Low-Fat Cornbread Crab Cakes

I feel like this is a poor girl recipe for crab cakes.. and it kinda is...but it's so good. It's right up there on the comfort wagon with Mac and Cheese for me. Let's face it, sometimes you need quick, cheap comfort (go ahead you dirty birds, insert your inappropriate commentary here__ )

Now that you got that outta your system....

Low-Fat Cornbread Crab Cakes
1 package corn bread stuffing mix
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp paprika
1 can crab meat, drained with juice reserved
1/2 package imitation crab meat, chopped
3 egg whites
Saute celery and onion in olive oil until the onion is translucent and the celery is tender. Stir in water according to package directions and bring to a boil. In a separate bowl mix together the stuffing mix, parsley, dry mustard, paprika and 3 tbs of the crab juice.
Pour the boiling water mixture evenly over the top of the stuffing, cover it and walk away. Seriously... go! Leave it. If you don't, you might be tempted to touch it and check on it, and that will lead to burning the S#!t out of your hands.
Set your timer for 5 minutes. After that you can remove the cover and mix in both of the crab meats.
Then walk away again.  I mean it!
You need it to cool down before adding the egg whites.
So once it has reached a temperature that is nearly lukewarm, add in your eggs. Preheat your skillet, you want it at a medium heat. Once it is there, spray the pan with olive oil, shape that gooey crab cake mixture into a...well...a cake...duh. Plop it in the pan and repeat a few times. They'll need about 5 minutes per side, but the best way to tell is by touch. When they are gooey you probably noticed how soft the cake was, right?  Well they will firm up when they are done (again with the inappropriate commentary____ ).

Each crab cake is under 80 calories, and it's a quick weeknight meal (when paired with a simple spinach salad) that always makes me feel special. Oh yeah, and if you aren't a poor girl on a poor girl budget feel free to use real crab. ;)

Falling off the Wagon

It's been a long time since I wrote for you,
It's been a long time since I paid my due.
Ooh, let me get it back, let me get it back,
Let me get it back, baby, where I come from.
It's been a long time, been a long time,
Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time. Yes it has.

I feel like the long lost friend who didn't return your phone calls.
And... well... I'm sorry.
I've missed you I promise...
I just got wrapped up in life for a bit there. Forgive me?
It happens to the best of us I'm sure, and so I thought I'd take a moment today to talk about what happens when you fall off the wagon.
Changing lifestyles isn't easy, and often times we will find ourselves slipping into old habits when stressful situations arise. One or two "I'll just grab some fast food on my way up" doesn't always stop at one or two visits.
In my case... it hasn't.
While I'm pretty damn proud of my ability to stay away from beef or pork (and I honestly don't think I will go back to them), I haven't tracked, monitored or minimized my food intake in more than a month.

{ insert giant sigh of disappointment here }

So where do we go from here?
Honestly, we have to just start over. We force ourselves to relive that initial diagnosis. We remind ourselves over and over that we are doing this for everyone that cares about us. We forgive ourselves for not playing by the rules. And the tough one... we make ourselves a priority again.
Just like the airlines dictate "secure your own air mask before helping others" we must also help ourselves so we can better help others.
This blog, and all you crazy readers help me stay accountable to that. So here I am with my foot on the doorstep ready to start again.
To go through the awful detox period, to fight the cravings with both fists flailing like a scrawny pubescent teen.
We go.
We fight.
We win.
Together.

The War on Beans is Over

Anyone that knows me knows that I HATE beans. Yes, hate is a strong word and it is a fitting word as well.  The thing is...mom was right. "I know you don't like it, but you still need to try it." is what she'd tell me. I get it now, and I'm sorry for all those temper tantrums. 
At our last blogger night we tackled garlic and I was thrilled until I found out she was making bean dip. BLECH. With the words of my mother like an air horn in my head, I tried it and it was AMAZING. I mean it when I say that it was life changing. I see beans in a new light and it is the most delicious light there is.
It's important to continue trying those things you shouldn't hate in different ways. I taught myself to like tomatoes through another friends amazing bruschetta. Allowing the tomato to be overwhelmed by other flavors worked. I still don't eat it plain like my daughter... oooo except for those delicious cherry tomatoes. HAHAHA. Do you hear me? A few years ago I couldn't be paid to eat them.
My point is...continue to try them. Maybe you drown it in garlic until you adapt, at least you are adapting.
So without further ado please say hello to my friend, guest blogger and the lady who put an end to my War on Beans, Bree from Three and a Half Stones to Go.

