Bloomin' Blossom (PointsPlus 6)

Ingredients:

For Onion:
1 jumbo sweet onion, not peeled
1 cup Fiber One bran cereal (original), ground to a breadcrumb-like consistency in a blender or food processor
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Original Egg Beaters)
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt (like the one by Lawry's)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. black pepper

For Sauce:
3 tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise
2 tsp. ketchup
1/8 tsp. seasoned salt
dash chili powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine ground cereal with the seasoned salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Mix well and set aside.

Cut the top half-inch of the onion off (from the pointy side, not the flat one). Leaving the root (bottom) intact, carefully peel the outside layer off.

Next, starting from the top, carefully cut the onion down and across the middle, stopping about a half-inch from the root. Repeat to make a criss-cross, cutting the onion down the middle again and stopping a half-inch from the bottom. You should now have 4 sections still attached at the bottom. Cut each of those sections down the middle (from the top), again stopping before you get to the root.

Place the onion, cut side up, in a large bowl, and cover completely with ice water. Allow to sit for 5 - 10 minutes, or until "petals" open up. (You can use your hands to gently help pry them open once they've been soaking for several minutes.) Remove the onion, and dry both the onion and the bowl.

Once both are dry, place the onion back in the bowl, with the petals up. Pour the egg substitute evenly over it, making sure to get in between all the petals (use your hands to separate them). Swirl egg substitute around so the bottom and sides of the onion get coated. Then flip the onion over to drain excess egg substitute. The entire surface of the onion should be covered lightly with egg substitute. Transfer onion to a separate, dry bowl. (You'll likely have about half the egg substitute left in the first bowl.)

Slowly sprinkle ground cereal mixture evenly over the onion, making sure to thoroughly coat each petal -- again, use your hands to separate them -- flipping the onion upside-down once you're almost done coating, so that the entire surface gets coated in crumbs. (If needed, spread a little more egg substitute on any dry spots to get the crumbs to stick.) Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray, and place the onion in it with the petals facing up.

Place dish in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes (until outside is crispy and inside is soft). Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients. When onion is done, allow it to cool slightly. If you like, carefully cut out the center of the onion (so petals are easy to remove). Serve with sauce and enjoy! MAKES 2 SERVINGS

http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1035

Spicy Steak and Beans (5 Points, 6 Points Plus)

Yields: 6 Servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds Beef flank steak
1 can (14 oz) Chopped tomatoes and green chilis undrained
1 teaspoon Dried oregano
1 teaspoon Chili powder
1 teaspoon Ground cumin
1 teaspoon Garlic minced
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black pepper ground
1 can (15 oz) Pinto beans rinsed and drained
1/4 cup Bell pepper strips

Instructions
Place meat in slow cooker. In small bowl combine all the ingredients except the bell peppers and beans. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or 3-4 hours on high. Stir in the beans and bell pepers. Cover and cook on high for 30 more minutes. Shred the meat before serving. Can be served over rice.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving:

• Servings: 6 servings
• Calories262
• Total Fat (g)8
• Saturated Fat (g)3
• Monounsaturated Fat (g)3
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g)0
• Cholesterol (mg)45
• Sodium (mg)452
• Carbohydrate (g)17
• Total Sugar (g)3
• Fiber (g)4
• Protein (g)29
• Vitamin A (DV%)0
• Vitamin C (DV%)37
• Calcium (DV%)8
• Iron (DV%)18

Better Homes & Gardens: Diabetic Living Slow Cooker Meals

Aw Maw's Potatoes (5 Points, 6 Points Plus)

Serving size: 2/3 cup

Ingredients
2 pounds unpeeled baking potatoes
Cooking spray
1/6 cup butter
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese shredded
1 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Place potatoes in a Dutch oven, and cover with water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain. Cover and chill. Preheat oven to 350°. Peel and shred the potatoes. Place in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the milk, 1/2 cup cheese, salt, and pepper. Cook 8 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring occasionally. Pour over potatoes, and stir gently. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until cheese melts.
(Cooking Light)

Nutritional Information

Calories: 213 (30% from fat)

Fat: 7g (sat 4.5g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.3g)

Protein: 8g

Carbohydrate: 30.2g

Fiber: 2.4g

Cholesterol: 20mg

Iron: 1.2mg

Sodium: 541mg

Calcium: 174mg

Chicken Enchiladas (6 Points, 6 Points Plus)

Ingredients

4 boneless chicken breast halves cubed
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves Garlic chopped
1/4 cup Cilantro
2 cups Reduced Fat Cheddar cheese
8 Flour tortillas
1 can (12 oz) Low fat cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup Skim milk
1 can (16 oz) Green Chili Enchilada Sauce

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 º. Spray pan with cooking spray. Saute chicken. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is brown. In a large bowl, combine the chicken with the enchilada sauce, onion, garlic, cilantro, and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese. Divide the chicken mixture among the 8 tortillas. Roll tortillas and place seam-side down in a 9- by 13-inch pan. Spread soup mixture over roll-ups and top with the remaining cheese. Bake 30 minutes.

