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Maryland Crab Cakes

Anson’s American Treasures: There are times in life when a food experience becomes an everlasting moment of bonding. This is how I felt when I shared my first true Maryland Crab Cake with my daughter Hannah in Baltimore. After settling Hannah (then only 15 years old) into her summer dorm at John Hopkins University, we set out for dinner. With a teenage daughter, you get too few moments to sit and enjoy a meal together, and this particular one remains one of my most special ones. Bob and Mona created a great “no-filler” crab cake, spiced perfectly, with just enough egg and bread crumb to hold it together. The perfect portion that still creates perfect memories!

Maryland Crab Cakes
 
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Recipe type: Entertaining
Makes: 8 Crab Cakes or 4 Appetizer portions
Ingredients
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 pound lump crabmeat, drained
  • ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon minced red bell pepper
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • Fresh lemon wedges
Directions
  1. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, mayonnaise, Old Bay Seasoning, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.
  3. Add the crabmeat, bread crumbs, bell pepper, and parsley to the bowl, and gently fold together to create the crab cake batter.
  4. Form the batter into 8 crab cakes, using about ⅓ cup of batter for each cake. Transfer to the prepared sheet pan. For best results, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour before cooking.
  5. Add the canola oil and butter to a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat, and bring up to a sizzle.
  6. Place the chilled crab cakes into the pan, and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side. Serve with fresh lemon wedges to squeeze over top.
Perfect Portion Maryland Crab Cakes

HELPFUL TIP: Lump crabmeat is sold in refrigerated tubs in the seafood section of your grocery store. You should always carefully check for any pieces of shell before cooking with it.
Serving size: 1 crab cake Calories: 100

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Meatballs Marinara & Tuscan Tomato Sauce

Mona’s Family Favorites: It’s so great when you can bring a fantastic vacation memory home with you by preparing a traditional weeknight meal. And even better, this meal is delicious, simple to make, and has a healthy twist! We combine my spinach-packed Tuscan Tomato Sauce with the meatballs for a great blend of protein and greens. By using leaner meat and baking the meatballs, you save on calories without any compromise on flavor. The trick is in the simmering, which makes the meatballs nice and tender. Thanks, Chef Luca! Serve over spaghetti (100 calories per ½ cup cooked).

Meatballs Marinara
 
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Recipe type: Everyday Meals
Makes: 6 Dinner portions
Ingredients
  • 1 batch Tuscan Tomato Sauce
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 ½ pounds (93%) lean ground beef
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 large egg white, beaten
  • ¼ cup minced yellow onion
  • ¼ cup Italian bread crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
Directions
  1. Prepare the Tuscan Tomato Sauce according to the recipe’s directions. Cover, and let sit over warm heat.
  2. Preheat the oven to 400°F, and spray a large sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, use your hands to combine all of the remaining ingredients to make the meatball mixture.
  4. Form the meatball mixture into 36 meatballs that are 1 inch tall (about the size of a ping-pong ball). Place on the prepared sheet pan.
  5. Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes.
  6. Raise the heat on the tomato sauce to a simmer, and add the baked meatballs into the sauce.
  7. Cover, and let the meatballs simmer in the sauce for 10 minutes before serving.
Perfect Portion Meatballs Marinara

HELPFUL TIP: Using extra lean (98%) ground turkey in place of the ground beef will lower the calories in this recipe to only 85 calories per 2 meatballs with sauce.
Serving size: 2 meatballs - 3tbsp sauce Calories: 100

Mona’s Family Favorites: This past spring, my family and I took a once-in-a-lifetime cooking class in Montepulciano, in the Tuscan region of Italy. Our chefs and hosts, Luca and Stefania of Villa Poggiano, taught us that the simpler the ingredients, the better the tomato sauce. While we only used a handful of ingredients, including fresh basil and spinach, to make this amazing sauce, the flavors melded into something far more than the sum of its parts. Isn’t that what great cooking is all about? Today, I use this as my go-to sauce for all of my Italian dishes. Delicioso!

Tuscan Tomato Sauce
 
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Recipe type: Dressings, Sauces & jams
Makes: 6 Sauce portions
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (28-ounce) can puréed tomatoes
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 cups fresh spinach
Directions
  1. Heat the olive oil and garlic in a stockpot over medium heat. Sauté for 2 minutes, just until garlic is fragrant.
  2. Add the puréed tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.
  3. Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring constantly.
  4. Add the fresh spinach to the sauce, and let cook for 5 additional minutes before serving.
Perfect Portion Tuscan Tomato Sauce

HELPFUL TIP: Puréed or crushed San Marzano tomatoes are traditionally used in Italy. You can often find these in cardboard cartons near the canned tomato products in the grocery store. Puréed makes a thick and smooth sauce, while crushed makes a thin and chunky sauce.
Serving size: ½ cup Calories: 100

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Buttermilk Pancakes

Bob’s Farm to Table: On our farm in Iowa, we cultured our own buttermilk only one day a month, and I knew my favorite buttermilk pancakes would be on the table that morning. We’ve all had our share of heavy pancakes that sink like a brick. We found that this combination of tangy buttermilk and whole egg yielded a perfectly light and fluffy flapjack that didn’t send us back to bed. These 100 calorie golden gems are a winning start to any day.