Hello Everyone! I'm very excited to be blogging here today. Melissa has been an inspiration to me and has inspired me to eat healthier. Even though I don't have MS, I've even been following the Swank Diet myself and I can tell you that so far I feel amazing. I feel like my body is running better than it has in a long time. Because of this I am sharing one of my favorite swank friendly recipes. This bean dip is so creamy and rich tasting that you'd never believe it was low fat!

I have to give you one teensy little warning: Raw garlic is potent! Add at your own risk! Since I have Melissa completely obsessed with The Vampire Diaries (100% Team Damon over here), we decided to make our recipes garlic infused this time around. You can use the base of this recipe to create your own dip (like the southwest version I made for my blog), but here is the garlic version:

Creamy Garlic Bean Dip

• 16oz Fat Free Sour Cream (make sure you get a sour cream that contains a binding agent or it separates)
• 2 15oz cans of white beans (rinsed and drained)
• 4-5 green onions (sliced)
• 1 head of roasted garlic
• ½ – 3 cloves of raw garlic (½ clove is enough to bring out that bright garlic flavor, 3 if you want tons of flavor and to ostracize yourself from civilization for a week)
• ¼ cup low fat mozzarella

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the ingredients together, except for the mozzarella, saving a few green onions for garnish. I used an immersion blender to make it even creamier. Pour the mixture into a baking dish and cover with the mozzarella. Bake for 15-20 minutes until it is warmed through and the cheese has melted.

Use your favorite low fat chip or vegetables to dip and enjoy! And remember when the garlic overwhelms you how many great anti-oxidants are in there.


Thanks Bree! This amazing dip is the perfect stepping stone to incorporating beans into more of my recipes. I've been dreaming of using this as a pizza sauce since the second bite.  Be sure to stop by her site and show her some blogger love. 

Roasted Garlic Veggie Spread

Have you ever had a TV show that you refused to watch
because it sounded like the stupidest thing you've ever heard?

Seriously! It even looks lame,
I can't believe I am hooked on this.

I had one of those.
It was The Vampire Diaries. (Sounds lame doesn't it?)
Then one day someone tied me down and forced me to watch it. (Yes, that's my story. I was LITERALLY tied down.) Now I am hooked. After that it didn't take much for her to coerce me into a marathon night. My sickening desire to be productive turned it into a blogger night...a GARLIC themed blogger night. You see, according to this vampire tale, vampires have absolutely no problem with garlic and THAT is a cause for celebration.

Before I became obsessed with this show I'd been craving a veggie spread. I wanted something easy to prepare that could be served hot or cold at barbeques this summer. Often I find that there are plenty of carbs and proteins at parties, but rarely veggies other than a last minute veggie tray that no one really touches. Has anyone had their entire veggie tray finished at a party, ever?! It should happen, but we all revert to teenagers when faced with a buffet and go directly towards the "good stuff". Not this summer. This summer I am fighting back with delicious veggies and I'm starting with this Roasted Garlic Veggie Spread.

This could be perfect for tea parties (yes we still have those) or even a nice picnic. It's delicious served on toasted whole grain bread with cream cheese. We even made grilled cheese and veggie sandwiches with the leftovers which I HIGHLY recommend.
Also, and I say this with the seriousness of a thousand ninjas, you NEED to try my blogger buddies bean dip recipe. If you've been following my blog, you know that I hate beans, and this magical thing she created is quickly converting me. More on that later... for now here is my contribution to society.

Roasted Garlic and Veggie Spread
1 garlic bulb
1/4 green bell pepper
1/4 red bell pepper
1/4 yellow onion
2 tomatoes
2 cups chopped broccoli
Salt and pepper to taste
Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Take your garlic bulb and peel the loose skins away. Chop between 1/4-1/2" off the top. You want to expose the tops of all the cloves and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Normally I would tell you that you want the garlic to cook for about 30 minutes or until golden and soft. Instead I wanna show you what it should look like when it is done....ready for this?

I think I need to frame that picture for my kitchen.
Allow the garlic to cool while you roast the other veggies. Before going into the oven these should all be chopped into somewhat equal sizes. Spray them lightly with your handy dandy olive oil spritzer, season with salt and pepper and mix to insure all the vegetables are coated nicely before placing them in the oven. They'll need about 30-40 minutes.
After they are done, add the veggies to your food processor along with the garlic. (The awesome part about roasted garlic is how easily it slides out of the skins.) Pulse until you achieve your desired texture and serve. 

Also, don't be afraid to try other vegetable combinations. This is what I happened to have on hand.
If this was featured on a buffet table, I know I'd grab it. How about you? What are you bringing to make your next feast a little healthier?