over high heat, and bring up to a rolling boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand for 15 minutes.
3. Drain eggs, and fill pot with ice water to cool down. Let cool for at least 5 minutes.
4. Peel and halve eggs, scooping the yolks into a mixing bowl or food processor and placing the whites on a serving platter as you go.
5. Mash together (or food process) the egg yolks, mayonnaise, relish, yellow mustard, and pepper.
6. Lightly sprinkle the entire platter of egg white halves with salt before filling each with an equal amount of the yolk filling. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with a sprinkling of paprika and chopped fresh chives, if desired.

HELPFUL TIP: For the best presentation, use a pastry bag with a star-shaped tip to pipe the yolk filling into the whites.

Serving size: 2 deviled eggs or 1 whole egg Calories: 100

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In cooking, it’s important to infuse flavor whenever you can. Before adding the shrimp, we season and boil our cooking water along with a tablespoon of Old Bay, bright lemon juice, and an earthy bay leaf for a show-stopping cocktail shrimp. Also, our homemade cocktail sauce is simple but stellar thanks to the addition of lemon zest, Tabasco sauce, and a generous amount of horseradish, of course. With only 100 calories for four jumbo shrimp with sauce, this recipe will surely please your party guests without weighing them down.

Shrimp Cocktail

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

6 mins

Total time

26 mins

 

Author: The Perfect Portion

Recipe type: Entertaining

Makes: 42-50 Shrimp or 6 Appetizer portions

Ingredients

• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 pounds jumbo (size 21/25) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

• Cocktail Sauce

• 1 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish (see tip)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• ½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)

Directions

1. Fill a large pot with at least 3 quarts of water, and place over high heat.
2. Add the lemon, Old Bay Seasoning, and bay leaf to the pot, and bring to a boil. Cover, and let boil for 3 minutes to season the water.
3. Add the shrimp to the pot, and let boil for 3 minutes, or until bright pink. Drain and rinse under cold water. To serve immediately, transfer to a large bowl of ice water to cool the shrimp further.
4. Prepare the sauce by mixing all cocktail sauce ingredients until well combined.
5. For the best temperature and flavor, cover, and refrigerate both the shrimp and the sauce for 1 hour before serving.

HELPFUL TIP: Prepared horseradish is sold in glass jars, usually near the mustard, but sometimes below the seafood counter as well.

Serving size: 4 Shrimp with sauce Calories: 100

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This popular restaurant appetizer is known for being not only delicious, but also high in calories. By substituting thick and creamy Greek yogurt for the cream cheese or mayonnaise that is typically used, we’ve been able to keep the flavor you love while allowing for a larger protein and calcium-packed portion size. For the least-calorie dippers, serve with celery and carrot sticks.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Author: The Perfect Portion

Recipe type: Entertaining

Makes: 5 Appetizer portions

Ingredients

• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 8 ounces nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 ¼ cups shredded Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup finely diced red onion
• 2 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a fine mesh strainer, squeeze as much water from the thawed spinach as possible.
3. Place the drained spinach in a large mixing bowl, and add all the remaining ingredients, stirring to combine.
4. Transfer the dip to a 1 ½-quart baking dish, and bake for 20–25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve warm.

HELPFUL TIP: Using shredded Parmesan cheese adds that gooey cheese texture that you can’t quite get from grated; however, you can substitute 1 cup of grated Parmesan in a pinch.

Serving size: ⅓ cup Calories: 100

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No need to deep-fry your wings anymore to get that amazing crunch and flavor. You can get the same result by tossing the wings with a mere tablespoon of oil and roasting them in a hot oven, leaving them golden brown, crisp, and unbelievably delicious. Be sure to serve them with cut celery sticks.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Buffalo Wings

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

50 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

 

Author: The Perfect Portion

Recipe type: Entertaining

Makes: 32 Winngs/Drumettes or 16 Appetizer portions

Ingredients

• 3 pounds chicken wing sections (wings and drumettes)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons Louisiana Hot Sauce

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. If necessary, split wings from drumettes by cutting at the joint. If wing tips (see tip) are intact, cut tips at the joint and discard.
2. In a large mixing bowl, toss the wings in a mixture of the canola oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
3. Spread the wings in a single layer on a sheet pan, and bake for 45–50 minutes, or until the skin is browned and crispy, and cutting into the largest drumette reveals juices that run clear.
4. Combine butter and hot sauce in a large mixing bowl. Add the baked wings, and toss to coat with the sauce before serving.

HELPFUL TIP: Whole chicken wings have three distinct sections: the drumette, the wing, and the wing tip. Wing tips are the smallest of the three sections and are almost entirely bone and skin. They are best discarded or saved for making chicken stock.

Serving size: 1 wing or drum Calories: 100

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