Spinach Quesadillas

A lot of popular restaurants serve quesadillas as an appetizer. Often times, choosing to order an appetizer as your entrée is a good strategy to order smaller portion sizes and stay within calorie targets for your meal. However, at 700 to 800 calories per serving, this appetizer contains more calories than some full meal!

In my rehab, I will replace the traditional flour tortillas with high fiber low-carb whole grain tortillas to increase the fiber content and create a more satisfying meal. As for the filling, I will use spinach and a little bit of egg white in order to add lean protein and cut back on the fat traditionally included with the large amount of cheese. Now, you can't call them quesadillas without cheese, but I will reduce the amount and use a low-fat version in order to cut calories. Serve with salsa and Greek yogurt for a healthier low-fat appetizer or quick and easy light dinner.

Ingredients
Quesadillas
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
3 egg whites, beaten
10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
6 low-carbohydrate whole wheat tortillas (8-inch diameter)

Toppings
6 ounces non-fat Greek yogurt
1 cup salsa

Instructions
1. In a large non-stick skillet sauté the onions in the olive oil. Add the egg whites and scramble until no longer runny.
2. Remove from heat and stir in spinach and salsa.
3. To assemble the tortillas, layer a sixth of the spinach egg mixture on half of each tortilla. Sprinkle with about 1 spoonful of cheese and fold in half.
4. Transfer the tortillas to a large cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 350° F for 5 to 7 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Alternatively, to cook one at a time, you can grill the quesadillas in an ungreased frying pan over medium heat for 2 minutes and then flip and continue cooking on the other side for an additional 2 minutes.
5. Serve topped with Greek yogurt and salsa.

Serves: 6

Nutrition Content (per serving):
198 calories, 6 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 21 g carbohydrates, 5 g sugars, 8 g fiber, 17 g protein, 854 mg sodium, 385 mg potassium, 270 mg calcium


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Readers, I would love to hear from you! Please send me your favorite fattening recipes that need a recipe rehab! Everything from your mom's meatloaf to your kid's favorite dessert -- let me lighten it up.

Celebrity dietitian and motivational life coach Tanya Zuckerbrot, author of www.ffactordiet.com and founder of www.theskinnyondietitians.com, has helped thousands of people lose weight and keep it off with her program. Her philosophy? Tanya believes you should never sacrifice taste, even when you're eating healthy foods. Have a recipe in need of rehab? Send us your recipe!