Buttermilk Pancakes
 
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Recipe type: Breakfast
Makes: 7 pancakes
Ingredients
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • Nonstick cooking spray
Directions
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg, and then add to the dry ingredients, whisking until a smooth batter is formed.
  3. Spray a large griddle or skillet with nonstick cooking spray, and place over medium heat.
  4. Working in batches of as many pancakes as you can fit, pour ¼ cup of the batter onto the griddle for each 6-inch pancake.
  5. Cook until bubbles form on the top of each pancake before flipping and cooking for 45 seconds on the opposite side, or until golden brown. Repeat this process until all the batter has been used.
Perfect Portion Buttermilk Pancakes

HELPFUL TIP: As a topping, there are about 100 calories in 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup. Imitation maple syrup has a similar calorie count, but those calories come with a lot of corn syrup and artificial ingredients.
Serving size: One 6-inch pancake Calories: 100

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Mona’s Southwestern Chili

Mona’s Family Favorites: This chili may look like it contains a lot of ingredients, but many of them are staples that you most likely already have in your pantry and fridge. Everyone has their own secret ingredient for their chili recipes, and mine is freshly chopped basil! I find it adds even more herbaceous punch than the cilantro you’d typically use in a Southwestern dish.

Mona's Southwestern Chili
 
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Recipe type: Casseroles & One-Pot Meals
Makes: 5 Lunch or 4 Dinner portions
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound 93% lean ground beef
  • 2 cups chopped bell peppers
  • 1 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with liquid
  • 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
  • ¾ cup frozen corn kernels
Directions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat.
  2. Brown the ground beef until fully cooked. Add the bell peppers, onion, jalapeño, and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes, just until the onion and peppers begin to soften.
  3. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper to the pot, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes.
  4. Add the black beans and corn to the chili, and simmer for an additional 5 minutes before serving.
Perfect Portion Mona's Southwestern Chili

HELPFUL TIP: Topping a bowl of this chili with 1 tablespoon of sour cream will add 30 calories. Topping it with 1 tablespoon of reduced-fat sour cream will add around 25 calories, depending on the brand.
Serving size: ½ cup Calories: 100

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Chicken Pot Pie

**Update: Anson did a great job demonstrating this yummy dish on the Today Show this morning.This is a must try comfort food ‪#‎recipe‬. If you’d like to, watch Anson from this morning.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Chicken Pot Pie
 
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Bob's Farm to Table: My mom’s Chicken Pot Pie was wonderful. Over the years I have learned more about how to achieve deeper, more complex flavors in my recipes. I have adapted my mom’s original farm to our table recipe to make it even more delicious, while reducing the calorie count from over 550 calories per 1 cup serving to an even 300.
Author:
Recipe type: Casseroles & One-Pot Meals
Makes: 10 Lunch or 8 Dinner portions
Ingredients
  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 2 russet potatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 1 ½ cups carrots, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • ¾ cup celery cut into ¼-inch rounds
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • ¾ cup diced yellow onion
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups 2% milk
  • ½ cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 8 ounces of frozen or fresh corn
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Unroll the puff pastry, and use a pastry or pizza cutter to cut into 32 pieces by slicing 4 rows on the shorter end by 8 rows lengthwise. Transfer to a sheet pan, placing them 1 inch apart. Brush top of pastry with beaten egg.
  2. Bake the pastry pieces for 10–12 minutes, until they are fluffy and golden brown “croutons.”
  3. Spray a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place chopped potatoes, carrot, and celery on sheet pan, and roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, just until potatoes are lightly browned. Set aside.
  4. Melt the butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes, lightly browning on all sides. Add the onion to the pot, and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.
  5. Stir the flour into the pot, coating the chicken and onions, and let cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
  6. Stir the chicken broth, milk, roasted vegetables, and all of the remaining ingredients into the pot. Stir constantly as you bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce is smooth and creamy.
  7. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Measure your perfect portion into a soup bowl, and top chicken pie mixture with croutons.
Perfect Portion Chicken Pot Pie
Serving size: ⅓ cup + crouton Calories: 100

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100 Calorie Cheesecake Minis

Add this decadent and ultra-creamy 100 calorie dessert to your holiday table, by serving this Perfect Portion recipe from celebrity, Anson Williams, New York Times best selling cookbook author, Bob Warden, and nutritionist, Mona Dolgov. Their new cookbook, “The Perfect Portion Cookbook”, using the 100 calorie counting system, is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com and will be available for Advance Order Purchase on QVC.com soon.

100 Calorie Cheesecake Minis
 
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Mona’s Family Favorites: My Aunt Pearl really inspired me to create this wonderful dessert! The cheesecake’s ultra creamy texture is out of this world. Forget about leaky springform pans; we use muffin tin liners to make quick work and “perfect portioning.” Plus the fresh raspberry topping takes this dessert to the next level of decadence.
Recipe type: Desserts
Makes: 18
Ingredients
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 2 (8-ounce) packages reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
  • ⅔ cup sugar
  • ⅓ cup sour cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 300°F, and line standard muffin tins with 18 paper or aluminum (recommended) liners. Lightly spray the insides of the liners with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
  3. Add all the remaining ingredients to the cream cheese in the mixer, and beat until fully combined.
  4. Fill each prepared liner with the cheesecake batter until about ½ of the way full.
  5. Bake for 15–17 minutes, or until the sides of the cheesecakes are beginning to rise, but center is still soft.
  6. Let cool on the counter for 30 minutes. Cover, and refrigerate for an additional 2 hours before removing the paper liners to serve.
Perfect Portion Cheesecake Minis

TIP: Make a fresh raspberry sauce topping by lightly mashing 1 cup of raspberries with 1 ½ tablespoons of honey. Topping each Cheesecake Mini with 2 rounded teaspoons of the sauce will add only 10 calories to the full dessert.
Serving size: 1 cheesecake mini Calories: 100

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