HG's Totally Nuts Creamy Chicken Salad Sandwich

Chicken salad can really tip the scale on calories with all the mayonnaise and an mixing of dark and white meat. Here is Hungry Girl's version of the standard chicken salad sandwich...try it out, you might be amazed!

HG's Totally Nuts Creamy Chicken Salad Sandwich

Serving Size: 1 sandwich (half of recipe)
Calories: 254
Fat: 7g
Sodium: 923mg
Carbs: 34g
Fiber: 6.5g
Sugars: 11g
Protein: 20g

PointsPlus® value 7*

HG Alternative! Not much of a sandwich lover? No worries! A serving of the chicken salad itself (half the total amount; about 3/4 cup) has 166 calories, 6g fat, 733mg sodium, 15g carbs, 1g fiber, 9g sugars, and 15g protein (PointsPlus® value 4*). Who loves you?

Creamy scoopable salads are SO GOOD, especially when they're packed with fruit. Add in delicious pecans, and they're even better. Put some in a sandwich? HOLY COW, you've got a handheld masterpiece. Just make sure you eat our version and not the one from Arby's. This recipe serves two, so call a friend or save some for another day!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. salt
4 oz. cooked and chopped skinless lean chicken breast
1/4 cup halved red seedless grapes
1/4 cup chopped apple
2 tbsp. chopped celery
1 1/2 tbsp. chopped pecans
4 slices light bread, honey-wheat flavor if available
2 large lettuce leaves

Directions:
Place mayo, garlic powder, and salt in a large bowl; mix well. Add chicken and stir to coat. Add grapes, apple, celery, and pecans; stir well and set aside.

To make each sandwich, lightly toast bread slices (if you like). Lay out 1 bread slice and top with a lettuce leaf. Evenly place half of the chicken salad (about 3/4 cup) over the lettuce. Top with the other bread slice.

Repeat with remaining bread, lettuce, and chicken salad to make the second sandwich. (Or cover and refrigerate the remaining chicken salad, and assemble that sandwich another day.)

Enjoy!

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

Mr. Stripey Tomato, Arugula, and Pancetta Sandwiches

If you like BLT sandwiches, check out this recipe for a slight update on the BLT from Cooking Light.

Mr. Stripey Tomato, Arugula, and Pancetta Sandwiches

These sandwiches are a new interpretation of the classic BLT. Pancetta is Italian cured bacon; substitute domestic cured bacon, if necessary. You can prepare the mayonnaise mixture and cook the pancetta up to one day ahead.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced shallots
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh sage
2 ounces pancetta, cut into 8 thin slices
Cooking spray
8 (1-ounce) slices rustic sourdough bread, toasted
4 medium Mr. Stripey tomatoes, each cut into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices
1 cup arugula

Preparation

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl, stirring well.
2. Preheat oven to 400°. Arrange pancetta in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes or until crisp. Drain on paper towels.
3. Spread mayonnaise mixture evenly over bread slices. Top each of 4 bread slices with 2 pancetta slices, 4 tomato slices, and 1/4 cup arugula. Top sandwiches with remaining 4 bread slices.

Jeanne Thiel Kelley, Cooking Light
AUGUST 2008

A Healthier Cheese Melt

From Glamour's Vitamin G blog, here is a great way to lighten up your cheese melts, or really any sandwich...check it out here...they post tons of delicious and healthy recipes and snack tips...so awesome!

Hot Chile Grilled Cheese

Eating Well has an interesting collection of Quick, Low Calorie Meals. Here is a recipe for Hot Chile Grilled Cheese; this is actually my favorite way to eat grilled cheese; I'm really excited to try this one.

Hot Chile Grilled Cheese

From EatingWell: March/April 2010

This deconstructed version of a chile relleno turned sandwich packs some heat and an ooey-gooey filling. We like the flavor of sourdough, but any kind of bread will work well. Serve with: Coleslaw and sliced pineapple.

4 servings

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes


INGREDIENTS
4 poblano peppers (see Note)
1 14-ounce can pinto beans, preferably low-sodium
3 tablespoons prepared salsa
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons low-fat plain yogurt
3 scallions, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
8 slices sourdough bread

PREPARATION
Place peppers in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on High until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Let stand, covered, until cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, combine beans, salsa and salt in a medium bowl. Mash the beans with a fork until they begin to form a paste (some can remain whole). Combine cheese, yogurt, scallions and cilantro in a small bowl.
When the peppers are cool enough to handle, slice each one in half lengthwise and remove the stem and seeds.
Heat a panini maker to high. (No panini maker? See Stovetop Variation, below.)
Spread 1/3 cup of the bean mixture on each of 4 slices of bread. Top with a heaping tablespoon of the cheese mixture. Place 2 pepper halves over the cheese. Cover with the remaining slices of bread.
Grill the sandwiches in the panini maker until golden brown and through, about 4 minutes. Cut in half and serve immediately.

