Paula Deen's Lean: Brie en Croute #2

Since my husband and I will take any excuse to throw a get-together, we invited family and friends over for the ACC Championship football game on December 4th; turning it into an all-out sport enthused, charitable holiday event. Rudy and I wanted to use this gathering as a chance to collect sport-related toys for our local Toys for Tots, hoping to make this holiday a little merrier for children in our community.



Along with the football and toy collection success, there is one more victory that needs to be celebrated; the lightening up of Paula Deen's Brie en Croute #2! My friend Karen and I rocked this recipe and had those football fans scrapin' the platter. Who said you can't serve Brie at a tailgate? It was simple and delicious, yet it looked like it took great time and skill. Now I am not down-playin' our culinary skills, but this recipe doesn't require the use of them. Check out how quickly and easily you can serve this fancy appetizer to your guests. I guarentee you will be staring at your creation just like we were; completely impressed with ourselves and loving how much people enjoyed it.


BRIE en CROUTE # 2
Serves 10

INGREDIENTS:
1 can (8 oz) Reduced-Fat Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls


1 tablespoon "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" light

1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts


1 small (7-ounce) Président® 7 oz Light Brie


1/2 cup SUGAR FREE raspberry jam


2 eggs whites, beaten

 DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 350°F. Unroll dough and separate crosswise into two sections. Pat dough and firmly press perforations to seal, forming 2 squares.


Place 1 square on ungreased cookie sheet. Place Light Brie on center of dough.


Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute nuts in "ICBINB" light until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Place nuts on top of Brie and spread jam on top of nuts.

With small cookie or canapé cutter, cut 1 shape from each corner of remaining square; set cutouts aside.


Place remaining square on top of cheese round. Press dough evenly around cheese; fold bottom edges over top edges. Gently stretch dough evenly around cheese; press to seal completely. Brush with beaten egg. Top with cutouts; brush with additional beaten egg.


Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Serve warm with whole wheat crackers or sliced apples and/or pears.


RESULTS:
I am telling you, I LOVE brie! And when I found out that almost every ingredient in this recipe could be replaced with something lighter, I fell in love all over again. The fat content in the cheese has been reduced by 50% and in the pastry.... around 60%! Let's not forget how we cut the saturated fat in butter by 70% and the sugar in the jam by 100%! I can't tell you how satisfying it is when an all-time favorite like this, one that I have deprived myself of or felt guilty about eating for so long, comes out just as fantastic in it's lighter form. I really hope you love it as much as we did. ENJOY!


**Note: Want to cut a little more fat or have a nut allergy, leave out the butter and nuts. It is still going to knock your socks off!

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving): 154.2 calories;  9.2g fat;  13.7g carbohydrate;  7.5g protein;  .26g fiber

*PRINT~FRIENDLY*