An Unexpectedly Perfect Bite

I’ve never met anyone who didn’t love bagels. I know some people are hyperventilating just looking at this because they believe that these evil bread sirens are pure calorie bombs. And that’s not entirely untrue. But an occasional bagel never hurt anyone. So if you’re going to indulge - which I highly recommend - why not do it right?

This is my modified version of the best bagel I’d ever tasted...until I improved it. You may be surprised at how NOT damaging it is to your daily food intake. Not to mention how incredibly satisfying it is to the entirety of your being.

So here’s how you make one of these glorious, heavenly treats.

Let’s start with the bagel. Get the good ones from a top notch bakery or bagel shop. It makes a world of difference.

Any savory variety will do. However there is such a thing as overkill. I prefer to use onion bagels. These particular beauties were also sporting some poppy seeds, which was a major bonus. And they weigh in at 230 calories apiece.

Slice one in half and if you aren’t too hungry and/or have tremendous self control or a dining partner, you can cut your calorie tally down to 115 just like that.

I believe it’s a mortal sin not to lightly toast bagels. But of course that’s up to you.

Once the bagel is sliced and hopefully toasted, you will need one small clove of garlic. I use those mini mutant ones that often wind up in the trash. Cut it in half and gently rub the cut surface of the bagel with it. I do it once. Feel free to improvise to taste but keep in mind that too much rubbing will change the texture and moisture level of the bread...not to mention it may temporarily end friendships.

Next you’ll need whipped cream cheese. The whipping makes it go farther because it’s full of air. Do yourself a ginormous favor and opt for this instead of getting some uber processed “light” version. A good whipped cheese purchased at a bagel shop or deli or even a high end grocer will have roughly 100 calories per 3 tbsp. serving. I’ll be honest, I’m probably using 2 tbsp. per bagel half. But if you’re not eating two halves, you can call that 66 calories.

Now for the pièce de résistance: Olives. I’ve tried many kinds from generic to super fancy, from Italian to Spanish to Greek. By far the absolute best for this recipe are Seville Queen olives stuffed with pimentos. They have the perfect texture and flavor to balance out this bite.

Slice 2 olives per bagel half. I slice fairly thin for maximum surface area coverage. And this adds 30 calories. 60 if you’re brazen enough to go for the whole thing.

(these olive slices are a bit too thick for our bagel but they look much better for the pretty picture)

Finally we are ready for the crowning touch: toasted black and white sesame seeds, sea salt, poppy seeds, dried minced garlic and onion. If you’re lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe’s, you can simply use their Everything but the Bagel Sesame seasoning blend. But if not, this is a simple mix you can put together yourself. While it’s entirely and/or partially optional - and your bagel will be delicious without it - this stuff catapults everything to a whole new level. A 1 gm. serving adds another 5 calories. That’s 2.5 calories for half a bagel.

Let’s take a look at what you can indulge in for a mere 213.5 calories:

Me? I’m a traditionalist. So unless you come over to split one with me, I’m in for the entire 427 calories. And I won’t regret a single one.