TIPS & NOTES
Note: Dark green poblano peppers, smaller than a bell pepper but larger than a jalapeño, can be fiery or relatively mild; there’s no way to tell until you taste them. Find them near other fresh peppers at most large supermarkets.
Stovetop Variation: Place four 15-ounce cans and a medium skillet (not nonstick) by the stove. Heat 1 teaspoon canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 2 sandwiches in the pan. Place the medium skillet on top of the sandwiches, then weight it down with the cans. Cook the sandwiches until golden on one side, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, flip the sandwiches, replace the top skillet and cans, and cook until the second side is golden, 1 to 3 minutes more. Repeat with another 1 teaspoon oil and the remaining 2 sandwiches.

NUTRITION
Per serving: 415 calories; 6 g fat ( 3 g sat , 1 g mono ); 13 mg cholesterol; 70 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 19 g protein; 9 g fiber; 761 mg sodium; 307 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (163% daily value), Folate (39% dv), Iron (20% dv)

Carbohydrate Servings: 4

Exchanges: 3 1/2 starch, vegetable, 1 medium-fat meat

Chicken dinners are the easiest go to when you need to make dinner quickly-check out Ladies Home Journal'scollection of Beat the Clock chicken recipes; check out this recipe for Chicken Carrot Salad Sandwiches.

Chicken Carrot Salad Sandwiches

Makes: 6 servings

Prep: 25 minutes
Start to Finish: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound haricots verts (French green beans) or fresh thin green beans, trimmed
• 10 ounces purchased precooked sliced boneless chicken breast
• 4 medium carrots, coarsely grated
• 1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut, lightly toasted
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat natural-style peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 6 Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves
• 1/4 seedless cucumber, sliced
• 12 slices whole-grain bread, toasted

Directions

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil; add salt. Add beans and cook until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water, tossing, until cool. Pat beans dry and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Transfer to a large bowl.

Coarsely chop chicken and add to bowl with beans. Add carrots, ginger, coconut, peanut butter, yogurt, juice, and soy sauce. Stir until combined well; salt and pepper to taste.

Arrange chicken salad, lettuce, and cucumber between bread slices. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts

• Servings Per Recipe 6 servings
• Calories370,
• Total Fat (g)6.5,
• Saturated Fat (g)2,
• Cholesterol (mg)31,
• Sodium (mg)829,
• Carbohydrate (g)35,
• Fiber (g)6,
• Protein (g)19,
• Vitamin A (DV%)0,
• Vitamin C (DV%)0,
• Calcium (DV%)0,
• Iron (DV%)0,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Barbecue Pulled Chicken Sandwich

This is from Eating Well. Barbecue always hits the spot, so why not make an amazing barbecue chicken sandwich for less calories, at home? This recipe takes a little longer, but might be perfect for a Sunday get together with friends and family. This is from their series of 25 Chicken Recipes under 350 Calories.

Barbecue Pulled Chicken

8 servings

Active Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 5 1/2 hours

Ingredients

• 1 8-ounce can reduced-sodium tomato sauce
• 1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles, drained
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Preparation

1. Stir tomato sauce, chiles, vinegar, honey, paprika, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, ground chipotle and salt in a 6-quart slow cooker until smooth. Add chicken, onion and garlic; stir to combine.
2. Put the lid on and cook on low until the chicken can be pulled apart, about 5 hours.
3. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred with a fork. Return the chicken to the sauce, stir well and serve.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Nutrition

Per serving: 184 calories; 8 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 68 mg cholesterol; 8 g carbohydrates; 3 g added sugars; 20 g protein; 1 g fiber; 257 mg sodium; 303 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (19% daily value), Vitamin A & Vitamin C (15% dv).

1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1/2 other carb., 2.5 lean meat

This Sandwich is a real Hero

Here is a Weight Watchers recipe for a Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Hero Sandwich. If you are fluent in Weight Watchers, it's only 5 points per serving.

This recipe makes 4 servings
Prep time is 12 minutes
Cook time is 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 Sprays olive oil cooking spray
• 8 oz turkey sausage, with herbs and red peppers and other seasonings, sliced into 1/2 inch thick pieces
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic, or to taste
• 1 medium vidalia onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 8 oz Italian bread, about 1 medium loaf

Directions:

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Saute sausage until browned, about 5 minutes; remove to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Add oil to same skillet and heat for about 45 seconds; add garlic and saute until golden, about 30 seconds. Add onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add peppers and saute until vegetables are softened, about 6 to 8 minutes more.

Stir in vinegar and then return sausage to skillet; toss to combine.

Split bread lengthwise-almost but not all the way through; fill with sausage mixture.

Cut into 4 equal pieces and serve. Yields 1/4 of hero per serving.

To switch this up a bit, instead of serving it as a sandwich, try serving just the filling over whole wheat couscous or brown rice.