Taste of Thyme: Good & Good for You Food

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...

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

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.

I love a good soup - most chefs do! It can be a one dish meal full of nutrients or it can be great snack (just zap a bowl in the microwave and eat). I am especially thankful that most soups are really satisfying, low in calories and easy to make. Here is a soup I make in my pressure cooker (not like my mom's pressure cooker that was scary but a Swiss one that is really full proof - or try one of the electric ones). This can easily be made in a slow cooker on low for 4 or 5 hours as well. It makes a big batch. Because it has vinegar in it, it last a long time in the frig or freezer. I like to keep these low point soups around during the holidays so I can make a good choice and eat this instead of holiday treat that is handy to grab and calling my name! CABBAGE SOUP WITH CARAWAY (or no caraway if you don't like that flavor) 2 t canola oil 1 med onion coarsely chopped 1 lg carrot large dice 1 - 2 T caraway seed (or use fennel or dill if you prefer) 1 bay leaf 2 cups apple cider ...

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