Ham and Potato Skillet (3 Points, 6 Points Plus)

(This tastes way better than it looks! My son loved it.)

Ingredients

1 pound small potatoes
1/2 pound fresh green beans cut into 1-inch
1 cup water
8 ounces plain fat free yogurt
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham about 8 ounces
Cooking spray
1/2 cup Onion chopped

Instructions
Slice potatoes; halve any large slices. In a large skillet cook potatoes and fresh green beans in water covered about 15 minutes or until potatoes and beans are tender. (if using frozen green beans, add to potatoes last 5minutes of cooking) Meanwhile, in a small saucepan brown the chopped onion in some cooking spray. Stir the following ingredients in with the onion: yogurt, flour, mustard, dill weed, and pepper. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Pour over veggies in skillet. Stir in ham. heat through.

Beef Empanadas (5 points, 6 Points Plus)

This recipe is a 4 part recipe. It is a good idea to start the Beef Carnitas first. (You can reduce a step by using pre-made pie dough. But I'm not sure what the points would be.)

Beef Carnitas

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves crushed
2 pounds beef stew meat trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup less-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon Splenda
1 teaspoon Jane's Crazy Mixed Up Salt
1 teaspoon Mexican Seasonings
1 teaspoon Orange Peel
Instructions
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add beef; sauté 5 minutes or until beef is browned on all sides. Stir in broth and all the seasonings. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Continue simmering, uncovered, 8 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.

Dough

Ingredients
9 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chilled butter cut into small pieces

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°.
To prepare dough, combine 9 tablespoons water and vinegar. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a food processor; pulse 2 times to combine. Add butter; process until mixture resembles coarse meal. With processor on, slowly pour water mixture through food chute; process just until dough begins to form a ball (dough will be crumbly).

Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Working with one dough portion at a time, press dough into a 4-inch circle on heavy-duty plastic wrap. Cover with additional plastic wrap. Place dough in freezer 5 minutes or until plastic wrap can be easily removed.

Slightly overlap 2 sheets of plastic wrap on a slightly damp surface. Unwrap 1 dough portion; place on plastic wrap. Cover dough with 2 additional sheets of overlapping plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered, into an 11-inch circle. Repeat procedure with remaining dough. Place both portions in freezer for 5 minutes or until plastic wrap can be easily removed.

Filling

Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 cups Onion chopped
1 cup Bell pepper sliced
1 cup Tomato chopped
1/4 teaspoon Crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3 cups Beef Carnitas

Instructions
To prepare filling, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 5 minutes or until onion begins to brown. Stir in tomato, red pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in Beef Carnitas; cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.

Putting it All Together
Remove plastic wrap from 1 dough portion; place dough, plastic wrap side up, on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Remove top sheets of plastic wrap. Spoon filling onto dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Remove top sheets of plastic wrap from remaining dough. Place dough, plastic wrap side up, over filling. Remove top sheets of plastic wrap. Pinch edges together to seal. Cut several slits in top of dough to allow steam to escape. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until crust is crisp and beginning to brown. Cut into 8 wedges.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 251 (27% from fat)

Fat: 7.4g (sat 3g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.4g)

Protein: 15.1g

Carbohydrate: 30.4g

Fiber: 1.9g

Cholesterol: 43mg

Iron: 3mg

Sodium: 470mg

Calcium: 57mg

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2006

Vegetable Pesto Lasagna (6 Points Plus)

Ingredients

12 Lasagna noodles uncooked
3 cups low-fat chunky vegetable spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cups of water
1 container Part Skim Ricotta
1/2 cup of egg substitute
1/2 cup of grated part-skim Mozzarella cheese divided
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1 cup of packed fresh basil
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup of fat-free Italian salad dressing
Cooking Spray

Instructions
Combine all of the ingredients except the sauce, the noodles and the mozarella.

Spray a 9 × 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Spread 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of the pan. Arrange 4 pieces of lasagne (3 lengthwise, 1 widthwise) over the sauce. Cover with 1 1/2 cups of the sauce. Spread half the Ricotta mixture on top. Arrange another 4 pieces of lasagne over Ricotta, and top with another cup of the sauce. Spread remaining Ricotta mixture on top. Arrange final 4 pieces of lasagne over Ricotta mixture and cover with remaining sauce.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Cover lasagne with foil and bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes. Uncover lasagne, sprinkle remaining Mozzarella cheese on top and bake an additional 5 minutes uncovered. Cover and let stand 15 minutes before serving.

(from the National Pasta Association)

Calories		242.2
Total Fat		5.9 g
	Saturated Fat	3.4 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.1 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	1.2 g
Cholesterol		19.7 mg
Sodium		552.7 mg
Potassium		114.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate		32.3 g
	Dietary Fiber	2.9 g
	Sugars	8.1 g
Protein		13.4 g