True Blood Premiere Party!

Here at L ² Lounge we LOVE True Blood! So, every Sunday during the summer we like to invite our friends over for dinner, and we watch the latest episode.

For the Season 5 premiere here is what we made... healthy Southern comfort food... well, maybe not the cupcakes :)

Jalapeno Potato Chip Chicken "Fried" Chicken With Jalapeno "Cream" Gravy

 

Lauren and I love a restaurant here in Houston called BRC. It is such good Southern food with a twist… love it! Anyway, when we are there we usually order the jalapeno chip chicken fried steak and split it (HUGE portions!). The last time we were there, we thought, “Hey, we can do this, and make it healthier,” so that’s what we did… here goes!

4 servings

6 WW points+ (depending on the amount of chips you use)

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts (halved)

Egg whites (to use as an egg wash, I used the kind from the carton)

Half a normal sized bag of jalapeno potato chips

Pickled jalapenos (for garnish)

Directions:

To start with, I halved the chicken breasts and pounded them out with a meat tenderizer. I then put the chicken in a brine (salt water bath) to help make it juicier. Next, take your jalapeno chips and put them in a plastic zip bag and either crush them with your hands or your can use a rolling pin, whatever’s your pleasure, just make those babies small! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Take the chicken out of the fridge and take it out of the brine. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels (just to get the drips off).  Get out two bowls, put egg whites in one and the jalapeno chip crumbs in the other. Next dip the chicken in the egg whites and then coat in the crumbs. If you have a wire rack, place the wire rack in a cookie sheet and then put the chickens on the wire rack (this keeps them crispy!) and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes! Top with jalapeno “cream” gravy and jalapeno slices for some serious comfort food… in a healthier way. 

Jalapeno “Cream” Gravy 

¼ cup serving

1 WW points+

Ingredients:

1 package No Fat cream gravy mix

20-30 pickled jalapeno slices

water

Directions:

In your grocery store’s seasoning/mixes aisle, you can find gravy mixes. If you look, you can find Pioneer brand cream gravy with “No Fat.” I just prepared the mix according the directions and then added about 20 pickled jalapeno slices (pureed in the mini food processor). This made a DELICIOUS cream gravy with 1 point (we do Weight Watchers in this house). So good!

We served this delicious main dish with an appetizer of Jalapeno Pimento Cheese, a side of Mashed "Potatoes" and Blood Red Velvet Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting! 

Jalapeno Pimento Cheese

8 servings
4 WW points+

Ingredients: 

3-4 cups grated cheddar cheese (reduced fat - amount depending on how mayonnaise-y you like it)

1 ½ cups grated Monterrey Jack cheese

½ cup chopped pimentos

2-4 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos with juice

1 cup good mayonnaise (fat free)

1 cup Miracle Whip (fat free)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir... so simple and delicious!

Mashed "Potatoes"

 

Adapted from Weight Watchers Mashed 'Potatoes' With Chives
These pair deliciously with Jalapeno Potato Chip Chicken "Fried" Chicken with Jalapeno "Cream" Gravy!

4 servings
3 WW points +

 Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower cut into florets         
3 small potatoes peeled
6 cloves of garlic
¼ cup skim milk
1 tbs butter
Salt & pepper to taste

Place cauliflower, potatoes and garlic in a large sauce pan. Add enough water to cover the veggie. Salt the water to give the veggies some extra flavor. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10-15 min, or until veggies are tender. Drain and return to sauce pan.

Mash with a potato masher. Add milk, butter and season with salt and pepper. Once ingredients are combined use a hand mixer or immersion blender to get a fluffy texture.

Blood Red Velvet Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting

Oh my, but these cupcakes are delicious! This frosting is pretty much made of magic, I know it says it's made of mascarpone, but mascarpone is just code for magic... yum!

Cake Ingredients:

¼ cup (2 oz.) red food coloring

3 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

2 sticks of butter (unsalted, room temperature)

1 ¾ cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups cake flour

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon distilled vinegar

Directions:

Preaheat oven to 350 °. Line a muffin tin with baking liners. In a small bowl mix together food coloring and cocoa until smooth. In an electric mixer (paddle attachment), cream butter and sugar on medium high until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each egg, then mix in the cocoa and food coloring mixture. Reduce the mixer speed and continue beating mixture for another 4 minutes. In a medium bowl sift together flours, baking soda, and salt. Stir together vanilla and buttermilk in the measuring cup, set aside. Alternate adding a little of the flour mixture and a little of the buttermilk mixture into the mixer. Add the sour cream and vinegar and mix until smooth. Fill the cupcake liners ¾ full with the batter and bake 25-30 minutes. After removing them from the oven, let the cupcakes cool for 5 minutes then move them to a cooling rack to let them cool completely before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:

4 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)

16 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)

4 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

16 oz. mascarpone (Italian cream cheese)

Directions:

In the electric mixer (paddle attachment), beat the butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the mascarpone (on very low speed, don’t over beat or the frosting will curdle) until it is just combined. Stir in the vanilla extract. Frost the cupcakes and garnish with plastic vampire teeth.

Enjoy!