Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes

Start to Finish: 2 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients:

Cheesecakes:

12 foil baking cups

12 thin chocolate wafer cookies, crushed (2/3 cup)

12 oz low fat cream cheese, softened

2/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa

1 whole egg

1 egg white

1 oz bittersweet or semisweet baking chocolate, melted

Topping:

1/3 cup fat-free hot fudge topping

Fresh raspberries, if desired

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Place foil baking cup in each of 12 regular-sized muffin cups. With back of spoon, firmly press slightly less than 1 tablespoon cookie crumbs on bottom of each foil cup.

2. In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Beat in sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Beat in cocoa. Beat in whole egg and egg white until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate. Divide cheese mixture evenly among crumb-lined foil cups.

3. Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until set. Cool in pan on cooling rack 15 minutes. Remove cheesecakes from pan; cool 15 minutes longer. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until chilled.

4. To serve, carefully remove foil baking cups. Spread fudge topping on cheesecakes. Garnish with raspberries. Store cheesecakes covered in refrigerator.

Variations: Use any fruit to top the cheesecakes. Also, I used chocolate graham crackers instead of chocolate wafer cookies for the bottom of the cheesecakes. I used regular baking cups instead of foil lined baking cups and they worked well.

Notes: My four year old picked this out and helped me make it. She was able to help with each step. The final product was delicious, but messy. The cookies did not stay together and got crumbs everywhere. For next time, I will add some butter to the cookies so they stick together more like a graham cracker cheesecake crust. We will definitely make this again though. We actually used 16 ounces of cream cheese and had enough to make 24 cheesecakes with all of the ingredients. We also didn't refrigerate for an hour and they still turned out great and only took about 50 minutes from start to finish.

Servings: 12

Estimated Price: $5.00

Source: Eat Better America
Nutrition Facts per serving: 148 cal., 2.9 g total fat (1.4 g sat. fat), 200 mg sodium, 25.8 g carbo., 2.6 g fiber, 6.2 g pro. Daily Values: 6% vit. A, 8% vit. C, 7% calcium, 7% iron

Cashew Chicken and Broccoli

Start to Finish: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger root

2 cups fresh broccoli florets

1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 cups frozen sugar snap peas

3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon sugar

2 medium green onions, sliced (2 tablespoons)

3 cups hot cooked brown rice

1/4 cup salted roasted cashew halves

Directions:
1. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and Ginger root; cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes or until chicken begins to brown.

2. Add broccoli, 1/2 cup of the broth and the pepper flakes. Cover; cook over medium heat 2 minutes, stirring once. Add peas; cook 2 to 4 minutes longer, stirring once, until vegetables are crisp-tender.

3. In a small bowl, mix remaining 1/2 cup broth, the soy sauce, vinegar, corn starch, and sugar; stir into chicken mixture. Add onions; cook, stirring frequently, until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Serve over rice; sprinkle with cashews.

Notes: My four year old picked this out and helped me make it. It turned out really good. The sauce did not thicken for me, but it still had good flavor. It was easy to make and fed 6 (4 adults and 2 children), with leftovers.

Servings: 4

Estimated Price: $8.00

Source: Eat Better America
Nutrition Facts per serving: 452 cal., 11.9 g total fat (2.3 g sat. fat), 381 mg sodium, 60.8 g carbo., 3.7 g fiber, 24.5 g pro. Daily Values: 8% vit. A, 50% vit. C, 6% calcium, 17% iron