Taste of Thyme: Good & Good for You 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

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...

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.