Save Calories and Lose Weight with Healthy Food Swaps

Swap Some Of The Avocado In Guacamole For Zucchini
Save: 100 calories

The monounsaturated fats in avocado—the main ingredient in guacamole—may be heart-healthy, but they also pack a calorie punch. A typical avocado-heavy guacamole delivers 200 calories per half cup. For the May/June 2012 issue of EatingWell Magazine, the EatingWell Test Kitchen came up with an amazing (and surprising) substitution for half the avocado—cooked zucchini! This is some of the best guacamole I’ve had—and the swap shaved 100 calories off the real deal.

Skinny Guacomole Recipe

This delicious guacamole recipe replaces half the amount of high-calorie avocado in a traditional guacamole recipe with a stealth, low-calorie vegetable—zucchini—to cut 100 calories and 6 grams of fat so we can eat more guacamole with fewer calories. We use the microwave to cook the zucchini until it’s very tender, but you can steam it on the stovetop if you prefer.

Ingredients

•     1 large zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
•     1 large ripe avocado, cubed
•     1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
•     1/4 cup finely chopped onion
•     2 cloves garlic, minced
•     2 tablespoons lime juice
•     1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco, or more to taste
•     1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Place zucchini in a microwave-safe dish, cover with a damp paper towel and microwave on High until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain in a sieve, pressing lightly on the zucchini to extract any liquid.
2. Transfer the zucchini to a large bowl; add avocado, cilantro, onion, garlic, lime juice, hot sauce and salt and coarsely mash until combined.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Nutrition
Per serving: 96 calories; 8 g fat ( 1 g sat , 5 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 8 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 2 g protein; 4 g fiber; 167 mg sodium; 409 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (27% daily value)

Carbohydrate Servings: 1/2

Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 1 1/2 fat

Source Aticles and image : www.eatingwell.com

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