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Showing posts from 2011

Spiced Lentil Soup

Filling and nutritious, lentils are really a great food. They are full of protein and fiber. I think of them as starter legumes or beans. They are fast and easy to cook and don't need to be soaked. If you really like them you can use them for the base of a salad or even eat them like a grain with other proteins or vegetables. Try this soup. It makes a lot and can be eaten for a quick lunch, heated in the microwave, or for the center piece in a healthy filling dinner. If you feel intimidated by all the ingredients, notice this soup is simple and fast. Most of the stuff on the ingredient list are spices you probably have in your home already. This combination of spices is typical in Moroccan foods. 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, coarse chop 5 small potatoes, 1 in dice 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 lg carrots, cut to 1 in chunks 2 ribs celery, diced 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon cumin 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground clove 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne or red ...

Baked Oatmeal

My friend Kevin made this version of baked oatmeal for me. I was not sure about baking oats but this is really good. He gave me the recipe and I made some modifications for you. I tried it out on my friend Arlene and it is a keeper! It is like a baked oat cake. When you get up in the morning you will look forward to putting a slice in the microwave. Top it off with fresh fruit and some plain yogurt for a real treat. You might even find seasonal substitutes for the blueberries. BAKED OATMEAL WITH BLUEBERRIES 6 Servings 1 1/2 cups skim milk 1/2 cup egg beaters 1 tablespoon canola oil 2 1/2 cups old fashion rolled oats 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 teaspoons vanilla 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional) 1 - 2 cups frozen blueberries Optional toppings: fruit, milk yogurt Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 1 ½ quart casserole (8 X 8) with no-stick cooking spray. In medium bowl, combine milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Mix well. Set aside. In large bowl, c...

Pho bo - Vietnamese beef and noodle soup

This may seem like a bit of work but it is super easy for a fantastic result. The portions are 10 points plus, but I promise you a big bowl that will fill you up and make you feel all good inside. If you like Asian food you will love this. Anyone you serve it to will think you are a genius! Pho Bo Makes: 4 servings 5 whole cloves 4 thin slices peeled ginger root (about an inch) 3 star anise pods 1 stick cinnamon 8 cups beef broth (total – I used broth from Italian beef, 1 qt of broth and 2 cups of water) 26 ounce container of Italian style beef 1 onion, sliced 1 teaspoon black peppercorns 2 tablespoons soy sauce or nam pla (fish sauce) 4 ounces dried medium rice stick noodles 1 tablespoon cup canola oil 6 shallots, sliced 2 small red chilies, stemmed, seeded, thinly sliced (include stems and seeds if you like spice) 1 small bunch each: cilantro leaves, mint leaves, Thai (or other) basil leaves 1 cup bean sprout 1 lime, quartered Hot sauce such as Sriracha Combine cloves, ginger, star ...

Eggplant Parmigiana as good as Mom's

This is a recipe from Terri and John at my St. Bens meeting. I have never been a big eggplant fan except when my mother made eggplant parmigiana. Of course, her version began by frying the eggplant which absorbs oil like a sponge. I usually avoid it just for that reason. In this version the eggplant is baked not fried. The results were so good, we ended up eating double portions at our house. This is one of those things I make over and over again! EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA 1 eggplant (1 1/2 - 2 lbs), peel and cut into 1/2" thick slices and lightly salted 1/4 cup egg beaters (or egg white) w/ 1 T water, lightly beaten 1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs (or 1 cup fresh crumbs) 2 cups reduced fat pasta sauce (or your own version of sauce) 1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese, grated 3 Tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two cookie sheets with cooking spray. Dip eggplant into egg mixture and then toss in bread crumbs. Don't worry if they are not completely co...

Tzatziki - Greek Yogurt Sauce

This sauce is so easy to make - so low in PointsPlus - and it tastes good on fish, chicken, vegetables and more! Whip up a batch and put some zing into your food. Cut up some veggies and enjoy a refreshing healthy snack. Use this instead of mayo on your wrap. Go crazy with this delicous sauce! TZATZIKI 1 cup peeled, seeded and grated cucumber (this is the hardest part) 1/8 tsp salt 1 cup plain FF yogurt 1/2 tsp dill weed 2 tsp lemon juice 1 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced 1/4 tsp salt Salt the cucumber with 1/8 tsp of salt and allow to sit for 20 minutes. Squeeze out excess water. Mix all ingredients together. Chill for an hour to let flavors come together. 1/2 cup of this is only 1 PointsPlus.

