Long Beach Jewish Life September 2014 | Page 39

Wow, so here I am on my 4th installment of Recipe Remix! Not sure how many folks are reading, but figured I would keep doing my thing til someone tells me to stop. LOL! Thus far we have remixed Lemongrass-Miso Vinaigrette, Blueberry (almost) Bliss, and The Weasel; now that we have gotten to know each other, I thought I would remix a breakfast staple that everyone enjoys. As they say, 'You don't have to be Jewish...' ! You will probably think me misguided when I tell you that I am not a fan of the bagel. Are you still reading? Yeah I said it, I am not a fan of the bagel, but actually I am not a fan of bread in general. Don’t get me wrong, I eat bread and bagels if they are within reach, because I am a Fat Girl, and Fat Girl Logic 101 dictates that food when readily available is never turned down. But with that said, if left to fend for myself I rarely crave it; crackers are my thing—I can’t even go down the cracker aisle in the grocery store without my palms sweating! Trust me, I am working on a remix so I can stuff myself with the salty-crunchiness without guilt. Okay, where was I?? Oh yes, bagel and lox—so the calorie killers are the cream cheese and the bagel. In my opinion neither is necessary to the recipe because they act as “additions”; the flavors come from the smokiness of the salmon, sweet and tart of red onion, and the salty punch of capers. These elements on their own are really low in calories. By eliminating the bagel and the schmear, not only are you NOT losing any of the taste or essential elements of the dish but you are reducing the calories -- by a lot. Let’s take a look at the numbers Standard Recipe Serves 1 – 540 cals. 1 Plain bagel - 300** cals. 2 tbsp. Regular cream cheese - 1 00 cals. 4oz. Smoked salmon – 1 40 cals. Red onions & Capers ** The calories in bagels vary depending on size and flavors. I used an average calorie count, but be aware that some bagels can be as high as 600 calories each...OUCH!