New Asian Slaw

I love using spicy ingredients. They satisfy my taste buds, they help me feel physically satisfied and, I am told, they heat up my metabolism. One ingredient I really have be come fond of is sriracha (an Asian style chili sauce - think Thai Ketchup). When I stumbled upon this simple version of slaw with sriracha in it I knew I had to try it and share it with you. This makes a good side dish for almost anything. It also makes a good topping for a sandwich or a turkey burger. You could put it in a wrap or dump into a pita for a quick, low points plus treat. NEW ASIAN SLAW 4 cups cabbage shredded (any combo you like) 1 cup carrots, shredded 1 small onion, diced pinch of salt and pepper 1 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp peanut butter 2 Tblspn rice wine or white wine vinegar 1 tsp sesame oil (you can use an extra tsp peanut butter instead) 1 tsp sriracha (or more) 1/4 cup FF Mayo 1/4 cup buttermilk 1 tsp sugar Toss the vegetables together; set aside. Whisk remaining ingredients together until smoo...

Walt's Vegetable Soup

I love this easy soup recipe. It is super healthy (if you use low sodium tomato juice) and packs a ton of flavor. If you are tired of the WW Garden Vegetable recipe, this will really do the trick. At just 1 PointPlus per serving it is the perfect thing to take the edge off of your hunger. It can also be used as a low PointsPlus lunch if you are planning to save a few extra points for dinner! WALT'S VEGETABLE SOUP 6 cups tomato juice 3 Tbspn oatmeal - ground 1 Tbspn rice polishings (ground rice) 16 oz can stewed tomatoes 1 1/2 cups celery chopped 1/2 cup green beans sliced 1/2 cup peas 1 cup spinach packed & shredded 1 1/2 cups cabbage, shredded 1/2 cup brown rice 1 bay leaf 1 tsp marjoram 2 Tbspn parsley pepper to taste Combine juice, oats and rice polishings. Cook until thickened. Add remaining ingredients except the spinach. Cook until rice and vegetables are tender; 20 - 25 minutes. Add the spinach and cook 5 minutes. serves 8

SOFRITO - Spice Up Your Food

This basically vegetable mix is a great way to add a ton of flavor to your food. Many of us are aware of the trinity (onion, celery, and bell pepper) but this Caribbean version gives a good zip and base of flavor when used to start soups, rice, or meats. The two great things about this recipe are it has 0 points plus and it makes a lot. I keep it in 1/2 cup portions frozen in little snack bags for easy access in the freezer. SOFRITO 2 medium onions 4 cubanelle peppers 15 - 20 garlic cloves, minced 1 - 2 serrano peppers 1 large bunch of cilantro 4 plum tomatoes 1 red bell pepper Clean everything. Drop everything into a food processor. Completely puree. Use what you need and freeze the rest. About 4 cups

Slow Cooker Oatmeal

A few weeks ago Weight Watchers had a recipe for slow cooker (pumpkin) oatmeal. I was a bit sceptical because it called for 1 & 1/2 cups (only) of steal cut oats (I use old fashion). How could this be enough for 8 servings and for 5 pointsplus each? But some of my members claimed that they really liked steal cut and half the amount of steal cut is the same as old fashion oats. I gave it a try. It was so good I tried it several more times! SLOW COOKER OATMEAL - you can choose the flavor you want to make 6 cups water 3 cups apple or pumpkin or banana or ?, diced into 1/2 inch cubes 1 1/2 cups steal cut oats 1/2 cup honey 1/4 tsp salt 2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg (other flavorings can be use - vanilla, orange or lemon zest, ginger) Put all into your 3 - 6 quart slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours. Stir - it will look watery until you stir and scrape up any oats stuck to bottom. You can eat at this point (1 cup per serving), but I pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish and I chill. Then I cu...

Taco Soup

Time to bring back the taco soup! It is so easy and good it is ridiculous. Just a package of taco seasoning and 7 cans and you have a soup for a crowd or a batch in your frig for a week of good eating. If you shop at ALDI or get the cans on sale it is an extreme bargain too. You just have to watch the sodium content. 1 large onion, chopped cooking spray 1 pkg of taco seasoning 2 cups whole kernel corn (or 1 can) 1 can fat free chicken broth 1 can black beans, undrained 1 can great northern beans, undrained 1 can fat free refried beans 1 can diced tomatoes 1 can spicy season tomatoes Sauté the onion until soft in a large pot sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Add the other ingredients to pot and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. If you want to spice it up (and I always do) add one or two chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - adds smoke and heat! If you have a one cup serving this is 3 PointsPlus. It is especially good on a baked potato for a quick filling meal.